In Commemoration of Land Day

Sunday is Yom al Ard, or Land Day, in Palestine and Israel. The activities held on the 30th of March each year mark the anniversary of protests in 1976 against the theft of Palestinian-owned land inside of Israel by the state. Six people were killed in the Galilee, and hundreds injured.

To my knowledge, not even the anniversary of the Nakba is recognized as popularly throughout the West Bank, Gaza and Israel as Land Day. The Nakba happened in 1948. Land Day is used to address the ongoing arbitrary confiscations of Palestinian property since that time, whether in Israel, the West Bank, or Gaza.

For Land Day, demonstrations are organized in cities, towns, villages, and refugee camps throughout all of historic Palestine. They are especially pertinent in areas where new confiscations are taking place. This year, the focus is on Jaffa, where 500 families have been issued eviction notices before the neighborhood is razed to make way for Jewish development. (Notice the grounds for eviction: that the residents "invaded the properties." Many Jaffa residents are internally displaced persons who have been deprived once of their property, and were forced to take up residence in the homes of Palestinians who fled before them.)

Check out this interview with Father Shehadeh Shehadeh, an organizer of the original Land Day protest in 1976.



Unrelated to Land Day, I would also like to bring your attention to this article on the assassination of the four men in Bethlehem a few weeks ago. I am sorry that I did not take a picture of their martyr poster when I had the chance. It shows the four, who are from different political factions, all standing together with weapons raised. I find it ironic, considering the way that they died: unarmed, sitting in a car waiting for their food order. As if the poster, like so many others, is an attempt to bestow some meaning on their deaths, which are no more than cold-blooded murders for which no investigation will ever take place and no justice will ever be served.

They did not even have the chance to move. Their bullet-ridden bodies were still sitting upright when passersby pulled them from the car.

It was the moral equivalent of a team of Palestinians, disguised as Israelis, driving an Israeli car into Tel Aviv and gunning down four off-duty Israeli soldiers.

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Tony Judt on Evil

Tony Judt, the NYU academic, wrote a thought-provoking essay on Europe's struggle to conceptualize evil in the post-war era, and the role of the Holocaust and Anti-Semitism in the public sphere.

He argues that by presenting the Nazis' extermination of the Jews as a "singular crime" and the ultimate case of evil manifest, it has distorted discourse about evil -- from the confused and "self-serving abuse" of the "axis of evil" rhetoric, to the wrongful characterization of strong criticism of Israel as anti-Semitism.

As agreeable as I am towards Judt's arguments, I would have hoped for more evidence. Most of it was anecdotal, especially when he makes the point that people question the unique remembrance of the Holocaust. For example, some Eastern Europeans feel as though their mass suffering has been downplayed. Sometimes polemics are okay without evidence especially if they are just to stimulate debate or if they resonate with enough readers.

I tend to have doubt about the use of the word "evil." I'm not sure if it is a useful term since it is so total and grandiose, which is why it is so often used in religious discourse. But I would say that if people do use it to refer to events and personalities past, it certainly can apply to those present.

I prefer nuanced terminology since even "evil" dictators are probably angels to some people, i.e. their children or supporters, or may suffer from severe neurological or psychological problems.

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Congress Declares October 28th “Fayyad’s Day”

The United States congress has passed a new law establishing a new holiday, “Fayyad’s Day.” The holiday will celebrate and commemorate the discovery of the Americas on Fayyad’s famed journey west on this day, in the year of our lord 1998.

Shortly before midnight on October 27th, 1998, Fayyad left his hometown near Jenin, Palestine on a long journey west in the quest of a good education, and living in a beach-house with Salma Hayek. The following day he arrived upon a new land little known to the peoples of Africa, Asia, and Europe, but more importantly, he found that the inhabitants of this land knew little of other nations, and nothing of the ways of civilized world.

The inhabitants of the land possessed much green gold, and sought more of it in return for every service they provided; they even demanded ungodly amounts of it from Fayyad in return for his bus trip from the Airport of Fort O’Hare to Fort Madison. He found the savages to be hostile towards and unwelcoming of outsiders. Suspicious of his foreign tongue, several of them refused to help him with directions upon arrival. He also found them to worship savage gods that valued material wealth and embraced war and bloodshed.

