Annapolis Game Plan

Haaretz, Israel's left of center "intellectual" daily broke the story this morning:

"According to Shin Bet analysts, there are concerns of a Palestinian "trick" during the negotiations, in which Israel will be tempted to offer recognition, in principle on East Jerusalem as the Palestinian capital, and delay discussion on the details and the arrangements for administering the holy sites there." - the full story

The First Shuldig (1973)

As long as we're doing Golden Oldies, I dug up this cartoon from 1973! It is the very first appearance of a character I called Mr. Shuldig. Shuldig is Yiddish for guilt or blame. Since we Israelis never accept guilt or blame I thought it would be cool to have a character who would "take the blame". Unfortunately in this, his first appearance, he wheedled out of it and came on stage as a brash (note that Mr. Shuldig "pats himself on the back" in the punchline) "problem solver". (Kupat Holim is our socialized medical health-care system).

Mr. Shuldig somehow became my alter ego, so that when I want to say something "from me"... I use Mr. Shuldig.

Here's what Mr. Shuldig looks like today. Thirty four years later!

Less brash? More tired? What do you think?

Hmmm?

It Just Keeps Getting Worse

Like the cartoon says, as we get closer to what's now being called the Annapolis meeting, things just seem to be getting worse.If consulting with Clinton and Carter is any indication of what's awaiting us at the "talks", I'd say we, and the chances for peace, are now in serious trouble.

But, hey... What do you think?

Sunday Mail: October 28, 2008

Posting a cartoon every weekday leaves no room for me to simply share news, ideas, and other stuff with you, so here's: 'Sunday Mail: Letters from Dry Bones'.
Deal of the week: Learn to read Hebrew in just 120 minutes!!
Those of use who learned to read Hebrew as kids take being able to read it for granted. For those who can't read it, it seems like a really daunting challenge.

Instant Hebrew to the rescue: Check out this new online course which teaches complete newbies to read Hebrew in just 120 minutes ...Wow!

...and tell them Dry Bones sent you: Instant Hebrew

Trick or Treat?

In the rapidly shifting sands of the Middle East, with the reality of Iranian infiltration into the area, and the establishment of Hamas and Hezbollah as their puppet forces, perhaps the Americans (or some Israelis) think they can buy off the Palestinian terrorists with a pound of Israeli flesh.

If that's what's looming ahead of us at the "talks" in Annapolis, then we are indeed about to be scared silly!

So what's your take on the "talks"? Are we in for a treat? or will it be the same old tricks?

Spain Repeals Expulsion (1991)

Well, it's been 16 years since Spain repealed their 500 year-old expulsion of the Jews in 1492.

Generations of American kids only knew that date by having been taught that "Columbus sailed the ocean blue in 14 hundred 92." The Inquisition and the expulsion of the Jews from Spain never, at least in my day, made it into the history books.

There is, of course a heavy connection between Columbus and the expulsion of the Jews from Spain:

"On On March 31, 1492, the Edit of Expulsion was signed. The deadline for Jews to leave Spain was August 3, 1492, which was, ironically, the Ninth of Av (Tisha B'av) on the Jewish calendar, a day of fasting commemorating the destruction of both Temples in Jerusalem.

Columbus and his crew boarded their vessels before midnight, and on the August 3rd sailed before sunrise."-more.

Changing Times

And so it goes. . . Europe gives empty promises, the rest of the world is too anti-American to care, and we all roll on to the coming World War 3 and Holocaust 2 that nobody seems capable of (or interested in) stopping.

Or do you think that I'm being an alarmist?

The Rabin Assassination (1995)

The assassination of U.S. President John F. Kennedy in November of 1963 and the assassination of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin in November of 1995 have both become dry history to a new generation, but remain emotionally charged experiences for those of us who lived through either.

And, similarly, both have given birth to widely believed conspiracy theories. You know about the JFK conspiracy theories, but did you know about the Rabin conspiracy theories?

Optimists and Pessimists

Twice each week I get to show a Golden Oldie. It's fun to look back with the wisdom provided by knowing how things "turned out". I thought of that as I posted today's cartoon. What will this particular cartoon look like as a Golden Oldie sometime in the future?

Nu? So what do you think?

Terror in Pakistan

As of the time of this writing, the terrorist attack in Pakistan has claimed hundreds of victims. Benazir Bhutto, the Pakistani opposition leader, had returned from exile yesterday. Hundreds of thousands of supporters had lined the streets of Karachi, surging forward for a glimpse of their leader as she inched her way through the city atop a bullet-proof truck... and then...

