Bibi plays the race card (again)

Bibi stirred up a shit storm of paranoia and racism in the final days of the election, mirroring the game plan of his Republican allies in the United States.  Oy, gevalt, Arab citizens are voting!  Feel afraid, very afraid!  Democracy (it should be understood) is not to be trusted.

Ignore the fact that Arabs are just 20% of the population, and that they refuse to form coalitions with any of the "Jewish" parties because that would imply some level of approval of the occupation of the West Bank and the destruction of Gaza.  Arabs voting has to be dangerous.

Now that Bibi has come right out and said there will be no two-state solution (not that there ever was any real doubt where he stood), I suppose we can expect settlement expansion to accelerate.  Europeans, who recognize apartheid when they see it, will become even less supportive of Israel.  It really ought to be time for the USofA scratch its ass and say, "Well, duh, yeah, it looks a whole lot like apartheid to us too."  Will it happen?

Unlikely.

The USofA will continue to mouth platitudes about the creation of a Palestinian state, but the solution to apartheid is not establishing a string of powerless, "self-governing" Arabic-speaking Bantustans and calling it a country.  The solution is full integration of all Palestinians into the Israeli state, with all the rights and opportunities of full citizenship.

It might not be a "Jewish state" anymore, but, at least, it would be a democracy.

Short Subjects for September

Too much is happening, so I will restrain myself.  Here come some brief and assorted comments.

Israel — Obama, bless him in this instance, has not responded to blackmail by Bibi Netanyahu.  Is Likud trying to influence US elections?  Uh huh.  Will it encourage American Jews to support the Republican crazies who want to create a "final" mid-east war and bring on the Apocalypse?  I don't think so.  Jews, on average, are just a little bit smarter than the average redneck.

Eurozone — The German court and the Dutch electorate seem to think it's important to maintain the Euro, mostly because they have made a lot of money from the single currency.  Granted, the Euro may not survive — but nobody in Northern Europe wants further erosion of exports.

The Mohamed Movie — Honestly, I don't know if I've seen the original movie trailer because there are so many parodies on YouTube.  I tried, anyway.  Most interesting, though, is the conjecture about who financed the idiotic but nevertheless inflammatory film.  The career criminal now accused of being behind the film — if anybody is thinking about him at all — almost certainly was paid for his efforts.  By whom?  (Nobody's talking.)  Let's think: who profits?

QE3 – While I appreciate the fact that the Fed is trying its best, I don't think monetary policy can do the trick at this point.  Just as in Europe, we need fiscal policy.  Europe can't do it because it has no fiscal union.  We can't do it because we have Republicans — and, hence, no fiscal policy.

It's turning into another of those goddamned months.  I'll try to stay on top of things.

Re: Bibi Netanyahu and the blockade

The world (excluding FOX news, of course) seems to agree that Israel kind of screwed itself by intercepting those blockade runners in a manner that might be considered a bit too aggressive. Whatever the facts are, however, Netanyahu comes out ahead.

Likud does best when Israelis feel most threatened. Whip up a batch of anti-Israeli rhetoric in the world media, and Israelis cling to their political party of war and antagonistic attitude like nettles to a wool sock. Bibi wins again.

In today's Times, Amos Oz lays out a road to peace — but it is not a road compatible with Likud domination of the Knesset. The right, in Israel every bit as much as in the United States, depends on fear to stay in power.

In the meanwhile, fear leaves the Obama administration virtually helpless. Can we afford to antagonize the Turks? The Jews? The Europeans? The fucking Republicans?

Maybe Barack needs to take a lesson or two from Bibi. Politics is not for the faint of heart, and "love of country" is just a way to hang onto the reins of power.