AUTHOR:G.
DATE:2/07/2003 08:20:00 PM
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BODY:
PETA's Peace Plan
F
rom the Washington Post:
"Our friends at People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals have outdone themselves this time, sending a deferential letter to Yasser Arafat about a Jan. 26 Jerusalem bombing in which a donkey -- but no human beings -- died after being strapped with explosives and detonated.
"Your Excellency," PETA President Ingrid Newkirk wrote in the note faxed on Monday to Arafat's headquarters in Ramallah. "We have received many calls and letters from people shocked at the bombing. . . . All nations behave abominably in many ways when they are fighting their enemies, and animals are always caught in the crossfire. The U.S. Army abandoned thousands of loyal service dogs in Vietnam. Al-Qaeda and the British government have both used animals in hideously cruel biological weaponry tests. We watched on television as stray cats in your own compound fled as best they could from the Israeli bulldozers. . . . If you have the opportunity, will you please add to your burdens my request that you appeal to all those who listen to you to leave the animals out of this conflict?"
Yesterday we asked Newkirk if she considered asking Arafat to persuade those who listen to him to stop blowing up people as well. "It's not my business to inject myself into human wars," she replied. Israeli Embassy spokesman Mark Regev declined to comment on PETA's plea, but told us: "I find it ironic that the Palestinian leaders choose to send donkeys to kill civilians. Surely, the Palestinian people deserve better than the current bunch of asses who run their affairs."
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AUTHOR:G.
DATE:2/07/2003 06:39:00 PM
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BODY:
More on the Israeli students program
I
’ve just learned that the Israeli students project is being run by the world union of Jewish students (WUJS) and the Israeli Foreign Ministry is just assisting. Does anyone know if WUJS PR activity is any better then the Foreign Ministry one?
The students are being sent to all kind of places not just the US. You can check their activity in the two “Israel hatred” summits that the U.N. held in South Africa (also known as World Conference Against Racism and World Summit on Sustainable Development).
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AUTHOR:G.
DATE:2/06/2003 08:32:00 PM
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BODY:
The Lord Of The Rings – The Israeli version
A
fter Star Wars the Israeli version we’ve got the Israeli version of The Lord Of The Rings. (It’s being spread over e-mails but I’ve learned that the original creators are fisheye.co.il)
Menachem Begin – Gollum
Sheikh Ahmed Yassin – Saruman
Tommy Lapid – Bilbo Baggins
And special guest star from Star Wars: David Ben Gurion as Yoda
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AUTHOR:G.
DATE:2/05/2003 10:46:00 AM
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BODY:
How much time does Sharon has to present his new govt?
I
was asked about in the comments to a previous post and thought it might be something you’d be interested to read.
Sharon’s 42 days to assemble a coalition hasn’t begun yet, even more – officially he still wasn’t called by the president to do so. Till now all the political parties met with president Moshe Katsav and recommended to him on which party leader he should give the right to assemble the new government. Most of the newly elected Knesset recommended to Katsav to give Sharon the job (how surprising!). So I think on Sunday Katsav will be officially handing to Sharon the right to build the next government. Sharon has 28 days to do so but at the end of those 28 days he’ll be almost immediately given an extension of another 14 days. If at the end of those 42 days there is still no government the president is allowed the hand the task to different party leader.
Sharon has plenty of time, and some say is waiting for the in Iraq to break so he’ll have easy job to join as many parties in minimal costs to his new government. In any case he will assemble the next government. How long would that government hold? That’s a different story.
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AUTHOR:G.
DATE:2/04/2003 06:56:00 PM
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BODY:
Great news
A
ccording to Israeli portal Nana Google is working on a translation service from several languages to Hebrew. Google already launched Google.co.il and a Google Hebrew toolbar. It's nice that they take time and effort to improve their service to the relatively small community of Hebrew speakers around the world.
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AUTHOR:G.
