Global Voices » Carmel L. Vaisman

Israel: The Lie, the Truth and the Meme (of the Soldier and the Girl)

Carmel L. Vaisman — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 18:52:05 +0000

The photograph below, of a soldier stepping on a little girl, has been circulating on the social web for the past few days, claimed to be of an IDF soldier and a Palestinian girl. Wesley Muhammad who posted it claimed to have seen it on someone else's news feed with that caption, and wonders why it went viral from his page. Within two days the photo (now discarded) received over 500 comments, including some claims the photo is fake.

Yossi Gavni reposted the photo highlighting the main claims that the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) doesn't carry that kind of weapon and has no such uniforms, and that photo circulated mainly among Israelis. Apparently, the photo was tweeted last year in French, claiming this is actually from Syria's demonstrations and asking for it to spread. However, Arab blogger Omar Dakhane found the original photo (below), which is neither from Syria nor Israel but a street theater performance in Bahrain.

This story could have ended here with a lesson not to believe everything that circulates out there in the age of media manipulation and virality, but apparently some Israelis have decided the best response to a viral lie is a humorous meme. In the last 24 hours many photos replacing the soldier with different characters have been circulating on Facebook, initiated by 10Gag, the Israeli answer to 9Gag humor and memes generator.

For example, a photo where the soldier was replaced by a dog wearing real IDF uniform, probably also responding humorously to earlier allegations that IDF trains dogs to attack Palestinians. Other entities stepping on that girl included an empire soldier from Star Wars, the Angry Birds, the Android, the Avatar N'aavi, Chuck Norris and more.

By turning the photo into a meme, Israelis are saying in “social media language” that such a situation is ridiculous and fictional, although Wesley Muhammad who started the viral spread concludes: ”I took the photo down (even though that type of thing DOES happen in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict)”. In response, Shani Yaakov posted a collage of pictures titled “this is the true picture of the IDF” (below) in which soldiers are seen in positive and friendly interactions with Palestinians. As for the truth, as always, it's probably somewhere in the middle.

Israel: Netanyahu Threatens to Replace Interns with Indian Doctors

Carmel L. Vaisman — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 19:07:54 +0000

Israeli medical interns were one of the most prominent sectors in the social protest that stirred Israel this summer and one of the few sectors that have kept striking until a fair agreement is reached. Their struggle has been occupying the front pages of the Israeli newspapers in the last couple of days; Friday 18 November's newspapers have quoted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu suggesting to the Ministry of Health to replace the interns with foreign labor contractors from India, if an agreement can not be reached with them.

This shocking remark, coming from the Prime Minister against the backdrop of poor labor conditions across sectors and the government's tightening control on foreign labor through discontinuing of visas, has been the top conversation topic online over the weekend.

As critique over social media is often presented in the form of humor and sarcasm, many Israeli interns have replaced their profile pages on Facebook to pictures of Indian doctors as seen in the profiles collection on Ido Keinan's blog, who reported the phenomenon first.

Message on the wall reads: "Bibi, you live in a Bollywood movie!"

Israeli interns change thier profile pictures to those of Indian doctors to protest Prime Minister Netanyahu's intent to replace them with foreign labor contractors

Israelis have been posting to the Facebook page of “civilians supporting the interns struggle” pictures of Gandhi or of Netanyahu wearing a Sikh turban, subtitled: “Wanted – an Indian PM” or “We can import an Indian PM too”, as well as digitally-manipulated pictures of Netanyahu's wife in an Indian sari.

Caption reads "We can import a PM from India too"

On Twitter @orbar wondered:

When they bring doctors form India will they instruct Oz bullies (the police unit responsible for capturing illegal foreign workers) to ask for medical diplomas?

@nitayp suggests:

I have a solution for this crisis: if the inters call themselves settlers instead of interns suddenly their demands will seem natural and reasonable

Famous Journalist and Television critique Rannan Shaked tweeted:

Bring doctors from India, social workers from Denmark, trains from Japan and community services from Sweden. Only keep bringing the Prime Ministers from your butt.

In a more serious tone, opposition Knesset member, Dov Khenin tweeted:

Netanyahu: “bring doctors from India”. The essence of Capitalism in 3 words. And when these doctors will learn Hebrew and learn to organize their labor, we will deport them and import others from China.

