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.

Back to the Future...

Greetings and salutations, my trusted readers. As many of you know, I've begun writing for the Diplomatic Post which, unfortunately, is not online at this stage. Since a few of you have been clamoring to see my columns, I received the approval of my editor to post them here. The column below appeared in the second issue of the magazine, which was distributed on August 31st (to Jerusalem Post subscribers only). The column is known as "Page Before Last".

BACK TO THE FUTURE...

When it comes to dealing with the future of Israel and the Middle East, it seems that there are primarily two kinds of people – those who like to talk about it and those who try to do something about it (and then, there's a fringe third group – those who like to talk about the fact that they're doing something about it, a group comprised almost solely of politicians. But I digress...). Seminars and conferences focusing on the subject of Israel and the Middle East abound, and indeed, the complexities of this region provide a never-ending supply of fodder for think tanks and institutes around the world.

What is it about this region that causes the ears of otherwise apathetic individuals to perk up at its mention? The lad who probably can't tell you where the Middle East is located fancies himself an expert, and the local English professor goes apoplectic whenever the subject comes up in conversation. The quest for knowledge is seemingly insatiable, and academics and politicians hot on the lecture circuit make the rounds, recycling nuggets of information to wide-eyed audiences hungry for information. After all, the future of the Middle East has been a hot topic for thousands of years, and while the names and faces change, one fact remains constant – nothing ever changes.

Okay. Maybe that's not completely accurate. On the plus side, Israel (whose creation itself was certainly one of the bigger changes the region has seen during the past 100 years) has garnered peace agreements with two of its neighbors and maintains low-level ties with several other countries in the region. Changes for the worse are too numerous to mention. They're also too repetitive to mention; when it comes down to it, the changes don't really change. You'd think that given all the time spent discussing the future of this region, we'd have been treated to far more success.

Which brings us (albeit rather circuitously) back to our main topic – the proliferation of conferences purporting to shed light on the future. One can't help but be amazed, not only by the diversity of sub-topics, but also by the diversity of approaches to each sub-topic. Who knew? Who knew that there were so many ways to discuss the intricacies of the Arab world? Who knew that there were so many perspectives for analyzing Israel's prospects for peace? Who knew that these same subjects would be dissected ad nauseum for generations without resolution, with each speaker trying to put a unique spin on things, attempting to sound original?

The past few months in Israel have seen at least two events on this subject, one entitled, "Israel and the Middle East at a Crossroad", and the other creatively named "The Future of the Middle East", a symposium that included a staggering number of panels on a wide variety of topics. These affairs were organized by the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies and the Israel Council on Foreign Relations – organizations that might not catch your attention were it not for their voracious ability to organize conferences and produce a dizzying array of publications.

It's starting to become a bit too predictable, these conferences. "The Future of the Middle East"? "The Middle East at a Crossroad"? The names say it all. Or perhaps they don't say anything. I suppose these names allow for a certain amount of latitude with regard to subject matter, but seriously. We need a new angle, something to get us into the proper frame of mind given the grand scheme of things.

First on the agenda is a unique line-up: We’d need someone like Jimmy Carter, Shimon Peres or Bill Clinton telling us how great the future can be, and someone from the World Bank to extol the virtues of how lucrative it will be. Then, we need a few historians to explain whose fault it is that we’re still in this mess (without alienating anyone, of course). This would, of course, be followed by the resident Arab-basher (probably from the Foreign Office or some such, in order to lend a degree of credibility) explaining how dangerous Iran is becoming and – just to make it even – your token Arab (preferably a poet). For a change, maybe the venue should be a Bedouin tent or perhaps a casino… in New Jersey (or possibly a Bedouin-themed casino in Vegas...). Oh, and we need a catchy title. Something that broadcasts a new trend in thought.

I was thinking along the lines of "The Future of the Middle East: Rehashing it all yet again", or perhaps "Israel and the Middle East: Past, Present and Future – It's all the same, really". Or maybe, someone should just make a movie.

Back to the Future, anyone?

Wahat al-Salam - Oasis of Peace

Neve Shalom ~ Wahat al-Salam (in English, Oasis of Peace) made headlines last year when former Pink Floyd frontman Roger Waters performed there. This unique cooperative village was founded jointly by Jewish and Arab Israelis in an attempt to show that the two peoples can live side by side peacefully, as well as to conduct educational work for peace, equality and understanding between the two peoples. The community was founded on land that was originally leased from the adjacent Latrun Monastery, mid-way between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, and there are currently more than 50 families living in Neve Shalom ~ Wahat al-Salam, with an equal number of Arabs and Jews. Many more families from both groups are on the waiting list to join this very special place.

