Not Another Israel Blog

Haaretz doing PR for the PM

2005-01-25T18:38:00.000+02:00

Arik Sharon the warrior magically
appeared this week in Haaretz.

Enough about shit weasels, Jewish porn stars and halacha rulings on unibrow - it's time for a serious post about the news.

I don't mean to pick on Haaretz, but yes, this post concerns the New York Times of Israel. (After this post I'll do my best to leave Haaretz alone for a few days.)

It's amazing how the news media are all too happy to be used by political interests - as long as the story is good enough.

Such seems to be the case in the Haaretz report by veteran defense correspondent Ze'ev Schiff.

Schiff reported that Prime Minister Sharon "called for a large-scale Israel Defense Forces reaction to rocket fire from the Gaza Strip earlier this month, including artillery, but toned down his position following objections by IDF Chief of Staff Moshe Ya'alon in a discussion that has recently come to light."

So Sharon wanted to blast away but the generals held him back. At least that's what Haaretz - and the prime minister - wants us to believe.

But how and why did this discussion "recently come to light?"

Because the people in the prime minister's office are not stupid. Sharon is being criticized for not doing more to prevent rocket fire and terror attacks (6 Israelis were killed at the Karni crossing Jan. 13). So it's time for Arik the warrior to make an appearance - even if it's a manufacured one - while Sharon the diplomat gives Abbas more time to rein in Palestinian militants and terror groups.

The question here is did Haaretz get the story with solid, aggressive reporting or did someone in the Prime Minister's Office simply pick up the phone and call Mr. Schiff, and say, "Ze'ev, I've got a story for you"?

Predictably, Mr. Schiff does not reveal how this story reached him. So we're left to to accept that the discussion in which Arik the warrior called for sweeping military action just "came to light" - as if by magic.

But the story came from Haaretz, so we shouldn't be asking any questions.

Haaretz editorial: B is a 'shit weasel'

2005-01-23T16:09:00.000+02:00

In a blistering editorial, the Israeli daily Haaretz called the publisher of Not Another Israel Blog a "coward" and a "shit weasel."

Does Haaretz have a new editorial policy
under Editor in Chief David Landau?

The short piece was unsigned but submitted to Not Another Israel Blog from ISP 192.118.73.46. A simple online search revealed that this ISP belongs to a computer in Haaretz, a newspaper sometimes referred to as "The New York Times of Israel."

The text of the editorial follows:

AT LEAST BRADLEY BURSTON DOESN'T HIDE BEHIND HIS MIDDLE INITIAL BECAUSE HE'S TOO MUCH OF A COWARD TO PUT HIS NAME TO THE HATE HE SPEWS.

ISN'T THAT RIGHT XXXXXXXXX [-edited for security reasons by B] - FORMERLY OF HAARETZ INTERNET SITE BUT FIRED FOR BEING A SHIT WEASEL WHO COULDN'T HANDLE THE FACT THAT SOMEONE MORE QUALIFIED THAN HE WAS PUT IN A POSITION ABOVE HIM?

While the author of the Haaretz editorial chose to remain anonymous - as does B - it is known that the piece was submitted on Sunday sometime between noon and 1 P.M. Israel time.

It is not known whether the editorial was submitted or approved by Haaretz Editor in Chief David Landau, English Edition Editor Peter Hirschberg or any other senior member of the editorial staff.

But the use of the term "shit weasel," which is mentioned in the Stephen King novel Dreamcatcher, suggests that the Haaretz reporter behind the editorial is familiar with the works of the popular horror author.

Not Another Israel Blog is known to express opinions critical of the Israeli media, particularly Haaretz and The Jerusalem Post. The Haaretz editorial in question was apparently prompted by a recent post in which B opined that Haaretz correspondent Bradley Burston tends to open his pieces in an overly melodramatic style. While B expressed admiration for Burston as a writer and a journalist, he wrote that this drama detracts from the quality of Burston's work and was perhaps catering to the whims of an English-speaking audience outside of Israel.

"Personally I was surprised by the Haaretz editorial," said B, on condition of anonymity. "I'm flattered that the people at Haaretz are paying attention to my blog, but I'm not sure what the fuss is about now. I was only criticizing an aspect of Burston's writing style. There was nothing personal about it. Is that spewing hate?"

B said he doubted Burston was the author. "It's not his style and I don't think I wrote anything that would have upset him so much."

"I've also been critical of Jerusalem Post columnist Caroline Glick - so I don't think I'm playing favorites here," he added. "I'm just offering my view of news coverage in Israel - particularly that aimed at the English-speaking community - which I believe too often fails to live up to proper journalistic standards."

Media experts said that the Haaretz response to Not Another Israel Blog reflects frustration among established media with the growing popularity of blogs.

"The big traditional news sources feel threatened because more and more people are bypassing them in favor of alternative news sources," said Prof. Marty Rosen, who teaches journalism at the State University of New York at Albany. "But regular reporters need to be careful because blogs are not bound by the same rules as newspapers or TV networks. Blogs can get away with a lot more."

When asked why he continues to maintain his anonymity, B said that it was crucial to his work.

"Any experienced journalist understands the importance of anonymous sources," he said. "Almost every major story in Haaretz has anonymous sources."

"In my case, I'm the reporter and the source. In some cases I'd like to reveal my identity so I can take credit for my work, but doing so would put restrictions on what I can write about, and breaking them could jeopardize my job."

B said bloggers would continue their work and not be intimidated by such scare tactics by traditional news media.

"I know it's Israel, not America, but I believe freedom of speech is still valued by many here, particularly journalists," B said. "If someone at Haaretz thinks he or she can stop me or my fellow bloggers from expressing our opinions, they're mistaken."

Jewish porn star Harry Reems today - a Christian convert selling real estate in Utah

2005-01-22T22:02:00.000+02:00

Harry Reems and Linda Lovelace in Deep Throat.

Is nothing sacred? Are there any Jewish heroes left?

Harry Reems, who costarred with Linda Lovelace in Deep Throat, the most popular pornographic film ever made - at least that's what the Los Angeles Times says - converted to Christianity, lives in Utah and sells real estate, according to the Times story.

The Times said it interviewed Reems because a new film called "Inside Deep Throat," produced for Universal and HBO, was scheduled to have its world premiere Friday night at the Sundance Film Festival.

Finally a halacha ruling on unibrow

2005-01-22T01:03:00.000+02:00

If it's a source of embarassment,
the rabbi says pluck away.

I found the following on the Ask the Rabbi section of the Arutz 7 website:

Question:
What is the Halacha concerning someone who has a large "unibrow" (meaning his eyebrows grow straight across his face) is he allowed to wax/shave/tweeze the section in between the eyes? I know women definitely do it but how about men?
Since it brings me embarrassment since I have a large one, and not too many people do, therefore I feel different and embarrassed.

Answer:
Men should not remove bodily hair for the sake of beautifying themselves like women do. But if it is not to beautify but to remove a body blemish that causes embarrassment one can rely on lenient opinions that permit the removal in such a case.

-Rabbi Elchanan Lewis

'What do you find most annoying about Israelis'

2005-01-21T19:14:00.000+02:00

That's what the Israeli woman asked me on the phone.

She told me that we had exchanged phone numbers on Jdate several months earlier. I had no idea who she was. I asked her why we didn't talk then. She said she didn't know. She gave me her Jdate profile number and I quickly looked it up online. It indicated she lived in Jerusalem. Residence in the capital (If I forget thee o Jerusalem...) is usually a tip off of right-wing leanings.

Could you date Ra'anan Gissin - if he
was a woman? I didn't think so.

She told me her grandparents were from Indiana. They lived in Bloomington and one or both of them - I don't remember - worked in the music department at Indiana University.

I should have known better. Her question was like giving me a map indicating the exact location of the lone mine in the field before me. But naturally I had to get close to it.

"It's how we think we're the center of the world, that everything revolves around us. I think it has to do with being the 'chosen people.'"

I deliberately said "we" because I do consider myself part of Israeli society and I also didn't want to appear as if I was criticizing her. Well, it really didn't matter.

Her response went something like this:

"But everyone is watching us. Every decision we make has to take into consideration the reaction of the rest of the world. They don't understand what we're going through. They only see the Palestinian side. They don't know what's really happening here."

Me: "Yes, but when's the last time you saw what was happening on the Palestinian side. Personally, I have no clue what's it's like from their point of view."

Her: "We're the victims here. What do you think is the solution? To build a wall and leave the territories? Will that bring peace?"

Me: "I don't know if it would bring peace, but it would mean we were doing the right thing - an end to the occupation. Build a wall on the border, just get out."

Her: "That won't solve anything. We're not the guilty ones here. Don't you watch the news?"

Here's where I got a bit annoyed because I sensed - perhaps it stemmed from my own insecurities - that she was lecturing me.

(In my opinion, the tendency to lecture about how the world works is the second most annoying thing about Israelis.)

Me: "Listen, I've been here eight years and most of my professional life has been in journalism. I read the news and I'm doing a graduate degree in political science. It's not like I'm some clueless immigrant who just arrived."

This didn't stop the floodgates. She continued with her lecture and seemed to be channeling Ra'anan Gissin. I was no longer paying attention to her argument except hoping to find some opening to disengage - gracefully if possible - from the conversation.

Suddenly there was a pause, as if she was waiting for a response.

Me: "Listen, I'm going to go now."

Her: "What? That's it? Just over this political discussion?"

Me: "Yeah, well, in any case I'm applying to graduate schools in the U.S. so I probably won't even be here in the fall. Layla tov."

Her: "Layla tov."

Please tone it down, Brad

2005-01-21T17:20:00.000+02:00

I used to enjoy reading Bradley Burston's pieces for the online version of Haaretz. He's excellent at identifying the key issues of the day and putting them in their broader historical and political context.

But I wish he would tone down the melodramatic ledes. Here's the opeining in his latest piece:

Armed Islamists have long been the lethal wild card in the Dead Man's Hand of the Mideast peace table.

Dead Man's Hand of the Mideast peace table? What the hell is he talking about? It's damn entertaining writing, but for my taste way over the top.

Perhaps I've just grown tired of noisy journalism, but I also think such ledes detract from the quality of Burston's writing and skills as a journalist. I find it hard to take him seriously when it appears he's seeking the melodramatic angle of the story or he wants to transform the story of the day into a cliffhanger.

Here's the lede from a Burston piece entitled "The fight of Sharon's life: His place in history" dated May 27, 2003:

At the age of 75, with countless wars, near-fatal injuries, and half a century in public life behind him, Ariel Sharon only now faces the fight of his life - securing his place in history.

It seems to me the fight of Sharon's life were the wars and near-fatal injuries? But I guess that wouldn't make a good story.

It seems as if every time Burston writes there's some fight of someone's life or deadly card game. I get tired just reading his opening lines.

How about this piece (date unknown) entitled "The Abbas problem: Partner or Yasser Redux?":

No one doubts the courage of Mahmoud Abbas.

In the blood-soaked course of the Intifada, the professorially unglamorous Abbas, 69, gained sudden world stature as a lone voice for moderation in Israeli-Palestinian relations, and as the most likely partner for peacemaking in a post-Arafat epoch.

Now, however, an abrupt re-invention has vaulted Abbas onto the shoulders of gunmen and into the smiling public embrace of Marwan Barghouti's wife, in a campaign swing that has him lauding the legacy of Yasser Arafat, and vowing to protect the very men who head Israel's hit lists of most-wanted terrorists.

The only thing missing is the dramatic Hollywood music score playing in the background.

(For more examples, just do a Google search for Bradley Burston Haaretz.)

Do we really need to turn up the pressure on the reality here? I mean things are dramatic enough as it is. Can't we journalists put events in some kind of context and perspective?

This is Israel, our daily lives. Not entertainment for the English reading Jewish audience in America.

Or is it?

How not to build trust with Israel Arabs

2005-01-20T23:41:00.000+02:00

My apologies for not posting for nearly a week. I've been busy trying to make progress with my Master's thesis.

I was struck by this Haaretz article earlier in the week about changes in the duties of the Shin Bet official in the Education Ministry who had been deputy chief of Arab education in the country.

I don't think you need to be a leftist to be troubled by the previous arrangement.

I understand that the Shin Bet has a job to do, but to have a security officer assigned to Arab education? Even if you believe the Shin Bet needs to keep an eye on Arab education in Israel, shouldn't it be done in a more secretive manner?

It's like we're telling the Arabs, "We don't give a damn what you think. We don't even need to conceal our intelligence operation. Your loyalty to the state is in doubt, so we're watching every move you make."

Can't the Shin Bet just recruit someone in the Education Ministry to help out? Isn't that what agencies like the Shin Bet and Mossad are good at?

In any case, this is just another reflection of Israel's ineffective policy vis-a-vis its Arab population, which is no way to build an environment of loyalty and trust.

'There will be no talks with desecrators of the Sabbath'

2005-01-13T08:45:00.000+02:00

Rabbi Elyashiv sounds like he's about to smash our idols.

I have an idea.

The operation of businesses on the Sabbath creates a certain amount of tax revenue. I'm sure it wouldn't be too difficult for an economist to come up with the number.

If the ultra-Orthodox parties really want no dealings with Sabbath desecrators. i.e. the secular who keep this country's economy afloat, then I propose they not be entitled to this dirty money.

For example, if 1% of tax revenues end up going to the ultra-Orthodox today, under my plan they would get 1% of the tax revenues generated by businesses that do not operate on the Sabbath budget.

I wonder if such a proposal would get them talking to the Sabbath desecrators.

Haaretz: Israel's young Ethiopians like vodka and rap music so watch out

2005-01-12T17:18:00.000+02:00

Why do our young Ethiopians want to be like Tupac?

My first reaction to Wednesday's front page story in Haaretz was disgust. But maybe I've just read too many racism in the media articles for my graduate studies.

Ethiopian youth dance in Ashkelon, but dream of Harlem is a feature story about Ethiopian youth in Israel. While Haaretz should be applauded for covering Israel's Ethiopian community, the reporters - as well as the editors who selected the headline, photos and captions - likely perpetuated the racism in this country toward Ethiopians.

The story teaches some valuable lessons about Ethiopians in Israel:

-They like rap music
-They lie to their parents to get money to buy vodka
-They like clubs
-They would prefer to be in Harlem than Israel

But is any of this true?

The story ran on the front page of the Hebrew edition, above the fold, with the photo you can see in the English story above. Continued inside the paper, there is another photo of Ethiopians "fueling up" (yes, that's the language Haaretz used) and drinking vodka.

In addition, the premise of the headline (The same one was used in the Hebrew and English editions.) is questionable. When asked about their identify, the young Ethiopians interviewed for the story said:

"First of all Jewish, then Ethiopian."

"Jewish, for sure."

"Israeli and Ethiopian both."

That doesn't sound like Harlem to me.

Personally, I also don't understand what's so terrible about young Ethiopians creating for themselves their own identity in Israel. Is Haaretz - and the rest of Israel's elite - nervous that young Ethiopians are (God forbid!) different than the rest of us?

The story also neglects mention of discrimination against Ethiopians. In the past the Israeli press has had more than a few stories about religious Ethiopians being refused admission to religious schools.

Maybe this is a factor? Maybe not all young Ethiopians drink vodka and listen to rap music?

The headlines and captions are irresponsible and the content fails to meet even basic standards of responsible journalism. It's based on the research of one anthropologist and a single night interviewing young Ethiopians at a club.

More is to be expected from a paper that claims to be the New York Times of Israel.

What's the 'highly classified problem' between Israel and Russia?

2005-01-06T13:09:00.000+02:00

Haaretz is reporting Thursday that a "highly classified problem" was the real reason for the special meeting on the crisis in Israel's relations with Russia that Prime Minister Ariel Sharon convened earlier this week.

I'm not privy to any information that isn't already out there, but my guess is that it has something to do with the nuclear reactor Iran is building in Bushehr with Russian assistance.

ADDED WEDNESDAY, JAN. 12
I was wrong on that one. Haaretz reported Wednesday that the dispute is over Syrian President Bashar Assad's planned visit to Moscow later this month.

Who's demonizing who? / Sharon as Buffy the Vampire Slayer

2005-01-05T19:45:00.000+02:00

Settler leaders on Wednesday accused Prime Minister Sharon of demonizing and delegitimizing them, Haaretz reported today.

"They have marked us as an enemy, as air, as dust - and dialogue with us is conducted on the hills of Yitzhar in a pre-planned provocation," said Pinhas Wallerstein, head of the Binyamin Regional Council.

Does Wallerstein really believe the Israeli public is going to sympathize with the settler movement now?

Let's set the record straight.

It is the settlers - and not Ariel Sharon - who have demonized and delegitimized themselves, with their desperate actions intended to foil Sharon's disengagement plan.

It is the settlers who established an illegal outpost at Yitzhar and other sites in the West Bank.

Wallerstein and other settler leaders simply cannot grasp the new socio-political reality in which the majority of Israelis are no longer willing to carry the burden of the settler movement.

The majority of Israelis want to leave the Gaza Strip altogether.

The majority of Israelis have reached the conclusion that we gain nothing by remaining there.

The majority of Israelis are no longer willing to let their sons and daughters risk their lives in the army and defend the messianic delusions of a small, but politically powerful, minority.

The settlers are losing their stranglehold on government policy and the allocation of resources in the country - and it's a painful realization. Wallerstein may not have realized how approrpriate his comment was that the settlers have been marked as air and dust, for it captures their diminishing influence and relevance.

(Speaking of demons, Mobius recently met the Devil himself and lived to blog about it.)

Oops

2005-01-05T17:36:00.000+02:00

This appeared on the front page of Tuesday's edition of The International Herald Tribune distributed here in Israel with the English version of Haaretz.

It's supposed to be a teaser for a story inside. Apparently someone forgot to fill in the blanks.

About a year ago, before my blogging days, the Haaretz print edition had a much more embarassing mistake. A photo of an American reform rabbi, who I actually knew because I took his course during my undergraduate studies, had a caption that went something like this:

WHERE'S MY SANDWICH: An overweight reform rabbi. What a surprise.

To my knowledge, no one got fired over that mistake, but more than a few journalists have lost their jobs over such needless displays of arrogance.

So today's lesson for you young reporters out there: Never put something in a story you wouldn't want printed. Whatever joke you were trying to make won't be funny when the editor fires you.

Mommy, he called me the 'Zionist enemy'

2005-01-04T15:22:00.000+02:00

In a surprise move Tuesday,
Mahmoud Abbas announced that
Palestinians don't like Israel.

A headline on Tuesday's Haaretz online homepage reads: Abbas, considered a relative moderate, calls Israel 'the Zionist enemy'.

I'm not sure I understand why the Haaretz editors making such a fuss. What's Mahmoud Abbas supposed to call us?

I think it's safe to say that except for the ultra-leftists and ultra-Orthodox, the vast majority of Jews in Israel are by definition Zionists. And Zionism hasn't exactly taken up the Palestinian cause, which I guess would make us the enemy. (That would partly explain some of the news events regarding Israelis and Palestinians over the last 50 years or so.)

But a friend pointed out to me that I have to consider the historial context here. Egypt and Jordan, for instance, do not call us the Zionist enemy, at least not officially, while Hezbollah, however, does.

Another context to consider is that today seven Palestinians, most of them reported to be children and teens, were killed by IDF tank fire in the Gaza Strip

Abbas is also in the midst of a political campaign in which the Palestinians will choose a successor to Yasser Arafat. If he wants to be taken seriously, and have the power to actually do anything, he must appeal to the militant elements in Palestinian society in order to get their support.

(It's not as if Ariel Sharon embraced Palestinian claims for statehood prior to becoming prime minister.)

We're also not doing him any favors calling him a moderate. We may as well call him a collaborator. A moderate won't have the respect of the Palestinian street and thus won't be able to make the concessions necessary in a peace deal with Israel.

(It's pretty much the same thing for Israel. A left-winger like Peres or Barak doesn't have the same legitimacy among the general Israeli public as Sharon or another Likudnik in giving up the settlements. Whether Israel has the will to stand up to the settlers so Sharon can deliver is another question.)

We don't need a moderate on the other side. We need a pragmatist. There are some who feel that Marwan Barghouti is better suited to deliver the goods than Abbas, although he's currently sitting in an Israeli jail and serving numerous life terms for murder.

I don't expect Arabs, and certainly not Palestinians, to accept Zionism, much less act as if the Zionist movement was a positive development for them. It resulted in the creation of a Jewish state on land the Palestinains claim as their own.

I'm not making excuses for Abbas, just pointing out that yes, we Zionists are the enemy in the eyes of the Palestinians. Did we really not realize that until Abbas opened his mouth today?

Political tsunami / It's not about us!

2005-01-02T18:30:00.000+02:00

Is anyone else annoyed by the way some Israeli columnists have politicized the tsunami disaster?

From the left, Haaretz columnist Gideon Levy asks:

"What would have happened, heaven forbid, if the tsunami had struck the coast of the Gaza Strip?...

If it were not for the 10 or so missing Israelis in the tsunami disaster, we would have forgotten about it already. When hundreds are killed in Gaza and tens of thousands of innocent people are left homeless because of what we have done, we turn away. If they had been victims of a natural disaster, we would have already been there to help."

And on the right, Stewart Weiss opines in The Jerusalem Post:

"Now, the so-called disengagement, really a retreat, from Gaza.

The Left is up in arms over the wearing of orange stars by those about to be evicted – some forcibly – from their homes of two or more decades.

While the use of symbols from the Holocaust is shocking, can these politicians not see, not appreciate the trauma, suffering and pain these good people are feeling?

They are experiencing a tsunami of their own – albeit man-made – swept out of their communities by a political tidal wave."

To Mr. Levy: There was no tsunami in the Gaza Strip.

To. Mr. Weiss: Being evacuated from one's home in Gush Katif is not equivalent to being killed by a tsunami.

To both columnists: Are we, as Jewish Israelis, so self-absorbed that we are incapable of accepting that this terrible disaster has nothing whatsoever to do with the Israel-Palestinian conflict?

Must we co-opt the deaths of some 150,000 people in order to advance our respective political agendas?

Ohio Dentists Bringing Smiles to Israel

2005-01-01T23:51:00.000+02:00

The above headline comes from this story on Arutz Sheva.

To anyone familiar with press coverage of dental/medical missions to Israel, it's clear that Arutz Sheva scooped the Cleveland Jewish News with its coverage of this compelling story.

(Kfar Sava, where the Ohio dentist delegation was hosted, is known to suffer from a disproportionate number of dental problems as compared to the rest of the country.)

Dr. Stuart Rosenrosen was part of the Ohio delegation.

Arutz Sheva and CJN are known for their fierce journalistic rivalry that has spanned decades. Sources told Not Another Israel Blog that some staff in Cleveland were preparing for the worst in light of this latest professional blow.

"Even the senior editors were updating their resumes," one intern said on condition of anonymity.

"The Jewish community in Cleveland deserves better from their hometown Jewish paper," she added. "I'm personally and professionally embarassed we didn't get this story first. I don't know how I'll be able to show my face Friday night at Agudath B'nai Israel (Synagogue).

But media experts said that the rivalry between the two publications demonstrates the vitality of the American Jewish press and it's longstanding commitment to the highest journalistic standards.

"The American Jewish press is constantly reinventing itself to survive in the everchanging and highly competitive world of Jewish news," explains Prof. Marty Rosen, who teaches journalism at the State University of New York at Albany.

"It's not so important whether it was Arutz Sheva or the Cleveland Jewish News that got the story," said Rosen. "It's important that someone did - and that just shows that American Jewish dentists who visit Israel are getting the press coverage they deserve and which the Jewish reader in America demands."

'All Mezuzah Sales Are Final'

2004-12-31T19:31:00.000+02:00

I know Hanukah is long over, but I only saw this Daily Show clip today, and it's damn funny.

'I want my Al-Manar TV'

2004-12-30T11:21:00.000+02:00

News director of Hezbollah run-TV station Al-Manar as quoted in a Slate story:

"We're not looking to interview [Ariel] Sharon. We want to get close to him in order to kill him."

Although I consider myself a defender of First Amendment rights, I'm not sure I share the Slate writer's position that Hezbollah TV should not be banned in America. It seems to reflect a "protect liberal values at all costs" attitude that fails to consider reality.

(Did I really just write that? I'm starting to sound more and more right-wing. I must be getting old.)

On the other hand, maybe a more effective policy would be to allow Al-Manar to broadcast in the U.S. - but to monitor subscribers.

Hell, if I was FBI director I'd dispatch undercover agents door-to-door to sell satellite TV subscriptions.

"So, Mr. Abdullah, I'll sign you up for CNN, Family Channel, National Geographic, Discovery, MTV, HBO, ESPN, Disney... oh, and what about Al-Manar?"

Al-Manar offers quality programs such as this
all-star cast in the Syrian production of 'Diaspora'
depicting the Jewish plot to control the world.

Yeah, go ahead and call me a racist, but let's be honest: How many Oklahoma residents would be interested in watching Al-Manar? It's safe to say that the typical Hezbollah TV viewer speaks Arabic, has a copy of the Koran on the bookshelf and doesn't eat chick peas only during visits to the Sizzler salad bar.

He also doesn't frequent the Elks Lodge nor does his wife belong to Daughters of the American Revolution.

Although some some will argue my idea would infringe on civil liberties, it might prove helpful the next time someone inside the U.S. is planning a terror attack on American soil.

(I fear I may be suffering from an identity crisis in regard to my politics.)

Everyone's invited to the anti-disengagement party

2004-12-29T08:46:00.000+02:00

Settler leaders are considering actively recruiting Diaspora Jews to come to Israel and join the resistance against Sharon's plan to evacuate settlements in the Gaza Strip and parts of the West Bank, The Jerusalem Post reports today.

Some excerpts from the story:

Pinhas Wallerstein – senior member of the Council of Jewish Communities in Judea, Samaria and Gaza:

"I have received hundreds of emails from Jews abroad who expressed their support and are interested in coming to Israel to fight the plan," Wallerstein told The Post. "I am personally in favor although we [the settlement council] will have to discuss the idea since there are Israelis who do not like when Jews from abroad interfere with what is going on here."

(But, Pini, what about left-wing Jews in America who want to interfere because they support dismantling the settlements?)

and..

Rabbi Mordechai Friedman – head of the American Board of Rabbis, an organization made up of some 1,000 orthodox clergymen – said Tuesday that hundreds if not thousands of his followers will come to Israel to fight the plan.

"The government needs to protect its citizens and when they don't the citizens can take back the government," Friedman said. Claiming his organization curses Sharon on a weekly basis, Friedman added that he agrees with Wallerstein's call to break the law when fighting the plan but that it needs to be done violently.

"We need to paralyze the country," he said. "The only way to do that is with means which include violence."

(But it's not your country to paralyze, Mordechai.)

and...

Calling the plan "ethnic cleansing," Gro Wenske, head of the Norway-based Christian Bible and Israel Organization, pledged her participation in the resistance. She said that hundreds of Christians from Norway will come to Israel to fight the evacuation.

(Let's just call Gro what she really is: A Jesus freak with too much time on her hands. And unfortunately, I'm sure the attractive Norwegians won't even come.)

This is just ridiculous. On this blog I've expressed my distate for American Jews actively advocating Israeli policy positions, whether they are on the left or right of the political spectrum, when they don't even live here and feel the consequences of what they are advocating. But I'm just shocked the settler leaders are proposing bringing people who don't even have Israeli citizenship to fight the evacuation plan.

Would this happen in any other democracy in the world? If anything this proposal is another indication of the settlers' desperation.

