Comments on: Mubarak, a dictator for hire as next Israeli president

By: mims

mims — Thu, 07 Jun 2012 22:18:00 +0000

I thought I might learn something but the only thing learned is that I’d better do something for my headache. When are we going to learn to look for sustainable answers. You leave me feeling hopeless.

By: Greg

Greg — Wed, 06 Jun 2012 08:08:28 +0000

And yet you continue…

Please, please, for one short moment, just one tiny, insignificant moment, take a break from this endless, turgid, badly-acted opera and listen to yourselves.

By: Danny

Danny — Tue, 05 Jun 2012 15:39:39 +0000

“I said the Arabs were defeated in 1973 militarily. Since I am a “right-winger” and my statement both offended Arab “pride” and seemed to make Israel look “good” somehow, it must be denounced, whether there is a factual basis or not for the denunciation”
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By the same token, you can say that Israel won militarily in 2006, since it destroyed half of Lebanon; but of course you would be incorrect. You rightists are a primitive bunch – for you it’s enough to tally the score – 10,000 for us, 2,700 for them – and conclude that we won. So simple, and so base. I’ll bet you were moved when your hero G.W. Bush stood on the aircraft carrier and proclaimed: “Mission accomplished!” Right? Well, guess what… Israel has been fighting wars since day one, and it doesn’t seem to matter, because the outcome is always the same – MORE WARS!!! How long do you think Israel will be able to continue on this destructive path? The Egyptians may have been just dumb Arabs back in ’67, but they learned quickly and in ’73 gave us a beating we are still thinking about to this day. And judging from the 2006 war, the Arabs are continuing to catch up to us militarily. With every war, they learn our weaknesses and exploit them. Israel cannot win wars anymore, and it doesn’t matter how many we kill vs. how many they kill.

By: Rowan Berkeley

Rowan Berkeley — Tue, 05 Jun 2012 12:40:06 +0000

And as usual, XYZ, my point escapes you completely, because it’s outside your wavelength: the 1973 war was arranged by Kissinger. Its occurrence and its outcome were predetermined for reasons that completely escape your comprehension, as they are supposed to do.

By: XYZ

XYZ — Tue, 05 Jun 2012 11:42:01 +0000

Greg-
You don’t seem to get the point. All this proves why a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians, and the wider Arab world, for that matter is not possible. If the Arabs and their Leftist/Progressive backers, both Jewish and non-Jewish, can not accept REALITY, then there is no basis for any sort of accomodation. I said the Arabs were defeated in 1973 militarily. Since I am a “right-winger” and my statement both offended Arab “pride” and seemed to make Israel look “good” somehow, it must be denounced, whether there is a factual basis or not for the denunciation. One could possibly say, “yes, the Arabs were defeated militarily, but this has no bearing on whether or not the Palestinians have an independent state or not”. Since Arab-Palestinian pride is more important, than no wonder the Left-Progressives and the Arab “street” seem to be pretty strongly opposed to a compromise peace with Israel. That would offend Arab and Progressive sensitivies and their sense of justice. Israel simply has to accept the shopping list of grievances that is presented to them or no deal. There is no room for negotiation because negotiations mean giving up cherished myths and dreams. You see here how Mubarak is denounced for being a traitor to the Palestinian cause (this is what really upsets non-Egyptians, not his being a “dictator” or “undemocratic”) because he gave his people 30 years of peace after his 3 predecessors gave them 4 failed wars with Israel plus another failed war in Yemen (Nasser). What is important is to feel good, not to really improve the situation and feeling good involves one’s fantasies and dreams more than reality.

By: Greg

Greg — Tue, 05 Jun 2012 09:27:25 +0000

Good grief are we still arguing over who won the 1973 war?
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This is farcical. Progress becomes impossible with this endless bickering of stubborn and prideful idiots.
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And for the record, being knowledgable and smart does not preclude a person from being an idiot.

By: XYZ

XYZ — Tue, 05 Jun 2012 02:11:53 +0000

Last time I checked, the Golan Heights is still controlled by Israel even though Syria also won a “titanic victory” in the Yom Kippur War.

By: Aziz abu Sarah

Aziz abu Sarah — Tue, 05 Jun 2012 01:38:26 +0000

Haim,
Your comment is racist and it is the the other side of the anti semites arguments. Anti Semites use the Jewish race in a negative term. You on the other hand claim that Jews are more evolved that other humans. Which is the essence of racism The comment also shows a fair amount of ignorance. Jewish histry starting at biblical times show that humans are the same, seeking freedome and making mistakes and falling under dicatators that they choose. I would suggest you read the book of judges (in the bible). It seems to suggest that the Jewish people rejected freedome and wanted a king to rule them. So, I think Jews and Arabs are not that different. EVERYONE wants Freedome. Everyone has obstacles to overcome and everyone makes mistakes. Democracy takes time. Americans owned slaves while believing they were under democracy. I would say a good amount of the current MKs are anti freedom and I don’t see much being done about it.

By: Haim

Haim — Tue, 05 Jun 2012 01:27:43 +0000

Democracy, indeed, isn’t for everyone. We Jews can’t exist without freedom. You, however, can only go from bad to worse. Let’s wait, say, a year – then we’ll talk about how great Egypt is managing without Mubarak.

By: max

max — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 23:01:28 +0000

Al-Ahram also thinks that Egypt won the ’73 war (Nasr October), but I couldn’t find a military publication agreeing with it…
Several analysts wrote over the years before the war that a peace treaty will only be possible when Egypt will feel victorious – they may have been right.
Was the peace treaty an Egyptian win? I hope it was for both sides – it certainly allowed Israel to rebound economically.
Ironically, if the peace treaty will be annulled, it is true that the Egyptians will keep their gain and claim a win; Potentially, also, Egypt’s claim of victory may erase the fear of war. And yet, strategically – as Begin probably understood – it was the best outcome for Israel, despite the risk.
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I also couldn’t find a serious publication that sets the Egyptian army on par with Israel’s, though the very importance of such rankings was proven irrelevant by the surprise in ’73
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“If not for the corrupt Mubarak and his cronies, Egypt would be a prosperous country with a strong economy” – one can only smile and hope that such baseless assertion will become true