To provide greater exposure to primary Israeli news sources and opinions in order to become better informed on the issues, and to gain a better understanding of the wide range of perspectives that exist in Israeli society and politics. Issue 1025 • October 7, 2016 • 5 Tishrei 5777

81% ARE PROUD TO BE ISRAELI (Israel Hayom 10/2/16) The report was confirmed to Haaretz by sources in both parties. But Ahead of the Jewish year 5777, an Israel Hayom poll shows that 81% of chairman of the opposition and head of the Zionist Union, Isaac Herzog, Israel's Jewish, Hebrew-speaking population is proud to be Israeli. denied it. In a message sent out to party members on Tuesday, Herzog The poll, conducted by the New Wave research institute, also shows that called the report "baseless," stating there have been no contacts with Likud more than half (59%) of Jewish Israelis describe themselves as "happy" and over the Rosh Hashanah holiday as the report claimed. Likud also officially 33% describe themselves as "in the middle," with only 8% saying they are denied the report. unhappy. According to a source privy to the talks, Herzog has met with lawmakers and Asked if Israel is a good country in which to live, 69% of respondents replied officials from his party in recent days to try to convince them to join the in the affirmative, and when asked explicitly whether -- given the stabbing government. Herzog told the lawmakers that there is currently an attacks of the past year -- they feel safer in Israel or abroad, 75% answered unprecedented opportunity to lead a diplomatic process in the Middle East, that they feel safer in Israel. and it cannot be missed. Herzog also said that he is unwavering in his On the question of whether they feel their personal safety had increased or demand that the Zionist Union receive the Culture Ministry from the Likud's fallen this past year, 61% said it has remained the same. Miri Regev. The poll, which is conducted every year before Rosh Hashanah, serves as a According to a senior official in the Zionist Union, opposition to the move barometer of public sentiment among Israel's Jewish population. within the party has weakened, and the new government could form within a The results lead to the conclusion that Israeli citizens are quite satisfied with month when the Knesset returns from its summer recess. their lives, despite what is sometimes portrayed by the media. Sources in the Likud noted that Netanyahu needs the Zionist Union and a The results are particularly interesting given that the issue of personal safety, diplomatic process to stave off attempts by Palestinians to push through a especially the danger of lone-wolf terrorist attacks, takes such a prominent resolution in the UN after the elections in the U.S. in November, but before place on the public agenda. Nevertheless, the wave of terrorism has not U.S. President Obama leaves office in January 2017. shaken the public's sense of safety. Netanyahu does not want Israel to go into any international summit on peace It is also interesting to note that despite Israelis' love for their country, the without Herzog in the government as he fears his right-wing partners will quit, majority prefer to travel abroad for vacations or for business. The poll showed sending Israel to a snap election. that 58% of Jewish Hebrew-speakers in Israel traveled abroad in the past Moreover, coalition tensions have been simmering recently over the planned year, and 66% said they plan to travel abroad this coming year. demolition of Amona, an illegal West Bank outpost that Israel's top court Another interesting figure, given that there is no hint of any drop in home ruled must be dismantled. The possibility of a coalition rebellion has left prices, is that 16% of respondents say they intend to purchase homes this Netanyahu wanting a new partner in government to strengthen his position coming year, nearly twice the number of respondents who said the same in when the demolition takes place in December. the 2015 Rosh Hashanah poll. And 9% said they had purchased a home this past year. Therefore, the demand for real estate is expected to increase, and Israel Report is a Student Publication of it can be assumed that home prices will continue to rise as well, despite attempts to lower them. Daniel Zolty, Editor-in-Chief While Israelis are clamoring for apartments, they are slightly less eager to Yonatan Kurz, Moshe Davis, Alex Ostrin and Yoav Zolty, Editors We are proud to be distributed by these institutions, though they do not necessarily support