Tragic, Senseless Loss

The day before yesterday the Palestinians succeeded in perpetrating their first suicide bombing in Eilat. Unfortunately three people were killed by this poor misguided youth, two owners and an employee of a neighborhood bakery. The terrorist went from Gaza to Sinai (easy to do), crossed our fenceless border with Egypt (apparently, even easier to do), hitched a ride to Eilat and managed to explode himself in the bakery before police closed in on him. This exposes a number of things. One is the lack of security on the Egyptian side of the border. It exposes again the need on our side of the border to build our forces there in order to properly battle the smugglers and terrorists. Apparently in the past year 100 infiltration attempts from Sinai have been stopped. It highlighted the need to build an electronic fence on this border, which has been so effective around Gaza and around the West Bank in preventing terrorism.
The terrorist attack apparently also succeeded. For the previous week it really looked like as if Fatah and Hamas were going to have a full blown civil war. I guess this attack did succeed in reminding the Palestinians who the real enemy is-Israeli men, women, children and vicious bakers in Eilat. As the "moderate" Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas said to a rally on January 11: "We will not give up our principles and we have said that rifles should be directed against the occupation." Furthermore, "We have a legitimate right to direct our guns against Israeli occupation. It is forbidden to use these guns against Palestinians. The occupation has perpetrated brutal attacks in Jenin, Beit Hanun and Ramallah." This is the man we want to prop up and think is a viable peace partner. Yet he talks about war.
What is so incredibly sad and tragic about the whole thing is that there could be peace tomorrow if the Palestinians would lay down their weapons and negotiate. Israel is ready. We would close settlements, evacuate tens of thousands of Jews from their homes, even give reciprocal territory for the 3-4% of the West Bank we would probably keep. An agreement could be reached. We all say we want it, a two-state solution. So do the Palestinians, Israel, the UN, United States, the European Union, and Russia. So why isn't it happening? What is holding it up? The Palestinians had a remarkable opportunity 18 months ago when Israel left the Gaza Strip and the northern West Bank. Here we gave them on a silver platter without preconditions contiguous territory to really start state building. What happened? Hate is powerful. The Palestinian nationality and national identity is based on hatred of Israel and fighting Israel. I don't think they can conceive of life without this. So instead of building greenhouses and factories in Gaza, they build tunnels into our sovereign territory to attack and kidnap our soldiers. They use their Israeli settler and soldier free territory to launch Kasam rockets targeting our civilian population and to send terrorists through Sinai to Eilat to kill, maim and destroy. What a tragedy. What a waste.
As long as the Palestinian leadership continues to preach, teach, educate Palestinian society that the struggle and dying for the cause, against the occupation is all that matters, they will never have peace. The Palestinians, as a people have only learned how to die. You can't truly be a nationality, a people, a nation, unless you also know how to live. That is one of the secrets of Jewish survival. The Palestinians need to learn this lesson. Otherwise, there will only be more death and destruction.

A National Disgrace

President Moshe Katsav is a national disgrace. I 'm not sure what is more disgusting as someone who is supposed to represent all that is good and decent in Israeli society in addition to being a representative for social unity, the charges that he is facing or last week's diatribe against the state and its institutions. It is repugnant enough that he is going to be indicted for rape, sexual harassment and a few other related charges. As opposed to the case of Haim Ramon where I am inclined to give him the benefit of the doubt based on some things I have heard, ten women came forward after the story broke last summer claiming that Katsav had sexually harassed them or worse. Five cases were not investigated because the statute of limitations had expired. In the end, all of the charges to be filed are based on the testimony of two women.
After the announcement that the Attorney General would indict Kastav, politicians from across the spectrum called upon him to resign. The nation waited, hoping that what would happen is that this seasoned politician, the president of our nation, the head of state would recognize the gravity of the situation and in a dignified way address the nation and resign from office. We all expected him to finally defend himself. No Israeli politician goes quietly into the night; however there are ways to accomplish this. What the Israeli public was treated to last Wednesday was our president angrily striking out, lambasting the media, the police, the attorney general, politicians and even pulling out the race card, declaring that it was persecution by the elites because he is Sephardic. Now here is a man who has reached the top, who symbolized what even an Israeli from the humblest of origins can achieve, who still could be a force for unity, but who instead, as head of state, decides to become a force for disunity. It was a disgusting, shameful performance which dishonored the office of the presidency, the State of Israel, its institutions and its people.
Now, it is true that the media does over blow things and go on witch hunts. However all you have to do is look at how they go after politicians across the ethnic stream (although Arab members of Knesset seem to be off limits) to realize that Katsav was not singled out. It is also true that the police have a habit of leaking information to the press which is pretty disgusting in of itself and is something which needs to be addressed, however it does not excuse Katsav's behavior. He needs to resign. The fact that he only request (and was granted) a leave of absence is also a national disgrace. The president of Israel should be someone we respect, not an embarrassment.

