in fact, the only good thing you can really say about the israeli political system is that it's better than any of the local alternatives and at least there's a free press and recourse to the law.
Yes, if there is one thing one should concede to the Israeli government, it's that it IS a democracy - to a certain extent, true, but I mean... The fact that
Ilan Pappé is allowed to publish his provocative book,
The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine (which I haven't read yet, but I really want to... not that I think there ever was such a thing as an "ethnic cleansing", it's still probably an interesting read) goes a long way to show that free speech exists in Israel. Same thing for newspapers such as Ha'Aretz. I unfortunately can't say it's the same on our side of the border...
Although I can't say that Israel treats Arab Israelis and the Arab residents of Jerusalem fairly... In fact, they're considered as a
democratic threat (god, I love that expression... I think it was Netanyahu who used it a couple of years ago, I still find it very funny and scary and revolting. but mostly funny)... And the Israeli Govt really isn't subtle in the way they try to rid themselves of the Arabs in Israel. Example : a lot of my friends - residents of Jerusalem - have to pay taxes and everything, just like the rest of the residents. Yet, they're not entitled to social security, etc. And whenever a resident of Jerusalem gets a foreign passport, he's not entitled to a Jerusalem ID anymore (whereas the Jewish residents can have other passports, not a problem.)
That's the paradox of Israel - a democracy (sort of) that perpetrates occupation and discriminates its own citizens... It's not easy being an Arab Israeli, you have to chose between your "Arabic" roots and your "Israeli" nationality... and you usually end up rejected by both.
obviously i have a large number of relatives in israel, some of whom are in range of katyushas from lebanon and others in range of qassams from gaza, to say nothing of the ones in me'ah she'arim and alon shvut.
Do you visit often? It mustn't be easy for your relatives (well, except for the ones in me'ah she'arim... my school's right next to me'ah she'arim... I'll never get how a neighborhood can be both so ugly and bee-oo-tiful at the same time!
)
i can actually just hear that tone of voice - it's very familiar. you know, in the diaspora we spend quite a lot of time rolling our eyes over just what a bunch of arrogant rude sods israelis can be - i am sure the checkpoints bring out the worst in what are, lest we forget, people probably not much older than you are. jews are certainly not immune to abuse of power, that's for sure, even if we don't quite control the entire world *yet* (muwahahahahahahaaaa, i should probably add) i find israeli officialdom and bureaucracy insufferable - just as inefficient as the UK, but a dam' sight less polite. i often think that if i ever went to live in israel, i'd open a business teaching people etiquette and good manners. i mean, sometimes it's quite refreshing how direct israelis can be, but other times it can be abrasive to the point of, well, you know what i mean. i really wonder what they teach people at school there. unfortunately, i know what gets taught in the schools run by the really religious people - on both sides.
I cross check-points a lot. So I sort of have a list of "mean, meaner, meanest" soldiers. I can decide from afar if it's going to be a cool guy, a mean guy, or an a-word.
Seriously, after a while, you get a knack at it. Although it's not excusable, and I sometimes feel revolted when some stupid kid humiliates an old, blind guy I also feel sorry for those guys. Most of them had no idea what the army is, who the Palestinians where (I bet you most of them thought we were some sort of myth before going to the army), etc. And they're just kids. My age. They're my age, and they have to do this horrible three-year stupid army sh*t. There are those who really are excited to go to the army (in the words of one of my *former* friends, "I want to kill a lot of Palestinians so I can get promoted!" Yeah. Imagine that.) to defend (sorry, I don't mean to be offensive, but I HAVE to roll my eyes here) "Eretz Israel"
... and then, there are those who are just there because they have to.
As for politeness... yup. I don't have anything else to say. I don't get that either. Ever try driving a car in Israel?
