Best Of

Interesting interview with Jeffery Sachs about the Israeli settlers

He makes an interesting point (around 28 minutes in) regarding a two state solution..

"There are two possibilities. Basically, the Israeli government says explicitly every day, 'We will control Gaza.' Well, there can be no peace on that basis, and my guess is no ceasefire, even if that were to lead to that outcome at the end of a period. The other possibility is what has been part of international law for 57 years, and that is a Palestinian State. My own view is that the UN Security Council, and of course it would do it if the US would not veto it, should immediately recognize a Palestinian State as the 194th member state of the United Nations upfront. Not at the end of a process, but upfront. The rest can follow, but I would make that the fact on which all the rest happens. So that it's negotiations between two sovereign states. And this, to my mind, would flip the kind of phony process and the failed process of the last dozens of years."

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Irish lawyer's powerful speech spelling out case against Israel for crimes against Palestine

25. Mr. President, I wish to turn now to the question of self-determination. As submitted in our written statement, Ireland has concluded that – by its prolonged occupation of Palestinian lands and continuous settlement activity on those lands – Israel has prevented the exercise by the Palestinian people of their right to self-determination. The principle of self-determination is a fundamental principle of international law, enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations and the two 1966 International Covenants on Civil and Political Rights and on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. The content of that principle was elaborated in the 1970 Declaration on Friendly Relations, adopted by consensus at the General Assembly. That Declaration makes clear that:

‘Every State has the duty to promote, through joint and separate action, realization of the principle of equal rights and self-determination of peoples … bearing in mind that subjection of peoples to alien subjugation, domination and exploitation constitutes a violation of the principle, as well as a denial of fundamental human rights, and is contrary to the Charter.’

26. The Declaration solemnly proclaims that ‘(e)very State has the duty to refrain from any forcible action which deprives peoples … in the elaboration of the present principle of their right to self-determination and freedom and independence.’

27. In the Wall case, the Court found that the construction of the wall and its associated regime severely impeded the exercise by the Palestinian people of their right to self-determination. It therefore breached Israel’s obligation to respect that right. In Ireland’s view, the combination of Israel’s prolonged occupation of the OPT and its escalating settlement activity has done so on a far greater scale. That escalating activity has increasingly fragmented Palestinian presence upon – and restricted Palestinian use of – the land and natural resources of the Palestinian people. It threatens the viability of a future Palestinian State. The nature, scale and duration of settlement activity is such that its purpose can only be to permanently obstruct the exercise of the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination.

For those interested, the full transcript of the speech can be found "HERE"

Hmm I wonder what the US, UK and the Israeli government have got planned to try and distract public attention away from these hearings...Perhaps more illegal bombing raids to ramp up tension in the Middle East ... ( There's nothing like a war to distract public attention away from the real issues)

The feeble attempts made by the "Three Um Egos" to conceal their true motives for their illegal actions would be comical if it weren't for the fact that innocent lives are at risk.

@Shoshin1 said:
No doubt this shift in support for Israel has given anti Semites the green light to express their vile, hateful rhetoric more openly...

Well, it's happening. According to the ADL, anti-Semitism has gone up 388% since Oct. 7. Now, I don't know how they define anti-Semitism - if things they call anti-Semitic are really anti-Israeli. Not the same thing IYAM. Regardless, there are a lot of people in the US who have bad feelings towards Israel and Jews.

The lines can easily become blurred between anti Semitism and anti Israeli government, perhaps this is what Netanyahu wanted all along...

Well, it's been going on for a long time. Some people think that anti-Israel and anti-Jew are the same thing. And they want us to believe that, so Israel can get away with whatever they want simply by playing the anti-Semitism card and the US government shits the bed.

Being honest about it, I dropped the whole concept of religion in any form some time ago. Instead for a few years now I have been searching through the words of those who are held to be enlightened, in a search for truth and freedom. These of course included the Buddha, but also people like Papaji, Osho, UG Krishnamurti, and others.

It was Osho who said, religion is largely a product of the priests, with only its deepest roots in the resonant concepts of enlightened sages. Therefore, don’t be a Buddhist, but be a Buddha. And if you have to ask ‘how’ that just shows you are still in the clutches of the mind. Just trust that you are a Buddha and let go.

I was considering freedom a while ago, and I realised one of the great things about the words of the enlightened was that they make you more free. Freedom from conditioning, from illusion, from desire, from clinging, even from the spiritual search itself. Freedom is the natural consequence of letting go of clinging in all its forms.

What is left in the end is certain core principles, like Love, Truth and Being. These seem to function like rudders guiding your essence.

@Shoshin1 said:
Interesting...
Where's My State? BLACK/JEWISH CLASH on One State Solution (w/ Rep. Dean Phillips)

Is a one state solution a solution, or the source of the problem? Why not adopt America's pluralistic attitude toward religion? Is it true that Jewish people are unique among religions or ethnic groups in not getting a state? Does a group need a state to be safe? If so, what does that mean for Black Americans, Hindus, Sikhs or Athiests -- none of whom have states but who number much greater than the Jewish population? This was a spicy debate cut short by circumstances. What do you think?

Dean Phillips is my congressman and I like Briahna as a progressive who is willing to platform and talk to people with different views than hers. I see her more on The Hill or when she comes on to other people's podcasts.

To me the crux of the disagreement here boiled down to whether the state of Israel is legitimate or not. Its where Briahna retreated to when pressed and Dean repeatedly talked about Israel being under constant attack since its founding. I guess my question in that context is whether undoing the state of Israel is a legitimate goal? To what extent can that "original sin" be undone?

@person said:
This reminds me of a feeling I've held about spirituality. I've engaged with it at a character level rather than a personality level, if that makes any sense.

Yes it does, character is a layer deeper than personality which is more superficial. In the same way, engaging with the words of the enlightened is a deeper level than being part of a religion.

But in a way, that is also a hazard. Taking in a lot of powerful concepts from different sources can be confusing. That means, not taking in too much, taking it lightly where appropriate, meditating on where your personal emphasis lies, are all important.

For me, freedom from conditioning was a good starting point. Science, materialism, skepticism, the democratic left, eco-activism, Christianity are all prevalent sources of conditioning worth examining closely.

Interesting...
Where's My State? BLACK/JEWISH CLASH on One State Solution (w/ Rep. Dean Phillips)

Is a one state solution a solution, or the source of the problem? Why not adopt America's pluralistic attitude toward religion? Is it true that Jewish people are unique among religions or ethnic groups in not getting a state? Does a group need a state to be safe? If so, what does that mean for Black Americans, Hindus, Sikhs or Athiests -- none of whom have states but who number much greater than the Jewish population? This was a spicy debate cut short by circumstances. What do you think?