Allison W. Good

Obama may not have much to say about Israel right now, but AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee – 2nd most influential lobbying group in the U.S. after the NRA) is about to send “some 60 US congressmen, nearly 15 percent of the 435-member House of Representatives” to Israel over the next two weeks.  The highest-profile American visitor will be the anomalous Eric Cantor, a 46-year-old representative from Virginia who is the only Jewish Republican in the House and also the minority whip (2nd in command after Minority Leader John Boehner).  Cantor did an in-depth interview with The Jerusalem Post that was printed today, and he is certainly concerned with Obama’s stance on Israel.

First question:

You were quoted in November as saying that a strong US-Israel relationship was a top priority for you, and that you would be outspoken if US President Barack Obama “did anything to harm those ties.” Has he?

“I’m very concerned about some of the reports indicating some disagreement and pressure being put on Israel regarding construction in the settlement areas, as well as Jerusalem in particular. I feel that any kind of emphasis on the issue of natural growth in the settlements is a distraction from the real urgent crisis in the region, which is the nuclearization of Iran.”

Sidestep of settlement issue numero uno.  AIPAC really loves to talk about Iran and how dangerous it is.  Sure, it’s hostile towards Israel, but I feel like AIPAC never talks about anything else.  I’m bored already (yawn).

A little ways down:

So are you saying there is support on the Hill for natural growth in the settlements?

“I think that the whole issue of the status of the settlement blocks is something to be resolved in future agreements; it is not something we should begin pressuring Israel on now, when there really have not been adequate steps taken by the Arab states and the Palestinians.”

Settlement sidestep numero deux.  I think AIPAC (and Cantor) just really need to say what they think: that the settlements have a right to exist, that Israelis have the right to build and expand them.  It’s no secret that AIPAC leans to the right on Israel’s political spectrum, but it seems that no one EVER wants to deal with the settlements.  Every single U.S. president has dropped the ball on this one, and as I said in an earlier post, Netanyahu and his pro-settlement sentiment are popular among Israelis.  It’s never “the right time” to pressure Israel on anything.  But hey, I can’t blame them.  No one said making peace in the Middle East would be easy.  At this point in the interview, I am still bored (yawn) and have not read anything of substance.

So, Eric Cantor, I really hope you have interesting stuff to say while you’re actually in Israel.  I really don’t need to hear for the umpteenth time that it’s not the right time to broach the settlement issue.

In related news, I still have my press badge.  Perhaps this will help me out lots in the not-so-distant future.  I’ll have just arrived in Israel, so I won’t exactly have time to stalk Congressmen, but I will have my camera at the ready just in case!

Also, I’m pretty sure I have a little something in the ol’ Times-Pic tomorrow.  I’ll post a link if it’s in there!  And don’t forget to check out A.Good Journalism for links to my clips from this summer and internships past!

I bear exciting news from my comfy cubicle at the T-P!

1. NOLA.com blog post on fall theatre classes at Southern Rep by yours truly.

2. Watch out for my BIG article on the old Robert E. Lee Theatre on Monday!  What used to be one of the city’s premier neighborhood movie theaters is slated for demolition.  If you’re a New Orleanian, it should be in Living.  If you’re not a local, all you have to do is go to NOLA.com, and from there you have options: click on the “Living” tab, type my name into the search bar, etc.  Also, a Web 2.0 thank-you to the wonderful people in layout and photo for packaging it!

3. If all goes according to plan, I will continue with the T-P as a freelance writer!  The idea is for me to file travel stories as a Contributing Writer, and this prospect has me simultaneously jumping up and down in my seat and doing a victory dance (metaphorically, of course, since I work in a professional environment).

Tonight I actually have to start the daunting process of unpacking things I don’t think I’ll really need in Israel.  I can’t zip my bags, so it’s not a choice.  Alrighty then, I’m off to the T-P library to look at travel stories!

According to JTA (Jewish Telegraphic Agency), the Lebanese army is mobilizing on the Israeli border:

“JERUSALEM (JTA) – The Lebanese army has declared a state of high alert on its border with Israel and moved tanks to the area, Lebanese media are reporting.

The Israeli daily Ha’aretz cited the official Lebanese news agency as saying that the move was in response to the movement of four Israeli tanks in the Shebaa Farms area, near Hassan Kasar, where there is a crossing into Lebanon.

The news agency also reported that six Israeli military planes had entered Lebanese airspace and circled the area, according to Ha’aretz…”

Well that’s just peachy.   The article continues with quotes from top Israeli Defense Force officers, who say they are not aware of any “winds of war.”  But don’t be worried, kids.  For one, I’ll be in Jerusalem, which is smack-dab in the middle of the country, whereas Lebanon is to the north of Israel.  Secondly, I’ll be much safer anywhere in Israel than I am in New Orleans, which boasts the highest crime rate in the country (Louisiana is also number one in incarceration).

As if that wasn’t enough, check out this op-ed from Aluf Benn, the editor of Ha’aretz, which was printed in The New York Times a few days ago.

To summarize, this is all about how Obama, despite his outreach to “Arabs, Muslims, Iranians, Western Europeans, Eastern Europeans, Russians and Africans,” has not “bothered to speak directly to Israelis.”

I, for one, happen to agree with Benn completely.  He focuses on the settlement freeze debate, which has plagued U.S.-Israel relations since 1967.  Obama has made a big point of condemning the settlements and publicly asking the Israeli government to stop them, but Netanyahu’s defiance is popular among Israelis, most of whom “rarely have anything to do with the settlements; many have no idea where they are, even when they’re a half-hour’s drive from Tel Aviv.”  Also:

“A Jerusalem Post poll of Israeli Jews last month indicated that only 6 percent of those surveyed considered the Obama administration to be pro-Israel, while 50 percent said that its policies are more pro-Palestinian than pro-Israeli.”

My mother happens to have a good friend in Israel who made aliyah after college, and she sent us an email a few months ago saying that Israelis’ perceptions of Obama’s attitudes toward Israel are not so rosy.  But whatever national sentiments may be, I’m about to be right in the middle of it.  Expect lots of commentary from me in the future!

Yes, it’s finally hit me that I don’t have enough time to do everything I need to do before I leave for the airport at the crack of dawn on Sunday, including finishing my Liberty’s Kitchen package and assuaging my mother’s “separation anxiety.” 

One thing I have been doing, though, is stuffing myself with obscene amounts of treif, which in my case only refers to shellfish.  As good Jewish mothers often worry about sending their kids off to exotic lands where good food is not readily available, mine is thoroughly intent on wining and dining me before I leave, so I’m taking advantage of that: Wednesday and Thursday nights are Manale’s and La Crepe Nanou, and Friday night is my 21st birthday celebration at Galatoire’s, hopefully accompanied by a nice few glasses of champagne and/or Riesling.  On the docket for tonight is dinner with my grandparents, who continue to question my ability to take Jerusalem buses without getting blown up.

On a different subject entirely, I think it’s a really good thing that I won’t be flying to Israel on Tisha B’Av.  Talk about a bad omen!  However, Hebrew U should have put us on a nighttime flight instead of an early afternoon flight, so that I wouldn’t have to leave home the day before the flight and spend a night at the Holiday Inn, which Jewish Mother assures me has bedbugs.

So I’m freaking out, but it’s mostly a good kind of freaking out.

I guess I’m not really supposed to be blogging at work, but hey, it’s writing all the same.  The packing saga continues, as I weigh my options: do I limit myself to the two 50-lb duffels, one pice of “hand luggage,” and my backpack?  I know I’ll be paying overweight charges, so I’m doing my best to pack these suckers to the gills, but I’m contemplating a third checked item so that I can also bring lots of books and food.  Perhaps the latter is too ambitious, but oddly enough my parents are pushing for it.

As of right now, I’m typing away on my ancient Dell monitor, cursing the obscenely slow internet connection, and frenetically checking my CrackBerry for new emails.  I’m also trying to decide whether or not I want to take advantage of the free White Cheddar Cheez-Its only inches away from my desk.

Okeydoke, I’ve wasted enough time.  About to begin writing cool feature (and probable food cover) on Liberty’s Kitchen, an awesome non-profit in Mid-City.  Before I go, I must give a virtual shout-out to my very good friend Sam Levine, who as of this morning procured her student visa for studying abroad in Haifa this fall!  Over and out.

…in Newark, New Jersey, i.e. the armpit of America!  I’ll be staying overnight at the Holiday Inn at the airport, feeling undoubtedly jittery and nauseous about my Aug. 3 flight to Ben-Gurion International Airport.  Am I ready?  The short answer is no.  My sister is in Andover, MA, so her room is currently strewn with the contents of my closet.  The parental unit is constantly telling me “that it’s time to get serious.”

But the reality is that I still have 5 more days at The Times-Picayune, and I have a lot I need to finish.  It will truly be a sad day when I leave the newsroom for good.  No more free cupcakes, advance copies, or rubbing elbows (literally) with Pulitzer Prize nominee Chris Rose.  But I digress.

I’ve been thinking about the things I’ll miss most and I think I’ve come up with a good list:

1. BlackBerry

2. Lola

3. New Orleans cuisine

4. JazzFest/Voodoo/Mardi Gras

5. sunny late afternoons on the Quad

That’s it for now.