The Israeli occupation through artists' eyes

This is quoted from Olympia-Rafah Sister City Project:

For the last three years, community members in Olympia, WA, and Rafah, Palestine, have been working together to create a lasting, sincere partnership to better foster understanding between people who have not traditionally had a chance to get to know one another. It is our belief that by forming such bonds between communities, misunderstandings can be overcome and distances and differences - whether they be cultural, linguistic or political - can be bridged. We believe these sorts of humanistic, people-to-people connections are vital to creating a world in which all people are treated with respect.

That is why it is called the Olympia-Rafah Sister City Project.

The people of Rafah - and all Palestinians in the territories of Gaza and the West Bank, for that matter - live under Israeli military occupation. They are not citizens of Israel or of any state, and have no rights of protest or redress. The occupation is a violent daily reality, in which Israeli soldiers, checkpoints, tanks, helicopter gunships, and F-16 fighter jets control every aspect of Palestinian lives, and have brought social, family and economic life to a virtual halt. What we often hear described simply as "the violence" in the Middle East cannot be understood without an understanding of what military occupation means.

The Olympia-Rafah Sister City Project is now offering a series of pastel works created by artists in Rafah though the Palestinian Artists Association. These works represent what it means for a people to live for decades and decades under Israeli military occupation. The feelings of imprisonment while watching your land being taken from you must be unbearable.

Let the artists speak for themselves:

Title: Palestinian Heritage & Folklore
Artist: Yusuf Subeh

Title: The Palestinian Flag
Artist: Yusuf Subeh

Title: Waiting
Artist: Bisan Umar Atteya

Title: Right of Return
Artist: Hiba Ibrahim Al Jazzar

Title: The Prisoner
Artist: Hamza Jamal Mansur

Title: Freedom is Executed in Palestine
Artist: Bashir Hemeid Qishtta

For information on showing or purchasing the art seen here, write to [e-mail] or visit:
http://orscp.org/...

Original tags: Olympia, Rafah, Gaza, Palestine, Art, Artist, Israel, I/P

Source: Olympia-Rafah Sister City Project (http://orscp.org/...)
Reprinted under Creative Common License

•  Tip jar

  Shukran (thanks) for reading!

  by Sabbah on Mon May 14, 2007 at 12:08:26 AM PDT

•  Beautiful strong pictures

  I was particularly taken with the Palestenian Heritage ones.

  by redrobin on Mon May 14, 2007 at 04:26:30 AM PDT

  •  Palestinian Heritage

    Thanks for pointing out there are more pictures at the project's website. The ones depicted in the diary emphasize the Palestinians as victims, but it is important to remember that there is another aspect to the Palestinian story: the story of a proud people. I believe Palestinians don't just want pity, Palestinians want respect. I would have liked the diary better if it presented images of Palestinian pride and not only victimhood.

    by word is bond on Mon May 14, 2007 at 06:03:09 AM PDT

    •  Sure, why not...

      I just didn't want to crowd the diary with too many pictures and leave it for readers to explore more.

      Anyway, I'm adding one more picture (Palestinian Heritage & Folklore).

      by Sabbah on Mon May 14, 2007 at 06:26:14 AM PDT

•  Please add a link to

  the Creative Commons information page or otherwise indicate the license terms of these works.

  by another American on Mon May 14, 2007 at 04:31:48 AM PDT

  •  Thanks for adding the CC license link. nt

    by another American on Mon May 14, 2007 at 05:07:30 AM PDT

•  Just to be clear, since the diary does not tell

  us, the Olympia City Council voted 4-2 against official recognition of the Olympia-Rafah Sister City Project.

  One of those voting against recognition wanted Olympia to "choose a relationship with both an Israeli city and a Palestinian city."

  After the vote, proponents of recognition sought unsuccessfully to terminate Olympia's only existing sister city relationship, which is with Kato City, Japan, formerly known as Yashiro.

  My, admittedly not exhaustive, reading of the project's website suggests a basic lack of clarity as to whether the organizers do or do not support Israel's continued existence alongside Palestine. The FAQ says:

  If by "pro-Israel," we mean those who are in favor of Israelis enjoying safety, security, and freedom to travel and to live their lives in peace, we believe all those involved in ORSCP are pro-Israel.

  This is laudable so far as it goes, but it does not go far enough to tell us whether the organizers envisage Israelis and Palestinians enjoying these benefits in their own states or (in some unexplained way) in a single state.

