The Times They Are A-Changin'

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

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. And it seemed natural to sing “Blowin’ in the Wind” on our first Friday night on a kibbutz, a noble experiment in communal living with a national and a universal message, which philosopher Martin Buber had declared was “an experiment which has not failed.” [But] That evening we were stunned to learn via the BBC that President John F. Kennedy had been assassinated, a man who when he had been elected had offered promise of a new vision for America and the world. And even if his record was flawed, the promise had remained until it was so tragically cut short on that dramatic day in Dallas. Later more promises were cut short with the assassinations of Bobby Kennedy and Dr. King. Still, Sam Cooke sang “A Change is Gonna Come.” And later Lee Dorsey sang “Yes We Can.” And today we are still trying to grasp the incredible image of President-Elect Barack Obama, standing alongside Vice President-elect Joe Biden, with the promise of a better future for America and the world. As Vice Chair of Democrats Abroad – Israel, I have found myself giving an endless marathon of interviews in the past few months to the Israeli and international media. On November 4th, on the day of the 13th anniversary of the assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin which cut short another promise, I climbed three flights of stairs in a crumbling building in the poor and crowded religious town of Bnai Brak to give an interview to the ultra-Orthodox radio station “Radio Kol Chai”. One of the station’s staff said that all of his friends in the United States are afraid of Barack Hussein Obama and intend to vote for McCain. I responded that the Orthodox and ultra-Orthodox Jews are only 10-15% of American Jewry, that all the rest are either Reform, Conservative or secular, and that about 75% of the American Jewish community were going to vote for Obama. I added that he should be concerned that as a fundamentalist evangelical Christian, Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, apparently believes in the rapture and end of days scenario, which says that all Jews should ingather into Israel and then convert or go to hell. The senior interviewer at the station, an intelligent secular guy who was born in South Africa and had been deputy editor of the right-wing “Makor Rishon” newspaper, understood where Obama was coming from, and why he was inspiring the younger generation. Later that evening, Brazilian TV interviewed me at Mike’s Place on the Tel Aviv boardwalk, asking about my expectations from a prospective Obama administration. When we finished the interviewer said to me that “the hopes of billions of people around the world are with Obama tonight.” On the morning of November 5th, the day after the elections, I found myself on the roof of the Arab-owned Aboulafiya Restaurant in Old Jaffa, overlooking the Mediterranean beach and the Tel Aviv shoreline. This time, a powerful reflection of the changes taking place in the Middle Eastern media landscape, it was Al Jazeera, which has offices in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. The crew, an English woman, a New Zealander and some Israeli Jews and Arabs, reminded me of the types that were drawn to Abie Nathan’s Voice of Peace radio station, motivated by a mixture of adventure and idealism (and unlike the Voice of Peace presumably a decent salary). In constant contact with there home base in Doha the capital of Qatar, a live broadcast was bouncing back and forth from Gaza to Ramallah to Tel Aviv. The counterpart commentator representing the Israeli right was former Israeli ambassador to the United States Danny Ayalon, who recently came out of the closet as an extreme right-winger, joining Avigdor Lieberman’s Yisrael Beiteinu party. As we argued (politely, in whispers, about their transfer plan, which he insisted on calling a “reorganization of the borders” plan) Jackie the interviewer firmly said to us, like an English schoolmarm trying to bring back the Mandate to maintain order, “Quiet! We are about to go live.” Ayalon tried to correct history, saying that he was “misinterpreted” if anyone believes that he supported McCain, and he added a sound-bite that the interviewer liked, that he hopes and believes that “Obama will treat the Iranians with an iron fist inside a velvet diplomatic glove.” I said that, from the perspective of my dual role as Vice Chair of Democrats Abroad-Israel and Co-Editor of the Palestine-Israel Journal, Obama’s victory creates new opportunities for progress in the Middle East, and in the Israeli-Palestinian and Israeli-Arab peace process. While noting that no one should doubt that the Obama administration will maintain the so-called “special relationship” between America and Israel, the important thing is that in addition to providing political, military and economic support, his administration has committed itself to being engaged, from the beginning, in actively helping to promote the peace process. And I added that this should and will be based on active cooperation with Europe and the Arab Peace Initiative. The times they are a-changing. New opportunities are a-coming. Yes we can..
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]
  • 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]
  • Amid Tensions in Washington Embassy, Israel's Deputy U.S. Envoy Reassigned a New Deputy Ambassador Is Due to Be Appointed to Washington in the Next Few Weeks
    UNCLASSIFIED U.S. Department of State Case No. F-2014-20439 Doc No. C05792634 Date: 11/30/2015 RELEASE IN PART B6 From: Sidney Blumenthal <sbwhoeop Sent: Saturday, October 13, 2012 2:34 PM To: Subject: H: Where's Rodney King? Why can't they get along? Sid 1.http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2012/10/berman-sherman-debate.html 2. http :// mondoweiss. net/ 2012/10/ did-foreign-policy-plant-israeli-story-leading-to-deputy- ambassadors-reassignment-to-copenhagen.html http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/amid-tensions-in-washington-embassy-israel-s- deputy-u-s-envoy-reassigned.premium-1.469243 Amid tensions in Washington embassy, Israel's deputy U.S. envoy reassigned A new deputy ambassador is due to be appointed to Washington in the next few weeks. By Barak Ravid I Oct.ii, 2012 I 7:39 AM I Pi4 Deputy ambassador to the United States Baruch Bina was on Wednesday appointed Israel's man in Denmark, in a move that is expected to end the strained relations in Washington between the Israeli ambassador, Michael Oren, and Bina. The ministry hopes Bina's transfer will improve relations in the Washington embassy, Israel's most important and sensitive diplomatic mission. A new deputy ambassador is due to be appointed to Washington in the next few weeks. Oren's contract has recently been extended by one year. If Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wins the elections, Oren is expected to complete four years in this post. As a confidant of Netanyahu's, Oren was appointed by the prime minister in coordination with the foreign minister.
    [Show full text]