New Yorker Apologizes to Israel for Taking Umayyad Antiquity from Occupied Jerusalem (!)

There is such a basic ignorance of Israel-Palestine politics and history. Media covering the story of the American who returned an antiquity to Israel are missing the absurdity of the action and Israel’s response.

An American man from New York finally resolved 12 years of guilt and agony over a 21kg (46lb) chunk of medieval pillar he took from Jerusalem’s Old City. Media are reporting he returned it to Israeli authorities, the Israeli Antiquities Authority, and that they decided not to pursue legal action.

Israel Shuts Down Palestinian Media Center for More Jerusalem-Stealing

Israel, showing its respect for freedom of the press and the free flow of information, closed down the Palestinian media center in Jerusalem. No wonder its freedom of the press ranking was recently demoted by Freedom House. The center was set up by the Palestinians to offer media access to Palestinian officialdom during the Pope’s [...]

Israel as the Old West

Today’s gruesome attack in a settlement, in which a man wielding an ax killed a teenage Israeli and wounded a child, brought to mind the image of the old American west. The settlers who founded the United States expanded West and in the process faced hostile natives, the narrative goes. The colonists circled the wagons [...]

Jerusalem’s Bully

Have you ever seen a bully steal something and, feeling guilty about the theft, intimidate the victim into remaining passive? That is how Israel behaves in general towards the Palestinians, but the most glaring examples of such bullying can be seen almost on a daily basis in Jerusalem. Since the beginning of this year, Israel [...]

With Love . . . Marcel Khalife

Guest Post from KABOBfest friend, Carlos I had the awesome privilege of meeting one of my favorite artists this past Saturday at the Kennedy Center. Marcel Khalife, the Lebanese Legend, the Dude with the Oud, the King of the Strings and the creative genius behind such beautiful and memorable melodies, was in town performing to [...]

Guest Post: Meen Erhabe?

A guest post from Carlos: Haaretz and the Jerusalem Post both pulled out the t-word to describe the bulldozer attack in Jerusalem today. It seemed that the word “terrorist” applied not only to masked gunmen firing rockets, to suicide bombers, to rock throwers, to members of any organization who pledge themselves to fight an illegal [...]

Beyond Muslim-Jewish Fighting in Israel-Palestine

“A holy fist fight.” Just to show you that a) Christian monks can still throw down and b) Jews and Muslims have no monopoly on whupping on each other, two mobs of Christian sects thrashed each other this morning near Jesus’ tomb. Armenian and Greek Orthodox monks began fighting in the Church of the Holy [...]

What Better Way to Atone For My Sins Than Stoning You?

I was forewarned before Yom Kippur that if you drive anywhere in Israel on the Day of Atonement, people will throw rocks at your car. Apparently driving on Yom Kippur is also a good way to get yourself nearly killed in Akka. I am of the mind that this type of social behavior, the kind [...]

Happy Yom Kippur!

Today, 18 years ago, Israeli soldiers and Jewish settlers carried out a coordinated attack on Al-Aqsa Mosque while it was packed with thousands of worshippers. The mosque was raided so as to prevent Palestinians from resisting Israelis wishing to lay the “foundation stone” for the “Third Temple” and claim sovereignty over the ground beneath Al-Aqsa [...]

Reading Along With My Bitter Buydatt

As bored as I am, I figured that I’d read an article and share my uncensored thoughts as they come to me. It’s not very analytical, but hey I don’t claim to be… Israel fears rise of attacks from East JerusalemitesWow, that’s kind of like saying, “Bank robbers fear attacks from hostages.” by Jean-Luc Renaudie [...]