For a slide show of news photos from the NYTimes, just click on the photograph below

The Big Chill (1978)

Israel is one of those countries with a rainy season. That means that it after Passover it pretty much does not rain until after the High Holidays, when, hopefully, the country is blessed with the return of rain.

There's even a Biblical promise (Deut. 11: 9 – 14 ): "I will give you the rain of your land in its due season, the first rain and the latter rain, that you may gather in your corn, and your wine, and your oil."

So we pray for the first rain. We even have two Hebrew words for the first rainfall. It's sometimes called the "bakira" but more often is called the "yoreh."

Before searching for a Golden Oldie for today's posting I watched the morning news while gulping down some breakfast. The two main news items: The chilly breakdown in negotiations about the November talks and the prediction of our first real downpour, this afternoon.

Hmmm. . .

So here's a Golden Oldie from back in 1978. Another one of those eerie, "I Could Run It Now Without Any Changes" cartoons.

Who Do You Trust?

According to Israel National News today is a special day:

World Jewry Marks 8,000th Day of Jonathan Pollard's Imprisonment

(IsraelNN.com) Justice For Jonathan Pollard (J4JP), an organization established to publicize the facts of the case and promote efforts for his release, says that these 8,000 days represent nearly 22 years of "abandonment and betrayal by Israel, cynical exploitation as a political prisoner by the USA, and cruel and unusual punishment by the 'greatest democracy in the world.'"

More sharply, J4JP accuses the "same Israeli government officials responsible for betraying him at the outset" of "patiently[ly] wait[ing] for 'time and nature' to be the 'final solution' to the Pollard case, G-d forbid!"

This period of 8,000 days in captivity renders Jonathan Pollard the longest-held Israeli captive who is known for certain to still be alive. Only Yehuda Katz, Tzvi Feldman and Zechariah Baumel, who were captured by the Syrians 25 years ago in the 1982 Peace for Galilee War, have been in captivity longer than him - and there is no certainty that they are alive.

Possibly to mark the occasion, President Shimon Peres - who was Prime Minister when Pollard was arrested - said today that at one point, a deal for Pollard's release was nearly consummated, but was thwarted at the last moment by the CIA. He did not say when this happened, nor did he provide other details." -more

U.S. Secretary of State (1974)

Back in 1974, Dr. Henry Kissinger, then the American Secretary of State tried to save negotiations by not letting us negotiate.

So at the time of this writing another American Secretary of State, Dr. Condoleezza Rice is here in Israel, in the process of, I fear, trying to save negotiations by not letting us negotiate.

Al Gore

Okay, so the Nobel committee awards the Peace Prize to Al Gore. What's really going on you wonder? Here's the view from Iran. A longish analysis from yesterday's Tehran Times:

"The awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to former Vice President Al Gore is a political statement by the European bourgeoisie about the policies of the Bush administration and the politics of the United States. Rarely has there been such an open intervention by the European ruling elite in the internal politics of America.

The political significance of Gore’s selection is clear, given that he is still an active figure in American politics, widely mentioned as a potential presidential candidate, who has on occasions attacked both the foreign and domestic policies of the Bush administration. At the very least, the award can be taken as a signal from the Norwegian political establishment - from which the selection committee is chosen - that it hopes for a Democratic victory in the 2008 presidential election. -more

The Nightmare Continues

Here's a more "optimistic" view of Olmert's popularity (from the New York Jewish Week):

Olmert’s Reversal Of Fortune
Despite lengthy police questioning this week of Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert into his role in a bank privatization deal, analysts have all but dismissed the probe and said Olmert’s political fortunes have never been better.

“There was a formal statement by the state attorney that if Olmert provides a reasonable explanation for his role in the privatization process, the investigation will be closed,” said Raanan Sulitzeanu-Kenan, a political science professor at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. “So it does not look like there is any danger for him at the moment.”

He said, however, that a newly opened criminal investigation into Olmert’s purchase of his home in Jerusalem appears more serious. But Sulitzeanu-Kenan said there is often a “thin line between a good deal and a suspicious deal.”

Olmert’s popularity rating is still low -only about 35 percent according to a recent poll- but it is better than the single digits of just a year ago, Sulitzeanu-Kenan said.