* Many thanks to Elizabeth Tsurkov for her help with curating the tweets.

Israel: Netanyahu Rapped for Exploiting Shalit's Return

Carmel L. Vaisman — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 08:49:38 +0000

While it seems that the entire state of Israel has either taken to the streets or been glued to the television cheering for the release of the kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit after 1,941 days of Hamas captivity, something entirely different is going on in the back channels of social media.

On October 11, 2011, when the prisoner exchange deal was first announced, many of the leading social media activists were busy re-organizing the #j14 social protest to support and align with the #OcuppyWallStreet movement and the entire wave of protests we have seen this year.

Along with the relief and happiness for Shalit's family, the activists couldn't help but wonder about the timing of this deal, claiming the government could and should have done such a deal years ago and now it seemed to some that it was a “spin” aimed to bury the protest coverage and re-frame the collective memory of Netanyahu's regime.Some were even directing their criticism towards Israeli society and/or challenging the longstanding Israeli ethos of treating one of our own as worth a thousand of others.

The first hug. Taken by Avi Ochayon, Government Press Office.

A few typical examples include [*Bibi = Benjamin Netanyahu's nickname]:

@a_Daydreamer: Well did go, Netanyahu, for pulling the Gilad Shalit card. I'm sure he kept it for times of distress.

@ygurvitz: Gilad Shalit is the last resort for these bastards

@Vandersister: So all it took to free Shalit was a general workers strike and collapsing the health system? Why didn't you say so earlier?

@yairtar: What a wonderful people we are, oh, the solidarity! It is exciting how Israelis will do anything for someone they don't even know… unless he is a cancer patient/contract worker/homeless/simply poor

Uri Breitman:

The Shalit deal is Bibi's way to overcome the low tide of his image. For cheap rating that will probably last for a month, Bibi sells all of us and frees 1000 prisoners. No soldier in the world is worth 1000 people, not even Bibi himself

Libi Bageno, Nana10:

Bibi is preparing the ground for the next elections with a speech that most of it is “I, I, me”. You are right that we are all united and our hearts have expanded but the fact you did a wonderful thing today doesn't make anyone forget the truth – that it's still pretty shitty here, and only a month and a half ago there was a social protest here that almost buried you down under the power of its wrath.

During the past week it was the same activists who campaigned on social media, mainly through spreading a Facebook event, asking people not to watch mainstream media on the day Shalit is returned, to show that the people cannot be turned back to blind media consumers that easily and to let Shalit be after five years in captivity instead of prying into his life.

Yesterday, as all Israeli and most international media have been following Shalit's return live, Prime Minister Netanyahu is heavily critiqued for the choices he made throughout the entire day, especially upon insisting meeting Shalit first and having army officials there, before he even saw his family or a doctor (due to his weak condition).

While most mainstream media are taking on a formal coverage angle, it is left for social media and a few marginal sections of the online newspapers to highlight this critique of how PM Netanyahu has exploited and objectified Shalit.

@YehudaNuriel: Alon Ben David (TV news reporter – c.v): “Bibi will be the first person Gilad meets. According to PM's office, it was the request of Shalit's family. Shalit family told us there was no such request”. Awesome.

@Jeronimo_: I have brought your child back home” says Netanyahu to the Shalit family, so no one will miss the connection.

I'm not sure I understood from Bibi's speech – who is responsible to the return of Shalit? Who decided? Who's a leader? Too much subtext….

@Galchs: funny, bibi forgot to mention in his speech that Noam shalit was camped across his house for a few years and he didn't come out to talk to him even once

Ariana Melamed, Ynet:

In Netanyahu's eyes, Gilad Shalit isn't more important than the supertanker cockpit or lighting Shabbat candles with Madonna. According to his worldview, he is the star of these events and the cause is just the exquisite set stressing his importance, his efforts, his accomplishments and his necessity as a PM… When becoming a PM one has to loose quite a bit of shame, manners and respect. This is how, apparently, Netanyahu allows himself to be the first to greet Shalit and to push himself in euphoria to the picture of the father hugging his returned son… Netanyahu is a hero once more. Gilad shalit is already an indirect object.

