Ehud Olmert, the failure of Annapolis, and the One State Solution

Unbelievable interview with Israeli PM Ehud Olmert is featured in today's edition of Haaretz. Well, maybe not so unbelievable. Olmert is quoted as saying that as soon as a "South African style" struggle for equal voting rights is realized in Israel/Palestine, whereby the whole of the Palestinian population both inside the Green Line and in the Occupied Territories is recognized along one man/one vote lines, "the state of Israel is finished." Aside from officially establishing the thoroughly racist nature of the Israeli state--no surprise to anyone with half a brain--Olmert makes some other fascinating moves in the interview. He claims that any "peace process" will require "patience and sophistication" on the part of the Israelis (time not healing all wounds, but rather enabling apartheid walls and illegal settlements to become facts on the ground); he also lambastes an already-embarrassing "leader," Mahmoud Abbas, calling him "a weak partner [in the peace talks], and, as Tony Blair says, [one who] has yet to formulate the tools and may not manage to do so." Loyal NE readers, may we be the first to inform you: we are through the looking-glass.

Olmert's interview makes a recent "declaration" in the Electronic Intifada (co-written, among others, by Joseph Massad, Ilan Pappe, and Ali Abunimah) seem all the more poignant, if not utterly impossible in practice. In the piece, its authors make all the historically legitimate arguments as to why the "One-State Solution" is the only honest and fair one available; yet, and especially in the light of Olmert's Haaretz interview, it fails to acknowledge that, at the "official" level of Israeli politics, it is a complete and utter non-starter. Such is the paradox faced by the One-Staties: a thoroughly legitimate premise that is, it seems, impossible to realize.

Ahmad on Pakistan, cont

Thanks to NE BFF J. Loose for alerting us to Aijaz Ahmad's latest interview with the Real News, in which he once again sheds light on the current political situation in Pakistan; here, Ahmed discusses the US government's dependence on the Pakistani military, a relationship that the US will maintain even, if necessary, at the expense its support of general Musharraf.

Fear and Loathing in Anne Arundel County

Today is the day (or at least the paltry reenactment) we've all been waiting for since September 1993 in the Rose Garden at the White House. The Annapolis "conference"--complete with its own PowerPoint-style background graphic--has been roundly ridiculed in recent weeks, with Olmert and Bush firmly rejecting any discussion of final status issues such as the status of Jerusalem or the right of return of Palestinian refugees (which would thereby invalidate the racist Zionist project), and Mahmoud Abbas seemingly more willing than ever to kowtow to American and Israeli diktats. We first here provide you with a powerful report from Gaza, courtesy of Laila El-Haddad and the Electronic Intifada.

"If it were easy [achieving the goal of establishing peace between Israel and Palestine], it would have happened a long time ago" said George Bush...and we'll leave it to our faithful readers to fill in the flagrant historical and ideological gaps in this statement.

For now, an article by NE favorites Kathleen and Bill Christison will do more than suffice.

The Democrats and "The politics of Iraq"

Today's New York Times dutifully reports that the Democratic candidates for President, given recent "security improvements" in Iraq, have decided to move beyond Iraq as a political talking point. Acknowledging (and not, it appears, questioning) the "successes" generated by the Bush administration's troop surge, the Democrats have decided to focus on domestic matters that weigh heavily on the American electorate.

This article indeed provides a sense of Democratic (cop-out) sentiment these days, moving from Hillary Clinton's praise of US troops and their ability to accomplish any task put in front of them, no matter how nefarious, misguided, or illegal; to Barack Obama, who simultaneously harps on about the price of oil and speaks of an invasion of Iran; to the Democrats' recent move to enlist Ricardo Sanchez in their efforts to continue blaming Iraqi politicians for the results of the war.

News From Nowhere

Haaretz reports, to no one's surprise, that 'Israel and the PA have failed to reach a joint statement' prior to this coming week's conference in Annapolis, which likely will quickly join Madrid and Oslo in the group of cities that have hosted woefully misguided 'peace conferences' between Israel and the Palestinians, sponsored by the 'honest broker' that the US purports to be.

This among reports that envoys from Saudi Arabia will be present in Annapolis; this promise referred to a perceived 'Arab consensus' to support the talks, despite the fact that the Arab states have continually failed to rally behind the Palestinians for 40 years. Good news, though: Condoleezza Rice has been charged with the task of producing the summit's final statement, should the Israel and the Pa be unable to reach some sort of consensus. Thus spoke Ismail Haniyeh today:

"We realize that this conference was stillborn and is not going to achieve for the Palestinian people any of its goals or any of the political and legal rights due to them."

Unfortunately, we assume he'll be proven right.

Thanksgiving

Computer problems! Stay tuned for a extra-long post tomorrow.