On the other hand, does the right-wing want to legitimize the active involvement of non-Israelis in such a debate? What is to prevent left-wing organizations from actively recruiting people from around the world to come to Israel and protest government policy? There are certainly more people worldwide who favor dismantling the settlements (and more than a few, unfortunatley, who favor dismantling all of Israel). Should they also be summoned to Israel to join the fray? Or is it an invitation-only affair?

This country already has far too many extremists as it is. Bringing to Israel nutty pro-settler Americans to oppose the disengagement is exactly what we don't need.

Coming of age / Breaking the cycle

2004-12-28T21:56:00.000+02:00

Philip Roth (L) and Milan Kundera. Not settlers.

Looking at my blog tonight I realize I've been posting far too much about settlers. I had no intention of adding to this string tonight. I just wanted to come home from work, walk the dog, make dinner and do a bit a studying. But then I came across Caroline Glick's column, about the settlers, and I couldn't resist.

So later I'm sitting in my apartment and I decide to take from the shelf Philip Roth's classic book of American Jewish male sexual angst Portnoy's Complaint. I thought I would select an interesting passage to post here - anything to break the cycle of settler nonsense. Fairly quickly I come across the following:

"A Jewish man with his parents alive is half the time a helpless infant! Listen, come to my aid, will you - and quick! Spring me from this role I play of the smothered son in the Jewish joke. Because it's beginning to pall a little, at thirty-three.!"

I'm 33, so I knew this was the passage to post.

Remember this metaphor from 1995?

2004-12-28T18:15:00.000+02:00

Jerusalem Post columnist Caroline Glick writes:

Gaza residents caused a public outcry when they taped orange Stars of David to their clothes this week. The hue and cry of the politicians on the Right and on the Left said that in using symbols from the Holocaust they were besmirching the memory of the victims of Europe's genocide of its Jews. It would seem that those who decried the residents' symbol have forgotten what a metaphor is. The point was not that Sharon is Adolf Hitler or that Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz is Adolf Eichmann. The point of the protest was that Israel is the first Western state to call for the forced removal of Jews from their homes, simply because they are Jews, since the Holocaust and that there is something morally atrocious about the notion that for peace to come –- to Israel and to those bombing Israel –- it is necessary for entire regions to be rendered Judenrein.

That reminds me of another metaphor, sweet Caroline. Remember this one? It's a poster depicting Yitzhak Rabin wearing an SS uniform. It proved to be extremely effective. I guess the right-wing knows the power of a good metaphor.

Settlers cite legality when it suits them

2004-12-28T13:23:00.000+02:00

In this Jerusalem Post story, Benzi Lieberman, chairman of the Council of Jewish Communities in Judea, Samaria and the Gaza Strip, comments on the disengagement bill currently under debate:

"The law is manifestly illegal," he charged. "It has a black flag flying over it."

Excuse me, Mr. Lieberman, but what about those illegal settlement outposts in the West Bank? Or do those not count?

Settlers' rejection of disengagement = Muslim rejection of right of return compromise

2004-12-27T20:15:00.000+02:00

I really need to come up with a shorter headline. Anyway, veteran Haaretz reporter Akiva Eldar has an excellent piece on the faulty reasoning of settler opposition to Sharon's disengagement plan.

Eldar, who is known for his left-wing views, argues (persuasively in my opinion) that the logic settlers are using to reject the right of Israel's democratically elected government to evacuate Jews from the territories closely resembles that used by Muslim clerics when a Palestinian leader appears willing to compromise on the "right of return."

Not the center of the world all the time

2004-12-27T09:14:00.000+02:00

Although this blog is about Israel, it would be wrong not to mention the disaster in Asia in which at least 19,000 people were killed over the weekend by a tsunami.

(Citing Foreign Ministry figures, Haaretz was reporting 542 Israelis still unaccounted for in southeast Asia as of Monday morning.)

As I was arguing with the old settler last night in Tel Aviv, mothers in Asia were identifying their dead children.

It kind of puts things in perspective, and unfortunately perspective is a commodity sorely lacking in Israel.

'You should be ashamed of yourself'

2004-12-27T06:56:00.000+02:00

I traded accusations with an old man who was among the settlers protesting last night outside the Kirya, the nerve center of the Israel Defense Forces, in Tel Aviv.

"You should be ashamed of yourself," I said as I passed him. I was referring to the orange Star of David he was wearing.

"It is you who should be ashamed," he replied. I turned around and resumed my walk home.

Settlers and police facing off Sunday evening in Tel Aviv.
Can you spot the orange Star of David? (AP)

Maybe he was a Holocaust survivor himself, I thought. But he's invoking the memory of the Holocaust, and possibly his status as a survivor, to justify a policy today that directly affects me and other Israelis who serve in the army. And there are plenty of other survivors who think using the orange star in this protest is despicable.

Of course the settlers had the usual banners "Let the IDF win" and the like. We're witnessing the death throes of the settler movement. I was surprised by the large number of women and children there and the absence of men. I guess their PR people wanted to ensure photographs of Israeli police confronting "defenseless" settlers.

I hadn't intended to enter the fray, but police had closed Kaplan Street to traffic. By the time I realized it was closed because of a settler demonstration, I had already gone a few blocks and I didn't feel like backtracking. Kaplan is my normal route home from work when I walk rather than take the bus. And my bus was stuck in traffic due to the commotion of the protesters.

When I first entered the street, there was a long stretch that was pretty much empty. Then I saw the settlers standing in front of a police barricade and plenty of police.

I asked a policeman it was ok for me to walk through. He asked where I was going. When I said home, he let me pass.

At the same time, a teenage settler boy standing next to the cop, probably about around 15-16 and wearing an orange Star of David, smugly uttered in my direction, "If you go in, you won't come out."

I hadn't intended to confront anyone. I just wanted to go home, walk my dog, and make a little something for dinner. But this arrogant teenager was wearing an orange star. He was warning me where I could walk in my own city. And he felt entitled to wear that star because his elders in the settler community, some of them survivors, had given him the legitimacy to do so.

But many more older Israelis, some of them survivors, condemned the use of this charged symbol in this battle - and it's becoming increasing clear that this battle is not about Israel's security, but rather the narrow interests of a settler community convinced it is entitled to the way of life that is subsidized - both financially and ideologically - by the greater Israeli population living outside the territories.

This is the reason I told the old man he should be ashamed. And I stand by that statement.

(If you can get past his tendency to overdramatize, Bradley Burston has an interesting piece in Haaretz today about the settlers' use of the orange Star of David.)

Pinhead Arafat

2004-12-24T08:49:00.000+02:00

The headline speaks for itself.

A brilliantly funny front page in yesterday's New York Post. The Bloomberg report on which the story is based is worth reading.

Israel's first bunny to leave Playboy Channel

2004-12-23T09:44:00.000+02:00

Noga Shachar, Israel’s first Playboy Bunny, is leaving the Playboy Channel, Yedioth Ahronoth reports today.

Noga is leaving Playboy.

“My relations with Playboy were relations of love and hate, just like in a couple. After a year of activities in which I learned a great deal about myself and the industry, the time came to leave.”

(Here’s a link to more photos of Noga. Just click the left-hand tab above the main photo. If you can read Hebrew, it says 'Galeriat Te'munot' - which means 'Picture Gallery' in English.)

What does Israel’s first soft-core porn star have planned now? Deals for a TV series focusing on the link between politics and humor, cable movie and a weekly column in the new magazine GO on - yes, you guessed it – sex and relationships.

Here’s a brief excerpt from an interview in the Yediot report, translated from Hebrew:

Q: At your young age, from where do you have knowledge and experience to become a sex priestess?

Noga: “You’d be surprised, but I have it. How many men have you slept with? More than 100? I know exactly how many men I’ve slept with. I have a little book with their names. And for my age the number is definitely respectable. If I began at the age of 16 and today I’m 21, which means five years, and I managed to sleep with a good few dozen, then you understand. And I’ve slept with boys who are 15 and men who are 45.”

[I'll try to find time to translate more of the interview.]

Breaking ranks: Entire Gaza settlement agrees to relocate

2004-12-23T09:11:00.000+02:00

Residents of an entire Gaza Strip settlement have agreed to a deal that would relocate them outside the Gaza Strip, Haaretz reports this morning.

According to the report, residents of Pa'at Sadeh, which is located in the south of Gush Katif, will move to Moshav Mavki'im, south of Ashkelon, if Sharon's disengagement plan is implemented.

Pa'at Sadeh is one of five secular settlements in Gush Katif and home to 17 families.

I bet the residents were under tremendous pressure not to accept such an arrangement. I'd be curious to know how they'll be treated by more extremist settler elements now, and particularly how their children will be treated by classmates.

But the timing of the deal is important, with news in recent days of alarmingly high percentages of settlers ready to resist the evacuation (see yesterday's post on Yediot poll).

Divide and conquer.

The settlers are desperate

2004-12-22T13:52:00.000+02:00

Yediot Aharonot poll of settlers:

52% say they will use their bodies to resist Gaza evacuation
10% say they will use physical violence
42% say they will hole themselves in their homes
38% say they will evacuate without resistence
47% support violating the law in this situation
30% support wearing orange Star of David (resembling yellow star Nazis force Jews to wear) as means of protest

Today's front page of Maariv has a photo of Israel Defense Forces Chief Moshe Ya'alon with the following main headline (translated from the Hebrew):

"I'm worried"

Above the headline is the following quote (apparently from Ya'alon as well): "Thousands of soldiers have signed: We will refuse orders"

The subheadline/kicker reads: Right-wing activists claim: Among the signers to refuse evacuation orders are hundreds of conscripts; IDF Chief: 'We have to be very careful about things being said'

Also on the front page is a photo of four Gush Katif children, one of them a toddler with a pacifier in his mouth and the others I would guess to be no older than 12. They are all wearing orange Stars of David on their chests.

My take on the situation: Settlers have run the country for decades. Their reign is coming to an end. They know it and they're desperate.

U.S. mad over Israeli arms sales to China - again

2004-12-22T13:06:00.000+02:00

Once again Israel's military industry finds itself in hot water with America over arms sales to China.

In the latest flap, the U.S. is demanding that Israel not send back to China some Israeli-made Harpy assault drones which were brought here for upgrading. The drones in question are already Chinese property.

(Reuters reported in 2002 that Israel is second only to Russia in providing arms to China. I don't know how Israel ranks today.)

Last week there were reports the U.S. was demanding Israel fire a senior Defense Ministry official. Both sides denied the reports, but there's something clearly amiss in U.S.-Israel relations when it comes to selling arms to the Chinese.

In January 2003, Israel froze all weapons exports to China due to U.S. pressure.

One would think Israel and the U.S. could find some mechanism to ensure disagreements over arms sales to China don't repeat themselves, but such flaps seem to have become an annual event in recent years.

In a related story, The Jerusalem Post reports that Israeli drones are being used along the U.S.-Mexio border to help detect drug smugglers and illegal aliens.

Not so easy to be a Jewish cheerleader in Georgia: Go Dawgs!

2004-12-21T19:08:00.000+02:00

The Los Angeles Times has story today about a federal court decision that the University of Georgia does not need to reinstate its cheerleading coach who was dismissed by university oficials for "retaliating against a Jewish cheerleader who had complained about pressure to participate in Bible study and team prayers."

(Here's the link but you need to register. Registration is free so it's worth it.)

The "dismissed" cheerleading coach, Marilou Braswell, still appears as the coach in photos on the Georgia cheerleading website. I couldn't find a photo of the Jewish cheerleader in question, Jaclyn Steele.

Jaclyn Steele in a yearbook photo.

But Harry found for me this WXIA-TV Atlanta story with photos of all those involved. But this version of events, as Harry pointed out to me, suggests perhaps this is a case of Ms. Steele being upset over being relegated to the third-team squad and cheering at women's basketball games.

We may never know the truth.

In any case, I know this will sound crude, especially to my female readers, but I'm quite sure I'd be like putty in the hands of a Jewish cheerleader with a southern twang.

If Jonah was gay, today he could be cured

2004-12-21T10:56:00.000+02:00

Found this link advertised on Arutz Sheva.

Pretty creepy. Even creepier are these testimonials.

One thing I don't understand, was Jonah gay? He was a sailor for a brief period, but that doesn't prove anything.

What do settlers and Arafat have in common?

2004-12-21T09:46:00.000+02:00

Former prime minister Ehud Barak claimed that the second intifada intifada unmasked Yasser Arafat's true face. Arafat's refusal to even negotiate Israel's offers for peace at Campe David demonstrated that he was still a terrorist and had no interest in peace.

Recent events in response to the threat of evacuating the Gaza Strip are revealing the true face of the settlers.

Yedioth Ahronoth reported this morning that settlers protesting Sharon's disengagement plan are pinning an orange Stars of David on their shirts in a manner reminiscent of the yellow stars the Nazis forced Jews to wear in the Holocaust.

(Haaretz picked up the story later.)

Even the latest settler fashion trend can't help these two.

The underlying message is clear. The Israeli government, and by extension soldiers in the army, are implementing Nazi/genocidal policies. The logical conclusion to such a message is that such policies must be stopped by all means necessary; i.e. do unto the Israeli government as you would do unto Nazi officers.

Haaretz reports that the council of rabbis in West Bank and Gaza Strip issued a statement "expressing support for settler leader Pinhas Wallerstein's call to the public to disobey the disengagement law even at the cost of a prison sentence."

The story quotes council chairman Rabbi Dov Lior as called the emerging Labor-Likud government coalition a "conspiracy of evildoers."

Like Arafat, settlers have no interest in peace (or democracy for that matter) because the conflict with the Arabs (for Arafat it was the conflict with Israel) and the messianic delusion of settling the West Bank and Gaza Strip provide the meaning in their lives.

Relinquishing territories means destroying their lives. A person who feels his life is about to be destroyed has little to lose and little fear of the consequences to actions taken that might delay this destruction.

