Clinton’s remarks two weeks ago, singling out Russian immigrants to Israel as the primary obstacle to peace made me cringe. Literally. Classifying ethnic groups into policy or regime supporters and troublemakers is so reminiscent of Stalin-era “resettlement programs,” that I am starting to wonder whether there might be some truth to the Republican rhetoric of [...]
Posts under ‘politics’
Humanitarian Crisis in Gaza – Gourmet Videos
What images does “humanitarian crisis” conjure in your mind? For me, it’s the stories of the siege of Leningrad during WWII, which some of my family members experienced first-hand. The Hamas and its supporters (especially in the media) would like us to believe that something of the sorts is happening in Gaza. Then, last week, [...]
TSA Security Measures
When I was a kid back in Russia, my family would spend all our summer vacations in Yalta, a seaside resort on the Black Sea. One year, as we were driving to the airport for our flight back home, we were stopped by the police and diverted into the local botanical gardens. Together with several [...]
The Gilad Shalit Deal as a Mirror of the Israeli Society
The discourse over the anticipated deal with Hamas to free Gilad Shalit has become the center of Israel’s public agenda in recent weeks. Although I oppose the release of some one thousand terrorists, which will only serve to whet Hamas’s appetite and encourage additional kidnappings, the very fact that the Israeli government would even consider [...]
This is just shocking…
This week Reporters Without Borders published its annual Press Freedom Index. As could be expected in the current political and media climate, Israel was ranked 93rd and 150th (inside and outside the Green Line), behind such bastions of the freedom of expression as Lebanon, Kuwait, and United Arab Emirates. Sure enough, Israel was singled out [...]
A Letter to Goldstone
Someone sent me a copy of a letter in which a personal friend of Judge Goldstone berates him for his involvement with the anti-Israel committee named after him. I have no idea whether the cover story is true and who really penned this letter, but that in no way diminishes the poignancy of the arguments [...]
Obama's peace for our time
On September 30, 1938, Neville Chamberlain returned to Britain after selling Czechoslovakia off to Hitler and pronounced the agreement to signify “peace for our time.” Less than a year later, Germany invaded Poland, setting off the greatest tragedy in modern history. Fast forward to 2009. President Obama betrays Czech and Polish allies by unilaterally scrapping [...]
