By Ted Belman
I just returned from an all day conference on US/Israel diplomacy in the wake of the past US elections and the effect of the Israeli elections a month from now.
Dennis Ross was the keynote speaker. He largely repeated yesterday’s speech but added his recommendations as to what Israel should do to remove the distrust and what the PA should do to remove the distrust. I won’t bother you with what he thought Israel should do but here is the list of what the PA should do:
-
– stop the incitement
– praise Israel when it does a good thing
– prepare the Palestinians for peace
– encourage social interaction between Arab youth and Jewish youth
– put Israel back on the map
– keep telling Israelis how good a neighbour it will be.
– embrace the idea of two states for two people
– prepare Palestinians to expect painful compromises by them
I thought, fat chance. If they did any one of them they wouldn’t be the PA. It serves to illustrate how estranged he is from reality.
The second speaker was the leading pollster in Israel, Dr Mina Tzemach. She introduced a very important poll on the attitude of Israelis to issues in the peace process. The questions were not blanket questions like do you favour the two-state solution but would you be willing to divide Jerusalem for peace. Or will a peace agreement bring peace? It was very interesting. I will get a copy of it and post it.
Then there was a panel on the Israel political aspects. Everyone thought that Bibi is electioneering and that after he is elected he won’t follow through with all the announced construction plans. Also that Bibi will bring in parties from the left and that all the leaders of these parties are positioning themselves to be included.
And finally the last panel with Itamar Rabinovich, Shlomo Avnineri and Zalman Shoval. Everyone thought that Israel was tethered to the demands of the peace processors and couldn’t detach herself. They talked about how if Israel persists in the construction of homes east of the green line that sanctions would result. They all felt that Israel must maintain her relationship with America. That both have similar strategic interests like dealing with Iran, chemical weapons in Syria and lawlessness in Sinai. The also share strategic interests in keeping the PA alive etc. They may agree to disagree or their differences may cause a rift and repercussions.
Avineri said something which I found interesting. He argued that when Israel plays the security card she gets a sympathetic hearing but when she builds settlements for ideological reasons her “friends” come down on her hard. Thus don’t do things for idealogical reasons because it jeopardizes our security interests. This reminded me of Bibi always saying that we won’t jeopardize our security rather than saying the land is ours and we want to keep as much of it as we can. So according to the peace process we are only entitled to security and not to our land rights.
But the Arabs do everything for ideological reasons. But we are not allowed to.
@ yamit82:
Cowboy says” Cold beer Hot beer maids” sounds like a c/w song.
@ Honey Bee:
I live not far from the original mined at Timna. Until late fifies early sixties Israel still mined copper from those original mines of Solomon.
I loved “King Solomon’s Mines”
@ Honey Bee:
I dare not respond to that quote, stingers in my ass is not my idea of a copacetic life style.
@ Hoey Bee:
Sure, why not. Beers on me.
I’m partial to Corona but really not particular as long as it’s cold and the conversation warm. Hate warm beer.
@ yamit82:
Cowboy says “What do you expect, G-d made women from a cheaper cut”.
@ yamit82:7h centurt
17th century liturature? Sounds like me. Why I had to ge married. I bet he has a rich wife.
@ yamit82:
Careful, I’ll send Thor after you.
Last night I watched a fasinating PBS program NOVA about cooper smenlting in Israel/Jordan during the time of Solomon. Also an early example of written Hebrew. Solomon mines without Stuart Granger.
@ yamit82:
Cowboy wants to have a beer with you.
@ Honey Bee:
See Grendel. See Grendel eat. Eat, Grendel, eat. Grendel is eating a few Danish for breakfast. Grendel especially likes the ones with the yellow coating on top. This is good because there are so many of them. Yummy!
See Hrothgar. He is sad. Sad, sad, sad. His warriors are leaving. They are sad because Grendel has eaten many of their friends. They do not want to play with Grendel anymore because Grendel is mean.
Hrothgar is also sad because his food is almost gone. Grendel eats the cows and pigs and horsies, too. Grendel is very hungry. Eat, Grendel, eat.
Hrothgar is also sad because his wife will not stop complaining. Whine, wife, whine. Hrothgar has tried to stop listening to her for three days now. Drink, Hrothgar, drink. Hrothgar is almost out of mead. Poor Hrothgar.
See Beowulf. He is big and strong and handsome. He has long viking braids and pointy horns on his hat [cultural misconception but amusing nonetheless]
@ Honey Bee:
@ Honey Bee:
A middle-aged woman had a heart attack and was taken to the hospital.
While on the operating table, she had a near death experience.
Seeing God, she asked “Is my time up?”
God said, “No, you have another 43 years, 2 months, and 8 days to live.”
Upon recovery, the woman decided to stay in the hospital and have a
facelift, liposuction, and a tummy tuck. She even had someone come
in and change her hair color. Since she had so much more time to live,
she figured she might as well make the most of it.
After her last operation, she was released from the hospital. While
crossing the street on her way home, she was killed by an ambulance.
Arriving in front of God, she demanded, “I thought you said I had
another 40 years? Why didn’t you pull me from out of the path
of the ambulance?”
God replied, “I didn’t recognize you!”
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Adam was walking around the Garden of Eden feeling very lonely, so
God asked Adam, “What is wrong with you?”
Adam said, “I don’t have anyone to talk to.”
God said, “I will give you a companion and it will be a woman.” He
said, “This person will cook for you and wash your clothes, she will
always agree with every decision you make, she will bear your children
and never ask you to get up in the middle of the night to take care of
them.
“She will not nag,” God continued, “and will always be the first to admit
she was wrong. When you’ve had a disagreement, she will never have a
headache and will freely give you love and passion whenever needed.”
Adam asked God, “What will a woman like this cost?”
God said, “An arm and a leg!”
Adam said, “What can I get for just a rib?”
AND THE REST IS HISTORY.
@ yamit82
Adam and Eve were not thinking. If people thought before they acted they wouldn’t.
“The first time the Devil made me do IT The second time I did it to myself”
Yes I know the Christians stole The Winter Soltice from the pagan Scandanavians. Have you read Beowulf, my materal grand-mother came from the same part of Sweden.
@ yamit82:
I would like to know why man was created. Minus the act of procreation, I see little practcal use for their race.
@ Bernard Ross:
Next: Rational Approach To Divine Origin of Judaism
http://www.youtube.com/watch?annotation_id=annotation_568927&feature=iv&src_vid=LzetqYev_AI&v=PEg_Oys4NkA
dam and Eve – What were Adam and Eve thinking?
@ Bernard Ross:
Before I attempt to ans. your question start here
Scientific Proof of God
Genesis & The Big Bang Theory
Here is a question to you. Why was man created? It didn’t have to be.