Israel’s happy but realistic about bin Laden demise
Filed under: A New Reality, General, Israeliness, News, Politics, War
Americans celebrate outside the White House Sunday night.
Other government officials as well as the Israeli media made sure to point out the reaction to the killing by Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh who condemned the US ‘policy of killing and repression’ and hailed bin Laden as a Muslim mujahed [warrior] and Arab human being.
The only naysayers among the general public in Israel were those fringe Obama haters who worried that the action would boost the US president’s ratings and chances of being reelected in 2012. “There is no doubt that Obama is a greater threat to Israel than Osama was,” National Union MK Aryeh Eldad told The Jerusalem Post, going down in infamy as an all-time boneheaded statement.
But while there weren’t any spontaneous celebration – like there were in Times Square, outside the White House or at Ground Zero – the vast majority of Israelis rejoiced along with America on Monday.
Perhaps, because we’ve been fighting the daily struggle against terrorism and our own local bin Ladens for so long, we’re aware that one knockout punch isn’t going to end the battle of Islamic fundamentalist terror against the West. It didn’t happen when Israel took out Hamas mastermind Sheikh Yassin in 2004 and it didn’t happen when it targeted Hiezbollah leader Imad Mughniyeh in 2008.
That could be why we weren’t out dancing in the streets along with America. It’s not the last dance yet.
Where’s Rahm? Emanuel stays a step ahead of protesters
Filed under: A New Reality, General, Holidays, Israeliness, Life, Politics, Travel
Rahm Emanuel, left, with a waiter at the Boston restaurant in Eilat. (Photo: Meir Ohayon/Yediot)
Despite threats of protest by the right wing fringe in Israel, Emanuel and his family arrived here over the weekend to celebrate his son’s bar mitzvah. But because of the specter of angry demonstrations, details of the event have been kept under wraps, and in the meantime Emanuel and family have been enjoying themselves in Eilat and Tel Aviv.
“We are having a great time in Israel, we are really enjoying ourselves and the people are excellent,” Emanuel, dressed in shorts, told the Channel 2 news last night.
The speculation is that the bar mitzvah will take place on Thursday morning in Jerusalem’s Old City, perhaps at Robinson’s Arch, south of the Kotel, where egalitarian ceremonies conducted by the Masorti (Conservative) Movement take place. However, a representative of the movement told me that the Emanuel family is not scheduled for an event there this week, and Rabbi Andrew Sacks, who regularly conducts bar mitzvas there refused to indulge any information.
Those hoping to catch a glimpse of Emanuel Monday during a rumored visit to the Western Wall were disappointed. According to The Jerusalem Post, reporters, photographers and at least one would-be protester were camped out during the day.
Having no Rahm Emanuel to protest in the flesh, right-wing opponents of the Obama adminstration’s stance on Israel have taken on other means to show their dissatisfaction with Emanuel’s visit here.
National Union MK Michael Ben-Ari wrote a letter this week to Attorney-General Yehuda Weinstein complaining about taxpayer funds being used to pay for an Emanuel entourage non-kosher meal in Eilat and asking him to send the bill to Emanuel’s home. This followed a report in Yediot Aharonot that a Tourism Ministry official paid for the Emanuel family’s meal at Eilat’s non-kosher Boston restaurant on Friday. The report said the Emanuels ate cheviche, calamari and other seafood
However, according to the Tourism Ministry, they did not pay for the meal. “Our representative did not eat with them. We bring thousands of people to Israel. Our official events are kosher but when people are on their own we don’t pick at their plates or make sure they eat all their meals at the Knesset cafeteria,” a ministry official told The Jerusalem Post.
Despite the controversy and the cat and mouse games, Emanuel is still evidently having a good vacation. “We are having a great time in Israel, we are really enjoying ourselves and the people are excellent,” Emanuel, dressed in shorts, told a TV reporter last night.
The lights are on but nobody’s home
Barenboim -a little too close for comfort (Photo: AP)
Having never been here before, he envisioned entering a country with bullets whizzing by, and rockets falling around every corner. Fair enough, if I was watching CNN or SKY, that’s what I might be thinking too.
But it’s still a bit discouraging, never mind that we were preparing a damn good meal for his first night here of broiled salmon, cream of cauliflour soup and baked potatoes topped with grated cheese, that American Jewish staunch supporters of Israel are preferring to stay at home during this time of need, when we could use a little moral support.
