Yossi Melman at PostGlobal

Yossi Melman

Tel Aviv, Israel

Yossi Melman is a senior commentator for the Israeli daily Haaretz. He specializes in intelligence, security, terrorism and strategic issues. An author of seven books on these topics, his most recent book, The Nuclear Sphinx of Tehran: Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the State of Iran was published recently by Carroll & Graf. Close.

Yossi Melman

Tel Aviv, Israel

Yossi Melman is a senior commentator for the Israeli daily Haaretz. He specializes in intelligence, security, terrorism and strategic issues. An author of seven books on these topics, his most recent book, The Nuclear Sphinx of Tehran: Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the State of Iran was published recently by Carroll & Graf. more »

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Sex Scandal Rattles Israel

Tel Aviv, Israel - The Most Important Story of last week, and probably of the coming weeks as well, is the police investigation against the president of the state, Moshe Katsav. He stands accused of rape and sexual harassment of female subordinates.

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All Comments (59)

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Champion cigarettes from Hong Kong are taken out of the Freeport and sold in Metro Manila retail outlets by a company, said my sources. The cigarettes are made to appear for reexport to other countries, so taxes and duties are imposed on them.
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Anyway, although my parents smoked all during my childhood, I really did not smoke cigarettes until I was in college and then only at the end of a semester when I had like 4 or 5 exams in 2 days and would pull all nighters cramming and cigarettes acted like a stimulate.
After college, I did not smoke but after things got tight around the head, with wife, child, intensive work, I began smoking as a way to relax.
Take a break and smoke a cigarette. Work like crazy and then....take a break and smoke a cigarette.
Have tried to quit several times and the physical pain of nicotine withdrawal for the first 24 or 48 hours is terrible but the worst part is the psychology of "take a break, relax and smoke a cigarette."
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Probably born addicted as at time of birth, both parents were cigarette smokers. Can you imagine that at one time, cigarette smoking was considered cool or made you look sophisticated.
Anyway, although my parents smoked all during my childhood, I really did not smoke cigarettes until I was in college and then only at the end of a semester when I had like 4 or 5 exams in 2 days and would pull all nighters cramming and cigarettes acted like a stimulate.
After college, I did not smoke but after things got tight around the head, with wife, child, intensive work, I began smoking as a way to relax.
Take a break and smoke a cigarette. Work like crazy and then....take a break and smoke a cigarette.
Have tried to quit several times and the physical pain of nicotine withdrawal for the first 24 or 48 hours is terrible but the worst part is the psychology of "take a break, relax and smoke a cigarette."
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Probably born addicted as at time of birth, both parents were cigarette smokers. Can you imagine that at one time, cigarette smoking was considered cool or made you look sophisticated.
Anyway, although my parents smoked all during my childhood, I really did not smoke cigarettes until I was in college and then only at the end of a semester when I had like 4 or 5 exams in 2 days and would pull all nighters cramming and cigarettes acted like a stimulate.
After college, I did not smoke but after things got tight around the head, with wife, child, intensive work, I began smoking as a way to relax.
Take a break and smoke a cigarette. Work like crazy and then....take a break and smoke a cigarette.
Have tried to quit several times and the physical pain of nicotine withdrawal for the first 24 or 48 hours is terrible but the worst part is the psychology of "take a break, relax and smoke a cigarette."
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Smuggling of luxury cars at the Subic Freeport has been stopped, but the smuggling of “blue seal” cigarettes, among other things, continues, according to sources at the former US Navy base.
Champion cigarettes from Hong Kong are taken out of the Freeport and sold in Metro Manila retail outlets by a company, said my sources. The cigarettes are made to appear for reexport to other countries, so taxes and duties are imposed on them.
But the cigarettes are spirited out of the Freeport because the importer bribes some customs officials and port officials, my sources said.
The cigarettes are loaded in 10 containers and spirited out every week.
The government loses P30 million every week in excise tax alone on this particular smuggled item, according to my sources.
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Probably born addicted as at time of birth, both parents were cigarette smokers. Can you imagine that at one time, cigarette smoking was considered cool or made you look sophisticated.
Anyway, although my parents smoked all during my childhood, I really did not smoke cigarettes until I was in college and then only at the end of a semester when I had like 4 or 5 exams in 2 days and would pull all nighters cramming and cigarettes acted like a stimulate.
After college, I did not smoke but after things got tight around the head, with wife, child, intensive work, I began smoking as a way to relax.
Take a break and smoke a cigarette. Work like crazy and then....take a break and smoke a cigarette.
Have tried to quit several times and the physical pain of nicotine withdrawal for the first 24 or 48 hours is terrible but the worst part is the psychology of "take a break, relax and smoke a cigarette."
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Probably born addicted as at time of birth, both parents were cigarette smokers. Can you imagine that at one time, cigarette smoking was considered cool or made you look sophisticated.
Anyway, although my parents smoked all during my childhood, I really did not smoke cigarettes until I was in college and then only at the end of a semester when I had like 4 or 5 exams in 2 days and would pull all nighters cramming and cigarettes acted like a stimulate.
After college, I did not smoke but after things got tight around the head, with wife, child, intensive work, I began smoking as a way to relax.
Take a break and smoke a cigarette. Work like crazy and then....take a break and smoke a cigarette.
Have tried to quit several times and the physical pain of nicotine withdrawal for the first 24 or 48 hours is terrible but the worst part is the psychology of "take a break, relax and smoke a cigarette."
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Smuggling of luxury cars at the Subic Freeport has been stopped, but the smuggling of “blue seal” cigarettes, among other things, continues, according to sources at the former US Navy base.
Champion cigarettes from Hong Kong are taken out of the Freeport and sold in Metro Manila retail outlets by a company, said my sources. The cigarettes are made to appear for reexport to other countries, so taxes and duties are imposed on them.
But the cigarettes are spirited out of the Freeport because the importer bribes some customs officials and port officials, my sources said.
The cigarettes are loaded in 10 containers and spirited out every week.
The government loses P30 million every week in excise tax alone on this particular smuggled item, according to my sources.
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cheap marlboro,
marlboro guide.