or condone purchase new cars. Some 22% of respondents say they plan to acquire a any of the material published: new car this year, compared to 26% who said the same in 2015. Anshei Chesed Cong., Boynton Beach, FL Hillel at Brandeis University Over two-thirds of respondents (67%) say groceries have become more Bergen County High School of Jewish Studies Hillel at California State University - Long Beach Boca Raton Synagogue, FL Hillel at Columbia University expensive this year than in 2015. Only 3% say their grocery shopping is Carmel School, Hong Kong Hillel at Johns Hopkins University costing less, and 30% say the cost of groceries has remained the same. Cong. Agudath Achim, Bradley Beach, NJ Hillel at Yale University Cong. Ahavas Achim, Highland Park, NJ Hillel High School, Deal NJ The poll also offers more proof that Israelis are plugged into social media, Cong. Ahavath Achim, Fairfield, CT Jewish Center of Teaneck, NJ with some 90% of respondents saying they have Facebook accounts, and Cong. Anshe Shalom, Jamaica Estates, NY Kehillas Bais Yehudah Tzvi, Cedarhurst, NY Cong. Anshe Sholom, New Rochelle, NY Kemp Mill Synagogue, Silver Spring, MD 41% saying they have Instagram accounts. However, only 22% of Cong. Beth Aaron, Teaneck, NJ Mizrachi Shul, Johannesburg, SA respondents describe themselves as "very active" on social media, with Cong. Beth Shalom, Monroe Twp, NJ North Shore Hebrew Academy HS, NY Cong. Bnai Yeshurun, Teaneck, NJ Suburban Torah Center, Livingston, NJ another 57% describing themselves as "somewhat active." Cong. Etz Ahaim, Highland Park, NJ The Learning Shul, Columbia, SC Where do most Israelis plan on celebrating their Rosh Hashanah vacation Cong. Ohr Torah, Edison, NJ Woodsburgh, NY Minyan from work and school? The overwhelming majority of respondents (87%) say Cong. Rinat Yisrael, Teaneck, NJ Young Israel Bet Tefilah of Aberdeen, NJ Cong. Shomrei Torah, Fair Lawn, NJ Young Israel of Brookline, MA they will be at home or with their families. Cong. Sons of Israel, Allentown, PA Young Israel of East Brunswick, NJ Cong. Zichron Mordechai, Teaneck, NJ Young Israel of Fort Lee, NJ Cong. Zichron R. M. Feinstein, Brooklyn, NY Young Israel of Hancock Park, CA SUBSTANTIAL PROGRESS REPORTED IN TALKS TO BRING CENTER- Delray Orthodox Synagogue, Delray Beach, FL Young Israel of Holliswood, NY LEFT PARTY INTO NETANYAHU'S GOVERNMENT (Ha’aretz 10/4/16) East Denver Orthodox Synagogue, CO Young Israel of Houston, TX Flatbush Park Jewish Center, Mill Basin, NY Young Israel of New Hyde Park, NY After weeks of rumors, substantial progress has reportedly been made in Harvard University Library Young Israel of North Woodmere, NY talks to form a unity government in Israel, Channel 10 news reported Hebrew Academy of Long Beach, NY Young Israel of New Rochelle, NY Hillel at Baruch College Young Israel of Sharon, MA Tuesday. According to the report, the center-left Zionist Union party will join YI Shomrai Emunah, Silver Spring, MD Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud-led government in exchange for We encourage our readers to subscribe to our sources on the internet. For more information or to eight portfolios, including the highly coveted Foreign Ministry. subscribe by e-mail, reach us at [email protected] 2 The Zionist Union is combined of two smaller parties – the larger and Commenting on how the incident unfolded, an IDF official said, “the flotilla historically significant Labor Party and the newer centrist Hatnua party, led by was stopped without resistance 35 miles from the Israeli coast. There were Israel's former foreign minister Tzipi Livni. Herzog is reportedly trying to woo 13 women aboard and the boat is on its way to Ashdod and will arrive within Livni into the unity government by offering her the Foreign Ministry. If she an hour.” agrees, he will serve as deputy prime minister, chief negotiator and he will be The IDF Spokesperson’s Unit also released a statement on the matter. “In put in charge of the Ministry of Regional Development. accordance with the decisions of the political leadership and after calls to the Regarding the new division of portfolios and ministries, the Zionist Union will Zaytouna flotilla by the navy to stop, which were rejected, sailors from the get the following ministries: Foreign, Culture and Sport, Agriculture, and Navy took control of the boat before it arrived at the Gaza Strip,” the either the Economy or Housing ministries, in addition to four other yet statement read. unknown portfolios. “The process of taking control was short