Israel: Learn Some Manners

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Israel: Learn Some Manners This piece was submitted by Jamie Levin, a former executive director of Ameinu and currently a PhD student at the University of Toronto. It is often said that Israelis share the unfortunate national characteristic of being rude. Another view conflates Israelis with the sabra, the fruit of a cactus common to the region. In this view, Israelis are direct, even prickly on the outside, but sweet on the inside, at least once you get to know them. Hence native-born Israelis are called sabras. Though Bibi Netanhayu is the first prime minister born in the State of Israel, I’m afraid he is no sabra by the definition offered above. Fluent in both Hebrew and English, he appears smug in both. Probably for the better, Netanyahu appointed a foreign minister who speaks little English. For when Avigdor Lieberman is understood he often offends; his views border on racist and his policies on the absurd. More recently, Netanhayu’s deputy foreign minister, Danny Ayalon, caused a row with Turkey by deliberately humiliating their ambassador on Israeli television. Turkey, a close ally, has criticized Israel over its actions in Gaza. Israel’s response? Seat the ambassador on an absurdly low chair and invite the press into the room while Ayalon lectures the ‘naughty child’. If there was any doubt about the intended effect, Israeli television broadcast the whole bit, including Ayalon’s instructions to the television crew to get the camera angle right in order to fully convey the humiliation. Not surprising, Israeli-Turkish relations have suffered as a result. And then there are the actions undertaken by Netanyahu’s interior minister, Eli Yishai, during American Vice President Joe Biden’s recent visit to Israel. In preparation for peace talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, Yishai announced the construction of 1,600 new housing units in East Jerusalem despite the fact that the Obama administration has pleaded with Israel to halt settlement construction (and honour past commitments to stop building in the West Bank). The timing of this move could only be read as a deliberate attempt to undermine peace talks with the Palestinians and as a direct insult to America, Israel’s closest ally and friend. In the face a looming Iranian nuclear threat, continued bellicosity from Syria and Hezbollah, and intermittent rocket attacks from Hamas controlled Gaza, it is perhaps no wonder that Israel feels insecure and isolated. Israel’s recent actions may be the response of an exasperated country in the face of these perceived threats. Ironically, such actions only reinforce Israel’s isolation. And rightly so. To be sure, one may argue about the finer points of policy but diplomacy requires a soft touch, particularly with one’s friends. It is, therefore, hard to see how these actions fall under the subtle category of diplomacy. These and others are profoundly impolitic acts of an increasingly rude state. Netanyahu needs to learn some manners. Jamie Levin is a PhD student at the University of Toronto..

Copy Link

Recommended publications

October 2020
OCTOBER 2020 MAKING MEAT RIGHT OCTOBER 2020 02 FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENT This presentation was prepared by MeaTech Ltd. (the “Company”), and reports filed in connection with the Company with the Israel Securities is given to you only for the provision of concise information for the sake Authority and the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange Ltd., including warnings of convenience, and may not be copied or distributed to any other regarding forward-looking information, as defined in the Securities Law, person. The data and information included in this presentation should 5728-1968, included therein. The forward-looking information in the not be interpreted as advice and should not be relied on for any purpose. presentation may not materialize, in whole or in part, or may materialize Such data and information should not be copied or used except as differently than expected, or may be affected by factors that cannot be expressly permitted in writing. This presentation does not purport to assessed in advance. For the avoidance of doubt, it is clarified that the be comprehensive or to contain any and all information which might be Company do not undertake to update and/or modify the information relevant in connection with the making of a decision on an investment included in the presentation to reflect events and/or circumstances in securities of the Company. No explicit or implicit representation occurring after the date of preparation of the presentation. This or undertaking is given by any person regarding the accuracy or presentation is not an offer or invitation to buy or subscribe for any integrity of any information included in this presentation.
