"I thought immediately of Mona Al Shawa, a Palestinian women's rights activist I met on a recent trip to Gaza. "We had more hope during the attacks," she told me. "At least then we believed things would change.""

Maybe I'm missing something, but I can't think of a single, solitary thing that the Palestinians have done to "change" things. Not one. The PLO and Hamas charters still openly call for the elimination of the "Zionist Entity", the theft and occupation of all Israeli land and the slaughter of all Israelis. There is still no recognition of Israel and not even any talk of it. They are still making ridiculous demands of Israel, acting as if the war is the Israel's fault and that the Palestinians had nothing to do with it -- despite overwhelming and indisputable evidence that it was the Palestinians that began it -- and not offering anything whatsoever from their side.

Things will change when the Palestinians want them to change. When they are ready to take responsibility for the over 10,000 attacks on Jews over the past 120 years or so, and apologize, and show that they are ready to be part of the world community and live in peace with the other nations of the world. When they recognize Israel, which must happen unconditionally and before any negotiations begin. But as long as they continue the same policies they've engaged in for the past 60 years they should expect the same results. Expecting help from outside is a waste of time, and isn't going to happen. The world is on Israel's side, the side of international law, and of women's and human rights. That's not going to change.

I found this passage from the journal of mikep's father, Fieldmarshal Gunther von Mikep. He wrote it while attached to the German Propaganda Ministry during WWII.

"Maybe I'm missing something, but I can't think of a single, solitary thing that the Jews have done to "change" things. Not one. The Jews and Communists still openly call for the elimination of the "Nazi Entity", the theft and occupation of all German land and the slaughter of all Germans. There is still no recognition of Germany and not even any talk of it. They are still making ridiculous demands of Germany, acting as if the war is Germany's fault and that the Germans had nothing to do with it -- despite overwhelming and indisputable evidence that it was the Jews that began it -- and not offering anything whatsoever from their side."

Keep up the family tradition, mikep!

Let's be fair. The Israelis have been in charge of pretty much all of Palestine for over 42 years. Now is a good time to give the Palestinians their turn.

Klein's column is just another reminder how impotent lovers of peace and justice are in the face of in-your-face racism and fascism. We sign petitions, we demonstrate, we raise our voices all to no effect. And we--most of us--don't quite have the balls to commit civil disobedience, to refuse to pay taxes, to do all the little nasty things that totter on the borderline of illegality. Wilson's "You lie!" statement is such an act (not that I agree with his sentiment).

The big guys run things, it's as simple as that. All we peons can do is go about our business, occasionally giving them the finger as we drive past in our jalopies.

i'm just waiting for the "community" to denounce naomi as an anti-semite

that's the soup de jour for rebuttal of zion criticism

just ask norman finkelstein

here is a link to a very literate debate on israel/palestine between norman and shlomo ben ami at democracy now

http://www.normanfinkelstein.com/democracy-now-debate-with-finkelstein-shlomo-ben-ami/

listen and learn....

hey naomi: shock doctrine was an out of the park home run and no logo was good stuff too

Naomi Klein keep up the good work! We need more progressive leaders such as you!

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The Nazis were proud of German culture, too, and in the thirties liked to show it off to the world. Though they balked, of course, at promoting the Jews, or any other group or race they deemed inferior or "degenerate." The difference here being the Israel firsters, mostly Jews (or half crazed Christian fundamentalists awaiting the Rapture), are today dealing with a relatively small and insignificant minority. The Palestinians, who do not have the world presence, numbers, power, or influence of the Jews. And considering the historic background of the Holocaust the Palestinians’ plight does not excite the same moral outrage and horror. In fact, many Americans and Europeans look down upon Arabs, too. And westerners have often merely assumed the Israelis, as fellow westerners, are right.

