November 29, 2004: Anniversary of the UN vote on Resolution 181

(This entry is cross-posted by a host of participating websites in a "blogburst," led by http://www.israpundit.com/ to commemorate a milestone in Israel's history.)

Tomorrow, Monday November 29th, is the anniversary of the UN vote on resolution 181, which approved the partition of the western part Palestine into a predominately Jewish state and a predominately Arab state. (It is vital to recall that the UN partition plan referred to western Palestine, to underscore that in 1921 the eastern part was ripped off the Jewish National Home by the British Government and handed over to the then Emir Abdullah.)

The partition plan was approved by 33 to 13, with 10 abstentions. The 33 countries that cast the “Yes” vote were: Australia, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Byelorussia, Canada, Costa Rica, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, France, Guatemala, Haiti, Iceland, Liberia, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Sweden, Ukraine, Union of South Africa, USSR, USA, Uruguay and Venezuela. (Among other countries, the list includes the US, the three British Dominions, all the European countries except for Greece and the UK, but including all the Soviet-block countries.)

The 13 countries that voted “No” were: Afghanistan, Cuba, Egypt, Greece, India, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey and Yemen.

The ten countries that abstained are: Argentina, Chile, China, Colombia, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Honduras, Mexico, United Kingdom and Yugoslavia.

On November 30, 1947, the day following the vote, local Arabs murdered six Jews in a bus making its way to Jerusalem, and proceeded to murder another Jew in the Tel-Aviv - Jaffa area. This was a prelude to a war that claimed the lives of 6,000 Jews, or 1% of the total Jewish population in 1948. This toll is the per capita equivalent of today’s Canada losing 300,000 lives, or the US losing 3,000,000. In addition, immediately after the UN vote, Arabs attacked their Jewish neighbors in a number of Arab countries, with notorious murders in the Syrian city of Aleppo leading the list.

Here's a map of the areas affected by the vote.

Bruised and bleeding, Israel prevailed nonetheless. More, including pics of the actual Biblical "Hill of Evil Council," and it's current occupants (can't make this one up folks - it goes way beyond satire or parody) here in a later blog...

Netanya seashore the morning after the storm...
Posted by Dave

Nir in gear with "Bingo," at Road Radio 90FM. Read the blog further down for details about this and the rest of the series of images.
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Netanya seashore before the storm...
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Radio 90FM's DJ Nir Eichel with family at their Netanya studios. See blog further down for details.
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Netanya: IKEA, bowling & 'Emtsa Ha'Derech'

Been away from the keyboard for a few days, as Mazal, Inbal, Avner and I took off a few days at the beginning of the week as guests of the "Hayeinu" cancer-support organization.

Family counselor Ze'ev Weingarten arranged a three-day stay at the "Blue Weiss Hotel," a classy serviced-apartment/hotel in Netanya, at full-board in a two-room suite facing the sea. Sorry - they don't seem to have a website up at the present time... hmm.

After settling in (along with near gale-force winds and rain from the first big storm of the season - but great weather for ducks), we did what any self-respecting Israeli does when visiting the Netanya environs: we stopped off to gape at the home furnishings at IKEA, that Swedish Mecca of the Near-East, of course.

Those clever Swedes, (all together now kids - let's hear those Sesame Street "Swedish Chef" 'oopie-doopies' ring out!) after dissing Israel for years with the Arab blacklist - even reportedly refusing to ship here from "up there," they all-of-a-sudden decide to open a major outlet at the busy "Poleg" Junction along the Tel-Aviv-Haifa highway. Hard cash on the hardwood talks louder than scores of political yammerings, huh guys?

Next morning out, we went over to "Ye Olde Industrial Zone," where we were first on the lanes at the Netanya Bowling center. Since it was Mazal's first time bowling, she, of course, rolled a strike. Notice those final scores. Read 'em and weep, boys...

After showing off all our best "Flintstones" twinkle-toed bowling technique, we headed back down stairs to Netanya's own "Emtsa Ha'Derech - Road Radio - 90FM." For those reading this abroad, what's referred to here as, "regional radio," means that local stations are free to set their own content and playlists, get local advertisers etc, but link up to a national radio network on the hour for "Channel 10 news."

Co-owner and program director Margalit Hadar graciously gave us a tour of the (impressive) facilities, stopping to sit in along with 11-year veteran DJ Nir Eichel during the broadcast of his "Bingo" morning-drive game show. It was great being back behind the mike - even if it was someone else's and I kept my mouf' shut...

And the blogroll keeps marching along...

Mucho toda to "Celestial Blue" for adding yours truly to her blogroll. Now, I have a lot more to live up to, since she's a damn sight better and more proactive photoblogger than I am, not to mention having leaves and a Canadian autumn that lasts more that two weeks...

Drove through what is a great approximation of the dark side of the moon, straight through to the morning star yesterday evening to pick up a donated TV. More about that later today.

