Monthly Archives: April 2009

The world according to Lieberman

April 28, 2009 By in Uncategorized Tags: Leave a comment

Wrote this interview together with David Horovitz for the Jerusalem Post Magazine:

He’s only been in the job for a month, but already the foreign minister is fed up with the ‘slogans’ he keeps hearing from his international counterparts: occupation, settlements, land-for-peace, two-state solutions… His favored key words? Security (for Israel). A stronger economy (for the Palestinians). And stability (for all). Bringing peace to our region is more complex than sloganeering would allow, he tells The Jerusalem Post in this interview, his first with an Israeli newspaper. And it’s time we all faced up to the inconvenient reality. Continue reading →

Foreign Minister Avigdor and Prime Minister Lieberman

April 26, 2009 By in Uncategorized Tags: , 2 Comments

Jerusalem Post Editor-in-Chief David Horovitz and I interviewed Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman on Thursday. Since then I’ve been asked quite frequently about my impressions of the man.

Everybody wants to know about Lieberman. What’s he like, this “Russian King” as a friend called him [actually he's Moldovan]. When I posted photos of our interview on Facebook, I got comments and questions ranging from disgust [try get the stain off your hands Lady Macbeth!; ewwwww!; when is he going to be indicted?; shame you didn't barf on him; did you ask him if he really believes the bullshit coming out of his mouth or does he just like the perks? why doesn't the jpost punch people in the stomach anymore?]. “How bad is he,” another concerned friend asks. Continue reading →

Lieberman wants new slogans

April 25, 2009 By in Uncategorized Tags: Leave a comment

On Thursday David Horovitz and I interviewed Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman. The story appeared in Friday’s Jerusalem Post:

The international community has to “stop speaking in slogans” if it really wants to help the new Israeli government work toward a solution to the Palestinian conflict and help bring stability to the Middle East, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman told The Jerusalem Post on Thursday, in his first interview with an Israeli newspaper since taking the job.

“Over the last two weeks I’ve had many conversations with my colleagues around the world,” he said. “Just today, I saw the political adviser to German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the Chinese foreign minister and the Czech prime minister. And everybody, you know, speaks with you like you’re in a campaign: Occupation, settlements, settlers…” Continue reading →

Israel recalls its ambassador to Switzerland

April 20, 2009 By in Uncategorized Tags: , , , , Leave a comment

Israel on Monday recalled its ambassador to Switzerland Ilan Elgar in protest at Swiss President Hans-Rudolf Merz’s meeting with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in Geneva Sunday, a day before Jews worldwide commemorate Holocaust Remembrance Day.

The ambassador was also recalled in protest of Switzerland’s hosting of a “racist and Holocaust denier who declares openly his intentions to wipe Israel off the map.” Continue reading →

Durban 2 already looks like Durban 1

April 19, 2009 By in Uncategorized Tags: , , , Leave a comment

Creating a European Hizbullah, and slamming Israeli swimming pools.

This is what the pre-Durban 2 Israel Review Conference hosted by anti-Israeli NGOs looks like:

A parallel meeting to Durban II, held in a Geneva hotel, which was organized by the International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network, the International Coordinating Network on Palestine and the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) Committee, kicked off Sunday, one day ahead of the UN’s conference on racism. Continue reading →

What Peres has to say on Iran

April 16, 2009 By in Uncategorized Tags: , Leave a comment

President Shimon Peres today ruled out an Israeli strike on Iranian nuclear facilities. He’s been speaking a lot lately in public about Iran. Here are a few choice quotes:

This year so far:

August 16: “Talk of a possible Israeli attack on Iran is not true. The solution to Iran is not military.”
 
August 13: “Sooner or later, the world will realize that Iran wishes to take over the Middle East, and that it has colonial ambitions.” Continue reading →

A good way to learn Hebrew

April 6, 2009 By in Uncategorized 2 Comments

A friend of mine, Guy Sharett, is teaching Hebrew in Tel-Aviv in a unique and refreshing way. Check out his video from http://nocamels.com

[hat tip Lisa Goldman]

Guy’s approach, by teaching students in a real-life environment like cafes in Tel-Aviv, gives them an edge over those just studying at ulpans, who are learning the basic grammar. And with the budgets for ulpans continuously being slashed [and who knows if ulpans will even be around for very much longer] Guy’s methods might be the way forward.

Goldstone: Israel’s Eichmann trial pioneered universal jurisprudence

April 6, 2009 By in Uncategorized Tags: , , , Leave a comment

Judge Richard Goldstone, a Jewish South African judge who was the International Court’s war crimes prosecutor for Rwanad and Yugoslavia, and who will be heading the UN Human Rights Council’s latest mission to investigate Israeli war crimes during Operation Cast Lead, has said he has always found it hard to fathom that Jews could perpetrate racial discrimination.

While not directly affected by the Holocaust, Goldstone told the Leadel.net video portal that: “From a very early age I found it difficult to understand how Jews could participate in racial or other forms of discrimination having been on the receiving end for so many centuries.” Continue reading →

Israeli intelligence and the new cabinet

April 3, 2009 By in Uncategorized Tags: , , , , , , , 2 Comments

Ring ring. Ring ring. Prime Minister’s Office how may I help you?
Yes, hello this is chief of staff Gabi Ashkenazi. Can I speak to Prime Minister Netanyahu please?
What’s it about?
It’s a delicate matter that needs urgent attention. I really can’t talk about it with you. Could you please put me through to the prime minister?
Well, let me see, since it sounds like you’re talking about a security matter, I have to ask you, have you gone through the proper channels before trying to reach the Prime Minister? You know of course that he is extremely busy, being the prime minister, the minister for economic strategy, the pensioner’s affairs minister, and the health minister. Have you spoken to his military secretary first?
No, I haven’t had the time to…what’s his number? Continue reading →

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 80 other followers