  This lack of clarity is unfortunate. Were the organizers clear in their acceptance of Israel's continued existence, I saw nothing in their materials to support refusing official recognition. While also having a sister city relationship with an Israeli city is desirable, I do not understand why it should be a condition for having such a relationship with a Palestinian city.

  by another American on Mon May 14, 2007 at 05:04:52 AM PDT

  •  Thank you for your research.

    Yesterday, Sabbah posted in a diary that the amount of Arab property damaged or lost during Israel's independence was $209 billion. I pointed out that with 750,000 people displaced, approximately 200,000 families, this posited that the average Palestinian family owned USD $1,000,000 worth of assets in 1948. The vast majority of Americans work their whole lives without amassing 1/10 of that property value, so I questioned whether it was realistic for Palestine in 1948, to have everyone be a millionaire.

    He didn't respond, then he said it was too late at night, and now it's the following afternoon and he has posted a new diary with incomplete or misrepresented facts without addressing yesterday's false statement.

    Sabbah, are you there? Do you want to act as if you're engaging the DKos community and acknowledging some of the mistakes you've made, so as not to let them distract from the message you'd like to express to us?

    You could post this art or post stories of Palestinians without making stuff up. Others do it.

    by brittain33 on Mon May 14, 2007 at 05:24:21 AM PDT

    •  Don't panic...

      My reply is there, but here it is again for your easy reference:

      Let me give you one example. During Al Aqsa Intifada, between Sep 2000 and Jan 2002 and according to Fifty-fifth World Health Assembly, the economic losses ONLY for Palestinians were US$ 7.5 billion, which roughly mean a monthly loss of 470 million. Now, in approximation, if we multiply that with 708 (number of months since 1948 up to date) you get US$ 331 billion.

      Again, this is a rough approximation way of calculating the economy losses ONLY, backward. Of course if you calculate it from 1948 onward and take the appreciations, plus other elements such as cost of destruction of public and private property, loss of earnings, appreciation, damage to Palestinian infrastructure, etc. that number (US$ 209) will be very little to actual figures. In fact I doubt that the US$ 209 figure is lower than actual.

      by Sabbah on Mon May 14, 2007 at 06:20:17 AM PDT

      •  Thanks; my reply over there

        That is a tough calculation to defend for a variety of reasons. Most clearly, the real hardships borne by Palestinians during the Al Aqsa Intifada were not typical of the times before that broke out. For example, most of the losses were suffered because Palestinians lost wages from working in Israel, so it's illogical to then extrapolate those lost wages back over the time period when they had those jobs! And it also assumes that the economy of the West Bank under Jordanian sovereignty, from 1948 to 1967, was the same as that under Intifada war conditions, which isn't helpful at all. It just makes no sense at all to do that.

        Did Palestinians have no earnings at all over the last 60 years? What about the many hard-working people who have had jobs all over the Arab world, who have made money in America, and who (prior to the Al-Aqsa Intifada) had jobs in Israel? I'm not saying lots of them wouldn't have happily traded that money in for the joy and security of low-income farming within the 1948 borders, but you can't pretend these alternate paths didn't exist, any more than we can pretend that Holocaust survivors in America have had no income at all compared to pre-1939 lives aside from whatever pension the Federal Republic of Germany provides. (My friend's grandfather, ransomed from a camp following Kristallnacht, lost everything in Germany but did make a steady income as a butcher in Staten Island afterward.)

        My point being, yes, Palestinians lost their homes and property to the foundation of Israel, just as many other nationalities did following World War II when countries like India and Pakistan and a reconstituted Poland were built. Each loss is a tragedy for the individual who suffered it, a loss made harder when host countries refused to admit refugees but used their suffering to make them pawns in a larger game. However, you do your side no service by making up numbers through shoddy calculations and back-of-the-envelope scribbling that make you look, frankly, like someone lying to secure unrealistic amounts of money. No one thinks that every Palestinian refugee was or could have been a millionaire.

        At this point, pictures like this are more effective than bogus numbers.

        by brittain33 on Mon May 14, 2007 at 06:32:28 AM PDT

        •  Alot of survivors from WW2 were allowed

          to sue for restoration. Do you think this was fair?

          by mattes on Mon May 14, 2007 at 07:29:49 AM PDT

          •  Yes.

            I think that compensation for lost property to the propertyholders is fair, which is what happened to Holocaust survivors, albeit with the resistance of countries like the Netherlands and anything east of the Iron Curtain. I also think there should be compensation for the property seized from Jews in Arab countries, but I won't hold my breath.

