Anyone out there not surprised? Obama delays moving the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem, just as all of his predecessors, in spite of the bill passed by Congress in 1995. But then again, the bill deliberately gave the president an out. So Congress is as much to blame for refusing to recognize Israel’s capital as any president refusing to do so. But hey, the Swiss will love this. They want to name the eastern half of Jerusalem the capital of the fictitious Palestine.
No deal, Gilad: Gee. Another “imminent” deal for Gilad Shalit fell through. I guess I’d better put away my party things until the next imminent deal is reported.
Syrian bus tires: Stronger than Semtex! Take a look at the picture at this link, and tell me if you think the bus was blown up by a) exploding tires, like the Syrian government says or b) a bomb. I’m thinking it’s b). Unless Syrian tires are, like, the most awesome (and dangerous) tires in the world. If that were so, though, howcome we don’t hear about Syrian tire explosions every week?
Russia to U.S.: Jewish state? What Jewish state? Russia scuttled a Quartet declaration in favor of Netanyahu’s settlement freeze. Why? Because the language included reference to Israel as a Jewish state, and to land swaps to reflect facts on the ground. Russia supported Israel’s birth in 1948, but switch to the other side a few short years later. They’ve never gone back, which is unsurprising. My grandparents fled Russia for a reason, and it’s not because Jews are popular and well-liked there. A hearty one-finger salute to the land that my ancestors had the good sense to leave.
I can’t get upset about the embassy, Meryl. This is something every candidate promises and none of them deliver and I can see it. It’s really not an issue over which to go to the wall and if everyone, even Israel’s undoubted American friends, just talks about this, it shouldn’t be a surprise.
My father’s parents came from what is now Lithuania, was then the Russian Empire; my mother’s parents and my mother came from what is now Poland and was then also the Russian Empire. The only thing good about that was each set didn’t stop running until they got to America.
Every so often someone would find out that my mother was born in Poland and ask if she wanted to join the Polish-American Society or something. With her characteristic combination of truthfulness and honesty she would reply that she hadn’t been considered Polish when she lived there and saw no reason to start now. I’m with her on that one. Whatever ethnic or personal feelings I have about those places are entirely negative.
I never knew my father’s parents and I wish I’d had the presence of mind to thank my mother’s parents for allowing me to be an American.