DATE:2/04/2003 04:06:00 PM
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BODY:
Sharon’s short term coalition
T
he results of the Israeli elections probably left some of you baffled. Israeli politics is pretty complex and for an outsider probably hard to understand.
Sharon is no doubt the big winner of the elections, likud’s 38 seats are a huge achievement. Some of those 38 Knesset members are in my opinion unworthy of their title.
Sharon faces now the difficult task of assembling the new coalition. Sharon can go to a right wing coalition but it seems that he is not that thrilled by this option. The faith of such coalition will be in the hands of Avigdor Liberman head of the far right National Union party. Sharon doesn’t like Liberman and will try to avoid such coalition. Therefore Sharon will try to get Shinui as rational balance to the warmongers in his coalition.
Shinui wants to realize its big win in the elections but will not seat with ultra religious Shas party. If they’ll do so they are going to crush next elections after lying to their voters. Lapid won’t do it. In the recent days Shinui is seemingly willing as a compromise to join a coalition with the other ultra religious party Yahdut Hatorah given that Yahdut Hatorah won’t be a member of the government. With its 5 seats Yahdut Hatorah will probably agree to support Sharon without joining the government in return for getting key positions that will enable them to continue and suck up money from the state. Shinui is in a though position. Allowing Yahdut Hatorah in is totally against Shinui’s agenda and will not be seen positively by their voters. Lapid wanted to form a secular stable national unity government but that’s not going to happen even though a firm majority supports it here in Israel. Mitzna’s refusal cornered Lapid. I think Shinui will join Sharon’s government because they must realize their achievements into real actions for their voters, even if that means that Yahdut Hatorah will keep getting their money. Keeping money-sucking Shas away from the state’s treasury would be nice as a start.
All through the elections period Sharon called for a national unity government with Avodah (Labor). It sure added a lot to Likud’s popularity, just as Mitzna’s promise not to join such government damaged Avodah. So did Sharon really mean it or maybe, knowing that such government isn’t possible, he just wanted to gain more support from the voters? I think he really wants a national unity government but he knows now it’s not going to happen.
Mitzna and Sharon met yesterday. It was clear that they have nothing real to talk about since Mitzna promised not to get in Sharon’s government. So Sharon made this meeting in to a foolish show. He lectured Mitzna on how important the Gaza Strip settlements are (when I’m sure he knows they’re not). Why did Sharon do that? Well probably to signal his voters that he is not that desperate in need for Avodah to join him and also to signal right wing parties that he has chosen them to his new coalition.
Though I’m not an Avodah supporter (at least not now) I totally agree with Mitzna’s refusal to get in Sharon’s government. If he have done so it would be the end of the Avodah party, and it would have been a great loss for Israel. A strong opposition is a healthy thing in democracy and the Avodah needs to present an alternative (even if what they offer now is a bad one).
I don’t agree with all those who try to force Avodah in to the government arguing that in such crucial times national unity is important. Nothing, absolutely nothing, is going to happen hear until after the war with Iraq and after Arafat is driven out of power. Till then the crapy routine will continue with no big exceptions for better or for worse. After Saddam’s toppling when Bush will have time for our little war and if Arafat will say bye bye then Sharon will have to decide where is he going. If he’ll stick to his right wing coalition saying no to different initiatives to resume peace talks his days in power won’t be long and it would be the time for Avodah to rise up as an alternative. If Sharon means what he says time and again, he will go and negotiate for peace than he’ll have to join Avodah into his government and Avodah will be irresponsible if they won’t do so.
Till then Sharon knows he can play with the right wing parties and stall time.
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AUTHOR:G.
DATE:2/04/2003 12:46:00 PM
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BODY:
Links update
I
’ve added a few links to Hebrew blogs that I enjoy reading, worth checking out if you read Hebrew. bashita hazo, heder 404, Amir’s free radicals (where I got the html for the nice initial of every post) and restless Imshin's new Hebrew blog ani lo dag.