            I don't think claims of million dollar payouts to each family are realistic, no. I think it would be helpful for Sabbah, if he is interested in making a case, would be to look at comparable settlements for people displaced from other countries (including Jews displaced from Poland) and see how figures were calculated. Ultimately there will be some kind of financial compensation in lieu of the Law of Return but $200 billion is not a constructive starter, particularly not when there is no practical way to spend such money without causing hyperinflation, waste, and massive corruption. This is not peculiar to the Palestinians but is common to any situation like this, including oil windfalls and foreign aid infusions.

            by brittain33 on Mon May 14, 2007 at 07:50:32 AM PDT

•  Pretty art

  And frankly, far more productive to its cause than the standard pursuit of 72 virgins.

  I found "Waiting" to be the most powerful of the bunch. Simple and sympathy-evoking.

  by Red Sox on Mon May 14, 2007 at 05:05:15 AM PDT

•  Reaslly nice now what about the truth? eh?

  You know this is all nice and warm and fuzzy, but aside from the Israeli's being horrible blood sucking vampire children eating monsters.

  There is the other side to the story....but why let the truth get in the way of art.

  by spinaltap on Mon May 14, 2007 at 05:48:53 AM PDT

•  Selection of pictures

  The works of art displayed at the Sister City Project website can be placed into three categories:

  angry depictions of violence and martyrdom,

  proud portrayals of Palestinian heritage and aspirations, and

  poignant evocations of Palestinian victimhood.

  Only the last category is represented in this diary, which may serve a polemical purpose but fails to present the breadth of the artists' concerns.

  Personally, I was most moved by the pictures entitled "Intifada" (a large crowd seen through a hole in the wall, led by what appears to be a rock-thrower), "Freedom to Prisoners" (a white dove, barbed wire and a cell window with broken bars), and "Homeland" (a broken tree in an orchard, bereft of branches).

  by word is bond on Mon May 14, 2007 at 06:27:57 AM PDT

  •  I was most moved by

    "Right of Return", because if you look real closely, I think you can see my house.

    by dfb1968 on Mon May 14, 2007 at 06:43:43 AM PDT

    •  Oh...

      you mean the Palestinian ethnically cleansed stolen house!

      by Sabbah on Mon May 14, 2007 at 06:48:06 AM PDT

      •  Yeah, that's the one

        You've seen it?  It's nice, huh.

        by dfb1968 on Mon May 14, 2007 at 06:50:20 AM PDT

        •  Thanks for

          the confirmation!

          by Sabbah on Mon May 14, 2007 at 09:30:19 AM PDT

      •  Utterly uncalled for

        and troll-worthy. I'll remove the donut if the diarist retracts his blanket, unfounded charge. This we do not need here.

        by MBNYC on Mon May 14, 2007 at 08:55:09 AM PDT

      •  Oh, and

        just in point of fact: if I recall correctly, dfb1968 is in Jerusalem, which has had a Jewish majority since the 1860s.

        "The Jewish people dreamed for centuries of getting back their ancient capital," said Dore Gold, a former Israeli ambassador to the United Nations and author of "The Fight for Jerusalem." Nineteenth-century immigration to Jerusalem, site of the biblical Jewish temples, gave the city a Jewish majority that has been in place since the 1860s, he said.

        Take it up with The New York Times, Sabbah. How awkward when facts get in the way of the propaganda, eh?

        by MBNYC on Mon May 14, 2007 at 09:12:05 AM PDT

        •  why would a majority matter?

          we have a majority of hispanics in Texas, yet they are not in the seat of power.

          how does a majority have anything to do with the situation?

          by hypersphere01 on Mon May 14, 2007 at 09:14:13 AM PDT

          •  Sabbah

            ...in the comment you uprated, said dfb1968's house was his as a result of ethnic cleansing, so the fact that Jerusalem has had a Jewish majority for almost 150 years is material to establishing the fraudulence of Sabbah's claim. Meanwhile, I ask you to remove the uprate, since accusing another Kossack of benefiting from imputed criminal activity is troll-worthy, and uprating it is clear ratings abuse.

            by MBNYC on Mon May 14, 2007 at 09:18:17 AM PDT

            •  how so? dfb1968 didn't troll rate

              me thinks you protest too much.

              by hypersphere01 on Mon May 14, 2007 at 09:38:04 AM PDT

              •  Ask him.

                by MBNYC on Mon May 14, 2007 at 09:40:14 AM PDT

                •  no need, i can see very easily, he/she

                  didn't troll rate.  in fact is being quite playful.