and resulted in no injuries. The Regev, currently Israel's culture minister, will lose her spot, but will enjoy a response was implemented after many call to the sailors aboard the flotilla at promotion within the Likud's ranks, and will become a security cabinet various distances in the sea. After the sailors indicated that they had no member in addition to receiving another cabinet portfolio. intention to cooperate and to accept the offer to sail to Ashdod, the decision was taken to take control and to prevent it from breaching the legal naval ISRAEL REJECTS U.S. CRITICISM: PLANNED WEST BANK blockade and to divert it to the Ashdod port,” the statement continued. CONSTRUCTION NOT A NEW SETTLEMENT (Ha’aretz 10/5/16) The boat was sponsored by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, a group of pro- Verbal clashes between Israel and the U.S. over resettlement plans of the Palestinian groups based mostly in Europe. The Dutch-flagged boat was illegal outpost of Amona escalated Wednesday evening, after a Foreign carrying 13 female activists from different countries headed by Mairead Ministry statement rejected American criticism and claimed that the Maguire, an Irish Nobel Peace Prize laureate. A retired US colonel and construction plans do not constitute the creation of a new settlement. former South African Olympic athlete were also on board, along with women The Prime Minister's Office did not issue an official response, but Haaretz from the United Kingdom, Sweden, Russia and Malaysia. has learned that the Foreign Ministry statement was worded and approved by Zaher Darwish, one of the coordinators of the flotilla, said the boat not Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his advisers. carrying any aid and that the goal was purely "symbolic" — to call attention to The 98 housing units approved in Shilo do not constitute a "new settlement," the Israeli naval blockade of Gaza, which he called illegal. read the statement. "This housing will be built on state land in the existing settlement of Shilo and will not change its municipal boundary or geographic ISRAELI AIR FORCE PILOT KILLED IN F-16 CRASH (JPost 10/05/16) footprint. The units are intended to provide a housing solution for the An Israel Air Force pilot was killed during a crash landing of an F-16I jet residents of Amona who must leave their homes in accordance with the fighter jet in southern Israel on Wednesday evening. The aircraft’s navigator demolition order issued by Israel's High Court of Justice." ejected from the plane and escaped with only minor injuries. The Israeli Foreign Ministry statement added that Israel remains committed The pilot has been named as Major Ohad Cohen from the Ramon Air Force to the two-state solution, "in which a demilitarized Palestinian state Base. The jet, which was landing at Ramon Air Force Base in the Negev after recognizes the Jewish state of Israel." conducting an air strike on the Gaza Strip, caught fire. IAF commnder Maj.- "The real obstacle to peace is not the settlements – a final status issue that Gen. Amir Eshel has appointed an investigation. can and must be resolved in negotiations between the parties - but the In July 2013, an F-16I on a training flight crashed in the Mediterranean Sea, Palestinian rejection of a Jewish state in any boundaries," said the statement. some 50 km. off the coast of the Gaza Strip. The two-seater jet fighter was On Wednesday, the U.S. administration published an unusually harsh taking part in a training exercise in which it attempted an interception. In that statement against a plan to build an alternative settlement for residents of the incident, the plane’s pilot, an IAF flight instructor and navigator, who was illegal outpost of Amona. being trained, safely ejected from the aircraft and parachuted to the sea The statement, signed by Mark Toner, deputy spokesman for the State before being rescued. Department, drew an unusual linkage between the signing of the defense aid In November 2010, an IAF pilot and navigator were killed when their F-16I agreement with Israel and criticism of settlement building. fighter jet crashed in southern Israel. The jet was leading four aircraft in a The White House later further escalated the criticism, as Josh Ernest said training exercise when it suddenly fell to the ground without reporting any that the decision constitutes a violation of a commitment undertaken by the problems. Israeli government to the U.S. administration, adding that this isn't how In 2009, an F-16 crashed outside of Hebron, killing