Yalla Peace: The Hallucination of Peace

Yalla Peace: Hallucination of peace
By RAY HANANIA – 02/01/2012 JERUSALEM POST

It’s easier to argue incessantly than it is
to overcome our emotions and make compromises for peace.

Two of my “friends” on Facebook started going at it, as Facebook people often do, over my recent column analyzing the failure of Palestinian activists to achieve any of their goals.

The debate quickly got off-topic and started careening over the cliff of Palestinian-Israeli futility at a very high speed. It became obvious that neither was really listening to the other. Both were repeating the same old arguments that have muddled Palestinian-Israeli peace efforts.

It reminded me what the real problem Palestinians and Israeli face is: We don’t really care much about peace. We just like to argue. Arguing is a waste of time, of course. I know that when I write my columns “arguing” a “fact,” most Israelis won’t listen to me. They don’t listen to me period, based on the talkbacks to my columns here.

It’s a waste of time because the purpose of arguing isn’t to convince someone to change their mind. It’s a selfish exercise in ego and pride. We say things to each other to make ourselves feel as if we have struck a blow against the other. It’s a kind of twisted form of punishment.

No amount of arguing will change the futility of the failed peace process. We can blame each other, but it won’t matter. What will matter is if we decided to simply accept the reality of our circumstances. Palestinians believe something and Israelis believe something else.

Russian veto threat turns tables on biased American policies

Russian veto threat turns tables on biased American policies
By Ray Hanania – The United States and its allies planned to introduce tough new sanctions against the Government of Syria in the United Nations Security Council, but the Government of Russia has said “Nyet!”

Russia says it will not support international intervention in Syria where pro-Democracy protesters have been battling with the brutal regime of dictator Bashar al-Assad.

With a Russian veto guaranteed, there is no chance that the UN Security Council will be able to adopt tough sanctions to pressure Assad.

That’s a shame on one hand. The people of Syria have been brutalized long enough by the Syrian dictator, although in truth every Arab country is governed by a dictator of various levels of brutality and oppression.

On the other hand, now maybe the United States knows what it’s like to have politics stand in the way of justice.

Since 1948, the United States has acted far worse than any other member of the UN Security Council in using its veto to protect its political ally. Why should Russia, based on the American practice, be any different?

Singing the wrong kind of presidential tunes

Singing the wrong kind of presidential tune
By Ray Hanania -- What is it about singing candidates?

Last Thursday, President Barack Obama was crooning the line from a popular Al Green soul song, “Let’s Stay Together,” at a fundraiser he had at the Apollo Theater in Harlem.

This week, Mitt Romney sang “America the Beautiful” at a Florida Republican campaign rally giving it a Frank Sinatra-esque flare.

What’s going on? Are our presidents lining up for American Idol? Or, more likely, it’s just politics.

I have a feeling (Black Eyed Peas) that Obama was just being natural.

Some random thoughts about presidential politics

Some random thoughts about presidential politics
By RAY HANANIA • Friday, January 27, 2012
Voters in South Carolina apparently don’t think its that wrong to cheat on your wife, but they do think it’s wrong to cheat on Jesus.

That’s the message I got from the trouncing Newt Gingrich gave former Republican front-runner Mitt Romney there this week.

Gingrich has a documented history of mistreating his former wives. The accusations by his last wife that he wanted an “open marriage” didn’t seem to undermine the boost he received when Rick Perry withdrew from the election and urged his voters to back Gingrich.

In reality, Mitt Romney received more votes in South Carolina than he did in his prior contests. Gingrich though consolidated the Evangelical Christian vote, the hard right, that dominates South Carolina politics.

Yalla Peace: Palestinians’ worst enemy – themselves

Yalla Peace: Palestinians’ worst enemy – themselves
Ray Hanania — JERUSALEM POST – If the Israelis wanted to defeat the Palestinians, Israel would immediately recognize a Palestinian State in Gaza, the West Bank and even east Jerusalem rather than embrace policies that push Palestinians to unite. If they did that, all the Israelis would have to do is sit back and watch as the Palestinians tear themselves apart.

Yes, the tragedy of the Palestinians isn’t that they are victims of injustice at the hands of the Israelis. It is their own tendency to destroy themselves from within.

The most powerful factor keeping Palestinians together as a people is the anger they share in response to injustices by Israel. But that’s a pathetic reason for unity. Worse, anger easily turns into hatred and hatred easily turns into violence, terrorism and killings. And violence undermines even the most just of causes.

Palestinians hate Israelis but they hate themselves even more.

Lions and Syria and Falafel, Oye Vey!

Falafel and Lions and Syria, oh my!
By Ray Hanania — JERUSALEM POST – A day never passes when an Arab doesn’t complain about Israel. Of course, a day never passes when an Israeli doesn’t complain about the Arabs, either.

