What’s with France in the Ivory Coast? And where’s the international uproar?

I wonder if the BBC sees the irony in this: “The French troops now have orders to shoot at anybody stopping them from enforcing a fragile ceasefire”.

The Guardian actually seems quite understanding: “Nearly 2,000 French troops are in Ivory Coast to enforce an often-violated cease-fire between the northern rebels and the government, and to protect French citizens and other foreign nationals.
But the French have been increasingly dragged into the fighting, especially in the West, where they are effectively blocking any rebel advance south”.

I have no idea what’s going on over there, and I have to be truthful and say that I couldn’t really care. We’ve got enough on our plate. But it does seem terrible hypocrisy to me that there is not one word of criticism anywhere. Am I getting this all wrong or is this not a blatant case of an ex-colonizing power looking out for its economic interests by interfering militarily?

We all know what the op-eds the world over would be screaming if it were the U.S.

posted by Imshin 21:30

Palestinians launched an anti-tank missile (Hebrew links) at Israeli soldiers in Rafiah near the Egyptian border. No harm done.
posted by Imshin 19:38

Moe links to this poignant article by David Mamet, written during his recent visit to Israel.
posted by Imshin 19:11

A car blew up in Jerusalem, last night, at 1 a.m. No one was hurt. A young Palestinian from East Jerusalem was arrested.

Update: It was an attempt to blow up a pub.
posted by Imshin 15:28

4 murdered, 9 wounded: In the dining room of the yeshiva in Otniel, South of Hebron. It looks like two terrorists infiltrated Otniel. One has been killed. The other seems to have managed to flee into a nearby village.
posted by Imshin 20:47

Ruminations of a floating vote.
Call me crazy, but I can’t help feeling sorry for Likud members with criminal backgrounds. For many years the party has wooed them. Knesset members and government ministers have dined at their tables. They have found, in the Likud, a warm home and respectability. Everyone knew people with criminal connections, and even some actual criminals and ex-criminals, were among local party activists and even members of the party center. And make no mistake, Labor is just the same in this regard. Being anti-elitism and open to people from all walks of life is very important in gaining the Mizrahi vote. That’s one of the reasons why left-wing Meretz is not perceived as a party that looks out for workers rights and won’t be, in the foreseeable future. Too pompous and intellectual and snobby.

Now, these criminals and ex-criminals, long welcome members of the party, probably even regarded as assets, are, not surprisingly, being dropped like hot potatoes. And they are terribly offended. They obviously can see that the politicians are no better than them. What am I talking about? The politicians are worse.

Last night, a major persona non grata, Shlomi Oz, was interviewed on TV. I usually can’t be bothered with this sort of thing, but for some reason, this guy I wanted to see, maybe to judge if he’s on the level. He has not been connected to the allegations of corruption in the party “primaries”, as far as I can tell, and he claims he hasn’t been involved in criminal activities since he got out of prison, twelve years ago (although his name is currently being connected to a big bank scam, which he denies). But still he has become the main bad guy, since the media cottoned on to his connections with Omri Sharon (son of). Anyway, he didn’t look good on TV. A quiet man, certainly not a thug, he seemed shifty, but maybe that was because he was really nervous. My verdict? I wasn’t really convinced of his innocence or of his being rehabilitated, as he claims, but I mainly felt embarrassed. He seemed too pathetic and defensive to be much of a threat to Israel’s democracy. According to this Haaretz article he is very powerful and charismatic. This didn’t come over on TV at all. In a passage in the Hebrew version of the article (requires registration) that was cut in translation Oz explains that he shies a way from publicity and exposure because his past is always brought up and it ultimately backfires. Therefore he is unaccustomed to it. That could explain his poor TV performance.

Politicians really are the lowest of the low. Now we’re getting a daily opportunity to see just how low they are. This is what we, picturesquely, call in Israel “hamitz shel hazevel” (the juice of the garbage). They (the politicians) don’t know them (the criminals). They’ve never spoken to them. They’re no friends of theirs (insert indignant guffaw). The party is fortunate to be rid of them. And so on and so forth. And these were their best buddies just a fortnight ago. It’s really nauseating.

