“Looking more deeply at the emergence of ISIS or the chaos that exists in Syria, Yemen and Libya would clearly raise crucial doubts about reliance on military intervention and drone warfare as adequate counterterrorist responses and would call attention to the detrimental effects of US "special relationships" with Israel and Saudi Arabia.” AttentionDoubtSpecialEffectsMilitaryRaisesResponseChaosIsraelCrucialWarfareSyriaAdequateInterventionRelianceIsisArabiaSaudi ArabiaSaudisEmergenceDronesLibyaDetrimentalYemenSpecial RelationshipMilitary Intervention Author:Richard A. Falk
“So far, the official definitions of terrorism have the role of demonizing the enemies of the United States and Israel, and of sanitizing recourse to indiscriminate force by both governments that causes widespread death of innocent civilians. This double standard is built around the current way in which the vocabulary of terrorism is being used in this country.” WayCountryStatesGovernmentUsedForceCausesUnitedEnemyRolesUnited StatesStandardsBuiltDefinitionsCurrentsIsraelTerrorismInnocentOfficialsVocabularyCiviliansDouble StandardRecourse Author:Richard A. Falk
“American special relationships with Israel and Saudi Arabia blind us to their dreadful encroachments on human rights, as well as confer impunity on their leaders with respect to accountability for crimes against humanity.” HumansWellsHumanityLeaderRightsSpecialCrimeBlindHuman RightsIsraelAccountabilityArabiaSaudi ArabiaSaudisImpunityEncroachmentCrimes Against HumanitySpecial Relationship Author:Richard A. Falk
“It should be appreciated that if the arrangement on Iran's nuclear program collapses after being so patiently negotiated, and successfully implemented since 2014 despite the intense opposition of Netanyahu's Israel and its American loyalists in Congress, it would be widely perceived around the world as a huge setback in the search for regional stability and the struggle to prevent any further spread of nuclear weapons.” IfsWorldShouldWould BeStruggleHugeWeaponsProgramCongressIsraelSpreadNuclearIntenseDespiteAround The WorldOppositionIranStabilityCollapseNuclear WeaponsArrangementsAppreciatedSetbackLoyalists Author:Richard A. Falk
“In light of Trump's irresponsible behavior, even Putin may decide that it was time to recalculate Russian interests. This could happen quite quickly if Trump goes ahead and wrecks one of the few potentially stabilizing developments in the Middle East during the last several years. Similarly, if Israel joins NATO, this might be more than Putin is willing to swallow.” IfsYearsMayLightMightHappensLastsInterestMiddleWillingDevelopmentTrumpBehaviorIsraelEastMiddle EastPutinIrresponsibleWrecksNato Author:Richard A. Falk
“Any move by Israel to end the conflict with the Palestinians by unilateral moves - such as annexing the West Bank, delinking Gaza and declaring that there be no further diplomatic process - will lead to strong regional and global reactions, as well as intensify efforts at the UN and in civil society to brand Israel as an outlaw state dangerous to regional and world peace and guilty of criminal behavior.” WorldWellsEndsStatesMovingStrongProcessEffortDangerousConflictBehaviorWestIsraelCriminalsReactionsGuiltyBrandsPalestinianCivil SocietyDiplomaticOutlawGazaDeclaringCriminal Behavior Author:Richard A. Falk
“Already there exists a growing international concern that Israel has become "an apartheid state" pursuing policies manifesting a "settler colonial" mentality. Such perceptions pose a challenge to postcolonial international society that will not be indefinitely ignored, especially if Palestinians achieve greater unity and tactical focus.” IfsStatesChallengesGreaterFocusGrowingAchievePolicyPerceptionConcernUnityInternationalIsraelManifestMentalityPalestinianIgnoredApartheidTacticalSettlers Author:Richard A. Falk
