We're going on a witch hunt

While both the mainstream media and the blogosphere have been buzzing about the interrogation of three Israeli journalists following visits to countries defined by Israel as being "enemy" countries, I have remained silent. I chose to remain silent, as anyone who reads this blog is aware of my close friendship with one of them, and while she is certainly aware of my unwavering support, I wasn't sure that I'd be able to write a post that would sound supportive, yet unbiased. Now, following days of frustration and disgust over some of the pieces that have been written as well as some of the comments I've seen, I find that I just can't keep quiet any longer. I'm horrified by the (usually incorrect) assumptions that people have made, involving everything from her journalistic ethics to her motives, and shocked by the number of individuals who seem to think that Lisa Goldman and her colleagues simply woke up one day, tossed a change of underwear and a toothbrush into their laptop bags, and popped across the border to visit with "the enemy", without thinking of the possible ramifications.

While I can't personally vouch for Lisa's colleagues, I'm going to make an educated guess and assume that these are intelligent, knowledgeable individuals who were well aware of where they were going and took necessary precautions – just like Lisa. And, as opposed to being unable to vouch for her colleagues, I CAN personally vouch for Lisa. I know how much thought went into her trips, how much preparation. I know how she was feeling and what she was thinking, her excitement and her concerns, her expectations. Going to Lebanon was not something she took lightly – if anything, I'd say it was quite the opposite.

There are those who complain about her selfishness, about endangering national security by her actions, and so on, just so that she could do a non-newsworthy "fluff" piece. What these individuals are overlooking is that it was not Lisa's intention to file some hard-hitting scoop. Anyone who reads either her blog or any of the other articles that she's either written or been interviewed for knows that Lisa is drawn to human interest stories, and this is precisely what she reported on for both Channel 10 and Time Out Tel Aviv. Whenever people ask me about living in Israel, talking about how dangerous it is or how scary it must be, I've always responded by saying that daily life here is different from what they show on the news, because you don't see reporters filing stories about regular life, and if nothing is happening, there's not going to be a story about it. Until now. Until Lisa went to Lebanon, and returned to share her impressions, to provide Israelis with a picture of "normal" life in Beirut. Not every story needs to be earth shattering, and frankly, I found these scenes from Beirut – a city just a few hours to the north, one that I will probably never have a chance to visit – to be invaluable.

I am both saddened and distressed as I watch this entire episode unfold. As I've been writing this post, I've learned that Daniel Sharon will soon be indicted for his recent trip to Lebanon, and who knows how many other journalists (and politicians) may soon be caught up in the same web as Lisa and her colleagues. Why is there a witch hunt, and why is it happening now, when these kinds of trips have been made for years? As an Israeli, I am worried about our country's current state of affairs, our misplaced priorities. As a person, I am worried about my friend. I want this to go away. Lisa has said that had she realized that what she was doing was against the law, she never would have done it. I believe her. I'm sure there are those of you who will belittle my stance because I'm biased. And you're right. I am biased. Lisa and I wouldn't be such close friends if I didn't admire her so much as an individual – her intelligence, her warmth, her sense of humor. I'm impressed by her innate ability to connect with people, and how she will always go out of her way to do so. One of her primary reasons for visiting Lebanon had to do with her constant desire to build bridges – to learn about her neighbors and to, in turn, share her newfound knowledge with her countrymen. Yes, a law was unknowingly broken, but the intent was neither criminal nor malicious, and if anything, it was the opposite. The police have made their point by publicizing the interrogation, and unless they are planning to go after every other person who's ever made such a trip, I cannot help but question their motives in making an example of these three individuals, and I cannot help but wonder about the direction in which our society is going.

*******

See Lisa's post on the subject here.

It's not easy being blue and white

Sorry for the silence lately. Life has been hectic, and I haven't really had the time or energy to concentrate on blogging. I've also realized that the focus has changed around here, and I'm not packing quite the punch that I used to. I've been feeling rather frustrated and dissatisfied, and generally too annoyed with the state of the world to actually write about it. It's hard to write passionately about politics and current events when global affairs has taken on a "same shit different day" quality, and I can't seem to write myself into a frenzy about events that have become all too predictable, not to mention overwhelmingly pathetic.

I suppose the biggest story these days is Iranian President Ahmadinejad's visit to New York and speech at Columbia University. Too say that I'm simply bowled over by people's naivete as far as this man is concerned would be an understatement. I almost felt sorry for the Columbia student interviewed on Fox News (I was channel surfing, lest you think that I actually watch Fox – the channel once referred to by the Husband as a pretend news channel) who believed that having Ahmadinejad speak would perhaps create an opportunity for dialog and understanding, as people would have a chance to hear what he had to say and to ask him "tough" questions. Frankly, I can't see myself developing understanding or wanting to dialog with a head of state who openly questions whether or not the Holocaust took place, calls for the country I call home to be "wiped off the map", and claims that there are no homosexuals in his country, but hey, that's just me.

Tales of Mahmoud in the big city weren't the only saga to get my knickers in a twist yesterday. As you all know, I decided several months ago that comment moderation would be required. I was tired of providing a voice for people who seemed to believe that my blog could be used as a platform for some rather serious venom spewing, like the individual who periodically pops up to inform me that I'm spreading ideological AIDS and should be locked up or to astound me with incredibly racist, hate-filled comments about Germans (in response to this post) and Arabs. While this individual drops by for a visit only once every few months or so, the visits are rather long-winded, and the number of comments awaiting moderation skyrockets, as he or she sends comment after comment after comment, with barely enough time for a bathroom break in between.

There are those who would say that I'm deserving of such comments, given the nature of my politics. There are many who believe that I am too accommodating and too naive/ignorant/stupid when it comes to Palestinian/Arab issues, and these people don't hesitate to share their opinions with me – sometimes respectfully, but often, not so much. For those of you, however, who might choose to believe that I go too far, there are others who believe that I don't go far enough. Yesterday morning, I had the pleasure of discovering four comments awaiting moderation, all from someone named Liza. I have a cousin named Liza, and given that I'd sent her a birthday message the day before, I assumed the comments were from her. Suffice it to say that I was wrong. Very wrong. This woman had googled her own name, and thus found my blog. From the comments she left, I gather she wasn't terribly impressed by what she had read.

Comment #1 reads as follows:

"Hi, Liza,
How would you like to be living in Gaza?

Or how would you like to have been living in Lebanon during the summer of 2006.

Ah, yes, the message is slow. But people will eventaully (sic) get it. In fact, most of
the world gets it. "

Comment #2:

"Oh, blog approval is needed.
Ha Ha
Bet you get a lot of hate mail."

And in case you weren't getting the full gist of her feelings, here's comment number three:

"You're full of it, Liza. I'm so sick and tired of people who find the foreign policy of the state of Israel to be despicable accused of being anti-Semitic. No, you do not know the difference and don't claim that you do.

I do not know a Jewish person when I see one and I know nothing about your religion. That is true of almost everyone.

It is Israel that I have a problem with.

Anyhow, I have to stop reading your blog. It just infuriates me.

I have an idea for Israel that they haven't thought of yet.

STOP KILLING INNOCENT PEOPLE. Stop saying that you were looking for such and such a "terrorist" and using that as an excuse for genocide.

God, please let me live to see the day when the US does not pay for Israel's wars against the Arabs. "

And the utterly charming comment number four:

"A human face on the monster known as Israel?

Good luck.

The monster remains a monster. Stop killing Palestinians and maybe in a few
generations you might look different.

The victim becomes the aggressor. It happens all the time. In this case, the victim turned aggressor is more brutal than could ever be imagined. And my tax dollars support it, against my will, of course.

Go ahead and moderate me, Liza. I'm kind of sorry we have the same name. That's how I happened to find your little blog.

I thought I would share this little message with you. The truth will eventually
spread in the US. Truth does that. And one day Americans will realize they do
not have to shoulder the blame for the Holocaust. Has there ever been a more
complete and total guilt transfer?

