Yael has the list
of fatal terrorist attacks in Israel since peace broke out in 1993.
posted by Imshin 22:03

Listening Project
A prominent Arab columnist calls for Arafat to resign.

Jihad Al Khazen:

I do not care what the enemies say. I care about you. However, I care more about the Palestinian cause, which must be more important to you than yourself.

Nevertheless, you did your best for Palestine. It is you right now to relax.

If you resign today, you will leave with your head up high.

A democratically elected Arab president resigns. Democratic elections are rare in our countries; resignation is rarer.

My friend, resign. Enough is enough. Do it and give yourself a chance. Give the cause a chance.

(Here is the Arabic version).

In the past, this columnist, Jihad Al Khazen, rejected Arab Holocaust denial, saying

"The Arabs did not murder the Jews in Europe or in any other place. The reciprocal massacres between Arabs and Jews throughout history, including the last fifty years, were very limited and cannot be compared with the murder of the Jews by the Nazis. Therefore, there is no need for us to deny a crime committed by others, and for which we have paid the price."

[…]

“…it is impossible for an Arab to come and claim that his knowledge about the Holocaust exceeds that of American or European historians. It is inappropriate for an Arab to defend the opinions of a historian [Irving] who was described by a Judge as racist, anti-Semitic, suspicious, and a supporter of neo-Nazis who treats the Jewish people in an insulting manner...”

"What is proper to say is that it is inconceivable that a people that was saved from the Holocaust persecutes another people, deports it, destroys its property, and steals its land."

Interesting.

* * * *

Yes but...
As if to prove Jihad Al Khazen’s point, according to AP, today Arafat

...called on his people to be steadfast in their struggle against Israeli occupation.

He ended the speech with a quote from the Quran.

"Find what strength you have to terrorize your enemy and the enemy of God," he said. "And if they want peace, then let's have peace."

But AP points out that

Arafat, whom Israel accuses of supporting militant groups, did not appear to be calling for new attacks on Israel. The passage in the Quran refers to the early Muslims' wars against pagans and is frequently invoked by Islamic leaders today to encourage strength in times of conflict.

Erm, okay.

[My dearest Bish, who has yet to get back at me for yesterday's post, supplied the links.]


posted by Imshin 21:24

Lights in the Distance: I see snow falling. So lovely.
posted by Imshin 15:27

The Canary and the Kitten
Shoosha helps me meditate. She sits in my hands, or she curls up on my lap, or she stretches out on my leg, and she purrs.

Should I forget myself and get up and go, she will wake and cry.

The gas is creeping up the mine. But the miners cannot see, and they have discarded the canary.

So I’ll just sit here with Shoosha, she’ll purr and I’ll breath. We’ll be quite happy and contented, on our little cushion, as we wait for the gas to reach up into our little cage, and kill us.

Afterthought: No, they blame the canary.

posted by Imshin 15:22

What fun!
Dragan suggests Susan Sarandon for the part of Diana in Salam Pax: The Movie. I think they could do better than that. I wonder who Haggai would suggest.

Update: Haggai suggests Debra Winger. Excellent choice, I love Debra Winger.

posted by Imshin 00:04

Laurence Simon’s new Blog Is Full Of Crap. Sorry Dad, his words not mine. It’s a quote, that’s what it is, a quote.
posted by Imshin 22:14

American Digest: Invitation to the Beheading of an American Jew. Powerful stuff.

(I can’t find how I got to this. My apologies to whoever referred me.)

posted by Imshin 22:13

Different mentalities (I used the dirty “M” word! Don’t tell my sociology professor!)
Political correctness hasn’t really caught on in Israel, except among serious, intense, academic lefties (yawn). As a result, interracial tension and bickering between Jews from different origins is often openly expressed. Is this worse than a situation whereby people may harbor racist notions, but feel compelled to keep them to themselves?

I prefer to know where I stand. If, for example, someone thinks I am a dry, frigid bitch with no sense of humor, based on the fact that I am an English born Ashkenazi from Polish descent, I’d rather he said it to my face. Then I can retort that he can knife me now and get it over with, him being a violent Moroccan. And now that the air has been cleared we can go and have a coffee with Bish, who being of Turkish ancestry is expected to not only understand all about coffee, but also to have an affinity for... erm... never mind, not suitable to mention in nice society.

