I have to leave Israel next week. It hurts.
I finally decided - after years of thinking about it and trying to find a way out - to join the Jewish ranks.
I'm too much part of it now - or it's too much part of me - to just walk away. And Jerusalem for me is as nectar to a hummingbird. I need to suck it up.
My family know this of me, and are incredibly supportive. Even my little niece Rowie wrote: Yay, you're gonna be a Jew!!!
A fairly startled Ze'ev asked me why I'd want to become Jewish, and whether I'm in my right mind, and whether it's purely because I want to live in Israel. I'm shaking my head at him and not finding a way to tell it.
"Shabbat in Jerusalem" should be all I need to say, but it isn't, because even Ze'ev doesn't know what that means. So OK I will tell y'all about Shabbat in Jerusalem.
Shabbat begins when the woman of the household is ready for it. That means, she's cleaned up the house and she's cooked enough food to get through the next 24 hours without firing up the oven again. Her work done, she relaxes, she lights two candles, blesses God for making that requirement of her, eats salted bread (blessing God for allowing her to eat the fruit of the earth) and drinks wine (blessing God for allowing her to drink the fruit of the vine).
'baruch' - literally, blessing - probably doesn't translate well to Christian or other non-Jewish cultures. For the record, it's pretty much 'thanking', only different.
The next thing is the shofar being blown. In Jerusalem's Nachlaot neighbourhood technology's moved beyond this; we have a two-minute siren to announce the beginning of Shabbat, one hour before sundown, every Friday. But then everything stops. If someone was playing a CD it stops. If someone had the TV on loud, it stops. Sure people still do these things, but on Shabbat they will turn down the sound so as not to disturb the fly on the wall. That'll be the practising Jewish fly on the wall...
Unless you've lived it, you won't know how wonderful it is to only hear the sounds of voices. Human voices, cat voices, bird voices, dog voices - but all unfiltered.
I have an unfortunate talent or sickness: I hear/see digitalized sound in blocks. That means I find it very uncomfortable to watch TV or listen to the radio unless I'm totally absorbed in the content. And overhearing everyone else's shit that way is downright painful - too distant to become absorbed even if I wanted it, but close enough to disrupt my pitifully weak psyche. I grow irritable and have to do breathing exercises to retain any sense of equilibrium. So for me, Shabbat in Jerusalem is a total release. I don't have to worry about digitalized sound. I don't have to 'translate' it. I can just relax - and on Shabbat, after the siren, after the male voice choir efforts from the synagogue next door (beautiful in a formalized kinda way), I will only hear the sounds of friends and family eating and laughing together, and then the next day the sound of children playing and men praying. Me, I hear it and I feel it, that huge gap between Shabbos and the empty day.
So now even Ze'ev knows where I'm coming from...
Shabat Shalom (may the peace of the Sabbath be yours), and please don't take that lightly!
Saturday, October 28, 2006
Sunday, September 10, 2006
Collective punishment
So I'm sitting in a bar (how unusual) swapping insults with Itai (how unusual) and jiggling to some Middle Eastern-sounding music (that turned out to be Spanish), and suddenly Itai stops barracking me and asks if I read French. He's trying to book a Eurolines coach from Paris over the Internet, and there's no way to do it in English. As it happens I do, but I can't actually read the bar monitor - it's some 10 feet above my head - or reach the keyboard or mouse, so I'm useless to him. I'm bemused too - it's only a few weeks since Itai came home from a major trip around Europe, most of it unplanned. He was mugged in London and fled to the European mainland shortly after, which is a distressingly familiar tale among young Israeli travellers.
Turns out it's not Itai that's going. It's Abu something or other (Arab guys are known through their sons). He's always been chatty and cheerful, but I didn't even know he had any sons 'til he showed me his travel permit - Palestinians don't have passports as such - and visa. I was a little taken aback to find his home town given as Jerusalem but his nationality as Jordanian. It didn't occur to me until then that there are some real problems with the Palestinians not having a state in this day and age - don't ask me why, but I'd assumed they'd all be down as Israeli, perhaps with some proviso. We both smiled over the workaround of having Jerusalem as a Jordanian city, but it's a bit sad, in the sense of pathetic. As was the difficulty of figuring out where in Europe he'd legally be able to travel with his French visa. The limitations sure as heck weren't clear to me either from the document itself - and the girl he plans to meet actually lives in Denmark.
Hopefully he won't get arrested for contravening some regulation he doesn't understand along the way. He's no threat to anyone, just a normal dude doing normal dude things, one of the many here who works alongside, and has friends among, the Jewish population. Who have an equally bad time abroad, if for completely different reasons.
Isn't it about time Europe stopped randomly punishing people for being from the Middle East?
Just a thought.
Turns out it's not Itai that's going. It's Abu something or other (Arab guys are known through their sons). He's always been chatty and cheerful, but I didn't even know he had any sons 'til he showed me his travel permit - Palestinians don't have passports as such - and visa. I was a little taken aback to find his home town given as Jerusalem but his nationality as Jordanian. It didn't occur to me until then that there are some real problems with the Palestinians not having a state in this day and age - don't ask me why, but I'd assumed they'd all be down as Israeli, perhaps with some proviso. We both smiled over the workaround of having Jerusalem as a Jordanian city, but it's a bit sad, in the sense of pathetic. As was the difficulty of figuring out where in Europe he'd legally be able to travel with his French visa. The limitations sure as heck weren't clear to me either from the document itself - and the girl he plans to meet actually lives in Denmark.
Hopefully he won't get arrested for contravening some regulation he doesn't understand along the way. He's no threat to anyone, just a normal dude doing normal dude things, one of the many here who works alongside, and has friends among, the Jewish population. Who have an equally bad time abroad, if for completely different reasons.
Isn't it about time Europe stopped randomly punishing people for being from the Middle East?
Just a thought.
Friday, September 01, 2006
Support for the Palestinian people
It's not often that a feedback post in Ha'aretz actually cheers me up, much less one from a Palestinian writer. But this one - in response to an article saying that the EU/World Bank money is starting to trickle through into Gaza and the West Bank - did.
Title: Give food, medicine and work, not money
Name: George
As a Palestinian, I ask that those who support my people give only food, medicine, medical equipment and tools to help further our scientific (not religious) education. Rebuilding a power plant is a good step but most of all we need jobs. I don't know of even one European manufacturing factory based in Gaza or the West Bank. Any donated (cash) money will quickly disappear into the Swiss Bank accounts of our corrupt politicians and will also be used to build more Kassam factories in Gaza and purchase weapons on the black market from Iran and Syria (though Lebanon and Egypt). Anything but jobs in Gaza and the West Bank (and abroad) will contribute more to the vicious circle of violence, not less. Is Sweden ready to build a new Volvo or Saab car plant in Jabalia ? Can Egeland pledge to employ 10,000 Palestinians to work in Norwegian and North Sea offshore drilling operations ?
Absolutely. Negotiate with Abbas, negotiate with Olmert, get a guarantee from Israel that there will be a 'hands off' approach to any such enterprise and a free flow of goods, get an agreement from the PA that the security team overseeing the building of the factory and (later) the day to day comings and goings of the employees and goods will be Israeli, or at the very least Europeans vetted by, overseen by, and under the control of Israelis.
You think that's hard, to be searched every day on your way in to work? S'funny, in Israel (or at least, the parts of Israel I know) it's almost impossible to move around without being searched somewhere along the line, but people here cope with it because we all know it's necessary. We're watched like hawks, too. Why should the society responsible for Israel's security problems be trusted while we still can not?
So there it is. And BTW the only Palestinian George I know is a Coptic Christian, so going by the name of the writer his is unlikely to be the prevailing view amongst the Muslim majority. It's still a good idea, with the provisions as above, it would go a long way towards helping the Palestinian people without inadvertently supporting their terrorist elements, it would help build an element of trust and co-operation between Israel and Europe (not to mention Israel and Gaza) - and it's probably do-able.
Title: Give food, medicine and work, not money
Name: George
As a Palestinian, I ask that those who support my people give only food, medicine, medical equipment and tools to help further our scientific (not religious) education. Rebuilding a power plant is a good step but most of all we need jobs. I don't know of even one European manufacturing factory based in Gaza or the West Bank. Any donated (cash) money will quickly disappear into the Swiss Bank accounts of our corrupt politicians and will also be used to build more Kassam factories in Gaza and purchase weapons on the black market from Iran and Syria (though Lebanon and Egypt). Anything but jobs in Gaza and the West Bank (and abroad) will contribute more to the vicious circle of violence, not less. Is Sweden ready to build a new Volvo or Saab car plant in Jabalia ? Can Egeland pledge to employ 10,000 Palestinians to work in Norwegian and North Sea offshore drilling operations ?
Absolutely. Negotiate with Abbas, negotiate with Olmert, get a guarantee from Israel that there will be a 'hands off' approach to any such enterprise and a free flow of goods, get an agreement from the PA that the security team overseeing the building of the factory and (later) the day to day comings and goings of the employees and goods will be Israeli, or at the very least Europeans vetted by, overseen by, and under the control of Israelis.
You think that's hard, to be searched every day on your way in to work? S'funny, in Israel (or at least, the parts of Israel I know) it's almost impossible to move around without being searched somewhere along the line, but people here cope with it because we all know it's necessary. We're watched like hawks, too. Why should the society responsible for Israel's security problems be trusted while we still can not?
So there it is. And BTW the only Palestinian George I know is a Coptic Christian, so going by the name of the writer his is unlikely to be the prevailing view amongst the Muslim majority. It's still a good idea, with the provisions as above, it would go a long way towards helping the Palestinian people without inadvertently supporting their terrorist elements, it would help build an element of trust and co-operation between Israel and Europe (not to mention Israel and Gaza) - and it's probably do-able.
Monday, August 21, 2006
Pride and Prejudice
I bumped into a bunch of English guys last night in Mike's Place, three seconds after I'd bought a soldier on leave from Lebanon another beer.
For once they weren't a group of football fans, UN soldiers or journalists travelling together, so everyone had opinions of their own. One preached 'when in Rome...' (like I needed to learn it?) and another expressed similar sentiments in a more modern way, aka 'when in New York...' We were discussing the Gay Pride march, which was to have been held in Jerusalem and now is not. The Third Man, being non-Jewish and new to the area, felt strongly that the Gay Pride parade should've been allowed in Jerusalem. 'Why not Tel Aviv?' I asked - Tel Aviv is far more European than Jerusalem will ever be. 'That's no challenge, obviously,' the American Jewish visitor sitting behind me offered. Probably that's the entire reasoning behind this particular issue. The Third Man certainly thought so, but his response to that idea and mine were so far apart that we found each other offensive, even though we'd both played by the rules of social engagement.
I think having a Gay Pride march in Jerusalem at present would open the town up to overt violence all over again, as opposed to the bubbling undercurrent of potential violence we all know and love. The effort to prevent the parade united Jewish, Christian and Islamic religious leaders here. Now that is an achievement; in Israel we hear next to nothing about these moments of unity between religions, but briefly there was peace... peace in a stranglehold maybe, but still peace...
He thinks having a Gay Pride march in Jerusalem will normalize the city, make it part of the world. Hm. Yeah actually so do the rabbis, priests and imams. That's why none of them want it. How's a man to make a living?... nah, it really would be offensive to them, as it would to many sectors of the population living here. Including me, and please don't bother telling me I'm anti-gay, because I'm demonstrably not. I just think if I'm treading on someone else's toes it'd be polite to move away, is all.
Inevitably, Daniel said to me (much, much later) he was all for hosting the Gay Pride march in Jerusalem. 'If you need to say something you should say it loud'. 'But in Jerusalem?' - I'm shocked. Heck, I might be a goy but I don't even eat pork in Jerusalem, it would feel so wrong. Jerusalem is a beautiful princess in bondage gear, waiting hopefully for her Prince Charming to come back. And there you have it, in a nutshell.
