Conspiracy and Barack Obama
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Published: November 17, 2008
It does not take much for skeptical Arabs and Muslims to construct conspiracy theories about how America and the West are plotting against them. By appointing Rahm Emanuel, a convinced Zionist, as
his White House Chief of Staff, Barack Obama handed it to them on a platter. Emanuel is the son of a member of an Israeli radical Zionist group, which in 1946 set bombs at King David Hotel in
Jerusalem, killing 91 people and injuring 46.
His father’s most recent statements, bragging about his son’s prospect to influence policy in favor of Israel, while suggesting that Arabs are suited for floor cleaning jobs, provided further ammunition.
The Israeli connection, however, is not the only worrisome liability. Ecstatic about the selection of Joe Biden, a champion of the Balkan wars, Muslim Bosnians voted in droves for Obama.
The selection of Emanuel, a “proud member of the Serbian Caucus,” sucked the air out of their enthusiasm.
Arabs and Muslims now theorize that the appointment was part of a pre-election deal between Obama and the powerful Israeli lobby. Whether this is true or not is of no consequence. All the same,
Obama is up against the reality of Arab and Muslim perception.
RAMI SAFFARINI
Fairfax
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Posted by ( Sammy B ) on November 20, 2008 at 8:29 pm
The Arabs were correct in rejecting the plan? Have you seen a map of the partition? The Jewish portion basically consisted of Tel Aviv, Haifa and some desert. Another statement from Arab leadership at the time sticks in my mind more: “There is enough room for the Jews at the bottom of the Mediterranean.“ I for one would not expect a unitary state in the Holy Land to remain democratic and equal for very long, given that the charter of Hamas contains quotes from the Protocols of the Elders of Zion and clerics on Palestinian television compare Jews to AIDS.
And as for the Jewishness of the state, I certainly will not argue with you there. It’s a Jewish State; so what? No one says that states like Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Syria, Libya, Iraq, Iran, Pakistan, etc. ought not to be Muslim.
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Posted by ( Rami Saffarini ) on November 20, 2008 at 2:44 pm
Sammy, I could not find a source to backup my understanding that being a Jew is explicitly required by Law for PM or President of Israel. So I will go with your assertion. I did, however, find many references to the “Jewishness” of the State of Israel, such as the following: “Although not manifested by full application of Jewish law, the Jewishness of the state nevertheless is expressed by certain legislation and case law. For example, the Law of Return, 1950, provides for the right of every Jew to immigrate to Israel and acquire Israeli citizenship in accordance to the Nationality Law, 1952.“
As for the partitioning of Palestine, the Arabs were correct is rejecting this plan designed by the Zionist Movement, which lobbied the British to create a homeland for the Jews in an area, inhabited by a Majority Arab (Muslims and Christians) population. The Statement issued by the Arab League at the time speaks for itself:
The only solution of the Palestine problem is the establishment of a unitary Palestinian State, in accordance with democratic principles, whereby its inhabitants will enjoy complete equality before the law, [and whereby] minorities will be assured of all the guarantees recognized in democratic constitutional countries, ....
The main objection the Arab League had to the division of Palestine in UN Resolution 181 was that it did not respect the rights of its Arab inhabitants
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Posted by ( Sammy B ) on November 20, 2008 at 12:01 pm
Rami, the Prime Minister of Israel is the leader of whichever party wins the most seats in the Knesset (Israel’s parliament). Since at least 75% of Israel’s citizens are Jewish, it logically follows that the Prime Minister will be Jewish. Besides, how many other nations in the region would allow a religious minority to become head of state? While Israeli Arabs may not see one of their own become Prime Minister, they have had a constant presence as full voting members of the Knesset and Arabs have even been included in the Cabinet and Supreme Court there.