Maybe one day Americans will realize that Muslims are not all terrorists and that what is taking place in Gaza is genocide.

Good bye, Liza, lady with my name. I won't be back to your little propaganda filled world. Just wanted to leave you a message."

Kermit the Frog thought it wasn't easy being green. I bet it's a picnic compared to being blue and white...

The Messenger Strikes Back

Tuesday afternoon, my officemate mentioned that she'd just read about a minor altercation in the Knesset, where one individual had struck another one. "Interesting", I thought. I had always wondered when our politicians would cross the line from verbal blows to physical ones, and clearly it had happened. My officemate wasn't sure which individuals had been involved, and I really didn't give much more thought to the matter. On Tuesday evening, as usual, I put on the news. Not really paying attention to what was being said, I looked up and saw an individual I'd worked with in the past being interviewed. Musing out loud to the Husband, I remarked, "Hey, I remember him from my time at the Justice Ministry. He was a really nice guy." As I'd tuned in during the middle of the interview, I didn't realize what they were talking about at that point.

Shortly thereafter, we changed channels to one of the other news shows, and there he was again. This time, though, I quickly learned why my former colleague was being interviewed on all the news shows. Apparently, he's the one who struck another person in the Knesset. To say that I was shocked would be putting it mildly. I'd worked in the Justice Ministry approximately ten years ago, and remembered only a few faces, with Attorney General Menachem Mazuz being one of them. Amnon De Hartog was another. I vaguely remember working on different tasks for him (I was responsible for all English-language-related tasks, including translations, editing various documents and speeches, letter writing and so on), chatting with him during lunch on occasion. Amnon was one of the good guys – pleasant and interesting to talk to, and easy to work with (which was not always the case in a government office filled with lawyers – no disrespect to any lawyers who might be reading this, of course...).

It seems that Amnon and his family have been hounded by politicians from the Haredi party United Torah Judaism (UTJ) for some time now. Amnon is responsible for government grants involving the Haredi sector. He doesn't set policy, but is responsible for carrying it out, which he does fairly and transparently. According to the law, independent school systems receive money from the budget only if they adhere to certain core curricular subjects. Apparently, the ultra-Orthodox school system was not teaching these core subjects, and as such, Amnon denied them budget funding. Needless to say, the politicians from UTJ were less than thrilled with the decision. One of them went so far as to tell Mr. De Hartog that he was "worse than the Nazis". Under even the most optimal circumstances, invoking Godwin's Law by telling someone that they are worse than the Nazis is hardly complementary. When a rabbi says it to another Jew, one who lost many members of his family in the Holocaust, well, one can understand why Mr. De Hartog might lose his temper. Not that I condone his use of violence, because I don't (and I imagine the De Hartog also regrets his actions as well – indeed, he has even apologized). I can, however, understand what drove him to it.

It is telling that not only does UTJ see themselves as being above the law, but that they are also prepared to fight dirty in order to maintain their status, harassing the man and his family whenever and wherever possible, simply because he was doing his job properly. It is shocking, though not surprising, that they are willing to do whatever they deem necessary to do so, whether it be slander, defamation of character, or going so far as to call someone a Nazi, a deed that is both offensive in its own right and acts to trivialize the Holocaust. In short, scandalous. Of course, the ease with and frequency at which this term is bandied about in Israeli society, whether it be against the police, members of the military, or politicians, is nothing short of frightening, but that is the topic for another post.

I will be following the story of Amnon de Hartog very closely, and hope that his career won't suffer too much as a result of his response to an atrocious provocation. Sadly, I fear that de Hartog will be the one to suffer here, while the politicians from United Torah Judaism (and the irony certainly isn't lost that these individuals who purport to be the defenders of torah, Judaism, and so on can be such "bad" Jews when it comes to their dealings with those who don't toe their line) will continue to provoke others and flout the rules, stomping on all who get in their way.

Insulting our intelligence

It can often be said that the fragments of Israeli society come together in times of great joy or great sorrow. These days, Israelis are coming together in disbelief, utter disbelief over the plea bargain agreement presented to the public by Attorney General Menahem Mazuz. I'm not going to rehash the gory details (which can be found here), but I will mention some of the more salient bits. All charges involving rape have been dropped (indeed, all charges involving the central complainant known only as A have been dropped). Katzav will serve no jail time and will perform no community service, but he will pay compensation to his victims. Katzav also agreed to resign as president, which seems rather trivial at this point, given that there are less than two weeks left until Shimon Peres will be inaugurated as the new president. He is also supposed to admit in court to all charges appearing in the indictment, and Mazuz and others have threatened that should he fail to do so, the plea bargain will be thrown out. Until now, all Katzav has said is that he has agreed to accept the plea bargain for his family's sake, and that he admits to touching these women out of affection, which is rather pathetic and more than a little frightening.

When one looks at cases like that of Haim Ramon, Israel's former justice minister who was found guilty of sexual harassment and given a sentence of community service (and recently offered the position of vice-premier in Olmert's government), or Ofer Glazer, the husband of multimillionaire Shari Arison, who served time in jail for similar charges, it is an incomprehensible travesty of justice to watch as our former president is essentially being given a twitch of the pinky (as opposed to the harsher slap on the wrist) for far more serious crimes, with a blind eye having been turned to the most serious charges of all. Mazuz's claims that the charges listed in the plea bargain agreement are very grave and should not be taken lightly, not to mention his concern over not wanting to inflict even greater damage on the office of the president in the eyes of Israelis, wanting to spare us the pain and global humiliation of a trial, and so on are nothing more than outrageous attempts to insult the collective intelligence of our society.

As a civilized society, we must ask ourselves what kind of message this episode sends out, when an individual can assault and harass multiple women over a period of years, using his position of power to coerce and frighten in order to satisfy his own needs, and then getting off virtually scot-free while his victims continue to pay the price for his actions. What Mazuz chooses not to acknowledge is that in order for society to be able to heal from this ordeal, it is imperative that justice be served. To watch Katzav walk away from this saga does far greater damage to the Israeli psyche than any trial possibly could. A regular citizen would be made to pay for committing such heinous crimes. Instead, it is society who is paying. It is the victims who are paying, paying for their misfortune of having been assaulted or worse by a public figure instead of a nobody. This plea bargain sends out a message to sex crime victims that complaints will not necessarily be taken seriously, and that if a public figure is involved, better not to complain at all, better to deal with it quietly on your own. Just ask A.

And lest you think that only Katzav's victims are living a nightmare these days, think again. An acquaintance of mine was raped nearly a year ago. She's a strong, outgoing young woman, and you'd never have guessed by looking at her or spending time with her that she'd undergone such a traumatic experience. Until this week. Until I found her in the throes of a breakdown, and she told me what had happened to her all those months ago. She'd been doing fine, living life, dating and having fun. Hearing about the plea bargain sent her spiraling into her own private hell, and that's where I found her. Her therapist had even warned her that such a thing might happen, that the outcome might act as a trigger, bringing back a devastating event that she'd worked so hard to put behind her. And, if an expert in the field has enough experience to predict such a reaction, it is safe to say that my acquaintance is not the only victim to react in such a way.

It is simply unconscionable that our justice system enables a situation where the gravity of rape can be minimized, and that anyone in positions of power can essentially make a mockery of the most fundamental guidelines of what purports to be a civilized society, turning perpetrators into victims whose acts are easily excused and forgotten (as in the case of our new vice premier), while turning their victims into marginalized, troubled individuals who cannot be trusted to tell the truth.

And I thought it was all about the constituents...

