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Awesome Netanyahu speech

YmirGF

Bodhisattva in Recovery
I am definitely not fawning over anyone. I disagree with a lot of what Netanyahu does, and if I lived in Israel, I probably wouldn't vote for him. But I thought it was a decent speech.

Abbas may have been trying to position himself as a viable alternative as Hamas, but did so not by distancing himself from Hamas' wickedness, but by reframing the same party lines that Hamas uses in language that was sometimes more diplomatic, and sometimes just the same thing. He lost any and all credibility he might have had when he accused Israel of "genocide" in Gaza.
I'm more shocked that some people think Abbas has any credibility to begin with.

As to the OP. It was classic Netanyahu, really.
 

metis

aged ecumenical anthropologist
Generally speaking, I have listened to many of Netanyahu's speeches and discussions over the last couple of decades, and I pretty much like him as far as politicians go. When not in office, he used to be involved quite heavily in discussions over at CNN. He's a straight-shooter, if you know what I mean, so waffling around is not his thing. He doesn't mince words and is less wordy than most politicians I've run across.

But, then again, he is a politician.
 

Alceste

Vagabond
I am definitely not fawning over anyone. I disagree with a lot of what Netanyahu does, and if I lived in Israel, I probably wouldn't vote for him. But I thought it was a decent speech.

Abbas may have been trying to position himself as a viable alternative as Hamas, but did so not by distancing himself from Hamas' wickedness, but by reframing the same party lines that Hamas uses in language that was sometimes more diplomatic, and sometimes just the same thing. He lost any and all credibility he might have had when he accused Israel of "genocide" in Gaza.
He's not trying to govern Israelis. Political credibility varies greatly depending on which side of the occupation stick you're dealing with.

It's not as if politicians in Israel never suggest that Palestinians are genocidal. If that's your standard for credibility, you're treading onto some pretty thin ice. ;)
 

Levite

Higher and Higher
It's not as if politicians in Israel never suggest that Palestinians are genocidal. If that's your standard for credibility, you're treading onto some pretty thin ice.

I find those claims equally ridiculous and non-credible.
 

icehorse

......unaffiliated...... anti-dogmatist
Premium Member
How about the bigger picture he described folks? Zoom out for a few seconds, take your Palestinian blinders off and look at Islamists everywhere.
 

Alceste

Vagabond
How about the bigger picture he described folks? Zoom out for a few seconds, take your Palestinian blinders off and look at Islamists everywhere.

They look just like extremists of any religion to me, including Judaism. Also, using Palestinian and Islamist as synonyms is highly questionable. Are you completely sure you've taken your own blinders off?
 

icehorse

......unaffiliated...... anti-dogmatist
Premium Member
They look just like extremists of any religion to me, including Judaism. Also, using Palestinian and Islamist as synonyms is highly questionable. Are you completely sure you've taken your own blinders off?

I wasn't by any means equating Palestinians with Islamists. Alceste, you leapt to the wrong conclusion about my post.

The speech was mostly about Islamists world-wide, and this discussion zoomed in on the Palestinians. I was asking then, and I'll ask again now, for you guys to zoom out and look at the entire speech, not just the bit about Palestinians.
 

Alceste

Vagabond
I wasn't by any means equating Palestinians with Islamists. Alceste, you leapt to the wrong conclusion about my post.

The speech was mostly about Islamists world-wide, and this discussion zoomed in on the Palestinians. I was asking then, and I'll ask again now, for you guys to zoom out and look at the entire speech, not just the bit about Palestinians.

Why listen to a politician's prepared speech at all? I'm no sucker.
 

metis

aged ecumenical anthropologist
Contrast Netanyahu's with Abbas' speech at the U.N., and this is a synopsis if the latter as reported by the Huffington Post:

Abbas' Dismal Failure at the United Nations

As someone who has consistently advocated a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians based on a two-state solution, I was appalled to hear the speech delivered by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas at the United Nations General Assembly. Instead of using the occasion to provide constructive proposals and use reconciliatory language to advance the cause of peace, he engaged in acrimonious and discordant statements against Israel that did nothing but further embitter and alienate the Israeli public, whose support he needs the most to realize Palestinian aspirations...

He gave a campaign-style speech, appealing to his own public in an effort to salvage his sagging popularity, while being completely oblivious to the fact that he was addressing the international community to further cement its support of the Palestinian cause...

In his polarizing speech, Abbas spared no deprecating characterization of Israel, the very country with which he must negotiate to end the occupation and establish a Palestinian state -- a dim prospect made dimmer by his desperate need to maintain his position.

He accused Israel of committing genocide three times, a horrifying term that enraged every Israeli. They know the real meaning of genocide, when the Jews were led like sheep to the slaughter. They also know that their army took every precaution to protect the lives of innocent Palestinian civilians during the Israel-Hamas war.

Abbas invoked the word Nakba (the "catastrophe" of 1948) five times, which does nothing but enflame emotional outbursts anew, making it ever more difficult for him to make and for the Palestinians to accept any concessions to facilitate a peace agreement with Israel.

In his wisdom, he referred to Israel as a racist state seven times without thinking that such maligning attribution only undermines the negotiating process and intensifies the distrust, which will make the conflict ever more intractable.

He recklessly used the word fascist twice, but however cruel the Israeli occupation may be, ascribing such a revolting word reminds the Israelis of their own victimhood, which hardens rather than lessens their antagonism and enmity toward the Palestinians.

As if the above charges are insufficient to paint the "true face" of Israel, Abbas throws in, for good measure, another vile characterization of Israel as an apartheid state twice and as a terrorist state<, well, only once.
..
President Abbas strongly denounced Israel's massive air attacks against Gaza, but did not even allude to the nearly 4,000 rockets fired indiscriminately by Hamas at Israel's urban centers including Tel Aviv and Jerusalem...

For Abbas to fall into the trap that Hamas carefully dug for him suggests only one thing: Squeezed between Israel and Hamas, Abbas lost his bearings. He knows only too well that Hamas seeks his political demise and instead of calling a spade a spade, he succumbed to the bitter reality of Palestinian factionalism and Hamas' whims...

He must also make it abundantly clear to Hamas that the PA will not come to its aid under the false pretenses of a unity government unless Hamas cease and desist from provoking Israel and gradually demilitarize Gaza; otherwise, no power can force Israel to lift the blockade.

The Arab states and especially Egypt, who quietly hailed Israel's inflicting such a punishing blow on Hamas, are as eager as Israel to emasculate Hamas...
-- Abbas' Dismal Failure at the United Nations | Alon Ben-Meir
 

CMike

Well-Known Member
I'm more shocked that some people think Abbas has any credibility to begin with.

As to the OP. It was classic Netanyahu, really.
I agree. Abbas isn't much better than Hamas.

He just has the brains to be more discreet.
 
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