Comments on: Not So Cool http://www.eatbees.com/blog/2009/04/24/not-so-cool/ "If not now, when?" Wed, 07 Jul 2010 09:20:54 -0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 By: eatbees http://www.eatbees.com/blog/2009/04/24/not-so-cool/comment-page-1/#comment-28733 eatbees Mon, 27 Apr 2009 20:38:54 +0000 http://www.eatbees.com/blog/?p=962#comment-28733 Jalal, I agree completely. In fact I met some of these Israeli activists a few years back, at a conference in Barcelona. Some were Israeli Arabs working on questions of equal rights, while others were Israeli Jews opposed to the "apartheid wall" and their country's military actions. They were there to meet nonviolent Palestinian activists who share the same goals, such as the International Solidarity Movement (ISM). I didn't have a blog then so I never wrote about this conference, but I need to do it! Please don't take anything I said as support for Ahmadinejad's latest provocations. I felt the European walkout was an immature and empty gesture (in retrospect, Obama handled it better by not sending anyone) but it was political opportunism designed to portray himself back home (where elections are coming up) as the one who talks back to Western "imperialists." In other words, it didn't help the Palestinians, and only gave Israel's more extreme defenders an excuse to point their fingers once again. Ahmedinejad is a bit more reasonable than he is always portrayed in the Western media, but I hope the Iranians elect some other guy, so talks can continue without all this distraction. Thanks for your comments, and the link. Jalal, I agree completely. In fact I met some of these Israeli activists a few years back, at a conference in Barcelona. Some were Israeli Arabs working on questions of equal rights, while others were Israeli Jews opposed to the “apartheid wall” and their country’s military actions. They were there to meet nonviolent Palestinian activists who share the same goals, such as the International Solidarity Movement (ISM). I didn’t have a blog then so I never wrote about this conference, but I need to do it!

Please don’t take anything I said as support for Ahmadinejad’s latest provocations. I felt the European walkout was an immature and empty gesture (in retrospect, Obama handled it better by not sending anyone) but it was political opportunism designed to portray himself back home (where elections are coming up) as the one who talks back to Western “imperialists.” In other words, it didn’t help the Palestinians, and only gave Israel’s more extreme defenders an excuse to point their fingers once again. Ahmedinejad is a bit more reasonable than he is always portrayed in the Western media, but I hope the Iranians elect some other guy, so talks can continue without all this distraction.

Thanks for your comments, and the link.

]]> By: Jalal http://www.eatbees.com/blog/2009/04/24/not-so-cool/comment-page-1/#comment-28732 Jalal Mon, 27 Apr 2009 20:06:10 +0000 http://www.eatbees.com/blog/?p=962#comment-28732 There are a lot of Israeli activists whom are fighting against racism from within, and they have a better shot communicating and achieving equality goals than an outsider like Ahmadinejad, and those are the ones we should be talking about, promoting and supporting. http://www.acri.org.il/eng/Story.aspx?id=556 There are a lot of Israeli activists whom are fighting against racism from within, and they have a better shot communicating and achieving equality goals than an outsider like Ahmadinejad, and those are the ones we should be talking about, promoting and supporting.

http://www.acri.org.il/eng/Story.aspx?id=556

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