Once again, Prime Minister Olmert has proven that he cares more about himself and his own PR than about Israeli citizens. As qassam rockets continue to fall in Sderot and Israelis continue to get killed (yesterday's innocent victim was the father of a young girl, and husband of a woman in her sixth month of pregnancy), Olmert has stated that he sees no reason why citizens should leave town, despite "understanding" that life there is "difficult" these days. As prime minister, Olmert should be more concerned with the wellbeing of his constituents than with how it will look if there is a massive evacuation of the town and the surrounding areas. No one should be forced to stay in a bad neighborhood just to make someone else look good.

During the past few weeks, the prime minister has made numerous requests and demands that have repeatedly caused Israeli citizens to question his motives and loyalties, which, if said requests and demands are anything to go by, are to himself above all others. In a replay of last summer's actions, the government's inaction with regard to the beleaguered citizens of Sderot has resulted in a war of words with wealthy businessman (and political newcomer, which comes as no surprise, given the transparent nature of his generosity as he successfully buys respectability and entrance into the hearts and minds of so many Israelis) Arkady Gaydamak, who has once again managed to one-up the government and provide relief for the people of Sderot, despite the government's attempts to thwart him at every turn. Gaydamak has erected a tent camp in Tel Aviv's Hayarkon Park, after officials in Jerusalem denied his request to the erect the camp in the city's Sacher Park, apparently at the behest of officials in the Prime Minister's Office. Attempts to persuade officials in Tel Aviv to act in a similar manner were fortunately rebuffed. As a result, Gaydamak has traded barbs with various government officials, who clearly do not like the idea of the government being upstaged by a private individual, especially one who is perceived as a political threat.

It's almost frightening to witness the way the government is handling the Sderot crisis, allowing the citizens to be innocent pawns in their PR game. Prime Minister Olmert and his ilk have no right whatsoever to demand that these individuals remain on the front lines, while at the same time doing nothing to alleviate the situation on the ground. Most if not all of the public bomb shelters in the city are unusable, especially for extended periods of time, and the government has not followed through on promises to make the necessary repairs and modifications. An organization from the US has made a substantial donation earmarked especially for the shelters, but for some reason, the prime minister has asked that the money go only towards fixing private shelters. Despite the fact that rockets have been slamming into Sderot and the surrounding areas for several years now, the government has chosen the path of lip-service over actual activity. They are hardly in a position to cry foul when Mr. Gaydamak steps in and offers to finance the repairs and the building of new shelters himself, though this is indeed what they have done. Frankly, until the government proves that it's capable of making the necessary changes on the ground, they are hardly in a position to dictate how the citizens of Sderot should live their lives under fire. Unless the prime minister is willing to move to an unprotected home in Sderot and spend his days and nights there, his calls to stay ring hollow. Clearly, it is more important for him to look good and save face rather than to go the humane route and address the needs of the citizens. Clearly, he would rather see nothing done to help these individuals than see a private citizen step up and do what the government will not. The pattern was established last summer, when Olmert admonished the citizens of the north for wanting to leave when rockets were falling, and the same is true today in the south. The prime minister has proved once again that his government is incapable of meeting the needs of its constituents, especially in times of crisis. The majority of Israelis anxiously await its demise, and though we want to believe that the next government has to be better than the current one, which will surely go down as one of the worst in history, the current political situation leaves little room for optimism, and the best we can hope for is a government that will not be as bad as that of Olmert and company. Personally, I would like to think that there is nowhere to go but up.

Boycotts, Double Standards, and Plain Old Israel-Bashing

I'm having trouble organizing my thoughts these days. I am alternatively feeling rage and frustration, and often, exhaustion. I am sick to death of the ignorance and the double standards when it comes to Israel, no matter what the platform. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has called for international intervention to stop Israel from attacking Hamas targets in Gaza (and also called for an end to the rocket attacks on Israel, but strangely, this call came only after Israel began to respond...). The world is up in arms because Israel has finally opted to pull their hands out of their asses, remove the covers from the binoculars and start responding to the never-ending volley of qassam rockets slamming into Sderot and the surrounding areas.

I have always shown sympathy for the Palestinian plight (and have been repeatedly condemned for my views by a charming array of individuals), and while I still support a two-state solution, at the moment, I simply cannot bother to muster up sympathy for a people whose government is more interested in perpetuating both internecine and cross-border violence than in trying to improve the lives of its people – people whose lives desperately need improving. It is absolutely pathetic that the most effective tool the Palestinian government has to unite its people is to increase the frequency of rockets fired into Israel, pushing and pushing until we are forced to respond, then crying foul when we follow the utterly predictable script. Despite what the world believes (and grossly incompetent Israeli government aside), there is nothing that regular Israelis want more than to lead a peaceful existence. We do not want to be goaded into battle; we do not want to be forced to respond. Clearly, we are not afraid to do so, and unfortunately for the other side (or perhaps fortunately, depending on one's opinion), we are better equipped, which means that we will most certainly inflict greater damage. Perhaps the world would be happier if we were also to fire crudely made rockets in order to level the playing field. Somehow, I don't think so. We have always been, and will undoubtedly always be considered the bad guys here, as long as Israel lifts a finger to protect its citizens, as long as Israel does anything other than meekly sit back and do nothing, taking hit after hit and being expected to accept it all because the Palestinians are oppressed and therefore not responsible for the violent actions of their militants and extremists, who are supported by their government.

No matter what happens, no matter who starts it, it is somehow always Israel's fault. Rockets are raining down on Sderot and British unions are practically lining up to boycott Israel. Palestinians killing each other in the streets of Gaza? It's because of the occupation, of course. I've even heard that people are claiming it's the Israelis who are pushing the spotlight on Darfur in order to shift attention away from its own problems, and frankly, I don't know if that makes me want to laugh or cry.

When the double standards exist in an organization that purports to be a platform for voices from around the world, you can't help but reach the conclusion that perhaps there really is no hope. When such an organization allows its writers and editors to shift the focus from events in their own countries to spotlight condemnations of Israel, when it prefers to ignore serious issues raised by Israeli members of its community, when they demonstrate time and time again that they are apparently uninterested in ensuring that Israel doesn't become the resident whipping boy, when they make mistakes regarding Israeli contributions, and then try to rectify the mistakes in the most absurd way imaginable… I wait with anxious anticipation whenever I pay a visit to the website, wondering how the latest attack on Israel will manifest itself (today's was a comment that referred to "Zionuts", which somehow made it through comment moderation; I won't even summarize the entry that generated such a comment, as I found it too unbelievable that it was actually given the spotlight). Clearly, they just don't get it, nor do they even really want to. As with the rest of the world, they only like us when we accept our beatings quietly, without a fuss. If we so much as raise our voices, it is we who become the problem, we who become the troublemakers, simply by standing up for ourselves.

Apparently, it would seem that I'm not too impressed by the world these days, either real or virtual. I have no patience for childish boycotts and double standards, no energy to deal with the intentionally ignorant. My mouth is agape as I witness anti-Semitism masked as anti-Israel sentiment enter the realm of acceptable discourse, or read about individuals who profess to be pro-Palestinian peace activists, whose ideas of peace involve dismantling the state of Israel while magnanimously harboring no ill will against Jews. The world has gone utterly mad, and I can't help but wonder what kind of earth-shattering catastrophe will be required to wake people up. And then I wonder if they even want to.

Time to get the terrible twosome out of Dodge

With so much going on here, you'd think I'd have a lot to say. I suppose I do, especially with regard to the juvenile antics of certain Israeli politicians who seem so hell-bent on saving themselves that they are willing to ignore the loud cries all around them calling for change. The behavior of these individuals has reached a new low, and frankly, given the gravity of the situation, it is rather pathetic. Just when you thought you'd seen it all (and given the frequently disturbing activities of a great many of our politicians, "all" covers an impressive variety of misdeeds), just when you thought that the egomaniacal self-centeredness couldn't get any worse (the President's apoplectic attack on the media in light of the veritable plethora of charges he's facing not withstanding), it somehow manages to become even more frightening and depressing. We are left with the knowledge that the priorities of our leaders take precedence over that which is right or honorable, and the will of the people is of no importance.

