On The Street Where You (Can't) Live

Former Arkansas governor, and likely 2012 Republican Presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee would justifiably be very upset if as an American, he was restricted with regards to where he could make his home in this country. He spoke of it as he addressed a crowd in East Jerusalem this week.

He continued by saying “I cannot imagine as an American being told that I could not live in certain places in America because I was Christian, or because I was white, or because I spoke English. I would be outraged if someone told me that in my country, I would be prohibited and forbidden to live in a part of that country, for any reason.”

Further, he believes Jews should be able to live anywhere in Israel – anywhere that “God gave them.” The emphasis is mine.

“In many ways, it’s probably appropriate that the weather was acting against us because there is no doubt but that many forces acted against the Jewish people in returning to their homeland, being able to live in the place that God gave them,” he said. “It is inconceivable in many ways that we would have to even argue and debate whether or not Israelis could live in Israel, not just in parts of Israel but anywhere in Israel they wished to live.”

Not so much for non-Jewish Israelis. OK to tell them where not to live. Restrict.  Relocate.  Transfer.

"There are vast amounts of territory that are in the hands of Muslims, in the hands of Arabs. Maybe the international community can come together and accommodate," he said in a meeting with reporters.

Welcome to the nightmare of Republican foreign policy, 2012-style. As he says, inconceivable to argue and debate whether or not Israelis could live in any part of Israel. Someone needs to (publicly) remind the good governor that non-Jewish citizens of Israel are Israeli, too. Just Arab Israelis, for the most part.  Muslim and Christian alike.  Does he not know this?  I suspect he does.

Say what you mean: that only Jewish Israelis should be able to live where they like. Arab Muslim Israelis, not so much.

Time For Democratization?

A quite candid article in Time today, insinuating the Israeli government has a vested interest in the maintenance of dictatorial rule under President Hosni Mubarak in Egypt.

With a deep investment in the status quo, Israel is watching what a senior official calls "an earthquake in the Middle East" with growing concern. The official says the Jewish state has faith in the security apparatus of its most formidable Arab neighbor, Egypt, to suppress the street demonstrations that threaten the dictatorial rule of President Hosni Mubarak. The harder question is what comes next.

"We believe that Egypt is going to overcome the current wave of demonstrations, but we have to look to the future," says the minister in the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Israel enjoys diplomatic relations and security cooperation with both Egypt and Jordan, the only neighboring states that have signed treaties with the Jewish state. But while it may be more efficient to deal in with a strongman in Cairo — Mubarak has ruled for 30 years — and a king in Amman, democracies make better neighbors, "because democracies do not initiate wars," he says.

Having said that, I'm not sure the time is right for the Arab region to go through the democratic process."

The last quote is from a minister who spoke on condition of not being identified by name or portfolio. To the unnamed minister we should ask, “When would be the right time for the Arab region to go through the democratic process?”

As noted, while there is some truth in the idea that there is less chance a democracy would initiate war in comparison to a dictatorship, the arrogance portrayed in this article is evidence that the Israeli government is far more fearful of having to make peace, than fighting another war. Should a real democratization movement take hold in the Middle East, the international pressure on Israel to negotiate with “un-dictatorships” would be intense.

As of course would be the pressure on any fledgling Arab democracies. Because after all, as the unnamed Israeli government official says, if “democracies do not initiate wars,” then surely they seek peace.  Or at least, don't block it.

Time for both sides to envision the possibility of a very different future.  And begin to act like that future is already here.

Israeli Labor Party On The Brink

This weekend, former Israeli Prime Minster Ehud Barak announced he is stepping down as chair of the Labor Party, and forming his own party.  Barak presently serves as Defense Minister, and he is taking four fellow lawmakers along with him to form (yet) another centrist party.  His new party is expected to remain in the governing coalition, but a handful of other Labor Party ministers have resigned their positions, but will stay in Labor.  

Some are questioning whether the Labor Party has any future in Israel.  The party has been feuding for the last few years over the decision to join the right-leaning coalition. And now, rather than exerting the power inherent to leadership, the chair himself leaves to form a new party  Arguably, very odd indeed.

For more, read Josh Marshall’s excellent analysis at Talking Points Memo.

The Tigress From Nablus

Enjoy this fascinating profile of Raymonda Tawil – peace activist, feminist, brilliant writer, grandmother.