Coming February 6, 2024 . . .
MURDER, POLITICS, AND THE END OF THE JAZZ AGE
by Michael Wolraich
Pre-order at Barnes & Noble / Amazon / Books-A-Million / Bookshop
Coming February 6, 2024 . . . MURDER, POLITICS, AND THE END OF THE JAZZ AGE by Michael Wolraich Pre-order at Barnes & Noble / Amazon / Books-A-Million / Bookshop |
Secretary Kerry is supposed to release his framework for a final peace agreement between Israelis and Palestinians, and John Judis gives us a peek at what me might expect to come from Kerry. Worth a read if you're interested in this stuff, I think. I just downloaded it and look forward to reading it.
Also, Ari Shavit, long-time columnist for Haaretz, has written My Promised Land: The Triumph and Tragedy of Israel and from the reviews I've written it is a brutally honest account of Israel and its sixty-five year existence and seems to be a must-read for anyone interested. Here's Leon Wieseltier's review from the NYTs, and here's a review from a less enthusiastic Jerome Slater in Mondoweiss. I've read both.
Comments
From Judis:
On settlements and land-swaps:
The agreement would permit between 75 and 80 percent of Israeli settlers in the West Bank through land swaps. What settlements would remain, and what Israel would cede was not discussed in the briefings, but it’s likely that large settlements like Maale Adumim, where the controversial Soda Stream is produced, will become part of Israel under the agreement.
On the Security Zone at the Jordanian border:
A security zone would be established along the Jordan River. That’s different from a security zone inside the Jordan Valley. A security zone along the river could be a mile or two wide, and would consist of electrified fences and unmanned aerial vehicles of some kind. The Israel Defense Force would be part of the armed forces policing this zone, but only for a specified time. Abbas has mentioned three years. The Israelis have talked about ten years. [My note: If Abbas and Netanyahu or disputing the length of time as opposed to the concept of a security zone, then that, I think, is a big step.
On Jewish and Palestinian Refugees:
Palestinian refugees would receive some kind of compensation, but so would Jewish refugees who fled, and in many cases were forced to flee, places like Iraq Syria, and Egypt after 1947. (Estimates are that about 500,000 of these refugees settled in Israel between 1947 and 1972.) That provision, one of the Jewish leaders commented, was meant as a “sweetener” to the Israelis.
On recognition of the 1947 UN Designation of a Jewish State:
The Palestinians would recognize Israel as the nation of the Jewish people, and the Israelis would recognize Palestine as the nation of the Palestinian people.
On Jerusalem:
But one critical issue was left vague and unresolved. The framework will not propose a way of dealing with the future of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and Palestine. “That’s the biggie,” one person involved in the calls commented.
by Bruce Levine on Sun, 02/02/2014 - 3:11pm
Although doing land swaps without regard for the wishes of the people living on the land would be illiberal, we may have to swallow it if we want a two-state solution.
by Aaron Carine on Sun, 02/02/2014 - 6:56pm