Hello 2007

The year 2007 has begun with plenty of uncertainty. I wish I could say with confidence that it will end on a more positive note, however that is not possible. Despite the beefed up UNIFIL force in southern Lebanon and the presence of the Lebanese army everyone knows and has admitted that Hezbollah has rearmed. "Ceasefire" or not, Kassam rockets continue to fall on Sederot and other towns, kibbutzim, and villages within range. The world does and says nothing because, as BBC's Radio Four news announced, that despite all of these kasam's being fired, the ceasefire is holding. Translation: Israel hasn't responded to these attacks yet. When they do, then the ceasefire will be broken.
Another example of how the European media's moral compass is so skewed is the response by many to the execution of Saddam Hussein. Some newspaper editorials calling that a crime or pontificating that it does not bring back the victims or that it is barbaric, etc. etc. etc. It's sad that such a large part of European media/intelligentsia have forgotten that evil does exist in the world and must be confronted, defeated and punished. Trial, conviction (if guilty), followed by punishment means that justice is served and the guilty party stands accountable. Hussein was a criminal who viciously ruled his country for close to 25 years, killing, torturing, and massacring hundreds of thousands of his own citizens. What happened to him was justice. Remember the Nuremburg Trials at the end of WWII? The punishments meted out after a trial? Justice.
In Israel itself we are still dealing with the aftermath of the failed war in Lebanon and a mediocre and arrogant leadership who are spending their time maneuvering to save their pathetic political or military careers while engaging in blame game politics. It not the easiest thing in the world to live in a country that is so misunderstood and misrepresented and misunderstood by the world. Sometimes I feel that Israel is the Western World's sacrificial lamb to the forces of extremism. We have become the western democracy that everyone loves to hate, and I'm not just talking about the Arab world.
It's too bad, because there is so much potential here. Despite the war in Lebanon this year, it is projected that our gross national product grew 4.5% to 5% in 2006. We continue to demonstrate that we can be a light unto the nations. Israel is a leader in the development of computer technology, cell phone technology, medicine, biology, physics, agricultural science, water reclamation and many other disciplines. The whole world benefits from all of this. Perhaps someday that is what the world will concentrate on when reporting about Israel. Perhaps they will also concentrate on places where there is a greater need such as Darfur or the Congo, where millions have died, while the Palestinian issue has tied up the UN in knots and has been one of the contributing factors to this organizations failing to live up to its own charter.
What's left? There is always hope. I love Israel. It is truly an amazing and wonderful place which has overcome seemingly insurmountable odds to achieve what it has achieved. However, the effort to someday become a "normal" country is beginning to resemble a Sisyphean task. I hope I'm wrong. One can always hope.

LIGHT UNTO THE NATIONS MOMENT!!!

While Israel does have a problem as a banana republic, there are still efforts to be a "light unto the nations" as our Zionist ideologues and founders envisioned. I went to the website www.israel21c.com and came away with a load of material. Below is an article about an international desertification conference held in conjunction with Ben Gurion University and the United Nations (yes, we actually do cooperate with them on some issues).

