This week's postings at JfJfP.com

This week, 28th September to 4th October, we have given over most of the website to the splendid range and variety of articles published by Open Democracy under the editorship of Nura Yuval-Davis and Jamie Hakim.

Here is their guide to the articles and their own contribution:
How we talk about Muslims and Jews

All the articles from this series are marked on the homepage with an oD. You will notice that Yuval-Davis and many of the contributors are JfJfP signatories, something we take a celebratory pride in. And congratulations to openDemocracy for hosting this set of high-quality articles.

Two equally thoughtful people, Robert Cohen and Jeff Halper of ICAHD, meet up and talk. Halper repeats his longstanding view that there is no future for the cherished ‘two-state solution’. Which, if accepted, would send the ‘international community’ into a spin.
Two-state solution is gone

The most important theme-based article is a not-very-good one on the dwindling power of AIPAC, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. Long-regarded as the most potent agency in fixing (intimidating into) US congress support for Israel, its failure to push through Israel’s opposition to the nuclear deal with Iran is treated as a mark of AIPAC’s dwindling power. The links are better than the article itself.
AIPAC’s failure to destroy Iran nuclear deal

There are several news-based pieces. Two very interesting articles on Israel’s awkward relationship to the Syrian crisis – Israel is sidelined, Netanyahu tries to get involved by asking Russia to co-ordinate with Israel, are in
Israel sidelined by Kremlin’s Syrian gambit

Israel is snubbed by Brazil when President Dilma Rousseff queries the appointment of settlers’ leader as envoy to her country. Is the appointment a goof? Netanyahu thinks not because ‘Brazil has 40 million Christian lovers of Israel’. Evidence-based?
Brazil objects to settler leader as Israeli envoy

Now to Egypt: the powerful military has close relations with Israel over security issues. A new poll reveals that Israel is the most distrusted and disliked country amongst their population which has far more sympathy with Palestinians, a totemic issue on the street:
Security links fail to endear Israel to Arab citizens

Last month, Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) passed a long and, to most, uncontroversial resolution on the EU’s role in the Middle East peace process [MEPP].  Its purpose was absolutely clear: to reiterate the policy of the EU on the need for negotiations between Israel and Palestine and to define the role the EU might play in facilitating such talks. The response from Israel was extraordinary: like a mythical wounded maiden it shrieked that this was like the behaviour of Nazis in the 1930s. Only an amendment from Conservative MEPs reassured them they had some ‘true friends’ in Europe. Again, this reaction is in the realm of mythology not what is actually said and done.
MEPs resemble Nazis in resolution on peace process

The terrifying power of the PA to destroy Israel (irony) was manifest at UNGA (UN General Assembly) last week when President Abbas, with Hamas support (!) declared that it would withdraw its security co-operation with Israel in the West Bank because of Israel’s continued expansion of settlements. If Abbas follows through, Israerli forces know they could not keep the peace.
PA’s work as Israel’s security officer to end

Evidence of the increasing violence in Palestine / Israel – and of media bias in reporting it – comes in articles on the assassination of two ultra-Orthodox settlers in the West Ban (maximum publicity) and the killing of several young Palestinians in Nablus, Hebron and Jerusalem (no publicity). This may not be bias – just a preference for what is – killing Jews as against what is commonplace – killing Palestinians.
Violence mounts in West Bank

Treating Palestinians as the common enemy is supposed to unite Israelis and conceal the internal divisions. It has some success. While Sephardi and Mizrahi Jews (like culture minister Miri Regev) often complain of discrimination and alienation, promoting select non-Ashkenazi Jews (like culture minister Miri Regev) can keep the lid on it – unless they ride the populist horse:
Regev rides the Mizrahi victim horse

And more besides.