False Dichotomies

I don’t get up at five o’clock for love or money. Love, cos it can wait until a more suitable hour of the morning; money, cos I’ve got enough to see me through till at least lunchtime most days, so it’s hardly on my mind at such an inopportune hour. However, those of you who know Alex, who know the way in which he operates, will understand that if he comes barging his way into your bedroom singing and dancing at quarter past five, it is pointless to resist the onslaught. I got up, eyes stinging and head pounding, dressing in my best olive-picking garb, and it was off to Liberty Bell Park to meet our fellow volunteers. Continue Reading »

“Was the massacre at Kafr Qasem, in which 49 residents were shot, part of a wider plan to expel Arabs, or was it a single event in which border policemen misinterpreted orders? These questions were addressed by a forum convened in the village Friday, ahead of the 50th anniversary of the massacre today.” Read on here.

The following is various reflections, drawn from Meretzusa, about the death of Robert Rosenberg, whose daily ‘Situation from Ariga’ reports provided, in my opinion, the best up-to-date analysis about Israel from anywhere in the media. To Robert’s family, Ha’makom yenahem etkhem betokh she’ar avalei Tziyonv’Yerushalayim. Continue Reading »

“Latif Dori came to Kafr Qasem this week and could barely make it down the street. The 72-year-old peace activist is considered a local hero. Whenever he comes here, passersby recognize him and want to stop him and shake his hand warmly. Passing drivers honk their horns and wave. The local council bestowed honorary citizenship upon him. He is part of the history of this village, and of the state: In 1956, Dori was the first one to record the horror stories told by survivors of the massacre perpetrated by Border Police troops.” Read on here.  

On Monday, October 23, 2006 ICRR–Israeli Committee for Residency Rights–launched its program in Jerusalem at Daila.  The ICRR calls upon the Israeli public to join in demanding from the Israeli government to desist from violating basic human rights and humanitarian norms by denying the right of residency to individuals of Palestinian descent who wish to dwell with their families in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

Continue Reading »

“Arab members of the Labor Party are livid over the party’s expected decision to remain in the government despite the entry of Avigdor Lieberman’s Yisrael Beiteinu Party. Despite vocal threats to quit the party, however, many are in no hurry to turn in their membership cards, prefering instead to remain and settle their score with party chairman Amir Peretz in the next leadership primary, which is expected to take place next year.” Read on here.

In 1982, Yesh Gvul [There is a Limit] was founded by soldiers who refused to take part in the invasion of Lebanon. A petition, signed by 3000 reservists, was delivered to the government informing them of the decision. Many were court-martialed and sent to prison for refusing to obey orders. As the occupation became more entrenched, the number of refuseniks rose. In September 2003, for example, 27 reserve pilots signed a letter which announced their refusal to take part in operations in the Occupied Territories. And refusal is not solely a leftist phenomenon. On the right, many soldiers refused to take part in operations to evacuate settlers from their homes during disengagement. Continue Reading »

In the face of the continued stale-mate between Hamas and Fatah, both sides are weighing their options. This has been widely reported so I will not elaborate. One development, not reported at all, is that some senior personalities in Hamas have begun to develop some new ideas for a political process with Israel. The main idea being developed is a plan that would separate the 1967 issues from the 1948 ones, meaning a negotiation for the end of the occupation of the 1967 lands and then a much longer period of time to negotiate the issues concerning other final status issues and the end of conflict. The proposal being developed relates to the use of the Islamic notion of hudna – ceasefire – a short-term hudna for negotiating the end of the occupation and then a second longer-term hudna to immediately follow in order to negotiate over a long period of time issues concerning peace. These are very interesting developments within Hamas and warrant close observation as they unfold.

“In January of this year, I was invited by a group called the Republican Jewish Committee to come and speak at a public meeting. The subject was the U.N. “oil for food” program or, to give it another name, the means by which the corruption of the United Nations had actually helped Saddam Hussein to finance many of the French, Russian, and British friends of his regime. I was eager to say more about this appalling scheme, and it didn’t matter to me that I had little else in common with the group that had been kind enough to offer me a platform. A date was booked, a place arranged (an old temple in downtown D.C.), and I even remember telling the organizers that I also do this for a living and would expect a modest fee.” Read on here.  

A. Minister Avigdor Lieberman will be appointed deputy prime minister and minister in the Prime Minister’s Office, where he will be responsible on behalf of the prime minister for formulating Israeli policy vis-a-vis the strategic threat facing the country, in coordination with all the intelligence and security organizations that deal with the issue; Lieberman’s position will not derogate from the authority of any other serving minister in his/her ministry. Continue Reading »