It is par for the course. What you read above is a rationalization for the 41 year old military occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem, the colonization of Palestinian lands, and the killing of innocent Palestinian adults and children every week.

And you are hearing this nonsense on a liberal Democratic site, not Little Green Footballs where it is routine.

Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah. What a joke. And the colonization would not have occurred, right? Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah. And Israel doesn't really want to steal those lands belonging to Palestinians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, they were forced to bad Arab leadership, right? Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah.

So somebody is finally waking up. It is a scam, a Republican scam.

Do you mean that Palestinians created their own military occupation and are the cause of the colonization of their lands that is occurring even today as we speak? And the reason the occupation and colonization goes on is due to poor Palestinian leadership, is that right?

Blame the jews? There are many Jewish-American organizations that are part of United for Peace and Justice. You don't include them, do you?

Thanks Anna. All we can do is just keep working at it. Eventually the light bulb will turn on.

Either/or?

Believe it or not, I have asked numerous times, of critics of Israeli criticism, who ask for balance or who just don't like the idea of criticizing Israel, to make their case on Israel's behalf with specific reference to the military occupation and colonization of Palestinian lands that continues in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

The response: nada. No takers. No one willing to defend Israel on this central issue of the IP conflict: occupation/colonization. I know there are other issues, like defending Israel's segregations laws internally, but I never even asked for that. Just about their actions in the Palestinian territories.

Now if you would like to try, I would be willing to republish your diary in the original on as many sites as I can. That is how rare and novel such a defense would be.

Additional information:

Another press release:

Rap superstar Snoop Dogg has been urged by Palestinian campaigners to cancel an upcoming concert in Israel and join them in "boycotting" the Jewish state. The "Drop It Like It's Hot" hitmaker is scheduled to perform in the country on September 18 - but activists belonging to the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI) is calling on Snoop Dogg to follow their example.

They have expressed their disappointment at the hip-hop star's tour plans, especially when tensions between Palestine and Israel are so high, according to....

The PACBI has released a statement saying: "The Palestinian arts community was deeply saddened and surprised by the news of your upcoming performance in Israel on September 18 in Ramat Gan.

"We strongly urge you to cancel your plans to perform in Israel until the time comes when Israel ends its illegal occupation of Palestinian and Arab territories and respects the relevant precepts of international law concerning Palestinian rights to freedom, self-determination and equality.

"How can an artist whose name is prominently associated with this form of popular and freedom-based musical expression, rap, be apathetic to the monstrosity of Israel's current war crimes in Gaza, its Apartheid Wall, declared illegal by the International Court of Justice at the Hague, or its continued violation of fundamental Palestinian rights?

"By performing in Ramat Gan you are helping to perpetuate this special form of apartheid that denies us our rights. We sincerely hope that you shall cancel your announced performance in Israel."

The key word I believe is "apartheid," and everyone knows that South Africans like Mandela, Tutu, and Kasrils, and others have been strong critics of what Israel is doing to the Palestinians.

Couple of comments from SnoopDogg.com:

Half of Israel were planing to come to the concert!  and just because some arabs that think you shouldnt come your not coming????There are ALOT of big fans of SNOOP DOGG in israel and this concert was going to be a very big event in israel!!hope you and your administration will change your mind , and come to Israel to put on a concert like never was!!

NEVER !!!Sorry dude but everyone respects Snoop Dogg for not going to Israel coz he has a heart unlike other people

Good point, but I don't know what's going on in the background. There is ambivalence entailed in acting against Israel. If that were not the case, the IP conflict would have been over with years ago.

There have been increasing Black activism in support of the Palestinian people. How many entertainers today don't use pot. Bad rap.

Thanks for giving voice to the Israeli and Palestinian peace movement.

judge for themselves. Shall we? There have been other entertainers who have avoided Israel for similar reasons: conflicts of schedule, contract problems, etc.

Frankly I wish they would just come out and say what the reason really is.

There is no question that we are exploiting farm workers for relatively cheap labor to keep our food costs low.

Americam families have the lowest food costs per capita than any other western industrialized nation. Of course, that fact says nothing about people living in extreme poverty who may spend most of their income on food.

This is capitalism at its worst and probably harks back to 19th century England and early American capitalism when adults and young children worked in physically and chemically dangerous environments to the detriment of their very lives. Still seeing this kind of thing today among farm workers.

Thanks for this diary.

You have a point.

But in this case I am going with Mark Elf. Many entertainers have been beseiged by human rights orgs to boycott Israel until it stops it brutal occupation and colonization of the Palestinians. But not many would be expected to come out and openly tell their reasons for cancellation.

It is doubtful that he was not offered enough money.

I do not mind your rapping me or the diaries I post, but please stop this false representation. You have now become hysterical and will say anything that comes to mind.

Still I do not do TROLL ratings, and you will not change that.

Thanks for your contribution to the generous offer. Unfortunately, Ehud Barak had a different take on the Camp David negotiations than you do, an honest one delivered in 2005.

You don't really deserve the attention, but I making an exception this afternoon.