[Show full text]
Danny Ayalon: Israel Welcomes Changes in Arab Countries but Remains Very Cautious
Danny Ayalon: Israel welcomes changes in Arab countries but remains very cautious European Jewish Press by: Yossi Lempkowicz, 01/03/ 2011 BRUSSELS (EJP)---Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon said Israel "welcomes" the changes towards democracy in Arab countries but it remains "cautious" because "we do see an attempt by Iran’s agents, Hezbollah and Hamas to interfere and to legitimize extremist elements in the region." "In democracy it’s not just a matter of pluralism but also of the rule of law. And just like in Europe you don’t allow racist or Nazi parties, we have to make sure that racist extremist elements will not hijack the situation and fill up the vacuum," he said in an interview with EJP in Brussels on Tuesday. "Some elements within the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt could be very dangerous and we have to look very carefully and not to be kind by euphemism and games." "In Israel also, a party, Kach, was at the time barred by the Supreme Court to run for elections because it was racist," he said. According to Ayalon, with these events the world finally realizesthat the central issue in the Middle East is not the Palestinian issue but rather the dysfunctions of Arab societies, illiteracy and poverty. Ayalon, who is on a visit here to discuss recent developments in the Middle East with senior EU officials and address a European think-tank, said he doesn’t agree with EU’s view that current events make it more important to renew Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations. "I think this is not true.
[Show full text]
The Times They Are A-Changin'
The Times They Are A-Changin’ This post is by Hillel Schenker: In 1963, two months after Dr. Martin Luther King said that he had a dream, and Joan Baez, Bob Dylan and Peter Paul and Mary sang “How many roads must a man walk down/before they can call him a man” before hundreds of thousands of freedom marchers in the heart of Washington, I came from New York to live on Kibbutz Barkai in Israel, a few kilometers from the West Bank border. On Friday, November 22nd, the kibbutz held an evening of local artists, and as a product of the folk song revolution sweeping America, I sang, together with my even younger wife Nava, the first Israeli rendition of Dylan’s “Blowin’ in the Wind.” This came naturally, given that she grew up in a progressive housing complex in the Bronx. One of her older brother’s friends was Richie Havens, a child of one of the few black families in the neighborhood, who was to sing “Freedom” a few years later at Woodstock, and her father had fought against fascism in Spain in the Lincoln Brigade, which inspired so many songs of struggle like “Viva La Quince Brigada” and others. As for myself, after 8 years of studying the piano like a good Jewish boy, I had discovered the guitar, the “People’s Song Book” and “Sing Out!” magazine, which had inspired a revival of folk and protest music. As a contemporary of the new generation of singer/songwriters like Dylan, Phil Ochs, Tom Paxton and Paul Simon, it seemed natural to pick up a guitar and sing, in Washington Square, on the New York subway or before the lawn in Washington in front of the Lincoln Memorial.
[Show full text]
A Threshold Crossed Israeli Authorities and the Crimes of Apartheid and Persecution WATCH
HUMAN RIGHTS A Threshold Crossed Israeli Authorities and the Crimes of Apartheid and Persecution WATCH A Threshold Crossed Israeli Authorities and the Crimes of Apartheid and Persecution Copyright © 2021 Human Rights Watch All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America ISBN: 978-1-62313-900-1 Cover design by Rafael Jimenez Human Rights Watch defends the rights of people worldwide. We scrupulously investigate abuses, expose the facts widely, and pressure those with power to respect rights and secure justice. Human Rights Watch is an independent, international organization that works as part of a vibrant movement to uphold human dignity and advance the cause of human rights for all. Human Rights Watch is an international organization with staff in more than 40 countries, and offices in Amsterdam, Beirut, Berlin, Brussels, Chicago, Geneva, Goma, Johannesburg, London, Los Angeles, Moscow, Nairobi, New York, Paris, San Francisco, Sydney, Tokyo, Toronto, Tunis, Washington DC, and Zurich. For more information, please visit our website: http://www.hrw.org APRIL 2021 ISBN: 978-1-62313-900-1 A Threshold Crossed Israeli Authorities and the Crimes of Apartheid and Persecution Map .................................................................................................................................. i Summary ......................................................................................................................... 2 Definitions of Apartheid and Persecution .................................................................................