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The Senator acknowledged cigarettes are not safe and asked us to believe there was a way to reduce the risk - which isn't the case. The FDA claims people will simply smoke more and inhale more deeply to get the feeling they crave.
Companies that manufacture tobacco want to sell it. No matter how you obfuscate the issue, that's a fact.
It reminds me of the liquor companies urging people to drink responsibly in ads marketing their liquor.
We all know the dangers of alcohol and cigarettes and no amount of obfuscation will work on me.
These companies want to sell their product. If they were really concerned about public health issues, they'd go into other fields.
Try politics, obfuscation rules there.
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Shalom Freedman:

A few points. It is disconcerting to be replied to by the anonymous, especially when those replies are slanderous.
Two, Israel is engaged in actions of self- defense. Time and again in this conflict Israel has halted military activities only to have them restarted by another act of Arab violence.
Three, historically the first acts of violence in this conflict were the acts of Arabs against Jews, in 1920, 26-29. I wonder how people can so boldly post erroneous basic facts. Perhaps this relates to their not being willing to post their real names.
Fourth, it is wonderful that the 'Washington Post' has these forums. But they should be refereed so that abusive, violent language and total inaccuracy in factual information are eliminated.
Fifthly, anyone who has lived among the Israeli people as long as I have and seen and known the price of the terror and violence against us knows how much the people of Israel truly want peace.
Sixthly, I apologize for 'changing the subject' but I thought the topic was the most important happening related to Israel during the week. And in my opinion it is the Iranian threat to 'wipe Israel off the map' a threat which is not given sufficient attention by world leaders, the world- media , or the U.N. Where are the condemnations which would come certainly if such remarks were made regarding any other state?

