Bill Clinton to Receive $500,000 for Speech at Peres Academic Center Gala Dinner

As reported by The Times of Israel (http://www.timesofisrael.com/jnf-to-pay-bill-clinton-500000-for-45-minute-talk/):

"The Peres Academic Center has paid former US president Bill Clinton $500,000 for a headlining appearance in Rehovot on June 17. Clinton will feature at a reception, and then do a one-hour speech and Q&A session.

Guests were last week sent invitations requiring them to stump up NIS 3,000 (just over $800) apiece to attend the gala dinner, and thus to help cover his fee, but that requirement has now been canceled. "

Yes, I'm nauseous. Chew on the following information from a recent Jerusalem Post article (http://www.jpost.com/National-News/OECD-Israel-is-poorest-country-in-developed-world-313208) concerning poverty and the gap between the rich and the poor in Israel:

"Israel has the highest poverty rate among OECD countries, according to a report released by the 33-nation Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development on Wednesday.

The data revealed that Israel’s poverty rate stood at close to 21 percent of the population in 2011, compared to the 11.1% average among the rest of the members.

In addition, Israel was ranked fifth with regard to income gaps after Chile, Mexico, Turkey and the United States."

Also consider the following information from a December 2012 article in The Jerusalem Post (http://www.jpost.com/National-News/Poverty-report-paints-disturbing-picture-of-Israel):

"According to the data, which was presented at a conference in Rishon Lezion on Monday morning, half of the children of impoverished families are forced to work today – a sharp increase compared to 2011, when this figure was only 19 percent. In general, one out of five Israeli children have had to drop out of school for this reason.

Ten percent of children of impoverished families have also begged for money on the streets over the past year due to difficult economic situations at home. In 2011, only 3% of children did so.

Overall, 27% of children in Israel have experienced full days without food this year, up from 21% in 2011.

Economic hardship also seems to be taking a toll on the children’s education.

According to the report, 21% of needy families had to send their children to boarding school in 2012, an increase of 23% compared to 2011.

Also, one-fifth of those families reported that in order to be able to purchase basic food products, they had to give up on proper education for their children."

A cool half million for Wild Bill to speak at a time when Israeli children are suffering in this manner? "Be'teavon" (Hebrew for "good appetite") to all those who attend this "gala dinner."

David Brooks, "The Vigorous Virtues": We Will Miss You, Margaret Thatcher

Margaret Thatcher died at age 87 on April 8. With respect to her passing, David Brooks writes in his latest New York Times op-ed entitled "The Vigorous Virtues" (http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/09/opinion/brooks-the-vigorous-virtues.html):

"At a time when others were sliding toward moral relativism, Thatcher stood for individual responsibility, moral self-confidence and often, it has to be admitted, self-righteous certitude.

Put aside her personal failings, she was a militant optimist for a country slipping unconsciously toward defeatism. Beyond her policy decisions, she was part of a values shift."

Brooks does not mention Margaret Thatcher's enduring friendship for Israel. As noted by The Times of Israel (http://www.timesofisrael.com/israeli-leaders-praise-staunch-friend-margaret-thatcher/):

"Israeli leaders and legislators on Monday praised the deceased former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher, speaking to her strong character and calling her a friend of the Jewish state.

. . . .

Thatcher 'was truly a great leader, a woman of principle, of determination, of conviction, of strength… a woman of greatness,' Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said. 'She was a staunch friend of Israel and the Jewish people. She inspired a generation of political leaders. I send my most sincere condolences to her family and to the government and people of Great Britain.

President Shimon Peres also offered his condolences, calling Thatcher a 'friend,' and 'an exceptional leader.' In a statement, the president praised her 'strength of character,' saying 'she served as an inspiration for other leaders. As the first female prime minister of Great Britain, she broke new ground.' Thatcher represented 'vision,' the president said, noting that Thatcher was a culmination of 'people' and 'ideas.'"

As observed by Haaretz (http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/margaret-thatcher-the-british-pm-who-praised-israel-s-pioneer-spirit.premium-1.514374):

"But her friendship with the Jewish people cannot be doubted. Once, when asked of her most significant achievement, she said that it was persuading her father Alfred Roberts to help finance the immigration of her sister's pen-pal, 17 year-old Edith Muhlbauer from Austria, following the Nazi takeover in 1938. The Thatcher sisters helped raise the money and convinced families in Grantham to host Edith who, when she arrived, told the 12 year-old Margaret of life under the Nazis. The young girl would say nearly six decades later that she had learned, 'never hesitate to do whatever you can, for you may save a life.'"

