Benjamin Netanyu speaks at Herzilya conference
Though most of his conference ending speech dealt with education the prime minister did address upcoming possible negotiations with the Palestinians. The Palestinian prime minister also spoke at this conference a few days before. Judging from what he said it is difficult to understand what will the point of the negotiations. That is if there will be negotiations. Right now there are negotiations on how to start indirect negotiations. If that works then there will be indirect negotiations on how to start direct negotiations. If that works then there will be negotiations.
If after all that negotiations do start they will likely stall almost immediately as the sides are so far from each other that negotiations may lead to war and not peace.
The Arab side demands a complete withdrawal to pre 1967 borders including East Jerusalem and Israel will never agree to that condition. Israel demands to keep hold of certain strategic areas in Judea and Samaria and the Palestinian side will not accept hat under any circumstance.
It’s a lot of work to get to negotiations that will go nowhere at best or lead to war at worst
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Benjamin Netanyu speaks at Herzilya conference
The Israeli prime minister spoke at the most important political conference of the year. His main topic was surprisingly education. His claim was that a strong army and strong economy will not be enough to keep Israel strong going forward. If the Jews who live here do not really believe we belong here Israel will not survive. The promised land as written in the old testament needs to be studied intensively and used as the real roadmap for Israel’s survival.
It was a speech that many of Bebe’s opponents will abhor . Why ? It was too Jewish and had too much nationalistic undertones. He even told a famous story of Napoleon and Tisha bav. That after discovering that Jews essentially mourn something that happened close to 2,000 years ago proclaimed that some day you will return to Israel and rebuild your destroyed temple. Netanyahu did not mention theemple part but relayed the general message.
As his own son was pictured winning a bible contest with a KIPA on his head and the latest news out about the dramatic rise in religious soldiers in secret commando units Bibi semi-religious speech wil make many leftists here very uncomfortable.
It was a speech that many of Bebe’s opponents will abhor . Why ? It was too Jewish and had too much nationalistic undertones. He even told a famous story of Napoleon and Tisha bav. That after discovering that Jews essentially mourn something that happened close to 2,000 years ago proclaimed that some day you will return to Israel and rebuild your destroyed temple. Netanyahu did not mention theemple part but relayed the general message.
As his own son was pictured winning a bible contest with a KIPA on his head and the latest news out about the dramatic rise in religious soldiers in secret commando units Bibi semi-religious speech wil make many leftists here very uncomfortable.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
The Good Guys
Around the world in 2 weeks
The evil Israelis have come home from Haiti. The most sought after medical team that was on the ground in the disaster zone of Haiti has come home. They were the talk of the disaster with modern equipment that even the Americans lacked initially. The terrible injuries that were sustained and the modern wound care that was provided by the Israelis was second to none.
Sadly it is unlikely that that there will be a real change in the eyes of those third world countries that consistently vote against Israel in every international forum. In all likelihood even Haiti itself will probably vote against Israel in the next UN vote involving the Jewish state. As a country and people the Israelis need to do the right thing and help people wherever they are. Slowly those who are not extreme will start understanding who the good guys and real bad guys are.
Even if that doesn’t happen doing what is right is good for the soul.
The evil Israelis have come home from Haiti. The most sought after medical team that was on the ground in the disaster zone of Haiti has come home. They were the talk of the disaster with modern equipment that even the Americans lacked initially. The terrible injuries that were sustained and the modern wound care that was provided by the Israelis was second to none.
Sadly it is unlikely that that there will be a real change in the eyes of those third world countries that consistently vote against Israel in every international forum. In all likelihood even Haiti itself will probably vote against Israel in the next UN vote involving the Jewish state. As a country and people the Israelis need to do the right thing and help people wherever they are. Slowly those who are not extreme will start understanding who the good guys and real bad guys are.
Even if that doesn’t happen doing what is right is good for the soul.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Head of supreme court is attacked
In a place where the unexpected is expected something strange has happened. The head of the the supreme court in Israel has been attacked by a flying shoe. The famous attack on President George Bush in Iraq has spawned many copycat attacks around the world. This one actually hit its target breaking the Judges glasses and even knocking her off her chair.
This story seems like it is taken out of a wierd website somewhere. Sadly there are many people in Israel who dislike Dorit Bieniesh and many of her decisions. They feel little sympathy for MS Bienish as some of her decisons have destroyed peoples lives. Nonetheless there are much better ways to show displeasure at Bieniesh and throwing shoes will just make her look a warrior and martyr.
It is wrong and counter productive
This story seems like it is taken out of a wierd website somewhere. Sadly there are many people in Israel who dislike Dorit Bieniesh and many of her decisions. They feel little sympathy for MS Bienish as some of her decisons have destroyed peoples lives. Nonetheless there are much better ways to show displeasure at Bieniesh and throwing shoes will just make her look a warrior and martyr.