Don’t ask me where all these prejudices come from, but in Israel every single community of Jews from every corner of the globe has a few of these crosses to bear (excuse the highly inappropriate imagery).

This is just a way of letting off steam. The badmouthing, although loud, is usually quite affectionate. You can regularly hear married couples, whom you know to be quite happy together, having a go at each other’s inherent faults based on traits their great grandparents ostensibly brought with them from Georgia, Yemen, Iran, Azerbaijan, Germany, and so on. Try telling them that this is not a healthy basis for their relationship. You probably won’t be invited again.

So if you are in Israel, and you are mixing socially with a loud, diverse, colorful, happy-go-lucky group, and you hear things that sound very unpleasant to your ear, don’t be offended - take it as a complement. No one there is trying to be something they’re not. They’re not pretending to be very posh and European and impress you. They’re just being themselves - loud, diverse, colorful, happy-go-lucky and completely unbearable. Welcome to Israel!

Or should I say, to the Mediterranean. Did you ever see My Big Fat Greek Wedding? I never laughed so much.

My dad always used to be amazed that the verbal violence rampant in Israel didn’t lead to physical violence more often. He would watch in wonder as drivers would get out of their cars, have a screaming match about who had right of way, and instead of coming to blows, each would just climb back into his respective car and drive off, feeling much better.

I recently watched in disbelief as two respectable, distinguished looking elderly gentlemen, went through such a loud, unruly performance in a quiet cul de sac in north Tel Aviv. The name-calling was highly amusing. Youngest could easily have thought up more sophisticated insults. They both seemed so agitated, I was afraid one of them would have a heart attack. But a minute later, they were gone.

I used to spoil drivers fun by refusing to play. ‘Oh, you’re quite right. I’m so sorry. I’ll be sure to be more careful next time’. I would say, humbly, and I could clearly see the disappointment in their faces as they slunk back to their cars, muttering in frustration.

The people you’ll hear saying the worst things about Arabs, may also be the ones who will be inviting Arabs to their weddings, britot (circumcision celebrations), funerals, and vice versa. Ask them about it and you’ll find that they are neighbors, business partners, co-workers, friends, and that they completely fail to see the irony. This is day-to-day coexistence.

It’s not like those who make a concerted attempt to “co-exist” by creating artificial contact and dialogue, while making an effort to ignore differences in mentality (that word again). This is real.

Jonathan once wrote about the open and indiscriminate cooperation between Jewish and Arab criminals in Israel and between Israeli and Palestinian criminals. It is quite natural.

Is it worth anything? Does it lead to peace in any way? I’ve no idea. But there it is. Things are not always what they seem to an outsider.

posted by Imshin 18:21

Me, I’m a coward. This young lady really is combating on the front line.
posted by Imshin 11:59

A Response To Murder: Strengthen The Good
posted by Imshin 09:50

Listening project
The shame of the atrocity, by Nazir Majali, Israel affairs commentator for several television stations in the Arab world and for the newspaper al-Sharq al-Awsat:

There is an acute and trenchant debate among Arabs, too, about the abuse of the bodies of the soldiers who were killed in the explosion in Gaza on Tuesday. Even though everyone notes that the military force that entered Gaza wasn't there on a hike but had come to bomb, not a few Arabs feel a sense of shame at the images of the atrocity and view the brutal act as one that above all defames Arab culture, which is based on respect for the dead and is revolted by the abuse of bodies. The religions in which Arabs believe - Islam and Christianity - also forbid such acts.

Unfortunately, however, a great many Arabs show understanding and even justify the act. Their hatred blinds their eyes and closes their hearts. Like many in Israel, they think in terms of revenge.

posted by Imshin 09:06

The Palestinian Peace Camp?
So where are they, these peace loving Palestinians? Why have they never gathered on the streets of Gaza and Ramallah to demonstrate their yearning for compromise? Or to protest brutal terrorist attacks perpetrated by their brethren? Why do they never talk of their conciliatory tendencies on television? Or in letters to the editors of newspapers? Surely they could do it anonymously, if they were afraid of retribution.

All we ever hear are accusations, anger, and indignation.

