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. 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. '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. 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. King David for the Occupation
In recent weeks, the Yesha Council (Council of Jewish Communities of Judea, Samaria and the Gaza Strip) launched a new campaign by the name of "Yehuda and Shomron - Every Jew's story". This name was used in order to blur any political elements and to provide the campaign with an educational character. Advertisements and commercials bear the signature of a new organization from the creative offices of the Yesha Council called "Yehuda and Shomron - Hasbara Center". In the framework of this campaign, biblical heroes and legendary figures were recruited to participate in the debate on the fate of the settlements; from King David and Yehuda the Maccabi to Rachel and Shmuel the Prophet, all were called aboard to fight for the vision of Greater Israel and the continuation of the Israeli occupation of the territories. The radicalization of the right-wingFrom the moment I joined 'Peace Now', threats, hate mail and hostile telephone calls have become the norm. Sometimes, the actual amount of letters and phone calls served to indicate the level of influence of 'Peace Now'. In periods where we were able to influence the public agenda, public attacks on the organization and on our persons increased accordingly and when our voice resonated less, the threats lessened accordingly. Nevertheless, I never felt that there was a tangible reason for worry, beyond the episodes of spontaneous violence during demonstrations, particularly in settlements. The feeling was that hate mail would not translate into actual physical harm. Accept the cease-fire
The recent Knesset decision opposing a major IDF invasion of Gaza was not made in vain. Even if the reasons to go ahead with such plans seem justified and public support is wide, the ministers along with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Defense Minister Ehud Barak know that the chances of a large operation achieving its goals are slim. If IDF soldiers were to enter the crowded refugee camps, they would be forced to contend with a society that is hostile and starving under a suffocating siege that has been in place for over a year, a society that thinks that it stands nothing to lose. Beyond the hundreds of casualties that both sides would suffer, an Israeli offensive would unite Palestinian society as a whole behind Hamas and the images of Israeli tanks chasing Palestinian children will once again return to TV screens worldwide. Iran or the Golan
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's relaxing vacation in the Golan is just bad timing. It serves to fuel the conflict that exists within Israeli society which grapples between staying in the Golan Heights and the need for a peace agreement with Syria. Truthfully, when the North is brimming with tourists and activities, when Golan wineries are awarded international prizes and when the Golan's communities see renewed vigor, it seems unnecessary and unrealistic to give up the Golan. The Israeli public does not sense directly the extent of the damage caused to our country due to the lack of peace with Syria nor does it understand the hefty price we are paying because of the continued hostilities with Syria. A rightist government in disguise
Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni's speech at Harvard University on the policy of settlement expansion points more than anything to the increasing gap between the government's public stance on the matter and the reality on the ground. Time is not on our side
At a time when the government of Israel is dragging its feet and essentially dissolving all efforts to reach a permanent agreement with the Palestinians, in international public opinion the idea of the division of the land into two states is becoming irrelevant. In its place is the vision of a bi-national state, which in practice would mean the end of Zionism. This month, for the fourth year, 'Israel Apartheid Week' will take place in campuses across Canada, Europe and for the first time, in the US. This "week" is dedicated completely to portraying Israel as the South Africa of the 21st century. In the 'Hasbara' framework of Hillel Canada - which acts on campuses across the nation in order to promote Israel's stance and the position of the Jewish people in the student battle between Jews and non-Jews - I had the opportunity to attend Apartheid Week. I tried to pass on to the students an image of Israel other than the one associated with the conflict. |
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