Thank you, Rachel Corrie.

Image by ISM-NC via Flickr

Today is the 6th memorial day for Rachel Corrie, an American non-violence activist who was killed by an Israeli bulldozer in the town of Rafah in Gaza, March 16 2008. (thanks to Nina for the reminder)

The story, in short: Rachel came to Gaza with the International Solidarity Movement, like many other young americans and people of other nationalities. Many of them, btw, are jewish.

She was killed when she tried to prevent a bulldozer from demolishing a house. Personally, I believe the story of the driver who said he was not able to see her. Usually the Israeli army has people standing outside to direct the bulldozers, but at that specific event they were afraid of Palestinian snipers and thus did not do that.

I once met her parents. Very kind and good people. I hope that they find some comfort in the support they get from around the globe (and from many Israelis too, as they assured me).

Stories like this happen all the time. Only last week another American citizen was critically wounded by Israeli fire.

What do I do about it? I ask questions, attend a play (maybe), and mainly, support Lora (who's Lora? read or pick at the end).

Let's start with the questions, I'm good at it. Billy Bragg wrote a beautiful tune with plenty of questions. One of them is: Is Rachel more important than 100 Palestinian kids we never hear of?



Bradley Burston made me think again about responsibility (English and Hebrew). The army is there to protect population. If it were an Israeli citizen, most certainly a soldier would have had to go out and make sure everybody is safe. Why was this not the case here? As Chava Alberstein asks, "The love of the homeland is a natural thing, but why should the love stop halt at the border?"

The play My Name is Rachel Corrie plays today and on the 29th in Pittburgh. The play also made some noise when the director of the original theater in NYC canceled the production a few weeks before it was scheduled to air. No reason for the censorship was given. However, shortly after it found a new home.

Last and most important is a new journey of a brave American. This time I talk about my good friend Lora, who is so many things. She is so compassionate to want go to Gaza, so brave to actually do it, and so smart to be able to go in (the Israeli governmeht still puts Gaza under blockade. Somehow Lora was able to break in.)

You can read her fascinating updates here and can follow her twits.
And most importantly, you can donate here. All money goes to rebuilding Gaza.

Thanks to all of you, to Lora, and to Rachel; love, and non-violent energy!

The Aftermath of the War

1. Israel did not achieve any of its declared goals.

- The Hammas only got stronger and more popular.
- The attacks on southern Israel increased since Israel broke the cease fire.
- Gilad Shalit is not home.

Israel had three goals - and it failed miserably on all three. No wonder everyone in Israel still supports this war. This is the simplest way to resolve the cognitive dissonance of how we became so stupid and violent. I still think that truth and learning from mistakes make a better policy, but they certainly are underrated.

***

2. Taking my mom out for lunch.

The Israeli support for the failed war reminds me of going out for lunch with mom. Usually it is much fun, but occasionally we order some really crappy dishes. My mom always insist that we finish these too - since we already ordered them, we should at least “enjoy” them. Israel seems to be following the same logic.
As for me, I'd rather not order the same dish again.
And again.

***

3. Exporting the successful line of Lebanon wars

I don't know about you, but this reminds me too much of the recent Lebanon war (or the one of 1996). They annoy us, we retaliate, we kill too many civilians and stop, and then they annoy us again. Only that this time everything was much bigger. Like a classic Hollywood sequel.

***

4. Closed Zone

Speaking of Lebanon, and speaking of a sequel, Yoni Goodman, the director of animation for the Academy Award-nominated film, "Waltz with Bashir", crated a short movie about Gaza:
http://www.closedzone.com/



***

5. Something small I do not get.

And here is something that surprises me. How can people support the war in Gaza and at the same time admire Waltz with Bashir? How come they do not see the parallels? The tallest wall in the Israel is not the one on Palestinian lands, but the one that blocks our actions from our thoughts and emotions.

***

6. You and Me and The Next War / Chanoch Levin

When we take a walk, we are three,
You, me and the next war.
When we go to sleep, we are three,
You, me and the next war.

When we smile at a moment of love
The next war smiles with us.
When we wait at the maternity ward,
The next war waits with us.

When they knock on the door, we are three,
You, me and the next war.
and when all this is over, we still are three,
You, the next war and the photograph.
Thanks to yuvalbenami.blogspot.com for the translation.

כשאנחנו מטיילים, אז אנחנו שלושה -
את ואני והמלחמה הבאה.
כשאנחנו ישנים, אז אנחנו שלושה -
את ואני והמלחמה הבאה.

את ואני והמלחמה הבאה,
המלחמה הבאה עלינו לטובה.
את ואני והמלחמה הבאה,
שתביא מנוחה נכונה.

כשאנחנו מחייכים ברגע אהבה,
מחייכת איתנו המלחמה הבאה.
כשאנחנו מחכים בחדר הלידה,
מחכה איתנו המלחמה הבאה.

את ואני והמלחמה הבאה,
המלחמה הבאה עלינו לטובה.
את ואני והמלחמה הבאה,
שתמציא מנוחה נכונה.

כשדופקים על הדלת, אז אנחנו שלושה -
את ואני והמלחמה הבאה.
וכשכול זה כבר נגמר שוב אנחנו שלושה -
המלחמה הבאה, את והתמונה.

את ואני והמלחמה הבאה,
המלחמה הבאה עלינו לטובה.
את ואני והמלחמה הבאה,
שתמציא מנוחה נכונה.

My tent in the middle of the highway and the lies of the settlements

Image by DrewOtt via Flickr

Tailgating is a weird thing to do. It must be fun, but I just don’t get it. I prefer my party to be... well... more than 3 feet from my neighbor’s party. Perhaps I can also imagine a location nicer than a parking lot.

Israel has its own version of tailgating. It doesn’t have a fancy name (in general, barbecue is called Alla-Aish - and has nothing to do with the Arabic Alla or Aish. Actually, it literally means “on the fire”.) Anyhow, Alla-Aish often involves barbecuing on a traffic island by a highway.

Below - Alla-Aish from '69 and a more recent one.


I never got that either.

