Tuesday, October 3rd Hamas and Fatah militants are fighting in Gaza and in the West Bank in what is beocming close to a civil war. I dislike people who quip: "Let them kill each other." It is callous and downgrading. In one way or another, we will end up being blamed for this. Mash'al's life has been threatened and re-elections in the PA may result in a near tie between the two - meaning that half the people there will be dissatisfied with their government. It doesn't look like they have a lot to be satisfied about no matter who wins. Iran's nuclear threat continues to occupy people's minds here. There are predictions made by everyone from gypsy Tarrot card readers to university professors regarding the Iranian nuclear threat. I wrote in a Talkback: At best nuclear weapons merely serve as a deterrent to flaunt at one`s enemies and say "Don`t mess with me." At worst - well the entire civilized world has known since the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki exactly what a nuclear weapon can wreak on a population center. For this reason and nothing else ALL nations - with no exceptions - must disarm themselves of these terrible weapons. As long as the US, the former Soviet Union, Israel, or anyone else has nuclear weapons, they are in no position to tell Iran that they cannot have them. But if NO one had them, we would be in a better position to make demands of Iran and set limits on the uses of nuclear power. I for one would rather see everyone disarmed today than put Ahmedinijad`s threats to the test tomorrow. Wasn't this what we were all screaming about in the 1960's? Gee, we've come a long way, baby...But enough of this. It's time to go build the Succah. And - leaping lizards! A small lizard crept into a stoplight control box yesterday near the busy Morasha junction, causing the lights to stop functioning and traffic in the busy junction to be held up. Unfortunately I don't think the lizard survived its revolutionary attempt to change the world. Monday, October 9th If anyone wants to know how to render me completely helpless, temporarily insane, and unable to cope with life – ready to get on my knees and grovel for mercy – here's now to do it - Take away my computer for three days! It took three days of struggling with my server and the phone company customer service experts, and another day with my computer techie geek to figure out that the virtual port was gone – the cyberspace gateway that connects my computer and me to the outside world. Where it went I do not know - somewhere where I couldn't get it back...So here I am again! I am reminded once again of how dependent I was on the Internet all summer to remain in contact with people. Evidently I am now hopelessly addicted. This year’s succah - my succat shalom - has a flock of white doves hanging from its leafy roof that flutter in the wind – my special tribute to the events of the past year. Unfortunately this morning's drizzle makes the prospect of enjoying the succah for the remainder of the holiday rather dicey, but we shall see. It has already drizzled a bit in Ben Ami - a promise of colder days to come. As far as I am concerned, the further behind I leave this summer, the better. Chag Sameach! Wednesday, October 11th Who wants to get up in the morning and read about the latest nuclear test? There doesn't seem to be any choice. My latest spouting off on HaAretz "Make your point" has me still yelling for total international disarmament: Isn't it ironic that the US is leading the campaign to disarm North Korea and Iran, when it is the only nation that has ever used nuclear weapons in warfare? Isn't it strange that despite the fact that Israel's existence was placed in great danger in 1967 and in 1973, she never resorted to using hers, but Israel is constantly being cited today as a threat to world peace? It is obvious that the more diplomatic pressure is exerted on Iran and North Korea, the more determined they will be to flaunt the international community and to go ahead with their nuclear weapons programs. I frankly think that the US, Russia, Israel, or anyone else who has nuclear weapons is in no position to tell anyone else that they cannot have them. It is also obvious that determining whether or not a nation has the "right" or is "sane" enough to possess weapons of mass destruction is purely subjective. The only solution is to disarm everyone - with no exceptions. Unless the entire human race rids itself of these terrible weapons, the day will come when one of the power struggles among nations falls into the hands of a leader, who - driven by religious, genocidal, or other motives - will use them. Yipes is right, Leah! Peace, everyone. Friday, October 13th Special warning to all residents of the Western Galilee: Not only is it Friday the 13th, but it is also the date of the annual great Irish session! Be warned, Moshav Ben Ami - you think there was a racket this summer, well you ain't seen nothin' yet! If you can't sleep, just bring over some beer and join us. Before I go out and start collecting every chair and table I can get from the neighbors and start piling beer in the fridge, I have to take one more moment to revel in my new outlook on life! No, I haven't won the lottery, and I also haven't suddenly become convinced that the Middle East in general, and the Western Galilee in particular is a wonderful, pastoral, peaceful place to live. But I have a new, 19-inch, LCD screen – WOW! Why didn't I get one of these things BEFORE? Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! I'm still playing with it to get it just right. The instruction booklet began with a warning not to throw old computer screens away. Good for Europe for being so ecologically conscious. Here in Israel people would probably just throw them out by the garbage can. So my old screen is being transported to a new home with friends whose screen has been acting up. Fighting in Gaza continues, with children being killed together with every Hamas activist and Iran is beginning to train Hamas militants - who have to get to Iran from Gaza by traveling through Egypt – a situation that has more political significance than I would like to think about. North Korea and Iran have, as I thought, announced that they don't give a blankety blank what the world thinks about their nuclear programs. I see black humor beginning to seep in again here – the only way to cope with the pictures of mushroom clouds and harangues of we-are-going-to-go-ahead from the regimes of Iran and North Korea. The only way aside from going out into the avocado orchards and screaming "Yipes!" at the top of your lungs. Question: Have you heard who is going to be the next Minister of Transpertation? Answer: Ahmedinijad, the man who wants to transport us all to a better place. Leah quips: "perhaps we won't have to worry about our pesky mortgages and bank overdrafts much longer." An article recently called for a speed up on the long-awaited Tel Aviv subway system – it would provide terrific public shelter space! This is definitely not the solution. If you're going to build a subway, build a subway. If you're going to build shelters, build shelters. Fiona, my white cat, has discovered that there is now ample room in back of the computer screen to sit, perform her morning ablutions, and, of course, play with the mouse. Once my other cat, Ossian, finds this out, it will be totally impossible to work! Tuesday, October 17th Autumn is here! Although I've always thought Israel is virtually a two-season country – dry hot summer and rainy cold winter – there is a short period when we alternate between hot days and the brisk, cool rainy days – the Middle Eastern attempt at fall . The first rainstorm of the year arrived early Sunday morning with real lightening and thunder – bringing my dogs Saoirse and Nuala into my bedroom all scared and shaking. Bring back some bad memories, doggies? No girls, it's not rockets, it's only thunder, so settle down. Meanwhile after we were rocking and reeling here on Friday night (I was left with enough beer for the next session and several apple cakes) my brother in Hawaii was rocking and rolling – luckily only two vases were broken by the earthquake - of 6+ on the Richter scale. And it appears that the leaders of the world have contracted a lot of contagious illnesses. Our president Kstzav seems to have caught a syndrome of hyper- testosterone and libido – or so he is accused. The regimes of Iran and North Korea have both got stiff necks when faced by the world community. Seems that the only thing that will cure it is nuclear power. And the Israeli ambassador to Australia has caught a serious attack of foot-in-mouth disease from the Pope, causing irresponsible and prejudiced declarations that get the victim into serious trouble afterwards. This is caused by a virus that mixes up the mouth and brain function so that the person speaks first and thinks afterwards, or perhaps doesn't think at all. And poor Olmert, Peretz, and Halutz are still pleading back trouble and are unable to bear the weight of responsibility for the last war. And we Israelis - we still have attacks of the heebie-jeebies. Friday, October 20th What would we ever do without a sense of humor? When the president of Iran stands up and says that we (Israel) are going to disappear soon, this is all I can come up with – an absurd parody - the idea of a slick vanishing act. What else can one do under such circumstances? We really do live in a rough neighborhood. Meanwhile, in the Kremlin, another outbreak of foot-in-mouth disease strikes! President Vladimir Putin remarked: "Say hello to your president. He really surprised us...," Putin said to Olmert as reporters were being ushered out just after the two men got down to talks in the Kremlin. An Israeli official said Putin continued about President Moshe Katsav: "I met him. He didn't look like a guy who could be with 10 women." (Was he possibly envious?) Deputy Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov explained away the exchange as a joke. "In no way can (it) be considered as an approval of raping women or an appreciation of such a potential action," he told The Associated Press. "Sometimes translation from Russian into English does not reflect the essence of a joke. This was such a case," the Kremlin official said. Whoops, Putin! Your mouth functions before your brain? Blame the translator. Yeah, right. You can't dance? Blame the floor. Shabbat Shalom! Wednesday, October 