Well, it should be said that my grandfather was a Russian Jew; and so the stories go, he was nothing like the kind we see in Israel today: anti-Peace, anti-Arab, anti-pragmatist.
Personally, I think it's a recent constructed memory for Russian Jews; they've had to experience Soviet oppression--the feeling of being caged behind an Iron Curtain--that has pushed their demographic to the far right.
In a country of six million people (Israel) a near million of them emigrating has (and is continuing to have) a significant effect on the Israeli political sphere.
Bill Clinton has said to Haaretz
Former United States president Bill Clinton on Tuesday told the media that the Russian immigrant population in Israel is an obstacle to peace with Palestinians, sparking a furious response from Israel’s main immigrant party, Yisrael Beiteinu.
Of course, Avigdor Lieberman, the Israeli foreign minister and founder of Yisrael Beiteinu, is from Moldova. And of course, he's pissed.
I should also say that on December 1st Surfing the Middle East (yes we changed it from Surfing the Casbah) will be released as a cool iPad Zbook. It will be integrated with pictures, videos, audio, interviews, and all that cool stuff that makes that iPad Experience that much cooler than print books. Anyway, my point is that my first chapter--"Fire Up The Lieberrrman!"--is about this very topic ... of course, en route for a surf in a taxi with a crazy Russian Israeli.
More to come soon!
In other news, Israeli Ch.10 reports that the U.S. Embassy in Lebanon has instructed American citizens to leave the country. This is about the prospect of a Hezbollah indictment over the Hariri tribunal ... so perhaps Hezbollah guerrillas will march into West Beirut again? Jesus. I hope not. And I really don't think so. Not now.
Update: The picture I tagged of Hezbollah brutes has 122 mm rockets en tow, I think. Can anyone else confirm this? In front those are RPGs.