I know a lot of lovely Israelis who sincerely want to right the wrongs done to Palestinians. Many are people I know well, and I know that they mean it. They really do care. They do not make do with trying to alter government policies and to change attitudes of the general Israeli public. They also seek out opportunities to meet with Palestinians and they make a real effort to open their ears and hearts to their suffering. They listen to what they have to say. They listen with compassion and sadness and guilt.

Are there no Palestinians who are willing to listen to us?

* * * *

There is no reason to listen to you, I hear you think. You are the oppressor. But how do you know that there is no reason to listen to us, if you have never tried?

___________________

Update: "Today I saw one Jewish kid with his hands bound behind his back executed by five oppressed Arabs...
John"

posted by Imshin 18:01

The old question – do we, as bloggers, play into the hands of terrorists by referring to their horrific sites in which they celebrate their barbaric blood-fest, and by doing so dishonor our fallen soldiers?

I say we do*. I say we go and we see, carefully, mindfully. I say we go and we see and while we are looking, we think to ourselves: How do I feel looking at this? Am I shocked? Am I horrified? Am I sick? And on the other hand, how did I feel looking at the photos of American soldiers torturing Iraqi prisoners? Also shocked? Also horrified? Angry? Ashamed?

So where is the Palestinian shame at such pictures? Where is the Arab horror? No, they rejoice! They revel! They are proud of their barbarism. President Arafat has to pressure them to shelve the worst of the footage, not out of humanity, but out of cold calculation, so as to minimize the harm to their image as poor little victims.

How angry they were at pictures of Iraqis being degraded (degraded, not murdered) by Americans! How indignant! And maybe rightly so.

But Americans being slaughtered on camera? Israeli body parts being kicked around the streets? Why, that’s the best show in town! Show it again, Ahmed, show it again! What fun!

I say we go and we see, so that we know exactly who we are up against.

______________________
* By the way, I am totally opposed to having these photos published in newspapers or aired unedited on TV, but those clicking through from here to the Islamic Jihad link I gave, having read what I wrote, knew exactly where they were going and what they were going to see.

posted by Imshin 22:32

I feel bad about the Washington Post. They thanked me so nicely for registering after I told them I was chairman of a production company with 10,000 employees and that I was born in 1901.
posted by Imshin 10:41

ISRAEL IS SHOCKED AND HORRIFIED and sick to the stomach by the bloodthirsty festival Palestinians are conducting around the remains of Israeli soldiers killed in Gaza.

Here are some horrible photographs of the head of one of the Israeli soldiers on a Palestinian Islamic Jihad site.

Bish read somewhere that they were playing soccer with one of the heads.

Ehud Yaari called it a cannibal fest.

Another cannibal fest is that which celebrates the murder of American Nick Berg in Iraq.

I am going to hold off on my little listening resolution for a while. Not up to it right now.

Update: Telegraph:

There is something diabolical about the Palestinian demand for concessions before they return the body parts of the Israeli soldiers blown up in the Gaza Strip yesterday.

To put it very mildly.


posted by Imshin 08:12

Yes there is racism in Israel. There is racism towards Israeli Arabs (although nothing even near to the vicious hatred Arabs outside Israel seem to have for Jews and ‘Zionists’, and it's not state racism, Arabs have full citizen rights, although there are inequalities that are, one hopes, gradually being fixed) and there is tension and some animosity between groups of Jews who came to Israel from different parts of the world. European Jews used to feel and act superior to Jews from Eastern or Arab countries.

But this has changed immensely in the last twenty years. For one thing, it is extremely “uncool” to be Ashkenazi in Israel these days. Ashkenazis may still be a relatively strong, affluent segment of the Jewish population, but Eastern Jews have become more and more prominent in politics (where being an Ashkenazi is a very clear setback), in the army, in government ministries, in education, in entertainment (where they rule supreme), and more or less everywhere else. And mixed marriages (such as mine) are gradually rendering the distinction increasingly irrelevant. I have a little story I would like to tell about this, but now is not the time.

Update: I'm not being mean not telling. Its just that I'm not in the mood. Here's me babbling on about anti this and anti that while little girls are being shot point blank in cold blood and people are getting their heads sawn off (I couldn't watch it) and others' heads are being played soccer with.
posted by Imshin 07:14

Listening
Can you understand how difficult it is for me to read that I have no right to be living in my home, that I am a criminal, a thief, a murderess, a Nazi?

