The campaign against the New Israel Fund

Last Saturday night, tens of impassioned right-wing activists dressed as Hamas members gathered outside the home of former MK and New Israel Fund (NIF) Chairwoman Naomi Chazan and shouted that Chazan and the NIF were behind the Goldstone Report. According to these activists, the NIF, an organization which has for years assisted hundreds of non-government organizations to improve Israeli society and fight for human rights, woman's rights and social justice, is anti-Semitic and aids Hamas and other terrorist groups.

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The West Bank theater of the absurd

Academic institutions pride themselves, among other things, on freedom of thought, liberalism, tolerance and equal rights. The attempt to define Ariel College as a university is in complete opposition to these values, and if successful will call into question all of Israeli academia. 

Just as it would be unthinkable for an observant Jewish family to conduct the shabbat meal, complete with prayer and discussion of Torah, in the middle of a non-kosher restaurant, it is impossible to found a liberal academic institution on territory occupied by military force and where democracy does not apply. The Ariel College stands on ground that was never part of Israel. Its Palestinian neighbors are not citizens of Israel, have no civil rights and of course are not eligible to study at the college.

Spokespeople for the college use fact that there are tens of Arab-Israelis attending the college to bamboozle the public into believing it is a pluralistic institution. But they can't hide the fact that Palestinians from the West Bank will not be accepted to the college, as its doors are only open to citizens of Israel.

Israel is again trying 'to have its cake and eat it too' - to occupy the West Bank and control the lives of two and a half million Palestinians with its military while maintaining the pretense of a normal, "democratic" standard of life in the settlements. In the West Bank theater of the absurd, Israel denies Palestinians their right to self-determination in the morning, and in the evening students learn about historical struggles for national indepedence, universal human rights and equality in a college built on land considered to be occupied territory even by Israeli law.

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Risk management

Ever since Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu announced a temporary, one-time settlement moratorium in the West Bank, the settler leadership has been engaging in a desperate attempt to highlight the plight of young couples that could be financially affected by the decision. Statements such as "a critical blow to mortgage arrangements" and "an alleged violation of human rights" have taken over the lasting statements of "our historic right to the land" or "the vision of Eretz Yisrael Hashlema."

The attempt to characterize the government's decision as an abuse of innocent civilians merely seeking to buy a house is demagogy at its best, and is detached from reality. In practice, the government has reached a legitimate political decision, which directly affects a minimal number of families that will have to deal with a construction delay. These families are entitled, among other things, to demand compensation from insurance companies or the state, and to receive assistance in light of these new circumstances.
 
However, beyond the financial aspect, any person who chooses to live on the eastern side of the Green Line must be boldly told that along with the financial benefits of moving to a settlement, investing in a house in the territories also includes a great degree of financial risk.

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Surprise - Fatah isn't joining the WZO

At its convention in Bethlehem this week, Fatah refused to recognize Israel as a Jewish state or adopt Hebrew as its official language, and didn't conclude with a rendition of HaTikva (Israel's national anthem). What a disappointment, what a blow to the champions of peace.

The Palestinians remain unchanged; an oppressed and harried people desiring independence alongside Israel without having to recognize or uphold Zionist ideals or the principles of the Jewish state. Those hoping the Palestinians were on the verge of joining the Zionist Congress and pledging allegiance to the State of Israel may be disappointed, but realists willing to take an honest look at the Bethlehem convention will have seen positive and unprecedented indications of new Palestinian willingness to make peace with Israel and drop the demand for the right of return.

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Cellcom ad brave display of reconciliation

Israeli cellphone giant Cellcom recently released a new commercial and, I must say, it does not leave anyone feeling indifferent: instead of a sea and sun scene, stars being born or models acting like models, Cellcom has decided to bring the security barrier smack into the middle of our lives, deep in the heart of prime-time TV as part of the backdrop to its most recent commercial broadcasted incessantly on Israeli channels.

