The Language of Force

Soon after coming to power, Ariel Sharon started to commission public opinion polls. He kept the results to himself. This week, a reporter of Israel’s TV Channel 10 succeeded in obtaining some of them. Among other things, Sharon wanted to know what the public thought about peace. He did not dream of starting on this … Continue reading “The Language of Force”

Stumbling Toward Another War

Introducing Miss Calculatsia, that fashionable foreigner, the new star in Israeli discourse. To a Hebrew ear, she sounds like a young beauty, like “Miss Israel.” But Miss-Calculatsia, the Hebrew version of “miscalculation,” is neither young nor beautiful, nor even female: just another pretentious foreign word taking the place of a perfectly good Hebrew one. (In … Continue reading “Stumbling Toward Another War”

A Warning to Tony Blair

Last week, James Wolfensohn gave a long interview to Ha’aretz. He poured out his heart and summed up, with amazing openness, his months as special envoy of the U.S., Russia, the EU, and the UN (the "Quartet") in this country – the same job entrusted now to Tony Blair. The interview could have been entitled … Continue reading “A Warning to Tony Blair”

Occupation? What Occupation?

There never was a darker Middle East summit meeting. The darkest there can be. The four leaders at Sharm-el-Sheikh did not sit together at an intimate round table. Each one sat alone behind a huge table of his own. That ensured a striking separation between them. The four long tables hardly touched. Each one of … Continue reading “Occupation? What Occupation?”