By Ira Sharkansky
JERUSALEM — Who’s winning?
Nobody.
Among the refrains we hear from Israelis, overseas friends, and those sitting on the fence is that Israel (the government and the people) do not do enough to explain themselves.
Hah!
The sounds of Israeli efforts to explain themselves are deafening to those who bother to listen.
Also heard are Palestinian complaints that world public opinion is against them, and that governments, the UN or other international organizations do not do enough to help them.
Whose allegation is more foolish?
Both miss the point of what is happening.
Sensitive souls we all are, concerned that others will understand our plights and provide support.
Alas, almost everyone is in business for themselves, with limited effort directed at others.
One has to do this analysis by impression and anecdote.
My impression is that lots of people support the Palestinian cause, but that they are mostly Muslims, the young and those others without significant power who are likely to sign on to anything that claims to help the weak and disadvantaged. Also in the Palestinian corner are international organizations tilted toward the votes of numerous Third World governments, and the organizations funded by those committed to help the weak.
We see pictures of people who patrol supermarket aisles and trash products they identify as coming from Israel, and supermarket managers who find it easiest to avoid anything with an Israeli source.
Israeli academics may have more trouble than others insofar as the worthies who screen professional articles for publication and decide who to invite to conferences include ideologues who view Israelis as treif.
On the other hand, the Technion recently received sizable grants from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and from Andrew Viterbi, a San Diego philanthropist. Microsoft, Google, Intel, IBM, Hewlett Packard, Apple, and Samsung are among the international companies that have laboratories for research and development in Israel.
You say Israelis do not work enough at explaining themselves?
Jews have been literate since David, and have spent a good part of their intellectual energies explaining themselves.
Take another look at the Hebrew Bible. If that is not a considerable effort to explain and justify Jews in their struggles with others, then one of us does not know how to read.
Israelis and overseas Jews are prominent in writing blogs, op-ed items in major newspapers, and organizing students, academics, and other groups to counter those organized by the Palestinians.
The noise of neither cluster drowns out the other. Both may be doing little more than preaching to their choirs, or providing the already committed further encouragement and additional reasons to stand their ground.
Currently an international group of individuals with impressive military and diplomatic credentials from the US, Germany, Italy, Spain, the UK, Australia, Colombia, and Holland have given high marks to the IDF performance for its 2014 Gaza operation. They defined the operation as a justified defensive measure against attacks on Israeli civilians, and credited Israel’s military with unusual concern to operate according to international law and avoid civilian casualties. In contrast, the group criticized the actions of Hamas and other Palestinian groups for exploiting their own civilians for military purposes. The group was brought together by UN Watch, a nongovernmental organization created two decades ago by Jews and others to monitor the biases apparent in the official actions of UN organizations.
Those wanting to slog through an exhaustive 270 page report on the Gaza operation by the Government of Israel can click on this.
These reports will not be the end of discussion. Indeed, the timing of the UN Watch report and that of the Israeli Government are meant to counter the coming publication of a report linked to the UN Human Rights Council. It is widely expected to condemn Israeli actions.
The UN’s initial effort suffered a defeat at the hands of Israeli officials and friends, who revealed that the man selected as chair of the inquiry–William Schabas, a Canadian Jew and law professor–had been employed as a legal adviser by the PLO. Skeptics saw the UNHRC as trying again to get an anti-Israeli Jew to provide a certificate of kashrut for an anti-Israeli report. The South African Richard Goldstone played that role on the UNHRC report about the Gaza war of 2008-09. The Goldstone report found evidence that both Israel and Hamas had committed war crimes. Perhaps due to widespread attacks by Jews and others, Goldstone backed off from key allegations against Israel.
Schabas resigned from the most recent UNHRC effort when his ties to the PLO became apparent, but few expect a report that is anything other than a condemnation of Israel.
There was no surprise in Palestinian responses to pro-Israel reports.
- “Israeli war crimes are clear because they were committed in front of live cameras,”
- “Israel’s decision to deny having targeted civilians in Gaza is the logical extension of what it did in the Gaza Strip,”
If you accept Ha’aretz as part of the Israeli establishment, you might question or applaud its criticism of Israeli efforts to counter criticism.
The editorial response carries the headline, “Israeli report on Gaza war: Ineffective PR”
Its lead paragraph
“Hundreds of hours of work by attorneys, diplomats and officers were invested in the 270-page Israeli report on Operation Protective Edge in the Gaza Strip. The result was a comprehensive, detailed and well-formulated document. And yet, the report’s efficacy is dubious. It would be no exaggeration to say that its impact on Israel’s international standing, its legal position and its public image will barely be felt.”
