Most of us Israelis were literally dumbstruck by the imbecilities which our latest Nobel laureate, Ada Yonath, spouted. No sooner had she made us proud, Yonath proceeded to slap us hard across our collective face. We’re still smarting from the supposed smart one’s slurs, which is perhaps why it’s better to pretend that she never advised we forthwith liberate all convicted terrorists – regardless of Gilad Schalit’s ongoing captivity and certainly regardless of whatever atrocity they committed and were duly tried and convicted for. Continue reading →

In my very early childhood I used to let out a whoop of joy whenever the radio reported yet another UN condemnation for another Israeli anti-terrorist retaliation. As it turned out, I had lots of opportunity for elation. When my bemused parents admonished me with increased exasperation, I explained that I was happy because the UN had again rewarded our battlefield triumph. Continue reading →

French author Andre Gide, laureate of the 1947 Nobel Prize for literature, defined “the true hypocrite” as “one who ceases to perceive his deception, one who lies with sincerity.”

When it comes to our next-door neighbors of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, however, Gide’s characterization may be judged as grossly over-generous. Continue reading →

How sweet the vision: our world nuke-free and menace-free, enveloped in harmony and goodwill. Lofty sentiments without a doubt – assuming they are sincerely subscribed to and remotely attainable.

That’s a whopping assumption, though. Continue reading →

‘To avoid being mistaken for a sellout, I chose my friends carefully. The more politically active black students. The foreign students. The Chicanos. The Marxist professors and structural feminists and punk-rock performance poets.” – Barack Obama, Dreams of My Father Continue reading →