analyses of the leaked ‘Deal of the Century’ I/P peace plan

(Part I: Palestinian Resistance is here; I can’t apologize for this post’s length, as it needs to be this long, I think, as it’s the Trump administration’s answer to an historically intractable oppressive apartheid.)

No word-mincing here:The ‘Deal of the Century’: Two Con Men’s Job’, Elias Samo, May 5, 2019, strategic-culture.org, May 5, 2019

“Yes, you can ‘judge a book by its cover’, especially if the ‘book’ is the ‘Deal of the Century’ and the ‘cover’ lauds two con men, Trump and Netanyahu. Furthermore, when two con men are involved, ‘Deal of the Century’ is likely more akin to ‘Theft of the Century’.

The ‘Deal’, presumably a road map for peacefully settling the Palestinian problem, was drawn up, ironically, by a small group of American Zionists responsible for the formulation of American foreign policy. The group is led by Jared Kushner, Trump’s son in law and senior presidential adviser, with help from John Bolton, national security advisor, Mike Pompeo, Secretary of State and David Friedman, American ambassador in Israel. Anecdotally, it should be noted that Netanyahu is a close friend of the Kushner family and used to visit the family while in the US and stay overnight, at times in Jared’s bedroom; perhaps making Jared an unregistered foreign agent serving Israeli interests. With such strong pro-Israeli input in drawing up the ‘Deal’, what does one expect the ‘Deal’ to be except a right-wing, Likudist plan to establish a Great Israel from the River to the Sea.” [snip]

“As to the Palestinian refugees, for Trump a Palestinian refugee is one who was alive when Israel was created in 1948, that is seventy one years old or more, which makes it very difficult to find many Palestinians still alive who qualify as refugees based on the criteria set by Trump. He furthermore severed political relations with the Palestinians when he ordered the closure of the PLO offices in Washington and imposed economic sanctions on the Palestinians when he stopped economic support to UNRWA.

Bearing in mind the fact that the ‘Deal’ was drawn up by Zionists in the Trump administration, it is only appropriate to expect that the ‘Deal’ will be everything Israel wants. Thus, a peaceful resolution of the Palestinian problem, in all probability, has become null and void in the foreseeable future; the ‘Deal’ offers nothing to the Palestinians and some prominent Palestinian officials have said so. Nabil Shaath, advisor to Mahmoud Abbas, noted that Trump’s ‘Deal of the Century’ will not bring peace to Palestine. Riyad Maliki, Palestinian Foreign Minister, said that the ‘Deal of the Century’ which seeks to find the ultimate solution for the Palestinian-Israeli conflict will bring bad news to the Middle East. Saeb Erekat, chief Palestinian negotiator, elaborated further, noting that “Trump and Netanyahu are planning to terminate the Palestinian cause by removing Jerusalem from any solution, annexing major settlements and finding a capital for us on the outskirts of Jerusalem.” In view of the foregoing, Mahmoud Abbas has no choice but to reject the ‘Deal’, with the consequence of being condemned for sabotaging the peace process and for Netanyahu reverting to his mantra that there are no Palestinians to negotiate with.”

A far longer and more measured analysis: ‘Is leaked document Trump’s ‘deal of the century’?’, If genuine, the report published by an Israeli newspaper widely seen as Netanyahu’s mouthpiece offers a catastrophic vision of the Palestinians’ future, jonathan-cook.net, 9 May 2019 and May 10, 2019, consortiumnews.com

“A report published this week by the Israel Hayom newspaper apparently leaking details of President Donald Trump’s “deal of the century” reads like the kind of peace plan that might be put together by an estate agent or car salesman.

But while the authenticity of the document is unproven and indeed contested, there are serious grounds for believing it paves the direction of any future declaration by the Trump administration.

Not least, it is a synthesis of most of the Israeli right’s ambitions for the creation of a Greater Israel, with a few sops to the Palestinians — most of them related to partially relieving Israel’s economic strangulation of the Palestinian economy.

This is exactly what Jared Kushner told us the “deal of the century” would look like in his preview last month.

Also significant is the outlet that published the leak: Israel Hayom. The Israeli newspaper is owned by Sheldon Adelson, a U.S. casino billionaire who is one of the Republican Party’s chief donors and was a major contributor to Trump’s presidential election campaign funds.

