Politics – May 2013
Support is sought to facilitate the work of the Middle East Study Group. Information at http://www2.hull.ac.uk/fass/
The
story of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is not about angels and
villains. It is a story about many innocent victims on both sides of the
Fence.
~Raphael Cohen-Almagor
This
was a very warm month on the northern border of Israel and beyond.
Israel exploited Syrian delicate situation to target military
installments inside Syrian territory, claiming that it targeted missiles
that were about to be delivered to the Hezbollah. The United States
justified Israel’s actions, characterizing them as act of self-defence.
Concerns
flared whether Hezbollah might attack Israel in retaliation, possibly
drawing Lebanon into the conflict. Israel thus deployed two of its Iron
Dome missile-defense batteries closer to its northern border. Iran’s
IRNA news agency said Israel could expect a “crushing” retaliation from
Syria or “the resistance,” meaning Hezbollah.
Exchange with Abe Silverman
Visitors to the University of Hull
My New Article
New Books
Visiting Los Angeles
Gem of the Month - Lumley Castle
Monthly Poems
Light Side
But I am not very optimistic that a 2 State at peace solution will be achieved in our life time. True peace can only happen when the Arabs accept that Israel is the Jewish State as envisioned in the Partition Plan in 1947. And to date not one Muslim State and has accepted that premise. Not even the 2 Arab States that we have peace treaties with. And until that happens all we can hope for is long periods of calm for Israel and its people. Anything else is just wishful thinking.
Abe Silverman
Edmonton Canada
The Middle East Study Group (MESG) hosted Dr Ahron Bregman, King’s College London, who discussed “Ashraf Marwan and Israel's intelligence failure in Yom Kippur, 1973”.
Visiting Los Angeles
Gem of the Month - Lumley Castle
We spent a weekend at Lumley Castle, celebrating several family events that have coincided recently. Lumley Castle is situated near Chester-Le-Street, between Durham and Newcastle. The noble-and-great have a nice life, and it was certainly interesting to witness the wealth, the art, and the architecture. Lumley is charming and delightful, a perfect weekend treat to celebrate family festivities.
http://www.lumleycastle.com/
Gem of the Month - Lumley Castle
Monthly Poems
Light Side
Exchange with Abe Silverman
April 25/13
Dear Rafi
Many
years ago you and I met at a Bnai Brith sponsored symposium in Toronto.
I instantly took a liking to you and over the years have grown to
appreciate your intellect. I must say however that in the last little
while I have begun to resent your Idealistic and unrealistic point of
view.
I
too support a 2 state solution, but refuse to be sucked in by the
beautiful rhetoric of a President Obama. Yes we all know that Israel
needs to make peace with its neighbors. Yes, it is fundamental to
Israel's security and its survival. And yes, Palestinian children do
have the right as do all people to grow up in their own country. And no
we don't need the President or any other foreign leader to point this
out to us. And Obama is not the first President to utter the words "we
are at a crossroads". We have been at a crossroads for 65 years.
But I am not very optimistic that a 2 State at peace solution will be achieved in our life time. True peace can only happen when the Arabs accept that Israel is the Jewish State as envisioned in the Partition Plan in 1947. And to date not one Muslim State and has accepted that premise. Not even the 2 Arab States that we have peace treaties with. And until that happens all we can hope for is long periods of calm for Israel and its people. Anything else is just wishful thinking.
Abe Silverman
Edmonton Canada
April 29, 2013
Dear Abe
I am happy we both agree of the need for two-state solution. I hope the leaders of Israel and Palestine will find the way to achieve this goal. If not, the future I am afraid will be anything but calm. Our children deserve better.
Best wishes
Rafi
I am happy we both agree of the need for two-state solution. I hope the leaders of Israel and Palestine will find the way to achieve this goal. If not, the future I am afraid will be anything but calm. Our children deserve better.
Best wishes
Rafi
April 30/13
I
too hope that the leadership on both sides can come together and make
the hard decisions it will take to reach an agreement. But wishing will
not make it happen and I have very strong doubts that it can happen. As I
see it the Arabs just don't want us there and they definitely will not
agree to recognize Israel as the home of the Jewish People. And we
cannot accept anything less. With the rise of anti-semitism all over the
world we Jews must have somewhere to run to. History has taught us that
not having our own homeland places us at great peril. Maybe even more
so than not having a peace agreement with the Arabs. We are faced with
difficult choices. Let's not make the mistake of choosing one that will
leave us even more vulnerable.
