Salomon Benzimra http://www.jta.org/user/profile/47812 en-us zsilberman@washingtonjewishweek.com Copyright 2012 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 President Carter cannot be trusted in his latest apology. He has regularly and deliberately disfigured the reality of the Middle East, distorted the facts, misrepresented international law and showed moral blindness in his attacks against Israel. For more detail, please view: http://www.israpundit.com/2008/?p=19358 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 "Professor" Siegman evidently never heard of the legal rights of Israel, as they were set in the early 1920s under international law. He can talk about the "occupied West Bank", the "apartheid state" and the other usual distortions of the State of Israel, once he wrapped himself in a thick cloak of ignorance. 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 Reading Massad's worn diatribes against Israel, Zionism and the Jewish State shows either his sheer ignorance of the facts or his rabid malice. Why would Columbia reward an ignorant professor? Why would a respected university harbour a propagandist, let alone give him tenure? With the Massad tenure precedent, I wouldn't be surprised if Columbia awards tenure to an astrophysics professor who embraces the Flat Earth Theory. 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 Judt a "historian"? He may know something about medieval Europe, but certainly nothing about recent Middle East history. Judt a "professor"? Well...I can only feel sad about his students and the distorted narratives he is teaching them. The good professor should have a look at Article 6 of the Mandate for Palestine, recognized under international law since July, 1922 and do one of the following: a) admit his error and issue an apology, to be displayed in the NYT as prominently as his original article, or... b) tell us why the provisions of the Mandate are no longer valid, who abrogated them, and when it did happen. Anything short of the above is unbecoming of a respected academic. 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 I am surprise that Kampeas would not see what Malley's and Agha's real objectives are. But their campaign is not an isolated one. It is part of an orchestrated new trend in finding novel ways to eradicate Israel. A conference on this very topic is planned on June 22-24 at York University in Toronto. If you have the patience to read what this conference is all about, please look at my comments posted here: http://www.israpundit.com/2008/?p=13708 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 This Netanyahu-Obama meeting is an excellent opportunity to inject some truth in the propaganda poisoned conflict. If diplomacy is not entirely divorced from international law, Netanyahu should emphasize the legal foundation and borders of Israel as they have been recognized in international law. And I hope then that the media will start discussing that central issue, which has been most unfortunately hidden for too long. 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 The fundamental question no one wants to address is this: "Are you pro-Israel or pro-Palestine?" As long as most Jews and non-Jews are deluded in thinking that they can be both, no clear solution will be in sight. And useless political meanderings will go on. 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 Let someone tell Mr. Patel: "The Koran is as vile as Mein Kampf" and wait for his reaction. 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 Trying to revive the so-called "peace process", as it has been misdefined since 1991, is tantamount to milking a dead horse. But at least, now, we have 17 years of empirical evidence as to why such a process was vitiated from the start. It is high time to drop "peace" as the shining objective that mesmerized a whole generation of misled politicians, and to replace it with "justice" first. Let us start with the legal foundations of Israel, which have been enshrined in international law (and unfortunately never mentioned) and move from there. No justice, no peace. 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 Louis Michel's comments are welcome. They contrast with many previous accusations of Israel he made in the past. We hope that he will be joined by Javier Solana and all European leaders. I also hope they will read UNSC Resolution 1566 (October 2004) which is binding on all UN Members in their approach to terrorist groups. 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 After close to 18 years of futile (and bloody) negotiations on the so-called "peace process", it is high time to go back to basics and abide by the provisions of international law (Mandate for Palestine, 1922) conferring full national rights to the Jewish people on lands west of the Jordan River. Anything else will perpetuate terror, false hopes to radical Islam and endless mayhem. 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 It is puzzling to see Steve Erlanger incapable of understanding the obvious. Hamas is not interested in negotiations. Fatah's sole objective is also the destruction of israel as a Jewish State. When will all those proponents of the "two state solution" open their eyes, read the Hamas-Fatah-PLO Charters, and finally use their brains? 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 The UN Security Council members who drafted or supported the ceasefire resolution 1860 should be ashamed of themselves for not abiding by their binding obligations to fight Hamas terror first, as they were all called upon in UNSC Resolution 1566, passed under Chapter VII in October 2004. No wonder the UN -- an organization which violates its own principles -- is the laughing stock of the civilized world, 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 John Bolton's idea is brilliant. Not because he really believes his proposal has any chance to fly, but precisely because it doesn't. By putting the onus on the Arabs, and watch how they object to having anything to do with their "brethren" Palestinians, maybe the world will finally pause and think. 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 Malcolm Hoenlein is absolutely right. The UN should stay out. Israel is doing the job that the Quartet (of which the UN is part) called for in its "RoadMap" of April 2003. In its Phase One, the RoadMap calls for the "dismantlement of terrorist capabilities and infrastructure." That is exactly what israel is doing, as the Palestinians were unwilling and incapable to do it ever since. 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 If anything, the present military operation against Hamas will serve to unveil , once and for all, the despicable Jewish organisations which call themselves "pro-Israel" and yet take all opportunities to blast Israel when it tries to defend itself. So, let it be resolved that J-Street, Americans for Peace Now, Brit Tzedek v-Shalom and Israel Policy Forum are aiding and abetting Israel's enemies. And let us hope that Jews at large will finally be aware of this rot. 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 As usual, M.J. Rosenberg is wrong in his assumptions and in his logic. If the settlements were the main obstacle to peace, we would have a peaceful Gaza by now. Most importantly, the continuous blasting on the "settlers" is based on the wrong premise that these settlements are illegal. I urge M.J. Rosenberg (and, also, the author of this article) to get informed on the legal aspects of the israeli-Arab conflict by reading the latest book of Attorney Howard Grief: "The Legal Foundation and Borders of Israel under International Law". (www.mazopublishers.com ...and click on the book.) Salomon Benzimra 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 We should not let the ignorance of Bernard Kouchner continue to disfigure the truth. I urge him to read the latest book from Howard Grief, titled "The Legal Foundation and Borders of Israel under International Law", published by Mazo Publishers, Jerusalem. In the past few months, Kouchner has been relentless in propagating all sorts of falsehoods. Please see here the English translation of an article I published in French: http://www.think-israel.org/benzimra.mideastreality.html 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00