The Third Way

Kerry’s Latest Mideast Trip Doomed Before It Starts

Mitchell Plitnick — Wed, 22 May 2013 14:36:46 +0000

John Kerry’s charade in Israel and Palestine is growing exceedingly tiresome. As I explain in Lobelog today, Israelis are laughing at him, other US diplomats are sneering and Palestinians, as usual, are just frustrated.

Filed under: Israel, Palestine, United States Tagged: AIPAC, Barack Obama, Benjamin Netanyahu, Bill Clinton, diplomacy, European Union, George H.W. Bush, George W. Bush, Iran, Iran nuclear, Israel, Israel Lobby, Israeli Settlements, James Baker, John Kerry, Palestine, settlement freeze, Syria, Tzipi Livni, Yitzhak Shamir

Democracy Means Equality

Mitchell Plitnick — Mon, 20 May 2013 12:42:02 +0000

A fundamental plank of any peace plan has to be universal rights and full equality for all, and that is true whether the solution is one state, two states, twelve states or no states in Israel-Palestine. I elaborate at Souciant.

Filed under: One-State Solution, West Bank Tagged: Abraham Foxman, Anti-Semitism, Arab Spring, Benjamin Netanyahu, CHaim Weizmann, David Ben-Gurion, democracy, Habayit Hayehudi, Hamas, Hosni Mubarak, Israel, Israeli Arabs, Josef Weitz, Moshe Arens, Naftali Bennett, Occupied Territories, OECD, Oslo Accords, Palestine, Poverty, Tel Aviv, Theodor Herzl, West Bank, Yitzhak Rabin, Ze'ev Jabotinsky, Zionism

Boston Globe Backs Stephen Hawking on Boycott of Israeli Conference

Mitchell Plitnick — Mon, 13 May 2013 02:40:56 +0000

The Boston Globe published a groundbreaking editorial in support of Stephen Hawking’s decision to boycott the Israeli President’s Conference. I analyze its meaning and potential impact at Lobelog.

Filed under: BDS Tagged: AIPAC, Barack Obama, BDS, BDS Movement, Boston Globe, Boycott, diplomacy, Divestment, intifada, Israel, Israeli president's Conference, Sanctions, Stephen Hawking

Hawking in Palestine

Mitchell Plitnick — Fri, 10 May 2013 14:13:24 +0000

Stephen Hawking unleashed a storm this week by pulling out of an Israeli conference. I explore the response to the boycott movement more broadly at Souciant this week.

Filed under: BDS Tagged: Achille Lauro, apartheid, BDS, Benjamin Netanyahu, Cambridge University, Carlo Strenger, Hamas, Hezbollah, Israel, Jewish, Jimmy Carter, Noam Sheizaf, Palestinians, Ronald Reagan, Shimon Peres, South Africa, Stephen Hawking, Syria

Europe Urged to Step into Breach of Failed Mideast Peace

Mitchell Plitnick — Tue, 07 May 2013 14:05:43 +0000

A group of former European heads of state and foreign ministers have sent a letter to Catherine Ashton advocating some important steps in the Israel-Palestine conflict, and included a surprisingly sharp rebuke of US policy. I report here for IPS.

Filed under: Europe Tagged: AIPAC, Barack Obama, Chas Freeman, Elliott Abrams, European Eminent Persons Group, human rights, international law, Israel, Israel Lobby, Jeremy Greenstock, Middle east, Occupation, Oslo Process, Palestine, Paul Pillar, pro-Israel, Settlements, Two-state solution, United States

We Can Be Heroes

Mitchell Plitnick — Fri, 03 May 2013 12:18:18 +0000

My weekly column comes out today. It is, I do believe, by far the most personal piece I’ve ever written for public consumption. It’s got nothing to do with US foreign policy, the Middle East or anything like that. It is on Jason Collins, David Bowie, and my experience of years gone by. I hope you’ll check it out.

Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: AIDS, Basketball, Berlin, Bisexual, Blender, David Bowie, Gay, Jason Collins, Jewish, Lev Raphael, LGBT, Mick Ronson, NBA, Rolling Stone, Sports, Ziggy Stardust

Poll Shows Overwhelming US Popular Opposition to Greater Involvement in Syria

Mitchell Plitnick — Wed, 01 May 2013 20:40:21 +0000

Public opinion on foreign policy matters is a fickle thing, considering how ill-informed of world news people are in the isolated and exceptionalist United States. Unfortunately, the politics of ignorance still plays much too big a role in US foreign policy decision-making. That’s why it is such a relief to see poll results like this one, from a HuffPo/You.gov poll:

Omnibus Poll
Sample 1000 Adult Interviews
Conducted April 29 – 30, 2013
Margin of error is 3.4%

1. How much have you heard about the ongoing violence in Syria?
Heard a lot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34%
Heard a little . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48%
Heard nothing at all . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18%

2. Do you think the United States military should or should not provide weapons to rebels in
Syria?
It should . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12%
It should not . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51%
Not sure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37%

3. Do you think the United States military should or should not use air strikes to aid rebels in
Syria?
It should . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16%
It should not . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49%
Not sure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36%

4. Do you think the United States military should or should not send troops to aid rebels in
Syria?
It should . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5%
It should not . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68%
Not sure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27%

5. Based on what you’ve heard, would you say that the Syrian government has used chemical
weapons against rebels, or not?
Yes, it has . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40%
No, it has not . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6%
Not sure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54%

Filed under: Syria, United States Tagged: Polls, Syria, United States

Israel Unlikely to Stay on Syrian Sidelines for Much Longer

Mitchell Plitnick — Wed, 01 May 2013 17:56:05 +0000

While all eyes are on Obama as he walks the tightrope between his foolishly drawn “red line” and the lack of good options for intervention in Syria, it’s worth examining the predicament Israel finds itself in with regard to the ongoing Syrian civil war. I do so at LobeLog today.

Filed under: Israel, Syria Tagged: AIPAC, Assad, Barack Obama, chemical weapons, GCC, Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah, Iran, Iran threat, Israel, Israel Lobby, Lebanon, red line, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Syrian civil war

Some Hear Death Knell for a Two-State Solution

Mitchell Plitnick — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 14:58:35 +0000

My report for IPS on John Kerry’s recent activities and a panel held last week in the halls of Congress featuring Steve Walt, Phil Weiss and Henry Siegman.

Filed under: United States, US-Israel Lobby Tagged: Abbas, ARab League, Barack Obama, Henry Siegman, Israel - Palestine, Israel Lobby, Israeli Settlements, John Kerry, Middle East Institute, Mondoweiss, Netanyahu, Palestine, Qatar, Two-state solution, United States, Zionism

Kerry in the Mideast: Tilting at Windmills

Mitchell Plitnick — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 14:45:26 +0000

John Kerry is no fool, and he is far from ignorant about either the Israel-Palestine conflict or the domestic politics surrounding it. So who is he trying to kid with this all out blitz of Israel-Palestine diplomacy? I examine it at LobeLog.

Filed under: United States Tagged: AIPAC, Barack Obama, Benjamin Netanyahu, Chuck Hagel, foreign policy, Gaza, Israel, Israel Lobby, John Kerry, Mahmoud Abbas, Palestine, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Salam Fayyad, Turkey