Tuesday, April 21, 2009

The Other R. Cohen, Richard

Roger Cohen is the thug over at the New York Times.

Defends Iran. Smacks Israel about.

Richard Cohen is over at the Washington Post.

A little better.

He reports of the Hamas killings of fellow Arabs in "Hamas's Bloody Hands".

But, he, too, can't control the urge to slap Israel around:

This does not mean that Israel is above criticism. After all, it has made life unbearable for some Palestinians, supported illegal settlements in the West Bank, been too harsh in squeezing Gaza, and, maybe most important, it ought to get out of the West Bank -- for reasons of justice and for its own sake. Still, it remains unimaginable that Israel would murder its domestic critics or silence dissent with the occasional kneecapping. These are the tactics of thugs.


1. No life is not unbearable. Arab terror is unbearable.

2. No, "settlements" are not illegal. The Jewish National Home in Palestine, as decided upon at San Remo and the League of Nations included all the territory between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River. Only in September 1923 was Transjordan officially separated. The previous year, the terms of the Mandate were adopted and here are two Articles:

Article 5.

The Mandatory shall be responsible for seeing that no Palestine territory shall be ceded or leased to, or in any way placed under the control of, the Government of any foreign Power.

Article 6.

The Administration of Palestine, while ensuring that the rights and position of other sections of the population are not prejudiced, shall facilitate Jewish immigration under suitable conditions and shall encourage, in co-operation with the Jewish agency. referred to in Article 4, close settlement by Jews, on the land, including State lands and waste lands not required for public purposes.


3. No, what Operation "Cast Lead" was was not harsh and not too harsh in response to their rocket attacks directed solely at civilians.

4. Justice is that Israel and Jews are in Judea and Samaria.

5. For its own sake, strategic depth, future survival and all, including its national ethos, it needs to be in Judea and Samaria.

It really is quite plain and simple.

2 comments:

Martijn Lauwens said...

1. Yes, Israel has made life unbearable for many Palestinians.
2. Yes, the settlements are illegal, according to international rulings, more recent then 1923.
3. Operation Cast Lead was indiscriminate, disproportional, inhumane and immoral.
4. Justice is that Palestine becomes an independant state, and occupation stops.
5. For its own sake, strategic depth, future survival and all, including its national ethos, it needs to be out of the Westbank.

It really is quite plain and simple.

Anonymous said...

Yesha is dead. This blog is a tremendously rich resource in the study of a logic that can't adapt to the changing reality. Perhaps 1900 years of diaspora and 0 years of statecraft could have had no other end. Endurance means compromise and Yesha will not endure since it is incapable of honourable compromise. You can live off your bile in exile, Medad.