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Alcohol abuse and the drinking age debate
2007-12-02 00:09:00
Wednesdays I read the Daily Princetonian. The time I have between classes is not enough to go eat at home and the next class is too late to eat afterwards. So I go to the cafeteria and while I’m there I grab a copy of the Daily Princetonian and read it. So for me it’s the Wednesday Princetonian. I know no other.This Wednesday they had a (yet another) article on under-age drinking at the eating clubs. The whole course of events seems unclear to me. Based on the description provided in the article, it seems more than plausible that some under-aged students had been drinking at the Eating Clubs, and that stories have been fabricated for acquittal – quite the opposite from what the article was trying to portray. The most suspicious bit of information from this aspect is the assertion that "once they sober up, the truth comes out". Up to now, I thought it to be common knowledge that the opposite is true: "Once wine goes in, secrets come out" (Talmud Bavli, Sanhedrin 38:1). Such an ...
More About: Abuse , Debate , Alcohol , Drinking

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2007
2007-11-29 22:42:00
181’s sixtieth anniversary today, and Israel is still not recognized as a legitimate Jewish State. Minister of Foreign Affairs Livni complains of her Arab Colleagues’ attitude in Annapolis. Secretary of State Rice likens the situation of the Blacks as she was growing up to a midway of the Palestinian and Israeli experience in the past decade. From her words it sounds like she had the worst of all worlds.181 is still not on the table, but the Israeli side has signaled that this is the desirable direction, a two-state solution mutatis mutandi, esp. concerning borders. Even 181 did not set a viable two-state solution both because of the special status of Jerusalem, and because the two states did not have a territorial continuum.Olmert has voiced his opposition to the bi-national state, pointing to his real interests in the process generated in Annapolis. It follows that he has been attentive to the criticism of Israel's policy in the occupied territories, esp. with the constructio...
More About: Thursday , November

Weak Leaders with Strong Support or Strong Editors with Weak Arguments?
2007-11-28 16:31:00
I found the New York Times editorials relating to the Annapolis summit disappointing. I read Thomas Friedman twice to make sure I didn’t miss anything. Even after my double-check I’m still left with the impression that he didn’t say much. It can be summed as “Yay, Annapolis” along with an obligatory pessimism, in case the process ends like all other Israeli-Palestinian accords. From someone who’s considered one of the world’s leading columnists, I’d expect something more insightful.The editorial titled “Starting from Annapolis” was even more problematic. Its expectation that an Israeli-Palestinian agreement “could also diminish the appeal of Islamic extremists and begin to repair America’s battered reputation in the Muslim world” is a complete misreading of reality. If anyone on the editorial board of the NYT truly thinks that Israel / Palestine is the main reason for Islamic-American confrontation (and more specifically Iranian-American conflict), then wor...
More About: Editors , Support , Leaders , Strong

Between Annapolis and Gaza (with a quick stop at the Lebanese border)
2007-11-28 03:52:00
When I realize how much my political thought and analysis is shaped (not to mention distracted) by the major discussions in the Israeli media, it is rather embarrassing. The media, some would say intentionally but I'm not inclined to say so, has a wonderful talent to blur the matters at stake, making certain issues sound really important and completely ignoring other self-evident facts.For several weeks now there has been talk of a planned military action in the Gaza strip following the Annapolis Summit. Some journalists criticized Barak for saying this, some wondered how Israel could explain a military action immediately after a peace conference, and yet others criticized the government for postponing a supposedly necessary action for political reasons.All these arguments obscured the direct connection and correlation between the summit and the military action. The seeming contradiction persists only if one assumes that the summit is between the Israelis and the Palestinians, and ...
More About: Lebanese , Quick , Stop

