Israel versus Greece

A colleague at work pulled together a group of 37 people to check out Israel's qualifier match versus Greece.

Israel has not been to the World Cup in 40 years, so it's a bit of a big deal here. As much as I don't enjoy soccer -- scoring chances are severely limited and the fake injuries are borderline disgraceful when compared to how playing through real pain is a badge of honor in hockey -- it tends to be a cultural event in most countries, so I go to check out the locals.

After parking on a nearby sidewalk, we walked a quarter-mile or so to the stadium and took our seats. The crowd was decent, but not quite as boisterous as I had expected. They had their chants, but they were even more repetitive than ours. At least they took the initiative rather than rely on prompting from the organ player as we do in the States. In general, the Israelis were frustrated with some of their players, and with the outcome (they really needed the win to increase their chances of getting into the tournament). It did bring out a chuckle when we'd hear the Israelis say, "ma zeh?" (what's this?) after particularly bad plays.

I give them credit for the following only because English isn't their native language. Otherwise, it's pretty weak.

This being soccer, most of us were lulled to sleep pretty early. Here's the video footage purportedly taken at the game.

Israeli Elections

Israel's parliamentary elections take place on 10 February. I don't have much to compare this year's elections to, but it seems pretty muted. The conflict that ended last month in Gaza probably had something to do with it. Right now it seems Likud is poised to win a plurality in a very fractured Knesset (the name of the Israeli legislature). That means former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu probably will return to that role in about a month after he forms his coalition government. The big question will be -- who will be in the government. That's what we'll all be waiting to find out.

In the meantime, I've posted some election campaign posters. Take a look. Ask me any questions you have.

http://picasaweb.google.com/mpearl055/2009ElectionsInIsrael#

Covering All Views

Part of my portfolio out here is covering the rightwing parties in the Israeli Knesset. That is how I ended up at a conference in Jerusalem last Sunday, which was entitled, "Facing Jihad." The conference was sponsored by Eryah Eldad, head of the HaTikva ("The Hope") party, who focuses almost exclusively on ensuring that Jews can settle throughout what he calls "The Land of Israel" -- all the land between the Mediterranean and the Jordan River. This territory includes the West Bank, which most of the rest of the world considers occupied Palestinian territory.

The conference focused on publicizing the "threat" these individuals feel that Islam or "Radical Islam" poses for the West. The big name on the marquee for this event was Geert Wilders, a far-right Dutch parliamentarian with flowing, bleach-blonde hair who produced a film linking violence with Islam. Critics labeled the short film -- "Fitna" -- as racist, while others threatened to kill Wilders. The Dutch MP, taking the threats seriously following the 2004 assassination of fellow countryman and critic of Islam Theo Van Gogh, travels 24/7 with a team of bodyguards, several of whom surrounded him during his presentation.

The conference provided a useful insight into one segment of the Israeli polity. I would have preferred, however, if there had been more of a give and take with critics of this strain of thought.

Kazakh National Day

The Ambassador tagged us with the honor of representing the United States at the Kazakh National Day celebrations at the Dan Panorama Hotel this evening. We didn't let him down. We represented.

We arrived to see the reception hall packed with members of the diplomatic community. We were fortunate to observe musical and dance performances by Kazakh nationals, along with a video presentation about life in Kazakhstan. We would be remiss if we did not mention the food, which was yummy. We indulged in some chicken kabob, salmon, dumplings, and a massive spread of delicious desserts.

All in all, it was a pleasant way to spend a Sunday evening.

Yitzak Rabin Commemoration

Today is the 13th anniversary and commemoration of the assassination of former Israeli Prime Minister Yitzak Rabin. Rabin was killed by a rightwing extremist opposed to the peace process with the Palestinians following a speech Rabin gave at a peace rally in Tel Aviv. Catherine and I were on our way to the port for dinner when we saw a cordon of police and had to go through a checkpoint on our bikes to get near Rabin Square; we decided to return later when the ceremony was set to begin.

The square was mostly packed when we arrived just after 1930. I was a little surprised how much of a political event it appeared to be. I saw signs for the Labor and Meretz parties, which each are on the left of the Israeli political spectrum. My lack of Hebrew language skills kept me from understanding the speeches (I heard parts of two), but it still seemed more of a political/advocacy event than a somber commemoration.

Check out what we saw: