Edward Ordman http://www.jta.org/user/profile/30681 en-us zsilberman@washingtonjewishweek.com Copyright 2012 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 Israel, with US aid, has been extremely effective at stifling the Palestinian economy. According to the World Bank, the road blocks alone reduce the economy of Palestine by 50 percent. This significantly helps fuel Palestinian terrorism - people with no job to go to, or unable to reach their school or agricultural fields, are likely recruits for terrorists. This in turn creates strong support for violent Palestinian factions and right-wing Israeli governments and increased business for the US arms industry. So the situation is very much in the interests of the US, Israeli, and Palestinian governments. Those who hope for peace for the residents of Israel might prefer to see a functioning Palestinian economy, but they have little influence with the US Congress or the Israeli government. 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 I am a big fan of Israel. I'm not a fan of AIPAC, since I think its unqualified support of the recent Israeli governments in power (which have been doing things I disagree with) has harmed the cause of peace and hence harmed both Israel and the US. Having said that: AIPAC is publicly known to be in the business of supporting the government of Israel, and of encouraging communication between the US government and the government of Israel. I would fully expect that if AIPAC obtained information of value to Israel, it would give it to Israel. The AIPAC staffers, in my view, did exactly what they were supposed to be doing and known publicly to be doing. The crime, if one was committed (I think one was) was committed by the people in the US government who gave the (mis?)information to AIPAC. AIPAC should have stood by its staffers, the staffers should not have been prosecuted, and I'm glad the prosecution was dropped. 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 In 2007 my wife and I were traveling in Israel. She was mugged and badly injured, after dark in a poor neighborhood in East Jerusalem, and we got the full inside tour of Hadassah Hospital (Ein Kerem) for two weeks. The care she received was excellent, her recovery spectacular. We were incredibly impressed with Hadassah Hospital, which serves a remarkable variety of patients, local and foreign (we met patients from all over the eastern Mediterranean region.) It was overcrowded; it needs more space. The staff was overworked - isn't that true in almost every hospital? The kindness, enthusiasm, generosity of the staff, the volunteers, and everyone else there was outstanding and far superior to the level we have typically encountered in US hospitals. This hospital is a wonderful institution; those who support it should be proud. It is dreadful for the staff to suffer, and I hope increased support will be forthcoming. Anyone who wants further praise for it can easily find us on the internet. 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 I’ve lived in at least one city small enough that we couldn’t afford three separate buildings. Some of the disputes were solved in ways that would seem odd to an outsider - e.g. an agreement that people would “act respectfully, like in church” on Friday evenings, but feel free to move around during services on Saturday mornings. If the people like each other and really want to work together and allow for each others’ feelings and preferences, it can be done. 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 I've lived in at least one city small enough that we couldn't afford three separate buildings. Some of the disputes were solved in ways that would seem odd to an outsider - e.g. an agreement that people would "act respectfully, like in church" on Friday evenings, but feel free to move around during services on Saturday mornings. If the people like each other and really want to work together and allow for each others' feelings and preferences, it can be done. 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00