Is it really O.K. for Israel to get so much special dispensation from the US?

Dairy tariffs eliminated: An under the table deal to benefit Israel, but not US dairy farmers. Once again, Israel, first; the US, second. Is that how our country should be run?

Published: Sunday, November 8, 2009 12:19 AM CST

Here’s news for you. I haven’t seen it in our papers nor heard it discussed on FOX or even MSNBC. Sad to say, its pertinent to those of you in Iowa who grew up on dairy farms or sell dairy products or make a living off the land.

According to research made public by If Americans Knew, Israeli wire service Ynet announced that President Obama recently signed a presidential memo eliminating a tariff or subcharges on dairy products that Israel ships to the United States. Seems that Dudu Buch, an Israeli export broker, takes credit for obtaining the protection from the levy for Israel saying that the company he represents will receive a $17,000 credit because of the deal.

Evidently, an Israeli attache expressed glee because he exclaimed aloud that the levy-leveling happened by presidential decree rather than through regular channels which means that Israel will have no fear that it will be placed on (Israel) again in the future. Hum!

Although the United States does not levy taxes on most imports we receive from Israel, this is new and previous administrations did not wave the usual tariff requirements for dairy product from Israel. Hum again! On top of this, The National Milk Producers Federation say that U.S. dairy producers have been facing unprecedented losses over the past year due to low milk prices and high input costs. Hum, yet again!

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu recently joked that even with all the largess he gets from America he wouldn’t really want Israel to be Americas 51st state. Why? He said because he’d only have two senators representing him and not the many he has under his thrall, today. A final, hum.

Elizabeth Mayfield

Ames

Facing Facts: Anna Baltzer and Mustapha Barghouti: The truth about Palestine

See a great show on the sidebar: most recent entry.

One Last Pitch for Sabeel in Iowa

A speech worth listening to

Published: Sunday, October 4, 2009 12:08 AM CDT

Is a two-state solution for Israel/Palestine possible? Consider how far 60 years of Zionist regimes have taken Israel into belligerent gathering of land to make one state, a Jewish state, a land without borders, millions of brokenhearted people living in occupation and, because of occupation, an angry population within and without Israel proper and Israel far and wide.

Does Israel really want two states after all, and how do the demographics of the region affect probability of two states or even one state or, even, a disastrous ecological ruination of the region?

The Rev. Dr. Naim Ateek is a Christian Arab who will speak from noon to 2 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 7, at First Christian Church in Ames and again at 7 p.m. at Collegiate Methodist. He’s worth hearing because he’s lived in Jerusalem and environs his entire life. He’s what is called a Jerusalemite, an elite category for Israeli and Palestinian both.

Ateek will speak from his own perspective, but when he heads up to the University of Northern Iowa to lead a conference called “A Secure Israel and A Free Palestine,” he will bring four leading Jewish intellectuals to tell their stories: Phyllis Bennis, policy wonk from D.C.; Anna Baltzer, traveling star of discussion circles in towns all over the United States; Jeff Halper, formerly from Hibbing, Minn., and now a staunch Israeli citizen; and psychologist Mark Braverman, member of Jewish Voice for Peace.

I expect to get a better sense of what’s actually happening in the Middle East by listening to what Ateek and friends have to say. I expect it to be challenging.

Elizabeth S. Mayfield

Ames

The Place to be on October 9 and 10

Speakers discuss Middle East

Published: Wednesday, September 2, 2009 3:23 PM CDT

In trying to share information about Palestine or attempting to talk about human rights violations against Palestinians, I encounter objections: “I won’t talk about Palestinians as long as Hamas is throwing rockets. Israel has a right to defend itself.” That’s the old trick of changing the subject.

I want to talk about Palestinians and Israelis who want peace and want to get on with their lives without trepidation; the opposition wants to bring up the worst aspect of the resistance to end the conversation. The result: deadlock, intransigence. We talk past each other. Isn’t 60 plus years of this enough?

You can read about not ending this world-affecting battle opined by those who benefit from keeping the fray going. Palestine, however, is still the issue. On Oct. 9 and 10, those in Cedar Falls who want peace in the Holy Land will host some of the most articulate and internationally recognized speakers on the circuit. Amesites who care even a wink about the situation have an opportunity here.

Take the time to drive 90 minutes up Interstate 35 and across on U.S. Highway 20 and learn first hand what the nonviolent peace and justice exponents can tell you. First speaker up is writer/analyst Phyllis Bennis, Institute for Policy Studies, in D.C., at 1 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 9. Phyllis and the event, in general, offer substance missing here in Ames where tit-for-tat argument keeps us confused and uninformed about reality on the ground.

If using U.S. dollars to help Americans at home rather than creating or abetting wars around the world matters to you, go to Cedar Falls on Oct. 9. Check it out at www.fosna.org.

Elizabeth Mayfield

Ames

Home Exchange, Bezonnes, France 2009