Many who seem to have noticed and shared this “photo – opportunity” critique already responded to it in the language of social media – by starting a meme over it. A series of photos were posted and circulated on Facebook portraying Netanyahu as a self-promoter in other historic moments:

Source: Facebook

(Bibi pushing himself into Gilad Shalit's X-ray photo)

As it is with memes, this is probably just the beginning. See more updates on Bibi appearing in various historic (and fictional) moments here and here.

Israel: Beyond ‘us' and ‘them,' Lihi Yona is an Arab Jew

Carmel L. Vaisman — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 18:39:43 +0000

Israeli woman Lihi Yona, a Moroccan Jew descendent, reclaims her Arab roots and complicates local identity politics on a bus ride to Jordan to attend a Lebanese band performance. The Hebrew version is followed by an English one: I am an Arab Jew.

Israel: A new participatory online video project

Carmel L. Vaisman — Sat, 05 Mar 2011 12:15:30 +0000

“Bits of my life in Israel” is the title of a new video project, initiated by Israeli journalist and blogger Ziv Kitaro. The project invites Israelis to upload short videos in English documenting bits from their daily life dealing with any aspect of life, outside politics. the aim of the project is to give the world a window to the Israeli society, which isn't normally presented in the media outside a political context.Click here to follow the project or participate

Israel: Over 1,500 bikers escorted motorbike guru on his last ride

Carmel L. Vaisman — Sat, 05 Mar 2011 12:14:20 +0000

On Wednesday 2/3/2011, a deadly accident took the life of Tal Shavit (55), a local motorbike guru, the founder of Motto Magazine and an activist campaigning for safe riding. His death shattered the local bikers community who felt that if it could happen to Shavit, one of the most experienced and careful riders in Israel, no one is safe. Bikers who spoke at Shavit's funeral said that on every routine ride they feel like car drivers are trying to kill them. On Friday morning, 4/3/2011, over 1,500 riders took over one of the main roads, escorting Shavit on his last ride to the cemetery. Watch video

Israel: A Music Video Celebrating Egypt's New Freedom

Carmel L. Vaisman — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 08:29:31 +0000

A group of Israeli indie musicians have gathered to create a song, entitled Children of Liberty, expressing their support of the Egyptian people's newly acquired freedom, and have a “toast” to new neighbors, human rights and equality in both countries.

Egypt: Mubarak has changed his Facebook status to “it's complicated”

Carmel L. Vaisman — Sat, 05 Feb 2011 13:50:34 +0000

This post is part of our special coverage of Egypt Protests 2011.

To answer Malcolm Gladwell's doubtful question if Egypt needs Twitter, it seems ICTs (Information and Communication Technologies) played a big role in the #jan25 revolution in Egypt. Since the initial demonstrations were organized by young activists through Facebook, Egyptians refer to this young generation as “the Facebook youth”. In this picture tweeted yesterday, this man thanks Egypt's Facebook youth for starting this uprising:

Tweeps report that protesters in Tahrir are well aware of the power of Facebook and Twitter and carry signs with the names of those sites.
It was also reported that Cairo is covered with graffiti of Facebook and Twitter. Some of those pictures were published in the Washington Post yesterday.

Mike Nizza reports of a protester that walked up to a journalist in Cairo with an important concern, trying to find out if Egypt is trending on Twitter.

Egyptian and other Middle East activists have also used the language of social media as means of humor to describe the events as they unfolded. The most noted and retweeted remarks were:

I just ousted Mubarak as the Mayor of Egypt on Foursquare!

BREAKING: Hilary Clinton ‘unfriends' Hosni Mubarak on Facebook.

Mubarak to change his Facebook relationship status with Egypt to
“it's complicated”

Mubarak is retweeting Ben Ali, remember he wanted to stay till 2013?

Someone even wondered if there are any anti-Mubarak apps available for iPhone.

In addition, at least three new fake Twitter accounts of Hosni Mubarak appeared this week: @TheReal_Mubarak @HosniMobarak @NotHosniMubarak and also a Gamal Mubarak fake - @GMubarak

These fakes kept the moral high in the #jan25 Twitter stream, even in the darkest hours of the clashes on Wednesday and Thursday with tweets like:

#breakupexcuses Nope, can't think of any. I want to stay with #Egypt for the rest of my life.

For sale: One government. Never used, but probably doesn't work.

I need some help with damage control, @SarahPalinUSA How did you handle ruining politics in the USA?