Annapolis Notes 1

In the lead article for yesterday's issue of Counterpunch, Oren Ben-Dor provides some important context for the upcoming Annapolis conference: as we mentioned in a recent NE post, Olmert has stressed that a "core issue" for the talks will be Palestine's recognition of Israel as a "Jewish state." As many critics have pointed out, Palestinian leaders have already recognized Israel as a state, and as Ben-Dor shows, this new wording has important implications. Also addressing this question is Uri Avnery in another article for the same publication. Avnery describes the conference as a "pipedream...without any preceding strategic planning, any careful preparations, anything much at all." Among other things, Avnery reminds us of the Knesset's very recent adoption of a bill that restricts any change of the borders of Greater Jerusalem without a 2/3 majority, in effect banning Olmert from giving up any Palestinian villages annexed to Jerusalem in 1967.

Bill Keller and Co. continue to sell an unpopular war, but with some heart; plus Eagleton and Amis Revisited

Today's lead article in the New York Times is not, we must stress, a whitewash. It does, of course, give Iraq War apologists something to point to and say: "See, we told you it would take time, but we've really been doing the right thing all along." But as Voices in the Wilderness's Jeff Guntzel points out in two different places, such stories, while desperately important, usually end up telling only half of the story.

In a crucial piece for the Guardian, Ronan Bennett has added to the scarce debate surrounding the row between University of Manchester's own Terry Eagleton and its recent appointment, Martin Amis. In it, he takes to task those in the British media who have trivialized the indirect exchange between Eagleton and Amis, presenting it as merely a "spat" between two well-known figures with incommensurable politics, rather than as a troublesome reflection of issues surrounding race, immigration, religion, and terrorism in the UK. Bennett laments the fact that Amis seems to have gotten off the hook regarding his thoroughly racist remarks and subsequently inadequate and deeply suspect attempts at explaining himself. We're still with Terry on this one, and Bennett does us the service of explaining exactly why we ought to be.

Lebanon "at the brink of an abyss"

With all that's going on in Iran, Pakistan, and Venezuela, we haven't been posting much about Lebanon, but this article by Karim Makdisi is a welcome and insightful look at the current crisis in Lebanese politics. Makdisi spends a lot of time discussing the core of the dispute surrounding the upcoming presidential election, detailing the positions of both the pro-US March 14 Coalition (who call for an immediate disarming of Hizbullah and avoidance in Lebanon of larger regional problems) and the opposition (who consider their March 14 opponents proponents of Israel/the US), but he also explains the potential problems that may result in the next two years, even if a consensus is reached.

Siniora must step down on the November 23, so we'll try to keep NE readers posted on what is going on in the next two days.

Annapolis 2007

In light of the upcoming Annapolis conference, NE presents you with the latest by Khaled Amayreh from this week's Al-Ahram. The piece outlines where Israeli and Palestinian politicians stand on issues related to the American roadmap for peace in the middle east, which both sides have agreed will form the basis for the Annapolis discussions, pointing out once again the divergence in Israeli and Palestinian opinion as to what the roadmap actually means (not to mention whether Bush's audacious pledge more than two years ago that Israel could retain major settlements in the West Bank counts as part of the plan). Amayreh also considers Israel's racist demand that Palestine recognize Israel as a Jewish state (the pre-condition, Olmert claims, to Israel's involvement in any negotiations, let alone its recognition of Palestine), outlining what such a concession would mean for Palestinian citizens in Israel as well as the Palestinian right of return.

All of this, of course, sounds eerily familiar, and if you haven't read it yet, NE recommends you take a look at the late Tanya Reinhardt's Israel/Palestine: How to end the War of 1948 (2002, Seven Stories Press) and The Road Map to Nowhere: Israel/Palestine Since 2003 (2003, Verso Books).

Also from Al-Ahram: it would appear that Israeli rhetoric toward Egypt has outflanked even that of the US regarding Iran. Journalist Saleh al-Naami writes that " The Israeli security establishment appears determined to deal with Egypt as if the two countries were at war," most recently appealing to the US Senators for passing of a resolution that would freeze $200 million dollars of American aid to Egypt, the purported motivation behind which is punishment for Egypt's "failure" to curtail the smuggling of arms into Gaza. Even Israel, possessing a large and undeclared nuclear arsenal, is putting pressure on the "international community" to shut down Egypt's publicly-known nuclear energy program.

"An extraordinary experiment...in centralized, oil-fueled socialism"

Hugo Chavez's rule in Venezuela has taken new (if not unexpected) turns in recent weeks. What's happening in Venezuela is undeniably interesting, but we at NE are trying to temper our excitement with an awareness that Chavez, while making great strides towards a socialist ideal, is at the same time consolidating a cult of personality around himself and his office--an almost Stalinist fetishization of power/presidential office (though we'd like to assume that Chavez has no sympathy for Stalinism). The effects of the move Chavez has made are thoroughly unpredictable; his opposition calls it a textbook coup d'etat, but even the New York Times has deemed it an extraordinary socialist experiment. We should consider a nation-wide group of players in judging Chavez's latest move to consolidate the functions of the Venezuelan government, from the army (composed of both Chavistas and pro-Western loyalists) to Venezuelan farmers, who have have lost the impetus to mass-produce crops due to Chavez's initiative to drive down the price of food to accommodate the Venezuelan poor. What is happening in Venezuela is undoubtedly among the most interesting and exciting of political developments in recent years, and things seem to be moving quite rapidly--even some of those who called themselves Chavistas as recently as one week ago have changed camps--so we'll be sure to keep you posted.