I think the Likud is reeling from a serious slap in the face, with all this corruption business, and is in shock about the effect the criminals in their midst and mainly the open criminal activities party members have been engaging in should have on the anticipated outcome of the elections. I do believe they are earnest about cleaning the stables (as much as politicians can be earnest about anything). If this is indeed the case, then something good could come out of all this “go’al nefesh” (disgustingness).

I still don’t know if I could vote for them.

Yippee! I’m a floating vote. (I don’t intend floating anywhere near Mitzna, though).

Update: OK, OK, I went a bit far. I accept that, as Alisa says, there are good politicians. They just don't have much chance of being in realistic spots in the Likud list this election, probably for no fault of their own.

posted by Imshin 10:53

Lynn B. puts the sadness of Bethlehem’s Christmas in context.
posted by Imshin 07:26

Remember little five-year-old Nur Abu Tir, who was found dead? Her uncle, Majed Abu Tir has confessed that he murdered her (Hebrew link). His motive was his hatred of little girls and besides that a genie told him to murder her.
posted by Imshin 22:16

Ultra-religious Israelis are critically discussing their world on an internet forum (Hebrew link). Haaretz tells us a little about what goes on there.

I had a little read. Interesting, intelligent discussions. I quite enjoyed the level of the Hebrew. People who write on forums here sometimes have very poor grammar.
posted by Imshin 21:00

Iraq and Syria – best pals.
According to Zeev Schiff, Iraq is moving two kinds of weapons to Syria:
A. Weapons of mass destruction, for safe keeping and hiding there (PM Ariel Sharon came public with this information on Tuesday).
B. Rockets destined for the Hizbullah for use against Israel.

posted by Imshin 20:36

I dislike describing what's happening here in a way that would make it sound as if I’m whining or wallowing in self-pity. This is why I have been writing much less about the "situation" lately.

The other day I got an e-mail from someone who said something about a few months ago when we (meaning Israel) were in a bad way. But the thing is, we still are in a bad way. Even if the security forces manage to prevent or foil nearly all the terrorist acts, it doesn't mean they are not being attempted daily, or that we don't know about them here. We are being updated all the time about terrorist attacks that have been foiled, or terrorists that have been arrested and found to have had explosive belts or other weapons aimed at killing Israeli civilians (this is usually about two or three a day). A few times a day, there are announcements on the radio of increased alert in such and such an area, then announcements that the alert has been cancelled, then announcements of alert somewhere else, or in the same area again.

So we are still very aware that we are living under the shadow of terrorist attacks.

Now the media are doing their best to increase hysteria of an Iraqi attack on Israel. The left is saying its all a Likud plot to get back votes, but I hadn't noticed that the Israeli media were necessarily the Likud's lackeys.

With or without the media's help, preparations for the war are stepping up here. They've started teaching the children in school how to put on gas masks. My girls had these lessons this week. Bedtime was delayed this evening while I explained to them a bit about how it was last time, what we are planning to do this time and generally calmed them down. Mainly my eldest. My youngest is a toughie (or she puts on a very good act). It looks like my eldest and her girlfriends had all gotten a bit panicky together.

The Health Ministry has decided not to inoculate the population for small pox, for the time being. In the meantime, they've been inoculating police and emergency medical personnel. They're also giving out pagers to deaf people in order to alert them, because they won't be able to hear the air-raid sirens.

The economic situation is getting worse. People are losing their jobs and businesses in droves. Today I spoke to a friend whose whole department was laid off a few months ago. She says there are no jobs, no projects, nothing. She says that even when she gets a job interview she discovers it isn’t a “real job”, as she calls it, but something limited in hours and duration. She’s a single mother. She needs a real job.

So this is the score: It can hit from above, it can hit from ground level, it can hit through your pocket. The amount of uncertainty and tension people are living with is making the atmosphere here very unpleasant (even more than on my comments lately ;-), but then again, maybe that’s just me passing on some of the negative energy from over here).

