The Last Exile

A rather new political meme has been mid-wifed and delivered via this New York Times article by Avinoam Bar-Yosef which suggests Marwin Barghouti needs to be released to keep the peace process going…. First, massaging the background

The Israeli peace camp has often called for the release of Barghouti, but the security establishment has strongly opposed it. The 52-year-old, life-long activist is held responsible by Israel for directing many attacks and suicide bombings against Israeli civilians, and he was sentenced in 2004 to five life sentences

And the meme.

No. Actually I see no evidence of this of Israelis moving to the left when it comes to the peace process….if anything, I would suggest Israelis are voting rightwing and becoming far more hawkish, while economically, most Israelis stand firmly on the left – just think of the success of the recent of the housing protests.

I suspect this is the meme is the hope of the last bastion for the Israeli media, who are the last, and greatest concentration of lefties, still left in Israeli society. Mazel Tov with the meme…but it might have more weight; if the organization Barghouti lead (the Tanzim wing of PLO) was not the terrorist recruitment arm for Al Aqsa’s Martyrs’ Brigade. Some of us can still remember the havoc and blood of the intifada.
The Ballad of Oslo’s Children.

Arutz Sheva, is reporting the Palestinians are outraged that they are being held accountable for their actions.

Palestinian Authority officials cried foul on Tuesday after reports circulated saying Israel would levy sanctions, the PA’s semi-official Maan News reported. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened a cabinet meeting with his eight senior ministers on Tuesday evening to discuss imposing sanctions on the cash-strapped PA following the unilateral moves by PA chairman Mahmoud Abbas at the United Nations. It was decided at the meeting to freeze funds normally transferred to the PA under existing bilateral agreements, and to accelerate construction in Jerusalem, Gush Etzion, and Maale Adumim.

The meeting of senior Israeli ministers came just days after UNESCO voted to admit the PA as a full-member state – and PA official’s stated intent to join no fewer than fifteen other UN organizations. “The Israeli decision to speed up settlement construction with the construction of 2,000 new housing units is an Israeli decision to accelerate the destruction of the peace process,” presidential spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeina told AFP. “And the freezing of funds is stealing money from the Palestinian people,” he added. Rudeina also called on the Middle East Quartet — the European Union, Russia, United Nations and United States — to “put an end to this recklessness.” Abbas advisor Namir Hammad told Maan that Israeli sanctions were “a clear violation of international conventions and initiatives,” and proof that Israel is not serious about peace. The United States has already frozen funds to the PA over its statehood bid, and followed up by freezing funds to UNESCO after the PA was admitted as a member to that organization earlier this week.

Both Israel and the US maintain PA moves at the world body are a direct violation of the 1993 Oslo Accords – signed by Israel, the US and the PA – which creates a bilateral framework for solving problems and forbids unilateral moves. The Oslo Accords mandate the PA’s very existence.

Imagine, making the Palestinians pay for the consequences of their own actions…how absolutely novel.

Via Batya, I learned there is a Qassam counter.

The mission statement:

QassamCount lets people know about every Rocket (whether it is a Katyusha, Grad, Qassam, or RPG) fired at Israel. Many media outlets do not report on these attacks so it’s up to us to provide you with the facts – and up to you to report them to the world. Our mission is to serve as a “factual backbone”, providing you with the facts so you can share them with your friends.

…and in good other news, Canada cuts funding to UNESCO. My pocketbook thanks the government.

I seem to have a talent for meeting unusual people. About a year ago by chance I met a Yemenite Israeli, one of probably less than 20 in the country. He is my friend and business partner. Not only has he taught me the finer points of swearing in Hebrew, given me an appreciation for Israeli coffee, Mizrahi music and a new profound sense of gratitude for life every time I get out of a car after driving with him. There are days when I suspect he is actually working for the Ministry of Absorption and receives a bonus for every one he can induce to come to Israel. He has added motivation for my daughter into visiting Israel with an eye on to making aliyah after her course of studies ends. Not that she needed much motivation to visit but aliyah is a different story. He has also made me promise to return with him to Israel for Pesach and let him show me his Israel.

All these years and I never managed to go to Israel. I have intended to, umpteen times, and something always comes up to prevent me. In the early eighties, I seriously considered marrying an Israeli. When I first brought Avi home to my family for dinner, all my Zaidy could say, once Zaidy established that Avi was not a Cohen, was ‘Baruch haShem’ over and over again. It was one of the few times Zaidy had ever embarrassed me in front of anyone. I kept thinking Avi was going to think there was seriously something wrong with me – given the intensity of Zaidy’s expressed gratitude. Avi even arranged for me to have an audition with a ballet company, but it was his insistence on having at least six children, which was the deciding factoring in my not marrying him and going to live in Israel.