The debate isn't about whether you are for or against gay activism; the debate is about whether you see Jerusalem as a symbol, or as a city much like any other. Seeing her as a symbol doesn't in any way preclude knowing Jerusalem as a city, but it's the one thing the various religious factions here share and understand about one another, without effort. Treating her as a secular city means ignoring that other reality; it effectively means sidelining the religious population, of all persuasions. While that may be a road to a secular peace, it doesn't take into account the history of the city, or its social make up, or its physical situation on the borderline between East and West. It assumes that everyone else is - or should be - prepared to leave God out of the equation. In Jerusalem, that's quite an assumption to make.
I'd join that march - in Tel Aviv.
For once they weren't a group of football fans, UN soldiers or journalists travelling together, so everyone had opinions of their own. One preached 'when in Rome...' (like I needed to learn it?) and another expressed similar sentiments in a more modern way, aka 'when in New York...' We were discussing the Gay Pride march, which was to have been held in Jerusalem and now is not. The Third Man, being non-Jewish and new to the area, felt strongly that the Gay Pride parade should've been allowed in Jerusalem. 'Why not Tel Aviv?' I asked - Tel Aviv is far more European than Jerusalem will ever be. 'That's no challenge, obviously,' the American Jewish visitor sitting behind me offered. Probably that's the entire reasoning behind this particular issue. The Third Man certainly thought so, but his response to that idea and mine were so far apart that we found each other offensive, even though we'd both played by the rules of social engagement.
I think having a Gay Pride march in Jerusalem at present would open the town up to overt violence all over again, as opposed to the bubbling undercurrent of potential violence we all know and love. The effort to prevent the parade united Jewish, Christian and Islamic religious leaders here. Now that is an achievement; in Israel we hear next to nothing about these moments of unity between religions, but briefly there was peace... peace in a stranglehold maybe, but still peace...
He thinks having a Gay Pride march in Jerusalem will normalize the city, make it part of the world. Hm. Yeah actually so do the rabbis, priests and imams. That's why none of them want it. How's a man to make a living?... nah, it really would be offensive to them, as it would to many sectors of the population living here. Including me, and please don't bother telling me I'm anti-gay, because I'm demonstrably not. I just think if I'm treading on someone else's toes it'd be polite to move away, is all.
Inevitably, Daniel said to me (much, much later) he was all for hosting the Gay Pride march in Jerusalem. 'If you need to say something you should say it loud'. 'But in Jerusalem?' - I'm shocked. Heck, I might be a goy but I don't even eat pork in Jerusalem, it would feel so wrong. Jerusalem is a beautiful princess in bondage gear, waiting hopefully for her Prince Charming to come back. And there you have it, in a nutshell.
The debate isn't about whether you are for or against gay activism; the debate is about whether you see Jerusalem as a symbol, or as a city much like any other. Seeing her as a symbol doesn't in any way preclude knowing Jerusalem as a city, but it's the one thing the various religious factions here share and understand about one another, without effort. Treating her as a secular city means ignoring that other reality; it effectively means sidelining the religious population, of all persuasions. While that may be a road to a secular peace, it doesn't take into account the history of the city, or its social make up, or its physical situation on the borderline between East and West. It assumes that everyone else is - or should be - prepared to leave God out of the equation. In Jerusalem, that's quite an assumption to make.
I'd join that march - in Tel Aviv.
Friday, August 18, 2006
Letter to Rowie
There's this organization here that delivers pizzas to combat units on duty, even during a war. I actually paid for dinner for 30 soldiers over the Internet the other day, having heard that the Army forgot to send food along with the troops they sent to fight in Lebanon. I also sent chocolate. It's even hotter on the Lebanese border than it is in Jerusalem, but you can send chocolate... I've no idea what sort of state that's in when it arrives. The pizzas looked tasty though.
http://www.pizzaidf.org/ if anyone's interested.
(and Rowie is my cute 13-year-old niece :)
http://www.pizzaidf.org/ if anyone's interested.
(and Rowie is my cute 13-year-old niece :)
Now it's all over
Nobody here really believes it's over at all, but the fact remains that the reservists are already home - as, of course, are the wounded. 18 year old boys with bullet wounds in their limbs whose eyes fill unexpectedly now and again, like when they're in a crowded bar and the crowd seems happy. It's called grief.
The older ones look after each wounded soldier as if he were their own kid brother; there's no roughness there, Israeli guys on the whole are very good when it comes to hugging at the right moment or knowing when it's a good time to walk someone away from an emotionally unbearable situation. And meanwhile the regular IDF (i.e. the non-wounded teenagers and the career soldiers that lead them) are still in Lebanon, waiting to be relieved by an increasingly recalcitrant Lebanese Army/UNIFIL coalition.
I'm told by friends who work in the Knesset that the atmosphere there is every bit as unpleasant as it looks in the press. Pretty much everyone is scheming against at least one other person, and (given that Israel has a highly efficient State Comptroller at present) there are also a bunch of accusations that would've arisen anyway against various members of the government. The Minister of Justice has already resigned; others may or may not find themselves forced to do the same. It depends on how much is spin and how much is for real. Olmert, Peretz and Halutz are coming in for spectacularly heavy (and - in my opinion - largely unfair) criticism. Unaccustomed as I am to living in a war zone, I only saw a handful of things that really went wrong:
1) the Israeli press had too much freedom, to the extent that they endangered soldiers' lives;
2) the weaker members of the 'home front' were forced to 'stand firm', or in some cases be wounded or even die, because nobody provided for them or evacuated them until the last minute - and even then it was a limited evacuation (from Kiryat Shmona, which bore the brunt of the direct missile hits);
3) the logistics were rubbish - the reservists complained of being under-trained, under-equipped and (in some cases) of not having enough food and water supplies to see them through the last-push ground attack;
4) the upper echelons underestimated Hezbollah's capabilities and worse, weren't prepared to listen to the soldiers on the ground who told them the full story.
Everyone that knows me will be wondering what on earth Israel has done to me that I don't care about the loss of civilian Lebanese lives all of a sudden. I do still care - but I believe Israel genuinely tried to minimize civilian deaths, and I've been very, very cynical about the way the Arab press report anything since the time of 'the Jenin massacre'. I've read a lot of conflicting reports coming out of Lebanon, and there's enough Israeliness in me that I find the sensationalist use of childrens' corpses - particularly during a war - almost as sickening as the fact that children died at all. They died here too; the difference is, Israel counted them all in a transparent way, and released each one's name rather than photographs of what was left of their bodies. (Direct hits from missiles don't leave whole corpses, sorry but.)
While all eyes were on Lebanon, the IDF were busy in Gaza. They took to phoning up homes known to be used for arms storage and giving the residents 15 minutes to get out before they flattened those buildings. I haven't even seen anyone comment on the success of this strategy, but the upshot has been that civilian deaths there have gone down dramatically; active terrorists have been targeted in a cleaner way, and something like 150 of them are idling with their virgins now as a result. Hamas and Fatah came very close to forming a unity government yesterday and _most_ of the militias have quit firing on Israel. It's been quite a success story to date; it could even lead to that peaceful Palestinian neighbour most of Israel wants. And this much was achieved already by the same team most Israelis seem to want to throw out of the Knesset. Go figure.
The older ones look after each wounded soldier as if he were their own kid brother; there's no roughness there, Israeli guys on the whole are very good when it comes to hugging at the right moment or knowing when it's a good time to walk someone away from an emotionally unbearable situation. And meanwhile the regular IDF (i.e. the non-wounded teenagers and the career soldiers that lead them) are still in Lebanon, waiting to be relieved by an increasingly recalcitrant Lebanese Army/UNIFIL coalition.
I'm told by friends who work in the Knesset that the atmosphere there is every bit as unpleasant as it looks in the press. Pretty much everyone is scheming against at least one other person, and (given that Israel has a highly efficient State Comptroller at present) there are also a bunch of accusations that would've arisen anyway against various members of the government. The Minister of Justice has already resigned; others may or may not find themselves forced to do the same. It depends on how much is spin and how much is for real. Olmert, Peretz and Halutz are coming in for spectacularly heavy (and - in my opinion - largely unfair) criticism. Unaccustomed as I am to living in a war zone, I only saw a handful of things that really went wrong:
1) the Israeli press had too much freedom, to the extent that they endangered soldiers' lives;
2) the weaker members of the 'home front' were forced to 'stand firm', or in some cases be wounded or even die, because nobody provided for them or evacuated them until the last minute - and even then it was a limited evacuation (from Kiryat Shmona, which bore the brunt of the direct missile hits);
3) the logistics were rubbish - the reservists complained of being under-trained, under-equipped and (in some cases) of not having enough food and water supplies to see them through the last-push ground attack;
4) the upper echelons underestimated Hezbollah's capabilities and worse, weren't prepared to listen to the soldiers on the ground who told them the full story.
Everyone that knows me will be wondering what on earth Israel has done to me that I don't care about the loss of civilian Lebanese lives all of a sudden. I do still care - but I believe Israel genuinely tried to minimize civilian deaths, and I've been very, very cynical about the way the Arab press report anything since the time of 'the Jenin massacre'. I've read a lot of conflicting reports coming out of Lebanon, and there's enough Israeliness in me that I find the sensationalist use of childrens' corpses - particularly during a war - almost as sickening as the fact that children died at all. They died here too; the difference is, Israel counted them all in a transparent way, and released each one's name rather than photographs of what was left of their bodies. (Direct hits from missiles don't leave whole corpses, sorry but.)
While all eyes were on Lebanon, the IDF were busy in Gaza. They took to phoning up homes known to be used for arms storage and giving the residents 15 minutes to get out before they flattened those buildings. I haven't even seen anyone comment on the success of this strategy, but the upshot has been that civilian deaths there have gone down dramatically; active terrorists have been targeted in a cleaner way, and something like 150 of them are idling with their virgins now as a result. Hamas and Fatah came very close to forming a unity government yesterday and _most_ of the militias have quit firing on Israel. It's been quite a success story to date; it could even lead to that peaceful Palestinian neighbour most of Israel wants. And this much was achieved already by the same team most Israelis seem to want to throw out of the Knesset. Go figure.
Saturday, July 22, 2006
Customer relations
I was talking to Jeff tonight, in between laughing over an extreme game of pool, trying not to think about Tel Aviv yesterday (two helicopters flying out in the direction of Lebanon every 30 minutes, two flying back) and a looooooooong but seriously good conversation with Rachel.
I won't report what Rachel and I were discussing. I asked for & received Jeff's permission to blog this story, though:
Jeff's in-laws are visiting right now, from somewhere overseas. Yesterday the visitors bought a brand new bicycle for a child in the Israel branch of the family, and Jeff phoned his regular taxi driver Mahmoud to ferry folks and bike to where the child lives. Mahmoud duly arrived, lifted the bicycle into the trunk, and then found he couldn't shut the lid. So they were casting around looking for some rope to tie down the trunk, and Mahmoud quickly spotted something that would do the trick.
All over Jerusalem right now there are strings of Israeli flags tied to balconies and bannisters, remnants of the Independence Day celebrations a couple of months back. Mahmoud tore one of these strings of flags from Jeff's neighbour's fence, stripped the flags off it and triumphantly tied down the trunk.
Now Jeff is a big guy by Israel standards; he's pretty muscular with it, and he's intensely patriotic - particularly right now, what with the missiles and the helicopters and the call-up and all. Mahmoud got off lightly - only words were exchanged - but he also lost a customer on the spot for his resourceful, but less than thoughtful, moment.
Whether he understood why, is an entirely different matter...
