Well, here in London the wife and baby have gone for a visit to Israel, leaving me most of this Sunday to contemplate my life. Well, that and seeing a film, going to an exhibition, having one of the best English breakfasts ever in Soho, reading the paper and taking apart the living room door. If the landlord asks, I had enough of it so I put it away.
I don't know what I think about Ahmedinejad. The fact that he looks so much like Ringo Starr throws me a little, and makes me want to like him. Shame he comes across like such a 'ocher Israel'. And as for those who question Israel's right to exist, what can you say? Fine. Question it. I don't think it's illegitimate to question Israel's right to exist, or any other country, if that's what floats your boat. It's when the discussion moves into solutions mode, especially 'final' ones, that I get upset. I think my advice to anyone whose legitimacy as an equal player is undermined is not to play ball.
The truth is that on the scale of worries, Iran less worrying for me right now. I worry more about Israel doing something stupid like it did in Syria last month, the repercussions of which I am sure will not go unnoticed. Thankfully we didn't get a war, but a line has been crossed and as a result the line is blurring. I also worry about Russia more than I do about Iran. I hope they're not going through what Germany went through in the 30s right now, although there are alarming parallels. Perhaps the only thing worse than the USSR as a superpower is Russia carrying the baggage of an ex-superpower. Iran, minus the ayatollahs and the oil is not really a threat to anyone, because it isn't out for revenge, the way Putin is.
On a brighter note, I spent a couple of days in Dublin last week in a conference on Services and Innovation, and I was pleasantly surprised at the marked difference in attitudes towards Israel, as compared with the UK. In England I hardly hear mention of Israel in any context other than political, and then it's usually negative, and you are more likely to hear about the US, China, India, France, Scandinavia and Canada when comparisons are sought. In Ireland, due in part to the similar population sizes of the two countries and possibly due to the politically turbulent past, Israel is referred to much more readily in a positive light, especially connoting the economy, the hi-tech and bioscience industries and the skill base.
So there, despite the fact that Israelis hate their country's existence being questioned, we get so much petty pleasure from hearing our name mentioned and our existence verified.
