Dr. Barry Rubin Diagnosed with Lung Cancer (Updated)

{Cross-Posted at Israel Thrives and Geoffff's Joint, Bar and Grill.}

Anyone who reads Israel Thrives on a consistent basis knows that Professor Barry Rubin is a significant influence. For those of you who do not know, according to his Wiki page:

Rubin is a professor at the Interdisciplinary Center (IDC) in Herzliya, Israel, the director of the ICD Global Research in International Affairs Center, and a senior fellow at the Interdisciplinary Center's International Policy Institute for Counter-Terrorism. He is also Research Director of the IDC's Lauder School of Government, Diplomacy, and Strategy; editor of the journal Turkish Studies and the Middle East Review of International Affairs (MERIA); and a member of the editorial board of Middle East Quarterly.

He was a deputy director of the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies. He is the co-author, with his wife, of Hating America: A History and a collection of essays entitled Loathing America.

Rubin has recently announced that he has been diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer and this represents a loss to those of us who care about the well-being of the state of Israel, because we care about the well-being of the Jewish people.

Dr. Rubin writes:

For 2000 years my ancestors dreamed of returning to their homeland and reestablishing their sovereignty. I have had the privilege of living that dream. How amazing is that?

We have to judge ourselves by whether we’ve lived up to our ideals and done our best. Not by the accumulation of power, wealth or fame; not for failing to achieve the impossible.

I really do not have a whole lot to say other than that Dr. Rubin remains an important influence and I very much hope that he will be writing and analyzing and discussing and arguing and kvetching for many years to come.

We need your help, Professor.

Sincerely,

Michael Lumish

Update:

He's also just recently published a commonsensical solution to Obama's Jerusalem problem:

The U.S. embassy could be moved to west Jerusalem, with the existing U.S. consulate there continuing to serve east Jerusalem and the West Bank, which means also dealing with the Palestinian Authority.

This makes considerable sense. If you read the article, he draws out some complexities and problems, but Obama needs to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of the Jewish state of Israel.

If he cannot do that then he is not worthy of our support... in my humble opinion.