My friend at work is thinking of voting Mitzna. She needs someone to tell her: "This is what we're going to do and this is how and when we're going to do it."

posted by Imshin 00:45

I'm sorry, I've been very busy and I haven't been near a computer today or yesterday since my 6 o'clock post. Needless to say, I've been worrying about this, and I really don't feel up to all this unpleasantness right now. It's just getting worse and worse.

I will now delete the letter to Diane and comments (people who didn't read it, and don't know what I'm talking about, please forgive me).

I have to go out again now to see about a middle school for eldest for next year, and I don't know if I'll be able to post again tonight.
posted by Imshin 18:57

A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL MY CHRISTIAN READERS.

King John's Christmas
by A.A. Milne

King John was not a good man-
He had his little ways.
And sometimes no one spoke to him
For days and days and days.
And men who came upon him,
When walking in the town,
Gave him a supercilious stare.
Or passed with noses in the air-
And bad King John stood dumbly there,
Blushing beneath his crown.

King John was not a good man,
And no good friends had he.
He stayed in every afternoon,
But no one came to tea.
And, round about December,
The cards upon his shelf
Which wished him lots of Christmas cheer,
And fortune in the coming year,
Were never from his near and dear,
But only from himself.

King John was not a good man,
Yet had his hopes and fears.
They’d given him no present now
For years and years and years.
But every year at Christmas,
While minstrels stood about,
Collecting tribute from the young
For all the songs they might have sung,
He stole away upstairs and hung
A hopeful stocking out.

King John was not a good man,
He lived his life aloof;
Alone he thought a message out
While climbing up the roof.
He wrote it down and propped it
Against the chimney stack:
TO ALL AND SUNDRY - NEAR AND FAR -
F. CHRISTMAS IN PARTICULAR.-
And signed it not 'Johannes R.'
But very humbly, 'Jack.'

'I want some crackers,
And I want some candy;
I think a box of chocolates
Would come in handy;
I don’t mind oranges,
I do like nuts!
And I SHOULD like a pocket-knife
That really cuts.
And, oh! Father Christmas, if you love me at all,
Bring me a big, red india-rubber ball!'

King John was not a good man
He wrote this message out,
And gat him to his room again,
Descending by the spout.
And all that night he lay there,
A prey to hopes and fears.
'I think that’s him a-coming now,'
(Anxiety bedewed his brow.)
'He’ll bring one present, anyhow-
The first I’ve had in years.'

'Forget about the crackers,
And forget about the candy;
I’m sure a box of chocolates
Would never come in handy;
I don’t like oranges,
I don’t want nuts,
And I HAVE got a pocket-knife
That almost cuts.
But, oh! Father Christmas, if you love me at all,
Bring me a big, red india-rubber ball!'

King John was not a good man
Next morning when the sun
Rose up to tell a waiting world
That Christmas had begun,
And people seized their stockings,
And opened them with glee,
And crackers, toys and games appeared,
And lips with sticky sweets were smeared,
King John said grimly: 'As I feared,
Nothing again for me!'

'I did want crackers,
And I did want candy;
I know a box of chocolates
Would come in handy;
I do love oranges,
I did want nuts.
I haven’t go a pocket-knife -
Not one that cuts.
And, oh! if Father Christmas had loved me at all,
He would have brought a big, red india-rubber ball!'

King John stood by the window,
And frowned to see below
The happy bands of boys and girls
All playing in the snow.
A while he stood there watching,
And envying them all-
When through the window big and red
There hurtled by his royal head,
And bounced and fell upon the bed,
An india-rubber ball!


AND OH, FATHER CHRISTMAS,
MY BLESSINGS ON YOU FALL
FOR BRINGING HIM
A BIG, RED,
INDIA-RUBBER
BALL!


posted by Imshin 18:00

More Tommy Lapid (my apologies to those of you who are fed up of this subject).
A Tel Aviv chef and TV personality, Tzahi Bukshaster, used to have a TV program where he took celebrities to their favorite restaurants. He once took Tommy Lapid to Yehudit’s Hungarian restaurant in Gan Hair. I had often walked past Yehudit’s, sat for a coffee and a cake in its outdoor coffee shop and a couple of times had even bought cakes to go, but I was completely unaware of this culinary treasure at the back. Lapid remarks on the food were a delight. He was obviously in his element, oozing with charm, as usual, and enjoying the food that he loved. Yehudit’s couldn’t have dreamt of a better advertisement. Since then, until I read Shavit’s article, I was under the impression that Lapid was Hungarian.