Netanyahu Leak?

Adelson and Israel Hayom have ready access to key figures in both the U.S. and Israeli administrations. And it has been widely reported that little of significance gets into print there unless it has first been approved by Netanyahu or its overseas owner.”

He writes that the newspaper has questioned the document’s authenticity, an unnamed WH spokeperson said that the leak was ‘speculative and inaccurate, which lackluster denial to Cook means: yes, it’s genuine.  And if its genuine, he of course reckons that Bibi was the leaker.  And if it’s what the Trump/Kushner/? ‘Deal of the Century turns out to be, it’ll be catastrophic for the Palestinians.

He then wonders if the leak was by way of ‘testing the waters’ in any of three directions: to see if the actual Deal might need to be amended before publication after the final June 6 day of Ramadan; that Bibi may have concluded that there could be an unwelcome price in publicly achieving most of what he is already gaining by stealth – a price he may prefer to avoid for the time being; or that it causee such an explosive reaction within Irael and among Palestianians and the Arab world that Trump’s Middle East team either postpones the plan’s publication or foils its release entirely.  But the leak does offer insight into DT’s administrations thinking, from moving the US Embassy to the recognition of Israel’s annexation of the Golan Heights.  The proposed Palestinian entity would be called ‘New Palestine’, and ain’t that catchy?  New = Better.  But according to the leak, New Palestine would exist in only a tiny fraction of historic Palestine. (click map for larger)

“All illegal settlements in the West Bank would be annexed to Israel — satisfying a pledge Netanyahu made shortly before last month’s general election. If the territory annexed includes most of Area C, the 62 percent of the West Bank Israel was given temporary control over under the Oslo accords, and which the Israeli right urgently wants to annex, that would leave New Palestine nominally in charge of about 12 percent of historic Palestine.”

(Bethlehem and the West Bank)

“But it is far worse than that. New Palestine would exist as a series of discrete cantons, or Bantustans, surrounded by a sea of Israeli settlements — now to be declared part of Israel. The entity would be chopped and diced in a way that is true of no other state in the world.

New Palestine would have no army, just a lightly armed police force. It would be able to act only as a series of disconnected municipalities.

In fact, it is hard to imagine how “New Palestine” would fundamentally change the current, dismal reality for Palestinians. They would be able to move between these cantons only using lengthy detours, bypass roads and tunnels. Much like now.”

The leaked plan offers the New Palestine $30 billion over five years to set up and run its glorified municipalities which he notes is actually $8 billion less than the US gifts Israel to buy armaments and fighter jets.  But even if the inteernational community were to step up with further subsidies, the New entity would be entirely dependent on ‘aid’.

“The US and others would be able to turn on and off the spigot based on the Palestinians’ “good behaviour” – just as occurs now. Palestinians would live permanently in fear of the repercussions for criticising their prison warders.

In keeping with his vow to make Mexico pay for the wall to be built along the southern US border, Trump apparently wants the Palestinian entity to pay Israel to provide it with military security. In other words, much of that $30bn in aid to the Palestinians would probably end up in the Israeli military’s pockets.

(Banksy’s ‘The Wall’)

Interestingly, the leaked report argues that oil-producing states, not the Palestinians, would be the “main beneficiaries” of the agreement. This hints at how the Trump deal is being sold to the Gulf states: as an opportunity for them to fully embrace Israel, its technology and military prowess, so that the Middle East can follow in the footsteps of Asia’s “tiger economies”.”

Leaked draft of Trump’s peace plan reveals creation of ‘New Palestine,’ promises to join Israel in next war in Gaza if Palestinians reject’, Allison Deger, May 7, 2019, mondoweiss.net

“If either Israel or the Palestinians, including Hamas and the PLO, reject the deal, the document says the U.S. will impose steep penalties. The U.S. will cut off all aid to Israel and ensure “no country in the world transfers money” to the Palestinians, whose economy is reliant on foreign donors.

If the PLO accepts the plan and Hamas or Islamic Jihad in Gaza reject it, the document warns “the U.S. will back Israel to personally harm leaders of Hamas and Islamic Jihad” in a future escalation, and will hold Hamas’ leadership “responsible in another round of violence between Israel and Hamas.”