[Show full text]
Obama and Israel by J. Zel Lurie
Obama and Israel by J. Zel Lurie From chaver J. Zel Lurie’s column in the July 15 issue of the Jewish Journal of South Florida: “What has Obama accomplished in five months?” my Republican neighbor asked disdainfully. It will be six months from when this column sees the light of day. But whether five months or six months, it’s the wrong question. The correct question is where would we be if John McCain had defeated Barack Obama? I shudder to contemplate the answer. … Israeli public opinion has changed several times in the last twenty-six years. Maintaining the same goal for twenty-six years is not Israel’s way. Twenty-six years ago I was told by a Maariv editor that a Palestine state would be a causus belli. Israel would go to war to destroy it. Today the majority of Israelis favor a Palestine state as the best security for Israel. George Mitchell, who has been charged by President Obama and Secretary of State Clinton, to seek out peace, has been working with Minister of Defense Ehud Barak to find a way for the Israel Government to obey Mitchell’s demand to freeze settlement building. Meanwhile, Mitchell’s competent staff has been lobbying key ministers in Israel’s sprawling government. The results can be seen in Israeli government actions last week. Mark Regev, government spokesman, called a conference of the foreign press. He said once again that Israel was ready to negotiate with the Palestine authority “without preconditions.” He then laid down three conditions: 1. The Palestinians must recognize Israel as a Jewish state: The Palestinian reply is “we will negotiate with the government of Israel.
[Show full text]
For Immediate Release Xx July 2005
Ambassador Daniel Ayalon Ambassador Danny Ayalon is the President of Hod Ayalon Ltd, a private consulting firm for governments and international corporations. He is also the Founder of “The Truth About Israel”, a non-profit corporation to train and educate the public about the facts of Israel. Ayalon serves as Chairman of the Advisory Board of GSE, consulting and finance company. He joined the Board of Governors of Tel Aviv University, and the Lantos Human Rights and Justice Foundation in Washington, DC. Prior to this, Danny served as a Member of Knesset (Israeli Parliament) and was Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the State of Israel, from 2009 to 2013, and Israel’s Ambassador to the United States from 2002 to November 2006. As Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ayalon directed Israel's foreign and economic relations, public diplomacy efforts and bilateral strategic cooperation with key allies. Ayalon headed the high level Inter-Agencies Strategic Dialogue between Israel and the United States, and spearheaded the diplomatic, economic, and international public efforts against Iran's nuclear program. Danny directed the campaigns that enabled Israel to be inducted as a member state into the OECD, Organization of Economic Co-operation and Development, and CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research. Danny Ayalon introduced a new agenda for Israel in the UN and its agencies built on extensive cooperation to face the global challenges of today in food security, water availability, land desertification and affordable energy. Ayalon initiated and formulated a new level of diplomatic relations between Israel and Latin American, and African countries, based on sustainable development.
[Show full text]
Contesting the OECD Tourism Conference in Jerusalem Patents; and Human Rights Concerns – Including Israel’S Occupation of Territories It Seized in June 1967
Contesting the In January 2010, Israel invited the OECD Tourism Committee to hold its October OECD Tourism meeting in Jerusalem this year. Israel was in Conference in the final stages of arranging its candidacy for accession to Organization for Economic Jerusalem Cooperation and Development (OECD), Marian Houk a Paris-based international organization grouping the world’s developed economies. The invitation was probably made during the visit to Israel of OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurría, a former Minister of Finance of Mexico, who was holding discussions with senior Israeli officials. It would be only the second time (out of 85 previous OECD tourism conferences) that the meeting would be held outside of Paris. OECD officials are careful and experienced bureaucrats – but they accepted without any apparent misgivings Israel’s offer of hospitality in Jerusalem from 20 to 22 October. Later, OECD officials would say that the last-minute uproar about holding the Tourism Committee meeting in Jerusalem was “a tempest in a teacup”. This, of course, is exactly what Israel would like the world to think. Israel’s position concerning Jerusalem is not officially accepted by most countries in the world, who have voted in the United Nations to declare “null and void” Israel’s unilateral actions to (1) extend its administration and laws to East Jerusalem after Israel’s conquest in the Six-Day War (June 1967) an act almost indistinguishable from annexation; and (2) then to declare “united Jerusalem” as Israel’s “eternal and undivided capital” in 1980. Objections to Israel’s candidacy had to be addressed in order to secure the unanimous agreement of all 30 OECD members to its admission.
