tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32502660993183521162011-12-01T08:52:41.246-05:00Writing and analysis on the Arab-Israeli conflict in the tradition of Major-General Yehoshafat Harkabi, former chief of Israel’s Military Intelligence, “Machiavellian dove,” strategic thinker and progressive ZionistGidon D. Rembahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09631301043922791367noreply@blogger.comBlogger1021100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3250266099318352116.post-66716973664302628582011-09-04T22:56:00.056-04:002011-09-07T20:01:09.377-04:00

First my letter and a contrary view from the head of the American Jewish Committee (which blames the Palestinians for the failure of peace talks with Netanyahu), both of which appeared side-by-side in the Times, then the back story. Questions About a Palestinian State, August 12, 2011 To the Editor: Re “Palestinians and the U.N.” (editorial, Aug. 8): Historically, Israeli-Arab political

Gidon D. Rembahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09631301043922791367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3250266099318352116.post-44817613462541275202011-07-14T09:08:00.008-04:002011-07-14T10:18:37.662-04:00

Yonatan Gonen, Nana10 (Israel – Hebrew) 7/14/11An Egyptian newspaper reports that the Obama administration has proposed to Arab states, including Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Turkey, to hold a joint American-Islamic summit.  The purpose: to promote an international agreement on the Palestinian issue, in exchange for recognition of the Jewishness of IsraelAn Egyptian newspaper reports this morning (

Gidon D. Rembahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09631301043922791367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3250266099318352116.post-6605251590183052492011-06-29T07:46:00.013-04:002011-07-05T05:23:28.420-04:00

Amir Peretz, now a Labor Knesset Member who serves on the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense and Economic Affairs Committees, and a front-runner for the leadership of the Labor Party, is visiting New York to share his current take on Israel’s political and security dilemmas.  He appeared yesterday before a small group during a luncheon at the Harvard Club, sponsored by the Israel Policy Forum

Gidon D. Rembahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09631301043922791367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3250266099318352116.post-11017977241492500472011-06-24T15:46:00.000-04:002011-06-24T15:46:17.082-04:00

In “Israel and the Polarization of American Jews,” (The Jerusalem Report, June 20, 2011), I suggest that the controversy over Tony Kushner’s views on Israel highlight the ways in which the gap between liberal and conservative Jews regarding Israel is becoming an unbridgeable chasm. At the same time, I question the value of defining who is “inside the Jewish communal tent” and who is “outside,” as

Gidon D. Rembahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09631301043922791367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3250266099318352116.post-28747266420703809812011-06-24T07:25:00.012-04:002011-06-29T01:16:22.714-04:00

Massad Camps Logo The excitement rose as we rounded the bend; we opened the windows to get closer to the crisp autumnal mountain air. But only unending forest, punctuated by the occasional stream or cabin, lay within our vista. Our wheels gripped the serpentine asphalt as we pressed anxiously ahead, half believing, half doubting we would reach our Granada. The panorama seemed never to change

Gidon D. Rembahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09631301043922791367noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3250266099318352116.post-37435659073915484662011-06-22T00:51:00.000-04:002011-06-29T02:46:52.007-04:00

Published on The Jewish Week (http://www.thejewishweek.com) Camp Massad:  A formative educational experience for thousands of Jewish Americans.Camp Massad reunion here relives a time when speaking Hebrew was emphasized. Tuesday, June 28, 2011Jerome A. Chanes Special To The Jewish Week Growing up in New York in the 1940s to1960s, in a Religious Zionist family, I was raised on a steady diet

Gidon D. Rembahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09631301043922791367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3250266099318352116.post-50655927473026961572011-04-09T01:37:00.018-04:002011-04-11T00:34:14.812-04:00

As a vocal critic of many Israeli policies towards Palestinians, the Arab states and Israel's own Palestinian, Bedouin and Jewish citizens, I often hear from other Jews who engage in vicious ad hominem attacks against me, questioning my loyalty to Israel and to my Jewishness.   As someone who has devoted a lifetime to Israel, the Jewish people, Jewish learning and Jewish values, I have always

Gidon D. Rembahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09631301043922791367noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3250266099318352116.post-88883758764677232312010-11-15T15:14:00.004-05:002011-01-18T03:27:14.264-05:00

Benny Morris, the renowned Israeli historian, reminded the audience at the Other Israel Film Festival in New York City last night what he thinks Israel should have done about the presence of Palestinian Arabs within the Jewish state: had more been expelled by Israeli forces in 1948, so that few Palestinians would have remained behind in a nascent Israel, moving them all to the Palestinian state

Gidon D. Rembahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09631301043922791367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3250266099318352116.post-88816632043112196842010-09-28T05:07:00.022-04:002010-10-05T06:48:25.486-04:00

(And why President Kennedy’s principal advisor, the legendary Ted Sorenson, challenged him) I had the opportunity to be part of a group of several dozen NGO leaders and diplomats who met for a discussion with Jordan’s Foreign Minister, Nasser Judeh, at the Century Foundation in New York on Sept. 27. The exchange, moderated by Professor Alon Ben-Meir, director of NYU’s Center for Strategic

Gidon D. Rembahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09631301043922791367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3250266099318352116.post-12856028281718767892010-09-28T05:05:00.003-04:002010-09-29T04:04:55.813-04:00

This post is Part 2 of "Why Jordan's Foreign Minister is Optimistic About Middle East Peace."  Click here for Part 1. The Q & A with Jordan's Foreign Minister, Nasser Judeh, raised some intriguing points about the US role in peace talks, Israeli public skepticism about Palestinian and Arab intentions, and whether the peace process can succeed without the participation of Hamas, Syria and

Gidon D. Rembahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09631301043922791367noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3250266099318352116.post-73729961689985557962010-08-04T15:26:00.000-04:002010-08-04T15:26:03.889-04:00

Petitions by Change.org|Start a Petition »

Gidon D. Rembahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09631301043922791367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3250266099318352116.post-72643135156123509072010-05-18T01:56:00.019-04:002010-07-01T22:30:27.275-04:00

Dear Jerry,I read your thoughtful and incisive analysis of the “For the Sake of Zion” statement before I decided to circulate and endorse it. In fact, I had considered writing a response to your post along with the endorsement, but in the end I felt that this wasn’t the proper place and time for such a discussion. My considered opinion is that it does far more good than harm to encourage as many

Gidon D. Rembahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09631301043922791367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3250266099318352116.post-47339703547928212562009-07-31T17:56:00.008-04:002009-08-03T05:36:54.964-04:00

