Notations On the Grid (II): On Israel & the Future

As we continued to assess the state of affairs what was quite striking was how Israel's Ambassador to Washington said that influencing Iran deal was more important that a relationship with Obama--which is even more a sense of arrogance and disregard for the President of the United States.   It will be interesting to see moves by Grass Roots Organizations to facilitate a boycott of the Speech will be successful or not.   Vice President Biden has said he will not attend.      It is striking how the internal challenges in Israel are being ignored as find it quite interesting that the Prime Minister has time to go to Washington--yet does not have time to debate his opponents.

The latest on the conduct of the Prime Minister while in office is also raising eyebrows in Israel.   Whether criminal charges will be filed or not is apparently an open question right now.   Beyond the current narrow debate, what we find especially refreshing is how Democracy continues to be ever so vibrant in Israel.     In addition to +J Street  we also are supporters of the +One Voice Movement which strives for a different way beyond the current dialogue in Israel today.   What we saw recently as noted below gives us profound hope:

Dear Mike, Everyone who is concerned with the prospects of reaching a viable two-state solution and a lasting peace between Israel and Palestine recognizes the great significance of the March 17th Israeli elections. Just as in previous elections, OneVoice Israel (OVI) is ensuring that Israelis understand the urgent need for action on two states. There is a window of opportunity for a viable agreement, but it will not stay open forever. Israeli citizens have a critical role to play in this election. They must shape the 20th Knesset so it places a stable peace with its neighbors at the top of its agenda. To this end, OVI partnered with V15 (Victory 15), a grassroots, non-partisan group of inspirational young Israelis who share our values and are working for maximum voter participation in the upcoming election. They are promoting a new era of peace, security, and prosperity for Israelis and Palestinians alike. V15’s young leaders left their jobs the moment elections were called, volunteering to devote themselves to this goal by getting out the vote and countering the prevalent cynicism and apathy. Although hailing from many backgrounds and political perspectives, they are united by their shared concern over Israel’s future and recognize that their country needs a government responsive to the social, economic, and national security aspirations of the Israeli public. This video captures the spirit of V15's historic mission: To date, V15 has over 43,000 Facebook likes, with thousands more added weekly. Offline, thousands of volunteers go door-to-door as canvassers engage with ordinary Israelis in the streets of Tel Aviv, Haifa, Jerusalem, Beersheba, Rehovot, and more. OneVoice is dedicated to its mission of bringing about an end to the conflict so that those citizens of Israel and Palestine may one day find themselves living with the hope, peace, and dignity that we as human beings all deserve. Israel has been a model and a trailblazer in many ways.     We will be eager to see how things turn out on March 3.