Earlier that day, before arriving in the new land, Fayyad stopped for rest in a low-lying land covered with a blanket of pleasant smoke. He chose the name the “Netherlands” for the land with beautiful, welcoming women who tended to dairy cows. During his rest in the Netherlands, Fayyad set up camp in an area he called Al-Muster-Dam, Arabic for “In need of a Damn” as he recognized the danger the North Sea posed to what is today the thriving settlement of Amsterdam.

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First Graffiti Art Found in Syria

French archaeologists in Syria found 11,000-year-old graffiti art in Northern Syria. They claim it is the oldest tagging in the world -- and possibly in the universe. This offers more proof that Arabs invented hip-hop culture.

The 2 by 2 meter painting may be an early attempt at a Syrian flag, with its use of red, black, white, and Baathist inspiration.

The words "reppin' da Neolithic dawg," also indicate the earliest tacky misuse of ebonics in history, as well the beginning of Neolithic consciousness. Naturally, it also entailed an irrational hatred for all things Upper Paleolithic.

According to one of the archaeologists, "It looks like a modernist painting. Some of those who saw it have likened it to work by (Paul) Klee." Meaning, it looks like vomit on a canvas (j/k, I don't know Klee's work and have no interest to google him. I just hate overly-abstract art).

Congratulations to the archaeologists. Sadly, Europeans are once again learning more about the history of places under Arab feet than Arabs themselves are. I hate that more than I hate abstract, high art.

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Cholas in Middle Eastern History

Classic Line:

The Sphinx: “Why are you mad dogging me bitch? I got secrets of the pyramids to keep!”

To understand the significance of such motifs like switchblade, the gatekeeper, and the trickster in chola culture; take a look at Askachola’s use of Joseph Campbell’s work on archetypes to explicate all this:



Inspired by Askachola (who's other videos you NEED to see on either her website or her myspace page) counseling efforts, KABOBfest has decided to service its target demographic of readers by launching it's very own version entitled "Ask a Mactivist." Outfitted in Che shirts with faces half-covered by red, black, and green, power fist-checkered kuffiyas (the smiley face kuffiyas being the obvious influence for such an avant-garde design), and scented to perfection by a peculiar mixture of Frankincense and Axe; the men of KABOBfest will be answering all questions related to using one's art, intellect, and/or passion for revolutionary change to bang some chicks. As a pleasant surprise, KABOBfest's investigative reporter/master pickup artist Chaim Sugarman has informed me that he is willing to take time away from his busy Warcraft playing schedule to participate in the telecounseling, so feel free to send those burning questions!

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Today In History

1953: US Overthrows Iran's Government Of Democratically Elected Prime Minister Mohammed Mossadegh

The 1953 Iranian coup d'état removed the nationalist cabinet of Iranian Prime Minister Mohammed Mossadegh from power, supported by a covert operation, codenamed Operation Ajax (officially TP-AJAX) by the United Kingdom and the United States. The coup was performed in order to support the Pahlavi dynasty and consolidate the power of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, attempting to preserve the Western control of Iran's oil infrastructure and to prevent the rising influence of communists in the Iranian government. The coup was the culmination of a long conflict between Mossadeq, the Shah, and the parliament of Iran. Former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, during the administration of President Bill Clinton, made an apology to the Iranian people in 2000 for the United States' role in the overthrow.

The idea of overthrowing Mossadegh was originally conceived by the British. They asked President Truman for assistance, but when he refused, the British proposed the idea once again to Eisenhower who became president in 1953. The new administration agreed to participate.

Mossadegh reasoned that Iran ought to begin profiting from its vast oil reserves, although Iran lacked the capacity and infrasructure to produce its own oil. He took the steps to nationalize the oil industry which had previously been controlled by the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company (later changed to the British Petroleum Company). Britain alleged that Iran was violating the company's legal rights and actually spearheaded a worldwide boycott of Iran's oil that submerged the regime into financial crisis. Following the British/U.S. operations, western oil companies were invited back into Iran.

More on Wikipedia, and a lot more on Forgotten History.

2007: US Still Trying To Pull Off Same Shit

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Today In History

1964: South Africa banned from Olympics

And more than four decades later, the IOC stands in far lower moral grounds: It seems uncritical of next years host's, China, human rights record, and continues to allow an apartheid regime, Israel, to partake in the games. Humans lack of perspective and inability to learn from history is mind-boggling.

South Africa has been barred from taking part in the 18th Olympic Games in Tokyo over its refusal to condemn apartheid.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced the decision in Lausanne, Switzerland, after South Africa failed to meet an ultimatum to comply with its demands by 16 August.