Neve Shalom ~ Wahat al-Salam's school system was the first bilingual, bi-national Jewish-Palestinian educational facility in the country, and the Jewish and Palestinian teachers each speak exclusively in their own languages to all the students, creating an atmosphere that allows the students to explore their own identities as well as gain appreciation for another culture.




As you can see in the above video clip, the people of Neve Shalom ~ Wahat al-Salam – those who live there, those who work and volunteer there, and those who choose to benefit from the wide variety of services and resources provided – are committed to dialog and co-existence.


So, here's your chance to check out a four-time nominee for the Nobel Peace Prize up close and personal. If you're going to be in the area (and it's a beautiful region, so I highly recommend it – don't forget to pick up a few bottles of wine made onsite at the Latrun Monastery), pop in and say "shalom" or "salam" and I'm sure they'll be happy to have you.

War! What was it good for? Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

Life in Israel and Lebanon was irrevocably altered exactly one year ago. Illusions of calm were shattered and dreams lay torn, ripped apart by powers beyond our control. Physical recovery from the war has been difficult, harder in some places than in others. Emotional recovery has been equally fraught, as people attempt to gather the shards of broken lives and broken relationships, with some attempts being more successful than others.

A big deal is being made of this one-year anniversary in Israel. Special news reports abound (including several from intrepid fellow bloggers Lisa and Rinat, who are taking the Hebrew language news media by storm these days, following their recent trips to Beirut, as well as Rinat's harrowing journey into South Lebanon), and the Prime Minister toured the north yesterday, stopping along the way to make such unremarkable comments as, "I'm convinced as I was on July 12 last year that we took the right decision (by going to war) that this threat should once and for all be driven away from our border." Major Israeli websites replaced their main pages for five minutes yesterday morning with messages showing solidarity with the missing soldiers, and several local bloggers are also taking note.

Whether we want to or not, we cannot escape these images of the war last summer, and the big question on everybody's minds these days seems to be whether or not we'll have another one this summer, and indeed, it has been a popular survey question in the both the mainstream media and in the local blogosphere. I cannot help but remember how our world turned upside down, how the relative normality of our lives was blown apart. I remember the haunting sounds of the sirens signaling an incoming rocket (which fortunately, I didn't hear too frequently in my own area, as we were "only" in long-range missile range); I remember sitting on the train heading home in the evenings, wondering what would happen if the train were hit by one of these rockets, waiting to be picked up at the train station after hearing that a rocket had fallen in the vicinity. Rumors abounded as we all did what we could to find out where rockets had landed, and I remember how fascinating it was to observe how easily the collective national lexicon was transformed in order to include the words of our war; how every citizen became a military analyst.

To be sure, it was a frightening, tense time, and sadly, while I do not believe that we will have another war this summer, I'm rather inclined to believe that the regional situation is at least as bad as it was one year ago, and that important lessons have not yet been learned. Israeli society no longer believes or trusts its politicians to follow the right path, and Lebanon has not been this unstable since its civil war. Our soldiers are still missing, and we do not know whether they are alive or dead. Hizbullah is still entrenched in Southern Lebanon, and it is as though nothing has changed. Innocence is lost, replaced by cynicism and suspicion. There are no winners. We are all losers in this game, no matter which side of the border we live on.

And with that, I share with you the post that I wrote one year ago today - my first post about the war.

The Game of Life

“Due to the security situation, all trains heading north will terminate in Acco. No trains will travel to Nahariya under orders from the Israel Police. The Nahariya train station has been closed. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.”

Granted, this announcement doesn’t affect me, as I am traveling south to Tel Aviv. That is, it doesn’t directly affect me. In a greater sense, it affects all of us here in Israel, a sign the times, so to speak. The situation is spiraling out of control at a frightening pace, and I feel like I just don’t know what to do with myself right now. Yesterday it was a series of attacks on the Northern border that left seven Israeli soldiers dead and two kidnapped into Lebanon. This morning a katyusha rocket slammed into Nahariya, killing one woman in her home and injuring tens of other people. Katyushas also hit near Mt. Meron. Israel has retaliated by hitting the international airport in Beirut and Hezbollah’s television station. Who knows what will happen next. Life is suddenly worse than it was a few days ago, and my pacifist persona has been abruptly shunted aside as I decide that nothing would delight me more than to see that arrogant smirk wiped off the face of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, preferably by an IDF explosives expert.

