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The Tone and the Music; Reaction to Obama's Cairo Speech
By Uri Avnery (about the author)
Become a Fan (15 fans) -- Page 3 of 3 page(s)
The political message was clear and unequivocal: the Two-State Solution will be put into practice. He himself will see to that. Settlement activity must cease. Unlike his predecessors, he did not stop at speaking about “Palestinians”, but uttered the decisive word: “Palestine” – the name of a state and a territory.
And no less important: the Iran war has been struck from the agenda. The dialogue with Tehran, as a part of the new world, is not limited in time. As from now, no one can even dream about an American OK for an Israeli attack.
HOW DID official Israel respond? The first reaction was denial. “An unimportant speech”. “There was nothing new”. The establishment commentators picked out a few pro-Israeli sentences from the text and ignored all the others. And after all, “these are just words. So he talked. Nothing will come out of it.”
That is nonsense. The words of the President of the United States are more than just words. They are political facts. They change the perceptions of hundreds of millions. The Muslim public listened. The American public listened. It may take some time for the message to sink in. But after this speech, the pro-Israel lobby will never be the same as it was before. The era of “foile shtik” (Yiddish for sneaky tricks) is over. The sly dishonesty of a Shimon Peres, the guileful deceits of an Ehud Olmert, the sweet talking of a Bibi Netanyahu – all these belong to the past.
The Israeli people must now decide: whether to follow the right-wing government towards an inevitable collision with Washington, as the Jews did 1940 years ago when they followed the Zealots into a suicidal war on Rome – or to join Obama’s march towards a new world.
Become a Fan (15 fans) -- Page 3 of 3 page(s)
And no less important: the Iran war has been struck from the agenda. The dialogue with Tehran, as a part of the new world, is not limited in time. As from now, no one can even dream about an American OK for an Israeli attack.
HOW DID official Israel respond? The first reaction was denial. “An unimportant speech”. “There was nothing new”. The establishment commentators picked out a few pro-Israeli sentences from the text and ignored all the others. And after all, “these are just words. So he talked. Nothing will come out of it.”
That is nonsense. The words of the President of the United States are more than just words. They are political facts. They change the perceptions of hundreds of millions. The Muslim public listened. The American public listened. It may take some time for the message to sink in. But after this speech, the pro-Israel lobby will never be the same as it was before. The era of “foile shtik” (Yiddish for sneaky tricks) is over. The sly dishonesty of a Shimon Peres, the guileful deceits of an Ehud Olmert, the sweet talking of a Bibi Netanyahu – all these belong to the past.
The Israeli people must now decide: whether to follow the right-wing government towards an inevitable collision with Washington, as the Jews did 1940 years ago when they followed the Zealots into a suicidal war on Rome – or to join Obama’s march towards a new world.
Uri Avnery is a longtime Israeli peace activist. Since 1948 has advocated the setting up of a Palestinian state alongside Israel. In 1974, Uri Avnery was the first Israeli to establish contact with PLO leadership. In 1982 he was the first Israeli (more...)
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You restate the heart of the matter
by sometimes blinded on Sunday, Jun 7, 2009 at 8:50:11 PM
All us naysayers are with you 100% and hope THIS TIME, your
by pepper on Monday, Jun 8, 2009 at 2:45:19 PM
I Wish You Godspeed and Good Luck, But
by Jason Paz on Monday, Jun 8, 2009 at 2:52:14 AM
Join the real world
by liberalsrock on Monday, Jun 8, 2009 at 9:03:21 AM
The Real World Averages 7 Wars at Any Given Moment
by Jason Paz on Monday, Jun 8, 2009 at 12:12:36 PM
Obama is just a pol
by John Toradze on Monday, Jun 8, 2009 at 9:41:58 AM
Could we focus on the article please? If we are to get into
by pepper on Monday, Jun 8, 2009 at 2:52:35 PM
oh... if Obama is so great... EXPLAIN THIS:
by bucketslogg on Monday, Jun 8, 2009 at 11:46:52 AM
Great post on "REALISM" and not fantasy.... and how many....
by pepper on Monday, Jun 8, 2009 at 2:55:44 PM
Freedom and Tyranny
by Bob Tracey on Monday, Jun 8, 2009 at 1:37:52 PM
Your right as long as its not fascist globalism that is the
by pepper on Monday, Jun 8, 2009 at 3:09:40 PM
Authors analysis of Obama's speech
by pepper on Monday, Jun 8, 2009 at 2:42:35 PM
Thanks!
by AL Knesal on Monday, Jun 8, 2009 at 2:49:23 PM
Yes, heaven forbid that we deal with reality......
by pepper on Monday, Jun 8, 2009 at 3:03:27 PM
Whose Truth?
by AL Knesal on Tuesday, Jun 9, 2009 at 1:04:24 AM
seeing the light
by mary sunshine on Monday, Jun 8, 2009 at 4:23:10 PM
Whose Truth?
by AL Knesal on Tuesday, Jun 9, 2009 at 1:08:31 AM
Every word in place ... for the Zionists
by Richard Pietrasz on Monday, Jun 8, 2009 at 6:08:13 PM
The FED is Broke and the GOVT is null and void...
by bucketslogg on Tuesday, Jun 9, 2009 at 8:17:47 AM
Obama hopes to Inspire
by Philip Pease on Tuesday, Jun 9, 2009 at 10:42:07 AM
Yeah... I heard that... Don't look back - MALARKEY !!!!
by bucketslogg on Tuesday, Jun 9, 2009 at 12:49:03 PM