The paper’s argument is that Israel should have cooperated with the UN body, rather than dismiss its activities as a lost cause.
Its final paragraph will convince critics of Ha’aretz that the paper’s posture is a knee jerk reaction to anything associated with Prime Minister Netanyahu.
“But the most serious problem about the Israeli report released Sunday is that it suffers from the same problem that Israeli government policy has suffered ever since Benjamin Netanyahu entered the prime minister’s office in 2009. Over the past six years, it seems Netanyahu and his people are trying to solve every diplomatic problem Israel faces by finding a clever, winning argument that will persuade the world that Israel is right. But the way to gain the world’s support is by acting, not talking. An Israeli diplomatic initiative to rehabilitate the Gaza Strip in cooperation with the international community would have worked better than any report.”
There are many who say that Jews’ lack of unity is our major weakness in dealing with antagonists and enemies.
I’ll sign on with those who say that Jews’ self-criticism and willingness to argue it is our major strength in preserving the place among the civilized, acquired for us by our argumentative ancestors.
No victory in this dispute with the Palestinians is on the horizon.
They are stuck with excessive demands, and they ain’t gonna get them.
We ain’t gonna get applause from the world’s majority, and Hatikva will not become the world’s anthem.
But we’re living well. Those committed to our destruction are fighting one another.
That should be enough.
If it isn’t, I suggest a chorus of oy gevalt.
*
Sharkansky is professor emeritus of political science at Hebrew University. You may comment to him at ira.sharkansy@sdjewishworld.com, or post your comment on this website provided that the rules below are observed.
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The following news release was received from Technion concerning Andrew Viterbi’s $50 million gift to Technion:
Kevin Hattori
Share on 10/28/05Los Angeles, CAUSCViterbi School of EngineeringCeleb
Dr. Andrew J. Viterbi with his beloved late wife, Erna (photo by: Steve Cohn)
Dr. Andrew J. Viterbi – a seminal figure in today’s digital society – has announced a gift of $50 million to secure and enhance the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology’s leadership position in electrical and computer engineering in Israel and globally.
This transformational gift will be recognized by the Technion through the naming of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering. The announcement was made on June 13, during the Technion Board of Governors meeting in Haifa, Israel.
“I am extremely proud to have my name associated with the Technion, Israel’s leading science and technology university, and one of the top institutions of its kind in the world,” Dr. Viterbi said. “Technion electrical engineering graduates are in large part responsible for creating and sustaining Israel’s high-tech industry, which has been essential for Israel’s economic success.”
Ranked among the world’s top 10 electrical engineering departments, the Technion Faculty of Electrical Engineering has been instrumental in advancing Israel’s tech industry and transforming the country into the “Start-up Nation.” In the early 1970s, the Faculty was the driving force in developing infrastructure and know-how in microelectronics, and the creation of electronic components that turned out to be crucial for Israel’s security and economic growth in the tech sector. Since then, it has paved the way for Israeli computer engineering, communications, microelectronics, optoelectronics, nanotechnology, and quantum technology.
Over the last 20 years, some 1600 companies were founded and/or are being managed by Technion alumni; a stunning 35% were graduates of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering.
The gift from Dr. Viterbi will enable the Technion to retain and attract outstanding faculty and electrical engineering graduate students, and to upgrade the current teaching and research infrastructure. By helping bring the ratio of undergraduate students to faculty members in line with those at top American universities, this gift will play a critical role in preserving and enhancing the department’s global competitiveness.
“We are deeply grateful to Andrew Viterbi. His and his beloved late wife Erna’s longstanding involvement with the Technion and his understanding of the vital impact of electrical engineering on the state of Israel, will help the Technion recruit the best and brightest students and faculty members,” said Technion President Professor Peretz Lavie.
“This is a spectacular point in the growth and development of the Technion,” said Jeff Richard, Executive Vice President of the American Technion Society. “This gift will enable the Technion to maintain its place at the forefront of electrical engineering and its wide-ranging applications in industries ranging from medical devices to advanced computing.”
