Israel Update

[Programming note: There are a fair few topics that I have wanted to cover but have been unable to. Hopefully, as the semester winds down, I'll be able to get to them. So if it seems slightly anachronistic that I'm talking about Israel, it's because it's the oldest project.]

Last time we talked about Israel, they were bombing Gaza. A lot has happened since then.

Details of the War Come Out

"If you want to know whether I think that in doing so we killed innocents, the answer is, unequivocally, yes." ~Tzvika Fogel, a brigadier-general in the Israeli reserves

Testimonies from Israeli soldiers were published in Ha'aretz in March. The soldiers were given the impression that Palestinian lives were "very, very, less important than the lives of our soldiers." A commander told them "to write 'death to the Arabs' on the walls...just because you can." Then, there's this story:

There was a house with a family inside ... We put them in a room ... a few days after there was an order to release [them]. There was a sniper position on the roof. The platoon commander let the family go and told them to go to the right. One mother and her two children didn't understand and went to the left, but they forgot to tell the sharpshooter on the roof they had let them go and it was OK, and he should hold his fire and he ... he did what he was supposed to, like he was following his orders.

The sharpshooter saw a woman and children approaching him, closer than the lines he was told no one should pass. He shot them ... In any case, what happened is that in the end he killed them.

International Responses

Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International condemned Israel's use of white phosphorus (pictured above) in densely populated areas. White phosphorus is often used as a smokescreen, but can also be used as an incendiary. It is particularly lethal because, in addition to being burned, the body absorbs the phosphorus, leading to organ failure.

Based on these accounts (and another where a Palestinian boy was used as a human shield), the United Nations concluded that Israel committed war crimes and violated human rights. The Israelis accused the UN Human Rights Council of bias.

The Human Rights Council recently named Judge Richard Goldstone to head an investigation into the conflict. Judge Goldstone is of Jewish descent and was an important architect of post-apartheid South Africa. According to an anonymous government official, Israel will not cooperate with the inquiry.

Parliamentary Elections

Elections for the Knesset, Israel's Parliament, were held on February 10. The elections were contentious. Both Tzipi Livni, of the centrist Kadima Party, and Benjamin Netanyahu, of the more conservative Likud Party, claimed victory on election night. It was not known which party won more seats until February 12. Kadima led by one:

However, the 28 seats won by Kadima was well short of the 61 needed for an outright parliamentary majority. A coalition was needed, and both Livni and Netanyahu could make arguments for the premiership. Livni's Kadima had won a plurality, but conservative parties won 65 seats, and Netanyahu was well-placed to form a coalition.

The ultra-right Yisrael Beiteinu placed third, and its head, Avigdor Lieberman, was proclaimed the kingmaker. Lieberman, however, is a controversial figure. He advocates a loyalty test for Arab Israelis and maintains that "the peace process is based on...false...assumptions." But achieving the premiership without his support would be either difficult or impossible.

Seeing the writing on the wall, Ehud Barak led the fourth-place, left-wing Labor Party into the Netanyahu coalition. Said Joe Klein, "The decision removes the last wisps of credibility that the Labor Party--the party of Ben Gurion, Dayan, Meir and Rabin--had in Israeli politics." Barak became defense minister; Lieberman, foreign minister.

Odds & Ends

Joe Klein says Netanyahu "is mostly blowing smoke" in his interview with Jeffrey Goldberg on Iran.

Lieberman is being investigated for "bribery, money laundering and breach of trust," upholding a longstanding tradition among Israeli politicians. After all, accusations of corruption led former PM Ehud Olmert to step down last September, which led Livni to take the reins of Kadima and the former coalition to fall apart, requiring the election in February.

Beleageured Prime Minister Omnibus

Let's stop talking about what a particularly putrescent pick Palin (I like alliteration) was for a moment and discuss other (foreign) political leaders in trouble.

First up, Canada: Prime Minister Stephen Harper formally scheduled a parliamentary election for October 14, despite previously specifying a much later date (by about a year) and promising to end this sort of political manipulation. Harper is hoping to build a larger Conservative bloc in Parliament by capitalizing on his own popularity before opposition to the Canadians' commitment in Iraq and discontent with a sluggish economy grow.

Next, Israel: PM Ehud Olmert is scheduled to resign this month, as mentioned before. And now the Israeli police have formally recommended that Olmert be indicted for bribe-taking, breach of trust, and fraud. However, the recommendation has no real meaning, and it's up to AG Menachem Mazuz to actually file charges.

And no beleaguered prime minister omnibus would be complete without Thai PM Samak Sundaravej. Anti-government protesters have been camping on the grounds of Government House, the PM's residence, demanding Samak's resignation. Violence between the protesters and Samak's supporters flared five days ago, prompting Samak to declare a state of emergency and empowering the army to restore order in Bangkok. Then on Friday, in a move to defuse the situation, Samak announced that a referendum on whether Parliament should be dissolved would be held within the month, all the while steadfastly refusing to resign. Detractors are not impressed, saying a simple up-down vote cannot cover such a complex situation.

Okay, you may continue with our election now:

Headlines: 31 July 2008

• Sexuality bias seen at Justice Department: Margaret Chiara, the U.S. Attorney in Grand Rapids, MI, was fired because of rumors that she was a lesbian.
• A Shiite Militia in Baghdad Sees Its Power Wane*: The Mahdi Army, led by Moqtada al-Sadr, has lost significant influence as PM Nouri al-Maliki asserts his legitimacy.
• The Kirkuk Impasse: Recent attacks in Kirkuk have exposed an underlying tension between the Kurds, Turks, and Arabs.
• Olmert to Quit After Elections in September*: The Israeli PM is resigning over corruption charges, but where does this leave negotiations with the Palestinians and Syria?
• China Angered by Lobbying on Rights*: China doesn't like the U.S. House of Representatives passing a resolution urging them to uphold their pledge to improve human rights before the Olympics. Maybe they should have thought about that before they broke it.
• Judge Rules White House Aides Can Be Subpoenaed*: Shocking.
• Sleazy Campaign Tactic of the Day: The head of the Virginia RNC is worried you might register to vote.
• The Recession Election: The pendulum swings left?

*Note: The New York Times may be changing their website, and you may have to register/login to see these articles.

Headlines: 15 July 2008

• Army Secretary Asks for Probe of Firing: Gina Grey was fired from her posts as public affairs director of Arlington National Cemetery after she opposed imposing new restrictions on the media's coverage of funerals, even when the families had consented.
• A war that nobody wants but everybody needs: "[War with Iran] may become inevitable due to the fear of peace. After eight years of Bush-Cheney, such is the state of our world." Three lame ducks want one last quack. Apparently they think it won't echo.
• Nozzle Rage!
  

Israel + Syria: It's Complicated

Yesterday: Almost wonderful news that Israeli PM Ehud Olmert was signaling that he was ready to negotiate with Syria. Going through the Turkish PM, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Olmert told the Syrian government that he was willing to return the Golan Heights in exchange for a lasting peace. However, returning Golan is unpopular in Israel and members of the Knesset, the Israeli Parliament, are working on a bill that would make withdrawal dependent on a nationwide referendum.

Today: The White House released a statement revealing that the target of Israel's September air strike was a Syrian nuclear reactor that "was not intended for peaceful purposes." Better yet, the technology seems to have come from North Korea. Don't worry, we're not going to war with Syria or North Korea. Although it's unclear how this will affect the six-party talks with N. Korea, the U.S. is working with/through the International Atomic Energy Agency to deal with Syria, which has some 'splainin to do about why the didn't inform the IAEA they were developing a reactor, as required by the nuclear non-proliferation treaty they signed.