The track record of the United Nations Human Rights Council
13 Jul 2015 Leave a comment
in International law, laws of war, war and peace Tags: Gaza Strip, Hamas, Israel, Left-wing hypocrisy, United Nations
Haredi Jews and employment
05 Jul 2015 Leave a comment
in economics of religion, labour economics, labour supply, occupational choice Tags: economics of identity, female labour force participation, Israel, male labour force participation
Haredi Jews and employment: Eat, pray, don’t work econ.st/1QVeL48 http://t.co/gxTI56rrTv—
The Economist (@EconEconomics) June 27, 2015
Still further evidence of mass kidnappings of peace activists
27 Mar 2015 Leave a comment
in laws of war, war and peace Tags: Amnesty International, Gaza Strip, Hamas, Israel, Left-wing hypocrisy, Middle Eastern politics, peace movements, war crimes
Publishing this report during the Gaza war rather than many months later might have left Amnesty International with the semblance of impartiality.
According to UN data, more than 4,800 rockets and 1,700 mortars were fired from Gaza towards Israel between 8 July and 26 August. Around 224 projectiles are believed to have struck Israeli residential areas.
It does not take months to work out that rockets and mortars fired at civilian areas with the deliberate intention of killing civilians and terrorising the Israeli population are in contravention of the international rules of war. The sound of air raid sirens and civilian casualties in Israel should have been sufficient evidence for an immediate report by Amnesty International last year.
The only explanation as to why peace activists aren’t out in the street today protesting against Hamas for these war crimes and calling for International Criminal Court indictments and citizen’s arrests is mass kidnappings. The only explanation as to why peace activists aren’t out in the street today protesting against Hamas for these war crimes and calling for International Criminal Court indictments and citizen’s arrests is mass kidnappings.
The only explanation as to why peace activists aren’t out in the street today protesting against Hamas for these war crimes and calling for International Criminal Court indictments and citizen’s arrests is mass kidnappings. The only explanation as to why peace activists aren’t out in the street today protesting against Hamas for these war crimes and calling for International Criminal Court indictments and citizen’s arrests is mass kidnappings.
There is no other charitable explanation as to why they are not on the streets today in solidarity, for example, with the above 2009 peace demonstration in London. The 2014 Gaza conflict left a total of at least 2,189 Palestinians dead, including more than 1,486 civilians, according to the UN. On the Israeli side, 67 soldiers were killed along with the six civilians.
Further evidence of the Only Nixon could go to China theorem (and Bibi Netanyahu may be the only man who will make peace in the Middle East)
27 Mar 2015 Leave a comment
in war and peace Tags: Egypt, Israel
Why Netanyahu’s win isn’t that dramatic – The Washington Post
19 Mar 2015 Leave a comment
in politics, politics - USA Tags: Israel
the results reflect a consolidation within the right wing of Israeli politics rather than a decisive swing to the right. The increase in the right’s vote share can be readily explained by a shift of voters from the hawkish religious parties (ultra-Orthodox and religious Zionists). There is little reason to believe that there is significant overlap between the constituencies of these religious-right parties and those of either the left or Arab parties.
It is reasonable to assume however that voters from these religious parties migrated to the Likud rather than other parties. This shift would account for 87 percent of the rise in the vote share by the right bloc. The relatively small remainder likely came from the center parties, which also lost support.
Notably, when centrist voters shifted to vote for another bloc, they largely turned to the left parties rather than to the Likud. The increased vote share of the left is especially significant given the rise in the vote share of the Arab parties which, while likely largely a result of increased turnout relative to 2013, also cost the left votes.
via Why Netanyahu’s win isn’t that dramatic – The Washington Post.
Israel’s Arab political parties have united for the first time
12 Mar 2015 Leave a comment
in constitutional political economy, Public Choice Tags: Israel, Knesset, Middle-East politics
the coalition is a result of a move last year to increase the minimum number of votes a party needs to secure a place in the 120-seat Knesset, Israel’s parliament.
Some saw that change as an attempt to oust small Arab parties, but instead it prompted the fragmented and fairly powerless Arab leadership to unite under the banner of the Joint List.
Further evidence of mass kidnappings of peace activists
02 Feb 2015 Leave a comment
in war and peace Tags: activists, Egypt, Gaza blockade, Gaza Strip, Hamas, Israel, Left-wing hypocrisy
Egypt is doing more work to set up a 13-mile buffer zone with the Gaza Strip, after it discovered hundreds more tunnels running from the Hamas-run Palestinian enclave into the Sinai Peninsula. The plan includes clearing 10,000 residents from some 800 houses. Egypt has already destroyed over 1600 smuggling tunnels into the Gaza Strip and is constantly on the lookout for more.
Where is the international protest is regarding this continued blockade of the Gaza Strip? Why haven’t the peace activists taken to the streets across the globe to protest at this blockading the Gaza Strip?
The only possible explanation as to why these principled peace activist are unavailable to take to the streets is mass kidnappings. This blockade by Egypt of the Gaza Strip and its intensive long-term dimensions has been regularly reported in the Guardian, so they must know of it. The Egyptian blockade of the Gaza Strip is so intense that Hamas has resumed trade with Israel.
Of course, once you start discussing the Egyptian blockade of the Gaza Strip, you must discuss what Hamas is doing to remove it, which are well-known.
As the Guardian reported, Hamas’s decision to carry on fighting in in the recent war recent weeks despite catastrophic civilian losses owed as much to Egypt’s refusal to lift this blockade as it does to Israel’s. Egypt wanted Hamas to accept an immediate ceasefire without preconditions. Hamas wanted Egypt to spell out how it might ease the siege before it would agree to a ceasefire.
Even the Guardian occasionally mentions who was the real target of the Hamas missiles fired at Israel. Where are the peace activists? Kidnapped?
Double standards on terrorism
26 Jan 2015 Leave a comment
in economics of crime, politics - Australia, politics - New Zealand, politics - USA, war and peace Tags: Gaza Strip, Hamas, Israel, Leftover Left, Osama bin Laden, war on terror
Useful idiots for Palestine–Pat Condell
09 Dec 2014 2 Comments
in politics, war and peace Tags: Israel, Palestine, Pat Condell, useful idiots, Zionism
Utopia, you are standing in it! 
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