090312 12th March 2009 It is now almost 1,000 days since Gilad Schalit was kidnapped by “forces unknown” and taken to Gaza. Four soldiers were injured and Lt. Hanan Barak, 20, and Staff-Sgt. Pavel Slutzker, 20, were killed. Since that time no facet or clause of the Geneva Convention has been honoured. The Red Cross…

090309 Chag Purim Sameach!!!! A friend went to see “Waltz with Bashir” in the Smadar Cinema in the German Colony of Jerusalem. The audience was visibly sinking lower and lower in their seats and the silence at the end was total. Suddenly a man stood up “I am an Arab and I don’t understand. You…

090305 5th March 2009. I knew something was wrong the moment I looked out of the window. The traffic was backed up on the road down to the main intersection which leads to town, Begin Boulevard and the Shopping Mall. The police and ambulance sirens began moments later and it was clear something had happened.…

090227 27th February, 2009. Shabbat Shalom One of the only disadvantages of living in Israel is that I am unaware of the timing of Christian Festivals, which is distinctly unfair on my Christian readers. Rather belatedly I hope you had a fun Shrove Tuesday, Mardi Gras, and didn’t eat too much – and that Ash…

090220 February 20th 2009 Shabbat Shalom, I hope you are well. When Major-General Avi Mizrahi spoke to his soldiers at Gelilot military base he condemned Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan’s foot-stomping departure at the Davos Economic Forum and demand that Israel be cast out of the UN. Maj-Gen Mizrahi said that if Erdogan wants Israel banned…

090220 February 20th 2009 Shabbat Shalom, I hope you are well. When Major-General Avi Mizrahi spoke to his soldiers at Gelilot military base he condemned Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan’s foot-stomping departure at the Davos Economic Forum and demand that Israel be cast out of the UN. Maj-Gen Mizrahi said that if Erdogan wants Israel banned…

090213 13th February 2009. Shabbat Shalom and Happy Valentines Day! This week I have no intention of trying to untangle the web of intrigue and power that is Israeli politics, so anyone who thought they may just hear some form of explanation – sorry! If you think that Tsippi (Kadima) won the elections you would…

090211 11th February 2009. The day after the night before! The final votes are in although some are not yet counted and Kadimah is the largest party, closely followed by Likud, but the decision as to who will lead the government is still in the air. Israel’s election laws are somewhat confusing since there are…

090204 4th February 2009. The Kassams and Grads are still falling on Israel, http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3665905,00.html although Hamas claims not from them. Extremism begets fanaticism and just as Fatah begat Hamas so Hamas begat factions who believe that Hamas “sold out” to the West by accepting a cease fire. The Egyptians have already set up CCTV scrutiny…

090130 30th January 2009. Shabbat Shalom Today I am not starting with niceties. I am sick and tired of the entire hypocritical world deciding whether Israel has the right to respond to eight years of rockets fired relentlessly from Gaza and then whether our response was “responsible”. There is not one single country in the…