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May 2, 2004
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Sharon Faces Key Party Test
Members of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's Likud party will vote Sunday on his plan to withdraw Israeli troops and settlers from Gaza and parts of the West Bank. Sharon said Friday that if the referendum fails, Israel probably will face new elections. The plan would evacuate Israel's settlements and military posts from Gaza and to dismantle four settlements and outposts in the northern West Bank by 2005. (CNN)
See also Text of Sharon's Disengagement Plan (Ha'aretz)
Ending a "Deadly Hate" of Jews by Peter Slevin
Delegates from 55 countries gathered last week in Berlin to pledge vigilance against resurgent anti-Semitism in Europe. They plan to endorse increased public education to refute stereotypes and to expand the collection and sharing of data about anti-Semitic incidents. Elie Wiesel, a Holocaust survivor and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, flew to Berlin with Secretary of State Powell to plead for the world to "stop the poison from spreading." (Washington Post)
See also Demonizing Israel is Anti-Semitism by Colin L. Powell
It is not anti-Semitic to criticize the policies of the State of Israel. But the line is crossed when Israel or its leaders are demonized or vilified, for example by the use of Nazi symbols and racist caricatures. (U.S. State Department)
European Jewish Students Meet Ahead of Anti-Semitism Conference by Toby Axelrod
European Jewish students gathered in Berlin last week before an international conference on anti-Semitism. The student event, organized by the Jerusalem-based World Union of Jewish Students brought together about 50 young Jews from 23 countries to share their frustrations and hopes about the anti-Semitism they face in their communities and educational institutions. The Jewish students agreed that they have to be proactive in leading the fight against anti-Semitism, and that both the general public and Jewish students need to be better educated about Judaism. (JTA)
 Israel at 56
- Editorial
Against all odds, the Jewish people has a country in its own land, after 2,000 years of exile. Israel's standard of living ranks 35th among the nations, and 19th in life expectancy (above the U.S. and UK). We have by far the largest number of hi-tech start-ups per capita in the world and have attracted venture capital at rates exceeding most European countries. Israel has, proportionately, the highest number of university graduates in the world, and the fourth largest air force, after the U.S., Russia, and China. (Jerusalem Post)
Islam's Interpreter by Bernard Lewis
The conflict with Israel produced a great sense of failure in the Arab world. In 1948 there was no Israel, and the Jewish population of Palestine was a little more than half a million. The United Nations in '47 adopted a resolution for the partition of the former British mandate in Palestine. The Arab League met, formally denounced this resolution, and resolved to prevent it by any means including force of arms. The Arabs were confident it would be a simple matter. It turned out that it was quite the reverse. And that was a cause of terrible humiliation. They were only half successful. They prevented the establishment of the Arab state but not the establishment of the Jewish state, and this, of course, rankled terribly and continues to do so. (The Atlantic)
The Real Mideast "Poison" by Charles Krauthammer
The notion that Israel will not be forced to return to the 1967 armistice lines goes back 37 years - to 1967 itself. The Johnson administration was instrumental in making sure that the governing document for a Middle East settlement - Security Council Resolution 242 - called for Israeli withdrawal to "secure and recognized boundaries," not "previous boundaries." To argue that neither Israel nor the U.S. can act in the absence of negotiations is to give the Palestinians a veto over any constructive actions. This is a prescription for perpetual violence and perpetual stalemate. (Washington Post)
In Twisted Middle East, Israel Straightens Path by Robert Robb
Sharon's Disengagement Plan is a sensible, long-overdue step toward enhanced Israeli security. Stepping up the assassination of Hamas leaders on the way out, however, may not be. Israel's withdrawal from Gaza and some of the West Bank would clear the way for Palestinian self-rule and development. The unilateral disengagement strategy offers the best path for Israel. Paradoxically, by focusing on security rather than peace, Israel can actually enhance the prospects of peace. (Arizona Republic)
Arizona: Protestors Try to Stain Human Flag of Israel by Aaron Mackey
An attempt to create a human Israeli flag last week at the Arizona campus was interrupted when protesters floated a set of red balloons over the crowd, trying to create the illusion of a bloodstain on the flag. More than 100 students and supporters of Israel formed the Star of David in the flag to celebrate the 56th anniversary of the creation of the state of Israel and to show support for the nation. (Daily Wildcat)
UC Irvine: Israeli Ambassador Encourages Reforms by Christiha Nersesian
