Category Archives: Middle East Analysis

Jerusalem, and a review of the sad state of divided capitals in the world

Posted on by
16

Divided capital cities are a sad result of wars.  No capitals get divided as a result of peace; they are unstable models.

-divided cities make up less than 1/1000th of 1% of all cities in the world
-divided cities are almost all less than 50,000 people
-most divided cities are split by a natural boundary like a river
>> none of that is true for Jerusalem

The only rationale of dividing Jerusalem is that Palestinian Arabs have asked for it as a capital, which is the same as Israel asking for it.

Three of the divided capitals in recent years – Beirut, Berlin and Jerusalem – have been reunited.  The last city – Nicosia, Cyprus – is still under negotiation to be reunited.

 

 

Christian Persecution in the Middle East, not in Israel

Posted on by
1

The Pope is coming to Israel, Judea & Samaria/west bank of the Jordan River and Jordan this weekend.  A rebuttal on the claim that Israel persecutes Christians.

Frightening New York Times 4/27/14 article on “Mahmoud Abbas Shifts on Holocaust”

Posted on by
13
  1. Abbas new statement that the Holocaust was bad does nothing to negate his various prior comments, phd paper and published book that claim: 1) that 6 million Jews were not murdered in the Holocaust; and 2) that Zionists conspired with Nazis so that more Jews would move to Palestine (so Zionists are at least partially to blame for the Holocaust).
  2. (By way of comparison, If Abbas would have reversed his prior statements and negated his research, that would have been a “shift”.  OR, if Abbas would have come out and said that the Palestinian Arabs of 1936-46 who fought successfully against the Zionists and British who then limited Jewish immigration to Palestine before and during WWII were responsible for 100,000+ Jews dying in the Holocaust, that would have been a shift).
  3. NYT claims that Abbas’s latest comment “goes further” in back-tracking from his Holocaust denial and attacks on Zionism because he claims that Palestinians understand suffering from Israeli “ethnic discrimination and racism”. Not only does the Abbas comment not negate his offensive comments, but it further insults Jews and Israelis by calling them racists, and suggests that the Holocaust is similar to the situation of stateless Arabs.
  4. Hamas is called a “militant Islamist faction” and not a terrorist organization
  5. No NYT mention of the fact that the Hamas Charter calls for the death of Jews
  6. No NYT mention that Hamas refuses to allow Holocaust education in the schools of Gaza against the wishes of the United Nations
  7. Thank you New York Times, for posting an article on Holocaust Remembrance Day about Abbas, the Holocaust denier, and his latest anti-Israel comments, and for phrasing the headline and article to try to make him look like a progressive.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/27/world/middleeast/palestinian-leader-shifts-on-holocaust.html?_r=0

Biased New York Times report on recent Gaza blockade boat

Posted on by
Reply

NYT April 30, 2014 on explosion that sank potential blockade-busting boat from Gaza:
1. No mention that the Israeli blockade of Gaza has been deemed legal by international law

2. The boat is called “small” in keeping with the David v. Goliath imagery the NYT likes to impart in the conflict

3. No mention that the terrorist group Hamas runs Gaza. Instead we see terms of “Palestinian activists”, “Palestinian fishing boats” and “Palestinian goods” to make this terrorist haven sound like Bermuda

4. The “clashes that broke out” were not passive, they were Turks trying to kill soldiers who reacted in self-defense.

New York Times coverage of Anti-Semitism Report

Posted on by
5

NYT May 13, 2014: “26 Percent of World’s Adults Are Anti-Semitic, Survey Finds”

1. The NYT quotes the results of the poll on global anti-Semitism that the largest percentage of anti-Semites comes from the West Bank and Gaza; Iraq; Yemen; Algeria; Libya and Tunisia. It then says that “the Middle East results were not particularly surprising, the Anti-Defamation League said that the overall result — more than one in four adults are anti-Semitic — was a major finding.” – implying that the ADL did not find Middle East anti-Semitism to be surprising. In fact, what the ADL did state was “It is very evident that the Middle East conflict matters with regard to anti-Semitism. It just is not clear whether the Middle East conflict is the cause of or the excuse for anti-Semitism” – a very different statement then the ambiguous NYT posting. The NYT could lead a reader to believe that the cause-and-effect is Arabs hate Jews because of Israel, rather than because Arabs hate Jews, they hate Israel, which may be the underlying cause according to Foxman.

2. The NYT article does not mention the Hamas Charter, which is the most anti-Semitic document of a ruling party in the world today, complete with conspiracy theories and calls to kill Jews, which would clearly call out the cause-and-effect.

3. Also notable for its absence was the finding that 70% of anti-Semitic people never even met a Jew, and that Muslims are the most anti-Semitic religious group, with 49% with anti-Semitic views – points covered in other periodicals.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/14/world/26-percent-of-worlds-adults-are-anti-semitic-survey-finds.html?_r=0

Kerry’s “Apartheid” comment and coverage by the New York Times

Posted on by
Reply
NYT April 28, 2014 Said that Kerry took step to apologize for saying Israel could become apartheid state:
1. NYT article starts that Kerry made “an unusual statement Monday evening expressing his support for Israel“. Hey NYT idiots- he often praises Israel. why do you lead with something that makes it sound completely opposite of his feelings and the position of the United States? Oh- because the NYT has those feelings.
2. NYT language of “politically charged phrase he used in a private appearance” makes it sound like Republicans were blowing something out of proportion for a private aside. Did the NYT use similar language that the NBA blew LA Clippers’ Don Sterling’s private comment out of proportion? No- the Times used dozens of quotes from around the league to show that the language was offensive to all

3. The article continues that “Republicans” were critical of the apartheid reference, reiterating the claim that this is totally political. Why not mention Democrat Senator Barbara Boxer who called Kerry’s comment “nonsensical and ridiculous” and Democrat Senator Mark Begich “I am disappointed with Secretary Kerry’s reported remarks”

4. Language that “Mr. Kerry has repeatedly warned that Israel” makes it sound that the apartheid comment is not news, and that Israel just continues to ignore Kerry and reality

5. The phrase “Israel did not negotiate an agreement” makes it sound like it is all up to Israel and the blame only rests with them as opposed to the fact that the PA partner didn’t take any steps towards compromise and doesn’t even have an elected leader
6. Hamas is referred to as a “Islamic militant group” and not a terrorist organization (considered by the US, EU and other countries)
7. J Street is referred to as a “pro peace Jewish organization” and not a left-wing group (a phrase which the NYT only reserves for “right-wing” groups). They are quoted as a defender of Kerry to make it sound that Jews in favor of peace also are not in favor of calling out Kerry over his apartheid remark
8. In using quotes to show ‘balance’, the NYT did not use quotes from around the country to show disgust with the Kerry remark (other than from Republicans above), but instead only used analyst quotes stating the comment was “unproductive” and “ill timed, ill advised and unwise“- again, leaving the reader to take away that the apartheid comment was appropriate and just being used for political fodder.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/29/world/middleeast/kerry-apologizes-for-remark-that-israel-risks-apartheid.html