                  you seem to protest too much.  didn't you write a diary and received many comments about letting each side tell their story without the TR?

                  by hypersphere01 on Mon May 14, 2007 at 09:44:29 AM PDT

                  •  Actually

                    my point was that a big problem in the diaries is that people uprate the most outrageous stuff if it comes from their affinity group. Which is precisely what we're seeing here.

                    by MBNYC on Mon May 14, 2007 at 09:46:16 AM PDT

                    •  i disagree

                      the problem isn't uprating.  it is troll rating.

                      what is wrong with letting people discuss, debate and even argue with hot tempers about this?

                      these people aren't trolls.

                      by hypersphere01 on Mon May 14, 2007 at 09:47:38 AM PDT

                      •  Of course you disagree. nt

                        by MBNYC on Mon May 14, 2007 at 09:48:42 AM PDT

                        •  you really think these people are trolls?

                          these people, just about every single one who shows up to these diaries, cares about the I/P issue.  they care about the people involved, whether on one side or the other.  i am on the side of peace.

                          these diaries have gotten much better.  years ago this discussion just couldn't take place here. i am glad we have gotten this far, even if 'we' might not able to bring peace. you do seem to be one who protests too much.  it was mentioned in your diary.  you are quick to troll rate and slam commenters for having opinions. i think its better to have open communication and let people voice their opinions.  because they will still have those opinions, even if they can't voice them..  communication usually turns into understanding and tolerance.  well, if peoples opinions aren't blasted off the site.  the true trolls just aren't around here that much.  we do have very spirited people on both sides of the debate here.  hardly any trolls.

                          by hypersphere01 on Mon May 14, 2007 at 09:57:37 AM PDT

                          •  Opinions

                            ...to the effect that someone stole his house?

                            Sure, why not, after all, everyone has opinions, why not that one?

                            by MBNYC on Mon May 14, 2007 at 09:59:37 AM PDT

                            •  fact, unless his house is over a century old

                              which he could easily prove, but didn't cause he knows that is the case.  which is why he didn't troll rate.

                              by hypersphere01 on Mon May 14, 2007 at 10:07:43 AM PDT

                              •  I don't follow

                                this particular argument. Are you saying that unless his house is over  certain age, it is a priori stolen?

                                by MBNYC on Mon May 14, 2007 at 10:09:13 AM PDT

                                •  yes. the new houses are all built on land

                                  that wasn't paid for..  houses used to be there and whole lot of other people used to live in them before the war.

                                  by hypersphere01 on Mon May 14, 2007 at 10:11:11 AM PDT

                                  •  No...

                                    ...Jews have had a majoritarian presence in Jerusalem for a very long time, long predating the events Sabbah refers to, so your deduction is simply false.

                                    Like I said, blanket statements, they're a problem. Even if that observation is itself a blanket statement :-)

                                    by MBNYC on Mon May 14, 2007 at 10:22:21 AM PDT

          •  Well actually,

            according to the US Cencus Bureau, 35.1% of Texans are of Hispanic or Latino origin. The majority of Texans, 49.2%, are white.

            by Bouwerie Boy on Mon May 14, 2007 at 10:48:03 AM PDT

      •  rec'd 'cause TR over disagreement is against

        site policy.

        by hypersphere01 on Mon May 14, 2007 at 09:12:35 AM PDT

        •  I'm sure

          dfb1968 disagrees that he has his house because he stole it as a benefit of ethnic cleansing. That's not the point, however.

          by MBNYC on Mon May 14, 2007 at 09:24:05 AM PDT

          •  that's what he confirmed

            and agreed to... that his claimed to be house is the "stolen, ethnically cleansed house."

            by Sabbah on Mon May 14, 2007 at 09:29:44 AM PDT

            •  Let me introduce you

              to the concept of sarcasm. It's an interesting one, making discourse much more lively, I find.

              by MBNYC on Mon May 14, 2007 at 09:33:00 AM PDT

              •  And it works both ways.

                by mattes on Tue May 15, 2007 at 08:16:57 AM PDT

                •  They conveniently didn't seem to get that part.nt

                  by callmecassandra on Tue May 15, 2007 at 08:41:28 AM PDT

          •  what is the point to the TR?

            by hypersphere01 on Mon May 14, 2007 at 09:36:50 AM PDT

            •  What's not troll-worthy

              about accusing another Kossack of having his house because of stealing and ethnic cleansing?

              by MBNYC on Mon May 14, 2007 at 09:38:43 AM PDT

              •  i have mine from stealing...

