Apartheid Paradigm Palestine-Israel Noam Chomsky Annapolis

Air date 27 nov 2007. Part 2/3

Not Through Annapolis: Noam Chomsky Says Path to Mideast Peace Lies in Popular Organizing Against U.S.-Israeli "Rejectionism"

Chomsky says U.S. backing of continued Israeli occupation and annexation of Palestinian land is the biggest obstacle to peace. He says: "The crimes against Palestinians... are so shocking that the only emotionally valid reaction is rage and a call for extreme actions. But that does not help the victims. And, in fact, it's likely to harm them. We have to face the reality that our actions have consequences, and they have to be adapted to real-world circumstances, difficult as it may be to stay calm in the face of shameful crimes in which we are directly and crucially implicated.

Leaders from around the world are gathering in Annapolis, Maryland today to take part in a U.S.-sponsored summit on the Middle East. President Bush met separately with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas at the White House on Monday. More than 40 organisations and countries, including Saudi Arabia and Syria, are attending the conference today. Hamas was not invited.

A final agenda has not yet been drawn up, but a draft of a joint document was leaked to the Israeli newspaper Haaretz. It makes no mention of the situation in Gaza or of core issues like the status of Jerusalem, settlements, borders, the separation wall and Palestinian refugees.

Chomsky recently spoke at a conference in Boston, sponsored by Sabeel, a Palestinian Christian organization. The conference was titled "The Apartheid Paradigm in Palestine-Israel: Highlighting Issues of Justice and Equality."

We begin with Noam Chomsky. A professor of linguistics at MIT for over half a century, Chomsky is the author of dozens of books on US foreign policy. His most recent is called "Failed States: The Abuse of Power and the Assault on Democracy." Chomsky spoke before a packed audience at Boston's historic Old South Church.

Transcript: http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/11/27/1547221

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• imperialism
• israeli
• usa
• occupation
• west
• bank
• gaza

[erablum2]

@gobuddyboy So I guess if someone is beating his wife there must be something wrong with her - otherwise, why would he beating her all the time

[rachelgolem]

Israel is just like South Africa, except the 18% HIV infection rate.

[gobuddyboy]

@mnc17 If Israel was such a righteous state, why would there be so many problem? Now you can blame hamas and the whole world but the fact is Israel is the problem. Israel is a dowm fall for the whole world

[mnc17]

Apartheid State? Facts about Arabs living in Israel:

- 1.4 million Arab-Israelis live within Israel

- there are 5 official Arab parties

- Arab-Israelis make up 20 percent of the total population

- Arabic is an official language and equal footing with Hebrew

- Arabs have held as many as 12 of 120 seats in the Israeli parliament

- all Arab municipalities receive government funding for education and infrastructure.

[LearnedHand2008]

@Englishdosser86

Well, I guess you don't stand behind it. Thank you for conceding the point. Hamas doesn't want better conditions for Gazans. If it did, it would take the extremely simple step of recognizing Israel's international border with Gaza.

[LearnedHand2008]

We were arguing about the truth of the proposition that "Hamas wants to improve conditions for Palestinians." You made the statement, asserting it to be true. I argued that it was false, and that your making it demonstrated a pro-Hamas bias.

Do you stand by this assertion or not?

[Englishdosser86]

@LearnedHand2008 I keep re-reading what I've written and I do not understand how you have constructed this whole tangent. I also can not believe that I was trying to reason with you regarding it. It seems absolutely crazy. You are dictating a belief I do not hold and requesting an explanation of it. When I explain I do not hold it, you say I don't believe you. What is the point of arguing over this?