Joe Conason: On Israel, Bernie Sanders Is Right (And Hillary Clinton Knows It)

[babylonsister]

http://www.nationalmemo.com/israel-bernie-sanders-right-hillary-clinton-knows/


On Israel, Bernie Sanders Is Right (And Hillary Clinton Knows It)
April 15, 2016 4:41 pm
Joe Conason


The most significant moment of the Democratic primary debate in Brooklyn – and perhaps any presidential debate this season – came when Bernie Sanders challenged Hillary Clinton over her refusal to criticize Israel’s excessive use of force against the Palestinians in Gaza. For the first time in memory, a major American political figure insisted publicly that the Jewish state and its leaders are “not always right” – and that in attempting to suppress terrorism, they had killed and injured far too many blameless human beings.

Asked by CNN’s Wolf Blitzer about his judgment that Israel’s military response to attacks from Gaza in 2014 was “disproportionate and led to the unnecessary loss of innocent life,” the Vermont Senator answered firmly: “Yeah, I do believe that.” He mentioned that many other nations, including longtime allies of Israel, had denounced the atrocities in Gaza, along with human rights organizations around the world.

Having reiterated that he supports Israel as our ally — with every right to self-defense — Sanders said that “in the long run, if we are ever going to bring peace to that region which has seen so much hatred and so much war, we are going to have to treat the Palestinian people with respect and dignity.”

That should be blindingly obvious, especially to Clinton, who has worked alongside President Clinton and President Obama toward a decent two-state solution for almost a quarter century. Her disappointing reply to Sanders reflected her political priorities in the New York primary, rather than her commitment to human rights or her assessment of American diplomatic interests.

snip//

The day after the Brooklyn debate, her campaign issued a lengthy press release: “Hillary Clinton and Israel: A 30-Year Record of Friendship, Leadership, and Strength.” But its failure to mention Palestinian rights and needs again revealed weakness, not “strength.” We can only hope that if she wins the presidency, she will prove herself to be a true friend of Israel and its people – as her husband did when he warned that unless they achieve a durable agreement with a new Palestine, Israelis will eventually lose their nationhood, their democracy, or both.

Unfortunately, Clinton’s current approach is the dismal standard in American politics, which made Sanders’ honesty even more refreshing. What a surprise to hear a Jewish candidate for president — the first with a realistic shot at his party’s nomination — speak so candidly and courageously about the country where he worked on a kibbutz as a young man. With those words Bernie made a bit of history, and earned a lot of respect.

[grasswire]

1. huh????????

Conason is critical of Hillary???

What's up with that??

[babylonsister]

3. I know; surprised me, too, but that

is what I like about him. He seems pretty fair even when I do or don't agree with him.

[grasswire]

6. he was major defender of the Clintons.

Even wrote an investigative book about the persecution of Bill Clinton, along with Gene Lyons.

[Uncle Joe]

2. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, babylonsister.

[pat_k]

4. kick 'n' rec

[geek tragedy]

5. Clinton supporter here, and I agree nt

[BernieforPres2016]

7. Here's a link to a Salon article on Hillary's AIPAC speech that is absolutely brutal on it

http://www.salon.com/2016/03/21/took_pandering_to_a_new_level_progressives_palestinians_criticize_hillary_clinton_for_israeli_pr_aipac_speech/

<She aggressively voiced support for Israel and hard-line right-wing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and made no mention of the Israeli military’s almost five-decade-long illegal occupation of the Palestinian territories.

Clinton also blasted her opponent Bernie Sanders, the only presidential candidate to turn down the invitation to speak at the AIPAC conference, for promising to be neutral on Israel-Palestine. Sanders said he would pursue a “level playing field” in negotiations, something Clinton insisted she would never imagine of doing.>

<Numerous progressive organizations and Palestinian leaders publicly condemned Clinton for her profusely pro-Israel remarks.

“The speech that Hillary Clinton gave to AIPAC took pandering to a new level,” said Yousef Munayyer in a statement.

Munayyer, the executive director of the U.S. Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation, noted that Clinton’s speech “could well have been written by an Israeli government public relations firm.”

He accused Clinton’s remarks of being “out of touch with Americans and in particular the base of the Democratic party.”>

[beam me up scottie]

8. And it wasn't the first time he spoke about it, from 1988:

[azmom]

9. Bernie is a courageous man. I admire

Him greatly.

[Punkingal]

10. I always liked Joe, back when i still drank the Clinton kool-aid.

I have emailed him about articles, and he answered. One of the few who does answer. Helen Thomas always replied to my emails, too. I sure do miss Helen.