Must read from TPM's M. J. Rosenberg: So what is the blockade about?

[flpoljunkie]

So what is the blockade about?

It is not about stopping terrorism. Hamas has repeatedly offered Israel an indefinite cease-fire in exchange for lifting the blockade. And, on a half dozen occasions, Israel accepted the deal but did not live up to its side of it. In fact, the 2009 war began after Israel ignored its commitments under the Gaza cease-fire agreement, continued the blockade, and then provoked the resumption of attacks on Sderot through a series of targeted assassinations of Palestinians (Israel claims that no cease-fire agreement curtails its right to kill any Palestinian it deems to be a terrorist).

Israel asserts that it will not accept any long-term cease-fire agreement with Hamas because Hamas does not recognize its right to exist.

But Israel does not need the permission of anyone -- let alone Hamas -- to exist. All it needs from Hamas is an end to violence and that is precisely what Hamas is offering, in exchange for lifting the blockade.

This is not to say that Hamas need never recognize Israel. It should. But it is ridiculous to insist on recognition as a precondition for anything. Recognition would be the end result of negotiations, not a precondition for it.

But that is not what Israel wants. It wants to destroy Hamas because it is a terrorist organization. And that makes sense until one realizes that the African National Congress, Sinn Fein, the Israeli Irgun, the Algerian FLN and a host of other resistance movements were called terrorist organizations before negotiations brought them to power. Former Israeli Prime Ministers Menachem Begin and Yitzhak Shamir were both unabashed terrorists prior to their entrance into respectable politics. And so what? If dealing with terrorists -- as Israel has repeatedly done with Hezbollah -- will help achieve a worthy goal, why not do it? After all, if negotiations fail, one can always walk away.

But Israel will not change its self-defeating policies until we change ours. And there is no evidence that is happening (at least, not until after the November elections, for obvious reasons).

For now, our policies are joined at the hip with Israel's. We support the blockade of Gaza. We oppose any efforts at reconciliation between Fatah and Hamas. We even back Israel's opposition to the Arab Peace Initiative, which offers Israel full peace and normalization of relations with every Arab country in exchange for the creation of a Palestinian state in the West Bank, Gaza, and East Jerusalem.

Enough is enough. The Obama administration needs to join the rest of the world in demanding an end to the Gaza blockade as a first big step toward the resumption of negotiations.

http://tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/06/02/lying_about_the_gaza_flotilla_attack/#more

[Jennicut]

1. I think Obama does get that it is a total mess of a policy

on Israel's part:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/03/world/middleeast/03policy.html

Now, Obama needs to pressure Bibi as their only allies left.

[asphalt.jungle]

3. obama's pressure would ultimately be toothless and embarassing to him

because he would be doing it alone. the republicans reflexively are against everything he's for and the vast majority of dems are so beholden to the israeli lobby that they would openly revolt against him if he did anything that the right wingnuts in israel deem too far. darlings of this board like anthony weiner would pull out samurai swords -- forget knives -- to lop his head off. pelosi would have bi-partisan support for a resolution stating how congress stands with israel and have their backs.

he doesn't have any powerful allies in the quest to pressure israel. well people pat buchanan would be allies, but that's not exactly a good endorsement is it? that's the goal of the isreali lobby and why it's so strong and why it's almost impossible for an american president, republican or democrat to make real demands. they have both sides of the isle in their corner. h.w. bush got smacked down with the quickness when he pointed out the ridiculousness of the situation.

[Jennicut]

4. Yes, sadly I do agree Obama would go along alone on this.

When both parties are controlled by AIPAC,etc. it is near impossible.

[asphalt.jungle]

5. israel can basically laugh at anything he says

because they know congress controls the purse strings and their aid won't be touched. congress gets on their knees at the drop of a hat so it's basically a "yeah whatever *rolling eyes*" response from them. make a few calls and schumer, lieberman and weiner are on the attack telling obama what he can and can't do if he wants his domestic agenda accomplished.

[damntexdem]

2. Somalia and Israel: two nations that are sources of piracy.

But at least Somalia doesn't send out its armed forces to perpetrate it.

The Gaza blockade must be ended, whether by Israel or by outside force.

As to Hamas, to hell with it -- it is the moral equivalent of the IDF and the Israeli government.