by Eric Zuesse for The Saker Blog
On Monday, November 18th, Reuters headlined “U.S. backs Israel on settlements, angering Palestinians and clouding peace process” and reported that, “The United States on Monday effectively backed Israel’s right to build Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank by abandoning its four-decade-old position that they were ‘inconsistent with international law,’ a stance that may make Israeli-Palestinian peace even more elusive.” This article made clear that, of all entities Reuters could contact about the matter, only U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo thought that these illegal settlements are legal, and even Pompeo was offering no other reason than that “‘The establishment of Israeli civilian settlements is not, per se, inconsistent with international law,’ Pompeo told reporters at the State Department, reversing a formal legal position taken by the United States under Carter in 1978.” It was merely his dictat, as authority for this major U.S. policy-change.
One poll was recently taken of Americans on the matter. It was done by Scarborough Research, a joint venture by The Nielsen Company and Arbitron, and its sample size was unusually large for such a poll and employed rigorous sampling techniques. Thus, its findings should be considered to be close to the reality. Here is a summary of that poll’s methodology and findings. [I add my explanations in brackets].
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The survey was carried out September 12 – October 9, 2018 online from a nationally representative sample of Nielsen Scarborough’s probability-based panel, originally recruited by mail and telephone using a random sample of adults provided by Survey Sampling International. The national sample was 2,352.
Q57. As you may know, the United States has been acting as a mediator between the Israeli government and the Palestinian Authority, with the aim of reaching an agreement in the IsraeliPalestinian conflict. Whether or not these efforts succeed, there is a question about what kind of future for Israel and the Palestinians the U.S. should be supporting over the long term, and many analysts feel that time is running out for some options. Here are four possible approaches that are frequently discussed. Please select the one you think the U.S. should support.
Rep Dem Ind Total
1. A two-state solution: Israel and a Palestinian state side by side. The Palestinian state would be established on the territories that Israel has occupied since 1967. 24% 48% 31% 36% [That’s 24% “Rep”; 48% “Dem”; 31% “Ind”; 36% “Total.”]
2. A one-state solution: A single democratic state in which both Jews and Arabs are full and equal citizens, covering all of what is now Israel and the Palestinian Territories. 33% 36% 38% 35%
3. Annexation without equal citizenship: Israel would annex the Palestinian territories, but keep a majority-Jewish state in the expanded territories by restricting citizenship rights of Palestinians. 14% 3% 4% 8%
4. Maintain the occupation of both the territories Israel has captured in 1967 and the Palestinians inhabiting them indefinitely. 18% 5% 13% 11%
Refused 11% 8% 14% 10%
[71% support either a two-state or a one-state solution (a sort of democratic solution). 19% support either “Annexation without equal citizenship” or Israel’s permanent militarily imposed “occupation of both the territories (West Bank and Gaza).” On this question, only 19% support Trump’s Israel policy, but 25% of Republicans do. However, 67% of Republicans don’t.]
…
One of the issues of tension between the United States and Israel has been its construction of Israeli settlements in the territories occupied by Israel in the 1967 war. These settlements are considered illegal by most of the international community and have been opposed by every U.S. administration, both Republican and Democratic. The Israeli government has continued to build settlements. … How do you believe the U.S. should react to new settlements?
1. Do nothing: 38% 17% 33% 28%
2. Verbally criticize: 30% 22% 27% 26%
3. Economic sanctions: 17% 41% 22% 17%
4. More serious action: 9% 15% 11% 12%
[Trump’s “Do nothing” is supported by 28% of American voters. That even includes only 38% of Republicans. 56% of Republicans want some type of at least criticism against Israel.]
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Consequently: Trump has now gone far out onto a far-right limb here in his policies toward the state of Israel and its dictatorship over Palestinians (the people who are the descendants of what were the vast majority of Israel’s population until the ethnic cleansing that slaughtered and displaced them).
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Investigative historian Eric Zuesse is the author, most recently, of They’re Not Even Close: The Democratic vs. Republican Economic Records, 1910-2010, and of CHRIST’S VENTRILOQUISTS: The Event that Created Christianity.
I had seen the headline that Mike Pompeo indignantly proclaimed that last night, which is absurd infinitum. I guess that it would also not be inconsistent with international or U.S. law if Alexandria Ocasio Cortez seized Trump towers and Mike Pompeo’s property, which was what prompted me to comment last night on Cafe that maybe The Mafia told Pompeo that he was too corrupt to join the Mafia, so he decided to seek revenge and join the CIA to start a turf war.
There is no ‘peace process’, and never has been. The Zionazis are just waiting for the chance to expel or exterminate all the ‘two-legged animals’ to borrow Begin’s terminology, including the ‘Arab Israelis’. A war with Iran would be a perfect opportunity.
No mulga mumblebrain, Israel would never be able to do what you propose. I hope you haven’t bought into to the fraud that Israel can actually take on Iran and survive? Even the chief of the Israeli army knows that a war with Iran would be a zero sum game between the two countries.
And as for the he war faction in the US, we already saw them blink and turn tail after Iran shot down the US global Hawk as well as the still unexplained attack on Aramco.
A war against Iran would not be moral, just or rational, but Israel under Bibi is not moral, just or rational. The Masada Complex.
The Entebbe Complex too.
But Bibi has a view and he’s entitled to it just as others have – it takes all sorts to make a world.
Yes, Arthur. Hitler had ‘a view’, too, as did Jack the Ripper and Ted Bundy. It definitely takes all types.
Mulga
Agreed…and herein lies the imminent danger and why humanity’s survival hangs precariously by a tiny thread.
So many Western leaders nowadays are just simply not rational.
And morality well WTF does that fit into this when there are psychos like Bibi, Trumpet and Tony Soprano…[um um um I meant Pompeo]… calling the shots.
Best regards
Col
And it’s the same in the fakestream media. This week our Government owned but Merdeoch controlled ABC, has been running numerous hate campaigns against China, as usual, but the most lunatic is the revivified human organ trafficking lies, a Falun Gong and Canadian Zionazi project in particular, which now amounts, the ABC’s racist presstitute vermin assure us, to ‘100,000 prisoners of conscience murdered every year for their organs’. These are crazed, racist, Orientalist, Western Supremacist thugs driven literally insane with rage that an inferior race would dare threaten the God-ordained rule of the White Gods over humanity. And it will get worse-you can bet on that.
There is some truth in what you say, Mulga, imho.
However, things are crumbling. In the first place, is it funny to see that a tribe that considers itself superior and seeks to world domination, can’t even form a government for themselves.
Secondly, decades ago we had presidents that folded down idiot plans of foaming generals. JFK and the Pentagon plans of Operation Northwoods. Johnson that refused to go down full on North Vietnam.
Nowadays I get the feeling that top military cools down idiot ideas of nut politicians.
The soft spot of Israel, is that they don’t want to waste too much ‘precious Jewish souls’. Therefore they hire USA military to do their dirty work (do you read this, USA military servicemen?). I’m sure the IDF knows that even when they go nuclear on Iran, their nation would be bombed to smithereens also.
Maybe I’m wrong. I’ll leave it to more military educated people to reflect on that.
Cheers, Rob
Why are we talking about Bibi? Didn’t he lose the election? He’s finished….no?
@serbian girl,
Bibi came to kind of a close draw. Don’t be pleased, his ‘rivals’ Gantz and Liebermann are possibly even more hawkish than he is. Genocide and Lebensraum are the silent words. Ok, now who will do the work?
