Israel Update 1/23/08

In honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day this week, let us recall that Dr. King was a stalwart supporter of the Jewish state and wrote that “Israel’s right to exist as a state is incontestable.” See http://rac.org/Articles/index.cfm?id=415 and http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080108/METRO02/801080356/1409/METRO#.
- And take a look at this nifty flier: http://www.bluestarpr.com/docs/mlk1.pdf

QUICK READING LIST
- Leaving home for the homeland, Rory McCarthy, Guardian (UK), 11/24/07: http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/Story/0,,2216069,00.html
- See also: http://www.theforgottenrefugees.com/
- A Time to Kill, And a Time to Heal, Laura Blumenfeld, Washington Post, 11/25/07: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/24/AR2007112401509.html
- What about the record?, Diana West, Washington Times, 12/21/07: http://www.washingtontimes.com/article/20071221/EDITORIAL04/615858635/1013/editorial
- Bush’s Mideast Muddle, Michael Oren, Wall Street Journal, 1/9/08: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119984146243176521.html

ACTION ALERT: ADS AT ‘MS.’ MAGAZINE
- Ms. Magazine has turned down an advertisement calling attention to women who currently occupy three of the most significant positions of power in all three branches of the Israeli government. Their reason? The ad “will set off a firestorm” and that “there are very strong opinions” on the subject. See more here, and tell the Ms. editors your thoughts:
https://secure2.convio.net/ajc/site/Advocacy?s_oo=iET6e1kNSObQ-ZPggh-qrg..&id=148
- Also, view prominent Jewish feminists speaking out about this controversy (video): http://youtube.com/profile?user=AJCongress

NEWS: NASDAQ-TEL AVIV STOCK EXCHANGES
- Read about the new partnership between NASDAQ and the Tel Aviv stock exchanges: http://www.thestreet.com/newsanalysis/banking/10391583.html
- View also (video): http://video.msn.com/?mkt=en-us&fg=rss&vid=252bd8c2-8c58-4a18-b3e8-97942b163243&from=34

BAD REPORTING: ISRAEL’S ACTIONS IN GAZA
- Many media outlets fail to add significant context to their reporting on Israel’s military offensive in Gaza, meant to eradicate the area of terrorists who have launched daily rocket barrages at Israel: http://www.honestreporting.com/articles/45884734/critiques/new/A_Barrage_of_Bad_Reporting.asp
- For more on this situation, click here to view a short video from EuroNews (UK) showing the human side of the toll that daily rockets have taken on residents of the Israeli town Sderot: http://www.euronews.net/index.php?page=mediterraneans&article=455347&lng=1#
- Read also: Palestinian rocket lands next to Israeli day care center, http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/09/03/africa/ME-GEN-Israel-Babies-Rocketed.php

PASSAGE OF THE DAY: THE TRUE ISRAEL
We all know the Israel of wars, oppression, and precarious security, but what about Israel of the humming economy with 90 Israel-related companies on NASDAQ? What about Israeli films garnishing honors around the world: "Jellyfish" and "The Band's Visit" at Cannes, "Beaufort" in Berlin, "My Father My Lord" in Tribeca, "Sweet Mud" at Sundance, and "Aviva, My Love" in Shanghai? What of Israeli solar power in California that has been saving 2 million barrels of oil annually for nearly 20 years? What of Arava Valley high-tech agriculture, with exports exceeding $100 million? Natafim, the drip irrigation system patented by Kibbutz Hatzerim, is now a multinational conglomerate selling millions of systems throughout the world. What of the Israel that is taking in Darfur refugees, and what of the first Israeli-initiated UN resolution, calling upon countries to share agricultural technology with developing countries, adopted overwhelmingly this month? It's this other Israel that's underreported.
http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2007/12/29/the_overlooked_issues_of_2007/