The prevailing mood back in Tel Aviv is very different to the mood in Jerusalem. In J-town, you wouldn't know there was a war on. True, there are little clues, like the TVs in public places being continually turned to the news channel, and the newspapers barely mention any other subject, and the helicopter landing pad by the Knesset is used more frequently than normal (but not on Shabbat), but apart from the first day - when everyone trickled into the bar late, stunned and grim-faced - there's been nothing more evident than a kind of quiet resolve at the back of everything.
In Tel Aviv it's a different story. Several people there expressed surprise that I hadn't left the country the moment the conflict started; to be honest I think if I'd been based in Tel Aviv I might have been frightened into doing exactly that, as much by the 'feel' of the community as by the horrible knowledge of what those pairs of helicopters, every half hour coming and going, can do. The Tel Aviv crowd are convinced the fighting will escalate; they anticipate missile attacks on every town in Israel, and they're nervous.
You don't hear people talk like that in Jerusalem.
In Tel Aviv, Gal told me (fairly casually) that he'd been called up twice and had it cancelled at the last moment - I can only guess at the disruption that caused his business - but he knew the real thing was imminent. Less than 12 hours after that conversation, I read that the IDF had received the go-ahead to call up 5000 reservists; I know Gal will be among that first wave, he'll be on his way to either Lebanon or Gaza by now. Hopefully the first wave will be the only wave, and the Jerusalem crew (mostly younger, and less experienced as soldiers) won't be following him any time soon.
I won't report what Rachel and I were discussing. I asked for & received Jeff's permission to blog this story, though:
Jeff's in-laws are visiting right now, from somewhere overseas. Yesterday the visitors bought a brand new bicycle for a child in the Israel branch of the family, and Jeff phoned his regular taxi driver Mahmoud to ferry folks and bike to where the child lives. Mahmoud duly arrived, lifted the bicycle into the trunk, and then found he couldn't shut the lid. So they were casting around looking for some rope to tie down the trunk, and Mahmoud quickly spotted something that would do the trick.
All over Jerusalem right now there are strings of Israeli flags tied to balconies and bannisters, remnants of the Independence Day celebrations a couple of months back. Mahmoud tore one of these strings of flags from Jeff's neighbour's fence, stripped the flags off it and triumphantly tied down the trunk.
Now Jeff is a big guy by Israel standards; he's pretty muscular with it, and he's intensely patriotic - particularly right now, what with the missiles and the helicopters and the call-up and all. Mahmoud got off lightly - only words were exchanged - but he also lost a customer on the spot for his resourceful, but less than thoughtful, moment.
Whether he understood why, is an entirely different matter...
The prevailing mood back in Tel Aviv is very different to the mood in Jerusalem. In J-town, you wouldn't know there was a war on. True, there are little clues, like the TVs in public places being continually turned to the news channel, and the newspapers barely mention any other subject, and the helicopter landing pad by the Knesset is used more frequently than normal (but not on Shabbat), but apart from the first day - when everyone trickled into the bar late, stunned and grim-faced - there's been nothing more evident than a kind of quiet resolve at the back of everything.
In Tel Aviv it's a different story. Several people there expressed surprise that I hadn't left the country the moment the conflict started; to be honest I think if I'd been based in Tel Aviv I might have been frightened into doing exactly that, as much by the 'feel' of the community as by the horrible knowledge of what those pairs of helicopters, every half hour coming and going, can do. The Tel Aviv crowd are convinced the fighting will escalate; they anticipate missile attacks on every town in Israel, and they're nervous.
You don't hear people talk like that in Jerusalem.
In Tel Aviv, Gal told me (fairly casually) that he'd been called up twice and had it cancelled at the last moment - I can only guess at the disruption that caused his business - but he knew the real thing was imminent. Less than 12 hours after that conversation, I read that the IDF had received the go-ahead to call up 5000 reservists; I know Gal will be among that first wave, he'll be on his way to either Lebanon or Gaza by now. Hopefully the first wave will be the only wave, and the Jerusalem crew (mostly younger, and less experienced as soldiers) won't be following him any time soon.
Thursday, July 13, 2006
Getting the picture
16:06 Hezbollah's Nasrallah to hold 5 P.M. press conference on captured soldiers (Haaretz)
16:11 PM meets parents of abducted soldier Gilad Shalit; atmosphere 'unpleasant' (Haaretz)
16:25 U.S. diplomat: Capture of soldiers on Lebanese border 'very dangerous' (AP)
16:27 UN Secretary General Kofi Annan urges restraint in the Middle East (AP)
17:12 IDF: 3 soldiers were killed in Hezbollah attack Wednesday morning (Haaretz)
17:42 Nasrallah: Kidnapped IDF soldiers are in remote and secure place (Channel 2)
17:44 Nasrallah: Prisoner exchange is only way to secure IDF soldiers' release (Channel 2)
17:46 Nasrallah: The attack on Israel was a message (Channel 2)
17:48 Nasrallah: Military operation will not free captured soldiers (Channel 2)
17:49 Nasrallah: I'm not asking for a ceasefire, but I support bringing calm (Channel 2)
17:52 Peretz: This incident must end with Hezbollah regretting that it started it (Haaretz)
17:54 Nasrallah: If Israel wants confrontation, it should be ready for surprises (Channel 2)
17:56 Rice: Hezbollah's capture of Israeli soldiers undermines regional stability (Reuters)
17:57 Nasrallah calls for indirect negotiations on prisoner exchange (Channel 2)
17:58 Rice: Syria should press for a 'positive outcome' (Reuters)
17:58 Nasrallah: We don't want to drag region into war (Channel 2)
18:20 IDF: Four soldiers apparently killed when tank hit mine over Lebanon (Haaretz)
18:29 GOC Northern Command: Want to push back Hezbollah, no plans to involve Syria (AP)
18:47 Israeli stock market plunges following news of Hezbollah border attack (AP)
19:24 Representative dollar rate set at $1 / NIS 4.4340 (Haaretz)
19:34 Qassam rocket lands in open field near Kibbutz Be'eri, in south, causing fire (Haaretz)
19:42 NRP-National Union says ready to join national emergency government (Haaretz)
19:44 Union of guest houses say tourists canceling reservations in north (Channel 2)
19:49 Israel to UN: Lebanon should be held responsible for Hezbollah's actions (AP)
20:27 U.S. blames Iran and Syria for Hezbollah kidnapping of two Israeli soldiers (AP)
20:32 Arab League foreign ministers may meet over violence in Lebanon (Reuters)
20:38 Lebanon gov't rejects blame for soldiers' abduction, distances itself from raid (AP)
20:45 Palestinian medical officials: IAF airstrike kills five Palestinians (AP)
21:21 Hamas: Hezbollah abduction of IDF soldiers is 'heroic operation' (Reuters)
21:52 Lebanese officials: IAF attacked guerrilla base 16 kilometers south of Beirut (AP)
22:08 IAF strikes Palestinian base near Beirut (AP)
22:08 Hezbollah says it destroyed second IDF tank attempting to cross border (AP)
22:09 Names of 2 felled soldiers released: Shani Turgeman, 24, and Eyal Benin, 22 (Haaretz)
22:30 Palestinians fire mortar shell, anti-tank missile at troops in central Gaza (Israel Radio)
22:32 Soldier who tried to extract troops from burning tank dies of his wounds (Israel Radio)
22:39 Qatar circulates revised draft resolution condemning Israel's Gaza offensive (AP)
22:46 Special cabinet meeting in Tel Aviv concludes (Israel Radio)
22:53 Red Cross requests Hezbollah permit it access to two abducted IDF soldiers (AP)
23:02 Herzog: We'll respond to Hezbollah appropriately, steps are planned (Israel Radio)
23:29 IDF troops arrest 2 unarmed infiltrators north of Mt. Harif near Egyptian border (Itim)
23:43 Cabinet says it has authorized 'severe' response to Hezbollah raid (Reuters)
23:57 7 Hamas members nabbed in Hebron believed behind several attacks on IDF (Itim)
01:10 Police heighten alert level in major towns due to events in north (Israel Radio)
01:12 IDF releases name of soldier killed in north: Wassim Salah Nazal, 25 (Israel Radio)
01:53 IAF jets destroy Palestinian foreign ministry building in Gaza City (AP)
02:13 Hezbollah rejects Red Cross request to visit abducted IDF soldiers (Israel Radio)
02:14 Mortar shells land near northern border with Lebanon; no injuries (Israel Radio)
02:41 IDF shells bridges, Hezbollah military posts in Lebanese territory (Haaretz)
02:42 Three Palestinians residing near Foreign Ministry building wounded in IAF strike (AP)
02:50 Two soldiers killed in tank blast named as Alexei Kushinski and Yaniv Baron (Haaretz)
04:05 Palestinian medics: 13 people injured in IAF strike on PA foreign ministry building (AP)
04:08 PA Foreign Ministry spokesman: Israel is carrying out 'organized terrorism' (AP)
04:53 Islamic Jihad militant killed, another wounded in an IAF strike in southern Gaza (AP)
05:07 Dozens of attack warnings prompt police to work longer shifts (Israel Radio)
06:06 Kiryat Shmona summer-camps, city market cancelled for fear of rockets (Israel Radio)
06:23 Katyusha rockets land near Mt. Meron in the north, no injuries reported (Israel Radio)
06:35 IAF fires 3 missiles on runway at Beirut international airport (Reuters)
06:47 Beirut airport security: Beirut airport closed following IAF strike (Reuters)
07:23 Katyusha rocket hits northern town of Nahariya (Reuters)
07:26 Death toll rises to 20 in IDF raid on Lebanon, including 19 civilians (AP)
07:31 Northern resident, 60, lightly wounded from rocket shrapnel (Haaretz)
07:34 IDF confirms air strike on Beirut airport runway (Reuters)
07:35 Three people wounded in Katyusha attack on Nahariya (Haaretz)
07:48 At least 12 Israelis wounded when Katyusha hits Nahariya house (Haaretz)
07:49 Qassam rocket fired at western Negev; no injuries (Haaretz)
07:58 Woman killed in Nahariya in Katyusha rocket attack (Haaretz)
08:15 Report: IAF attacks target in Hezbollah stronghold in Beirut (Reuters)
08:35 IAF aircraft hits Hezbollah TV station in Beirut, 6 hurt (Reuters)
08:54 Palestinians fire anti-tank missile at IDF position in south Gaza; no injuries (Itim)
09:03 Beirut-bound planes diverted to Cyprus (AP)
09:37 29 injured in Katyusha attack on Nahariya, including one in serious condition (Haaretz)
09:53 Nahariya residents leave city en masse in response to rocket attack (Israel Radio)
10:09 Katyusha rockets fired by Hezbollah pound Mount Meron (Israel Radio)
10:15 Israel intends to impose sea and air blockade on Lebanon (Army Radio)
10:20 More than 60 Katyusha rockets fired at Israel since Thursday morning (Haaretz)
10:21 Electricity shut off in parts of Galilee (Haaretz)
10:33 IDF: Navy vessels in Lebanese waters blocking seaports (Reuters)
10:46 Peretz: Israel won't let Hezbollah operatives return to their border posts (Israel Radio)
10:57 France calls IDF offensive 'disproportionate act of war' (Reuters)
11:01 Galilee vacation village, Gonen, evacuates tourists (Haaretz)
11:23 Egyptian airline cancels Sinai flight to Israel (Reuters)
11:24 36 civilians reported dead in IDF raid on Lebanon (Reuters)
11:35 Al-Jazeera: Number of dead in IAF attack on Lebanon rises to 47 (Israel Radio)
11:54 Russia: Israeli attacks and Hezbollah abduction are 'equally unacceptable' (AP)
12:24 IDF says it arrested 2 Palestinians last month over plan to abduct soldiers (Haaretz)
12:35 Firefighting forces trying to control large fire on Mount Meron (Haaretz)
12:36 Nature reserves in Galilee, Golan Heights closed due to escalation on border (Haaretz)
12:41 Katyusha lands in Safed; no injuries reported (Haaretz)
12:42 U.S. calls for restraint in Mideast, but says Israel has right to defend itself (Reuters)
12:45 IDF threatens to strike Beirut residential areas following attacks inside Israel (Haaretz)
13:11 Nahariya emergency hotline: 04-9879801 or 04-9879811 (Israel Radio)
13:12 Body of soldier recovered from tank that hit mine in Lebanon (Haaretz)
13:13 Kiryat Shmona court temporarily shuts down due to escalation of violence (Haaretz)
13:15 Spain condemns kidnapping of Israeli soldiers, calls for restraint (AP)