“But apart from being so unpopular, he stands on top of a very solid coalition,” he observed. -more

So what's your assessment of Olmert's popularity and future?
Nu?

The Assasination of Anwar Sadat (1981)

I was rummaging around, looking for an October Golden Oldie when I came upon this sobering cartoon from October 1981. . . three days after President Anwar Sadat of Egypt was murdered.

The story (as reported by Bill Farrell of the New York Times) is below. Bill was the NYT correspondent in Jerusalem, a real New Yorker, and a friend of mine:

Special to The New York Times
By WILLIAM E. FARRELL
CAIRO, Oct. 6 -- President Anwar el-Sadat of Egypt was shot and killed today by a group of men in military uniforms who hurled hand grenades and fired rifles at him as he watched a military parade commemorating the 1973 war against Israel.- more

the Bright Side

So doers this mean that the kids, out of school, can now hang out safely at the beach?

Commission of Inquiry (1981)

An Israeli government that screwed up in the conduct of a war, tries to suppress the publication of a comission's report!

Then... it was the Agranat Report

Today... it's the Winograd Report.

A interesting comparison of the two, and lessons to be learned, written by a former Egyptian defence minister and chief of General Intelligence is at Al Ahram.

Birds of a Feather

Bush and Olmert.
In the end, after all their big talk, neither one knew how to wage a war or knows how to protect the borders of their countries.

Makes you wonder what they'll do if they actually put their heads together at the planned November event. Oh, and if the new, extended range missiles they're now launching at us didn't make the news where you live, click here.

Shabbat Shalom

For those of you living outside of Israel this 'toon is probably incomprehensible. As an added confusion this year, the holiday season (Rosh HaShana, followed by Yom Kippur, followed by Sukkot, and then Simhat Torah) began with us going off "summer" time as we set our clocks back an hour, and the country never seemed to get over its "jet-lag".

As the cartoon says, the holidays are over today... but we'll need a Shabbat to recuperate!

Shabbat Shalom to us all!

Defenseless

Our embarrassingly inept Prime Minister has now released more convicted terrorists to appease the PLO terrorist chieftain and holocaust-denier Mahmoud Abbas.

And, incredibly, 29 of them were freed to return to their familes, friends, comrades, and homes in Gaza, where, you will remember, kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit is still being held captive and from where rockets are still being fired daily at Israel towns.

Is anyone keeping track of the convicted terrorists we've released over the years to see what percentage have returned to their struggle to destroy the Jewish state?

Missed the story? Click here. . . and here.

Craziness (1997)

Back in 1997, ten years ago, it was obvious that we were falling into a period of religious war.

...And belief in "science" seemed to be losing ground in a rush of "end times" events.

What's Next?

The frightening thing is that in the insane world climate of America-bashing most of Europe and a good part of America's left/liberal establishment would actually agree with the cleverly constructed Iranian brief!

Don't believe me? Here, give it a read:

"Iran condemns the terrorist activities of the U.S. army and its intelligence service CIA and calls upon the United Nations to put an end to these crimes.


In light of the following reasons, the aggressor United States’ Army and its Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) support terrorism and are terrorists:

1- The U.S. nuclear attack on Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War II, and the use of depleted uranium in Iraq, Afghanistan, and the Balkan region;

2- Invasion and occupation of certain countries such as Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan;

3- Boundless financial and political support for the racist and aggressor regime of Israel, and cooperation with Israel in its terrorist operations against Palestinians, the Lebanese people, and other regional countries;

4- Numerous cases of illegal support for the former Iraqi dictator, Saddam Hussein, and certain terrorist groups such as Mojahedin Khalgh Organization;

5-The training of Al Qaeda and Taliban terrorist groups in Afghanistan by CIA agents during the Soviet occupation of this country;

6- Slaughtering innocent people by daily bombardments of civilian areas in Afghanistan and Iraq, torturing ordinary people in Abu Ghraib, Guantanamo, and a number of secret jails especially in Europe, ad infinitum. "

. .and it closes with this statement by 215 Iranian member of parliament:

"We, as the representatives of the great Iranian nation, condemn the U.S. Army’s acts of invasion and fomenting of insecurity in the region, especially in Iraq and Afghanistan, and call upon the United Nations to intervene and to halt the activities of the torture centers of Guantanamo, Abu Ghraib, and the U.S. secret jails in various countries."

America does not understand what a clever opponent it now faces.

Or am I wrong? What do you think?