Assaf Ramon, the son of friends behave. "We had public assurances from the Israeli government that astronaut Col. Ilan Ramon, who died in the Columbia explosion in 2003. contradict this new announcement – so when you talk about how friends treat each other – this is also a source of concern. There is a lot of disappointment SHAKED ENVISIONS A MORE JEWISH STATE (YNet 10/5/16) and great concern here at the White House," he said. "A Thatcherist manifesto," that's how Minister of Justice Ayelet Shaked refers The criticism comes against the backdrop of the Civil Administration Planning to an article she wrote, recently published by policy journal Hashiloach. Commission's decision last Wednesday to approve a plan for the Shaked presents her wider view of her role in the article, which includes a construction of 98 housing units in the new settlement to be established next precedent: For the first time, a justice minister has advocated for the to the Shvut Rachel settlement. The new settlement, which settlers say is strengthening of Israel's Jewish nature when speaking of the delicate balance only a neighborhood of the existing settlement of Shvut Rachel, can provide between the state's Jewish and democratic ideals. housing for residents of the illegal outposts of Amona, who are expected to According to Shaked, the more Jewish Israel is, the more democratic it will be evicted by the end of December. become. "When we wish to put Israel through advanced democratization processes, ISRAELI NAVY TAKES CONTROL OF ZAYTOUNA-OLIVA FLOTILLA we must simultaneously deepen its Jewish identity," Shaked wrote, "These (YNet 10/5/16) identities are not contradictory. On the contrary: I believe they reinforce one The Israel Navy took control of the Zaytouna-Oliva flotilla Wednesday which another. I believe the more Jewish a state we are, the more democratic a set sail from Barcelona in an attempt to breach the Israeli naval blockade of state we will be, and that the more democratic a state we are, the more the Gaza Strip. Jewish a state we will be." 3 Shaked is expressing de facto opposition to the judicial policies set in place were able following treatment to locate a submerged island in the middle of by former Supreme Court president Aharon Barak, who interpreted Israel's an artificial pond. Jewish nature in a very broad and symbolic sense. In fact, Shaked claims it is a matter of great substance to the state and its laws. In addition, while Barak MIRI REGEV'S CULTURE POLICY ONCE AGAIN UNDER FIRE, HIGH supported judicial activism, Shaked takes a more conservative stance, COURT PETITIONED (Israel Hayom, 10/5/16) advocating for a more rigid separation of powers. "The path of the train of An Israeli civil rights organization petitioned the High Court of Justice this Israeli justice (system) must keep in mind the states' Jewish nature," she morning to nullify changes Culture Minister Miri Regev made to government wrote, "It must do this in a real way: Not just as a symbol, but as a matter of funding criteria for music, theater and dance. The Culture Ministry claims the concrete meaning." changes are in accordance with the Israeli boycott law. The so-called "Regev changes" penalize producers, artists and actors who APPLE'S IPHONE 8 REPORTEDLY BEING DEVELOPED IN ISRAEL boycott Jewish residents of Judea and Samaria, while awarding those who (Ha’aretz, 10/2/16) perform there. Apple is reportedly using an office in the central Israeli city of Herzliya to The Association for Civil Rights in Israel petitioned the court, claiming these develop what one anonymous employee termed the iPhone 8. changes limit freedoms of expression and conscience. The petition says the The employee also told Business Insider on Wednesday that Apple changes reward less developed, periphery towns, but discriminate between employees in Israel work on all the company’s new products. those outside and inside the Green Line. The Herzliya office has approximately 800 employees and Apple CEO Tim According to the criteria, a cultural institution that performs shows in the Cook has said the Herzliya office is the company’s second-largest research Negev and the Galilee will receive monetary support, but if it performs in and development office in the world. There is another Apple headquarters in Judea and Samaria, it will receive additional support. As the budget is the northern city of Haifa, which has about 200 employees. decided ahead of time, one institute necessarily receives more at the The anonymous Apple staffer intimated that the next