Sunday, December 24, 2006

The Curse of the Pundit

“Israel’s unilateral withdrawal from Lebanon taught whomever did not understand this before the importance of a recognized border for the security of Israel. Since 2000, the strength of the invisible wall of international legitimacy has been proven on the Lebanese border. This invisible wall is what is defending northern Israel today. This invisible wall is what is preventing even a terrorist organization like Hizbullah from firing its thousands of long-range Katyushas into the sovereign territory of Israel.”

That is a quote from the book They Promised a Dove by Haggai Segal and Uri Orbach, a compendium of false prophecies published by Israeli pundits in the years leading up to last Summer's war. I love that invisible wall bit because it really was, like, invisible, intangible even. That particular bit of wisdom came from Ari Shavit who writes for Haaretz. He recovered a bit during the war, if I recall, but being left is a mental disease from which folk seldom make a full return to normal. Augean Stables has a review of a review that contains more such quotes. Enjoy.

And yes, I am up late on Christmas Eve, packing for a trip tomorrow. I'm waiting for the sound of sleigh bells.

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