Another silent achilles heel of Israel may be the explosive demographic growth of their orthodox people, who don’t have much with scientific stuff and modern living as a whole. Too bad for a modern nation, meant to be driven by technology. Just read this article of Gilad Atzmon about this phenomenon: http://www.unz.com/gatzmon/the-end-of-israel-2/
It might be a time bomb. It may reflect itself in the Knesset. Jared, your opinion? ;-)
Cheers, Rob
Nobody is talking about being moral or just mulga mumblebrain, the point Gladius is making is that your premise is wrong: the canard that Israel can feasibly consider attackimg Iran in a hot war,, either directly or indirectly – I.e. via getting some idiot/corrupt proxies in the US deep state to hijack the US government to sacrifice young men to attempt it, only supports their propaganda and bluff. Anyone espousing it is knowingly or unknowingly is supporting obnoxious neocon propaganda.
Only idiots (like the Bible thumping Armageddon loving nihilists that believe the earth will be destroyed in the next 50 years) in the brainwashed West actually believe the huge exaggerations that Israel is omnipotent or invulnerable, -ironically Israeli media doesn’t flog such idiot lies, only the fools in Western MSM idiot shops like Fox News, the BBC and Sky News. Unlike the aforementioned western MSM propaganda spewing “media orifices”, the Israeli media tend to tell be a little more realistic about their states true heft and limitations.
Nah, Anonymist, Israel prefers to kill Iranians slowly, through sanctions imposed by its puppet hyper-power, the USA, aka the Occupied Territories of the West Bank of the North Atlantic.
Yeah mulga, you’re continued belief in and propagation of western MSM propaganda themes like the ridiculous religion of carbon based climate change (a scheme to screw the developing world, screw hydrocarbon producing Russia and screw the western middle class) and your theme of showing awe toward Israel’s overblown military capacity and the myth of their omnipotence only helps support the Anglo empire propaganda nonsense.
Btw the term anonymous or mumblebrain are equally anonymous, so do get over projecting onto others your own behavior, you need to get over your annoyance over the username “anonymous” because it will only encourage more use of that username.
I can hardly imagine that you overlooked it, Eric, but there is a large difference between the opinion of the peons called ‘voters’, and the opinion of decision makers in DC – which is technically seen occupied territory by a foreign nation, that is still yearning for a lot more ‘Lebensraum’, based on a debunked fairytale.
There is a very cynical remark that is on the tips of my typing fingers, but I’ll leave that, this is a decent blog.
Cheers, Rob
Frankly, “Rob,” I haven’t any idea of what that “very cynical remark” might be, but if it’s too in”decent” to be allowed on this blog, then you should still write it, and I am hereby requesting the site’s own to forward it directly on to me, so that I will know what it was. I won’t necessarily respond, but there is no way I even CAN respond to the indirect insult that you posted here. Just so that you will know, my custom is to ignore ad-hominem comments, rather than to respond to them.
Ok Eric, you asked for it ;-)
I was about to write, that it would take the most precious chirurgian techniques to separate many DC tongues out of a certain place of Bibi’s body where the sun doesn’t shine.
I toned it down a bit, were not on ZH.
I’ll leave it to the mods. It is not meant as an ad hominem, I’ll like to stay away from that.
Cheers, Rob
There is hidden power in fairy tales, but few can see it.
Just like what we believe are inert materials / things arent but are alive in some ways.
There is no such thing as international law or conventions. Just imperial diktats from the Empire’s henchmen like Pompeo.
The ‘peace process’ is a sick farce, and Israel as a settler colonial apartheid regime never had any intention of meaningfully engaging in it. Ever. Only the most gullible or the intellectually dishonest don’t get that.
Boycott Israel. Keep shining a spotlight on their brutal, murderous occupation.
The only good news is that US policy is becoming so openly toxic that even the most ardent exceptional nation believers are having a hard time swallowing it.
Openly steal oil from sovereign nations
Openly support land theft
Throw on the past:
Openly support torture
Openly support overthrowing governments we do not like
How much soul is left for US people to give up?
Active Patriot: Not very much actually. Its the same here in Australia. Most people couldn’t give a flying fig. They’re drowning in hedonism, narcissism and binge consumerism. That’s when they’re actually in the country, and not off on overseas holidays.
