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

Ted Turner, former head of CNN Cable News Network, arrived in Israel on Sunday as part of a UN sponsored delegation to try to find ways of improving the overall situation in the Middle East. “We came here to learn, and offer any help we can” Turner said, as his delegation, which includes former UN Secretary General Kofi Anan. The delegation, representing an organization called The United Nations Foundation, arrived for talks with both Israeli and Jordanian leaders. The foundation, of which Anan only joined a few days ago, includes known personalities from all over the world, and includes Queen Rania, wife of King Abdullah of Jordan. The foundation’s main role is giving assistance in humanitarian projects which can be beneficial to local inhabitants and help promote peace.

“We want to learn what is needed in the region, and where we can give the most help” Tuner was quoted a saying, after being greeted by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. When asked what he thought concerning CNN, which he founded, being removed from i the programming of the HOT Israeli cable company, Turner replied that even though he is no longer connected with CNN it would be “very sad” if it is taken off the air by HOT.

Both Turner and Anan said they are very happy that Shimon Peres is now President of Israel, saying that they consider Peres as a great man and champion of world peace. “You have been a ray of light and a beacon of hope to both your country and the world” Anan told Pres during a reception held at Peres’ residence at Beit Hanasei.

One of the important issues the Foundation is involved in is finding ways to improve the world’s environment. When taken to a special project at the former Ayalon garbage mound, outside of Tel Aviv and now being made into a park, Turner noted that a small country like Israel must find ways to improve the quality of the environment; and that projects such as the park, in which the mound will become part of a scenic public park and recreation center, is an excellent way to deal with what was once an obnoxious and polluting public eyesore.

President Peres told the delegation that he is happy to see that the Foundation is involved in projects that can be beneficial not only to the cause of peace but in improving the individual lot of people in areas such as the Middle East. Peres also said that since oil is a big factor in long term chances for peace, and since many oil producing nations are located within the Middle East, greater efforts must be made to find alternative energy sources so that oil cannot be use effectively as a “weapon” against countries such as Israel. Peres also told the delegation that he is happy the Europeans are finally waking up to the dangers of countries such as Iran in respect to developing nuclear weapons.

The delegation has invited Peres to also become a member of the Foundation, saying that they would be “delighted to have him become a member”. Other people attending the reception included some who were involved in drafting the 1994 Oslo Peace Accords, including ex government minister Anmon Lipkin-Shahak.

In Hebrew the word Batata means fat ass, or fatty. It’s part of the older slang and something that still is widely used to describe the chunkier people in our lives. So when I got this in the email, I wasn’t ready for this.

Ever feel like you’re just falling ? Keep it down when you watch it

Something that will make a lot of Palestinians happy, as well as left wing supporters, was an announcement by the Defense Ministry that the security fence project is running out of funds. Asst. Defense Minister and Knesset member Matan Vilnai noted that there is only about half a billion New Shekels available in the Defense Budget’s funds allotment to continue work on the project which began in earnest following the outbreak of the Second Intifada uprising in September, 2000. The fence, actually a concrete wall in most places where it has been erected, has given some security to populated areas such as neighborhoods in Jerusalem and communities and settlements located adjacent to Palestinian cities like Kal kiliya and Tulkarem.

The barrier, which has literally run through lands belonging to Palestinian farmers, and has caused many Palestinians to go long distances to circumvent it, including those needing medical care, and has become a symbol of separation between the Palestinians and Israelis. It also became a symbol when David Gilmour’s Pink Floyd band played a special concert on lands adjacent to “The Wall”. Gilmour himself wrote a special message on a barrier section against “The Occupation” and the separation which has been called an act of apartheid by international personalities such as former U.S. President Jimmy Carter.

Many Israelis, however, believe that the barrier has prevented many terror attacks, and that fewer have occurred during the past two years may testify to this fact. Many critical security areas have yet to be included within this barrier, including Bethlehem (near the southern Jerusalem neighborhood of Gilo), south of Mt. Hebron, the Ariel projection, and many more. Most of the sections in the area in what is known as the Judean section of the West Bank remain to be completed. The entire area to be enclosed by the barrier is shown in red on the included map.

“Until now, the government has invested more than six billion New Shekels ($ 1.25 Billion) on the barrier; but stopping the project now would be like throwing this amount in the trash” a senior security ministry official remarked. The official believes that the government “has gotten cold feet regarding completing the project”.

