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Early this year, my colleague Daniel Pipes at the Middle East Forum set out to reframe the way we all think about the conflict between the Israelis and the Palestinians: What if it's not a capacity problem, or an economic problem, or even a territorial or ethno-religious problem? What if it's simply the case that a war cannot truly end without one side declaring victory and the other accepting defeat?
Then this month, something remarkable happened. A group of legislators from Israel — the Knesset Israel Victory Caucus — came to Washington. They met with influential leaders in the American Jewish community. They met with some of the leading thinkers on these issues in the press and academia.
Perhaps most significantly, they met with policymakers in the Trump administration and in a like-minded group in Congress, the Congressional Israel Victory Caucus.
The Knesset and congressional groups pledged to work together toward reframing the paradigm through which we all view the conflict. They signed a statement that said, in part, "the primary obstacle to ending the Palestinian-Israeli conflict is the near-century of Palestinian rejectionism of the right of self-determination for the Jewish people."
And that's the crux of the problem. How can Israel make peace when the Palestinians don't want peace?
Destruction of the Temple of Jerusalem, Francesco Hayez, 1867.
Jerusalem's Judaic history dates back thousands of years before the birth of Islam.
That may sound incendiary, but think about it for a moment. Individual Palestinians surely want the conflict over. But as a nation — a people — they still seem convinced that they have the choice between accepting Israel and coexisting or rejecting Israel and eradicating it. It's a false choice, and the price for continuing the fantasy — to both sides — is simply too high.
These caucuses will advocate for policy within their own governments aimed at reaching this shared goal. So what does that policy look like?
The natural first place to start is to erect sanctions against the Palestinian Authority and Hamas as long as they continue their rejectionism.
While the Israeli delegation was in the U.S., Congress took an important first step in this direction by moving the Taylor Force Act out of committee, and is expected to pass the full Congress this week. This bill is critical because it cuts off one of the key means by which the Palestinian leadership entrenches the conflict: paying money to the families of terrorists.
Passing that bill into law would be a great start, but there's a lot more that must be done before the Palestinians finally accept reality.
Another option is to undertake serious campaigns in the media to change the minds of the Palestinian people. Campaigns that work to drain the Palestinians' will to reject Israel will pay dividends in the medium- to long-term. Likewise, the around 20 percent of Palestinians who accept Israel as a Jewish state should be empowered to push their leadership in that direction.
The United States and Israel can both take important steps to isolate the Palestinians. For too long, their failed leadership has been propped up by Arab allies who see perpetual conflict in Israel as a way to justify their own repression at home. Reports about Mahmoud Abbas's recent meeting in Saudi Arabia prove encouraging on this front, as they are beginning to demonstrate unprecedented pressure on the Palestinian leader to compromise.
Trump's move on Jerusalem is about exactly what Palestinians fear: proclaiming that Israel wins.
Finally, the United States should work closely with the Israeli government to find ways to provide diplomatic and political cover to more effectively defeat Palestinian terrorism, rather than pressuring Israel to hold back each time its people are attacked.
Before her death nearly 40 years ago, Golda Meir, the left-wing prime minister of Israel, famously said, "peace will come when the Arabs will love their children more than they hate us." She was right. For peace to come, the Palestinians must decide that they have more to gain by giving up the conflict than by perpetuating it.
Hopefully the Palestinians will understand that Trump's move on Jerusalem is about exactly what they fear: proclaiming that Israel wins. That's the only path forward.
The death of screen legend Faten Hamama at the weekend reminds us that Egyptian cinema was developed by a group of remarkable, strong women.
Faten Hamama, the greatest of Egypt’s film actresses, died at the age of 83 last Saturday. Hamama, who was known as “the Lady of the Arabic Screen,” acted in about 100 films from the 1940s until 2000.
She was born in 1931, in the village of Sanblawin, and began acting in films in the Egyptian realist genre during the 1950s – the golden age of Egyptian cinema.
In these films, Hamama played women fighting for their place in Egypt’s patriarchal society – sometimes as a young woman from a rural community who flouts convention and leaves; sometimes as an urban woman who fights against the laws that discriminated against women.