iPhone will be called the expense of another, claims ACRI. iPhone 8, skipping the name iPhone 7s. The worker added that it will be According to ACRI, every cultural institution must report whether or not it significantly different from the last few iPhone models. refrains from performing in Judea and Samaria in government registration forms. There is no room to explain the reason or whether the decision to ISRAELIS FLOCK TO NATIONAL PARKS, NATURE SITES OVER THE abstain may be unrelated to a political stance, the organization claims. HOLIDAY (Israel Hayom 10/5/16) Attorney Dan Yakir, legal advisor to ACRI, said the new funding criteria is not Despite the unseasonable heat wave, over 200,000 Israelis spent the two in accordance with the law. "The boycott law sanctions only on those who call days off for Rosh Hashanah at the country's national parks and nature to boycott or commit to participate in the boycott." reserves. According to Yakir, "The High Court of Justice explicitly ruled that the law On Tuesday, sites operated by the Israel Nature and Parks Authority does not apply to a theater company that abstains from performing in welcomed 100,000 visitors. Particularly popular destinations were Caesarea settlements. The abstention itself does not break the boycott law, rather the National Park and Yarkon-Tel Afek National Park, each of which received call to boycott or public declaration of participation in the boycott [does]. over 4,000 visitors. "The funding criteria also prevent the final right a person has to perform a Other sites that saw heavy visitor traffic were Beit Guvrin National Park, private and personal act according to his political beliefs," Yakir said. "Justice home to ancient graves, where the INPA holds kite-flying activities; the Ein [Isaac] Amit's ruling on the boycott law in the High Court of Justice says that Gedi reserve near the Dead Sea; Ashkelon National Park; and the Stalactite a theater company can decide it is not willing to perform in Judea and Cave nature reserve. Samaria without fear." Jewish National Fund forests and park sites also saw plenty of visitors over Monday and Tuesday. THE 8-STATE SOLUTION (Ron Jager, Arutz-7 INN.com 10/5/16) Not long ago, the head of the Palestinian Authority (PA), Mahmoud Abbas, ISRAELI SCIENTISTS ANNOUNCE POSSIBLE ALZHEIMER’S spoke at the UN General Assembly, basing his remarks on three basic BREAKTHROUGH (Times of Israel 10/5/16) Palestinian beliefs that reflect the PA's inability to be partners towards a Scientists from Tel Aviv University believe they have made a breakthrough peaceful solution with Israel. Abbas, spoke of the Palestinian Arab refusal to that could help treat Alzheimer’s disease, the university said Wednesday. recognize Israel’s right to exist as the Homeland of the Jewish People, he Researchers lead by Professor Daniel M. Michaelson managed to change refused to end the PA’s incitement to commit terror against Jews, and the nature of the APOE gene in mice, which has been associated with the reaffirmed the so-called “right of return” which means nothing less than the debilitating, neuro-degenerative disease. end of Israel as a Jewish State. The gene has a healthy form called APOE3 and a disease-related form The PA chairman's remarks concerned only the Jewish State, but back home APOE4, which is found in 60 percent of sufferers. in the Middle East, Mahmoud Abbas’s greatest threat is not Israel, not “Researchers have developed a novel mechanism and approach with which Israel’s military presence in Judea and Samaria ('West Bank'), and not even to convert the “bad” APOE4 to the “good” APOE3,” a statement from the the so called “settlements”. Abbas’s number one existential threat is that the university said. Palestinian Authority’s grip on Judea and Samaria is weakening, with growing The results of the study, which was jointly conducted by the university and political instability across the region and the Hamas terror organization the commercial company Artery Ltd., based in California, was published last breathing down his political neck. month in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease. Pinhas Inbari, a researcher at the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs has “APOE4 is a very important and understudied target,” Michaelson said, but painted a grim picture of the growing dislike and the loss of widespread noted that this was only one dimension of attempts to find a cure for the support of the PA by the local Arab population. In Nablus, Fatah terrorist cells disease. “Is there