Month: February 2022

Emerald Isle paints Israel Black –  proud Israeli Arab responds

Yoseph Hadad addresses the Irish Parliament February 2022

“Are you afraid that I will expose your lies and hypocrisy about the State of Israel as an Israeli Arab? Are you afraid that I will expose the true motivations behind your obsession with my country, that maybe, just maybe it’s not about ‘human rights’ but about a disproportionate focus on the one state in the world which defines itself as Jewish?”

Right Road. Yoseph Haddad and Irish politician Jennifer Carroll-MacNeill (Oireachtas Friends of Israel Group) in Dublin, Ireland.

Ceann Comhairle and members of the Oireachtas, thank you for allowing me to address you today on this important subject. I know that in recent days you have heard from a number of speakers about my country, Israel, and the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. I come to you today as a private citizen of the State of Israel to share my experience and provide the truth about what’s happening in Israel from the perspective of a minority.

My name is Yoseph Haddad and I am an Israeli Arab. I was born in Haifa, which is the largest mixed city of Arabs and Jews in the country, and I was raised in Nazareth, the largest Arab city in the state of Israel. This may surprise some of you after what you’ve heard about Israel, but myself, my friends and all my community regularly interacted with Israelis from all sectors and a huge part of my childhood was playing football. I grew up playing football with Jewish, Christian and Muslim kids and let me tell you – the Jews didn’t think “Oh, he’s an Arab” before passing the ball. We didn’t see each other as any different, and in fact through these childhood friendships, we learned about each other’s religions and lifestyles, even taking part in each other’s holidays for Eid or Christmas or Passover.

A Fresh Perspective. A proud Israeli Arab, Yoseph Haddad stands in front of his hometown of Nazareth

Now fast forward to age 18. In Israel, military service or national service is mandatory for Jewish citizens, and every year, thousands of Israeli Arabs volunteer, a number that’s increasing with time. When I turned 18, I saw my Jewish friends go to the army and I didn’t understand why I – as an Arab – wouldn’t also serve my country. After all, it is my home just as much as theirs. Even more important is that the IDF does not stand for the Jewish Defense Forces rather the Israeli Defense Forces, meaning its purpose is to protect ALL its citizens, including 2 million Arab Israelis.

Just before my service was about to begin, I experienced a trauma that made me realise without any doubt that joining the army to defend my country, and my community, was absolutely the right thing to do. The Maxim restaurant in Haifa was a symbol of partnership in the city; it was owned by Arabs and Jews and it was a place my family regularly frequented for celebrations like birthdays. Yet on the 4th of October 2003, just days after my family was last there, the Maxim restaurant was the target of a Palestinian suicide bombing, killing 21 Israelis – Arabs and Jews and injuring 51.

Food for Thought. The Maxim restaurant in Haifa,  owned by Arabs and Jews following a suicide bombing in 2003 only days after Hadad and his  family sat at these very tables which left 21 dead.

I learned a painful but important lesson that day. These terrorists did not care that they were killing Arabs: they targeted us because we are Israeli. Just the same as Hezbollah in Lebanon fired rockets on Israeli Arab cities in the second Lebanon war. Just the same as how nearly half the Israeli civilian casualties from the Second Lebanon War were Arab Israeli Muslims. Just the same as Hamas who fired rockets on Israeli Arab towns throughout the country in May 2021, killing Arab Muslims.

When we as Arab Israelis join the IDF, we do it to defend our country too. When you understand this, you will see that this is not a racial conflict, but a political one. Because we too, as Arabs are targets of Palestinian terrorism.

So I joined the IDF in the Golani unit, eventually serving as a commander over Jewish soldiers, and I defended by country, and my community against the violence of Hezbollah terrorists in the Second Lebanon War where I was badly injured and almost lost my life. It was through this experience that I saw how important it is to speak the truth about Israeli society and the ties that we have to each other – both Arabs and Jews. Does that sound like a story which could occur in an apartheid state?

Protecting All. Yoseph Hadad  during his service in the IDF.

Here is the reality that you didn’t hear from Amnesty International and Senator Frances Black a few days ago:

Arab Israelis, both Muslim and Christian, make up 20% of the entire population and enjoy equal rights under the law, the same as any other Jewish citizen. In Israel’s basic laws, the right to freedom of religion is protected explicitly, as is the right to equality under the law and the democratic principles of the state.

We Arabs serve at the highest levels of nearly every position, and in fact are overrepresented in some industries. We are 30% of all doctors, roughly 50% of all pharmacists. In the last round of new doctors, Arabs were 50%!

Arab Israelis are diplomats such as Israeli Ambassador to Azerbaijan, George Deek; news anchors such as Lucy Ayoub; professional athletes such as paralympic gold medalist Eyad Shalabi; military leaders such as Major Ella Wawaya; singers such as Valery Hamaty; senior tech executives such as Jonny Srouji, the head of Apple in Israel; bankers such as Samer Haj Yahya, the head of the largest bank in Israel, Bank Leumi; and yes, even supreme court justices such as Khaled Kabub who was selected just last week as the first Muslim Arab to serve on the Israeli Supreme Court…following in the footsteps of multiple Arab Israeli Christians who have served in the same position before him.

Trailblazer. Israel’s first Arab manager of an israeli government hospital, Prof. Masad Barhoum, CEO of The Galilee regional medical center.

It’s true that Israel is a Jewish state, but it is also a democratic state and I am living proof that this is possible. While Israel is imperfect, and racism exists, it is not systemic but individual. Every day, Arabs and Jews are standing side by side in every sector of society, cooperating and living in peace, working to resolve the problems in our society. But do you know what doesn’t help our society?

Countering Covid. Israel’s Minister of Health, Nitzan Horowitz, in coordination with Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, appointed in 2021, Colonel Brigadier (Reserve) Prof. Salman Zarka, a druze, as chief Coronavirus commissioner.

White Europeans at Amnesty International, sitting in their comfortable London office, where they ironically have been criticised for a culture of White supremacy, are telling our sovereign nation of Arabs and Jews, how to run our country.

Even more appalling, the white Europeans at Amnesty International have the audacity to define my identity as an Arab, labeling me as a “Palestinian” despite the fact I am an Israeli Arab. Not only that, but according to a recent poll on identity by Sahariya, only 14% of Israeli Arabs define themselves as Palestinian…

14%…out of 2 million.

Yet Amnesty International thinks they know better than us, how to define us?

Amnesty doesn’t care about the well-being of Palestinians or Arabs in Israel, and neither do those of you who call for the dismantling of Israel. This report is about eliciting an emotional response to smear my country, despite the fact that the definition of apartheid according to international law does not apply to the State of Israel in any capacity. In fact, the definition of apartheid is so long and complex according to international law that no country has ever been convicted of such a crime.

Amnesty International spoke here just a few days ago and when asked about whether or not they included the testimonies of Israeli Arabs like me, they tiptoed around the issue until finally explaining that they primarily focused on the Negev region as an example of the so-called apartheid. They explained that there are varying levels of oppression, but that we “all suffer under the same apartheid system.”

They are lying. There is no apartheid system in Israel, and if we suffer varying levels of oppression, then it isn’t a system of apartheid. By the way, the Negev has roughly 100,000 Israeli Arabs, which is 5% of the Arab Israeli population. Amnesty International took 5% of the population to get the answers they were seeking and then came here to the parliament and presented it as if it represented 100% of the population.