The plan goes on to caution, “It is inconceivable that a group of a few dozen will determine the lives of millions of people,” which echoes similar sentiments made by Kushner last week.

Jerusalem as a shared capital

Jerusalem will be a shared capital for both Israel and New Palestine. The deal underscores that Jerusalem “will not be divided.”

Today Jerusalem is home to some 350,000 Palestinian residents who are neither citizens of Israel or West Bank residents, and 550,000 Israelis, including around 200,000 settlers in East Jerusalem. Under the agreement all Israelis and Palestinians will be able to stay where they are living, but Israelis will no longer be able to purchase homes from Palestinians, potentially abruptly ending future expansion of East Jerusalem settlements. The deal would also bar Palestinians from buying homes from Israelis, which they are currently able to do.

The Palestinians in Jerusalem would become citizens of “New Palestine,” but receive the same services as Israeli residents of Jerusalem from the Jerusalem municipality, governed by Israel. The plans says the Palestinian Authority will be responsible for paying the municipality for services, with the exception of schools, which will be run by the Palestinian government.”

“Egypt will lease new land to Palestine for the purpose of establishing an airport for the establishment of factories and commerce, and for agriculture, other than housing,” the plan said, “The size of the territories and the price will be determined between the parties through the mediation of the supporting countries.”

Under the deal Gaza would significantly open up to the outside world, albeit with the removal of Hamas’ military capabilities. Hamas would be required to turn over all weapons to Egypt.

And just in today: Palestine won’t sell its ‘land & rights’ for Trump’s skewed ‘deal of the century’ – ambassador’, 28 May, 2019

“Palestine will not accept the “deal of the century” with Israel which is in the works in Washington and rejects all of the recent ‘peacemaking’ proposals, the Palestinian ambassador to Russia has said.

Abdelhafiz Nofal, speaking at a press conference in Moscow, has referred to the upcoming peace “deal of the century” advertised by US President Donald Trump, as a “strange agenda.”

He said the Palestinian authorities stand firm in their rejection of all of Israel’s and the US’ recent initiatives ostensibly aimed at promoting peace. Jerusalem, which the US under Trump recognized as the Israeli capital, belongs to all religions and “is not a bargaining chip,” he said.”

Jonathan Cook calls the divided Jerusalem Ethnic Cleansing:

“But given that in return Palestinians would not be allowed to buy Israeli homes, and that the Palestinian population in East Jerusalem already suffers massive housing shortages and that an Israeli municipality would have the power to decide where homes are built and for whom, it is easy to imagine that the current situation – of Israel exploiting planning controls to drive Palestinians out of Jerusalem – would simply continue.

Also, given that Palestinians in Jerusalem would be citizens of New Palestine, not Israel, those unable to find a home in Israeli-ruled Jerusalem would have no choice but to emigrate into the West Bank. That would be exactly the same form of bureaucratic ethnic cleansing that Palestinians in Jerusalem experience now.”

As well, he finds the threat to ‘cut off all aid to Israel’ as absurd, and posts that if this is the real Deal, that it’s designed to give what’s been created in stealth a US imprimatur

But even worse for Israel, once the Palestinians and the watching world understand that the current, catastrophic reality for Palestinians is as good as it is going to get, there is likely to be a backlash.

The Palestinian Authority could collapse, the Palestinian populace launch a new uprising, the so-called “Arab street” may be far less accepting of the plan than their rulers or Trump might hope, and solidarity activists in the West, including the boycott movement, would get a massive shot in the arm for their cause.

Equally, it would be impossible for Israel’s apologists to continue denying that Israel is carrying out what the late Israeli academic Baruch Kimmerling called “politicide” – the destruction of the Palestinians’ future, their right to self-determination and their intergrity as a single people.

If this is Trump’s version of Middle East peace, he is playing a game of Russian roulette – and Netanyahu may be reluctant to let him pull the trigger.”

(Award-winning journalist Jonathan Cook writes from Nazareth)

(cross-posted from Café Babylon)

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to even negotiate while it's Netanyahu and Trump are on the other side of the table.
They'll demand more than the Palestinians people would ever allow them to negotiate away (intentionally trying to cause a civil war with Palestinians).
And then if they were foolish enough to agree to all of the outrageous demands, Netanyahu and Trump would immediately break/change the deal and demand much more.