* * * *

When we have an idea in our head, we often close our eyes and ears to anything that doesn’t coincide with this idea. We already know. We don’t need any further input.

I know I do this. I may try not to, but I do. Bish finds this tendency of mine extremely infuriating. I think the trick is to try and be aware that this is happening and then there is a possibility that we will manage to open ourselves to other ideas.

I know this doesn’t happen just to me. It happens to other people too.

If, for instance, I am discussing what anti-Zionism means to an Israeli, and you are a caring person, who is very concerned about Palestinian rights, you might not be able to hear what I am saying at all. This might happen if, for instance, all the time that you are listening, a little voice inside your head is shouting “But what about the injustice to the Palestinians? But what about the injustice to the Palestinians? But what about the injustice to the Palestinians?” and so you are not able to hear my words, above the racket the little voice is making.

Maybe I am not talking about the Palestinians right now. Maybe I am saying something that is not about the Palestinians that is worth listening to. Maybe I am saying something that will help you understand why Israelis do things that they do. Things are usually not black and white, after all.

Maybe, even if you don’t change the idea you have in your head as a result, hearing another point of view, without immediately judging, can enrich you and to some extent deepen your insight into the situation.

And then, when I come to listen to what you have to say, knowing that you have listened to me, really listened, maybe even with some compassion, it will be easier for me to open my heart to your point of view, as well.

So this is what I am going to do – I am going to make an effort to be better at listening to other points of view, and I am going to try to be more aware of when I am shutting things out with the little voice shouting in my head. This is very difficult, because I find many things I read and hear extremely threatening. And then fear arises, followed by anger and defensiveness.

Update: Thank you, Angua.

posted by Imshin 17:09

Israel is not all about abusing Palestinian rights, you know
A powerful early childhood memory of mine is of my mother yanking me out of our local branch of a national chain of maternity, baby, and children’s merchandise, muttering, as she marched me down the road away from the store, that we certainly wouldn’t be going there again.

I had been busy minding my own little business, wandering around the said establishment, being suitably seen and not heard, as was expected in those days of little English girls with golden curls and pretty, frilly dresses, while my mother did her shopping.

Something had been said, in the store, something that had caused my mother to be very much offended. I’m not sure what it was, only that it was something about Jews. I don’t even know if it was directed towards us personally.

Not long after that occurrence, we were living in a different world, a world of strong smells, blinding sunshine, and deep shadows. Frilly dresses were no longer part of my life, nor were anti-Semitic remarks.

* * * *

I’m so relieved to have finally solved the anti-Semitism/anti-Zionism equation for myself (anti-Zionism = selective anti-Semitism). This has been bothering me for quite a while.

For a Jew living in Israel, anti-Semitism is a very fuzzy-brain inducing concept, because we rarely experience it here personally, and even if we do, it’s more likely we’ll regard it as an amusing curiosity than as a threat. This is probably why Israelis abroad are sometimes insensitive to subtle anti-Semitic nuances.

We certainly don’t have the opportunity to meet any real live anti-Zionists very often, as strange as this may seem. I think that if we did, the far left self-flagellation crowd here would probably be even smaller than it currently is.

It was perhaps relevant to talk of anti-Zionism eighty years ago, before Israel existed, or even sixty years ago. But now that Israel has been a fait accompli for the last fifty-six years, in spite of repeated attempts to destroy it using various methods, and not to mention the fact that three generations of Israelis, and more, have nowhere to “go back to”, to talk of the illegitimacy of its very existence is ludicrous, it’s a joke. People live here, real people, people who have never lived anywhere else.

And the idea that Israelis and Palestinians can live together in some sort of united, secular state in peace, in the foreseeable future, as opposed to a two-state solution, is completely unrealistic and can mainly serve as an indicator of the naivety of those who suggest such an idea, and their ignorance of the state of affairs here.

If I understand correctly, anti-Zionists, out of their belief that Jews have no right of self-determination (here or anywhere else), would like to see a cancellation of what they see as the historic aberration that is the State of Israel. But such a cancellation is clearly no more than a fantasy solution, an imaginary miracle cure to all of the world’s ills, a magical fairy path leading to everlasting World Peace.