With support for Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Defense Minister Amir Peretz at an all-time low, with most polls showing that Israeli citizens believe this incorrigible terrible twosome should follow the route taken by former Chief of Staff Dan Halutz and get out of Dodge pronto, you'd think that at least one of them would blink. You'd think that at least one of them would pull their heads out of the sand and realize that they are no longer truly representing our nation and step down gracefully. Instead, we are forced to listen to the babblings of two individuals who prefer to follow the path of denial, who believe that by staying in office they can somehow change the legacy that they are both destined to leave behind.

And what is that legacy, exactly? For Peretz, it is woefully simple. Despite an obviously great lack of military experience, the man let his ego get the better of him, foregoing more aptly suited ministries such as something welfare or finance-related in favor of the more meaty position of Defense Minister, a decision that will surely haunt him until the end of his days (and if it doesn't, it should). He might have even gotten away with it, were it not for that pesky little Second Lebanon War last summer, placing his utterly inadequate level of military knowledge squarely in the spotlight, and immediately dooming him to go down as one of the worst defense ministers in our history. If he weren't so obstinately claiming repeatedly that his lack of knowledge actually made him a better defense minister than those with more knowledge because it allowed him to think outside the box, I might even feel sorry for him and the mess in which he found himself with the outbreak of the war. But alas, no. The man has proved on more than one occasion that he simply doesn't know when to keep his mouth closed, and thus leaves a legacy of bumbling, ineffective management of the war, combined with an inability to lay low and perhaps humbly admit defeat.

The legacy of Olmert is a bit more complex, for in addition to his disastrous handling of the war, the man is a serious scandal magnet, especially with regard to various financial and real estate dealings. In need of a serious attitude adjustment, not to mention a harness for reining in that massive ego, Olmert clearly doesn't care that he has made a mockery of our political system and of his position as our nation's leader – an arena in which it's not so easy to stand out in Israel, given the spectacular prevalence of wrongdoing and questionable ethical hijinks in our hallowed halls of politics. But indeed, Olmert will surely be remembered in the history books as the leader responsible for the mismanagement the Second Lebanon War, the leader who has spent more time running from scandal than actually running the country. He leaves a legacy as the prime minister who dealt the death blows to the nation's already eroded faith in its government, the prime minister who chose to go down kicking and screaming, sadly opting to fling any remaining shreds of decency out the window, willing to do anything to hold onto his seat, even when those who elected him so obviously no longer want him around.

It is more than a little disturbing to discover with such utter finality, without any question of doubt, the true colors of our leaders. There is no way to ignore their smarmy ridicule of the system, their "can't-touch-me" attitudes. Is there anyone out there who honestly believes that the grave mistakes and charges listed in the Winograd Report can somehow be fixed by the current government? Is there any citizen prepared to forgive our leaders (especially our Prime Minister) for such sickening abuses of power?

I would never presume to be able to do these jobs, nor would I want to. I recognize my own shortcomings, and I'd like to think that I'd know better than to step into an important job that I knew was so clearly beyond my abilities. I'd like to think that I would have the integrity to put the needs of the greater good above my own desires, and I'd like to believe that I'd have the good sense to step down honorably if I'd made an irrevocable, colossal blunder. And clearly, this is too much to ask of our current leadership.

Out out damn troll...

As you may have noticed, I've decided to turn the comment moderation back on. I've got a pesky, racist little troll commenting from Federal Way, Washington (or maybe it's just where the server is located) who clearly has nothing better to do with his or her time than to leave reams and reams of nasty little comments that I've spent far too much of my vacation time deleting.

For those of you who remember the last time I moderated comments, this is indeed the same little troll, the same one who accused me in the past of spreading ideological AIDS (really!) and suggested that I'm a traitor to my country, and that the Israeli government might want to consider having me locked up for my words, among other things.

So, Troll, sorry to rain on your parade (actually, I'm not), but your comments have no place on this blog. If I'm moderating, your comments will never be published. If I decide to stop moderating, your comments will always be deleted. You are not welcome here, so perhaps you should find yourself a new hobby, or at least find another blog on which to leave your pathetic commentary.

And now back to our regular programming...

Killing three birds with one stone

It would seem that all of the antics being played out in government circles until now were merely child's play - a warm up for the main event, so to speak. Apparently, our brilliant Finance Minister, Avraham Hirshson, has allegedly embezzled millions of dollars over the past few decades. That's right. Millions. And this is the man who is ultimately responsible for our national budget. Can anyone else see the irony in this, or is it just me?

This latest twist in the ongoing embarrassment known as the Israeli government has gotten me thinking. Israeli society seems overwrought with problems these days. One would be the aforementioned "embarrassment" (I've lost track of the number of current Knesset members who have either already been investigated for wrongdoings or are currently under investigation, not to mention those who are suspected of wrongdoings, but given the backlog, have not yet begun to be investigated). Another issue that one hears about periodically is the overcrowding in Israeli prisons. Yet another problem plaguing our society is unemployment. So, here's what I propose. Why not kill three birds with one stone? Let's bring in outside contractors to physically turn the Knesset building into a new prison. Construction and maintenance would provide employment, and locking the criminals inside the building where they're already spending a great deal of time anyway would save on space and logistical problems in the overcrowded prisons.

Given the dizzying speed at which our Knesset members are sliding down the slippery slope of freakishly bad behavior, and given the fact that most regular Israelis no longer have any respect for the government, the presidency or any of the symbols that represent these entities, turning the Knesset building into one big correctional facility that specializes in the rehabilitation of politicians might go along way towards repairing an untold number of our societal woes, especially if the money for maintenance is forceably removed from the increasingly well-lined pockets of those locked within its walls.

And, just for kicks, I think that all structural changes to the building should be made using the Pal-Kal method...

Calling a Crime a Crime

Given the fact that European Jewry was nearly decimated in the last century, and noting that anti-Semitism has been on the rise for some years now, it is nothing short of scandalous that our government has, at the request of the prime minister, opted not to discuss the genocide carried out by the Ottoman Empire against the Armenians from 1915 to 1917. I am usually one of those individuals who argues mightily against those who believe that the Jewish people should be held to higher moral standards than others, but in this case, we should indeed be ashamed of the stance taken by our government. Who are we – living in a state created from the ashes of our own Holocaust – to deny the Holocaust of another nation? And indeed, it was nothing short of a Holocaust, as anywhere from hundreds of thousands – perhaps even one-and-a-half million – Armenians perished.

What is it about Turkey that makes all other nations feel the need to bend over backwards and turn a blind eye, whether it involves the Armenian genocide, Cyprus, or even the law according to which an individual can be convicted of the vague crime of "insulting Turkishness"? It occurs to me as I write this, that if I were writing as a Turk, I could be convicted of such a crime, which is simply mind-boggling. It seems to me that if the Turks were truly as keen as they say they are with regard to joining the European Union, that they would be prepared to come to terms with certain aspects of their past, instead of refusing to acknowledge these events and insisting that other nations do the same. It is disappointing that they have managed to stifle criticism of their past and present actions, and nothing short of criminal that they expect their trading partners to do the same. How can Turkey successfully join and integrate into the EU without truly coming to terms with its history, without addressing and rectifying its mistakes?

It is shameful that the Israeli government prefers to avoid hurting the sensibilities of a government that seems to have no problem when it comes to criticizing ours, especially when dealing with the topic of the Armenian genocide. By doing so, we are conveniently ignoring historical lessons learned, and setting the stage for those who choose to conveniently ignore the Holocaust against the Jews. Our government, by its actions, is essentially lending a hand to Holocaust denial. The lengths that we will go to in order to obtain acceptance as a nation have grown very scary indeed.

What kind of republic are we?

Until recently, I was under the impression that Israel was something of a banana republic, but it appears I was off the mark. Sure, the term that comes to mind these days can potentially resemble a banana (if one stretches their imagination just a little...) in shape, but that's where the similarity ends, I'm afraid. With all the excitement generated by our temporarily incapacitated president and our former justice minister, it would seem that Israel has turned into something far more sinister than a banana republic – we are now officially a penile republic.

Following the news these days is like passing a car accident on the highway – you don't want to look, you know it's going to be horrible, but you just can't help yourself. Between the president's frightening display of emotion during his press conference last week to Haim Ramon being found guilty of indecent behavior yesterday, the usual disregard and contempt for the law that many of our politicians show on a regular basis has taken on a far more disgusting quality. Seriously, what is it with these men in power? Given the increasing levels of public awareness regarding sexual harassment issues, it is utterly shocking that these individuals and others of their ilk have the audacity to behave as they do. I'm not even going to address the alleged "misdeeds" of the president – I wouldn't know where to begin, and they have been covered ad nauseum everywhere else. I will say that I was disappointed that he resorted to the race card, insinuating that one of the primary reasons that he was being "targeted" was due to his background as a Persian immigrant, which was a pathetic attempt to downplay the incredibly grave charges made against him.

And then there is the case of Haim Ramon, Israel's former Justice Minister. I was never a big fan of his before this whole episode came to light, and needless to say, I now find him revolting. I still haven't decided what I think about this whole trial, but words escape me when I hear what he has to say about the incident at hand. The only thing that keeps running through my mind is, "he should know better". He should know better than to perpetrate such an act. He should know enough to control himself. He should know better than to make lecherous advances on a young woman less than half his age, especially given his position as a politician (justice minister, no less!) and hers as a soldier. He should know better, given that he appears to be in a committed relationship with another woman (why she's chosen to stay with him is beyond me). And now let's play devil's advocate for a second. Let's say that there is a tiny kernel of truth in his version, and that the young woman in question was, as he put it, "flirting", or that she was the instigator. He should have stopped it dead. He should have known that allowing it to continue was wrong. No matter what the circumstances surrounding the kiss, the point is that it should never have happened. It should never have been allowed to happen.

It is more than a little disturbing when a former justice minister opts for the "she wanted it" defense, when he allows his desires to cloud his judgment, and deludes himself into thinking that what he is doing is acceptable, when in fact nothing can be farther from the truth. With power comes responsibility, and as justice minister, it was Ramon's responsibility to ensure that he did not use the powers given to him to act inappropriately. He failed in that responsibility. He failed as a public figure and as a man. And for that, his deeds should not go unnoticed or unpunished. Precisely because of who he is and what he symbolizes, his case should be used an example. People must be made to realize that actions have consequences and that responsibility supersedes desire. Oh, and it doesn't matter what she's wearing, it doesn't matter if she's flirting. If she doesn't say yes, that means the answer is no. You'd think that in this day and age, that would already be understood, but clearly, if an Israeli justice minister, a president, various politicians, military personnel and other public figures here don't get it, we've still got a long way to go in getting the message out.

Of sardines and Israelis...

Welcome to my morning commute, which is taking place about 20 minutes later than usual. I just couldn't be bothered to rush this morning, so I took a bit of extra time and decided to catch the later train. Being the first one at my stop to get on, finding a seat wasn't difficult. Unfortunately, I chose the wrong one, and by the time I realized it, it was too late to do anything. I grabbed the first seat I saw, and have spent the duration of the ride so far half sitting on the purse of the woman next to me, as she's clearly not too into being respectful of those around her, and has kept it in the space between us, where there really isn't any space at all. I'm in a rather bad mood to begin with this morning (I even had a dream last night that I was depressed, which doesn't really help when you're trying to kick-start your day), and my mood is growing blacker by the moment, as I imagine the form my revenge might take, from running fingernails (damn – too short! Hmmm, apparently not...) or keys across her leather bag to the vicious parting sentence when getting off the train. No amount of pushing on the bag seems to help, as the woman is apparently that clueless (and a rather bad dresser to boot). Oh, and did I mention that her husband inadvertently stepped on my foot after he got up? We made eye contact, and he must have noticed that I was shooting bullets out of my eyes, because I actually got an apology.

Personal space and privacy in Israel is a non-concept. Among Israelis, it just doesn't exist. You could be sitting in an almost empty movie theater, and the next patron to come in will undoubtedly come and sit right next to you. Not two or three seats down, but in the one next to yours, forcing you to move your coat and leaving you jostling for armrest space. The same goes for buses, trains, and so on. I spent one morning train ride last week standing by the door, packed in like a sardine, because the train had been so late that people who'd arrived early for the next train were able to get on as well, and when I tell you that it was a nightmare, you can safely assume that nightmare would be an understatement. Sardines probably have it better – they probably have more space in the can and they get to lay down, and given that they're also no longer living, they're probably not getting progressively more and more angry over the fact that they can't even move their hands (fins?) enough to hold their newspapers in a readable position. Nor do they have to worry about the any of the other sardines making endless personal or work-related calls on their cell phones, or having their feet stepped on by other sardines who seem not to realize that the lump under their foot is actually someone else's foot.

But I digress. Clearly I'm having a few issues these days, so please forgive the rather convoluted and incredibly bizarre sardine analogy. Where was I? Oh yes – personal space. I am not a touchy-feely person (while pregnant with the Little One, I freaked out whenever anyone besides my husband reached over to touch my stomach as though it had suddenly become public property), and tend to get a bit crazy whenever my personal space is invaded – an event that happens with a mind-boggling degree of regularity in these parts. It seems to be especially prevalent whenever public transport is involved, whether one is actually in transit or merely in an environment that lends itself to "transportational" pursuits, such as a train station. People have no qualms about standing right next to you (likethisclose), despite the vast quantities of open platform to be found, or those folks who bump into you while walking, even though you're standing still, because they can't be bothered to actually go around you, as they assume that you will move out of their way. I could go on and on, but I believe I covered these aspects of train commuting eons ago when I wrote this post.

In response to this utterly maddening phenomenon, I've been perfecting my evil glare, and in some instances, it even works. Private person that I am, though, I usually don't go farther than the glare, and tend to go the route of inner seething, hoping that the glare will get the point across without me actually having to open my mouth. Or, I do what I did this morning, whipping out the laptop on the train (instead of the Hadassah Magazine that I'd planned to read) and begin typing furiously, hoping that my seat usurper would read over my shoulder (another charming trait that is frighteningly prevalent here) and be shamed into moving her bag. Alas, it was not to be, but if nothing else, it provided me with decent blog fodder, which is, of course, always welcome.

Tomorrow morning, I'm off to Jerusalem for the day, relying on multiple forms of public transport to reach my destination at the ungodly hour of 9 am (ungodly only because it forces me to leave the house before 6 am). I can hardly wait to see what this journey's going to bring...

Stop Being Verbal Vegetarians!

Over the past two days, I've been attending various sessions of a conference disturbingly entitled, "The Media as a Theater of War, the Blogosphere, and the Global Battle for Civil Society". When I arrived yesterday after work, I joined a group of bloggers sitting in the back including Lisa, Yael, Rinat, and Allison. Having communicated with Lisa several times during the course of the day, I had a general idea of what to expect. Nevertheless, I was still shocked – shocked by the bleak outlook being forecasted by the speakers and the negative attitudes they projected. Journalists were described by one speaker as being craven creatures, and Israel was consistently portrayed as the innocent victim. It was all deeply unsettling, but nothing compared to the session I attended before lunch today, entitled "Paradigm Shifts: Radical Reorientations". The whole "Israel as the innocent victim" theme continued to play a large role, but what really made me bang my head repeatedly on the table (not literally, obviously, as my table mate Martin Solomon (that's Mr. Solomonia, for those of you in the know) would surely have developed an instantaneous negative opinion of me, as opposed to those whose negative opinions of me have been allowed to form over time) were the words of panelist Manfred Gerstenfeld, the chairman of the steering committee for the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs. Dr. Gerstenfeld kept referring to the Palestinians as "the enemy", and made statements such as "incitement to murder is an integral part of Palestinian society" and "…fighting a society permeated with genocidal intentions". He suggested that we must "turn the accusers into the accused", and that we should "stop being verbal vegetarians".