A couple of other quick examples of what I found:
1. An artcle about Kasamba, a website that Google, Yahoo, Adobe, Guru.com are starting to pay attention to as it is becoming one of the leading expert referal and tutorial sights on the web.
2. An article about Hossam Haick, an Israeli Arab bio chemist who is a faculty member at the Technion in Haifa. He just recieved the Madame Curie Action Excellence grant (2.2 million dollars) from the European Union in order to develop a cancer olafactory detection device which, using nano technology can "sniff" out cancer cells even before the tumor develops.
3. An article about a joint Israeli-American team of scientists who are developing a new drug to treat cystic fibrosis.

And there were many many more.




HOMEZONE

Desertification Conference Draws Calls for Resourcefulness
By Stephanie Freid November 20, 2006

When leading environmentalist Alon Tal opened the first Israel-hosted UN Conference on Deserts and Desertification, he discarded his necktie, setting a typically Israeli tone: "I did my part by wearing it; I'm getting comfortable and I encourage you all to do the same," he told the roomful of over 200 conference attendees.

They had come from thirty different countries to the Negev desert to swap knowledge, assess domestic policies and address the urgent spread of global drylands. Jointly hosted by the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) and Israel's Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, participants sat in on lectures and visited research facilities over a period of four days.

"We need to learn from the resilience of Israel in developing drylands," Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), Ambassador Gregoire de Kalbermatten told attendees in opening session remarks.

Series of panels and discussions integrated some of the world's leading international desertification experts including Ghana Fisheries Minister Gladys Asmah, Jordanian Director General of Sustainable Development Dr. Khaled Nassar and India's Dr. Gurbachan Singh, Director of the country's Central Soil Salinity Research Institute. Experts and representatives from Mongolia, Uzbekistan, Uganda, Australia, Mexico and other countries were on hand at opening day sessions.

"Why are we here?" Ambassador Kalbermatten continued in his address. "Because the link between conflict in this part of the world can be viewed in the broader link between natural resources and ecology. If current climate scenarios of change, growth demographics, consumption patterns and poverty continue, the fight in the 21st century will be over water, not oil."

The United Nations General Assembly declared 2006 the International Year of Deserts and Desertification to help prevent the exacerbation of global desertification and to support public awareness activities related to desertification and land degradation.

The year's main objective is to get the message across that desertification is a major threat to humanity compounded by both climate change and loss of biological diversity.

Drylands make up over 40% of the world?s surface and are inhabited by some of the world?s lowest income populations. "Israel's knowledge of dryland agriculture could be of great value to some of the world's poorest," a UN statement issued at the conference relayed.

"I am here because I am specifically interested in issues of gender and pastoral lifestyle. I am a Massai and there are tremendous conflicts between African farmers and pastoral groups over eco-balance and land degradation. I hope to learn from the experts here," Josephine Simon, Community Conservation Officer of Tanzania's African Wildlife Foundation told ISRAEL21c.

Panel sessions during the four day conference addressed issues of Dryland biodiversity and the ecosystem, agro forestry, management of degraded lands and impact of climate change on drylands.

"One third of humanity lives in drylands," explained Israel's UNCCD Focal Point Ambassador and Ecology Professor Uriel Safriel. "So this presents challenges: Erosion, soil salinization and loss of vegetation cover. At the same time, however, there are opportunities: Agriculture can be replaced with aquaculture, eco-tourism can be promoted and urban development like in Las Vegas or Riyadh can be encouraged."

Israel has been a global leader in innovative desert technologies introducing drip irrigation, desert fish farming techniques, algae cultivation and de-salinization to the world.

Beyond academic and professional proceedings, conference goers were treated to a sundown tour of a 3rd Century BCE Nabatean desert caravan site and 6th century Byzantine community remains on conference opening day. The tour was part of a larger thematic plan to expose conference goers to ancient desert cultures, migration habits and water cistern preservation techniques. "This is simply amazing in terms of history and the water issues we face now," Kenya Development Services Executive Director Silvanus Malaho told ISRAEL21c. "The water preservation and construction systems here were elaborate."

