Keep it up, you’ll alienate the rest of America’s Jews: The IDF asked parents to “dress modestly” for a medics graduation ceremony. I have a lot of tolerance for the religious. I have no tolerance for those that would relegate me to the back of the bus and force me to wear clothing that THEY think I should wear. Israel is starting to have a tolerance problem, and it seems to involve the haredi. Invading an IDF base and throwing stones at their own soldiers? They’d better get it under control, because we can’t afford to fight ourselves when there are enemies the world over that will be happy to see us do their work for them.
So where’s the Syrian Goldstone Commission? Funny, but the outrage against Syria’s murdering 5,000 civilians seems to be far less worldwide than, say, the outrage of the IDF stopping the Gaza Flotilla last year. What time is it? That’s right, it’s Israeli Double Standard Time. But don’t worry. It only occurs on days that end with a “y.” (By the way, bet the “outraged Israeli settlers invade IDF base” story gets far more airplay than this one.)
Saudi ERA Watch: They beheaded a woman for “practicing sorcery.” In the 21st century, the oil ticks are showing how unmodern they truly are.
Sure, the Palestinians want peace: They want it so badly that Palestinians shut down a proposed peace conference between Israelis and Palestinians. Why?
The protesters accused the Palestinian participants of “encouraging the culture of peace” between Israelis and Palestinians. They said they were opposed to the conference because it was a form of “normalization” with Israel.
They don’t want peace. They want all of Israel.
The Arab Spring: Sucks to be Israel version. Hamas has established rocket workshops in the Sinai, figuring that Israel won’t risk relations with Egypt to bomb them. I’m betting that Hamas is wrong about that, because the IDF gets really good intel from those drones.
They beheaded a woman for “practicing sorcery.”
Hey, they’re up to the 17th century.
Although, I thought you were supposed to burn witches.
Eh, either way they’re getting closer to the 20th century.
So, did she turn somebody into a newt?
At Salem, Mass., the witches were hanged, not burned. So there is diversity in the historical punishments for sorcery. And diversity is today’s overriding Good Thing. Maybe next time the Wahhabist Entity will experiment with hanging or burning.
As for Hamas in Sinai, Egypt is supposed to be at peace with Israel. A sovereign state should not allow a terrorist outfit that is at war with a neighboring sovereign state from operating on its territory. To do so is a violation of international law. Should it do so, the state attacked by the terrorists has the right, under international law, to pursue the terrorists and destroy their facilities, even in the other state. Of course, if the new Egyptian government wants to make war on Israel, I suppose Zahal will have to kick the Egyptians’ tushies. Again. And I do hope that somebody in the US government has informed the Egyptian armed forces that, should they start another war against Israel, the supply of money and spare parts for Egypt’s shiny new techie weapons from the US of A will be cut off, PDQ.
I used to think the moans of the secularists about the Haredi were overblown. I’ve changed my mind.
Michael, as Meryl consistently reminds us, International Law does not count when contemplating actions hostile to Israel.
Meryl, can you explain a bit why you find it offensive for people to be asked to dress modestly at an IDF graduation? I remember people not being allowed in some Christian churches in Jerusalem because of the way they were dressed. I was wearing shorts at the time and was not permitted to enter.
Why should there be a dress code for a military ceremony? You are comparing a dress code to enter a religious institution with a dress code for a military graduation, which is public, publicly funded, and made up of people from all walks of Israeli life–not just the haredi. I got to wear whatever I wanted when I saw my nephew become a Marine last June. Israelis should be able to wear what they want at an IDF graduation ceremony.
Meryl,
A private bus company supplied a bus service to the ultra-orthodox neighbourhoods of Jerusalem which caters for the separation of male and female.
It does not apply to the country nor the rest of Jerusalem and is very unlikely that the private service will be used by any secular citizen.
For Clinton it seems that for democracy to function the secular form of transport must be forced on all forms both public and private. Pity when the democratic free choice exposed her hypocrisy.
But then of course the only “religion” she would to freely express itself by adhering to its tenets is Islam.
and it seems to involve the haredi. Invading an IDF base and throwing stones at their own soldiers
When one uses the term haredi it applies to those ultra-orthodox, you know those black cloaked denizens of the ghetto, and not to the religious nationalists who make up most of the “settler” group, and it was some of the settlers who attacked the army camp.
The Haredi crowd only burn dumpsters, smash traffic lights and throw stones at passing cars and policemen on the Sabbath.
For all the nationalism and biblical knowledge the extremists seem bent on repeating history and tearing the nation apart at a critical time.
The way you dress for something conveys a lot of your attitude toward it. In the US, and in fact in most countries, most people would know not to come to a dignified event in beachwear. But Israelis tend to excessively casual, and it is not uncommon to see people showing up dressed very inappropriately, such as an Israeli media personality who once came to the Knesset to interview MK’s in a halter top with a bare midriff. The wording on the invitation requesting that attendees come “????? ????” has been there for a decade.
Whoops – I used illegal characters, apparently. Please read “dressed appropriately” for the above quoted question marks.
Russ,
“Michael, as Meryl consistently reminds us, International Law does not count when contemplating actions hostile to Israel.”
Yabbut with the constant lying blather about Israel’s wholly imaginary violations of international law, the Israelis should be certain to loudly announce all Pali and other enemy violations of said internaitonal law. Perhaps a big enough fuss about the hypocritical lies aimed at Israel will eventually shame people into recognizing the reality. In the meantime, answering back will give pro-Israel people satisfaction.
“But Israelis tend to excessively casual”
In Shabtai Teveth’s book “The Tanks of Tammuz” about Israel’s Armored Corps in the 1967 war, he mentions a meeting where the corps commander saw that his senior officers were wearing socks of all the colors of the rainbow. He issued an order that socks would henceforth have to be black, as per formal military uniform regs (which nobody paid any attention to, of course, up to that time). The Armored Corps maintained a most un-Israeli strictness of discipline, on the grounds that a tank will not run, even given the most rousing Zionist speeches, if it has had bad maintenance practices or thrown a tread.