No Talking Endlessly

A Facebook member contacted me with the following message: hello---can you say something about achieving peace both for Israel/Palestinians and over all area -- or are you just anti-Israel? I see you are educated…. so you should be working for a solution

My reply:

I am not anti-Israel.  I was one of the first Palestinians to call for the recognition of Israel.  In1980 I championed the recognition of Israel at college campuses and within the Palestinian community in Chicago. I attended the White House Rose Garden peace signing ceremony on September 13, 1993 and witnessed the famous handshake between Rabin and Arafat. 

I have always been and continue to be an advocate for peace.  Yet, I like many peace-loving Palestinians have become disillusioned by Israel's constant talking but not really talking.  They want to talk but never conclude the "talks" and all the while they want to illegally confiscate more Palestinian land and build more illegal settlements and transfer more hard core machine gun taunting settlers into these settlements.  Their justification for this is that the Palestinians have given up Area C in the Oslo Agreement.  This is hogwash. 

They cut down our olive groves and then Israeli supporters justify this by saying that "terrorists" hide in the trees.  This is hogwash. 

When I ask Israeli's to explain the discrepancy between laws that differently effect Palestinians and Israelis and how they cannot call Israel an apartheid state, they have no explanations. They have no explanation for Jewish only roads; no explanation for colored license plates for Palestinians; no explanation for a wall that divides farmers from their farm land; no explanation for surrounding towns with barred wires and checkpoints out of those towns that allow residence ingress and egress at only certain times of the day.  In one such town, an elementary school is outside the wall and the guards at the 3pm crossing when children are released from their school purposefully choose to not open the gates leaving the children alone to wait until the evening crossing before they can return to their families and homes. This is a direct policy that builds frustration and hatred and ultimately aims to continue the status quo--occupation.

No one can explain to me that why Israel always asks the Palestinians to return to the "negotiating table" when Israeli soldiers carry out a direct and humiliating policy to destroy the human will of the Palestinians.  No one asks the Israelis why their leaders continue to frustrate and subjugate Palestinians into complacency.  No one asks Israel to stop its policy to dehumanize Palestinians and establish a policy to build an atmosphere of confidence in the future.

The future is in numbers. Peace will be established when Israel realizes that the will of the Palestinians people cannot be destroyed; that they cannot continue their apartheid practices especially when in 2016 it is expected that the population in Palestine and Israel will be such that Israelis are the minority.

The problem with a lack of peace is that the Israeli political system gives too much power to its minority parties.  In all the 64 year history of Israel, there has been only one Israeli government that had a majority in its Knesset.  All the other Israeli governments have been run by coalition governments that are beholden to right wing minority parties that do not want peace because these parties wield the ongoing threat to switch their allegiance in the Knesset in a no confidence vote thus bringing down the ruling party.  (See my article Soul Searching Leads to Peace http://fadizanayed.blogspot.com/2011/12/soul-searching-leads-to-peace.html  which explains how the Israeli political system is a hindrance to peace. ) 


The only way for peace to be achieved is through a One State Solution.  It is not an impossibility.  South Africa has proven that. Despite the decades of White Rule in South Africa the Black population, through the heroic efforts of Nelson Mandela, reconciliation between the people of South Africa, thought to be unattainable, was achieved successfully. Recompilation can be achieved in the Holy Land.  

I still have hope for peace. I will always have hope for peace.  I want to live with Jews, Muslims and Christians in prosperity in the Holy Land.  I want to work for a solution but I cannot and will not talk for the sake of talk if it will lead to a never ending talks.  


A One State Solution is the only thing to "talk" about. 

Leadership is the Art of Conviction

                A friend emailed me a YouTube clip about the “West Wing” TV show which included a map of the Holy Land that was drawn in 1709.  The “West Wing” is about the US Presidency.  This particular episode was aired on 1/9/02.  As I am interested in the Presidency, I viewed the clip.