So every time anyone with a well known name here in the United States or elsewhere stands up for them, the Palestinians, they open themselves up to charges of anti-Semitism or of being a “self hating Jew.” This is hateful talk, of course, designed to squelch criticism and to cover up ongoing outrages, seeking rationalizations. It’s an old story. One which any Jew who has had an experience with tyranny should be familiar with. And should understand. And be ashamed of.

The arts are always subject to political pressure and also the first line of defense - when it is exercised- of human genius. I am reminded that that part of the etymological root of genius is spirit. In that spirit, I extend my gratitude to those artists who repsectfully respond the "brand israel" as so blatantly stated by the consul general.

Jon Voigt would benefit from recognizing the sheer chutzpa of attempting a co-opting of an arts forum by a marketing plan being set front and center is nothing more than an invitation extended on a silver platter.

The artists very graciously accepted. The democratic state of Israel found the interlocutor it was seeking, albeit somewhat blindly and apparently desperately under the circumstances.

Thank you for highlighting the ongoing nightmare in Gaza on this day. One day if revisionist historians haven't managed to Matrixify the planet, the term, "Gaza" will, like Guernica, Dachau, Vietnam, 9-11, "Operation Enduring Freedom" (and, sadly, hundreds of other shameful instances of slavish devotion to hate, revenge or greed), come to symbolize a time of human folly writ large, evoked to remind/warn us of the humanity we can too easily neglect out of complacency, fear, ideological delusion and ignorance. That is, unless a great many more can find their moral compass and refuse to remain silent -like all these artists opting out of the Tel Aviv 'celebration'--- until one day Gaza at last is allowed to heal and to revive not only the lives of its survivors, but our collective soul.

It's so easy to break the egg shells and immediately morph into an anti-semite. I think the last time I had an independent thought it must have been antisemitic. Jesus I don't know how to say the right things. Somebody help me!

The ruling classes/parties in the Israeli parliament are anti semite, designed to give the country a reputation that no one could respect, murder, torture,the deliberate murder of non combatants and just plain cowardly murderous bullying, harvesting of organs and the complete degradation of the Palestinian people, the rightful owners of what is now called Israel. Talk about scummy tenants.

This is another damn good reason why israhell has got to be destroyed. And it's on Fox news:

"Greta Susteren asked him [former congressman James Traficant] if he has any grudges. Traficant says that he was the number one target of American Israeli Public Affairs Committee" and the Justice Department. He goes on to say that "he believes that Israel has a powerful stranglehold on the American government. They control both members of the House, the House and the Senate. They have us involved in wars in which we have little or no interest. Our children are coming back in body bags. Our nation is bankrupt over these wars. And if you open your mouth, you get targeted. And if they don't beat you at the poll, they'll put you in prison." He says "Israel gets approximately $15 billion a year from the American taxpayers. That $15 billion is $30,000 for every man, woman and child. And people in my district are losing their pension benefits." Here's part one of the three part interview.

The hell with the letters, it's time for matches.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0scNGzWfv8A

One presumes, given that Tel Aviv was a Palestinian city ... no Israel in 1909 .... that the celebrations will celebrate the indigenous people, the Palestinians, and perhaps offer an apology for their dispossession and colonisation.

Well done Naomi, keep up the good work.

One of these days, humans are going to look at their feet and realize they aren't rooted to the ground. Nobody is "from" anywhere except the womb of their mother. That one expression, "I'm from here and you aren't" has probably got more people killed than anything else in this sorry planet. Real estate and pride are a deadly combination. "My grandpappy planted that tree, My ancesters fought and shed blood for this here land, etc." What utter and complete insanity. If God, Jehova, G_d, or Allah wants to give you some land, let Him get off His fat ass and come down here and give it to you. Otherwise, stop inventing stories about where you belong and all that sort of crap.

I recommend watching "Jenin" for a picture into the courage and spirit of the surviving Palestinians...
And the atrocities carried out by the IDF...

Is Israel's "charm offensive" meant to cover its bad conscience?

naomi klein always was and is an honest person dedicated to the excellence of junalism. i give you my heart felt congratulation for a job well done