Reports pro #Mubarak protesters are paid by the government are untrue. Also can anyone lend me money? I owe some cash to some people

Fake Gamal Mubarak has also created an Obama poster for his dad:

Curiously enough, Muabark's older fake account @presidenthosni did not participate in #jan25 events.

Finally, if you wondered how Egyptian bloggers and tweeps keep updating from the square without needing to charge their phone batteries, this picture was tweeted yesterday, showing improvised recharging of phones in Tahrir square:

This post is part of our special coverage of Egypt Protests 2011.

East Jerusalem: Sheikh Jarrah is renamed Tahrir Square by activists

Carmel L. Vaisman — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 22:17:38 +0000

The weekly solidarity march of Palestinian and Israeli activists in the East Jerusalem Neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah this morning, was marked by a solidarity protest with the people of Egypt. Protesters carried an Egyptian flag and changed the name of Shaikh Jarrah garden to Tahrir Square. Click for photo

Israel: Jews should be banned from learning Arabic

Carmel L. Vaisman — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 22:15:13 +0000

Arab-Israeli author and Journalist Sayed Kashua wrote a humorous yet sharp column targeting the Israeli narrow view point on the events in Egypt: “I used to think one of the troubles with this place, where people are always buzzing about humanism and accepting others, was the lack of knowledge of Arabic. After listening to our Arab affairs analysts, I reached the conclusion that it would be better not to teach Arabic at all here. In fact, Yisrael Beiteinu should get a law passed banning Jews from learning Arabic, if the result is going to be analysts like Guy Bechor.” Read more

Israel: Why this Israeli is so invested in Egypt?

Carmel L. Vaisman — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 22:14:08 +0000

Emily L. Hauser writes memories from Cairo as she prays for the Egyptian people: “I know that the Egyptians don’t love the peace that Sadat signed with us. I know that they hate the occupation, distrust Israel and the US because of it, are prone to believing mildly (and not-so-mildly) anti-Semitic conspiracy theories. I know that the Magen David, the Star of David, the symbol of my faith, is often used by them as a symbol of evil. I know these things. But in my heart, they are my people, too.”Read more

Egypt: The Day of (Almost) Departure

Carmel L. Vaisman — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 22:10:33 +0000

This post is part of our special coverage of Egypt Protests 2011.

After two days of clashes, in which pro-democracy demonstrators were attacked by pro-Mubarak crowds, Friday - labelled as the “Day of Departure” saw increasing numbers of people pouring into Tahrir Square, down town, Cairo, where the images of peaceful celebrations returned.

Shortly after 5pm in Cairo, the crowd in Tahrir was roaring and tweets were flying around guessing the reason: Al Jazeera's live feed was showing soldiers mounting people into what seemed as a bus, and some people on Twitter assumed the protesters are marching to the presidential palace. Apparently they have debated on it. However, a fellow tweep from Heliopolis warned against such a move saying that presidential guard will surly shoot them all if they attempt to.

In the course of the next few minutes the reason for the roar was found: it seems that the announcer in the square did not choose his words carefully, causing the protesters to think Mubarak has announced his resignation.

The confusion raised as Egypt's state TV seemed to have changed its narrative in those same minutes, showing the protesters in the square and talking on the phone with one of them, on air. Ten minutes later journalists confirmed the rumor untrue and Egyptian hopeful tweeps stood corrected: announcer did say it but it wasn't confirmed information, more like wishful thinking probably.

At the same time, the anonymous protester on state TV said they were trained by Americans and Jews and everyone understood rapidly that unfortunately, nothing has changed. In addition, VP Suleiman spoke on TV, portraying the protesters as non serious youth and asking their parents to call them home. @ramahkudaimi answers on Twitter: too bad the parents and grandparents are in the street with them.

Among those who joined the protesters today were priests and nuns from the Coptic church of Egypt. A larger number of Egyptians are now breaking curfew by holding the Friday prayers in Tahrir, alongside the Christian prayers, as a united crowd of millions. Protesters are joined today by similar crowds across Egypt, estimating 4 million Egyptians are on the streets today.

As Egypt swings between beautiful unity and brutal clashes this week, it is time to make a plan beyond holding the square: Sarah Zaaimi, until recently a resident of Alexandria, calls upon the Egyptians to ignore recent conspiracy theories and be pragmatic:

Now that you know all this what should you do?

