Crisis in Jerusalem: Israel, Moshe Feiglin and the iPad – final copy

By Bernie Quigley

To be published at The Hill on 4/19/10

Israel has puzzled travelers by blocking them from bringing Apple’s new iPad into the country. They say it threatens to create interference with other products. But Apple says “iPad complies with international industry for Wi-Fi specifications.” Brings to mind a moment decades back when England banned Sesame Street. Said she didn’t want to be dominated by American symbolism and Sesame Street was rife with it (Big Bird). It was the talisman of American dominance same as the Spanish cross was to the Conquistadors.

Like McDonalds, like Sesame Street, the iPad is the new marker of American territoriality. Suddenly Israel resists. Silicon Valley is mystified. But China doesn’t want to be marked either, thus they tussle with Google.

Interesting that the Israelis picked iPad to tussle with. The apple symbol used as the cool capitalist company’s logo seems assumed or borrowed from the Beatles era, as they used the apple for their emblem. Apple computer products would be the dark materialist side of that experience – the outside like the inside for those who cannot tell the difference. Apparently, someone in Israel can.

Interesting as well, in 1964 the Surrealist artist Rene Magritté used the green apple to mark the arrival of messiah. His famous painting of an English man in bowler hat with a green apple in front of his face was titled Son of Man. From the Book of Daniel: “I beheld therefore in the vision of the night, and lo, one like a son of man came with the clouds of heaven . . . “ Daniel 7:13.

If Israel has a sublime voice, it is that of Holocaust survivor and Nobel laureate, Elie Wiesel. This week he placed full page ads in the Washington Post, the Wall street Journal and the New York Times about deteriorating relationships between the Obama administration and Israel, a situation which “terrifies” former New York mayor and defender of Israel Ed Koch. Could get worse.

The conservative party in Israel faces a credible challenge. According to Likud law, elections must take place immediately to seat a new Central Committee. Current Israeli Prime Minister and Likud chair Benjamin Netanyahu has tried mightily to permanently postpone these elections. The vote on whether or not to postpone the Central Committee elections is currently scheduled for April 22nd. If Moshe Feiglin, soldier, sabra, who wants Israel to be a “Jewish state” and not a “state for Jews” takes leadership from Likud’s American friends, it will mean a new Israel.

“Soon, with G-d's help, we will establish Jewish leadership for Israel,” writes Feiglin (article here).”Please be forewarned that when that happens, our familiar, comfortable Pesach holiday will be radically changed. . . . When we establish Jewish leadership for Israel.... the prime minister and his cabinet will ascend to the Temple Mount with their sacrificial lambs. The entire national mentality will change.”

Instead of sitting in the comfort of living rooms and chewing on matzah that symbolizes the Pesach offering, Israelis will “ . . . joyously sit in the streets and alleys surrounding the Temple Mount,” eating roasted sacrificial lamb.

“The international uproar will be deafening,” he writes.

Get ready.