[AP] Matti Friedman - As Israel celebrates its 60th birthday, Israelis have their gaze set firmly backward. Turn on the TV and you'll see grainy archive footage and old-timers reminiscing about desert wars and pioneering days on the kibbutz. The hottest new CD features contemporary singers covering Israeli favorites from decades past. The failure of peace talks with the Palestinians in 2000 and the violence that ensued have left Israelis deeply cynical about prospects for resolving the conflict. "Today, most Israelis don't believe in peace anymore. This wasn't the case when the country turned 50," said historian Tom Segev. Yet in an anniversary poll published in the daily Yediot Ahronot, 91% of Israelis said it was "fairly good" or "very good" to live in Israel.
2008-05-07 01:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive