by Ronen [➚] · Wednesday, October 6th, 2004
Sharon’s top aide Dov Weisglass said today that the significance of the disengagement is the freezing of the peace process:
“And when you freeze that process, you prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state, and you prevent a discussion on the refugees, the borders and Jerusalem. Effectively, this whole package called the Palestinian state, with all that it entails, has been removed indefinitely from our agenda. And all this with authority and permission. All with a presidential blessing and the ratification of both houses of Congress.”
This is the wrong message. Disengagement is good because it allows Israeli resources to be diverted away from defending radical settlers, reigns in those settlers, and temporarily puts the peace process on hold until there is an accountable Palestinian leadership with whom Israel can negotiate. Coupled with the security barrier, this will make a large dent in Palestinian terrorism– with less occupation, there will be less popular support for attacks on Israeli civilians. It’s limited nature also makes sure that when negotiations resume, there are “bargaining chips” still available to the Israeli government.
But the goal must be to come to a final status agreement at some point. Israel should not aim to prevent a Palestnian state from ever being formed, but only to make sure that that state is not a threat. Israel must address Palestinian nationalism in a constructive manner– ignoring it completely will amount to a negation of all the positives of disengagement that I mentioned.
The comments regarding American policy are a huge diplomatic mistake. Bush has publicly supported a Palestinian state, and certainly will not be happy to hear that Israel believes it has pulled a fast one on him. Israel needs to make sure that it is highly cooperative and responsive to America if it wants to enjoy continued support of the sort it received just today in the UN.
Ariel Sharon ought to distance himself from these comments ASAP. Full story here
by Ronen [➚] · Wednesday, October 6th, 2004
Apparently, hoping for an end to terrorism and peace in your region is still a crime in Iraq. Nobody said it would be easy.
by Ronen [➚] · Monday, September 27th, 2004
The other day, Mobius ended a post about Israel by wondering
I mean, that is if you even in part accept the assesment that what is happening here is wrong…
Well what is happening in Israel? On this blog, we hear a lot about the negatives. But Israel is a complex society that does a lot of good, and yet still has a lot of room for improvement.
I thought I would share this story, from the Jewish Agency for Israel’s web site, about a program to cultivate technical and scientific skills and thus future opportunity for Ethiopian-Israeli youth. Obviously, this is just one example of a positive Israeli program, and there are many. We have a lot to be proud of in Israel, and let’s not let our desire for positive change obscure that.
by Ronen [➚] · Sunday, September 26th, 2004
According to the Washington Post, Rabbi Menachem Youlus of Wheaton, Maryland, is on a mission to save Jewish history one Torah at a time. Along the way, he’s had the chance to right some historical wrongs, like providing proper Jewish burial for the bones he found at a Holocaust-era mass grave site. He’s also amassed $170,000 in personal debt to finance his work.
I was especially impressed with the Rabbi’s plurlalist message. On his web site, www.saveatorah.org he explains that
The Torah is the source of Jewish learning, religious and moral values, and instructions for living. No matter what level of belief or observance, the Torah is the one symbol that unites the Jewish people: the Sephardim and Ashkenazim, members of Reconstructionist, Orthodox, Reform and Conservative Congregations, and even the unaffiliated. It connects the past to the present and is a source for the future, Le’Dor va Dor…from “generation to generation.” It brings together members of communities for learning and praying and is the one object that all Jews can identify with.
You can donate to this cause via the web site as well.
by Ronen [➚] · Tuesday, September 14th, 2004
Israeli rap/comedy trio MC Manzur has parodied Eminem’s megahit “Cleaning Out My Closet.” Among their many examples of poor maternal treatment: a babysitter who prepared baby formula with bong water, being forced into bitchwork during pre-Pesach housecleaning, and getting cheated out of the tomatoes in the matbucha salad (because mom is a cheapskate). MC Manzur would rather have “a mama from Ramallah, yahallah.” Check out the tune here, and the lyrics (in Hebrew) here.
by Ronen [➚] · Tuesday, September 7th, 2004
From an op-ed by David Brooks about the aftermath of the massacre in Beslan, published in today’s NY Times:
We’ve been forced to endure the massacre of children. Whether it’s teenagers outside an Israeli disco or students in Beslan, Russia, we’ve seen kids singled out as special targets.