Most people here could not give one jot that a fascist coup has occurred in Bolivia, where lots of indigenous blood will be spilt, or that 9 year old kiddies are being shot in the West Bank, or Gaza is being bombarded yet again, or people are being forcibly evicted from their homes, to be replaced by far right settlers from New York.
Look at how much of the West Bank has been taken over by illegal settlements in the last 40 years alone.
Almost all politicians in Australia fully support Israel slow motion genocide against the Palestinians. Whenever Palestinian protesters are shot dead, there is just…. Silence.
Gezzah
I am thoroughly ashamed to acknowledge that it is exactly the same situation here in little old NZ…95% of our population don’t give a flying f^%&k about any of these tragedies…we too collectively sleep-walk as humanity rapidly degenerates into a fascist Orwellian nightmare. Most of our population is comfortably numb and far too busy in their day to day lives too even give any of these developments a passing thought.
Pompeo who I regard as one of the most obscenely dangerous and despicable creatures that humanity has ever produced holds the highest foreign affairs position in Trump’s cabinet and yet I will guarantee that not one in ten NZers could even tell you his name. The apathy here is monumental.
I am not sure why Trumpet and his team of hapless goons and thugs don’t just go for broke and announce that they are considering transitioning a relocation of the whole damn US Govt to convene in Jerusalem and be done with it.
Bibi could be part of the cabinet too and he wouldn’t even have to get on a plane…not that he isn’t part of it already…it would just make it…ummm, well sort of official! I wonder if he could be the new National Security adviser… O’Brien has held the position for…lets see, at least a month or two…its probably high time for him to be moving on anyway.
Regards
Col
Greetings Col… Things seemed a bit better in NZ in the 90s when I was back there; was involved in a couple different groups, numerous protests including anti austerity – welfare cuts, came to Aussie in 2004, havn’t been back to NZ since, but again, I put the blame squarely on fecken Neoliberalism.
Neoliberalism, with its relentless propaganda and heavy promotion of celebrity culture along with ‘lifestylism’, the promotion of individual responsibility as opposed to Community, the unleashing of a greed is good ethos, along with promoting a shop to you drop mindset, with the media being fully embedded in the Neoliberal project, the co-opting of Unions, the deliberate dissapearance of language such as… Working Class.
Hence, People have become depoliticised. Thats important, as depoliticisation leads to apathy. And people who are ‘lost’ become easy targets for, say, the pentecostal churches, as one example, or they lose themselves in addictions like gambling or drugs.
This, too, is the logical outcome of this twisted dogma.
You’re right – Pompeo is one of the most dangerous creatures on this Planet. Pence is another, and there’s more than a few of them in Washington. I agree that much of the World is sleepwalking into a fascist dystopia.
This ‘decision’ which is against all international law will give the Zionist regime full permission to continue their ethnic cleansing of Palestinian areas.
USA is corrupting international law, and has it confused with its national interest.
The international law that exist in this case are based on treaties (international law) that produced the Mandate for Palestine (League of Nations).
The wording is a national home for the jews inside Palestine. establishing autonomy and a jewish nation within Palestine, while nothing shall be done to the civil and religious rights of all the inhabitants of Palestine, irrespective of race and religion :
“ART. 2.
The Mandatory shall be responsible for placing the country under such political, administrative and economic conditions as will secure the establishment of the Jewish national home, as laid down in the preamble, and the development of self-governing institutions, and also for safeguarding the civil and religious rights of all the inhabitants of Palestine, irrespective of race and religion. ”
The recognition of Israel is by the UN general assembly of the 1948 borders. There are no basis for annexations or occupations to have any legal status.
UN is a political entity consisting of member states, and it does exactly replace international law, which must be based on legal treaties between involved parties, and this do not exist. This is even a failure of the original treaties which were based on external agreements while Britain and France shared the occupation of the territories (of the Middle East). Palestine were not duly represented by its people , this was the corrupt legacy of the mandates Britain and France shared between themselves.
