Simchat Torah

It seems the chosen people's Promised Land was the worst realty deal in history. In a direct reference to it Golda Meir once said, "Let me tell you something that we Israelis have against Moses. He took us 40 years through the desert in order to bring us to the one spot in the Middle East that has no oil!" Even if it's understood in a figurative sense only, the land flowing with milk and honey was probably a pleasanter place than the country Mark Twain visited in 1867. In the letters he wrote to his editor, later collated and published as “Innocents Abroad,” he depicts disconsolate landscapes. “Of all the lands there are for dismal scenery, I think Palestine must be the prince. The hills are barren, they are dull of color, they are unpicturesque in shape. The valleys are unsightly deserts fringed with a feeble vegetation that has an expression about it of being sorrowful and despondent…..Every outline is harsh, every feature is distinct, there is no perspective--distance works no enchantment here. It is a hopeless, dreary, heart-broken land.”

While Mark Twain was touring the Holy Land the U.S government was negotiating a land acquisition that some in Congress at that time described as  a foolhardy venture. The American tax payers paid   $7.2 million, worth $120 million today, in order to buy Alaska from Imperial Russia.  At an approximate cost of two cents an acre the Americans got a bargain.  The discovery of gold, oil and gas later on made America’s northernmost state with or without Sarah Palin, .the best realty deal in history

Back in the Middle East, Golda’s grievance was also borne out on the ground. Our Holy Land has  stubbornly refused to yield all but the tiniest amount of hydrocarbons. Then almost miraculously, as Tobias Buck described it in the Financial Times . " After decades of importing every drop of fuel, Israel has struck it rich, uncovering vast reserves of natural gas in the Mediterranean " Of course our ancestors didn't expect to find a land gushing with gas and petroleum. The frequent mention of rain, water and drought in the Bible indicates that then too a large part of the country was semi-arid to arid and the rest afflicted by periodic droughts. The discovery of gas fields under the Mediterranean sea bed wasn't 

an Act of God, but the result  of prospectors’ obstinate and determined efforts.                Our "hopeless, dreary, heart-broken land" is beginning to flow with more water than God gave it. Desalination plants, brackish water treatment, sewage purification systems and aquifer management projects are gradually making Israel self-sufficient in water resources with prospects of a surplus for export.

I have written about this before, so before you decide to write me off as a senile old codger I hasten to add that I mention it again because the week-long Sukkot festival includes three imbedded events, related to water and rain.  For many Jews and especially for non-Jews the conclusion of the Sukkot holiday is a little confusing. Simchat Torah ., (Rejoicing with/of the Torah,) marks  the conclusion of the annual cycle of public Torah readings and the beginning of a new cycle. The name Simchat Torah is a relatively late epithet dating from the Middle Ages. In the  Talmud  it is called Shemini Atzeret, namely "Eighth Day of Assembly", which follows immediately after Sukkot .  Simchat Torah is a component of Shemini Atzeret . To add to the confusion different communities celebrate the events separately or together. In Israel, Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah are celebrated on the same day.

Before the destruction of the Temple a water libation ceremony was performed every morning during Sukkot. Our sages of old determined that during Sukkot  God judges the world for rainfall; According to ancient accounts the  water drawing ceremony (Simchat Beit Hashoeva) was a joyous occasion replete with dancing and music   It was an invocation for  God's blessing for rain in its proper time. The water for the libation ceremony was drawn from the Pool of Siloam in the City of David and carried up the Jerusalem pilgrim route to the Temple. Recently, during excavations being carried along the route a huge water cistern dating from the First Temple period was unearthed. Archeologists surmise that the cistern was used for the everyday activities of the Temple Mount itself and also by the pilgrims who went up to the Temple and required water for bathing and drinking.

The Sukkot holiday is over and now we are back to the normal Middle East routine. Our neighbours however, ignored our automatic "out of office" postings and continued their belligerent actions. A few stray mortar shells fired from Syria landed in the Golan Heights. The fire wasn't returned but IDF exercises in the area were intended to show that we are alert and ready for any contingency.                                                                                                                                            A  Jordanian news, blogging and media website called  Al Bawaba  added a lot spin to an unusual but otherwise uneventful incident that occurred during Sukkot. It described how an unidentified drone had  penetrated Israel’s airspace on Saturday causing concern and embarrassment. Our news sources on the other hand, reported that the drone was detected flying over the Mediterranean Sea parallel to our coastline and was under surveillance throughout the whole course of its flight. It veered inland near Gaza and headed  east . The drone could have easily been destroyed while it was flying out at sea, however retrieving it for examination would have been difficult, perhaps impossible. Its flight was terminated by a rocket fired from an F16 fighter while it was flying over open country close to Hebron. According to news media reports an examination of  the wreckage revealed that the drone was either a Russian or an Iranian type of UAV supplied to Hezbollah.