I am an Israeli. Yes, I was born somewhere else, I speak excellent English and have in my possession, besides my Israeli passport, a much coveted EU passport. But I grew up here. I have lived here all my life, besides early childhood. I know no other existence. Put me anywhere else in the world, and I will be an exile, a refugee. This is my home.

Unlike me, most Israelis, including my very own Bish, do not speak excellent English* and do not have foreign passports. This is the only place in the world where they belong. This is their home.

Anti-Zionists don’t seem to realize, or care, that abolishing the State of Israel, should that be possible at all (and it isn’t), would leave five and a half million people homeless.

Anti-Zionists don’t seem to realize, or care, that abolishing the State of Israel, would create terrible suffering and misery, and it would probably not even alleviate all the suffering of the Palestinian people (at least part of which is self-inflicted, and will continue to be so, until they learn to take responsibility for their fate, regardless of Israel). It certainly would not contribute in any way to World Peace. It could very well be seriously detrimental to World Peace.


____________________________
* Of course you speak excellent English, Bish dear, I was just trying to make a point.


Afterthought: I’d like to point out that when I talk of anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism I am talking of Western anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism. As I see it, Arab, Muslim and Palestinian hatred of Jews and unwillingness to accept the State of Israel is something completely different. I can’t explain this feeling of mine offhand. This is a subject for another post. I’ll get round to it (if I finally got round to tackling the anti-Semitism/anti-Zionism question, anything is possible).

posted by Imshin 17:27

This is where it ends



Yesterday I saw a documentary about the man who took this famous photograph, Yevgeni Khaldei. He gave the impression of having been a devoted communist. Amazingly, despite his notable contribution to his country, to the way of life he believed in, to the war effort, and to Stalin, he was persecuted by the Soviets, for being Jewish.

* * * *

The first communist I ever met was a tiny, white haired old lady, who lived alone in a very large, very sparse apartment on Arlozorov Street. Her communism was a solitary island of sweet, simple innocence, which sharply contrasted the rest of her colorless, barren, rather bitter, existence.

Every so often she would disappear, sometimes for days, sometimes for weeks. The first time it happened, I stood outside her door, knocking, waiting, and worrying if I should call the police. Later I discovered she had committed herself into a mental hospital. She did this regularly, I learnt, when life got too much for her.

She didn’t really like living in Israel, she said, and often talked wistfully of her nephew in Australia, but as far as I knew she had never made any attempt to leave. With all her criticism, maybe she felt safest here.

In 1945, hundreds of thousands of people just like her were wandering round Europe, completely lost, trying desperately to find their way back to a place that no longer existed. Eventually, realization would descend on them and they would set out to create a life for themselves somewhere else, just like Jews had been doing for centuries, every time their world crashed in, picking up their peckalach, and moving on to the next place.

But this time, some of them said No! There must be a reason for our surviving. Moving on to the next place and starting all over again is not good enough any more. This is where it ends.

* * * *

Ideology is a tool we use to put order into life, to give it meaning. Zionism is just another name for ‘This is where it ends'.

Of course anti-Zionism doesn’t equal anti-Semitism. Anti-Zionists don’t necessarily hate or even dislike Jews per se. They are just opposed to Jews who are arrogant enough to say ‘This is where it ends’. Anti-Zionists, in fact, do not have a problem with the nice Jews*, the ones who had the commonsense to move on to the next place at a favorable time, or even if they didn’t, still continue to subscribe to the moving-on/starting-over thing.

Anti-Zionists are only opposed to the Jews who, having been reckless enough to stick around to be vomited out of Europe, or foolish enough to be forced out by the Arabs, couldn’t find the strength in them to just carry on somewhere else, business as usual, any more. Anti-Zionists are only opposed to the homeless Jews.

Only they’re not homeless any more. Israel is their home. And this is where it ends.

* * * *

Meryl Yourish points us in the direction of this powerful essay, about the hatred of Jews down the ages, and today, by Cynthia Ozick.


________________________
* Some of the anti-Zionists are, in fact, such nice Jews themselves.


posted by Imshin 17:03

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