Nahida Izzat – a well known Exiled Palestinian on Facebook – has written this – I think its the best opinion I’ve read on the one-state-two-state-‘solutions’ –
https://nahidaexiledpalestinian.wordpress.com/2019/05/22/palestine-south-africa-and-the-myth-of-one-state/?fbclid=IwAR1oMSvn89lMosY0t60uyL3QdOeE4AJOxDLUgKf6cHUbnm_kJVRPxVyTzYw
also Gilad Atzmon has written today a great piece about Trump’s policy – which I also agree with –
https://gilad.online/writings/2019/11/19/finally-the-usa-supports-the-one-state-solution?fbclid=IwAR0Ov-EsfMkjRGgxQYJfJWb1w2R-3TC3wxAoxuPnl2sI3ASKI2Fu00miR0E
the thing Trump did was end the idea of anything but a one state – now the world has to decide which country deserves Palestine.
I definitely think Palestinians should get back their original country and the European Jews should disperse.
Ann: Thanks for the link to Nahida’s writings. Only had time for a quick read but definitely worth taking the time for a closer read. It is time to confront Jewish supremacy and to take the call for restorative justice for Palestinian people seriously.
I too follow Gilad Atzmon and admire his commitment to taking the argument to where it logically goes.
There will be no 2SS but a single state which is not based on justice including a just reckoning up of the historic injustices inflicted upon the Palestinian people by Zionism will not end the conflict. There is room within the New Palestine for Jews but not for Jewish supremacy.
You mean a new country called Palestine, yes? Where ‘jews’ can live if they choose? There is one solution and one solution only when it comes to squatters……………………eviction, or extinction. Easy choice.
I find it hard to understand what Trump’s Israel policy is – because it changes from day to day.
But it usually is the same as Bibi’s after Bibi makes a phone call.
Correction, little Kushner gets a phone call, and then he tells POP what to do,
Also a known-known is that Qanon is also little KUSHNER
Same little Kushner, who BIBI used to stay over with back in the day when PA Kushner was not in prison.
Remember all here, that Sheldon-Adelson, owner of the worlds whore-houses funded dTrumps election,
Funniest thing of all is the Clinton’s daughter also married into the Jewish mafia. Maybe Trump&Clinton’s know something we don’t?
Omerta, IMHO it’s a Jackie Onassis play, e.g. after JFK was murdered her safest move, was to marry into the Greek Mafia; Clinton’s & Trumps both know this makes the “Made Familys”.
The Highwayman
Don’t worry, Trump doesn’t have the faintest clue either.
How the hell could any of us be expected to even begin to get our heads around it!
Cheers
Col
Trump’s policy of appeasing the Israeli lobby dates to his original courtship of evangelical voters and Israeli mega-donors during his 2016 campaign.
Since his election Trump has:
Imposed a « Muslim ban » preventing nationals from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Syria, Sudan, and Yemen from entering the United States
Closed the Palestinian Mission in Washington DC
Ended US payments to the Palestinian Authority
Relocated the US embassy to Jerusalem, with a new US embassy to be paid for in part by Macao gambling magnate Sheldon Adelson
Reneged on the JCPOA agreement and renewed US sanctions on Iran
Announced that the US is the sole global authority for determining International law thus approving Israel’s annexation of the Golan
Announced that the US will not oppose Israeli annexation of the West Bank
Further announced US hegemony over international law by stating that illegal settlements in the Occupied Territories of Palestine are now legal.
As a result, the Israeli regime and lobby has gained more US support via Trump’s leadership than it has from any other US regime.
https://strategika51.org/2019/11/20/trump-is-appeasing-the-wrong-people-by-steve-brown/
I would like to add to and emphasize my former comment since there was a mistake it should read UN is not exactly international law, not the opposite as it appears. It implies that the creation of sovereign nation of Israel is not supported by any international law. (And any expansion cannot be supported by international law).