I think of the bloggers across the Arab blogosphere who have afforded me the privilege of making their acquaintance, exchanging comments and emails as we work together to break down barriers, barriers put in place by those whose greatest fear is the discovery that we are all merely people and not the monsters they make us out to be. We may not always agree, but there is both a mutual respect and curiosity that we have chosen to embrace. Despite the actions of governments and organizations in our countries, we are trying hard to make our neighborhood a better place. Now, as I sit here on this train heading south, I can’t help but wonder, is it all for naught? It is so easy to forget the big picture as we focus on the relationships, the bridges being built. We share the same interests, the same tastes in food (who would have thought that sushi is so popular throughout the Middle East?), similar musical tastes. Thanks to these bloggers, I have learned about life in Jordan, in Lebanon, in Egypt, and so on. Never before have I been in a position to see a trip to Damascus as something normal, or to discover the excitement and beauty of Beirut.

Fantasy trips between Tel Aviv and Beirut have been planned (*and one year later, some have even fulfilled the fantasy), and we eagerly drink in each others’ words as we enjoy getting to know one another. It’s almost like a drug, and it’s so easy to become addicted, as we get sucked into a virtual world where disagreements still exist, yet borders are there to be traversed and not fortified. Then suddenly, reality comes crashing down as those with the real power make their presence felt through violence and destruction, and you wonder if your dreams of normalcy are only childish visions that will never come to pass. Are we being foolish? Is our bridge-building mere folly, a way to pass the time while allowing ourselves to think that we can somehow make a difference? I have no doubt that for the most part, we are all quite sincere in our quest, but while the perfect sunny skies of summer in the Middle East are tainted with falling rockets and fresh graves are dug in the cracked, brown earth, I cannot help but feel that we are all very small and insignificant as the Nasrallahs of the world show us who is really controlling the game of life.

* Added today.

Israel battling corruption?

If the following news flash is true, then it's no wonder our region is in such bad shape...

09:19
World Bank: Israel first in Middle East in battling corruption (Haaretz)

Read the full story here.

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.

"Democracy" in Egypt

The Egyptian Sandmonkey has written a post about the demonstration against planned amendments to the Egyptian constitution that he attended yesterday. The scenes he describes are absolutely chilling, and certainly not reminiscent of any accepted "democracy". One of the things that scares me the most about this whole episode is that I haven't been able to find any mention of what happened in Cairo yesterday on any of the mainstream media (MSM) websites, and once again, the Egyptian government will probably deny that these events even took place. This is what happened when rioting broke out in November on the first day of Eid ul Fitr, and it took the MSM several days to start covering the story, which, incidentally, they initially picked up from the Egyptian blogosphere. I'm blogging this and linking to the Sandmonkey's post because the world needs to be made aware of Egypt's crumbling democracy.

I am awed by the Sandmonkey's courage to jump into the fray, knowing that the outcome would inevitably be violent, and knowing that he could get into some serious trouble. It is one thing for those of us living in a democracy to criticize our government, but quite another to knowingly put one's self in harm's way in order to fight for that democracy. Please take a moment to read his post.

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.

Open Sesame

Fortunately for me, my early childhood took place before big purple dinosaurs roamed the earth. My brother and I grew up on a diet of Mr. Rogers, the Electric Company, and Captain Kangaroo, among others. The unquestionable king of this genre was, of course, Sesame Street, where we learned our numbers in English and Spanish, we became intimately acquainted with the alphabet ("the sponsor of today's show is the letter 'L...'"), and discovered that people from different races, large birds, invisible elephants, and happily unkempt inhabitants of garbage cans could come together in harmonious diversity, teaching children that our differences should be embraced and celebrated. To this day, I have fond memories of Sesame Street, and admit that I felt a flutter in my heart upon seeing the Sesame Street display at the New York State Museum during our visit to the US last summer, containing sections of the original set, as well as explanations about the show's various rites of passage.

I tried to get the Little One interested in the current American version of Sesame Street when we were in the US, but he greatly preferred the numerous other shows being broadcast on PBS Kids and the Disney Channel. We do, however, have a few Sesame Street videos that we brought back with us, and he enjoys watching Baby Bear learn the alphabet (which includes the classic song shown below) and Ernie teaching the others how to count. It's not quite the same, though, and he'd much rather focus his attention elsewhere.