13:26 Dichter tells Al-Jazeera government apologizes for deaths of innocents (Itim)
13:29 IDF chief says no targets in Lebanon are immune, including city of Beirut (AP)
13:30 Hamas officials try to revive Egyptian mediation for prisoner swap with Israel (AP)
13:58 Bush vows support for Israel, slams Hezbollah for thwarting Mideast peace efforts (AP)
13:59 IDF chief: This is not war, but a high-strength crisis (Haaretz)
14:01 Bush: Israel has right to defend itself, but should not weaken Beirut gov't (Reuters)
14:01 Lebanon recalls envoy to U.S. for comments over prisoner swap (AP)
14:10 Halutz: The Lebanese government must understand its inaction has a price (Haaretz)
14:21 Palestinian tells IDF he was shot while working on tractor in West Bank (Haaretz)
14:25 Hezbollah threatens to attack Haifa (Reuters)
14:28 Bush: Iran 'can't wait us out' in nuclear dispute (Reuters)
14:37 Katyushas fall in Safed commercial center; casualties reported (Haaretz)
14:40 Two casualties in Safed absorption center after city hit by Katyushas (Haaretz)
14:41 Death toll from IDF raid in Lebanon rises to 52 civilians (Reuters)
14:44 Abbas says Israeli incursion into Lebanon raises fears of regional war (AP)
14:51 EU calls on all sides to halt renewed violence in Middle East (AP)
14:59 Ten wounded in Safed absorption center after 4 Katyushas hit building (Haaretz)
15:04 Katyusha rocket lands in northern town of Hatzur (Haaretz)
15:06 11 wounded in Safed Katyusha strike, including one in serious condition (Haaretz)
15:08 Raging fire on Mount Meron consumes hundreds of dunams (Haaretz)
15:21 Cyprus to fly out its citizens in Lebanon through Syria (Reuters)
15:22 Katyusha hits Upper Galilee village of Majdal Qrum; several wounded (Haaretz)
15:30 Kidnapped IDF soldiers named as Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev (Haaretz)
15:40 Palestinians hurl firebomb at Israeli bus near Bethlehem; no injuries (Itim)
15:40 IDF: Katyusha rockets hit northern town of Carmiel (AP)
15:47 Greece says Israel using 'excessive' and 'pointless' force (AP)
15:51 20 people wounded when Katyushas fall on Safed (Haaretz)
15:55 Lebanese minister says Beirut wants 'comprehensive cease-fire' with Israel (Reuters)
16:28 Representative dollar exchange rate set at $1 / NIS 4.4960 (Haaretz)
16:31 Knesset official: Israel plans to strike highway linking Beirut to Damascus (Reuters)
16:38 Int'l Committee of the Red Cross: Gaza humanitarian situation is precarious (Reuters)
16:40 EU's Solana planning Mideast trip in effort to stem Israel-Lebanon violence (AP)
These were the Ha'aretz news tickers over the space of the last 24 hours or so. Perhaps not so strangely, there's more unity in Israel today than there has been since - well, probably since the day we all realised Sharon wasn't ever going to snap out of it and wake up. There hasn't been unity over the Palestinian issue(s), or the disengagement fallout, or - oh wait, there was that classic moment when nobody wanted the French to win the World Cup, but does that really count?
The thing is, the Israelis really don't want to harm the majority of the Lebanese, and the majority of the Lebanese really don't want to harm the Israelis. This isn't a war - or even a 'high-strength crisis' - between peoples. Solana's planning a trip to stem a problem that doesn't exist at that level.
Someone at Ha'aretz really did not have their finger on the Israeli pulse this morning; they published a pro-appeasement editorial entitled "'No' to Lebanon War II" that had over a hundred pretty much unanimous negative responses (including my own):
Title: Haaretz, even I think you're wrong...
Name: Steph
City: Jerusalem
It's horrible to be dragged into war, true, but Israel is being dragged into it, as indeed are the poor Lebanese (most of whom I'm sure neither deserve or want this, and my heart goes out to them too).
Along with most of the other respondents to date, I've watched 'restraint' lead to less and less respect for Israel over the last few years, both amongst extremist Islamists (of which there are a fair number in J'lem) and amongst socialist Europeans (of whom I would normally count myself one). It's also done much to divide Israelis, like it or not. When you're not directly under threat yourself, appeasement sounds like a great idea. It'd be wonderful to see the whole of Israel so relaxed.
Y'know, if you aren't as big as the bully in the playground, acting crazier works wonders.
Title: #19 - not the biggest bully on the playground?
Name: Bruce
City: Amsterdam
Steph closes with, "Y'know, if you aren't as big as the bully in the playground, acting crazier works wonders."
Think about it. Israel is the biggest kid on the playground. It's the bigggest, and not by a little but towering head and shoulders above all the other kids, in terms of military might, economic power, intellectual power and I once thought, moral power. Being the biggest, and still hopefully not a bully (although I am getting my doubts), brings with it enormous responsibility about how you play with the other kids.
This morning I am thinking back to June 1982 when a continuous rain of katushas and the murder of an israeli diplomat in london led to Lebanon I. I received my reserves call-up telephone call late in the night and by the next morning was heading in a tremendous column of troop trucks and flatbeds for tanks and artillery to a staging area along the northern border.
24 years later, almost to the month, I ask myself if history is repeating itself.
Title: Bruce - probably #30
Name: Steph
City: Jerusalem
Yours was a good and thoughtful response, thank you. However - I thought before I wrote, too.
Israel the biggest kid in the playground? No, I have to disagree with you, because Israel isn't defending itself against a single terrorist organization any more. We're dealing with a group of terrorist organizations - not to mention a handful of governments - with a common aim (i.e. the destruction of .il) and apparently with common tactics. It's fairly obvious to most of the population here that if Israel _doesn't_ crush Hezbollah, if Israel _isn't_ severe towards Hamas, the chance of avoiding a full-scale ME war in the very near future is roughly nil.
If it cheers you any, I don't think Israel has any intention of occupying Lebanon whatsoever. And look on the bright side - all the innocent Lebanese and Palestian civilians that never wanted any of this will get a far better deal without the terrorist organizations in their midst.
Title: Haaretz looking stupid
Name: Mike
State: USA
Editoral written before 60 rockets slam Israel and women dies in Naharyia.
Somebody in the Editorial office is feeling/looking pretty stupid right now.
Title: response to "'no' to Lebanon War II"
Name: Lisa
City: Baltimore State: MD
How much land = how much peace?
Did you miss the part about Israel's lack of right to exist, or is not to be recognized, or its COMPLETE destruction as a PRIMARY cause, by one or more various organizations or governments?
Do the bullies stop demanding your lunch money if you give it to them? Nope. They just make it more difficult not to.
Land is Israel's lunch. And, Israel should not have to go without.
Title: Ovadiah ben Avraham
Name: Margie
City: Tel Aviv
When the country is at war it is of no benefit to say we should have a different government with a different policy.
Support Israel, support Tsahal while we are in a crisis situation. We are all in this together.
So that's how it looks from within Israel. How about from the other side? (And no, I don't mean the Ha'aretz editorial writers!)
Get this:
Title: regret from a Lebanese citizen
Name: Rami
State: Lebanon
To all citizens of Israel especially those of the North:
For whatever little its worth as a Lebanese citizen with no control over anything, I express my sincere personal regret and apologies for the unprovoked an inexecusable cross border attack by Hizballah that started this all. I'm sorry for those soldiers that died defending their border, and hope the two kidnapped are released soon.
I also express my personal regret and embarrasment at having a weak divided in fighting government that cannot control Hizballah and the security of its borders.
Dont get me wrong, I am a Lebanese citizen and a patriot, not a traitor, and the second Israeli soldiers are in our land like now I will support resistance to them 100% as I did before 2000, but this time Hizballah started the aggression in a big way and with no right.
Just because you saw some Lebanese celebrating their aggression (some people are stuck in the past and are blinded by their hate and mistrust for Israel), it doesnt mean all Lebanese support them. In fact Hizballah are losing more and more support every day outside their core base and people see that they are bringing nothing but ruin. Once the dust settles, I sincerely hope things will be very different with Hizballah's support and arrogant posture.
To all reading this in Lebanon especially South, and Israel especially North, stay safe. To Israelis, please remember the tens of innocent Lebanese that are dying from your military response, the thousands that will have to live with no electricity and no way to get from A to B (destroyed roads/bridges/airport) and who will lose their livelihood.
To all cheerleaders for both sides from outside the Middle East, especially those in Europe, USA, and Canada, the ignorance and bias of 99% of you to whichever side makes me sick. You are not helping the situation at all, you never have, and it seems you never will. You are not impressing anyone with your very limited knowledge of the region and its people. Nothing your countries have ever done has helped the security situation in the Middle East for Arabs or for Israelis so go away and mind your own business. Things are ugly enough without you adding to it.
May this madness end soon, may all prisoners be released, and may all innocents that died rest in peace.
Rami was far from alone in these sentiments. You can flick through the talkbacks if you catch today's articles before they're archived, and you'll see (among the usual Israel-bashing messages from Palestinians, Europeans and left-wing Americans) items like this: "As a Lebanese citizen, i am greatly against what Hizbullah have done..." "Just like many Lebanese , I woke up pretty mad yesterday when I learned about Hezbollah's stupid actions..." "Everyone reading this should know that most of the Lebanese are against the acts Hizbollah have done..." The only problem was the Lebanese, on the whole, didn't understand why they - as civilians - should be attacked alongside Hezbollah. (A handful did, which is amazing.) One girl in particular, Norah, wrote a heart-breaking letter from Beirut about the situation there, about the children that died today, about the troubles the Lebanese people have already survived; their humanity; their hopes for peace.
The concept of communal responsibility is very deeply rooted here, both in Judaism and in Israeli society as a whole. If my brother is a criminal, I share his shame (which is also his - and my - punishment). So it sounds harsh outside this arena; but it's also a concept of socio-political reality that has kept the Jewish people as one throughout the milleniums. One Israeli talkback contributor explained it to the unhappy, peace-loving, innocent Lebanese lass as well as she knew how, totally without ill-will, and with a heartfelt plea of her own at the end:
Title: Dear Norah and Lebanese People,
Name: Michelle
City: Jerusalem
PLEASE take serious action to rid yourselves of Hizbullah, bc we sincerely do not want to hurt you. I know the prevailing sentiment in Israel towards Lebanon is one of peace - it seems only stumbling blocks that hold back our friendship, but those stumbling blocks are actually nuclear bombs and you are allowing them to fester. YOU must kick Hizbullah out, we can't do that anymore than we can establish infrastructure and industry for the Palestinians with their aid money - we have to HOPE they will do that rather than continue to steal it from their people. We also cannot force our will on you, bc you are a sovreign nation. Only you have the power to boot Hizbullah and I'm sorry to say but you have been apathetic and allowed their presence - you must revolt if necessary to accomplish this because it will transform Lebanon into the most progressive nation in the Middle East, as it once was, and ensure you all quality of life forever.
