Steven Plaut's

    Over the past few days an incident occurred that illustrates better than any other imaginable the nature of the Israeli Left and especially of its geriatric guru Shimon Peres and his "New Middle East."

    Aside from serving as Israel's president, Peres runs a leftist loopy lobby group called the "Peres Peace Center," which promotes the political agenda of its namesake.  Now it appears that the Peres Center has a new cause.  It is seeking to suppress the singing of Israel's national anthem, Hatikva, because singing it might offend the delicate sensitivities of Arabs. 

    The issue came up when a Barcelona soccer team was in Israel.  The visit was sponsored and financed in part by Israeli state agencies, and the Peres Center was also involved.  One of the events in which the Spanish athletes were hosted was before a large group of children.  The Peres Center and Shimon Peres' own presidential office made it clear before the event that they were opposed to the singing of Hatikva there.  They claimed it would offend the delicate sensitivities of some "Palestinian" Arab youths who would be present.  The opposition to Hatikva was voiced by one Yosef Avi Yair Engel, an official in the Peres Center.  When the same Spanish team appeared in Hebron in the West Bank, the "Palestinian national anthem" was played.

     Peres and his people are trying to stammer their way out of this.  They are claiming that it was actually decided to play Hatikva at the event, just there was not enough time to do so.  Sure, and my dog ate my tax returns.

   So since singing Hatikva is now considered by Israel's anti-Israel president to be a violation of the delicate sensitivities of Arabs, I have prepared a short list of some other ideas Peres might now raise to help Israelis be more considerate of those sensitivities.  

*  All Jews should stop wearing kipot/yarmulkas because these violate the delicate sensitivities of Arabs.

*  All Jews should stop building succot during the holiday because it violates the delicate sensitivities of Arabs.

*  All Jews must stop using terms like terrorism or Islamofascism in their daily discourse because it violates the delicate sensitivities of Arabs.

*  All Jews must stop eating matzot on Passover because it violates the delicate sensitivities of Arabs.

*  Jews should stop giving names to their children of Biblical figures like Joshua, who slaughtered some non-Jews, because it violates the delicate sensitivities of Arabs.

*  Jews must stop eating food during daylight hours during Ramadan because it violates the delicate sensitivities of Arabs.

*  All Jews must stop praying at the Western Wall because it is really an Islamic shrine and doing so violates the delicate sensitivities of Arabs.

The one Jewish custom that the Peres people will not object to is Jews getting themselves circumcised.  After all, THAT does not violates the delicate sensitivities of Arabs, just of Jewish communists.