I’m annoyed with Benjamin Netanyahu. He’s taken an irritating and inexplicably-popular American phrase about ducks and moved it into meme territory. It’s only a matter of time before some nostalgic guy with time on his hands spins up an “all … Continue reading
Tag Archives: Israel
A Few Problems with Iran’s Nuclear Program
I don’t think that bombing Iran’s nuclear facilities is a very good idea. I don’t think it would be a smart thing for the United States to do. I don’t think it would be a smart thing for Israel to … Continue reading
American Public Opinion and Israel
Zaid Jiliani does Yeoman’s work pointing out that, unwarranted-conclusions-drawn-from-outlying-electoral-districts aside, most Americans consistently report that they want the U.S. to take an “even-handed” approach to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. And indeed, polling data does generally bear this out over time. This … Continue reading
American Opinion and the Israeli Left
Sometime friend of FPW Noam Sheizaf has a short post at Promised Land in which he puzzles over ‘the strange American obsession with the return of the Israeli left.’ Money section: I can’t help but think that those American who … Continue reading
Jerusalem and Israeli Sovereignty
Picking up on a thread of conversation in the comments section from Matt’s last post, I want to briefly address the issue of Israel’s capital. Matt correctly noted that it is Tel Aviv. This is not under much debate. Israel, … Continue reading
Wanting Foreign Governments to Have Different Preferences is Not a Strategy
For those who missed them, check out Andrew Sullivan’s piece this morning on the bind into which the eventual UN vote on a Palestinian state has put U.S. foreign policy, as well as Josh Foust’s post on the inanity of … Continue reading
Quick Hit: Abuminah on PADICO
I don’t share Ali Abuminah’s reflexive skepticism toward the very concept of a Palestinian state, nor do I generally share his perspective on the evils of “neoliberal” economics (I hate the imprecision of that term in particular). I’m also willing … Continue reading
Sometimes you Can’t Revert to Neutral Principles
Stanley Fish had a piece yesterday addressing the CUNY-Kushner controversy. As seems to be his wont, Fish argues that, contrary to some claims, CUNY’s denial of an honorary degree to Kushner doesn’t violate academic freedom or the spirit of open … Continue reading
Quick Hit: Othering the President Abroad
Noam Sheizaf notes that elements of the Israeli media have picked up on a long-standing American conservative tactic to rhetorically delegitimize President Obama.
Quick Hit: Head in Hands
When I first saw the news yesterday of the Fatah-Hamas agreement my first reaction, sadly, was to wonder how long it would take for American leaders to respond in a stupid, counterproductive, shortsighted way. Apparently the answer is less than … Continue reading