The IOC originally withdrew South Africa's invitation to Japan during the winter games in Innsbruck, Austria.

It said the decision could be overturned only if South Africa renounced racial discrimination in sport and opposed the ban in its own country on competition between white and black athletes.

Read more at BBC.com

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KUFFIYA KRAZE: You May Be ___ If Your Kuffiya Is ___

You may be Fatah, if your Kuffiya is black and white.

Socialist/Marxist (PFLP/DFLP) if your Kuffiya is red.

Hamas, if your Kuffiya is red.

Yemeni, if your Kuffiya is blue or green.

Shot by the Israelis, if your Kuffiya is blood-soaked.

Annoying as hell, if your Kuffiya is yellow with smiley faces on it.

Disoriented, if your Kuffiya is being rocked by Mary Kate Olsen.

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Sikh, if your Kuffyia is actually a turban when seen by other than racist fucks.

Zionist thief, if your Kuffiya is blue with little stars David on it.

Homosexual, if your Kuffiya is in pride colours.

Metrosexual, if your Kuffiya is a mere print on a t-shirt.

From KABOBtionary…

Metrosexual: /-“ me-tr&-'sek-sh-w&l/ n & adj., Informal. A heterosexual male who employs elements of a gay lifestyle and symbols of Palestinian defiance and resistance, especially fashion icons, in order to pick up chicks.

If you are confused about the origin and significance of the Kuffiya join the club. If you care to learn, here is a superficially researched history of the Kuffiya’s colour evolution. Don’t complain, it still has more journalistic integrity than an entire day’s production by Bill O’Reilly, Rush Limbaugh, and Sean Hannity combined.

The story started long ago, well before Buddha met Eve on the Arafeh Mountain in Western Saudi Arabia and the two embarked on a peaceful-ever after project of procreation and meditation. Originally, there are four different Kuffiyas. Five, if you want to count the plain, uncheckered one. One, if you’re colour blind. The plain Kuffiya, referred to as Shemagh or Hattah in Arabic but not Kuffiya, is predominant in Saudi Arabia and other gulf states, and is widely used in the Levantine during the hot summer months, as it is far lighter than the checkered Kuffiya.

Now back to the colours, I’m freaking ADD today. There are the Red, Black, Green, and Blue, all on white backdrop. The green and blue where often used in Yemen, and southern Saudi Arabia, and rarely used elsewhere. The black and red were used up north. Both colour were very common in Palestine, so much so, that many Palestinians referred to them as the Iraqi (black) and the Jordanian (red) Kuffiyas, a testament to the disproportionate use of each of these colours in the perspective countries.

The black Kuffiya traditionally had a far wider base in Palestine than the red one, but the latter was present in its own right. The black Kuffiya quickly became associated with the struggle for Palestinian liberation, mainly because those who led and carried the successive Palestinian revolutions against British occupation, Zionist immigration, and Israel were farmers who almost uniformly wore the black Kuffiya.

In the decades following the ethnic cleaning of Palestinians (Nakba) and the creation of Israel, the black Kuffiya lost grounds to the red one, for two main reasons. Wearing a black Kuffiya became a crime punishable by Israeli occupation forces and was given up by those who wished not to be tortured, jailed, or shot. Secondly, as the West Bank fell under Jordanian administration, the red Kuffiya became more common as it was adopted by those who wished proximity to or perks from the Jordanian royal family, as well as those who still wished to cover their heads yet not get prosecuted for it.

In the 60’s and 70s, following the creation of the PLO through the convergence of politically and ideologically diverse factions, the two main currents chose to differentiate their supporters through colour-based segregation. Fatah, the leader of the nationalist current, and the largest party, continued its monopoly on the black Kuffiya, and took it to international prominence by sending Yasser Arafat to every corner of the planet. I swear, that dude logged more miles than a hooker at a dentist convention. Anyway, he’s not flying anymore. On the other hand, the leftist current, led by Marxist-leaning Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP), chose the convenient and obvious option demonstrate their loyalty to both Palestine, and the hammer and sickle.

Over the past two decades of Intifadas, Palestinian society has transformed from mainly nationalist and leftist to nationalist and Islamist (right-wing is you will). As the numbers of DFLP/PFLP supported dwindled on the streets, red Kuffiyas were rarely visible, until they made a recent resurgence, correlated with Hamas’ enduring rise. Though Hamas’ traditional colour is green, when it came to the Kuffiya, red was the smart choice. Green not Palestinian enough, risky political move, red is Palestinian, not as much as black, but a lot less Fatah.