Think about that!

Another thing you should know about Amnesty’s report is that it often references the lack of access to water and electricity for Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza, claiming this comes as a result of settlements and implying that the lack of resources is Israel’s fault.

What they don’t tell you is that this is physically impossible because the electricity grids and the water pipelines in the West Bank are shared between Israelis and Palestinians. There is no apartheid! If infrastructure is built for a settlement, that would mean infrastructure in the area is expanding, not decreasing. Water shortages do occur, but you probably didn’t know that the pipeline which runs across the entire West Bank and provides water to the city of Hebron has holes dug in it across the West Bank to divert water flow to Palestinians villages who refuse to pay for the services.

And what about those sob stories about Palestinian chicken farms that Senator Frances Black talks about? What she might not understand is that the Palestinian Authority was required under the Oslo Accords to develop water aquifers in the West Bank. But doing so requires financial resources that will come from the pockets of PA officials…so guess what they haven’t done?

You guessed it, build an aquifer to provide for their population.

The corruption doesn’t end there. Let’s talk about Gaza.

Gaza is a humanitarian catastrophe without adequate electricity or water, but who is responsible for that?

Firstly, Israel withdrew from Gaza completely in 2005, only to have terrorist organisation Hamas take over and begin an ongoing oppression of their own people. Why? Because there is no one Hamas hates more than their political rivals.

No, not Israel.

Fatah, the primary party of the Palestinian Authority.

Instead of putting the well-being of the people of Gaza first, Hamas and the PA have spent years playing politics trying to get back at each other. For example, the PA is responsible for providing electricity to Gaza, they purchase it from the Israel Electric Corporation and provide the fuel for the power station. But when there are political rifts, they sometimes refuse to pay.

Even worse, for years, Gaza has needed a new power station, something they’re capable of building, but power stations require fuel and fuel costs money.

Guess who refuses to pay for it? That’s right, the PA.

A similar crisis is occurring with sewage and water treatment facilities in Gaza – something Hamas has known for years they need to build, something else which needs fuel.

Yet instead of allocating resources to this, they’ve invested $1.25 billion in building underground tunnels to carry out terrorist operations against Israel.

Even Israel can’t step in to help because the PA doesn’t want them to, it would be undermining their authority as the representatives of the Palestinian people to directly negotiate with Hamas. Sadly, it’s the Gazan people who pay the price…and then the Palestinian “leaders” complain here, to you, that Israel is to blame.

Don’t you see? The Palestinian leaders are scamming Europeans out of their money and perpetuating this conflict because it’s a cash cow.

Your money is perpetuating this conflict, and Israel, while imperfect, isn’t the problem here.

There are members of this body who obsess over Israel in the name of supporting Palestinians. But calling for boycotting Israel even in the Occupied Territories, and making a blacklist of companies disproportionately harms Palestinians on the ground, thousands of whom work in factories over the green line. Regardless of the legality of settlements, there’s nothing humanitarian about actively harming the wellbeing of Palestinians on the ground.

TDs  (Irish MP – Member of Parliament). here have accused Israel of crimes against humanity, and yet where is your urgent session on Syria’s or Lebanon’s treatment of Palestinians? Palestinians are forbidden by law in Lebanon from becoming doctors or lawyers and from over 70 other professions. They are restricted to living in refugee camps; they are not permitted to share the healthcare system, the pension system, the education system, and they cannot own property. Most importantly, they cannot be citizens.

In Syria, over 4,000 Palestinians were murdered by the Assad regime. That’s 15 times the number of Palestinians killed in Gaza in the last operation between Israel and Hamas. And unlike in Gaza, all 4,000 of the Palestinians in Lebanon were civilians.

I ask this honestly, as an Arab, and I urge you to look inside yourselves in a moment of self-reflection: why do you insist on holding Israel to a different standard than all other nations? Could it be, just maybe, that it is because it is the only Jewish and democratic state? The double standards here reek of antisemitism, classic antisemitism, and as an Israeli Arab I’m here to tell you that this antisemitism affects me too.

Amnesty’s report is nothing but an exercise in propaganda because the so-called human rights advocates at Amnesty International had to justify their disproportionate obsession and focus on the state of Israel, while they admitted to turning a blind eye to human rights violations in other countries like China and Syria.

But you don’t even need to go to China to see human rights violations that Amnesty ignores. I want you all to remember the name Nizar Banat.

Nizar was a Palestinian journalist and activist who was arrested for criticising the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank.

Yes, arrested for criticising his own government.

After several days in custody, the PA security forces beat him to death.

This is human rights and rule of law under the Palestinian Authority…yet you spend hours speaking about Israel here? Shame on you.

While Amnesty stokes the flames of hatred against Israel, it is us Israelis, both Arabs and Jews, who pay the price on the ground.

Amnesty’s report is the height of elitism, of a modern day colonialist mindset that says, “We Europeans know better than you brown people how to manage your country.”

I guess old habits die hard.

You would think that the Irish of all people would be able to see this scheme for what it really is given the fact the Irish suffered under British colonisation… but after watching some of the TDs a few days ago call for dismantling the state of Israel, apparently not everyone remembers history.

Even more alarming, there were some TDs here in Ireland who protested my address here today, claiming that the “other side” isn’t being represented. I find this highly ironic after listening to two hours of Amnesty International speaking about their report just days ago. Even more absurd when you look at the fact there hasn’t been a speaker who supported Israel in the Oireachtas in at least four years, yet TDs welcomed convicted Palestinian terrorists such as Shawan Jabarin to speak in Ireland. They posed for photos with Bashar al Assad, and praised China while condemning Israel. Yet they’re afraid that I, an Israeli Arab, can speak in the Irish parliament? My comments to them are:

Are you afraid that I will expose your lies and hypocrisy about the State of Israel as an Israeli Arab? Are you afraid that I will expose the true motivations behind your obsession with my country, that maybe, just maybe it’s not about “human rights” but about a disproportionate focus on the one state in the world which defines itself as Jewish?

You know, one of the criticisms I received before my speech here was that I’m not Arab enough to speak about my own society. I ask you, what would you like me to do to be Arab enough?

Is this what you want? Theatrics? A thicker accent? Tell me, what’s “Arab enough” for you? Did you expect me not to be able to think for myself? Not to have my own thoughts and opinions that refute your ignorant misunderstanding of what’s happening in Israel?

Dismissing an Israeli Arab’s opinion because you think it should be something that fits with the norm is not only ignorant, but pure racism.

So allow me, an Arab, born and raised in the country of Israel, which seems to garner so much attention from this body, to explain to you what Israel really stands for:

Israel stands for democracy with a government that’s comprised of left wing, right wing, religious, secular, Muslim, Jewish, Christian, LGBTQ, and disabled people.

Israel stands for the rule of law, where a Supreme Court Judge is an Israeli Arab, and where a previous Arab Supreme Court Judge, Salim Joubran sent a Jewish president and a Jewish prime minister to prison when they committed crimes.

Justice for All. As a judge of Israel’s Supreme Court, Christian Arab Salim Joubran confirmed on appeal, the conviction and imprisonment of an Israeli president.

Israel stands for freedom of expression, where members of the government can openly criticise their state, including in Arabic, in the halls of the parliament.