Therefore, you can imagine my joy at discovering that the Israeli version of this classic is now being broadcast on our local children's channel, not to mention my delight in seeing my son fall in love with this current local version just as I did more than thirty years ago. Rehov Sumsum (pronounced "soom-soom"), has captured my heart just as much as it has captured the heart of the Little One, and we snuggle together on the couch as we watch the antics of Arik and Bentz (the Hebraicized names given to Ernie and Bert) taken from the original American show, as well as the characters created especially for the Israeli version. They have continued with the tradition of diversity by including characters who are native-born Jews, native-born Arabs, and immigrants. Our favorite character is a trendy little muppet of Arab descent named Mahboob, who speaks mostly in Hebrew, but counts in Arabic and often teaches the others about different aspects of his culture.

I want my son to love his country and to be proud of his identity, and I also want him to understand and embrace the concept of diversity. I want him to realize that exposure to different cultures provides an opportunity to learn, whether it be the exotic cultures of distant lands or different cultures existing in Israel and the US. I want him to know that he has neighbors whose holidays are different from his own, and whose cultures are just as rich and beautiful as the one in which he is being brought up. Most of all, I want him to accept these people and their differences, and to know that different does not mean bad. And if it is spiky-haired, bespectacled Mahboob who teaches him such things, then so much the better. I know that life is not Sesame Street and Sesame Street is not real, but the lessons it offers my son are the lessons he will carry with him for a lifetime, just as the original Sesame Street did for his mother.

I'm a good neighbour!

Because I've got far too much free time on my hands that I simply don't know what to do with (note the witty sarcasm), I've decided to join the growing list of excellent contributors over at Good Neighbours, a site that is "dedicated to increasing dialogue and understanding between Israelis, Palestinians, Jordanians, Lebanese, Egyptians, Saudis, Iranians, Iraqis, Libyans, Sudanese, and Syrians on a cross-country level, as well as to increase understanding, respect and dialogue among the various strata of society within our individual countries."

This site is Yael's brainchild, and quite frankly, my hat's off to her (metaphorically speaking, of course, as I don't actually own any hats). This woman does more in one day than I do in a whole month, and for the life of me, I can't understand how she always seems to have the energy to take on even more. I'm honored that she asked me to join the Good Neighbours community, and look forward to following the channels of dialog that develop between the contributors and the readers. Just doing my bit for world peace...

My first contribution can be found here.

Yael, you rock!

A victim speaks out

A few weeks ago, I wrote a post about crazed mobs of Egyptian men who ran through certain streets in Cairo attacking any female who had the terrible misfortune of being in the area at the time.

Thanks (once again) to the Egyptian Sandmonkey for alerting his readers to the existence of a new blog written by one of the victims of these attacks. Wounded girl from Cairo shares her story with the world in a stark, no-nonsense way, describing in horrifying detail what she went through that night. Despite her anonymity, I think it takes a lot of courage to not only relive the experience, but also to open herself up to criticism from readers (and she's taken quite a bit of criticism from people who negate her assessment - which I believe to be accurate - that Islam played a role in what happened).

Definitely worth checking out...

What a frightening world we live in...

I just read a horrifying post written by the Egyptian Sandmonkey. It seems that large mobs of men in Cairo, angered by the fact that they couldn't get into a sold-out film on the first day of Eid ul Fitr, went on a rampage, first destroying the movie theater's ticket booth, then running through the streets attacking women in a sexual frenzy. Apparently, no woman in the area was safe, and the police stood by and did nothing.

Sadly, this isn't the first time that a blind eye has been turned under such circumstances in Egypt. Earlier this summer, female activists and reporters were sexually harassed at the hands of government supporters, while again, the police did nothing. It's no wonder these men show no concern for possible consequences resulting from their actions.

A quick search of internet news sites for this hair-raising story produced no results, which I found rather shocking. How is it possible that such an event received no news coverage? For more on these attacks, please read this blog entry by Forsoothsayer.

Some of the comments I read regarding this incident placed the blame squarely on Islam, but I don't think that's the case. Many Americans will remember the incident that took place in Central Park following the 2000 Puerto Rican Day Parade, when mobs of men accosted and sexually harrassed women in the park, groping them, tearing their clothes off, and dousing them with water, beer, etc. I can't even begin to imagine what causes these men to act the way they do, how this crazed mob mentality manifests itself by turning people into such vicious sexual predators, separating them from their sanity. It is beyond frightening to think about hoards of males roaming the streets led solely by their penises, driven by their frustrated sexual appetites and callous indifference to their victims, treating these living, breathing human beings like objects to be touched and violated, and thinking that these acts are totally acceptable and unpunishable. And it seems, with regard to these last two, they wouldn't be so far off the mark.

