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Last update - 03:45 11/06/2009
Meanwhile, back in Israel
By Gideon Levy
Tags: Obama, U.S., Ehud Barak 

So let's take a look at what's happening in our country after U.S. President Barack Obama's speech. A historic speech like his was supposed to make waves in Israel, stimulate discussion and spark debate. And here is what has happened: Our own Barak, Defense Minister Ehud, who used to be considered at least as brilliant as Obama, told Etgar Keret in an interview with Haaretz yesterday: "Where does the [Palestinian nation] live? In a cage? A jail? A swimming pool?" And Barak's own answer to this question: "It lives in its country."

After the prime minister's top diplomatic adviser determined that two states is a childish solution, along comes another statesman and determines that we're all children. Stupid children, it must be said, to whom you can sell any bit of nonsense, including all the nonsense in that interview.

The Palestinians, who cannot travel from one village to another without permission from Israel, who have no basic human rights and who have been trampled underfoot, humiliated and imprisoned without any sign of sovereignty, are already living as a free people in their country. If the defense minister really thinks so, then there is grave cause for concern: Mr. Security is deranged and has lost touch with reality. If he doesn't think so, then he's messing with us. Which is worse?
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In yesterday's Haaretz there is also an interview by Klil Zisapel with President Shimon Peres. Out of respect for his name and status we will not quote here all the nonsense he had to say about concealing the Nakba - the Palestinians' catastrophe of 1948. We shall only mention that he replied to the question with the sentence: "Nanotechnology existed in the days of Moses." Apparently Obama's speech did make waves. Now Peres, too, is a nano-statesman. Another small businessman, Interior Minister Eli Yishai, is working to change the law so he will be able to revoke Israeli Arabs' citizenship. A representative of the oppressed classes, he also says that millions of shekels should be allocated to settlements in the territories which, he says, have been suffering "discrimination" for many years. Neither Yeruham nor Rahat, neither Bnei Brak nor Sakhnin - Efrat, of all places.

The Ministerial Committee on Legislation has proposed a law: three years in prison for commemorating the Nakba. Communities in the Segev Bloc in the Galilee are demanding a loyalty oath to Zionism as a condition for living there. And what's next on the slippery slope?

Ze'ev Braude, a Jewish settler in the West Bank who shot Palestinians in view of the cameras, will not be put on trial; the prosecution's justifications are convoluted. National Union MK David Rotem and Yisrael Beiteinu MK Uri Ariel, members of nationalist-racist parties, both of them residents of settlements the United States and the world call illegitimate, are the Knesset's representatives on the committee for selecting judges.

An attempted attack by Palestinians on horseback, or maybe muleback, is depicted in the media as a prevented mega-terror attack, a consequence of the smuggling of sophisticated and advanced Iranian weaponry through the tunnels, which we are being told about in horror day and night.

El Al is apologizing for having called the fence a "separation wall," as though it were a department of the Foreign Ministry; the prime minister is saying that the demand to freeze natural growth in the settlements is "not fair," as though it were possible to talk about fairness when discussing the settlements. The opposition leader, Kadima MK Tzipi Livni, is refraining from saying whether she would freeze the settlements, between shopping trips at the swanky boutiques of Tel Aviv's Hamedina Square, as frequently reported in the gossip columns. She is improving her physical appearance beyond all recognition, but she is behaving as though she were the leader of the opposition in Luxembourg.

Minister without Portfolio Yossi Peled (yes, he too is a minister) is proposing that Israel impose sanctions on the United States, like the mouse that roared; National Union MK Michael Ben Ari, an avowed Kahanist and a roarer as well, at Israel Defense Forces soldiers, is proposing a pathetic evacuation of some piddling outpost. Dudu Topaz is more interesting than Obama. Everyone is competing on who can jab the dagger deepest into his flesh as he writhes in the town square.

Not enough? Someone has murdered an egg-laying she-turtle weighing 60 kilograms because she annoyed his dog. Demonstrations? Only over opening a parking lot on the Sabbath. Serious discussion? Only about value added tax on cucumbers.

