A Blog by the Editor of The Middle East Journal

Putting Middle Eastern Events in Cultural and Historical Context

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Why is Everyone Else Getting Old?

This morning's Jerusalem Post has a piece on Israel's leftwing Meretz Party leader Yossi Beilin seeking to relaunch the Beilin-‘Abd Rabbo "Geneva initiative" of some years ago, which in effect wrote a peace treaty text for Israeli-Palestinian peace. It's hopeful (if a bit futile in present circumstances) to see it relaunched or at least to see the world reminded of it since it showed that at least some Israelis and some Palestinians could come up with a formula both could live with.

But, my own birthday looming, I was startled to see the picture the Jerusalem Post ran with the article (I'm claiming fair use under copyright laws for the point I'm making and acknowledging the source):

This, they allege, is Yossi Beilin:

No, can't be. We've crossed paths a time or two. I've known who he was for decades. He's a prominent figure, after all. And everyone knows that Yossi Beilin looks like this:

Obviously, not the same guy, right? The older gent is wearing a tie (for an Israeli leftist?) instead of the fashionable black turtleneck, and he's graying with wrinkles. And I'm sure I've seen him as recently as the 1980s, and ... well, Wikipedia says he was born in 1948, which would make him 61, and ...

Oh, okay. I guess I don't look like I did 25 years ago either. But why does everybody else have to keep aging and reminding me of it?

Read the story anyway. I'll deal with the angst on this end.

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