# 142 – Update

May 19, 2010

What a pleasure for you – nothing from me for a while. Long and busy trip.

And a pleasure for me – no ‘same thing every day’ in the newspapers etc.

So when I bought the Jerusalem Post and watched the news here, I read them with interest.

My recent letter, which dealt with a friend who more than disagreed with my views resulted in more responses from you out there than ever before. Thanks for that – and the almost overwhelming support for my views. Yes, 1 or 2 opposing critics, who needs one-sided discourse? – but in general, the opinion that with friends like that, and so on.

Well, however I handle that person, who still remains anonymous, I remain in the same general direction, changing lanes occasionally (swerving sometimes), but convinced that the ‘western world as we know it’ – whatever that means – is heading for a greater mess than it has been for generations.

Heard a great debate yesterday on BBC – from the University of St. Gallen, entitled: “How do I make a difference in my life?”. The speakers were all leaders in their various fields. The audience appeared to be just younger versions of the panel: all going somewhere.

There were views from various angles: academic, entrepreneurial, corporate, political, individual. Even ‘privileged’ was exposed to be such an important factor: where to be born. It is political suicide to be seen to be helping developing countries while there are problems at home – and there are always problems at home.

One speaker referred to Obama as an entrepreneur (not sure how much was cynical), but warned that the stakes were perhaps the highest in World history! (White House advisor, Rahm Emanuel, not Israel’s favourite Jew, has been criticised for saying that the US administration has ‘screwed up’ – his words – Middle East policy during its first 14 months).

One nice question was what each wants to be said at his own funeral. Leaving a mark in life was of course important.

One man felt they would judge the value of one’s life by the number of attendees at the funeral.

Another, a professor, said that, at 83, he could now see clearly

And yet another, a wonderful observation: listen to the many young people.

They are the future. Change will happen.

Back to Israel – I think I did write some time ago that, in my idealist opinion, Islam – and certainly the Palestinians, needed their version of Nelson Mandela, basically to persuade them to live with their neighbours, not to gain revenge and prove that they were no better than whom they claim to be bad. (Remember? When Gaza was abandoned by Israel. one Palestinian said: “Now we have a chance to prove that we deserve a country”).

Last week, the Palestinians ‘celebrated’ the Naqba, the disaster the befell them the day the State of Israel was declared. If you’ve been watching, this now quite violent occasion only became so after the Oslo peace accord, as if there is a part of them who are ‘scared of peace’.

A reminder that there is another front arising against Israel, and it is the ever-more-extreme section of Israeli Arabs, led by some of the Knesset members. Last weekend, there were speeches by some of them which could have come straight out of Ahmadinejad’s mouth.

I am repeatedly sad to warn that the same is starting to happen in several European parliaments: anti-State ranting which could be seen as treason but is protected by immunity.

Well, the news today is that the Gazans are furious at Hamas for bulldozing illegal homes. Of course, tomorrow’s international media will scream at Hamas just as much as they screamed at Israel. Oh, they won’t? Silly me.

Turkey and Brazil are making a nuclear deal with Iran – apparently without UN control. So everything’s OK? I mean, isn’t that the same Turkey who Europe can’t trust?

Switzerland’s banned the Minaret, Belgium has banned the Hijab, France has banned the wearing of religious paraphernalia. It all may be against the (700 year-old?) European laws. Whoops!

We are heading for a clash, and …… I told you so.

Stephen