Lilly Rivlin: Jonah Recommending Columns from Haaretz and Huffington Post

I found in Jewish Women Encyclopedia a very good presentation of the life and activity of Lilly Rivlin. I have the great privilege to know her in person. She is an admirable fighter for the values she deeply believes in. As one of the respected activists of Meretz USA she is dedicating her energy for finding a Two-State solution in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, also she is extremely active in all issues regarding women emancipation.

No wonder Lilly is very present these days in the discussions related to the situation in Egypt. As always, she is updating her friends on a daily basis. In her eMail from today she is again forwarding a message she got from Jonah, who says, as for Egypt, I just don't see any way forward for Mubarak but out, although so far he seems to disagree; I think he's banking on the protestors giving up if he just hangs on and refuses to go long enough; still, the army is refusing to back up his thugs, and Obama seems to be trying to work out a way for him to exit gracefully, so there are a lot of signs pointing to his imminent departure from office.

Also Jonah is very critical on the position of the government and media in his own country, Israel: politicians and journalists, who have by and large performed execrably in overblowing the role of the Muslim Brotherhood in all this and being very choosy with their facts to make it look like democracy in Egypt is an existential threat to Israel; it seems as though some Israelis are so committed to their self-perception as living in the only democracy in the Middle East, they'd prefer to keep it that way at any cost.

In the end of his message Jonah recommends two articles: from Haaretz, and from Huffington Post.

I think Jonah appreciations (as well as the ones of the columnists from Haaretz, Yitzhak Laor, and Huffington Post, M.J. Rosenberg) are very radical. I would welcome a more balanced approach, leading to a more constructive dialog. On the other hand, the very fact that people in Israel, like Jonah or Yitzak Laor, can be so critical towards the political course in their own country, speaks a lot about freedom and democracy.

(Lilly Rivlin)