Monday, November 28, 2011

The global march to Jerusalem: the latest provatilla

Its all about keeping up the pressure- of poking and prodding and teasing and tormenting, until there is an explosion. Then we get to cry victim hood.
The latest provocation is the Global march to Jerusalem, organized by the Iranian theocrats of the United Ummah. The basic theme of the march is that Israel is illegitimate, and has no right to defend herself or to protect her borders. The plan is to amass tens of thousands on the borders of Israel, no doubt with women and children front and center, (after all, women and children first is a sign of chivalry, is it not?) The goal is to ' peacefully" invade this sovereign nation. The underlying thought is particularly scary, and its something you'll never read about in the mainstream media. There is an Islamic End of days scenario. This act is intended to trigger the end times.


Here's the promotional brochure for the Global March. Full color and glossy, so you know they are serious. And well funded.





The part I find disturbing in their plan is the complete denial of any Jewish ties to this holy city. Denying history, denying archeology, denying ourselves.
Well, three American students inadvertently entered Iran. They were jailed for years. But that's different.
Scary times ahead for all who really value peace

Saturday, November 26, 2011

Starving Gaza eating grass? I dont think so. The making of a skeptic

It wasn't that long ago that we- the collective "we" of the west- were told that Gaza was starving,and that the precious children were forced to eat grass in an effort to sustain life.

There was skepticism about this claim- we'd been shown, over and over, photos of starving children from Africa, after all. Those photos were indelibly etched on our minds as we drank our bubble teas and complained about food in the school cafeteria. I did a quick image search for starving African children for photos to post here- but it was too heartbreaking to look at. It made me, and others wonder. Where were the photos of starving Gazan children?

There were never any photos of starving children in Gaza. Ever.

The skeptism grew as the flotillas began. We all saw the photos of Lauren Booth in a fine looking seaside hotel. We saw the photos of her shopping at a well stocked grocery store.

For me, the skeptism reached a crescendo when ISM activists brought in the headmistress of a Gaza school to talk on campus. The woman was virtually spherical, and when she spoke of the starving children in her school, all I could think of was that scene from Oliver Twist, where the children beg for more gruel. If the children of Gaza were starving, the reason was obvious- she was eating their food.

More and more information leaked out from Gaza- some of it was the inadvertant work of activists, posting their personal photos on their blogs and independent news sites. We saw beautiful malls , hotels and restaurants in Gaza. We saw modern parks and recreational facilities. We saw cafes with wide screen TVs, water parks, equestrian resorts

More information leaked out. We learned of acclaimed restaurants like Roots in Gaza, with a 14 page western style menu.

And still, not a single photo of a starving child of Gaza.

We're learned recently that the Palestinians are spending tens of thousands of dollars on American public relations agencies to "manage" their image in the mass media, social media, and amongst people of power and influence.

The Palestinians have been told that their eternal victimhood routine isnt working with the American public. Sell the Palestinians as a real people, they were told. Make this about a real people's search for human rights.

A real people, though, has history. Culture. Collective memory that goes back more than a few generations.

A real people has food culture. And I present to you what $30,000 a month buys- a photo essay on the food and the flavors of Gaza

"Hot chile and dill: This is the quintessential modern Gazan spice combination. Whereas Lebanese cooks have no tolerance for spicy heat, and cooks from other parts of Palestine use it in moderation, Gazans take pride in making you sweat, whether using fresh green chile peppers crushed in a mortar with lemon and salt or else filfil mat'houn, ground red chile peppers preserved in oil and sold as a condiment and ingredient, resembling North Africa's popular harissa. The ubiquitous tabikh bamia, okra stew with oxtail, and molukhiyya, mallow soup, are both served with green chile and dill seeds crushed with lemon, cutting their dark tastes with a blaze of brightness. Chiles are ground with meat to make kofta kebab and they are mashed, in the uniquely Gazan clay bowls called zibdiya, to make Gaza's signature tomato salad, dagga. Sun-dried, the same peppers are used in winter dishes such as maftul, the Palestinian version of couscous, in which the chile is called "the bride of the maftul" (arusit al-maftul) for the modest and delicate way it perfumes the grains as they steam. "

Nothing about Starving Gaza.

Mine is just a plea, after all, for more honest rhetoric. The lies dont serve the people of Gaza- they dont brighten the darkness or serve the cause of peace. There is no starving Gaza- and there never was.

Thursday, November 24, 2011

Haniyeh Dedicates new Gaza school

A new school was opened in Gaza this week, miraculously created out of duct tape and string , since no building materials are allowed in Gaza. It was dedicated by Prime Minister Dr Ismail Haniyeh, and named after Sheikh Ahmed Yassin.

Photos from the Palestine Times:




Sheikh Ahmed Yassin In 1989, Yassin ordered Hamas to kidnap Israeli soldiers inside Israel, to murder them and bury their bodies in a manner that would allow Hamas to negotiate the exchange of bodies for Hamas prisoners, who would be released from jails in Israel. Yassin was arrested after the abduction and murders of IDF soldier Ilan Sa'adon, and Avi Sasports. He was tried in Israel and received two life sentences for his involvement the murders

A promotor of terror, of murder and racial hatred. This is who is deemed an appropriate role model for children in Gaza

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Oppressing Women




I liked this. Thanks, Noor for it sending it in. What do you think?

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Israel's representative to Miss Earth Competition: Arab model Huda Naccache

Huda Naccache, a Arab model from Haifa will be representing Israel in the Miss Earth competition in Thailand this December. Thats some apartheid state.

But its Huda's appeareance on the cover of Lilac magazine thats really turning heads right now. The cover shoot was the first time an Arabic magazine in Israel has put a model in a bikini on its cover, and the first time an Israeli Arab model has been featured on a front page in so little clothing.

"I have a family that supports me very much and had no objections whatsoever to me appearing on the cover in a bikini," she says, seated in front of a mirror in a white and red string two-piece, prepping for another shoot.

"My father was very pleased when he saw it for the first time," she adds. "He said it was very beautiful and wished me good luck."

Lilac's editor Yara Mashour defends both Naccache and the cover shot, saying her magazine has been pushing boundaries since it was established in 2000 in Nazareth, home to the biggest Arab-Israeli population in the Jewish state. "Huda, in my opinion, is probably the only Arab model in this country who is a true professional. She has world-class qualities,"

Read all about it