Life is good in Australia

It wasn’t  in order to get away from Australia that Ben decided to move to Israel. It was rather because he wanted to remain true to what he and his friends of the Zionist youth movement had decided once, long ago – to go and live in Israel.   Most of these friends now laughed at him for really doing  it.  “Why not make money here and donate every year to the JNF, they reacted. "In Israel , it seems to be hard to find work, start a family, buy a small apartment even, and especially when you did not grow up there.”   But the hardships didn’t frighten Ben. He took his Zionism  to heart.  He had always been a bit naive, concluded the friends.

So, at the age of 24, after finishing Law School Ben went to Israel on a one-way ticket, and, after a short Hebrew course he became a soldier in the IDF.  He was rather lonely there. Not only the language was a barrier, also the age difference.  It was painful to think of what the friends had said. He decided only to go back to Australia if he could show them that he was successful in the new life. So, after the military service was over,  he refused the offer of his family to come home at their expense for a holiday.

At a bar in Tel-Aviv – after a few beers – he sometimes told to total strangers how he missed Australia. That he didn’t have the money for going there and visiting his family.  On one such occasion somebody reacted “maybe there is  a solution for you.” 

Ben was offered free trips and even much more  if he would every now and then go to Australia for some months, and make use there of his right as an Australian citizen to once a year change his name and get a new passport. Back in Israel he would then occasionally lend his passport  to a contact person.  “But that is illegal” said Ben.  “You are not doing anything illegal in Australia, and here in the Middle East… ah, you know, you don’t get far here with cleanliness.  

Ben did acquire an appartment, and he also did not remain alone: he married and life was good again.

With the Australian circle he met  frequently. Sometimes, there were questions:  “You seem to have made it! What are you doing exactly?” He then smiled vaguely and spoke of a good job.  “But, don’t ask too many questions. I work with, you know... I better don't tell”

For the continuation of this story see  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prisoner_X  

 

 

Good conduct

Netanyahu  considers not himself to attend the United Nations' yearly session where the Palestinian statehood-bid will be voted, but to send Shimon Peres instead.

Addressing the representives of the nations of the world, Peres would possibly say:


Ladies and Gentleman

It is a great honour for me to represent my country at this historic moment.

As the architect of the Oslo Agreement, which earned me the Nobel Peace Prize, I am moved to appear before you now at this General Assembly of the world's nations.

Since those golden years which even made me for a short while Prime Minister, I started a whole new career. Not able to win elections I hired myself to Prime Ministers who needed a Certificate of Good Conduct.

That is my role also today.

As for the question of Palestinian statehood:

Don't expect me to vote in favour.
After all, what do I need another Nobel Peace Prize for?
　
　

Not a real paradox - perhaps.

One would expect that those who need the people as cannon fodder would not also starve them.

Indeed, I have been wondering for some time how Netanyahu combines being a rightwinger Israeli style (expansion, militarism oriented) and binding the Likud voters, many of them among the needy, in spite of his Friedman free-market economics.

But maybe I had it all wrong: the "we are invincible" arrogance towards the Palestinians, and towards world opinion, that was exactly what for a long time was sweetening the pill of his austerity policies. But, now that the tent protest has broken the spell we may have reached the moment that the sweetener will start losing its taste.

The push of the hundreds of thousands is in the first place for Social Justice. But there are good reasons to hope, and believe, that the flood will in the end also bury the garrison state model, and invent an Israel which would cease to behave as the regional bully and - maybe it won't yet be too late - will be able to take root in its environment as an excepted neighbor.

Israel - push restart, said one of the slogans...

The falafel seller's dilemma

Each cafetaria has these days a television screen. The evening news starts with the national uprising against the prices of housing - and shows how the striking doctors are joining forces with the tent protesters.

"The whole state is breaking to pieces" complains the always friendly and goodmooded falafel seller.

"This rebellion may still repair it" I try.

"If we are no longer united, the Arabs will get the state for free" says he.

The Israeli mindset in a nutshell. 　