The budgetary problem has literally put a halt to the project’s construction plans for the entire 2008 fiscal year. The planned government budget for 2008 is in the neighborhood of N.S. 1.3 Billion; but with overall Defense Ministry budget cutbacks along with overall government budget restructuring, at least N.S. 500 Million has still not been given by the government to complete the 2007 construction plan. This means that at lest N.S. 1.8 – 2 Billion will be needed to finish the present construction and including the section planned for 2008.

Does this mean that the entire project has turned into a massive “white elephant”? The length of the still to be competed section of the barrier in 790 kilometers, with only 450 km being so far completed. About 80 km is only partially completed, with another 260 km either still being considered or in disputed areas where various legal in junctions have been filed by both Palestinians and “anti-fence” activists in Israeli courts. Some very critical security areas in the Jerusalem section were recently completed; but other parts have yet to be completed. These sections in particular are ones so often shown on various foreign news medias such as CNN. Despite literally hundreds of thousands of New Shekels spent on making barrier sections, guard posts, and other items for still yet to be constructed areas, the Defense Ministry has issued overall orders to halt further construction until the financial issue is settled – one way or the other.

It’s a sad day today for me and anyone who knew Poly (Israel Polikov). Last night, the actor and comedian passed away at the age of 66. He passed away as a result of an illness and in what seems very sudden to many. If you were a kid growing up in Israel in the Sixties and Seventies (and well passed it) you knew the comedy and humor that this great man brought into your life. The characters he created in comedy have become cultural icons and mimicked idols of so many. In many ways he epitomized the old romantic idea of the Israeli. He was best known for his participation in the landmark “Gashash Trio”, a three men comedy team that is at the core of Israel’s comedic heritage.

Poly was born in Jerusalem and grew up in Tel Aviv. He went to agricultural school (HaKfar HaYarok) and stood out with his acting talent. He was spotted early on and joined the Entertainment Troop in the army (Lahakat HaNachal). That was were he met his “partner in crime” for many years to come, Gavri Banai. The two joined the Roosters (HaTarnegolim) after the army and that’s where they met Shaike Levi, the third member of the Gashash. Their first show was in Nov. 1964. The rest is history…..

He will be greatly missed.

A new environmental program is being inaugurated in Israel to persuade people to use less polymer plastic material. The program, mentioned briefly on T.V. Channel 10, is asking consumers to “use one less plastic bag” when sacking up their groceries during their weekly supermarket shopping forays. Most shoppers use an average of 20-25 polymer plastic shopping bags each week; and though lighter in weight than paper bags, as well as slightly less polluting, these bags are not wholly biodegradable and wind up being buried by the millions in sanitary landfills and garbage dumps.

Made from petroleum derivatives, these bags take up to 100 years to completely disintegrate, and on their own contribute immensely to Israel’s already critical pollution problem. The government’s Ministry for Environmental Affairs began a plastic bottle recycling program more than 7 years ago in which plastic beverage bottles, usually made from an even less biofriendly polyimide plastic material, have been recycled by placing large wire mesh “cages” in residential neighborhoods for people to put empty beverage bottles in; usually in the 1.5 to 2 liter size. While this collection method has been partially effective, countless more empty bottles, particularly those which contained bottled mineral water, wind up either in the garbage dumpsters or littering roadsides, beaches, and other public places. These bottles take even longer than plastic bags to disintegrate, with environmental scientists saying that a bottle of this type will take hundreds of years to be biologically “broken down”.

While recycled bottles are melted down and made into other plastic products, including garden hoses and lawn furniture, the bags often are not. Some large supermarket chains in America, for example, have launched programs in which no bags, either paper or plastic, are furnished at the store check-out counters. Customers are expected to either carry their food purchases home in empty boxes (if available) or bring bags or boxes with them to carry their purchases home in.

To give you an idea of what can be achieved by using less plastic grocery bags, it is estimated that if citizens in a city the size of New York City use one less plastic grocery bag per year, the savings will be 109 less tons of disposable garbage and $11,000 less in disposal costs. Now multiply that by one less bag on each weekly shopping trip!

While this idea may not catch on in Israel, at least in the foreseeable future, by using less bags at the check-out counter, each customer will not only help reduce the overall expenditure on petroleum products from which the bags are made; they will also help reduce the amount of these pollutants which wind up being buried in our country’s very soil! Many people even take extra bags home with them for use around the house, especially to put garbage in. Obviously these bags are going right into the ground, and may even delay the natural bio-degrading process of the garbage itself, due to it being “trapped” inside the bags!

