You're not a tourist, Obama. Go to Israel with a message

[cali]

As Netanyahu unveils his new government, the US president should echo Israel's former security chiefs: the occupation must end

<snip>

After the social protests on the streets of Tel Aviv in the summer of 2011, Israeli politicians have received clear instructions from the electorate: take care of the home front. Meanwhile, the Palestinians are beset by their own, more familiar troubles: the weakness of Mahmoud Abbas and the enduring division of Hamas and Fatah, which makes Gaza ever more distant from the West Bank.

The result is that this conflict is as stuck as ever. That notion can sound comforting: if the status quo holds, then at least things aren't getting worse. But it's a delusion. There is nothing static about this status quo. As Hagai El-Ad of the Association for Civil Rights in Israel puts it, when things seem to be standing still they are always changing, most obviously through the creation of "facts on the ground", the expanding Israeli settlements on the West Bank. The more of those there are, the harder it will be to turn that land into a future Palestinian state.

It's too late to change Obama's itinerary, but perhaps not too late to influence the in-flight entertainment on Air Force One. It's a long journey, so the president should have time to see two films, both Oscar nominees. The first is not Les Miz or Argo, but 5 Broken Cameras. Shot by an amateur Palestinian film-maker in the West Bank village of Bil'in, it is a powerful eyewitness account of the everyday reality of the occupation, from unarmed villagers clashing with Israeli soldiers to Bil'in's cherished olive trees set aflame by nearby settlers.

<snip>

As his plane heads towards Ben-Gurion airport, Obama should reflect on that. If he actually means the words he'll spend several days repeating – about the great friendship between the US and Israel – if he truly cares about Israel, he cannot come as a mere tourist. He must come with a message. He should listen to those who understand this occupation best, because they understand that it has to end.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/mar/15/obama-go-to-israel-with-message

This article was published 4 days ago, prior to the shocking appointment of a militant right wingnut who is a champion of the settler movement as Defense Minister.

This is a man who referred to Palestinians as cancer and to the Israeli peace movement as a virus.

<snip>

Yaalon has never been a stranger to controversy. Shortly after becoming chief of staff in 2002, he described the Palestinian uprising as a "cancer" and said he was applying "chemotherapy."

He has referred to Israel's Peace Now settlement watchdog as a "virus" and his overt support for the settlements has sometimes embarrassed the government.

In August 2009, he earned a sharp rebuke from Netanyahu after urging the premier to resist US demands for a settlement freeze.

"I, for one, am not afraid of the Americans. There are issues on which one should say 'that's enough'," he said, insisting that Jews have a rightful claim to all of the Land of Israel -- a term which includes the Palestinian territories.

<snip>

http://www.france24.com/en/20130317-israels-new-defence-minister-champion-settlers

[Scootaloo]

1. Oh, he'll carry a message, sure.

The same one every other US president has brought to Israel.

"We'll hold them down; you punch"

[RedstDem]

2. israel doesnt want peace

nothing to see here, keep moving