Margaret Thatcher, we will miss you, now and forever.

Haim Saban, "The Truth About Obama and Israel": Like the Power Rangers, the "Truth" Comes in Many Different Colors

Haim Saban, who resides in Beverly Hills, California, and whose estimated net worth of some $2.9 billion makes him, according to Forbes, the 128th richest person in America (http://www.forbes.com/forbes-400/#p_1_s_arank_All%20industries_All%20states_All%20categories_Haim), has written a New York Times guest op-ed entitled "The Truth About Obama and Israel" (http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/05/opinion/the-truth-about-obama-and-israel.html), in which he tells us that he will vote for Obama in November:

"When I enter the voting booth, I’m going to ask myself, what do I prefer for Israel and its relationship with the United States: meaningful action or empty rhetoric? To me the answer is clear: I’ll take another four years of Mr. Obama’s steadfast support over Mr. Romney’s sweet nothings."

Well, whereas Mr. Saban left Israel and made a fortune in the US in the media and entertainment business, I left the US in order to volunteer for the Israeli army, and until today, at the age of 58, I serve as an officer in two reserve units.

Let me put this delicately: Mr. Saban's "truth" is not my truth. Unfortunately, however, given where I serve, I am severely limited in terms of what I can say. Nevertheless, allow me to make several observations.

As acknowledged by Aaron David Miller of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, who has served as an advisor to six US Secretaries of State, "Barack Obama is no Israel-lover," and "if the president wins a second term, expect a major clash with Benjamin Netanyahu" (see: http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2012/07/25/warning_turbulence_ahead). So whose "truth" do you believe, that of Mr. Miller or that of Mr. Saban?

Israeli Vice Premier Moshe Ya'alon, a former Chief of Staff of the Israel Defense Forces, stated less than a week ago that "Iran did not believe it faced a real military threat from the outside world because of mixed messages from foreign powers, including the United States" (http://www.jpost.com/IranianThreat/News/Article.aspx?id=283363). Ya'alon's remarks came one day after Martin Dempsey, Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, stated that he did not want to be "complicit" if Israel attacked Iran's nuclear development facilities. Whose "truth" is correct, that of Mr. Ya'alon or that of Mr. Saban?

Israelis, by a 2:1 ratio, believe that Romney cares more than Obama about Israel (see: http://www.jpost.com/International/Article.aspx?id=281579). Israelis are not stupid, and their lives could well depend upon which presidential candidate Americans choose in November. Is the "truth" of this overwhelming majority of Israelis less valid than that of Mr. Saban?

More very recent evidence of the Obama administration's "true" friendship for Israel in the face of persistent Iranian threats to annihilate the Jewish homeland? As reported by The Times of Israel (http://www.timesofisrael.com/us-scales-down-annual-military-drill-with-israel/):

"Washington says that it will scale down its participation in what was planned to be the largest ever joint Israeli-American military exercise, Time Magazine reported Friday.

The Austere Challenge 12 exercise, to be held in October, was to feature thousands of soldiers and advanced anti-missile defense systems and simulate simultaneous fire from Iran and Syria.

The report quoted sources in Washington as saying 1,500 US troops — perhaps even 1,200 — would be sent to participate in the exercise instead of the original 5,000. In addition, sources in both Jerusalem and Washington told Time that it was probable that only one Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense warship — instead of two — would be sent to Israel.

The Patriot anti-missile systems set to be dispatched to Israel would reportedly arrive as planned, but not the crews to operate them."

Finally, one cannot help but notice the timing of Saban's guest op-ed in The New York Times, immediately after it became known that the Democratic Party plank no longer recognizes Jerusalem as Israel's capital and no longer acknowledges that Israel is America's staunchest ally in the Middle East, as in years past. According to the Democratic National Committee, the plank is in keeping with Obama adminstration policy (see: http://jgcaesarea.blogspot.co.il/2012/09/new-york-times-editorial-words-not.html). Is this yet another "truthful" act of friendship from Obama and friends?

Mr. Saban, there are obviously many different shades of "truth." I can't afford to fly out to Los Angeles to engage in a philosophical discussion with you, but the next time you are in Israel, you are cordially invited to come to our home for coffee and to exchange views.