I was 19 and a ballet dancer. At the time, I might have considered one child but anything more than one was a deal breaker. The truth is, I have always been afraid that if I went to Israel, I might not come back, and I was not willing to say good-bye to my life here. One of the things my friend has convinced me of is that what I find so very appealing about living here, is also to be found in Israel – which is simply the variety of life. Shalom Life has posted a video by Matthew Brown called ‘This Isreal’.

This Isreal from Matthew Brown on Vimeo.

The Globe and Mail Konrad Yakabuski writes an op-ed piece on the Occupy movement and reinforces the very point I attempted to make last week.

North Americans appear less concerned with overturning the current political and economic systems and more interested in making them more responsive to the plight of the middle class.

That could change. The outrage toward financial and political elites remains a palpable and broadly based sentiment in the United States, Europe and elsewhere. As long as the political elite on both continents fails to address this anger in meaningful enough ways, it is giving the middle class a reason to back one or the other of these protest movements.

For the middle class, the real irritant is the sense that average folk can no longer reasonably aspire to get ahead.

The dream of upward mobility – in essence, the social contract at the heart of democratic capitalism – has been shattered. The evidence turns up in two-tier wage structures in the auto sector and other industries; in rollbacks in pension and health benefits; and, among the jobless, in a proportion of long-term unemployed in the United States that surpasses Depression-era heights. This is an explosive recipe for unrest.

Bingo…and if the Occupy Wall Street movement can push the cranks and fringe to their natural home on outer political edges of just about everything; it has the ability to be a truly transformative movement ‘of and for’ the people – rather than of the crackpots. Of course, calling for this type of thing….will is never useful or even helpful.

Israeli polls are notoriously unreliable during campaign cycles but this poll published in the Jerusalem Post does reflect the political vibe I a have been picking up one.

I have not done any ‘fun with Lieberman’ posts in a while so it is probably long past the time for one. Israel’s Foreign Minister has gotten into hot water for saying what a great many of us only say in our head.

It would be a blessing if Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas quit his position, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman told reporters in Jerusalem on Monday, adding that the PA president is a hurdle to peace.
“It is Abu Mazen [Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas] who is the stumbling block to peace and not the settlements,” he said. Lieberman added it would be a blessing and not a threat if Abbas were to quit. He explained that there are many other Western-trained Palestinians who could replace him. (Jpost)

And count on a spokesman from that bastion of liberal democracy to come to the defense of Mahmoud Abbas.

BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman’s remarks Monday calling for President Mahmoud Abbas’ resignation were “deeply troubling,” said UN spokesman Richard Miron.

Miron, spokesman for UN special envoy for the peace process Robert Serry, told Ma’an that Lieberman’s statement “appears to be an attempt to delegitimize President Abbas.” …Miron criticized Lieberman’s “inflammatory remarks,” adding that such statements “undermine trust at a time when the Quartet is working towards the resumption of negotiations.” (Ma’an News Agency)

Of course, what Miron fails to acknowledge, is that any legitimacy to office Abbas held -expired three years ago on January 9, 2009 when his term of elected office ended. Today, Abbas is just another version of Arafat. In fact, both only allowed one election within the Palestinian Authority before they assumed the mantle of leader for life.

a 17 year old was stabbed in Jerusalem by a Palestinian attacker a few days ago.

One of the more ridiculous suggestions is that the ‘Shalit deal’ which saw Hamas captive Gilad Shalit ransomed to Israel for 1,027 Palestinian thugs and murders created the ethos that lead to the motivation for the attack on the teenager. Ynet News:

Meir Indor, head of the Almagor Terror Victims Association, blamed the government for the incident, claiming that the release of prisoners as part of the Shalit swap deal led to the stabbing attack. “The publicity surrounding the deal turned murderers into culture heroes on the Arab and Palestinian street. Their acts are being praised and their release is attributed to Hamas’ determination against Israel.

Let me call bupkiss on this now. Palestinian Arabs have been attacking Jews far longer than than the state of Israel has existed. Shalit deal or no deal is not the cause of this attack. Although, I suspect the chorus of those repeating this nonsense will only grow. This is unfortunate since there will be no rationale discussion on the issues which the Shalit kidnapping raises.

Firstly, the circumstances concerning the Shalit kidnapping – was it just the perfect storm of unfortunate circumstances which lead to the kidnapping or was there failure of protocol that needs to be addressed. The IDF adopted the Hannibal Protocol during the 80’s. It is not a new concept and during my research for Many Like Me I encountered mention of the Hannibal doctrine – although, it was not framed as the Hannibal Protocol – and this, despite the fact that the Haganah had so few fighters under their command.