Some food chains, including the Super Sal Chain, are selling large green environmentally friendly bags for shoppers to carry their grocery purchases in without the need for polymer bags. These bags cost around 3 NIS each and can be used repeatedly on other shopping trips, as well as for going on picnics or to the beach. The bag’s green color is derived from the “green” environmental conscious movement which is finally beginning to receive due notice in Israel.

Using a few less polymer bags won’t hurt anyone; and the end result will be a cleaner environment, as well as money saved. If people can accept the idea of using less shopping bags, even one or two, we’ll all benefit in the end.

Continuous media attention of both Yitzhak Rabin’s murderer, Yigal Amir and his wife, Larissa Trimbobler, has made some people to wonder just who is this woman who became so interested in this man who has become Israel’s number one local villain, even twelve years after this terrible act took place. Along with this, why has she jeopardized not only her own personal life, as well as that of her children, but her career as well for a man with such a taint on his personal character.

Many may not be aware that Larissa’s acquaintance with Yigal Amir goes back much further than the aftermath of that fateful night on November 4, 1995. Larissa first met Amir when he was (would you believe) working as a teacher in Russia for the Israeli government. Following Rabin’s Assassination, she began to correspond with Amir as she shared many ideological views with him as they are both ultra orthodox in their religious practice. Larissa was married at the time to a man named Benjamin (last name not published by the media for the sake her children) and had four children from him, the eldest being age 15. Following her immigration to Israel, she continued to correspond with Yigal Amir and also began contact by telephone. Amir is normally allowed only one visit by a family member per week, plus one daily fifteen minute phone call. When their relationship became more intense, Larissa managed to convince prison authorities to allow her more contact with Yigal on the grounds that she was making a study of his behavior. She has a PHD in Medieval Jewish and Islamic History and a MA in Biology, but not a formal background in either psychology or sociology.

Following her divorce from Benjamin in 2003, Larissa Trembobler’s relationship with Amir became even more intense, and in 2004, announced that she and Amir planned to get married by proxy (they were not allowed a formal wedding ceremony). They were married by proxy later that year, with a friend of Yigal standing in for him.

The rest of the story has become more well known to the public due to the intense coverage it has received by the media, both in and outside of Israel. Following legal efforts to have herself inseminated artificially by Amir’s sperm, which they even tried to smuggle out of Ayalon Prison where he is incarcerated, they were finally allowed a 10 hour co-nuptial visit in January, 2007. Larissa has continually campaigned to have more visits with her husband, and her pregnancy with Amir’s child has been followed intensely by the press, including international news agencies like CNN. Since announcing her engagement and subsequent marriage to Yigal Amir, she lost her employment position at Open University, and has had to support herself and her children by undertaking editing and translation work. She also published a book in Russian with her ex-husband entitled: A Mirror for a Prince. She has a web-blog in Russian which is said to be gaining in readership.

At the time of the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin, Yigal Amir was a third year law student at Bar Ilan University. He had a girl friend, Maraglit Har-Sheffi who had similar right winged views as he did. Following Rabin’s murder, Har-Sheffi was tried and convicted of conspiracy, due to her alleged knowledge of Amir’s intentions to murder the prime minister. Although she proclaimed her innocence of this crime, she was convicted and served several months in prison. She still claims that she is innocent, and many believed she was framed.

As for Amir himself, a growing movement of right-winged and religious supporters have been waging a campaign to free him from prison. While some of these supporters are saying that he has “suffered enough for his crime” others are saying that he is innocent and did not actually kill Rabin. Larissa would naturally like to see her husband gain his freedom, especially since she is about to give birth to his child – and a son at that. Prison authorities are not planning to grant him any special consideration to attend the ritual circumcision of his son; and both judicial and government authorities alike agree that Yigal Amir will never gain his freedom.

So, why did Larissa do what she did, especially in light of her own children, whose lives will be greatly affected forever by her actions? What’s more, what about the child about to be born? What will his future be, and how will this affect him? Only time will answer these questions, and many will agree that time is often a cruel mistress.

