Who is Yossi Gurvitz?

You may remember him from his early reporting questioning the claim by the Israeli government that the terrorists responsible for the August 18 attacks near Eilat came from Gaza. Gurvitz suggested that the terrorists actually were Egyptian and came from the Sinai. Oh and by the way, in today's Jerusalem Post, the IDF confirms that Gurvitz was right. Not saying there's a connection here. Just saying for the time being we don't know.

You can read his bio and his blog here.

Where do things stand in Israel?

Consider this: Yossi Gurvitz, a "leftwing" Israeli blogger, was brought in for interrogation by the police for incitement to violence. What did he do exactly? Well he can't say because he is under an order not to report on it.

In which A.B. Yehoshua makes his first appearance

After waiting for a couple days for Haaretz to post an English translation of A.B. Yehoshua's op-ed, I decided to translate it myself. Shortly before I went to print, as it were, Professor Shapir, who was kind enough to assist me, informed me that, yes, Haaretz had finally posted the piece on its English website. Good news for readers - you won't have to suffer through my amateurish translation, although I must say it wasn't bad at all.

To the point, Yehoshua has written a terribly important piece that demands to be read. It contemplates the possibility of an unwanted future of a single bi-national state between the River and the Sea. His piece demonstrates the urgency of the situation, the disaster of a one-state solution, and entreats supporters of Israel "to display moral forcefulness, and keep Israel from the downward-spiral course it has set for itself."

Here's a taste, followed by the link:

But for those who believed in and dreamed of an independent Jewish-Israeli identity which, for better or for worse, stands up to the test of dealing with a national-territorial reality entirely its own, a binational state represents a broken dream, a surefire source of demoralizing conflicts in the future, as was proven by the failure of binational experiments around the world that involved peoples who were closer to one another than are Jews and Palestinians in terms of religion, economics, values and history.

Is it still possible to forestall this anticipated downswing in the patient's health? Will it still be possible to persuade the Palestinians to mobilize for the attainment of the two-state solution (even if the states are joined as a federation)? Will it still be possible to persuade Israel's well-wishers in the United States and Europe to display moral forcefulness, and keep Israel from the downward-spiral course it has set for itself?

The whole piece is here.    

Religious Extremists in Israel

If you want to know what's going on in Israel at the moment, watch this report.

I'm back!

Back from a quick family vacation. It's official: I am now a member of J Street's board. Thanks for all of those who voted and to those that have been following this blog since last April.

Awaiting election results . . .

Vote for Me for the J Street Board

Okay friends, I need your support. I'm running for the J Street Board. Please vote for me here! Voting is open until Tuesday. You do not have to be in the US or a current member of J Street. Just check the box on voting page that says to count you as a member.

Also if you could post the voting link on you facebook pages that would be incredible. And you are all invited to my page Vote for Rich.

I'd give you my platform, but it's all here on the blog. I recommend the links "Popular Posts" on the right.

Thanks!