1.    Hold on Mubarak and risk that when he will die the masters will not do a ‘’PEACEFUL TRANSITION’’ anymore and you will join the Iraq Club

2.    Continue fighting like puppets and ending up with a more democratic president but with the same framework which don’t serve the interests of the Egyptian people.

3.    Being pragmatic while dealing with this conspiracy and getting rid of Mooby, but asking for the maximum you can get and involving as much new elites in the conspiracy as you can have.

Personally, I support option number 3. If you cooperate now you can have a prosperity phase where you can prepare for a more genuine revolution within less than 5 years with a more mature political elite (thing that you lack now), that would have emerged from January 25th Youth. And the good news for everyone is that; we would all have taken revenge from the black days of the current regime and sacrifice another pharaoh from the dynasty.

This post is part of our special coverage of Egypt Protests 2011.

Israel: Social Media Offers Alternative Egypt Commentary

Carmel L. Vaisman — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 01:53:24 +0000

For the last 48 hours, “revolution in Egypt” is set as the “hot” topic on the front page of Israblog, the largest Israeli blogger community; however, as little as 12 bloggers posted on this topic to date. Along with the conversations on Twitter and Facebook, Israelis express mixed feelings: intuitive support of the demand for freedom, alongside echoing of Western media fears of Islamic fundamentalism under the guise of democracy.

Ofri Ilani, Haaretz technology correspondent, offers one of the best descriptions of these mixed feelings on his personal blog:

What is happening in Egypt is so exciting and seminal that it is even hard to judge if it's good or bad in familiar terms. We can say the revolution is good news and it should be happening, for better or worse. But we should also remember that Camp David agreements or the possibility to go to Cairo and have coffee in Zamalek, is part of Mubarak's rule too…. if you think you and your very existence here aren't part of the American empire in the Middle East, raise your hand.

One could say that the fall of Mubarak's government is vital and joyful and at the same time, admit its possible outcome could mean war that might result in our defeat and the fall of Zionism in its current form. In short, we can jump like flees on the back of a sneezing elephant. Personally, I sum up my feelings towards the images from Egypt: fear and trembling. Meanwhile, congratulations and respect to the Egyptian people.

Blogger and artist Roy Arad wrote a personal column on Haaretz in which he confessed being glued to Twitter during the last few days. Arad explains what hypnotized him about the revolution while criticizing Israeli youth and media commentators:

I quarreled like a fool on Twitter with people who listened to Middle East commentators' fear of Muslim Brothers' rise, should Egypt become truly democratic. Islam is indeed a powerful factor, but I thought of my personal friends in Egypt: the shy translator, the provocative film artist with the nose ring, the girl from Mansura who asked me to send her socialist poetry and uses images of Hollywood stars as her facebook profile pictures…. I look at the faces of the youth dancing on top of the police cars and these are not the people who will let Egypt become an Islamic dictatorship. But who knows.

Israelis like myself, who were born into a democracy where everything can be said, can never experience courage like the Egyptians who risk their lives for it. If they lose they will be jailed and tortured. Revolution in Tel Aviv? Students in the cafes here are busier with pitiful critical theories… we who think twice before going to a demonstration cannot comprehend this kind of courage. While Egyptians risk their necks for the right to demonstrate, we prefer to stare at the dwarf from the Big Brother reality TV show and wait for something to happen.

Solidarity demonstrations with the Egyptian people took place both in front of the Egyptian embassy in Tel Aviv and in Jaffa over the weekend. @osnatita tweets:

The policeman at the entrance to the demonstration in Jaffa suggested we wait and not go into the city right now. When we said we came to join the demonstration he was shocked. Are you sure? He asked, surprised.

Many tweeps wondered about the ramifications of the revolution for Israel. @glachs writes:

Meanwhile, philadelphi route is neglected. Hamas will arm itself marvelously, IDF will enter Gaza to guard Rafah crossing, and now we will see the true effect of the Palestine papers.

@Itamars tweets:

Israel is like the weak kid in class who stuck with the bully for protection, and one day, the bully is kicked out of school.

