These so called “refugee camps” are indeed nothing of the sort, as there is no “refuge” in Gaza and do not tally with the UN definition of “refugee camps”.

What we have here is the Internment, the imprisonment and confinement of large groups of people, without trial. This is confinement within the limits of a country or place. We call this in English “CONCENTRATION CAMPS”. This is sadly Semitism on a level with Anti-Semitism.
As far as the United State of Israel is concerned,the answer is simple:
“As far as the financial subsidising of Israel’s military and expansionist undertakings and an unwavering diplomatic and military cover, the US position is sadly irremediable. Unfortunately, the Americans tax payer money will only stop flowing to Israel when the Americans gain their independence from the pro-Israel lobbies and think tanks that have made kibbutzniks of most members of the executive and legislative branches of the government and literally own all mediums of media.”

By the way, it is the Arabs that have a disproportionate amount of power in the halls of most nations, not necessarily with physical presence, but with the crush of oil as boots pressed against our necks. Despostic leaders of oil and gas rich nations (many in OPEC, Russia, Venezuela, Iran, etc… use this as leverage to attempt to bring the many countries that depend on energy to their knees… economically speaking.

Hamas is a terrorist organization. They hide in Gaza among the masses and govern in a ruthless manner. They are Iranian/Syrian puppets as are Hezbolah and do not deserve the ear of the world. They are intent on the destruction of Israel, continued to fire missiles into Israel for over 8 years, would not heed warnings to stop, so Israel had every right to defend their citizens and their soil… period.

Israel incarcerates Hamas and Hezbolah terrorist criminals. Hamas and Hezbolah more frequently murder their Israeli captives. They are murderers and terrorists. Why should anyone heed their word. It is twisted with the ridiculousness of slanted Iranian and Arab-world right-wing rhetoric. Let’s face it… the Arab world has yet to emerge from a culture of death and an unwarranted feeling of entitlement.

There are 1.2 billion muslims in the world and there are 12 million Jews in the world. Who actually exerts the most influence? As anti-Israel as the world has become they still cannot stand the Muslim mentality that there is no G-d but Allah… that he is the one true
G-d… and that all who are not of the faith are infidels. Who is intractable? Who is the problem? If the majority of the muslim world would get their heads into the 21st century, and ditch their ridiculous belief that they are the true believers, we just might make some headway in getting along.

I think the message is loud and clear now. The Obama administration is already looking like a Minyan. I do not think it was an error of judgement at all. These Democrats “Straussian” Bush-lite disciples do strike the fear in my heart. There is nothing new about this administration at all. The rhetoric of “Change” is starting to look slowly but surely like old politics to me.

Rahm Emanuel is the wrong man, with the wrong connections, for the vital position of US White House Chief of Staff: a serious error that will bring further damage to the incoming administration unless he is replaced now. I can only trust that President-elect Obama will not make other errors of judgement as potentially damaging as this one.

MICHAEL HALPERN michaelhalpern@tiscali.co.uk

Stanmore, LONDON HA7 3QR +44 7764604922

A core belief in the Arab world exists that most American administrations are disproportionately over represented by a minority that has extreme leverage within the corridors of the American establishment, is only reinforced so far by the selections Mr. Obama has made so far. The problem America has always tried to deal with the under-representation of certain groups in public life, however the debate has never shifted to deal with over-representation and in some sectors a total monopoly by certain groups. This type of decisions will slowly erode Mr Obama’s authority in the world as in the Middle East people are already talking about the Neo-libs and to be honest there are no differences in substance between them ideologically ( I mean the Neo-cons) . Their will be a readjustment and a change of the rhetoric, but the ideology driving both camps will be perceived as identical.

Imagine Rahm was the son of an ex arab terrorist who fought for argument sake on the Sinai war as a soldier on the Egyptian side?!!

I am really worried that the US will let another opportunity go by and not capitalise on this atmosphere of hope and good will that both friends and foes so far has shown and to have it replaced with cynicism and disappointment. Obama’s election has shown that he American democracy works, appointing Rahm Emmanuel will only change that perception and show that American democracy is no more than an Oligarchy that elects puppets to hide behind them and the rest is business as usual.

I don’t believe Rahm Emanuel himself to be a terrorist, but I do take issue with the fact that he served in another country’s military when his services would have benefited his own country. Terrorist? No. Poor judgement? Certainly.

I think all voices – extreme or otherwise – should be highlighted. I trust the Voices without Votes reader to be discerning.

Please do write on the subject – and if it’s in your blog, send it over and I will ensure it gets highlighted here as well.

-Jillian

I am talking about resposibility on VWV/GVO to sift through and decide which voice to highlight. It is not censoring, but diminishing extreme voices, which in my opinion, should not be highlighted. It is something I deal with every time I come to write an article. I do my best not to make these voices visible because I think they are either too extreme or misleading b/c they lack context.

As for my opinion on Raum… I might just have to write a post. Yours certainly drives me to want to write what I see.

So, regardless of my own personal opinion (which falls somewhere between blogger #2 and yours I’m sure), I am trying to highlight the variety of opinions out there on Emanuel – should I censor hers, despite the fact that she’s the only blogger talking about certain aspects of Emanuel’s past and family?

I don’t think that’s quite fair. For the record, however, I will say that I too would agree that the Irgun was a terrorist group based on their actions, number of civilians killed and the fact that the UK classifies them as such to this day; that doesn’t say anything about Rahm, however, just his father. And if we were to judge, say, Obama by his father, then he’d be a deadbeat dad, right? In other words, I’ll wait and see what Rahm Emanuel does before I charge him for his father’s crimes.

-Jillian