really a magic bullet? One treatment that covers all aspects are in open rebellion against PA security forces. Since August 18, Fatah cells of Alzheimer’s? Not likely,” he said. have repeatedly engaged PA forces in lethal exchanges, and according to The researchers found in the course of administering treatment that mice, Inbari, the town is now in a state of “total anarchy.” In Hevron, tribal leaders, which prior to the treatment exhibited disoriented behavior and seemed lost, more or less dormant for the past 20 years, are regenerating a tribal alliance 4 as a means of bypassing the PA, which no longer represents them. Their first become productive and join a confederation of similar city-states. After all, major action to date was to send a delegation of tribal leaders to meet with size alone does not determine the success or failure of a state. For example, King Abdullah of Jordan. Even in Ramallah, the seat of Abbas’s power, the Monaco, Lichtenstein, and Luxembourg are small states with a high quality of PA is losing ground to EU-funded NGOs that seek to limit the PA’s economic life, while Algeria, Libya, and Sudan are large states with poor quality of life. control over the groups and their operations. According to Dr. Kedar: “The towns that will receive independence (from both While the Palestinian Authority verges on the brink of total chaos, President the Palestinian Authority and Israel) are Hevron (the Arab part), Jericho, Obama used his meeting this week with Prime Minister Netanyahu to Ramallah, Nablus, Jenin, Tul-karem and Qalqilya…Bethlehem will require defiantly ignore the Palestinian Arab refusal to negotiate with Israel, and further consideration.” instead proposed the worn out and obsolete formula known as the two-state Approaching fast is the day when the Palestinian Authority we have known solution, for reviving negotiations. As usual Obama clearly avoids blaming the for the past 22 years will cease to exist. The Oslo Agreement that begat the Arabs, while at the same time demands of Israel to agree to a high-risk fiction of the two-state solution is about to be shattered once and for all. The territorial compromise without simultaneously making it crystal clear that only relevant question today, is what does Israel intend to do next? there will be no "right of return" for Palestinian Arab third and fourth The Eight State Solution can be a practical solution for the Palestinian Arab generation "refugees." local leadership who are unable and unwilling to accept Israel’s right to exist. The idea of a "right of return" is as we all know unique to the Israel- Israel has extended out her hand for peace many times yet a real peace Palestinian Arab conflict; no other people in the world other than the process is far from sight. As long as the Palestinian Arabs desire to replace Palestinian Arabs have demanded the "right to return." Keep in mind that us, rather than to live alongside us, we should adopt the Eight State Solution hundreds of thousands of Arabs who came to Israel from all over the Middle as the only realistic and practical solution possible in the coming years East prior to the 1948 war and had lived here for as little as a year before the War of Independence broke out (when Arabs attacked the fledgling Jewish MAHMOUD ABBAS’S APPEARANCE AT PERES’S FUNERAL – AN state) are demanding the "right of return". These Arabs were foreign workers EMPTY GESTURE (Iftah Burman, JPost 10/05/16) in Palestine before 1948 with no prior residential status. Many of them carry The death of former prime minister and president Shimon Peres provided names like "El Iraqi" ("from Iraq") or El Masri ("from Egypt") or "El Hourani" Israeli and Arab commentators with a golden opportunity to speak and write ("from the Houran, Syria"), which testify that they are originally not from about the nonexistent peace process once more. From both sides of the Palestine but that they came from: Iraq, Egypt, and Syria. political map, both in Israel and in the Arab world, the papers were covered Today, they certainly don’t want to return to those places. They would rather with views about one of Israel’s most distinguished and globally recognized live in Israel – a democratic state that honors human rights, religious leaders. And as his body was put into the ground, the same pages became freedom, and a robust and free economy. Why go back to Syria where they rife with opinions, slander and praise for the attendance of one man – shoot you in the street for whistling, while in Israel, a Palestinian Arab’s