It was a truly horrifying experience, and between the waves of nausea I was feeling, all I kept thinking was that thank god Charles was not in the room to hear this racist rant. I was angry enough, and would have been morbidly embarrassed had this utterly charming Lebanese-American blogger and conference participant heard what this man was saying. I was also thinking about Jostein Gaarder, who claimed in his defense last summer that he had only intended for Norwegians to read his article, and had not expected that it would be translated into English and sent around the world. Perhaps Dr. Gerstenfeld didn't think that his words would be transmitted around the world as well, or perhaps he just doesn't care. All I know is that it's words and ideas like his that have contributed to the overwhelmingly negative world opinion vis a vis Israel, and presentations like his that damage our credibility when we are forced to hem and haw our way out of yet another debacle, while at the same time attempting to claim moral superiority.

I came away from this conference feeling rather frustrated. Perhaps the sessions that I missed were more balanced (though my sources tell me that they weren't), but I was given the impression that these speakers essentially felt that there is no hope for peace, and that we would be repeatedly locked in conflict with our "enemies" until the end of time. As I mentioned earlier, a recurring theme was that of Israel as the victim. No one seemed to think that a shift in Israel's policies regarding its neighbors was required, and instead focused on the need to somehow put a positive spin on these policies and try to convince the world that we are the party in the right. I found this concept to be utterly maddening and ignorant. It means that there is no hope for the future, and that our attempts to break down barriers and try to achieve a state of normalcy and mutual respect are futile, which is something that I simply refuse to accept.

The one shining light in the conference was the session entitled "Cyberspace as a Media Revolution: Implications for Israeli Public Diplomacy", which featured presentations given by a number of prominent local and foreign bloggers. Lisa and Charles spoke of friendships forged across borders and the importance of these special, fragile connections, and Michael Totten touched on this subject as well. Charles challenged the audience to start taking a look around the Arab blogosphere, leaving comments and starting dialogs, and part of me hopes that he made these people uncomfortable enough to start thinking outside of their narrow little boxes.

Sessions aside, though, I'd have to say that my favorite part of the conference was having the opportunity to meet so many wonderful bloggers face-to-face, people whose blogs I'd been reading, people I was keen to meet. I finally had the chance to meet the fabulous Savtadotty, whose granddaughter will be marrying my son; Allison, one of the very first Israeli bloggers, and certainly one of the first bloggers to make it onto my blogroll; Idan and Tif of Pixane; Rinat; Don Radlauer, who is as charming and funny as he is intelligent; the lovely Ola Hadasha, whose blog I only recently discovered, though she will surely become one of my regular reads; Charles – who receives the same compliments as Don; and Michael Totten, whose blog I turn to whenever I want to find out about the latest events in Lebanon.

Initially, I wasn't sure that I was going to attend any of this conference, but I'm glad I did. Despite the direction taken by many of the panelists, I feel like I've recharged my batteries, reawakened a long dormant excitement for social causes, taking me back to my student days. I'm sure that must sound terribly cliché, and I'm also relatively certain that I'll come back down to earth with tomorrow morning's battle of the train commuters, but for now, I'm feeling good. I attended an interesting, controversial conference with interesting, controversial people, and I did it just for me. And for the free sushi they served at the blogger reception… ;-)

* This post cross-posted to Good Neighbours.

Respect, man! It's all about respect!

Is it just me, or does the world truly seem to be falling apart? Society, already frayed at the edges, is unraveling at an alarming rate, and instead of celebrating and learning from our differences, we are allowing them to suck us in and destroy us. I am, of course, referring to a certain series of cartoons, originally published several months ago in Denmark, and the chain of horrific reactions that has followed in their wake.

We all speak about freedom of speech, freedom of the press, etc. What form should this freedom take? Are there lines that should not be crossed - lines of good taste, lines of respect, lines of sensitivity? Does freedom of speech mean that it is acceptable to lampoon the holiest aspects of religion? And, let us suppose that it is legally acceptable to cross these lines. Is it morally acceptable? Are we not to expect that such actions will spark some sort of reaction, or are we to believe that those whose sensibilities were offended will quietly sit back and choose not to respond?

I cannot imagine that the newspaper editors in Denmark actually expected that the Muslim world would not react when the cartoon series was published. There is no doubt that the cartoons were intended to be provocative; it is one thing to poke fun at a nation’s politicians, but quite another to poke fun at a religion’s holiest icons or play up its stereotypes. Don’t we Jews become incensed by any television show, political cartoon or newspaper article that even hints at anti-Semitism? Have we not mounted massive campaigns in protest to the governments of Arab and Muslim countries that have deigned to portray Jews in the worst possible light, playing up all the usual stereotypes? Thankfully, those who resort to violence in response are few and far between. Most of us would never dream of holding an entire country accountable for the acts of one newspaper or any other media outlet, simply because it is irrational, and because we realize that the governments in most Western countries do not control the media.

And this brings me to my next point. The fury. The unbelievable, white-hot fury that has been unleashed and threatens to engulf us all. It has snowballed out of control, with property damages, injury and death, spreading from country to country, territory to territory. My question to these Muslims who are waging these battles is this – how is what one Danish newspaper (and subsequently other publications) “did” to you any different from what the Arab media “does” to Jews on a daily basis? Is your outrage more valid than ours? Are attacks on Jews acceptable, while attacks on Muslims are not? Is the chasm between Muslims and other religions so great that you cannot respect us, cannot accept our existence as equals? Can you not accept that all societies are not like your own, and that you cannot and should not try to control them? What purpose will be served by vilifying the entire nation of Denmark (not to mention Norway and a host of other countries)? Most Danes played no role in the publication of the cartoons. Why blame them? I never imagined that Denmark would become the new Israel.

This whole situation is disturbing on so many different levels that I am having trouble defining my own thoughts. What is right? What is wrong? Even if it is right on one level, is it wrong on another? And what about the repercussions? Do we show sympathy if it is not reciprocated in similar instances? I can’t decide. The only words I can say with conviction are that the violence is utterly deplorable, beyond all proportion, and serves no purpose other than to feed into the stereotypes portrayed in the cartoons. Whether people like it or not, we are all here on this earth, and nobody is going anywhere. We are a mishmash of religions and cultures that must learn to coexist and respect each other. One cannot just use violence against those with whom one does not agree, and demonizing or vilifying an entire nation or religion for any reason is just stupid. If the mob mentality wins, we will all lose. Live and let live, and for God's sake, respect your neighbors!

Who decides who is a Jew, or, when is a Jew not a Jew?

I recently met up with my friend Helen, who was here visiting family in Israel. Helen currently finds herself in a rather strange – and very stressful – situation. When she is in Israel, she is an accepted member of the Jewish faith. When she is in her native England, she is not.

Quite a number of years ago, Helen converted to Judaism in Israel, a conversion that was accepted without question by the Israeli rabbinate. She married an Israeli and they lived together in Israel with two of their young sons (a third has since been born) for more than six years. Just over three years ago, Helen and her family relocated to England, and have been living there ever since, making annual trips to Israel to see family and friends and helping their sons to stay connected to their Israeli roots.