With fond regards
Abe
Dear Abe
I
do not think that the recognition of Israel as the home of the Jewish
People is a major issue. I think Mr Netanyahu has picked this as a
tactical concern: the Palestinians are putting on the table so many
demands: refugees, settlements, borders, Jerusalem etc., let us put to
them an Israeli demand. The Palestinian Authority will recognize Israel
as the home of the Jewish People once agreement is reached on the other
concerns.
I
have been studying the Israeli-Palestinian conflict for the major part
of my life. Many years ago I have reached the conclusion that this
conflict is extremely difficult because both sides have justifiable
claims, both sides have committed many errors, both sides fail to
perceive peace as a strategic goal, both sides dehumanize the other,
both sides mistrust the other, both sides still believe they may gain
more by being obstinate, both sides are willing to sacrifice a lot,
paying with blood for their inability to reach a compromise.
This
is not a story about angels and villains. It is a story about many
innocent victims on both sides of the Fence who are paying for the
inability of their leaders to understand that peace is the ultimate
goal. It is precious and of vital importance, so much so that it
deserves painful concessions and costly compromises.
Like
you, Abe, I support Israel as a Zionist state, as the state of the
Jewish people, and I wish it to remain Jewish. If we fail to act at this
particular junction, we might miss the train and Israel would cease
being the fulfillment of the Zionist dream. We must seize the moment.
You
know, the frustrating thing is listening to both sides. Both are
blaming the other with the exact same words: “they do not want us here”,
“they understand only force”, “we will prevail”, “we are just”, “they
do not understand our historic claims”, “we are here to stay”, “we will
conquer them”, “we are just”, “they are evil”. We speak the same
stifling words, and we are unable to walk the walk.
We must learn to walk the walk.
With my best wishes
Rafi
May 02/13
Dear Rafi
I
think that a mistake was made when Israel entered into a peace
agreement with Egypt and Jordan and did not insist that they recognize
Israel as the Jewish State. It would have made it easier for the
Palestinians to accept what I believe is the first condition that the
Arabs and all of Islam must accept for there to be any chance for a long
term peace agreement and true peace. If the Arabs are left with the
dream of one day controlling all of Israel there will be no peace, just
quiet for periods of time.
I
get the impression that you feel that Netanyahu is not interested in
being serious about reaching some kind of agreement with the
Palestinians and again you seem to be suggesting that it is because of
his right wing views. Is it not fair to say that every Prime Minister
and coalition government from the left or the right have made attempts
to reach agreements with Arafat and Abbas and have had no success?
Everything I read and hear from Netanyahu clearly says to me that he is
prepared to make the tough decisions and make the territorial
concessions to reach an agreement. Am I wrong in my understanding?
I
an sure that there is much blame to be placed on Israel for the
failures of the past, but I just cannot believe that Israelis and their
leadership would not make major sacrifices as they have in the past if
only the Arabs would accept the reality that is Israel. I have not read
or heard or seen anything that has convinced me that the Arabs are
prepared for Jews to live on what they believe is their ancient Holy
Land. And I am not referring to Judea and Samaria or Gaza. I am talking
about all of Israel.
Warm regards
Abe
May 6, 2013
Dear Abe
I
am yet to see concrete actions from the Israeli government to promote
peace. Of course we are entitled to be suspicious about the
Palestinians. Our mutual history is one of violence and bloodshed. There
is very little trust between the two sides. But to put all the blame on
one side is wrong.
The
story of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is about rivalry on a little
piece of land to which both sides have legitimate and justifiable
claims. Luckily, unlike the Solomon trial, it is possible to split the
land. This is the only solution, taking into account complex set of
considerations relating to history, religion, nationalism, and
viability.
Both
sides must be content with the solution. If both sides won’t be happy,
the children of Israel and Palestine will continue to suffer for many
years to come, and I suspect Israel will be required to make tremendous
changes that some will find it hard to swallow, even harder than
swallowing the required compromise now.
