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Sundown: Obama Supplicates Abbas

Plus remembering Fischer and Uncle Leo, and more

by
Marc Tracy
February 17, 2011
Bobby Fischer.(Wikipedia)
Bobby Fischer.(Wikipedia)

• World’s most powerful man calls disputed leader of foreign-occupied territory to ask him nicely not to propose a U.N. resolution that the world’s most powerful man can, if he wants, squash on command. This is very, very poor diplomacy on the Obama administration’s part. [Haaretz]

• Hating myself for not linking to Rabbi Andy Bachman’s fantastic take on patrilineal descent in the Reform movement. [Forward]

• When is “ethnic cleansing” also “genocide”? For Israel and Jewish scholars, the question hits particularly close to home. [Forward]

• Garry Kasparov on Bobby Fischer. [NYRB]

• Kinda wish this article on Jews for Jesus had made it more clear that it believes that they’re, y’know, not Jews. [New Voices]

• Israel closed its Turkish embassy in Ankara and consulate in Istanbul in response to apparent threats from Hezbollah. [Haaretz]

GOODBYE, Uncle Leo. You made us laugh. (And condolences to cousin Jeffrey.)

Marc Tracy is a staff writer at The New Republic, and was previously a staff writer at Tablet. He tweets @marcatracy.