Archive for the 'politika' Category
July 30th, 2008 by elie
Just watched Prime Minister Olmert’s impromtu press release (yes, he is still the prime minister).
Nothing new, really. He’ll quit once the new Kadima leader is voted for and announced. He won’t run, but who of us thought he was going to?
I will say this: His speech was classily done. The Israeli media has butchered him, and he’s killed his own reputation, but he is human and there was remorse in his voice. There was also anger and frustration; it can’t be easy to be a world leader hated by your own people.
Right, President Bush?
June 30th, 2008 by elie
There are plenty of reasons to make aliyah, but I just heard the most amusing:
June 24th, 2008 by elie
Amidst the cries for Olmert to quit, be embarrassed and work harder towards the release of the kidnapped soldiers, there was plenty of emotion to go round.
Of course, the major focal point of sentiment came from Noam Shalit’s short but necessary speech to open the rally outside the Prime Minister’s residence in Jerusalem.
It’s an absolute shame when fathers have to become politicians. It’s everything wrong.
June 24th, 2008 by elie
Today is two years from the day that Gilad Shalit was kidnapped by Hamas on the Israeli border during non-war time.
There will be a rally held outside the Prime Minister’s residence in Kikar Paris in Jerusalem, from 7-9pm.
All day I’ve been reading Facebook status updates and Twitter messages from people who are waiting for Gilad Shalit, Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev to be returned home.
Without the efforts from the boys’ families and citizen protests, I’m fairly sure the Israeli government would not have this on the forefront of the agenda. I know it’s difficult to balance these individual lives with the rest of the government’s duties, but someone has to remember, someone has to persist.
Because God-knows these soldiers - dead or alive - are in no power to right now.
June 1st, 2008 by elie
Pretty soon, that pioneering ‘halutz’ generation of Israeli elders will be just a memory in our textbooks and a prayer in our hearts.
Renowned author, journalist, Knesset member, Shinui party leader, Holocaust survivor Yosef Tommy Lapid died today at 77 after a battle with cancer.
The full story and eulogies are here.
May 15th, 2008 by elie
I was fortunate enough to score an invite to President Shimon Peres’ Facing Tomorrow: Israeli Presidential Conference, which went down over the last three days in the ICC.
It soon became clear that the opening panel of the first night was the crux of the event, at least for me, holding more importance than President Bush addressing the audience last night. It was a panel of over a dozen presidents or former leaders of nations from around the world. That list included the past or present leaders of Albania, Croatia, Latvia, Mongolia, Palau, Poland, Rwanda, Slovenia, Former Soviet Union, Uganda, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom.
There are two incredible points I picked up from this opening ceremony:
As a colleague of mine pointed out, this was an amazing moment for recent history. Just twenty years ago, statesmen of this caliber and specifically of several of those nations would not have acknowledged the technological triumphs and creative spirit of Israel, never mind stepped foot on our soil to do so.
Yet here we were, me on one end of the room witnessing Mikhail Gorbachev and the presidents of Latvia, Poland, Slovenia and more singing the praises of the State of Israel. They expressed pride in the technological creativity of the young country, as well as pride at knowing there are citizens of their own countries living here and contributing to that spirit. I found that especially ironic, but let’s not dwell on the details.
This was a moment that our grandparents would never have dreamed of, and for better or worse, here I was sitting in that room, hearing it with my own ears (in Russian, at least).
It was also the first time I’ve been to a conference centered on Israel that did not focus on conflict, terrorism, Palestinians, peace processes - at least, solely. The aim Peres was going for was to celebrate the State of Israel in its sixtieth year.
Major PR stunt, yes, but why the hell not gloat about Israel’s amazing accomplishments with regards to science, technology, medicine, agriculture and more? Israel has contributed to the rest of the world over and over again and to focus on that for once made me incredibly proud to be in the audience.
In addition, conflict issues were mentioned plenty, enough to show that the peace process and two-state solution are something Israel is serious about, but not enough to overshadow and depress the goals of the conference.
I admire Shimon Peres’ worldliness and the way he is putting it to use in his presidency. The Israeli presidency is often compared to the British royalty, which I’ve always thought as unfair: it’s about the president and what s/he does with the position. Peres is clearly using it to build relationships as well as Israel’s modern, first-world image.
The Presidential panel
Two old friends catching up?
Man of the hour
Presentation
Miri Misika and the conference theme
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PRxkMwC1t2A]
Hatikva, lead by Masa and Taglit participants
February 24th, 2008 by elie
Here’s something you don’t see everyday:
Ynet made me do a double-take with that one. But they really ought not to lie in journalism…
February 1st, 2008 by elie
No, I haven’t written any thoughts on the Winograd report given the other night. So what do I think, you ask?
I think the question - at this point - is how have I reacted to the Winograd report? I knew what my response would be whether or not I agreed with the outcome. It’s been planned for a while, actually.
My reaction was to take stock piles of old newspapers from the last months of Prime Minister Olmert still being in power, of terrible governing and bad governmental memories, and crumple them up, toss them into boxes, and settle my delicate glassware on the faces of ineffective world leaders.
I think it’s been a pretty healthy response, actually.
January 2nd, 2008 by elie
It’s a year and a half later, and the three kidnapped soldiers from summer 2006 - Ehud Goldwasser, Eldad Regev and Gilad Shalit have not been returned to us.
The Keren Maor Foundation was founded to assist and support the families of these three soldiers, and to raise awareness until they are brought home from their current Hezbollah and Hamas prisons.
They have declared January 2nd to be a day dedicated to reminding Prime Minister Ehud Olmert that it is the government’s responsibility to bring back our captured brothers. In the letter below, the foundation asks citizens of Israel to send emails/letters/faxes on that date.
eulmert@knesset.gov.il
Kaplan 3, Jerusalem 91919
02-6546717
If you’d like to contact the organization, be in touch with Ilan Specter, 0524714025 or ilan-ss@nana.co.il. The foundation accepts donations here.
December 15th, 2007 by elie
Charity is good and all, and everyone likes a nice project now and again. But this is going a little far for a hobby, right? Walking through the streets of Jerusalem, I turn my head and see the giant face of Arkadi Gaydamak:
I guess it’s unnerving because no one really knows what the Russian-Israeli billionaire’s ultimate plan is; no one is that rich without an agenda, right?
In this advertisement, posted on the side of a Jerusalem Egged bus:
Jerusalem, you deserve more.
The new Bikur Holim Hospital: With faces to the future.
Gaydamak reaches beyond Jerusalem to Sderot, where now he is apparently investing 90 million shekel in fortifying the beleaguered city. Again, I think billionaires pretending to be Robin Hood is noble… And maybe I’m misled by Russian stereotypes…
But…