When Helen and her husband wanted to enroll their eldest son in the prestigious JFS school in London, the problems began. Her son was denied entry to the school because, they claimed, he wasn’t Jewish. Despite Helen’s successful conversion in Israel many years previously, London’s Chief Rabbi decided that Helen’s conversion was not acceptable, therefore rendering her sons gentiles. The family was shocked by the decision, especially as it seems to have been based on Helen’s Jewish practices since the conversion. Apparently, the rabbinate in Britain has decided that it’s simply not enough that the family only celebrates Jewish holidays and festivals, based on the traditions that they brought with them from Israel. Essentially these power-wielding, rabbinical pen-pushers have arbitrarily determined that an individual who chooses to convert to Judaism must be more religious than those who were born into the religion, otherwise, the conversion is deemed unkosher and invalid. How fortunate that those of us “lucky” enough to have been born Jewish are not subjected to the same assessments, as most Israelis would suddenly find themselves stripped of their Jewish identity, in much the same way as the unfortunate Sagal family, who must either continue their public battle to be recognized as Jews, or somehow try to explain to their young sons (one of whom was born during this whole ordeal, whose birth was the impetus for trying to resolve the issue as quickly as possible in order to determine whether or not he would be Jewish and allowing them to perform the brit milah (ritual circumcision).

If Helen had been converted in some vague, third-world country, perhaps I could understand the British Chief Rabbi’s reluctance to accept the conversion. I would even understand if it had been a Reform or Conservative conversion (though this would have angered me greatly, but discrimination against these popular streams of Judaism by the Orthodox is accepted in some circles, especially in Israel). What it comes down to, though, is that Rabbi Sacks has decided that an Orthodox conversion performed in Israel and approved by the Israeli rabbinate is not good enough for the British rabbinate, which is a very dangerous precedent indeed. As Helen responded when the man himself offered to personally oversee and guide her through a new conversion, “what if, following the conversion in England, she were to move to the US? What if the rabbinate in the US decided that the conversion performed by the British rabbinate wasn’t good enough for them? Would she have to convert yet again?” Helen tells me that the chief rabbi became quite indignant, unable to imagine that his conversion would not be acceptable elsewhere.

What makes this case even more disturbing is that approximately twelve years ago, when Helen's oldest son was born in London, this very same rabbinate that has now chosen to deny their Jewishness, authorized his brit milah, essentially accepting him into the Jewish faith, based on the fact that his mother was Jewish. This alarming discrepancy makes me highly suspicious, makes me wonder why they changed their minds nearly twelve years later. It also makes me think of a question with even farther-reaching connotations. Now that the rabbinate has decided that Helen isn't Jewish, does this mean that their marriage, performed by an Orthodox rabbi in Israel, is no longer valid in the eyes of the British rabbinate? As far as I am aware, Orthodox rabbis do not condone "intermarriage", let alone perform such unions, so it would be most interesting to hear the rabbinate's opinion on the status of Helen's marriage, performed in accordance with Orthodox traditions.

It doesn't come as a surprise that some people become so fed up with organized religion. When power plays between different religious bodies become personal, when arbitrary, highly suspect decisions play with the lives of others, when a young boy is suddenly forced to redefine his entire identity based on these events, it is no wonder that we become so disappointed, so disgusted, that the very thought of building a stronger connection is simply anathema.

Oh, and here's one last question, that I believe Helen has asked as well. If she is Jewish in Israel, but not Jewish in England, at what point during the journey does the transformation take place? Does it gradually begin once the plane has entered international air space, meaning that the transformation is not complete until the plane lands at its final destination, or is there one particular spot over which the transformation happens suddenly, sort of like passing over the international dateline or the equator? So, Rabbi Sacks, what's your take on this issue, hmmm?

Why?

There I was watching Channel 10 news this morning, chomping on some toast accompanied by a nice piping hot cup of tea. It was a bit chilly this morning, I needed an extra cuppa. Anyway, there I was, mouthful of toast and half interested in the news, when they showed the tragic story of the fire in Russia yesterday. Nasty stuff. Even nastier was the showing of women jumping to their deaths to escape the fire. Disturbingly clear images.

How the hell can they justify showing that? Do they not feel the need to perhaps give a little warning that some of the images in the report are "disturbing", as they do on more illustrious networks, such as Sky or CNN. Do they feel we've been numbed by the never-ending display of blood and guts in tragic accidents and suicide bombings that a quick showing of someone jumping to her certain death will slip harmlessly by...? When the news roundup had finished, even the morning show presenters were a little shocked at the images and suggested next time, maybe they shouldn't show them.

I'm stuck with this image going round in my head and I'm asking myself...why?

And now back to our regularly scheduled programming

It seems that life in Israel is returning to normal, or whatever actually passes for normal in this neck of the desert. The Prime Minister continues to lay in hospital in a coma, in "serious but stable" condition, as they like to say (and, may I also take this opportunity to say how relieved I am that they have stopped giving us status reports regarding his urine output? I'm all for transparency in these cases, but frankly, that's just a little bit more than I need to know!), with no noticeable improvement as of late. As it begins to dawn on us all that it may take some time before we see any significant changes (if indeed, he ever does regain consciousness, cognitive and complex motor skills, etc.), we have begun to turn our attention to other events.

Once again, the political scene does not fail to entertain and keep us in suspense. Recent party elections in both the Likud party and the Shinui party have been most interesting, as veterans in both parties were shunted aside for newbies. Virtual unknowns have suddenly leapt to the tops of their respective party lists, producing notably different responses from party leaders. While Binyamin Netanyahu, is, according to news reports, quite pleased with the outcome of his party's elections, the same cannot be said for Shinui's Tommy Lapid, who is considering a split from the party he founded, following the ouster of Avraham Poraz from his traditional spot at number two on the party list. Recent elections in the Hadash party also produced surprising results, as old guard party member Issam Makhoul was beaten for the number two slot by newcomer Hana Sawid, the director-general of the Alternative Planning Center and former head of the Ilbon municipal council. From the look of things, it seems that Sharon's escape from the Likud party to form Kadima, followed by his subsequent stroke and unclear future have spurred Israeli voters across the board to make a clean break from the politics of yesterday, replacing experienced politicians with newcomers, and infusing us all with the hope that change for good is finally in the air.

Also in politics, it seems that Shimon Peres may be in for some trouble - or at the very least, some very public discomfort - over allegations of receiving improper campaign contributions when campaigning for the chairmanship of the Labor Party, back in 2004. I will be very disappointed if it turns out to be true, as I always thought that Peres, despite his inability to win, was above such shenanigans, one of the few true statesmen in Israeli politics. I guess I'll just have to wait and see how the story unfolds, and hope that everything works out as it should.

Politics aside, the Hebron settlers are up to their old tricks again, attacking members of the security forces and rioting throughout the city. According to the article on Haaretz,

"The settlers have clashed with security forces for several days over a court order to evict eight Jewish families who have occupied Palestinian-owned stores in the Hebron marketplace for years."

These radical hooligans must be stopped and punished, and punished in such a way as to deter similar acts from being committed in the future. Of course, I'm not actually sure that there is such a way to deter these self-serving individuals, who have no qualms about attacking either innocent Palestinians (including women and children) or members of the security forces who have been sent to this city in order to protect the settler enclaves. Their can be no justification for their thuggery or their vandalism, and there should be no compromise with regard to the government response to their actions, especially in light of their callous disregard for authority.

And, with regard to Israel's unofficial favorite winter pastime, the rains that drenched most of the country during the past week have allowed the Kinneret (Sea of Galilee) to rise by a whopping two centimeters over the weekend, bringing it up to -211.60. Still more than two meters to go before we reach the upper red line, but every drop counts. Despite the havoc that these rains have wrought, as any Israeli will tell you (and any new immigrant learns during their first winter here), we really need the rain. Don't put your umbrellas and duck boots away just yet - still lots more fun to come throughout this week...

It's all in the dough...

Now that the disengagement is behind us, it seems that the Israeli government has returned to its previous routine of devising ways to screw the weaker sectors of society, while rewarding those situations are somewhat less precarious.