On a Biblical Promise
2007-11-25 13:15:00
One of the lies told about the talks at Camp-David (2000), is that a major reason for their failure is the Palestinians reluctance to accept the significance of the Temple Mount for Jews. At some point, Arafat denied that there ever was a Jewish Temple on Temple Mount, claiming that this was simply a lie the Jews invented for political reasons against the Palestinians.[1] Such ludicrous claims have unfortunately been taken at face-value, rather than interpreted only on the political level of their implications. To me, the readily approval of these claims, reflect nothing more than an colonial-orientalist or even racist view of the Palestinians. There is no other way to explain how someone would believe that Arafat truly has no knowledge of history. Arafat's claims do not prove his ignorance, but only the fact that he was willing to say anything that would bring the peace-process to a stop.Putting the political implications aside for a moment, what is the significance of Jewish hist...
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Annapolis Fog
2007-11-24 17:58:00
The bon ton in Israeli Left-Wing media is to mock Olmert for the Annapolis Summit, predicting that nothing will come of it. I can't think of any other summit in the history that was greeted with this degree of skepticism, and God knows there've been some more worthy of it (consider the Sharon-Abbas summit in Aqaba 2003 or the Wye River Accords of 1998). Yossi Beilin has gone as far as to warn of a possible ensuing outbreak of violence. Ramon is already lamenting the failure to seize the opportunity, disowning himself of any relation he had to the Annapolis Summit. For those studying Israeli politics it is not without consequence, and probably not a surprise either, that Ramon and Beilin are sharing the same position. However, it is worth noting that other oppositions for other reasons and from other stances have also been expressed (viz. Barak, Livni, though I doubt that the two truly share a common ground as some have portrayed it regarding the summit).One thing is clear: such re...

Interpretation of Demands
2007-11-18 06:18:00
As the summit in Annapolis is drawing near, if it is a summit, the never ending debate is heating up. This time it's concerning Olmert's demand that the Palestinians acknowledge Israel as a Jewish State. Many have written about it, including Raviv Druker (in Hebrew), Yoel Marcus, Shulamit Aloni and – representing the opposition –Ruth Gavison (for the sake of documentation I'm also noting the links to the original Hebrew versions, though I don't know how stable these URLs are: Marcus, Aloni, Gavison).I'm noting Druker despite his apparent arrogant style, not paying much attention to questions of style or validity of his arguments, solely because he seems to be highly influential on many Israelis. Both Druker and Marcus present a similar thesis: the demand for recognition from the Palestinians reflects lack of self-confidence, Israel doesn't need the Palestinians' recognition, the demand will only damage the efforts of peace.Two main problems lie with this hypothesis. First...
More About: Demands , Interpretation

Grossman, the Father
2007-11-17 19:23:00
Due to various events, including my choice not to interrupt the series of posts on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, I did not respond at the time to David Grossman's refusal to shake Premier Olmert's hand while accepting the EMET Prize.Grossman is one of Israel's most prominent authors, frequently listed as one of the top-five authors of Israel. He's both critically acclaimed as well as a best-seller. The Emet Prize is one of Israel's most prestigious prizes. Though not as long-standing as the Israel Prize, in the few years it has been awarded it gained a reputation due to the sum of the prize as well as the fact that it is sponsored by the Prime-Minister's office.David Grossman is worthy of the prize, as he is already today a suitable candidate to the Israel Prize. However, one cannot ignore the fact that he received the prize in the year following the tragic death of his son in the Second Lebanon War. This is stressed by the fact that the brief bio on the prize website ment...
More About: Father , Fath

A Primitive Post
2007-11-16 05:16:00
The discussion in class on Mauss was more inspiring than the readings themselves. Though I was left with the feeling that this was because people abandoned what Mauss was saying and gave him more credit than he actually deserves, there were some inspirational points of discussion. One such point led to the following elucidation of my thoughts regarding PC language.The idea behind PC language, as far as I can see, is the recognition that the words we choose to formulate our thoughts and to conceptualize reality affect our consciousness, our attitudes and sensitivities and thus are in effect shaping reality themselves. This, it is important to specify, is different than what many people think their doing when using PC, which is to walk on tip-toes as to not to insult anyone.This is a great misconception of the purpose of PC. If someone says "Jew" but is thinking "Kyke", then there is no true gain in using PC language. If such a usage is prevalent, what will happen eventually is that t...
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Paroles (a growing discontent).
2007-11-15 22:44:00
Mauss writes: “What rule[s] of legality and self-interest…compels the gift that has been received to be obligatorily reciprocated?”[1]To this I responded:On p. 10 Mauss describes dried fish as being exchanged for jellied birds or matting. Why would it necessarily be so? If I gave a gift of dried fish on the occasion of a wedding, I might very well expect to receive dried fish for my own wedding, a few months later. First of all, the recipient bridegroom knows that I think that dried fish are an appropriate wedding-gift, that I might well assume that I relish in their consumption (for otherwise I would not choose it as an appropriate wedding gift), and, not the least important, that I am lacking of my own stock of dried fish, having given him such a generous gift.Or, if you will the negative approach: the bridegroom might be insulted that this was my choice as a wedding gift for him, think that dried fish are repulsive, and wish to get rid of them or make a point of his anger. ...
More About: Growing , Parole