The Jews of Lebanon

I'm always on the lookout for interesting new blogs, especially if they touch upon subjects that are dear to my heart. During today's daily blog read, while scrolling through Blogging the Middle East, I found a gem.

The Jews of Lebanon strives to "reestablish a connection between Lebanese of the Jewish faith around the world with their country of Lebanon." More than just a blog, it also includes photo galleries and information about Lebanese-Jewish sites worldwide, in addition to photos and maps showing different aspects of Jewish life in Lebanon today. One of the things that I find most interesting, is that the blog was created by a non-Jewish Lebanese university student named Aaron, and you can read more about his intentions here.

I've always been interested in Jewish communities around the world, especially those in Arab countries. Of those, I am fascinated by those Jewish communities that still exist today in Arab countries. We periodically receive news and information regarding the Jewish community in Iran (where, incidentally, my husband was born, hence my affinity for many things Persian, especially the food!), but in general, little is known about the Jewish communities in some of the other neighboring countries. This is why I am so excited to have found The Jews of Lebanon, and am grateful that Lebanon is a country that allows such freedom of expression - a rarity in this part of the world.

Looking for a ray of light and hope

These days of war have left me feeling so helpless. So much destruction and far too much death, and I can't understand how life has gone out of control so quickly. After the damage and destruction, the thing that I find most upsetting is how this has affected our relationships as bloggers. We have worked so hard to build these connections, taking tentative baby steps towards our neighbors as we allow our curiosity about the other to get the better of us, and discover that many of them are just as curious as we are. I cannot express the joy I felt over these connections, the excitement over each positive response when reaching out. Sure, there have been disagreements and misunderstandings, but on the other side of that coin came the thrill of knowing that we were doing something good, that we were playing our part in overcoming the obstacles. I cannot impact the relationships between governments, but I can try to make a difference in the relationships between our peoples.

Suddenly, it all came crashing down. In the blink of an eye, we are at war again, and the anger practically leaps off of the computer screen, threatening our already fragile virtual community. I have done my best to maintain connections (though admittedly, I owe a certain outstanding Jordanian blogger and friend a very long email), and it has been nothing short of nervewracking as I try to figure out what still works and what must be put aside until better times.

And then, during these uncertain dark days comes a ray of light and hope that things might somehow be okay, that there are people who can see beyond the governments and the madmen. This powerful, excellent post written by my pal Rami brought tears to my eyes today. I strongly recommend it if you're looking for a good pick-me-up, as I suspect most of you are.

Bad timing

What crappy timing for a war. This has got to be the most stressful period I've had since starting this job last fall. I've got so much work to plow through that it's actually making me nauseous, and when all is said and done, this will probably have been a 60-hour week, at least. I'm literally going through hundreds of pages of poorly written and formatted documentation, and I actually think that the court will find in my favor when I'm brought up on charges of inflicting bodily harm on the individual who began all lines of content in his document with dashes, and peppered it with refreshing terms like "nearlest" and "cetner". My eyelids are heavy, and I fantasize about sleeping through the weekend (like that will ever happen!). I haven't seen my son awake in nearly two days, and called him this morning just to hear his voice say "I love you Mommy". I'm guessing that by the time I get home tonight, he will be asleep once again.

All of this is happening when I should be watching/reading/listening to the news and blogging, and I'm not sure if I should be blaming the politicians, the terrorists or the business partners abroad for this major time crunch that I've got going on. Concentrating on work is difficult at best, as I am constantly drawn to the news sites and the blogs to find out the latest events. If you're looking for other blogs to check out, I'd take a look at this one, this one, and this one. If you're looking for some first-hand accounts of events in the north, check out this one or this one. There are many others, to be sure, but these are the ones that I'm following the most, in the limited time that I have.

The train schedules are crazier than ever, and I've been scooting out of the office every night this week to make the 9:08pm train, as the next one isn't until 10:42. Mornings aren't much better. Express trains are a thing of the peaceful past, and each journey is now a painful 45 minutes or more (usually more), and unfortunately, they never seem to arrive on time. The plus side is that since there are no trains in the north, my stop in the morning is always the first stop, so despite the fact that by the time it leaves my station there are already people standing, I always manage to find a seat.