But sometime I enjoy imagining the following scenario. What would have happened if I had decided to build my home in the middle of the busiest highway in Israel? (for the Israeli reader, I usually think of the Halacha exit on Ayalon).
My day dreaming usually ends fairly quickly, realizing that I will soon find myself glued to a wheel of a track rotating at 65 mph.
But sometimes I think that perhaps the army will decide to protect me, build a wall around me, send hundreds of troops to make sure that violators do not disturb my privacy, and in general, making me feel very welcomed there, in my tent in the middle of the highway.

I often think that the settlers have the very same dream, only that no-one ever wakes them up.

In this post I do not argue whether Israel has the right over the west bank (for security, religious, historic, imperialist, or megalomanic reasons). Even if Israel has the right over the West Bank, I argue that the settlements are the dumbest thing ever (and pretty evil too).

The main highway in Israel, Ayalon highway, most certainly belongs to Israel. It is in the middle of Tel Aviv. Still, this does not give me the right to build my home there, since I put myself and my surrounding at risk. It is simply not reasonable. The biggest success of the settlements, in my view, is that somehow they were able to avoid the public discourse. In the Israeli public opinion, holding the occupied territories and building there settlements are the same thing. However, it is pretty simple to see that settlements impose nothing but risks, to everyone. Their existence kills people and kills the chance for peace.

Instead of giving the numbers or telling the stories, let me just share three videos with you. Kids, don’t try this at home. Actually, kids, don’t watch it. But grownups, you must watch these. It is our obligation as thinking people to know what is going on there. Not knowing lost its legitimacy after 1945.
The first is a story of a settler in Hebron.


The second is about Palestinians who try to harvest their olive trees, as instructed by the Israeli court and army. A story from the Israeli media.


The third goes back to the first family. This time a Palestinian kid tries to return home. Notice what the soldiers do, and how old the jewish terrorists are. I will probably not send my kids to their school.


These are only few examples. If you want to watch more, I recommend these two channels:
http://www.youtube.com/user/shovrim (operated by Breaking the Silence)
and
http://www.youtube.com/user/btselem (operated by B'Tselem)

Above all, the settlements are the main obstacle to the two states solution. As one of the settlers told reported Bob Simon on CBS’s 60 minutes: "I think that settlements prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state in the land of Israel. This is the goal. And this is the reality."
I am sure most of you already watched the excellent CBS report, but in case you missed it, here it is:


The following two maps were taken from Peace Now and demonstrate the dimension of this phenomena. On the left - the west bank (in blue -settlements; in brown - Palesitinan territories). On the right - the road blocks. Notice that almost all of them (actually, all of them but 35) are not between Palestine and Israel, and are a direct outcome of the wish to protect settlements. These are the same roadblocks that prevent kids from going to school, farmers from working their lands, and pregnant women from reaching the hospitals on time.




Even if we assume that peace cannot be reached, a conclusion I object, Israel has no right or reason to maintain the settlements. This is an immoral sin and imposes a risk to everyone in the region.

To start realizing the effect of the settlements and road blocks, I recommend a movie by Avi Mograbi, and one blog by a member of Machsom Watch. Thanks, Nina, for finding this blog. This blog traveled from Israel to Indonesia and back for me to find it. A person could have never completed that journey.

The Blog - Hebrew and English.
The movie: Avenge but One of My Two Eyes, by Avi Mograbi.



The "funny" thing is that official Israeli report recognizes that 75% of the settlements have illegal building procedures, and still the state of Israel lies openly:
“Israel's actions relating to the use and allocation of land under its administration are all taken with strict regard to the rules and norms of international law...Although the Hague Regulations, in Article 52, permit the administering authority to requisition private property for reasons of military necessity, Israel does not requisition private land for the establishment of settlements, even where there is military justification.“

Gentleman, we have created a monster.

The Unseen Descrimination

Image by nedrichards via Flickr

All foreigners that have entered the US at one point or another over the last 8 years have their own horror stories to tell. The long lines, the disbelief of the immigration officers, the pitying looks of our fellow American travelers, and the feeling of helplessness, knowing that I can do nothing at this point, and the more I express my frustration the slimmer my chances are to eventually enter the States. Criminals until proven otherwise.

I am used to telling my wife that this is nothing. It is the price we pay for being foreigners. That as soon as we pass immigration, no-one can tell between us and a 10 generation American.
But imagine life like that, not only in airports in immigration lines, but always, anywhere, in your own country, where you are host, not the guest.

This post is about everyday lives of Arab Israelis. It will be short, and personal, and no blame or guilt. Only much sorrow. Just to fill in some of you - Israel has about 80% (or 6 million) Jews, and about 20% (or 1.5 million) Arabs. Usually they are called either Arab Israelis or Palestinian Israelis. 90% of them are Muslim, most others are Christians, and few other sects and religions. They are citizens of Israel, not of Palestine.
De jure, they are equal citizens. De facto, they are way below that.

It all started when I was invited to teach this summer a class at Haifa University. Like most other Universities, Haifa U is pretty progressive. Actually, it is one of the most diverse and culturally-integrated universities, with a large Arab minority. A couple of days ago I received the forms I have to fill. They ask for copies of my academic certificates (of course), and... my military service certificate.

Excuse me? Why? They also ask for my rank and recruitment and release dates from the army. EXCUSE ME???

All Jews in Israel must serve in the army (3 years for boys, 2 years for girls). Arabs are not allowed to serve, and are not being offered a civil-service alternative.
The forms I received from Haifa U have no obvious discrimination. Nowhere I was asked to state my religion or nationality. Still, by nature they are discriminatory. Only jews can bring these certificates. Arab citizens are reminded, every minute of their time, that they are second class citizens.

Btw, these details are needed since my military service counts towards my seniority. I am not sure how being in the Israeli army prepares me for my job as a university professor, but apparently this is another mean to pay jews more than arabs who hold corresponding jobs.

Needless to say, after asking the good people in New Profile, I refuse to give these details, and will return the forms next week without them.


***

But this was really only one example out of many. Another example - a good friend of ours, a Palestinian Israeli (or Arab Israeli, they both mean more or less the same) married a German guy. He is a Palestinian descendant, since his parents come from Gaza. He was born and raised in Germany.
When they wanted to come to Israel to visit her parents, he was denied entrance. So he cannot meet his in-laws. It is a good excuse to avoid these huge family dinners, I admit, but who is the country to decide that? Just to be clear - if she were Jewish, he would have been given citizenship...

***

There are so many other examples, I don’t even want to begin. Somehow, everything is legal, everything adheres to “democratic” principles, with no legal discrimination. Everything is Kosher...

***

My uncle in-law bought an apartment in a new house. They wanted no Arabs in the building. So they defined it as an ‘observant building’ (in Hebrew it sounds even more ridiculous). Everyone in this building should observe Shabbat (or Sabbath; needless to say, my uncle in-law has no intentions of doing so). But now Arabs cannot move in there.

***

In general allocating property and land is tricky. How can you do that without discrimination? Easily. Much of the land in Israel does not belong to the state - it belongs to a company, the Jewish National Fund. To be clear, it is a private company, and thus can do whatever it wishes with the lands. In simple words, it can discriminate based on religious (and its charter says that its mission is to give land to Jews only). At the same time, it controls public lands, and 80% of its budget come from the Israeli government. Furthermore, one of its affiliated companies buys properties for Jews outside the green line (in the Palestinian area), even though this area was never annexed to Israel by the Israeli government... Dirty business.
The supreme court has ruled this to be illegal several times, so the JNF has to update its mechanisms. But the goal remains.
To further disguise the discrimination, the Hebrew name of the company lacks the word ‘jewish’, and it translates literally to something like “the fund for Israel”...

***

This approach, to maintain the discrimination of Arabs by separation, exists everywhere. In the States of Israel, Jews and Arabs do not go to the same schools, cannot marry each other, and cannot even be carried next to each other. Jews and Arabs do not see each other in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health. In fact, I have interacted with more Arab Israelis in the States over the last 6 years than in Israel throughout my life.

Imagine if the US government will prevent inter-faith marriages, claiming that there is nothing discriminatory here, since no religion can marry no other religion. Imagine the way Jews would react here.
How come this still goes on in Israel?

I have no idea.

***

If you read Hebrew, you will enjoy this.

***

Not to mention bigger issues, such as the attempt of the Israeli parliament to disqualify Arab parties from participating in the general elections - not in spite of being a democracy, but in the name of democracy... Luckily, also here the supreme court intervened. Sometimes I feel that there are two Israel's - one for 9 supreme court judges and myself, and one for all the rest...

***

Meanwhile I have to return the forms to Haifa University. I just found out that Arab Israelis hold approximately 60 to 70 of the Israel’s 5,000 university faculty positions. That is about 5% of their per-capita number. At least Haifa U has the Jewish-Arab Center, whose goal is to promote Jewish-Arab cooperation.

So now what. I think I will write in the forms that my service in the occupation army did not prepare me for the roles I intend to fulfill as an educator.

The Everyday Guide For Killing People

Where was Brecht correct?

General, your tank is a powerful vehicle.
It smashes down forests and crushes a hundred men.
But it has one defect:
It needs a driver.

General, your bomber is powerful.
It flies faster than a storm and carries more than an elephant.
But it has one defect:
It needs a mechanic.

General, man is very useful.
He can fly and he can kill.
But he has one defect:
He can think.

גנרל, הטנק שלך הוא רכב חזק,
הוא רומס את היער, הוא מוחץ מאה אנשים.
אבל יש לו חסרון אחד:
הוא זקוק לנהג.

גנרל, המפציץ שלך חזק.
הוא טס מהר מן הסופה, הוא עומס יותר מפיל.
אבל יש לו חסרון אחד:
הוא זקוק למכונאי.

גנרל, האדם שמיש מאוד.
הוא יודע לטוס, הוא יודע לרצוח.
אבל יש לו חסרון אחד:
הוא יודע לחשוב.

(Bartlett Brecht, 1938)


Where was Brecht wrong?

Yes, we can think. But Brecht may have placed too much hopes on this ability. The distance from ‘can’ to ‘do’ is far...

In this post I address the following question: How can Israeli soldiers commit the actions they do? How can individuals belong to a people of high morality, and at the same time aim and shoot at innocent children? What do Israeli soldiers think when they prevent a pregnant woman from crossing the checkpoint, when they use illegal phosphorous bombs in civilian neighborhoods, when they fire at people for quietly protesting, or when they arrest people for speaking openly in Tel Aviv?

And what does it say about Israel as a country?

I am not talking about warfare or self-defense. I am talking about cases in which there is clear right and wrong. Wrong - to shoot someone because you have a weapon and he does not. Because you can.

Rather than pasting here horror youtube videos, here are two small examples, of soldiers shooting protesters without any reason. In the first example, soldiers shot a person who had been arrested and was lying on the ground, bound hand and foot (yes, the lieutenant colonel who did that still serves in the army, and yes, the father of the girl who took the video was arrested). In the second example soldiers shot an Israel for standing. Let me know if you want more videos, my library and nightmares are full of these.

The question of how people commit these crimes becomes even more puzzling when we remember that Israel has compulsory military service. The aggression of the Israeli soldiers cannot be explained with selection bias, since everyone serves. Young adults who vote for leftist parties and object the occupation man the checkpoints and prevent children from going to school. How do these people, my brothers, forget to think when they drive the tank?

- First, people operate out of fear. Israelis are sure that the Palestinians are a threat to Israel. They refuse to see how weak the Palestinians are, and how little threat they impose. Even I started to realize the dimensions of the fear campaign only after I had moved to the States. Btw, this is not out of evil. The politicians themselves are terrified. People are sure that every kitten is a Trojan horse. And as Naomi Klein shows, fear is a very effective way to control people.


The fear system works very well. Even once one is done with the compulsory service in the army, after three years of indoctrination, one still has to serve on reserve for about one month every year. 10% lifelong sentence.

- Second, people operate as part of the organization. People are very happy to identify with their mission. They shoot because they were given a gun and are expected to. They shoot because everybody shoots. Have you heard of the prison experiment? This was a simulated prison in Stanford’s corridors and offices, in which half of the students were randomly assigned to be the prisoners and the other half to be the guards. “The experiment quickly grew out of hand. Prisoners suffered ... sadistic and humiliating treatment from the guards.” (Wikipedia). Again, these guards were their classmates. The experiment had to be stopped earlier than planned, after only 6 days. Wikipedia: “The experiment's result has been argued to demonstrate the impressionability and obedience of people when provided with a legitimizing ideology and social and institutional support,”. We play our roles, cling to our guns and ideology. As Zimbardo, the professor who conducted the original study, testifies: “Most of the evil in the world comes about not out of evil motives, but somebody says: be a team player... When a person feels: I am not accountable, this is the role I am playing”.


Fascinating and sick. Watch the 6 minute version, the 23 minute version, or See the slides. The Israeli administration knows this, and does as much as it can to help its soldiers avoid excessive thinking... For example, "Israel's Cabinet promised legal and financial support for any officers facing trial [about the war-crimes in Gaza]" (the Associated Press). In that way, the army tells its soldiers: 'You don't need to consider whether these are war crimes - we did all the thinking for you. Furthermore, we are your defenders. You awe us'. The outcome - bigger identification with the army and its goals, rather than critical thinking.

- Third, people feel comfortable obeying to authority. Again, this removes personal responsibility. This time I will point you to the Milgram experiment. This guy asked participants to give electric shocks to others. The shocks were sufficient to turn a person into a nice little campfire. Most participants obeyed with no second thoughts. After all, they were given orders.

The good about the following youtube clip is that it is only 2 minutes long and gives the facts in order. The bad is that you can’t really see what is going on and the music is awful :)

Here is a 10 minutes replication of this study (Darren Brown)

What we awe Brecht (and everybody else)
We awe them to think.
Yes, we are responsible. Yes, we are individual human beings, capable of telling right for wrong.
No, no excuse can be given for making a pregnant woman deliver a dead baby at the checkpoint.
In Israel, people who rediscover their conscious and refuse to participate in these horrors are called refusniks.

The Tragedy of Fighting Terror with Terror.

These words are not easy for me to write, and still, they should be written. This post walks a fine line, but one that should be walked. It crosses bridges that should be crossed and reveals truths that should be discussed. Its purpose is to show that Israel is using increasingly alarming terror techniques in its fight against the Palestinians.
I further argue that at this point the state terror used by Israel imposes by far a greater risk to Israel itself than the Palestinian terror.

Some parallels between the Hamas and the Isareli government:

- Both do not acknowledge each other, even though they both were elected democratically by their own people. Furthermore, both choose violence in order to attempt to destroy the other. By doing so, both only strengthen their partner to this bloody dance.

- Both kill hundreds of civilians, on purpose. Yes, even Israel. For example, Israel used artillery and other inaccurate weapons during the last war. One cannot use these weapons in the most densely populated place on earth and hope that no civilians get killed. There is one difference between the Hamas and Israel, and Israel should not be proud of it: more Palestinians (overall and civilians) were killed during the 3 weeks of Israeli operation in Gaza compared with Israelis who got killed by Palestinians in the 9 years since the Second Intifada broke. 3 weeks vs. 9 years.

- Both kidnap soldiers and put them in inhumane conditions. Again, only one tiny difference: while the Hamas kidnapped one member of the Israeli army, Israel holds thousands of Hamas members.

- Both do so in the name of religion.

- Both need the other to exist in order to justify their own ideology of hatred and racism.

- This is a key point: they both hide behind civilians. One of the most common criticism towards the Hamas is that it operates from civic centers, and its soldiers use human shields to protect themselves. For example, the Jewish Chronicle published the following caricature last week:

Here is another similar caricature.

However, also Israel uses human shields. First, its biggest military bases are in the middle of civilian concentrations (HaKirya in Tel Aviv, Pikud Darom in Beer Sheva, etc). But I am not talking about this. I am talking about the Neighbor Procedure (נהל שכן).
Bear with me, this is tricky.
When searching for suspects from house to house, Israeli soldiers take local people and make them knock on the doors and open them, so that if the suspects open fire, the locals will get hurt and not the soldiers. This was declared illegal by the Israeli supreme court, yet nonetheless, the army still uses this procedure and ignores the court order.
More can be found here. Testimonials from the recent Gaza war can be found here: "soldiers had made them, at gun point, open doors and enter houses to search for Hamas members". And if you believe only Jews, here Israeli soldiers talk about using this procedure.
So again, both sides use human shields. Again, one difference - while Hamas uses its own people, Israel uses Palestinians to protect its soldiers.

- Both declare that their goals are to terrorize the other side. Israel calls it 'so they learn a lesson', but I am not sure how this is different.

- Both parties took advantage of the truce to prepare for the next war...

There are also differences, of course. Naturally, I do not defend the Hamas. It is a terror organization and Israel should protect itself against its violence.
However, Israel cannot - - - well, it can, it does, but it should not - become a terror organization itself.

Furthremore, I argue that this imposes a greater risk to Israel compared with the Palestinian terror. Why is it dangerous?
- First and foremost, we loose the moral ground and the basis to our existence.
- Second, it creates emotional scars also in the soldiers, that lead, so I believe, to increasing domestic violence - in home, on the road, between individuals, etc.
- Security wise - it gives legitimacy to the worst terror against Israel. For example, what can Israel claim now when Iranian missiles will start falling on Tel Aviv?
- It puts our democracy at risk. For example, in the recent war, there were many cases of pro-peace demonstrators being attacked by security forces and dehumanized. One example for such story was told by a friend of mine to the Guardian. Another example - the Israeli parliament voted for disqualifying the Arab parties from participating in the elections. (who said democracy is for all? Also in Iran the government can choose who will run in the 'democratic' process...). Luckily, this miserable decision was later overturned by court.

But my main point is not that this is not a smart move. My main point is that this simply should not be done.

Luckily, Jon Stewart found a better way to say it.

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

Gitmo's World - Death to America

Barack Obama Interview
John McCain Interview

Sarah Palin Video
Funny Election Video

The roots of evil - what is the middle-east conflict all about?

Image via WikipediaIn our daily effort to keep track of the violence, counter violence, preemptive-defensive-aggressive-protective-violence, or simply the news, we often forget to ask one simple question:
What do we fight over?
And this question has one simple answer:
Land.

