In the Arena

Israel Today…And So Long, For Now

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Laura Rozen has some interesting reporting on the discussions within the Obama Administration about the Jerusalem settlements. My understanding is that the President remains absolutely firm in his belief that the Israelis should stop building them.

Tom Friedman also has a very good column today on the situation.

As for me, I’m headed off to another war zone in western Asia and probably won’t be able to contribute much here on Swampland for the next few weeks. To all my friends and you too, dear readers, a Happy Passover. My great regret this year is that I won’t be able to attend seders hosted by Ron Bruder, whose excellent work helping to prepare young Palestinians for work I wrote about a few weeks ago…and my first Iranian Jewish seder hosted by a woman who may well be, she should be, a distant Persian relation–although she sometimes, hilariously, claims to be Swedish because she hates having THAT MONSTROUS DEPRESSING GOVERNMENT be the only topic of conversation. I am told that numerous of her/my cousins, suspiciously named Kleinzadeh, will be in attendance–descendants of one Yousuf Kleinzadeh, a famed storyteller in Isfahan, the Persian city of Jews. My wife will attend and, I’m told, scallions will be tossed at her. And although the seder will end with the traditional, “Next year in Jerusalem,” a great many of us are hoping for “Next Year in Isfahan” as well. It’s a lovely city and it deserves to be free.