Another flare-up in the western Negev occurred on Monday morning when more than 50 rockets and mortar shells fired from the Gaza Strip hit the Gaza periphery region. The armed wing of Hamas and the Islamic Jihad organisation claimed responsibility for the attack. Previous attacks were carried out by Islamic Jihad and other terrorist groups while Hamas preferred to maintain some semblance of a truce with Israel. Monday's attack was a clear change of policy. Apparently Hamas is adopting a more assertive stance. It's possible that the recent attacks along the Israel - Egyptian border carried out by terrorist groups in Sinai and the regime change in Egypt have caused this new assertiveness.  Residents of the Gaza periphery communities were concerned more about their own safety during Monday's barrage. Simchat Torah celebrations were cancelled on account of the likelihood of further attacks.

On Tuesday the prime minister announced that new Knesset elections will be held early next year. Although the pretext for the early elections was the government's failure to muster a majority vote for the new budget, it appears that Netanyahu believes  his chances of being reelected are better at the beginning of 2013 than at the end of the year when the government's tenure is due to end. This assumption is borne out by the results of a  Haaretz-Dialog poll conducted under the supervision of Professor Camil Fuchs of Tel Aviv University. The results show that Netanyahu easily defeats all his possible rivals from the centre-left bloc. As far as the public is concerned, Netanyahu is deemed much more suitable for the post of prime minister than any of his potential rivals. The poll also indicated that the Likud-right wing-ultra-Orthodox bloc has increased its strength to 68 Knesset seats, while the centre-left bloc has dropped to 52 seats, compared to the blocs' respective strength in the outgoing Knesset and the previous poll. As we know political polls reflect prevailing views on the day they are conducted. The scope of the poll has a direct bearing on the results. In the poll supervised by Professor Fuchs a number of variables were included in the questions posed to the respondents. It's not certain that all the political candidates included in the poll will contest the elections. For example 28 percent the respondents favoured Tzipi Livni, who might return to politics. Other possible contenders haven't confirmed their intention to participate in the forthcoming elections. Most political analysts concur that Netanyahu will base his election campaign strategy on foreign policy and security matters. Labour party leader Shelly  Yachimovich is an assertive champion of the social justice struggle, but she has no international experience  and no credentials on security matters. At the moment it appears she will base her election campaign on a socio-economic agenda. Nevertheless, I'm sure she knows that without a few battle-scarred generals in her ranks Netanyahu will outgun her. The much coveted centre ground that attracts so many would-be leaders often turns out to be a quagmire.                                The current opposition leader, Shaul Mofaz of the centrist Kadima party, has strong security credentials as a former defence minister and IDF chief of staff; however his brief coalition with Netanyahu damaged his credibility.              Former TV anchor Yair Lapid has likewise captured some attention after entering politics earlier this year launching a new centrist party. His political platform is a little hazy based on “improving Israeli society." The analysts predict that he will win a few seats in the next Knesset. Other centre of the field maybes/hopefuls are former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Haim Ramon and Tzipi Livni

Economic issues, including a rise in housing costs and the burden of an underemployed and rapidly expanding ultra-Orthodox sector, are expected to feature more prominently in this election, particularly after last year’s socioeconomic protests.

One commentator summed up, "But even when voters say they care more about economics, they tend to vote largely along the lines of their positions on security. On that point, Netanyahu has won respect, if not love, from the public."… . “I don’t think they love his approach to Iran but I think they see him as doing the right thing by making it such a central aspect of global affairs.”

At the moment the betting odds are in favour of Benyamin Netanyahu, however events in our volatile region, the results of the U.S. presidential elections as well as unforeseen surprises in the months ahead could possibly erode his present lead.

Have a good weekend.

Beni                            11^th of October, 2013.