In the meantime: "We drove along the Jerusalem-Dead Sea Road until we came to Alon Road. And that is when I realized we were really off the beaten track. Except for the well-paved road, there's nothing man-made for miles, just mounds of sensuously curved sand in pinks and beiges, a landscape like none I'd ever seen before."

One of my daughters broke her leg at school yesterday - chasing a boy to slap him, apparently - and I will be with both her, and my older daughter Inbal Chaya, at Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital writing up the rest... what a way to blog.

'Blue State Blues... Dollywood Values'

Thank God for wickedly good parody. Here in this region, parody is often - no, make that usually - kicked far back in the shade and rendered impotent by increasingly ludicrous reality. Iowahawk is in the side of the wrong business, not to mention residing on the wrong landmass; he needs to get over here quick and start pumping out copy for the major news agencies. It's at least as good as anything they put out:

"'I'm not sure where we went wrong,' says Ellen McCormack, nervously fondling the recycled paper cup holding her organic Kona soy latte. 'It seems like only yesterday Rain was a carefree little boy at the Montessori school, playing non-competitive musical chairs with the other children and his care facilitators.

"'But now...' she pauses, staring out the window of her postmodern Palo Alto home. The words are hesitant, measured, bearing a tale of family heartbreak almost too painful for her to recount. 'But now, Rain insists that I call him Bobby Ray.'"

"'During a cross-country trip to New York, he stopped at the Iowa 80 Truck Stop in Walcott, Iowa, and bought a John Deere gimme cap as a gag souvenir,'" says Levin. "'Within a year, he had dropped out of graduate school, abandoned his SoMa apartment, and and was working at a drive-thru liquor store. Today he is a wealthy televangelist in Bossier City, Louisiana.'"

"Mighty quiet out there tonight... Yeah - maybe a little too quiet, you know?"

Here's the latest batch of audio I got out to radio stations in the States on events here in Jerusalem during and after the Arafat funeral. These and other exclusive reports, regularly updated, are available at my beta sitehttp://mister_d1.tripod.com/(patience - some clips will take a few moments to download and autoplay in a new window):

Public Security, acting Tourism Minister Gideon Ezra on security concerns and tourism, chaotic funeral of PA Chairman Yasser Arafat and future relations with successors.
Security Minister: hopeful about PA

Supt. Gil Klieman on national high security-alert, after interment of Arafat coinciding with end of Ramadan prayers. Florida. Friday, Nov. 12, 2004.
Police spokesman: high terror alert

Latest update on comatose Arafat, plans for funeral, developing Palestinian leadership triumverate. WINK/WNOG Radio, Ft. Myers, Florida. Wednesday, Nov. 10, 2004.
Arafat & the PA: the day after

Segment of a live international report on the US absentee ballot and voters in Israel for WINK/WNOG Radio, Ft. Myers, Florida. Wednesday, Oct, 20 2004.
Elections 2004: US voters in Israel
'Democrats Abroad' Israel branch

Audio: News & Features
Text: News & Features

Archive report: Jerusalem bus No.19 bombing: Eyewitness report

Blogrolling: Keep That Card and Letter Coming In...

Mucho todas to Jewsweek's "The Yada Blog," and "Israellycool," for adding me to their blogroll. Guys, the check is enclosed in the javascript. May you grow and prosper, and your servers ever reign.

And all you other bloggers? Well, do keep that card and letter coming in...

Now why do I suddenly somehow feel like Steve Martin madly waving the telephone book in the air in, "The Jerk?" This is the kind of spontaneous publicity I need! My name in print! That really makes somebody! Things are going to start happening to me now."

And now, back to the news: Yasser Arafat is still seriously dead.

Palestinians at Friday afternoon prayers in Jerusalem Old City alleyway, near Al Aksa Mosque and Western Wall plaza.
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Border policeman in alleyway near Temple Mount with Muslim prayergoers during Friday prayers in Jerusalem's Old City, at conclusion of Ramadan month. There was no significant violence, besides minor stonethrowing incidents, police report.
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Internal Security and Tourism Minister Gideon Ezra at Western Wall plaza. Some 15,000 Muslims took part in the regular Friday service on the Temple Mount, above the Western Wall, seen in background, at the conclusion of the month of Ramadan.
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Western Wall plaza during Muslim prayers ending Ramadan month. Border Police SWAT teams line the earthern ramp in the background leading to Mograbi Gate entrance to the Temple Mount, with security forces possibly outnumbering Jewish worshippers. Meanwhile, PA Chairman Yasser Arafat's chaotic funeral is taking place in Ramallah, several miles to the north.
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Arafat funeral: Ramallah roils as Jerusalem rests

Tens of thousands of grief-stricken Palestinians swarmed around the two Egyptian air force helicopters returning the remains of PA Chairman Yasser Arafat to his Ramallah "Muka'ta," headquarters Friday afternoon.

