Monday, October 27, 2008

[middle-east update] can livni make a difference


My approach to any research is to first go to the detractors, so here is the opening of this piece on Tzipora Malka "Tzipi" Livni:

Do not allow her smart clothing, the pleasant visage and friendly smile to hypnotize you and obscure the macabre agenda driving this life long Zionist -- the dream has always been Eretz Yisrael.

As with all Zionist Ashkenazi Prime Ministers before, her pedigree for the post is perfect: A sinister Mossad Spy, a murdering international terrorist and a legal apologist for the crimes of Israel internally and across the globe.

She does have Irgun links and was stationed in Paris in a "front" role as a local resident but that's as far as you can go. She is trying to win this election alone, without coalition partners.

Her background is lawyer/Mossad and her political stance can be expressed thus:

"We want to make clear that this region is one in which you either beat the neighborhood bully, or you join him. . . . All hesitation creates an image of weakness. Iran needs to understand the threat of a military move exists and is not being taken off the table. The more that this is made clear, the less the need to put this to use, later on. Thus, keeping the military threat on the table is important.`'

A known Sharonite, Livni stands firmly against the dismantlement of Jewish settlements in the West Bank and opposes a return to the 1967 borders. She is also vehemently against the repatriation of Palestinian refugees.

Her CV from a more pro-Israeli site states:

She is a graduate of Bar Ilan University Faculty of Law and has worked for 10 years as an attorney specializing in public and commercial law. She was awarded the Abirat Ha-Shilton in 2004. She was described as the second most power politician in Israel in 2006. She was included as the 52nd most powerful woman in the world as ranked by Forbes in 2007. She was included in the 2007 edition of Time’s 100 Most Influential People in the World. She speaks Hebrew, English and French.

Here's an interview with her:



State of play as I see it

The loss of resolution HJ Res 362 in congress means that the hawks might be outnumbered and with Obama probably coming in as U.S. Prez, there will be U.S. pressure on Israel to accommodate Palestinian aims, something, under Livni, which would not happen.

The possibility of blockading Iran is slipping away and the threat to Israel is therefore more dire than earlier. Russia is sweethearting Iran in trade deals and Obama will want to normalize relations with Russia, which has its own deals with China as well.

The long and the short of it is that middle-east relations are currently in a flat period, awaiting some elections and other developments on trade deals. For pundits, it's probably a case of keeping a weather eye open for now.

10 comments:

  1. and in the meantime, Syria has completed the military encirclement of Lebanon.

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  2. and hezbollah owns hundreds of acres in Lebanon just north of the litani(sp) river.

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  3. All are jostling for position right now. That there is no knockout blow to Israel being currently planned is naive to believe.

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  4. Now this really gets my goat!
    Israel have been the watchdog for the U.S forever.Their intent in relation to Iran is clearly a not- so -covert operation for the U.S, who cannot afford to war on another nation, so soon!

    I side with the Palestinians and always have. I am impressed by Iran's stance in NOT being cowed by American threats of aggression. The entire Middle East, except for Israel of course, needs to put aside their'tribal' differences and stand united against American's subjegation of these ppl, which is only the follow-up to Britains 'invasion', which created this in the first place.

    I am not advocating aggression against America, of course, but if they can disregard the U.N when it suits, so can everyone.

    Muslims have been put in the worst light since Laurence of Arabia, but for the most part they are a peace -loving, respectful people.

    The Jews of Israel should know better than to wage their own 'holocaust' on the dispossessed Palestinians!

    At the risk of riling up your American readers, this is a clear example, much like the I.R.A ,of America's funding to fight U.S lead wars/invade/oppress nations via proxy, that would not be political to do overtly-like thye did to Iraq.

    Israel should remember the American 'support' of Saddam in the friendly years!

    This Livni woman is dangerous!

    I am suprised no one raised much of a stink about Arafat's sudden demise!

    Let's hope Obama:
    1/ Gets in
    2/ Does not go the way of Martin Luther King/Malcom X
    3/Is more than just 'talk'.

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  5. I find it mind boggling that Americans still beleive that they are benevolent, aid -givers to the world, failing to see that their administration causes the conflicts in the Middle East, for their own self-serving agendas.
    With such foreign policy they wonder why they are probably the most hated nation in the world?

    Their illegal'kidnap' of Saddam and U.S lead moot trial/murder of Hussein,was a disgrace!

    It's not the American's business to interfere with how other countries' leaders uphold their own laws.

    Whaat did they do about Aparteid or the shooting of street children in Brazil?

    There were no illegal kidnappings/executions of their leaders /regime changes there!

    My prediction, if Obama gets in, is that he will be assassinated, funded by internal resources, and then some redneck, racist will be blamed. Especially, if he wants to disempower Israel, who are common terrorists.

    Saddam had a lot of guts to stand up to the Americans, as does Iran.
    No one would turf the Americanas out of the U.N , but had it been anyone else!

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  6. I find it mind boggling that Ubermouth compares the atrocities in Palestine to the HOlocaust- the Holocaust killed 6 million, according to the Red Crescent the amount killed in the Intifadas amount to thousands not millions or even tens or hundreds of thousands.

    Also I beleive that in America you can be homosexual and not stoned to death- its a bit different in Iran.

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  7. Anon- What made the Holocaust so atrocious was not the sheer numbers,that just added to the atrocity.The persecution and cruelty/murder of people for no other reason than their 'unfavourable' ethnicity/religion is the point. Without getting too detailed,it's EXACTLY what Israel is now doing to the Palestinians sans the gas chambers!

    In regard to how homosexuals fare in Iran ....I think it is mind boggling that you think crimes of hate, and even deaths, perpetuated against homosexuals only exist in places like Iran.

    Homosexual acts were illegal until the late 1960's in GB don't forget! Hate crimes against minorities still exist world wide.

    In the late 1960's, if you were black, and marched on American parliament, you were mowed down in daylight for standing up for your rights!

    Don't brush those little facts about the 'free world' under the carpet, Anon.

    The subjegation/poverty/violence/lack of freedoms etc.that Israel is 'forcing' upon the Palestineans is not fundamentally different than the pogroms they suffered in Russia , or the Jews persecution from Hitler. Don't forget-Israel's persecutions/ aggressions are being sanctioned and funded by America.

    Your example of Iran's homosexuality laws, not that I agree with them, is the spin typical of the Western world to justify disempowering any nation that don't buy into'America The Beautiful'.

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  8. As soon as America cry WMD, as an excuse to wage a illegal war on any nation, breaking with Geneva Convention and disregarding the U.N to do so, we know that, by the American aggression alone, that that is one nation that does NOT yet have WMD.

    The ones that do are not subjected to illegal obliteration, but American'foreign diplomacy'. :)

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  9. Its important to note Livni's popularity with the voters, however all indications are that she will repeat the strategic errors of her predecessors. Why does everyone get so flippin' hot under the collar over this region?

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