It's pointless to negotiate with an entity that has no intention of seeking a peaceful solution (short of voluntary ethnic cleansing).

Palestinians have zero chances of getting an acceptable settlement. Zero chances of winning with violence.
And yet they still have no option but to resist.

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wendy davis's picture

@gjohnsit

travesty has gone on, and the many ways that israel has defied the few UN dictates, how long it might take for the citizens of the globe to wake up and pressure bibi and the T admin to actually free palestininans.

but this: "It's pointless to negotiate with an entity that has no intention of seeking a peaceful solution (short of voluntary ethnic cleansing)" ...zings like an arrow to the heart, gjohnsit.

ya gotta love this though:
‘Trump’s leaked secret Deal of the Century is the real deal and dead on arrival, 14 faulty assumptions by the US administration doom this plan (oh, and I have a cheaper, easier, quicker idea), May 10, 2019, timesofisrael.com, Moshe-Mordechai van Zuiden (just a few of the 14):

1.It is built on the faulty assumption that Palestinians will settle for a small state instead of everything. They have been saying for 120 years All or Nothing. There is no indication or reason that they will depart from that.

2.It is built on the faulty assumption that Arab Palestinian leaders are interested in money for their People. They have only been interested in money for their people. Popular prosperity was never important to them. Their rule is based on hatred for Jews, not on profit for their People.

3.It is built on the faulty assumption that Israel needs to compromise again, as if we are so senile that we do not remember that we have compromised for decades and received nothing in return. Land for Peace has always turned out merely Land for Pleas.

4.It is built on the faulty assumption that the core conflict is between local Muslims and Jews. Not true. There is only hatred of Muslims against Jews and mistreatment of Arab States against Arab Palestinians. As long a Palestinians do not get civil rights in Jordan and Lebanon, nothing is solved. Hamas has nothing to win by signing this, so it won’t.

This is my plan:
1.Chase away the “King” of Jordan and give that state to the Arab Palestinian People. Its name, of course: Transjordan.
2.Give Gaza to Egypt.
3.Return the whole West Bank to Israel.
4.Chase away Hezbollah and return the whole of the Lebanon to the Lebanese People.
5.Have the whole region learn what are Jews and why they must be respected and protected.

All problems solved. Cheaper, easier, quicker, sounder.

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Pluto's Republic's picture

@wendy davis

...was a fun read in that it all bounces back to the clueless Americans. The endless parade of American leaders, over 50-plus years, who have fallen for the scam that exceptional Americans are invited to create a peace plan for the two ancient tribes. All the while they are having their pockets picked by both, but mostly by Israel, who have their dual citizens positioned throughout the US government and mass media — policing US politics, compromising congress, and making laws against Palestinian sympathy.

It is a visible and embarrassing legacy for Americans. For whom are we pouring out our national treasure into the sands of the Middle East? Who is Israel's poodle at the UN? For whom are we participating in the Shia genocide? Americans are mocked behind their backs for this. And we still have no idea how tribal people think and feel. There will never be a peace there as far as the two sides are concerned, but there will always be the clueless Americans to scam. They can drink our milkshake anytime they want to.

Moshe-Mordechai van Zuiden is a dilettante — not that I have anything against dilettantes. He writes for his own amusement, not that I have anything against that, either.

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____________________

The political system is what it is because the People are who they are. — Plato
snoopydawg's picture

@Pluto's Republic

I sure haven't heard much about that bill congress passed making it illegal for us to boycott Israeli companies. Can you imagine if Russia had seeded dual citizens throughout congress like Israel has? Or any other countries? That we give them $3.8 billion a year when they have great health care and we don't. I'd sure like to know which area in the constitution that says our government can give our money away to other countries?

We have allowed congress to put sanctions on us whilst they spend money on things that we don't want them to. Boiling frogs....

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Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.

@snoopydawg A government riddled with persons of dual citizenship, whose loyalty is always to a higher authority. It's as bad as the religious right being part of the government.

