Sir Shimon Peres, Grand Master of the Endlessly Unsuccessful 'Peace Process'
The recent debate at Davos – Gaza: the case for Middle East peace – ran for just over an hour (watch it below).
Shortly before the end, Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan quit the stage in reaction to what he considered insulting behavior by the moderator, the Washington Post’s David Ignatius. The latter, whose kid-glove treatment of Shimon Peres was embarrassing to behold, seemed more concerned about getting to dinner on time than facilitating free discussion on matters of life and death.
Paul Woodward, who writes for the War in Context website, argues in Barbarism Unmasked that the widely-reported spat at the end of the debate indicates a more fundamental shift:
Yesterday’s session… was a pivotal moment in political discourse between the West and the rest of the world. The self-righteous hubris of an enraged Israeli president collided with the outrage of those who refused to ignore his bloodied hands.
The disconnect between the sanctimonious, dissembling clap-trap presented by Israeli President Shimon Peres and the glaring realities of Israel’s recent assault on Gaza was too much for the Turkish PM. He’s not just a hero to his own people for speaking out. Peres – and Israel – are increasingly too much for the world as a whole. To articulate this in a public forum is to speak for the many, not just for a few.
George Bush, War Criminal
Still, there’s cause for cheer. Remember how things were half a year ago? The last time the Davos set got together, George Bush was US President. His speech at Sharm El Sheikh was arguably a more condescending load of bull than Peres just served up. Read this report to understand why they’d kept the former President away until then. If he’d showed up at Davos this time, Bush might have been pelted with Gucci shoes.
An interesting twist to the Davos debate on Gaza is discussed on the Turkish Forum. It notes a sudden change in the reported background of moderator David Ignatius in Wikipedia, following the debate on January 29th 2009, which Wikirage appears to confirm. The Turkish forum quotes from Ignatius’ entry, both before and after the Davos furore went global:
BEFORE
David R. Ignatius (born May 26, 1950), an Jewish-American journalist and novelist. As of 2008, he is an associate editor and columnist for The Washington Post. He also co-hosts PostGlobal, an online discussion of international issues at Washingtonpost.com, with Newsweek ’s Fareed Zakaria.
AFTER
David Ignatius, Moderator from Hell
David R. Ignatius (May 26, 1950), an American journalist and novelist of Armenian descent[1][2]. As of 2008, he is an associate editor and columnist for The Washington Post. He also co-hosts PostGlobal, an online discussion of international issues at Washingtonpost.com, with Newsweek ’s Fareed Zakaria.
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The two references cited to his ‘Armenian’ heritage do seem to check out. Of course, it’s entirely possible Ignatius has Armenian and Jewish heritage. Who knows? Who cares?
Apparently someone does. As always with Wikipedia, pay no attention to that man behind the curtain!