The ad shows a group of young soldiers on patrol in an IDF jeep along the security barrier when suddenly a soccer ball falls onto their jeep. Startled, the soldiers first suspect a terror attack but after a few moments, a soldier kicks the ball over the barrier onto the Palestinian side. From here, the ad continues with the ball going back and forth over the barrier from the Palestinian to the Israeli side. The moment this ad was broadcast, the Israeli left and senior Palestinian Authority officials rose up to voice their disgust with the commercial which depicts, according to them, the barrier as a positive element aroung which one can play soccer and have fun. They claim that the IDF soldiers are also portrayed much more positively than is realistic and that the Palestinians themselves remain unseen over the barrier.

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Netanyahu government exposed

PM Binyamin (Bibi) Netanyahu's speech at Bar Ilan University earlier this month did not bring forward any ideological change vis-a-vis the two-state solution. It can now be said loudly and clearly that the 'emperor has no clothes.' Bibi remains Bibi - with a tad more sophistication ultimately of no consequence to the State of Israel - with no vision, no direction, and no correctness to lead us through the required decisions. Netanyahu tried to reinvent himself but even the succession of the words 'Palestinian' and 'state' is no magic formula for covering up the political 'nudity' of Netanyahu and his government.

It is no surprise that Minister without Portfolio Bennie Begin (Likud), Minister of Strategic Affairs Moshe (Bougie) Ya'alon (Likud), Interior Minister Eli Yishai (Shas) and Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman and his Israel Beitenu Party did not threaten to dissolve the government or force an election. They understood that there was no reason to worry. Netanyahu was and remains a right-wing leader committed to an outlook supportive of the 'Greater Israel' solution. Talk of two-states is just a tactic designed to disguise the intention to expand settlements and to prevent any real political progress towards peace.

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Olmert government: Go home

The Schalit affair and the fashion in which the Olmert government handled it illustrated Ehud Olmert's shortcomings as the prime minister of what was possibly the most disappointing and inept government in the history of the country.

The Olmert government, seen as moderate and pragmatic, didn't succeed in reaching or even taking a single step toward a solution to the conflict in the national arena. Every time there was meaningful decision to be made, Olmert, Livni and Barak turned their backs on their responsibilities to the public and passed up every real chance to make progress.

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'Right Now' government

The concern expressed by smaller right-wing parties over the inclusion of Kadima in a unity government is unfounded. Paradoxically, a wide government that includes Kadima head Tzipi Livni, Kadima MK Meir Sheetrit and MK Haim Ramon would serve the interests of the settlers and their supporters more than any narrow right-wing government with 65 'orange' MKs. In fact, the heads of right-wing parties must insist that Labor or Kadima join the coalition and appoint their leaders to senior positions within the government.

A narrow right-wing government supported by the National Union, Jewish Home and Shas parties would have a difficult time gaining public legitimacy to lead significant processes, for instance, settlement construction, outpost building and embarking on military operations and wars.

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Israeli society more cruel than ever

Despite the heavy blow dealt to Hamas by the IDF, the improvement of the security situation in the South and the lower-than-expected number of casualties during combat, something very bad happened to Israeli society during the 22-day offensive in Gaza - dubbed Operation Cast Lead.

On the ethical and moral front, the war in Gaza exposed the many weaknesses of Israeli society. 650 innocent Palestinians, including 220 children, were killed and no one spoke up.

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Evict the thugs from Hebron

In recent weeks, due to the upcoming elections, the three candidates for the premiership, Ehud Barak, Tzipi Livni and Binyamin Netanyahu - have taken to verbally attacking negative elements within the extreme Right.  Meanwhile, the authorities' resolve in combating settler violence has weakened even as incidents grow more frequent.

None of them expected that the moment of truth would come so soon when the High Court of Justice ruled that a house invaded by several settlers in central Hebron must be evacuated. The ruling orders law enforcement authorities and the political echelon to stand alongside the court in confronting the thugs of the extreme Right, and do their utmost to turn speeches and declarations into reality.

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