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wendy davis's picture

@Snode

authority'; ahhhh, now we're gettin' to it. ; )

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wendy davis's picture

@Pluto's Republic

weren't the trumpeter's gleeful, hand-rubbingingly eager words close to: 'Oh, i promise i can make them a deal!' as if its all down to his reality teevee self-importance and image. come to think of it, his administration's been a mirror of that in so many ways, including that people aren't important (including globally), especially their oppression and increasing immiseration, but just lifeless placeholders for targeted consumer audiences.

yeah, but moshe-mordecai has his own tab at the times; perhaps he's their volodymyr velenskiy? but i'd liked finding: 'it's the real deal'.

i wish it were more than embarrassing for amerika, but those who ask, esp. now, 'who's client is whose?' have long asked a worthy question.

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wendy davis's picture

of interest in this post. i'm tempted to say 'maybe tomorrow', but as it's closing time for me, i'll bring this fine song, as peter paul and mary got it right all those years ago.

Light one candle for the strength that we need
To never become our own foe
And light one candle for those who are suffering
Pain we learned so long ago
Light one candle for all we believe in
That anger not tear us apart
And light one candle to find us together
With peace as the song in our hearts

[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StB_ehpZyN4]

g' night; may the citizens of the world who care...help free the palestinians from such grievous injustices.

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@wendy davis I would never think we could be a part of something this low.

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wendy davis's picture

@Snode

as fuck-all, but amerika is the largest exporter of terror on the planet, most recently in the ongoing proxy wars against syria, iran, nicaragua, venezuela, north korea, and so forth. so much evil this nation pours onto the globe, but no, let me correct you, snode: 'they' may do it your name' but you are not this barbaric nation, nor are many of us.

some will argue that 'we are', as we've never stopped them. but that's a much longer story, isn't it?

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Big Al's picture

posting it wd. Deal of the century my ass huh. I guess I'm tired of saying how fucking blatantly sick those that rule us can be. Trump and his Zionists are trying awful hard here to take things to the next level but this won't end well. I'll read more and comment again, this isn't the deal of the century but it is a big deal.

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wendy davis's picture

@Big Al

saying you'll read the rest. i know it's a bit of a tome, but do me it's a big deal, too, as it could have been so different, and now it'll be even worse. don't share jonathan cook's 'but at least it will give BDS a shot in arm' as anything, really.

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snoopydawg's picture

After Israel has been bulldozing the Palestinians land and has spent decades killing them in cold blood when they aren't bombing them and Trump keeps breaking treaties right and left I'm sure that they are going to jump at the chance to trust Trump and Bibi.

Kushner has his lips attached to Bibi's ***

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Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.

Pricknick's picture

@snoopydawg

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Regardless of the path in life I chose, I realize it's always forward, never straight.

wendy davis's picture

@snoopydawg

enough to grok that this leaked plan holds a gun to their heads if they don't agree. 'we're gonna fuck you up worse! that's the deal!'

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Big Al's picture

it will be interesting to see the responses from the democratic party and especially the prez contenders and justice democrats. This seems like put up or shut up time.

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wendy davis's picture

@Big Al

the wsws review of the justice dems new netflix video starring AOC predominantly this a.m.(knock down the house?). the author was not impressed. ; )

sigh. but as i'd mentioned this interview to wokkamile on snoopy's thread (having run into this on a break yesterday) on my favorite tankie's twitter account, i may as well put it here. yes, it's from 2014, but so full of hasbara and anti-russia nonsense...to me she can never dig herself out of it.

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Big Al's picture

@wendy davis Like I've been saying, she's like Obama, she talks like she's for peace and anti-regime change, but she's an imperialist and pro-Zionist. She's a chameleon like most politicians, very calculating, saying what her base wants her to say while some of her actions clearly speak differently. The anti-regime change theme is kind of interesting, Trump used it and Obama in his own ways, in that it serves to obfuscate and hide the fact that the overall agenda hasn't changed, just some of the tactics.
Like I said above, we'll see what Gabbard and Sanders have to say about this "deal of the century".

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wendy davis's picture

@Big Al

but i confess i was blown away with how intelligent she sounded while boldly asserting all of that rubbish. 'we know the russian separatists shot down MH17...' well, you know nothing of the kind, plus it makes no sense whatsoever.

we may never get to know how they react to 'the deal', but as someone pointed out how much Tweets matter as far as policy objections or not, etc., it's all kinda here today, new tweet tomorrow, facebook post one way, deleted the next, new one up: 'changed my mind', as in the OP (at least i think it was this one...).

i just ran into some hilarity on twitter i'll try to post just for the hell of it. it seems as though pierre and greenwald to some shite over closing the snowden archives, and they just published more docs, lol. figuring out how to show the subtweets is hard for me.