[Show full text]
Infocusquarterly ISRAEL: REFUGE and RENAISSANCE
VOLUME 12 ISSUE 2 | SPRING 2018 inFOCUSQUARTERLY ISRAEL: REFUGE AND RENAISSANCE Lela Gilbert on Jews and Christians in the Holy Land | Jennifer Tzivia MacLeod and Megan E. Turner on JNF’s Projects to Develop Green Spaces | Uri Naaman on Israeli-NATO Relations | David Koren on Governing Jerusalem | Yoram Ettinger on the Jewish State’s Demography | David M. Weinberg on Israel’s Winning Dipomacy | Albert H. Teich on U.S.-Israeli Technological and Research Cooperation | Pnina Agenyahu on Making Aliyah from Ethiopia | Eric Rozenman on How an Israeli Institute Trains Future Leaders | Sean Durns on the Media’s Israel Narrative | Gadi Shamni on Diversity in the IDF | Shoshana Bryen reviews Jerusalem: The Biography. Featuring an Interview with Ambassador Danny Ayalon LETTER FROM THE PUBLISHER The First Jewish Commonwealth was Tzivia MacLeod highlight Israel’s eco- destroyed in 586 BCE; the Third estab- logical prowess – building a river in a inFOCUS lished in 1948 CE – making Israeli self- desert. Al Teich writes about U.S.-Israel VOLUME 12 | ISSUE 2 government both very old and very young. cooperation in scientific research, and Publisher By comparison, the French squeezed five Uri Na’aman about Israel’s cooperation Matthew Brooks Republics into just 225 years. with NATO. Yoram Ettinger is enthusi- Editor In modern times, the remnant that astic about Israel’s demographic future Shoshana Bryen never left was joined by Zionist pioneers. and Gadi Shamni is enthusiastic about Associate Editors They welcomed home the devastated sur- the skills young Israelis bring to the IDF. Michael Johnson Eric Rozenman vivors of Nazi rule and Pnina Agenyahu discusses Copy Editors then 700,000-plus im- the integration of the Ethi- Shari Hillman poverished brothers and opian community, while Karen McCormick sisters expelled from the David Koren explores the Published by: Arab/Islamic world.
[Show full text]
The Future of Israeli-Turkish Relations
The Future of Israeli- Turkish Relations Shira Efron C O R P O R A T I O N For more information on this publication, visit www.rand.org/t/RR2445 Library of Congress Control Number: 2018947061 ISBN: 978-1-9774-0086-4 Published by the RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, Calif. © Copyright 2018 RAND Corporation R® is a registered trademark. Cover: cil86/stock.adobe.com Limited Print and Electronic Distribution Rights This document and trademark(s) contained herein are protected by law. This representation of RAND intellectual property is provided for noncommercial use only. Unauthorized posting of this publication online is prohibited. Permission is given to duplicate this document for personal use only, as long as it is unaltered and complete. Permission is required from RAND to reproduce, or reuse in another form, any of its research documents for commercial use. For information on reprint and linking permissions, please visit www.rand.org/pubs/permissions. The RAND Corporation is a research organization that develops solutions to public policy challenges to help make communities throughout the world safer and more secure, healthier and more prosperous. RAND is nonprofit, nonpartisan, and committed to the public interest. RAND’s publications do not necessarily reflect the opinions of its research clients and sponsors. Support RAND Make a tax-deductible charitable contribution at www.rand.org/giving/contribute www.rand.org Preface Since their inception, Israel-Turkey relations have been characterized by ups and downs; they have been particularly sensitive to developments related to the Arab-Israeli conflict. Throughout the countries’ seven-decade history of bilateral ties, Turkey has downgraded its diplomatic relations with Israel three times, most recently in 2011.
[Show full text]
'Cairo Seizes Papers on Egyptian Jews' Assets'
'Cairo seizes papers on Egyptian Jews’ assets' - Jewish World - Jerusalem Post 05.17.2016 | 9 Iyar, 5776 z c j Follow Arab-Israeli Conflict ▼ Israel News ▼ Opinion ▼ Middle East ▼ Diaspora ▼ Business & Innovation ▼ US Elections ▼ Not Just News ▼ Prem t ds Joan Rivers rushed to hospital American ultr following throat surgery sexual abuse a Jerusalem Post >> Jewish World >> Jewish Features >> 'Cairo seizes papers on Egyptian Jews’ assets' JEWISH FEATURES By ILENE PRUSHER \ 10/30/2012 03:15 x nSign up fo 'Cairo seizes papers on Egyptian Jews’ assets' By signing up to The Jpo Accept the term Egyptian security services reportedly seize some 1.7 million documents detailing Egyptian Jews' assets in '40-'60. http://www.jpost.com/Jewish-World/Jewish-Features/Cairo-seizes-papers-on-Egyptian-Jews-assets[5/16/2016 7:15:50 PM] 'Cairo seizes papers on Egyptian Jews’ assets' - Jewish World - Jerusalem Post Jewish refugees arrive in Palestine 390. (photo credit:REUTERS) ome 1.7 million S documents – purportedly containing details about the assets of Egyptian Jews in the 1940s, 50s and 60s – were seized by Egyptian security services in recent days just before they were exported to Israel, according to several online newspapers. TAGS Egypt refugees A report in the Egyptian government- owned Al-Ahram daily newspaper holds that the “Jewish documents,” packed in 13 cartons, were confiscated by Egyptian authorities ahead of them being “smuggled” out of the country from Jordan. Several Israeli online newspapers – including The Times of Israel and Ynet have carried the report sourcing Al-Ahram, but it could not http://www.jpost.com/Jewish-World/Jewish-Features/Cairo-seizes-papers-on-Egyptian-Jews-assets[5/16/2016 7:15:50 PM] 'Cairo seizes papers on Egyptian Jews’ assets' - Jewish World - Jerusalem Post be independently confirmed.