Dear Abe,You've been at the forefront of American Jewish criticism of President Obama's renewed push for Israeli-Arab peace. After a recent meeting with the President along with 15 other Jewish leaders, you confessed that you continue "to feel uncomfortable with the assumptions that underlie President Obama's approach" to Israel and the Middle East. You've charged that President Obama's outreach

Gidon D. Rembahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09631301043922791367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3250266099318352116.post-4400248390790102262009-07-31T17:00:00.009-04:002009-08-04T10:59:18.911-04:00

Continued from Part 1The Urgency of Peace: Palestinians, Syria and IranAbe, you're worried that "the administration is putting too much weight on solving the conflict"--as if the malign neglect of the Bush Administration was good for Israel. True, you aren't opposed to "the administration view that the US must be much more engaged to achieve progress." What troubles you is "when the president

Gidon D. Rembahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09631301043922791367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3250266099318352116.post-13540350631224470422009-07-30T16:58:00.007-04:002009-08-03T14:14:51.918-04:00

Dear Disco Stu,In your comment on my Open Letter to Abe Foxman on Jewcy, you wrongly suggest that I (and Obama, whose Mideast policies I support) want to “force Israel to cease all settlement building without expecting anything in return.” You appear to have read a different article than the one I wrote—in fact, I argued nothing of the kind. Throughout my letter I say things like: “don't object

Gidon D. Rembahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09631301043922791367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3250266099318352116.post-31973883109253008102009-05-15T06:14:00.006-04:002009-05-22T14:52:14.367-04:00

As published in the Jerusalem Report, June 8, 2009 and online in Jewcy, May 18, 2009 With the maiden visit of newly elected Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Washington set for May 18, signs of an immanent clash between U.S. President Barack Obama and the hardline Israeli leader abound.While both leaders will look to find common ground, papering over differences with diplomatic formulas, the

Gidon D. Rembahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09631301043922791367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3250266099318352116.post-58416757558582583382009-03-06T03:56:00.006-05:002009-05-05T04:10:08.970-04:00

Is the new hardline Netanyahu government in Israel on a collision course with the Obama administration – and the rest of the world? What can President Obama do to advance Israeli-Arab peace even if the Israeli government is led by a man who refuses to endorse the two-state Palestinian-Israeli solution backed by the U.S., previous Israeli governments, the Palestinian Authority, the Arab states and

Gidon D. Rembahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09631301043922791367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3250266099318352116.post-92183495053596278912009-01-01T22:48:00.013-05:002010-02-22T02:36:22.123-05:00

Gidon D. Remba is available to speak on "President Obama, Israel & Middle East Peace" at synagogues, churches, universities and other communal institutions.Mr. Remba, who served as Executive Director of the Jewish Alliance for Change, Ameinu (the US affiliate of the World Labor Zionist Movement), and Americans for Peace Now Chicago, is a veteran Middle East political analyst and pro-Israel peace

Gidon D. Rembahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09631301043922791367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3250266099318352116.post-81271544003985225842008-12-30T02:46:00.007-05:002009-10-06T00:17:42.601-04:00

A few of my publications of particular interestObama Planned "Ambush" of Israel at U.N.? Fat Chance. http://www.obamasmearbusters.com/, September 2009 (co-author with J Street)Obama’s policy on Jerusalem and the US Consulate is anti-Jewish and anti-Israel? That’s outrageous, http://www.obamasmearbusters.com/, September 2009 (co-author with J Street)Removing West Bank Israeli settlements is ethnic

Gidon D. Rembahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09631301043922791367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3250266099318352116.post-53992964032826524602008-12-29T08:54:00.025-05:002009-05-18T00:04:05.442-04:00

Rabbi Arnold Jacob Wolf, z”l—“Obama’s Rabbi”—A Remembranceby Doni Remba, President and Executive Director, the Jewish Alliance for ChangeAbridged version published in the Chicago Jewish NewsRabbi Arnold Jacob Wolf, one of the great religious leaders of our time and a champion of peace and social justice, has left us. I had the privilege of working with Arnie during the 1980’s as a teacher of

Gidon D. Rembahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09631301043922791367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3250266099318352116.post-29702762884877635392008-12-29T03:48:00.003-05:002009-05-18T04:13:25.790-04:00

For press clips about my work from 2008 - 2009 click here2007 Press Clips (Excluding My Publications)12/24/2007Jerusalem Report: Fringe Theater at AnnapolisBusloads of activists gather in the cold winter sunlight of late November outside the gateway to the Naval Academy in the sleepy town of Annapolis, Maryland, to spew vitriol, decry Israeli ... › More Info12/01/2007Jerusalem Post: The 'Daily

Gidon D. Rembahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09631301043922791367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3250266099318352116.post-6775180588164475742008-05-31T07:28:00.003-04:002008-05-31T07:36:56.953-04:00

What should we say of an American president who tells the Knesset that negotiating with “terrorists and radicals” is like appeasing Nazis, but who bargains with states like Libya and North Korea over nuclear disarmament and with Iran over stabilizing Iraq? And suppose a Republican presidential candidate endorses the implied appeasement charge against his opponent, suggesting that while the

Gidon D. Rembahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09631301043922791367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3250266099318352116.post-22923375617137751172008-05-18T03:45:00.003-04:002008-05-18T03:59:26.975-04:00

Gidon D. Rembahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09631301043922791367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3250266099318352116.post-89387833548160019762008-05-06T03:27:00.005-04:002008-05-06T03:40:01.065-04:00

If you thought that the world’s most ignoble occupation was prostitution, think again: it’s politics. That’s right. Only a politician could solemnly pledge integrity, honesty and decency as nothing more than a ploy to get our votes, then twist the truth beyond recognition all the way to the polling booth.Sure, all politicians lie. But not all politicians lie all of the time. Watching the 2008

Gidon D. Rembahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09631301043922791367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3250266099318352116.post-67569112301938981552008-05-04T23:51:00.005-04:002008-05-05T00:40:03.441-04:00

There are several crises brewing simultaneously which demand real leadership from the US. Global warming is a growing threat to our environmental security. Riots have recently broken out around the world because the escalating price of food -- flour is up 32%, bread 12%, milk 18.5%, eggs 30% since March 2007 -- leads to rising malnutrition and starvation. We take our food supply for granted, the

Gidon D. Rembahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09631301043922791367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3250266099318352116.post-52236428550356726012008-04-22T04:40:00.006-04:002008-04-22T20:50:58.907-04:00

