A few days ago, I had the pleasure of being on the orange couch of The Stream on Al Jazeera. It was my second time in the studio, and I was a lot more comfortable compared to the first. Plus, the fact that the topic was Sudan definitely helped, since the subject is close to my heart. Duh. For obvious reasons.
Read the full and excellent compilation that the folks at The Stream put together here, and check out the video of the episode below. I start talking and sharing my perspective after the 7th minute.
I’m very grateful for all the wonderful feedback I received on Twitter, and glad what I said resonated with so many Sudanese and others interested in Sudan’s history and politics.
SudaneseThinker
SudaneseThinker
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
Hey Amir- you did great. Outspoken and clear-thinking as usual. I’ve never seen this show before, but I liked the format, with everyone sitting there with their laptops. It’s oddly “natural” as we tend to be when we’re engaged in discussion these days. Take care….
I was reading your ‘about’ section and, frankly, I was quite disapointed.
“Israel must more actively seek peace”
Here is Clinton blaiming Arafat for the failure of negotiations:
http://youtu.be/MGWWOtGXTTU
“for the sake of its own long-term security”
And here is a Fatah member, Abbas Zaki, talking about the long-term security of Israel after the “peace”. And this is a member of Fatah…
http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/3130.htm
And here is Arafat in South Africa talking about the Oslo accords, when Palestinians used the training and weapons given by Israel to kill Israeli civilians:
http://youtu.be/0HZSB2zUao0
http://youtu.be/SKyidipTVqw
Honestly, I can’t see how Israel could seek peace “more actively”. I’m still looking for another country that gave territory – being the winner – for the sake of peace…
It’s a shame you can’t distance yourself enough from anti-Israel propaganda. If you ask me, Palestinians are lucky to be under Israeli “occupation”. We’ve seen how Russians, Chinese, Americans, French and Arabs treat their enemies in wartime – and Chinese, Russians and Arabs don’t even wait for war to persecute and kill the ones perceived as enemies…
Marco,
Good to see you commenting here ma man. And thanks for your kind words. The Stream has won and been nominated for numerous awards because of its innovative format and concept. Great show.
Rodrigo,
Thanks for sticking to the topic of this post.
We’ll just have to agree to disagree dude. I’ve been through this debate more than a hundred times–literally–and it’s all available in the archives of this blog. Both sides have much to answer for, but especially at this time under Bibi’s right-wing government, even the Obama administration is frustrated with Israeli policies. Anyways, let’s save each others’ time and drop it, because our opinions seem rather set. Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to comment. Cheers.
Great job ya Amir ..i see the video just Now
Shalom Drima,
What do you mean “even the Obama” administration? Obama is frustrated by everything Israel does. However, Clinton sees things differently (and more realistically).
But be that as it may, I also don’t see what else Israel could do. Do you have any new ideas? By “new” I mean things Israel hasn’t tried yet. Because up to now everything Israel did for peace was used as a new weakness by the terrorists to kill more Jews. So what do you propose apart from criticism?
Give up Jerusalem? Israel did that in 1948. What was the result? Two more genocidal wars against Israel.
No occupation? Israel tried that before 1967. What was the result? Two genocidal wars against Israel.
Palestinian “refugee” problem solved? That was the situation in 1947. The result? A genocidal war against Israel.
End occupation of southern Lebanon? Done in 2000. Result? Rockets fired from southern Lebanon for bloody six years.
End of occupation of Gaza? Also done. Result? Rockets.
End of Gaza blockade? The rockets came before the blockade.
Working with Palestinians? That’s what got us the second “Intifada” (i.e. the Arab war against Jewish restaurants, kindergardens and cinemas, or whatever else they found “oppressive”).
So what exactly should Israel do?
And please don’t mention anything that wasn’t already done and brought us another Arab attempt to murder us all.
You are a rational person. You want to be balanced. That’s, I am sure, why you want Israel to be at fault here as well. But what can Israel do that Israel hasn’t already done?
Why cannot the Arab side do something for once?
Arabs have never done anything for peace. Why is “land for peace” a deal in which Israel has to buy peace from the Arabs? Why, given that Israel is partly to blame, should not Arabs have to buy peace from Israel? Why is it occupation when Israel rules over Jerusalem (and allows everyone to visit the city), but not occupation when Transjordan rules over Jerusalem (and destroys Jewish sites and does not allow Jews to enter the city)?
Excellent job. Your way of speaking and presenting is very clear and informative. I hope to see you again on the air.
Well well well. Amir and Andrew. Long time no see guys. Drums u have surely matured you have. Hope all is good.
THE Howie
You sure are wrong about Israel though. Looks like u have been sucked in. Too bad… You used to think more objectively,
Leave a Comment