We have taken in my sister-in-law and her three children who live in Haifa, as the situation was becoming unbearable for them. When I arrived home last night, I saw a look of weariness on her face that I've never seen before, and it was quite unsettling. I hope their stay with us will provide them with some semblance of normalcy, despite the fact that they've left the man of the house in Haifa with the dog of the house.

I've received two offers from friends abroad to come stay with them, should we need to "get away" so to speak - one from my dear friend NRG in Oslo and the other from friends in London, who tried to tempt me with their high-quality wireless connection, clearly knowing just what buttons to push. I believe we'll stay put for now, but it's nice to know that so many people are concerned for our welfare, including all those of you who have expressed similar sentiments in the comments here.

In any event, I am still swamped, but just wanted to check in and let you all know what's been going on in my neck of the desert. I'll blog when I can, and next week should be much easier for me. I know that I owe some of you emails and comments, and I promise that I will get to it as soon as the load is off, otherwise, I won't be able to devote the proper amount of time and thought that you deserve. Thanks for your patience!

Oh, and when I'm not reading the Israeli blogs, I can often be found having a good laugh over here, a blog written by an American expat living in Ireland. Definitely worth checking out, unless, of course, you don't have a sense of humor...

Stop the war, please. I want to get off...

Monday morning, and I’m back on the train again, heading back to work less than twelve hours after I left last night. For better or for worse, I’m under a deadline from hell that seems to be getting worse by the day, as colleagues suddenly remember that they have to send me documentation for editing (serious editing, as the documents are all written in English by non-native speakers who, for the most part, couldn’t properly format a document if their lives depended on it), so that we can send it all off to our project partner abroad.

But I digress. The train. Thanks to yesterday morning’s direct hit on the train garage in Haifa, the train schedule is completely out of whack. Last night I waited more than half an hour for a train that would take me home. It seems that there are no longer express trains – only trains that stop at every station, and they don’t seem to be running on time either. The lines have changed, the schedules are non-existent. There’s no public transportation in the north, which probably doesn’t make too much of a difference for the people living there, given that they are all shut up in their shelters. My sister-in-law lives in Haifa with her family, and they spent yesterday in the shelter at her workplace, with the kids sleeping in the protected room every night.

I heard on the news this morning that Katyushas hit the area around Afula last night. They are inching closer to our home, though still far enough away that we haven’t begun thinking about sleeping in our protected room, which is currently our home office. I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that I was scared, scared that they will start firing missiles at our town as well. I find myself wondering whether or not the woman who runs my son’s daycare has a plan of action, and I wonder where my husband will take cover near his workplace. Should we think about spending time with friends and family scattered around the south? I have fleeting thoughts about taking my son to the US for a while if things continue to get worse. I’d rather be considered a coward and a traitor than put my son’s life at stake in order to prove a point, to show that I can stand defiantly in the face of danger.

If before this mess began we were a country of news junkies, it has now turned into an epidemic. Everyone on the train (which is now totally packed – standing room only) is either reading the news or talking about it. It permeates every aspect of our lives and there is no escape. I have a newspaper in my bag that I picked up in the station, a free newspaper put out for train commuters with morning and evening editions. Nearly every story deals with a different aspect of “the situation”, and those that don’t are equally depressing. I scanned it quickly, turning pages impatiently while looking for the Sudoku puzzle, the only bit of content that would bring me any joy. I turned on the computer instead, knowing that this would probably be the only time I’d have to blog today, and feeling like I had to write something. Any spare moments at work will be spent on the news sites, keeping track of the latest developments in this insane war we are conducting with a terror organization.

This whole situation is just so, oh, I don’t know. Insane? Crazy? Horrifying? Pick your word of choice. It is astounding to me that just one week ago, life was relatively normal as we followed the antics of Zizou and wondered whether our president had been sticking his hands in places where they didn’t belong. Purchased my ticket to Amsterdam and thought about buying an MP3 player (suggestions, anyone?). Life was essentially good. Then suddenly, in the blink of an eye, we were deep in the shit, with no end in sight. And there really is no end in sight as the missiles continue to fall and we all go into war mode. I am emotionally battered, though otherwise okay. I want to see the Hizbollah destroyed, but at the same time, I just want it all to be over. It’s been less than a week, and I am already tired of the fear, the news of the dead and wounded. I am tired of the defiant speeches given by Olmert and Nasrallah, vowing to fight until they win, while we the people are the ones running for cover. I do not want to have to know what to do if there is a Katyusha attack, and I do not want to have to placate my friends and loved ones abroad, knowing that I do not feel as secure as I am trying to sound. I am wondering when my son will suddenly say the word “Katyusha”, and I am wondering whether it will make me laugh or cry.

