Passion and Pragmatism
In a pro-Israel rally yesterday outside the Permanent Mission of Syria to the U.N., Observer contributor John Koblin reports, Anthony Weiner and Eliot Engel both singled out Syria for enabling Hezbollah's recent missile attacks.
Weiner began his speech to the crowd of more than 100 demonstrators by citing a Damascus connection to the missiles that struck Israel over the weekend, while Engel urged the international community to "isolate Syria."
Rabbi Avi Weiss, who organized the event, explained that the choice of Syrian Mission as the day's venue mostly came down to simple logistics: he had actually wanted to stage the event outside the Iranian consulate, but it was too far from the Israeli Permanent Mission, where the rally ended.
A much larger demonstration in support of Israel is scheduled today for 12:00 outside the U.N.
-- Josh Benson
In other words, the Israel lobby is not satisfied with the bloodbath in Iraq, they want to extend it into Lebanon, and Syria, and Iran.
Oh wait, I can't say that here, even if it's true... that would offend your Upper West Side Jewish constituency. Hey, look everyone, let's make fun of the schvatzers in Brooklyn!
And by the way, no mention of the Tuesday demo condemning the current Israeli slaughters in Gaza and Lebanon? Oh wait, that's right, too busy making fun of schvatzers in Brooklyn.
Weiner is right to raise the issue about who is supplying those missiles being lobbed into civilian communities in the heart of Israel. The commenters above are idiots to assume that saying Syria is responsible is to necessarily call for a war against Syria. But ignoring Syria's responsibility would be a terrible error.
glad Anon (2 posts) has such an open mind that his/her brains fell out...
Olmert was a moving force behind the giveback of Gaza last summer and was preparing major return of west bank land until Hamas became Palesinian government. Now Hezbollah is the de facto government of Lebanon and both have been using terrorism for months and Olmert ignored it. It's too much to ignore Anon so use whatever is left to process this: Had the Palestinians wanted peace they would have grabbed Olmert's offer; or the Barak-Clinton offer in 2000. They want dead Jews in the sea, period.
make sure everyone has lots of water, hot as hell today.
No secret syria is behind this, Bush said the same thing to Blair, who agreed.
This war kills civilians on both sides, and no one's hands are clean. What would happen if Americans pressed for peace, not the elimination of one side or the other?
The last time Bush said the same thing as Blair, it was when they agreed that Iraq had WMD.
File under Boy Who Cried Wolf.
America should stand with the citizens and of the country that did not stand in the streets celebrating the deaths of our friends, families and neighbors on 9/11.
5:33PM
i don't remember anyone celebrating in Beirut that day and distinctly remember a candle-light vigil taking place in Tehran. empty slogans and propaganda will only go so far. the Israelis are engaging in collective punishment.
By the way, funny that it should be Eliot Engel and Rabbi Weiss up there on the podium, since they helped bring Israeli-style apartheid to the Bronx. That is, they and their cohorts in the Benjamin Franklin "Reform" Democrats have repeatedly used their political sway to deny blacks and Latinos (aka "the schvatzers") access to "their" public schools. They did so by pretty blatantly redlining the Marble Hill projects out of recruitment pools for JFK H.S., among other public schools. Then they proceded to back plans busing kids the hell away from the area.
If that wasn't enough, they also attempted to spike the opening of a public school inside Lehman College. Of course, the reason why is that it would be competitive with "their" school Bronx Science (which isn't even in Riverdale, but nevertheless lives off its patronage).
Engel and Weiss can't manage a damn school district without reverting to their racist form, so why it is they're somehow qualified to help manage the Mideast is anyone's guess.
Oh yeah, and if you people want proof of everything I said, just look through Ben Franklin butt-boy Andrew Wolf's press clips from when he was "editor" (read: prostitute with a typewriter) for the Riverdale Review/Bronx Press Review.
I presume Rabbi Weiss is Orthodox. If so, wouldn't his constituency send their children to parochial schools anyway? If so, why would he get involved in local school board issues? And is the districting of schools done on a federal or local level? If it is local, then how/why would Engel get involved? Could you also specify the dates of these Riverdale Press clips?
let me see what is going on here: people who want "democracy" are in fact supporting oppressive regimes that are working for the elimination of a people. As a liberal and a Jew, I am astounded by these schmucks who are supporting terrorists, instead of supporting Israel, a democracy of over 50 years.