I'm going to write a bit today just because I haven't written for many days. When I ask myself why not, I think its because events have been happening thick and fast and not good either, so it feels overwhelming. Besides this, you probably are getting the news on NPR as things heat up, and it feels like I don't have much to add.
Nevertheless, we are on site and so we clearly should have something to say! So first of all, the events in Shfaram -- an armed AWOL soldier got on a bus in Haifa and went to Shfaram, an Arab town, and when the bus stopped in the middle of the town the soldier shot the driver and two women, sisters, and someone else. The police jumped on the bus and handcuffed the soldier and then apparently some angry residents of the town boarded the bus, kicked out the policemen, and beat the soldier to death. A horrible event. What I remembered when this happened was this: during the SCUD missile crisis in the early 90's, when SCUDs were falling on Tel Aviv, the residents of Shfaram invited residents of Tel Aviv to go to Shfaram and live there till the crisis was over. And people did go. So the irony of the situation -- that he should have picked Shfaram -- impressed me. People's reaction to the lynch have been varied; many people say that the soldier would not have been adequately punished had he not been murdered, and for sure he would not have gotten capital punishment in any case. There has so far not been a call for an investigation, but this morning the left-wing newspaper HaAretz called for an investigation of the events.
Then, of course, Netanyahu resigned. What a shock that was for everyone! He gave a beautiful speech about his conscience regarding the disengagement and if I trusted the man for a moment I would have been quite moved. But there is wide agreement that he had plenty of opportunity to abdicate responsibility for the event long before this, but as long as he stayed in the cabinet he bore responsibility for what the cabinet decided. Today he left for the US to solicit money for his next political campaign. He wants to replace Sharon as head of Likud and then, of course, if in the next election Likud got the majority of the votes, he would be the prime minister.
Netanyahu has been the Minister of the Treasury for a couple of years. He has instituted some economic reforms that were designed to stimulate the economy, and it has. But, just like in the USA, the benefits are going to the rich. In fact, the poor are worse off now than they ever have been since Israel became a state. There was a report yesterday on poverty, and by any measure you care to use, the poor are worse off than ever. In fact, according to this report, "the rate of poverty among children in Israel is the highest in the developed world. In 2004 it exceeded the rate of child poverty in the US for the first time." My friend Ruti, a single-parent with a one-year-old, I'm sure is below the poverty line. It is remarkable how she manages. Israel started out as a socialist country with very high goals and ideals about equality among its citizens. Twenty years ago when I lived here it was true. Today Israel looks more and more like America, with a wide gap between rich and poor. The economic policies of Netanyahu, like those of the Bush administration, only widen the abyss.
See, I don't like telling you about this! But it's the truth of what's happening here. I'm doing more and more Re-Evaluation Counseling, as this is the best thing I can think of to contribute to strengthening people here. I think I may have a class of beginners next summer!
Today we are going to Jerusalem so that I can take some pictures there. More to come.
Pat
Nevertheless, we are on site and so we clearly should have something to say! So first of all, the events in Shfaram -- an armed AWOL soldier got on a bus in Haifa and went to Shfaram, an Arab town, and when the bus stopped in the middle of the town the soldier shot the driver and two women, sisters, and someone else. The police jumped on the bus and handcuffed the soldier and then apparently some angry residents of the town boarded the bus, kicked out the policemen, and beat the soldier to death. A horrible event. What I remembered when this happened was this: during the SCUD missile crisis in the early 90's, when SCUDs were falling on Tel Aviv, the residents of Shfaram invited residents of Tel Aviv to go to Shfaram and live there till the crisis was over. And people did go. So the irony of the situation -- that he should have picked Shfaram -- impressed me. People's reaction to the lynch have been varied; many people say that the soldier would not have been adequately punished had he not been murdered, and for sure he would not have gotten capital punishment in any case. There has so far not been a call for an investigation, but this morning the left-wing newspaper HaAretz called for an investigation of the events.
Then, of course, Netanyahu resigned. What a shock that was for everyone! He gave a beautiful speech about his conscience regarding the disengagement and if I trusted the man for a moment I would have been quite moved. But there is wide agreement that he had plenty of opportunity to abdicate responsibility for the event long before this, but as long as he stayed in the cabinet he bore responsibility for what the cabinet decided. Today he left for the US to solicit money for his next political campaign. He wants to replace Sharon as head of Likud and then, of course, if in the next election Likud got the majority of the votes, he would be the prime minister.
Netanyahu has been the Minister of the Treasury for a couple of years. He has instituted some economic reforms that were designed to stimulate the economy, and it has. But, just like in the USA, the benefits are going to the rich. In fact, the poor are worse off now than they ever have been since Israel became a state. There was a report yesterday on poverty, and by any measure you care to use, the poor are worse off than ever. In fact, according to this report, "the rate of poverty among children in Israel is the highest in the developed world. In 2004 it exceeded the rate of child poverty in the US for the first time." My friend Ruti, a single-parent with a one-year-old, I'm sure is below the poverty line. It is remarkable how she manages. Israel started out as a socialist country with very high goals and ideals about equality among its citizens. Twenty years ago when I lived here it was true. Today Israel looks more and more like America, with a wide gap between rich and poor. The economic policies of Netanyahu, like those of the Bush administration, only widen the abyss.
See, I don't like telling you about this! But it's the truth of what's happening here. I'm doing more and more Re-Evaluation Counseling, as this is the best thing I can think of to contribute to strengthening people here. I think I may have a class of beginners next summer!
Today we are going to Jerusalem so that I can take some pictures there. More to come.
Pat
posted by Frank and Pat Fischer at 2:00 PM
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