We’ve learned some hard truths recently. One of them is about Joe Biden: He’s not up to this moment. It’s now painfully clear that defending voting rights, women’s freedom, and the species itself requires abolishing the filibuster and reforming the Supreme Court. Biden needs to rally Americans to the cause of saving our democracy by democratizing our government. He’s not doing that. He’s too wedded to old assumptions about how American politics should work. These assumptions enable the very authoritarianism he claims to oppose.
Palestinians don't have Israeli citizenship and vote in Israeli elections because they are citizens of the state of Palestine and vote in Palestinian elections. This complaining is like whining that Canadians cannot vote in American elections. If Peter actually cared about authoritarianism, let's hear him say one word about the Palestinian Authority, which has the same dictator in power for decades and rules the Palestinians with an iron fist.
Peace is readily achievable between Israel and Palestine when Palestinians 1) accept Israel’s right to exist; 2) agree to a state of their own next to Israel; and 3) agree to a “right of return” to a new state of Palestine and not to Israel. For over 70 years there have been numerous formal and informal efforts to achieve a two state peace, but all have ended with Palestinian rejection.
More and more Arab countries are refusing to be held hostage by Palestinian intransigence and are normalizing relations with Israel. Your activism should be aimed at the corrupt and criminal Palestinian leaders who continue to teach children to ‘drive the Jews into the sea.’ Hopefully one day they will instead choose peace so that both peoples can thrive.
Palestinians have citizenship in the country in which they live, Palestine. Beinart is now straight up denying reality by refusing to accept the existence of the State of Palestine, a country which is a member of the United Nations and dozens of international treaties. I suppose we can look forward to Beinart's next post: "There's no such thing as the state of Palestine"?
I wonder what Beinarts reaction would be if a Republican President said “Palestine doesn’t exist” and then introduced a UNGA resolution calling for its removal from the UN? Somehow I think the tune would change.
What a bunch of sweeping generalizations and accusations. I assume that you are no better at Math than Pramila Jayapal, who held up Biden’s bill forever last year and thus as a result Virginia went Republican. Its astounding to think the Democrats, let alone Biden, had a chance to get the liberal or progressive agenda through congress without having a Roosevelt majority. Especially considering that the Republican strategy in recent years is to just block anything the Dems want to do.
I personally think it is silly for Biden to go to Israel and Saudi Arabia and particularly foolish to go and bow down to MBS in the hopes that he will lower the price of oil (it would be meaningless anyway). We and Europe would be better off expanding the LNG facilities in Egypt to export gas to Europe and build a pipeline to Europe from the eastern Mediterranean. But we are not happy with Egypt’s government either.
As for Israel. I am amazed how you totally buy in to the false narrative that it is Israel alone or primarily is responsible for the sorry situation the Palestinians are in today. Your write Israel “expelled”. Do you even recall the 75,000 one percenters who took off immediately in 47? All the Palestinians that found themselves on the wrong side of the 1948 armistice line are there because they were expelled by Israel? No one else played a role? No one left of their own accord? No other countries participated?
There were no less then 3 firm proposals for partitions. What if the Palestinians had accepted the 1947 Partition plan? Would they have been refugees today? Now I recognize that the Arab states mostly spoke for the Palestinians and did not believe in a Palestine, and they were cock-sure that they could push the Jews into the sea and takeover some prime real estate for themselves, after all it is they who rejected partition. They didn’t even vote for resolution 194 because it would mean recognizing Israel as a state. And literally every time these guys went to war, they lost more ground from the prospective Palestinian state. Is that Israel’s fault too?
There were plans to hand over 96% of the west bank in 2000 under Clinton and Barak, including parts of the Old City when Arafat said no. And Olmert came close a few years later.
I remain amazed by this piece.
Finally, lumping all Palestinian Arabs together and to state that Israeli Arabs are just slightly better off is an outrageous lie.
President Joe Biden blasted progressive fellow Democrats who criticize Israel, calling them “isolated and wrong” on Wednesday.
Hours after touching down in Israel on the first day of his Middle East trip, Biden said harsh critics of the Jewish state are misguided.
“There are few of them. I think they’re wrong. I think they’re making a mistake,” Biden told an Israeli TV channel. “And none are more wrong than Peter Beinart”.