I hope Sharon and Peres are wearing bulletproof vests.

Settlers are on slippery slope

2004-12-20T15:06:00.000+02:00

If a leader who represents the mainstream of the settler movement can call on Israeli residents of the territories to break the law and disobey the evacuation of settlements, how far are we from a settler leader calling for (in more subtle language) settlers to break the law and use any means necessary to prevent Prime Minister Ariel Sharon from implementing his disngagement plan?

Not very.

Merry Christmas, Jews

2004-12-20T13:29:00.000+02:00

My sister, who is married with two beautiful young children, told me last night how her husband recently attended a holiday office party that opened with the guests being asked to bow their heads for a blessing to give thanks to the Lord.

The prayer made it clear that this Lord, born on December 25th, was not a Jewish one.

Now if this was North Carolina, Oklahoma or some other red state, I could understand. But my sister lives in the Chicago suburb of Deerfield, which has a large Jewish population, and my brother-in-law's ofice is also outside Chicago, albeit in different suburb.

In any case, I thought "Happy holidays" was the correct way to go in such situations. But Slate reports that in the era of Bush, "Merry Christmas" is making a comeback.

Barghouti as deputy Palestinian chairman?

2004-12-20T13:13:00.000+02:00

Danny Rubinstein, veteran Arab affairs correspondent for Haaretz, writes that Abu Mazen, assuming he wins the Palestinian elections for a new chairman, could appoint jailed Tanzim leader Marwan Barghouti as his deputy.

According to Rubinstein, such a move, albeit symbolic, would solidify Abu Mazen's support among the younger generation of Palestnians who support Barghouti, but would not threaten the Palestinian leader as long as Barghouti remains in an Israeli prison.

Free massages for Knesset Members

2004-12-20T11:42:00.000+02:00

Good story in Monday's Yedioth Aharonoth about blind massagists coming to the Knesset today to offer free treatment to Knesset members and their staffs. It's part of a project meant to encourage employment for the handicapped.

According to the report, Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin and Likud Knesset Members Gila Gamliel and Ruhama Avraham were prepared to make time for a session.

Despite our political differences, I would
happily massage MK Avraham.

The blind, according to the report, are extremely good at giving massages because to compensate for their handicap they develop great sensitivity in their hands.

Most importantly, the report says that massages "will be given to Knesset members while they are fully dressed."

'Bad week for Israeli toddlers' or 'Look out below!'

2004-12-16T10:51:00.000+02:00

In the French film Amélie, the main character of the same name loses her mother when a suicide jumper lands on her.

On Wednesday a woman in Or Yehuda "fell" (still not clear if it was a suicide) from the 13th floor of an apartment building, landing on a 10-month old boy who was walking with his mother and another relative.

News in the last few days suggests Israel is not a particularly safe place for toddlers. Not only do we have suicide bombers and road accidents, but mohels who don't know how to snip and suicide jumpers who don't know how to aim.

'If you don't like Haaretz why do you keep quoting it?'

2004-12-16T08:44:00.000+02:00

On more than one occasion an anonymous reader (Perhaps the same one? Perhaps a Haaretz employe) has asked what do I have against the so-called New York Times of Israel, and if I criticize the paper so much why do I keep quoting it.

In regard to the first question, Haarez and The Jerusalem Post are the two major English language Israeli news websites. (The Maariv version isn't updated enough to be taken seriously and Ynet has yet to launch its English version.) I tend to read Haaretz more than JPost because my political views are more in line with the former than the latter.

When I see mistakes on Haaretz, reports with questionable journalism, or points I disagree with, I point it out. I do the same with JPost, but this happens less often because I read it less frequently than Haaretz.

At the same time, I find Haaretz to be intellectually over the top to a degree that is both tiresome and humorous. In this context, I felt it was worth pointing out that the newspaper claiming to be intellectually superior to the competition misspells the name of Pierre Bourdieu, an important French philosopher. (Such a mistake would be less interesting in The Jerusalem Post.)

On the other hand, on several occasions on this blog I have discussed my disagreement with JPost columnist Caroline Glick.

Why do I continue to quote Haaretz? Why shouldn't I? It's still an excellent source of news. I point out mistakes because they should be corrected and because as an English speaker who knows something about journalism I find them embarassing and sometimes misleading.

But because Haaretz makes mistakes does this mean it is a poor source of news? Maybe. Maybe not. That's for the reader to decide. Mistakes are a reminder that Haaretz coverage presents a worldview and version of events based on facts presented in a manner that lend support the so-called liberal values of the Israeli elite.

By the way, to my knowledge there aren't too many Israeli Arabs or other minorities employed by Haaretz. Should the management of a newspaper that repeatedly calls attention to social inequalities in Israel actually do something to change this state of affairs in its own house? I guess not.

Lots of Ashkenazim and a few progressive religious types work there. Granted this is perhaps the job applicant pool, but some effort could be made to recruit minorities. It's just another example of the condescending top-to-bottom 'We know what's good for you' Yossi Beilin/Kfar Shmariyahu/Labor-Meretz attitude that has dominated so-called progressive/liberal politics in Israel.

Bris miss

2004-12-14T22:10:00.000+02:00

Not for the faint of heart: Rabbi ordered to pay NIS 1.18 million for botched circumcision.

Poor kid.

Just what we need - a Jewish parliament

2004-12-14T16:44:00.000+02:00

President Katsav is pushing forward his idea for a Jewish parliament that would include Jews from all over the world.

(Jerusalem Post correspondent Greer Fay Cashman makes certain to mention in her report that two Jews have three opinions between them. Nice use of an overused cliche. You really caught me off guard with that one.)

But back to the idea of a Jewish parliament. Despite calls for such a body to include unrepresented and younger Jewish voices, it would probably end up as another bloated body of wealthy Diaspora Jews, perhaps younger, who buy their way onto various boards of Jewish organizations through their generous donations - generosity they seldom keep secret.

On the other hand, the religious powers in Israel would certainly oppose the creation of any such body because it could Reform and Conservative Judaism gain wider acceptance here and threaten the existing Orthodox monopoly on conversion, marriage and the 'Who is a Jew?' debate.

It's also interesting to note how Katsav laments the high rate of intermarriage in the U.S. and Europe, as if Israel has demonstrated such adroit handling of its own social problems related to Jewish issues (Anybody try to get a marriage license from the Rabbinical Council lately? That's a lot of fun.) that it is equipped to help the Diaspora.

Don't dishonor soldiers by calling them terror victims

2004-12-13T19:19:00.000+02:00

This post may upset some people.

It's certainly terrible that five Israel Defense Forces soldiers were killed Sunday by a bomb planted in a tunnel dug beneath an army checkpost in the Gaza Strip. But is it terror?

In the same article about the Gaza bombing, Haaretz quotes Prime Minister Ariel Sharon as saying the Palestinian Authority is doing nothing against terror. Here's the Haaretz excerpt:

Speaking to journalists Monday, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said he did not see any change in the Palestinian Authority's efforts to fight terrorism.

Progress in peace efforts, Sharon said, "depends on the Palestinians, if they will act against terror."

"By now, we don't see any change," he said, speaking in English.

"Myself and my government would like to move forward toward peace, but it depends on one thing, that it should be quiet and I'm really sorry to say that by now we don't see any changes," he added.

But it's not really clear whether Sharon was talking about the Gaza bombing. I wouldn't be surprised if he was, because Israel tends to label all Palestinian atacks as terror.

But don't soldiers deserve a bit more credit? Calling the attack an act of terror turns them into victims. As someone who served in the army here and does reserve duty, I understand I'm a legitimate target when I'm wearing my uniform. Armies use force to impose a particular policy, and sometimes those who disagree with the policy fight back.

Not as intellectual as they would like to think they are

2004-12-13T18:20:00.000+02:00

From Haaretz story:

Yaron's claim that Dayan worships the visual image was sparked by a comment earlier in the discussion, in which Dayan quoted French philosopher Pierre Bordier.

It's Pierre Bourdieu.

Nazi hunter? Where do I sign up?

2004-12-11T09:23:00.000+02:00

At what point does one have the right to be called Nazi hunter? Is there an apprenticeship period? Does the Nazi hunter have any special weapons, like the vampire hunter equipped with wooden stake, mallet, holy water, large cross, mirror and garlic?

What does the Nazi hunter write on his resume?

Nazi Hunter (1976-present). Located and apprehended more than 13 former Nazis, managed computer database of Nazis on the loose, and oversaw staff of four. Strong computer skills.

Is there a standard line the Nazi hunter utters when he has made the "kill"?

Does the Nazi hunter spend a lot of time in nursing homes looking for former Nazis? If so, how does he stand the smell?

Does the Nazi hunter have a trophy room at home with photographs of the Nazis he captured hanging on the wall? If so, are they recent photos of the Nazi in question or taken during the Nazi's glory years?

Where does the Nazi hunter rank in the hierarchy of hunters? In a battle royale of hunters (see list below of hunters a friend and I came up with) how would the Nazi hunter come out?

Vampire hunter
Shark hunter
Bounty hunter
Booty hunter
Werewolf hunter
Treasure hunter
Kraven the Hunter
Holly Hunter (Lame joke. I know.)

Nothing like a Gaza air strike to help Sharon

2004-12-09T18:34:00.000+02:00

Am I the only person who thinks Prime Minister Sharon was very happy to have the Israel Defense Forces attempt to take out a senior Palestinian militant/terrorist on the same day his own Likud party was voting whether to allow him to open negotiations for a unity government that would include Labor?

The fact that the missile fired at the car carrying Jamal Abu Samhadana only wounded him and three others is irrelevant. The air strike may have helped show Likud voters that their Sharon hasn't gone soft - even if he does intend to give up the Gaza Strip.

The timing of the air strike, however, is questionable. There has been plenty of positive movement since Yasser Arafat's death, but such assassination attempts undermine the new Palestinian leadership.

Also, Abu Samhadana was not a "ticking bomb" on his way to carry out a terror attack, but rather leader of the Popular Resistance Committees. I'm not saying the guy isn't bad, but how does Israel benefit by killng him now?

French ambassador: Israelis suffer from anti-France disorder

2004-12-09T13:05:00.000+02:00

"You hate us. You Israelis have a psychological disorder - the disorder of anti-Frenchism."

The French ambassador to Israel made this statment in an Army Radio interview Thursday.

If Israelis do suffer from such a disorder, a clue to its source can be found in a New York Times story about why Hezbollah-operated al-Manar TV is allowed to broadcast in France reports claiming that for years Israel had spread the AIDS virus and other diseases throughout the Arab world as well as reports calling for a war against Jews and the destruction of Israel.

Yes, the ambassador is right. We would have to be absolutely crazy to hate a country that allows such messages to be transmitted to its citizens. We should love the French.

Vive la France!

Sharon's man Safire

2004-12-08T21:22:00.000+02:00

Prime Minister Ariel Sharon welcomes a showdown with his own Likud party over his attempts to create some positive movement toward peace, veteran New York Times columnist William Safire writes today.

While you may not agree with Safire all the time - I certainly don't - it's worth paying attention to him because he's considered tight with Sharon, so one can assume his sources are close to the prime minister or Sharon himself.

Here's an interesting excerpt:

As Palestinians elect a new government that can restrain its violence-prone bitter-enders, I'm told that Sharon's coalition of Likud, Labor and several religious parties would agree to start Palestinian negotiations with a clean slate. The previous Barak-Clinton offers, including a division of Jerusalem - anathema to most Israelis - came off the table when Arafat chose war.

That unencumbered start would please Likud's right and annoy Labor's left, but here's the delicious complexity of the first "unified disunity government": On foreign affairs, Sharon will have his center-left coalition; on domestic budgets, his rightist coalition.

Poll: 51% of Germans say IDF=Nazis

2004-12-08T13:41:00.000+02:00

This is scary.

According to a German poll, 51 percent of Germans say there is not much of a difference between what Israel is doing to the Palestinians today and what the Nazis did to the Jews during the Holocaust, The Jerusalem Post reported Wednesday on its website.

I confess that I've had a hard time relating to anti-Semitism. This probably has something to do with me being a blond, blue-eyed Jewish boy from northern Indiana.

(When I was an undergrad at UCLA, I tried on numerous occasions to get involved with Hillel and the Jewish Student Union, but after the 23rd time some arrogant Los Angeles resident asked, "There are Jews in Indiana?" I gave up. Maybe that's part of why today I'm in Israel.)

I never personally experienced anti-Semitism. It also makes no sense to me how people can hold such views in a modern world. Of course I know some do, but I just can't understand how they do it.

The political use of the anti-Semitism card is also problematic. Today many Israelis and Jews scream "anti-Semitism" too often in response to legitimate criticism of Israel. This creates a "boy who cried wolf" situation.

Germany was considered a center of culture when the Nazis rose to power, so the values of modernity offer no protection against anti-Semitism. But while I say this and believe in on an intellectual level, I confess that I haven't internalized it. I know it's there, but it just doesn't make sense to me.

In addition, some in Europe certainly use criticism of Israeli policy toward the Palestinians as a means to advance anti-Semitic propaganda.

Suddenly I'm feeling patriotic - both as an Israeli and an American - and all that European criticism of the U.S. for the war in Iraq and of Americans for reelecting Bush sounds a lot less credible.

Eggnog: Not just for goyim

2004-12-08T13:31:00.000+02:00

Glad to hear I'm not the only Jew who likes the delicious taste of eggnog, although I haven't tasted the stuff for years.

It seems like there are some foods that Jews just don't eat. Not necessarily because of kosher issues, but because these foods are simply designated as belonging to the domain of the gentile.

Kool Aid Man brings joy
to all the goyim children.