For the current century’s Kuffiya colour evolution, go back to the KABOBarchive. But remember, the important question is: What Kuffiya would Jesus rock?

[Tarboush Tip: Catholic Sunni Shia, QuiQui, Hanaanity, Swedenburg, and Sitti Latifeh]

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Modern Chronology of the Keffiyah Kraze

1906-1910 >
While conducting thesis fieldwork in Syria and Palestine, T.E. Lawrence discovers keffiyahs to be useful both for keeping out the cold and for keeping out the heat.

1921
Rudolph Valentino and his kuffiya star in silent film, The Sheik.

1926
Kufiya and Valentino reunited for The Son of the Sheik. Still no sound.

Mid-Late 1930s
The kuffiyah becomes symbol of Palestinian nationalism and an expression of class struggle against British occupation. British army chief proposes jailing any Palestinian who wears keffiyah. Is overruled by his superiors who kindly ask him to bloody shut the fuck up already, you chattering hen.

Tea, anyone?

1962
Peter O'Toole in white keffiyeh as T.E. Lawrence in Lawrence of Arabia. Oscar goes to... Gregory Peck.

Mid 1960s
Kaffiyahs begin to appear in U.S. within anti-Vietnam war movement. Activists on anti-imperialist left declare solidarity with Palestinians.

Arafat adopts scarf. Drapes it over shoulder into the shape of Palestine.

1970
Leila Khaled gives gender the finger by wearing previously masculine kuffiyah in style of hijab. Is immediately re-gendered by prepubescent school boys by becoming pin-up sensation of choice.

1983 >
Professional wrestler, The Iron Sheik, signs with WWF to personify every negative stereotype about the Middle East in case you didn't already have them. At autograph signing event in Detroit, reports surface of a five year-old brat named Will repeatedly yanking kaffiyeh off of Sheik's head.

1988
After several unsuccessful attempts, Fayyad finally consults the Guide to Wrapping your Keffiyah into a Mask so you can Creep the Streets of Jenin Spraying Anti-Occupation Graffiti. The event later inspires him to author his own series of "How To" guides while in college, including the Guide to Campus Divestment from Israel, the Guide to Stirring Creamer in Coffee, and the Guide to Stirring Creamer in Salma Hayek's Coffee.

Three months into Palestinian intifada, CBS reports being puzzled by keffiyah sightings on Americans. Time magazine teaches Americans how to pronounce "keh-fee-yah" and assures parents: "It’s just an accessory… The ethnic type of look is in right now… The idea that it’s political is ridiculous."

1990 >
Big pimpin' in the 4th grade, school principal confiscates Nadeem's keffiyah after the girls in his class report his presence to be "simply too terrorgasmic to concentrate."

1991
Street keffiyah-wearing wanes around the U.S. in light of Persian Gulf War. Arab Americans report feeling afraid to wear it. Scarf remains ubiquitous among anti-War movement.

April 2001
Sting performs in front of pyramids at Giza. Unable to decide which color keffiyah best matches his eyes.

June 2001
Raf Simons takes up keffiyahs on Spring 2002 collection. Simons says: "They are not terrorists. They are fighters for independence and freedom."

September 2001
Hate crimes against U.S. Arabs increase. Peace activists intensify keffiyah-wearing in solidarity.

May 2002
Columbia University students wear keffiyahs to graduation ceremony in solidarity with Palestine.

March 20, 2003 >
At Baghdad's Fashion Week, George W. Bush's new ready-to-wear line introduces the "Blood-stained Keffiyah." Continues to be hottest accessory on streets to date.

November 2003
Never one to turn down a dare (especially not after last call) Fayyad masks himself in keffiyah and walks up and down Madison's State Street. Freaks out drunken university students.

January 2004
AP photographer snaps a picture of Howard Dean wearing a keffiyah during Presidential primaries. In spin control, Dean's Jewish affairs adviser, Matt Dorf, explains scarf was thrown over Dean's shoulders by a young supporter, and assures AIPAC and friends that it was yanked off "after four seconds."