Mahmoud Abbas, president of the Palestinian Authority. complaint of being detained for 5 minutes at a security checkpoint is Abbas, persuaded to attend the funeral by Peres’s daughter, put together his considered a major violation of international law. band of merry men and made his way to Jerusalem. When he arrived at If we imagine a future Palestinian Arab state, it will have to forcibly integrate Mount Herzl, Abbas made an unexpected yet inevitable gesture – he shook competing clans and tribes, so what are we really talking about? Those of us Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s hand, and the merry men all followed who live in Israel know that Arabs who live in Hevron, Jericho and Shechem his lead. Throughout the solemn event, Abbas was attentive, stern and at (Nablus), never ever marry one another, let alone see themelves as one times even mournful. united nation. If they will be forcibly incorporated into one Palestinian Arab The keen editors of the region did not miss a beat. As the headlines about state, the result will be just another Arab state in perpetual conflict with itself Peres faded, new ones appeared about Abbas’s gesture to Israel. Abbas blaming Israel for all of their internal problems. became the target of scores of journalistic arrows, some of Mars and some of Dr. Mordechai Kedar, a senior researcher at the Begin-Sadat Center for Cupid. Lingering columns speculated about what compelled the PA president Strategic Studies at Bar Ilan University, the author of the Eight State Solution to make the precarious journey all the way to Netanyahu’s arm(s). has based this concept on a sociological and historical analysis of Arab tribes The word “Oslo” skyrocketed on Google’s Trends analysis. and the consequent concept of Arab tribal city-states. Dr. Kedar proposes the Superlatives were thrown around like pies at a country fair, ranging from creation of no less than eight independent and separate Arab city-states “courageous” and “visionary,” to “despicable” and “traitorous.” Hamas’s swift within the "West Bank," in addition to Gaza. Of course, Israel would comprise tweets managed to edit out a picture of Abbas leaning his forehead on his the ninth. He writes: “There is no reason to assume that a Palestinian state head, scorning him for sobbing at the Zionist leader’s funeral. will not become another failing Arab state, due to the fragmented society in There is but one thing both sides disregarded, and it has been the reality of the "West Bank" and Gaza, tribalism and lack of awareness of nationhood as this region as far as the elders of Zion can remember: real conversations, demonstrated by the failed performance of the Palestinian Authority since its genuine gestures and true understandings are achieved behind closed doors, establishment in 1994…Social stability is the key for political stability…the in rooms with no reporters. The latest rapprochement between Israel and only successful model for an Arab state is the one which is based on a single Turkey was not initiated with a photo-op of Turkish President Recep Tayyip consolidated traditional group such as each of the individual Arab Gulf Erdogan and Netanyahu. The rumored revolution in Israeli-Saudi relations Emirates.” was not televised. Israeli humanitarian aid to Syria’s southern residents is not There is much logic in what Dr. Kedar describes about Arab societies. The plastered all over daily newspapers. Whatever advancements are made Arab Middle East has always been composed of many tribes, religions, sects, toward normalization between Israel and its neighbors, the public will be and ethnic groups, all at war with each other and with their government. The made aware of them only after the fact. colonial imposition of a central, western-style nation-state based on arbitrarily And as far as Abbas’s appearance next to Netanyahu for the first time in the drawn border demarcations has not served the interests of the many past six years, that was merely a courteous gesture to a distant indigenous people but rather the interests of dictators and corporate acquaintance, next to the grave of a mutual friend and foe. Both were simply interests. Thus, according to Dr. Kedar, there is essentially one tribe that attending the ceremony that laid to rest the architect of the Oslo accords, and “governs” in Ramallah, another tribe entirely which does so in Nablus, yet possibly envisioned the accords themselves being covered in earth next to another which presides over Jenin, etc. A small city-state might be able to him.