181, 1949, 1967, 194 (part 5): Borders and the Possibility of a Two-State S
2007-11-12 17:00:00
Olmert's stipulation for a Palestinian recognition of Israel as a Jewish State as part of the peace process, and even more so the Palestinian objections fall right in line with my concluding remarks to what turned out to be a five-installment post.There cannot be a solution based on a Palestinian State, without their being beside it a Jewish State. This does not mean that non-Jews lose their right as equal citizens, as in any democratic state. It merely points out to the majority and nature of Israel, now and in the future. If this is not secured, the whole discourse of a peaceful solution becomes distorted. For on what grounds do the Palestinians demand a state of their own, if they do not recognize the Jewish right for a national self-definition? Dismissing this right of the Jewish people, discredits their own claims, giving rise to people who say that the Palestinians do not need a state, and can find a solution within existent Arab countries.Personally, I am not too keen on the...
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181, 1949, 1967, 194 (part 4): Refugees
2007-11-12 05:43:00
Resolution 194 has become a signifier for the Right of Return of Palestinians to their lands. As a complete ignorant in international law, I don't know if it's of any consequence, but I've just found out that the resolutions cited in the title of this post (181 and 194) are both resolutions of the General Assembly of the UN, in contrast to 242 and 338 which are resolutions of the security council.Anyway, 194 deals with the refugees only in article 11, addressing many other issues (such as a call for UN control over Jerusalem) but has still become to be known as the "Right of Return" resolution. It is perhaps not without significance that it is a resolution reached in 1948, before a ceasefire was reached, and (obviously) referring to the situation pre-1967 war.Realizing this, I revert to the focus of my previous post: how can the Palestinians demand a Right of Return for all refugees of 1948, and at the same time not consider the villages and towns that have preserved continuity f...
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181, 1949, 1967, 194 (part 3)
2007-11-11 04:59:00
There is definitely a clear Israeli policy of divide and rule. This is the Shabak and the Civilian Administration’s way of ruling in the territories, this was the essence of the two-path trail that led to the Oslo Accords, and this was also the means by which the Oslo Accords were signed. The outcome of the Disengagement Plan was the different measures by which Gaza and the West Bank were examined, and eventually, it should be expected, this will be applied with the division of the Northern West Bank (‘Samaria’ – including Jenin and Shechem) and the Southern West Bank (‘Judea’ – including Ramallah and Hebron, but excluding ‘East Jerusalem’ and probably also Bethlehem). I don’t like to make prophecies. When I do, I usually prove to be a lousy prophet. But it seems that this is the direction.The problem is that Israel has nothing to benefit from a crushed Palestinian people. Even without a nationalist spirit, a motivation for a new land, they still share much in co...
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181, 1949, 1967, 194 (part 2): Akiva Eldar in Princeton
2007-11-09 04:42:00
Akiva Eldar , Senior Editor in Haaretz newspaper came to speak in Princeton today. This was part of a promotion campaign of an English translation that just came out of his book on the Jewish Settlements in the territories, "Lords of the Land".The main problem was his attempt to describe all the problems of Israel as deriving from the settlers, claiming that they are undermining Zionism. I didn't like that claim, and I felt that he didn't substantiate it as the talk unfolded. I might be willing to accept that the settlers are undermining a certain model of Zionism, but this can be said of almost any political body in Israel. However, this is besides the point because Eldar didn't push it beyond stating it at the outset, leaving it to the audience to interpret what he meant by this title.His attack of the settlers was marred, as I said, by promoting his argument ad absurdum. He implied that had Israel rid itself of the settlements, there would have been sufficient budget to change ...
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181, 1949, 1967, 194 (part 1)
2007-11-08 04:56:00
Danny Rubinstein published yesterday in Ha’aretz an incisive editorial on the Palestinian authority (I only found a Hebrew link, and I’m not even sure how stable it is). The title alone was morbid: “The End of the Palestinian National Movement”. The stifling of a natural civilian life among the Palestinians is bearing its fruit, and the Palestinian society, as a society is disintegrating. This is the outcome of a clear Israeli policy of divide and rule, on which I’ve written elsewhere. The fall of the Gaza strip to Hamas rule last June was a very clear example of this. Israeli politicians were quick to announce that under these circumstances they cannot negotiate or change anything in Gaza, and the road was open to a re-legitimization of PLO Palestinian Authority, now negotiating only on the West Bank. Meron Benvanisti wrote in Ha’aretz (August 3, 2007):"The process of crushing the Palestinian people is arriving now at its final destination. In 1993, when the conflict re...
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Political football (yet again)
2007-11-07 05:33:00
This is the fourth sequential post I'm writing on responses to the Rabin Assassination in the last couple of weeks in the media. I still haven't written on other aspects of the assassination as I was hoping to, and I am already prepared to move on to a different topic.The thing that amazes me the most in relation to the criticism of Beitar fans is the double-standards. There is no direct straight-forward philosophy that people are following. Beitar fans shout "Death to the Arabs" practically every week. This has been an issue for news coverage when there was nothing better to report, but all in all, people seem to accept it. But with the support for Amir, Beitar fans have crossed the lines for some people. Why? Why is a general "Death to the arabs" more acceptable, and why is the practical death of innocent people more acceptable? The news hardly reports of all the killings going on in Gaza and the West Bank, people who follow these stories closely are considered "far-left extremi...
More About: Political , Football , Politic

Football Fans, Orange Clans
2007-11-06 06:31:00
The witch hunt of the Rabinists refuses to go off the headlines. Yesterday we had a condemnation of Beitar fans reluctance to respect Rabin's memory's with a moment of silence, responding to the request with boos and slogans in favor of Yigal Amir.Several comments are in place: Football fan yobs is not a phenomenon restricted to Israel, and not restricted to football, for that matter. We recall the recent desecration of two tomb graves in Israel, in protest of the demolition of Usishkin Hall in Tel Aviv. The desecrated tombs were those of Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai's parents, and the desecration included calling him a Nazi. This was reported, of course, but no one suggested to throw HaPoel out of the national league, as is now suggested with Beitar. Not because Rabin is more holier than the Holocaust in Israeli discourse, but simply because HaPoel is a club identified with the labor party, and is therefore exonerated a priori. If only we were all exonerated from hearing about spor...
More About: Fans , Orange , Football Fans

A Slight Regret on Yesterday's Clarification
2007-11-05 14:15:00
Why did I write in yesterday's post the clarification that I do not support a pardon for Yigal Amir?It is just that I myself I'm shaped by the football character of political discourse, that I feared that passing criticism on those who protested against him, and esp. passing criticism on those who portray him as inhuman, might be understood that I subscribe to the preposterous campaign for his pardon.I reserve the right to denounce the murder, and at the same time not describe Rabin as a saint. I reserve the right to criticize Rabin, and at the same time contend that his second government was probably the best in Israeli history. I reserve the right to oppose vengeful comments on Amir's family, without this implying the slightest indication of endorsement of his views and obviously not of the murder.
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Selective humanists
2007-11-05 05:23:00
Another year with a Yigal Amir festival has gone by. I have no grievances for Israeli media than I do for any other item. Reporters and news editors are simply reckless in their endless race for fating. They see no reason why the coverage of Yigal Amir should be any different than any other item, and in this I agree with them. Something needs to change radically in "news reports".But I'm not going to focus on that, as this is not my main grievance. Yigal Amir had his son circumcised in jail with his wife and family. The issue of whether prisoners of life-sentence should be allowed to procreate is worthy of debate, but is a different issue. Once the Israeli law permits it, I see no reason to discriminate Amir from other life-sentence prisoners.Two demonstrations were held outside the jail. Protesters organized by Labour party and Meretz party came to protest against it, and kahanists came to protest in support. The fact that two protests were held at the same time, one in favor and ...