Days before Gilad Shalit’s release a tape of a Golani commander addressing the men under his command before entering the Gaza Strip in Operation Cast Lead (2008) surfaced. On the tape, the commander gives orders to the men under his command to kill themselves or each other if they were in imminent danger of being captive by Palestinian forces. This is the Hannibal protocol in action.

The minute a kidnapping attempt is being made the protocol is to be activated. Why this protocol was not instituted during the attack on Shalit’s unit has hopefully been open for debate within the IDF and concise actions taken to endure that a repeat of these circumstances does not take place in the future. Shalit was extremely fortunate to be returned alive after his capture and (chas v’shalom) it happens again where circumstances might not be so fortunate as there were in the Shalit matter.

Secondly, the Israeli government must design a course of action to lessen the motivation for the Arab terror groups to attempt hostage taking situations. Short of those who would suggest a course of action that amounts to capitulation to the enemy’s demands (also known as positions that amount to the Israelis jumping into the sea); there are only two courses of action available that I can perceive for the Israelis to take. One is to no longer take any Palestinian terrorists alive or institute the death penalty for any Palestinian terrorist who is convicted of attempting to murder Israeli civilians. This would also ensure ‘high value’ Palestinian terrorists are not released alive in the future where a return to murderous acts against Israeli civilians are a distinct possibility.

The world is often a harsh place and the enemy’s will is resolute; so pick your poison.

UPDATE: Apparently, IDF to revisit abduction prevention protocol

I have been ignoring the Occupy Movement. I was interested, but then came the ‘blame the Jews’ meme – and I wrote it off. I have no desire to pay attention to another protest movement which uses Jews to scapegoat my country’s or even the world’s economy. It has been done before with horrific consequences. If there is one constant in over two thousand years of Jewish history it is this; first comes ‘blame the Jews’, and then comes the pogroms. And I have no desire to end up as anyone’s lamp shade. If the Occupy Movement wants to be a force for positive change; it needs to write-off the ‘fringe’ rather than attempt to take the ‘fringe’ element into the mainstream.

But there is something rotten, and the middle class and working poor of this country know it. I know it, my senior mother knows it, my daughter knows it, my neighbours know it, the people I ride the subway and the bus with know it. The people I work beside every day know it. But it is just not us, it has spread throughout the Western world and we all know it. We are not the fringe or the protest pimps who come and protest for whatever cause is the flavour of times.

The last provincial election, not a single party represented a coherent platform which I could cast my vote for without cringing. The political class has betrayed the very people who they are sworn to represent.

Instead, the political class lobbies and seeks multi-national corporate interests rather than national ones. The political class tells us we need to nurture and care for corporate interests; otherwise, the people’s needs will not be met. This is why China can buy Canadian granite, ship it all the way to China to grind, cut and polish it, pay again to ship it all the way back to Canada and be as competitive as local Ontario producers. This is way Canadian multi-national corporations can seek government bail-outs but have no qualms in laying off Canadian workers to outsource those same jobs to third world workers. I do not have an issue with the third world countries attempting to build an a stable and healthy economy – but I just want them to build and develop their own economies without dismantling mine. Self-sufficiency should be the goal rather than inter-dependence.

Globalization was suppose to make us all free and rich. Although, it has not worked out that way for most of us. I am not any richer and my wages face a constant erosion from the rising rates of taxes and the general cost of just about everything while the corporate tax rate continues to slide ever downward. I know for a fact; I am less free today than I was 30 years ago.

Canadians generally do not have any babies anymore; mostly because they cannot afford to when it takes a 2 person income just to raise a small family with ordinary expectations. We never really discuss that in this country, and if the topic does manage to come up in public dialogue, somehow the dominate ethos manages to give the impression that a woman who works outside the home rather than rising her children at home does so for selfish avaricious reasons rather than the fact that taxation, housing and transportation costs now claim a much larger percentage of family income than they did 30 years ago.

Let me put it to you another way. My best friend in high school was number 7 out of 13 children. Jim’s parents emigrated from Scotland. His father starting off working in a factory and eventually worked his way up as a supervisor but not until most of the children had grown. His parents bought a modest 2-storey 3 bedroom home and renovated it to accommodate the ‘ever’-growing family. Jim’s mother did not work outside the home. Restaurant meals, movies or even cable television were not in the cards but there always enough kids for pick-up games of baseball and hockey. Jim’s father had a car, a station wagon, and the boys all got jobs at a young age.

The thing is, I cannot imagine any man today, with only a grade 8 education, being able to buy his own home, a car and support 15 on his salary without government assistance. The times have changes and not for the better, but the sad part is, no one is asking why this is.