I wonder sometimes if progressives ( including myself ) are being too idealistic. Are we really prepared for the consequences of a policy that focuses principally on human rights at the expense of economic interests? Are there examples in history of countries who pursued a values approach rather than narrow self interest? I raise this issue not because I am happy that Biden is going to Saudi and Israel but because any potential economic rewards are going to be minimal IMO when compared to the cost of continuing to appease 2 serial human rights violators. In other words, if the economic benefits were significant ( such as the Saudis agreeing to flood the markets w tons of additional oil ) thus reducing the possibility of a recession would the trip be somewhat acceptable even if the cost is more human rights abuses?
Excellent article Peter on the all talk, but no action Joe Biden.
BTW: I enjoyed your session at the Berlin conference, and I am working my way through the other sessions.
It was also refreshing to view and listen to Alice Garcia, Layla Kattermann, and Itai van de Wal, in the panel discussion in the Netherlands on the silencing of voices critical of Israel.
"Israel, which is a liberal democracy for Jews and something closer to a tyranny for most Palestinians" is true but not so much for Palestinian women who need an abortion. I was startled to learn after the Roe v Wade decision that apartheid Israel, notwithstanding its appalling record on Palestinian freedoms since the Nakba, has possibly the most liberal abortion laws in the world. Palestinian women in the Occupied Territories must travel to Israel. From the Health & Human Rights Journal, 9th Dec 2019:
"Palestinian women are vulnerable to the realities of occupation, as well as historically patriarchal social and legal structures... In the OPT, abortion is criminalized under articles 321–325 of the Jordanian Penal Code of 1960, which is derived from colonial French and Ottoman laws. According to this law, penalties apply to the woman seeking the abortion and all individuals and health care professionals who assist her in terminating the pregnancy. Article 8 of Palestinian Public Health Law No. 20, which was passed in 2004, states that in the West Bank and Gaza, abortion is prohibited by any means unless necessary to save the pregnant woman’s life, as proven by the testimony of two specialist physicians. Written approval from the pregnant woman and her husband or guardian must also be provided, and these records are kept for a minimum of 10 years."
I think Peter made a mistake with the word 'descendants' here: "because Israel expelled them or their descendants and won’t let them return." Perhaps: ancestors, predecessors, or forebears? or rephrase.
Palestinians don't have Israeli citizenship and vote in Israeli elections because they are citizens of the state of Palestine and vote in Palestinian elections. This complaining is like whining that Canadians cannot vote in American elections. If Peter actually cared about authoritarianism, let's hear him say one word about the Palestinian Authority, which has the same dictator in power for decades and rules the Palestinians with an iron fist.
“Nothing is stopping relations with Israel… and I think all the signs show that Israel can be part of Saudi Arabia’s network of connections.”
https://www.timesofisrael.com/youll-see-interesting-things-us-hints-at-new-arab-israel-ties-during-biden-trip/
Peace is readily achievable between Israel and Palestine when Palestinians 1) accept Israel’s right to exist; 2) agree to a state of their own next to Israel; and 3) agree to a “right of return” to a new state of Palestine and not to Israel. For over 70 years there have been numerous formal and informal efforts to achieve a two state peace, but all have ended with Palestinian rejection.
More and more Arab countries are refusing to be held hostage by Palestinian intransigence and are normalizing relations with Israel. Your activism should be aimed at the corrupt and criminal Palestinian leaders who continue to teach children to ‘drive the Jews into the sea.’ Hopefully one day they will instead choose peace so that both peoples can thrive.
Palestinians have citizenship in the country in which they live, Palestine. Beinart is now straight up denying reality by refusing to accept the existence of the State of Palestine, a country which is a member of the United Nations and dozens of international treaties. I suppose we can look forward to Beinart's next post: "There's no such thing as the state of Palestine"?
I wonder what Beinarts reaction would be if a Republican President said “Palestine doesn’t exist” and then introduced a UNGA resolution calling for its removal from the UN? Somehow I think the tune would change.
What a bunch of sweeping generalizations and accusations. I assume that you are no better at Math than Pramila Jayapal, who held up Biden’s bill forever last year and thus as a result Virginia went Republican. Its astounding to think the Democrats, let alone Biden, had a chance to get the liberal or progressive agenda through congress without having a Roosevelt majority. Especially considering that the Republican strategy in recent years is to just block anything the Dems want to do.
