Iran’s missile launch on Wednesday is not making President Barack Obama’s diplomatic efforts in the Middle East any easier. This demonstration, however, could be seen as more of a reason for Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu to embrace the two-state solution.
Netanyahu has made it clear that he sees Iran as a threat. On Tuesday, after meeting with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, he said:
“[Iran] is a great danger to all of us, to Israel specifically and to the moderate Arab regime, and to America. Especially if this regime were to arm itself or arm terrorists with nuclear weapons, the consequences could be unimaginable.”
Here’s video of the Israeli leader in Washington, after the jump.
By Catherine Durkin Robinson
PoHo contributor Catherine Durkin Robinson is a “feminist mother of twins” and a political blogger, working under the title Out in Left Field.
“Is President Obama giving money to the people in Gaza who hate us and want to destroy Israel?”
That’s the question posed to me by my 9-year-old son. One of his friends at school told him this disturbing bit of news and so he came home and asked about it over dinner that night.
What the f*ck? Isn’t he still supposed to be asking if Superman is real?
I told him that there are people in Gaza who are hungry and sick. If we don’t help them, they will get help from bad people who will use that assistance as a way to get more support for doing bad things. If we do help victims in Gaza, maybe they will reject bad ideas from bad people. I told him we need more friends and fewer enemies in that part of the world.
Speaking of friends and enemies, the following day I was in the car and turned on the radio to catch True Talk on WMNF. Host Ahmed Bedier uses this forum to discuss Muslim issues and events.
Posted by Wayne Garcia on Jan. 21, 2009, at 1:43 pm
President Barack Obama wasted no time in wading into the stickiest messes left at the White House. Whether he’ll have any success for them is a matter that we won’t know for some time.
According to the White House press office, Obama put telephone calls in to the leaders of Israel, Egypt, Jordan and the Palestinian Authority this morning. Along with some pleasantries, the afternoon is being devoted to dealing with Iraq and the economy, the WH schedule shows:
1:15PM-2:15PM President Obama Addresses Staff and Cabinet Secretaries
POOL PRESS
2:30 PM President Obama Attends White House Open House
Base of stair case on the ground level by State Room.
POOL PRESS
3:15PM-3:45PM President Obama Meets with Economic Advisors
Roosevelt Room
CLOSED PRESS
4:15PM-5:15PM President Obama Meets with Iraq Military Commanders
Mads Gilbert has been a one-man media machine over the past week, claiming that Israel is not only harming civilians with white phosphorus weapons (illegal under UN terms for targeting people but legal to use as a smoke screen or illumination) and newer, powerful bombs called DIME.
Here he gives an interview about the casualties:
There is no doubt that Gilbert is a radical voice in the issue. In his home Norway, he is also a politician and member of the socialist Red Party. He’s been critical of Doctors Without Borders for not taking political stances in war zones where it sends volunteers. He was also involved in the controversial CNN airing of a video of shot by a Palestinian of the death of his brother in the Gaza assault.
President Bush said yesterday during his news conference that Hamas must stop firing rockets into Israel if any sort of ceasefire is going to take place.
Surprise!
Never mind the Israeli offensive, or its recent incursion over the border and into Gaza. It is not surprising that our nation’s leader is once again turning a blind eye to the atrocities perpetuated by the Jewish nation and placing the majority of the blame on the Palestinians.
From a purely humanitarian aspect, Israel’s actions are wrong, and should not be supported by the United States. As the most powerful and influential country in the international system (more debatable now, given our current economic woes), America shouldn’t be supporting the blatant killings of hundreds of Palestinian CIVILIANS. Read the rest of this entry »
St. Petersburg — Peace groups and concerned citizens will be gathering outside of the Baywalk facility in support of the victims in Gaza during the most recent military actions.
“Regardless of where one stands on the conflict, we can all agree that war is not the answer, and the horiffically one-sided casualty counts are a travesty”, said Mike Fox, Rise Up Tampa Bay member and Chair of the Pinellas County Chapter of Progressive Democrats Of America. “We ask that all who see the Palestinian people as the “Davids” in this “David vs Goliath” struggle join us as we ask that the US government and our fellow citizens support a free Palestine and an end to the slaughter.”
Sat, 1-03 7:30 PM
On sidewalks outside of Baywalk
2nd Avenue and 2nd Street, N
Downtown St. Petersburg
I searched YouTube for an hour last night looking for something — anything! — worth sharing with the Short List faithful. I finally did a search for “first day of summer” (which is tomorrow, by the way) and found this:
