Bernard Avishai draws a parallel between McCarthyism and the current campaign against Senator Chuck Hagel led by groups in the American Jewish Community. He calls upon leaders in the American Jewish Community to speak out against the too often employed practice of lambasting politicians with nuanced stances on Middle East politics.
Spotted by Daniel Lubetzky, by Julianna Storch
io9′s recent article by George Dvorsky makes the case for Why you should probably stop eating wheat. Today, the wheat that we consume is a hybridized form that we cannot easily digest, and some scientists suggest that it is making Celiac disease and other forms of gluten intolerance more prevalent. Many blame wheat for a host of other health ailments, such as obesity, heart disease, and digestive problems. Read the full article after the jump.
Spotted by Daniel Lubetzky, by Julianna Storch
Be at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let every New Year find you a better man.
-Benjamin Franklin
Israel sets the record straight after the US gun lobby held up Israeli society as a model for successfully using guns to protect civilians. When the Newtown shooting instigated a cry for tighter gun control in our country, gun lobbyists called for more armed guards at school and used Israel as a positive example of such a practice. This article posted on the ABC News site makes clear that Israel equips schools with armed guards to protect children from terrorist attacks rather than distributes guns to prevent disgruntled shooters from entering schools. Further, Israel’s gun control laws prove much stricter than those in America, causing Israeli citizens to demonstrate ample need, ability, and mental health in order to acquire a gun.
Spotted by Daniel Lubetzky, by Julianna Storch
Maikel Nabil has served time in Egyptian prison for speaking out against his own government. Now he travels to Israel and Palestine to spread a message of peace. His main objective is to end the Egyptian government’s monopoly on the peace process. It takes great courage for Nabil to speak out, and we should support and applaud him every step of the way.
Spotted by Daniel Lubetzky, by Julianna Storch
From Israel Policy Forum’s Chair, Peter Joseph, and Executive Director, David Halperin:
Senator Chuck Hagel, rumored to be President Obama’s nominee to serve as Secretary of Defense, is under attack for his views on Israel. Certain Jewish organizations and conservative commentators have voiced concerns about his support for Israel, even coming close to calling him anti-Semitic for his remarks about the “Jewish lobby.”
We are pasting below the entirety of Senator Hagel’s wide-ranging remarks to Israel Policy Forum (IPF) on December 4, 2008. None of his remarks to us suggested he is anti-Israel or anti-Semitic. Far from it.
To be sure, any concerns regarding Hagel’s views should be aired by those in our community. But as they were outlined in his IPF address in 2008, his ideas are not outside the mainstream.
His statement that “The United States cannot impose peace in the Middle East, but I don’t believe any way you come at this, there will be peace in the Middle East without the United States,” is exactly right.
Regarding Iran, he recognized that: “(Iran) support(s) terrorists, they support Hezbollah, they’ve got their tentacles wrapped around every problem in the Middle East that is anti-Israel, anti- the United States. Those are realities. Those are facts.”
His description of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as the “strategic epicenter” of the Middle East have been subsequently reflected by CENTCOM chief General James Mattis, former Defense Secretary Robert Gates, former CIA Director General David Petraeus and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who have all similarly identified resolving the Arab-Israeli dispute as critical for advancing regional stability and American interests.
None of this should be considered dangerous for the United States or the State of Israel.
Hagel should be applauded for his service to date, and given a chance to answer the considerable charges that have been leveled at him in a nomination hearing.
Hagel has served his nation as a veteran and a dedicated public servant. As a Senator he fostered strong ties on both sides of the political aisle, and created a reputation as an experienced, honest and independent-minded thinker. These are all qualities that make for a fine candidate to serve as Secretary of Defense.
Of course, much of the outcry against Hagel stems from a passage in Aaron David Miller’s book, The Much Too Promised Land, in which Hagel is quoted as saying that “the Jewish lobby intimidates a lot of people up here.” Though that wording is unfortunate, it is also regrettable that the exuberant manner in which Hagel’s potential nomination is being vilified could be considered to be a case in point.
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Lucky Magazine‘s Holiday Gift Guide recommended Bobbi Brown‘s Eat Pretty Powerful KIND cube for the gluten free friends on your list. The Nuts and Spices bars that Bobbi chose for her cube, like all KIND products, are gluten free AND delicious!