Of course, we didn’t expect any support from famed conductor Daniel Barenboim. His orchestra of Arab and Israeli musicians cancelled two shows because of the war – and they weren’t even in Israel! They were slated for Qatar and Egypt, but Barenboim, known for his critical views of Israel’s policies, was evidently concerned for the musicians’ safety, not that I’ve heard of the IDF attacking Qatar recently.
But the most worrisome cancellation, in my mind, was that of Clarence B. Jones, an octagenarian academic from California, who was the attorney and one of the key speechwriters to Dr. Martin Luther King. Jones wrote a book last year focusing on Black-Jewish relations called What Would Martin Say, and I had set up an interview with him to discuss that issue in light of the inauguration of Barack Obama and the fact that over 80% of Jews voted for him, and in general to talk about the perennial question of whether Obama is ‘good for the Jews and Israel’ (Mr. Jones is adamant that he is).
Jones ‘regretably’ had to cancel his planned week in Israel, without giving an explanation. Again, it’s perfectly understandable. But given Jones’ supposed staunch support for Israel, and his assurances that the president-elect is on the same page as his one-time mentor King – who Jones claims was an ardent Jew and Zionist lover – it doesn’t sit very well. If this the backing we get from our friends, then we’re more alone than we think.
While Jones has no formal connection with Team Obama, his cancellation reconfirms something we already know – we’re in for an interesting 4 to 8 years.
The Israeli blogosphere on Obama
There exists a world of English writing bloggers – native born as well as immigrants – here in Israel and like everyone else in the world are thinking about President-elect Obama. Here is a sample of what the English writing Israeli blogosphere is saying:
• Native Israeli Shachar over at frgdr.com was the first to create Obama posters in Hebrew which were spotted all over America. He’s elated and says “As someone who is not a US citizen and could not vote in the elections, I can still say I have done my part, however small, and proudly announce that I helped elect Barack Obama. Like millions of others, I, too, was inspired by the man and the campaign he ran. The Hebrew graphics I designed were viewed thousands of times and the files I made available were downloaded hundreds and hundreds of times.”
• Gershom Gorenberg over at South Jerusalem has what he calls “hope envy.” He laments: “Yesterday was a rare moment that I wished I was over there – standing in an unexpected line to vote, celebrating afterward with friends in the streets of Washington, New York or Chicago, getting up this morning wondering what special blessing a religious Jews should say for such an event.
• Rock of Galilee isn’t an Obama fan but at least he has a sense of humor about it. He’s having a few computer problems and blaming Obama.
• Amir Mizroch of the Jerusalem Post talks about a speculative Q&A going on in the Israeli government right now.
• Dave at Israellycool wrote a song all about Obama to the tune of the theme to Transformers (robotrickim in Hebrew). It’s horrible and he should be punished.
• Sarah stayed up all night live blogging and her shplikes has gotten the best of her I’m afraid. She has not been heard from since.
• Occidental Israeli is worried about Rahm Emanuel’s appointment and hopes that some of the Irgun blood running through his veins has some weight. Don’t hold your breath.
• Niv Calerdon is jumping on the Obama bandwagon and hopes to use the momentum to get more people using Firefox. What?
• Gila of My Shrapnel, despite being eligible to vote sat this one out believing that since she no longer lives in America she shouldn’t have a say in their elections. Her argument is a compelling one and can be read in it’s entirety here.
• And finally Shy of Total Eclipse was up all night feeling nervous about the outcome of the election. He’s relieved and completely jealous that he was unable to be part of the process.
The Game is On: The U.S. Presidential Election…What’s Your Vote?
With the U.S. Presidential Election just a couple of days away, do ex-pats in Israel, Israelis and foreigners know which candidate will be better for Israel? For me the best candidate would be the one that said, “Israel we’re just going to stay out of this. No more three-ways, scrappy peace documents, or lame promises–if you vote me for President, I’ll stay the hell out of it and focus on my own country.”
But since that probably is not going to happen, just like a kosher Mexican restaurant popping up in Jerusalem’s city center or a real gym built on EmeK Refaim ain’t gonna happen, my group of kids went to the heart of Jerusalem to find out what other people, besides bitter me have to say.
Check out what these folks had to say about the better candidate for Israel: McCain or Obama?
Originally post on The Big Felafel.
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