Tell me no leaks

As the news editor of the only paper of the big four newspapers in Israel that did not publish any leaks of the Olmert - Talansky affair last week I feel that I am in the unique position to offer my assessment of what has turned out to be an extremely bizarre story.

The Jerusalem Post has covered the story of the daily leaks of the questioning of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and his long-time associate Uri Messer with a benign detachment, with some amusement, and a lot of worrying about the state of our democracy. I don't feel bad that we weren't leaked to. On the contrary, I am happy that we are not perceived as a willing tool in somebody's campaign, be it the Prime Minister's Office, the police, prosecution, or any number of lawyers representing Shula Zaken, Uri Messer and Morris Talansky. We're playing it straight, and that's the way I prefer it.

An idiot's guide to Tel Aviv beaches

Shalom from Tel Aviv, my loyal readers-are you enjoying the gorgeous weather? I sure am. With the ol' day job continuing at a fever pitch, I've adapted a new strategy for the weekends. I like to call it "sit on the beach and do nothing." I highly recommend it. And apparently many have taken this recommendation to heart as evidenced by the large number of locals and tourists flocking to Chof (Beach) Bograshov on Fridays and Saturdays. And why not? If you hadn't heard, Tel Aviv is approximately halfway between Jerusalem and the sun. With temperatures hot and getting hotter, what better place to spend your time than the beach?

Unless you want your appearance to scream "TOURIST!!!", you'll want to take the appropriate measures to fit in. Without further ado, here's a quick idiot's guide to what you need to know about the Tel Aviv beach.

Read the rest of this post   |  Comments (11)

Haredi anti-Zionism - where to draw the line?

"You go ahead and enjoy your state for a few years longer!" - An anti-Zionist haredi on Yom Ha'atsmaut

Zionism, the national liberation movement of the Jewish people, begins with an identification with, and concern for the survival of the Jewish people. Beyond this overriding concern the movement is ideologically inclusive, tolerant of political platforms serving the right and left, the religious and secular. Israel is the fruit of Zionism and agent of its mission.

But over the years Israel's status as a democratic and modern state, its identity as home and refuge to all Jews is increasingly threatened by a tiny and intolerant ultra-orthodox minority supported and encouraged by a political culture of expedience and self-interest. In recent months several incidents occurred which, if not redressed, threaten to change the character of Israel from Zionist to non-Zionist, or worse. Most recently a haredi anti-Zionist judge on the High Rabbinical Conversion Court, Rabbi Avraham Sherman, embarrassed, disrespected and all but ex-communicated the court's head, pro-Zionist Rabbi Haim Drukman. Sherman, backed by two other haredi judges, ruled that according to their understanding of Halacha all conversions conducted by Rabbi Drukman, or performed under his jurisdiction for the past ten or more years, are invalid.

Read the rest of this post   |  Comments (20)

Great urban beasts!

And now....from the creators of "Great Duos in History":

1) Godzilla This Japanese monster has appeared in a whopping 28 films including the 1998 movie with Matthew Broderick. (Broderick will forever be known to everyone from my generation as "Ferris Bueller." However, just a few years ago, I asked a high school girl if she knew this actor to which she replied "Oh, you mean 'Inspector Gadget'? " Approximately 2.7 seconds later, I threw myself in front of a bus.)

Sixty things I love about Israel

1. I love that the women are not only hotter than Mitzpe Ramon in July but that they also have a Passover Seder. (Much like the fourth dimension, my human brain is incapable of processing this.)
2. I love the outdoor cafes/kiosks on Rothschild and that Israelis universally agree that Starbucks (the altar to which American consumers bow their heads and pray) stinks.
3. I love that I don't look at the people I meet as French, Russians, or Australians, but rather as Israelis who are trying to make it here just like I am.
4. I love my Ulpan teacher from Kitah Bet, Dafna, who spoke to us like we were four so we'd understand her.
5. I love that falafel is a healthy snack (OK, maybe I just love choosing to believe the American myth while I scarf it down forty-seven times a week.)
6. I love that people I know from all over the world are always visiting this place, the center of the Jewish world.
7. I love that I can tell a joke about Rosh Hashana at a comedy club here and know that it will be understood by everyone in the audience.

