In defining three levels of US President Barack Obama's ignorance, Daniel Gordis notes the first of them as his usage of the word "settlement" to describe in November Gilo and now, Ramat Shlomo ("Will Barack Obama ignoite the third intifada?", March 26). But that terminology phenomenon is quite widespread, unfortunately especially by Israelis. The point is why should that term be employed at all?
Locations of Jewish residency are villages, towns, cities or just plain communities. "Settlements" is intended to be pejorative and negative-character stereotyping and it works. That Israeli politicians or any pro-Israel champion employs that word is self-defeating. Of course, it would be an interesting experiment to begin referring to Arab residency locations in Israel as "settlements" and to see where that leads.
Doesn't seem to be online as yet.
Here's one to the NYTimes that did not get published:-
What is missing in Gary Bass' retelling of France's post-1967 rejection of its strategic relationship with Israel, deciding rather "to bolster France's stature" in the Arab world ("When Israel and France Broke Up", March 31), is the contemporary reality in France. Faced with at times a violent Muslim minority, France is being forced to choose between its self-perceived liberal cultural values and a regime of multi-cultural repression so as to offset being swallowed up by that Arab world. Who now is challenged by an image of dominating eliteness?
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