Max on the Middle East

I find it difficult to write about Israel. I find it difficult to talk about Israel. People often want my views on the subject because I am fairly knowledgeable about it (and because I am Jewish). I have lived in Israel, I have studied Israeli history (from ancient to modern) and politics, and I have even taught modern Israeli history and politics. I know the people and the culture fairly well.

I am always frustrated when people exhibit ignorance of the history and politics of the region, yet also express strong views. People tend to take sides in a discussion, and refuse to acknowledge that there is another side, or even other sides. The situation in the Middle East is far from black and white.

I have always been frustrated when people introduce the idea that either (i) Israel shouldn’t be where it is, or (ii) the Palestinians are not a real nation of people. I have simple answers to those arguments. First, Israel is there and you are wasting time in a pointless discussion instead of focusing on the real and current issues. Second, no matter what history you have been taught, you cannot deny that the Palestinians exist as a nation in today’s world. No matter what you say, you are not going to make Israel or the Palestinians disappear. The problem is not going to go away.

Since 1987-1988, when I lived in Israel, I have been certain of the following:

1. The Palestinian Arabs would eventually achieve some degree of autonomy.
2. Israel would eventually withdraw from at least some of the territory that lies outside of the Green Line (pre-1967 borders).
3. The Palestinian Arabs would fuck up through some form of aggression.
4. Israel would use the Palestinian aggression as an excuse to go back in.

And it has happened exactly like that.

Then throw Lebanon into the mix, and we have a two-front “conflict”.

People have accused Israel of over-reacting and called their response disproportionate. Look at history. Israel’s response is always “disproportionate”. Look at a map. Israel is a little tiny country surrounded by large and mostly unfriendly Arab countries. What do you expect them to do?

People have said that it is not the Palestinians or Lebanese who are waging war on Israel, it is Hamas and Hezbollah. The Palestinians elected Hamas. You could just as easily say that the US is not occupying Iraq, it’s just the neo-cons. Sorry, the argument does not work. Hezbollah do not control the Lebanese government, but Lebanon tolerates their presence and activities, which makes Lebanon responsible under international law. It is a fair argument that Lebanon does not have the power to control Hezbollah, but that is not Israel’s problem.

Many people are justifiably upset that Israel has attacked infrastructure in Gaza and that it is the innocent people that are suffering. I won’t defend Israel for destroying the power plant, but, again, look at history. “Disproportionate” – perhaps; completely predictable – absolutely, and Hamas knew it.

Hezbollah from the north and Hamas from the south have been firing rockets into Israel. Just this morning, rockets came very close to hitting an oil refinery and gas storage tanks in the port of Haifa, Israel’s third largest city. People have been killed. Israel has to defend itself, and they are within their rights to do so.

It is a tragedy that innocent people are losing their lives and their homes on both sides. I have heard people argue that Israel is somehow more guilty because more Palestinians and Lebanese have been killed than Israelis. But this is not a game and it’s not about keeping score.

Where is all of this going? I don’t know. I hope that international intervention and diplomacy can bring an end to this latest conflict before it widens. But it is very scary that there is that potential for escalation.

I found a very good article this morning in the Baltimore Sun. It was written by Shibley Telhami, who is the Anwar Sadat professor for peace and development at the University of Maryland and a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. It is titled “The limits of escalation” and it analyzes whether Israel’s strategy of demonstrating strength can work.

http://tinyurl.com/ozjlj

NatWest 3: an abuse of law

The case of the NatWest 3 provides a fine example of why we should worry more about legislation that is passed “to protect us from terrorists”.

I am not concerned with whether the NatWest 3 are innocent or guilty. I am concerned that they have been extradited to the US without a preliminary hearing in the UK, which could have determined whether or not there was sufficient evidence to support their extradition. I am concerned that they may not be given the same rights as American citizens in custody in the US. I am concerned that their human rights have been violated because they may be stuck in Houston (I could stop right there, couldn’t I?) and have no way to work and support their families. It could be up to two years before their case is actually brought to trial.

The NatWest 3 could be tried in England. They were in England when they allegedly committed the crime. England has a fully functioning judicial system that meets (and possibly surpasses) American standards. The US is basing its claim for jurisdiction on the fact that money was wired between the US and England, based on which England would have an equal claim for jurisdiction.