I personally think it is silly for Biden to go to Israel and Saudi Arabia and particularly foolish to go and bow down to MBS in the hopes that he will lower the price of oil (it would be meaningless anyway). We and Europe would be better off expanding the LNG facilities in Egypt to export gas to Europe and build a pipeline to Europe from the eastern Mediterranean. But we are not happy with Egypt’s government either.
As for Israel. I am amazed how you totally buy in to the false narrative that it is Israel alone or primarily is responsible for the sorry situation the Palestinians are in today. Your write Israel “expelled”. Do you even recall the 75,000 one percenters who took off immediately in 47? All the Palestinians that found themselves on the wrong side of the 1948 armistice line are there because they were expelled by Israel? No one else played a role? No one left of their own accord? No other countries participated?
There were no less then 3 firm proposals for partitions. What if the Palestinians had accepted the 1947 Partition plan? Would they have been refugees today? Now I recognize that the Arab states mostly spoke for the Palestinians and did not believe in a Palestine, and they were cock-sure that they could push the Jews into the sea and takeover some prime real estate for themselves, after all it is they who rejected partition. They didn’t even vote for resolution 194 because it would mean recognizing Israel as a state. And literally every time these guys went to war, they lost more ground from the prospective Palestinian state. Is that Israel’s fault too?
There were plans to hand over 96% of the west bank in 2000 under Clinton and Barak, including parts of the Old City when Arafat said no. And Olmert came close a few years later.
I remain amazed by this piece.
Finally, lumping all Palestinian Arabs together and to state that Israeli Arabs are just slightly better off is an outrageous lie.
President Joe Biden blasted progressive fellow Democrats who criticize Israel, calling them “isolated and wrong” on Wednesday.
Hours after touching down in Israel on the first day of his Middle East trip, Biden said harsh critics of the Jewish state are misguided.
“There are few of them. I think they’re wrong. I think they’re making a mistake,” Biden told an Israeli TV channel. “And none are more wrong than Peter Beinart”.
(Ok, I added that last one 😉).
Excellent article, thank you.
I wonder sometimes if progressives ( including myself ) are being too idealistic. Are we really prepared for the consequences of a policy that focuses principally on human rights at the expense of economic interests? Are there examples in history of countries who pursued a values approach rather than narrow self interest? I raise this issue not because I am happy that Biden is going to Saudi and Israel but because any potential economic rewards are going to be minimal IMO when compared to the cost of continuing to appease 2 serial human rights violators. In other words, if the economic benefits were significant ( such as the Saudis agreeing to flood the markets w tons of additional oil ) thus reducing the possibility of a recession would the trip be somewhat acceptable even if the cost is more human rights abuses?
Excellent article Peter on the all talk, but no action Joe Biden.
BTW: I enjoyed your session at the Berlin conference, and I am working my way through the other sessions.
It was also refreshing to view and listen to Alice Garcia, Layla Kattermann, and Itai van de Wal, in the panel discussion in the Netherlands on the silencing of voices critical of Israel.
"Israel, which is a liberal democracy for Jews and something closer to a tyranny for most Palestinians" is true but not so much for Palestinian women who need an abortion. I was startled to learn after the Roe v Wade decision that apartheid Israel, notwithstanding its appalling record on Palestinian freedoms since the Nakba, has possibly the most liberal abortion laws in the world. Palestinian women in the Occupied Territories must travel to Israel. From the Health & Human Rights Journal, 9th Dec 2019:
"Palestinian women are vulnerable to the realities of occupation, as well as historically patriarchal social and legal structures... In the OPT, abortion is criminalized under articles 321–325 of the Jordanian Penal Code of 1960, which is derived from colonial French and Ottoman laws. According to this law, penalties apply to the woman seeking the abortion and all individuals and health care professionals who assist her in terminating the pregnancy. Article 8 of Palestinian Public Health Law No. 20, which was passed in 2004, states that in the West Bank and Gaza, abortion is prohibited by any means unless necessary to save the pregnant woman’s life, as proven by the testimony of two specialist physicians. Written approval from the pregnant woman and her husband or guardian must also be provided, and these records are kept for a minimum of 10 years."
I think Peter made a mistake with the word 'descendants' here: "because Israel expelled them or their descendants and won’t let them return." Perhaps: ancestors, predecessors, or forebears? or rephrase.