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travelerxxx's picture

@wendy davis

'we know the russian separatists shot down MH17...' well, you know nothing of the kind, plus it makes no sense whatsoever.

Okay, so four years ago the event had just happened, and she might have been led to believe that Russian separatists fired the missile that downed MH17, but she most certainly did not "know" it. Especially at that early date. And you are right, WD, it never did make a lick of sense for "Russian separatists" to have done the deed. It still does not.

I'll cut her a little slack on this due to the potential for beliving misinformation, but not a lot of slack. If she still stands by her 2014 words, it's a huge red flag. I'd like to hear what she says about it now that there is no excuse for making such a statement.

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wendy davis's picture

@travelerxxx

about 'who really hot it down' at NEO, iirc, but at least he'd supplied all the giant gaps in the investigation. kinda like in the OPCW 'investigations' into the douma gas attacks and the mystery of the Skripals 'poisoning conclusions'. what bothered me even more, of course, was her hasbara rubbish more relevant to this thread. and yes, bernie's been trying to redeem his zioism as per Pt I: palestinian resistance.

i have another addition i'd like to add from andre vltchek, but i'm tryin' to get dinner together, so if i add it tonight, it'll have to be later on. but it ballasts my contention that to even jews in israel, palestinians are non-entities.

good to see you as always, buster keaton. ; )

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travelerxxx's picture

@wendy davis

I had bookmarked a Zuesse piece on the MH17 mess here. Not sure whether it's the same as what you're thinking of.

Trying to do supper here, too.......

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wendy davis's picture

@travelerxxx

and good on you, busta keaton. g' night, hope your dinner tastes good and renews your body and spirit.

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detroitmechworks's picture

"We've decided, in our glorious generosity, to increase the number of leashes on you from three to six! And if you can't keep that little dog that I don't have a leash on from barking about it, I beat you. That's so fair, I can't believe I have to even consider it."

Somebody needs to tell these idiots at TPTB that the most dangerous people are the people who have nothing left...

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I do not pretend I know what I do not know.

wendy davis's picture

@detroitmechworks

correct metaphorical narrative, and the reason they march to return (challenge power) is exactly that so many feel they have nothing left to lose, so they lose their lives, their chirren, their limbs, and yeah, even send a few crap missiles into israel from the golan heights. or so mosad says, who can say where the truth abides?

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These are the terms that are given to a defeated nation. The same terms we gave to native Americans.

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wendy davis's picture

@Snode

down on what israel has been doing by stealth, anyway, as cook had said, but i did like him saying that 'if the plan is released' it will have the stamp of Made in Amerika™' on it.

oooof. now...so many tribal histories to recall (most were eradicated early on), but i suppose that the defeated tribes that were marched to reservations with promises that (although they could not hunt for food), the US gummint would provide them with food...which for most tribes, never came, unless a few bags of moldy corn, smallpox blankets, and jugs of liquor arrived. i've never been sure, but that history may be where the term 'indian giver' was born.

remember when israel was allowing enough food into gaza to keep citizens from starvation? 1200 calories a day was the working math. and now they won't allow cement or wood in because: dual purpose rebuilding and weaponry. what a democracy™ Israel is! (as is ours, of course)

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wendy davis's picture

i'll be back after i take care of some RL obligations, but goddam, i need to add this morning news first:

Top IDF lawyer tells The Hague to back off, says Israel can probe own alleged war crimes’, 29 May, RT.com

“The Israeli military wants the International Criminal Court to butt out of its affairs, its top military prosecutor has declared in response to efforts to hold it to account for its use of live fire against Palestinian protesters.

“Israel is a law-abiding country, with an independent and strong judicial system, and there is no reason for its actions to be scrutinized by the ICC,” Brig. Gen. Sharon Afek, Israel’s military advocate, declared at an international conference on warfare laws in Herzliya. “The position of Israel is that the International Criminal Court does not have jurisdiction to discuss the issue of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.”