November 2004
"Keffiyah" gets her own Wikipedia page. Fights begin over her history, symbolism, and most importantly -- her spelling and variations. Official KABOBfest Style Guide: "Spell it every single way to increase search engine returns!" كوفية, keffiyeh, keffiye, keffiyah, kefiyah, kefiya, kefiyat, kaffiyeh, kaffiyah, kaffiya, kafiya, kufiyah, kuffiyah, kufiya, shmagh, shemagh, gutra, hatta...

January 2005
Hugo Chavez dons keffiyah at World Social Forum. Does not apologize.

February 17, 2005
Village Voice reports: "Arafat's trademark scarf is now military chic"

May 2005 >
Brazilian soccer star, Ronaldo, wears keffiyah while visiting Palestine during 57th Al Nakba.

July 2005
Ricky Martin poses for photos with keffiyah draped over shoulders while visiting Jordan for Arab Children's Congress. Announces support for the Palestinian cause and for refugees' right of return.

August 2005
After his people ask him to remember "just who signs your paychecks around here," Ricky Martin apologizes for wardrobe malfunction. Blames Jordanian children for putting keffiyah on his shoulders without realizing what it represented. Insists he was taken advantage of and as a special gesture, promises to play a concert in Israel on his next world tour the following spring.

December 8, 2005
Matt Lauer suspected of wearing keffiyah to keep warm during filming of Today Show episode. Sparks Keffiyah-Gate.

January 2006 >
Jon Audarson of streetwear label Dead transforms keffiyah pattern into western shirt. Snaps photo of Quentin Tarantino rocking the mishmash of cultures.

International Herald Tribune reports, "Scarf morphs into iconic accessory." Chief editor of British GQ insists scarf has not lost its original political meaning.

April 2006
In LA Times article, "'Terrorist Chic' and Beyond," writer Daniel Hernandez examines the keffiyah kraze by wearing one. Looks in mirror and startles himself.

May 2006
Days before scheduled performance, Ricky Martin cancels Israeli debut due to low ticket sales. Promises to visit to Israel at an unspecified future date.

June 2006 >
Palestinian-American fashion designer Nemi Jamal spins keffiyah (hatta) into new forms of attire. Expresses desire to "take it further, expand on its possibilities and use it as clothing... I want to make the hatta into the bandanna of today."

July 2006
Spain’s Prime Minister Zapatero wears keffiyah at rally for young Socialists. Accuses Israel of using "abusive force" in its military operations.

Anti-Defamation League condemns Zapatero for his racist comments and wardrobe.

November 2006
Top Shop markets minimalist version of keffiyeh: "The Table Cloth Scarf."

December 2006
As part of spring fashion accessories line, Urban Outfitters begins sale of $20 keffiyahs marketed as "Anti-War Woven Scarves."

Manager of one New York Urban Outfitters store reports it to be his top selling scarf.

January 2007 >
Commodification takes unexpected turn with "Kaffieyh Yisraelit." Like the fate of hummus and the hookah, Israeli entrepreneurs now appropriate keffiyah, adorning it with miniature Stars of David. "It's going to be like the falafel," scarf-designer brags. Gets AIPAC, CAMERA, and Alan Dershowitz on speed dial to help convince Americans into believing keffiyah was Israel's first.

Urban Outfitters halts sale of keffiyah per Zionists' careful instructions. In lieu of pulling scarves, Canadian Urban Outfitters renames them "Shemagh Scarves." Continued commodification of Arabic culture assured in five fashion-friendly color variations.

February 2007 >
Anne Frank spotted all over Amsterdam in keffiyah. Chooses traditional red/white pattern over Kaffieyh Yisraelit.

French designer Nicholas Ghesquiere's "Balenciaga Scarf" appears in his collegiate-inspired ready-to-wear collection.

Keffiyah fad is "dead," declares fashion student Whats-Her-Name in New York Times article.

March 2007
Urban Outfitters near UCLA continuing sale of keffiyahs. Maytha dons undercover cultural reporter disguise (read: Maytha pretends to know nothing) and asks salesboy what "this" is. Salesboy responds with, "Oh, I think these are handmade, one of a kind, something special like that." (read: Salesboy pretends to know something)

Nine Inch Nails' Trent Reznor in keffiyah for latest video, "Survivalism."

April 2007 >
"Balenciaga Scarf" makes it on Style.com’s must-haves for Fall 2007.

David Beckham spotted wearing blue keffiyah in Madrid.

