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Nice try Peter Beinart
See how quickly Hillary gets punished, thrown under the bus by her own, for the crime of daring to think for herself (and no I don’t believe it was an election ploy – her honesty on this might actually cost her the Presidency, perhaps even the nomination ) – and come clean with the American people.
Still, this mean spirited attack on Clinton has the opposite effect. Firstly, a further weakening of Peter Beinart’s own journalistic integrity – not unlike the time he too got thrown under the bus by the surprising souring of the left – following the release of his much hyped book – secondly, it has the unwitting effect of actually strengthening Hillary’s credibility, further highlighting her remarkable and courageous one hundred and eighty degree turnaround.
I’m saddened that Beinart has been labeled a “controversial congregant” in his upper west side Orthodox Shul – he should come here to our Shul in picturesque New England and he will be welcomed warmly – we pride ourselves on maintaining an atmosphere of civility and mentshlichkeit – with zero tolerance for outbreaks of heated exchanges that often come in the wake of sharp political differences.
Our ocean views might be a good break from the storm raging in the print edition of the “Atlantic” as well.
At the end of the day we are all brothers, and a SHUL is the one place that highlights that, a place where we remember, that we have a shared soul, a shared community, a shared Torah, and a shared destiny.
Treating him with respect and dignity in Shul, is one thing though – accepting his viewpoint however, is an entirely different thing altogether, which is why I hadn’t planned to add “the crisis of Zionism” to my end of summer reading list, a summer that continues to be defined by the actual crisis of radical Muslim fundamentalism.
That was reinforced after reading what seemed like a hastily written (and no doubt hastily commissioned ) one sided attack on Hillary.
————————————————————-
Take this section of the interview for example.
“Bibi agreed to a settlement freeze but Abbas wouldn’t negotiate……”
Mr. Beinart devotes an entire paragraph to delegitimizing what was universally seen as a painful compromise for peace. Imagine being told that there is no new building in Marblehead for a year. He argues that settlers rushed to lay foundations on homes that they needed for their growing families, thereby allowing them to complete those homes even during the freeze. Can you blame them for wanting to complete the building of their own homes?
Still, the crux of his argument makes no sense. He quotes figures that show more building during the freeze than the year before. The truth is that the higher than usual numbers then, were due more to a building spurt in response to a major housing crisis at the time, then to the politically motivated, squeezing in of last minute projects.
Had there been no building freeze those numbers would have been so much higher!
The fact that he could not find even one objective media source or organization,to support his fabrications, didn’t seem to bother him at all. He is well aware that there is no shortage of biased sources when it comes to Israel, and he never hesitates to use them.
Still,
he caught me off guard when I saw that he based his article on information obtained from – AL JAZEERA ???? Need I say more?Then, as if that wasn’t ridiculous enough, he strengthens his claims with a quote from the very objective SAEB EREKAT, who himself was quoted just last month with this charming revelation about hamas – “hamas is a Palestinian political party, we don’t view Hamas as a terrorist organization.” REALLY? … WHO KNEW ..? GO FIGURE…. ALL ALONG THEY WERE JUST A POLITICAL PARTY.
Or this section,
“Most remarkable of all, Clinton tells Goldberg that, “If I were the prime minister of Israel, you’re damn right I would expect to have security [control over the West Bank].” What makes this statement so remarkable is that earlier in the interview, Hillary praised the Clinton Parameters outlined by her husband in December 2000”.
Why shouldn’t she have praised the Clinton parameters outlined in Dec. 2000???
A lot has happened since then Peter. IT MIGHT JUST HAVE LOOKED GOOD THEN… BUT ITS ALMOST 15 YEARS LATER, LOTS HAS CHANGED SINCE THEN!
The truth is, that In 1947 the international community accepted the justness of a persecuted people finally coming home to their ancestral lands, free at last from the pogroms, and the Nazis, free to live with dignity, and autonomy, free to be Jews.
The truth is that instead of accepting, what was accepted by the world they chose war.
I find it highly ironic that the Arab World chooses to do most if its condemnation of the state of Israel, in the very place where the world voted to establish that state in the first place.
The truth is, that they then attacked us. We defeated them. The people ran away. Many were actually chased away by their own Arab brothers. The United Nations put forth the partition plan that would have effectively split the land between Israelis and Palestinians.They refused and chose war. They have refused every offer since then.
The sad truth is that since then, Yasser Arafat and his successors have squandered every single opportunity for peace. In the interim the Middle east has changed, and has become even more radicalized. The world has disengaged and done nothing to curb the spread of this deadly hate virus worldwide.
Israel is simply in no position to keep putting itself and its citizens that It has sworn to protect at risk any longer. This summer that point was highlighted yet again, reminding us that we cannot continue to play a game of Russian Roulette with the citizens of the State of Israel.The world messed this one up. Not Israel. They are simply adjusting to the new geopolitical realities, The same deadly realities that President Obama himself finally adjusted to last week.
Still. there is another side to the equation. We are Jews. We have a moral imperative to help people and put an end to their suffering. Even if this is a mess that we inherited. Even if we did not cause this suffering.
We now see more clearly than ever what we cannot do.
Here is what we can and should do.
We need to be throwing all of our energy and resources into trying to create better lives for innocent moderate Palestinians. Good people who have been victimized, not by Israel, but by the propaganda from their own leaders.
People who see past the lies, who see the sad tragic truth of how their own corrupt Palestinian leadership leverages the suffering of innocents, into a multi million dollar industry for them and their cronies whose pockets they line. An industry that specializes in the radicalization of hopeless people.
Or in the words of King Hussein of Jordan in an interview with the associated press, “since 1948 Arab leaders have used the Palestine people for selfish political purposes. This is… criminal.
Lets get in there and “Free Free Palestine” from the cynical and cruel imprisonment by their own twisted leadership. Lets get past the red tape and begin building the Economic peace. We need to expose the objections of the PA to these repeated overtures, for what they really are. Revenue loss for them.
We need to bring back Tony Blair and let him continue what he started.
The building of industrial zones in Jenin, Jericho, and Bethlehem is the only measure that will radically transform the lives of Palestinians, and prevent Palestinian children, from being transformed into yet another generation of hate filled radicals.
Lets do for them what their greedy leadership never had any intention or desire to do for them.
Lets help build schools – where they wont be indoctrinating a new generation of haters.
Peter,
You and your buddies, who have turned demonizing Israel into full time careers – are no less guilty of profiteering from Palestinian misery than they are.
Shavua Tov Peter Beinart.
Rabbi Yossi