Stop the war, please. I want to get off.

The game of life

“Due to the security situation, all trains heading north will terminate in Acco. No trains will travel to Nahariya under orders from the Israel Police. The Nahariya train station has been closed. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.”

Granted, this announcement doesn’t affect me, as I am traveling south to Tel Aviv. That is, it doesn’t directly affect me. In a greater sense, it affects all of us here in Israel, a sign the times, so to speak. The situation is spiraling out of control at a frightening pace, and I feel like I just don’t know what to do with myself right now. Yesterday it was a series of attacks on the Northern border that left seven Israeli soldiers dead and two kidnapped into Lebanon. This morning a katyusha rocket slammed into Nahariya, killing one woman in her home and injuring tens of other people. Katyushas also hit near Mt. Meron. Israel has retaliated by hitting the international airport in Beirut and Hezbollah’s television station. Who knows what will happen next. Life is suddenly worse than it was a few days ago, and my pacifist persona has been abruptly shunted aside as I decide that nothing would delight me more than to see that arrogant smirk wiped off the face of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, preferably by an IDF explosives expert.

I think of the bloggers across the Arab blogosphere who have afforded me the privilege of making their acquaintance, exchanging comments and emails as we work together to break down barriers, barriers put in place by those whose greatest fear is the discovery that we are all merely people and not the monsters they make us out to be. We may not always agree, but there is both a mutual respect and curiosity that we have chosen to embrace. Despite the actions of governments and organizations in our countries, we are trying hard to make our neighborhood a better place. Now, as I sit here on this train heading south, I can’t help but wonder, is it all for naught? It is so easy to forget the big picture as we focus on the relationships, the bridges being built. We share the same interests, the same tastes in food (who would have thought that sushi is so popular throughout the Middle East?), similar musical tastes. Thanks to these bloggers, I have learned about life in Jordan, in Lebanon, in Egypt, and so on. Never before have I been in a position to see a trip to Damascus as something normal, or to discover the excitement and beauty of Beirut.

Fantasy trips between Tel Aviv and Beirut have been planned, and we eagerly drink in each others’ words as we enjoy getting to know one another. It’s almost like a drug, and it’s so easy to become addicted, as we get sucked into a virtual world where disagreements still exist, yet borders are there to be traversed and not fortified. Then suddenly, reality comes crashing down as those with the real power make their presence felt through violence and destruction, and you wonder if your dreams of normalcy are only childish visions that will never come to pass. Are we being foolish? Is our bridge-building mere folly, a way to pass the time while allowing ourselves to think that we can somehow make a difference? I have no doubt that for the most part, we are all quite sincere in our quest, but while the perfect sunny skies of summer in the Middle East are tainted with falling rockets and fresh graves are dug in the cracked, brown earth, I cannot help but feel that we are all very small and insignificant as the Nasrallahs of the world show us who is really controlling the game of life.

Sign the Petition to Free Alaa!

Please sign the petition demanding the release of Egyptian blogger Alaa Abd El-Fatah from an Egyptian prison.

When Blogging isn’t Just a Hobby

Despite what many people in the world think about Israel these days, I am very thankful to be living in a country where free speech is something we take for granted and do not have to think about. We cannot be arrested or prosecuted for voicing opposition to the government or the state, the newspapers are not mouthpieces for the nation’s ruling class, and as bloggers, we can essentially write whatever we want without official repercussions. So we blog, writing whatever comes to mind, whether it be about our personal lives, current events, or our opinions regarding government policies and actions. If we so choose, we do not have to hide behind anonymous identities, nor do we have to fear for our safety when making our opinions known.

We are the lucky ones. In many neighboring countries, the right to free speech that we take for granted here in Israel is a scarce entity indeed, with bloggers being forced to look over their shoulders as they write, often blogging anonymously, knowing that their views will be less than popular with the party in power. Those who choose to blog without cloaking their identities are courageous individuals, brave souls who are prepared to suffer the consequences for the “crime” of supporting democracy and freedom of speech. These bloggers deserve our support, and we cannot remain passive when one of our “brethren” is silenced.



This is the case with Egyptian blogger Alaa Ahmed Seif al-Islam, who was recently arrested by Egyptian police during a peaceful pro-democracy demonstration along with 47 other individuals (including six bloggers), and is being detained for 15 days. A campaign to have him released from an Egyptian prison has been started by a number of bloggers, and is being chronicled on Free Alaa! (the blog). This incredible travesty of justice being carried out by the Egyptian government to specifically target vocal pro-democracy supporters should be a wake-up call to all who value free speech and democratic ideals.