Where thousands of Israelis can protest against the government or against legislation they oppose without fear of arrest or murder.

Israel stands for free speech, where the press can, and does, openly criticise the government without fear of arrest and persecution – unlike in the West Bank and Gaza.

Israel stands for humanity, where the IDF set up a hospital for the sole purpose of providing humanitarian aid and treatment to Syrians injured in the Syrian Civil War, despite the fact that Syria is an enemy country.

It stands for providing humanitarian aid to Gaza even when Hamas bombs their own humanitarian aid convoy which occurred in May 2021.

It stands for granting tens of thousands of work permits to Palestinians who work every day within Israeli borders for a much higher salary than they would ever earn in the Palestinian territories.

Israel stands for giving up territories in exchange for peace such as the Sinai Peninsula in 1979 for peace with Egypt, and the peace agreement with Jordan in 1994.

It stands for forming new alliances with Arab states across the region for the benefit of both peoples such as the Abraham Accords.

Israel stands for accepting the partition plan when the Arabs of the region said no and launched a war.

It stands for granting full citizenship to the Arabs who remained, like my family.

It stands for taking chances and painful sacrifices for peace over and over again, even when it ends with over 15,000 rockets being fired at our civilians from Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

It stands for spending billions of dollars to build the Iron Dome defensive system to protect Arab and Jewish lives while Hamas is spending millions of dollars on rockets and tunnels

It stands for continuing to provide emergency medical treatment to Palestinians knowing that some of them have abused such permits to carry out terrorist activity in the past.

It stands for Arab doctors and nurses saving the lives of Jewish patients in hospitals, and Jewish doctors and nurses saving the lives of Arab patients.

It stands for the Arabs and Jews who stand side by side every day as citizens of the state of Israel.

Israel stands for life.

Thank you.



About the writer:

Yoseph Haddad is a defender of Israel – from his time defending Israel as a member of the Israel Defense Forces or more recently as the CEO of Together – Vouch For Each Other, an organization bridging the gap between the Arab sector of Israeli society with Israeli society as a whole.





While the mission of Lay of the Land (LotL) is to provide a wide and diverse perspective of affairs in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by its various writers are not necessarily ones of the owners and management of LOTL but of the writers themselves.  LotL endeavours to the best of its ability to credit the use of all known photographs to the photographer and/or owner of such photographs (0&EO).

Lay of the Land Weekly Newsletter- 27 February 2021

Unveiling the contours and contrasts of an ever-changing Middle East landscape

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Articles

(1)

Farewell Arnie

A tribute to a kibbutz icon

By David E. Kaplan

Lifetime Camaraderie. Arnie Friedman (centre) with the 2005 Habonim 75th anniversary organising committee.

He represented the best of South African Zionism.  As a member of the youth movement Habonim (the “builders”), his journey from Cape Town to a fledgling kibbutz in Israel’s Yezreel Valley, Arnie’s life was one of adventure and “building”  – an inspiring legacy to future generations.

Farewell Arnie

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(2)

Peace is Progressive

Why are so-called progressives protesting peace in the Middle East?

By Rolene Marks

Hand it to the young People. Inspired by new horizons, progressive people from the Abraham Accord countries find common ground.

While an increasing number of Muslim countries open up to rapprochement and normalization with Israel, there are still those social justice warriors who persist to sabotage peace. It is becoming increasingly evident who the true progressives are!

Peace is Progressive

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(3)

Israel from Within

– From Dreams to Fears and back Again –

By Samuel Hyde

Feeling of Euphoria. Jubilant Israelis dancing the hora at the Western Wall following the reunification of Jerusalem, 2 July 1967.

The dream was simple: Israel’s victory in the 1967 war would lead to victory over war itself. Jews rationally believed that their two-millennia-long estrangement from humanity would finally come to an end and their Jewish state would be accepted into the family of nations. IT NEVER HAPPENED!

Israel from Within – From Dreams to Fears and back Again

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LOTL Co-founders David E. Kaplan (Editor), Rolene Marks and Yair Chelouche

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While the mission of Lay of the Land (LotL) is to provide a wide and diverse perspective of affairs in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by its various writers are not necessarily ones of the owners and management of LOTL but of the writers themselves.  LotL endeavours to the best of its ability to credit the use of all known photographs to the photographer and/or owner of such photographs (0&EO).

The Israel Brief- 21-24 February 2022

The Israel Brief – 21 February 2022 – Israel appeals to citizens to evacuate Ukraine. Travel update. Amnesty Internal issues. Tribute to Judge Bach.



The Israel Brief – 22 February 2022 – Israel moves Embassy from Kiev to Lviv. Historical Supreme Court appointments. Saudi FM says peace process needed before normalisation. Arab Israeli leaders speak.



The Israel Brief – 23 February 2022 – Israel releases statement about Ukraine -Russia crisis. Herzog talks about “renewable Middle East”. Congressional tour of Israel. Maroon 5 to rock Israel.



The Israel Brief – 24 February 2022 – Israel offers humanitarian assistance to Ukraine and other news updates.






While the mission of Lay of the Land (LotL) is to provide a wide and diverse perspective of affairs in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by its various writers are not necessarily ones of the owners and management of LOTL but of the writers themselves.  LotL endeavours to the best of its ability to credit the use of all known photographs to the photographer and/or owner of such photographs (0&EO).

Farewell Arnie

A tribute to a kibbutz icon

By David E. Kaplan

For me as I’m sure for sure for many generations over many years, Arnie Friedman – who passed away  earlier this month on kibbutz Yizre’el in the Jezreel Valley near Afula in north-eastern Israel – was the wide,  warm, welcoming outstretched arms of his beloved community.

You did not need a sign at the entrance that read in Hebrew “Welcome to Yizre’el”, you just needed Arnie standing there to meet you.

I recall as a journalist, my last published article on Arnie. It was two years before corona and his line:

“It’s never too late”.

What did he mean by that?

The story that unfolded revealed so much of the character and humour of Arnie, of selfless service to others, his commitment with the capital ‘C” to the Jewish youth movement in South Africa ‘Habonim’, and of finally fulfilling dreams, no matter how long it takes!

“THE GRADUATE”

Special People. Arnie and Peggie Friedman in their garden on kibbutz Yizre’el. (Photo David Kaplan)

In 2018, I wrote that 83-year-old Arnie Friedman would be walking down the aisle. Not the one that comes first to mind – being happily married to Peggie – but another aisle that he missed walking down over sixty years earlier in Cape Town, South Africa. Due to circumstances having denied him the opportunity of enrolling at the University of Cape Town (UCT) in 1950, in 2018 Arnie walked down the aisle at the Max Stern Academic College of Emek Yezreel in Israel to receive his Bachelor of Arts degree.

And Peggie, who stood with Arnie under a Chuppah in 1957, stood beside him again as he was conferred his degree – the fulfilment of a lifelong dream.

It had been a  long time coming.

In his final years at SACS in Cape Town in the late 1940s, “I, like my mates, already started taking preliminary subjects at UCT in preparation. You could do that in those days.”

However, for Arnie, it would lead nowhere!

The family were in dire financial straits and could not afford university tuition fees. Following his father’s return in 1944 from the war in North Africa, he opened a business with an uncle “that struggled,” said Arnie. “Having battled the Nazis, I did not have the heart to pressure my Dad who was now battling financially.”