D’VAR TORAHSHABBAT METZORA(Leviticus 14:1 - 14)Glenn GottliebPrepared by Glenn M. Gottlieb for the Leo Baeck Temple Community Retreat, April 11-13, 2008, Brandeis-Bardin Campus of the American Jewish University. Glenn is an Attorney-Mediator practicing in Los Angeles, California (http://www.glenngottlieb.com/).In today’s Torah portion, you are about to hear some pretty wild stuff!Imagine the

Gidon D. Rembahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09631301043922791367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3250266099318352116.post-598139508101202872008-04-22T01:23:00.003-04:002008-04-22T04:26:03.378-04:00

Gidon D. Rembahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09631301043922791367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3250266099318352116.post-69623544733912136492008-04-16T03:57:00.008-04:002008-04-21T22:20:13.709-04:00

P.O. Box 96503 #89647Washington, D.C. 20090-6503April 13, 2008Letters to the EditorThe New York Times620 Eighth AvenueNew York, NY 10018To the Editor:Zev Chafets’ “Israel Can Stand Up for Itself” (April 13) suffers from three faulty assumptions which vitiate its argument. First, Mr. Chafets claims that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s announcement of the installation of 6,000 new

Gidon D. Rembahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09631301043922791367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3250266099318352116.post-2134860836392821252008-04-11T14:47:00.002-04:002008-04-11T14:50:57.096-04:00

Does being friends with Palestinians make one anti-Israel? Peter Wallsten of the LA Times apparently thinks so. His latest piece about Barack Obama's past ties to pro-Palestinian activists in Chicago is certainly meant to give the reader that impression. [See my recent Nation article, "Smearing Obama," for background on this topic. One of Wallsten's sources happens to be a key purveyor of the "

Gidon D. Rembahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09631301043922791367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3250266099318352116.post-36063184874844469212008-04-08T03:59:00.015-04:002008-04-16T09:43:14.884-04:00

Abridged for publication in the Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) and Jewish Chronicle (Pittsburgh) By Gidon D. RembaApril 16, 2008A friend who spent the last year living in Israel recently wrote to explain why he won’t vote for Senator Barack Obama for President. He believes that “most American Jews just don’t get what is happening. We are in a fight for our lives, period. Ahmadinejad means to do

Gidon D. Rembahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09631301043922791367noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3250266099318352116.post-68523373792456866392008-04-06T04:12:00.026-04:002008-04-09T21:54:49.671-04:00

To Read the New Abridged Version to Appear Soon in a National Publication Click HereUnabridged Version A friend who recently spent the last year living in Israel recently wrote to explain why he won’t vote for Senator Barack Obama for President. He believes with all his heart and soul that “most American Jews just don’t get what is happening. We are in a fight for our lives, period. Ahmadinejad

Gidon D. Rembahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09631301043922791367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3250266099318352116.post-6150939683751695142008-04-05T06:22:00.007-04:002008-04-16T09:55:13.797-04:00

Excerpt from Foreign Affairs, May-June 2008Editor's Introduction: This new analysis by Mideast expert Steven Simon outlines how the Bush-McCain surge in Iraq is in fact destabilizing the country, endangering the security of the entire region where Israel lives.At the same time, far from representing US “surrender” or “letting Al Qaida win,” as McCain and the Republicans suggest, establishing an

Gidon D. Rembahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09631301043922791367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3250266099318352116.post-18580021531029308982008-04-02T04:38:00.008-04:002008-04-06T23:25:23.507-04:00

Editor's Introduction: Not long after President Clinton's Special Assistant for Arab-Israeli Affairs Robert Malley and others began to unearth the fuller picture of the July 2000 Camp David Clinton-Arafat-Barak summit, showing that the one-sided story we had been fed by former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and President Bill Clinton on the reasons for its failure was simplistic and

Gidon D. Rembahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09631301043922791367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3250266099318352116.post-74992398217090049532008-04-01T14:45:00.004-04:002008-04-01T15:18:55.385-04:00

This powerful open letter to the Pennsylvania Jewish community, signed by dozens of Pennsylvania Jews, including rabbis, legislators and other prominent individuals, deserves to be read by all American Jews.Doni RembaDear Friend:We are writing as American Jews from all across Pennsylvania to ask that you join us in supporting Senator Barack Obama for President of the United States.Much has been

Gidon D. Rembahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09631301043922791367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3250266099318352116.post-10739146610584080602008-03-30T03:33:00.016-04:002008-03-30T05:09:55.622-04:00

A new tempest in a teapot has broken out over remarks from 2003 unearthed by a conservative magazine about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict by Gen. Merrill A. "Tony" McPeak, Senator Barack Obama’s campaign co-chair. The Republican Jewish Coalition claims that McPeak “blames American Jews rather than Palestinians” for the failure of the peace process.The Obama campaign issued the following

Gidon D. Rembahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09631301043922791367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3250266099318352116.post-65647044588791100582008-03-28T00:28:00.004-04:002008-03-28T00:33:59.562-04:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEMarch 28, 2008SHALOM TV EXCLUSIVE: OBAMA NATIONAL CAMPAIGN CO-CHAIRMAN GENERAL MERRILL McPEAK DISPUTES ANTI-ISRAEL CHARGES FROM REPUBLICAN JEWISH COALITIONMarch 28, 2008 (Fort Lee, NJ) -- General Merrill "Tony" McPeak, Senator Barack Obama's military advisor and national campaign co-chairman, responds to charges from the Republican Jewish Coalition of "alarming anti-Israel

Gidon D. Rembahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09631301043922791367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3250266099318352116.post-50735927216876648472008-03-20T03:28:00.019-04:002008-03-20T07:19:14.707-04:00

The firestorm which has erupted over outrageous remarks by Rev. Jeremiah Wright, Barack Obama's former pastor, evokes a time in my life when I too faced a moment of decision not unlike the one Obama's critics insist he failed.Some five years ago, I and my family quit our synagogue in protest over the rabbi's deeply offensive sermons. Setting aside that I am not a candidate for public office, the

Gidon D. Rembahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09631301043922791367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3250266099318352116.post-69031578667991348282008-03-20T03:14:00.003-04:002008-03-20T04:20:41.356-04:00

…We’ve heard my former pastor, Reverend Jeremiah Wright, use incendiary language to express views that have the potential not only to widen the racial divide, but views that denigrate both the greatness and the goodness of our nation; that rightly offend white and black alike.I have already condemned, in unequivocal terms, the statements of Reverend Wright that have caused such controversy. For

Gidon D. Rembahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09631301043922791367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3250266099318352116.post-82373759994415178022008-03-17T03:22:00.016-04:002008-04-06T06:54:51.271-04:00

