Category Archives: Archives

Talking With McGovern in a Time of Palin and Israel’s Settlements

Posted on November 22, 2009 by wallwritings

by James M. Wall I was fed up with the ugliness of American political dialogue. I knew it was time to call George McGovern. I found him on St. Thomas Island, where he was attending  the funeral of an old … Continue reading →

Posted in Middle East, Politics and Elections | 11 Comments

US Churches Must Stop Following Israel Down the Trauma Trail

Posted on October 5, 2009 by wallwritings

by James M. Wall Avraham Burg , former Israeli Chairman of the Jewish Agency and former Speaker of the Israeli Knesset, has written a book with the provacative title, The Holocaust is Over; We must Rise from Its Ashes. In a … Continue reading →

Posted in Middle East, Religious Faith | 15 Comments

Obama Regrets, Bibi Fights, Fayyad Has a Program

Posted on September 9, 2009 by wallwritings

Bibi Netanyahu seems to totally ignore these discussions. They don’t fit his vision of reality. Instead, he tells the American president Israel will enlarge its settlements as long as it wants to. And, oh yes, he will agree only to a brief hiatus in construction.

Bibi wants to change the language of the discussion. The Jerusalem Post reported Monday morning that “freeze” is to be dropped by Israeli ministers and media:

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu instructed his aides and Likud ministers over the weekend to stop referring to Israel’s commitments in a deal with US President Barack Obama as a “settlement freeze.”

Instead of a freeze (hakpa’ah in Hebrew), it will be referred to as a suspension (hash’ayah), a waiting period (hamtana), or even a cutback (tzimtzum) of Jewish construction in the West Bank.

In English, the word freeze that Netanyahu used just two weeks ago in Europe will be replaced by the sanitized word “moratorium.”

While Bibi fiddles with language, his country’s is under an economic threat. Continue reading →

Posted in Middle East | 6 Comments

Bibi Told Mossad, “Kill Khalid”; Now Khalid is Key to Israel’s Future

Posted on August 2, 2009 by wallwritings

by James M. Wall     Twelve years after he survived Bibi Netanhayu’s attempt to assassinate him, Khalid Mishal, the head of the Hamas political bureau, holds meetings with Jimmy Carter, and gives interviews to the Wall Street Journal. Khalid … Continue reading →

Posted in Middle East, Middle East Politics | 6 Comments

Bush Blessed Israel’s Assault on Gaza But the Aftermath Belongs to Obama

Posted on July 26, 2009 by wallwritings

by James M. Wall Raise your hand if  you still believe Israel’s claim that its 23-day assault on Gaza was a necessary retaliation against Hamas for breaking a cease fire. Ok, put your hand down and listen up. Consider the … Continue reading →

Posted in Media, Middle East, Middle East Politics | 4 Comments

After 31 Years Jack Shaheen Still Helps Us See “Reel Bad Arabs”

Posted on July 17, 2009 by wallwritings

By James M. Wall My first encounter with Jack G. Shaheen came in the summer of 1978. He was a professor of communications at Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville. I was the editor of the Christian Century magazine in Chicago, Illinois. … Continue reading →

Posted in -Movies and politics, Middle East, Middle East Politics, Movies | 4 Comments

Carter and the Elders Challenge “Injustice Wherever We See It”

Posted on July 13, 2009 by wallwritings

See Update Below by James M. Wall     Jimmy Carter is always busy, scurrying around below the line of public attention, doing what he does best, making a difference. His friends, and they are many, are always glad to … Continue reading →

Posted in Religion and politics, Religious Faith | 6 Comments

The Thieves Pause: Israel “Open” to Summer Building Freeze

Posted on June 29, 2009 by wallwritings

by James M. Wall                 “Israel Open to Settlement Freeze” was the New York Times headline over Ethan Bronner’s latest report from Jerusalem. How generous. The occupiers who stole all that Palestinian West … Continue reading →

Posted in Media, Middle East | 4 Comments

Carter’s Middle East Trip: If its Tuesday, This Must be Gaza

Posted on June 17, 2009 by wallwritings

by James M. Wall Jimmy Carter’s 10-day trip to the Middle East started in Lebanon, June 7 and ended in Gaza, June 17. This picture was taken in Gaza, where, among other stops, Carter visited an UNRAW Children’s Center, accompanied … Continue reading →

Posted in Middle East, Middle East Politics | 3 Comments

The Pope Skips Gaza: “I was in prison and you visited me not”

Posted on May 7, 2009 by wallwritings

by James M. Wall                A friend writes from Bethlehem:          His Holiness will arrive in Jordan at the end of this week, then cross the river to Israel-Palestine and spend a … Continue reading →

Posted in Middle East, Religion and politics | 4 Comments