By GREER FAY CASHMANUpdated: MAY 22, 2021 17:03FRENCH PRESIDENT Emmanuel Macron (right) and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi attend a videoconference with Jordan’s King Abdullah (on screen), at the Élysée Palace in Paris earlier this week.(photo credit: REUTERS)
Royalty has a higher status than a statesman, but when the statesman in question is the president of your own country, the pecking order changes. Eran Guterman, the spokesman for the French Embassy in Israel, in a press release concerning a meeting between French President Emmanuel Macron, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and King Abdullah II of Jordan, listed them in that order. The three expressed their deep concern over the escalation of tensions between Gaza and Israel and called on the parties to immediately agree to a ceasefire, adding that resuming effective negotiations to achieve a just and lasting peace between Israel and the Palestinians “remains indispensable to a comprehensive peace in the region.”In the course of the text, the order of importance changed, and al-Sisi was placed after the King of Jordan. As a rule, Guterman’s press releases are in French and Hebrew, but this time, only one language was used, and it was English, which long ago replaced French as the language of diplomacy.■ THE ROLE of the President of the State is supposedly ceremonial, but with the possible exception of former fourth president Ephraim Katzir who was neither a Member of Knesset nor a government minister prior to his election, all of Israel’s presidents were politicians, including Chaim Weizmann whose political activism led to his becoming president of the British Zionist Federation, his influence in the issuing of what became known as the Balfour Declaration, his leadership of the World Zionist Organization, his presidency of the Jewish Agency and his personal lobbying of former US president Harry S. Truman to ensure his support for the establishment of a Jewish State, all marked Weizman as a supreme politician. But all presidents of the state put their political affiliations on the back burner and became statesmen. Unfortunately, Miriam Peretz, who is not a politician is being boosted as a right-wing candidate by the Religious Zionist Party leader Bezalel Smotrich who intends to put all his political weightbehind Peretz, and is calling on all right-wing parties to support her so as to ensure that Israel will have a right-wing president. President Reuven Rivlin, for the whole of his political life, was an ardent right-winger, but because he saw himself as president of all the people including minorities and Jews of the Diaspora, whom he frequently reminded that “we are all brothers; we belong to the same family… ” he kept his political views to himself, and in some right-wing circles, was accused of having become a leftist. It’s true that Miriam Peretz is politically inclined towards the right, but it does not necessarily make her a right-wing president, just as Isaac Herzog, if he wins, will not be a left-wing president – but the president of all the people. This is evidenced by the fact that his 27 endorsements came from across the board, with the exception of the Arabs who cannot be expected to vote for the chairman of an ultra-Zionist organization, even if he is on the left side of the aisle politically. Peretz had ten right-wing endorsements plus one that wasn’t. In a secret ballot, there is no telling which way the wind will blow. There can always be surprises as happened the first time that Shimon Peres ran for president and was beaten by Moshe Katsav. Rivlin, likewise did not win in his first bid for the presidency and withdrew when it became clear the Peres had much more support. The second time around, in a run-off against Meir Sheetrit, Rivlin scored 63 votes which propelled him out of the Knesset and into the President’s Residence. Over the past seven years, Rivlin has occasionally allowed himself to make political statements when he found certain situations to be intolerable and was sharply criticized for doing so. By turning Miriam Peretz into a political figure, Smotrich is not doing her any favors, and as a qualified lawyer, he should know better.