So Why Haven't You Written A Novel for A While?
My second book came out in 2014 to a rather surprisingly enthusiastic initial response and healthy (initial) sales, and if I were a more organized man, we might have seen 2015 as the year I wrapped up the whole thing with the wind at my back and momentum in the air.
But then came the August Gaza war, and I got it in my head that the time might be right to unveil the peace plan I'd been debating with cab drivers for the last ten or fifteen years. I called it "The New Framework," which was perhaps a little less snappy then it should have been. ("Independence with Benefits" could have gotten some sexy attention in America.)
Almost a year later, I have an ebook and Ted talk on Israel/Palestine peace under my belt, a highly perused Facebook peace page (ten thousand followers and counting) and one failed 501(c)(3). The status quo reigns in Israel and Palestine. If all the people who had sent me messages letting me know they wanted to kill all the Jews had actually bought my book, I'd be laughing all the way to the bank. Three people "want to read" my peace book on Goodreads. I didn't know that there was any book ever written that only three people want to read ....
The fact seems to be that the world, and even cocktail party chit-chat, is pretty sick of the Jews and the Palestinians at this point, and indeed, what could be more boring than another argument about whether Israel overreacted to missiles flying over their borders. The usual suspects say yes, and the usual suspects say that no country in the world would accept the reality of missiles flying over their borders every day. Except that every country in the world has now been forced to accept the reality of terrorism, so that line doesn't really hold water. And terrorism in Israel is less interesting and less effective than terrorism in Norway, Holland, France, Syria, Libya, Jordan, England, Egypt and everywhere else.
There are outliers on both sides who offer hope - I spent the night before Thanksgiving having drinks with an Algerian activist and an Egyptian activist, both good fellows - but for the most part the Jews are digging in their heels, insisting that the Palestinians can have peace whenever they decide they love their children more than they hate us, and the Arabs are digging in their heels as they demand pre-conditions for peace (an apology, a withdrawal to the Green Line, all the Jews leaving their land, right of return, and so on). The terms of reference are crazily different - Israel's War of Independence is not just the Nakhba but also the "Israeli Invasion" in Arab parlance. And years of indoctrination have left many Arabs absolutely incapable of believing that there is any good Jew in the world. Too many Jews have told me that "the Arabs don't want peace." Well, of course they do -- but not all of them want peace with the Jews. It is tough to figure out what to do with a dispute in which everyone is wrong. Worst of all, though, are the meddling outsiders - from the college students in South Africa who have just voted to expel all the Jews to the ridiculous co-op members in Park Slope, Brooklyn who fight over whether to boycott Israeli humus, and an idiotic neighbor of mine who uses his daddy's money to fly to Israel to protest by the security barrier. On the other side, there's AIPAC, and the Republican House and Senate. All offering false hope.
To which I have now added my name. In addition to the messages of hate, people have also written to me that they can see an end to the conflict for the first time; "for the first time, I can see hope."
I am still a believer, and I still believe that it could all happen all happen right now. If anyone is willing to listen, I would be most grateful.
In the meantime, I have some good news about Watt O'Hugh - a podcast, an opera, an animated TV show, and even (finally) a book 3 is coming in the months and (with respect the last two) years to come.
I haven't forgotten you; please don't forget me.
But then came the August Gaza war, and I got it in my head that the time might be right to unveil the peace plan I'd been debating with cab drivers for the last ten or fifteen years. I called it "The New Framework," which was perhaps a little less snappy then it should have been. ("Independence with Benefits" could have gotten some sexy attention in America.)
Almost a year later, I have an ebook and Ted talk on Israel/Palestine peace under my belt, a highly perused Facebook peace page (ten thousand followers and counting) and one failed 501(c)(3). The status quo reigns in Israel and Palestine. If all the people who had sent me messages letting me know they wanted to kill all the Jews had actually bought my book, I'd be laughing all the way to the bank. Three people "want to read" my peace book on Goodreads. I didn't know that there was any book ever written that only three people want to read ....
The fact seems to be that the world, and even cocktail party chit-chat, is pretty sick of the Jews and the Palestinians at this point, and indeed, what could be more boring than another argument about whether Israel overreacted to missiles flying over their borders. The usual suspects say yes, and the usual suspects say that no country in the world would accept the reality of missiles flying over their borders every day. Except that every country in the world has now been forced to accept the reality of terrorism, so that line doesn't really hold water. And terrorism in Israel is less interesting and less effective than terrorism in Norway, Holland, France, Syria, Libya, Jordan, England, Egypt and everywhere else.
There are outliers on both sides who offer hope - I spent the night before Thanksgiving having drinks with an Algerian activist and an Egyptian activist, both good fellows - but for the most part the Jews are digging in their heels, insisting that the Palestinians can have peace whenever they decide they love their children more than they hate us, and the Arabs are digging in their heels as they demand pre-conditions for peace (an apology, a withdrawal to the Green Line, all the Jews leaving their land, right of return, and so on). The terms of reference are crazily different - Israel's War of Independence is not just the Nakhba but also the "Israeli Invasion" in Arab parlance. And years of indoctrination have left many Arabs absolutely incapable of believing that there is any good Jew in the world. Too many Jews have told me that "the Arabs don't want peace." Well, of course they do -- but not all of them want peace with the Jews. It is tough to figure out what to do with a dispute in which everyone is wrong. Worst of all, though, are the meddling outsiders - from the college students in South Africa who have just voted to expel all the Jews to the ridiculous co-op members in Park Slope, Brooklyn who fight over whether to boycott Israeli humus, and an idiotic neighbor of mine who uses his daddy's money to fly to Israel to protest by the security barrier. On the other side, there's AIPAC, and the Republican House and Senate. All offering false hope.
To which I have now added my name. In addition to the messages of hate, people have also written to me that they can see an end to the conflict for the first time; "for the first time, I can see hope."
I am still a believer, and I still believe that it could all happen all happen right now. If anyone is willing to listen, I would be most grateful.
In the meantime, I have some good news about Watt O'Hugh - a podcast, an opera, an animated TV show, and even (finally) a book 3 is coming in the months and (with respect the last two) years to come.
I haven't forgotten you; please don't forget me.
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