Don't worry, Be Israeli

Shalom from Tel Aviv, people - at the time this article was written, our prime minister is (still) under investigation, Ahmadinejad is (again) giving hateful speeches in respected forums, and the price of falafel just went up a shekel. In other words, another week in the Middle East. What else can go wrong?

Ahhh....but that's just it. Allow me to answer that question with a cultural lesson. Without further ado, I'd like to introduce our national slogan. Two words greater than the sum of their parts, guaranteed to elicit no reaction at all (or to possibly make you laugh or cringe for reasons to be explained later.) Add this pair to the great duos throughout history: Batman and Robin, Simon and Garfunkel, and hummus and pita. Without further ado, I give you: Yiyeh and b'seder.

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Talkbacks and the fear of peace

Whenever the suggestion appears in print of an opportunity for Israel to explore possible peace with the Arabs, be they Saudis, Palestinians or Syrians, the majority of talkbacks, particularly from the Diaspora, dismiss the idea outright and brand the author as a Leftist, a luftmensch. As if Israel must always survive in a state of war, a permanent garrison state.

In a recent JPost article, David Kimche described meeting Prince Turki al-Faisal, intelligence chief of Saudi Arabia. In that meeting the prince again raised the Saudi peace initiative. Kimche observed in his article that not only the Saudi prince, but such prior Israeli intelligence chiefs as Avraham Achituv, Carmi Gillon, Ya'acov Peri and Amos Manor, each considered representing right-wingers while serving at their posts, eventually came to represent positions favoring peace with the Arabs. If today's critics found them acceptable in the past, should this at least suggest caution in dismissing them today because they appear to have changed their understanding of Israel's long-term needs?

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Yediot vs Ma'ariv

If it wasn't so sad it would be funny.

Yesterday's front page banner headline in Yediot Aharonot read:

"Sources close to Olmert: This is anarchy! The company commanders have crossed a red line".

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