Random
Gaza, Day 12 & Counting
I think I almost made my mother cry on the phone the other night when–in a non-twist which surprised absolutely nobody–I explained my opposition to the present war. Probably this is because I used fiery invective and very few statistics or facts of any kind, but that’s what happens when you have an argument while cooking dinner. For what it’s worth, no statistics or facts of any kind were marshalled against me, but in any case, making my mother angry/sad was not the goal of the conversation, so later I sat down and tried to find some things online to send her that would make my case in a more nuanced and articulate way, not just because I thought she should be exposed to the information, but because I thought that I should.
This short comment-piece by Akiva Eldar, published first in Hebrew in Ha’aretz and then translated to English by Jessica Cohen for The Nation seems to me to have said what a better-informed, less irate version of myself would have said, and what this version of myself wishes he would have said. I have a copy of the book Eldar wrote (co-wrote, actually, with Idith Zertal), Lords of the Land: The War over Israel’s Settlements and the Occupied Territories 1967-2007 sitting on my shelf, but I haven’t read it. Yet.
You might also take a look at the BBC’s Key Maps and Timeline (from which above-image is borrowed)
Tags: akiva eldar, ha'aretz, the nation
Justin,
this stuff makes me so depressed. i avoid the news for a reason.
The ‘Arab Peace Initiative’ is not going to force the Arab states to recognize israel. Some will. Some won’t. You can’t undo intense hatred with a signed document.
Justin,
this stuff makes me so depressed. i avoid the news for a reason.
The ‘Arab Peace Initiative’ is not going to force the Arab states to recognize israel. Some will. Some won’t. You can’t undo intense hatred with a signed document.
Jews, Arabs, a strip of land the size of Long Island hogging 99% of world news…great big yawn.
Jews, Arabs, a strip of land the size of Long Island hogging 99% of world news…great big yawn.
The US got over the Civil War, you don’t see Germany getting shelled by neighboring countries, fucking assholes just need to get over it.
The US got over the Civil War, you don’t see Germany getting shelled by neighboring countries, fucking assholes just need to get over it.
Justin,
I’ve been having a similar conversation with my grandfather and I appreciate that link. I sent it to him, plus some personal thoughts relating specifically to some of his points, plus this article is very good:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jan/07/gaza-israel-palestine
Justin,
I’ve been having a similar conversation with my grandfather and I appreciate that link. I sent it to him, plus some personal thoughts relating specifically to some of his points, plus this article is very good:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jan/07/gaza-israel-palestine
ben,
thanks for that link. it’s a fascinating piece. people should read it.
everyone else- this isn’t going to become a political blog, but literature doesn’t exist in a socio-political vacuum, and neither does the USA, much as those two entities might wish that they did. They don’t, which is to say that we don’t. Part of the function of art is to provide a means for engagement with the world. My motivation for posting this was analogous to what motivated me to post on those New School protests–except, you know, times a fucking billion because it’s A WAR. That is to say: it just felt relevant, and I wanted to. I intend to keep functioning this way, so expect the occasional interruption of your regularly scheduled programming. I promise to follow it up tomorrow with more Power Quotes, and a thing about the new issue of GRANTA, and one day soon we’re actually going to write about this rad new journal called FlatmanCrooked that both Blake and I have been wanting to talk about for a while. Etc etc etc
ben,
thanks for that link. it’s a fascinating piece. people should read it.
everyone else- this isn’t going to become a political blog, but literature doesn’t exist in a socio-political vacuum, and neither does the USA, much as those two entities might wish that they did. They don’t, which is to say that we don’t. Part of the function of art is to provide a means for engagement with the world. My motivation for posting this was analogous to what motivated me to post on those New School protests–except, you know, times a fucking billion because it’s A WAR. That is to say: it just felt relevant, and I wanted to. I intend to keep functioning this way, so expect the occasional interruption of your regularly scheduled programming. I promise to follow it up tomorrow with more Power Quotes, and a thing about the new issue of GRANTA, and one day soon we’re actually going to write about this rad new journal called FlatmanCrooked that both Blake and I have been wanting to talk about for a while. Etc etc etc
For those of you who are on Facebook and interested, I began a group Writers Speak for Palestine and Israel – which speaks to our common responsibility, as writers, to write about the issue that impact us all.