On the second point, you follow a popular pattern of citing the displacement of Arabs in 1948 while conveniently forgetting the little matter of a massive invasion by the armies from Egypt, Syria, Transjordan, Lebanon, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Yemen within 24 hours of the State of Israel’s establishment. Between the passing of the UN resolution establishing the modern State of Israel and its official independence, Jewish leaders were committed to sharing the land with their Arab neighbors pursuant to the partition plan. While some Arabs did flee their homes in 1948 as a result of pressure or outright expulsion by Jewish armed forces, the vast majority left at the behest of the invading Arab Coalition with the promise that they could return once the Jews were defeated and exterminated. After that failed to happen, Arab states continued to pressure Palestinian Arabs to remain in their refugee camps as the next invasion would surely accomplish the goal of crushing Israel. After 1967 and 1973 proved this strategy ineffective, Israels enemies then decided to use the refugees as pawns. How would it be possible for people to still be in refugee camps after three generations and billions of dollars of support unless their own leaders were keeping them there? Your last question would be better directed at the Arab League and Yasser Arafat in particular.
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Posted by ( spanky ) on November 20, 2008 at 11:47 am
In 1948 wasnt it the BRITISH who drew up the lines?....Israel is a democratic repulic like the US right?
Equal justice under the law, is still an Ideal, not a reality. One can hope though.
Funny the arabs in the region have land mass superiority on a 540 something [acres] to 1 ratio, thay have 1/2 or a 1/3 of the worlds oil reserves yet the people starve and the arabs in israel live on UN welfare.. Arabs only take care of eachother when it comes to hating jews. otherwise, hey your on you own.. my take
Justice is a comming though, in your lifetime.
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Posted by ( Rami Saffarini ) on November 20, 2008 at 11:18 am
Ok Sammy. That sounds like a level-headed answer. The two reasons you cite are probably the ones you hear most on the airwaves. Without going into too much analysis, let me give you a couple of points to ponder: Is Israel a democracy? In a democracy, you assume that all citizens are equal under the Law. Well, why is it then that the Israeli law requires the Prime Mininster to by Jewish, when 25% of he Population is non-Jewish?
On the second point, the establishment of Israel, in fact, caused destruction to the Arab population in Palestine, not the other way round. In 1948, 700,000 Arabs fled, and their homes were occupied by Jews immigrants who came from Europe. Those refugees and their offsprings, estimated today at over 4 million, continue to live in refugee camps after 60 years. So who is causing destruction to whom?
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Posted by ( Sammy B ) on November 20, 2008 at 10:29 am
We should support Israel for one because it is the most democratic and free nation in the region by a long shot. It has also been targeted for destruction and genocide since day one of its existence in the modern era.
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Posted by ( Rami Saffarini ) on November 19, 2008 at 11:53 pm
So after spending 872.6 billion, 5000 fatalities and 35,000 injured veterans in two wars in the Middle East, “95% of true Americans don’t give a damn about the middle east”??
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Posted by ( cobra ) on November 19, 2008 at 8:14 pm
Hey Rami,
Let me sum up the entire issue with this statement, “95% of true Americans don’t give a damn about the middle east”. At one time we were all led to believe that the Arab World was our friends including Saudi Arabia. What fools we all were. We look back at thousands of years of Arab History to find what? Nothing but misery. Without oil, most of those countries have nothing but parched earth. Arab Nations have willfully oppressed its citizens for centuries. If I were you I would concentrate on your own brethren as they are more of a threat to you then Israel. But I will agree that Emanuel is a punk. Feel Better?
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Posted by ( magicman ) on November 19, 2008 at 8:02 pm
Gee, last time Israel got huffy they kicked the daylights out of the folks. They dropped propaganda out and said if you are friendly get out or you will be killed. They were not joking. If we fought like that we probably would not be in the position we are in now. They were like angry hornets. Did not look like they needed help then.
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Posted by ( Rami Saffarini ) on November 19, 2008 at 4:26 pm
Why do you think Republicans and Democrats SHOULD support Israel?
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