Mideast Media Sampler 5/07/13: Like a Laser -- New York Times: "Syria is not Iraq"

by David Gerstman, contributing blogger at Legal Insurrection

1) Bill Keller's truism

Former executive editor of the New York Times, Bill Keller states the obvious, "Syria is not Iraq." In short, Keller argues that he trusts President Obama's instincts. However since he offered a mea culpa for having once supported the Iraq war, his arguments leave some skeptics unconvinced.

Bill Keller apparently lacks a working irony detector, assures us “Syria Is Not Iraq” nytimes.com/2013/05/06/opi…
— Matt Yglesias (@mattyglesias) May 6, 2013

I wonder if @nytkeller has studied the lyrics of "Won't Get Fooled Again." nytimes.com/2013/05/06/opi…
— James Taranto (@jamestaranto) May 6, 2013

Arlene Kushner on Latest Events About and In Response To Iran

From Arlene Kushner:
April 19, 2013

Unreal

I will not here have comment about the terrorist attack in Boston and subsequent events at MIT -- even as I am watching it all closely (actually having relatives in and near Boston myself). The story is unfolding as I write, and comments now would be premature.

~~~~~~~~~~

I recently wrote about Salam Fayyad's resignation as prime minister of the PA, citing several analysts who indicated quite clearly what a negative omen this was for Oslo, for "the peace process," and all the rest.  I wondered, as I wrote, how the Obama administration would respond to this. 

Would there be sufficient comprehension of the implications of the situation so that attempts to push "peace" would be put on a back burner?

Well, I have my answer now.

Arlene Kushner on Response To Rabbis Who Denied Free Speech To Pamela Geller

From Arlene Kushner:
April 17, 2013

Gratitude Beyond Measure

Yom Ha'Atzmaut is over, and we return to "normal," whatever that means today.  But first I want to extend the theme of Yom Ha'Atzmaut for just a moment.


Credit: Dartmouth Hillel

With all of the writing I did two days ago, I have not yet, this year, done justice to what Israel means for me, and for the Jewish people (even for those Jewish people who have opted not to care).

With all of my being, I am grateful to be an Israeli, and to be part of the stream of Jewish history that leads us here. The hand of the Almighty is clear in our ingathering: Today -- with over six million Jews -- we have the largest Jewish population in the world.  It is anticipated that within 20 years the majority of the world's Jews will live here. More Jewish study goes on now here than at any time or place in our history.  Our people are happy -- every poll indicates this -- and proud to be Israeli. And we choose life -- having the highest birth rate of Jews anywhere.  This is our Jewish future.

~~~~~~~~~~

The story of Pam Geller -- and her talks this past Sunday on Sharia law -- is hardly over.  It has many layers, many ramifications, and information continues to come to me.

The Middle East Media Sampler 2/15/13: King Herod: New York Times Prefers Controversy To Israeli History

From +David Gerstman:
1) Was King Herod a Palestinian?

Earlier this week the New York Times reported about Anger That a Herod Show Uses West Bank Objects. This is an odd angle to report as the article tells us.

The Israel Museum on Tuesday opened its most ambitious archaeological exhibition and the world’s first devoted to Herod, the lionized and demonized Rome-appointed king of Judea, who reigned from 37 to 4 B.C.E. and is among the most seminal and contentious figures in Jewish history. But the exhibition, which the museum director described as a “massive enterprise” that involved sifting through 30 tons of material from Herodium and reconstructing 250 artifacts, has also brought its own bit of controversy.

Instead of discussing the historical significance of the exhibit, the report focuses on the controversy.

The Palestinian Authority says the exhibition is a violation of international law because much of its material was taken from near Bethlehem and Jericho, both in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.