We should by now have become used to the death cult that is thriving at the fringes of the Muslim world. This is the cult of people who are proud to declare, “You love life, but we love death.” This is the cult that sent waves of defenseless children to be mowed down on the battlefields of the Iran-Iraq war, that trains kindergartners to become bombs, that fetishizes death, that sends people off joyfully to commit mass murder.
This cult attaches itself to a political cause but parasitically strangles it. The death cult has strangled the dream of a Palestinian state. The suicide bombers have not brought peace to Palestine; they’ve brought reprisals. The car bombers are not pushing the U.S. out of Iraq; they’re forcing us to stay longer. The death cult is now strangling the Chechen cause, and will bring not independence but blood.
But that’s the idea. Because the death cult is not really about the cause it purports to serve. It’s about the sheer pleasure of killing and dying.
This is a disturbing piece, and it rings very true. While Brooks points to a very clear flaw in governmental and media response to heinous terrorist crimes, I was disappointed that he did not propose a better way to address the “cult of death” itself. Obviously, this cult has had a major impact on Israelis and Palestinians, but the problem applies to all of us no matter where we might be. The question isn’t simply “how can we protect ourselves against terrorism?” but really “how can we eradicate the brutal mindset that allows people to seize masses of children and then murder them?” I don’t have all the answers, although I sense that education reform in certain Muslim areas is a major element of the equation. How is it that Germans 60 years ago could destroy children’s lives so easily while most younger Germans have completely rejected that behavior? Maybe that could give us some insight.
by Ronen [➚] · Sunday, September 5th, 2004
The Washington Post reports:
Prodded by Chinese and foreigners with a personal or historical interest in the story of the Shanghai ghetto, the city government has for the first time begun to recognize the cultural and tourist value of the historic neighborhood. It is set in the low-rent Hongkou district, a few hundred yards from the Huangpu River and the prestigious towers of the Bund, the west bank of the river traditionally renowned as a center of finance and culture.
According to Chinese and foreign activists, municipal authorities who long ignored their city’s Jewish legacy have accepted several proposals to save at least some historic buildings from the developers who are eager to transform Hongkou into another Shanghai boom scene. If all goes well as city officials make their final decisions in the months ahead, the activists said, the outcome will be preservation of the heritage that Marmer arrived to appreciate.
Shanghai’s Jewish community was a much later development than the Kaifeng community which built a synagogue in 1163 C.E. (the shul was demolished in 1860). More information on Jews in China here and here
by Ronen [➚] · Thursday, September 2nd, 2004
New York has been an interesting place to be the last few days with the presence of the Republican National Convention and a great many protestors. I don’t know if JewSchool is the best place for me to air out my thoughts on the convention, but I will do my best to keep it relevant to our discussion.
On the train home today, I saw a distinguished looking 50-60 year old gentleman. He was reading a book entitled “The I Hate Republicans Reader.” He also had two buttons on his messenger bag’s shoulder strap, the first saying “Bush/Satan 2004″ and the other “Go Fuck Yourself” with a picture of Vice President Dick Cheney.
At the 2nd Ave. Deli the other night, I found myself drawing heat from several friends-of-friends/protestors at the table. We weren’t arguing policy points for the most part– but they took exception to my view that Republicans, even though I disagree with most of their policies, are not as a group apathetic to the needs of the American lower class and they are definitely not maliciously screwing them. Apparently, this made me as evil and stupid as a Republican, because I was told to “go read a history book.” (These oh-so-sensitive leftists later referred to a problematic detainment facility as a “concentration camp”).