Martin Sheen acts in the show as the President. He receives as a gift from his aid a map entitled “Canaan, Palestine” and tells his staff that he wants to frame it and put it in the White House.  His staff is vehemently opposed, expressing that it does not recognize Israel. When Sheen’s character President Bartlett explains that the map was drawn in 1709 and that Israel would not exist for another 250 years, they are not impressed, insisting that this would only bring trouble to the President.

This episode of “West Wing”, although a fictional TV show, gives us an insight as to how Presidents think and how those thoughts are limited by the constraints around them.   I wrote an article last year entitled “Constraints on Obama.”  http://fadizanayed.blogspot.com/2011/12/constraints-on-obama.html.  In it I give 6 reasons that limit the real US President in what he wants to do to bring peace between Palestinians and the Apartheid Israelis.  What I did not include in that article is the constraints from the people that work for the President.  

In the “West Wing” show every aide advised the President not to put up an “old” map of the Holy Land in the White House because “it does not recognize Israel and some people will find it offensive.”  The fictional President Bartlett responds by stating that no one opposed an aide’s map of the US when the original 13 states were colonies of Britain, when France owned 1/3 of the US (Louisiana Territory) and Mexico owned the remaining part.  The aides are unimpressed and tell the President that he does not need the headaches that will come from hanging an “old” map of Palestine in the White House.

The headache that the supporters of Apartheid Israel will give to anyone that hints in any way, shape or form that he is at least sympathetic to the Palestinian desire for freedom is massive.  Many politicians and others with any public persona who are perceived as “anti-Semitic” have been singled out by the Apartheid Israeli lobby.  The methods and power of that lobby is excellently documented by former Illinois Congressman Paul Finley in his book They Dare To Speak Out.  

Aides to the President are there to help the President in his tremendous task of leading the world as the only Super Power.  Avoiding trouble is one way aides assist the President.  Opposing Apartheid Israel in any way is trouble.   Succeeding US Presidents have said that the illegal Apartheid Israeli settlements are an “obstacle to peace.”  Yet, no President can ask Apartheid Israel to dismantle or stop building settlements despite the billions of dollars in aid that the US gives to it.  Why is this so? Simple answer: the Apartheid Israeli Lobby.

This lobby constrains US Presidents to a point that it is understood that politics is the art of the possible.  If a US President believed that it was politically possible to bring peace to the Israelis and Palestinians, then peace would have been achieved long ago.  But because of the power of the Apartheid Israeli lobby, US Presidents know that they cannot possibly bring peace to the Middle East. 

Succeeding Apartheid Israeli governments appease US Presidents by signing agreements with the Palestinians but their intent is not to have peace as they keep delaying final status talks because   internal Apartheid Israeli politics constrain it from making peace while Apartheid Israeli supporters constrain US Presidents from helping the parties achieve peace.  With these political constrains, peace is not possible.

Aides to the President know these political realities.  They can suggest actions that make it look like the US wants peace but this is political appeasement for internal US politics.  What these aides, President Obama, Apartheid Israeli leaders and lobbyists also know is that the reality of the population demographics in Apartheid Israel and Palestine is that in 2016 Palestinians will outnumber Jews. 

While Presidential aides will not advise the President to call Israel an Apartheid State as that would be political suicide, the reality is that is what Israel is.  Former President Jimmy Carter has called the situation in the West Bank an apartheid system of government—now he is shunned by Apartheid Israeli leaders.

The problem with Presidents is that they do not understand that they were elected to lead and sometimes leading people to what is the right thing to do is not always politically correct but morally right.  President Obama has stated that it is in the US national security interest to establish peace between Apartheid Israel and Palestine.  Yet the political constraints around him limit his ability to do what he believes is the right thing to do.

If President Abraham Lincoln did what was politically correct during his presidency, slavery in the US may have lingered longer in the US.  But President Lincoln knew that despite the Southern Slave States threat to secede from the US, slavery had to be eradicated and therefore issued the Emancipation Proclamation.  He led the nation to the high moral standards that he believed in despite the political consequences that were against him.

President Obama needs to be like President Lincoln.  President Obama knows that peace in the Middle East is the moral and right thing to achieve; therefore he should take the steps to achieve that peace.    

