The idea that two things can be true at the same time is difficult for people. We want simple dichotomies: black and white. But the student protests don’t fall into neat categories—they are both peace protests, and, sadly, often antisemitic. We can and must support the right to protest, but at the same time we must also call out and reject the antisemitism that is rampant in the protesters’ rhetoric and actions.
If Israel gives up Rafah for Riyadh they will have lost the war, the hostages still with Hamas, all the soldiers lives thrown away and Hamas back to do worse next time, and there will be a next time because Israel would have shown itself as weak and no more than another US state whose prime minister is a puppet to the USA admin.
I would not like to be Bibi watching his country being torn apart by the divisions between left and right, the pressure on him from the west, the demand to release the hostages, and the war already into the 7th month.
I’m an outsider and not Jewish, but what I see is the destruction of the temple all over again as the infighting in Israel helps to destroy its will to survive and allow Hamas, the PA, hizbollah and it’s ilk to take the country while its citizens self destruct in a “i’m right war”
Ben Gurion basic error was not in attempting to change the electoral system at a time when it was too late, rather his error was in not fulfilling the original promise and premise of the very first elections which was to write a constitution for the country. If a constitution had been written and implemented in 1949, after the first elections and after the War of Independence, then Israel would probably have had a different electoral system and it would be a different country.
Absolutely correct, as a fan of Ben Gurion I have always thought his biggest failing was being afraid to go down the path of fighting the battle of a constitution when the first Knesset was supposed to do that. Of course none of us faced his challenges that first year.
I could not agree more. It’s all too easy, as armchair historians, to look back with 20/20 vision and comment at what should have been done. I’m sure that during those early years they were far more concerned with security, absorbing and housing a massive influx of Jews evicted from Arab countries, and building a new state, rather than dealing with the fights that would have resulted from attempting to write a constitution. Still…. One can only wonder.
We finally agree on something: Israel's lack of representative democracy. No system is perfect, but, I lived in the US for years and found my local, state and federal representatives to be generally very sensitive to the electorate, approachable and caring. Just the opposite in Israel. Frustrating.
I have long believed that the electoral system is one of Israel's core problems. When I first made Aliyah in 1975, I was active in Dash, which tried to bring reform, but all it did was help elect Meachem Begin.
Funny, the year you made aliyah was the year I left Israel. Supposedly to continue my education, but, I didn't return to live here until I retired three years ago. In between I came to visit often, but upon returning to stay, I wasn't prepared for the big changes in Israeli society, especially the consumerism, cynicism and big swing to the right.
The idea that two things can be true at the same time is difficult for people. We want simple dichotomies: black and white. But the student protests don’t fall into neat categories—they are both peace protests, and, sadly, often antisemitic. We can and must support the right to protest, but at the same time we must also call out and reject the antisemitism that is rampant in the protesters’ rhetoric and actions.
The number of hostages that may be lost is known. If Hamas is not degraded, the number of victims during it's next attack remains anyone guess.
If Israel gives up Rafah for Riyadh they will have lost the war, the hostages still with Hamas, all the soldiers lives thrown away and Hamas back to do worse next time, and there will be a next time because Israel would have shown itself as weak and no more than another US state whose prime minister is a puppet to the USA admin.
I would not like to be Bibi watching his country being torn apart by the divisions between left and right, the pressure on him from the west, the demand to release the hostages, and the war already into the 7th month.
I’m an outsider and not Jewish, but what I see is the destruction of the temple all over again as the infighting in Israel helps to destroy its will to survive and allow Hamas, the PA, hizbollah and it’s ilk to take the country while its citizens self destruct in a “i’m right war”
Ben Gurion basic error was not in attempting to change the electoral system at a time when it was too late, rather his error was in not fulfilling the original promise and premise of the very first elections which was to write a constitution for the country. If a constitution had been written and implemented in 1949, after the first elections and after the War of Independence, then Israel would probably have had a different electoral system and it would be a different country.
Absolutely correct, as a fan of Ben Gurion I have always thought his biggest failing was being afraid to go down the path of fighting the battle of a constitution when the first Knesset was supposed to do that. Of course none of us faced his challenges that first year.
I could not agree more. It’s all too easy, as armchair historians, to look back with 20/20 vision and comment at what should have been done. I’m sure that during those early years they were far more concerned with security, absorbing and housing a massive influx of Jews evicted from Arab countries, and building a new state, rather than dealing with the fights that would have resulted from attempting to write a constitution. Still…. One can only wonder.
We finally agree on something: Israel's lack of representative democracy. No system is perfect, but, I lived in the US for years and found my local, state and federal representatives to be generally very sensitive to the electorate, approachable and caring. Just the opposite in Israel. Frustrating.
I have long believed that the electoral system is one of Israel's core problems. When I first made Aliyah in 1975, I was active in Dash, which tried to bring reform, but all it did was help elect Meachem Begin.
Funny, the year you made aliyah was the year I left Israel. Supposedly to continue my education, but, I didn't return to live here until I retired three years ago. In between I came to visit often, but upon returning to stay, I wasn't prepared for the big changes in Israeli society, especially the consumerism, cynicism and big swing to the right.
That’s Paul Berman in WaPo, not David Bernstein..
Yes you are correct and its been corrected with a link. The hazards of posting at 1 AM