February 28 2005

Nothing New: Palestinians Are Responsible!

As usual, Israel goes on and on with its violations with no one condemning its acts, instead, all international committees prefer watching, and asking Palestinians, the “terrorists”, the “occupiers”, to stick to ceasefire, and to “cooperate” with “peace-seeking” Israel!
Everybody watches while more innocent people, and harmless children are being killed for no reason. They watch, give warning speeches addressed to Palestinians, while Israel is getting away with its crimes against humanity, land, and religion.
Yes, when it comes to Israel, all choose to be passive watchers, they have no reasonable excuse to justify Israeli acts against Palestinians, so they wait till a Palestinian does something to defend his 10 year old boy, to protect his home, to save his little daughter and… the list goes on.

They all know, no human soul accepts to be humiliated, tortured, lied to, killed and raped over and over without doing anything. They know the time will come when Palestinians will ask the world to be fair, to see their misery, the misery caused by Israelis despite the ceasefire agreement, which seems to be maid for only Palestinians to stick to.

And then they call Palestinians: The Terrorists!
Following the suicide bombing outside a Tel Aviv beachfront nightclub on Friday Sharon said in his regular Cabinet meeting on Sunday: “While the state of Israel is interested in advancing toward a settlement with the Palestinians, there will be no diplomatic progress, no progress, until the Palestinians take strong action to eliminate the terrorist organizations and their infrastructures in the Palestinian Authority areas”… CNN
Interested in advancing toward a settlement with the Palestinians? Am I missing something here? And WHAT DIPLOMATIC PROGRESS was he talking about?! I’m afraid my English dictionary became old and useless?! Yes, maybe shooting kids and killing innocent people is what a “settlement with the Palestinians” means! Maybe Israelis killing as much Palestinians as they desire while Palestinians keep their mouths shut and their eyes “wide open” welcoming every bullet in their heads and their children’s, is what “diplomatic Progress” is all about!
What the hell is wrong with the world! So now Palestinians are the ones who violated the ceasefire that was stupid and fake –from the side of Israel- from the very start! HELLO! The ceasefire was Israel’s biggest lie!!! You don’t have the right to condemn Palestinians after the shameless acts and obvious violations Israel started!!

What goes around comes around people, please stop making fools out of yourselves, and stop condemning Palestinians.
No one ever wants military operations or suicide bombing to be the way to get rights and protect land and property, so please don’t push people who are willing to cooperate into choosing that way!
Palestinians have been always the ones willing to cooperate, they tolerated and are tolerating all the shit they’re getting just to have peace… either grant them their wish, or at least be fair to them if you’re too weak to condemn Israel, but never put the blame on them, just because it’s easier that way!

Related: Tel Aviv Explosion:A Cat-scratch

February 25 2005

Recommended…

  • Big ol’ Israel/Palestine News Review.
  • For The Record.
  • I’ll Call Her Amal “Hope”(Arabic).
  • Category: General | LEAVE A COMMENT
    February 24 2005

    Work Diaries (18): R U Drunk?!

    I sent an email to one of our international branches with the subject: “URGENT: Shipment Cancelled”
    And wrote: “I would like to inform you that our client CANCELLED the shipment ref. Nr……, so we no longer need you to proceed with shipping procedures.
    I confirm herewith that cancellation of shipment is final, therefore you may use the goods for the benefit of other branches.
    Your efforts are highly appreciated and we thank you for your cooperation.
    Best regards,
    Eman”

    3 hours later I get the following reply:
    “No problem Eman, we’ll keep the goods on hold for your client till further notice from you in which you confirm the new shipping date”.

    I reply: “please, CANCEL! Do not postpone”.

    He replies: “postponing approved!! Didn’t you read my first reply?”

    I reply: “I read it, did you read MY EMAIL!! IT SAYS CANCEL SHIPMENT FOR GOOD, NO FURTHER NOTICE, NO POSTPONING, just cancel the shipment PLEASE! we DON’T NEED IT ANYMORE! Got it!”

    He replies: “yes, yes, now I got it, sorry for the misunderstanding”.

    5 minutes later, he sends an email to the airlines with cc to me saying: “please cancel shipment ref. Nr…, and postpone till further notice!”

    I call him to see what’s his damn problem and he claims that my email wasn’t clear enough, then he asks ME: are you drunk?!

    February 23 2005

    When Art Speaks For The People: Taysir Batniji

    “Je ne suis pas que Palestinien, je suis aussi artiste. Je souhaite que mon travail soit compris et accepté parce que c’est un travail artistique. Les autres te regardent à travers ce préjugé, ce prisme du Palestinien que tu es”.
    Meaning: I am not only Palestinian, I am also an artist. I wish that my work will be understood and accepted because it’s art, I don’t want to be prejudged because I’m “Palestinian”…

    Born in Gaza, Palestine, in 1966. He studied fine arts in Nablus (Palestine). He continued his studies in France.
    He has staged exhibitions at various venues in Europe and beyond. He held a solo presentation in Centre Culturel Français, Gaza (Palestine) in 2004, and in 2002 he exhibited among others in Belgrade, in Berlin (K&S Gallery), and in Paris (La Galerie). His work was also presented at the Havana Biennial and the Venice Biennale in 2003.

    Taysir Batniji’s art confronts the reality of the land from which he comes: Palestine. He especially dedicates himself to questions of identity, exile and home. The fragmentary video images and photos, recorded on the streets and markets of his hometown Gaza show a very sharp observation of the reality of this occupied city.
    Since some time now, Batniji, like all plastic artists, has been tackling the image through videos and slides. Batniji wants to give Palestinians the chance to represent themselves and to speak of themselves through images done by them. To insist, exist, resist… in the face of absence and silence.