Please kick Hizbullah out and make peace with us.
I can only hope poor Norah knew what to make of that. She sounded very young; I suspect she'll have been happier with the response from a boy in Tel Aviv:
Title: Norah's dream
Name: Michael
City: Tel Aviv
Salaam to you Norah. I hope to visit you one day.
And so say all of us.
16:11 PM meets parents of abducted soldier Gilad Shalit; atmosphere 'unpleasant' (Haaretz)
16:25 U.S. diplomat: Capture of soldiers on Lebanese border 'very dangerous' (AP)
16:27 UN Secretary General Kofi Annan urges restraint in the Middle East (AP)
17:12 IDF: 3 soldiers were killed in Hezbollah attack Wednesday morning (Haaretz)
17:42 Nasrallah: Kidnapped IDF soldiers are in remote and secure place (Channel 2)
17:44 Nasrallah: Prisoner exchange is only way to secure IDF soldiers' release (Channel 2)
17:46 Nasrallah: The attack on Israel was a message (Channel 2)
17:48 Nasrallah: Military operation will not free captured soldiers (Channel 2)
17:49 Nasrallah: I'm not asking for a ceasefire, but I support bringing calm (Channel 2)
17:52 Peretz: This incident must end with Hezbollah regretting that it started it (Haaretz)
17:54 Nasrallah: If Israel wants confrontation, it should be ready for surprises (Channel 2)
17:56 Rice: Hezbollah's capture of Israeli soldiers undermines regional stability (Reuters)
17:57 Nasrallah calls for indirect negotiations on prisoner exchange (Channel 2)
17:58 Rice: Syria should press for a 'positive outcome' (Reuters)
17:58 Nasrallah: We don't want to drag region into war (Channel 2)
18:20 IDF: Four soldiers apparently killed when tank hit mine over Lebanon (Haaretz)
18:29 GOC Northern Command: Want to push back Hezbollah, no plans to involve Syria (AP)
18:47 Israeli stock market plunges following news of Hezbollah border attack (AP)
19:24 Representative dollar rate set at $1 / NIS 4.4340 (Haaretz)
19:34 Qassam rocket lands in open field near Kibbutz Be'eri, in south, causing fire (Haaretz)
19:42 NRP-National Union says ready to join national emergency government (Haaretz)
19:44 Union of guest houses say tourists canceling reservations in north (Channel 2)
19:49 Israel to UN: Lebanon should be held responsible for Hezbollah's actions (AP)
20:27 U.S. blames Iran and Syria for Hezbollah kidnapping of two Israeli soldiers (AP)
20:32 Arab League foreign ministers may meet over violence in Lebanon (Reuters)
20:38 Lebanon gov't rejects blame for soldiers' abduction, distances itself from raid (AP)
20:45 Palestinian medical officials: IAF airstrike kills five Palestinians (AP)
21:21 Hamas: Hezbollah abduction of IDF soldiers is 'heroic operation' (Reuters)
21:52 Lebanese officials: IAF attacked guerrilla base 16 kilometers south of Beirut (AP)
22:08 IAF strikes Palestinian base near Beirut (AP)
22:08 Hezbollah says it destroyed second IDF tank attempting to cross border (AP)
22:09 Names of 2 felled soldiers released: Shani Turgeman, 24, and Eyal Benin, 22 (Haaretz)
22:30 Palestinians fire mortar shell, anti-tank missile at troops in central Gaza (Israel Radio)
22:32 Soldier who tried to extract troops from burning tank dies of his wounds (Israel Radio)
22:39 Qatar circulates revised draft resolution condemning Israel's Gaza offensive (AP)
22:46 Special cabinet meeting in Tel Aviv concludes (Israel Radio)
22:53 Red Cross requests Hezbollah permit it access to two abducted IDF soldiers (AP)
23:02 Herzog: We'll respond to Hezbollah appropriately, steps are planned (Israel Radio)
23:29 IDF troops arrest 2 unarmed infiltrators north of Mt. Harif near Egyptian border (Itim)
23:43 Cabinet says it has authorized 'severe' response to Hezbollah raid (Reuters)
23:57 7 Hamas members nabbed in Hebron believed behind several attacks on IDF (Itim)
01:10 Police heighten alert level in major towns due to events in north (Israel Radio)
01:12 IDF releases name of soldier killed in north: Wassim Salah Nazal, 25 (Israel Radio)
01:53 IAF jets destroy Palestinian foreign ministry building in Gaza City (AP)
02:13 Hezbollah rejects Red Cross request to visit abducted IDF soldiers (Israel Radio)
02:14 Mortar shells land near northern border with Lebanon; no injuries (Israel Radio)
02:41 IDF shells bridges, Hezbollah military posts in Lebanese territory (Haaretz)
02:42 Three Palestinians residing near Foreign Ministry building wounded in IAF strike (AP)
02:50 Two soldiers killed in tank blast named as Alexei Kushinski and Yaniv Baron (Haaretz)
04:05 Palestinian medics: 13 people injured in IAF strike on PA foreign ministry building (AP)
04:08 PA Foreign Ministry spokesman: Israel is carrying out 'organized terrorism' (AP)
04:53 Islamic Jihad militant killed, another wounded in an IAF strike in southern Gaza (AP)
05:07 Dozens of attack warnings prompt police to work longer shifts (Israel Radio)
06:06 Kiryat Shmona summer-camps, city market cancelled for fear of rockets (Israel Radio)
06:23 Katyusha rockets land near Mt. Meron in the north, no injuries reported (Israel Radio)
06:35 IAF fires 3 missiles on runway at Beirut international airport (Reuters)
06:47 Beirut airport security: Beirut airport closed following IAF strike (Reuters)
07:23 Katyusha rocket hits northern town of Nahariya (Reuters)
07:26 Death toll rises to 20 in IDF raid on Lebanon, including 19 civilians (AP)
07:31 Northern resident, 60, lightly wounded from rocket shrapnel (Haaretz)
07:34 IDF confirms air strike on Beirut airport runway (Reuters)
07:35 Three people wounded in Katyusha attack on Nahariya (Haaretz)
07:48 At least 12 Israelis wounded when Katyusha hits Nahariya house (Haaretz)
07:49 Qassam rocket fired at western Negev; no injuries (Haaretz)
07:58 Woman killed in Nahariya in Katyusha rocket attack (Haaretz)
08:15 Report: IAF attacks target in Hezbollah stronghold in Beirut (Reuters)
08:35 IAF aircraft hits Hezbollah TV station in Beirut, 6 hurt (Reuters)
08:54 Palestinians fire anti-tank missile at IDF position in south Gaza; no injuries (Itim)
09:03 Beirut-bound planes diverted to Cyprus (AP)
09:37 29 injured in Katyusha attack on Nahariya, including one in serious condition (Haaretz)
09:53 Nahariya residents leave city en masse in response to rocket attack (Israel Radio)
10:09 Katyusha rockets fired by Hezbollah pound Mount Meron (Israel Radio)
10:15 Israel intends to impose sea and air blockade on Lebanon (Army Radio)
10:20 More than 60 Katyusha rockets fired at Israel since Thursday morning (Haaretz)
10:21 Electricity shut off in parts of Galilee (Haaretz)
10:33 IDF: Navy vessels in Lebanese waters blocking seaports (Reuters)
10:46 Peretz: Israel won't let Hezbollah operatives return to their border posts (Israel Radio)
10:57 France calls IDF offensive 'disproportionate act of war' (Reuters)
11:01 Galilee vacation village, Gonen, evacuates tourists (Haaretz)
11:23 Egyptian airline cancels Sinai flight to Israel (Reuters)
11:24 36 civilians reported dead in IDF raid on Lebanon (Reuters)
11:35 Al-Jazeera: Number of dead in IAF attack on Lebanon rises to 47 (Israel Radio)
11:54 Russia: Israeli attacks and Hezbollah abduction are 'equally unacceptable' (AP)
12:24 IDF says it arrested 2 Palestinians last month over plan to abduct soldiers (Haaretz)
12:35 Firefighting forces trying to control large fire on Mount Meron (Haaretz)
12:36 Nature reserves in Galilee, Golan Heights closed due to escalation on border (Haaretz)
12:41 Katyusha lands in Safed; no injuries reported (Haaretz)
12:42 U.S. calls for restraint in Mideast, but says Israel has right to defend itself (Reuters)
12:45 IDF threatens to strike Beirut residential areas following attacks inside Israel (Haaretz)
13:11 Nahariya emergency hotline: 04-9879801 or 04-9879811 (Israel Radio)
13:12 Body of soldier recovered from tank that hit mine in Lebanon (Haaretz)
13:13 Kiryat Shmona court temporarily shuts down due to escalation of violence (Haaretz)
13:15 Spain condemns kidnapping of Israeli soldiers, calls for restraint (AP)
13:26 Dichter tells Al-Jazeera government apologizes for deaths of innocents (Itim)
13:29 IDF chief says no targets in Lebanon are immune, including city of Beirut (AP)
13:30 Hamas officials try to revive Egyptian mediation for prisoner swap with Israel (AP)
13:58 Bush vows support for Israel, slams Hezbollah for thwarting Mideast peace efforts (AP)
13:59 IDF chief: This is not war, but a high-strength crisis (Haaretz)
14:01 Bush: Israel has right to defend itself, but should not weaken Beirut gov't (Reuters)
14:01 Lebanon recalls envoy to U.S. for comments over prisoner swap (AP)
14:10 Halutz: The Lebanese government must understand its inaction has a price (Haaretz)
14:21 Palestinian tells IDF he was shot while working on tractor in West Bank (Haaretz)
14:25 Hezbollah threatens to attack Haifa (Reuters)
14:28 Bush: Iran 'can't wait us out' in nuclear dispute (Reuters)
14:37 Katyushas fall in Safed commercial center; casualties reported (Haaretz)
14:40 Two casualties in Safed absorption center after city hit by Katyushas (Haaretz)
14:41 Death toll from IDF raid in Lebanon rises to 52 civilians (Reuters)
14:44 Abbas says Israeli incursion into Lebanon raises fears of regional war (AP)
14:51 EU calls on all sides to halt renewed violence in Middle East (AP)
14:59 Ten wounded in Safed absorption center after 4 Katyushas hit building (Haaretz)
15:04 Katyusha rocket lands in northern town of Hatzur (Haaretz)
15:06 11 wounded in Safed Katyusha strike, including one in serious condition (Haaretz)
15:08 Raging fire on Mount Meron consumes hundreds of dunams (Haaretz)
15:21 Cyprus to fly out its citizens in Lebanon through Syria (Reuters)
15:22 Katyusha hits Upper Galilee village of Majdal Qrum; several wounded (Haaretz)
15:30 Kidnapped IDF soldiers named as Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev (Haaretz)
15:40 Palestinians hurl firebomb at Israeli bus near Bethlehem; no injuries (Itim)
15:40 IDF: Katyusha rockets hit northern town of Carmiel (AP)
15:47 Greece says Israel using 'excessive' and 'pointless' force (AP)
15:51 20 people wounded when Katyushas fall on Safed (Haaretz)
15:55 Lebanese minister says Beirut wants 'comprehensive cease-fire' with Israel (Reuters)
16:28 Representative dollar exchange rate set at $1 / NIS 4.4960 (Haaretz)
16:31 Knesset official: Israel plans to strike highway linking Beirut to Damascus (Reuters)
16:38 Int'l Committee of the Red Cross: Gaza humanitarian situation is precarious (Reuters)
16:40 EU's Solana planning Mideast trip in effort to stem Israel-Lebanon violence (AP)
These were the Ha'aretz news tickers over the space of the last 24 hours or so. Perhaps not so strangely, there's more unity in Israel today than there has been since - well, probably since the day we all realised Sharon wasn't ever going to snap out of it and wake up. There hasn't been unity over the Palestinian issue(s), or the disengagement fallout, or - oh wait, there was that classic moment when nobody wanted the French to win the World Cup, but does that really count?