Published in the Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle, March 13, 2008(Expanded Version)Anti-Obamanauts have flayed the Democratic presidential hopeful with claims that former Carter National Security Advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski and Clinton Mideast aide Robert Malley were anti-Israel advisors to Obama. In fact, neither is among Obama’s primary Middle East counselors, and neither is anti-Israel. But what

Gidon D. Rembahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09631301043922791367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3250266099318352116.post-82757909679713147082008-03-14T21:20:00.000-04:002008-03-17T21:30:20.032-04:00

This article can be found on the web at http://www.thenation.com/doc/20080331/bermanSmearing Obamaby ARI BERMAN[from the March 31, 2008 issue]He's a Muslim. He was sworn into office on the Koran. He doesn't say the Pledge of Allegiance. His pastor is an anti-Semite. He's a tool of Louis Farrakhan. He's anti-Israel. His advisers are anti-Israel. He's friends with terrorists. The terrorists want

Gidon D. Rembahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09631301043922791367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3250266099318352116.post-68356854116509156352008-03-03T00:30:00.010-05:002008-03-03T23:25:39.275-05:00

As Hamas and other terrorists escalated their lethal rocket attacks this week on Sderot, Ashkelon and other parts of southern Israel, leading Israel to ratchet up its air and ground counter-attacks on parts of Gaza, the question on most minds was whether Israel will carry out its threats to launch a massive invasion and re-occupation of Gaza. The goal would be to stop the rockets once and for all

Gidon D. Rembahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09631301043922791367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3250266099318352116.post-41149636802051964342008-03-02T23:42:00.002-05:002008-03-03T00:04:55.087-05:00

On Sunday, February 24, 2008, Barack Obama met with the Cleveland Jewish community for nearly an hour. He spoke about his views on issues of concern to the Jewish voters, including his strong support for Israel’s security and the U.S.-Israel relationship, and his determination to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. He also took questions from the audience, including on issues raised in

Gidon D. Rembahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09631301043922791367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3250266099318352116.post-31515742165588229102008-03-02T11:52:00.031-05:002008-04-08T04:20:39.635-04:00

Latest Updates: How to Talk to a Hawk--Or, Abandon These Myths Before You Vote (Abridged), Jewish Chronicle, Gidon D. Rembahttp://tough-dove-israel.blogspot.com/2008/04/how-to-talk-to-hawk-abridged-for.htmlOpen Letter to the Pennsylvania Jewish Community [and to all American Jews]http://tough-dove-israel.blogspot.com/2008/04/open-letter-to-pennsylvania-jewish.htmlObama National Campaign

Gidon D. Rembahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09631301043922791367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3250266099318352116.post-49064236594497882662008-03-01T03:00:00.036-05:002008-03-03T04:57:12.379-05:00

In a letter response to my column “Would Obama’s Middle East be Good for the Jews?” from the Feb. 14 Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle (also reprinted in the Ohio Jewish Chronicle on Feb. 28), Howard Richman criticizes my testimony on the enthusiastic support which Illinois Senator Barack Obama has long enjoyed from the Chicago Jewish community by asking whether I realize “that the Chicago

Gidon D. Rembahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09631301043922791367noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3250266099318352116.post-62018078911638662542008-02-29T13:26:00.000-05:002008-03-03T13:43:45.091-05:00

Dear friends and family,I've received so many questions over the last month about Barack Obama, his positions on Israel, and his relationship with the Jewish community. I've been deeply troubled by smears directed at Obama - claiming that he is a Muslim, suggesting that he is anti-Semitic, or implying that he is anti-Israel. On Sunday, I had the opportunity to attend a meeting with Obama and a

Gidon D. Rembahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09631301043922791367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3250266099318352116.post-31066551696546347892008-02-29T11:48:00.003-05:002008-03-03T12:45:00.323-05:00

It may be a case of chickens coming home to roost. I'm referring to Tim Russert's offensive questions to Barack Obama about Nation of Islam Minister Louis Farrakhan at this week's debate.Yeah, yeah. I know that this is Tim Russert I'm talking about, a guy who has specialized in boorishness (especially toward Senator Clinton) during the entire campaign this year.His idea of journalism is always

Gidon D. Rembahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09631301043922791367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3250266099318352116.post-16288851274267486902008-02-29T10:20:00.006-05:002008-02-29T10:31:13.478-05:00

In this web video, Barack Obama speaks of rebuilding the bonds between the African-American and Jewish communities.

Gidon D. Rembahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09631301043922791367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3250266099318352116.post-22501552772950555352008-02-27T09:52:00.003-05:002008-02-27T11:02:46.335-05:00

If you're Jewish and spend any time on the Internet, you've read some outlandish things about the Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama. But the facts are clear: Senator Obama is a strong friend of the American Jewish Community and Israel, and will make ensuring Israel's security a high priority of his presidency.Barack Obama's record speaks for itself. He has longstanding support among

Gidon D. Rembahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09631301043922791367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3250266099318352116.post-56363540306832106092008-02-26T05:58:00.013-05:002008-02-28T06:59:23.393-05:00

In a comment on my "The New Republican Jewish Obama Smear: Return of the Big Lie," Richard Silverstein of Tikkun Olam wrote that "some of Obama's statements about Israel have been shamefully one-sided leaving no room for a balanced view of the conflict. He needs to be called on that even by those like me who support him." This raises what for many of us in the progressive community is the most

Gidon D. Rembahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09631301043922791367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3250266099318352116.post-43728039809746473892008-02-25T12:37:00.008-05:002008-02-25T21:54:23.627-05:00

A press release from the Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC) titled “Nader Calls Out Obama's ‘Pro-Palestinian’ Past” continues the pattern of attacks on Barack Obama using lies, baseless innuendo and guilt by association. Republican Jewish Coalition Executive Director Matt Brooks claimed that "Ralph Nader added to the debate on Senator Obama's views on Israel and the Middle East and raised serious

Gidon D. Rembahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09631301043922791367noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3250266099318352116.post-44479196845193449842008-02-25T09:26:00.001-05:002008-02-25T21:31:43.285-05:00

Barack Obama faulted elements in the pro-Israel community that he says equate being pro-Israel with being pro-Likud."I think there is a strain within the pro-Israel community that says unless you adopt a unwavering pro-Likud approach to Israel that you're anti-Israel and that can't be the measure of our friendship with Israel," the Illinois senator and contender for the Democratic presidential

Gidon D. Rembahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09631301043922791367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3250266099318352116.post-15541307160796927382008-02-23T11:06:00.005-05:002008-03-02T23:09:06.386-05:00