One day of democracy

Very nice, the movement which tries to "preserve Israel's democracy", but did that not already cease to exist long ago? How can one call it a democracy when decisions affecting the lives of some 10 million people are taken by a government for the election of which several million are excluded?

That is because of a "temporary occupation", they say. "We didn't annex the occupied territories, so the Palestinians should not be counted."

But the occupation already lasts more than 44 years. Even considering that Israel existed as a democracy during its first 19 years, still it was most of the time an occupier, more than two thirds of the time, denying millions of people fundamental civil rights for many decades

Democracy, what democracy? Look what you would get if there would be one day of real democracy between the river and the sea - only one day in which was held a referendum: there would be an overwhelming majority for ending the occupation.

Massada II

Once upon a time the magic formula "if you will it, it's no fairy tale" made a collective  dream come true. At least so it seemed.

The idea had been to recreate a Jewish State in the supposedly-empty  historical homeland. Gradually the years of exile would shrink and become "an intermezzo".

The "Dream Come True" turned out to be a Fata Morgana which lasted no more than one generation's lifetime. Two thousand years had passed, and from generation to generation Jerusalem was not forgotten. But neither was the Massada mentality.

Many saw it coming: "We are heading towards a Tsunami" they cried out on the streets, in Facebook and where not - but it didn't lead to the needed change of direction. "Criticism = antisemitism" turned out to be a powerful defense mechanism. Petty self-interest of ratings-addicted politicians did the rest. The privileges of the holy cows (the settlers) remained untouched (actually increased), and when the irresistible flood came, all drowned together: Jews and Arabs, the cows as well as the ones who had cried out in vain.

Massada II will never become a touristic attraction. When from Dimona a mushroom came up, the whole country was swallowed, leaving nothing but a deep hole in the earth.

Peace seekers whose audacity inspires hope

In Athens a boat is preparing to sail to Gaza. On this boat are a lot of American friends with whom I corresponded through the years, as they supported the struggle of the Israeli peace camp against the occupation and were eager for every bit of information. Now they have become themselves center stage, and I am the one following from Tel Aviv their action to break the siege of Gaza.

That they felt they have to do this makes me aware of our failure. True, we protested the collective punishment of the siege and made efforts to get truckloads of food and medicines into Gaza. Gush Shalom at one occasion even succeeded to get the materials actually through. And there are the good people of 'Other Voice', living in the Qassam's reach - in Sderot and the kibbutzim surrounding the Gaza Strip - but  nevertheless open to how much more the Palestinians of Gaza suffer and maintaining contact by phone.

With that all we didn't succeed to change the policy of siege and though the polls point out that we succeeded to convince our fellow Israelis of the two-state solution, this did not at all translate into their voting for political parties which would implement it.

So, now I read in Haaretz that the "celebrated poet and novelist Alice Walker" will be on the boat and wrote a piece for CNN. Alice Walker!  I know that name. I remember how  a few years ago she was among those who sent money to buy olive saplings when we made a campaign of replanting uprooted trees. I didn't know that she is well-known.

An email which came today contains all the 36 passengers,  and there are many more whose name is very familiar; some I met in person. The majority of them are decades-long peace seekers. In their press release they express disappointment with their own government. The State department issued this week a  "travel advisory" urging Americans not to participate in the Gaza Freedom Flotilla, reminding that previous attempts to enter Gaza by sea "have been stopped by Israeli naval vessels and resulted in the injury, death, arrest, and deportation of U.S. citizens."

"Apparently, the State Department subscribes to the view that Israel's anticipated violence against unarmed protesters is an immutable act of nature," complains Hagit Borer, a professor of Linguistics at the University of Southern California and, yes, a passenger on the boat. It is indeed strange, such a "don't travel" advise and warning for the violence expected of  a US ally, the one of the special relationship. Or perhaps it isn't  so strange. After all, these American activists dare to confront this ally, something which their government doesn't.

The boat is not a very big one, and has a very fitting name: "Audacity of Hope".