Reviewing these events in my mind, I was reminded of something that ocurred while I was interning at AIPAC in 1998 (before Franklin-gate). AIPAC, which spends a huge amount of energy and resources cultivating relationships at all levels of government, sent its leaders to a meeting with then NSA Sandy Berger about a policy point regarding Iran. Seeing that Clinton had no chance against the AIPAC-inspired Congress, Berger relented and policy was changed. Yet, despite the yelling and clamoring, these protestors haven’t changed shit.
The only thing the protestors have accomplished is to make John Kerry look like an asshole. The Republicans came to NYC, it seems, to show the rest of the country what Kerry’s base looks like– and guess what, soccer moms don’t like people who spew obscenities aimed at individuals. Rather than engage in a policy debate from an energized, sophisticated and mainstream position (a la AIPAC), many of these protestors have brought it down to the level of curse words, condescension and personal attacks. Those that came to protest Bush’s policies are being drowned out by those who just hate Bush.
On CNN I saw a lady say that despite the fact that she has always voted Democratic, Bush’s support for Israel may well convince her to vote for him. Can you blame her? Beyond the fact that John Kerry didn’t say anything about the Be’er Sheva attack (did he? there’s nothing on his site), I think she may feel that Democracy has to be built on the exchange of ideas. But Kerry’s base is making it look like there is no room for debate because they are always right, and moreover, everyone else is not only wrong but evil and malicious. As Jews, we are very familiar with debate. Did the Talmudic Rabbis go home every night accusing one another of ill intent after their passionate discourse? Of course not. We have a responsibility as Jews to promote a constructive dialogue that is based on a shared goal: the betterment of the human condition. If we allow ourselves to degenerate to the level of personal attacks, like pathetic Mr. Subway Rider Wannabe Sophisticate on the train today, or the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth (the right does it too), we are hurting our own causes more than helping them.
I feel like the lady on CNN today– at the least, confused. I don’t think that the anti-Israel bias that the left has embraced will affect John Kerry’s pro-Israel positions (although that has certainly been enough to keep me from associating with the protestors). But after this convention, it seems that when the right wing blasts leftists for their smugness, they have a real point– I learned that in the diner. If the left is pro-democracy, then they must also be for a real conversation with the right, and against petty personal attacks, or covering their ears and yelling “La La La I can’t hear you!”. Yet, it also seems that the Democrats have a point when they say Republican domestic and foreign policy have been disasterous (and certainly their personal attacks are no more justified than the left’s). It upsets me to think that a person like myself– a social and economic moderate– cannot be entirely comfortable with either major political party right now or the course of American democracy.
by Ronen [➚] · Thursday, September 2nd, 2004
According to Palestinian Media Watch, the official Palestinian Authority daily newspaper Al Hayat Al Jadida termed the Be’er Sheva suicide bombers martyrs, despite the public condemnation of the attacks by PA officials to English language media. The watchdog group also noted that those condemnations were not centered on moral considerations, but on the fact that the bombings were not beneficial to Palestinian national interests.
I don’t know anything about PMW, really, and I can’t read Arabic. If anyone can decipher the articles here, I would greatly appreciate the independent confirmation.
by Ronen [➚] · Tuesday, August 31st, 2004
As you’ve undoubtedly heard, (at least) another 15 innocent Israelis have been murdered by Hamas terrorists in a double suicide bombing in Be’er Sheva. The bombers apparently came from Hebron, where the security fence has yet to be built.
For all you out there equating the morality of Palestinian terror with the building of a security barrier, let me know if you still think that Israel’s logic is similar to that of Hamas after reading this from their leaflet:
Our religion orders us to respond in kind to aggression against us. You [Israeliis] are the ones who choose your leaders and choose to be their shields. Therefore your shields will suffer more blows…This is a gift to the newcomers [olim] who arrived recently to our land. We say to you: ‘This is your fate, so wait’.