Here's something else to add to an Israeli's menu of worries: The United States presidential elections may produce change in 2009. Or so fear people like Malcolm Hoenlein, the professional head of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, who said on a recent visit to Israel that all the talk of "change" is an "opening for mischief," and not good for Israel.Apparently

Gidon D. Rembahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09631301043922791367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3250266099318352116.post-45972359432648246462008-02-23T06:59:00.018-05:002008-02-24T01:08:29.053-05:00

Former Shin Bet/General Security Services Chief Ya'akov Perry and Israel's Minister of Transportation, former IDF Chief of Staff Likudnik Shaul Mofaz have joined the growing ranks of Israeli hawks and other pragmatic realists who believe that it is in Israel's security interests to engage in talks with Hamas over a bilateral cease-fire and the release of Israeli captive Gilad Shalit.In a new

Gidon D. Rembahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09631301043922791367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3250266099318352116.post-63266874922492744952008-02-21T13:50:00.006-05:002008-02-21T14:19:24.431-05:00

The debate around the Barack Obama candidacy has not surprisingly heated up of late in the Jewish and pro-Israel communities. Most of the arguments are well rehearsed and predictable, (some are spurious and deplorable) but they often miss the point and fail to connect between the broader Obama appeal and its relevance to the US-Israel equation. That connection is as follows: the Israel-America

Gidon D. Rembahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09631301043922791367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3250266099318352116.post-22735660336369231732008-02-20T06:42:00.028-05:002008-03-03T01:21:35.092-05:00

The assassination last week in Damascus of Imad Mugniyah, the notorious Hezbollah arch-terrorist, raises anew the long-swirling controversy over the practical efficacy, wisdom and moral justification for the Israeli and American counter-terrorism strategy of targeted killing. Israeli news correspondent Ronen Bergman offered the following trenchant observation in “Bracing for Revenge” in the New

Gidon D. Rembahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09631301043922791367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3250266099318352116.post-46786026265269178422008-02-16T20:33:00.001-05:002008-02-16T21:31:04.055-05:00

Jack S. Levin985 Sheridan RoadWinnetka, IL 60093February 14, 2008I have received many emails and seen many articles espousing the patently erroneous view that Barack Obama’s foreign policy advisors are anti-Israel, frequently listing a string of 4 or 5 so-called Obama foreign policy advisors and then asserting loudly that they are anti-Israel.These assertions could not be further from the truth!

Gidon D. Rembahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09631301043922791367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3250266099318352116.post-10397705344946475882008-02-16T19:30:00.003-05:002008-02-29T17:08:09.052-05:00

Obama’s Middle East: Good for the JewsBy Gidon D. RembaPublished inThe Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle, February 14, 2007 The Ohio Jewish Chronicle, February 28, 2007To win the affection of the American Jewish community, a candidate for President of the United States must, at minimum, demonstrate that he or she is a trusted friend of Israel who will ardently stand up for its rights and needs. Barack

Gidon D. Rembahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09631301043922791367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3250266099318352116.post-38670895965441112742008-02-15T13:18:00.001-05:002008-02-16T19:48:01.931-05:00

Dear Friends,Various attacks on Barack Obama, his personal background, and his positions on Israel have circulated recently in the Jewish Community. As Senator Obama has said, “Fortunately, the American people are, I think, smarter than people give them credit for.”In addition to the facts below rebutting the ‘Obama and Israel’ false attack piece by right wing blogger Ed Lasky, we have attached

Gidon D. Rembahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09631301043922791367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3250266099318352116.post-68787643473689775082008-02-15T13:11:00.001-05:002008-03-02T23:22:51.782-05:00

Lee Rosenberg is a prominent AIPAC leader in Chicago; his views about Obama are his own and are not those of AIPAC or any other organization.

Gidon D. Rembahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09631301043922791367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3250266099318352116.post-19097074623773725572008-02-15T13:10:00.000-05:002008-02-16T19:35:29.743-05:00

Rabbi Sam Gordon on Obama's friendship and strong ties with the Jewish community and Israel

Gidon D. Rembahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09631301043922791367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3250266099318352116.post-31176441812902227422008-02-04T10:21:00.001-05:002008-02-28T10:28:26.822-05:00

Philadelphia Jewish Voice, Feb. 4, 2008Buried between traditional spam messages about get-rich-quick schemes and limited time offers, many members of the Jewish community have found despicable smear emails polluting their inboxes in recent weeks. Such emails aimed at Barack Obama (and targeting Jewish voters) have been so outrageous that leaders from nine non-partisan Jewish organizations

Gidon D. Rembahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09631301043922791367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3250266099318352116.post-12209718254103710152008-02-04T02:43:00.000-05:002008-02-20T03:04:41.796-05:00

Last week, Senator Barack Obama addressed and reiterated his consistent and long standing denouncements of anti-Semitism. “I have always denounced the abhorrent anti-Semitic views of Louis Farrakhan. I have done so since I was a community organizer on the South side of Chicago 20 years ago. And so, I don’t think that’s in question. My church has never issued anti-Semitic statements, nor have I

Gidon D. Rembahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09631301043922791367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3250266099318352116.post-61933245181535403082007-12-31T12:12:00.035-05:002011-05-16T19:56:31.381-04:00

Doni Remba is Executive Director and President of the Jewish Alliance for Change (JAFC)(http://www.jews4change.com/,) a nonprofit organization which works to educate and mobilize American Jews and the American public to support a progressive domestic and foreign policy agenda.  He also serves as co-director of the Campaign for Bedouin-Jewish Justice in Israel: A Project of Rabbis for Human

Gidon D. Rembahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09631301043922791367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3250266099318352116.post-37673336449381980302007-12-31T10:26:00.000-05:002008-02-28T12:23:24.356-05:00

Israel, Settlements and the “P” WordByGidon D. RembaJanuary 15, 2008As Bush began his eight-day visit last week to Israel, the West Bank and allied Arab states, the rhetorical fireworks heralded his arrival. In advance of his landing at Ben Gurion airport, Bush assured Israeli newspaper Yediot Aharonot that "I believe the time is ripe. There will be a comprehensive [Israeli-Palestinian] peace

Gidon D. Rembahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09631301043922791367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3250266099318352116.post-53151548051300669202007-12-20T22:16:00.002-05:002008-02-16T23:43:49.546-05:00

What Bush and Olmert Could Learn from Begin and SadatPittsburgh Jewish Chronicle, December 20, 2007byGidon D. RembaAs the Annapolis Arab-Israeli peace summit unfolded last month, many failed to notice that it fell just days after the 30th anniversary of the dramatic event which launched the very first Arab-Israeli peace effort: the visit to Jerusalem of Egyptian President Anwar Sadat. Thirty