[Show full text]
201204.Friedman.Iran-Israel-Calculus
Foreign Policy Research Institute E-Notes A Catalyst for Ideas Distributed via Email and Posted at www.fpri.org April 2012 IRAN IN ISRAEL’S STRATEGIC CALCULUS By Brandon Friedman Brandon Friedman is a Research Fellow at the Center for Iranian Studies at Tel Aviv University. This article is based on his February 27, 2012 talk at FPRI on “Muscle-Flexing, Quiet Diplomacy, and Iran's Nuclear Program,” The audiocast of this event can be accessed here: http://www.fpri.org/multimedia/2012/20120227.friedman.iran.html “Will Israel Attack Iran?” was the provocative headline of respected Israeli journalist Ronen Bergman’s January story published in The New York Times Magazine. Bergman claimed that “yes,” Israel would attack Iran in 2012.1 A few days later, Israeli scholar Barry Rubin published a long article of his own which argued that “no,” Israel would not strike Iran.2 So, which is it? Yes or no? The less satisfactory answer, the less media-worthy answer, but perhaps the more accurate and honest answer is that “it depends.” And therefore, the better question to ask, it seems to me, is under what set of circumstances is the current Israeli leadership more or less likely to feel it must take independent military action? Before I address that question, however, I would like to briefly explain the three assumptions that underlie my interpretation of this issue. First, I believe Iran’s ultimate goal is a nuclear weapons capability. Second, I believe Israel's security cabinet has not yet made any decision about a military strike on Iran but that the current government views a nuclear-armed Iran as an unacceptable outcome.
[Show full text]
Israelâ•Žs Illegal Attack on the Gaza Flotilla
UC Berkeley Berkeley Journal of Middle Eastern & Islamic Law Title Freedom Thwarted: Israel’s Illegal Attack on the Gaza Flotilla Permalink https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6gn4c6h8 Journal Berkeley Journal of Middle Eastern & Islamic Law, 4(1) Authors Bisharat, George E. James, Carey Publication Date 2011-04-01 DOI 10.15779/Z38X59Z Peer reviewed eScholarship.org Powered by the California Digital Library University of California BISHARAT MACRO 11-15-2012 (DO NOT DELETE) 11/15/2012 3:43 PM Freedom Thwarted: Israel’s Illegal Attack on the Gaza Flotilla George Bisharat Carey James Rose Mishaan* INTRODUCTION In the early morning hours of May 31, 2010, Israeli paratroopers de- scended by ropes from hovering helicopters to the deck of the Mavi Marmara, sailing through the black waves of the Eastern Mediterranean Sea. The ship was the largest of six comprising the “Gaza Freedom Flo- tilla” that had departed some days earlier from a rendezvous point near Turkey for the Gaza Strip. Flotilla organizers hoped their attempt to de- liver humanitarian goods to Gaza Palestinians would draw publicity to Israel’s siege of the Gaza Strip, and would highlight the claimed inhu- manity and illegality of that policy. A melee ensued, in which nine civil- ian ship passengers were killed and numerous others—both ship passen- gers and Israeli soldiers—were wounded. Controversy immediately erupted over the propriety and legality of Israel’s actions. Israel steadfastly maintains that the raid on the ship was legitimate. It further maintains that its soldiers, who allegedly faced provocation by the Mavi Marmara’s passengers,1 acted in self-defense and in compli- * George Bisharat is a Professor at UC Hastings College of the Law, where he teaches criminal procedure, criminal practice, anthropology of law, and Islamic Law.
[Show full text]