Politics – September 2021 Happy New Year – Shana Tova
The military campaign in Afghanistan was a mistake. It was doomed to failure. Biden is right to withdraw his forces, although the exit could have done quietly, over a longer period of time, and far more efficiently.
Shana Tova!! We are looking for the New Year to open new pages, not only in the health front, but also in world leadership, relationships between majorities and minorities, human rights, civil liberties, police enforcement, tolerance and the economy.
תפילה לשנה החדשה
מאת נתן אלתרמן
תן לנו שנה של שקט אמיתי
שנה של לובן הפריחות וירק הדשאים,
שנה של להט אהבות וחום תנור ביתי
ושנדע רק פעם מהו טוב ומה נעים.
שנה ללא קולות שנאה וזעקות השכול,
ללא מראות הדם,ללא הלמות תופי המלחמה,
ללא הפחד המשתק של הנורא מכל,
ללא צחוקו של העתיד אשר נטמן באדמה.
הן לא ביקשנו לנו אוצרות של ממלכות,
לא עושר עילאי ומכוניות פאר,
קורטוב אחד של שקט אמיתי ולובן של פריחות
אשר נוכל בהם בלאט להתהדר.
להתרגש כפעם מריחות הסתיו,
לדהור אל האושר כשריקת רכבת,
לבנות לנו סוכת שלום עכשיו
ולהיות בה ראויים לשבת.
New Year Prayer
By Nathan Alterman
Give us a year of true silence
A year of whiteness of blooms and greenery,
A year of passion and love of home warmth
And let us know only once what is good and what is pleasant.
A year without voices of hatred and cries of bereavement,
Without the sights of blood, without the pounding of war drums,
Without the crippling fear of the worst of all,
Without the laughter of the future which was buried in the ground.
We did not ask for treasures of kingdoms,
Not supreme wealth and luxury cars,
All we ask is for one hint of true silence and whiteness of blossoms
Which we can slowly boast about.
To be excited as we once did from the smells of autumn,
Gallop to happiness like a train whistle,
Build us a peace (sukkah) hut now
And be worthy to sit in it.
Israel should do whatever it can to bring home Avraham Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed as well as the remains of Hadar Golden and Shaul Aaron.
It is no less than state duty and, of course, the just and decent thing to do.
Reflections on Last Newsletter
Israeli Success at the Paralympics
New Article: “Genuine, Principled and Tactical Compromise”, Studia Iuridica Lublinensia, Vol. 30(2) (2021): 11-31.
Did You Know?
Monthly Poem
Light Side
Reflections on Last Newsletter
Thank you, Rafi!
First and foremost, congratulations on your son’s (Gilad’s) wedding!! Mazal Tov!!
Once again, congratulations on your new book!!
I have found your Newsletter particularly interesting.
China offering to be a mediator to solve the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Arabs is a non-starter. The United States is Israel’s most important and closest ally. China is perceived by the United States to be a singularly menacing rival. Accepting Chinese mediation would have all the adverse effects without any positive ones.
Lapid’s words are poetically appealing, though I must stress that I do not like the use of the word “war” in any other context except as regards a violent confrontation between at least two sides. The same objection of mine applies in Hebrew as well. One can use other terms when referring to economic, social and cultural matters. It belittles the singular significance of the word “war”.
I agree with you that the Euro games were fascinating. I thought the lack of serious restrictions concerning Covid 19 were most unwise, to say the least. As we know now, many people contracted the coronavirus in the UK as a result of those games. The football was excellent; the measures to limit the negative effects of Covid 19 were not.
Incidentally, although I think that, so far, the Israeli government has fared fairly well in foreign policy, its handling of the current coronavirus crisis is singularly bad. The term “too little, too late” would be an understatement. The former government made a serious mistake in removing all restrictions, believing the coronavirus was over, even though it was far from over all over the world and the new Delta variant was already known to be affecting countries outside Israel. The current government made a mistake in not adopting serious measures from the very beginning of the new wave. Empty slogans about leading a normal life alongside the coronavirus and pompous declarations about leaving everything open no matter what looked to me utterly ridiculous then, and certainly now with the benefit of hindsight.
A propos the use of the term “war”, I find its use in reference to the coronavirus objectionable and dangerous. In war there are at least two sides with intentions and objectives. The coronavirus has neither. There is a sense as though the coronavirus is a person with whom one can negotiate or fight. It’s not war. It’s biology.
Anyway, Rafi, once again, mazal tov on your son’s wedding and on your new book!!
Yoav
Israeli Success at the Paralympics
Israeli swimmers won 6 golds at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games. Mark Malyar broke 2 world records, winning 2 golds and a bronze. Ami Dadaon won 2 golds and a silver. Iyad Shalabi is the first Arab Israeli medal winner (2 golds). And Moran Samuel won silver at rowing.
New Article: “Genuine, Principled and Tactical Compromise”, Studia Iuridica Lublinensia, Vol. 30(2) (2021): 11-31.
Abstract
This essay addresses the concept of compromise. When compromise takes place between two or more parties, reciprocity must be present; that is, the concessions are mutual. Genuine compromise is based on mutual respect and on genuine concessions between the parties. First, the concept of compromise is explained. Next, a relevant distinction is made between principled and tactical compromise. A principled compromise refers to a mutual recognition by each side of the other’s rights, which leads them to make concessions to enable them to meet on a middle ground. It is genuinely made in good faith and both sides reconcile themselves to the results. To illustrate I consider the need for compromise regarding praying area for women at the Western (Wailing) Wall, considered the holiest site in Judaism. The article proceeds by considering the notion of tactical compromise that reflects temporary arrangement reached as a result of constraints related to time. Here, in fact, agents do not give up any of their aims. They do not act in good faith and do not intend to meet their counterpart on a middle ground. Instead, they simply realize that the end could not be achieved at a given point of time, and they aim to reach it stage by stage. The essential component of compromise, namely mutuality, is lacking.
https://journals.umcs.pl/sil/issue/view/660/showToc
Did You Know?
Carole Cadwalladr, “Facebook’s role in Brexit – and the threat to democracy”, TED Talk (April 2019)
https://www.ted.com/talks/carole_cadwalladr_facebook_s_role_in_brexit_and_the_threat_to_democracy
In an unmissable talk, journalist Carole Cadwalladr digs into one of the most perplexing events in recent times: the UK's super-close 2016 vote to leave the European Union. Tracking the result to a barrage of misleading Facebook ads targeted at vulnerable Brexit swing voters -- and linking the same players and tactics to the 2016 US presidential election -- Cadwalladr calls out the "gods of Silicon Valley" for being on the wrong side of history and asks: Are free and fair elections a thing of the past?
Monthly Poem
Timely.
Light Side:
Shana Tova Umeusheret, Gmar Chatima Tova
Peace and Good Health to you all
Rafi
My last communications are available on Israel: Democracy, Human Rights, Politics and Society, http://almagor.blogspot.com
People wishing to subscribe to this Monthly Newsletter are welcome to e-mail me at r.cohen-almagor@hull.ac.uk
Twitter at @almagor35