In the face of such blatant and hateful disrespect for human life, it would be a crime not to build the barrier. Details of the bombing here.
by Ronen [➚] · Monday, August 23rd, 2004
With reference to our earlier discussion of Borat’s song In My Country There is a Problem on HBO’s Da Ali G Show… The ADL has taken up this issue in a letter to comedian Sacha Baron Cohen.
While we understand this scene was an attempt to show how easily a group of ordinary people can be encouraged to join in an anti-Semitic chorus, we are concerned that the irony may have been lost on some of your audience – or worse, that some of your viewers may have simply accepted Borat’s statements about Jews at face value.
I’m still conflicted about this, and I’m not sure an organizational response in this form was appropriate. In fact, I sense that the ADL would see a better payday if it used the clip as an educational, eye-opening tool rather than confronting Cohen, whose message is clearly in line with their own.
Full letter here.
Update: Sacha (out of character) was interviewed by Howard Stern and apparently discussed the issue with him. They agreed that they cannot live in a country that caters to stupid people above all others. If I come across a transcript of the interview (or an audio file), I will post it. More Here
by Ronen [➚] · Sunday, August 22nd, 2004
Full article.
It’s too easy to feel safe and comfortable in the US sometimes. While nobody was hurt, thank God, this is a frightening reminder of some people’s desire to destroy our ability to join together as a community.
Frankly, I don’t think Sharon was so off base when he recommended to French Jews that they bolt — clearly they are not being protected adequately (have you seen an American JCC recently without serious security?).
by Ronen [➚] · Wednesday, August 18th, 2004
According to Ha’aretz, the IDF is investigating 600 suspected cases of abuse of Palestinians since September 2000.
I have always been immensely frustrated by claims that Israeli soldiers abuse Palestinians indescriminately. While I have no doubt that it occurs, the IDF has and will hold soldiers accountable for any crimes they commit. These are the actions of a morally responsible nation.
Having said that, the number 600– including 88 shooting deaths and 217 other violent offenses– is simply appalling. I hope that the IDF takes the next step and makes the institutional reforms necessary to curb abuse.
by Ronen [➚] · Monday, August 16th, 2004
The New York Times published an article on Israeli bumper stickers and the hit song “Shirat Ha Sticker” written by David Grossman and performed by Israeli hip hop artists HaDag Nachash.
by Ronen [➚] · Thursday, August 12th, 2004
A soccer team from an Israeli-Arab village will be representing the entire country in the UEFA cup.
Bnei Sakhnin is a team with both Arab and Jewish playes, and my impression is that most of the country is (rightly) excited about their run in the tournament. I know that there is at least one group of documentary filmmakers following them around right now, and hopefully their story and the story of their village will be told to a broad audience.
Update: Bnei Sakhnin beat Albania 3-0 in the first game of round 1, more or less assuring that they will advance to round 2 (unless they mess things up in Albania). Here are the details.
by Ronen [➚] · Friday, August 6th, 2004
I’ve finally found some sites posting “Kazakhstani Journalist” Borat (a.k.a Briton Sacha Baron Cohen, a.k.a Ali G)’s Country-Western song In My Country There is Problem, with its refrain “Throw the Jew down the well.” More shocking than the lyrics is the audience’s reaction — happily joining in with the chorus.
This clip is funny, frightening and enlightening. The bottom line is that even if anti-Semitism is just an “undercurrent” here in America, we need a place we can always call home.
Sacha himself is Jewish (and even wrote a graduate thesis on Jewish involvement in the civil rights movement). If you haven’t seen Da Ali G Show on HBO, you can get some good background information on the show and on Sacha from this interview on NPR. This man’s ability to make people look ridiculous while both exposing societal flaws and keeping a straight face is simply amazing–this show is easily my favorite on TV right now. I’m still worried that Sacha’s plan might backfire though: rather than exposing anti-Semitism, the popularity of Borat’s new tune could make people feel more comfortable singing Jew-hatin’ songs and otherwise promoting hateful stereotypes.
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