           Who am I kidding here?  President Obama needs to get reelected and thus the constraints against him are way too powerful than the morals that lead him to lead.  Politics is the art of the possible but leadership is the art of conviction. 




(  © Copyright, Fadi Zanayed.  Publication or distribution of this material is allowed provided its content is not altered and the source and its author are cited.)

القيادة هي فن الإدانة

(قمت بترجمة هذه المقالة على Google. كما هو محدود لغتي العربية، لا أستطيع أن يشهدوا على دقة الترجمة.)

                لي صديق عبر البريد الالكتروني مقطع يوتيوب عن "الجناح الغربي" التلفزيوني الذي اشتمل على خريطة الأرض المقدسة التي تم رسمها في 1709. في "الجناح الغربي" هو عن رئاسة الولايات المتحدة. وقد بثت هذه الحلقة بشكل خاص على 1/9/02. وأنا مهتم في الرئاسة ، ينظر لي القصاصة.مارتن شين الأعمال في المعرض رئيسا. انه يتلقى هدية من مساعدته على خريطة بعنوان "كنعان وفلسطين" ، ويقول معاونوه انه يريد الإطار ووضعها في البيت الابيض. ويعارض موظفيه ، معتبرا ان ذلك لا تعترف باسرائيل. عندما شين لحرف الرئيس بارتليت يشرح التي تم استخلاصها من خريطة عام 1709 ، وأن إسرائيل ما كانت لتوجد لمدة 250 عاما ، لا أعجب بها ، مصرا على أن هذا من شأنه أن يجلب سوى المتاعب للرئيس.هذه الحلقة من "الجناح الغربي" ، على الرغم من عرض تلفزيوني وهمية ، يعطينا فكرة عن كيفية التفكير الرئيس وكيف تقتصر تلك الأفكار من القيود من حولهم. كتبت مقالا في العام الماضي بعنوان "القيود المفروضة على أوباما". http://fadizanayed.blogspot.com/2011/12/constraints-on-obama.html. في ذلك أعطي 6 أسباب التي تحد من الرئيس الحقيقي للولايات المتحدة في ما يريد أن يفعله من أجل إحلال السلام بين الفلسطينيين والاسرائيليين الفصل العنصري.ما لم تشمل في تلك المادة ، هي القيود من الناس التي تعمل من أجل الرئيس.في "الجناح الغربي" تظهر كل مساعد نصح الرئيس بعدم طرح "قديمة" خريطة الأرض المقدسة في البيت الابيض لانها "لا تعترف باسرائيل ، وبعض الناس سوف تجد الهجوم." خيالية ويستجيب الرئيس بارتليت بالقول ان احدا لا يعارض خريطة مساعدا للولايات المتحدة عندما الأصلي 13 دولة كانت مستعمرة من بريطانيا وفرنسا عندما تملكها 1 / 3 من الولايات المتحدة (ولاية لويزيانا الأرض) والمكسيك تملك الجزء المتبقي.ومساعدون لسنا متفائلين ونقول للرئيس انه لا يحتاج الى الصداع الذي سيأتي من الشنق على "القديم" خريطة فلسطين في البيت الأبيض.الصداع أن المؤيدين لإسرائيل ستعطي الفصل العنصري على أحد أن يلمح بأي شكل من الأشكال ، أو شكل أنه على الأقل متعاطفة مع رغبة الفلسطينيين في الحرية واسعة النطاق. وقد خص كثير من السياسيين وغيرهم مع أي شخصية عامة الذين ينظر إليها على أنها "معادية للسامية" من قبل اللوبي الاسرائيلي الفصل العنصري. تم توثيقه بشكل ممتاز الأساليب وقوة اللوبي التي كتبها ولاية ايلينوي السابق في الكونغرس بول فينلي في كتابه انهم يتجرأون على الحديث خارج.