The UK-US Extradition Treaty of 2003 was originally agreed “to protect us from terrorism”. Ensnaring people who are suspected of a white collar crime, and hardly dangerous to society or “our way of life”, is an injustice and makes a mockery of a law that was supposedly enacted to protect citizens of both the US and the UK. The situation of the NatWest 3 is a fine example of how “anti-terrorism” legislation is being used against ordinary citizens.

Zamek w Przegorzałach

This was my fifth trip to Kraków and I saw two things I had never seen before.

The first was the Festiwal Kultury Żydowskiej w Krakowie - the annual Kraków Festival of Jewish Culture, which was in its 16^th year. The old Jewish area of Kazimierz was full of music and cultural events, the highlight of which was a huge street party and concert on Saturday night. It was fantastic, but I am not going to write about it. If you are interested, see http://www.jewishfestival.pl/.

The second thing: on Saturday afternoon, A said she wanted to take me out of Kraków and show me something special. We drove to Przegorzały to visit the zamek (villa) there, which is on a hill overlooking the Wisła river and has an amazing view of the countryside between Kraków and Oświęcim. It was absolutely gorgeous and we sat on the terrace there and had coffee.

There’s more. Like most places in Poland, the zamek has a history. Hans Frank, Governor-General of Occupied Poland from 1939 to 1945, used the zamek as a summer residence. The story A told me is that Frank did one or two things to the zamek in order to impress Heinrich Himmler, although it is not known whether or not Himmler ever made it to the zamek. The thing Frank did, which is still in evidence in the foyer of the zamek, is that he ordered the construction of a granite fountain in an interesting shape.

Because a picture is worth 1000 words, here is a photograph that I took, standing on the edge of the fountain to get the full effect from above:

Max is away again

Soccer etymology

This post will be my last about football. I promise.

For years I have had to listen to limeys making fun of the word “soccer”. After seeing it used on British tv a few years ago (the show Soccer Saturday), I did a bit of research and found that it was a British-coined term, a shortening of “Association Football”. Whenever the limeys disparage the word “soccer”, I inform them that they are the ones who made it up.

As the ridiculing picked up again two weekends ago when Jono and Big G were with me in Prague, I decided to present the evidence right here.

“Soccer” is indeed short for “Association Football”.

From http://www.wordorigins.org:

The Football Association was formed in London in October 1863 when representatives of eleven clubs and schools met in an attempt to standardize the rules of the game. One of the rules prohibited the carrying of the ball, a rule that would lead to the Rugby-oriented clubs leaving the Association several months later. The name “Association Football” was coined to distinguish it from Rugby.

By 1889, the abbreviation socca’ was in use, and the spelling soccer had made its appearance by 1895.

From http://www.etymonline.com:

1889 – socca; 1891 – socker; 1895 – soccer. originally university slang, from a shortened form of “Assoc.”…they could hardly have taken the first three letters of the word.

So piss off with your notions of superior language, limeys.

Fußballweltmeisterschaft Report

…or the Agony of Defeat

The atmosphere in Dortmund was magical. The England-Portugal match was excruciating. I actually worried that I might have a heart attack during the penalty shoot-out. I didn’t, but I swear my grey hair count doubled (to 8 – still nothing to worry about). I was in regular radio contact with Jono in London – that weird went with P&O to watch the match in a Portuguese bar. Good thing I wasn’t there – I would have killed people.

Olive and I had driven to Dortmund earlier in the afternoon. We checked out one of the public viewing areas – a huge screen on Friedensplatz, but decided we couldn’t do it because it was about 32ºC (90ºF) and there was no shade at all. We walked round and became part of the pervasive carnival mood. The whole city centre was lined with beer, sausage and souvenir stands. I bought England paraphernalia – a red and white lei and a wristband. I wore them proudly, even after the match. There were flags everywhere, displayed on buildings and on people. People were happy.

I decided we needed to find an Irish pub – I wanted to be amongst limeys to watch the match. Olive asked a couple of people and we were directed to Limerick’s, which was nearby. We went in at 4 o’clock when they opened and staked out a prime table directly in front of the big screen.