@dubikan replies to the worries expressed on Israeli and American media that Egyptians may not be ready for democracy:

If a nation organizes a successful grassroots upraising against a dictator, demanding democracy, than the people are ready for democracy

In another tweet he adds:

Robespierre and the French people weren't exactly ready for democracy or knew what it is either, when performing the French revolution.

A large portion of the tweets and blogs criticized the Middle East experts and commentators on Israeli media. @yuval_v tweets:

Let's agree on a rule: if you didn't predict the intensity of the demonstrations and the revolution in Egypt, please do not predict with “high probability” the type of government they will have after the revolution.

@aradaki targets channel 2's veteran Expert of the Arab world:

Ehud Yaari, you're dumb. If you take your head out of your butt you'll find a world you're not familiar with.

Such harsh words reflect the tension between media analysis and the live Twitter feed from Egypt. In the course of the Twitter conversation @aradaki adds:

These experts better read Twitter rather than analyze on the basis of their old connections that narrow their perspective. People who've been in the field all their lives cannot see the world has changed.

Israeli bloggers are offering alternative commentaries and asking the truly harsh questions based on social media attentiveness and personal connections with Egyptian bloggers. As the rumors on Twitter arrived this morning of an Egyptian army entrance into Sinai peninsula, blogger Lisa Goldman seemed to have surprised the ministry of foreign affairs' spokesman with the news, on which he apologized that he cannot comment since “they have strict orders to refrain from any comment on Egypt till the outcome of the uprising is clear.” Yossi Gurevich reports this story in Hebrew and comments:

It's hard to believe IDF isn't aware of this act, which technically is an invasion that defers the peace agreement. If this was indeed uncoordinated, it is very troubling security-wise, after all, that's how the 1969 war started. If it was coordinated then someone in the government should be able to explain on whose authority it was done, since such a change in the peace agreement requires the parliament's consent. Furthermore, the question arises if Israel is aiding Mubarak against his people.

In the same post Gurevich also criticizes Israeli chief intelligence officer who said on January 25 that there is no threat to Egypt's stability at this time:

now that we've seen the real value of army intelligence, it's time to dismantle this institution and replace it with a national evaluation unit that's free of army generals and is able to consider the civil society as well.

Israel: Are Peace Activists Harassed by Palestinian Men Being Silenced?

Carmel L. Vaisman — Sun, 26 Sep 2010 09:07:51 +0000

Israeli human rights activists, who regularly join Palestinian demonstrators in Bil'iin and Sheikh Jarrah, are recently blamed for ignoring and even silencing an allegedly common phenomenon of sexual harassment of women activists by fellow Palestinian demonstrators.

In the beginning of August 2010, Haaretz gender columnist Tsafi Saar stirred a feminist bloggers discussion on a problematic request raised by the Sheikh Jarrah demonstration organizers, asking Israeli women to dress up modestly for mutual demonstrations in East Jerusalem. Saar writes:

“…They raised the old outrageous argument that feminists should restrain themselves and give up a few things for the greater, more important cause, of fighting the occupation. The organizers stressed this request came from Palestinian women who felt uncomfortable in the presence of fellow women with bare shoulders. The activists who resisted this request brought up the problem of the Palestinian women status in their society, and pointed out that this request is oppressing by nature.”

A week later, feminist activist and blogger Hannah Beit-Halachmi, revealed the existence of a “secret” low profile workshop offered to women and transgendered activists on coping with sexual harassment at human rights demonstrations. Beit-Halachmi captured a screen shot of the workshop details that was quickly removed from Israeli Indymedia website, which reads:

“Israeli men, women and transgenders protest on weekly basis with their bodies against the occupation. Within this field of solidarity and mutual risk-taking lies a phenomenon of sexual harassment of activists and transgenders… within the field of direct action against occupation there is a role reversal in the power relations between occupiers (feminine tense in Hebrew – C.V) and occupied, dominant and dominated (feminine tense in Hebrew – C.V).”

Beit Halachmi reacts:

“The existence of this workshop shows sexual harassment is a common phenomenon in left wing demonstrations. The demonstrators against occupations accept this reversed occupation because it doesn't really concern them – the victims are women. These women shoulders could be covered so the demonstrators could continue feeding their self-righteous allegedly liberal egos and carry the torch of social equality struggle. I recommend that women condition their participation in these demonstrations to the complete stop of any demonstration during which a sexual harassment occurs. The demonstrators should not demonstrate unless they reach an agreement with their Palestinian counterparts that there will be zero tolerance to this phenomenon and he who harasses should be shamefully and publicly banned from the demonstration. I am sorry that there is seemingly no real left wing in Israel and that left wing women are cooperating with this phenomenon”.