As of today, the price for a loaf of bread will rise by 6.57 percent. According to an article on the Haaretz website, the primary reason given for this increase is that gasoline costs have recently risen by 131 percent. Huh? Excuse me? I could understand if the rise in bread prices was due to rising costs of flour, which I believe may have been the reason given behind previous increases (please correct me if I'm wrong, my mind is a bit hazy this morning), but to connect it to the rising cost of gasoline sounds absurd, especially in light of the fact that the same article mentions that also as of today, the petrol prices decrease by 10%. I'm sure those individuals who can barely afford to buy bread at current prices, let alone own a car, will be thrilled to know that while a loaf of fresh bread may now be beyond their means, a liter of gasoline is now within their grasp. Kudos to the government for this savvy little agreement!

And, for some of those struggling to buy bread, the folks over at the Finance Ministry have decided give them yet another kick in the teeth by not allowing the Israel Association of Community Centers to run its successful enrichment programs for some 5000 disadvantaged children, many of whom are immigrants.

The article states,

"Suspending the supplementary study program, known by its Hebrew acronym PELE, is another attempt by the treasury's Yaron Zelekha to issue tenders for all IACC programs - a move that will lead to its privatization. Zelekha claims the IACC
is a monopoly that undermines free competition. The IACC warns that privatizing it would deal a severe blow to the populations it serves, including new immigrants, people with disabilities and the elderly."

Once again the government is playing games with the lives of Israel's disadvantaged, and this act is a particularly vicious blow, as it targets the children. To curtail activities aimed at lifting these young individuals out of poverty and giving them tools to succeed, the government is doing nothing but perpetuating this devastating cycle and denying these children the chance to eventually become successful, productive members of society, instead simply leaving them to languish in their disadvantaged, difficult lives, with little hope for improvement. What makes this issue even more tragic is that the primary beneficiaries of these programs are the children of immigrants, who carry the additional baggage of cultural differences and difficulties assimilating into Israeli society. Instead of doing all it can to help these children feel Israeli, the government has essentially chosen to play games.

When trying to save children, every moment is precious. To squander an opportunity is to negatively affect the future of our children - in effect, endanger our future as a country. When will the government learn that it cannot continue to allow the weak sectors to become even weaker, while the rich become even stronger? We are a tragedy in the making, and if the government continues in this direction, we shall become our own greatest enemy.

Hey, pregnant ladies! Take care of yourselves!

According to my medical chart when I was in the hospital last year for a pregnancy-related procedure, I have what is known in medspeak as "BOH" - Bad Obstetric History". It took about nine years, five natural pregnancies, three failed egg donation attempts (including two that took us to Europe - gotta love fertility tourism), a wide variety of fetal birth defects, nearly every invasive test out there, meetings with an assortment of geneticists (I even have one of my own now), and the loss of one preemie to finally have our son. It's been a wild, emotional roller coaster, and I wouldn't wish what we've been through on anyone. And, when we finally did manage to succeed, the pregnancy was fraught with peril. I won't go into the details, but let's just say that I was ordered to stay home (not in bed, thank god!) from the 16th week, following an emergency surgical procedure. Difficult pregnancy, long labor, difficult birth. High-risk all the way around.

Through all the pregnancies, I did everything right. Gave up caffeine, no heavy lifting, no alcohol, drugs, etc. Didn't over-exert myself. According to my geneticist, I've got defective genes somewhere, but no one has been able to figure out which genes (and samples have been sent all over Europe and the US at this point) are causing the problems. All the geneticists she's spoken to, both in Israel and outside of Israel (she mentions my case at different forums, meetings, etc.) think it sounds terribly interesting, but no one has a clue as to where the problems lie. All we know is that I was born with a few rare birth defects (all fixed, and you'd never have a clue from looking at me), and in three out of the first four pregnancies, there were birth defects - different defects in each pregnancy, all severe (the fourth one ended in spontaneously, so we don't know if there were defects or not, though we assume there must have been).

Needless to say, I'm more than a little sensitive when it comes to issues of taking care of one's self during pregnancy. When you repeatedly do everything you're supposed to and it still doesn't work, you get really frustrated. You look at other pregnant women and wonder why you can't seem to get it right. Other women make it look so easy, yet you just keep failing. It's awful. So, I'm sure you can all imagine how angry I get when I see pregnant women abusing their bodies, not taking care of themselves. My neighbor is pregnant with her second child - still in the first trimester, I believe. And, as she did with her first, she is continuing to smoke. We are quite friendly, and it's not like she doesn't know the risks (or maybe she does, but it's certainly not my place to tell her), but when I see her light up, knowing that she has this little creature growing inside of her, it makes me crazy. I just don't get it! How can a woman knowingly endanger her unborn child? It takes all of my strength not to let her have it, and it's not easy to hold back.

I remember when I was in the hospital after giving birth. Another woman who had just been wheeled into my room after giving birth asked the nurse if she could get up - she wanted to go outside for a cigarette. She had literally just come from the delivery room! I heard her confide to the nurse that she hadn't given up smoking during the pregnancy, then later on in the day, I heard her talking on the phone to a friend, wondering why the baby was smaller than she'd expected. Gee, do you think maybe there could have been a connection? Ok, not definitely, but maybe, just maybe, the smoking could have been a contributing factor, hmmm? I just wanted to shake her.

For women who have never had problems getting and staying pregnant and then having healthy children, they most likely haven't got a clue what it's like for those of us who agonized over each period, whose lives were lived according to the color of a pee stick, the tests, the failures, the out of control hormones, etc. They just assume that everything's going to work, and it usually does.

For many of us, it doesn't. Many women (couples) are still waiting for their "happily ever after", for the chance to be parents, to experience the wonderful world of parenting (I almost cried with joy the first time we walked outside, the three of us holding hands - it was a dream come true). It is painful, more than you can possibly imagine if you haven't been there. What makes it even worse though, is to see other women taking their condition for granted and not taking care of themselves as they should, knowing that they will still probably have a successful pregnancy, when no matter what you do to take care of yourself, you probably won't succeed. It hurts like hell.

Not sure how to close this, other than to say please, ladies, if you're pregnant, take care of yourselves! Take care of that precious little life growing inside of you! It's a privilege to be pregnant and have children, and should be treated as such. Not everyone has this privilege, and to abuse it is simply criminal.

Just want to add that I am actually very strongly pro-choice. A woman's body is her own and nobody else's. However, if you choose to continue your pregnancy and have your baby, for god's sake, take care of it!

Tips and Tricks: How to remove a blog from your blogroll

Oh dear.

I've been on the sidelines throughout the disengagement, watching with interest and sadness the nightly TV broadcasts but leaving out the politics from this blog. Ha, not that I've been blogging that much, it has to be said. She has been doing the dirty work for the past few weeks and doing it very well, I think.

However, after one or two bloggers out there, and one in particular, you can probably guess who, have been sending bullying, self-righteous emails to She because she happened to have a strong opinion on something...it's time for me to throw my ha'penny in.

We don't pretend to be the BBC or CNN, we are but a simple blog with a few readers. We write about what we want to write about, without any intention to incite or hurt anybody. It is just our opinions, straight-forward, sock-it-to-ya opinions. We don't dress it up with all kinds of sugary gunge for a band of worshipping readers to fawn over. We certainly don't claim any moral high-ground. Our original aim was to post interesting articles that would interest some, most probably not all. We also wanted to shake up the Israeli blogging scene a little, because there seems to be this annoying 'clique' of writers who really need to get out more.

If some blogger decides that he wants to throw his toys out of the pram and delist us from his "preciousssss" blogroll, what can I say? Maybe "get a life"? Possibly "grow up"? How about "go back to your worshipping readers and stay there"? I know what, let's be equally mature and delist him from our blogroll. Voila. Sad bastard.

Really, one or two of you bloggers need to get a fucking life. Stop analysing every single word printed, stop trying to find the wrong in everything, and above all, if you don't like what we write, don't bother coming back.

As for the rest of you, we really love you. Honest!