We refer you to this piece by Federico Fuentes, which highlights the threats still looming for Chavez from the Venezuelan right, as well as an article from Gabriel Hetland, which draws attention to the contradictions which have been inherent in Chavez's Bolivarian revolution from the outset.

Among Venezuela, Pakistan, and Iran, we've got our fucking hands full.

Well-Made World 27

Graham Usher's latest article in Al-Ahram is a helpful assessment of Benazir Bhutto's decision to refuse the possibility of talks between her and Musharraf. Also in this week's issue of Al-Ahram is a piece by Azmi Bishara which includes some commentary on Musharraf (as well as on the death of Enola Gay pilot General Paul Tibbets, America as a nuclear power, and Lebanon).

Aijaz Ahmed and The Real News

If you haven't taken a moment to check out the ever-insightful Aijaz Ahmed on The Real News, now might be a good time. He has two new interviews up today, one on the new IAEA report and another on General Musharraf 's political future, so make sure to have a look.

Well-Made World 26

Here's another article from Frank Rich from a few days ago and stillworth the read. Rich compares the recent controversy (or lack thereof) surrounding Michael B. Mukasey's nomination for attorney generalto the current situation in Pakistan; particularly interesting to NEreaders in the face of upcoming presidential nominations, however, isone of Chuck Schumer's main arguments regarding his role in ensuringMukasey's nomination: simply that hes not as frightful as Gonzalez orthe acting attorney general who might otherwise be in line for theposition. Rich points out that in this statement and elsewhere,democrats like Schumer "sounded whipped." The democrats' impotency,of course, is old news, but more importantly, such comments remind usthat the democrats' pathetic "anybody but Bush" strategy from the lastpresidential election still quite miraculously figures in theircurrent strategy.

Also, may we direct you to an ongoing series from Alexander Cockburn and Jeffrey St Clair on the history/candidacy of Hillary Clinton, in (thus far) parts one and two (of three).

Works Consulted #7

Edith Wharton, The House of Mirth (New York,1980)
Benedict Anderson, Imagined Communities: Reflections on the Origin and Spread of Nationalism (London, 1983)
Ayi Kwei Armah, The Beautyful Ones are Not Yet Born (London, 1968)
Neil Lazarus, 'Pessimism of the Intellect, Optimism of the Will: A Reading of Ayi Kwei Armah's The Beautyful Ones Are Not Yet Born' ('Research in African Literature' 18, 1982); "Great Expectations and after: The Politics of Postcolonialism in African Fiction" (Social Text, 1982)
Ghassan Kanafani, The 1936-39 Revolt in Palestine (New York, 1972)
Samuel Coleridge and William Wordsworth, Lyrical Ballads, with a few Other Poems (Bristol, 1798)
Theodore W. Allen, The Invention of the White Race, Volume One: Racial Oppression and Social Control (London 1994)
M. Keith Booker, Ulysses, Colonialism, and Capitalism: Reading Joyce After the Cold War (Connecticut, 2001)
Derek Attridge and Marjorie Howes, eds., Semicolonial Joyce (Cambridge, 2000)
Fredric Jameson, The Ideologies of Theory, Essays 1971-1986; Volume 1: Situations of Theory, foreword by Neil Larsen (London, 1988), Postmodernism; or the Cultural Logic of Late Capitalism (London, 1991)
Frantz Fanon, The Wretched of the Earth, Constance Farrington, trans.; (France, 1961); L'An Cinq de la revolution algerienne/A Dying Colonialism (New York, 1970)
Peter Dews, Logics of Disintegration: Post-Structuralist Thought and the Claims of Critical Theory (London, 1987)
Raymond Williams, The Long Revolution (London, 1961)
Rene Wellek and Austin Warren, Theory of Literature (London, 1949)

Well-Made World 25

We're generally of two minds about Frank Rich, but his NYT opinion piece this past Sunday, whose title borrows from Joe Biden's pitch-perfect one-liner on Rudy Giuliani, is a worthwhile read. Rich muses on the idea that, for all of its swaggering and bluster, if the Bush administration does not wage an attack inside Iran, it could spell curtains for any Democratic hope of winning the White House next year.

Speaking of Giuliani, here's what he had to say recently about an old pal (guess who!):
"Sure, there were issues, but if I have the same degree of success and failure as president of the United States, this country will be in great shape."
Meanwhile, that old pal's legal troubles just won't go away...

The Guardian's US correspondent, the wonderful Gary Younge, spoke recently with Angela Davis, who comments eloquently on, among other things: the current state of race relations in the United States; the incorporation of her iconic image into American popular culture (akin to the t-shirtization of Che Guevara); the regressive nature of the political appointments given to Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice; and the candidacy of Barack Obama, who, she says, represents "a model of diversity as the difference that makes no difference, the change that brings about no change."