Studying at university was thus put on hold.

“It remained on my to-do list; just a question of – when.”

Arnie took a job with Woolworths, where much of his salary went to help support his family, but when after a few years, it became feasible to enroll at UCT, “Habonim in Cape Town asked me to be Mazkir Klali (Secretary General), which I accepted.”  And then, at the end of 1955, when Arnie again thought that “the time is right” to study, it was not his family that now needed his support, but the State of Israel.

From Cape Town to Cairo! Preparing for the Suez Campaign, Arnie Frieman (standing right) training with his Nahal comrades in 1956.
 

Habonim in South Africa had received a letter from Shimon Peres (later president of Israel) who in the mid-1950s was Director-General of the Ministry of Defense and involved in the planning of the 1956 Suez War, in partnership with France and Britain. “In his letter, which he addressed to Jewish youth movements all over the world,” said Arnie,“he revealed that there was a strong likelihood for war sometime in 1956, and that the State of Israel would welcome young men volunteering to fight.”

Licking their Wounds. An amused Arnie Friedman (right) having his leg attended to by Harld Kaufman during the 1956 “Suez Campain following the Battle of the Babes in Tel Aviv.

UCT would again have to wait!

“A whole gang of us from the Movement – some students, some not – volunteered, and on the third day of arriving in Israel we were drilling in uniform.”

However, “our katzin (“officer”) was less than impressed. He took one look at our overweight and scruffy crowd standing before him and bellowed in broken English, “Why did they not send us money instead to buy arms instead of you useless lot. What are we expected to do with you?” We were really shaken.”

That night, Arnie and his mates met in their barrack, “and we decided to show him. We pulled ourselves together, lost weight, trained seriously” and proudly emerged a formidable fighting unit.

“We were ready for battle,” but their first skirmish however was not against the Egyptians in the ‘Suez Campaign’ but what became known as ‘The ZOA Campaign’.

THE BATTLE OF THE BABES

On the eve of their paratrooper course, the South African Zionist Federation in Israel (Telfed) together with Nahal “splashed out on a party at the Tel Aviv headquarters of the Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) for us.”

After all, this was the first group of Southern African Nahal volunteers.

“We arrived washed, combed, boots shinning and clean uniforms,” says Arnie. “To our delight, also invited to the party was a group of girls from some college as our dancing partners. The atmosphere was most convivial – good food, a band, dancing partners, plenty of beer, as well as a bit of the more potent stuff !!!”

Suddenly the party was ‘INVADED’ by a group of tough-looking paratroopers. “Not only did these gatecrashers polish off all our refreshments but without a “by your leave”, butted in and took over as the dancing partners with our girls.”

This was a declaration of war!

Tempers were kept in check until the final notes of Hatikva “when the first fists started to fly and within seconds, the scene was something out of Western saloon brawl. The Nahal commander and Telfed staff member, Simie Weinstein tried to calm everyone down, but to no avail. He was pushed backwards into a large glass door which shattered into piece. Tables and chairs went flying.

Our officers called for a ‘retreat’ and we were herded into waiting buses.” On the way back to base, first aid was administered to cut cheeks, bleeding noses and hurt pride.

“No doubt about it,” says Arnie, “the paratroopers were a far more experienced fighting unit. Nevertheless, our SA Nahal boys acquitted themselves very well.  We carried our bruises with pride. This was our first military battle in Israel.”

However, Arnie had further internal ‘battles’ – either to return to South Africa and university or stay in Israel with his garin (group) that had just been joined by a Habonim garin from Australia on Kibbutz Ginegar near Afula.

Arnie did return to South Africa, not to UCT however, but to marry his beloved Peggie with whom he returned, and together settled with his garin on the young kibbutz of Yizre’el.

Times were tough, and Arnie recalls “we were given a hut without a toilet or shower” and only with their first-born, “were we provided a hut with a bathroom.  But those were the days, and everyone in the country, one way or another, was roughing it. We were young; we did not come to a built-up country but to build the country. We were idealists.”

Studying at a university seemed ever-further away as the days, months and years would turn into decades and Arnie would establish his reputation as kibbutz head of volunteers and young groups studying at Yizre’el’s  ulpan programmes.

Imbued with the ideology of Habonim – “The Builders” – Arnie was living the ‘collective’ dream, but he never ever gave up on his personal dream of studying for a degree.

DREAM FULFILLED

And then, one day some seven years ago, “Now a pensioner”, Arnie saw a poster on a notice board addressed to the “over fifties” who were looking to study for a BA at the local college.

“Finally, my time arrived, and with permission granted by the kibbutz, I signed up. Although it was for the over fifties, for most of the four years that I took, I was the oldest student.”

Arnie’s only sorrow was that his sister in Australia, who so supported him studying for this BA and assured that she would attend his graduation, passed away a month earlier at the age of 93. “At least she knew that I had finally fulfilled my dream.”

Noting in 2018 that it was the 120th anniversary of the First Zionist Congress in Basel, Arnie recalled Herzl’s most famous line:

“If you will it, it is no dream.”

That summed up the Life of Arnie!

It also reflected the idealism of Arnie and his comrades on Yizre’el when their idealist was really put to their test. I remember Arnie telling  me the story.

The Usual Suspects. Following the Gilboa Walk and lunch as kibbutz Yizre’el in 2007, participants (l-r) Henrietta and David David, Hilary Kaplan, Daniel Klug, Michelle Wolff, Rossie Klug and the writer enjoy the home hospitality of Arnie and Peggie Friedman (right) in their garden. This was a tradition for many years, inspired and organised by Arnie.

SWIMMING AGAINST THE CURRENT

In  2012, after a stormy meeting, Kibbutz Yisrael members turned down a massive offer at the time for a majority stake in the kibbutz’s swimming pool robot cleaning company, Maytronics. It was modeled after the South African Kreepy Krauly, but taken to a whole new level of sophisticated robotics.

It would have made each member of the kibbutz exceeding rich.  But as Arnie explained, what does the word “rich” mean?

Apparently at the meeting that was leaning towards accepting the offer and would have changed the nature and social fabric of the kibbutz,  a South African member got up and asked the question: “If we accept the offer, could the buyer then relocate the business elsewhere, off the kibbutz?”

When the answer came in the affirmative, a debate ensured, which the South African members proved persuasive. As Arnie explained: “Yes, we will be rich, but we will be poor in sacrificing the lifestyle and values we cherish.”

Arnie told me that a member of the kibbutz came up to him afterwards and said:

 “We are indebted to you South Africans. You reminded us  of why we chose to live on a kibbutz and the importance of holding onto its values.”

On a personal level, I remember the close relationship we enjoyed –  in contact daily –  when I chaired the organizing committee of the Habonim 75th anniversary in 2005 on kibbutz Yizre’el, where some 1,700 ‘chevra’ from all over the world descended on this socialist emerald patch in in Jezreel Valley. During the daily grind of organizing, Arnie was that anchor that kept everything on an even keel. He moved mountains with such ease and always with a smile.