Masked gunmen fired in the air, as the massed sea of mourners dragged the coffin out of the helicopter bay, the doors barely openable from the crush.

Rescue and security forces were overwhelmed by the tremendous disarray at the event, with a number of Palestinians reportedly wounded in the melee, possibly from gunshots fired by the masked militias.

Sweating, screaming "we will avenge your memory, oh, Arafat," and, "Jerusalem," the human mass "paraded," the coffin over their heads to the hastily-erected, and reportedly mobile mausoleum on the rubble-strewn compound.

Arafat's coffin was quickly interred in the stone structure, as Palestinians vowed that the gravesite was a temporary arrangement, until Arafat's remains were transferred to the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, five kilometers to the south, in a hoped-for future deal with Israel.

My patch of 'My Little Town:' An aerial shot when I was REALLY high this summer, of our circa 1960s apartment complex (along Herzl boulevard across from hotel row, for all you local yokels). Former veep Al Gore had the best felafel he ever ate at the newsstand/flowershop just nearby. They even got the faded pic to prove it, too. Ahh, fame.

The neighborhood, built by and when the "Histadrut" Labor federation was boss, is very green, sort of like a quiet garden right smack at the noisy entrance to town.
Posted by Dave

The End of Arafat

"At a time when nonagenarian Nazis and aides to Nazis who killed a dozen people sixty years ago are still hunted down, aged, confused witnesses shuffling up to the stand in desperate attempts to testify against them, Arafat will be buried with pomp and eulogies, and something in me will get buried, too, a hope I nurtured, admittedly weak, that there was enough justice in the world that it would still catch up with him, as the terror raged and more and more victims died and were mangled."

Thank you, P. David Hornick, for - once again - reading my mind and wrestling my thoughts down on screen with the article appearing on www.frontpagemagazine.com.

'Arafat & the PA: the day after'

Earlier this afternoon, I did a live radio Q&A update for WINK/WNOG Radio in Ft. Myers, Fla. on PA Chairman Yasser Arafat's condition, plans for the funeral, and what may be developing into a new Palestinian leadership triumverate. You can hear it here:

'Arafat & the PA: the day after': http://mister_d1.tripod.com

In a brief recorded segment of a longer conversation, I spoke with a Palestinian shopkeeper in Jerusalem's Old City about Abu Maazen, reputed to be the next in line (as of this posting, although Farouk Kaddoumi is screaming bloody murder...) to take over Arafat's post.

He said that neither he, nor anyone he knew, were familiar with Maazen, considering him an "outsider," one of the Tunis crew brought in with the Oslo Accords.

Not surprisingly, the shopkeeper (in the longer seg - available upon request off-thread) placed the responsibility for all their troubles on their own leadership, the EU, the US, and, of course, Israel.

Events here are developing so quickly, the report may well be out of date by morning, so listen soon.

Scroll down to 'Wireless Jerusalem: Where reaching out to God is a local call,' for the story behind these pics. DB
Posted by Dave

Scroll down to 'Wireless Jerusalem: Where reaching out to God is a local call,' for the story behind these pics. DB
Posted by Dave

Scroll down to 'Wireless Jerusalem: Where reaching out to God is a local call,' for the story behind these pics. DB
Posted by Dave

Scroll down to 'Wireless Jerusalem: Where reaching out to God is a local call,' for the story behind these pics. DB

Posted by Dave

Downtown Jerusalem prayer rally against planned Gaza / West Bank Disengagement. November 1st.
Posted by Dave

Wireless Jerusalem: Where reaching out to God is a local call

Covered two events in downtown Jerusalem; both at central Zion Square, and at the top of City Hall last Monday, November 1. First, a politically sedate, but religiously and emotionally riveting prayer rally pleading for God to intercede in foiling the Gaza Disengagement Plan brought some 30,000 into the streets for fervent prayer, Psalm-reading and, later, dance.

Meanwhile, three blocks away at City Hall, Jerusalem Mayor Uri Lupoliansky and a bevy of high-tech and investment leaders, dignitaries and and city officials were holding a press conference announcing "Unwired Jerusalem," offering free Wi-Fi Internet connectivity throughout the city center - for the first year, at least - in an effort aimed at putting Jerusalem's hi-tech community squarely on the world's Internet connection map, sweeping consumers out of an economic recession to upgrade to Wi-Fi-equipped computers, and a dose of good ole' local Chamber of Commerce-style boosterism. If only my Sony Vaio laptop's battery held out long enough to make it all worthwhile...

While the press, um, pressed around the hotshots for close-ups, I spied a chance to get pictures of a lovely autumn sunset in Jerusalem - from a God's-eye view. Here - at least for the first year - reaching out and talking with God is now only a local Wi-Fi Internet call away.