    Since the second Intifada broke out in 2001, the Rafah border has been the only way for people from the Gaza Strip to leave or enter the region. People travel via Cairo airport, men traveling alone separated from the other travelers, and under heightened Egyptian guard. All the travelers encounter each other in an open-air transit zone in Rafah, waiting for the moment when the Israelis will permit them transit to Gaza. This wait can last from a day to several weeks.
    In 2004 Taysir Batniji photographed his journey to the Gaza Strip. The work Transit presents these images and reflects on the extremely difficult conditions under which Palestinians must travel.

    In 1997 he put up an installation of 20 rolls of white cloth on which were imprints of keys – those that Palestinian families took along with them when they had to flee their homes in 1948…
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    For details about him and samples of his work in French click here.

    I really wish him more success, and hope he’ll keep offering us this great quality of work that reveals the artistic as well as the patriotic side of a talented, determined and proud Palestinian.
    [Sources: This Week In Palestine, ArtCrafts]

    February 22 2005

    Earthquake Hits Iran

    A powerful earthquake has rocked central Iran, destroying buildings in several villages, killing hundreds of people and leaving many others injured.
    The magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck near Zarand in central Iran at 5:55 a.m. local time (0225 GMT).

    [Via: Subzero Blue, Sources: Eq.4eco (Arabic), CNN]

    Our hearts are with you Iran!

    February 21 2005

    “When Earth Quakes”

    Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to proudly announce the launch of the newest info gateway into earthquake science: “When Earth Quakes”, which is the first consultative website by “Environment News”, a Ford Environmental Preservation Program Award winning project.

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    With its regular update and interactive hi-tech, “When Earth Quakes” is supposed to be the most comprehensive informative website on Earthquake in Arabic Language.

    I would like to congratulate Mr. Abdulhadi Najjar for this great accomplishment, wishing him the best of luck on this project, which makes every Arab really proud.

    February 21 2005

    Beautifying Amman…

    The Greater Amman Municipality (GAM) has recently set up a committee charged with making Amman a more beautiful city. In addition to combating illegal practices, the Amman Beautifying Committee is set to go into partnership with the private sector. GAM has also started a competition seeking to engage Amman residents in general, and the youth in particular, in efforts to make the capital a more beautiful place to live.
    The award, entitled “Best Idea,” is a 14-month program where the best idea suggested each month receives a cash prize of JD500, in addition to a piece of sculpture based on various aspects of Amman’s history.
    More than 500 ideas were mailed to GAM during the last 3 months, offering simple ideas for improving the appearance of the capital. GAM officials in charge of the award program said the criteria for selecting winners is based on simplicity, the innovative aspect and low cost. The results of the competition were announced on Sunday.
    Source: Jordan Times
    I think this is a great idea that will really help Amman residents be constructive members of society and play a positive role in improving their city. I hope the competition will reach other cities in Jordan as well. And I hope all Arab countries do the same.

    Category: Jordan | LEAVE A COMMENT
    February 21 2005

    Worried :(

    Can’t stop worrying about my dear husband. he was ok Saturday morning, then became really sick and had this annoying fever. He couldn’t go to work today and I left him asleep with a really high temperature!
    I knew he’d get sick from the bad weather last week. I just hope he’ll get better soon. Can’t wait for my lunch break to come so that I’d be with him…

    February 18 2005

    Lesson Of The Day:

    “Others may hate you, but those who hate you don’t win unless you hate them back- because that’s when you destroy yourself”. –got it from junk mail 😉

    Category: General | LEAVE A COMMENT
    February 18 2005

    “Looking Towards Palestine”


    A powerful photographic exhibition took place recently at La Boca del Lobo, a cultural center in the Lavapies neighborhood of Madrid. Titled Mirando a Palestina: Proyecciones Fotograficas (Looking towards Palestine: Photographic Projections), the one-week exhibit brought together a diverse group of photographers from Spain, Finland, U.S., Canada, and last but not least, Palestine.
    The exhibition provided a unique opportunity. Instead of the usual pictures of political leaders giving speeches and shaking hands, viewers had the chance to see Palestine in all its human fullness, from the most horrific scenes (bleeding bodies on hospital tables and floors, dead bodies being slid into morgue drawers, ordinary people overcome with grief and anger) to the most subtle and quotidian (a young boy sitting on a sofa holding a doll, old men playing cards in a room almost devoid of furnishings).

    The work included in “Looking Towards Palestine” represented an impressive diversity of styles and subject matter. The show was full of images of funerals, children’s games, Israeli tanks and bulldozers, living rooms, violent confrontations — in short, the stuff of daily life under occupation and in the Diaspora.

    Most striking, however, are the images produced by Rula Halawani, a Birzeit University professor and freelance photographer. In a series of photos titled “Negative Incursion,” Halawani uses negative images to document the 2002 Israeli invasion. The result is ghostly and nightmarish. Halawani’s decision to employ negative black-and-white images leaves the viewer wondering whether the images were shot in 2002 or 1982 or 1948. Which is precisely the point: the nightmare continues.
    “The warm light still there,” is another series that showcases Halawani’s native Jerusalem at night, and the contrast with “Negative Incursion” couldn’t be more marked. As the titled indicates, Jerusalem is a place of warmth for Halawani, who takes advantages of the few light bulbs present to cast a loving glow on the deserted streets of the Old City.
    Another remarkable work of Halawani is “The Intimacy Series,” in which Halawani’s camera captures a series of what would otherwise be innocuous daily interactions: the exchange of identity cards between Israeli soldiers and Palestinians at Qalandia checkpoint.

    Source: EI