مساعدون للرئيس وهناك لمساعدة الرئيس في مهمته الهائلة لقيادة العالم باعتبارها القوة العظمى الوحيدة. تجنب المشكلة هي طريقة واحدة مساعدة مساعدي الرئيس. معارضة الفصل العنصري في إسرائيل بأي شكل من الأشكال والمتاعب. خلفا لرئيس الولايات المتحدة وقال ان المستوطنات الاسرائيلية غير الشرعية الفصل العنصري تشكل "عقبة في طريق السلام." ومع ذلك ، لا يمكن لرئيس تسأل اسرائيل لتفكيك نظام الفصل العنصري أو وقف بناء المستوطنات على الرغم من مليارات الدولارات من المساعدات التي تمنحها الولايات المتحدة لذلك. لماذا يحدث هذا؟ الجواب بسيط : لوبي الفصل العنصري الإسرائيلي.هذا اللوبي تقيد رؤساء الولايات المتحدة إلى درجة أن من المفهوم أن السياسة هي فن الممكن. إذا كان الرئيس الأميركي يعتقد أنه كان من الممكن من الناحية السياسية لإحلال السلام للإسرائيليين والفلسطينيين ، لكان السلام تحقق منذ فترة طويلة. ولكن نظرا لقوة اللوبي الإسرائيلي الفصل العنصري ، رئيس الولايات المتحدة يعرفون أنهم لا يمكن أن يجلب ربما السلام في الشرق الأوسط.الفصل العنصري الإسرائيلي خلفا لاسترضاء الحكومات رؤساء الولايات المتحدة من خلال توقيع اتفاقات مع الفلسطينيين ولكن ليس عن نيتهم ​​لتحقيق السلام لأنها تبقي تأجيل محادثات الوضع النهائي لان السياسة الداخلية الاسرائيلية تقيد الفصل العنصري فإنه من صنع السلام مع مؤيدي اسرائيل الفصل العنصري تقيد رئيس الولايات المتحدة من مساعدة الطرفين على تحقيق السلام.مع هذه القيود السياسية ، والسلام غير ممكن.قال مساعدون لرئيس يعرفون هذه الحقائق السياسية. يمكن أن تشير إلى الإجراءات التي تجعلها تبدو وكأنها كانت الولايات المتحدة تريد السلام ولكن هذا هو التهدئة السياسية للسياسة الأميركية الداخلية. ما هي هذه مساعدي الرئيس أوباما ، وقادة جماعات الضغط الإسرائيلية الفصل العنصري ونعرف أيضا أن واقع التركيبة السكانية في إسرائيل وفلسطين الفصل العنصري في عام 2016 هو أن الفلسطينيين سوف يفوق عدد اليهود.في حين أن مساعدي رئيس الجمهورية لن يتم تقديم المشورة للرئيس دعوة اسرائيل دولة الفصل العنصري لأن ذلك سيكون انتحارا سياسيا ، فإن الواقع هو أن ما تقوم به إسرائيل هو. ودعا الرئيس السابق جيمي كارتر الوضع في الضفة الغربية لنظام الفصل العنصري في الحكومة الآن منبوذة من قبل القادة الاسرائيليين الفصل العنصري.المشكلة مع الرئيس هو أنهم لا يفهمون أن تم انتخابهم لقيادة وتؤدي أحيانا إلى الناس ما هو الشيء الصحيح الذي ينبغي عمله ليست دائما صحيحة سياسيا ولكن الصحيح أخلاقيا. وقد أعلن الرئيس أوباما أنه في مصلحة أمن الولايات المتحدة القومي لإحلال السلام بين إسرائيل وفلسطين الفصل العنصري. ومع ذلك فإن القيود السياسية حوله الحد من قدرته على فعل ما يعتقد أنه الشيء الصحيح الذي ينبغي عمله.اذا كان الرئيس ابراهام لينكولن فعلوا ما هو صحيح من الناحية السياسية خلال فترة رئاسته ، قد العبودية في الولايات المتحدة قد تستمر لمدة أطول في الولايات المتحدة. ولكن الرئيس لينكولن يعرف أنه على الرغم من التهديد الرقيق الولايات الجنوبية في الانفصال عن الولايات المتحدة ، والرق كان لا بد من استئصاله ، وبالتالي أصدر إعلان تحرير العبيد. قاد الأمة إلى المعايير الأخلاقية العالية التي كان يؤمن على الرغم من العواقب السياسية التي كانت ضده.الرئيس أوباما يحتاج إلى أن يكون مثل الرئيس لينكولن. الرئيس أوباما يعرف أن السلام في الشرق الأوسط هو الشيء الأخلاقي والصحيح لتحقيق ، وبالتالي كان يجب اتخاذ خطوات لتحقيق هذا السلام.