mike goldberg:

ok, so Israel isn't committing genocide, and only moderate level ethnic cleansing (oppressing the Palestinians with rigor in the hope they'll leave their homeland). But the situation has pretty well been reversed since the 50's,60's and 70's when it was Israel that was ready for a fair peace and Arabs who were the rejectionists.

aaron:

are people naive enough to think that katsav is alone in acting like this? just this week he got the implicit endorsement of vladimir putin, who mentioned that we should be jealous of katsav for his ability to do such things.

and off topic, but apparently still relevent since people have turned this into a forum for israel bashing:
-Israel never, ever systematically killed anyone. pre-1948, there were splinter jewish terrorists that did engage in some very unsavory activities. however david ben gurion forcibly disarmed them to maintain order in the israeli state. israel abolished its terrorists and at no point did the jewish governing body in mandatory palestine support in any form this terrorism
-israel has no legal reason to withdraw from the entirety of the west bank, as res 242(to which i assume you all are refering to with this) does not state withdrawl from all of the terrirtories, it says withdrawl from terrirtories, and it makes not one mention of palestinians, anywhere. dont believe me? go read it.
-whatever you called it before last year, israel is no longer in gaza, bar none. and what was its thanks? more than 1000 qassams this summer.

Anonymous:

Blame Shalom for that.
He changed the subject.

Anonymous:

If absolute power corrupts absolutely,
What does ceremonial power do?

Post reader:

Aside from the first comment posted above, none of the others have had anything to do with the writer's article. There are plenty of forums where people can bash each other's support for different nations.

This is a piece on a politician embroiled in a sex scandal, and his refusal to change his status based on the possibility of blame; also, how he's expected to use his ethnic background as an element of his defense.

Anonymous:

You are both naive and ill-informed.

Why the parentheses around Illegal Settlement, they are illegal under international law, therefore by definition, they are illegal.

"Israel is not systematically killing Arabs." Maybe not anymore, but they sure were. Beginning before 1948, through the 1970's Palestinians were forcibly removed from their ancestral homes, and forbidden from living anywhere in Israel proper, (1948 borders)

"was conquered in the wars that have plagued us since our inception." I might recommend that you read the Geneva conventions. Conquered land must be returned, or fairly governed by the occupying power. Settlement is specifically prohibited.

"I will never understand why the people who attack Israel for supposed human rights violations are not also going after China and Arab countries that are far worse to their people."
It is for exactly the reason you state. They are "their people" not a formerly proud, educated, enlightened people who have been disposessed, subjugated, conquered, imprisoned, humilated, dominated, and treated like untermenschen.

It is very frustrating to see history repeat itself, especially with the opressed, who claimed "Never again" doing it again.

Anonymous:

As someone who lives in an "illegal settlement", I find accusations against Israel of committing genocide or ethnic cleansing to be both repugnant and frankly, stupid. Israel is not systematically killing Arabs. Israel is systematically defending itself from suicidal Muslims who have no interests in protecting the rights of their brethren.

Palestinian leadership has demonstrated a pathetic attitude toward building a state of their own. Palestinians are not interested in having their own state; they are interested in wiping Israel off the map. The world (Israel included) has poured billions of dollars into building infrastructure for the Palestinian people and yet all of this energy has been poured into breeding a hateful society, not actually putting into place basic services.

The land that Israel exists on was legitimately granted to it by the UN in 1948, or was conquered in the wars that have plagued us since our inception.

Israel has Arabs in the Knesset. Israel employs Arabs readily. In fact, the majority of Palestinians who live in Israel came after 1967 because the economic prosperity they could find here. Arabs are protected by law in an equal opportunity act for employment. Arabs are not denied any rights in Israel, and they are screened only for security purposes for travel between the West Bank and "Israel proper".

Israelis pray for the day that this will not be necessary because we will be living in peace. Personally, I pray for the day that I will not have to be screened for security too. Yes, that is right; I am also screened in my travel and daily routines because Arabs have posed as religious Jews in order to carry out vicious attacks.