25 Who said: "The role of a political party is to be in power"? Not Machiavelli, not Fidel Castro, not a dictator or leader of a banana republic. It was our new "Minister of Strategic Affairs, Avigdor Lieberman. Unbelievable. Has anyone thought to remind him that the role of a political party is to try and carry out the platform that it promised its voters? Lieberman will lick the boots (a more polite term than I'd really like to use here) of anyone who will give him power, even if it is someone completely contrary to his original platform. He voted against the disengagement. Now he's joining the Kadima-led government that is in favor of continuing disengagement. A sleazy little fox he is. And this is the guy who is going to work alongside Peretz and Livnat to design our strategy regarding curbing the violence in Gaza and dealing with the Iranian threat? Yipes! Ahmedinijad will definitely back down now… Yes, we are definitely on the way to peace and reason, but, as they say in Ireland: "You're on the right road, but you're going the wrong way." This is my latest posting to HaAretz regarding statements made by Professor Robert Ysrael Aumann, and answering the somewhat existential question of "Will Israel survive?" David Grossman, the well-known Israeli author and activist who lost his son in the last war, said that Israel has not served as a home for the Jews, but merely as a shelter. The constant threats to Israel's existence have forced us to occupy ourselves with the everyday task of simply surviving and of keeping that shelter safe and intact. Who has time for the luxury of pursuing Zionist ideals under such circumstances? I strongly disagree with Professor Aumann's claims. The heart-wrenching abandonment of settlements and disengagement from Gaza was not a sign of weakness, but a show of strength, courage, and willingness to proceed with the Road Map, and to demonstrate the desire to pursue a settlement with our neighbors. Attitudes such as those of Professor Aumann that view the disengagement from Gaza as a weakness - a first step that will lead to relinquishing even Tel Aviv – will only fan the flames of paranoia, mistrust and fear of ending the occupation. Such claims will lead Palestinian extremists to continue to nurse false hopes that we are going to disappear. The tragic implication of Aumann's other statement is that we must abandon our most important value – respect for human life, and to become as ferocious and ruthless as our enemies - to gird ourselves to lose and take many more lives. The Jewish State will not survive as a Homeland if it adopts the same attitude towards human life held by terrorists and fanatics who threaten us. If we allow ourselves to pursue that path, we will survive – but our "shelter" will never become a "Home", but a fortress - a hollow shell devoid of Zionist or Jewish values, surrounded by hostile enemies with no hope for peace. What must we do? Elect new leaders who have a vision of a Home and not a fortress. Get back to the Road Map and stop the establishment of additional settlements. Stand firm and defend ourselves when necessary, but seize any opportunity for peace offered by any nation in the region. And then, when we are on the road to peace, get back to those original ideals that make this country special. I am going away to Jerusalem and the Negev this weekend. The desert is always a good escape from reality. If we forget the Kassam rockets down there. Here is my recommendation for an instant five-minute cure to feel better. The Bothy Band: Donal Lunny, Triona Ni Donnahaill, the late Michael O'Donnahaill, Liam O'Flynn, Matt Malloy, Paddy Glackin: The best band there ever was. Monday, October 30th Winter is here! Notice that not long ago I said autumn was here, and now it's gone. This is the way of the seasons in Israel. Like everything else here, they have two extremes. Heavy rains fell throughout the weekend, causing flooding in many areas. The boring blue summer skies day after day have been replaced by panoramas of ever-changing cloud patterns, huge thunderheads, and even a tornado funnel that headed for Tel Aviv. Down in Sde Boker it was bright and sunny, and we managed to get a close look at a herd of ibexes that were wandering around the Ben Gurion park cropping the lawn and bushes. They are presently in their mating season. This meant that the colors of the fur on the males' legs is more pronounced and varied than usual. (What if people did that? Would guys have to purchase brightly colored socks when they want to get a date??) This close-up view made me long for a digital camera - my next purchase after my LCD screen. Today was bright and sunny, and the beautiful weather, together with the sound of wooden sticks beating on olive trees and of olives raining down on sheets of plastic soon tempted me into abandoning my computer in favor of joining in the olive harvest being conducted by Haled's family out in the front yard. I spent two hours on a ladder taking out my aggressions on the trees with a long wooden pole and gathering the olives into buckets and bags. I put out the table on the patio for lunch and was treated to Arab cuisine for my efforts. Well worth it! I wish I knew more Arabic! |
October, 2006