The Dream Team. Planning and plotting are Arnie Friedman (sitting centre) at a meeting of the organizing committee of the Habonim 75th Anniversary. Top (l-r) Bennie Segal, David Kaplan, Dave Bloom, Howard Gordon, Mikael Hanan’; (middle) Sean Wasserman; (bottom l-r) Stephen Schulman, Eddie  Solow, Arnie Friedman and Bruce Oppenheimer. ((Photo collection David Kaplan)

THE RIGHT TRACK

It was Arnie that thereafter introduced me to the famous annual Gilboa Walk, where people of all ages and from all over Israel and abroad participate as well as all the youth movements in Israel. It was moving to see all the kids from the youth movements walking in their uniforms and singing songs of idealism. It was poignantly described as a “remnant of Israeli togetherness”.

Each year, Arnie would call me to organize our friends from the south to join the Yizre’el members for the walk, followed by lunch on the kibbutz. It truly was an experience of warm “Israeli togetherness”.

The highlight was always afterwards, tea with Arnie and Peggy in their delightful garden.

Wonderful memories – farewell my friend.

Having a Field Day. Arnie Friedman and Rona Stander  visiting from Sydney, Australia at a rugby match on kibbutz Yizre’el. (Photo David Kaplan)





While the mission of Lay of the Land (LotL) is to provide a wide and diverse perspective of affairs in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by its various writers are not necessarily ones of the owners and management of LOTL but of the writers themselves.  LotL endeavours to the best of its ability to credit the use of all known photographs to the photographer and/or owner of such photographs (0&EO).

Peace is Progressive

By Rolene Marks

Every Friday, the social media platform Twitter is transformed into a flurry of excitement. Emiratis, Bahrainis, Moroccans and Israelis eagerly exchange wishes of Shabbat Shalom and Jumaa Mubarak as people of both the Jewish and Muslim faiths begin to prepare for our respective Sabbaths. We exchange well wishes, images of our respective countries and take delight in the blessings in Hebrew, Arabic and English that are shared between many of us who although we may not have met (yet!) in person, are forging friendships.

Open Minds. Young leaders from the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt meet with their Israeli counterparts during a visit organized by the Israel-Is organization (Photo Itamar Eyal)

If you had told me two years ago that this would be happening, I would have thought you are meshuggah (mad). But here we are, nearly two years after the signing of the historic Abraham Accords and the effects are tangible. Peace is no longer a pipe dream – it is happening.

Agreements are signed between leaders but peace is built by the people. While cynics among us may think that these Accords exist primarily to stave off Iranian hegemony in the region and that may be a factor; but the cooperation has extended to business, tourism, innovation, security and other industries.

They say fortune favours the brave and this is evident daily in the extraordinary amount of deals being signed, knowledge exchanges, tourism and more. The peace train has started its journey around the Middle East and while it may be only a few carriages long, there is hope that it will grow in size and stature. Israel’s leaders have made historic trips to both the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain and delegations like the interfaith Sharaka, have visited Israel, travel permitting. There has been an exchange of ambassadors and embassies have been opened. Peace is flourishing.

Hands On. Young influencers from the Abraham Accord countries find common ground with Israelis on a personal level during a visit to Israel. (Photo Itamar Eyal)

You would think that with this historic level of goodwill, many of Israel’s detractors would find some redeeming qualities about the Jewish state they are so intent on demonizing but sadly, they can’t. Several weeks ago, self-proclaimed “progressive” organisations, If Not Now (famous for saying Kaddish, the prayer for the dead for Hamas terrorists who have been eliminated), Jewish Voices for Peace (JVP) and various others, put together a petition objecting to the Abraham Accords. “While masquerading as ‘peace’ and ‘diplomacy’, the Abraham Accords and this legislation are in fact an endorsement of arms sales and political favors between the US and authoritarian regimes – including weapons sales to the United Arab Emirates and the recognition of Morocco’s illegal annexation of Western Sahara – in exchange for the sidelining of Palestinian rights,” read their statement.

Several weeks ago, US Congressman, Jamaal Bowman, who is considered a progressive amongst the Democratic Party, joined a JStreet delegation to Israel, meeting a variety of leaders both in Israel and from the Palestinian Authority. Last week, Bowman, a signatory to a treaty endorsing the Abraham Accords, withdrew his support citing that it ignores Palestinian rights.

Finding Common Ground. During the first delegation to the Jewish state of Bahrainis organized by the NGO Sharaka, young Bahraini influencers had their preconceptions challenged on a country-wide tour  of Israel.
 

Nothing says “we are so progressive” like protesting peace accords!!

It is no great secret that the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians is one of the most complicated in the world; but at what stage do these organisations and leaders stop infantising the Palestinians? If these “progressives” were sincere about peace, they would not only encourage the Abraham Accords, they would stop the obsessive and unhelpful demonization of Israel and ignoring of Palestinian intransigence that still encourages incitement, pay-for-slay and other obstacles to peace.

Nobody is saying that Israel is faultless but the obsession of the progressives to paint Israel as the sole obstacle to peace is dangerous and counterproductive.

They are not the only ones who are like dogs with a juicy bone when it comes to the Israel- Palestinian conflict.

The United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHEC) also have an obsession with the Jewish state, having passed more resolutions and sent more inquiries concerning the Jewish state than other conflicts and human rights abusers. As the world stands on the precipice of a potential war between Russia and the Ukraine, the UNHRC turns its focus to……….Israel.

The UNHRC has set up an inquiry into the flare up between Israel and Hamas during May of 2021. Heading up this inquiry will be Navi Pillay, a South African jurist who served as the UN’s High Commissioner for Human Rights from 2008 to 2014. 

Mockery of Justice. Appointed to chair the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) inquiry into alleged abuses of Palestinians,  retired South African judge and former UN human rights chief, Navi Pillay from South Africa – who has backed sanctions against Israel in the past  – is justly accused of anti-Israel bias and is facing demands to step down.

Pillay, who is mandated to be impartial, has a long history of anti-Israel rhetoric and this has prompted watchdog, UN Watch, to submit a 30-page complaint to the UNHRC alerting them to the fact that she had not disclosed her previous prejudicial statements.

Hillel Neuer, Executive Director of UN Watch says:

 “It is astonishing that the United Nations appointed an individual as the supposedly impartial chair of an inquiry immediately after she declared one of the parties guilty in the very controversies that are at issue in the investigation .By heading this inquiry, despite having repeatedly declared Israel guilty of precisely the crimes that she is supposed to investigate, Navi Pillay embodies the injustice of the UN and its human rights council when it comes to the selective treatment of the Jewish state.”

Demonstrable Bias. Accusing the chair of the UN commission of inquiry into the May 2021 conflict between Israel and the terrorist group Hamas, international lawyer Hillel C. Neuer, the Executive Director of UN Watch (above), has called for Navi Pillay to resign for violating UN rules of impartiality, notably her frequent prejudice against the Jewish state.

While the inquiry is mandated to examine “systematic discrimination” on the basis of race, ethnicity or national origin, in June 2020 Navi Pillay signed a petition, organized by the South African Boycott Divestment and Sanctions (SA BDS) coalition, entitled: “Sanction Apartheid Israel!”

In a May 2021 lecture, Pillay described Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians as “inhuman”. She compared Israel to Apartheid South Africa, and defended the systematic singling-out of Israel under a targeted agenda item at the UN Human Rights Council.

“Apartheid is now being declared a crime against humanity in the Rome Statute, and it means the enforced segregation of people on racial lines, and that is what is happening in Israel,” said Pillay in November 2017.