It is not clear from my former comment that the wording jewish nation is synomynous with the wording of indian nation meaning a group of native americans, meaning in this case that while Mandate of Palestine created statehood for all citizens, the sovereign nation being Palestine, a jewish national home being established within that country that was to develope into an autonomous state (within Palestine).
The international law has thus been reversed.
While this is the international law being based on treaties, this is also corrupt international law especially in regard to modern standards of the right of the people to self determination, the people of Palestine was not consulted in the process. So while they may have accepted the solution if consulted since it appeared at the time while jews of Europe were being persecuted , it had widespread support. It was indeed the concensus among nations, approval being sought from Turkey (the empire), Austria-Hungary (empire) and the german empire, such that was sought by the UK.
Hope that this is more clear.
PS. Many jews did not support the creation of the state of Israel, and I support those views as well, which are based on the fear of systemic racism and totalitarianism. The creation of a totalitarian state for jews might be not that different from the creation of a german state for citizens of an aryan (german) race. Hannah Arendt was not supporting the creation of Israel, and she wrote “on the origin of totalitarinism” from the experiences of the nazi state of Germany. This is not to say that I am opposed to a jewish state in Palestine today, since there become the right of the jewish people in Palestine. It is the balanced approach to world problems that everyone has the same rights according to their situation as it changes. It is however important to understand the past in order to understand the present and the future, and I want to press the importance of international law.
I think that pres. Trump’s policies on Israel are corrupt. I do not however, place any trust in polls.
Please its all about Real Estate, Netanyahu himself has admitted that its a business, stealing Palestinian land and developing it, and selling to immigrants to ‘Israel’ ( stolen Palestinian land )
Then toss in Trump, the idea of developing stolen land probably has him in orgasm 24/7, Israel is his role model, in fact if the entire earth could be like Israel, that would be Trumps dreamland.
Just remember this going all the way back to Balfour Declaration that it was about stealing land, and reselling lots.
Even in 1933 Hitler sponsored 1,000’s of Zionist Jews to Migrate to Palestine, again to steal land and develop.
Once the hilariously televised collapse of the DC government is complete, true and verifiable self determination for the Lands and Peoples of America must be established. Once this is accomplished, Life can return and healing can begin.
What we are watching is the closest we can come to seeing what happened to the native Americans and Australians during the European Colonization period.The Israelis are using the updated modern version of that crime to destroy the native Palestinians.To slowly take their land,more and more and more each year.To drive them from their homes,carrel them in open air concentration ghettos,hoping they will die,immigrate,and/or just accept their fate. When they don’t they are beaten,jailed,and even killed. Its a horrible humanitarian crime. And the whole world see’s it and does nothing to stop it. They are more than willing to cry tears of sorrow over similar crimes hundreds of years ago.But one happening now,right now,that they know about and can see with their own eyes,nothing,they do nothing.
Are we really any better,we post about it,we comment and argue about it. But the Israelis move along with their atrocities,giving us all a big middle finger in response. There was a saying among Israelis I read about once,that goes something like “while Goys only complain,we Jews act”. And oh yes, they most certainly do that,37 dead so far,including a family of 8.The 2 parents and 6 children,in the ongoing bombing of the Gaza ghetto,the biggest prison ghetto in the world.With 2 million wretched and abused people imprisoned there.And that is only 1 of the many ghettos in Palestine.All the occupied Palestinian lands are walled in ghettos,to keep control of the millions of Palestinian “natives”.While the Israelis figure what their type of “final solution” they will inflict on that ever suffering population. And once again,while we all just watch it happen,”and the world turns”.
The Zionazi treatment of the imprisoned Palestinians is the very height of sadistic barbarity, but don’t dare say so. That makes you an ‘antisemite’, which accusation is, in fact, itself the height of Judeophobia, because it implies that all Jewish human beings are racist barbarians, when many, many, Jewish human beings oppose this Evil, for which basic human decency they are abused as ‘self-hating’.