And what gets taught at schools (on both sides, true)... Don't get me started, it depresses me. I'm SO grateful that I got to go to a french lycee and not have to go through the amazing bs they teach kids here. An this goes for the Israelis too...
i can actually just hear that tone of voice - it's very familiar. you know, in the diaspora we spend quite a lot of time rolling our eyes over just what a bunch of arrogant rude sods israelis can be -
I'm glad that the Jews of the diaspora stay true to (beware, stereotypes ahead)(but good stereotypes, so it's fine, right?) their sense of humor and their unmatched skill to make fun of themselves.
I also feel it here when I go into a Christian shop. It even sounds silly to say Christian shop but they are segregated and Muslims employ Muslims and Christians employ Christians (usually because they are family but not only for this reason). When I first came here people told me so proudly how they live together with no animosity and complete friendship. I used to buy drinks and cigarettes from a kiosk opposite my shop. One day the Muslim Brotherhood came to talk to my husband and asked (politely) why I used a Christian shop and not the Muslim one in the next street. Even though my husband suggested politely that they mind their own business, after they left he suggested to me that I should change shops or people may stop using our shop.
Funny story, Muslimwoman.(well, funny... funny isn't what it used to be
) And it illustrates perfectly this bad faith we have. We don't want to acknowledge this animosity that is VERY real but it's still there. We want to give to the world this ideal picture of Muslim and Christian Arabs being united (very much like this other illusion some still believe in of a unity of the Arab Nations) but it's just not true.
Oh! Except in one case! Oh god, how beautiful it was, when the THREE representatives of the THREE religions spoke out against homosexuality together on the occasion of the Gay Parade in Jerusalem!
How lovely, united in intolerance.
How does this play out with respect to religious monuments? Are any shared and relevant to both faiths?
I think it's pretty safe to say that most Christian religious monuments are relevant to Muslims. Apart from the Khader thing... Well, for instance, the Milk Grotto is this shrine next to the Nativity where the Holy Family is said to have stayed on their way to Egypt. When Mary wanted to breast-feed the Baby, milk flew out of her breast and onto the rocks of the grotto. It's a place where pregnant women and women looking to get pregnant go pray. I think (although I'm not 100% sure) that a lot of Muslim women go there too.
Same thing with the Nativity, Muslims go pray there a lot.
I think in general the holy places are well kept and respected by both faiths.
As for the marriage issue. To be honest, if I EVER told my family that I was going to marry a Muslim girl, they'd go berserk. Really. Same thing for one of my Muslim friends. If she ever decided to marry a Christian guy, it'd be hell on earth. In Bethlehem, this thing happens a lot : young Christian girls often run away with Muslim guys (it's funny, it's usually Christian girls and Muslim guys not the other way 'round, I don't know why).. It's a major crisis for a couple of days. I mean once the Patriarch intervened and the girl got back home and they arranged for her and her family to get out of the country.
(three rolling-eyes-smileys were necessary. Although they look a bit happy there, they should be a bit more bitter)
That said, I also want to say that it does happen that Christians and Muslims marry and are very happy. I told you the story of this friend of mine, but I also know these two kids, whose father is a Muslim and whose mom is a Christian. As far as I know, they're happily married, the woman is still a Christian and the guy is still a Muslim. They celebrate everything together. Usually, when a Christian and a Muslim marry, I'd say they stay happy as long as the families don't get between them.
As for the ladies you're speaking of. I don't know, but I honestly think everyone's expecting them to convert. I'd be really surprised if they don't.
Oh, I have a question. I heard there were massacres between Coptic Christians and Muslims in Egypt. Is it true? By the way, do you live in Cairo?
As for Johnston... I was also delighted, because BBC is one of the really rare TV stations that I respect and actually like. (as opposed to say, CNN, Fox News and Al Jazeerah) But I'm pretty sure the "peace process" (hey! someone still believes in that thing!) is just going to stagnate. Probably for a couple more years. Or decades. Until small stuff, like education, change our views on everything.
Or until the world really gets sick of us bickering Semites and decides to bomb us all