Gidon D. Rembahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09631301043922791367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3250266099318352116.post-69405152510447336982007-10-29T14:14:00.001-04:002008-02-16T23:06:14.331-05:00

Genocide, Morality and American JewsPublished as Don’t Alienate AnkaraByGidon D. RembaOctober 29, 2007The Jerusalem Post(Unedited version)Under pressure from the Bush Administration and Turkey, a key US NATO ally, Congressional leadership recently performed an about-face on a resolution condemning as genocide the mass slaughter and wholesale deportation of Armenian men, women and children nearly

Gidon D. Rembahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09631301043922791367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3250266099318352116.post-15497564863554397582007-09-26T14:10:00.003-04:002008-04-07T03:13:25.390-04:00

This essay, published as “Now May Be the Time to Pry Syria from Terrorist Camp,” is being reprinted in a new anthology titled Should Governments Negotiate with Terrorists?, as part of the “At Issue” educational series, to appear in June 2008. The volume may now be pre-ordered on Amazon here. War or Peace? What Bashar Really WantsFINAL REVISED AND EXPANDED VERSION 9/28/07Originally Published

Gidon D. Rembahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09631301043922791367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3250266099318352116.post-51395562506388489182007-08-22T14:01:00.003-04:002008-02-16T23:07:18.648-05:00

Self-Appointed, Arrogant American Jewish Interlopers Offer Illusions of Peace(Abridged Version)Published in the Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle, August 22, 2007http://ameinu.net/perspectives/current_issues.php?articleid=239ByGidon D. RembaMideast peace is in the air again, as Israel’s Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and PLO Chairman Mahmoud Abbas have been meeting in recent months to hash out a statement

Gidon D. Rembahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09631301043922791367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3250266099318352116.post-48560340186092849832007-08-03T22:07:00.001-04:002008-02-16T23:44:45.849-05:00

Everything JNF Wants to Know About Democracy, But Was Afraid to AskBy Gidon D. RembaAugust 3, 2007https://www.ameinu.net/perspectives/america.php?articleid=236Shahar Ilan reported in Ha’aretz on 7/30 that the JNF is receiving “messages from its branches all over the world. The branch activists cannot contend with the claims that the JNF discriminates against Arabs…On May 17… the [Israel] Attorney

Gidon D. Rembahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09631301043922791367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3250266099318352116.post-1287348910889441462007-07-24T22:42:00.003-04:002008-02-16T23:45:16.133-05:00

Is AIPAC Lobbying for War or Peace with Iran and Gaza?By Gidon D. Remba Pittsburgh Jewish ChronicleJuly 24, 2007 This month’s column comes to you from Washington, D.C., where I have just attended the Executive Committee meeting of AIPAC, the “pro-Israel lobby,” as a delegate of Ameinu. The meeting, which focused on AIPAC's support for new legislation to ratchet up economic sanctions on Iran, was

Gidon D. Rembahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09631301043922791367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3250266099318352116.post-62527531628783024042007-06-25T22:34:00.001-04:002008-02-16T21:36:46.719-05:00

A Close Encounter with Ehud Olmert: The Hamas Revolution in Gaza June 25, 2007By Gidon D. RembaI had the opportunity hear Prime Minister Ehud Olmert address the American Jewish leadership last week on the eve of his encounter with President Bush. So many are excited about Olmert and Bush’s new plan to support and re-start peace talks with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, while isolating and

Gidon D. Rembahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09631301043922791367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3250266099318352116.post-41923295154706404692007-06-14T13:52:00.003-04:002008-02-16T23:11:04.169-05:00

A Tragedy Foretold: Israel’s Unheeded ProphetByGidon D. RembaPittsburgh Jewish ChronicleJune 14, 2007http://www.ameinu.net/perspectives/jewish_id.php?articleid=209Much as it took forty years of wandering in the desert before God allowed the Jewish people to enter the Promised Land, it took forty years of wandering in the desert of ignorance for today’s Jewish people to learn the truth about

Gidon D. Rembahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09631301043922791367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3250266099318352116.post-59722556520493645452007-04-19T13:50:00.003-04:002008-02-16T23:11:32.712-05:00

The Arab Peace Plan: What the Right Doesn’t Want You To KnowPittsburgh Jewish Chronicle, April 19, 2007Gidon D. RembaThe leaders of 21 Arab states met recently in Ryadh, Saudi Arabia under the auspices of the Arab League, and reaffirmed their 2002 offer of comprehensive peace with Israel. Originally called the Arab Peace Initiative, inspired by a Saudi proposal, its meaning has been hotly

Gidon D. Rembahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09631301043922791367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3250266099318352116.post-86062681660010937162007-03-20T13:45:00.001-04:002008-02-16T23:12:02.068-05:00

AIPAC Hijack: With Friends Like These…By Gidon D. RembaPublished at Ameinu.net and The Pittsburgh Jewish ChronicleMarch 20, 2007http://ameinu.net/perspectives/current_issues.php?articleid=159AIPAC has long portrayed itself as 'the pro-Israel lobby' representing the entire pro-Israel American Jewish community. As the primary pro-Israel voice in Washington, AIPAC should reflect what is common to

Gidon D. Rembahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09631301043922791367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3250266099318352116.post-72564195075173157672007-02-22T12:41:00.002-05:002008-02-16T23:46:22.946-05:00

Are We the New Jews of Silence?Gidon D. RembaPittsburgh Jewish ChronicleFebruary 22, 2007“We were the Jews of Silence, the Jews enjoying security, the Jews of the Western world . . .What torments me most is . . . the silence of the Jews I live among today,” wrote Elie Wiesel a generation ago in a “Letter to a Young Jew in the U.S.S.R.” Today, there is another silence among the Jews of America:

Gidon D. Rembahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09631301043922791367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3250266099318352116.post-29525032296372518842007-01-28T12:40:00.002-05:002008-02-16T23:12:53.781-05:00

CARTER’S ‘PALESTINE’: Badly Flawed with a Large Kernel of Truthby Gidon D. RembaSerious factual errors mar ex-president’s analysis.PALESTINE: PEACE NOT APARTHEID by Jimmy Carter, Simon & Schuster, 264 pages, $27.REVIEWAs Published in Israel Horizons, Meretz USA Quarterly Magazine, Winter 2007http://meretzusa.blogspot.com/2007/01/carters-palestine-review-by-gidon.htmlPresident Jimmy Carter

