1. The boycott law, which was passed last Sunday in the Knesset and makes the call to boycott any aspect of Israel or the West Bank a civil offense, has given rise to an event of historical importance. For the first time in many years, the front page of leading Israeli news daily Yedioth Ahronoth featured three columnists who are conservative, or as journalists like to call them, right-wing. Each writer, in one way or another, came out in favor of Israel's democratic right to pass legislation in defense of the country. The End of Days is truly nigh. Does the newspaper that once held an entire nation in thrall now realize that it is losing that nation because it has swerved towards a political position favored by its management but out of touch with reality and the majority of the public? Possibly the newspaper felt compelled to pull those writers out of the attic because their own survey showed that most Israelis favor the boycott law. Most Israelis believe that so-called "right-wing" legislation strengthens the country and do not fear for the dissolution of democracy, even despite the unrelenting fear-mongering and propaganda to that effect. Speaking of the "end of democracy," it's important to note where such prophecies come from: The same people who pushed through one of the most problematic agreements in our history -- the Oslo Agreement -- which was passed by a small margin in the Knesset, reportedly over the promise of a Mitsubishi. These are the same people who supported the disengagement from Gaza even though Ariel Sharon carried it out in open violation of the democratic process. Of course, Yedioth Ahronoth did not want to confuse us, so they put these columnists at the bottom of the page. The top of the page featured four writers who are leading lights of their generation, filling the page with their impeccably democratic, politically correct musings. This careful placement told us readers that the paper is open to diverse opinions, just so long as everyone knows their place. I called a former Yedioth journalist and commented on the watershed of three conservative writers on page one. "They'll soon get over it," he said. My take? We'll see. 2. I didn't get a chance to write about this last week, but Dana Weiss, host of Israel's "Meet the Press," interviewed Deputy Prime Minister Dan Meridor. Meridor was joined by Channel 2 political correspondent Rina Matzliach and Yediot pundit Shimon Shiffer. What do you know? The show was pluralism at its finest: three left-wingers beating up on Meridor. I don't read minds so I decided to really listen to what they had to say. All three presented the views of a minority of Israelis. Is it so hard to invite conservative journalists onto the show who might actually highlight a different aspect of the issue? But the party table wasn't merely set for four. The program's producers decided to diversify their roster of guests and invited former Labor party politician Yuli Tamir onto the show. Oh, and Gil Samsonov as well. But he wasn't exactly itching for a fight with four opinionated adversaries. What does all this say about the program's fairness and credibility? 3. Finally, there was a moment in the program that made my heart swell with pride. A moment that could serve as a lesson in objectivity for a large proportion of Israeli journalists. Directing a stern look at Dan Meridor, Shimon Shiffer asked, "What lesson do you take away from the fact that for the past two and a half years you've done nothing for the peace process-" Meridor looked straight into Shiffer's jaundiced face and replied, "I see that someone else here has failed to learn a lesson. You've failed to learn from reality, so it's easy for you to ask the same old clueless questions. Three years ago the Palestinians decided to change their strategy. After Olmert made them a serious offer they refused to accept, they decided to pursue a unilateral strategy. All our efforts, including unilateral steps never taken before, like the settlement freeze, did not lead to negotiations. There's a lesson here worth learning." "I refuse to ignore reality," Meridor added. "I see that you feel comfortable running away from facts, because you want to adhere to an ideology that has failed to prove itself." Could Meridor have been hinting that the honorable journalists assembled around the table have an ideology? Could that be the reason Weiss invites them onto the show so often- It's nearly impossible for people to detach from who they are, from the depths of their world view and the subcultures they belong to. An honest journalist, therefore, in the interest of performing his duties, will seek out those with differing world views to ensure the better and more credible coverage of events. 4. Let's all calm down. I'm referring to both the left and right. He just said something outrageous, she made a shocking statement and the guy over there in the corner crossed a red line. Enough with all the rhetoric about incitement and putting people on trial. Hut er gezukt!! He said what he said. So what? Let's live and let live.
