This week in Israel: Margot Dudkevitch on Gaza (Exclusive Podcast Interview)

Israeli tank crew viewing an explosion in the Gaza town of of Beit Hanun (archive)

Hear Margot Dudkevitch, an Ozsraeli defense affairs and territories commentator, and former Jerusalem Post territories reporter as she takes look at this difficult week in Israel, the West Bank and Gaza.

Hanging fire in Gaza, 'just waiting on a friend'

From The Jerusalem Post:

"Israel will consider releasing the 64 Hamas activists it rounded up early Thursday morning if IDF soldier Cpl. Gilad Shalit is freed, OC Central Command Maj.-Gen. Yair Naveh said Thursday.

"'The possibility exists,' Naveh said. "The diplomatic echelon can decide to release the Hamas officials if the soldier is returned to us." Foreign Ministry spokesman Mark Regev said the primary goal of the operation "is to bring about Shalit's release. If he is released, this would dramatically deescalate the situation.'"

Carl at Israelmatzav rips that idea a "new one:"

"This evening, the IDF was supposed to enter Northern Gaza to deal with the Kassam shooters. Instead, it is sitting outside lobbing in shells. While they did get lucky and shells hit two power transformers, knocking out power which had been partially restored since Tuesday night, the 'Palestinians' have gotten off six more Kassams. Two of the Kassams landed south of Ashkelon near a 'sensitive installation' (probably our power plant); two landed in Sderot, one of which landed next to or in the municipal cemetery, and two more landed in Kibbutz Mevakiim. No one was hurt beyond people treated for shock. "The reason that tonight's entry was called off - ostensibly by Ehud Olmert after a meeting with Defense Minister Comrade Peretz - was to 'give diplomacy a chance.' Comrade Peretz claimed this afternoon - four days after wounded IDF Corporal Gidon Shalit was kidnapped - that we are on the verge of a major diplomatic breakthrough. Tonight, Debkafile is claiming that there is no diplomatic breakthrough and there never was one on the verge or otherwise.

Read it all.

Ynetnews has a good report and video of the current fighting.

'Say Whut?' Babelfishing for the mot juste

Good morning to Europe and points east.

Thanks to the many visitors from non-native English speaking countries, I just added Babelfish to the top of the page, over there to the right, to ease translations. Please give it a try, and let me know just how badly cutting-edge technology can mangle language.

But no. No, not as badly as many Israeli spokespersons do when addressing the foreign media, and quite often in a dialect that, actually, almost resembles English...

Lesse', there was Dalia Yitzik to the UK's Court of St. James. That was a good one. Late (and deeply missed) Jerusalem Post colleague Sam Orbaum ripped into Itzik on her "hibroo"; Defense Minister Amir Peretz speaking (sic) at The Rabin Center in something English-istic (hat tip to OneJerusalem). Myself, I was always partial to Vice Premier Shimon Peres' "piss pro-sess."

This example by Gil Hoffman at The Jerusalem Post was written back in 2001. Has anything changed? Got any better examples? There must be bazillions...

Reporter and media affairs expert Dan Diker at The Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs takes a more serious, well-documented look at the issue.