Rula Jebreal (@rulajebreal), contributing writer at Newsweek.
Jennifer Laszlo Mizrahi, founder & president of The Israel Project.
Leila Hilal, Middle East analyst at the New America Foundation.
Jeremy Ben-Ami (@jeremybenami), founder & president of J Street.
Zev Chafets, founding managing editor at The Jerusalem Report and contributor at New York Times Magazine.
Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Schlomo Gazit, former Israel Defense Forces intelligence head, from Tel Aviv.
Dr. Mustafa Barghouthi, president of the Union of Palestinian Medical Relief Committees and co-founder of Grassroots International Protection for the Palestinian People and Palestinian National Initiative, joining us from Ramallah, Palestine.
Larry Fontes: This was an especially powerful show and, for me, was quite impacting. I think many of us recognize this is a very complex issue with some powerful emotional and reality based perspectives
Auntie Sez: I simply cannot understand the furor about the "nuclear tensions" between Israel and Iran when only ONE of them has nukes, the one who has nukes is NOT a signatory to the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty, and frankly, as an American, I'm getting ticked off that the US is apparently useless in any kind of humane resolution to the matter. At this stage I don't care if Iran has nukes. I wish that NOBODY had nukes
Frank-2058597: I've only watched part of this so far, and I'm hoping it gets better, but ... The single most eloquent statement made in the first 30 minutes or so was Leila Hilal hanging her head in disbelief, exasperation and perhaps despair at the words spoken by Jennifer Mizrahi. That really says it all. I guess I can't pretend to be "objective" -- the Israeli position is so extreme and so terrifyingly ridiculous that one really wonders if discussion is possible.
AustinGuy1: Please, don't let this be a trend toward one-issue shows.
Leave a Comment:
Blessings on technology that allows me, on the west coast, to Tivo your show. I just finished watching your Sunday morning show re: the Israel-Palestine conundrum. I've become a strong proponent of both your format and your ability to manage it. While I've found every show thought provoking, this was an especially powerful show and, for me, was quite impacting. I think many of us recognize this is a very complex issue with some powerful emotional and reality based perspectives. From what I saw in the exchanges between Rula Jabreal and Jennifer Mizrahi, both spoke passionately from their own perspectives and I heard the common talking points but I believe there would be great value in the common exercise in marriage counseling for role reversal. Not a solution, but there needs to be more light on this Hatfields and McCoys situation.
I catch myself trying to resolve it for them- which is ridiculous.
I simply cannot understand the furor about the "nuclear tensions" between Israel and Iran when only ONE of them has nukes, the one who has nukes is NOT a signatory to the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty, and frankly, as an American, I'm getting ticked off that the US is apparently useless in any kind of humane resolution to the matter.
At this stage I don't care if Iran has nukes. I wish that NOBODY had nukes. I don't see how 30 years of sanctions, much less adding more, against Iran is humane or in the US Interest at all. I resent that it's done in my name.
I don't see how Israel successfully presses for more sanctions on a country not their own without our fully vetting their assertions with stringent investigations and proof positive- followed by constant US negotiation with Iran. What the hell is that?
I'm not religious, and I live in a young country. I'm really not interested in what happened between nations or tribes hundreds of years ago, or even decades ago. Enough! Deal with NOW, people.
The very real problems and issues I think we should ALL be working on together right now require many hands and many good minds. Global warming, international economic challenges and financial piracy, hunger, money spent on war instead of life activities, inappropriate distribution of global wealth and resources- all of these are far more important to me. The inflexibility of human thought and reason just astounds me.
Okay... where's the rest of it?
There was 82:37 of video posted from yesterday's show ... and 53:15 from today's. That's roughly half an hour missing, and I'm sure it wasn't all commercials.
I had a bad feeling we were headed to this sort of thing when you started posting "segments" instead of full hours of the show.
Furr Bear - all the segments are on this playlist:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/46696791
That seems to me to be a total of 75:36, not 53:15.
I've only watched part of this so far, and I'm hoping it gets better, but ...
The single most eloquent statement made in the first 30 minutes or so was Leila Hilal hanging her head in disbelief, exasperation and perhaps despair at the words spoken by Jennifer Mizrahi.
That really says it all.
I guess I can't pretend to be "objective" -- the Israeli position is so extreme and so terrifyingly ridiculous that one really wonders if discussion is possible.
But Jeremy Ben-Ami's words also sounded very odd. He was attacking the "right" for it's way of dealing with the "center" and the "left"? Well, true enough, in a way. But no one in American politics (except a few outliers like Dennis Kucinich and Ron Paul) is honest about Israel/Palestine. Obama may be microscopically less a hawk than, say, Mitt Romney, but both are firmly committed to following Israel's lead in crushing any possibility of a Palestinian state.
Because, of course, for the Palestinians, an independent state is nothing more than a step towards incinerating world Jewry. Just as Jennifer Mizrahi said.
Cue the hanging of the head in disbelief etc. etc.
PS I hope people will track down the fascinating, funny and eye-opening documentary Defamation -- produced by an Israeli -- it reveals the official Israeli death-obsession that feeds Ms. Mizrahi's paranoia.
A question about Palestinian rights is responded to as if it is equivalent to a zero sum proposition regarding Israel's interests.
What follows was something very spooky in Mizrahi's Rapid Eye Movements during the interchange between Hayes and Chafets (at 13:35 of the segment)
And what the former spokesperson for Likud's PM Begin was saying was what Hayes brushed aside as descriptive. Chafets is well known for his polemical assaults on opponents of Israel and what he regards as a pro Palestinian bias in the intelligentsia. Yet on Hayes' show this expert on opinion is assuming the mantle of journalistic objectivity. Why? His message- the critical message warranting Mirahi's close monitoring- was just how united the US and Israel perspectives are and how bipartisan we are about it (excepting the "Blips" such as with with Carter). So he presents his fiction as fact by wearing the clothes of the journalist. Then comes Hayes' response:
That's descriptive. I am asking you a normative question.
Chafets evades. He definately has an opinion- Assertion of Palestinian rights in his mind is equivalent to giving license to people who should be suppressed because what they want- what they always will want- is the destruction of Israel. In his mind, there is no American interest in securing Palestinian rights because there is no American interest in the destruction of Israel.
Hayes attempted to draw out Chafets, that he is incredibly well informed individual. Chafets immediately joked at the secondary sense of incredibly- without credibility because he knows if he expresses his normative views that it will be clear just how distant the views of Israel's right wing are from most of America's.
This sense of incredible was not the speaker's (Hayes') meaning, but clearly it was the listener's, and this is yet another betrayal of the hand he is playing. In the same dynamic of double speak, there was very much made of "existential threats"- rockets, nukes and demographics, and yet the primary sense out of political contexts goes to what Jewish existential philosopher Martin Buber described in his statement "I am what I do." What is Israel doing? As they do what is contrary to the high idealistic norm for what Israel should mean, it ceases to be Israel. As it has done so many times in the past. Will they be forced to the apartheid solution- regarding the palestinians as a Midianite problem?
So "incredible", so "existential". These terms. Why does Hayes use an obscure juxtapositions such as "normative" versus descriptive. Cervantes went as the juxtaposition of life as it is versus life as it should be. The mad fiction Chafets presents descriptively is exactly what Cervantes' hero associates with the madness of the supposedly sane.
Zev Chafets lionizes Limbaugh, because Limbaugh leverages fear and hate as the Israeli Right does. They and the Christian right bow down before the same idol, and in so doing become an existential threat to Israel.
The hope comes from what Hilal described at the closing. Within the Palestinians, within Israel, there is a growing movement of nonviolent confrontation of the old order between ruling elites in Israel and the Arab governments. It is this new paradigm that Mirahi also fears as an existential threat- note her messaging regarding social media- associating Zuckerberg and the millions of hits on Arab content on her site. Will the old order be able to co-opt this force of change as they have others?
With all due respect to your guest Rula, there is a difference between the Questions
Are the Iranian People(s) rational actors;
and is their government a Rational Actor; and I think it is clear from their own insistent rhetoric that the Iranian government cannot be counted upon to behave as a rational actor.
The Chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff General Dempsey would differ with your opinion and Jennifer Mizrahi's opinion that Iran is not a "rational actor' General Dempsey has said Iran is a "rational actor'
Think I will place my bet with the General
"
Fareed Zakaria: When you observe Iranian behavior, does it strike you as highly irrational? Does it strike you as sort of unpredictable? Or do they seem to follow their national interests in a fairly calculating way?
Martin Dempsey: That is a great question. I'll tell you that I've been confronting that question since I came into Central Command in 2008. And we are of the opinion that the Iranian regime is a rational actor. And it's for that reason, I think, that we think the current path we're on is the most prudent path at this point."
http://globalpublicsquare.blogs.cnn.com/2012/02/17/watch-gps-martin-dempsey-on-syria-iran-and-china/
If Iran's government AND the Iranian people were not extraordinarily rational as well as patient actors, do you really think Israel would be getting away with the stunts they are pulling?
What other nation would tolerate their bright young scientists being killed, their economy being deliberately undermined, their technology being sabotaged, their population being threatened with annihilation on a weekly basis, and NOT react violently?
But Iran has not reacted violently, has it? Instead, Iran is maneuvering around all of the strait jackets Israel is attempting to strangle Iran with.
Israel is behaving in a disgusting manner, and the US is beneath contempt for supporting Israel's unwarranted, unjust, and, as the very last speaker in the video said, uncivilized behavior.
Thank god for the rationality of the Iranian people and their government.
This Israel/Iran conflict is scaring the heck out of me... Many good points were made in the show and it this forum, and it is evident that this topic is quite emotional for many people.
First of all, let's remember that Iran, as far as we know, does NOT have nuclear weapons and Israel have such weapons. Who is threatening who here? I heard some say that Iran's governement is not rational - really? From where I am sitting, neither are Israel government: a very far right governement. Their prime minister is doing nothing but provoking Iran into a war. I did not hear a true peace wish from any side. In fact Israel does not seem to be interested in peace, neiother with Iran nor the Palestinians... So, who is threatening who?
The USA is in a position to significatively contribute to peace making, but its close ties with Israel makes it impossible. I question those ties as Israel does not seem to respect their allies much - In fact, you guys are being bullied a bit it seems. And I my view, the USA efforts to sabotage the Palestinians' legal and peaceful efforts to resolve the conflict with Israel makes any peace talk from the Americans absolutely bogus.
Everyone says they want peace - I say no one really does. That is why conflicts in the middle east are never resolved. As long as the USA will be Israel's army, peace will never be.
Best place for accurate info on the Race for Iran
http://www.raceforiran.com/
When oh when will Chris Hayes and team have the Leveretts on your program. You folks are breaking out. Will your owners let you break out towards the truth? Have the Leveretts on about Iran
Please, don't let this be a trend toward one-issue shows. A very bad idea. Don't forget you're still trying to build an audience. If you swing too far toward the "graduate student seminar," you'll lose me.
Maybe as a rule, yes, but this topic is one that requires a devotion of time to really have a substantive debate. I for one found myself completely drawn into this debate and am thankful to Chris that he was able to keep the show constructive, informative with little in the way of the usual, politically-charged talking points. Great show!
Since this issue has barely ever gotten through the closed gates of MSNBC. Think they could do a few more 2 hour segments. Lots of lost time in getting accurate information out to the american public on this topic. Times awastin
I watched this online, but because of this remarkable panel I will add Up w/ CH to my Sunday morning watch list. A discussion for serious adults. Thanks.
New Orleans
Thank you so much for this show, particularly for broadening the discussion beyond the Iran issue and including the huge outstanding issue of the Occupation. I might have preferred more liberal Jewish or Israeli voices and more Palestinian voices, and certainly you needed a much clearer map of the West Bank, but I was so grateful for the presence of Dr. Barghouthi and the discussion of Budrus and the non-vioient protest movement in the West Bank. One never hears an in-depth discussion of many of these issues on mainstream television. And I know this took courage. As a progressive and a Jew who has been involved in Mideast peace efforts for most of my life and who is very tired of groups like AIPAC pretending they represent me, this show was a gift.