Spokesman of the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C., Mark Regev, spoke last week. "As an Israeli," Regev said "I can be proud of the fact that in our 56 years of independence, we've managed to build a very vibrant, diverse and powerful democracy." Regev also spoke of how the democracy of the Israeli government is represented through their press. (New University)
UCLA: Celebration Amplified in Recent Years by Charles Proctor
Israel Independence Day: For one day, many members of the Jewish community set aside their differences to celebrate that they have a nation. Israeli flags swirled and spun in the square as people danced before a stage adorned in blue and white. Organizers say the events for Israel Independence Day have always celebrated Israel divorced from politics, on par with the United States' Fourth of July. (Daily Bruin)
See also Participants Soften Week's Political Edge by Joyce Tang
"It's just a day of celebration. There are no politics involved; it's to celebrate the 56th birthday of the Israel nation," said Arash Nafisl, a third-year psychobiology student. (Daily Bruin)
Cornell: Celebrating Israeli Independence by Casey Holmes
"Traditionally, Israeli Independence Day is a time of the community coming together and celebrating the existence of Israel," said Malka Benjamin '07. "The new thing we did was push for education about different aspects of Israel," said Benjamin. "The purpose of the campaign is to express the beauty of Israel, the different strides Israel has made in environmentalism, technology that has changed all of our lives, women rights and gay rights," said Eli Magid '06, vice president of programming for CIPAC. (Cornell Sun)
Students Raise their Voices in Support of Israel Across Connecticut by Judie Jacobson
The flagrant anti-Israel sentiment prevalent at Wesleyan is not news. But now, a group of students has organized and is acting to counter that sentiment with a pro-Israel message. What's more, that same scenario is being played out on campuses throughout the state. Trinity College in Hartford and the University of Connecticut in Storrs, also have active pro-Israel groups that operate under the auspices of their respective Hillel organizations. (Jewish Ledger)
GW: Students Mourn Israeli Soldiers by Christopher Kline
The event, Yom HaZikaron, is devoted to the memory of the more than 21,000 Israeli soldiers who gave their lives for the creation and security of the Israeli state. The sorrowful event falls a day before the celebration of Israel's independence. "On tonight's day of memorial, with Israel's poor image in the world, it is important to come together and stand strong," said Justin Spiro, an Israeli student in attendance. (GW Hatchet)
Harvard: Students Celebrate Israel's Independence by Derek A. Vance
"A lot of people have been asking questions about Israel," said Rozalina Grubina, Hillel's Grinspoon Israel Advocacy Intern. "I think it's been a great way for people to find out what Israeli life and culture is about aside from what you hear on the news." "This is not something political I would say," Raphael Zentner said. "Usually you hear about Israel in the news and it's all bad news so it's nice to see some of the beautiful aspects." (Crimson)
Illinois Urbana: Conflict Plays Out on Quad by Sabrina Willmer
IllinIPAC members and Jewish students celebrated the 56th birthday of Israel, while on the south part of the Quad, Justice for Palestine members protested the Israeli occupation. Foster Lewin, a member of IllinIPAC, said his organization stood for educating the campus community about the importance of Israel. He other members passed out flyers which informed students about Israel's contribution to society, like the development of the cell phone by Motorola in Israel. (Daily Illini)
Michigan State: Celebrates Israel's Freedom by Emily Bingham
Festivities recognizing Yom Ha'atzmaut, Israel's independence day, were sponsored by the Jewish Student Union and Hillel Jewish Student Center. Members of the organizations spent the day passing out information about Israel and Israeli culture. "It's just important to bring this to the table and spread the word about Israel and peace," said Jeffrey Lazor, Hillel's program director and a 2003 MSU graduate. Organizers said this was the first time the commemoration had been celebrated so visibly on campus. (State News)
Fallout Over Rutgers 'Satire' by Adam Dickter
A coalition of students at Rutgers University is planning to take control of a campus humor publication after it ran a widely panned satirical Holocaust cartoon on its cover. "Students on a grassroots level have to step up and take charge," said Andrew Getraer, Hillel director at the state-funded college. The April 21 edition featured a crude drawing of a bearded Jew poised atop an oven, with a young man pitching a baseball. The caption reads "Knock a Jew in the oven!...Three throws for one dollar." (New York Jewish Week)
See also Rutgers Student Newspaper Apologizes for Holocaust Cartoon by Sarah Greenblatt
Claiming a cartoon about the Holocaust prompted a "disastrous misunderstanding," the editors of a Rutgers student newspaper on Wednesday issued an apology. (Courier News)
Stanford: Israeli Independence Celebrated by Jessica Wang