In addition to the Free Alaa! site, many other bloggers have taken it upon themselves to spread the word to their readers worldwide, with one of the more prominent bloggers being the Egyptian Sandmonkey, who explains how you can make your views known to the Egyptian government. This post on Global Voices Online describes the Google Bombing technique being used by bloggers in order to publicize the Free Alaa! site, and is definitely worth a look.

Please take the time to help Free Alaa and all other pro-democracy supporters who are rotting away in Egyptian prisons. Show the Egyptian government that the world will not – indeed, cannot – remain silent in the face of such injustice.

When the ends don't justify the means

I averted my eyes from the television last night, so that I would not have to watch the humiliation of Palestinian prisoners being paraded in front of the cameras in their underwear, hands held high over their heads in surrender. The Israeli military raided the Jericho prison yesterday in order to retrieve those believed responsible for the assassination of former Israeli Minister of Tourism Rehavam Zeevi, as well as Fuad Shobaki, the man allegedly responsible for organizing a shipment of illegal mass weapons to the Palestinian Authority back in 2002. As far as I understand it, the raid was triggered by the newly elected Hamas government’s promise to allow these individuals to go free, despite brokered agreements with international parties, and closely followed the hasty departure of the on-site British and American authorities responsible for ensuring that the agreements were carried out properly.

As usual, I’ve got mixed feelings here. On the one hand, these individuals were most likely mixed up illegal, murderous activities, and should not be given their freedom based on the whims of a new government whose views are not quite in line with those of the previous government. I can’t imagine that the planned release sat well with foreign governments that had possibly hoped that the new Palestinian government would actually act like a government and keep to previously brokered agreements. I’m thinking that it doesn’t really bode well for any kind of talks with those governments that attempt to reach out. Or maybe the foreign governments don’t really give a damn. I don’t know.

There are a number of issues pricking my conscience over this act, though. What could possibly be served by the underwear parade? Granted, these individuals are prisoners, incarcerated for an assortment of illegal activities, I should imagine. However, I cannot understand the need for such humiliation, and in such a public way, no less. Seeing this parade (or not seeing it, for I really couldn’t bear to watch it) and knowing that it was being beamed around the world for all to see made me ashamed to be an Israeli. Capturing Ahmed Saadat and Fuad Shobaki, et al. is necessary, and given the nature of the playing field, there will most likely be collateral damage, unfortunately. And now let me play the devil’s advocate here. Let’s say, for argument’s sake, that there was some reason that it was indeed necessary to relieve these prisoners of their clothes (remember, devil’s advocate talking here). Why the public parade? How will it serve Israel’s interests? How will this scene of humiliation improve our standing in the world? No media pundit am I, but I daresay that it won’t be too helpful, that these images will not portray Israel in a positive light. Any sympathy or understanding we may have received will certainly not be forthcoming, in view of the way in which the action was carried out.

Which brings me to my next conscience-pricking issue. Is this to be the final nail in Mahmoud Abbas’s role as Prime Minister? Can Israel possibly emasculate him any further? Granted, he wasn’t very effective when his own Fatah party was in charge of things, but won’t yesterday’s actions push the Palestinians even further into the arms of Hamas? While he is certainly not blameless with regard to his inability to lead the Palestinians, did the Israeli government not have a hand in creating that inability to lead? By choking their economy and thwarting and rendering him irrelevant in what little he tried to do, it is no wonder that the Palestinian people voted for Hamas. What happened yesterday only affirms this, as we once again marginalized the little that remains of the final shreds of moderation in the current Palestinian political arena. Granted, I'm not sure how this whole affair should have been handled vis a vis Mr Abbas, and maybe there really was no other way to go about it, but it still bothers me to some extent.

And to what end? So that Ehud Olmert could show the Israelis and the world that he won’t be soft on terror? To show the world that he is capable of making his own security-related decisions? I, for one, am not impressed. The ends do not always justify the means, though I suppose I do owe Mr Olmert a debt of gratitude, as he has helped me to conclusively decide that any fleeting thoughts I may have had about voting for him and his Kadima party have been completely eradicated from my brain. A politician who allows people to be humiliated just for the sake of scoring a few points at the polls is not a politician I want to represent me. Not that I have a clue as to who I will vote for – only who I won’t vote for.

So. Who should I vote for and why?