Thank you so much for this trenchant and courageous program. More please!
Great program. Where are the Leveretts? What are you folks afraid of? Solid facts? Or owners of Comcast etc? Why not the Leveretts as guest? Push it Brett.
Why allow Jennifer to repeat the lie that the Iranian President ever said 'wipe Israel off the map" Why allow these endlessly repeated false claims to be repeated over and over again (Anne Marie Slaughter repeated this false hood on your program a few weeks ago)
http://www.juancole.com/2006/05/hitchens-hacker-and-hitchens.html
Professor Juan Cole (speaks Persian) over at Informed Comment
"
Since Mr. Hitchens wants to splash my private mail all over the internet against my will, as though he were himself an agent of the Bush Administration’s electronic spying on the private conversations of Americans, I’m glad to share the message that encapsulates the results of our deliberations at Gulf2000.
I don’t have any intention of making a point by point reply to Hitchens’s completely inaccurate screed. He blames me for not referring to some other speech of Khomeini, when in fact I never instanced any speeches of Khomeini at all in this discussion except the snippet cited by Ahmadinejad– I was arguing that there is no Persian idiom to wipe something off the map, and that Ahmadinejad has been misquoted."
Jennifer "the Iranians are different. Fundamentally different."
Rula knocked Jennifer's clearly racist attitude out of the park. Bringing up the language used to isolate Jews in the 30's, African Americans in this country. "fundamentally different"
Leila also leaned into Jennifers racism "inherent bias"
Right. Fear. Demonization of the other. Hatred. The question is how this powerful cocktail is disarmed in Israeli, American, Iranian and Palestinian politics.
Because with Likud winning 27 seats and Labor winning just 13, there shall not be much movement towards policies like halting and reversing settlements as Maj. Gen. Gazit proposed.
I am not at all convinced there is a realization among the pragmatists of the Israeli Right that their alliance with the lunatic fringe of the American Right Wing has failed. They will not be able to see Obama defeated in 2012 despite Netanyahuu's March attempts to injure the American President politically.
This setback does not deter them from their objective though. The objective is to co-opt those pressing for a negotiated settlement, co-opt the militants to force them to strengthen the hand of the Israeli Right wing, and co-opt American progressives.
Today we saw that strategy emerge victorious on Up! by shifting all discussion towards Israeli US relations and away from any discussion of the central issues- the rights of the Palestinians and the settlements being expanded despite their being long ago ruled illegal by the International Court of Justice to a discussion.
Really, we need to understand this perfidy for what it is, and take practical steps to put our resources behind the agents of change in the Middle East. Israel can defend itself and the US will not be its pawn in the Israeli right wing's political need for existential threats. They lose power if fear and hatred are not gripping the imaginations of the Israeli electorate.
It's as simple as that. To untie the knot, we aggressively shift funding away from Israeli armaments to those engaging in nonviolent activism both in Israel and in the occupied territories. We deny and discredit Netanyahuu and similar factions at every chance we have.
And of course, we do it with the same smiles and affected expressions of sympathy as have been accorded to American progressives.
"They will not be able to see Obama defeated in 2012 despite Netanyahuu's March attempts to injure the American President politically."
Never underestimate the power of the I lobby and Israel.
n
Golly my first drafts are atrocious. Thanks for bothering to read it. I am dropping prepositions, moving clauses around and leaving connective words dangling. I don't know how I omitted Eisenhower before Carter. Uggh.
Brett another idea for your domestic show. Spent Saturday at a fracking conference here in Athens Ohio. Two guest from West Virginia (yes come on focus on Appalachia we are calling this area Frackistan..Frakistan... These two fellas have been documenting abuses by the fracking industry in West Virginia, very colorful local West Virgina folks helping the local folks around Athens Ohio about what is coming and how to be better prepared. Although there is a segment of our community that wants a moratorium on fracking in Athens County until all necessary regulations to protect roads, air, water etc are in place. We do not want to play catch up which of course is the likely scenario since the industry has swooped in rather quickly and forcefully over the last year in our region. Anyway these two guys would make great guest on your program along with a few scientific experts and of course industry pushers of fracking.