The ICC is weighing investigating Israel over its use of live ammunition against Palestinian protesters demonstrating at the Gaza border. Since March 2018, IDF soldiers have killed at least 251 people participating in the Great March of Return, a movement calling for Palestinians expelled from their land during the establishment of Israel to be allowed to return, and injured at least 26,797 more, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.

Earlier this year, a United Nations Human Rights Council fact-finding mission on the protests submitted to the ICC a list of Israeli officials it suspects of serious crimes, including IDF snipers, their commanders, and the military legal advisers who outlined their rules of engagement.

Afek’s objections to the ICC’s involvement center on the body’s charter, which permits it to investigate crimes only when there is no reasonable assumption that the country in which they have been committed will prosecute them adequately. Israel, he claims, will take care of its own business.

Israel’s judicial system has refused to pursue investigations of alleged war crimes committed by the IDF against Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza before, and the ICC has long sought to prosecute Israel for its treatment of the Palestinians. Before the Great March of Return began last year, the court was looking into whether Israel had committed war crimes during 2014’s Operation Protective Edge, the seven-week bombardment of Gaza that killed 2,000 Palestinians and injured over 10,000, deliberately targeting civilians and landmark buildings according to Amnesty International. Settlement-building and the eviction of Palestinians from West Bank and East Jerusalem were also scrutinized.”

how very john bolton of the IDF. but it immediately reminded me of the killings on the mavi marmara in the 2010 gaza flotilla (while the ship was in int'l waters) and israel claiming to be able to police itself. what i hadn't remembered was this little nugget:

"United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced a parallel probe in August 2010 by a four-member panel headed by Geoffrey Palmer. The Palmer report was published on 2 September 2011 after being delayed, reportedly to allow Israel and Turkey to continue reconciliation talks. The report found that the Israeli naval blockade of Gaza was legal, and that there were "serious questions about the conduct, true nature and objectives of the flotilla organizers, particularly IHH".[16] The report also found that the degree of force used against the Mavi Marmara was "excessive and unreasonable",[17] and that the way Israel treated detained crew members violated international human rights law.

this was after:

There were several probes into the incident. A UNHRC report in September 2010 into the incident deemed the blockade illegal and stated that Israel's actions were "disproportionate" and "betrayed an unacceptable level of brutality", with evidence for "willful killing".

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wendy davis's picture

'PBS stations around the U.S. were scheduled to show a riveting new Frontline documentary, “One Day in Gaza,” but at the last minute PBS pulled it', alison weir

The film is missing important context about the issue, but it includes footage that Americans, as Israel’s top funders, should see – including a young, unarmed teen being shot in her head.

BBC, the coproducer of the film, broadcast it to British viewers. We are posting it below so that Americans can also view it.’

"The documentary was to be aired on the one-year anniversary of events that took place on May 14, 2018, when tens of thousands of men, women, and children in Gaza gathered with the intention of deploying the tactics Gandhi had used in freeing India from British control.

The demonstration that day was the 8th march in what Gazans named the Great March of Return.

Palestinians months earlier had announced their plan for a mass, peaceful demonstration in which Gazans would march for an end to Israel’s crippling 12-year blockade and, especially, for their right to return to homes stolen by Israel in order to create a Jewish state. Palestinians’ right to return to their homes and ancestral land is well established in international law. This fundamental right, affirmed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, is at the center of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Israel had responded by immediately deploying a hundred snipers.

In the first seven weekly marches, Israeli forces killed about 50 of the marchers and injured over 7,000.

During the 8th march on May 14, the day depicted in the film, Israeli forces killed 60 more and shot 1,000 – an average of one person every 30 seconds.

While this was going on, a glittering Israeli celebration was taking place as a new, transplanted U.S. Embassy opened in Jerusalem, a city that Israel illegally annexed following the Six-Day War that Israel launched in 1967.

Who were the protesters?

Over 70 percent of Gazans are from families that Israel forced out in its founding war to establish “the Jewish state.” Israel confiscated their homes and land and has prevented them from returning ever since. This violates international law.

For 12 years Israel has perpetrated a strangling blockade of Gaza, causing 52 percent unemployment, hunger, the kind of malnutrition that causes growth stunting in children, and increasing hopelessness.