Dr. Viterbi is the creator of the Viterbi Algorithm, a mathematical formula used in many of today’s mobile devices. The Viterbi Algorithm allows rapid and accurate decoding of a plethora of overlapping signals, helping to eliminate signal interference. The mathematical formula is used in all four international standards for digital cellular telephones, as well as in data terminals, digital satellite broadcast receivers and deep space telemetry. Other applications include voice recognition programs and DNA analysis.
Dr. Viterbi’s roots at the Technion date back to 1967, when he gave a series of lectures there while on sabbatical from the University of California, Los Angeles. Those roots have since grown so strong that Dr. Viterbi’s name is as familiar to Technion engineering students today, as it was nearly 50 years ago. In 2000, he was named a Technion Distinguished Visiting Professor of Electrical Engineering.
Together with his late wife, Erna Finci Viterbi, he has a long history of support for the university and Israel. He is a Guardian, a designation reserved for those who have reached the highest level of support of the Technion. The Viterbis’ gifts have included the Andrew J. and Erna F. Viterbi Chair in Information Systems/Computer Science, held by Prof. Oded Shmueli, and the Andrew and Erna Finci Viterbi Center for Advanced Studies in Computer Technology and the Andrew and Erna Finci Viterbi Fellowship Program.
“Andrew Viterbi is more than a Distinguished Visiting Professor in our Faculty. He is a true pioneer in the field of electrical and computer engineering, whose algorithm, as well as many other pace-setting contributions, provide the basis for much of the communication and information technologies being developed today. We are extremely proud to be part of the Faculty that will bear his name,” said Distinguished Professor Jacob Ziv, who together with Professor Avraham Lempel created the Ziv-Lempel compression algorithm that contributed significantly in making the Internet a global communications medium.
Dr. Viterbi received a Technion Honorary Doctorate in 2000, and the Albert Einstein Award (the American Technion Society’s highest award) in 1993. He is also a member of the Technion Board of Governors, and has been actively involved with the American Technion Society at the national, regional and local levels.
As the co-founder of Qualcomm Corporation, Dr. Viterbi has received numerous awards for his contributions to communications theory and its industrial applications, including the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers’ (IEEE) Alexander Graham Bell Medal, the Marconi International Fellowship Award and the IEEE’s Shannon Award and Lecture, considered the highest honor in communication technology. In 2001, Dr. Viterbi, who was born in Italy, was named a “Grande Ufficiale della Republica” by the President of Italy. He was recognized by former U.S. President George W. Bush in 2008, with the National Medal of Science for developing “the ‘Viterbi Algorithm’, and for his contributions to Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) wireless technology that transformed the theory and practice of digital communications.”
“It is a great honor to have Professor Viterbi’s name associated with our Faculty,” said Professor Ariel Orda, Electrical Engineering Dean. “It is a rare combination for a Faculty to be affiliated with the name of a scientific and technological giant while teaching his scientific contributions in advanced courses of its curriculum. Professor Viterbi and his wife, the late Erna Finci Viterbi, have been our dear friends and devoted supporters for many years. This extraordinary gift from Professor Viterbi ensures our position as a global center of academic excellence, enabling us to fulfill our vital role in the security and prosperity of the State of Israel. Moreover, this gift paves the way to new horizons and higher attainable levels of scientific and technological achievements.”
Andrew Viterbi is an alumnus of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of Southern California. His was one of the first doctorates in electrical engineering granted by USC (’62). In 2004, he and his late wife, Erna Finci Viterbi, provided the naming gift for USC’s Andrew and Erna Viterbi School of Engineering. Other gifts to the university include the Andrew and Erna Viterbi Chair in Communications, the Andrew J. and Erna Finci Viterbi Executive Director Chair at the USC Shoah Foundation, and various scholarships in engineering and genocide studies.
The Technion-Israel Institute of Technology is a major source of the innovation and brainpower that drives the Israeli economy, and a key to Israel’s renown as the world’s “Start-Up Nation.” Its three Nobel Prize winners exemplify academic excellence. Technion people, ideas and inventions make immeasurable contributions to the world including life-saving medicine, sustainable energy, computer science, water conservation and nanotechnology. The Joan and Irwin Jacobs Technion-Cornell Institute is a vital component of Cornell NYC Tech, and a model for graduate applied science education that is expected to transform New York City’s economy.
American Technion Society (ATS) donors provide critical support for the Technion—more than $2 billion since its inception in 1940. Based in New York City, the ATS and its network of chapters across the U.S. provide funds for scholarships, fellowships, faculty recruitment and chairs, research, buildings, laboratories, classrooms and dormitories, and more.