                i live in Texas.  so what. i talk about how my indian relatives were enslaved by my white relatives.  hell my relatives moved from up north to down south, so they could keep their slaves.  should that say something about me?  no.  it is just the truth.

                it's just a perspective.  you can disagree with it, but it is hardly troll worthy.  

                by hypersphere01 on Mon May 14, 2007 at 09:42:26 AM PDT

                •  Thing is, though

                  that the diarist doesn't establish that, just moving in with a blanket charge. But why bother, after all, here we have another example of ratings abuse by the usual offenders.

                  by MBNYC on Mon May 14, 2007 at 09:44:25 AM PDT

                  •  it could have been written differently, but as is

                    it is fine in my book.  from your perspective the view is different.  i understand that.

                    can you understand that from my view, the comment is spot on?

                    the comment isn't an attack.  it is more like a way of poking holes in the discourse we have.  yes, it can be seen as inflamatory..  however, it shouldnt be.  

                    the real trolls are troll rated out of here.  the only people who remain, are those who disagree about some of the aspects.  we agree on most of it though.

                    by hypersphere01 on Mon May 14, 2007 at 09:50:34 AM PDT

                    •  Yeah

                      the underlying charge of living in a house stolen because of ethnic cleansing could have been phrased non-offensively, especially since it's made without any backup.

                      Extraordinary claims and all that, eh? But who cares, you'll uprate anything you find sympathetic.

                      It's just another example of why these diaries will, at some point, be banned. If we can now get away with accusing one another of stealing and benefiting from ethnic cleansing without backup, just because it 'sounds about right', then it's kind of beyond what could be considered reasonable discourse.

                      by MBNYC on Mon May 14, 2007 at 09:57:08 AM PDT

                      •  argue the facts then

                        don't slam the commenter.  prove your case and leave it be.

                        you know you remind me of this one guy here who doesn't like Michael Moore.  so whenever there is a diary about Michael Moore, we shows up and posts replies to almost everybody's comment who supports Michael.  

                        think about it.

                        by hypersphere01 on Mon May 14, 2007 at 10:00:19 AM PDT

                        •  Actually

                          I am arguing the facts. You're the one who says you should just be able to accuse people without any support, because hey, it's an opinion.

                          And lay off the personal attacks, please.

                          by MBNYC on Mon May 14, 2007 at 10:02:43 AM PDT

                          •  where are your facts?

                            links?  attributed info that i can check...

                            by hypersphere01 on Mon May 14, 2007 at 10:04:43 AM PDT

                            •  Delivered above

                              via the NYT link, that establishes a Jewish majority in Jerusalem since the 1860s. Ergo, a charge of 'stealing' a house is likely untrue.

                              Where are your citations that prove Sabbah's charge of theft is accurate as it relates to dfb1968?

                              As is so often the case, and we're demonstrating right now, blanket charges produce flamewars.

                              QED.

                              by MBNYC on Mon May 14, 2007 at 10:07:36 AM PDT

                              •  a majority doesn't mean anything

                                that is false logic.  Argumentum ad logicam

                                by hypersphere01 on Mon May 14, 2007 at 10:09:20 AM PDT

                                •  Where is your proof

                                  ...that Sabbah is right?

                                  by MBNYC on Mon May 14, 2007 at 10:10:23 AM PDT

                                  •  besides studying history and being aware

                                    it is a calulated guess.  unless the house is a century old, or has a legitimate bill of sale from over a century ago, then, yes, it is build on land that was cleared long ago.

                                    how old are you, if you don't mind me asking?

                                    by hypersphere01 on Mon May 14, 2007 at 10:13:05 AM PDT

                                    •  Problem being

                                      that this Jewish majority has continued unbroken since the 1860s, so I don't really understand the relevance of your argument. You're supporting a clear, defined charge with nothing but a hunch to back you up here - that directly contradicts the extraordinary claims rule.

                                      Me? I'm in my thirties, whatever that has to do with anything.

                                      by MBNYC on Mon May 14, 2007 at 10:15:25 AM PDT

                                      •  a majority of what.. what country

                                        indeed.

                                        that is like saying the hispanics in Texas are the majority and they can take it over..  their the majority.

                                        false logic once again.

                                        by hypersphere01 on Mon May 14, 2007 at 10:17:41 AM PDT

                                        •  No...

                                          ...I'm talking about Jerusalem.

                                          Do you not realize that you have no argument, are defending a completely unfounded blanket charge of the kind that is known to cause these flamewars, and really have no leg to stand on? Provide the evidence to back up Sabbah's charge, or let it go, please.