“Since Israel would rather re-experience Masada than renounce the core Zionist objective of establishing a Jewish state, the only one-state "solution" on the horizon of realistic possibilities is an Israeli "one state" that fulfills the messianic nationalist ideal embraced by deep Zionism, likely consisting of completing the expansionist process of recent years by incorporating all or most of the West Bank, casting Gaza adrift, consolidating control over Jerusalem, and transferring as many West Bank Palestinians as possible to Jordan.” YearsStatesProcessPossibilitySolutionsIdealsWestIsraelCoreObjectivesHorizonRealisticPalestinianCastingIsraeliJordanJerusalemRenounceZionistGazaZionismCompletingAdriftIncorporating Author:Richard A. Falk
“I think it is less the limited amount of information than the filters that information about the Middle East must pass through before being fairly addressed in the mainstream media. In more intellectual and geopolitical terms, the perceptions of the region are distorted by a combination of Orientalism and the priorities of the state of Israel, including the refusal to discuss the relevance of Israel's nuclear weapons arsenal in the context of addressing Iran on its nuclear program.” ThinkingStatesTermMiddleMediaInformationAmountPerceptionWeaponsIntellectualProgramIncludingIsraelEastNuclearPrioritiesCombinationRegionsIranMainstreamMiddle EastNuclear WeaponsRelevanceRefusalArsenalFiltersMainstream MediaGeopoliticalOrientalism Author:Richard A. Falk
“More recently the US has more accurately been viewed as a militarist 'empire' that fights destructive wars and intervenes in a variety of societies, especially in the Middle East to retain control over oil reserves, and lends crucial support to Israel that not only oppresses the Palestinian people but threatens to convert the entire region into a war zone.” PeopleWarFightingSupportMiddleIsraelOilEastVarietyDestructiveZoneEmpiresRegionsCrucialMiddle EastPalestinianReservesWar Zones Author:Richard A. Falk
“Both Israel and the United States have mounted attacks on 'lawfare', that is, counter-hegemonic uses of international law to question policies associated with the occupation of Palestine and criminal tactics of warfare.” StatesUseLawUnitedUnited StatesPolicyInternationalIsraelCriminalsOccupationWarfarePalestineTacticsInternational Law Author:Richard A. Falk
“In the Goldstone Report, Israeli perpetrators of possible crimes against humanity were made subject to prosecution and punishment, although the geopolitical leverage of the United States within the UN prevents implementation. At the same time, several African leaders are being prosecuted for their crimes against humanity and participation in genocide: a double standard of sorts, given the impunity accorded to the West and Israel.” MadeStatesHumanityGivenUnitedLeaderUnited StatesSubjectsCrimeStandardsWestIsraelPunishmentReportsGenocideParticipationIsraeliDouble StandardImpunityImplementationPerpetratorsProsecutionCrimes Against HumanityGeopolitical Author:Richard A. Falk
“The Goldstone Report establishes the credibility of the accusations directed at Israel with respect to its tactics used during the 2008 - 09 attacks on Gaza, but was not able to facilitate the next step that would have involved activating accountability mechanisms either within Israel or at the level of international society.” AbleUsedNextLevelsStepsInvolvedInternationalIsraelReportsAccountabilityMechanismTacticsCredibilityNext StepsAccusationGazaFacilitate Author:Richard A. Falk
“This issue of expanding the reach of international criminal law by reliance on the use of Universal Jurisdiction by domestic courts needs to be balanced against the injustice of according impunity to those with strong geopolitical backing. It is notable that several western European countries backtracked on UJ after threats of retaliatory moves by the United States and Israel. There is no doubt that the domain of UJ is a geopolitical battleground.” NeedsCountryStatesUseMovingLawStrongUnitedUnited StatesIssuesDoubtUniversalCourtThreatWesternInjusticeInternationalIsraelCriminalsNo DoubtBalancedExpandingDomainRelianceNotableImpunityEuropean CountriesJurisdictionCriminal LawBattlegroundGeopolitical Author:Richard A. Falk