Neuer continues:

 “Never throughout her UN tenure did Pillay use such dismissive language regarding any other country—not even against serial abusers such as China, Russia, Iran, Syria or North Korea. From her statements, it is clear that in Pillay’s eyes, Israel is a cruel and oppressive colonizer, and a racist regime. Her narrative of who is the villain is set in stone. Ms. Pillay has long ago made up her mind. Asking Navi Pillay to head an inquiry examining Israel is like asking a vegetarian to review a steakhouse. When it comes to Israel, as our legal brief demonstrates, Pillay is the complete opposite of impartial. The legal test is the appearance of bias, and there’s no doubt that Pillay fails the test. We are therefore calling on her to do the right thing, and to resign immediately.”

The UNHRC have to date, stood by their appointment of Pillay.

The examples shown above clearly demonstrate that Israel’s detractors, while seeking to appear concerned about social justice and human rights, have a greater agenda in place – the continued labelling of Israel as a pariah state, to be excluded from the family of nations.

As the Muslim world continues to open up to rapprochement and normalization with the Jewish state and the social justice warriors continue with their efforts to scupper peace, it is increasingly evident who the true progressives are.


Young Israelis and Emiratis meet online after peace deal – BBC News





While the mission of Lay of the Land (LotL) is to provide a wide and diverse perspective of affairs in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by its various writers are not necessarily ones of the owners and management of LOTL but of the writers themselves.  LotL endeavours to the best of its ability to credit the use of all known photographs to the photographer and/or owner of such photographs (0&EO).

Israel from Within – From Dreams to Fears and back Again

The dream was simple: Israel’s victory in the 1967 war would lead to victory over war itself

By Samuel Hyde

(courtesy of Times of Israel)

Many back then believed that the trajectory of the Jewish people would undergo an enlightened shift after the 1967 Six-Day War. The Golan Heights, as well as Judea and Samaria and the Sinai Peninsula, were now in Israel’s hands. Syria, Jordan, and Egypt, which had previously held these territories, now demanded their return. Many saw this desire on the side of the Arabs as an opportunity for the Israelis: for the first time in history, we held solid bargaining chips that if acted upon wisely, could be traded in as part of a peace agreement. The dream was simple: Israel’s victory in the war would lead to victory over war itself.

Peace was thought to alter not just Israel’s fate but also the fate of the Jewish people. Israel would cease to be an isolated state, rather becoming an integral part of the Middle East, and once completely integrated, would also be fully accepted by Europe and the entire West.

By taking destiny into our own hands, Jews’ two-millennia-long estrangement from humanity would finally come to an end, and we would be accepted into the family of nations.

However, it appeared there was another way to reap the benefits of victory. Israel could settle the land rather than exchanging it for peace. Many felt this would transform Jewish history from the bottom up. According to this perspective, a nation isn’t connected to itself when it lives outside of its own land. In other words, there will be a crack in the nation’s soul if the nation’s present doesn’t unfold in the same places as its history.

The early memories of the Jewish people were forged in places like Jerusalem, Nablus, Hebron, and Nazareth, and Israel’s triumph in the 1967 war allowed Jews to return to these areas of the historic homeland. This would establish a living link between the past and the present, and was seen as a process allowing the Jewish people’s wounded and traumatised psyche to heal. It was thought that repairing the nation and settling on ancient soil would also cure the future.

Feeling of Euphoria. Israelis dancing the hora at the Western Wall after the unification of Jerusalem, 2 July 1967. (photo GPO, via sixdaywar.org)

The conflicting ideas behind these two dreams is noticeable, yet they were both supported by a fundamental agreement. Both parties felt that by properly leveraging wartime victory, they could alter the future of the Jewish people.

They had one more thing in common: they were both proven incorrect.

This isn’t a statement to be taken lightly. Israel’s inability to achieve peace by no means fell solely at the feet of the Jewish state. In fact one could argue successfully that continued Palestinian rejection of any two-state solution on offer is what has led to the status quo. Regardless of one’s view, as time passed, these dreams began to fade and more and more Israelis broke free from these two beliefs.

So, what happened to the dreams? To begin with, both the Israeli left and right shifted. Many on the left gave up hope that a peaceful diplomatic solution to the Middle East’s problems was on the horizon. The right was likewise altered. The majority of the right no longer thinks that settlement, even if it fulfils prophecies, will result in tomorrow’s redemption.

There’s another distinct difference – the “blame-game”. Ever since the Second Intifada, many on the left have talked less about peace and more about the harm done by the occupation. Also, ever since the 2005 disengagement from the Gaza Strip, the right has talked less about redemption and more about the security threat.

Essentially, in spite of your views on settlement, solution, peace, and security, which traditionally placed you on one side of the aisle or the other, today’s divisions are often based on who is deemed more responsible and essentially to blame for the conflict.

Picture Imperfect. While the world debates the legality of Jewish settlements in Judea and Samaria (the West Bank), Jews frame “settling” as “returning” to their ancient ‘Land of Israel’ so thoroughly documented in the Bible.

The left’s prevalent position today is that if Israel remains in the territories and continues to govern over a Palestinian civilian population, it will suffer three consequences: moral degradation, diplomatic isolation, and demographic loss.

Most demographers anticipate that the day will soon come when Jews will no longer form a majority in Israeli-controlled territory. Hence, once the Jews become a minority in their own land, it will cease to be their land.

The right frequently responds to this demographic argument with denial, citing alternate demographers which estimate that the Jewish majority isn’t in jeopardy. Even if that’s true, and Palestinians account for “just” 40% of the country’s population, it would be difficult to designate such a country as the nation-state of the Jewish people.

In other words, the desire to cling to the land of Israel defies the self-definition of the state of Israel. One is inclined to admit that this argument possesses tremendous weight.

It’s fascinating to observe how the right and left have become mirror images of each other. The right no longer believes that settling the land will bring redemption, but says withdrawing will bring disaster. The left no longer believes that withdrawing from the territories will bring redemption, but says remaining there will bring disaster. The left and right have undergone similar processes: they have both moved from dreams to fears.

However, new processes have begun to form, the Abraham Accords for one. Those at the centre of the “dreams and fears” debacle seem to have found mutual ground by attempting to replace paralysis with pragmatism.

Though this is based less on a romanticised vision of peace or redemption and rather on economics and mutual agreement of the military threat Iran poses to the region, this too, if acted upon wisely, could lead to Israel becoming a fully integrated and accepted part of the Middle East.

As divided as Israeli politics appears, one finds a basic consensus in the needs, desires, and demands of the everyday person on the street regardless of their affiliation.

Moving Forward. Despite no resolution yet to the Israel-Palestinian conflict, Israel is steadfastly integrating into the Middle East as reflected here by  Prime Minister Naftali Bennett meeting with Emirati Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi, Dec. 13, 2021. – Haim Zach/GPO

So, perhaps the dreams aren’t dead but in a process of renewal. Maybe they’re less philosophical and more based on realism, which could be argued is a positive step. Maybe the romantic dreams lie not in political ideology but in the daily exchanges and normalisation between Israeli and Arab citizens from countries that currently constitute the Abraham Accords, and in the hope that more will join soon.