Those
who are involved in the peace process know what it takes to achieve
peace. It is not a question of knowledge. It is a question of will,
commitment and ability to deliver.
Best wishes
Rafi
May 9, 2013
Dear Rafi
I
want very much to understand your point of view and others who feel the
same. It would be very helpful in the class that I teach and the many
lectures I give on the subject of peace. And yes we all know the
solution but how do we get there. Sharing the land is and should be the
ultimate goal but I have not heard anything from anyone who is promoting
the 2 State Solution on how you overcome the insurmountable
difficulties to reach such a goal. How do you get the Arabs to accept
that Israel is the land of the Jewish people. How does Israel deal with
the Palestinian Refugee problem. How do the Palestinians accept a
demilitarized State. How can Israel in light of the problems with Gaza
not insist on a presence in the Jordan Rift Valley. And for the Arabs to
insist that no Jews can live as citizens in a future Palestinian
State should be an affront to all those who embrace Democratic values.
It
also is very clear to me that every Israeli Government since Ben Gurion
has tried to find a way to reach an agreement with the Arabs and the
agreements that where signed in Oslo and Camp David the Arabs have not
respected.
So,
yes a 2 State solution should be the ultimate goal but it will take the
wisdom of Solomon to get us there and so far a Solomon does not walk in
our midst.
Warm regards
Abe
May 12, 2013
Dear Abe
The issues you mentioned, and others, are solvable at the moment.
Security – Palestine
and Israel shall base their security relations on cooperation, mutual
trust, good neighborly relations, and the protection of their joint
interests. The
Palestinian sovereignty should be respected as much as possible.
Checkpoints will be dismantled. Only the most necessary will remain,
subject to review and necessity. The Palestinian state will be
non-militarized. This issue was agreed upon in 1995. They wish to have effective police force, and Israel agreed to that.
Also
agreed upon were joint Israeli-Palestinian patrols along the Jordan
River, and the establishment of a permanent international observer force
to ensure the implementation of the agreed security arrangements.
Jerusalem
– What is Palestinian will come under the territory of the new capital
Al Kuds. What is Jewish will remain under Israeli sovereignty. To
maintain Palestinian contiguity, Israel may be required to give up some
of the settlements around Arab Jerusalem.
Haram al-Sharif – On March 31, 2013, a
Jordan-Palestinian agreement was signed between the PA and Jordan,
entrusting King Abdullah II with the defense of Muslim and Christian
holy sites in Jerusalem. While Jordan may be a party to any agreement
concerning the site, a broader arrangement is welcomed. As agreed by Abbas and Olmert, it will be under the control of a five-nation consortium: Palestine, Israel, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the United States. The Waqf will continue its administration. Jews will enjoy right of access.
Refugees and their right of return
– This is a major concern for both Palestine and Israel. For
Palestinians, this issue is about their history, justice and fairness.
For Israelis, this is a debated issue, where many Israelis are unwilling
to claim responsibility for the Palestinian tragedy and most Israelis
object to the right of return as this would mean the end of Zionism. The
issue is most difficult to resolve as the
original refugee population of an estimated 700,000-750,000 has grown
to 4,966,664 refugees registered with UNRWA at the end of November 2010.
About 40% of the refugees live in Jordan, where they comprise about a
third of the population; another 41% are in the West Bank and Gaza, 10%
are in Syria, and 9% are in Lebanon. In the West Bank, refugees
constitute about one-third of the population while in Gaza they comprise
over 80% of the population.
Israel
and the PA have been arguing endlessly about this issue as a matter of
principle without examining by surveys how many of the refugees and
their families actually are intended to return to Israel if this option
were to be available to them. What needs to be done is to identify the
population, establish the numbers, and after mapping the refugee
population conduct a survey among them that would include the following
options:
Return to Israel;
Return to the West Bank;
Return to the Gaza Strip;
Emigrate
to third countries that would commit to absorbing a certain quota
(appeal will be made to countries that receive immigration on a regular
basis to participate in this settlement effort);
Remain where they are.
