Debate in the diaspora ... and an Israeli response

In this much-debated opinion piece in the New York Times, Anthony Lerman argues that because embracing the Israel of today as a Jewish state implies policies of exclusion and discrimination, it has become impossible for diaspora Jews to be both liberal and Zionist.

Not so, responds Rabbi Josh Weinberg, a declared liberal Zionist."I am not at a crossroads ... I take pride in the notion that we do not turn our back on Israel, even though we may be at times critical." Adam Shedletzky likewise, in this Globe and Mail article, sees no conflict, and calls on diaspora Jews "to respectfully and strategically speak out."

Daniel Gordis, responding from Israel, finds the debate ill-timed and irrelevant.

"When the IDF killed Hamas men who had come through the tunnels and found them equipped with weapons, handcuffs and injectable sedatives, it was clear that the movement’s intent was to kill as many Israelis as they could, then kidnap others and take them to Gaza. That, more than anything, struck horror so deep into the hearts of Israelis that, for the most part, internal politics have disappeared. ..."

"Let there be no mistake – this is a battle for Israel’s survival. Some people get that, many do not."

Law of the Sea

Did Israel violate international law when it boarded the Gaza flotilla? Ed Morgan, professor of international law at the University of Toronto examines the question.

Welcome to Canada

A Saudi Arabian-born Syrian citizen who is qualified as a flight instructor was stopped at the Canadian border. In his possession: $880,000 in gold coins and cash (which he failed to declare), a Hezbollah ring, a Palestinian scarf and DVDs related to the 9/11 tragedy.  (Update: The original article from the National Post concerning this is no longer on line.  A link to a later article from the Globe and Mail is here.)

X-ray vision

Dr. Allan Fox, a neuro-radiologist from Canada, serves as a volunteer at a Haifa hospital, in a community that includes both Jewish and Arab Israelis. Montreal and Haifa, he says, have a lot in common, “two main peoples, a mountain, and a port, and different versions of the same history."

Lingering misconceptions

The incident for which Israel was most heavily attacked during the Gaza war never happened. The UN school was never bombed and no one inside was killed. What's more, the UNRWA operations director in Gaza now denies that the UN ever reported being hit ... more ... more.

Shared dread

More grave than Gaza is the threat of a nuclear Iran, warns Yossi Klein Halevi
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