During the 4-day conference, attendees also visited solar energy and development centers, desert eco-tourism sites, brackish water fisheries and algae growing centers.

Although Arab world delegates were mostly absent, Jordan was represented by Dr. Khaled Nasser of The Jordanian Sustainable Development Society. Palestinian Authority General Director of Water & Environmental Development Nader al_Khateeb told 21c that despite the political climate, "even politicians who can't agree on major issues agree on environment. It affects across boundaries. If there is a will, we can continue working for the environment," he told 21c.

UNCCD delegate Uriel Safriel summarized by telling ISRAEL21c that the point of the conference was to find opportunities. "The message coming from here is that desert drylands are opportunities for mankind, not curses. Following Israel's lead, we can use deserts for the betterment of mankind."





© 2001-2004 ISRAEL21c.org. All rights reserved.

Traveling to Jerusalem can either be a very mundane, everyday kind of experience with all of the traffic and parking frustrations of any big city. Or it can be a kind of surreal reminder of how Jerusalem is a focal point of the tension that exists between the ancient and modern, religious and secular; and, of course, the very heart and soul of the continuous debate of how Israel can be both a Jewish and democratic state.

Last Wednesday I went into Jerusalem with my children. I had an appointment at the Jerusalem sleep clinic to get a new c-pap machine. I have sleep apnea. The clinic happens to be located in an old stone building on Strauss Street, just a couple of blocks away from Shabbat Square, an intersection which separates Geula, an ultra orthodox neighborhood from Mea Shearim, an ultra ultra orthodox neighborhood. Needless to say, we were surrounded by men in long black coats, black hats and beards and women dressed from the neck and wrist to the ankle and, if they were married, their hair covered tightly so that not one strand could escape.

Passing through Shabbat Square we all saw smoke coming out of metal garbage dumpsters and in the square itself an overturned burned out car. This was all the result of "demonstrations" (read riots) by the ultra orthodox against the gay pride parade that was supposed to occur today. In the end the parade was cancelled, partly because of the tragedy that happened in Beit Hanoun, Gaza the day before yesterday, but partly because the police were searching for any excuse to cancel. They were planning on using 9,000 police to protect the march even though the route had been switched from the center of town to the government complex/Israel Museum area. This is an area in Jerusalem that is not busy on Fridays and wouldn't come close to any orthodox neighborhoods. The gay organizations are still having an event in Jerusalem but holding it at the stadium of Hebrew University. The ultra Orthodox are brie thing a sigh of relief also-with the compromise they hastily withdrew petitions to the Supreme Court to stop the march so that they did not take the chance of losing court battles or having legal precedents set against them.

A couple of other snippets from the visit.

I overheard a conversation between two orthodox men waiting at a street corner.
"So they threw flash grenades at us and they came riding in on their police horses swinging their batons."

And then, while I was sitting in the waiting room of the sleep clinic a couple of times a car came by with a message blaring from loud speakers: "We have to protect the Holy City of Jerusalem. What they are planning is a desecration of the holy name!!!!"
And on and on in the same vein.

In the end, the gay pride event that they held in the stadium went on without any major disturbances.

Recently my parents came to visit and we went to the Dead Sea. My Mother is the one on the right. I'm on the left with the body by couch potato. In over 25 years of either living and/or visiting Israel that was the first (and I think, last) time I ever put on the mud.

More Banana Republic Blues

I was all depressed from my post a few days ago about Israel being a banana republic and actually resolved to write something more positive by the end of the week. Perhaps this weekend's Jerusalem Post would have something. Well, I glance at the front page and what headline do I see but: Anti-corruption Czar to be Probed.
Yes, that's right the man in the State Comptrollers office in charge of spotting and weeding out corruption is being investigated for just that. And what's the allegation? Influence peddling and possible bribery to get another government post. What government post you ask? Why, that of police inspector general!!!!
This is definitely the Israel banana republic moment of the week!!!!