The
1948 Palestinian refugees will be able to settle in Palestine. The rest
of the world is legitimate to set quotas. Unification of families
should be allowed in Israel on a limited quota annual scale. But massive
refugee return to Israel will not be allowed. This dream should be
abandoned. When Abu Mazen was asked whether he would wish Safed, where
he was born he replied: “It’s my right to see it, but not to live
there”. I suspect that Abu Mazen’s view reflects the view of many
Palestinians who seek recognition, apology and compensation, not the
right of return. Thus Israel should recognize the Nakba, acknowledge
Palestinian suffering, and compensate the 1948 refugees and their
children (but not grandchildren) for the suffering inflicted on them. An
international tribunal of reputable historians and international
lawyers, including equal representatives of Israel and Palestine, will
determine the level of compensation. If needed, Israel may establish an
international relief fund to which humanitarian countries that wish to
see the end of the conflict contribute. I believe that between Israel,
Europe, the Moslem World, North America and other countries of good will
(the Geneva Accord mentions Japan; I would add China, Australia and
Brazil), the required funding can be secured. The United Nations and the
World Bank may also be approached to offer assistance.
I
do not think many settlers would opt to live under Palestinian
sovereignty but they should have the right to do so if they wish.
Once
Israel and Palestine will reach an agreement about these issues, the
Palestinian will accept Israel as the land of the Jewish people.
The
days of Ben-Gurion are far away. You can crudely divide the
relationships with the Arab world into two periods: before and after the
Six Day War. Before 1967, the Arabs wished to destroy Israel and
believed in their ability to do so. After 1967, still many Arabs wish to
destroy Israel but many more ceased to believe in their ability to do
so.
First
attempts to reach peace with Israel were done by Sadat in the early
1970s. The Israeli Prime Minister, Golda Meir, was not interested. She
wanted to keep the land. Only after the 1973 shock, Israeli leaders were
willing to engage with peace talks while understanding that Israel will
need to pay a high price for peace. Israel paid the price, and we have
peace with Egypt for more than 30 years.
The peace with Egypt paved the way to other peace talks.
The
Oslo process failed primarily because Arafat was not committed to peace
and wished to gain more. He did not desert the PLO salami method of
exploiting situations, working on your “partner’s” weaknesses, terrorize
and exerting violence while using the language of “peace”. Israeli
leaders -- Rabin and Peres -- played into his hands due to their burning
desire to reach peace notwithstanding buses exploding in Tel Aviv. I
believe things are different with Abu Mazen.
Best wishes
Rafi
May 13/13
Sorry Rafi.
I think you are engaging in some wishful thinking. Israel does not Trust the International Community to provide any security or observer status along the Jordan Rift valley or Jerusalem and why should they. They are and where dismal failures in South Lebanon, Golan and Sinai. The refugee problem I think is insurmountable, I don't believe the Palestinians or any other Arabs will recognize Israel as the National home of the Jewish people at this time. And though Golda Meir did not want to give up Sinai a peace agreement was not possible until Sadat recognized after the Yom Kippur war that only an exchange of land for peace would return the Sinai to Egypt.
I think you are engaging in some wishful thinking. Israel does not Trust the International Community to provide any security or observer status along the Jordan Rift valley or Jerusalem and why should they. They are and where dismal failures in South Lebanon, Golan and Sinai. The refugee problem I think is insurmountable, I don't believe the Palestinians or any other Arabs will recognize Israel as the National home of the Jewish people at this time. And though Golda Meir did not want to give up Sinai a peace agreement was not possible until Sadat recognized after the Yom Kippur war that only an exchange of land for peace would return the Sinai to Egypt.
I
believe that Netanyhu's plan to help strengthen the West Bank economy
and improve the lives of the Arabs and a generation of Arabs who are not
incited will hopefully bring them to a place where they will accept
Jews in their midst. And that to me is the main reason why an agreement
is not possible at this time.
With warm regards
Abe
A friend, Professor Sam Lehman-Wilzig, commented about this exchange:
Rafi
A
comment: you forgot to mention one aspect of a final peace treaty:
compensation for 100s of thousands Edot Hamizrakh who were thrown out of
their homes in Arab countries from 1948 onwards. They too demand
compensation.
To which I answered:
If
we are to demand compensation from Arab states, we surely need to
demand compensation from many European countries as well for many years
of exploitation and discrimination, from the time of the Inquisition ?
Chmelnitsky? later?
