Israel’s News Blog Magazine: Daily Stories Video and Photos

The testosterone rich life of Israeli politics waddles on with today’s conviction of Haim Ramon.
Haaretz had this:

Both sides agreed that H., who was finishing her army service, asked to be photographed hugging Ramon. According to the indictment, she then tried to leave, but “the defendant continued to embrace her body with one hand and drew her near. With the other hand, he grasped her cheeks, turned her face toward him and pressed his lips to her lips, while inserting his tongue into her mouth, all without her consent.”

The former Minister of Jutice can receive up to three years in prison. This was an upset.
However, given recent events and the way sexual misconduct has been traditionally ignored for the most part by authorities, I guess better late then never. The unanimous decision by the 3 panel judge sends a clear message to the “light” sexual offenders, those that think that a small innocent forceful kiss is “nothing”….

Another Israeli finalist at the aniBOOM Animation Competition, Tom Dor. His entry is in the Funny category. A magical box falls from the sky and disturb the peaceful lives of two prehistoric brothers. A story about human nature and its reaction to technology.

Merav Michaelia flamboyant and colorful TV personality had this to say to President Katzav. Wanting to express her thoughts on the President’s verbal assault Merav decided to expose her chest and show her bra on the Hot News channel last night. She was pissed off at the Neanderthal assumption made by Katzav that if the rape accuser was indeed a prostitute, she must have deserved to get raped. She explained that having a large chest, even if its exposed, does not mean that a woman deserves to get raped.
She was asked to come in the next day for “clarification” to the production company JCS offices.

What’s to clarify ??

There is no way to avoid the obvious. The shameful tantrum our President was a disgrace and it doesn’t change the fact that he has to leave the Presidency. Regardless of how convinced he is of his innocense, he can not and will not represent the people of Israel.
The so called “press conference” was an obvious attempt to force the wheel back and make us forget about the last 6 months. Katzav just created a new definition for Chutzpah and Moshik suggested he be called the “Pantless President“!

Israel President Moshe Katzav is really finding out how lonely it is at the top. This is especially true after being accused by his country’s top legal watchdog, Menny Mazuz, of crimes ranging from rape to sexual harassment, fraudulent misrepresentation of facts, and cover ups for other similar deeds. After the official announcement by the State Prosecutor was announced on January 23, Mr. Katzav seems unwilling and unable to come to terms with reality. His speech today at his official residence in Jerusalem, before members of the press, was an exercise in absurdity, with Mr. Katzav adamantly claiming his innocence and expressing his feelings of being victimized by his country’s media, especially the ones representing Channel 2 TV.

Even Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, himself feeling the heat of possible indictments for a number of wrongdoings, has called for Katzav to resign his office immediately. An editorial in today’s issue of the Jerusalem Post states that Katzav can do whatever he needs to do to “clear his name”, but should resign his office for the good of the country. The only problem, for Mr. Katzav anyway, is that the crimes he is accused of being involved in are more than just an issue of “clearing his name”. In fact, they are serious enough to give Mr. Katzav another residence to live in that will be a bit more ‘cramped’ than the spacious one he and his wife have been enjoying for the past six and a half years.

Not being a graphic artist, I can only give an idea what a good political cartoon should be concerning the future domicile of Mr. Katzav. It goes something like this:
The scene takes place at Ayalon Prison where we see serial rapist Benny Sela sitting in his prison cell looking at a tattered copy of Hustler Magazine. The prison warden is yelling out to Sela, “Hey Benny, You’ve not got company!” And following along behind the warden, and carrying his consignment of prison uniform, blankets, etc., is none other than…………… (I’ll let you, the ready figure this one out!).

It’s not a pretty situation by any measure, and in order to prevent the State of Israel from being castigated by the world for drifting from the absurd to the ridiculous, the only alternative that President Katzav has left now is to resign his post and exit, stage right.

He needs to do this not only to preserve what’s left of his own dignity, but that of his county’s as well.

The writer is a freelance journalist and political commentator

Another finalist in the aniBOOM animation contest - an Israeli, Ariel Belinco. The day to day life of a military world is disturbed by the appearance of a black kite behind its high walls. The army annoyed by the existence of this kite in its clear blue sky, decides to solve the problem.

It’s official and we posted about this earlier. The war and some other “slow downs” may have postponed the announcement but it’s BACK !!!

Hope he has the class to get out & NOW !!!!

Another finalist in the aniBOOM animation content. This time its a music video by Aya Korem about her search for a husband, preferably a pilot. The song is great and the animation makes it better. The animation was created by Roy Idan, an Israeli animation student at Savannah College of Art and Design in Savannah, GA.

I heard about this on the news today and its amazing. This is the aniBOOM animation finalists. This one is called Humans. With recent events in the world and especially in our region this seems appropriate.

Humans! is a 60 second global awareness PSA sensationalizing the excessive, all-consuming nature of the human being. This cute and na?ve Earth stands no chance against such an insatiable parasite. Witness its utter demise in a fun and sickening kind of way.

A couple of weeks ago Ehud Olmert had a little “procedure” to raise his eyelids. He went ahead and did it without letting anyone know in the cabinet. (can you feel the love in that cabinet?). It was a small procedure but still…

Meanwhile in recent events, Ehud Barak announced that he was running for Minister of Defense. Having served as a Prime Minister for a very short time, and with quite a few shortfalls (excuse the pun) he said he learned from his mistakes and now felt he was ready to return to the political arena. He feels that being a Defense Minister is his calling (at least until the next election …).

So what we have here are two Ehuds and their before and after pictures. Moshik isn’t sure that there is much of a change…