Their website is WCAG Wetzel County Action Group. The two well informed and colorful individuals who came to speak to us are Ed Wade and Bill Hughes. I have both of their phone numbers and will email to them to you tomorrow. http://www.wcag-wv.org/
You could have these two guys again how often does anything about West Virginia make it on the MSM except when there is a mine disaster. Ed Wade and Bill Hughes are trying to stop disasters from happening in regard to fracking. They have photos, slide show of many many violations and how the fracking industry has all ready negatively effect their area. You could do a one hour (at least segment) on the industry. And these two guys would make great guest. Along with a few of our local environmentalist in Athens OHio (Heater Cantino, Lorene McCosker, Mike Obrien, and others who are pushing for a moratorium in Athens County) Would make a great show. Fracking.
http://www.wcag-wv.org/
Finally, there was a show which was meant to be objective about israeli=palestinian conflict.
Kudos to Hayes; He had the baals to bring the subject to the open, Finally, some news in US media that is not about israel; its about something, called palestinians.
Even though Hayes did best to be objective and fair in questioning, one could easily see why israelis always seem to come out on top:
There is this Mizrahi, articulate, calculated, with perfect command of english, makes you to believe there is no problem, israel is all for peace.. Which , of course, 95% bull.
On the other side, there are these two ladies (For the palestinians); One cannot speak, the other is so animated with poor english, you start to wonder what is she trying to say...
But, its a start.. People in US, who is not aware of 21st century genocide that is going on in occupied territorietires, soon will realize, US should not unconditionally support israel. Just the opposite, US should impose what we think is fair and equitable.
Really glad to see someone like yourself courageous and caring enough to cover the Israel/Palestinian/American/Iranian issues. Great job! Maybe some of your colleagues will be willing to take up these issues also, because they are vitally important to understanding the global scene. I would like to see you do even further discussion about the United States bullying the Palestinians in an attempt to keep the Palestinians from taking their pleas for a two-state solution to the United Nations. That proved the Palestinians wanted a peaceful resolution and the U.S. and Israel did not, as the U.S. vetoed action in the Security Council and petulantly took their money from the General Assembly to punish Palestinians for their bold action in the G.A. I wish the Iran standoff would be submitted to the General Assembly for resolution. What do you think? All of your shows are great, but this latest one was your best!
Most honest piece so far about the most recent massacre in Afghanistan
Another civilian massacre and the savagery of our soldiers
by Nima Shirazi on March 13, 2012
Nearly eight years ago, on April 1, 2004, former speech writer and Special Assistant to Ronald Reagan, Peggy Noonan wrote an article for the Wall Street Journal, where she was a contributing editor. It began like this (emphasis in original):
The brutal, inhuman event she was referring to was the killing in the Iraqi city of Fallujah of four American civilian contractors, whose SUV was ambushed by rocket-propelled grenades the day before. The four men, all employees of the infamous mercenary outfit Blackwater, were shot, their bodies burned, mutilated, and dragged through the streets in celebration. The charred corpses of two of those killed that day were strung up on a bridge over the Euphrates River. The news, and accompanying photographs, sent shockwaves of horror and disgust through the United States and prompted endless editorialsfrom coast to coast.
Noonan described "the brutalization of their corpses" as "savage, primitive, unacceptable" and decried that the "terrible glee of the young men in the crowds, and the sadism they evinced, reminds us of the special power of the ignorant to impede the good." She wrote that the Iraqis responsible for such gruesome actions "take pleasure in evil, and they were not shy to show it. They are arrogant. They think barbarity is their right."
White House spokesman Scott McClellan condemned the killings as "despicable, horrific attacks" and "cowardly, hateful acts," saying, "it was inexcusable the way those individuals were treated." He called those responsible for the deaths "terrorists" and "a collection of killers" and vowed that "America will never be intimidated by thugs and assassins."
http://mondoweiss.net/2012/03/another-civilian-massacre-and-the-savagery-of-our-soldiers.html/comment-page-1#comment-433082
Ideas for upcoming shows:
1. The recycling in our MSM of the Iraq warmongers. Reuel Marc Gerecht, Kagan, Frum, etc etc. Is the MSM really incapable of accessing voices of analyst who were right on Iraq and not the individuals who were part of the team to lie the nation into Iraq. Who should be on trial for complicity in war crimes rather than on our MSM repeating lies about Iran and beating the war drums.
2. Israel's Mossad funding, arming, training MEK (on US terrorist list) who have allegedly killed Iranian scientist. Where did this story go? Why are our Reps not demanding an investigation into Israel's activity with MEK who is on the US terrorist list?
http://rockcenter.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/02/08/10354553-israel-teams-with-terror-group-to-kill-irans-nuclear-scientists-us-officials-tell-nbc-news
http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2012/01/13/false_flag
3. Fracking in the US. Please focus a bit on Appalachia.
you could have these two fellas from West Virginia (Bill Hughes and Ed Wade from the WCAG http://www.wcag-wv.org/ on your program as well as the anti fracking (moratorium) former Dem Athens County commissioner candidate Mike O'Brien on his program to discuss this critical issue in our region.
I have all of Bill and Eds information. They are well informed, colorful West Virginians. They are environmental activist who have documented fracking company abuses. You really should have them on. Mix up your panelist from those who are all ready experiencing negative consequences of fracking, to those say in Athens Ohio (Mike Obrien) http://www.facebook.com/OBrienforCommissioner who stood for a moratorium based on the need to wait for more research, solid regulations etc to the experts against as well as pro fracking folks on your program
4. Have spent the last four years with my WWII, Teamster father in and out of assisted living, nursing homes. Have visited about 20 of them now. Lots there, care, pharmeceuticals, seniors wishing they were dead but not able to die, cost of beds, private companies charging exhorbitant prices for the care provided. Where the health care is headed when baby boomers hit the wall with this type of costly care
Have also spent a great deal of time at the Dayton Ohio VA with my WWII father. So many stories by talking with Vets back from Afghanistan, Iraq. Some of them without limbs. Shared how difficult it is for them to talk about their PTSD with counselors who have never been to war. How many of them are being handed medication to deal with PTSD. Doped up. Lots there. Also so many of our WWII Vets are dying etc without being interviewed or recorded. Lots there too. So many Vets willing to share their stories when they are older. Have sat with many older Vets who often start crying as they share their stories. I only go as far as they want to go
Brett you folks would love Dr. Marcy Wheeler aka emptywheel http://www.emptywheel.net/2012/03/13/as-government-releases-evidence-of-systemic-morgage-fraud-fbi-focuses-on-distressed-homeowner-fraud/
She has focused on foreclosure fraud, illegal wiretapping, torture etc. She is brilliant she would make a great guest on your program. She wrote a book the "Anatomy of Deceit" about the Valerie Plame outing and investigation. She was the first blogger to be given permission to blog from the press room during the Libby trial. Joe and Valerie Plame Wilson said that Marcy knew more about the case than they did. You folks should have her on to discuss a multitude of topics. Or specifically the foreclosure fiasco
What would happen if you had Rabbi Weiss on your program. Circuits would blow
http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/talktojazeera/2012/03/201231083221669780.html
Chris Hayes:
I live on the west coast; but for the past couple months, I have woken up early every Saturday and Sunday to watch your new show. If I have travel plans or wish to sleep in, I record the show on my DVR. I have always admired you as a highly passionate, intelligent and articulate, if not a little partisan journalist. As of Saturday, March 10, I will not watch your show again, and I will seriously consider turning the channel when I see you appear on other shows on MSNBC.
The reason for my about-face: the anti-Israel sentiments you voiced on your show on Saturday. I appreciate you probably believe you have a great command of the facts and a magnanimously wise perspective on the history that has led to the current situation. I honestly think you believed you were being balanced and fair in your discussion Saturday. Sadly, many intelligent and educated people have the same false self perception when they espouse completely ignorant viewpoints which are void of any historical perspective.
