Martin Peretz Commits Heinous Acts Of Writing

Thank you for joining me on the second installment of a hopefully limited series of the horribleness of Martin Peretz, The New Republic's demoted former editor. Guess what he's writing about today. If you guessed Israel, you don't get a prize, because that is always the answer.

Let's dive in.

His article is titled "If Palestine Declares Statehood, It Won't Change Anything On The Ground," which is then followed by a thousand words or so on how horrible it would be if Palestine declared statehood.

Peretz then claims that President Obama will insist on the 1949 boarders. Not because Obama has said that, but because "that's exactly what he intended and almost said." Yes, what he didn't say is exactly what he meant. 

It is a "fact...that Jews and Arabs will not live neighborly lives once it is clear that Palestinian half-rule does not mean the restoration of the Mandelbaum Gate and the Jews excluded from their deepest history and their most sacred sites." If the nation of Israel were populated by Peretzs they sure wouldn't live together.

He then goes on to decry that "So long as the Palestinians refuse to negotiate there will be less to negotiate about." The next paragraph extols a new Israeli settlement [Ariel] that is being so built up that "There is no way that Ariel will be forfeited to the Palestinian Authority." The issue of the settlements is one issue, but to say that the response to the Palestinians being  intransigent negotiators  is to be intransigent right back at them is idiotic. This is why there is not peace in Israel. I do not for one moment ignore the failings of the Palestinian government(s). They have been suborn and have repeatedly raised unrealistic goals in order to hamper negotiations. But Peretz is saying that building settlements is a good negotiation tactic because it will bring Palestinians to the table. But that doesn't work if you announce ahead of time that you will never abandon the settlements. All you end up doing is angering Palestinians and frustrating talks, which one suspects is what Peretz actually wants.

And as a post script, this is just stupid:

Remember, then, that if there were no Jewish temple there was no Jesus or Jesus figure, and the entire history of Christianity collapses.

What, do you want a medal? It's a different religion Marty. They made that clear when they renamed our religious text Old.