About the writer:

Samuel Hyde is a political writer and commentator based in Tel Aviv, Israel. As a columnist he has been published throughout Israel, the U.S and South Africa in esteemed publications, focusing on topics such as Israel’s political climate, antisemitism, the Israeli/Palestinian conflict, the Jewish world, and Jewish Pluralism. He also works in field related organizations.





While the mission of Lay of the Land (LotL) is to provide a wide and diverse perspective of affairs in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by its various writers are not necessarily ones of the owners and management of LOTL but of the writers themselves.  LotL endeavours to the best of its ability to credit the use of all known photographs to the photographer and/or owner of such photographs (0&EO).

Lay of the Land Weekly Newsletter- 20 February 2021

Unveiling the contours and contrasts of an ever-changing Middle East landscape

Reliable reportage and insightful commentary on the Middle East by seasoned journalists from the region and beyond

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What’s happening in Israel today?  See from every Monday – Thursday LotL’s “The Israel Brief” broadcasts and on our Facebook page and  YouTube by seasoned TV & radio broadcaster, Rolene Marks familiar to Chai FM listeners in South Africa and millions of American listeners to the News/Talk/Sports radio station  WINA, broadcasting out of Charlottesville, Virginia.

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Articles

(1)

Ukraine Today, Where Tomorrow?

The threat of a cataclysmic clash on European soil – Again!

By David E. Kaplan

Predator on the Prowl. Satirical and tyrannical – an old style autocrat ready to set a world ablaze to satisfy an expansive appetite.

The headlines today are frightening – a countdown  to another bloody conflagration on European soil followed by a return to a “Cold War”. Can sanity, morality and steady-hand leadership prevail to prevent this unnecessary path to global madness.

Ukraine Today, Where Tomorrow?

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(2)

Education and the Thought Police

The Thought Police are eroding history bringing us to a cultural tipping point

By Rolene Marks

Age of Outrage. Letting slip something racist, bigoted or offensive, some of the talk show hosts to land recently in hot water.

We are at a critical juncture in our “education” when agendas trump history and dissenting voices are suppressed, inhibiting authentic public discourse in favour of what the writer terms a “herd think mentality”.

Education and the Thought Police

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(3)

The Great Aliyah of Soviet Jewry

Recounting a personal participation of one of the great adventures of the 20th century

By Jonathan Davis

Celebrating Freedom. Released from prison 24 hours earlier, Yuli Kosharovsky (left) with writer (right) at Seder in Leningrad.

Over three decades ago, a million emigres from the former Soviet Union started arriving in Israel, increasing its population substantially and enriching its culture immeasurably. A recent controversy over a song by a popular Israeli singer, ignited the writer to respond by sharing his inspiring contribution in helping facilitate this 20th century miracle.

The Great Aliyah of Soviet Jewry

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LOTL Co-founders David E. Kaplan (Editor), Rolene Marks and Yair Chelouche

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While the mission of Lay of the Land (LotL) is to provide a wide and diverse perspective of affairs in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by its various writers are not necessarily ones of the owners and management of LOTL but of the writers themselves.  LotL endeavours to the best of its ability to credit the use of all known photographs to the photographer and/or owner of such photographs (0&EO).

The Israel Brief- 14-17 February 2022

The Israel Brief – 14 February 2022 – Israelis advised to leave Ukraine. Mansour Abbas rejects Apartheid label. Pelosi to visit Israel. Gulf Jewish Communities celebrates one year anniversary.



The Israel Brief – 15 February 2022 – Historic visit to Bahrain. Ukraine Russia tension. Hamas in Philippines. Israelis swoon over Egyptian President El-Sisi.



The Israel Brief – 16 February 2022 – US Speaker of the House Pelosi in Israel. UK Charity Commission to investigate Amnesty International. UN Watch petitions over inquiry lead. Whoopi is back to work.



The Israel Brief – 17 February 2022 – Australia proscribes Hamas. More Covid restrictions to end. Bennett thanks Pelosi. Israeli envoy requests help evacuating citizens and diplomats.






While the mission of Lay of the Land (LotL) is to provide a wide and diverse perspective of affairs in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by its various writers are not necessarily ones of the owners and management of LOTL but of the writers themselves.  LotL endeavours to the best of its ability to credit the use of all known photographs to the photographer and/or owner of such photographs (0&EO).

Ukraine Today, Where Tomorrow?

The threat of a cataclysmic clash on European soil – Again!

By David E. Kaplan

I remember as a kid in the early sixties laughing my head off in a “bioscope” (cinema) in Cape Town, South Africa to the all-star American comedy “It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World”.

Chasing the Buck. The poster to the hilarious blockbuster on the sixties starring Spencer Tracy with an all-star cast of comedians.

Years later as a senior,  I sit riveted to a small screen in Israel and still “It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World” but I’m not laughing. There is nothing comedic in the news’ coverage of a Europe teetering at the edge of an abyss; of again heading headlong to war – an insane unnecessary war that the Washington Post predicts could lead to 50,000 civilian casualties and would trigger, according to Amnesty International, a humanitarian refugee crisis.

There is a cartoon doing the rounds that says it all.

Putin arrives as a casual tourist at passport control on entering an unnamed European country and is asked by the immigration official:

“Destination?”

“Bucharest” replies Putin

“Occupation?” asks the  official.

“Of course” replies Putin.

As this real-life Game of Thrones plays out with possible dire and deadly consequences, the world watches, waits and wonders if this is a new pivotal moment in history from which a new world order may emerge. Commentators and historians have been drawing comparisons to the First World War when bombs and blunders thunderously reset the political landscape far beyond the borders of Europe, the consequences of which are still reverberating today.

Whether Putin is playing a skillful game of chess or  a risky game of poker – note that while an invasion looks imminent the Russian media reports of forces leaving the border area designed to obfuscate –  President Biden had it right when he said in his address from the White House that should Putin invade his neighbour that the “needless death and destruction” that he will inflict will be the result of “A WAR OF CHOICE”.

The most significant words here are “he” and “CHOICE”. This “march of folly” is being pursued not by a people but a person – Putin –  and it is his “choice” alone.

Russia faces no existential threats, most certainly not from Ukraine.  On the contrary, it is the Ukraine, Europe and the world  who are facing Russian greed and gangsterism.

The Road to Kyiv? Russian armoured vehicles on route to Ukraine border. What is their final destination?

However Putin may have bitten more than he can chew. He may well have underestimated Biden’s resolve and ability to unify a shaky Europe to stand firm against the Russian bear, reminiscent of  President Bush in the first Gulf War orchestrating an array of nations to join the USA’s lead in a coalition, forming the largest military alliance since World War II. It may be that the current Coalition of the Willing that is prepared to engage in an economic war  with Russia may not have been what its appetitive president expected.

So what is Putin hoping to achieve with his cat and mouse machinations?

My personal view, is that Putin – long set on reclaiming all of Ukraine and boldened by his success of occupying and annexing the Crimea in early 2014 – the gambler in the Kremlin believed he would get away with it, particularly if Trump was still in the White House. 

Contrary to arguments put forward that Putin would not be doing what he is doing if Trump was still in the White House, I believe  the opposite; that Putin had a belief – not unreasonable –  that the former US president, who admires “strong men” autocrats and saw eastern Europe as the Russian’s sphere of influence would turn a blind eye to Russian ambitious shenanigans. In support of this reasoning, Trump did all in his power to undermine and belittle NATO, unsettle the European alliances amplified by his support of Brexit – offering Brittan “good deals”. The Russian bear smacked its lips,  salivating in anticipation of future land grabs!