Sam’s reply:
No. There's a huge difference. Not only did the Arab expulsion of Jews occur exactly at the same time
the Palestinian Arabs had to leave their homes in Israel, but the
Arab-Jews were expelled precisely BECAUSE of the establishment of the
State of Israel! What more parallelism could one ask for? These are
mirror images of each other -- and therefore what's good for the goose
is good for the gander too.
All the best,
Sam
Visitors to the University of Hull
Dr
Bregman gave a fascinating and quite personal presentation of his own
involvement in the affair. Ronnie exposed the Israeli mole inside
President Sadat’s office. Until today it is a disputed issue whether the
spy served one (Israel), or two governments (Israel and Egypt). While
Ronnie (and I for that matter) believe Marwan was a double agent who
served Egyptian interests, others (including Zvi Zamir and Uri
Bar-Yoseph) believe he was a kosher Israeli spy.
Bregman’s paper is available at http://www2.hull.ac.uk/fass/
I
was happy to introduce the town of Beverley to Ronnie. He seemed to
appreciate the picturesque streets. At the town centre we met Lady
Pinder, Mayor of Beverley who would have preferred Ronnie to be at
King’s College, Cambridge. Oh well...
My New Article
“Online Child Sex Offenders – Challenges and Counter-measures“, The Howard Journal of Criminal Justice, Vol. 52, No. 2 (May 2013), pp. 190-215.
The
aim of this article is straightforward and practical: by utilising
elements of routine activity and rational choice theories, it explains
how online child sex offenders use the Internet and what can be done to
counter the challenge they pose. The discussion opens with definitions
of child pornography, child erotica, child exploitation material and
paedophilia. Its main objective is to promote online protection of
children. It is explained that online child sex offenders and
paedophiles use the Internet to create virtual communities; collect,
share and trade images; tempt, seduce and groom children. Then the
article explores what has been done in the Western world to combat those
criminal activities. Successful campaigns against child pornography
require shared responsibility and effort by parents, Internet Service
Providers (ISPs), legal enforcement and the international community at
large.
Keywords:
child pornography; child sex offenders; paedophilia; cybercrime;
encryption; grooming; hotline; responsibility; virtual community
I am happy to email the article to interested parties.
New Books
Laurie Ouellette (ed.), The Media Studies Reader (NY: Routledge, 2013).
Designed for the critical media studies curriculum, The Media Studies Reader
is an entry point into the major theories and debates that have shaped
critical media studies from the 1940s to the present. Combining
foundational essays with influential new writings, this collection
provides a tool box for understanding old and new media as objects of
critical inquiry. It is comprised of 42 previously published readings,
organized into seven sections: culture (including essays by Benjamin,
Spigel and McCarthy), technology (including essays by Adorno and
Horkheimer, Lipsitz and Appadurai), representation (including essays by
Hall, Berger and Couldry), industry (including essays by Schiller,
Curtin and Kraidy), identity (including essays by Hall and Marshall),
audience and citizenship. One may argue about the selection, deciding
these 42 articles and unselecting others, but any reader requires
selection and every editor has a certain agenda. Critical introductions
frame each section to help readers place each article in context and
within a broader scholarly dialogue. Each section includes scholarship
that foregrounds the politics of gender, ethnicity, race, class,
sexuality, and geopolitics. Longer readings were selectively edited for
conciseness and accessibility, and to maximize breadth of coverage. The
book also has a useful Index. A map of a rapidly growing and changing
field, The Media Studies Reader is an invaluable resource to students as well as established scholars.
I thank Routledge for a copy of this book.
James J. Chriss, Social Control: An Introduction (Cambridge: Polity, 2013), second edition.
What
is social control? How do social controls become part of everyday life?
What role does the criminal justice system play in exerting control? Is
the diagnosis and treatment of mental illness a form of social control?
Do we need more social controls to prevent terrorist atrocities?
In
this new edition of his popular and engaging introduction, James J.
Chriss carefully guides readers through the debates about social
control. The book provides a comprehensive guide to historical debates
and more recent controversies, examining in detail the criminal justice
system, medicine, everyday life, and national security.
