This week's postings, Feb 22 – Mar 1, 2015 on JfJfP.com

This week, February 22-March 1st, 2015, we have excluded most of the the latest twists and tails of the two Netanyahu stories – his speech to Congress and the abandonment of bipartisanship, and the sense of entitlement which allowed him and his wife to claim such high expenses – various polls attached to both stories. The serious point is in No more Mr. Nice Guy, on the breach deliberately created by Netanyahu with Pres. Obama in conjunction with American Republicans.

Also no room this week for Signatories’ blog – but if you have an experience, a book you’d recommend for reading or for putting in the dustbin of history, an account of a visit to Israel or Palestine, something we could learn from, do send to postings@jfjfp.org

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The one election story this week is What’s the best place for the votes of Jews outside the ‘tribal camp’? which explores the options available for, yes it does exist, the Jewish left – Meretz or Joint List.

One of the biggest mainstream news this week was the leak (from communications with South Africa) of the opposition of Mossad, the intelligence agency, to Netanyahu’s flamboyant, if unconvincing, insistence on an imminent threat of Israel’s destruction by Iran.
Making up the Iranian threat (five comments)

The other mainstream issue was the finding of an American Federal court that the PA was liable to pay compensation to American families for deaths and damage caused by the Second Intifada. The chutzpah of the claim is astounding given the amount of death and destruction suffered by Palestinians, which has produced no civil claims for compensation. Perhaps the companies/countries which supplies the IDF which its lethal weapons could be held liable?
We reproduce Vox’s analysis of deaths since 2000 (before Operation Protective Edge last summer, so add another 2000 to the Palestinian side.)
Counting the dead

The hugely disproportionate damage caused by the IDF in Gaza is, as previously, due to the Dahiya doctrine (developed in the Lebanon war). Given proportionality is a law of war, this doctrine is clearly illegal.
IDF’s official doctrine of creating maximum terror and destruction

All those attacks keep the IDF very busy and their accumulated experience plus their costly but productive armaments industries has driven Israel to seek new sales, and friendships, in India and China.
Israel’s new brothers-in-arms

The turn to the East will release them from the irritating campaigns, now widespread in the USA and western Europe, against Israeli military policies. For, example, the long controversial preferential trade agreement, EU MEPs call for end of special trade association with Israel . Hats off to the Greens for being the only British MEPs to support this move. Or perhaps we’re not putting enough pressure on our non-Green MEPs on this issue?

Perhaps it is this increasingly tense political EU/Israel relationship which has inspired Israeli academics who specialise in Europe to write a document on why it is in Israel’s interests for its statesmen to develop their knowledge of and interest in the EU.
Israel urged to get closer to the EU

The anguish caused to Jews in the US and Europe by Israeli government policies is explored by Ilan Baron, Co-Director in the Centre for the Study of Jewish Culture, Society and Politics at Durham University.
Jewish values v. Jewish identity

And a reminder of the 2-day International Conference: “Equal Rights for All: a new path for Israel/Palestine?”, organised by Independent Jewish Voices. Promises to be interesting with some excellent speakers.

Last pointer, before many other postings, is the disagreeable account of the trial of two people from the Jewish Defence League-UK (as right-wing and racist as all other Jewish Defence Leagues).  JDL simply seems to mean violent attacks on Muslims. As violent, vitriolic and self-aggrandising as all other racist assaults. Haters from Jewish Defence League found guilty of racist attacks