July 2007
Urban Outfitters' Keffiyah Kraze, Version 2: The Heart Woven Desert Scarf is "the Shemagh scarf with a girly touch." Available in bink and burble.

Teen clothing catalog, Alloy’s version: "The Riviera Scarf"

ASOS capitalizes on keffiyah in the style of Cameron Diaz with the "Rock Tassle Scarf in the style of Cameron Diaz"

ASOS capitalizes on keffiyahs in the style of Carl Barat and David Beckham with the "Libertines Check Scarf in the style of Carl Barat and David Beckham"

Teen Vogue declares Kirstin Dunst's brown number to be "Breezy, Global Chic." Right-wing blog visitors declare to now hate Kirstin Dunst.

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Certain to be continued...

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Special thanks to:

Ted Swedenburg and his work on the keffiyah, particularly his 1992 article in the Michigan Quarterly Review: "Seeing double: Palestinian/American histories of the kufiya." (v31.n4 (Fall 1992): pp557(21)). As you can probably tell by the title, it has great information on the history of the keffiyah -- kufiya -- however he spells it. Check out Dr. Swedenburg's excellent blog at: http://swedenburg.blogspot.com/

Georgetown's Center for Contemporary Arab Studies' Meagan Bridges on her informative analysis: The Transnational Keffiyeh and the Politics of Style (April 10, 2007) where KABOBfest's very own Maytha makes a special guest appearance as footnotes #23 and #58!

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Rock The Citadel!

Last night, at an open air stadium in Damascus, 10,000 Syrians got a taste of some Latin loving.

Son of Spanish songbird, husband of the most famous lowly ranked female tennis star, former mole-wearer, otherwise known as the bilingual pop star Enrique Iglesias, made history by performing to a sold out crowd in the Syrian capital.

According to the AP article by Samar Kassabli, no Western act has performed in Syria in over 30 years. I'm slightly skeptical of such a claim. I could have sworn that the Iron Sheik performed at the Cote D'Azur Hotel in Latakia. Ironically enough, he did open up the show by serenading members of the muhabbarat by singing:

"I can be your hero baby"

Even though the Iron Sheik paved the road for Western performers, Enrique himself had many reservations about performing in what he considered the "dangerous red zone." He even sent his manager ahead of the planned date to scope out the scene and make sure that there were no "security issues." According to the Middle East news information site Al Bawaba, Enrique's manager, Peter Brighton was indeed surprised by Damascus; not because of any supposed "security threats" but because of a religious harmony often overlooked by Western media:

"One of the things that had amazed him was the sound of the call for prayers that was heard from mosques and the sounds of church bells showing that Muslims and Christians live in harmony with one another."

Mr. Brighton was so mesmerized by the city that he extended his "business-only" stay to include visits to historic sites. Who would have thought that the longest continually-inhabited city on earth had anything to offer in the way of history or archaeological treasures?

The story is so big in fact that my local San Gabriel valley newspaper carried the AP article along with a large photo of the impassioned musician on the second page of the main paper!

Strangely enough, Enrique Iglesias's official website makes no mention of the concert in Syria.

Im waiting in earnest to see if Bashar al-Assad will award Enrique with the rightly deserved Syrian Order of Merit of Excellent Degree. I mean, if Sabah Fakhri got one, why not him?

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One-Two-Three Dutch Punch Leaves Israel Wobbly

If it were not for the Palestinians sharing some of the brunt, Israel’s entire rage and fury would have poured of the Dutch the last few days. Israel took a few hits from the Dutch this week the left them smashed, and none of them was off a joint.

Two days ago, the Netherlands defeated Israel in the opener game of European Football finals under-21. It would have been OK had things stopped here.

Dutch Foreign Minister is currently on a Middle East tour, in which he plans to express his countries interest in playing a more active role in a real peace process between Palestinians and Israelis that is potentially to be a focal point in the future. This sort of external meddling is usually frowned upon by the Israelis unless it is window dressing from Washington.

But there is more to the story, a letter signed by major Dutch figures indicated what direction that role would go, should the government respect the will of its people, much to the dislike and dismay of the Jewish state. The group of 52 senior figures, politicians, and parliamentarians, including former prime minister and foreign minister demanded that their government recognize Hamas and “apply more pressure against Israel, to restore the international community's credibility.”

