FaisalLatif
Councller (250+ posts)
If you were among the people that witnessed the bizarre session in the US Congress when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered his speech there, you must have been bemused at how congress cheered and applauded each and every statement Bibi (a name Netanyahu is more commonly referred by in US and Israel) made.
The speech rejected all the core principles upon with the Israeli/Palestinian peace process was based. It was the fatal punch to an already dying hope for Middle East peace. Netanyahu rejected all the notions that were, till a few days ago, considered obvious, or to use the American term, "a given". These included the return to 1967 borders, the right of return, and the freezing (not even stopping) of settlements among many others.
The speech consisted mainly of punch lines, gimmicks and arrogant self-righteousness. It was extremely confrontational towards Palestinians, the Obama administration and the peace process. This, however, did not stop the congressmen (and congresswomen) to blindly cheer every word that came out of Israeli PM's mouth. As if Bibi's unexpected rebuttal of Obama in front of the entire world hadn't already marked the end of the peace process as we know it, congress' reception of Bibi's speech made it official.
Now, there is no moral ground (if ever one existed) to stop Palestinians from declaring unilateral statehood in September this year.
The principles of freedom, liberty, human rights and human dignity were brutally squashed that day in the most power hall of the world; United States Congress. Witnessing this, one cannot find a phrase more fitting that from a Star Wars movie which goes something like, "So this is how liberty dies: with thunderous applause.
Source: http://tehkal.blogspot.com/2011/05/on-netanyahu-and-us-congress-so-this-is.html
The speech rejected all the core principles upon with the Israeli/Palestinian peace process was based. It was the fatal punch to an already dying hope for Middle East peace. Netanyahu rejected all the notions that were, till a few days ago, considered obvious, or to use the American term, "a given". These included the return to 1967 borders, the right of return, and the freezing (not even stopping) of settlements among many others.
The speech consisted mainly of punch lines, gimmicks and arrogant self-righteousness. It was extremely confrontational towards Palestinians, the Obama administration and the peace process. This, however, did not stop the congressmen (and congresswomen) to blindly cheer every word that came out of Israeli PM's mouth. As if Bibi's unexpected rebuttal of Obama in front of the entire world hadn't already marked the end of the peace process as we know it, congress' reception of Bibi's speech made it official.
Now, there is no moral ground (if ever one existed) to stop Palestinians from declaring unilateral statehood in September this year.
The principles of freedom, liberty, human rights and human dignity were brutally squashed that day in the most power hall of the world; United States Congress. Witnessing this, one cannot find a phrase more fitting that from a Star Wars movie which goes something like, "So this is how liberty dies: with thunderous applause.
Source: http://tehkal.blogspot.com/2011/05/on-netanyahu-and-us-congress-so-this-is.html