Tommy Lapid is everything Mitzna is not and never can be. Mitzna is a cold fish. His smile on his campaign posters is so frozen and unnatural, it’s hard to tell if he’s smiling or trying to get a fish bone out of his teeth with his tongue without anyone noticing. Tommy is outrageous and infuriating, but he has this irresistible, mischievous twinkle in his eye. That twinkle along with his sincerity and the warmth of his voice, are completely captivating.

Diane seems to find offense in the fact that his wife, besides being a successful and accomplished writer, is also a “Bala Busta” and takes joy in indulging her husband’s love of good “heimisher” food. He likes eating. She likes feeding him. Where’s the problem? Granted, Tommy doesn’t sound like an easy partner, but this doesn’t mean she’s an oppressed wife in a demeaning relationship. She makes the soup and feeds the guests. He takes down the garbage. This is family life. Shavit has twisted it to make it seem ugly, and Diane fell for it. But it isn’t ugly at all, it’s heart warming. This looks like a normal, warm relationship between two consenting, independent adults. She’s not in it because she’s economically dependent on him. She’s in it because she chooses to be.

* * *

Diane has pointed out some apparent contradictions in what I’ve been saying and I’d like to sort things out.

She fails to see why I dislike Shavit’s article so much. As I said before, it’s part of a whole campaign in Israel, embraced by all and sundry, to de-legitimize and demonize Tommy Lapid and Shinui. For secular parties, Shinui is a big threat, with its clean image and clear message. Shas, doing very badly in the polls, and badly in need of a resident Goldstein (i.e. someone to hate), has apparently published a pamphlet announcing that Tommy is a Nazi. This is rich, coming from a party that, if I am not mistaken (I can’t find a link), was recently cautioned by Judge Heshin, the elections’ overseer, for announcing, as part of its platform, that it intends to appoint only Sephardim for public office.

Whatever you think about Tommy’s often-controversial views, branding him a racist is wrong, and de-legitimizing his party, which represents the views of a large portion of moderate, sensible Israelis, is alarming. His party is not about keeping the Mizrahim down. What nonsense! That’s just Shas propaganda. For one thing, Shinui is about stopping the outrage of the ultra-religious feeding off us like leeches, while refusing to contribute to the economy, to serve in the army, or even to contribute the minimum suggested to them of a fortnight a year doing national service in hospitals or religious schools or the like, and at the same time actively, even vehemently trying to force us secular people into accepting their way of life. The anger about this among Israelis is immense.

The left is forever accusing the Israeli right and the religious for undermining Israeli democracy, but I think trying to paint Lapid as a racist, which fits nicely in with Amram Mitzna, Yoel Marcus and the likes thinking that anyone who disagrees with them needs their head examined, is also detrimental to Israel’s delicate political balance.

By the way, I’d like to point out that Shinui is not just Tommy Lapid. Shinui is home to one of the Knesset’s most hardworking and productive parliamentarians, Tommy’s rather lackluster, but soft-spoken no.2, Avraham Poraz. Poraz, aware of his shortcomings, made the deal of his life, before the last elections, when he brought in Tommy to replace Amnon Rubinstein as Shinui’s figurehead.

Diane also wonders why I dislike Shavit’s article so much, given my opposition to an Israeli “European” self-image as promoted by Lapid, which I call "Europeanism", and to the belief in European cultural superiority, which she calls “Lapidism”. By the way, Diane, I’m not saying we don’t have European roots, although I have my reservations about how deep they are, and in my comment to Jonathan’s post I was reacting to his assertion that Jerusalem was Eastern while Tel Aviv was European.