■ CIJA, THE Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs in Canada, reports on an alarming number of provocative incidents targeting Jewish residents of Montreal. These include hateful and antisemitic language on signs at an anti-Israel rally, vandalism on the building housing the Israeli consulate, rocks thrown at a peaceful gathering in support of Israel, anti-Israel activists driving through Jewish neighborhoods and yelling antisemitic slurs, and a proliferation of online posts threatening members of the Jewish community. Some arrests have already been made, and police are investigating which of these incidents should be characterized as hate crimes.CIJA Quebec Vice President Eta Yudin said: “Riding through Jewish neighborhoods and yelling anti-Jewish slogans is not expressing a political opinion, it is antisemitic and a provocation aimed at intimidating and instilling fear. The same applies to those who chanted ‘death to Jews’ at recent anti-Israel demonstrations and those who continue to threaten Jews online. As our political leadership has stated, there is no place for hate, violent intimidation, and antisemitism in Quebec. Prime Minister [Justin] Trudeau, Minister [Benoit] Charette, Opposition Leader Dominique Anglade, Mayor [Valérie] Plante, and Opposition Leader Lionel Perez have all been clear in their condemnation. Our community will not tolerate such acts aimed at intimidating and terrorizing Jews. We call on people of good conscience to join our elected officials in condemning these incidents.”Federation CJA CEO Yair Szlak added: “Our community’s leadership has forcefully called out the hateful incidents of recent days for what they are: antisemitism, pure and simple. Nothing justifies rock throwing and assaulting people at a peaceful rally. There are no excuses for driving through Jewish neighborhoods with the intent to terrorize Jews. Death threats and threats of violence against Jews on the street or online are horrendous and must be unequivocally condemned. Jews are not fair game, no matter your position on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. We must all stand united against hate. There is simply no room for antisemitism or hate of any kind in our society.”■ SOME JEWS in the diaspora feel resentful that they are paying the price for Israel’s policies and follies, and do not receive sufficient protection from their respective governments. One such person is comedienne Sarah Silverman, whose brother-in-law, Yosef Abramowitz had hoped to run for president of Israel, but did not succeed in getting sufficient endorsements. Silverman has made her frustration known on Twitter, and has received a scathing response from Jerusalem Deputy Mayor Fleur Hassan-Nahoum. Others have joined in the conversation, and it’s quite fascinating to read the diverse viewpoints, just as it is fascinating to read conflicting opinions in letters to the editor in newspapers and periodicals. Even more interesting in both cases is to realize the extent to which people misunderstand and misinterpret each other in their responses.■ MANY DIASPORA organizations have launched fund-raising campaigns on behalf of residents of the south of Israel as well as those in other areas which have been targeted by rockets from Gaza. As commendable as these efforts are, not all are coordinated with Israel’s local and regional councils but are simply spontaneous acts born out of concern for Israel’s safety and security. Even in Israel itself, extensive publicity is given to the inability of senior citizens, or families with several very young children to get to shelters in time when they receive a red alert warning. But what about people with special needs? Those with physical disabilities are unlikely to make it to the bomb shelter, and those with mental disabilities, may not even understand that their lives are in danger. There are some volunteer groups and individuals who look out for them, but not enough. As it is, there are insufficient bomb shelters, and it was only after the International Christian Embassy in Jerusalem announced that it was providing additional bomb shelters in high-risk areas that KKL-JNF, in coordination with the Ministry of Defense will be placing approximately 100 new portable bomb shelters in strategic locations and cities, so that residents are better protected and have instant access and safety. Funding for the shelters is coming in from Jewish communities around the world. KKL-JNF Global Chairman Avraham Duvdevani states: “KKL-JNF considers it of paramount importance to help, assist, and protect the residents of the Gaza Envelope [border communities].”Also needed, but so far with no initiatives in that direction are the cost of repairs and reconstruction of homes badly damaged or destroyed by rocket fire. Many people have been left homeless and are undergoing an extremely traumatic experience. Admittedly, there is provision in Israel for helping such people, but previous experience has shown, that help is far too long in coming and that the extent of the damage is always undervalued by assessors. The setting up of a special reconstruction fund is no less important than responding to the requests of organizations that provide food for the needy. Two organizations that have launched appeals for funds with which to buy food are Leket, founded and chaired by Joseph Gitler, and Yad Ezra V’Shulamit founded and directed by Aryeh Lurie, who grew up in an impoverished family and knows what it means to live in poverty.greerfc@gmail.com