Now why is this controversial? Why is there a need to write a post about it? Because there is a common misconception that this conflict is much more complicated, that religions, gods, and racism are involved, that its roots are deeper than a 100 years argument. Some parties have interest in spreading that belief, though the answer is simpler. Here are three key facts to explain the origins of the conflict.

1. There is no historical conflict or hostility between Muslims and Jews.
Actually, the history of the two peoples is pretty promising. The Islamic empire ruled over large portions of the middle east, including Israel, for over 500 years (starting at the 7th century). Jews lived prosperous lives in that empire. They weren't equal citizens, since no one was. But they had better lives than most other minorities, second only to the ruling Muslims. A fine example was Maimonides (Ha-Ramba"m), one of the most important Jewish scholars and philosophers, who migrated to Egypt and chose to spend his life there, well respected and admired by the authorities, until he passed away on 1204.

If anything, the threat to Jews came mainly from the christians at that period and beyond - whether during the crusades, the Spanish inquisition, and of course, the Holocaust during World War II. This was documented very well by Mel Brookes in the History of the World Part 1 (start watching at 1:30 :-)

2. Hostility between Jews and Muslims began when Jews started migrating to Israel.

Until the end of the 1800's Jews were a tiny minority in the land of Israel. Actually, amongst the 400,000 inhabitants of the area now called Israel, less than 10% were Jewish, most of them lived in Jerusalem.

When anti-semitism in Europe rose, Jews started cultivating nationalistic aspirations and began migrating to Israel. Don't get me wrong- I fully support that movement. The dilemma was between migrating to Israel and getting killed in Europe. At the same time, I understand the Arab majority, who did not like that. They saw their jobs and land taken over by the new immigrants.

This is not a new phenomena. Look at the xenophobia in Europe today.

Furthermore, hostilities between the Arab majority and Jewish minorities throughout the middle east were rear before the establishment of Israel. Jews played important roles in the cultures and economies of many Muslim countries, especially Egypt and Iraq, but also Morocco and others. It is only when Israel was established and half a million Arabs were expelled from it that Jews were persecuted in Arab countries. As a result, a Israel experienced a huge wave of immigration of Jews form Muslim countries during the early 1950's.

Another great documentary, this time from Israel - Lul, about immigration to Israel.

3. The war between Israel and the Arabs includes many Christian Arabs.

Many of the Arabs throughout the middle east, and especially in the land that is today Israel, were Christians. Simply put, this war is not between Jews and Muslims.

Okay, this post is getting long. So you can stop reading here and still get full credit for this post, or engage with me in the following question: Why do certain groups convey this as a religious war?

There are many reasons. First, it is by far more simplistic and easy to understand. It makes clear distinction between 'good' and 'bad' - where actually, both sides are the good, the bad, and the ugly. Second, it allows us to be the victims - and the rest of the world can pity us and see how right and poor we are. Third, and this is true for the Israeli side only, it allows us to connect it to the holocaust. We suffered then, we suffer now.

Last, it allows us to avoid the simple solution.

This war is a hundred years old conflict about land, and it will be solved either by dividing or by sharing the land. As simple as that.

Now, that it is over, we can ask. Who began the Gaza war and why?

The views from Gaza were horrible, where hundreds of children were killed during the Israeli assault. Devastating stories come also from the Israeli side, where kids in Sderot have lived under fire for the last 8 years.

Was this war really necessary? In the last six months before the war there had been a cease fire between Israel and the Hamas. This was a peaceful solution for both problems. No dead Palestinians, no rockets on Israel. Who ended the truce?

The views are conflicting (obviously). Israel argues that the Hamas ended the truce, while the Palestinians argue that it was Israel.

The Hamas was the first to declare the truce was over. Certainly, they made the political mistake. More accurately, they announced that they are not renewing it after 6 months.
What is less known is that this was a result of an Israeli attack in Gaza, and thus de facto, it was Israel who broke the truce.

Here is the full story:



And for those who need more references, here they are.

Notice that the Israeli attack took place on November 4th, the day of elections in America. A coincidence or an attempt to avoid the media? (surprisingly, the current war ended right before inauguration, not to upset the new boss).

Anyhow, as an Israeli, I found the whole thing quite disturbing. Was Israel really the first to break the cease fire? So I asked a friend of mine who lives in Sderot. Yes, she is one of those who were attacked almost daily for the last eight years, until the cease fire broke. Surely, she knows when rockets were falling and when not. And here is what she said (Hebrew followed by my translation):

"זה נכון, נורו טילים בודדים פה ושם, אבל לא של החמאס. אנחנו יודעים גם מחברינו בעזה שהחמאס אכף את הפסקת האש ביד ברזל. גם את הפסקת האש שברה ישראל עם סיפור המנהרה ואחר כך סיפור המוקשים. הרגו 20 פלסטינים ואז הם החזירו, וההמשך ידוע.
בינתיים צה"ל ממשיך לכתוש גם הלילה, בשביל האגו של מנהיגנו שלא מסוגלים לסיים את הפרשה ורבים על הקרדיט. פשוט נורא."

Translation: "This is true. Several missiles were fired here and there, but not by the Hamas. We know from our friends in Gaza that the Hamas indeed enforced the cease fire with an iron fist. Israel broke the truce first with the tunnel story and then with the mines. Israeli killed 20 Palestinians, so then they took their turn, and the rest is known. Meanwhile, the Israeli army continues to pound this night too, for the ego of our leaders that cannot end the story and fight over the credit. Simply horrible."
(January 14, 2009)

We heard similar things during an event we held here in Pittsburgh. On the line is Eric Yellin, another friend form Sderot (his blog is certainly worth reading).



Btw, also the main-stream Israeli media acknowledges it. Only that according to Israeli estimates, the Israeli attacks should not have caused the Hamas to break the truce (Hebrew only, sorry).

Let me make several things clear:
- No Hamas rockets on civilians in Israel are legitimate, of course, even if Israel was the first to break the truce.
- Hamas wanted to continue the truce not to work on its flower garden, but to rebuild its army.
- Perhaps the Israeli attack on November 4th was necessary.

Still, there was a truce, no people were hurt on either side of the border, Israel broke it, and now it is lying. If these facts are wrong, please show me where.

So I went on to study this issue. How do truces between Israel and the Palestinians end? This post examines who was the first to kill after days of non-violence. It found that "it is overwhelmingly Israel that kills first after a pause in the conflict: 79% of all conflict pauses were interrupted when Israel killed a Palestinian, while only 8% were interrupted by Palestinian attacks (the remaining 13% were interrupted by both sides on the same day)."
In other words, after quiet days, it is usually Israel that is the first to reignite violence. This is even clearer when looking at longer periods of no violence:
"of the 25 periods of nonviolence lasting longer than a week, Israel unilaterally interrupted 24, or 96%, and it unilaterally interrupted 100% of the 14 periods of nonviolence lasting longer than 9 days."

I certainly do not justify the rockets on Israel. As said earlier, I have friends with children that live under these attacks. The Hamas is a terror organization. I simply examines the deeds of my people, looking at myself in the mirror. Is Israel much better?

But why does Israel do that? Unlike the facts written above, these are speculations. I will address these some other time. May we all have a quiet year.

I Speak to You Today in the Name of Many.

I want to share with you things I said today at the protest against the war in Gaza. (January 17 2009, Pittsburgh PA).
-----------------

My name is Ido Roll, and I am an Israeli.

I speak to you today in the name of hundreds of Israelis who refuse to join the Israeli army because it is committing war crimes against people who should be free.
I speak to you in the name of thousands of people in Sderot, Beer Sheva, and southern Israel, who have lived under the attacks of deadly rockets for 8 years, and still oppose the war and killing in Gaza.
I speak to you in the name of tens of thousands of Israelis, in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Haifa and Sachnin, who go out to the streets and protest the war every day, though their voices are ignored by the media.

I am speaking in the name of all these, begging, asking: please, stop the killing. Stop the war NOW.

Two days ago we held an Jewish pro-peace event at the Jewish Community Center. We heard these unheard voices. We also talked with Dr. Izzadin Abouleish, a physician from Gebalya refugee camp in Gaza. Izzadin, in his loud and clear voice, called for peace. He described how he sits on the floor, looks at the eyes of his kids, and cannot tell them where he will be tomorrow, or where they will be the day after. He described how his life would no longer be called life if his children get hurt.
12 hours later an Israeli tank hit his home. 3 of his daughters were killed. His brothers and two more sons were critically wounded or killed. This war spares no-one. No one is immune to this crazy violence.

This is not about being pro-Israeli vs. pro-Palestinian. This is about being pro the living. Pro common sense. Pro people. We must all do what we can to stop the killing.

We need a ceasefire now. But we should not stop there. This war is only the symptom of a much deeper disease. As long as there is an occupation, there is violence. We should continue, until all people in the Middle East can live freely, peacefully, life of dignity and prosperity.

I am calling on all Americans to stand for what they believe. This conflict will not be solved by watching it on CNN. We have the responsibility, the moral obligation, to act. Every day in which we do not act is a day in which we let the killing go on.
I can't stop thinking about the daughters of Dr. Aboueleish. I can't stop praying for my own daughter, never to know these things.
The killing must end now.

Thank you.

In commemoration of the children of Dr. Abuleish

* On Thursday I talked with Dr. Abuleish at a pro-peace event at the Jewish Community Center.
* On Friday three of his kids were killed by the Israeli army.
* On Saturday I am sitting down to write this, my eyes covered with tears and my thoughts overwhelmed by the voices.
Let me try to put some sense in these 36 hours.

Dr. Abuleish is a unique person. He is everything I want to be. The only thing bigger than his mind is his soul. The only thing more powerful than his love to humanity is his love to his kids.
Dr. Abuleish, a Palestinian refugee, has worked for years in Israeli hospitals as an OB/GYN, helping everyone in need. He has delivered pregnant settlers women, who opposed his right to exist. Dr. Abuleish is one of the most charming and lovable people I have talked with. You cannot hear him without feeling that he has been here for ever, and has always been your best friend.

Exaxctly 36 hours ago we held a pro-peace event at the Jewish Community Center. The goals of the event were simple - to hear pro-peace voices from Israel, not commonly heard in the main-stream media (and especially in the Jewish community). And, to show that to support Israel means to oppose the war. We asked Dr. Abuleish to speak with us via Skype. He sent us all a clear message - we should stop killing each other and start behaving like neighbors. He told us about an event the other day when a tank targeted his home and was stopped in the last moment. He shared with us earlier that Israel has refused his request to leave his home and find a shelter in a Mosque.
And even in the middle of the war, when tanks threatening his home, his voice for peace was loud and clear.
You can read the event coverage in the local newspaper here. I will try to upload all recordings from it later.
Here are several highlights from the conversation with Abuleish (2 minutes long).

And here is the full version (21 minutes).

As Abouleish said, we all prayed for peace.
On Friday, only few hours later, the soldiers at the IDF fired direct artillery at the Abuleish home. Three of his daughters were killed on the spot. Other relatives, including two of his brothers and two more of his kids, were either severely injured or died, it is not clear to me at this point. This was done while Abouleish was talking on the Israeli TV. Live killing.
(if you cna't see the English captions, click the small triangle on the bottom-right corner and choose the 'cc' option).



You can also read about this here.

And now, Saturday morning, I sit and try to write. My daughter is sound asleep in the arms of her amazing mom and my beloved wife. She is safe in our arms. Abuleish couldn't give even that to his children. As he told us on Thursday night, "I am sitting helpless, looking in my children's eyes, while they're wondering which one of us will be lost"

And the news keep coming. Dr. Abuleish's injured kids were transferred to an Israeli hospital, to get the best treatment they can. "This is the only time it happened this war", Israeli resources say with pride.
I wonder why they don't say it with shame.
The number are still not finite, but at least 300 kids were killed by the Israeli army during this war. Kids. Children. Babies. The net is full of their photos. Estimates say that thousands more were injured. Where are they? Who takes care of them?
Meanwhile, Israel has bombed a hospital in Gaza.

Just so the proportions are clear, Israel has killed in two week of mass murder in Gaza more than the Hamas has killed since the breaking of the second Intifada, at 2000.
We can't say we didn't know. Please, do what you can to stop that. Do what you can to stop any war.

From the Net: Alternative Voices from Israel

The dimensions of opposition within Israel to the war are striking. וֹUnfortunately, undoubtedly, vast majority still supports it. However, more and more voices are beginning to be heard.
Here are a couple of especially interesting examples:

A fascinating blog by two friends from Sderot (Israel) and Sajaia refugee camp (Gaza): "Both sides were blaming each other. Israel claiming that the Hamas is not abiding to the ceasefire since there were occasional rockets and the arms smuggling continued, and Hamas claiming that Israel is not fulfilling its part since the siege continued."

Israeli soldiers who refuse to participate in the war:


A public letter from Israelis: "We are calling on the world to stop Israeli violence and not allow the continuation of the brutal occupation. We call on the world to Condemn and not become an accomplice in Israel's crimes."

Facebook groups:
- Israelis Say NO to the attack on Gazza!
- B'Tselem
- Jews and Arabs refuse to be enemies

Protests:
- Die-in Against War in Gaza
- Protest in Tel-Aviv

This is in addition to tens of op-eds in the main-stream media that criticize the Israeli attacks and call for immediate withdraw.

* Bonus track (geographically related, but much less violent) - a beautiful project documenting the lives on both sides of the fence in 80 two-minute video clips.

A Hanukkah Tale

The days are dark days in Israel. The so-called progressive Greeks are ruling the country, and their influence is everywhere: people eat Dolmathes, listen to Hadjidakis, and go to Toga parties every Friday.



The year is 167 B.C., exactly 2,176 years and two weeks ago.

Something is missing. The Jews living in Israel call it: Freedom. Simply put, they are not independent.

One of the elderly of Mode'in, a Jewish town, is a simple guy named Mattathias (or Ma-Tit-Ya-Hu). A very respected person, and a man of peace. But even he have had enough:

(apologies for the anachronistic English; a Hebrew version of the story can be found here, ch. 2, 1-26)

"6 He saw the evils being committed in Judah and Jerusalem, and said:7 Alas! Why was I born to see this, the ruin of my people, the ruin of the holy city, and to dwell there when it was given over to the enemy, the sanctuary given over to aliens? 8 Her temple has become like a man without honor" (The First Book of Maccabees, ch. 2).

Seeing this injustice was too much for Mattathias and his sons. The worst happened when "15 ...the king's officers who were enforcing the apostasy came to the city of Mode'in to make them offer sacrifice. 16 Many from Israel came to them; and Mattathias and his sons were assembled."

'Are they crazy?' wondered Mattathias, 'forcing us to work their gods?'. And then, to his greatest astonishment, "23 ...a Jew came forward in the sight of all to offer sacrifice upon the altar in Mode'in, according to the king's command."

Mattethias did not have to think twice. "24 When Mattathias saw it, be burned with zeal and his heart was stirred. He gave vent to righteous anger; he ran and killed him upon the altar. 25 At the same time he killed the king's officer who was forcing them to sacrifice, and he tore down the altar."

So basically, one of the Israelis collaborated with the occupying regime. Mattathias, jealous to the Jewish God, hurried up and killed him, killed the soldier who was merely broadcasting the command, and destroyed what he could have.

T H E - E N D

Or is it? Does this ring a bell?
Many Palestinians collaborate with Israel. "Collaborators", they are called, or "Mashtapim" in Hebrew. When Palestinians reveal such collaborators, they simply kill them. This phenomena is more common than you may think. During the first Intifada (1987-1993), according to Palestinian resources, about a 1,000 were murdered by other Palestinians in the guilt of collaboration, Mattathias style (just to get some proportions, Israel killed about 1,100 Palestinians during the same period).

Actually, this is one of the main points Israelis use to show how un-democratic the Palestinians are.

What does this parallel to Hanukkah tell us? What is the lesson to be learned?
Does it justify the killing of brothers in the name of God?

Of course not.

For a while, I interpreted this story too literally. I hated Hanukah, just like I hate the killing of Palestinian collaborators. But then Naftali taught me an important lesson, and here it is: What this story comes to tell us is that living under occupation can make people do horrible things. It did it to Mattathias 2,000 years ago, and it does it to Palestinians now. When living under occupation, people learn to use excessive violence to resolve all problems.
Losing morality is only half of the damage that occupation causes. The other half is that it causes the occupier to loose its morality too. But this is for a different post.

Fun Trivia for Days of War: Who is the Following Organization?

Image via Wikipedia Question 1: Which terror organization am I?
Our mystery organization was a militant group that operated in Palestine/Israel in order to free the land that had been promised to its people by the lord.

It argued that only fighting and terror could free their land from the evil occupier. No person is immune, and every killing is justified. I think the picture is clear, but just to be sure, a couple of examples:

• It blew up a hotel (and killed 91 people).
• It attacked a settlement (and killed 110 civilians)
• After 3 of its members were killed by the ruling army, it kidnapped two soldiers (and executed them).

Hint - the photo on the top right is of its leader.
Okay, who is our mysterious organization?

1. The Hamas, of course, what is the question?
2. Hmmm... not Hamas? Perhaps the Fatah
3. I know, I know! it's Al-Qaeda!
4. All of the above, these guys can't be trusted.
   

Well, here is a slight surprise for you. The organization is actually a Jewish terror organization. It was called the Irgun, and it operated against the local Arab population and the British Army during the late 30s and 40s (before the establishment of Israel). Here is a summary of its ideology: "every Jew had the right to enter Palestine; only active retaliation would deter the Arabs and the British; only Jewish armed force would ensure the Jewish state" (Howard Sachar: ''A History of the State of Israel, p. 265-266). Substiute 'Jew' for 'Muslim', and you get the instant version of the Hamas ideology.

The parallels are astonishing. A terror organization, attacks civilians, kidnaps soldiers, and all in the name of freedom and justice.

Lesson 1 - Israelis should at least understand where the Hamas is coming from. It is part of our (hi)story as well. We did the same 70 years ago. People under occupation do crazy stuff.