First, your entire platform rests on the false belief that Israeli settlements are the root of the dissention in Palestine (as it is called by some). This is sadly not the case. You also seem to think that just because you saw someone painting an Israeli-owned building in DISPUTED (not occupied) Gaza, this is evidence that the Israelis have never actually ceased building settlements - also untrue. First, settlements are not and have never been the issue in Palestine (so called). They are a red herring the entire Arab world has been utilizing since the 1990s, and the west keeps falling for it, over and over. Will Charlie Brown ever learn that Lucy is never going to hold that ball for him?
Before the 1990s, the Arab world had other reasons for their refusal to make true efforts towards peace. When these reasons were wiped away by reasonable negotiators (at the cost of Rabin being assassinated by one of his own people), they came up with the concept of “settlements.” In truth, these settlements – or Moshavim as they are called by Israelis - are 100% open to ANY non-Jew who wishes to live there any participate in the community. Unlike Arab enclaves in the same area, the Moshavim are peaceful developments, gentrifying otherwise unused land in a disputed territory. To say that the Moshavim are the reason we cannot make peace in the Middle East is absurd and naïve beyond someone of your ken.
To say that because you saw someone painting a building is proof of Israel breaking a no-new-construction agreement is equally absurd. Israel never agreed to stop maintaining existing buildings; they did not agree to leave unfinished foundations in the desert. Gaza did, however agree to stop shelling Israel, and that never happened. Did you bear witness to that as well?
The fact of the matter is, these Moshavim will make beautiful neighborhoods in an eventual land swap. They are all built right along the green line and can easily be turned over to the Arabs when/if peace is reached. It could be said that Israel is doing the future state of Palestine a favor by maintaining these beautiful edifices. I wonder what will happen to these buildings when the dispute is settled someday, God-willing.
And that brings me to my biggest point of contention. You persistently call Gaza occupied land. You should check your facts. This land is DISPUTED. I would think someone as intelligent as you would know the difference! Aside from the fortifications one would expect of a country under attack, Israel spends millions of dollars providing for the protection of the people in Gaza. The Hamas-run government does not.
As long as the land remains in dispute, Israel has just as much of a right to be there as the Arabs do, and if you were not so myopic in your quest for Jews painting buildings in the desert, you may have asked some of the residents of Gaza whether they would prefer to be citizens of Palestine or Israel. You may have been surprised to find that a plurality would prefer to be a part of the Israeli democracy. Your refusal to see the facts and call this land what it really is, makes you sound like an apologist for terrorists, and until you find it in yourself to at least see both sides of the story, I and my family will not be seeing you on the weekends any longer.
"DISPUTED (not occupied)" ? Pardon me, but listen to the segment with Major General Gazit discussing the West Bank. Over and over he calls it occupied territory. Is he also sadly misinformed and maligned by Palestinian propaganda?
Secondly, the direction of your remarks suggests that you would rather include the Palestinians as Israeli citizens, and annex the majority of the West Bank. Are you serious? Because this would mean that Likkud and the far right would immediately fall from power, and that due to growth rates of non Jewish residents of Israel, within 30 years citizens of Jewish faith would be in the minority.
Have you thought out your position? Is this what you are advocating?
amazing show.
Thanks to having a DVR I can watch your weekend early show later in the day and find it is well worth 4 hours of my time! It was especially so on Sunday the 11th hearing the issues on Palestine and Israel. I was so delighted to have it finally brought up by the media. I was so pleased to have you mention how difficult it is to have Americans think of Palestinians other than terrorists because the media presents them only with the negative stories. To devote the entire show to this issue and confront some of the conflictual issues head on is commendable. I hope the hosts of the other MSNBC evening shows are not as PSP (progressives except for Palestine) as they appear to be. It was obvious that you had seen and felt what is happening on the ground by having visited the "land". It is gut wrenching!
Very disappointed that you did not discuss Christian Zionism at all. This is a very scary philosophy that is entirely anti-Jewish (All of the biblical Israel is returned to the Jewish people - goodbye all Palestinians - which brings the second coming of the Messiah and you either convert to Christianity or you rot in hell if you are a Jew - well, or anyone else).