           من أنا تمزح هنا؟ الرئيس أوباما بحاجة للحصول على انتخابه ، وبالتالي القيود ضده هي وسيلة قوية للغاية من الأخلاق التي تؤدي به إلى الصدارة. السياسة هي فن الممكن ولكن القيادة هي فن الإدانة.(Zanayed © ، فادي يسمح نشر أو توزيع هذه المواد شريطة أن لا تغيير محتواها وأشار المصدر وصاحبه).

The Israeli Mirage Seen By American Voters

In a recent poll American voter’s showed support for pro-Israeli candidates—my analysis is that the Israeli lobby has painted a mirage.  The perception that Apartheid Israel is a democracy surrounded by hostile American hating Muslims has been craftily molded by the powerful lobby for decades. Unfortunately, in American politics, perception is reality.

If Americans knew the “reality” about Apartheid Israel that perception would change.  Apartheid Israel receives $3 billion of US aid annually—not to mention the many other millions in military aid.   While local budgets are being slashed here in the US, aid to the Apartheid Regime increases annually.  While resolving the Israeli/Palestinian conflict is, as President Barrack Obama has stated, a national security concern, Apartheid Israel rebukes the leader of the free world by building more illegal West Bank settlements, effectively killing peace.  Israeli Prime Minister, the chief Apartheid, Benjamin Netanyahu wants no preconditions to negotiations, wants to continue to build settlements despite the fact that negotiations would lead to the dismantling of those settlements and wants the Apartheid State of Israel to be recognized as a Jewish State.

Many American voters do not really know the reality of what Apartheid Israel is doing to the Palestinians. Political observers, including former President Jimmy Carter, have called Israel an apartheid government.  Apartheid Israel has built a wall that cuts off families from each other; cuts off farmers from their fields; and isolates towns into an open air prison.   Apartheid Israel has carved Palestinian land in the West Bank by designating areas into A B and C zones. It has instituted military checkpoints that make a 10 minute route from Ramallah to Beir Zeit a 3 hour ride.   Through its checkpoints, Israel restricts students from attending universities; restricts goods from being brought to markets and restricts worshipers from worshiping in the Holy City of Jerusalem.

Apartheid Israel does not approve building permits and when a home is built in Palestine it demolishes it.  It uses the demolition of homes as a collective punishment against families or whole towns.


To destroy commerce, the brutal Israeli military protects Apartheid Israeli settlers who uproot groves of olive trees which have been the only source of income for their owner’s families for centuries.

Apartheid Israel segregates Palestinians from apartheid settlers by building Jews only by-pass roads.

Israel tortures Palestinian prisoners, makes them sign false confessions written in Hebrew—a language that the Palestinians cannot read.  Do the voters know that Israeli soldiers abuse Palestinian soldiers much like US soldiers who mocked Iraqi citizens in Abu Ghraib prison?

Do voters really know that within the current Apartheid regime in Israel there is a coalition partner whose spiritual leader advocates the annihilation of Palestinians?  The spiritual leader of the Chas Party Ovadia Yousef has made statements that Israel should annihilate the Palestinians.  With all the anger in Apartheid Israel about Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad”s rhetoric denying the holocaust, it is ironic that a Jewish spiritual leader would utter a word that even implies the annihilation of another people.  Yet the Chas Party is a major coalition partner in the Chief Apartheid Netanyahu government.  Do American voters know this reality?

The mirage that the Israel lobby has painted would fade into the sunset and American voters would favor justice if only they know reality.

(  © Copyright, Fadi Zanayed.  Publication or distribution of this material is allowed provided its content is not altered and the source and its author are cited.)