                                          by MBNYC on Mon May 14, 2007 at 10:19:26 AM PDT

                      •  You need a backup?

                        Look at me, a living example of an uprooted Palestinian as a result of ethnically cleansed, stolen Palestinian property.

                        Is that enough or should I list you 5.5 million refugee names?

                        by Sabbah on Mon May 14, 2007 at 10:02:47 AM PDT

                        •  All of whom

                          presumably, were ethnically cleansed from dfb1968's house.

                          by MBNYC on Mon May 14, 2007 at 10:03:42 AM PDT

                        •  All of them millionaires n/t

                          by zemblan on Mon May 14, 2007 at 11:08:50 AM PDT

                          •  OK, EVERYBODY RELAX!

                            First, sorry for the all caps.
                            Next, sorry I missed all the fun.  I was at shul, then dinner, both wonderful by the way, thank you for asking.

                            Finally, everybody who either uprated or troll-rated any of these comments needs to take a step back, and frankly, I don't care which came first.

                            I have just gotten so tired of these threads that I decided I was only going to make snarky comments from now on, and given the crap on Sabbah's blog, I decided this was as good a place as any to start.  So, I made a snarky comment.  Sabbah replied with what could either be construed as an offensive, serious comment, or a non-offensive snarky comment.  While I don't often agree with hypersphere, he/she was right in this case that my response thereto was nothing but snarky, or playful as hypersphere put it.

                            Don't get too emboldened hypersphere, you had no business uprating the comments.  They, frankly, had no business being troll-rated or uprated.  

                            When we all can realize this, is when we will have better discussions.

                            Sorry to have caused all of this.  

                            by dfb1968 on Mon May 14, 2007 at 11:42:17 AM PDT

                            •  Thank you!

                              So, I made a snarky comment.  Sabbah replied with what could either be construed as an offensive, serious comment, or a non-offensive snarky comment.

                              I had given up that the commenters where going to "get it".  Sheesh, there weren't even images of houses in the painting in question.

                              by sofia on Mon May 14, 2007 at 12:07:54 PM PDT

                              •  Well

                                there were buildings there, just not mine.  

                                by dfb1968 on Mon May 14, 2007 at 12:57:09 PM PDT

                                •  Fourth painting from the top..

                                  ..Right of Return, where are the houses?  Anyhoo, it was obvious you were being snarky and Sabbah was responding to your snarkiness, showing he knew exactly how you were being snarky. ;)

                                  by sofia on Mon May 14, 2007 at 01:07:30 PM PDT

                                  •  Well,

                                    first, where the girl's hair forms the map of Israel, and you can see stone structures, that's what houses in The Old City look like.  That's what everything in The Old City looks like.

                                    Second, and I hate to get away from what was some good snark, but I don't give Sabbah the benefit of the doubt, not with that crap that's on her blog.  I just never realized that everyone here, on both sides, was going to take it so seriously.

                                    by dfb1968 on Mon May 14, 2007 at 01:13:17 PM PDT

                                •  Ok

                                  ..below the key, I thought that was a depiction of the bricks in an old wall.  Now, see indeed they're houses.

                                  by sofia on Mon May 14, 2007 at 01:13:38 PM PDT

      •  Bring on the uprates!

        After all, Sabbah is on the right side...

        by Red Sox on Mon May 14, 2007 at 09:44:22 AM PDT

        •  Already happening

          ...with the usual cast of participants, one might add.

          by MBNYC on Mon May 14, 2007 at 09:47:20 AM PDT

  •  Correcting myself

    As I reflected on the art works and wrote the preceding comment, I scrolled upwards but not far enough, so I missed the first two images. Those two images are outside the third category I listed.

    by word is bond on Mon May 14, 2007 at 06:45:29 AM PDT

    •  Further correction, further thoughts

      It seems at least one of the pictures I thought I overlooked was added afterwards. Sorry for the confusion.

      I think my point is still valid and perhaps needs to be expanded: Palestinians are not one-dimensional. Neither are Israelis, Iraqis, Egyptians, Lebanese, Syrians, Jordanians, Saudis...
      and the conflicts between or within these communities are not the only things that define them. We Americans tend to view the region and its peoples through a filter that interprets everything in the context of those conflicts, but the people most directly involved have a broader range of concerns that informs both their politics and their art.

      by word is bond on Mon May 14, 2007 at 06:57:17 AM PDT

  •  The selection was not based on any of the above..