Gidon D. Rembahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09631301043922791367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3250266099318352116.post-44049448081063287642007-01-23T12:38:00.003-05:002011-10-29T01:45:21.989-04:00

Look Who’s Pressuring Israel By Gidon D. Remba Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle January 23, 2007 As the Israel-Lebanon war raged last summer, I called for the U.S. and Israel to renew peace talks with Syria, aborted seven years ago under Prime Minister Ehud Barak and President Bill Clinton. Such talks, I maintained, would offer Israel the best chance for cutting Syrian support for Hezbollah and

Gidon D. Rembahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09631301043922791367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3250266099318352116.post-46552777453174097572007-01-22T12:39:00.000-05:002008-02-16T19:53:43.538-05:00

What Israel Can Do for AmericabyDan FleshlerJerusalem ReportJanuary 22, 2007Too many Israeli and American Jewish leaders have a problem with the L-word, “linkage.” They reflexively denounce any suggestion that progress toward Arab-Israeli peace will help America solve its own problems in the Middle East. They should change their approach, because what they are doing not only ignores reality; it

Gidon D. Rembahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09631301043922791367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3250266099318352116.post-58665865313728449122006-12-11T07:04:00.001-05:002008-02-16T22:24:10.502-05:00

Carter's Palestine-Israel Book: It's Even Worse Than They SayCarter's top 10 misrepresentations reveal systematic anti-Israel bias and a Manichean view of the Palestinian-Israeli conflictbyGidon D. RembaDecember 11, 2006 As published at Engagehttp://www.engageonline.org.uk/blog/article.php?id=783A close reading of Carter's Palestine-Israel book leads to the inescapable conclusion: it's even worse

Gidon D. Rembahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09631301043922791367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3250266099318352116.post-77352831001109818052006-12-08T03:16:00.001-05:002008-02-16T23:14:28.568-05:00

Settlements: Israel’s March of FollyBy Gidon D. RembaPittsburgh Jewish ChronicleRevised December 8, 2006A generation ago, Daniel Ellsberg, a former US government official, leaked to the New York Times a top secret report that became known as the Pentagon Papers. The Papers revealed that the Johnson Administration had misled the American public when it promised not to expand the Vietnam war. They

Gidon D. Rembahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09631301043922791367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3250266099318352116.post-34645520426706533622006-11-28T12:37:00.003-05:002008-02-16T23:15:15.126-05:00

Realists Negotiate, Idealists Make WarByGidon D. RembaPittsburgh Jewish ChronicleDecember 28, 2006Negotiations, as a tool for dealing with our enemies, get a bum rap. Hardliners mock them as the feeble crutch of Kumbaya liberals who imagine that if only we talked with our adversaries, everything could be hashed out with a dollop of reason and a gallon of good will. But our foes are truly evil,

Gidon D. Rembahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09631301043922791367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3250266099318352116.post-13868174486566231162006-11-19T00:11:00.002-05:002008-02-16T23:15:51.492-05:00

Wanted: A Moderate Pro-Israel LobbyByGidon D. RembaAs published in Ha’aretz, November 17, 2006http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/789167.htmlI am a member of AIPAC, the premier American pro-Israel lobby. AIPAC plays a vital role in bolstering America’s alliance with the Jewish state, from galvanizing Congressional backing for US military and economic aid to marshaling moral and political support

Gidon D. Rembahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09631301043922791367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3250266099318352116.post-65169611319069772052006-11-18T23:19:00.002-05:002008-02-16T22:12:02.233-05:00

A Response to Abunimah's "One State Solution"November 13, 2006Voice of the PeopleChicago TribuneTo the Editor:Ali Abunimah’s “South Africa seen as model for Palestine” rests on faulty assumptions. Abunimah claims that Israel’s establishment of settlements in the territories where Palestinians “wanted” to create a state “has rendered separation impossible” and that “neither Palestinians nor

Gidon D. Rembahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09631301043922791367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3250266099318352116.post-75654394194942139952006-11-01T03:45:00.001-05:002008-02-16T21:12:26.972-05:00

Gidon D. Remba Responds to Jennifer Tilly’s The One-State Solution Criticisms of His Essay in the Nation on Israel and the New Anti-SemitismIn "Anti-Semitism—New or Old? An Exchange," (The Nation, April 12, 2004), I responded to Oxford scholar Brian Klug’s “The Myth of the New Anti-Semitism.” While I agreed that advocacy of anti-Zionism and binationalism is not inherently anti-Semitic, and

Gidon D. Rembahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09631301043922791367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3250266099318352116.post-4973195901052349492006-10-05T00:18:00.001-04:002008-02-16T23:16:27.330-05:00

Bush and Israel: With Friends Like TheseByGidon D. RembaOctober 4, 2006Published in the Pittsburgh Jewish ChronicleIf we’re to believe the Republican Jewish Coalition, President George W. Bush is the best friend Israel has ever had. “George Bush is right to stand up to those who have waged a war of terror on the world’s civilized nations,” boasts the RJC. “Whether it’s Iran, Hezbollah or Al Qaeda

Gidon D. Rembahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09631301043922791367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3250266099318352116.post-33527136674931010322006-09-07T23:40:00.002-04:002008-02-16T23:55:13.381-05:00

Pax Syriana ReduxByGidon D. RembaPittsburgh Jewish ChronicleSeptember 7, 2006No sooner had the Lebanon cease-fire taken hold when Israel’s Defense Minister Amir Peretz proposed peace talks with Syria. The critics pounced on him forthwith: the novice minister, notorious for his lack of security experience, “jumped the gun,” showing that he had as much to learn about the art of diplomacy as he did

Gidon D. Rembahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09631301043922791367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3250266099318352116.post-13582116021097891612006-08-08T02:48:00.002-04:002008-02-16T23:54:45.934-05:00

Mideast Peace—The Tough Dove Way Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle, August 8, 2006ByGidon D. RembaIsrael is fighting a just and necessary war against the Islamic fascists of Hezbollah and Hamas, backed by Iran and Syria. Virtually the entire Israeli public—95% according to the polls—is behind Israel’s war of self-defense, left, right and center, including Peace Now, the movement of Israeli pragmatists

Gidon D. Rembahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09631301043922791367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3250266099318352116.post-23346768744568037162006-07-21T02:53:00.001-04:002008-02-16T23:18:56.715-05:00

Are Israel's Military Operations in Lebanon Proportional? Is Israel Guilty of War Crimes?What International Law Really SaysRevised July 21, 2006Gidon D. RembaPosted on website of Ameinu at http://www.ameinu.net/perspectives/israel.php?articleid=106 and widely cited in the pressReferring to the Hezbollah-Israel conflict, UN Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour has said that indiscriminate