It was actually a very exciting match. Except that England didn’t win. It was shocking when David Beckham went off with an injury at 51 minutes, but the team had enough depth and maturity to play without Beckham. It was even more shocking when Wayne Rooney got sent off at 62 minutes, and incredibly frustrating because it was down to his own stupidity. I reckon Rooney would have got only a yellow card for stepping on Ricardo Carvalho’s testicles – that could have been unintentional, after all. But then he shoved Cristiano Ronaldo and the referee gave him what he deserved. What a cunt.

England played well one man down for the rest of the match, but not quite well enough. The crowd in the pub was screaming for a goal. If there is one certainty in football, it’s that England do not win on penalties.

At the end of the 30 minutes of extra time, waiting for the penalty shoot-out, I thought I might throw up. I was shaking and tried to remind myself that I wasn’t actually English. The rest is history. England are out.

Olive tried to be sympathetic, but she was still over the moon from Germany’s win over Argentina the night before.

Max is away

The High Price of American Gullibility

An article by Paul Craig Roberts from www.lewrockwell.com

This excellent essay expresses a lot of the same ideas that I have expressed on this blog with the added bonus of some facts I had not previously come across. Rather than summarise it for you, here is the link. It is an enlightening read.

http://www.lewrockwell.com/roberts/roberts164.html

Don't try this at home

When global news and politics become too depressing, it is refreshing to find comic relief in the stupidity of the people around us.

Translated from www.novinky.cz:

Man wanted piercing, ended up in surgery

At the end of last week, doctors at the hospital in Jablonec had to treat an unusual injury. A young man from Jablonecko who had wanted to give himself a home genital piercing ended up in the care of local surgeons. His attempt at piercing had not gone as planned. Emergency services took the young man, with a bleeding and very swollen wound, to the hospital.

JABLONEC NAD NISOU – “We had never before treated a wound similar to this one,” said Petra Krajinová, Jablonec hospital spokesperson. Doctors had to cut into the young man’s penis in order to drain the clotted blood from the hematoma. The young man should not suffer any long-term consequences as a result of the experience. His recovery, however, will not be pleasant.

“There are more and more complications due to attempted piercings. Every month we treat at least one such case. Generally, most of the cases involve very young patients, under 20 years old. I would say mostly girls,” commented Liberec surgeon Vladimír Výborný.

Doctors generally don’t want to do piercings. From their perspective, it’s just an unhealthy fashion trend.

Intimidation of the Press

the new co-operative

The leak is “treasonous” and The New York Times should be prosecuted under the 1917 Espionage Act, according to Rep. Peter King, chair of the House Homeland Security Committee. In his usual one-word way, “President” George W. Bush has called the disclosure simply “disgraceful”.

The government claims that keeping track of our banking activities is necessary for the “war on terror” (yawn). But watching bank transfers is not going to stop Ali, Ahmed and Muhammed from blowing up cars in Baghdad or themselves in New York.

The New York Times and other US papers broke the story last week: the Treasury Department has been subpoenaing information from SWIFT, the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication, for years. Most international bank transfers go through the SWIFT system – in fact, about $6 trillion every day.

The administration says they only go into the SWIFT database when they have specific information about a suspected terrorist. Yes, of course, just like they are only monitoring overseas phone calls made by terrorists. And just how would you define “suspected terrorist” anyway?

Before The New York Times broke the story last week, Treasury Secretary John Snow had “invited” New York Times executive editor Bill Keller to his office to try to “talk him out of publishing” the story. Snow has since claimed that letting the terrorists know that we are watching their money has put lives at risk.

Eric Lichtblau, one of the reporters who wrote the New York Times story, disputes Snow’s allegation. “This is not giving away information that is tangibly helping terrorists know what they don't already know.”

And that is the bottom line. The terrorists already knew they were being watched. The only people who may not have been aware of the bank spying were us, the American people.

VP Dick “Dickhead” Cheney thinks it is “a disgrace” that The New York Times won a Pulitzer Prize for reporting on the government’s domestic telephone surveillance programme. But Cheney has it completely the wrong way.

The New York Times and other papers have done us a great service by not allowing the government to intimidate them, and by telling us what we have every right to know. They deserve more awards.