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.

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.

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.

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?

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!