The complaints vary widely and cover everything from stealing food to violence.

A common complaint is Israel “stole” the falafel. Maybe. Israel has stolen Palestinian lands belong to Palestinians. But, can you really steal food?

I read recently where an Israeli official countered: did Israel also steal Italian food? Another Palestinian activist said he “snickers” whenever he sees a sign boasting of “Israeli falafel.”

In fairness, though, Israelis don’t go around bragging “Try our Israeli spaghetti” the way Israelis promote “Israeli falafel.”

But to be even more fair – is that allowed in the Arab-Israeli conflict? — many Israeli Jews are from Arab countries (Sephardic) and have been making falafel and other food delicacies for centuries, too.

Cyber wars could be better than rubber bullets

Cyber wars could be better than rubber bullets
By Ray Hanania – I quickly took notice when it was reported that someone, possibly Saudi computer geeks, had broken into the Israeli banking system to steal Israeli credit card numbers.

Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon (he’s the smart one) vowed to avenge the “terrorist act” by “Saudi terrorists.” Ayalon may have exaggerated the extent of the theft, though. Chances are the majority of the stolen credit cards belong to “Israelis” who are actually living in the United States.

But knowing how tough the Israelis are on violence, and on Arab members of the Knesset who think they have free speech without consequences, I fully expected Israel to launch an retaliatory cyber-strike against the Saudis.

So did the Saudis; they quickly announced that due to fears Israel would to act on its threats, planned reforms giving women the right to vote were being suspended.

I think one of the Saudi Sheiks huffed at Ayalon’s threats, declaring, “We don’t need credit cards.”

More on Fran Eaton and the Illinois Review’s campaign to push Tea Party candidates

Fran Eaton continues her hack job hypocriosy to help the GOP’s most extreme members
By Ray Hanania – Recently, as many South Suburbanites know from reading my columns, Fran Eaton, a rightwing political activist hack attacked me in her column at a little-known blog called “Illinois Review.” Eaton has been campaigning to turn the Republican Party into a pantry for the Tea Party so she and her pals, other rightwing nut jobs, can take over. That’s what she has been working on for years.

Click here to read my columns on the “Eaton scandal.”

During the scuffle, Eaton and the Illinois Review denied that she was pals with Patlak. Really? That’s a joke.

Just a few weeks ago Eaton wrote a scathing column attacking the Cook County Board of Review. (Click here to read that column.) Pretty obvious what she is saying, right. She’s attacking the Board of Review and blaming all of the Board’s problems and Illinois House Speaker Michael J. Madigan (which is ridiculous, by the way) and on the Democrats.

In fact — and here is where the Eaton pro-Tea Party spin machine falls in to place — Eaton wrote:

The powers-that-be who control the county board and county offices as well as the board of review (which hears tax assessment appeals) are all Democrats and so solidly in place that few, if any, challenge them during elections. It’s meaningless for the most part, and those in power know it. Welcome to the “benefits” of one-party rule.

“… Are all Democrats …” at the Cook County Board of Review. Hmmm. Why would she write that? Well, her pal, her buddy, her chum Dan Patlak is a member of the Cook County Board of Review. But Patlak is a Republican endorsed by the Republican Party and by Fran Eaton.

Technology, at what price?

Technology, at what price?
By Ray Hanania – In the rare moment when my son and I actually communicate together the old fashioned way, by speech, and we’re not texting, emailing, sending photographs or playing games on the Wii or XBox Connect systems, he asked me something that made me think.

“Dad, did you know that my iPad is more powerful than all the computers they used to send Neil Armstrong to the Moon in 1969?” he asked.

He was really making a statement in the form of a question, which is what kids do. They are uncertain but think they know the answer? I call it a “question-observation.”

Everyone says the advancements in technology are moving us into a greater age of communications and enlightenment.

But I wonder. And so should you.

Just what Israel needs – more Jewish sushi chefs

Just what Israel needs – more Jewish sushi chefs
By RAY HANANIA
01/03/2012 JERUSALEM POST

Yalla Peace: My real question though is
can investing in sushi chefs create peace?

If you have been reading the papers, you know that most sushi chefs in Israel are Asian. Now, I didn’t think that was so unusual until I realized that chop suey is probably one of the most popular Jewish foods in the world. Oh yes. Drive to any Jewish neighborhood in a Western city and it will be inundated with Chinese restaurants and take-out. (I’m not sure who I offended more with the stereotype so I apologize to everyone.)

You see, I always thought Chinese food was kosher. Every time my wife and I planned a celebration for some national holiday or event, I would suggest an Arab restaurant and she, being Jewish, would recommend Chinese take-out.

I always ask my wife, “what is Israeli food?” She’d always start out by naming recipes and foods that are clearly Arab like felafel, humous and shawarma.