    I just selected one picture per each artist...

    by Sabbah on Mon May 14, 2007 at 06:46:07 AM PDT

    •  I noticed

      that your choices tended towards paintings that depict the human image. In view of traditional Islamic strictures, do you think such paintings could be considered controversial in Rafah or elsewhere in the region? We often see photographs showing painted portraits of a political leader or a shaheed, and I have wondered whether this represents a departure from the historic understanding of Islamic law regarding such images.

      by word is bond on Mon May 14, 2007 at 07:04:49 AM PDT

      •  Ah..

        your choices tended towards paintings that depict the human image.

        Not at all. As I said above, I randomly selected few pictures (six of them) out of 15 in total. The selection was based on two things:

        1. One per each artist (as much as I can)

        2. The most touching pictures (for me)

        In view of traditional Islamic strictures, do you think such paintings could be considered controversial in Rafah or elsewhere in the region?

        Not at all. Palestine is open liberal society. There is a space for eveyone from far left to far right. Those so called "strictures" are not in Palestine. If you google a little you will even find photos of beauty contest.

        by Sabbah on Mon May 14, 2007 at 09:20:55 AM PDT

        •  Um...

          Palestine is open liberal society. There is a space for eveyone from far left to far right.

          Well, except for gays. We're still not too popular there. From OutRage!

          But we are also gravely concerned by reports of officially-sanctioned persecution of lesbians and gay men in the Palestinian-controlled areas of Gaza and the West Bank.  

          These include reports that homosexuals have been arrested, tortured and murdered by the factions and militias that are part of Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO), and by agents of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA).  

          Among those threatened and tortured are intifada heroes, like Fuad Musa. They fought the occupation and were jailed by the Israelis. But when it was discovered they were gay they were threatened with death and had to flee to Israel, leaving their beloved Palestine.

          These and other examples of the abuses of lesbian and gay human rights can be seen on the OutRage! website in the section entitled Briefings – Palestinian Gays

          www.outrage.org.uk

          The persecution of Palestinian queers is corroborated by independent human rights groups – none of which is hostile to the Palestinian cause. They include the Israeli human rights monitoring groups B’Tselem and the Association for Civil Rights, and by the Israeli gay organisations, Aguda and Jerusalem Open House.

          One of the best tests of how liberal a society is is in how it treats gays and lesbians. Hint: killing us is not the best way to make that 'We're so liberal' argument. Next up, the treatment of women.

          by MBNYC on Mon May 14, 2007 at 09:31:49 AM PDT

          •  hate crimes are everywhere

            including here in America.

            http://www.matthewshepard.org/...

            by hypersphere01 on Mon May 14, 2007 at 09:35:46 AM PDT

            •  Hate crimes, sure

              organized persecution by government agencies, not so much.

              by MBNYC on Mon May 14, 2007 at 09:42:31 AM PDT

              •  gov't agencies are at fault all over the world

                they don't investigate themselves very well. our gov't is changing for the better..  that is recent.

                you want to hold everybody to this bar up in the sky and if you can't meet this, then too bad..

                50 years ago this country was dragging blacks down the street behind their pickup trucks.  even more recent than 50 years ago..  the same thing happens minority groups everywhere in the world.

                we can't expect the world to live by our values either.  it's not our place to set those values or enforce them. would you agree?

                by hypersphere01 on Mon May 14, 2007 at 10:03:15 AM PDT

                •  Snort.

                  we can't expect the world to live by our values either.

                  Yeah, stop killing and torturing gays - what an unreasonable expectation.

                  Hahaha!

                  Do you even realize how ridiculous this particular flavor of special pleading is?

                  by MBNYC on Mon May 14, 2007 at 10:12:47 AM PDT

                  •  i see.. so when somebody else

                    becomes the superpower, are you going to bow to their demands?

                    'cause that is what you seem to think the world will do..  framing it as babies will die, won't change my mind..  we have no business running the world.

                    by hypersphere01 on Mon May 14, 2007 at 10:14:53 AM PDT

                    •  I don't see the idea

                      of not torturing and killing gays as an example of American imperialism, if that's what you're saying, and if it were, I'd look much more favorably on it; so, too, probably, would the gays and lesbians of Palestine.

                      by MBNYC on Mon May 14, 2007 at 10:17:06 AM PDT

                      •  The gays and lesbians of Palestine

                        have even come to the conclusion that life in Israel is preferable to life in Palestine.