I will never understand why the people who attack Israel for supposed human rights violations are not also going after China and Arab countries that are far worse to their people. I cannot tolerate those who attack Israel under the guise of advocating for the Palestinians. Were Israel not a Jewish state, I am convinced that all of this nonsense would not be spewed. The reason Israel is isolated in the world is because of anti-Semitism, pure and simple.

Anonymous:

"The Palestinians have responded with violence and hatred, and efforts at killing as many Israelis as they can."

Ten years of "Trying" does not make up for the previous sixty of killing or disposessing them.

Turnabout is fair play, thought the playing field is not level. Rocks agains tanks?

Anonymous:

Shalom, Shalom,

Do you really just want to resort to name calling? That does not help your cause.

Withdrawing from territory that is was not yours to begin with is not something to brag about, especially since a) it took you forty years to do so, and b) you have not withdrawn, you have merely moved the illegal settlers into other illegal settlements, and the army continues the occupation, as well as controls the borders, and the airspace, as well as the sea-coast.

OK, let's not call it genocide, call it ethnic cleansing. Feel Better?

Muriel:

It is surprising how power does corrupt, even ceremonial power............

Shalom Freedman:

I want to answer the fool or wretch or both who accused Israel of ' genocide' against the Palestinians according to his folly.i.e. Israel has tried for over fifty years to make peace with the Palestinian Arabs, and is still trying. The Palestinians have responded with violence and hatred, and efforts at killing as many Israelis as they can. Israel unfortunately must respond to this violence in order to protect its own citizens.
Israel has withdrawn from land to provide for an eventual Palestinian Arab state, and has been rewarded for this by more Palestinian violence.
Israel is a true democracy and one which cares for the sanctity of life. To accuse it of genocide is against either ignorant or evil or both.

Anonymous:

"Ahmadinejad is doing every possible to isolate and deligitimize Israel." SF

Absolutely wrong. Israel is doing everything possible to isolate and delegitimize herself.

If you doubt this, ask yourself why the world is becoming increasingly vocal in regards to Israel's blatant violations of the Geneva Convention, Lebanon's airspace (daily), the human rights of an occupied people, human decency, I could go on.

Do not blame other people for your own failings. It is another thing that is isolating your state.

Anonymous:

"The major story which is facing Israel is the genocidal threat against it reiterated this week by Iranian President Mohammed Ahmadinejad." Jihad Freedman

Let he who is without sin cast the first stone. Stop your genocide against the Palestinians.

He is threatening. You are doing it.

Actions speak louder than words.

Shalom Freedman:

Absolutely wrong. The major story which is facing Israel is the genocidal threat against it reiterated this week by Iranian President Mohammed Ahmadinejad.
This threat is underlined by Iran's role as the backer and armer of Hizbollah,and by its involvement in Palestinian affairs. It is now connected to the Hamas command, and now seems to be calling the shots for the Palestinians also.
The Iranians are pursuing a two- fold strategy. Ahmadinejad is doing every possible to isolate and deligitimize Israel. Along with this he is racing to achieve the physical means to achieve his evil goal.The Iranian nuclear program moves ahead unimpeded despite U.N. supervision of parts of it.
Israel is not facing this problem properly. Prime Minister Olmert has made recently an empty verbal threat, Deputy Prime. Minister Peres has said in contradiction to this that Israel is relying on international action to stop Iran. He may wait a long long time for this.
Israel needs responsible leadership, boldness and innovativeness in action to stop the Iranian threat. The Bush Administration now seems to have abandoned for the time being any serious response to Iran, and has given itself up to further diplomatic delay, the European answer. The Russians and Chinese are helping the Iranians here.
Israel's survival is the number one story this week and for a long time to come.And this survival relates strongly to preventing Iran from becoming a nuclear power.
The Israeli Presidency is a ceremonial post, and however regrettable and even shameful this present scandal it is a passing issue of no major importance.

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