It is wrong and counter productive
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
A tribute to my father
There are so many words to say and then again not enough words. My father was born over 96 years ago in another century and world. His small little Jewish village called Saleist in Yiddish was probably typical for Jewish towns in the Ukraine. He would describe the streets with funny names and many shuls that were in the town. The “muddy street” was probably near the river “the sandy street “ was very sandy for no particular reason. The tailors shul or the shoemakers shul or the Rabbis shul they would come up when he described the Shtetl or Alte Heim.
As he was orphaned at a young age this almost mythical place for me at least became a very difficult place to be for him and his siblings. Nonetheless it never lost its beauty and warmness and he never really left it though he last saw it about 70 years ago. This village like so many like it was destroyed by the ultimate evil of our times. But to my father and his contemporaries it was very much alive.
They would talk about who lived where and where they are today. How and if they survived the war and where they lived. Those who survived the war or left the shetetel before the war were scattered around the world and my father seemed to know them all. He was a living remnant of a time and place that is no more. He grew up in the atmosphere of the spread of Zionism among Jewish youth in eastern Europe. At the same time the Hassidic backdrop of the Shetetel and his own fathers fervent Hassidic customs had a profound effect on him. His love and longing to live in Israel were apparent very early in his life as he was jailed in Germany while trying to get to Palestine on a clandestine ship.
His survival instincts were very keen as he knew to leave the Shtetl before it was destroyed by the Nazis later on. He was always haunted by the fact he could not take any brother or sister with him as they may of survived with him. As it turned out one sister survived and one sister and two brothers were murdered. He was especially haunted by his sisters disappearance and her subsequent murder. No one till this day knows exactly what happened to her and how she died. This lack of knowledge always tormented him.
His love for Jews and their land were a pillar stone for me growing up. His worry about Jewish soldiers and Jewish children who were poor were extreme.
He was a great crier who could cry at the drop of a hat for things that were important. For his children and their Simchas and for things that reminded him of the warm parts of the Shtetl.
He suffered greatly in his life but never gave up his belief in the greatness and eternity of the Jewish people. He longed to see his parents that he lost at such a young age and he often spoke about what he would say when he met them.
His passing is the end of an era , the end of the surviving Shtetl Jew that picked himself out of the ashes and continued no matter what.
May his memory be a blessing to all he helped and loved.
His grieving son
דוד מרדכי
As he was orphaned at a young age this almost mythical place for me at least became a very difficult place to be for him and his siblings. Nonetheless it never lost its beauty and warmness and he never really left it though he last saw it about 70 years ago. This village like so many like it was destroyed by the ultimate evil of our times. But to my father and his contemporaries it was very much alive.
They would talk about who lived where and where they are today. How and if they survived the war and where they lived. Those who survived the war or left the shetetel before the war were scattered around the world and my father seemed to know them all. He was a living remnant of a time and place that is no more. He grew up in the atmosphere of the spread of Zionism among Jewish youth in eastern Europe. At the same time the Hassidic backdrop of the Shetetel and his own fathers fervent Hassidic customs had a profound effect on him. His love and longing to live in Israel were apparent very early in his life as he was jailed in Germany while trying to get to Palestine on a clandestine ship.
His survival instincts were very keen as he knew to leave the Shtetl before it was destroyed by the Nazis later on. He was always haunted by the fact he could not take any brother or sister with him as they may of survived with him. As it turned out one sister survived and one sister and two brothers were murdered. He was especially haunted by his sisters disappearance and her subsequent murder. No one till this day knows exactly what happened to her and how she died. This lack of knowledge always tormented him.
His love for Jews and their land were a pillar stone for me growing up. His worry about Jewish soldiers and Jewish children who were poor were extreme.
He was a great crier who could cry at the drop of a hat for things that were important. For his children and their Simchas and for things that reminded him of the warm parts of the Shtetl.
He suffered greatly in his life but never gave up his belief in the greatness and eternity of the Jewish people. He longed to see his parents that he lost at such a young age and he often spoke about what he would say when he met them.
His passing is the end of an era , the end of the surviving Shtetl Jew that picked himself out of the ashes and continued no matter what.
May his memory be a blessing to all he helped and loved.
His grieving son
דוד מרדכי
Monday, December 21, 2009
What is Bibi doing?
The average Israeli right wing voter must be feeling very dumb around now. He voted for a very right wing party with a very right wing prime minister and has received left wing policy.
Benjamin Netanyahu has gone against campaign promises and announced about two months ago his agreement on a two state solution. He has now upped the ante and announced a temporary freeze of settlement activity for ten months. This ploy which nobody really likes except maybe for Obama and Hillary Clinton is bizarre at best.