                        by Red Sox on Mon May 14, 2007 at 12:38:19 PM PDT

          •  I promise you to answer this

            when I write something about gays and lesbians under the occupation. It's not time yet!

            by Sabbah on Mon May 14, 2007 at 09:40:23 AM PDT

            •  I look forward to

              that.

              by MBNYC on Mon May 14, 2007 at 09:41:12 AM PDT

        •  OK

          I think it is natural that you would choose the most touching pictures and that those were the poignant ones showing people. I hope I did not seem to argue with your choice; I was trying only to analyze how the different pictures expressed the artists' ideas and emotions, and how these represented a range of Palestinian sensibilities. (And I am not pretending to be an art critic!)

          I think one of the reasons that the Palestinian position resonates in the West (with apologies for the geocentrism) is that historically Palestinian culture has included values that are highly regarded in the West, such as education, religious diversity, opportunities for women, and freedom from extreme forms of imposing religious conformity. I think some people fear that the current pressures on Palestinian society are strengthening the elements that would like to make it less open, but it is hard to tell from the US how far that process may have gone.

          At your suggestion, I did a very brief Google search for a Palestinian beauty contest and found this, which you have already blogged. Somehow, I don't think beauty contests will be for I/P what ping pong was for China, but who knows? At least some people are trying.

          by word is bond on Mon May 14, 2007 at 10:28:03 AM PDT

•  How many pictures...

  ...portray Israel in a positive light?

  Or is this just another in your ongoing series to make Israel look bad?

  by JPhurst on Mon May 14, 2007 at 06:59:29 AM PDT

  •  How in the world is this

    comment troll worthy? It really pisses me off that I now have to uprate this thing. Please remove the TRs so I can take away my rating. Oh, and please review the TR section of the FAQ.

    by Bouwerie Boy on Mon May 14, 2007 at 07:30:22 AM PDT

    •  Because this is the DKos I/P universe

      You know, the one where Spock has a goatee.

      by dfb1968 on Mon May 14, 2007 at 07:33:19 AM PDT

    •  I'd note that Diaries

      is a pretty consistent TR abuser.

      by unfounded on Mon May 14, 2007 at 07:56:18 AM PDT

    •  Agreed

      Uprated solely to counter TR abuse.

      by brittain33 on Mon May 14, 2007 at 08:17:18 AM PDT

  •  Uprated

    ...because it's unclear why this is trollish, and this is not.

    by MBNYC on Mon May 14, 2007 at 08:57:21 AM PDT

  •  TR'd for highjacking diary

    title of diary is "The Israeli occupation through artists' eyes".

    your comment is not related to this diary.  write your own diary about pictures that portrary Israel is a positive light, if you want.

    also, no need to assasinate a diarists character with faulty info.  the diaries have nothing to do with making 'Israel look bad'.

    Palestinian Solidarity Events in the Seattle Area
    Uniting For The Return of Palestinians
    US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation
    Palestinian handicapped children forcefully homeless by Israel
    The torture and ill-treatment of Palestinian detainees in Israel

    Those titles are news, hardly the opinions of the diarist.  

    by hypersphere01 on Mon May 14, 2007 at 09:04:00 AM PDT

    •  Not at all "hijacking."

      The diarist wrote a diarist about an art exhibit.  I asked whether that exhibit contained only negative bashing of Israel or whether it portrayed a more balanced and accurate view.

      Apparently the Israel hating brigade has taken it upon themselves to try and erase any questions or criticism of such one sided and hateful diaries.  That's really too bad.

      by JPhurst on Mon May 14, 2007 at 09:17:18 AM PDT

      •  yes, you are highjacking

        this diary isn't about that, but you want it to be.

        that is highjacking.

        by hypersphere01 on Mon May 14, 2007 at 09:33:39 AM PDT

•  BTW, Sabbah

  I meant to compliment your great country of Bahrain on its impressive contribution to the Palestinian cause.  How was this awesome figure calculated?  What, did one Sheikh donate one of his smaller cars?

  by dfb1968 on Mon May 14, 2007 at 07:10:37 AM PDT

  •  I'll be honored to be Bahraini, but I'm not

    learn something from here:
    http://www.dailykos.com/...

    by Sabbah on Mon May 14, 2007 at 09:34:40 AM PDT

    •  As a Palestinian, Sabbah,

      I hope you will do me the honor of reading my current diary about Amos Oz, and telling us what you think would be the impact on yourself personally, on Palestinians generally, and on the prospects for peace, were Israel to follow Amos Oz's advice?

      by another American on Mon May 14, 2007 at 09:42:00 AM PDT