Dutch politicians, I reckon, know the history of the conflict, and understand its current realities, and that is not only because of the revealing documentary broadcast on Dutch TV on the 40th anniversary of the 1967 war presented in the two clips below. The 13-minute documentary exposes the revisionist history narrated by Israel and propagated by western media (Peter Jennings called it waster media was cheering on Israeli troops) through a Dutch UN observer.

When reached for a comment, Anti-defamation League’s feisty cat, Abe Foxman, declared June as the Dutch Anti-Semitism month…

Part 1

Part 2


Now can you guess what was going through this mind writing this piece? Why do we have three interchangeable words from that place/nationality: Holland, Netherlands, Dutch?
Here is a theory of how they may have originated: Once stoned, one may ask:
-Hey, where are we, man?
-Eeeeeehhhh, Netherlands?
-Hey, man, there is a hole in this couch?
-Oh, Holland, man.
-Hey man, you know what they call Germany in German, man?

If you think this dialogue is silly, you should know it sounds a lot funnier in Dutch, especially if you’ve been smoking, also remember the words of Michael Kelso from That 70s Show, paraphrased: “Man, when we’re in the circle, we come up with these great ideas, but they all sound dumb afterwards.”

Nabeel, as KABOBfest's resident horticulturalist, do you have any thoughts on the latter part of the post?

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Norman Finkelstein On The Six-Day War

Author, professor, and anti-Zionist (aka self-hating Jew) Norman Finkelstein was interviewed on Chicago Public Radio's World View on Wednesday to discuss the history and impact of the Six-Day war of 1967 in which Israel occupied the remaining parts of Palestine (Gaza & the Wast Bank including Jerusalem), Sinai Desert, the Golan Heights, parts of the Jordan Valley, and Southern Lebanon. (The Israelis love claiming to have done all that on the defensive).

This was the second of the 2-part series on the topic. The first day, the show hosted Michael Oren, an American who decided to become an Israeli, join its army, and invade countries on its behalf, including last years war against Lebanon, and later turned into a "Middle East scholar."

Though I have no problem with Finkelstein presenting this side of the issue, I think it is so ironic that the host and producers of the show could not live with themselves had they hosted a Palestinian to present that side, or a politician/officer from the army that fought against Israel's offensive. The most their conscious would allow them is to host a kosher Jew against a non-kosher Jew, the later being slightly more tolerable than an Arab.

Fair and balanced.

Here is the audio of the interview, towards the end of the hour, it discusses the public debate around Finkelstein's tenure at the DePaul University in Chicago, and Alan (CrazyMan) Dershowitz' et. al. campaign to get DePaul to deny him tenure.

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Israel Played Role in Air France Entebbe Hijacking

Newly released documents by the British National Archive, obtained by the BBC, include a diplomat's claim of Israeli involvement in the hijacking of an Air France plane in 1976. The plane was diverted to Entebbe Airport in Uganda, and the operation was concluded with an impromptu, superman-like rescue by Israeli commandos. Given the suspected advance notice the Israeli's had, may be the rescue was not so glaring after all.

It has been seen as a daring raid by crack Israeli troops to rescue dozens of their countrymen held at the mercy of hijackers.

But newly released documents contain a claim that the 1976 rescue of hostages, kidnapped on an Air France flight and held in Entebbe in Uganda, was not all it seemed.

A UK government file on the crisis, released from the National Archives, contains a claim that Israel itself was behind the hijacking.

An unnamed contact told a British diplomat in Paris that the Israeli Secret Service, the Shin Bet, and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) collaborated to seize the plane.
...
In the document, written on 30 June 1976 when the crisis was still unresolved, DH Colvin of the Paris Embassy writes of his source: "According to his information, the hijack was the work of the PFLP, with help from the Israeli Secret Service, the Shin Beit.

"The operation was designed to torpedo the PLO's standing in France and to prevent what they see as a growing rapprochement between the PLO and the Americans."

This claim may very well be true. Israeli intelligence has an eventful resume of successfully infiltrating Palestinian militant and political groups and manipulating them into carrying out operations that the Palestinian populous sees as harmful to their cause. Similar rumors have been circulating in Gaza of Israeli involvement in cases like the kidnapping of BBC journalist Alan Johnston, and the 2003 bombing that killed three US diplomats administering educational scholarships, both by suspiciously new or perviousely unknown groups.

It may be true, but we're unlikely to know the full facts, for some reason, in such cases, the official version of events, rapidly parroted by media outlet, seizes to become a version, and instead is seen as conventional wisdom, making all alternate theories and versions "conspiracy theories" that are given little credence or attention.

