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Daybreak: Give Peace a Rest

Roger Cohen seeks detente, plus mutinous soldiers, strategic land grabs, and more in the news

by
Hadara Graubart
November 17, 2009

• Roger Cohen joins his fellow New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman in giving up on peace between Israel and Palestinians: “Stop talking about peace. Banish the word. Start talking about détente.” [NYT]
• In Israel, pro-settler soldiers refused orders to dismantle settlements in the Palestinian territories, but, says an IDF spokesman, “This is not a political tidal wave washing through the military.” [AP]
• New York State Assembly member Dov Hikind and 50 supporters are encouraging American Jews to purchase land in the West Bank and East Jerusalem; “[I]f a Jews wants to buy something in the Land of Israel,” says Hikind, “there shouldn’t be anything that says you can’t buy in a particular area.” [Haaretz]
• Newly published diaries by Benito Mussolini’s mistress claim the dictator told her, “These disgusting Jews, I must destroy them all.” [AP]
• And a 90-year-old former Nazi in Germany has been charged with the murder of 58 Jews in 1945. [AP]

Hadara Graubart was formerly a writer and editor for Tablet Magazine.