Hamama appears in 18 of the 150 films chosen as classics of Egyptian cinema by the Cairo International Festival in the late 1990s, including “Struggle in the Valley,” where she met her second husband, the actor Omar Sharif.
Hamama was awarded many international prizes for her roles, including an honorary doctorate from the American University in Cairo. About a year ago, when Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sissi was addressing various artists and noticed Hamama in the audience, he stopped his speech, stepped from the stage and went to welcome her, as a sign of respect for her unique status as the first lady of Egyptian cinema.
Hamama’s passing provides an opportunity to become acquainted with the women pioneers of Egyptian cinema who preceded her – women who were active during the first half of the 20th century and held positions of power in Egypt’s film industry.
Although women in high-level positions have become something of a rarity in Egypt’s film industry in recent decades, it was not always so. Beginning in the 1920s, women were the ones who held powerful positions in Egyptian cinema – not only as actresses, but also as producers, directors, editors, soundtrack composers and distributors. And, for a brief time, they were even stronger than men within the industry.
There were six particularly prominent female pioneers: Aziza Amir (1901-1952); Assia Dagher (1908-1986); Behidja Hafez (1908-1983); Fatma Rouchdi (1908-1996); Amina Mohamed (1908-1985); and Mary Queeny (1916–2003).
Each came from a different economic and geographic background. Some were Christian, others Muslim. But they all had one thing in common: There was no man in their lives – neither father, brother nor husband – who could impose restrictions on them, keep them from working, or steal the money they earned.
In addition, a significant element that helped their professional success was that most of them were born and grew up during a time that was a turning point in the lives of women in the world in general, and also in Egypt: World War I, when the men in many countries were drafted to fight, and women went out to work.
The idea of women’s liberation had reached Egypt even before then, during the second half of the 19th century, with the influence of European culture and, even more, of the British occupation of Egypt in 1882.
Egyptian travelers who visited Europe called in their letters for the emancipation of Egyptian women, and the national struggle that peaked with the 1919 uprising led to the rapid freeing of women from the shackles of tradition and their going out to demonstrations alongside men.
A feminist movement was active in Egypt during the 1920s.
Women such as Huda Sha’arawi – the leader of the movement to free women from the obligation to wear the veil – and the Palestinian poet May Ziade, who lived in Cairo, worked hard for women’s liberation and advancement in society.
With perfect timing, the Egyptian film industry began to thrive and became one of the areas of employment where women could integrate. But it was not easy. Since theater professions were off-limits to Muslim women, young men played women’s roles in early Egyptian theater. Later, thanks to the Jewish journalist and playwright Yaqub Sanu (also known as James Sanua) – the founder of Egyptian theater – Christian and Jewish women who spoke Arabic began appearing on the stage. Jewish actresses paved the way for Muslim women, who began to appear on the stage around the time of World War I. But they were mostly actresses, not directors or producers.
What sets these six women apart from other actresses of the time is that they did not remain actresses.
They took professional risks and embarked on financial adventures that they often had a hard time maintaining, but they stayed on their independent path.
Some of them continued to be active during the 1950s and ’60s, but their power lessened as the years went by, and most of them died penniless.
Also, although women producers and directors existed in Egypt later on – such as Magda (born, 1931), the producer and actress (her birth name was Affaf Kamel Elsabahy), or the feminist director Inas El-Degheidy (born 1953) – they were subjected to limitations as time went on and Egypt’s film industry became more and more controlled by men.
There are various reasons why this happened. Unfortunately, the national independence that is often won at the end of a struggle contains men’s independence on the one hand and the restriction of women by patriarchal tradition on the other.
It is possible that the fading glory of Egyptian cinema – which dipped in the late 1960s and dived to its lowest point in the 1980s and ’90s – brought with it a reduction in the status of the women who worked in the industry.
It is also likely that the return to religion and tradition kept women from continuing to work in the cinema over the years.
Either way, it is obvious that women no longer occupy the honored place that they held in the first half of the 20th century.
The issue of women’s underrepresentation in Egypt’s film industry is one of the major issues that Egyptian director Marianne Khoury dealt with in her acclaimed documentaries “Women Who Loved Cinema” (2002, 2003).
Each of the young women interviewed recounts the difficulties she encountered in the field, and her fear of working with a production company that might dismiss her or expropriate her work.
But much has happened in Egypt since the film reached the big screen.
The founding, in 2005, of the Rotana Cinema satellite channel – the first open channel to broadcast Arab films – heralded the entry of a great deal of capital into the local film industry, which led to the renewed blossoming of the industry and an increase in the number of films produced per year.
Also, Egypt embarked on a new national struggle, which, while not calling for liberation from colonialism, definitely sought to free the country from the yoke of the previous regime, from tyranny and the ongoing exploitation of most of the population.
The Rotana Cinema channel marked its 10th anniversary on New Year’s Eve with a day of special broadcasts, which included interviews that Hala Sarhan conducted with Egypt’s best actors and actresses, past and present.
Among those interviewed was actress Ilham Chahine, who began acting in Egyptian films in the 1980s and quickly became a star. Chahine, a successful film producer, now symbolizes an important trend in the industry.
“I want to restore Egyptian cinema to what it used to be: the lighthouse of Egyptian culture,” she said in the interview.
The existence of other women producers in the industry, such as actress Mona Zaki and Sarhan herself, could be good news for Egyptian cinema, and perhaps for Egypt as a whole.
Bold Rock in Mills River is hosting Bold Souls Morning Yoga beginning at 10:15 a.m. Saturday.
Participants should bring their yoga mats to Bold Rock for a mindful way to begin their Saturday. The class will be led by a local trainer and yoga instructor.
The class is open to all levels of yoga experience for a suggested donation of $5.
Following the yoga class, participants can enjoy a cider-mosa or lunch from the food truck.
Bold Rock is located at 72 School House Road in Mills River.
For more information, go to www.boldrock.com/mills-river.
The Hendersonville Symphony Orchestra is hosting “Holidays at the Movies” on Saturday, Jan. 5 at the Blue Ridge Community College Concert Hall, 180 W. Campus Drive in Flat Rock.
Times are 3 to 5:30 p.m. and 7:30 to 10 p.m. Tickets are $10 to $40.
The event was originally scheduled for Dec. 8. All tickets for the snowed-out performances will be honored on the new date at 3 and 7:30 p.m.
For more information, call 828-697-5884 or go to hendersonvillesymphony.org.
The Artisan of Flat Rock is hosting “Elvis Birthday: Tribute Show with the Australian Elvis and Marilyn Monroe starting at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 5.
The event includes Elvis tribute artist Ben King, with special guest Marilyn Monroe tribute artist Roxie Rose for Elvis’ birthday bash.
General admission is $11.50, and to reserve a table of four is $46. There is a $10 add-on option for a meet-and-greet.
The Artisan of Flat Rock is located at 5 Highland Park Road.
For more information, go to www.flatrockartisan.com or call 828-676-6718.
The Asheville Gun and Knife Show will be 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 5 and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 6 at the Davis Center at the WNC Agricultural Center, 1301 Fanning Bridge Road in Fletcher.
The event offers a wide variety of firearms and related equipment for shooters and collectors.
The cost is $8 and children 12 and under gets in free.
For more information, go to www.mkshows.com.
The Carl Sandburg Home will present “Perspectives: The Sandburg Story Slam,” from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 13 at the Bo Thomas Auditorium at Blue Ridge Community College.
The storytelling theme is “dream.” The live event will take place on Carl Sandburg’s birthday. Selected storytelling finalists will present their personal stories of less than five minutes.
In case of inclement weather, the snow date will be 2 to 4 p.m. Jan. 13.
Cole Hamels has pitched in plenty of big, meaningful games in his career, and he'll have another on Wednesday night when the Rangers look to win a series in September against a team they should win series from, and in turn, keep the pressure on Houston, Los Angeles and Minnesota.
Looking back on Hamels' recent outings, it's pretty clear he's in for something special as he returns to his hometown of San Diego to face the revamped Padres. Hamels has been great at Petco Park in his career with eight starts under his belt, compiling a 5-1 record and a 1.78 ERA.
But all of that is only a portion of the reason you should be excited for what's to come in the rubber game of the series.
Want a reason to get really fired up for Hamels' sixth start as a Ranger tonight? Look no further than his last six starts.
Of course, we all know his last start before the big trade to Texas was his first career no-hitter against the Cubs. Then, he was dealt to Texas and his first five outings in a Rangers uniform went like this: five earned runs allowed, four earned runs allowed, three earned runs allowed, two earned runs allowed and most recently one earned run allowed in an eight-inning gem against the Orioles.
Tomorrow, the latest disc version of anime Mekakucity Actors goes on sale in Japan. Above, you can see a scene from the broadcast version. And holy crap, the Blu-ray/DVD release seems different.
The anime, of course, is based on the light novel Kagerou Project.
Since the latest Blu-ray/DVD isn't out yet, we don't know yet how different, but as this teased image shows, expect parts of the home release to be very, very, very different.
So here is the TV version.
Yeah. Let that sink in. They're not a little different. They're incredibly different.
Last year, Kotaku covered the differences found in Blu-ray anime releases. To date, this has to be one of the most noticeable ones.
Canadian National Railway plans to invest more than $80 million in Minnesota this year — spending it, they said, would strengthen the company’s rail network across the state.
Canadian National Railway has reached an agreement to buy the TransX Group of Cos. in Winnipeg, Manitoba, from founder and CEO Louie Tolaini.
Canadian National Railway Co. named Jean-Jacques Ruest as president and chief executive officer, four months after he took over as interim leader.
Canadian National Railway plans to purchase 350 73-foot center beam railcars to meet the growing demand for transporting lumber products, the Montreal-based railroad announced May 2.
Canadian National Railway reported April 23 first-quarter net income of C$741 million, or $1 a share, on revenues of $3.2 billion, a decline of $12 million.
Railroad giant Canadian National Railway has abruptly replaced CEO Luc Jobin, saying it needed a leader who would “energize the team,” and named Jean-Jacques Ruest as interim president and CEO.
In an office up a steep hill in a seaside suburb of Athens, a tiny blue light flickers from a computer terminal. Dr Alexandros Frantzis, Greece’s foremost oceanographer, points it out. The light, he says, tracks marine traffic “in real time”.
It is key to saving one of the world’s most endangered whale populations.
Frantzis has spent nearly a quarter of a century studying marine mammals. His desk, like his small Pelagos Cetacean Research Institute, is testimony to a passion that has helped transform understanding of dolphins, porpoises and whales in a country where little was known about marine life barely two decades ago.
Shelves are stacked high with the bones of sea mammals big and small. The remains of a sperm whale’s lower jaw are propped against a wall in his back office. And in a room beyond, the skeletons of two whales – gargantuan, crusty and yellow – lie neatly assembled across the floor.
Sperm whales are the focus of Frantzis’s latest campaign. Although prevalent in other seas there are fewer than 300 in Greek waters, their largest habitat in the eastern Mediterranean.
Like marine mammals in most places, the whales face a multitude of threats, from entanglement in fishing nets to ingestion of plastic waste.
In Greece there is the added risk of noise pollution from Nato warships conducting underwater sonar drills – exercises blamed for disorienting whales reliant on their own form of sonar to navigate and hunt.
Seismic surveys, following the discovery of underwater hydrocarbons, also pose a threat.
But Frantzis says the biggest danger to local cetaceans is the chance of colliding with a ship. He singles out the waters off the western Peloponnese, an area where whales swarm but one of the busiest routes for tankers, cargo vessels and cruise liners.
Last month a nine-metre whale washed up on a beach in Santorini, the latest in a series of strandings. Frantzis now has a large white bone – one of its teeth – on his desk.