A South African proverb goes like this: "until the lions have their historians, history will always be told by the hunters."

However, if the Israeli's were behind this operation, and the intention was torpedo the PLO-French relations, imagine what would have happened had they thought of ramming the plane into a downtown Paris high rise.

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Addicted to War

Though I this video does not fully explain the institutional engines driving American militarism, it offers an introduction to help the addict get past the classic stage of addiction: denial.

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Hebron turned into 'ghost town'

From BBC.com

Human rights groups say Israeli curbs on Palestinians in the West Bank town of Hebron have forced thousands of them to leave homes and close businesses.

B'Tselem and the Association for Civil Rights in Israel said Israel had in effect expropriated central Hebron to protect some 650 Jewish settlers there.

Israel had breached the Geneva Convention prohibiting forced transfer, which was a war crime, the groups said.

The Israeli military says curbs are to maintain order and protect life.

"The policy of separation founded on ethnic criteria has caused a massive exodus of Palestinians from Hebron's city centre," the joint human rights report said.

"Israeli activities have been carried out on the basis of a preferential policy toward settlers that has turned the centre of Hebron into a ghost town."

Military closures

The groups said about 1,000 Palestinian homes, more than 40% of homes in the centre of Hebron, had been vacated because of Israeli closures in the centre of the city.

Two-thirds of these were vacated during the course of the second Palestinian intifada, or uprising, which began in 2000.

Troops look after settlers' interests not Palestinians', the report saysMore than 75% of shops were shut down, the joint B'Tselem/ACRI survey said, 62% of them since 2000 and a quarter of them as a result of military orders.

"They created conditions that made the Palestinians move," B'Tselem spokeswoman Sarit Michaeli said. "The army can't now say that they didn't know this was going to happen."

An Israeli military statement said the report had failed to reflect the complexities of Hebron, and that the restrictions were imposed to protect both Israeli and Palestinian residents.

"In this complicated reality the military commander is required, and is in fact obliged, to take such actions on purely security grounds," a military statement said.

'Lies, distortions'

The report said the army generally did not intervene when Palestinian residents were subjected to attacks by militant settlers, which also caused people to leave.

"Dozens of settlers attacked my house at once, and they burned things inside the house," former resident Mufid Sharabati is quoted saying.

"We called the Israeli police and the army, but nobody helped us."

Settler spokesman David Wilder denounced the report as lies and distortions, and said Palestinians left because of curfews imposed because of attacks on settlers.

"We have never tried to throw anybody out, and we have not tried to keep anyone here," he said.

Hebron is the only place in the Israeli-occupied West Bank where a small community of Jewish settlers lives in the heart of a Palestinian city.

Under an agreement with the Palestinian Authority, Israel evacuated 80% of Hebron in 1997, remaining in an area around the Old City where 650 Jewish settlers live among about 30,000 Palestinians.

All Israeli settlements built on land captured in the 1967 war are illegal under international law, although Israel disputes this.

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Also read an interesting article on the divide in the Palestinian and Israeli narratives of the conflict history: Nakba and Occupation of Palestine and the establishment of Israel.

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Intricate Math At The Heart Of Medieval Islamic Art

An interesting piece that reveals how advanced were math and geometry employed in middle ages Islamic design in mosques and palaces. Islamic art refrained from depicting human figures, animals, and often plants, paving way to unprecedented creativity and advancement in geometric design. Make sure you listen to the short audio accompanying the article.

Medieval Mosques Illuminated by Math

All Things Considered, February 22, 2007 · Historic buildings in the Islamic world are often covered with breathtakingly intricate geometric designs. Both artists and mathematicians have long puzzled over them, wondering how the patterns were created.

Now, a Harvard physicist has some new ideas about the designs and the advanced math behind them.

The research, conducted by Peter Lu of Harvard University and Paul Steinhardt of Princeton University, appears in the journal Science.

Several years ago in Uzbekistan, Lu came across a beautiful geometric design on the wall of a madrassa.

The blue design with 10-pointed stars reminded Lu, a physics graduate student, of something he had studied in school – a strange crystal structure that was first described 30 years ago.
Lu wondered, could Islamic artists have known about this weird geometry, 500 years earlier? To find out, he consulted a rare 15th century scroll – an instruction manual of sorts – for medieval artists, who carefully guarded their secret techniques. The scroll's panels show t