Last week the issue was raised again by lawyer and publicist Roni Aloni-Sadovnik in a column she wrote for News First Class website titled ” The left wing betrays its raped activists“. Sadovnik mentions a case covered earlier by Haaretz of an attempted rape of an American peace activist in Beit Lechem. According to Haaretz, the Palestinian Authority has pressured the activist not to press charges in order not to undermine the public opinion supportive of the struggle against the occupation.

In her provocative column, Sadovnik speaks of another rape attempt on an Israeli activist that was also pressured to put it aside for the greater purpose, and refers to both as raped. She writes:

“When Pacifist movements need to prioritize their agendas, it's clear that ending the occupation comes before protecting women. Are we finally facing the naked truth that these movements are actually pro-Islamic disguised as humanitarians? As a feminist, I feel the hypocrisy and loss of moral conscience in the galloping left wing persistent action to end the occupation, while they are dumbstruck facing this horror they encourage and collaborate in hiding it”.

In response to those allegations, The Sheikh Jarrah demonstration organizers wrote a note on their Facebook page denying it:

“We take every case of harassment seriously and will stand against it as we stand against the breaking of every human right. The first rape attempt was made public due to the assistance of Israeli activists that helped report it. We have no knowledge of the other case and the allegation against us as accomplices to such silencing is slandering. We respect Sadovnik's reputation of feminist activism but we warned News First Class that if they do not delete this column we will consider pressing liability charges.”

Many of the supportive comments on this note on Facebook claimed these allegations are a sophisticated attempt to sabotage the struggle against the occupation, planned by right wing elements.

The above links were shared by many Israeli Facebook users over the last couple of days, spiting similar debates between activists who claim this impossible based on their personal experience, and women who stress that sexual harassment is an everyday phenomenon that can be found in any place and context and we shouldn’t be surprised it is found among human rights activists as well. (Links to many of these additional debates cannot be provided due to user's restricted Facebook privacy settings).

Some linked this debate with an earlier affair that stirred the blogosphere in February 2010, as blogger Eshkar Eldan Hacohen confessed in a personal testimonial on being raped 20 years ago by a well known humanist.

As other women who identified the attacker added their own testimonials, the Press picked up the story and revealed the alleged rapist and serial harasser to be no other than famous publicist, poet and peace activist Itzhak Laor. That affair has sparked a similar discourse within the blogosphere on the disconnection between human rights and women rights.

Israel: Activists and bloggers protest against deterioration of human rights

Carmel L. Vaisman — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 06:04:24 +0000

“Guess which country arrested 17 human rights activists today?” asked blogger and former Yedioth journalist Gal Mor on his Facebook status on January 15, 2010.

Among the activists arrested in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah was the Executive Director of the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI) Hagai Elad. The activists participated in a series of ongoing weekly demonstrations of both Palestinian and Jewish activists, against Jewish settlers moving into the neighborhood while banning Palestinian families from their homes by a court order, claiming those were former Jewish homes illegally colonized by local families. Li Lurian of Peace Now, who has taken this video of the demonstration, was among the arrested, as well as blogger Didi Remez.

Two weeks before his arrest, Elad wrote in a column on Ynet website saying:

“Many protesters felt during this year that their freedom of speech in the only democracy in the Middle East isn't taken for granted. The oppression of protest isn't a police job in a democratic country; its job is in fact to protect the freedom of speech”

Lawyer and blogger Jonathan Klinger writes that Elad's arrest is against the law and another sign for the death of Israeli democracy:

“Elad was arrested as a punishment for protesting and not because he posed any danger to the public. Such ‘punishment arrests' are described as illegal by law and their aim is to prevent others from protesting and choosing to act on their democratic rights. Without protest there's no democracy.”

The Israeli court indeed ordered to release the activists immediately (after 36 hours), However, blogger Lisa Goldman who attended the weekly demonstration on Friday (January 22, 2010), reported Remez (@DidiRemez) was arrested again along with 15 Israeli activists. Further personal account of the “Sheikh Jarrah round ups” is available in English on Ibn-Ezra's blog.

