What Is Flig?

While I’ve been an avid follower of Laurence’s Palestinian Bingo right now my need to show my love and appreciation of the IDF can’t wait.

I was about to send a Pizza to an IDF Patrol when I decided to see we could raise enough to send Pizza for a whole Company. (Or More!)

Laurence has already pledged $25.00, and will be making an appeal on IMAO. If you’d like to contribute, please Paypal your donation to ericjpp@gmail.com. If you’d like acknowlegement, please mention your donation in the comments. I’ll occaisionally bump this post up with a running total. Our goal is $269.75, which will buy pizza for 90 soldiers.

Please give, it’s the least we can do. These young men and women all have Jewish Mothers ringing their cell phones and asking “Are you eating?” Let’s help them respond with a hearty “Yes, Ma, I just had some pizza. It is too real food. Yes, I know Aunt Sadie’s birthday is tomorrow. I promise, I’ll call her.”

(And while you’re at it, you can throw some tzedakah to Magen David Adom. In fact, if you have to choose, choose MDA, and post your donation in the comments anyway.)

Am Yisrael Chai!

Crossposted at Yourish.com

My Mad Photoshop Skilz are on display over at IFOC.

Okay, they're not so mad. I didn't even use Photoshop. (I used the Gimp.)

For the full story of the "Horrible Red Binder" go to Little Green Footballs.

From Isreally Cool and Sha! a very funny Israeli McDonald's commercial for the McShwarma.

Mmmmm, Schwarma.

No trip to the Kosher wonderland of Montgomery County, MD is complete for me without a schwarma from Max's. Max's has the best falafal and schwarma I've had outside of Isreal (though I'm perfectly willing to believe that there are better places in NYC.) And they provide a full bar of fillings, in the Israeli style, although they don't offer pearl onions or french fries, my two favorite options. Do ask for the eggplant, though. It's not usually visible, but the authentically surly pita-stuffer will get it for you. He might even do it politely if you ask in Hebrew.

The maneuverings around Arafat's death are stuff that would be dismissed as unrealistic by most Soap Opera fans.

HT: Isreallycool: Haaretz -

French officials who have been following Yasser Arafat's treatment were astonished to discover that Suha Arafat's constant companion and financial adviser was none other than Pierre Rizk, who headed the intelligence service of the Phalanga during the Lebanese civil war and was in close personal contact with the guerrilla group responsible for the massacre at the Sabra and Shatilla refugee camp in 1982.

Rizk has been spotted in or near Percy Hospital in recent days. Since Rizk holds power of attorney for Suha Arafat, French and Palestinian officials have been in constant contact with him over Suha Arafat's financial demands, which she says are designed to ensure the financial future of her and her daughter. The outcome of these contacts is still not clear.

Rizk, a Maronite Lebanese, is well known to Israeli officials, and has spent long periods in Israel where he met with government officials and private business figures. Israelis who have met with him in person describe him as a colorful figure, and say that he is something of a womanizer.

Because of his position within the Phalangas, he has extensive contacts with several international intelligence agencies. Living in Paris since his exile from Lebanon, Rizk is an international businessman with operations in Europe and the United States.

In 1999, Rizk won a legal suit he filed in the U.S. courts against the PA. The suit, which created quite a stir in financial circles in the PA, was based on a promise made to Rizk by Yasser Arafat just before the signing of the Oslo Accords in 1993, that he would be granted the license to develop the communications infrastructure in the West Bank.

Rizk obtained a note, signed by Arafat, in which he undertook to award the contract to International Technology Integrated (ITI), a company incorporated in the U.S. At the same time, it now appears that Arafat was handing out similar notes to many other people and companies, promising them jobs, tenders and contracts in his future government.

I'm beginning to think that Mossad has turned Suha, and is using her to ensure that whoever winds up on top of this scrum is so weakened and poor that they can't do a lot of damage to Israel. Really, it makes about as much sense as any other explanation.

I'm expecting the announcement to come tomorrow, allowing the body to be buried after prayers on the final Friday of Ramadan, which, if I recall correctly, is a big deal.

My fear (stoked by Laurence) is that there will be some kind of human (well, roughly human) wave to get the body to the Dome of the Rock. The resulting violence will dwarf what followed Sharon's trip to the Mount in 2000. I fully expect the P.A. to hit bottom and keep digging.

Bill at INDC brings us a Democratic misstep.

It would actually be difficult to do a Bush/Cheney button - there is no equivalent "Ch" sound in Hebrew. I think the closest match would be "Tzaddik Yod Nun Yod" which is more like "Tseyi"

According to Isreallycool

Arafat has been reported dead. He may, however, just be brain dead (this is news?) and on life support.

The Dead Pool has proclaimed him dead.

There is a small handfull of people whose deaths I will cheer (and even then, I know I am betraying my principles) but Yassir Arafat is at the top of the list.

(From TBIFOC)

Update:

From Haaretz:

The Knesset on Tuesday evening approved Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's disengagement plan by a majority of 67-45. ... Twenty-three Likud MKs voted in favor of the plan, while 17 voted against it. A total of 21 Labor and One Nation MKs voted in favor, as did 14 Shinui MKs, six Yahad MKs, two United Arab List members and one National Union MK (Michael Nuddelman). All eleven Shas MKs voted against the plan, on the orders of the party's spiritual leader Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, as did six National Religious Party members, six National Union MKs and five United Torah Judaism Mks. Three Hadash MKs and three Balad MKs abstained, as did one One Nation MK.

From another article:

The bulk of the bill, which was drafted by an interministerial task force, outlines how the compensation to be paid to evacuated settlers will be determined. This compensation is expected to average some $330,000 per family. The bill also authorizes the prime minister, with the cabinet's approval, to decide which settlements to evacuate and when, and authorizes the prime minister alone, after consultations with the defense and public security ministers, to declare areas slated for evacuation off-limits to anyone who does not live there.

I'm still uncertain about the pullout plan- I'm viscerally in favor of it, but I recognize there are good arguments against it, both factual and emotional (and presumably, Halachic.)

Like the "fence" itself, I think it is probably the "least bad option," and I hope it is administered (and accepted) with wisdom, compassion, and a love of Klal Yisroel.

And additionally, I hope it energizes whatever remaining or nascent desire there is among the Palestinians for a peaceful two-state solution, and that they are able to forge a civil society focused on improving their own lives, rather than destroying the lives of others.

HT - Laurence

One of the reasons I haven't done the promised PSM roundup is because the Conference and its aftermath were depressingly predictable:

• The conference refused to condemn terrorism or suicide bombing.

• Protests were mostly peaceful, although a bomb threat was called in on the Bryan Center (the Student Union.)

• Israeli policy was equated with apartheid.

I doubt many minds were changed on either side or in the middle.

A few other links: Offical Duke site.

JPost Article

And finally, Isreallycool has owned the story of the most notable thing to come out of the conference, a nasty, anti-semitic, and annoyingly whiny) op-ed in the Chronicle. Scroll up for his back-and-forth with the author.

Had an exhausting day today - Mitchell was being extra-two-years-old. I'll have a PSM roundup tomorrow, in the meantime, here's an article from the Jerusalem Post, courtesy of my sister.