Israel News Update
by Mark Berch • December 12th, 2007 3:30 PM
Category: History & Community
-The strike of Israel’s teachers, which began October 10, drags on amidst discussion of class size, works hours, and salary. (Haaretz)
-And as for the separate strike at universities, “For the first time in Israel’s history, there’s a real danger that the academic year will be canceled,” says Bar-Ilan University President Prof. Moshe Kaveh. (The Jerusalem Post)
-Ongoing discussions of breaking up Belgium along religious and ethnic lines are clear evidence of the impracticality of a binational state, says Calev Be-David. (The Jerusalem Post)
-Moshe Arens says that the Palestinian people’s suffering is “their own fault,” the Palestinian narrative of the War of Independence is “nothing but a fabric of lies,” and that Olmert’s goal of establishing a Palestinian state is “post-Zionism.” (Haaretz)
-Mr. Falah, a prominent political geographer, a tenured professor at the University of Akron, and a dual citizen of Israel and Canada, was arrested by the Shin Bet and held for 23 days. His story gives a stark “definition to the risks involved in studying the region,” as it took a major effort of other scholars in the field, and a court order, to get him released. (The Chronicle of Higher Education)
-The Israeli public has shown little interest in the Annapolis conference and “the overall public sentiment was negative, particularly regarding whether the conference achieved a basic clarification of the disagreements between Israel and the Palestinians, or advanced chances of peace.” (Haaretz)
-Turkey and Israel are currently examining an “infrastructure corridor” (underwater oil, gas, electricity water lines and optical fiber cables) from Turkey, to Haifa. Plans to include Turkish-held northern Cyprus in this are alarming the Greek-oriented Cyprus government. (Haaretz)
-Leonard Fein argues that at this point in time, “failure to move responsibly toward a two-state agreement would likely consign the idea to the ash heap of history, ensuring a future not less bloody than the past. (Forward)
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