Israeli Independence Day: The annual event featured live music, Israeli folk dancing, free falafels, speakers and student performances. Sophomore Adi Greif, the outgoing education and culture chair of the Jewish Leadership Council, said this year's celebration is about spreading awareness of Israeli culture, an area that is often overlooked amidst the turbulent politics of the Middle East. (Stanford Daily)
Texas: Texans for Israel Celebrate Country's Birthday by News 8 Austin Staff
The University of Texas student group Texans for Israel threw a party celebrating the country's 56th birthday. It was a Texas-sized birthday bash for a country the size of New Jersey. Texans for Israel hosted several events designed to give students insight into the Israeli experience. (News 8 Austin)
Wooster: College Begins Bridge Building by Stephanie Garber
Rabbi Steven Jacobs, associate professor of religion at the University of Alabama, lectured on April 19th at Wooster on the history and nature of anti-Semitism. The president of Wooster College noted that the presentation was an attempt to "balance the scales" after the "unfortunate incident that occurred at the College of Wooster last fall" when Samir Makhlouf, from the Presbyterian Peacemakers, stated that the Protocols of the Elders of Zion (a forgery, virulently anti-Semitic in nature) was a factual text. (Cleveland Jewish News)
Colorado State: Happy Birthday to You by Rachel Raizen
Despite daily terror attacks and the hardships of life, Israel's accomplishments in its short 56 years surpass anything the Middle East has ever seen. Israel's technological prowess is second to none and is on par with the best high-tech Japan and the United States have to offer. Israel's history is one that Jews around the world can be proud of. (Collegian)
Columbia: Cleansing Gaza - Thinking Right by Dennis Schmelzer
Sharon has already decided to withdraw from Gaza, making concessions to the Palestinians regardless of their behavior. That does not mean that he should negotiate with the Palestinian Authority before it is ready to offer something in return. Israel does not need a PA that is complicit with terror. It needs one that opposes it. (Columbia Spectator)
Harvard: Illegal Construction: a Legal Deconstruction, Book Review by Max Davis
Arab landowners have turned to the Jerusalem municipality for aid in halting illicit, intrusive construction by fellow Arabs on their property. Illegal Construction in Jerusalem: A Variation on an Alarming Global Phenomenon by Justus Weiner uses historical, legal, and governmental sources to demonstrate the Jerusalem municipality's continued cooperation with Arab neighborhoods in planning and enforcing construction laws. (Harvard Israel Review)
Miami: Israel Knows Best How to Fight Palestinian Terrorism by David Abroms
The most important lesson that Israel has learned is that appeasement only makes the aggressor grow stronger. If Israel sits by idly as terrorists continue to murder, the entire Arab world will see this inaction as weakness, and terrorists will continue to kill Israelis. The terrorists saw the Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon and the Camp David proposal as weakness and felt emboldened. Israeli appeasement has led to a deadly four-year campaign of violence against Israel. (Hurricane)
Texas A&M: Necessary Evil by Mike Walters
The recent assassinations of Hamas leaders Sheik Ahmed Yassin and Abdel Aziz Rantisi have been met with passionate, if mixed, feelings from people around the world. It's no secret that both men led a terrorist organization responsible for the deaths of thousands of innocent victims, but with Israel setting its sights on Yasser Arafat next, many are questioning the legitimacy of assassination in the first place. But assassination is a necessary evil, a political tool that is sometimes necessary to bring down evil rulers, and world leaders should start embracing it. (Battalion)
Tulane: Mideast Peace Impacts American Credibility by Jonathan Kadmon
People ignore the details and raw truths of what happens in Israel and the territories, clouding them with imaginary theoretical constructs or distorting truths to make the situation more melodramatic for reading audiences. Ariel Sharon has consistently defied the "right-wing militant" label thrown at him since his election to the office. His use of force has been vastly more restrained than that of his left-of-center predecessor Ehud Barak. Israel wants to make peace and is willing to make concessions. The other side believes Israel's willingness to make concessions to be a sign of weakness. (Hullabaloo)
Wisconsin: Looking for a De Klerk in Israel by Eyal Halamish, letter to the editor
The comparing of Israel's security fence to the South African Bantustan ghettos couldn't be further from the truth. Within the state of Israel, Arab Israelis are given full rights as citizens of the state of Israel. They are the only Arab citizens in the entire Middle East who have full democratic rights. Israel stands as a stronger advocate for the Palestinian people than their own leadership. If there were international support for Israel's actions, there would be a Palestinian state and a ceased conflict. (Badger Herald)
Brandeis: The Bard Meets Israel by Stefanie Tuck