I know a lot of “Lapidists”. As I said yesterday, I regard them as dinosaurs. I don’t mean this in an offensive way. I just mean that they are on the way out. Their way of thinking has become irrelevant. I don’t think they are racist and I am strongly opposed to their way of thinking being de-legitimized. Some people find Mizrahi music boring and some (infinitely more, actually) find classical music boring. I personally enjoy both, but then I’m a bit of a weirdo, aren’t I? To each their own. “Lapidism” is not Shinui’s platform. Lapidism is his personal preference. He’s not preaching discrimination, quite the opposite.

Furthermore, his opposition to sitting in a coalition with Arab parties is not because they are Arab parties, as such, but because by no stretch of the imagination could any of them be regarded as Zionist and because their leading Knesset members have blatantly and repeatedly expressed their support for the Palestinian violent struggle.

A few words about Israeli Europeanism, as I see it:
Jews were always considered an alien element in Europe. As I see it, the intentional destruction of European Jewry by the Nazis, with quite a lot of support from various nations they were occupying at the time (by saying this I am not belittling the courageous people who helped the Jews in this dark era, but rather elevating them), is one of the results of the first real appearance of acceptance of Jews in Western European society, in the guise of the emancipation. Claims that Israel is a European colonizing agent are therefore particularly ironic and unjust.

The first Jews to arrive here, not for religious reasons but to begin to realize the Zionist vision of a return of the Jewish people to their homeland, were European. In fact, the whole idea grew out of European emerging nationalism, which had no place for perceived foreign elements such as the Jews. But how European were these first settlers, really? Most of those who came to live here, initially, were breaking out of the confinements of Jewish traditional communities in Russia and Poland. European philosophy and idealism were something new and exciting for them, not something they had encountered in their Eastern European Jewish homes, in the “Heder” or in the Yeshiva, not something they had grown up with. How European are today’s ultra-religious Jews of Mea Shearim? These people live in a world of their own, not only unreceptive to external influences, but actively fighting against them. This is the world the first Zionist settlers in the Land of Israel came from. That they should have the good sense to embrace Western European values of democracy and personal freedom is not obvious. It took Russia and Poland, the countries they came from, many more years to embrace these values.

The Jewish Zionists of the first half of the twentieth century built a secular European-style society here, in defiance of the Jewish religious world they came from. The Yekkes, the highly educated secular German Jews, fleeing Nazi Germany in the thirties, were welcomed even as their stiff European manners were widely ridiculed. Hundreds of thousands of displaced and often badly traumatized Holocaust survivors, mainly from Eastern Europe, also managed to somehow build a home for themselves in this Europeanist atmosphere, quite naturally. Among them was the young Tommy Lapid.

When hundreds of thousands of Jews from Arab countries flowed in, they were also expected to assimilate into the prevalent Europeanism, which must have been completely bewildering for many of them. It seems that on the whole, they sincerely attempted to, initially. But much of their acceptance of this Europeanism was superficial, and they eventually rebelled.

I wrote yesterday about the subsequent cultural transformations, which I think we are still in the midst of. I strongly believe that shedding off an exclusively European self-image is important for the development of an Israeli society that is a natural and integral part of the Middle East. This doesn’t mean lowering our standards. This means enjoying the richness of our diverse society, accepting and dealing with the more problematic aspects of it and not succumbing to dangerous tendencies.

posted by Imshin 11:31

This had me rolling on the floor in hysterics:
Mitzna's campaign staff has decided not to import spin doctors from America, like Bibi, Barak and Sharon. Instead, they have hired two local psychologists to accompany the election campaign from beginning to end. Their job is to figure out the mystery behind the public adulation of Sharon. If he's so good that most people are wild about him and anyone who dares to say a critical word is tarred and feathered, then why is the situation so bad? And if things are so bad, why the love affair with Sharon?

One explanation is that a portion of the public is suffering from shell shock and doesn't believe in changing generals in mid-battle. Mitzna's psychologists will also try to figure out how come most of the people who plan to vote for Sharon can't explain his policies. Maybe these guys will submit an evaluation or two, but to really crack the code and get to the bottom of this insanity, you need more than psychologists. You need psychiatrists.

It’s Yoel Marcus, of course, one of Haaretz’s thickest don’t-get-its.

Many thanks to The Head Heeb for inadvertently supplying me with a free session of laughter therapy.