And this blockade is just the most recent one.

On April 15, 2002 the UN Food and Agriculture Organization reported “The total blockade has paralysed the Palestinian economy… it is now in a deep recession, with millions of people severely impoverished and extremely food insecure.”

For many years it has been tremendously difficult, sometimes impossible, for Gazans to leave Gaza, and for others to enter it. As a result, many people describe Gaza as the largest open-air prison on earth.

While U.S. news coverage in general, and the Frontline documentary in particular, emphasize the rockets fired by Gaza’s diverse resistance groups, the fact is that Israeli violence preceded the rockets and has greatly exceeded their impact.

In the past year alone, Israeli forces have killed at least 293 Gazans, while Gazans have killed 6 Israelis. Palestinian rockets from Gaza, which are largely homemade, have killed a total of about 40 Israelis in the whole time they’ve been being shot, while during the same time period Israeli forces have killed over 6,000 Gazans. (See this Timeline of deaths and this Israeli source for more info.)

there's much much, much more, plus a big red button link to watch the documentary:
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unwind some of andre vltchek's essay tomorrow, but again tonight's closing song will be from yusuf islam (formerly cat stevens):

[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fr2W_WiL7lo]

g'night; dream of a better world. ; )

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Very nice’: Netanyahu pleased with Trump’s approval of Israel map including occupied Golan Heights’, RT.com, 30 May, 2019

“Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu beamed as he showed off a new, Donald Trump-signed US State Department map which redraws Israel’s border to include the Golan Heights – an occupied territory annexed from Syria.
The map was passed along at a meeting on Thursday between Netanyahu and White House adviser Jared Kushner, according to Israel Channel 13 journalist Yosef Yisrael.

Kushner’s visit is part of an international tour to sell the much-anticipated Middle East peace plan, set to be unveiled this summer, but the territory-divvying map does not bode well for peace in the region.

US President Trump left his signature on the printout of the map, along with a singular word of approval: “Nice,” which Netanyahu later one-upped in a press conference, calling it “very nice.”

Palestinian leaders have vowed to boycott Washington’s peace effort, including a conference planned for June in Bahrain, stating they have not been consulted about the meeting.
“Any Palestinian who would take part would be nothing but a collaborator for the Americans and Israel,” Palestinian Authority social affairs minister Ahmed Majdalani told Reuters.

The administration’s peace plan is also reportedly expected to allow Israel to retain sovereignty over West Bank settlements, which are considered illegal under international law.”

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Where is the evidence?’ Malaysian PM says attempts to pin MH17 downing on Russia lack proof’, 30 May, 2019, RT.com

“Malaysia has accepted the Dutch report that a ‘Russian-made’ missile shot down its civilian airliner MH17 over eastern Ukraine in 2014, but has yet to see evidence it was fired by Russia, said Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad.

“They are accusing Russia but where is the evidence?” Mahathir told reporters at the Japanese Foreign Correspondents Club (FCCJ) in Tokyo on Thursday.
“You need strong evidence to show it was fired by the Russians,” the prime minister went on, according to the Malaysian state news agency Bernama. “It could be by the rebels in Ukraine; it could be Ukrainian government because they too have the same missile.”

“Mahathir was skeptical that anyone involved with the Russian military could have launched the missile that struck the plane, however, arguing that it would have been clear to professionals that the target was a civilian airliner.
“I don’t think a very highly disciplined party is responsible for launching the missile,” he said.

The Dutch-led Joint Investigation Team (JIT), whose report last year blamed Moscow for shooting down MH17, barred Russia from participating in the investigation, but involved the government of Ukraine. Although Malaysia is also a member of JIT, Mahathir revealed that his country’s officials have been blocked from examining the plane’s flight recorders.
“For some reason, Malaysia was not allowed to check the black box to see what happened,” he said. “We don’t know why we are excluded from the examination but from the very beginning, we see too much politics in it.”

“This is not a neutral kind of examination,” Mahathir added.
Rejecting the JIT accusations, Russia made public the evidence the Dutch-led researchers refused to look into, including the serial number of the missile that allegedly struck MH17, showing that it was manufactured in the Soviet Union in 1986 and was in the arsenal of the Ukrainian army at the time of the tragedy.”

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