Question 2: How did the main Jewish establishment respond?
You may think that the Irgun was a tangent phenomena in the Zionist story. But it wasn't. Actually, the parallels are pretty striking also here. Today the Palestinians have the moderate PLO, and back then the Jewish population under the British had the Hagana. But look what the Israeli government had to say about the massacre in the village I mentioned above, 20 years later:
"In 1969, the Israeli Foreign Ministry published a pamphlet “Background Notes on Current Themes: Deir Yassin” in English denying that there had been a massacre at Deir Yassin, and calling the story "part of a package of fairy tales, for export and home consumption"." (all-knowing Wikipedia). Just to be clear about the facts: there is no doubt that the massacre took place. This is why the Israeli Foreign Minstery did not publish this in Hebrew. But it did deny it in English.

Lesson #2: We should be tolerant towards the Palestinian response to the Hamas terror attacks. In times of war, people are willing to tweak reality and justify the most horrible actions. This is part of our (hi)story as well. We did the same only 40 years ago.

Question 3: How did this whole fiasco end? Justice was made with the people in charge, right? After all, the famous Jewish moral is aImage via Wikipediabove all.
How can I put it gently... well... not exactly. The person who head the Irgun during the events mentioned above was Menachem Begin, the person and the legend.
Rings a bell? Begin was later elected to become the prime minster of Israel. It also did some good - Mr. Begin gave up 2/3 of the Israeli territory, the Sinai peninsula, in exchange for peace with Arabs.


View Larger Map

Lesson 3: It makes sense that a head of a terror organization is democratically elected to head a country. This is not a good enough reason to boycott him. What are we, in kindergarten? Talking to him may actually do some good. We should know it, since it is part of our (hi)story too. We did it only 30 years ago.


Arye Mekel, who used to be the Israel’s Consul General in New York, said the following (and I am sure he was not the first): “A people that does not know where it is coming from, does not know where it is going."
It is time we take a closer look at our deeds. Where ARE we going?

From the Net: The Last Israeli and the Last Palestinian

What do we do when we finish digging?



Mike Luckovich, copyright 2009 Creators Syndicate

Okay, we stopped the killing, now what?

Let me get into the head of the Israeli policy makers: "Now, that we exported our successful line of Lebanon Wars to Gaza, it is time to evaluate our competitors in the market. Is there an alternative to a good old war?"

Well, apparently there is, and we know it, but we don't tell ourselves that we know it. Or actually we tell ourselves, but not at the right time. Here is what I mean:
Israel has very simple demands right now - an international peace-keeping force that will take over the security in Gaza ("Israel wants a ceasefire deal to include a specialized international force" (Jan 7, 2009, reuters, among many other sources)
It is so unfortunate that the very same idea was rejected by Israel 10 years ago. "Israel is opposed to the idea because such a force would reward Palestinian violence, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak said" (somewhere back in 2000,CNN)

on the left - Barak opposes international force. on the right - Barak begs for one.

Funny, huh? Barak, the same guy who demands it now, refused it 10 years ago. Let's see if there are any more historical ideas:
"Israel's Deputy Foreign Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, told a news conference that his country has ''no intention of accepting any kind of United Nations observer force'' to protect the Palestinians".(1990, NYTimes).

Yes, Netanyahu. Familiar names strike again.

On the left - Netanyahu before thousands, on both sides, were killed. On the right - Netanyahu after thousands were killed (he hasn't changed much).





And I have only two simple questions, one hypothetical and one realistic.

Where were we today if the Israeli government, my government, would have accepted the international force idea back in the 1990's?
What should the Mahmoud Abbas do in order to convince Israel to allow international peace-keeping forces in the West Bank? Should he fire rockets on Tel-Aviv?

STOP THE KILLING IN GAZA NOW, and here is why.

The assault on Gaza and the missiles to south Israel must be stopped immediately. But is there a connection between these two? Does the Israeli attack on Gaza reduce the attacks on Southern Israel?
To evaluate the Israeli attack on Gaza we should examine three aspects:

• Is it moral?
• Is it legal?
• Is it helpful?
  

:~:~:

Unfortunately, the moral question is the easiest to answer. No, of course it is not. You shall not kill hundreds of civilians, including children, like that. Not if you pretend, or aspire, to be a democratic humanistic country.

:~:~:

Though I am no expert, the legal situation seems pretty clear too. The answer is simply no, even though this is a war, this is definitely illegal.

:~:~:

Now is it helpful? Common, was it helpful 2 years ago in Lebanon? And in 2002 in Jenin? And in 1982 or 1978 in Lebanon? Of course not. If it were helpful, how come I keep adding years in front of Lebanon?
Terror cannot be fought against with army. Terror can only be reduced by treating its causes. I hoped that 42 years of occupation and countless wars and operations have taught us this simple lesson.

In addition, being immoral gives the legitimacy for others to be immoral. How do the Hammas rockets differ from the Israeli rockets? Can Iran fire rockets on civilians in Israel too, now? By conducting this war the way we do, we loose our biggest asset - being right.

The killing must be stopped as soon as possible. Of course that something should be done to stop the rockets on Israel, but that's a different post. We should put no conditions on lives, the most basic human right.

Jerusalem Syndrome

"The best known, although not the most prevalent, manifestation of the Jerusalem syndrome is the phenomenon whereby a person who seems previously balanced and devoid of any signs of psychopathology becomes psychotic after arriving in Jerusalem." (from Wikipedia)

In other words - reasonable people do wacko things when it comes to Jerusalem. Not that this comes as a surprise to us.

This blog is about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The combination of being in control and being the victim never ceases to amaze me. When both sides of the conflict hold this contradiction, this becomes another psychopathology miracle. Or a nightmare.

In this blog I share my thoughts, emotions, personal stories and knowledge regarding the conflict. It attempts to be reliable, that is, all information is validated, and conclusions are based, surprise surprise, on facts.
I would LOVE this to become an open discussion, so please comment.
* If you would like to publish a guest post, just let me know.

Talking politics too often makes me dizzy. Hope we'll survive this one.

Happy reading!