Monthly entry

Part of my once-a-month blog recalcitrance can be squarely laid on my inability (due to lack of motivation) to post the photos of my trip to Jordan. I have been telling myself that my next blog would be this beautiful photo album showing pictures of lnglost land: petra, camels, sheesha, and desert. Since I have essentially failed in my duties to provide a descriptive account of life in the holy land for the past month, Ill try and summarize.

Politically speaking the notable quiet with respect to the palestinians should not be interpretted as lull in political activity at home. For one, Israel now has a new president: the vetran labor leader turned kadima deputy PM Shimon Peres. His resume includes being PM twice (once in the 90s once in the 80s), and countless posts as Defense Ministser and leader of the opposition. But his tenure wasnt greeted with the fanfare it deserved, mostly due to the bad taste israelis have in their mouth from Katsav's, Peres' predesessor, resignation. As mentioned here a few posts earlier, Katsav resigned amidst acusations of rape. Recently the Attorney General (who had been, up untill now, respected as an Eliot Ness character) struck a plea bargain with him wherein the rape charges were dropped and he admitted to harassment (turning the image of the AG into something of a quisling). Womens groups and the israeli street were up in arms over the fact that a rapist would walk free, without even spending a day in prison.