About Yoram Gat
August 12, 2007
I am a statistician and software engineer, living in California, US.
My interests include politics (theory and practice) and statistics (theory and practice).
Within politics, I am focused on issues revolving around elitism, political equality, and the application of chance in order to achieve political equality.
If you have a statistical problem associated with a pro bono cause, please write to me at
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January 19, 2009 at 7:26 pm
[...] בטיפול בבעיה : פרסום מידע המדויק כפי שנתן לי בנדיבות יורם גת : התשובה הקצרה לשאלה שלך היא שהתפלגות ההכנסה בישראל [...]
May 27, 2009 at 7:54 pm
Assuming you are “Sortition”
Thanks for your reply on Yglesias page regarding your solution to the Israel-Palestine problem, especially Jerusalem. I apologize for not responding earlier, I was away.
It may, or may not, surprise you to know I hold the same view as you. I think there might need to be some compromise solution regarding the Jewish quarter and the Western wall in the old city.
My whining on about complexity in the situation has less to do with the notion that a solution must be inherently complex than the popular notion (often promoted by the media on the left and right) that Israelis all have one view, and Palestinians all have another.
Finally, I spent some time in Abu Ghosh, an Arab village in Israel, and found it both uplifting and depressing (!) It seems to be the place that works. Jews shop there, eat at the restaurants there, sit and chat there. The Arabs work and eat and shop on the Jewish side of town. It’s the town that (mostly) works. Uplifiting for the obvious reason. Depressing because the solution is staring everyone in the face. Naive, I know, but I just can’t get up every morning and be cynical.
(Interestingly, if the country returns to ‘67 borders, some residents on the Jewish side of town will have to move…)
Thanks again for your thoughtful reply.
May 29, 2009 at 6:04 pm
Hi Mark,
Yes – I was writing as “Sortition”. Thanks for your reply and for dropping by.
I am not surprised that our positions on the settlement of the conflict are similar – both being close to “the international consensus”. This is the settlement that any reasonable person would support under the current conditions, and it is even given lipservice to by Israel and the US. Any disagreement between us is probably regarding the question of who is responsibile for the current impasse. US and Israeli media and governments place the blame on the Palestinians and many people tend to assume that there is at least some truth to that. In fact, a look at the fact reveals that the impasse is wholly created by Israeli intransigence, which is made possible by the backing of the US.
Regarding Jerusalem: the Palestinians have already made in 2000 at Camp David the concession of offering control over the Jewish Quarter and the Western Wall to Israel as part of the peace settlement. (Of course, the Israelis demanded more.)
Regarding Abu Ghosh as a model for co-existence: I don’t quite agree. There is a conflict of interests here. “Why don’t we just all live peacefully together?” pretends that this is all just a silly misunderstanding. This is not the case. The Arabs in Abu Ghosh and elsewhere in Israel are an oppressed minority, not equal citizens. Israel has been created by subordinating the interests of the Palestinians to those of the Jews – necessarily so. Co-existence involves a compromise – it is not only about being open-minded.
July 22, 2009 at 8:21 pm
Just wanted to say I just found your blog today quite by accident searching for statistics on the US income distribution and it’s very interesting! thanks!