Romeo and Juliet: Jerusalem. According to the playbill, it was supposed to be modern Jerusalem. Using Israeli music during scene changes was a nice touch, and Romeo and Juliet's encounter at the Capulet home was also very well done. At the end of the play, in a very unexpected addition, Benvolio, played by Assaf Ben-Atar '07, came out on stage and unzipped his jacket to reveal a bomb strapped to his stomach. (Justice)
GW: Rocking For Israel
Israeli singer-songwriter David Broza performed last week to a crowd of over 700. The performance raised money for Magen David Adom, the Israeli ambulance service. The Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity in conjunction with GW Hillel, Student Alliance for Israel, and other campus groups brought Broza to GW for the event. (GW Hatchet)
The Bottom Line: Made in Israel by Oded Hermoni
Israeli women who rave about the products of the American lingerie chain Victoria's Secret would likely be surprised to discover that there is a small tag on the bras noting that they were manufactured in the Tefron factory in Israel. It's doubtful whether users of Intel's new mobile computers, equipped with the Centrino chipset, know that this chipset was developed in Haifa. Dozens of Israeli firms in various fields - agriculture, automotive, pharmaceuticals, textiles, and technology - have succeeded in making an impact on the lives of hundreds of millions of people around the world. (Ha'aretz)
 Tel Aviv Beats Bologna 118-74 to Win Euroleague Basketball Title by Arie Livnat
Maccabi Tel Aviv overwhelmingly beat Italian team Skipper Bologna with a final score of 118-74 in Saturday night's Euroleague championship final in Tel Aviv. Maccabi survived a shaky start Thursday night to defeat CSKA Moscow 93-85 in the semi-final. (Ha'aretz)
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 - What Should Israel Do about Yasser Arafat? | Counter Arafat's Terror by the Book, Not with Death by Brian Levin
- Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's surprise withdrawal of a pledge not to harm Yasser Arafat is wrong despite the compelling case against the Palestinian Authority chairman.
- Despite his Nobel Prize, Arafat is a deceitful man who actively pursues terrorism. Proof is evident in seized papers and receipts, intercepted illegal weaponry from Iran, his own inflammatory speeches given in Arabic, and statements reportedly made by his captured operatives to Israeli authorities.
- US officials quickly rebuked Mr. Sharon's threat, and Israeli officials subsequently qualified his statement, saying there were no imminent plans to target Arafat.
- We must not forget that, while measured force is sometimes a tragic necessity, the rule of law is essential to the civilized world's response against terrorism.
- Palestinians certainly deserve peace, dignity, and security as well, but these aspirations will never be achieved through the violent targeting of civilians. The recognition that Arafat embraces terrorism as a political tool must not become a blank check for an unrestrained response against him, when more measured legal responses would better serve the long-term interests of both Israelis and Palestinians.
- while there are narrow instances in which the killing of terrorist leaders, like those from Hamas, could possibly be justified on the basis of an imminent violent attack or dangerous fugitive evasion, Sharon has failed to make that case here. (Christian Science Monitor)
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Yes, Assassinate Arafat
by Yael Paz-Melamed
- Yasser Arafat is directly and actively responsible for the deaths of thousands of human beings, Israelis and Palestinians. Yasser Arafat, is the man who, if he isn't thrown out of here, or ousted, or assassinated, will continue to let blood spill until he dies a natural death.
- We in Israel understand the vast damage caused by establishing the settlements and we have begun to speak in a language of compromise, and even peace. Oslo was the beginning of the process, afterwards came Camp David and Taba and now the disengagement. Public opinion in Israel is starting to change, the public is beginning to understand and internalize that only a political solution will bring us the quiet we are asking for.
- Arafat is doing everything in his power to be hostile to his own people and to prevent any kind of solution. He began an armed Intifada which quickly brought with it the terrorists and the suicide bombers. The lands of Israel and Palestine are soaked in blood and there is someone responsible.
- It's clear that as long as Arafat is in the picture the stagnation will continue and the circle of violence will not be broken. There was already Abu-Mazen, and now there's Abu-Ala, and tomorrow there will be someone else. Yasser Arafat is pulling all the strings to prevent forward moving action.
- A situation of peace and normalcy poses a threat to his regime, which is built primarily on dictatorship and fear.
- The left wing in Israel must support his disappearance from the political map, even if it means assassinating him. The lack of ethics of such an action is nothing compared to the lack of ethics of continuing an occupation which cannot come to end while this is still an issue. (Ma'ariv International)
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