A day in a Palestinian protest
I've spent a week in Israel so far. I've seen most corners of Tel Aviv, eaten excellent food, enjoyed the Mediterranean beach, and gone on a tour of Northern Israel. I am now itching to go and see the other side. A college friend is making a documentary in the West Bank. "Do you want to go to a Palestinian protest?" she asks. Without thinking twice, I say yes. We plan to meet Friday morning at the Damascus Gate of Jerusalem's Old City. After saying goodbye to my dear Israeli friends, the bars on Allenby street, and the jellyfish in the Mediterranean, I hop on a bus to Jerusalem. My friend and I take a taxi to Kalandiya, the main checkpoint between Jerusalem and Ramallah. Latest news, photos and videos from Iran
More than a month after the Iranian elections led to widespread demonstrations and subsequent violent suppression following allegations that the results declaring Mahmoud Ahmadinejad the winner of a second presidential term rigged, news, photos and videos of violence and unrest are still being widely circulated. Here is the latest:The Iranian regime should be afraid
Three weeks after Iran's presidential election, it is becoming clear that the Islamic republic is going through a metamorphosis. Although Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was pronounced the winner of the election by a landslide, very few people believe this result. Cities across Iran, especially Teheran, were the scenes of massive street demonstrations unheard of in the Middle East for the past 30 years. Through these organized, creative, and peaceful demonstrations, Iranians demanded an independent investigation into the allegation of vote-rigging. Ahmadinejad's empire of beggars
Fraud... that is what is now realized by most observers, both within and outside of Iran, as being the cause of the outcome of the Islamic Republic's 10th presidential elections, held on the 22nd of Khordad, 1388 A.P. (June 12, 2009). Yet one must be astute about such things and understand that vote rigging is not merely a process to obtain or retain political power, but is usually buttressed by powerful hidden forces that guide the actions of those engaging in such activities. So we must now ask, who was the real winner of this election? Was it the Islamic Republic system as a whole? Was it a certain faction within the contours of the power struggle that is now open for all to see amongst Iran's elite? Was it only the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, that walked away the true victor....or, was it the brilliant maneuvering of one Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in the Islamic Republic's convoluted labyrinth that ensured he remain at the seat of government? A new chapter in Iran's history
June 12th 2009 will go down as a turning point in the history of Iranians' awakening. Iranian reactions from across social media outlets
Following Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's 'landslide' victory in Saturday's national elections in Iran, reports of violent protests - with video and photo evidence - have circulated at breakneck speed on Twitter, Facebook and other social media outlets as well as on non-mainstream media websites. News that Ahmadinejad was re-elected for a second presidency term when his main rival Mir Hossein Mousavi was expected to win, largely due to the 'young' vote, drew thousands into the streets of Teheran and across other cities in Iran to demonstrate on Saturday and Sunday afternoon. Anti-riot police have reportedly wounded dozens of male and female protesters. The disappointment has been rampant among Iran's young, educated population. As one 'facebooker' put it: "This is not the will of the Iranian people; they are mostly in shock or despair, and the braver ones are being mercilessly beaten on the streets." The Nazareth model of Jewish-Arab coexistence
One of the most surprising facts I learned during my visit to Israel was how often people use the word Yallah. I asked my Israeli friends if they know what it means. Few of them knew the origin of the word. I explained to them that the word comes from Ya Allah, which literally means Oh God. I don't need to tell them that Allah is not the 'Jewish' God. The irony is lost on my Israeli friends. For them, Yallah is an Israeli word! Walking through one of the main streets in Tel Aviv, I was surprised to see a billboard that read: "Falafel: National Snack of Israel." Shouldn't the national snack of the Jewish state be Jewish food? I wonder if a person who was born in Israel and who has never visited an Arab country, actually thinks that Falafel was invented in Israel! For a country eager to advance its European/Jewish character, Israel has comfortably taken on the slang and snacks of the Arab world. Iranian threat: You have the wrong picture!
The comments on my first post An Iranian in Tel Aviv were a pleasant surprise. I'll resume that storyline in my next entry. However, in light of the upcoming Iranian elections and the media preoccupation - especially Israel's - with Iran, I want to clarify some points. One cannot read an Israeli newspaper these days without coming across an article on the "Iranian threat." The comparisons between Iran and Nazi Germany are plentiful. It seems as if the whole nation of Israel is bracing for the second Shoah, which is supposedly going to be perpetrated by Teheran. In the Israeli and world press, the subject of the most intense scrutinizing and vilifying is none other than Mahmoud Ahmadinejad; the man whose picture is associated with the Iranian threat, and whose hands are allegedly on the "Destroy Israel" button. He is, however, the wrong guy to focus on. There is one person in Iran who is in charge. The entire armed forces and the three branches of the government operate under his guidance. He has complete control over foreign policy in the Islamic Republic, especially national security matters. He is above the law; in fact, he defines what is law. His words are God's words and his commands are considered sacred. This all powerful man is the Supreme Leader of Iran, the Leader of all Shias in the world, His Eminence, Grand Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. An Iranian in Tel Aviv
The plane has landed at Ben Gurion Airport and I am trying to prepare myself for what is to come. I am going to be interrogated for several hours. I know this for a fact and I try to think of the questions they will ask and the answers I will give. The very first question, however, surprises me: "Are you Jewish?" I thought they would be more subtle about it. No, I answer, and I'm guided to the 'non-Jew' line. The officer takes a look at my passport, and asks me to wait. After a few minutes, he comes back and asks for my Iranian passport. How do they know I have an Iranian passport on me? Talking about talking
Anyone who has followed the endless, sometimes painfully monotonous, US presidential marathon has most likely heard the three major candidates' positions vis-à-vis Iran - all of whom have unfortunately taken incoherent stances regarding their characterization of diplomatic engagement. The Republican nominee, John McCain, seems to have forfeited his once "maverick" persona in exchange for a carbon copy of George Bush's foreign policy (i.e. not negotiating with "rogue nations" or conversely engaging terrorist organizations). A few weeks ago he pledged that he would be Hamas' "worst nightmare" [1]. In the United States, and in many Israeli policy circles, this popular Palestinian militant group has been incorrectly labeled as an "Iranian proxy". Yet, even if we assume that this oversimplification of complex and endemic Palestinian politics is true, the same John McCain, in 2006, stated that the United States should now "deal" with Hamas, since they had become the elected Palestinian government [2]. |
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