Just off the top of my head, I'd put on the list:
Pop tarts
Slim Jim
Wonder Bread
Kool Aid
Marshmellows

Here's a product description of Slim Jim that just screams GOYIM!:

Slim Jim is the unconventional snack with an exciting, distinctive beefy taste teens love. Slim Jim's irreverent "in your face" attitude is captured in its advertising, sponsorships and promotions. Slim Jim is available in various flavors of meat sticks, beef jerky, beef steak and beef 'n cheese

I didn't see any Slim Jims in the lunch boxes of the Jewish kids at summer camp. But during my childhood growing up in a small city in northern Indiana, all these delicacies could be found in the home across the street. There lived my best friend and neighbor at the time Greg Gable. He had all kinds of great stuff that I associated with the good goyim life:

-Intellivision (which challenged Atari for supremacy over young people's minds),
-HBO and MTV (Remember this was in the 1980s when cable TV was still a novelty - at least it was in Indiana.)
-Star Wars figures (This may have been because as teachers my parents wanted my sister and I to have more creative toys. Looking back, I think they just didn't want to pay for all that crap that toy collectors are now paying top dollar for on Ebay.)

Greg's dad, who was a large beer-drinking man, was into camping and had a shortwave radio. He had a tall antenna installed next to the house so Mr. Gable - what the hell was his first name? Oh yeah, Gary! - could do whatever people do on shortwave radios.

Is there anything more goyish than a shortwave radio? I think not.

Anyway, if any of you have any observations about differences in the goy/Jew lifestyle, please put them in the comments section.

Arafat dead, ceasefire on horizon - connection?

2004-12-08T10:35:00.000+02:00

Israel and the Palestinians have reached understandings that will serve as the basis for a ceasefire, Ynet is reporting Wednesday morning citing Egyptian sources.

According to the report, Prime Minister Sharon is prepared to halt military operations against the Palestinians if the Palestinians stop the terror attacks on Israel.

The Palestinians are denying the reports, but this is not suprising. The new leadership doesn't want to appear to be giving in to Israel's demands or for things to look too good after Yasser Arafat's death.

But with the rapid pace at which the situation appears to be improving since Yasser left us, I won't be surprised if water turns to wine and manna falls from the heavens sometime in the next few days.

Column None: Leftists are the enemy blah blah blah

2004-12-06T17:51:00.000+02:00

I've enjoyed watching Caroline Glick's diminishing prominence on the Jerusalem Post website in recent weeks. (Or am I just seeing what I want to see?) I wonder how long she'll last under the new management that doens't appear to share the neo-conservative views of its predecessor.

In any case, her latest column is more of the same "leftists help terrorists, are bad for Israel blah blah blah" she always writes.

I know this is her bread and butter, her shtick. But she's trapped, unable to think beyond the confines of her own logic that serves her own agenda.

She writes: "For solipsistic leftists, which reign supreme in Israel's media, academia and judiciary, the homogeneity of Palestinian society makes it easy for to ignore the enemy while vainly walking through their distorted halls of mirrors and echo chambers. Their goal is to create a perception of reality in which the Palestinians are all innocent and Israel is always at fault. In recent weeks, their primary target has been the IDF."

While I agree with her claim that some leftists (Gush Shalom, Uri Avnery, and Gideon Levy for example) have the abovementioned goal, Glick is no less guilty of striving for the opposite, but equally distateful end: to crate a perception of reality in which the Palestinians are all terrorists and Israel is always innocent.

Ideologues in the press, on the right and left, have created the "distorted halls of mirrors and echo chambers" of which Glick writes.

She could do us all a favor by looking in the mirror herself, but I doubt she's willing to take that step. Glick's pocketbook - financed by her rabid right-wing American readership - would take quite a hit.

Post-Arafat era: So far, so good

2004-12-06T16:35:00.000+02:00

Remember the naysayers who warned us about the dangers of the post-Arafat Middle East? I know it's still early, but let's review some of the events since his death:

-Egypt releases Israeli Druze Azzam Azzam, after 8 years in prison
-Israel-Egypt ties are improving
-Hamas is openly discussing a hudna (ceasefire)
-No major terror attacks (knock on wood)
-Reports Syria willing to enter into peace talks
-Tel Aviv Stock Market soars (Maybe my Teva shares will return to the price I paid for them.)

Would any of this happened if Yasser was still alive in his Muqata compound in Ramallah? I don't think so.

On the other hand, all this good news creates a problem for Israel's right-wing. Without Arafat - and the wave of violence he did nothing to stop - the settlers will have a more difficult time pointing to the Palestinian leadership as the main impediment to peace. It's also more difficult to use security issues as an excuse to stay in Gaza and not implement Sharon's disengagement plan.

In some ways, a positive atmosphere between Israel and the Palestinians is the worst thing for the settlers' cause. No security threat means little reason to keep the settlements.

I'm not saying all is rosy or the situation won't change, just that there are positive trends at the moment - both for Israel and the Palestinians, but not necessarily for the settlers.

Do we really want to feel like we were in Auschwitz?

2004-12-06T16:07:00.000+02:00

The head of the Israel Defense Forces personnel branch, Major General Elazar Stern, was quoted in Haaretz on Monday as saying that "every generation needs to see itself as if it had come out of Auschwitz."

The Haaretz report suggests Stern believes if soldiers saw themselves as having experienced the Holocaust firsthand, they would be more sensitive to their treatment of Palestinians.

But something troubles me about his comments. For the last several years I've been a volunteer for AMCHA, an Israeli organization that supports Holocaust survivors and their children. Every week I visit an elderly Holocaust survivor who herself was in Auschwitz. She is now a widower with one son and one granddaughter. She has a brother and sister in Europe, but hasn't been in touch with them for years and fears if she does so today she'll hear that they have died.

Stern's suggestion that a Holocaust-like experience is needed to remind soldiers of how to act in a humane manner - in a situation of war that is far from humane - reflects the poor state of values in Israeli society. It also fails to take into account the psychological trauma the Holocaust inflicted on those who experienced it directly and their families.

Although he didn't say it in this manner, Stern's comments can be understood as expressing disgust that the Jewish people, decimated by the horrors of the Holocaust, are not more sensitive to human rights issues.

Perhaps I'm overly sensitive to the issue, but whenever the Holocaust is used in a political or military context, I feel uneasy. I'm not sure we'd be better off if every soldier saw himself as having come out of Auschwitz. There's a lot of baggage that comes with it.

Beilin: Hamas is stronger than Fatah - and Barghouti is to blame

2004-12-05T13:07:00.000+02:00

Yossi Beilin has some suprisingly strong words on Marwan Barghouti:

"I believe he was carried away. He thought he could control the violence he unleashed and end the intifada in a few weeks. But he was carried away in an ongoing competition with Hamas on the ground, which was about violence, and today Hamas is stronger than Fatah, and Barghouti is to blame - because Fatah started this intifada, and not Hamas."

Jdate for goyim

2004-12-04T11:28:00.000+02:00

New York Times feature discusses how non-Jews are using Jdate.

I hope they're having better success than me.

Conspiracy theories in our midst

2004-12-03T18:53:00.000+02:00

A few weeks ago I had a strange conversation with a colleague. I intended to blog about it earlier, but I'm only getting to it now.

I work for an Israel news website and the colleague, who is Arab, works for the Arabic-language site. I asked him whether the Arab world would have any problem with Condoleezza Rice becoming secretary of state following Colin Powell's resignation, because she's a woman. His response was something like this:

"That's part of the Western world's propaganda against the Arab world, as if there are no women in places of power. I'll give you a list of female officials."

"Yes, but are any of them really in positions of power?" I asked.

He mumbled something of an evasive non-response. Somehow the conversation moved to the 9-11 attacks.

"How is it that all the Jews working in the Twin Towers didn't show up for work that day?" he asked.

At first I thought he was joking. His expression indicated he was not.

I've heard of such Jewish conspiracy theories in the Arab world, but I was shocked that this educated journalist, who lives in Israel, could actually believe them to be true, even partially.

The conversation troubled me so I mentioned it to a Jewish colleague who speaks Arabic and has had more contact with the Arab sector than I do. He said the conversation wasn't surprising because conspiracy theories have quite a hold in the Arab world, even among the educated.

I guess this explains why Egyptian TV can broadcast a series based on the Protocols of the Elders of Zion and officials in Cairo see nothing wrong with it.

As for me, now I don't look at my colleague in the same way. I wonder how he looks at me.

History lesson: Mideast peace in Studio 54

2004-12-02T18:02:00.000+02:00

The Onion remembers when Menachem Begin and Anwar Sadat celebrated the peace agreement between Israel and Egypt.

Hilarious.

Big (Jewish) brother is watching

2004-12-02T17:38:00.000+02:00

What a great idea for a theocracy! Credit cards that don't work on the Sabbath.

Just in time for Shas to enter the government.

Lazy and sloppy

2004-12-02T17:33:00.000+02:00

Any chance Haaretz will take the time to get correct spellings for the names of the AIPAC officials subpoenaed in the FBI investigation?

Come on, people, this is the age of the Internet.

Just go to the AIPAC website and get it right.

YeshaNews: No to Arabic-speakers

2004-11-28T19:39:00.000+02:00

YeshaNews offered news photos free of charge to Ynet, Israel's most popular Hebrew-langauge news website, but on one condition - that the photos not appear on the Arabic-language version of Ynet.

According to a senior Ynet employee who told of the offer during the course of a staff meeting Sunday, the only stipulation Yesha News made for the free photos - in addition that they not appear on Arab Ynet - was that the name of the settler news organization appear in the credit.

The employee did not specify when YeshaNews made the offer.

The offer would have been tempting because settlers from the news organization, armed (pun intended) with digital cameras, would likely get to events before photographers from outside the territories.

Ynet refused the offer, the employee said.

(For a good laugh, read the About Us page on the YeshaNews website.)

Jerusalem Post: So what if IDF troops killed a Palestinian girl?

2004-11-23T10:19:00.000+02:00

Haaretz headline: Officer on tape says he `confirmed kill' of Gaza girl

Jerusalem Post headline: Commander who verified kill is charged

The second headline - with the very sanitary phrase "verified kill" - simply ignores that a 13-year-old Palestinian girl was killed by IDF gunfire.

Even the Jerusalem Post subheadline on the website's homepage - "I confirmed the kill after shooting the first two bullets" - makes no mention of the identity of the "kill." The reader has no context for the story.

Haaretz and JPost have their political agendas, but the latter's decision to bury information vital to the story is at best sloppy journalism and at worst a repulsive attempt to advance a political agenda.

How do you say Vichy in Arabic?

2004-11-21T19:53:00.000+02:00

While French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin was denouncing hate crimes, the French broadcasting authority announced on its Web site it has finalized an agreement to allow Hezbollah's al-Manar TV to continue broadcasting in France.

They don't have a clue. I mean this is Hezbollah TV, as in "Party of God" TV.

"Hey, honey, anything good on the tube tonight?"

"That Nasrallah fellow is speaking to a group of activists in Beirut. It's being broadcast on al-Manar. I really like that shade of green they use for their masks and headbands."

"Just as long as it's not that American barbarian Donald Trump on The Apprentice."

Is this really happening in a post 9-11 world?

Do you think the French intellectuals equate Hezbollah TV to CBS and NBC?

Do the secular and Christian French think they aren't going to be targeted eventually?

How well do they think their secular values go over in Iran, Hezbollah's main supporter?

The French may not be ahead of the Israelis, Jews and Americans, but they'll make the target list someday, and they'll have no one to blame but themselves.

I have just one word for the French: Vichy.

IDF officers living in illegal settlement outposts

2004-11-21T08:27:00.000+02:00

Officers in the Israel Defense Forces are living in illegal settler outposts in the West Bank, and the army is considering ordering them to move out, Haaretz reports Sunday morning.

Is this normal? I mean does a normal country allow the elite in their military to engage in illegal activities in their spare time? Does a normal country just "consider" ordering them to stop their illegal activities?

The army's lack of response just undermines its credibility as a force maintaining law and order and fighting terror. Remember, these officers face situations in which they must decide how to act toward Palestinians.

If they set up illegal settler outposts in their civilian life, do they respect the human rights of Palestinians in their day job?

Do the soldiers serving under these officers not know that their superiors are living in illegal outposts? Of course they know.

But we're a moral army, not an occupying one, right? We're in the territories only because we must fight terror.

If the soldiers were using drugs in their free time they would have been kicked out long ago. But when it comes to the illegal settlement outposts, army policy gets a little wishy-washy.

Credibility. That's the issue here. And the IDF brass just doesn't understand situations like this destroy the army's credibility. Big time. And rightfully so.

Settlers = lily of the sea; the rest of us = ordinary plants

2004-11-18T17:17:00.000+02:00

Sometimes it amazes me what passes as journalism in this country, particularly in the English news outlets here.

The Jerusalem Post's Settler's Journal (Part 3) sets a new low. Datya Yitzhaki, photographed with her children in the Gaza settlement of Kfar Yam, waxes poetic about the difficult situation settlers face with the impending disengagement plan. For example, she writes:

"On November 11, Arafat was finally dead. On November 11, Yoav recovered from the chicken pox, and on November 11, a lily of the sea blossomed in our yard. Our home in Kfar Yam is situated on a sand dune almost at the water's edge. The brisk winds and ocean spray that gets in everywhere wreak havoc on ordinary plants, but there is one flower that amazes with its abundant blossoming each year anew – the lily of the sea."

How sweet. I'm glad to hear Yoav is feeling better. But it's a cheap literary device intended to put a human face on the situation.

So I guess the settlers are like the lily of the sea, unlike "ordinary" Israelis living outside the Strip for whom "the brisk winds and ocean spray" (i.e. threat of the Palestinians) would wreak havoc.

(It must be rough having a home on the beach.)

I have a certain amount of respect for anyone who writes. It demands a certain level of courage to put yourself out there, to open yourself up to criticism. But not everything is fit to be published, and that certainly includes material I've written. So how is it that Yitzhaki's sentimental crap gets in the Post? It's just a blatant attempt to put a human face on the "plight" of the settlers and is simply poor journalism, even as a personal account.