The right wing Israelis don’t like this freeze for obvious reasons as it is completely against their political goals and beliefs. The Palestinian authority does not like it as they say continued building in east Jerusalem ( which allegedly Is not included in the freeze ) makes any other freeze meaningless. This freeze will not bring them back to the negotiating table. The minority left wing in Israel says that a temporary freeze of ten months is ridiculous and that the promise of continued settlement expansion after that makes a temporary freeze pointless. The Arab workers who are the laborers of new housing in Judea and Samaria will be left with little work and hungry children.
No one seems to make sense out of this new twist in the land grab fight of the West Bank or Judea and Samaria. I will try nonetheless.
This is what Obama must of said to Netanyau.
“I will not attack Iran if you give me nothing to help start negotiations “
“I will make sure Israel will not receive military aid or an US okay to attack Iran itself “
Netanyahu then went back to his government and said the following .
“the Palestinians will not come back to the negotiating table anyway and I want to put them on the defensive and not Israel. There is mass building going on everywhere in Judea and Samaria ( public building and projects already started ). This freeze is a public relations ploy, it will have minimal real effect. I need to get Obama off my back, this will do the trick.
So his ministers agreed and the Freeze started.
The bottom line remains that negotiations have not started because of this freeze and will not.
The Palestinians do not agree to differentiate the west bank from Jerusalem as Israel does.
The dead end remains freeze or no freeze.
The right wing voter still feels dumb though.
Benjamin Netanyahu has gone against campaign promises and announced about two months ago his agreement on a two state solution. He has now upped the ante and announced a temporary freeze of settlement activity for ten months. This ploy which nobody really likes except maybe for Obama and Hillary Clinton is bizarre at best.
The right wing Israelis don’t like this freeze for obvious reasons as it is completely against their political goals and beliefs. The Palestinian authority does not like it as they say continued building in east Jerusalem ( which allegedly Is not included in the freeze ) makes any other freeze meaningless. This freeze will not bring them back to the negotiating table. The minority left wing in Israel says that a temporary freeze of ten months is ridiculous and that the promise of continued settlement expansion after that makes a temporary freeze pointless. The Arab workers who are the laborers of new housing in Judea and Samaria will be left with little work and hungry children.
No one seems to make sense out of this new twist in the land grab fight of the West Bank or Judea and Samaria. I will try nonetheless.
This is what Obama must of said to Netanyau.
“I will not attack Iran if you give me nothing to help start negotiations “
“I will make sure Israel will not receive military aid or an US okay to attack Iran itself “
Netanyahu then went back to his government and said the following .
“the Palestinians will not come back to the negotiating table anyway and I want to put them on the defensive and not Israel. There is mass building going on everywhere in Judea and Samaria ( public building and projects already started ). This freeze is a public relations ploy, it will have minimal real effect. I need to get Obama off my back, this will do the trick.
So his ministers agreed and the Freeze started.
The bottom line remains that negotiations have not started because of this freeze and will not.
The Palestinians do not agree to differentiate the west bank from Jerusalem as Israel does.
The dead end remains freeze or no freeze.
The right wing voter still feels dumb though.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
The Peace Process
Mitchell is back again.
It is getting quite boring to read and listen to Mitchell once again trying to talk to all sides and for the millionth time attempt to restart peace negotiations. Someone should tell him its just not working. We are told peace was achieved in northern Ireland and in every other hot spot in the world ( lately turkey and Armenia ) it will be achieved in the middle east as well. It is just time and perseverance.
The stark truth needs to be said. There is no chance for real progress in peace negotiations any time soon for the following reasons.
1. The Palestinian Arab side is completely divided making any agreement not binding on all
2. The core issues of Jerusalem and refugees seems as unsolvable as ever
3. The Palestinain Arab side refuses to recognize Israel
There are other reasons of course but these suffice for making Mitchells visits here pointless. The American taxpayer is paying for pointless fruitless meetings that continue to go nowhere.
Even Mitchell should be bored already.
It is getting quite boring to read and listen to Mitchell once again trying to talk to all sides and for the millionth time attempt to restart peace negotiations. Someone should tell him its just not working. We are told peace was achieved in northern Ireland and in every other hot spot in the world ( lately turkey and Armenia ) it will be achieved in the middle east as well. It is just time and perseverance.
The stark truth needs to be said. There is no chance for real progress in peace negotiations any time soon for the following reasons.
1. The Palestinian Arab side is completely divided making any agreement not binding on all
2. The core issues of Jerusalem and refugees seems as unsolvable as ever
3. The Palestinain Arab side refuses to recognize Israel
There are other reasons of course but these suffice for making Mitchells visits here pointless. The American taxpayer is paying for pointless fruitless meetings that continue to go nowhere.
Even Mitchell should be bored already.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