The thing is, the Israelis really don't want to harm the majority of the Lebanese, and the majority of the Lebanese really don't want to harm the Israelis. This isn't a war - or even a 'high-strength crisis' - between peoples. Solana's planning a trip to stem a problem that doesn't exist at that level.
Someone at Ha'aretz really did not have their finger on the Israeli pulse this morning; they published a pro-appeasement editorial entitled "'No' to Lebanon War II" that had over a hundred pretty much unanimous negative responses (including my own):
Title: Haaretz, even I think you're wrong...
Name: Steph
City: Jerusalem
It's horrible to be dragged into war, true, but Israel is being dragged into it, as indeed are the poor Lebanese (most of whom I'm sure neither deserve or want this, and my heart goes out to them too).
Along with most of the other respondents to date, I've watched 'restraint' lead to less and less respect for Israel over the last few years, both amongst extremist Islamists (of which there are a fair number in J'lem) and amongst socialist Europeans (of whom I would normally count myself one). It's also done much to divide Israelis, like it or not. When you're not directly under threat yourself, appeasement sounds like a great idea. It'd be wonderful to see the whole of Israel so relaxed.
Y'know, if you aren't as big as the bully in the playground, acting crazier works wonders.
Title: #19 - not the biggest bully on the playground?
Name: Bruce
City: Amsterdam
Steph closes with, "Y'know, if you aren't as big as the bully in the playground, acting crazier works wonders."
Think about it. Israel is the biggest kid on the playground. It's the bigggest, and not by a little but towering head and shoulders above all the other kids, in terms of military might, economic power, intellectual power and I once thought, moral power. Being the biggest, and still hopefully not a bully (although I am getting my doubts), brings with it enormous responsibility about how you play with the other kids.
This morning I am thinking back to June 1982 when a continuous rain of katushas and the murder of an israeli diplomat in london led to Lebanon I. I received my reserves call-up telephone call late in the night and by the next morning was heading in a tremendous column of troop trucks and flatbeds for tanks and artillery to a staging area along the northern border.
24 years later, almost to the month, I ask myself if history is repeating itself.
Title: Bruce - probably #30
Name: Steph
City: Jerusalem
Yours was a good and thoughtful response, thank you. However - I thought before I wrote, too.
Israel the biggest kid in the playground? No, I have to disagree with you, because Israel isn't defending itself against a single terrorist organization any more. We're dealing with a group of terrorist organizations - not to mention a handful of governments - with a common aim (i.e. the destruction of .il) and apparently with common tactics. It's fairly obvious to most of the population here that if Israel _doesn't_ crush Hezbollah, if Israel _isn't_ severe towards Hamas, the chance of avoiding a full-scale ME war in the very near future is roughly nil.
If it cheers you any, I don't think Israel has any intention of occupying Lebanon whatsoever. And look on the bright side - all the innocent Lebanese and Palestian civilians that never wanted any of this will get a far better deal without the terrorist organizations in their midst.
Title: Haaretz looking stupid
Name: Mike
State: USA
Editoral written before 60 rockets slam Israel and women dies in Naharyia.
Somebody in the Editorial office is feeling/looking pretty stupid right now.
Title: response to "'no' to Lebanon War II"
Name: Lisa
City: Baltimore State: MD
How much land = how much peace?
Did you miss the part about Israel's lack of right to exist, or is not to be recognized, or its COMPLETE destruction as a PRIMARY cause, by one or more various organizations or governments?
Do the bullies stop demanding your lunch money if you give it to them? Nope. They just make it more difficult not to.
Land is Israel's lunch. And, Israel should not have to go without.
Title: Ovadiah ben Avraham
Name: Margie
City: Tel Aviv
When the country is at war it is of no benefit to say we should have a different government with a different policy.
Support Israel, support Tsahal while we are in a crisis situation. We are all in this together.
So that's how it looks from within Israel. How about from the other side? (And no, I don't mean the Ha'aretz editorial writers!)
Get this:
Title: regret from a Lebanese citizen
Name: Rami
State: Lebanon
To all citizens of Israel especially those of the North:
For whatever little its worth as a Lebanese citizen with no control over anything, I express my sincere personal regret and apologies for the unprovoked an inexecusable cross border attack by Hizballah that started this all. I'm sorry for those soldiers that died defending their border, and hope the two kidnapped are released soon.
I also express my personal regret and embarrasment at having a weak divided in fighting government that cannot control Hizballah and the security of its borders.
Dont get me wrong, I am a Lebanese citizen and a patriot, not a traitor, and the second Israeli soldiers are in our land like now I will support resistance to them 100% as I did before 2000, but this time Hizballah started the aggression in a big way and with no right.
Just because you saw some Lebanese celebrating their aggression (some people are stuck in the past and are blinded by their hate and mistrust for Israel), it doesnt mean all Lebanese support them. In fact Hizballah are losing more and more support every day outside their core base and people see that they are bringing nothing but ruin. Once the dust settles, I sincerely hope things will be very different with Hizballah's support and arrogant posture.
To all reading this in Lebanon especially South, and Israel especially North, stay safe. To Israelis, please remember the tens of innocent Lebanese that are dying from your military response, the thousands that will have to live with no electricity and no way to get from A to B (destroyed roads/bridges/airport) and who will lose their livelihood.
To all cheerleaders for both sides from outside the Middle East, especially those in Europe, USA, and Canada, the ignorance and bias of 99% of you to whichever side makes me sick. You are not helping the situation at all, you never have, and it seems you never will. You are not impressing anyone with your very limited knowledge of the region and its people. Nothing your countries have ever done has helped the security situation in the Middle East for Arabs or for Israelis so go away and mind your own business. Things are ugly enough without you adding to it.
May this madness end soon, may all prisoners be released, and may all innocents that died rest in peace.
Rami was far from alone in these sentiments. You can flick through the talkbacks if you catch today's articles before they're archived, and you'll see (among the usual Israel-bashing messages from Palestinians, Europeans and left-wing Americans) items like this: "As a Lebanese citizen, i am greatly against what Hizbullah have done..." "Just like many Lebanese , I woke up pretty mad yesterday when I learned about Hezbollah's stupid actions..." "Everyone reading this should know that most of the Lebanese are against the acts Hizbollah have done..." The only problem was the Lebanese, on the whole, didn't understand why they - as civilians - should be attacked alongside Hezbollah. (A handful did, which is amazing.) One girl in particular, Norah, wrote a heart-breaking letter from Beirut about the situation there, about the children that died today, about the troubles the Lebanese people have already survived; their humanity; their hopes for peace.
The concept of communal responsibility is very deeply rooted here, both in Judaism and in Israeli society as a whole. If my brother is a criminal, I share his shame (which is also his - and my - punishment). So it sounds harsh outside this arena; but it's also a concept of socio-political reality that has kept the Jewish people as one throughout the milleniums. One Israeli talkback contributor explained it to the unhappy, peace-loving, innocent Lebanese lass as well as she knew how, totally without ill-will, and with a heartfelt plea of her own at the end:
Title: Dear Norah and Lebanese People,
Name: Michelle
City: Jerusalem
PLEASE take serious action to rid yourselves of Hizbullah, bc we sincerely do not want to hurt you. I know the prevailing sentiment in Israel towards Lebanon is one of peace - it seems only stumbling blocks that hold back our friendship, but those stumbling blocks are actually nuclear bombs and you are allowing them to fester. YOU must kick Hizbullah out, we can't do that anymore than we can establish infrastructure and industry for the Palestinians with their aid money - we have to HOPE they will do that rather than continue to steal it from their people. We also cannot force our will on you, bc you are a sovreign nation. Only you have the power to boot Hizbullah and I'm sorry to say but you have been apathetic and allowed their presence - you must revolt if necessary to accomplish this because it will transform Lebanon into the most progressive nation in the Middle East, as it once was, and ensure you all quality of life forever.
Please kick Hizbullah out and make peace with us.
I can only hope poor Norah knew what to make of that. She sounded very young; I suspect she'll have been happier with the response from a boy in Tel Aviv:
Title: Norah's dream
Name: Michael
City: Tel Aviv
Salaam to you Norah. I hope to visit you one day.
And so say all of us.
Monday, April 24, 2006
In it for the long haul
It's been a while since I posted anything here, and I got told off for it a couple of evenings ago when a French friend of mine, Noel, turned up back in Jerusalem. Check out his blog if you want to see why some of us love it so much here, he has pics of his new home in Jerusalem (and also of the new baby that prevented him coming straight to the bar on arrival back here).
OK, so there's been a lot going down during the gap since my last post. There were the Israeli elections for a start. Nobody knew who to vote for, they're all so used to having Ariel Sharon take control and there wasn't - really wasn't - any good option to replace him. So they hid their heads in the sand, and I'm told (and can fully believe) that this is absolutely not standard behaviour at election time. I sat in Mike's the night before the election and watched as one Israeli after another came in and burst out with 'The election is tomorrow and nobody is talking about it!' - but this was literally the night before. The one thing everyone could agree over was that it was important to vote. They just didn't know who to vote for.
The day after the election I met someone who failed to vote (because he didn't know who to vote for). You need to remember there are only 6 million people in Israel, and - given that it's a youthful country - that means there are probably around 3.5 million voters here. So individual voting patterns actually matter, and the guy who didn't vote was practically giving himself the sackcloth and ashes treatment over his failure. I said something soothing about Olmert's record as Mayor of Jerusalem - a lot of people here appreciate what he did for the city during his 5 year stint - but you could tell it wasn't helping much. There must be a lot of Israelis quietly promising themselves never to skip out on an election again; the turnout was spectacularly low, and the winner was the one party most people I met agreed they didn't want.
What else went down? Sickness - Denise's, Mike's, my own. I've seen the inside of more Israeli hospitals over the last few weeks... mostly through Denise, because I didn't know Mike had been hospitalized until after he was released. I did notice he was missing - he's someone you'd notice is missing - but when I asked, nobody else knew where he was either. Must've been sudden, is all. My own issue was mouth-related; I literally burned away most of my lower gum doing something it distinctly says not to do on the TCP bottle in an attempt to cure a relatively minor infection, and spent Pesach chewing bloodily on matza through a haze of painkillers as a result. Note: I don't recommend it.
Pesach, by the way, is the closest thing I've seen here to Christmas, inasmuch as the entire country closes down for a fortnight. It would've been nicer if I'd realised this was going to happen; I didn't, and it was only through sheer luck that I found out the day before the country shut down and not the day after. Keren came to my rescue with most of my March paypacket at incredibly short notice, for which I'm both grateful and guilty. Without her intervention, I'd have had nothing to buy painkillers with :-
Denise got us both invited to a seder, which I'm also very grateful for, having since discovered that it's all anybody talks about for the next two days! We went to a religious household, and the young couple who hosted us were kind enough to spend some time explaining the proceedings to me and pretend not to notice when I bled on my matza. I became vaguely useful to them when their kitchen set on fire; apparently they needed a non-Jew to put out the flames. I still haven't figured that one out; it wasn't like Shabbat, there was food actively being cooked at the time. But there are rules for everything in Judaism... 613 commandments rather than the 10 the Christian West (think we) know about, or the 7 that Judaism says non-Jews actually need to live by.
