Close but Not Quite

Here is the e-mail trail of my almost appearance on a radio show. The radio network will remain unidentified to protect the guilty:

1)
On 4/17/08, C wrote

Dear Mr Medad,

It was good to speak to you just now, the market sounded in full swing so I'm glad we could catch a few words.

As I said, I am very keen for you to participate in a special radio program to mark the 60th anniversary of the founding of Israel.

It will be a one-hour program bringing together three contributors from different areas of Israeli life to discuss the developments in Israel's history, politics and culture over the past sixty years and to look at the challenges of the future. The discussion will be chaired by, P the diplomatic correspondent and former Middle East correspondent, whom I'm sure you will have met during his posting in Jerusalem and his frequent trips to cover events in Israel.

The format of the program will be a conversation between the three contributors, punctuated by short reportages which P will have recorded and which will focus on specific issues such as immigration, Israeli attitudes towards power and security and relations with Palestinians and Arab Israelis. I have not yet confirmed who the other contributors will be but I will of course let you know as soon as possible who else will form the panel. I would like to be clear from the start, though, that the aim is to have a thoughtful and intelligent conversation which generates more light than heat - the last thing I want is to end up with a squabble between implacably opposed views.

I do hope you will be able to take part in this program. I feel that it is an opportunity to discuss the issues in a much more nuanced and in-depth way than is often possible in broadcast news coverage and I believe the program will give the global audience a deeper understanding of the conversations that take place within Israel about where the country stands, 60 years after independence.

I will call you next week so that we can talk about this in more detail but please feel free to give me a call or email me if you have anything you want to discuss in the meantime.

Have a great holiday and I look forward to speaking to you again.

C
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2)
From: Yisrael Medad
Sent: 17 April 2008 21:21
To: C
Subject: radio special program for Israel's 60th anniversary

C

I was nice of you to ask me to participate (okay, a bit of an honor, too) and I am sure that I can provide the listeners with light (does thunder count instead of heat?). I am sorry that my lack-of-motor-vehicle gets me into awkward situations but I have survived here 38 years almost.

I await your further correspondence.

Yisrael


3)
On 4/21/08, C wrote:
Dear Yisrael,

don't worry about the transport I'm sure we'll work it out.

I wonder if you could suggest a time when I could give you a call to talk through the issues that we'll be covering in the program? We'll need a good half hour or so to talk so let me know when you'll have some peace and quiet for a chat.

In the meantime I've put some information about P below.

All the best

Catherine

…He has been a frequent visitor to the Middle East during that time, returning for Israeli elections, the 2006 Lebanon war and the 2007 Gaza violence.

4)
On 4/22/08, C wrote:
Yisrael,

could you please remind me of exactly where you would have to be and at what time on ____________ in order to get back to your home for the evening? I'm wondering how late we could push the recording.

Thanks
Catherine

5)
From: Yisrael Medad
Sent: 23 April 2008 07:11

To: C
Subject: radio special program for Israel's 60th anniversary

I have to be back home in Shiloh by 6:30 PM and to make things easier for you, as there should be a bus from Jerusalem at 5:30, that means that we need to leave Tel Aviv around 4-ish, unless your transport service will come out here and then we could leave Tel Aviv closer to 5.

6)

On 5/1/08, C wrote:
Hi Yisrael,

sorry for the long delay in getting back to you. It's been really hard to try to work out this discussion -- trying to find a group of people who will work well together as a panel, represent different aspects of Israeli life - professions / genders / political opinions - and are all free to do it at the same time.

After a long deliberation I'm afraid I'm not going to be able to include you in the panel. Please understand it is nothing personal! On top of all the other criteria, my editor has specifically asked me to try to find contributors who are not familiar to _________ listeners and I'm afraid that as someone that we hear from fairly regularly that somewhat rules you out. You can take that as a compliment - it's because you are such an articulate speaker that you feature frequently.

I hope I haven't taken up too much of your time with this. Thank you so much for your willingness to take part and your interest in our program and I'm sure we'll find an occasion to speak to you again soon.

All the best

C

7)
From: Yisrael Medad
Date: May 1, 2008 8:50 PM

Well, I won the bet [I had bet with myself that the delay meant bad news]. I'll just have to wait for another radio "frequency" although a better compliment would have been that others didn't want to appear with me. Thanks, really, for thinking of me as suitable.