Read the rest of this post   |  Comments (23)

Don't appease me or Iran

Andrew Silow-Carroll, editor -in-chief of the New Jersey Jewish News, published an Op-Ed column in the NJJN that was also published in the May 25, 2008 edition of The Jerusalem Post, entitled "Please appease me: What's your Iran plan?" In his essay, Silow-Carroll correctly suggested that neither Senator John McCain, the presumptive Republican presidential candidate, nor Senator Barak Obama, the current leading (in terms of the pledged delegates count) Democratic presidential candidate, and for the sake of completeness - even though Silow-Carroll does not mention her -Senator Hillary Clinton, no current political candidate has presented the American public with any plan for dealing with the variety of threats emanating from the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Read the rest of this post   |  Comments (3)

Is Israel's trust in Bush warranted?

President Bush visited Israel as part of its 60th anniversary celebrations and found an enthusiastic and receptive audience, something absent almost everywhere else in the world. His follow-up trips to Saudi Arabia and Egypt only confirmed his lack of credibility in the region. And while some may find this comforting, a regional rather than local view should give pause even to those most optimistic among us.

When in memory have the Saudis defied a presidential request? During his visit to Riyadh Bush was told "no" for the second time this year for his simple request that the Saudis increase oil production to bring down the price of gas at American pumps in an election year. And he apparently fared no better at Sharm; in fact the only public statement to even make a headline, beyond the Saudi "no" was that Mahmoud Abbas had for the umpteenth time threatened to resign if Bush failed to deliver Israel on Palestinian terms.

Read the rest of this post   |  Comments (17)

Hunted by the junta

Dan Rivers is CNN's Bangkok-based correspondent and has just returned from reporting in Myanmar. For more on CNN's coverage from Myanmar go to www.cnn.com/myanmar

I realised we were in danger when our remarkably brave local contact told us the military government had put out a request to all hotels asking for a list of foreigners. We were told the regime had seen one of my reports and was furious I was in the country. They were specifically looking for me. I was skeptical at first, but over the next few days it became apparent that despite the biggest humanitarian crisis in Myanmar's history, the government was expending considerable time and energy trying to stop me from reporting on the true extent of the disaster. A colleague from the BBC had already been deported on arrival from the airport and it was clear they wanted me out next.

Read the rest of this post   |  Comments (2)

Why Bush went public on the raid

The Bush Administration went to Congress yesterday to disclose previously secret intelligence regarding Israel's September 2007 attack on the Syrian nuclear facility. In Congress and in the United Nations the administration was strongly criticized for withholding the information, the assumption being that Bush's intended reason was to deliver a message to North Korea.

For seven months, and with American agreement, an unusual official silence has been maintained by Syria and Israel regarding the nature of the raid. The target itself was public knowledge since press reports early on accurately described it as a nuclear reactor, descriptions never officially denied. Even the press conference by Likud head Binyamin Netanyahu describing it as a reactor was in his capacity as a government outsider, and so not official. One reason for official silence by both sides might have been that public disclosure would embarrass Syrian national pride and possibly result in pressure to retaliate. Another might have been that the two sides were well advanced in backchannel negotiations via Turkey.

If Bush's intention was, as the many in Congress seem to take for granted, to embarrass North Korea, why now? I suggest that the timing of the disclosures was more intended for Tel Aviv than Pyongyang.

Olmert, Bush and the end to "Peace in our Time"

According to a recent Jerusalem Post report, Prime Minister Olmert is quoted in the London-based Arabic language newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat as offering the Palestinians 64 percent of the West Bank, and "...forget about territory west of the security fence." He is further reported to have offered them access to the holy sites of east Jerusalem, but that the city would remain under Israeli sovereignty. With the imminent arrival of President Bush signaling his intention to hold a summit to promote the Annapolis deadline of peace-in-his-term, what is the meaning of the prime minister laying down red lines certain to spell the end to Annapolis?

Palestine is, and has been since early mandatory days, socially and politically chaotic. And if there was little likelihood of political unity before, then the failed Bush-inspired Fateh coup against Hamas in Gaza was the death knell for any possibility of a unified Palestinian regime strong enough to impose internal order. Peace with Israel cannot precede peace within Palestine. And internal peace for Palestine appears as distant today as it was in the 1920s. So the lofty speeches of Annapolis aside, for the Palestinians there will be no peace in our time.

Read the rest of this post   |  Comments (7)