The Obama "To Make Important Middle East Speech" MEGATHREAD

[Malthus]

There is nothing new in the speech re Israel/Palestine, it is just reaffermation of previous positions.

What is new, is Bibi's rejectionist stance. There can be no peace progress with Bibi in charge, since he'll just find ways to reject everything.   

Mind you, any progress at all appears unlikely these days, given the recent PA-Hamas amalgamation - with Hamas insisting as a condition that there be no backing down from its 'kill everyone in Israel' policy.

It's going to be hard to get any negotiations going with Bibi on one end, and a Hamas-dominated PA on the other. Obama's speech is whistling in the wind - until, that is, those two problems (Bibi and Hamas/PA) are solved. 

[Tamas]

What the gypsy said.  A serious peace proposal has to include both the return of land captured in 67 and some sort of security guarantees for Israel (plus some sugar daddy paying off the 48ers).

Thanks for agreeing with me, gook.

[KRonn]

That said, retreating from anywhere seems like fucked up silly idea from Israel's POV. All their Gaza pullout ever established was giving a playground and missile silo to Hamas, and even if the leaders make peace, the dirt-poor palestinians will look at the territory of Israel as their birthright and only salvation for centuries to come.

I saw President Obama in another speech, I think it was his first Mid East speech. In that he said just the opposite, that Israel going back to the 1967 borders was not an option, that they should keep their capitol in Jersualem, etc. So this latest speech appears to be going back on that?

[Tamas]

It's going to be hard to get any negotiations going with Bibi on one end, and a Hamas-dominated PA on the other. Obama's speech is whistling in the wind - until, that is, those two problems (Bibi and Hamas/PA) are solved.

[Malthus]

 

I was thinking more along the line of elections.

[Admiral Yi]

Thanks for agreeing with me, gook.

Half breed.  Now go steal me a horse.

[Tamas]

Thanks for agreeing with me, gook.

Half breed.  Now go steal me a horse.

you started it!

[Admiral Yi]

you started it!

Why are you angry?  I was just clarifying that I'm a half breed, not a gook.  And stealing horses is like breathing to you people.

[Tamas]

you started it!

Why are you angry?  I was just clarifying that I'm a half breed, not a gook.  And stealing horses is like breathing to you people.

[Admiral Yi]

So hot blooded.  So quick to take offense.

[derspiess]

What the gypsy said.  A serious peace proposal has to include both the return of land captured in 67 and some sort of security guarantees for Israel (plus some sugar daddy paying off the 48ers).

Wait, so we finally found a foreign policy item on which you have some disagreement with the Obama administration?

[derspiess]

you started it!

Why are you angry?  I was just clarifying that I'm a half breed, not a gook.  And stealing horses is like breathing to you people.

Is demi-gook the appropriate label, then?  Or Gawkeye? 

[Malthus]

you started it!

Why are you angry?  I was just clarifying that I'm a half breed, not a gook.  And stealing horses is like breathing to you people.

Is demi-gook the appropriate label, then?  Or Gawkeye? 

I would have thought "Far Eastern Elvis"

[Neil]

Watching the ultra-right go apeshit over nothing is amusing.  Siegebreaker should be good for a laugh.

[grumbler]

What the gypsy said.  A serious peace proposal has to include both the return of land captured in 67 and some sort of security guarantees for Israel (plus some sugar daddy paying off the 48ers).

Yep.  And even if this were offered and guaranteed, domestic politics on one side or both might still make it impossible.