Possibly, the most disappointed with a Biden presidential victory was Putin, his premier vodka remaining on ice until now – maybe!!!

Biden to Putin. Step back from the brink of war with Ukraine says US President Joe Biden in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC on the 15 February, 2022. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Hopefully it will remain on ice and the Russian forces will leave the borders of the Ukraine and “needless death and destruction” will be averted.

Europe does not need to build on its unenviable reputation as a mass graveyard to the outsized ambitions of autocratic leadership.

Jews on this issue are particularly sensitive. The Holocaust in Ukraine represented the first phase of the Shoah in which an estimated 1.5 million Jews were shot to death at close range in ravines, open fields, and forests. One in every four Jewish victims of the Holocaust was murdered in Ukraine.

With 75,000 Jews thought to be living in Ukraine, we don’t need to add to that  harrowing tally. That Israel is taking the matter seriously was evident in The Jerusalem Post’s Wednesday headline:

“Israel prepares to move embassy from Kyiv to Lviv”

The article also  reveals plans for providing security to the Jewish community as well preparations for a possible emergency evacuation.

From Frogs to Bears. A portent of things to come?

Recalling another movie  from the writer’s past, this time as a law student was the 1972  horror flick FROGS that had in bold on its poster:

 “Today The Pond! Tomorrow – The World!”

One could paraphrase the movie as BEARS and reword the poster as:

“Today Ukraine, Tomorrow the Baltic”

We are warned.





While the mission of Lay of the Land (LotL) is to provide a wide and diverse perspective of affairs in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by its various writers are not necessarily ones of the owners and management of LOTL but of the writers themselves.  LotL endeavours to the best of its ability to credit the use of all known photographs to the photographer and/or owner of such photographs (0&EO).

Education and the Thought Police

The Thought Police are eroding history bringing us to a cultural tipping point

By Rolene Marks

There is a song that contains the following lyrics, “we don’t need no education, we don’t need no thought control, no dark sarcasm in the classroom, hey teachers, leave them kids alone! All in all we’re just another brick in the wall.” Yes, you know the one.

The thought control police are everywhere these days. Hardly a day goes by when news hasn’t broken about some or other cultural icon being cancelled because it is “offensive”. Cartoon skunk, Pepe le Pew is a misogynist (reminder, he is a CARTOON SKUNK), M&M’s are not diverse enough (yes, I know you also think about diversity when scoffing a candy treat), Mr. Potato Head and a whole host of others, both fictional and real have been given their marching orders.

It seems that the fictional works or George Orwell in the classic book 1984 are coming to pass.

A few weeks ago I wrote about the massive whoopsie that Whoopi Goldberg made on her TV show, “The View”.  Her comments about the Holocaust not being about race but rather “two groups of white people fighting each other” exposed not just a fault line of how critical race theory is permeating news and media but also the glaring lack of education about the Shoah.

Lost Opportunity. When ABC simply suspended Whoopi Goldberg rather than engage in serious conversation about the Holocaust anchored on why her comments were false and offensive, the news network missed an opportunity to educate.

What started the brouhaha was a discussion centred on the McMinn County school board in Tennessee wanting to remove the iconic Holocaust-based book, Maus, from the eighth-grade curriculum. There were concerns about sexual content and language but also that the “US was not painted in a positive light”.

A Zoom meeting was held between the author of the book, Art Speigelman, members of the board and concerned parents. One board member commented:

“What we need is a book that shows the patriotism we can proudly feel for having liberated the Jews from the camps.” Spiegelman pointed out that the US was reluctant to join the war and put a stop to the persecution of Jews, and that it was the Russians who liberated Auschwitz, where his father had been held.

Scared of a Mouse. The iconic Holocaust based book and the only graphic novel to win a Pulitzer Prize, Art Spiegelman’s Maus fell foul of a school board in Tennessee, USA that wanted it removed from the school syllabus concerned that the “US was not painted in a positive light”. 

“Even if they say they’re willing to teach the Holocaust, they want a fuzzier, warmer, gentler Holocaust that shows how great the Americans were,” Speigelman said.

“This is a dangerous world. It’s getting more dangerous. Are you going to try to confront it in a way that’s useful, or hide your head in myths and stories that are heartwarming?” he said.

There is no “easy” way to teach the Holocaust.  This most brutal genocide of the Jews of Europe needs to be taught in all its brutality.

I am not a fan of cancel culture. I believe it destroys important opportunities to educate people by cutting off discourse. It also effectively cancels a channel for the person who has erred to learn from their mistakes and do right by those they have offended.

Brutal Revelations. From a page in Maus, which represents Jews as mice, Germans as cats, Poles as pigs, Americans as dogs, the British as fish, the French as frogs, and the Swedish as deer.

ABC, by suspending Whoopi and not engaging in any further conversation about the Holocaust and why her comments were so offensive, missed the opportunity to educate. They effectively swept the issue under carpet and sent her to the naughty corner.

Goldberg is back at The View, promising to have those “uncomfortable discussions”. No comment whether or not she had engaged in any Holocaust based education during her suspension. What a waste of two weeks that could have involved speaking to survivors, educators and perhaps Speigelman himself.

The revision and reframing of history to push agendas is extremely worrying. Statues have been toppled in cities around the world unless the subjects have unimpeachable records. The mob have come for Thomas Jefferson, cancelled Abraham Lincoln and are gunning for Winston Churchill amongst others. No leader is absolutely perfect but now would be a good time to remind the thought police that if it weren’t for Churchill who led the defeat of the Nazis, the alternative would have been devastating.

Age of Outrage. Joe Rogan, Sharon Osbourne, Whoopi Goldberg and Ellen DeGeneres are just some of the celebrity talk show hosts to land in hot water in recent months. (Getty/Joe Rogan Experience/Spotify/CBS)

We only have to look at the whole discussion around Spotify podcaster Joe Rogan and those trying to deplatform him to see how divergent voices are shut down. Whether or not we agree or disagree with his views on Coved-19 or any other topic, don’t we have a right to decide for ourselves?

I recall some of my own experiences while doing my degree in International Relations when I lived in South Africa. I had to hand in an assignment in my International Law class that was a study of the Second Lebanon war. The case study in question left out pertinent points about Hezbollah firing Katyusha rockets at Israeli civilians. Basically the case study stated that Hezbollah kidnapped two Israeli soldiers and the response from the IDF was to flatten parts of Lebanon. When I confronted my professor, I was told “this is a South African university and we are only interested in a South African perspective”. So much for evidentiary support for my argument! Certainly explains a few things about South African foreign policy vis a vis Israel!

These are not the sole examples I can think of. Every day brings new examples of lack of education and thought control. Some days it is gender issues, other days it is the Middle East (you should hear the experts on THAT!) or the pandemic and so on.

We are at a critical juncture in education when agendas trump history and dissenting voices on certain topics are being shut down in favour of a herd think mentality.

It brings me back to the song I referenced at the beginning. We do need an education, it is not thought control, it is simply understanding and learning about the past in all its painful context so that we can reflect and move towards the future, hopefully as better, more tolerant human beings.





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