Half Israel goes for a proper holiday following the seder, and Denise - after umming and aahing over it for a few days, because she really has not been well - booked herself a last-minute flight to Paris. So I've had the flat to myself for the last week, which made it possible to put everything I own to soak in the bath, and the weather was even good enough to let me dry most of it. Pretty much everything winter-related - jackets, duvet, blankets, scarves, gloves - is now in storage as a result. Cue today's rain, but hey, at least it's warm rain!
And then there was the second, and this time lethal, bombing of Felafel Rosh Ha`ir over in Tel Aviv. Probably not the last we'll see in Israel this summer; I'm not the first to notice that suicide bombers only attack on sunny days.
OK, so there's been a lot going down during the gap since my last post. There were the Israeli elections for a start. Nobody knew who to vote for, they're all so used to having Ariel Sharon take control and there wasn't - really wasn't - any good option to replace him. So they hid their heads in the sand, and I'm told (and can fully believe) that this is absolutely not standard behaviour at election time. I sat in Mike's the night before the election and watched as one Israeli after another came in and burst out with 'The election is tomorrow and nobody is talking about it!' - but this was literally the night before. The one thing everyone could agree over was that it was important to vote. They just didn't know who to vote for.
The day after the election I met someone who failed to vote (because he didn't know who to vote for). You need to remember there are only 6 million people in Israel, and - given that it's a youthful country - that means there are probably around 3.5 million voters here. So individual voting patterns actually matter, and the guy who didn't vote was practically giving himself the sackcloth and ashes treatment over his failure. I said something soothing about Olmert's record as Mayor of Jerusalem - a lot of people here appreciate what he did for the city during his 5 year stint - but you could tell it wasn't helping much. There must be a lot of Israelis quietly promising themselves never to skip out on an election again; the turnout was spectacularly low, and the winner was the one party most people I met agreed they didn't want.
What else went down? Sickness - Denise's, Mike's, my own. I've seen the inside of more Israeli hospitals over the last few weeks... mostly through Denise, because I didn't know Mike had been hospitalized until after he was released. I did notice he was missing - he's someone you'd notice is missing - but when I asked, nobody else knew where he was either. Must've been sudden, is all. My own issue was mouth-related; I literally burned away most of my lower gum doing something it distinctly says not to do on the TCP bottle in an attempt to cure a relatively minor infection, and spent Pesach chewing bloodily on matza through a haze of painkillers as a result. Note: I don't recommend it.
Pesach, by the way, is the closest thing I've seen here to Christmas, inasmuch as the entire country closes down for a fortnight. It would've been nicer if I'd realised this was going to happen; I didn't, and it was only through sheer luck that I found out the day before the country shut down and not the day after. Keren came to my rescue with most of my March paypacket at incredibly short notice, for which I'm both grateful and guilty. Without her intervention, I'd have had nothing to buy painkillers with :-
Denise got us both invited to a seder, which I'm also very grateful for, having since discovered that it's all anybody talks about for the next two days! We went to a religious household, and the young couple who hosted us were kind enough to spend some time explaining the proceedings to me and pretend not to notice when I bled on my matza. I became vaguely useful to them when their kitchen set on fire; apparently they needed a non-Jew to put out the flames. I still haven't figured that one out; it wasn't like Shabbat, there was food actively being cooked at the time. But there are rules for everything in Judaism... 613 commandments rather than the 10 the Christian West (think we) know about, or the 7 that Judaism says non-Jews actually need to live by.
Half Israel goes for a proper holiday following the seder, and Denise - after umming and aahing over it for a few days, because she really has not been well - booked herself a last-minute flight to Paris. So I've had the flat to myself for the last week, which made it possible to put everything I own to soak in the bath, and the weather was even good enough to let me dry most of it. Pretty much everything winter-related - jackets, duvet, blankets, scarves, gloves - is now in storage as a result. Cue today's rain, but hey, at least it's warm rain!
And then there was the second, and this time lethal, bombing of Felafel Rosh Ha`ir over in Tel Aviv. Probably not the last we'll see in Israel this summer; I'm not the first to notice that suicide bombers only attack on sunny days.
Saturday, February 11, 2006
But is it funny?*
Jerusalem's a strange place, primarily because it's so close to the edge of chaos. It's a place where entire civilizations regularly collide and occasionally have been known to collapse, and everyone here is aware of that. So in general Jerusalem is a gentle place despite all its hard edges, because the option is to be totally unforgiving; totally prejudiced; totally in fear of 'the other'. And that means that here - maybe even more than in Europe - people tend to be very careful when it comes to respecting each others' religious sensitivities.
So tonight I'm in a bar I tend to regard as Jewish, and I'm on a roll, I'm mouthing off about that whole thing with the Mohammed cartoons, and I'm demanding loudly to know exactly where these impoverished Arab street types get all their flags from? I mean, it's not like it's warm in the winter here and we all know there's not a lot of money in the Palestinian controlled areas... so what's this all about, when you look in the linen cupboard and there's nary a blanket in sight but there are hundreds of flags just in case some new Jihad's declared? Do Islamic fundamentalist mamas sell their hair to buy a new multi-pack of international flags just in case little Ahmed needs to burn one at some point? Or do they walk into the mosque and the imam hands out new flags and tells them this is the latest enemy? Y'know, I kind of almost, nearly, understand the hysterical hatred of one warring side for another, but that whole thing of where the flags come from somehow passes me by...
So that was my theme, and it seemed to be going fairly well, except that the Israelis working in the bar tonight were glancing across at a co-worker and then back at me, and they weren't laughing.
These are the people that renamed their Brain Haemhorrage cocktail in honour of Ariel Sharon recently, so it's not like they're delicate or anything.
These are the guys that came out with "Knock knock/Who's there?/Interrupting cow/InterrupMOOting cow MOO who?" - they're fine with 'silly'.
Their cook's from East Jerusalem. Ah. And it's way too late for me to pretend he just misheard me. So I asked him outright whether he keeps any flags in his linen cupboard at home, and thankfully he laughed and said he only keeps a single white one for emergencies. Better still, he told me this true story. He was walking down the street in East Jerusalem a week or so back and there was a flag stretched across his path. "So did you walk on it?" I asked, interested. "Of course..." - and the way he said it, you could hear how much this is 'expected behaviour'. It would've been a problem for him to ignore it. So he was walking over this flag in the street and, as he was trampling it, realised he had no idea which country it represented. So he went home and turned on the news, and now he even knows where Denmark is...
And now the Israelis in that particular bar are allowed to talk about all that stuff too, so I guess something good came of my big mouth for once.
*Of course it's not funny, these are Danish political cartoons!
So tonight I'm in a bar I tend to regard as Jewish, and I'm on a roll, I'm mouthing off about that whole thing with the Mohammed cartoons, and I'm demanding loudly to know exactly where these impoverished Arab street types get all their flags from? I mean, it's not like it's warm in the winter here and we all know there's not a lot of money in the Palestinian controlled areas... so what's this all about, when you look in the linen cupboard and there's nary a blanket in sight but there are hundreds of flags just in case some new Jihad's declared? Do Islamic fundamentalist mamas sell their hair to buy a new multi-pack of international flags just in case little Ahmed needs to burn one at some point? Or do they walk into the mosque and the imam hands out new flags and tells them this is the latest enemy? Y'know, I kind of almost, nearly, understand the hysterical hatred of one warring side for another, but that whole thing of where the flags come from somehow passes me by...
So that was my theme, and it seemed to be going fairly well, except that the Israelis working in the bar tonight were glancing across at a co-worker and then back at me, and they weren't laughing.
These are the people that renamed their Brain Haemhorrage cocktail in honour of Ariel Sharon recently, so it's not like they're delicate or anything.
These are the guys that came out with "Knock knock/Who's there?/Interrupting cow/InterrupMOOting cow MOO who?" - they're fine with 'silly'.
Their cook's from East Jerusalem. Ah. And it's way too late for me to pretend he just misheard me. So I asked him outright whether he keeps any flags in his linen cupboard at home, and thankfully he laughed and said he only keeps a single white one for emergencies. Better still, he told me this true story. He was walking down the street in East Jerusalem a week or so back and there was a flag stretched across his path. "So did you walk on it?" I asked, interested. "Of course..." - and the way he said it, you could hear how much this is 'expected behaviour'. It would've been a problem for him to ignore it. So he was walking over this flag in the street and, as he was trampling it, realised he had no idea which country it represented. So he went home and turned on the news, and now he even knows where Denmark is...
And now the Israelis in that particular bar are allowed to talk about all that stuff too, so I guess something good came of my big mouth for once.
*Of course it's not funny, these are Danish political cartoons!
Wednesday, February 01, 2006
No future
OK so here's the way I'm seeing things right now.
Hamas got into power in the Palestinian Areas a couple of weeks ago, and I genuinely believe that most of the people that voted for them did so because they're good in local government. Most of them.
I also believe that most of them would _not_ have voted for Hamas if they'd anticipated their being in control of their 'national' government.
Doesn't every place screw up this way, some time or another?
But the problem is Hamas themselves, who now have a mandate, and whose external ticket is pure homicide - toward Jews in particular, but also toward anyone else not part of Islam.
And the Arab states are wetting themselves through joy, and the rest are wetting themselves through fear.
If the West drops PA funding because Hamas is what it is, Muslim fundamentalist states will pick up the tab. And I truly believe that will lead us all directly to World War III (the official version).
If the West doesn't drop PA funding because it thinks Hamas doesn't really mean it, there will be a localised war between Israel and the PA areas. Maybe not immediately, but very soon. This will eventually lead to World War III (the official version).
So call me an optimist...
Hamas got into power in the Palestinian Areas a couple of weeks ago, and I genuinely believe that most of the people that voted for them did so because they're good in local government. Most of them.
I also believe that most of them would _not_ have voted for Hamas if they'd anticipated their being in control of their 'national' government.
Doesn't every place screw up this way, some time or another?
But the problem is Hamas themselves, who now have a mandate, and whose external ticket is pure homicide - toward Jews in particular, but also toward anyone else not part of Islam.
And the Arab states are wetting themselves through joy, and the rest are wetting themselves through fear.
If the West drops PA funding because Hamas is what it is, Muslim fundamentalist states will pick up the tab. And I truly believe that will lead us all directly to World War III (the official version).
If the West doesn't drop PA funding because it thinks Hamas doesn't really mean it, there will be a localised war between Israel and the PA areas. Maybe not immediately, but very soon. This will eventually lead to World War III (the official version).
So call me an optimist...
Monday, January 16, 2006
World gone mad
I've been watching events unfold in Hebron with my eyes popping, and tonight I think the nadir was reached. The headline in Ha'aretz currently reads 'Jewish Hebron areas are a closed military zone'.
The situation in Hebron has the potential to divide Israel, much much more than the Gaza pullout ever did. This isn't one of those hilltop settlements with football-pitch lights; this is a real town, there are no tall walls separating the Jewish contingent from their Arab neighbours there, just a fence that can be broken down. Drive-by shootings are common in the area, but still the religious choose to live there. Why? Because it's somewhere Jews have lived forever; the Tomb of the Patriarchs is in Hebron, the field that Abraham bought so that he could bury Sarah. It's the ancient capital of Israel, the city David ruled from before taking Jebus and re-naming it Jerusalem. The souk that the IDF are trying to evacuate now is Jewish-owned, and has been for the last 200 years. The property legally belongs to the people who are living in it. Even the local Arabs don't dispute that claim.
I don't think anyone likes witnessing the stone-throwing, looting and house-burning antics of the last few days. That's mob behaviour. But it's not the community that are the mob here - it's the crowds who arrived from other areas to offer their support. The locals there say that when that Arab-owned house was set alight, their own people put the fire out. The community leaders appealed to the supporters to stop the violence, and it appears they actually have. Possibly too late; the damage is done and the press, both within and beyond Israel, is terrible.