She describes the Gush Katif settlers as "well-meaning," while the kibbutz members have come from a "distorted moral world." Black. White. Things are a bit more complicated, no?

She uses the age-old trick of comparing lands captured in '48 to lands captured in '67. Come on. How many Palestinians live in the Gaza Strip? How many lillies of the sea, I mean Israeli settlers, are there?

I wonder if anyone fact checks her story? I'd like to know more about the private road the Kibbutz closed to the settlers, a move she suggests endangers the lives of women and children. (By the way, would they be so endangered if the women and children didn't live in the Gaza Strip?)

I'm doing what I told myself a few months I wouldn't do. I'm spending valuable time commenting on the right-wing propaganda in the Post. I just can't help myself.
(I abhor the left-wing propaganda on Haaretz too, at least the poorly-written variety, but naturally it doesn't get to me as much because I'm biased. I admit it.)

I'm sure Yitzhaki's piece is getting lots of readers, but just like Fox News this says nothing about its quality. The Post should stick (or should I say return) to the journalism business and leave such sentimental crap to be published on blogs, like mine.

What do you think about Arafat's death?

2004-11-18T15:03:00.000+02:00

The Onion examines Arafat's death in the current "What do you think?" section.

(In my opinion, The Onion didn't nail it this time. It could have been funnier.)

Left vs. religious refusal

2004-11-18T11:30:00.000+02:00

Dan Rabinowitz explains in Haaretz why the refusal of soldiers based on religious grounds threatens the state more than the refusal of leftists - like me.

Why was Jerusalem Post sold so cheap?

2004-11-17T18:35:00.000+02:00

The Jerusalem Post was sold Tuesday for just $13.2 million, but none of the reports I saw explain why the purchase price was so low. (Yes, I'm talking to you Haaretz and International Herald Tribune.)

From the reports I read, only the AP story in The Chicago Sun-Times mentions that the price was far below the $21.5 million Hollinger International paid for the newspaper - and this was back in 1989-1990.

So doesn't this beg the question why the price was so low?

Maybe someone should have mentioned that whoever purchased the Post would also have to take on any outstanding debt and pending lawsuits against the paper, and anyone familiar with the situation at the Post - such as reporters covering the story - should know this.

Will the Arabs like Condi's legs?

2004-11-16T07:57:00.000+02:00

How will the Arab world respond to Condoleezza Rice as Secretary of State if she replaces Colin Powell as expected?

It shouldn't matter, but I would expect the traditional Arab/Muslim to have a hard time accepting a woman in such a powerful post. How will the clerics feel to have a woman, known for wearing skirts revealing legs adored by Ariel Sharon, telling them what to do?

(Speaking in February 2001 about meetings with White House officials in Washington, Sharon was quoted as saying: "I have to confess, it was hard for me to concentrate in the conversation with Condoleezza Rice because she has very nice legs.")

Madeleine Albright was Secretary of State in the Clinton administration. I haven't read her book so I don't know if she discusses whether her gender created obstacles for the administration's objectives. In any case, I doubt her legs distracted anyone.

But the quagmire in Iraq will present Rice with a challenge more daunting than any Albright ever faced, and one that will require her to take on a very visible role in her dealings with Arab countries.

I'm not saying Rice doesn't deserve the post because she's a woman. But maybe she should consider lengthening the hem line on her skirts before meeting Sunni leaders in Iraq.

She can always change back into the shorter skirts before meetings with Sharon.

Mixed messages

2004-11-15T19:38:00.000+02:00

A colleague told me a few weeks ago about how his youngest son doesn't want to give any land back to the Palestinians.

"God gave it to us so why should we give it back," the father told me, quoting his son's policy position. "This is what they teach him in kindergarten."

It's worth knowing that the father moved to Israel from the U.S. about five years ago and lives in Jerusalem. I'm not completely certain of his political views, but I'd peg him as a centrist, if not pragmatic leftist, who is perhaps not religious but does observe some Jewish customs at home.

A friend, let's call him Joe, recently told me of a trip he took to a European country with his wife and mother-in-law. Becuase the mother-in-law is an observant Jew, for the duration of the trip, Joe was obliged to eat in dairy restaurants only.

It should be noted that Joe, who immigrated to Israel from the U.S. about seven years ago, keeps a kosher home, but he occasionally enjoys swine and other traif delicacies when dining out.

The mother-in-law doesn't know about the flexible eating habits of her daughter and Joe, and when the issue was mentioned during the trip, she refused to discuss it.

Haaretz, the so-called "New York Times of Israel," carries a regular column on the weekly reading of the Torah. To my knowledge, this was instituted when the new editor, an observant Jew, who immigrated from Great Britain years ago, took the post.

Am I alone in my unease regarding these situations? I haven't been able to put my finger on it, so forgive me if I think out loud here.

Is the lessons being taught to my colleague's child so different from those given to Palestinian children regarding their claims to this land?

In any case, should our children be taught at such an age that God "gave" us this land? Is this what we truly want them to learn and to believe?

What if the New York Times had a regular column on the weekly reading in the New Testament? Such a move would probably be welcomed by a large segment of Bush's America, but what about Jewish Americans? What would it say about America?

Why do we, Jews in Israel, play by different rules when it comes to such matters? And why do Americans who immigrate to Israel, after enjoying the religious freedoms in their former country, so quickly abandon such principles here?

What does the religious guy heading Haaretz think about the role of a newspaper, albeit one in a Jewish country?

(I don't mention the Jerusalem Post because its line on state/religion is dictated largely by the target audience: Right-wing, usually religious, American Jews.)

Does the self-proclaimed Jewish intelligensia in Israel, i.e. those who read Haaretz, behave so differently in regard to religious issues than the Christian fundamentalists in the U.S.?

Why can't Joe tell his mother in law he eats swine on occasion? Or maybe the question should be why is his American mother-in-law so unwilling to discuss the issue?

(I want to make clear that I'm not blaming him or asking to behave any differently. I think Joe is in a situation not of his own making, but rather one that reflects our own inability to deal with these issues.)

Sorry, no answers here today.

Day after Arafat / Sign of the apacolypse

2004-11-14T01:05:00.000+02:00

It seems everyone has an opinion about what Arafat's death means for the Middle East peace prospects. I don't claim to have any special insight here, but I was surprised by what I was told by an Israeli Arab professor I know.

When I told this professor that I wasn't convinced by the widespread prognostications of an improved situation in wake of Arafat's death, his response was:

"You'll be convinced, and how."

Sign of the apocalypse
I saw a woman wearing leg warmers. The sighting took place in Tel Aviv outside Beit Hachayal. I'm afraid this isn't the first time I've seen it. A few months earlier I saw a woman on Allenby Street also wearing leg warmers.

What are the odds?
I had a blind date tonight with a woman from Cupid, which is just another version of Jdate if you haven't heard of it.

We met near Beit Hachayal in Tel Aviv and walked to a cafe on Kikar Hamedina.

We sat a table next to another couple, and the woman from this other couple was someone I had met on Jdate and gone out with - only once. I was very mature and made every effort to avoid eye contact.

I told my date and she thought it was funny.

The makeup artist

2004-11-11T01:12:00.000+02:00

12:15am. Very tipsy from two glasses of red wine. I'm a lightweight. Met V at 10:30pm next to the Office Depot in Migdal Hashalom, which borders the Neve Tzedek area of Tel Aviv. (The wine is seriously hindering my typing ability. This could be a short post. My empty bed is calling me.) Couldn't tell when she saw me whether she was excited or disappointed by my appearance. Her initial reaction seemed to be ambivolence at worst, cautious optimism at best. Maybe I'm confusing my own feelings with hers.

Anyway, walked to Nana, a very Tel Aviv bar, and drank a couple of glasses of Chilean Merlot. (I don't know a thing about wines. I usually order Merlot and it seeems to work for me.)Very tasty. Conversation flowed, but she seemed intent on speaking to me in English the entire evening. She lived in New York for several years so I guess she wanted to show off. We spoke earlier in the evening for the first time and decided to go ahead and meet later on.

She's a makeup artist. Yeah, I know. This should have been my first clue. She was actually surprisingly interesting and could certainly hold her own in conversation. But maybe the wine's effects on my interpretative abilities were benefiting her.

"Have you dated Israeli women?"

Fuck. How many times have I been asked this question. I've been living in the country for seven years. What do you think?

"Sure. I had an Israeli girlfriend for two years, and we even lived together."

It's a kind of litmus test of cultural compatibility - and I play along. The American has had Israeli girlfriends so he's ok.

"This is going to sound like a come on, but you have a very attractive face. Real interesting features."

I confess this may sound ridiculous to you, but you know what, it was the truth. She really had a very interesting face. I just enjoyed looking at it and told her so. She had these great facial lines - a product of her Russian/Polish ancestry.

Later on she noticed me noticing her looking at a blackboard hanging on the far side of the room.

"I'm checking my eyesight. I got an offer recently for a free eye exam if I buy new frames and I want to see if I need it."

That's when I knew it was over. I could have ended it myself, but feelings of loneliness in recent days meant it would be her call.

Check please. We each paid half. I still don't know how to handle the check thing, who pays. Sometimes I just say soemthing like, "Let me pay. I invited you otu. Next time you can pay." I say this even when I know there will be no second time. But I didn't feel like paying the 140 shekel tab alone so I went straight for the 50/50 split.

Left the bar. Walked her home. She insited on explaining to me how to get from her apartment to mine - even though we pretty much live in the same neighborhood. She's been here for one year and I've been here for seven.

Polite handshake and exchanges of "It was nice to meet you" means there will be no second date and both parties agree and understand the state of affairs.

Time to walk the dog.

What the hell is a 'deep coma'?

2004-11-09T22:06:00.000+02:00

If you were as confused as I was when hearing Yasser Arafat was in a "deep coma," read this Slate article on the Glasgow Coma Scale.

'Very ill' is no excuse to miss work

2004-11-09T21:07:00.000+02:00

I've probably used the phrase "very ill" when calling in sick. Actually, probably not "very ill" but rather "really sick." I'd say linguistically they're the same thing.

"Hi, it's B. I don't think I can come into work today. I'm really sick/very ill."

In retrospect, I could have gone to work.

Only today, after reading Palestinian Foreign Minister Saeb Erekat's comments on Yasser Arafat's condition, I understand that "very ill" means that my brain, heart and lungs were still functioning and that I was "very much alive."

Pay off the bitch!

2004-11-08T11:40:00.001+02:00

After spending most of the intifada in Paris and not by her husband's side in Ramallah, Suha Arafat is now accusing senior Palestinian officials with trying to bury Yasser alive.

Give me a break.

Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) and Ahmed Qureia (Abu Ala) should do what Yasser did. Pay off the bitch!!!

If you doubt this is all about money, read this Haaretz piece about the missing billions.

Arafat's demise is turning into an international embarassment for the Palestinian people. Is it any wonder they don't have a state?

Or as a fellow blogger commented to me: It's bizarre that Suha has gone from professional shopper in Paris to the most powerful person in Palestinian politics.

Guide for the perplexed ass-licker

2004-11-06T19:17:00.000+02:00

I've got to just write as fast as I can. Because if I stop, and start to edit, I'll lose my nerve. Because I'm about to tackle one of the most important issues today. Which tastes better - South African ass or British ass?

Don't expect coherency tonight, my loyal readers (or is it reader?). Arafat may be clinically dead, but that's not our topic tonight. If you understand what follows, it means that you too have licked ass at the New York Times of Israel.

In my former job, I spent four wonderful years kissing South African ass. It wasn't so bad. The recipient, P, would ask me if I would kiss his ass even when I wasn't working.

"Could you call in and close the site tonight? I've got to wake up early for the morning shift?"

"No problem, P," was my standard answer, even though it was the last fucking thing I wanted to do. What else could I say? My job was to kiss his ass. It was written in my contract. And I thought I did it well.

But things changed. D, who's British, was appointed king. And Prince P, who was apparently doing his own share of British ass licking, took over D's fiefdom.

So who's ass was I to lick now? Patiently I waited for an answer. But I was shocked when P told me he wanted me to lick K's ass. Now P made it perfectly clear that he was the one who decided K's ass was the one to be licked now, but we all know it was D who picked K's ass.

You see, D has a thing for women, especially the religious ones. No, I'm not saying he comes on to them or anything. He's just comfortable around them. He used to come visit S, who's religious, whenever she was working. It was a strange sight to witness - and creepy too. I didn't want to know what was going on in his head. Remember, this is a guy who supposedly has bragged about writing news stories as a child about car accidents he witnessed in front of his home.

I should have gotten a sex change, started wearing a kippah or lost this damn American accent. What was I thinking?

Shit, I'm losing steam. Got to keep it up. The runner's high is wearing off, and the fact that I have a headache from caffeine withdrawal and I recently stopped taking paxil isn't helping either.

Where was I? So D is one troubled individual. Sure, he's brilliant at what he does, but everyone who meets him can tell instantly this is a man with some serious unresolved issues. The problem is that these insecurities fuel his success, so there's no reason to change.

I'm getting off track. So they wanted me to lick K's ass. Well, I wasn't too happy about that. I at least thought that K would call me for a meeting of some kind, say the concilatory, "I know you don't want to lick my ass, but I just want to blah blah blah." But this only happened long after I was already expected to lick her ass. There was no foreplay whatsoever. What kind of man did she think I was?

No, I certainly would not lick her ass. All this ass licking made me crazy. I just couldn't take it anymore. My tongue was raw.

[K, if you're reading this, a bit of advice. There's this pair of jeans you sometimes wear, and your butt crack shows. But it's not sexy butt crack. More like overweight American plumber butt crack. So it would probably be best for everyone if you left the jeans at home.]

I tried to get P's attention. To see if licking his ass had meant anything. To my sorrow, it didn't. Please just give me a reason to stay. I licked and licked.

"I understand if you're upset, but if you want to leave, I'll understand."

No, I don't want to leave. I had been licking your ass for 4 years. And now you're telling me it was all for naught. That no matter how good I made your ass feel, there was no way I was going to move up because I should have been licking D's ass all this time?

And you don't even have the decency to tell me who was really calling the shots. Did you really expect me to believe that you were the one to pick K's ass for me? What kind of man are you? Everyone knows the ass licking hierarchy at the New York Times of Israel.

P did suggest that I speak to D about licking his ass, but there was no way I was going to get caught in this ass licking contest again. Plus, I just couldn't bring myself to lick religious ass after having secular for so many years. (I guess that means I'll vote Shinui in the next election.)

Not to mention that with P's tongue so deep in D's ass, it would be next to impossible for me to make any kind of lasting impression.

I mentioned I had gone insane, yes? Ok, so after weeks of blowing in the wind, I lost it and wrote an email to P, who was once the recipient of my tongue's magic. I quote some of the passages here:

"You have told me on more than one occassion that I'm thin-skinned. It's all relative, my friend. Not all of us operate according to Machiavelli and Sun Tzu.

"Someday this will come back to bite you in the ass - if it hasn't already. And it won't just cost you a position or lead to a rift with someone in the workplace. It will come from someone dear to you, and you won't even have a clue as to why it happened. However, you should know that your behavior has hurt the people at XXXXXXX who most respected and cared about you - as corny as that may sound."

(I could include more, but I don't want to bore you. But if I get enough requests in the comments section...)

I have no qualms about sharing part of this email here because it's quite clear that P shared this email with D. You see, D recently subjected me to some brand of journalism justice. (The details are unimportant, but in short he jeopardized my future.)

For both of them, the actions of cowards, men with no loyalty except to those who can advance their own ambitions. I should have known there are no secrets between the ass licker and the ass lickee.

So let this be a lesson to all you out there. If you lick ass, do it well, but make sure it's the right one.

Saeb, let's get something straight

2004-11-06T11:51:00.001+02:00

Remember these images? Palestinians celebrating the Sept. 11 attacks.

Mr. Erekat,

The Palestinians celebrate terror attacks, but you want to condemn Israelis celebrating the (premature) news of Yasser Arafat's death? Come on. I'm sure a few Palestinians are secretly rejoicing that Arafat is on his way out and will no longer be an obstacle to your aspirations for statehood.

I'm not saying all will be rosy after he's gone, but let's be honest here. In recent years was Yasser more interested in the Palestinian cause or maintaining his firm control over Palestinian security forces so no one could challenge him? We both know the answer.

Let's just say that there will be a few Palestinian officials shedding crocodile tears at the funeral, and you might be among them.

(See Saeb Erekat's comments in Haaretz.)

This could be it for Arafat

2004-11-04T13:26:00.000+02:00

Yasser is in a coma and his situation is critical, according to the latest reports.

(Apologies for not writing more in the last few days. I'm still in depression from the results of the U.S. election.)

Yasser refuses to sign / I want my own compound

2004-11-02T07:58:00.000+02:00

Yediot Aharonot reported earlier this week that Suha Arafat, who left Paris to be with her ailing husband, asked hubby Yasser to sign a will, but that the Palestinian leader refused to do so.

Do I detect a pattern here? Yasser Arafat refuses to sign a legal and binding document. Maybe in the delerium of his illness he mistook the will for a peace agreement that would create a Palestinian state?

The report also said that many Palestinians were critical of Suha because they felt as a good wife, rather than live in Paris, she should have stood by her man during his more than 2-year confinement to his Ramallah compound, the Muqata.

I'd like to have a compound with a name, and there's no denying that Muqata is a cool name. Just say it aloud in a strong whisper and draw out the last syllable. See what I mean.

The Kennedys had a compound. Does anyone else? If I ever get married, instead of saying to my wife, "I'll see you at home," I'd prefer, "I'll see you in the Muqata."

Or to the kids: "You're confined to the Muqata until you finish your homework!" or "No parties in the Muqata while your mother and I are away on vacation."

Naturally I won't use Muqata, but I'll be hard pressed to come up with an equally cool compound name. Any suggestions out there?

Too bad Fortress of Solitude is taken already.

"Are you ok? There was a terror attack."

2004-11-02T07:23:00.000+02:00

Monday's suicide bombing in Tel Aviv's Carmel Market hit close to home. I live nearby and I do my food shopping there regularly.

Just one day before Yediot Aharonot reported a poll showing that 1 in 5 Jewish Israelis lost a friend or relative in the current intifada.

(I don't really like to use the word "intifada," because what's happening now is no popular uprising, but is "conflict" any better? War? Violent dispute? Battle between good and evil?)

Relizing that I am not part of this 20 percent meant that everyone I know was now in imminent danger.

I don't consider myself lucky for not being at the market yesterday, but I would have been very unlucky to have been there at that particular time.

So I received the requiste phone calls from friends and my mom in the U.S. checking to be sure I was ok. A close friend was hysterical because she was unable to reach her grandmother, who often goes to the market. It later turned out that the grandmother was fine.

As I walked home from work in the evening, I considered taking a slight detour to the site of the attack in the market, but decided against it. A few years ago, I would have gone, but this time I felt little need to see the reality of the "news items" I've grown accustomed to writing about in the sanctuary of my workplace.

Election day prediction

2004-11-02T07:22:00.000+02:00

Kerry wins by more comfortable margin than expected. Wishful thinking perhaps.

On Rabin and blind dates

2004-10-31T13:10:00.000+02:00

My apologies for not blogging for a few days. I'm afraid a combination of bad blind dates and the GRE kicked my ass.

Like a good leftist, I made an appearance Saturday night at the annual Rabin memorial event held in Tel Aviv's Rabin Square. Like a bad leftist (or maybe an honest one), I left early because I had a blind date.

I'm usually bored at such events, and although I did enjoy the company of some close friends who also attended, this was no exception. Can anything more be said about the assassination? How many religious people were in attendance? I think I saw maybe three people wearing kippot.

The memorial opened as it always does, with the loudspeakers playing an excerpt of the speech Rabin delievered in that same square, just minutes before he was shot dead, and then it was followed by the announcement that the prime minister was dead. I still feel the emotions swell up inside when I hear those words.

At the request of the Rabin family, no "politicians" spoke at the event. Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai was the lone exception, and his comments were quite political. He said those who do not accept democratic principles were not welcome in Tel Aviv. I guess he meant elements of the right-wing who are calling for refusal to implement the evacuation from Gaza, but technically speaking he could just as easily been referring to someone like me who refuses to serve in the territories.

Former chief Rabbi Yisrael Lau also spoke. I wasn't paying too much attention, being the rabid secularist I am, but he said something about how Rabin was one of all of us, in an apparent effort to depoliticize the man and his legacy.

I left less than an hour into the event. I went to meet my date near her place and we headed to a bar called Paula, which is on the corner of Ben-Yehuda and Ben-Gurion streets. She picked the place as I had never been there.

Anat (not her real name) was quite beautiful, but definitely puts time into it, with bleached blond curly hair and the requisite makeup. Immediately I suspected she might be the typical bourgeois 30-something single woman in Tel Aviv. The fact that she wasn't at the memorial event was a point against her in my mind.

"Aren't you scared of going to such events?" she asked me early in the conversation. I found this to be a strange question considering they haven't been the site of terror attacks. Even stranger when she told me of her recent trip to Thailand, where Al-Qaida could target the Israeli hot spots.

Anat told me about her work as an accountant for the government tax office, Israel's version of the IRS. She was very proud of a recent promotion and told me of how people are always asking her tax questions.

At this point, less than 15 minutes into the evening, I'm wondering what the hell am I going to talk about with this woman.

I told her of my hopes to become a professor and lecture students. "My parents are both teachers so I guess that's affected me. But I don't want to be a teacher."

Her next comment went somethign like this: "Being a teacher, that's a low-level job. Not intellectually challenging."

Now, the teaching profession in Israel gets a bad rap. They are underpaid and as a result, perhaps the most qualified people don't become teachers. But Anat just told me that my parents are in low-level jobs that aren't intellectually challenging. I decided not to say anything.

At some point Anat talked about how her depressed friend was so amazed by her positive outlook, how she refuses to be depressed, how when she lived in New York for two years people were struck by her positive outlook, and even a New York traffic cop she befriended stopped giving her tickets when she parked her car outside the work.

(She also told me that she's not allowed in the U.S. for several years because she stayed after her visa expired.)

"Is it too late? You said you have to go to work early tomorrow, no?" I asked.

"No, I'm fine. It's not late."

Shit. How much longer do I have to listen to this dribble. And the bar is filled with young Tel Aviv residents, smoking, badly dressed, trying to act sophisticated. I just want to be in a cafe with a good book, or curled up in bed with my basset hound.

"I don't understand how people sleep with dogs," she said at one point. "Don't you think about what she licks."

She told me how she usually comes home from work and goes out with friends. What do I do for fun, she asked. I like to read, go to cafes, walk my dog, run, swim.

"Do you have muscles?" she asked. I couldn't tell if she was kidding or actually so shallow that she thought this was an appropriate question.

I said something like, "Well, that's not something I'll reveal right now." (I didn't know what to say.)

Luckily, after a few awkward silences, she suggested we get the check. I offered to pay, only because I wanted to avoid any interaction with her over dividing it. I put down 70 shekels for the 55 shekel bill and didn't wait for any change because I wanted to get the hell out of there. I walked her home and made the required "Haya naim l'hakir..." ("It was nice to meet you") and headed home.

I meant Paris

2004-10-28T18:55:00.000+02:00

It looks like Arafat is headed to Paris, not Jordan, for medical treatment. I bet Suha, his wife, is relieved. This means she can keep shopping.

I just hope his plane doesn't crash. If it does, Israel will be blamed.

Arafat to be treated in Amman hospital

2004-10-28T17:19:00.000+02:00

Yasser Arafat is likely to be taken from his compound in Ramallah to a hospital in Amman, according to Channel One TV.

According to the report, teams of doctors from Tunis, Jordan, Egypt and the Palestinian Authority feel the ailing Palestinian leader would get better medical care in the Jordanian capital than in the West Bank.

That was quick: Arafat deteriorating fast

2004-10-27T22:40:00.000+02:00

I don't think Arafat is going to last through the night. Haaretz is reporting he's lost consciousness.

All this talk about the Palestinian leader suffering from the flu or gallstone is apparently BS.

So who's going to take control in the Palestinian Authority? My money is on Mohammed Dahlan from the Gaza Strip

Is Arafat dying? Predict the day and win!

2004-10-26T09:16:00.000+02:00

Israeli assessments that Yasser Arafat is suffering from intestinal cancer have strengthened in recent days following reports the Palestinian leader underwent a series of medical checks and even exploratory surgery, Yediot Aharonot reported Tuesday morning

Arafat's wife Suha was even asked to leave Paris to visit the ailing Palestinian leader, the report said. (If Suha is willing to take a break from shopping in Paris and spending aid money meant for the Palestinian people, then Arafat must be ill.)

But Haaretz cites Palestinian officials as saying that Arafat is not suffering from any serious illness.

I'm not sure how much credence I'd put in the Palestinian sources. Of course they're going to say he's fine. I have a feeling he won't last more than a month. He's been visited by several medical teams recently and Israel recently gave him permission to temporarily leave his Ramallah compound and visit a hospital in the West Bank city.

Please post predictions of Arafat's day of death (and political ramifications) in the comments section. The reader (Do I have more than one?) who comes closest wins my respect and the opportunity to post a blog on the site. (Cheap prize, I know, but it's not like I'm making any real money on my Israeli shekel salary.)

Iraqi nickname for U.S. troops: 'The Jews'

2004-10-25T08:28:00.000+02:00

It's not like Thomas Friedman needs a link on my insignificant blog to increase his readership, but his latest New York Times column discusses how Iraqis are referring to U.S. soldiers in their country as 'The Jews' and what this says about Israel and the conflict with the Palestinians.

[Harry comments that Friedman compares the far-right in Israel to Hezbollah and that this is inappropriate. My left-wing eyes missed this in my read of the column, but I agree with Harry. See the comments section for more on this.]

Corrupt Likudniks take a hit

2004-10-24T22:56:00.000+02:00

Members of the Likud Central Committee - which pretty much controls the party, decides who gets to become a Knesset Member and is known by all to be corrupt - are upset today because Attorney General Menachem Mazuz said that ministers and MKs may not promote the personal interests of members of their own party.

Corruption certainly exists in the other parties as well, but the Likudniks' visceral reaction to the AG's statement testifies to the need for such a rule.

Deputy Likud Minister Michael Ratzon called the decision anti-democratic while a Likud Central Committee member from Yavne said, "The attorney general cannot decide for a senior official who was elected."

There's something these corrupt party activists need to understand. The Attorney General enforces the law. You are not above it. It's time to end political appointments of unqualified party activists. Get a real job!

Noticeably silent from criticizing the decision, at least so far, is Prime Minister Sharon, who has had a stormy relationship with the Likud Central Committee, which rejected his disengagement plan.

The anti-refusers

2004-10-24T22:48:00.000+02:00

Ynet reported Sunday that the "Israeli movement for disengagement" intends in the coming days to present the defense ministry with a list of reservist officers and soldiers willing to assist in the evacuation of the Gaza Strip and thus to fill any shortage of manpower created by the right-wing/religious refusers.

The Ayatollah of Israel

2004-10-23T23:38:00.000+02:00

Today it became clear that I live in Iran, not Israel.

Shas spiritual leader Rabbi Ovadia Yosef ordered the Shas members of Knesset to vote against Sharon's disengagement plan.

According to Shas Chairman Eli Yishai, leaving parts of the land of Israel is "clearly a matter of halakha [Jewish law]," and that in this matter "the rabbi has no other considerations."