I got an email a few days ago from a marketing lady that asked me to post this promo on an HBO movie/special. I looked through some of these clips and they look interesting. I personally think that its going to take another 100 years for the differences to be worked out (outcome unknown) but I am an optimist (marinate on that..) and I like to get a dialog going when possible. I think the more we know about each other the better off we will be. Unfortunately I don’t think this will show in Israel…

Die in Jerusalem recounts the heart-wrenching story of two teenaged girls – one a 17-year-old Israeli student named Rachel Levy, the other an 18-year-old Palestinian student/suicide bomber named Ayat al-Akhras – who died together in a Jerusalem market in March 2002. The horrific incident ignited international outrage because of the age and similarities of the two girls, and set in motion a quest on the part of Rachel’s mother, Abigail Levy, to arrange a one-on-one meeting with her counterpart, Um Samir. The result was an underscoring of the tension and resentments that persist among Israelis and Palestinians – and undermine the desire on both sides to find common ground and forge lasting peace.

For religious Jews, the period known as Shmita is something that is more than just an inconvenience. It is a commandment by God to “let the land lie fallow, and to not eat the fruits thereof”. Occurring every seven years, observant Jews must not eat either fruits, vegetables, or grains grown in fields owned and farmed by Jewish farmers. The idea for this commandment, given to Moses by God during the wanderings of the Children of Israel in the wilderness of Sinai, was to preserve the fruitfulness of the earth by letting it “rest” for an entire year.

In modern times, however, this biblical commandment has must less relevance to many, especially non-observant Jews who for the most part aren’t even aware of anything different going on. Religious Jews in Israel, however, are very much aware of a “Shmita year”, and have to make arrangements to purchase the agricultural produce of non-Jews; or produce which is imported into Israel that has been certified as being grown by non-Jews. Since the creation of the State of Israel, producers and sellers of agricultural produce have made agreements with each other known as heter michira which means to sell the items in a round about way or “loophole”. On of the major ways farmers have to deal with this matter is to “sell” their lands and framing equipment to a non-Jew. As the non-Jew becomes the “owner”, the farmers can say they are actually working for him, thus being able to farm and market the produce in a manner that will be acceptable for purchase by religious Jews.

This procedure is not acceptable among many people, however, especially Ultra-Orthodox Jews. For them, the exact biblical commandment must be followed. So, in order not have to live on stored or preserved produce, very religious Jews have to find other ways to satisfy God’s Commandment within their own religious doctrines.
Many Ultra-Orthodox Jews in Israel have purchased agricultural produce from Arab, Druze and other non-Jewish farmers. Under this system, the produce was brought in by these farmers, much of it from both Gaza and the West Bank. Recent political and security realities have prevented much of this produce from reaching markets in Israel, resulting on produce having to be imported in from other countries.

Jewish farmers who are Shmita observant do not abide by the “loophole” or “heter michira” and actually cease from working their fields during the entire schmita year. In the old days, when modern farming methods and fertilizers were not available, letting the “land lie fallow” every seven years was a good idea, It gave the land time to “recoup” its growing ability naturally, including replenishment of vital soil nutrients. As we are now in a “Shmita year” which began at the beginning of the Rosh Hashonah holiday, one would hardly notice this as all the major supermarkets and greengrocers appear to be engaged in “business as usual”. Since all but one of the major supermarket chains are kosher, and display a kashrut certificate, the only logical explanation is the observance of the “heter michra” loophole, as well as some importing of farm produce from abroad. This seems to satisfy most people, including many religious Jews who seem content to purchase from these chains.

While some Ultra-Orthodox or Haredi Jews still do not find the “heter michira” agreements to their liking, most others do and as a result there is no shortage of agricultural produce during this Shmita year.

From my standpoint, an apple’s an apple.

12 years after Yizhak Rabin’s assassination, the Israel police have finally released the first investigative interview conducted on his killer, Yigal Amir. The taped interview, together with comments by police investigator Moti Naphtali (real name withheld), the tape noted the chilling events of that fateful occurrence on November 4, 1995, moments after the end of a gigantic peace rally held at what is know known as Rabin Square.

Amir, who only an hour before had been subdued in the alleyway between Tel Aviv City Hall and the Gan Hair shopping mall, described in detail how he planned to shoot the Prime Minister the moment Rabin and Vice P.M. Shimon Peres descended the steps leading from the area where Rabin and other dignitaries had stood during the rally. Though he expected to shoot Rabin, Amir said he really didn’t think he would kill him. When told by his interviewer that Rabin was dead, Amir replied: “No!, Really, he’s dead? Lovely!”

At the end of the interview, when asked if he expressed any remorse for what he had done, Amir answered: “God forbid!”

Twelve years have come and gone since that fateful evening in November. Yigal Amir was tried and sentenced to life imprisonment without possibility of parole. This judgment is the most severe that can be given in Israel as there is no Capital Punishment. And since the formation of the state in 1948, only Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichman has been formally executed here. That the police have decided now to release the interview may possibly have something to do with Amir’s recent request to be present at the circumcisum of his son, who is expected to be born sometime next month. Many are still angry that Yigal Amir was allowed a few hours of co-nuptial lust with his “wife” Larissa Trimbobler, which resulted in her being impregnated with his child. Had this interview been released prior to Amir’s liaison with Ms. Trimbobler in a special room provided by the prison where he is being kept, it’s most likely he would have been denied this special privilege, as public outcry would have been too great.

The showing of this tape has reopened a very deep national wound that has yet to heal. Yitzhak Rabin’s family, including his son, Yuval, and daughter Dalia (a former Knessset member) haven’t yet responded formally as of this writing But respond they most certainly will.

In light of this new “development” in this sad tragedy, many are wondering where this will end. Amir has expressed no remorse for his actions, and even believes he did a great service to the country by taking Rabin’s life. What’s more, a grass roots movement among “certain elements” is going on to have Amir released from prison on grounds that he has “suffered enough” for his crime.

And in a few weeks, the son of Yigal will be brought screaming into the world. I wonder what his mother, dear Larissa, will tell him concerning his father. She will most likely try to bring the babe to Ayalon Prison so Amir can see him. And will the prison authorities allow the “brit” to be held there? We’ll all know the answer to these questions in the coming days.

Like Charley Brown, the unfortunately character in the “Peanuts” comic strip and hit song by The Coasters, billionaire Arkady Gaydamak is once again sparring with Israeli law enforcement officials. This most recent round of verbal and written attacks from Gaydamak stems from allegations that he is involved in a number of illegal activities, including money laundering which stems from a large sum of money which the financier deposited briefly in Bank Hapoalim ($50,000,000), and authorities had said originated from “questionable sources”.

What has made matters even more problematic is that Gaydamak recent placed letter ads in local papers to prove his innocence. These ads lashed out against several top law enforcement officials, including Police Investigations and Intelligence chief Yohanan Danino, State Prosecutor Ella Rubinek, and Justice Ministry employee Yitzhak Blum for severe acts of libel and using their positions for “illegal acts against a private citizen’s civil rights”.

Police and other legal spokespersons have responded harshly to Gaydamak’s remarks by saying that nothing he says or does will deter them form carrying out their investigations to determine Mr. Gaydamak’s possible criminal acts. This is not the first time that numerous allegations have been made regarding the billionaire’s business and financial activities; and Gaydamak for his part also placed large ads in the newspapers in his defense. One of the most notable was back in October, 2006 regarding the “Bank Hapoalim Affair”.

Since arriving in Israel a few years ago, Gaydamak has made considerable effort to “legitimize” himself with the Israeli public. His effort have included purchasing the Beitar Jerusalem Football Club and numerous business concerns; and giving assistance to persons in distress during both the July/August 2006 Lebanese war and from Palestinian rockets hitting Sderot and other southern Israel communities. Gaydak’s brief involvement in the Tiv Taam non-kosher food chain turned out to be one of his not so prudent investments, however, as adverse publicity on behalf of the TV Kolbotek consumer program against Tiv Taam, resulted in Gaydamak divesting himself of all of his holdings in that enterprise, the last of it in the aftermath of Kolbotek’s most recent revelations concerning poultry and other meat products left on the loading docks of cold storage plants for long periods without refrigeration. The “Tiv Taam Affair” has cost Gaydamak a considerable amount of money, as he wound up selling his shares for considerably less than the purchase price.

Gaydamak’s political ambitions, which include running for mayor of Jerusalem, have not been helped by these latest police investigations into his numerous business affairs. Though he keeps insisting that his civic rights are being violated, the police and legal officials being named in his ads have now said that Gaydamak’s remarks “border on criminal”. Earlier investigations against Gaydamak, particularly the money laundering one, wound up being dropped with the police saying that Gayda was not guilty of any criminal charges from this matter. If this is so, then why are they still “picking on him” as the old song goes?