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AUTHOR:G.
DATE:2/03/2003 11:58:00 PM
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BODY:
Advocacy mission
I
srael’s Foreign Ministry is sending Israeli students abroad to meet and talk with other students around the world to try and present the Israeli point of view. The idea is that first hand contact with Israelis is a good tool to explain the Israeli case. It looks like a good idea to me. I’m interested to know if anyone who read my blog attended such meeting with Israeli students. If so please leave a comment on your thoughts on that meeting, I’m curious.
The Foreign Ministry is looking for new Israeli students to participate in this project and they have this one-week seminar as preparation next week. I thought of attending the initial screening but then changed my mind. Sure it’s an important mission and it’s a lot of fun flying abroad several times a year on the state expenses but I gave up the idea. I don’t know if I’ll do a good job. It’s easy to say what you think in a blog, in front of a lot of people – that’s a different story.
Update: I meant university students not high school (I was taught back in fourth grade that kids in school are pupils, is that the English way to say it?). Since there is no word in Hebrew for university student it’s called in Hebrew: “student” (ñèåãðè) so it looked obvious to me that it’s clear that students refer to university ones, I guess it's not. As for their age - most Israeli students are 21-26 years old.
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AUTHOR:G.
DATE:2/03/2003 02:01:00 PM
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BODY:
ðôì ìå äàñéîåï
I
’m not sure how to translate this Hebrew phrase into English but the meaning is: he finally got it.
Who finally got it? Well It’s the resigning head of Meretz Yossi Sarid. In today’s Ma’ariv Sarid is been quoted saying: “I made a mistake not denouncing Arafat on time”. He then says that he should have done so immediately when the “Intifada” (I don’t like this term) broke. Sarid admits it to be the main reason for Meretz failure in the elections. He says he didn’t do so because he respected the other side’s elected leader and because he didn’t want to do something that Sharon would like.
Well better late then never. The problem with Sarid is that he is too sophisticated and thinks he knows every thing. Arafat an elected leader? I don’t think so. He was “elected” years ago when he arrived to Gaza but his official term was long due and no elections were held to reelect him. Anyway the Palestinians aren’t really running a democracy you know.
As for not wanting to play into Sharon’s hands, that portrays Sarid in a miserable way. He admits that personal quarrels blinded him. He wanted to pick a fight instead of doing what’s right. Pathetic.
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AUTHOR:G.
DATE:2/02/2003 09:38:00 PM
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BODY:
I’m back!
A
lthough I didn’t finish all my tests, the major ones are behind me (hopefully they went well).
I must admit that when I took the break I wasn’t 100 percent sure that I’ll return. I was a bit tired of blogging and the break was a good opportunity to see if I’ll miss it. Well I did, and that’s why I’ve returned.
You probably noticed that in somewhat of a dubious move I got my comments up again. I’ve been burnt but obviously can’t help playing again with fire. But I do worn in advance that any anti Semites and anti Israelis that want to release steam and think this is an excellent place to show their fury over Israel – I will not allow it. Also – the comments of extreme right/left wing delusional wackos are not welcomed over here. I will delete comments and ban I.Ps immediately, no second chance. If you don’t like my rules stay of my comments. I’m also not going to respond to each and every comment, thought you might want to know that.
And after all of the above was written, you are welcomed to write down your comments (:
Oh, and please feel free to sign my guest map (on the left).
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AUTHOR:G.
DATE:2/02/2003 09:13:00 PM
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BODY:
Tragedy
Ilan Ramon’s biography; Israeli Air Force; Israeli in Space (Hebrew)
You can light a virtual candle in memory of Ilan Ramon and the crew of Space Shuttle Columbia (In Hebrew - click on the line in orange – then write your name, city and your message. You can also do it over here (fill your name and message).
Or even better you can write directly to Ilan Ramon’s family: ilanfamily@mail.idf.il
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