That's a relief. I was concerned that maybe he could be bought off with funds to the Shas educational system. I can sleep better knowing that old man Ovadia is basing his policy decisions on Jewish law. (But where in Jewish law does it say I must serve in the army but his constituents do not?)

I can only hope that the Shas decision will make it impossible for the ultra-Orthodox party to enter the government and that a secular unity government of Likud, Labor and Shinui will be formed.

If the extremists want Sharon dead...

2004-10-23T01:36:00.000+02:00

...they should just be sure to keep high-cholesterol and fatty foods within his reach. I was shocked earlier this week when I saw this Reuters photo of the prime minister.

Is there a more obese head of state anywhere in the world? Sharon must have some serious health problems. Note the way the tie rests around the curvature of his stomach. His face color doesn't look too good and his left hand doesn't even appear real. He resembles Fat Bastard from the Austin Powers films.

I'm not saying this to mock Sharon, but rather to point out that the man needs to go on a diet, if not for himself then for the country.

Potential dilemma

2004-10-22T21:58:00.000+02:00

Haaretz reported Friday today that the Israel Defense Forces will call up most of the reserve forces during the course of next year because of the extra manpower demand created by the disengagement plan.

According to the story, reservists will replace the regular troops utilized to implement Sharon's plan to get out of Gaza.

This presents an interesting dilemma for me and my fellow refusers. Will I refuse to fill in for regular forces in the territories because they are implementing the disengagement plan? I'm not sure.

My gut feeling is that the disengagement will dramatically change the political and moral reality in which refusers are reaching their respective decisions, because it would mean Israel acting to (at least partially) end the occupation of the territories.

I'll have to think about this further. But I won't be surprised if the number of refusers declines if disengagement does happen.

Political education

2004-10-22T15:11:00.000+02:00

Israeli schools in the West Bank and Gaza Strip are going to be closed Tuesday so children can surround the Knesset in a human chain in a demonstration against the disengagement plan, Ynet is reporting.

The Knesset is slated to vote that day on Prime Minister Sharon's disengagement plan.

I wonder if these kids have any choice in the matter as to whether they participate in the demonstration. In any case, this is exploitation of these kids and absolutely inappropriate - and I would feel the same way if secular schools in Tel Aviv were closed so kids could demonstrate in favor of disengagement. (Hey, there's an idea!)

I'd like to believe that this is a sign of desperation and the right-wing's last gasp, with the polls showing broad Israeli support for leaving Gaza. But I'll believe the disengagement plan is for real only when I see it implemented on the ground.

Good Jewish kids

2004-10-22T13:50:00.000+02:00

Teachers in Israel have apparently chosen a dangerous profession. Both Haaretz and Ynet are reporting incidents in which students are suspected of attacking students.

Ynet reports that students in the Golan Heights are suspected of setting fire to their teacher's vehicle. The Haaretz story is about a teacher who is believed to have suffered a stroke after being hit by a water balloon thrown by students. The victim, who has 25 years of teaching experience, collapsed afterward and claims the students gloated over her and prevented paramedics from evacuating her to a hospital.

While I can't help but wonder if the teachers could be exaggerating the extent of their injuries in the hope of getting greater financial compensation (I wouldn't put such tactics past the Teachers Union here), I suspect there is something behind the incidents.

Israeli kids tend to lack discipline and can be extremely unruly. I'm not sure what this comes from, although I believe it's part of a general attitude of Israeli parents to let their kids get away with just about anything.

I remember a couple of years ago when my parents were visiting and we went to an Italian restaurant in Tel Aviv. Shortly after the food arrived, a small football thrown by an Israeli boy, probably around 6-8 years old, landed in my father's spaghetti. He handled the situation well. His reaction was one of shock mroe than anger. But it was telling when the child's father did virtually nothing to let his child know that this was unacceptable behavior.

Love Parade - take two

2004-10-22T13:19:00.000+02:00

The annual Love Parade is taking place this afternoon just two blocks from my apartment in Tel Aviv. Police have sealed off streets between Kerem Hatemanim and the beach. It was supposed to be held a few weeks ago, but it was postponed due to the Sinai terror attacks.

I noticed that uniformed police are wearing fluorescent yellow stickers with "police" written in black Hebrew letters, so I asked why because their uniform makes it clear they are police. An officer told me it's to prevent terrorists disguised as police from infiltrating the event.

Personally I've never really understood the Love Parade. Don't get me wrong. I'm no prude and I have no moral opposition to women flashing their breasts to onlookers as they ride atop floats down the parade route... Wait a second... Now that I think about it, I finally do understand the Love Parade.

Blogs and insanity / Old man Ovadia on Arabs

2004-10-21T21:24:00.000+02:00

One of the problems with blogging is that it's easy to fall in the trap of ranting and losing one's santity. Perhaps it's because I'm sitting here, talking to myself, but I'm imagining that I'm debating someone diametrically opposed to my views, and he is really pissing me off. So if I have been ranting the last two posts, I do apologize. I'll try to regain a bit of my sanity.

Today on my way to work I noticed a row of 5-6 large billboards, one beside the other on Moses Street in Tel Aviv, and all but one was about the disengagement plan.

I didn't write the text down verbatim, but one said: "Sharon is splitting the country" while another said something about how the minority opposed to disengagement shouldn't dictate Israeli policy. I had seen variations of these themes before, but a new one on the billboards warned residents of the center of Israel that the Qassam rockets are on the way. It's just another example of the right wing relying on scare tactics because they lack any good reason for us to stay in Gaza. They can feel their power slipping away, like water in their cupped hands.

And today Shas spiritual leader Rabbi Ovadia Yosef met with leaders opposed to the disengagement plan. Here's a select quote the wise sage made a few years back:

"Why are you bringing them (Palestinians) close to us? You bring snakes next to us. How can you make peace with a snake? Those evildoers, the Arabs, it says in the Gemara religious texts that God is sorry he ever created those sons of Ishmael."

And remember, yesterday Defense Minister Mofaz met with old man Ovadia in a bid to get support for the disengagement plan.

Morality vs. morality

2004-10-20T22:03:00.000+02:00

In my previous post I said that as a reservist who refuses to serve in the territories, I cannot debate the right of soldiers to refuse to evacuate settlements. But I believe there are crucial differences in the reasoning to do so.

I refuse to serve in the territories because I cannot, in good conscience, be part of the immoral oppression of the Palestinian people as expressed by the occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip that began in 1967. Now, for the sake of argument, if Israel annexed these areas and granted the Palestinians the right to vote, my basis for refusal would no longer exist. But for a variety of reasons too extensive to discuss here, this did not happen.

As naive as this may sound, I see the Palestinians as human beings. Some of them are terrorists and want to kill me and other Jews, and there is little we can do to change this, but this hatred is not sufficient to justify the means Israel uses to continue holding the lands in dispute.

Build the wall and make it tall! The separation fence, security barrier or whatever you want to call it certainly seems to be working in the areas where construction has been completed. But the end of terror means the end of the reason the right-wing sells to the rest of Israel for the need to keep the territories.

On the other hand, the very basis of the right's refusal is that the Palestinians are not equal to Jews. Right-wing rabbis and others cite the Torah as the authority forbidding the evacuating of Jews from this land. However, very conveniently the Torah is silent on the issue of evicting non-Jews, such as Palestinians, from their lands so that Jews may take it.

In other places in the world such reasoning is called religious fanaticism. But in Israel it's accepted as just part of life here.

The right values land more than it does human life, and I mean Jewish and Palestinian life. The wall is making it more difficult for the terrorists to carry out attacks, but its completion would mean the end of the religious fanatics' dream of a Greater Israel.

It would also mean the end of their power over the rest of Israel. This, and not the Palestinian threat, is the right-wing's greatest fear, for it is the very basis of their existence.

But I'm just a secular infidel who thinks that some parts of the Torah - and not just the bits about pork and shrimp - should not govern Israeli policy or be twisted to suit the amoral agenda of the religious right.

I'm back: Confessions of a refuser

2004-10-20T16:59:00.000+02:00

I'm back. I stopped blogging because I felt as I was wasting time and energy debating the Caroline Glicks of journalism here in Israel. But my recent experience guest blogging on The View From Here has rejuvenated me. (Thanks, Harry.) So with that...

I'm a refuser. Yes, I'm one of those radical left-wingers who refuses to do reserve duty in the territories. I understand if you disagree with me. That's fine. But keep in mind that unlike the majority of Israelis (and certainly American Jews), I did serve as a combat soldier and I did reserve duty in the territories. So if you haven't worked at a checkpoint in the West Bank or Gaza Strip, I don't give a damn what you think.

Now, time for a few points regarding the possibility that soldiers on the right could refuse to evacuate settlements. I support their right to refuse. While I certainly disagree with their reasons, I believe that they have the right to do so if the mission they are asked to perform goes against their conscience. For this reason I would hope that the IDF makes an effort not to put such soldiers in a position where they must decide whether to refuse or evacuate a settlement.

But there are two points I want to make on this issue.

First, politicans who say the phenomenon of refusing could destroy the fabric of Israeli society have no shame. If they hadn't the settler minority to dictate foreign policy in the country for so long and if they had dealt with the difficult questions regarding the fate of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, there wouldn't be refusal. Refusal, on left and right, is a response to the abdication of political responsibility of our so-called leaders. Instead leaders used the issues to their political advantage, as a means of getting elected. The territories have been a divisive issue for decades, but what we are facing today could have been avoided had the politicans led rather than kiss settler ass. And I'm referring to politicans on the left and right.

The true danger to Zionism is not refual, as IDF Chief of Staff Ya'alon claims, but rather the conditions that left people on the left and right who truly care about the future of the country (each in their own way) with no other recourse. It has come to this because Israeli leaders lacked the political courage to tackle the controversial problem head on.

(I wonder if Ariel Sharon today regrets having been such a strong supporter of the settlement movement. But what changed his position? When he was in the opposition, apparently he was less concerned with what was good for all of Israel than with what was good for his settler constituents. But I digress.)

Addressing the status of the territories decades ago, even just 10 years ago, would have required tough decisions, but isn't that why we elected them in the first place? Apparently not, because unfortunately Israeli politicans are much better at using tax money to buy off the religious parties than actually leading the country.

Second, Roman Bronfman (Yahad) is the sole Knesset member to express support for the left-wing refusers. Mainstream Israeli leaders, committed to democracy, understand the danger of refusing. And in my opinion, that's a good thing.

But in contrast there are plenty of religious figures issuing alleged halakhik rulings supporting a soldier's right to refuse evacuating settlements. Where the hell do I live? Iran? Who are these religious leaders?

(With that said, I should single out the religious kibbutz movement for announcing its opposition to soldiers refusing to evacuate settlements.)

I have a confession. I'm not sure I would refuse if we, the leftist refusers, weren't a small minority in the country. I grappled with the consequences of my actions for Israeli democracy. I don't brag about my decision to refuse. But if I truly felt that I was endangering the state, I might decide differently.

But do the extremist rabbis supporting right-wing refusers grapple with such questions? Mind you, I'm talking about the repercussions of their actions for democratic society, and not the "Land of Israel."

I believe the answer is no, because democracy for them is subservant to religious law. If you don't believe me, just take a look at the rantings of Ellen at Arutz Sheva. (She's a painter and political commentator. She must be American.)

Finally, the ultimate absurdity is that today, Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz groveled before Shas spiritual leader Rabbi Ovadia Yosef in a bid to get his support for the disengagement plan. This says it all. The ultra-Orthodox Shas Party, which wants draft exemptions for its yeshiva boys, should have no say on such matters until start serving in the army. The photos in the newspapers of Mofaz and old man Ovadia leaning over maps of the Gaza Strip are embarassing. But you know what will determine if Shas supports the decision to leave Gaza? If they get enough money for their schools and corrupt movement.

Perhaps this is the true danger to Zionism. Or has it become the true meaning of Zionsim?

Stop the presses!!!

2004-08-09T11:27:00.000+03:00

Haaretz ticker today:

10:55 Technion researcher identifies cause of sesame allergy, believes may increase world consumption of sesame (Haaretz)

War games in Gush Katif

2004-08-09T09:32:00.000+03:00

This is the main photo on Yediot Aharonot's front page today: Three boys, around 12-14 years old I would guess, wearing camouflage and flak jackets and carrying paint guns, as they go to play war games in the Gaza Strip settlement bloc of Gush Katif.

And we wonder what's wrong with Israeli youth today?

TAPD

2004-08-09T09:24:00.000+03:00

The other day I saw two separate Tel Aviv police cars parked on Allenby street, just south of Sheinkin, as officers were writing jaywalking tickets to Israelis pleading their innocence. One police car was parked in front of a store famous for selling pirated CDs, DVDs and videos. I guess it would be too complicated for the cops to actually go after the store owner, and jaywalking tickets is more profitable for the city.

Leak aimed at Peres

2004-08-05T11:05:00.000+03:00

Shimon Peres to Abu Ala: "When I'm appointed foriegn minister we'll open secret negotiations"

This was the main headline on Thursday's front page of the Israeli newspaper Yediot Aharonot. According to the story by Shimon Shiffer, a secret document given the previous day to "senior decision-makers in Israel" says that the dialogue between Peres and the Palestinian prime minister has intensified as of late, and that Peres made this promise to Abu Ala, even though negotiations to bring Labor into the government haven't been finalized.

The story says that senior Palestinian officials told diplomats in Ramallah that Israel is close to renewing political talks via a "back channel" after PM Sharon finishes rearranging his cabinet.

In a story such as this, it's important to consider who benefits from the release of this information at this particular time. Obviously, this includes Likud members opposed to Labor joining the government, and most specifically Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom, who would likely lose his post if Peres joins the government.

(In my opinion, Sharon should have fired Shalom some time ago because the foreign minister is vocally opposed to the PM's disengagement plan. How can a head of state accept such a situation?)

It's also important to remember that Shalom's wife, Judy Nir Moses Shalom, is from the Moses family that owns Yediot Aharonot.