Well, thank you for thinking I need my head examined, Mr. Mitzna, that will definitely get you my vote.

The arrogance of the man.

posted by Imshin 19:27

Piven has a website
I’m not sure how well-known he is in the US. Worth clicking through and taking a look at the portraits, if you’re not familiar with his work. And if you are. Brilliant.

posted by Imshin 18:49

Iraq
The Israeli media are obsessing about the war in Iraq again. This has been happening at regular intervals for a few months now, and serves to get people panicky each time. I spent much of today attempting to calm down my friend at work, a young widow bringing up two young girls. Every time the war with Iraq comes up, she gets very jittery. I can understand, she’s probably very worried about going through this on her own, although she doesn’t say so.

posted by Imshin 18:49

The Adventures of Tommy the Dinosaur or Not European, Not Eastern - Israeli, An Original and Unique Entity.
The intense tensions between different segments of Israeli society are copious. Rich and poor; Askenazi and Mizrahi; Jews and Arabs; religious and secular; right and left; center and periphery. A lot of people are afraid that all these problems are pulling us apart; that they are just too much for any one society to handle. They are so worried about all these problems that they can't see all the wonderful things that are happening here.

Tommy Lapid is one of a dying breed in Israel, with his admiration for European culture and mannerisms. Europhiles, some open like Tommy Lapid, others who think it but don't talk about it for fear of being seen as discriminative, have been temporarily strengthened by the large influx of Russian immigrants, some of whom are derisive of the Middle Eastern winds that blow here. But these winds continue to blow, regardless. Israeli popular culture is more Eastern than ever before.

Young Israelis are faced with the dilemma of the "bad" Europe that brought about the systematic extermination of the Jews during WWII and the "good" Europe with its philosophy, music, art and literature. But unlike Lapid's generation, youngsters today have multiple influences. Europe, with its perceived contempt for Israel, is no longer a default choice.

You may say I'm overly optimistic and that I am ignoring some unpleasant realities, but I truly believe that we are witnessing something exciting happening here, a slow but sure fusion of our rich cultural diversity. Unlike in the early years, Europe is no longer the main cultural axis around which everything revolves. Bish and myself are just one example of the many couples I know from different cultural backgrounds. I believe that, in a few generations, the question of Sephardi and Ashkenazi will be marginal. Most Israelis will be happy, healthy mongrels, like my girls. The result will be a whole new culture. No one can really prophesy what it will be like. It doesn't really matter, either, for it in itself will not be static, but a constantly transforming and developing entity, as is the nature of human society.

Which direction is this development taking right now?

Well, for one thing there is currently a lot of popular interest in Jewish roots and heritage. This is not necessarily a religious thing. Part of coming to terms with the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin has been a growing secular movement of getting better acquainted with our Jewish traditional wisdom. Many organizations have sprung up that teach Judaism to secular adults without attempting to make them religious.

Another newish trend takes advantage of the fact that people are feeling more comfortable than ever before with their ethnic differences, within the framework of Israeli society, and not necessarily out of a place of protest (although some would want to exploit it to further such protest). The Yiddish theater is flourishing, and theatrical productions in Moroccan are very popular. And these are just two little examples.

I'm not sure where this is leading, but reconciliation with our past is surely the first step of moving forward.

Israeli pop music has become of late an interesting mixture of east and west. I find the current fad for releasing Mizrahi versions for old Israeli favorites particularly intriguing.

The widespread fascination in Israel for Eastern philosophies, and the firsthand experience of India and Thailand, by hundreds of thousands of young Israelis is sure to have an affect, too.

And then, of course, there's the American culture absorbed into our psyche through TV and music.

I believe we are right in the middle of a process of building our own unique identity. Unlike in the early years, this time it is not being pushed in any particular direction by an official ideology. It's just happening. I admit it's getting quite a lot of rather aggressive help from the electronic media. They're always eager to cash in on anything that seems popular. This will probably serve to slow down the process. People rapidly get fed up of what TV rams down their throat.

I think a lot of people of all kinds feel very threatened by this spontaneous change that is coming about (I wanted to call it a cultural revolution, but that term is rather loaded), without really being aware of what it is they are reacting too, so strongly. They're still stuck in old concepts.

People who complain incessantly about deprivation of the Mizrahim, for instance, can't stop Mizrahi youngsters from leaving the development towns that sadly can offer them little cultural or economic advancement and coming to Tel Aviv to change their destinies. A lot of the people I work with came to the Tel Aviv area from Tiberias, Sderot, Afula, Kiryat Shmona, to name but a few. They haven't waited for affirmative action. They have got on with their lives and many hold managerial posts. Their children are already growing up into a different reality than their parents experienced as children. In Mitzpe Ramon, I have met people who have returned to live in their hometown, strengthened and enriched from a few years away from it.

People, who continue to be stuck with their feelings of deprivation, cultural superiority or disappointment with the changing face of Israel, will forever feel uncomfortable in this whole new entity that is emerging. What can I say? That's their problem. You can't drink the empty half of the cup. You can dwell on it, be angry about it and let it pull you down into endless misery. But you can't drink it. It's your choice. Don't blame me for it.

Excuse me if I choose to enjoy the full half of the cup to the utmost.

posted by Imshin 18:47

I'm not sure why you liked the Ari Shavit article so much, Diane. I found it rather slanted. Tomy Lapid is a big threat to all the secular parties right now. Polls show he's going to do extremely well, and it's open season on him from all quarters, right, left and center (Maybe not center, because he's perceived, I think, as the center). All and sundry are doing their utmost to de-legitimize him and portray him as a racist. The gloves are off. It's quite easy because he is completely un-PC, king of the provocative one-liner, which is most of his charm for potential voters. He comes over as completely on the level, even if what he has to say is hard to stomach, and up till now appears to have kept his promises to his voters, a rare phenomenon indeed in Israeli politics.

The "how many Mizrahim have you got?” line, is a cheap shot. Personally, I'm fed up to the back teeth of it. I'm fed up of token women and token Mizrahim and token gays and token Arabs. Meretz seems quite obsessive about making sure every last minority is represented. Affirmative action gone haywire. Has everyone forgotten that people would appreciate representatives with actual abilities? The women who got into the Likud list are frankly shameful. What's the point of having women to represent me if they have no proven qualifications (besides knowing who to pay off)? No, it’s worse than that. Having unsuitable women in Knesset could even have long term adverse affects, in maybe showing that sexists and religious nuts are right, and that women really are unsuitable as national leaders.

I don’t like the European thing that comes over in the article one bit, but I’m also fed up of hearing, morning, noon and night, how downtrodden and deprived the Mizrahim were and are, when I’m completely surrounded, in my private life (What am I talking about? Since when do I have a public life?), by people who prove the complete opposite.

I found the Ari Shavit article particularly misleading for the foreign reader, who reads it out of the context of the rest of the input the Israeli reader is getting from the media. The Israeli reader knows Lapid extremely well, as the article suggests, from his days as a TV star on a hot current affairs program. A lot of other details could also be misleading for those unacquainted with the nuances. For instance, to the uninitiated his wife "Shula" comes over as a little home-keeper, quite in keeping with the right-wing bigot impression the article is pushing. It is not necessary to tell the Israeli reader, however, that his wife, Shulamit Lapid, is in fact one of Israel's foremost novelists. His son is also very popular as a newspaper columnist and TV interviewer, whose recent divorce from his also famous wife was widely speculated about and he himself wrote about it in his column. In fact, they are probably one of the most high profile families in the country.

All this is superfluous for the Israeli reader, so Shavit tries to scrape up some little known facts (everyone knows Lapid's a holocaust survivor) to try to keep the reader's interest and maybe give us some new angles to explain his personality. In Israel we call it “psychologia bigrush”. Would that be translated as “dime psychology”, I wonder?

Let us not forget that everyone has a vested interest, even Ari Shavit. Our not necessarily knowing what it is, doesn’t mean it isn’t there. Reading Haaretz, I often think the writers themselves are not aware of how strongly their personal views come across, but maybe that’s just me being naive now.

posted by Imshin 02:36

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