Gidon D. Rembahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09631301043922791367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3250266099318352116.post-31888744033146488022006-07-02T03:12:00.001-04:002008-02-16T23:23:58.087-05:00

Response to a Critic: The Settlements and Convergence For PeaceLetter to the Forward, July 2, 2006Gidon D. RembaLeopold Friedman (Letter, June 23) objects to my claim that “metastasizing settlements have long occluded the emergence of a Palestinian polity” in my June 2nd opinion article, “Convergence Towards Peace.” He charges that by implying Israeli settlements in the West Bank are like “

Gidon D. Rembahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09631301043922791367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3250266099318352116.post-44071439041287176212006-06-13T17:39:00.003-04:002008-02-17T00:02:24.436-05:00

Know—and Don’t Demonize—the EnemyPittsburgh Jewish Chronicle June 13, 2006By Gidon D. RembaIt’s hard to imagine what more Hamas might do to shore itself up as an enemy of peace with Israel. First it praised an April 17 Islamic Jihad suicide bombing in Tel Aviv which killed 10 Israeli civilians, wounding 70. Now after long resisting Al Qaeda’s pandering invocations of the Palestinian cause for the

Gidon D. Rembahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09631301043922791367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3250266099318352116.post-4272951525756659622006-06-02T03:13:00.004-04:002008-02-16T23:54:11.424-05:00

Convergence Toward PeaceThe Forward, June 2, 2006 (Also published in the Chicago Sun Times) by Gidon D. Rembahttp://www.forward.com/articles/7888Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's inaugural visit to Washington last week has brought out, in full force, the nattering nabobs of negativism. A host of critics, from former president Jimmy Carter on the left to former CIA chief James Woolsey on the

Gidon D. Rembahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09631301043922791367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3250266099318352116.post-52810976497582559282006-05-19T01:10:00.002-04:002008-02-16T23:27:29.501-05:00

Judas and the "Israel Lobby", Jerusalem Report(Also published as "The 'Israel Lobby' and the Persian Gulf Wars")JUF NEWS, May 2006This essay also appeared in the Jerusalem Report as a Viewpoint column in the June 12, 2006 issue.By Gidon D. Rembahttp://www.juf.org/news_public_affairs/article.asp?key=6972An Egyptian papyrus containing a lost gospel written some 1,700 years ago, The Gospel of Judas,

Gidon D. Rembahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09631301043922791367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3250266099318352116.post-66166999222158081422006-05-02T02:57:00.001-04:002008-02-16T23:27:48.787-05:00

A Secret Letter from the US President to Iranian President Mahmoud AhmadinejadAs Published in the Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle, May 2006ByGidon D. RembaMr. President,Your country stands on the precipice of a grave international crisis provoked by the growing and well-founded concerns of the International Atomic Energy Agency and many members of the UN Security Council that Iran is concealing a

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Radical Refugees: Hijacking Human RightsWhat International Law Really Says About the Palestinian “Right of Refugee Return”Gidon D. RembaAmong the final status issues explored at the Camp David II summit in July 2000, and at the Taba talks in January 2001—including settlements, territory, Palestinian statehood, Israeli security, water, and Jerusalem—the problem of the Palestinian refugees remains

Gidon D. Rembahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09631301043922791367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3250266099318352116.post-39287183241997354022006-02-16T20:19:00.005-05:002008-02-16T22:03:47.415-05:00

"Original Sin," Israel and the Palestinian Refugees: A Response to the Anti-Zionists by Gidon D. RembaPeople on the left, progressives, are committed to the values of liberalism, equality and human rights. They face the dilemma of how to reconcile these commitments to their attachments to particular groups, whether their own families and friends, ethnic groups to which they belong or

Gidon D. Rembahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09631301043922791367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3250266099318352116.post-57953793782109532612005-04-17T04:30:00.000-04:002008-02-16T21:15:15.201-05:00

Overview: Progressive Jewish Perspectives on Presbyterian Church Israel Divestment ResolutionExcerpt from a Letter & from Remarks to the Chicago Presbytery from Chicago Peace Now President Gidon D. RembaRevised and Updated April 17, 2005What I say below is my own personal view, and not the official position of Chicago Peace Now, the organization I lead, or of Americans for Peace Now, the national

Gidon D. Rembahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09631301043922791367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3250266099318352116.post-28053105044022082092004-10-22T06:00:00.002-04:002008-02-25T12:41:14.314-05:00

Republican Jewish Attack Ads Push Spinning into SinningByGidon D. RembaPublished by Jews for Kerry, October 22, 2004An anti-Democratic attack ad run in the Jewish press by the Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC) attempts to smear Democratic presidential candidate Senator John Kerry and the Democratic Party with distortions about their views on Israel. The RJC, which describes itself as the “sole

Gidon D. Rembahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09631301043922791367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3250266099318352116.post-10923899311353140482004-09-24T19:44:00.001-04:002009-08-02T20:02:10.535-04:00

September 24, 2004We continue to hear the familiar canard that the Palestinians made no counter-offer at Camp David in response to Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak's unprecedented concessions. This myth arose from the self-serving story put out by Barak and President Clinton in an attempt to place the entire blame for the summit's failure on Arafat. It was accepted uncritically by much of the

Gidon D. Rembahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09631301043922791367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3250266099318352116.post-67096239600767017052004-04-12T05:00:00.001-04:002008-02-16T23:29:52.138-05:00

“Israel and the New Anti-Semitism: An Exchange,” The Nation, April 12, 2004Gidon D. RembaOverviewIn this 1,200-word essay published in the Nation, I respond to Oxford scholar Brian Klug’s “The Myth of the New Anti-Semitism.” While I agree that advocacy of anti-Zionism and binationalism is not inherently anti-Semitic, and describe conditions under which binationalism could be consistent with the

Gidon D. Rembahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09631301043922791367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3250266099318352116.post-27036862632156987802003-12-26T03:10:00.001-05:002008-02-16T23:30:25.321-05:00

Geneva’s Tough Puffs Chicago Jewish NewsGidon D. RembaPresident, Chicago Peace NowDec. 26, 2003I couldn’t agree more with Joe Aaron (“Tough Puffs,” Dec. 12) when he notes the importance of so many of Israel’s “tough guys”—from its leading security figures like IDF Chief of Staff Lieutenant-General Moshe Ya’alon to Likud leaders like Deputy Prime Minster Ehud Olmert—coming to embrace some of Peace

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