The cucumber season is in full swing, despite Obama's challenge. Nevertheless, you have to be happy: The top people are running from Jacob Perry's wedding to the bar mitzvah of businessman Roni Maneh's son. Thus the U.S. president has been told: It's a waste of your time. There's no one to talk to in Israel. Talking isn't going to do it. And let's hang a sign on our door: Please do not disturb - we're busy
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  1.   Meanwhile back in Ga-Ga-land 10:48  |  anna 11/06/09
  2.   Obama will disturb Bibi 10:48  |  KHALIL ABO MOHAMAED 11/06/09
  3.   Israel -- business as usual 10:52  |  Marcos 11/06/09
  4.   Great Writing again from Gideon. 11:07  |  Gordon 11/06/09
  5.   Naqba may be right but... 11:08  |  Yosi 11/06/09
  6.   Thumbs up 11:10  |  Bandar Michaels 11/06/09
  7.   No Room For Good Jokes Either These Days... 11:12  |  Yosemite 11/06/09
  8.   What`s next? 11:39  |  Ed 11/06/09
  9.   Which is worse? 11:47  |  sh 11/06/09
  10.   make way for one state 12:00  |  ishu 11/06/09
  11.   What a shame... 12:18  |  Shimon 11/06/09
  12.   ONE YEAR FOR TALKING PEACE 12:26  |  indrajaya 11/06/09
  13.   Gideon great article as always 12:31  |  Chris Linthwaite 11/06/09
  14.   But of course.... 12:50  |  Johnboy 11/06/09
  15.   No. 8 Ed we agree with you 14:15  |  UK 11/06/09
  16.   Great article Gideon 14:15  |  Danny 11/06/09
  17.   Spot on, as always 14:19  |  Mitch Katz 11/06/09
  18.   ED Longer than the racists thieves & shelterers of dirty money 15:18  |  PETER SM 11/06/09
  19.   They already have their own state,but it`s like a 15:19  |  MMM 11/06/09
  20.   WHERE WOULD PALS AND SHE-TURTLES BE WITHOUT YOU, GIDEON? 15:47  |  Freethinker 11/06/09
  21.   Deluded By Their Own Illusions 16:36  |  Yaakov Sullivan 11/06/09
  22.   Iran is not the problem - Israel is 16:40  |  Greg Walta 11/06/09
  23.   Reading Gideon Levi is a waste of time. 17:01  |  YSL 11/06/09
  24.   shhh freethinker! 17:06  |  Rod 11/06/09
  25.   Gideon Levy - A Citizen of the World 17:16  |  massaraksh 11/06/09
  26.   Gideon & your fan club 17:30  |  Yitz 11/06/09
  27.   Anti-Israeli fruitcakes such as Gideon Levy... 17:31  |  Ofer Maimon 11/06/09
  28.   Proud of Obama for Changing Course 17:38  |  American 11/06/09
  29.   Great article and so spot on 17:44  |  clear 11/06/09
  30.   massarashk 18:43  |  A.M. 11/06/09
  31.   Talk a waste, time for action 18:56  |  An American 11/06/09
  32.   Greg, #21 -- Next logical step is to kill all Jews, right? 18:59  |  DavidAK 11/06/09
  33.   levy assesses obama as brillant,NOT 20:47  |  Connie 11/06/09
  34.   Obama`s not worried about talking to Israel 20:58  |  Colin Wright 11/06/09
  35.   Massaraksh (#23) you have it totally wrong 21:18  |  David M 11/06/09
  36.   Gideon Levy : a dreamer 21:22  |  ABUZOBZOB 11/06/09
  37.   People are still wallowing in their unlawfulness & self interests 21:24  |  Dutch 11/06/09
  38.   israel redux 21:38  |  yuval 11/06/09
  39.   Thank you Obama 21:45  |  U.S. citizen 11/06/09
  40.   To massarkash: it is not self-hatred, it is humanity 22:07  |  david 11/06/09
  41.   A proposal of Marriage 22:07  |  Amy Bouchar 11/06/09
  42.   In Defense of Pres. Peres 22:38  |  Brendan 11/06/09
  43.   Meanwhile 22:43  |  Rob 11/06/09
  44.   Interior Minister 00:03  |  Angry U.S. citizen 12/06/09
  45.   Just cut off $$$$$ from US, please 00:26  |  ALASKA 12/06/09
  46.   Jews were invited back home to save the homeland 00:35  |  justis 12/06/09
  47.   Levy makes his living conveniently forgeting why 01:00  |  17 12/06/09
  48.   Rightist don`t see it good, they only want to harm Israel 01:33  |  Hutish 12/06/09
  49.   GIDEON`s parallel universe ignores the massive coverage in Israel 01:41  |  PETER SM 12/06/09
  50.   I hardly made it through the third paragraph 01:58  |  UsedToPostHere 12/06/09
  51.   wright wing politicians are living in a dreamland. 02:04  |  C2 12/06/09
  52.   GIDEON LEVY: A Righteous Yid! 02:11  |  Samy 12/06/09
  53.   True, but he should go through the motions 02:19  |  Mark Lincoln 12/06/09
  54.   Oy.... wafting Israeli dirty-laundry 02:28  |  allang 12/06/09
  55.   Oy.... wafting Israeli dirty-laundry 02:31  |  allang 12/06/09
  56.   Yosi on the land 02:32  |  Janice 12/06/09
  57.   #25 Colin 02:35  |  James 12/06/09
  58.   Gideon and the Mutts 02:55  |  Jasper 12/06/09
  59.   Indrajaya: Hammer of the Asmat 03:01  |  Asmat Defender 12/06/09
  60.   26 03:21  |  Anthony 12/06/09
  61.   Next time don`t ask, who destructs Israel`s image 03:36  |  shlomo 12/06/09
  62.   Yosi wrong 03:56  |  Truth 12/06/09
  63.   To James #37 `#25 Colin` 04:08  |  Colin Wright 12/06/09
  64.   to Jasper 04:47  |  katica 12/06/09
  65.   Self centered 04:57  |  Iain 12/06/09
  66.   Support for Israel 05:14  |  Iain 12/06/09
  67.   Oh Iain ... 05:55  |  Balclutha blues 12/06/09
  68.   TRUTH UN gave the vast majority of Palestine to the Arabs 05:56  |  PETER SM 12/06/09
  69.   Justis of Boston...tell me 06:03  |  MMM 12/06/09
  70.   KATICA The US pays for a small fraction Israels budget. 06:21  |  PETER SM 12/06/09
  71.   IAIN Self centerd indeed. After 10000 +missiles fired at Israeli 06:28  |  PETER SM 12/06/09
  72.   Do you know who created Iraq? 06:56  |  MMM 12/06/09
  73.   Is that really true Jasper, ever hear of the King David Hotel? 07:07  |  BBSNews 12/06/09
  74.   Balclutha blues, prove it... 07:17  |  BBSNews 12/06/09
  75.   IAIN Self centerd indeed. After 10000 +missiles fired at Israeli 09:34  |  PETER SM 12/06/09
  76.   What Gideon wrote so strange? 09:53  |  Enrico 12/06/09
  77.   Gideon Levy, I couldn`t agree more with you... 10:02  |  Dutch 12/06/09
  78.   King David Hotel 10:55  |  Enrico 12/06/09
  79.   22 YSL, Re: a one issue author 11:34  |  Dutch 12/06/09
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