Human rights, from various perspectives, has been the main issue on the agenda of Israeli bloggers and tweeps (Twitter people) in recent months, in light of some of the current administration's policies perceived as a threat on Israel's democracy. On December 11th, 2009, ACRI initiated a unique human rights parade in Tel Aviv, uniting 116 NGOs supporting human rights from various points of view and with varied agendas.

The protest focused on a range of policies marking a peak in the deterioration of human rights in Israel as it was described by ACRI on the protest blog: policies like the Nakba law, the deportation of foreign workers, the biometric database law (see detailed report below), and a “general atmosphere of growing social gaps, silencing of protest, racism and violence”. Thousands of people attended the parade (see video clips), held just one day after the international human rights day.

Bloggers are “giving the finger” to the biometric database

Of all human rights related activity that took place in recent months, the anti-biometric law activity was among the largest web campaigns that Israel has known so far, including the cooperation of 160 Israeli bloggers, a dedicated blog and Twitter account, and a busy Facebook page.

The biometric legislation proposal suggests a compulsory biometric database of all Israeli citizens as part of switching to biometric IDs and passports. Blogger Hani Zuveida explains the perils:

“The biometric law or better yet ‘the big brother law' aims at creating a detailed digital database of all citizens, that can easily be exposed to commercial firms and their interests but also be vulnerable to criminal offenses like identity theft and framing of innocent citizens by breaking into the database. And all of this in the name of “protecting” IDs from being forged – out of the frying pan into the fire. Public servants are a peculiar species: these are the people we elect to represent our best interests as legislators or ministers but suddenly they ‘disconnect their wires' and set out to an independent life reversing the circumstances: instead of doing what we tell them to do they start telling us what's best for us. In my opinion this is one of the most dangerous situations in a democracy.”

Bloggers have taken a personal issue with minister Meir Shitrit, who pushed this law forward, questioning his motives and integrity. A-list bloggers Gal Mor and Effi Fuks, who dug up circumstantial evidence against Shitrit's motives and demanded a through inquiry, have deleted their original posts after reaching an agreement with Shitrit's family and published an official apology and denial. However, blogger Rehavia Berman, often referred to as “the bad boy of the Israeli blogosphere” republished the alleged accusation suggesting commercial interests behind the database and a backstage link between Shitrit and OTI, the company who is to carry out the database.

Bloggers have frequently attended Knesset sessions discussing the biometric legislation reporting on Shitrit's conduct in pushing this law. As a result, Shitrit attempted to ban bloggers from these public sessions, as documented on camera by blogger Eran Vered. At the same time, a blogger, who is also a hacker, set up a website showing the public that the allegedly protected database of the internal affairs ministry has actually leaked to the web and this information on each citizen is available to everyone (the website is now down). On his blog he explained this demo was designed to show the same can easily happen to the biometric database.

Blogger Karine Barzilai-Nahon, head of the Washington University iSchool, has prepared a special report on biometric policies worldwide which was presented to the Knesset as well. She writes:

“To date, there is no western democratic country that keeps a biometric database of all its citizens without their consent. There is only one country that keeps a compulsory database: Hong Kong, but this database is temporary and is deleted immediately after issuing the ID. England, France and Japan have a voluntary database that wasn't made compulsory because of public critic. A few countries are considering various biometric policies but not implementing them although it is an approved legislation, because of ongoing public debate and fear of giving too much power to political bodies. The chairman of the Knesset's science and technology committee asks not to demonize the proposed legislation because they're not inventing the wheel and Israel's no different than other countries, but this report shows it actually is.”

Bloggers and activists' efforts led to several setbacks and compromises in the law, however, key bloggers involved in the protest reported these setbacks are aimed at cooling down and evading public protest and manipulations prompting “voluntary” inclusion through sanctions discriminating non-volunteers. Human rights activists have lost this round on December 7, 2009, when the database law was accepted by the Israeli Knesset, yet they marched against its implementation in the human rights march a few days later.

As fewer and fewer media channels and individual reporters cover such policies from a critical human rights perspective, the activists have taken their issues to the web, finding common grounds and blending with key bloggers and tweeps to fully employ alternative media platforms in attempt to influence public opinion and struggle for democracy de-facto.