Mishegaas

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1. Sarah says:

   January 3, 2008 at 1:25 pm

   I don’t know what YwL is, but well-educated on Jewish values and traditions he does not appear to be as he seems to be hating everyone and everything that isn’t exactly like him while a core belief of Judaism is that any righteous person will receive salvation. He isn’t funny either. Just pointless.

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2. Siviyo says:

   January 3, 2008 at 1:41 pm

   I’m verklempt.

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3. richard landes says:

   January 6, 2008 at 12:20 am

   thanks for your comment on my explanation for David Landau’s request to Condi that the US rape Israel. i do however, object to your implied categorization of me as “right”, and to your implied suggestion that i’m wrong about the “occupation” when i haven’t even published something on what Israel “ought to do.” my overall point is that, however annoying and even violent the settlements, they are not the source, cause, or main problem behind the “occupation.” indeed they are a drop in the bucket compared with the Palestinian/Arab/Muslim perception that the very existence of an autonomous Jewish state in the region is a theological blasphemy and an unbearable humiliation. so it’s got nothing to do with the “green line” and everything to do with the shore line. if that kind of realistic observation makes me a “right-winger”, then heaven help us all.

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4. Mobius says:

   January 6, 2008 at 1:04 am

   richard,

   i apologize if you feel misrepresented. you’ll have to excuse me if i took the inclusion of dhimmi watch, little green footballs, and pajamas media in your blogroll, as well as your championing of daniel pipes and your endless indictments against the palestinians and their supporters as an indication of your political orientation. it is certainly not uncommon for jews to hold liberal positions on every domestic issue and only go batshit crazy when it comes to israel. so perhaps you’re not a right-winger. perhaps you are indeed a liberal.

   …on everything except israel.

   as per your remarks concerning the main problem underlying the occupation, i will not bother to justify arab rejectionism (though i think one can make such a case legitimately).

   rather, what i will say is that the most interesting question for me, piqued, in fact, by your post upon which i initially remarked, is as to whether or not it is wise to withdraw from the territories — having the full awareness that it is the ethical and moral thing to do — while acknowledging that it will neither pacify israel’s enemies nor bolster israel’s standing in the world.

   israel certainly has a responsibility to its citizens to insure their safety, and withdrawing from the territories without a negotiated settlement (to which fatah, hamas, and islamic jihad adhere) will, in fact, only bring the rocket and sniper attacks all that much closer to israel’s major population centers. with this assessment, i cannot disagree. it is an inescapable fact and as a resolution to this situation i can offer no easy answers.

   however, i can say that the occupation does go to certain extremes. there are certain excesses that go beyond israel’s legitimate security needs: the often humiliating and degrading policies of the IDF towards palestinians, the endless complications heaped upon the average palestinian in the conduct of their daily affairs, and the act of settlement and the actions of settlers, only add to the anger, the animosity, and the hatred that commit palestinians to the destruction of israel.

   that said, i believe it is possible to provide for israel’s security without inflaming the situation by allowing — among other things — religious fundamentalists to run amok, enacting their own version of vigilante justice, by uprooting olive groves, cutting off water, staging attacks against arab villagers, and expanding their settlements onto lands from which palestinians draw their sustenance.

   there is no magickal sigil — no simple act — that israel can do that will resolve this conflict painlessly. however, israel as the occupier can act to minimize the pain and reduce the harm to everyone involved, should it only choose to do so.

   that israel and its supporters have grown completely callous and indifferent towards the suffering of palestinians is certainly understandable. but it’s neither acceptable nor forgivable. it is israel’s responsibility to ease the suffering of those it occupies, and to do so should not be considered rewarding terror nor abetting the enemy.

   i can accept not racing to withdraw from the west bank. i cannot accept indifference to the actions of yesha.

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5. Augean Stables » Right-wing, Left-wing: What is going on? says:

   January 7, 2008 at 6:55 am

   [...] website called Orthodox Anarchist put up a brief note on my post on David Landau: Augean Stable’ response to David Landua’s remark to Condoleezza [...]

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6. Richard Landes says:

   January 8, 2008 at 1:56 am

   thank you for your considered response, to which i have responded at length here.

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7. richard landes says:

   January 9, 2008 at 5:21 am

   please let me know when you’ve posted a response. some of the comments at my site are harsh, but i’m not prejudging anything about the way you think.
   r

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