In the meantime, the local Magistrate's Court have issued an injunction against the evacuation of three of the affected stores, which is an interesting turn of events. It's just as inexplicable as everything else in this mixed-up story. I mean, you can understand why Olmert would want to carry on in Sharon's boots, but could you really see Sharon evacuating Jews from Jewish-owned property in a place of such religious significance? Because I couldn't, and can't.
It seems to me that, assuming this evacuation goes ahead, every single settlement and Jewish area in the West Bank anticipating a relatively secure future will be forced to recognise that that future is gone. Where to from there?
The situation in Hebron has the potential to divide Israel, much much more than the Gaza pullout ever did. This isn't one of those hilltop settlements with football-pitch lights; this is a real town, there are no tall walls separating the Jewish contingent from their Arab neighbours there, just a fence that can be broken down. Drive-by shootings are common in the area, but still the religious choose to live there. Why? Because it's somewhere Jews have lived forever; the Tomb of the Patriarchs is in Hebron, the field that Abraham bought so that he could bury Sarah. It's the ancient capital of Israel, the city David ruled from before taking Jebus and re-naming it Jerusalem. The souk that the IDF are trying to evacuate now is Jewish-owned, and has been for the last 200 years. The property legally belongs to the people who are living in it. Even the local Arabs don't dispute that claim.
I don't think anyone likes witnessing the stone-throwing, looting and house-burning antics of the last few days. That's mob behaviour. But it's not the community that are the mob here - it's the crowds who arrived from other areas to offer their support. The locals there say that when that Arab-owned house was set alight, their own people put the fire out. The community leaders appealed to the supporters to stop the violence, and it appears they actually have. Possibly too late; the damage is done and the press, both within and beyond Israel, is terrible.
In the meantime, the local Magistrate's Court have issued an injunction against the evacuation of three of the affected stores, which is an interesting turn of events. It's just as inexplicable as everything else in this mixed-up story. I mean, you can understand why Olmert would want to carry on in Sharon's boots, but could you really see Sharon evacuating Jews from Jewish-owned property in a place of such religious significance? Because I couldn't, and can't.
It seems to me that, assuming this evacuation goes ahead, every single settlement and Jewish area in the West Bank anticipating a relatively secure future will be forced to recognise that that future is gone. Where to from there?
Friday, January 13, 2006
Desert rain
So I'm in Mike's relatively early one night, because my sleeping pattern's messed up and I was trying to normalize it (up all night and all day, then drink, then go to bed before midnight). Udi - who always drinks early, so I rarely see him - turned up at around 9 and stayed an hour or so, so we got talking. Turns out he's heading out to the Sinai for a business meeting next day. Would I like to join him? 'Course I would...!
That whole sleep thing never worked out; I just went back to Mike Perry's place and sat drinking coffee and watching videos with him until 4am. Udi and his dog Meggi picked me up from the top of our street at 5, and we drove off through the pouring rain. This particular bout of heavy rain had also reached the Judean desert, so instead of taking the obvious route via Jericho and the Dead Sea and risking the boulder-carrying flash floods there, we ended up driving rather nervously via Hebron out in the Territories. So I've seen a few settlements now - and guess what, some of them are old places that look like - and effectively are - real towns. But others look like army camps and have floodlights stationed all around their (electric?) perimeter fences, and those kinds of settlements I think it'd be hard to argue a case for. Not that it stops people trying...
We drove on past Dimona and into the Negev desert, which goes on for miles but changes its geological structure so often it'd be possible to tell where you were from the shape of the mountains, and the colour and texture of the rocks, and the amount and species of growing things - but only if you knew the area really, really well. And it rained all the way, which Never Happens (allegedly).
We left Udi's car in Taba and walked through the crossing (72 shekels to leave Israel, 35 to enter Egypt) just behind three coachloads of Arabs on their holiday outings, so it took a while to get through. In the end I think we went ahead a little because everyone was scared of Meggi (who is tiny and cute); there's no culture of pet ownership in Muslim areas. The rain stopped, and Ahmed met us on the other side to drive us - alarmingly, on the wrong side of the road much of the time - the final 70km to Nuweiba, where Udi's meeting was to take place. It seemed very unreal to be drinking sweet, strong, black tea and sharing a cigarette outside the office with the Bedouin workers there, watching camels and goats and children wandering the streets ad hoc, while somewhere out back of town an imam sang to call the local Muslims to prayer. That glass of tea worked wonders though, and I went for a long walk afterwards to investigate the place.
Fully acclimatised, I arrived back at the office just in time for Udi and Gasser's initial meeting to end, and we all three (four including Meggi) got into a 4WD and went in search of the perfect spot to build something new along the Taba/Nuweiba coastline. We found two I'd have jumped at if I'd been rich, but nothing along the lines the guys were hoping to find; one of my (and Meggi's) favourites was by a hidden dew pond just a step away from the Red Sea beach ('too damp to build on') and the other on a mountain top overlooking Faraon Island/the Saleh el Din castle ('poor access'). By this time Udi was starting to fall apart a little - like most Israelis I know, if he doesn't eat three meals a day he thinks his throat's been cut - and we drove back to Nuweiba in search of food as the sun sank low in the sky. Gasser's folk had been busy during our absence, and we arrived to find 12 other people waiting for us to get there so's the banquet could begin! Salads, breads, dips all sat on the table and were replenished as we went along. The wine - an Egyptian cabernet sauvignon - was sweet, fruity and very very drinkable, and the meat - different kinds of which came around at five-minute intervals - was spicy and succulent. The company was intelligent and amusing, all except me because I'd by now gone 50-something hours without sleep and was struggling some. A Scots couple present produced half a bottle of single malt whisky when the first round of coffee arrived, and Udi responded by producing his bottle of duty-free vodka. Any other time this would've been great news! We got through a platter of fruit and more coffee, then dessert arrived in the form of a cake. By this time my eyes were closing despite my best efforts, and Udi - who was also tired, having been up since 4am - felt it was time to break up the party. Gasser very kindly offered to pay for us to spend the night in a nearby hotel, and we quickly took up on the offer; Udi tells me I was snoring within 2 minutes of my head hitting the pillow. It wasn't even 9 o'clock by then...
I woke at 4.30 am and decided there was no point in going back to sleep, so got up and dressed and took one very happy doglet for a long stroll around the hotel grounds. We had a car promised for 5.45 to take us back to Taba, so Udi wasn't too far behind me, and by 5.30 we were sitting in the hotel lobby drinking a morning cup of instant coffee and clutching our 'breakfast bags'. The car arrived at 6, and we were in Israel by 7.15 - amazing the difference it makes when you go through the border with an Israeli, I was expecting to hold up the proceedings for at least an hour! - with Udi back behind the wheel. We stopped at Yotvata for a proper cup of coffee (l'foukh, gadol), which woke us both up, and - since the sun was shining - drove back via the Dead Sea/Jericho route, which took a full hour less than meandering around the Territories in the dark the previous morning. The floods hadn't happened to the extent Udi had anticipated, and there were only a few small heaps of rocks by the road to show where some small impromptu wadi had deposited its load. The real thing's supposed to happen this weekend now, which is a bit of a shame because the desert between Jericho and Jerusalem is just greening over through yesterday's rain, so the mountains there will be in flower by then - but too dangerous to visit.
That whole sleep thing never worked out; I just went back to Mike Perry's place and sat drinking coffee and watching videos with him until 4am. Udi and his dog Meggi picked me up from the top of our street at 5, and we drove off through the pouring rain. This particular bout of heavy rain had also reached the Judean desert, so instead of taking the obvious route via Jericho and the Dead Sea and risking the boulder-carrying flash floods there, we ended up driving rather nervously via Hebron out in the Territories. So I've seen a few settlements now - and guess what, some of them are old places that look like - and effectively are - real towns. But others look like army camps and have floodlights stationed all around their (electric?) perimeter fences, and those kinds of settlements I think it'd be hard to argue a case for. Not that it stops people trying...
We drove on past Dimona and into the Negev desert, which goes on for miles but changes its geological structure so often it'd be possible to tell where you were from the shape of the mountains, and the colour and texture of the rocks, and the amount and species of growing things - but only if you knew the area really, really well. And it rained all the way, which Never Happens (allegedly).
We left Udi's car in Taba and walked through the crossing (72 shekels to leave Israel, 35 to enter Egypt) just behind three coachloads of Arabs on their holiday outings, so it took a while to get through. In the end I think we went ahead a little because everyone was scared of Meggi (who is tiny and cute); there's no culture of pet ownership in Muslim areas. The rain stopped, and Ahmed met us on the other side to drive us - alarmingly, on the wrong side of the road much of the time - the final 70km to Nuweiba, where Udi's meeting was to take place. It seemed very unreal to be drinking sweet, strong, black tea and sharing a cigarette outside the office with the Bedouin workers there, watching camels and goats and children wandering the streets ad hoc, while somewhere out back of town an imam sang to call the local Muslims to prayer. That glass of tea worked wonders though, and I went for a long walk afterwards to investigate the place.
Fully acclimatised, I arrived back at the office just in time for Udi and Gasser's initial meeting to end, and we all three (four including Meggi) got into a 4WD and went in search of the perfect spot to build something new along the Taba/Nuweiba coastline. We found two I'd have jumped at if I'd been rich, but nothing along the lines the guys were hoping to find; one of my (and Meggi's) favourites was by a hidden dew pond just a step away from the Red Sea beach ('too damp to build on') and the other on a mountain top overlooking Faraon Island/the Saleh el Din castle ('poor access'). By this time Udi was starting to fall apart a little - like most Israelis I know, if he doesn't eat three meals a day he thinks his throat's been cut - and we drove back to Nuweiba in search of food as the sun sank low in the sky. Gasser's folk had been busy during our absence, and we arrived to find 12 other people waiting for us to get there so's the banquet could begin! Salads, breads, dips all sat on the table and were replenished as we went along. The wine - an Egyptian cabernet sauvignon - was sweet, fruity and very very drinkable, and the meat - different kinds of which came around at five-minute intervals - was spicy and succulent. The company was intelligent and amusing, all except me because I'd by now gone 50-something hours without sleep and was struggling some. A Scots couple present produced half a bottle of single malt whisky when the first round of coffee arrived, and Udi responded by producing his bottle of duty-free vodka. Any other time this would've been great news! We got through a platter of fruit and more coffee, then dessert arrived in the form of a cake. By this time my eyes were closing despite my best efforts, and Udi - who was also tired, having been up since 4am - felt it was time to break up the party. Gasser very kindly offered to pay for us to spend the night in a nearby hotel, and we quickly took up on the offer; Udi tells me I was snoring within 2 minutes of my head hitting the pillow. It wasn't even 9 o'clock by then...
I woke at 4.30 am and decided there was no point in going back to sleep, so got up and dressed and took one very happy doglet for a long stroll around the hotel grounds. We had a car promised for 5.45 to take us back to Taba, so Udi wasn't too far behind me, and by 5.30 we were sitting in the hotel lobby drinking a morning cup of instant coffee and clutching our 'breakfast bags'. The car arrived at 6, and we were in Israel by 7.15 - amazing the difference it makes when you go through the border with an Israeli, I was expecting to hold up the proceedings for at least an hour! - with Udi back behind the wheel. We stopped at Yotvata for a proper cup of coffee (l'foukh, gadol), which woke us both up, and - since the sun was shining - drove back via the Dead Sea/Jericho route, which took a full hour less than meandering around the Territories in the dark the previous morning. The floods hadn't happened to the extent Udi had anticipated, and there were only a few small heaps of rocks by the road to show where some small impromptu wadi had deposited its load. The real thing's supposed to happen this weekend now, which is a bit of a shame because the desert between Jericho and Jerusalem is just greening over through yesterday's rain, so the mountains there will be in flower by then - but too dangerous to visit.
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