By Julianna Storch
I just got a chance to read a post by Ben-Dror Yemini refuting Gideon Levy’s spin of a poll as if it were confirming that Israelis support an apartheid state. Yemini is for the most part an excellent writer and moderate nuanced thinker, though some of his specific arguments and rebuttals in this case are a bit strained. The sad fact is that Israel, a country and people I deeply love and admire, does suffer from a tendency to discriminate, and this often regrettably borders on racism against Arabs and Muslims. But Yemini is correct in distinguishing that from the more extremist characterization of an Israeli majority as supporting apartheid, which may sell newspapers with its sensationalism but is plainly untrue. Israelis in the broad majority are proud of freedom and democracy and will defend it including through institutions like the Supreme Court, civil society, and old and new media – even if all those have come under attack from the current Israeli administration.
More broadly, as far as this issue of sad stereotypes and attitudes by Israeli Jews towards Arabs and Muslim is concerned, I try to understand the context, and I similarly do not judge or blame Palestinians for any corresponding attitudes, which I am certain are at least as intolerant in their disregard for Israelis and Jews.
Certainly tons of work needs to be done to overcome these tribal hatreds and mistrust borne of a deep conflict, an occupation, and ignorance by both sides about the other. But that is the point. Anyone who spends all their time passing judgement against one side or another should have a bit more humility to understand the context – and the other side. So long as the status quo continues, both peoples will understandably and tragically be diminished by their parochial generalized hatreds.
But the inability to contextualize and provide perspective is not what most bothers me about Gideon Levy. What bothers me is his cowardice and his bias and his abuse of his position as an Israeli ‘expert.’ As much as I disagree with him for his extremist stances, I actually respect and admire his courage to challenge Israelis, which is his democratic prerogative.
Alas, what most Israelis do not realize is that he takes his pony show to International fora managed by Palestinians (such as the UN Committee on the inalienable right of Palestinian people whose precise even longer name escapes me) and he poses as if he were a prototypical Israeli before these audiences – which often include international attendees who have never met any other Israeli – and proceeds to demonize all Israelis as a caricature of monstrosity, without once even pointing to the Israeli narrative and concerns about Palestinian missteps.
I saw this first hand, of all places, in China. And I didn’t see it over the last two years, where perhaps one could excuse some Israeli leftists from forcefully arguing purely against the Netanyahu administration’s gigantically disrespectful and abominable missteps not just against the Palestinian people, but just as much against Israelis and the world. Even then, though, if you are invited to represent your people’s viewpoint, you should have the courage to explain the prevailing perspective, even if uncomfortable. Or if you cannot, then you should not accept the role of representative of the Israeli viewpoint.
Some time in the early 2000s, Gideon Levy was invited and clearly billed as the Israeli representative to a meeting dominated by Palestinian, Perspectives. I was among only perhaps two out of 200 participants (and one out of some 20 speakers) who tried (quite imperfectly, I should acknowledge) to speak truth to both sides and share the vantage point of the other. Only this way do we have a chance of moving in a positive direction. Gideon Levy, the sole Israeli representative, did not have the courage to explain to Palestinians and international participants at the conference even the most basic Israeli perspective or vantage point. He lambasted Barak as well as Sharon and every other Israeli official and policy. That would maybe even be acceptable if he then would have gone on to also point out what Palestinians had done wrong from the Israeli perspective – not the least of which was launching the second intifadah and the Ramallah lynching as a response to the failed camp david negotiations of 2000. Palestinians and Israelis have totally different narratives most times. And Levy hurt the process by making it seem like there was no Israeli narrative to consider. The result is like totalitarian societies where freedom of speech is suppressed and underlying problems seethe and don’t get resolved.
I find it fascinating that Levy has the courage to say all Israelis are doing wrong (and particularly nowadays there is a ton to be said!) But he has neither courage nor intellect to constructively share with the world and the Palestinian community what they need to do, or to at least explain Valid Israeli concerns.
We do a huge disservice to both sides when we lack the courage to say what needs to be said. At its most basic essence it is this: Israelis, you need to come to terms that you ARE occupying another nation, and you need to end the OCCUPATION, including giving Palestinians reign over Arab areas of East Jerusalem. Palestinians, you need to come to terms that you have to coexist with Israel and will not achieve a better future for your future generations if you are unwilling to PUBLICLY END ALL CLAIMS, give up fantasies for a phased approach to a Greater Palestine, and acknowledge Jews’ right to a homeland alongside yours, as part of a comprehensive final solution.
“A cloudy day is no match for a sunny disposition.”
― William Arthur Ward
Daniel recently attended an event for the Humane Society, and he wanted to call attention to this upsetting video that they shared about the animal abuse occurring at puppy mills.
By Julianna Storch