Assuming
no specialist knowledge on the part of readers, Chriss uses a rich
range of contemporary examples to illustrate the ways in which social
control is exerted and maintained. The updated edition includes new and
expanded discussion of the 2011 Tucson shootings, post-9/11
counterterrorism laws in the transition from the Bush to the Obama
administrations, the death of bin Laden, racial profiling, housing
segregation and white flight, hate crimes, (counter)surveillance and
flash mobs, the diagnosis of conditions such as ADHD, and agents of
socialization in the areas of work and consumption, religion, the
family, and the mass media.
I thank Polity for a copy of this book.
In
the second half of June next month I am scheduled to visit LA. I will
be happy to see as many of you as it possible. I will spend most of my
time at UCLA.
We spent a weekend at Lumley Castle, celebrating several family events that have coincided recently. Lumley Castle is situated near Chester-Le-Street, between Durham and Newcastle. The noble-and-great have a nice life, and it was certainly interesting to witness the wealth, the art, and the architecture. Lumley is charming and delightful, a perfect weekend treat to celebrate family festivities.
http://www.lumleycastle.com/
Monthly Poems
A Calendar of Sonnets: May
O Month when they who love must love and wed!
Were one to go to worlds where May is naught,
And seek to tell the memories he had brought
From earth of thee, what were most fitly said?
I know not if the rosy showers shed
From apple-boughs, or if the soft green wrought
In fields, or if the robin's call be fraught
The most with thy delight. Perhaps they read
Thee best who in the ancient time did say
Thou wert the sacred month unto the old:
No blossom blooms upon thy brightest day
So subtly sweet as memories which unfold
In aged hearts which in thy sunshine lie,
To sun themselves once more before they die.
Helen Hunt Jackson
Were one to go to worlds where May is naught,
And seek to tell the memories he had brought
From earth of thee, what were most fitly said?
I know not if the rosy showers shed
From apple-boughs, or if the soft green wrought
In fields, or if the robin's call be fraught
The most with thy delight. Perhaps they read
Thee best who in the ancient time did say
Thou wert the sacred month unto the old:
No blossom blooms upon thy brightest day
So subtly sweet as memories which unfold
In aged hearts which in thy sunshine lie,
To sun themselves once more before they die.
Helen Hunt Jackson
Rainbow Smile
For Harriet Taylor-Mill
Your smile fell like a ray of light on
My troubled face
The spark in your blue eyes made
Me open bleeding heart to
The sound of bell tower
Makes me tremble like
A fly to the fan movement.
Chasing the wind may seem ridiculous
If you are not a bird
No one ever loved as I am able to
Love You
Cherish the glow in your hair
Rain
My Skies bright rainbow with
Manifold true colours.
Appear dim gone
Resume with bursting laughter
As Harriet from John to John
Smiles shine awake
A ray of light on
My yearning soul.
Raphael Cohen-Almagor
Light Side
Three
mothers were sitting around comparing notes on their exemplary sons.
“There never was a son more devoted than my Moishe”, said Ms. Blum.
“Every summer he takes me to Bournemouth for a week, and every winter we
spend a week in Aspen. Moishe is one of a kind”.
“That’s
nothing compared to my Haimke”, sniffed Ms. Pollack immediately. “Every
year he treats me to two weeks in Jerusalem, and every summer we go for
two months to Miami, in his own private summer house”.
Ms.
Siegal sits quietly, allowing her friends to burn with curiosity
whether she has anything to say. Finally, when Ms. Blum and Ms. Pollack
were almost on the verge of collapse, she said proudly: “No one, but no
one loves his mother like my Ariel... nobody!”
“So what does he do?”, screamed Ms. Blum and Ms. Pollack in a simultaneous crescendo.
“Three
times a week he gets into his car, rain or shine, goes to the best
psychiatrist in New York, and pays him $350 an hour... just to talk
about me!”
Peace and love. Happy Shavuut with lots of cheese and smiles!
Yours as ever,
Rafi
My last communications are available on http://almagor.blogspot.com/
Earlier posts at my home page: http://hcc.haifa.ac.il/~rca/
People wishing to subscribe to this Monthly Newsletter are welcome to e-mail me at r.cohen-almagor@hull.ac.uk
Earlier posts at my home page: http://hcc.haifa.ac.il/~rca/
People wishing to subscribe to this Monthly Newsletter are welcome to e-mail me at r.cohen-almagor@hull.ac.uk
Follow me on Twitter at @almagor35
