Global Voices » Maya Norton

Israel: World Cup Bonanza - Back to the Game

Maya Norton — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 06:09:07 +0000

Dear Readers of Global Voices, however much I wanted to bring you a post on the World Cup from the Israeli blogosphere, I am foiled by a minor dilemma. You see, it seems that most Israeli World Cup fans are too busy watching the games to blog about it. So I bring you a sampling of three.

Cultural Perspectives

Photo Credit: Marcp_dmoz via Flickr

First is David of the Israelity blog. David identifies himself as “one of those one percent of the Israeli male population” who does not watch, and is thus able to report back on the excitement. He writes:

“Israel, which hasn’t qualified for the seemingly endless tournament since 1970, goes crazy at World Cup time. Restaurants and bars offer special deals and fill up with rowdy patrons, and if you go outside in your neighborhood, you can hear the irritating buzz of the Vuvuzelas, the South African noisemakers in the shape of trumpets which fans blast through every game, coming out of the TVs of every house on the block…

Even people who don’t normally follow soccer join the bandwagon at World Cup time, rooting for their native country or a favorite of theirs. The topic of whom should Israelis get behind was treated with irreverence by Jerusalem Post reporter Gil Hoffman last week, who went through all 32 participating countries, and their affronts to Israel and the Jewish people, before tongue in cheek concluding that the only teams worth backing were the US, Holland and Denmark.”

David concludes:

“If everyone likes something so much, there has to be something wrong with it. I’ll wait until 2019 when Israel makes it in again.”

Our second cultural ambassador is Benji Lovitt of What War Zone??? who does not add much insight to our investigation (perhaps he had to get back to the game), but simply posts an entry entitled:

“If the US Wins the World Cup, I'm Naming my First-Born Vuvuzela.”

My dear readers, you are free to root for the US or not. I'll update you in 9 months as to whether Lovitt stood by his claim.

And what would the sugar of sports and entertainment be without the spice of regional conflict?

Elder of Ziyon responds to the news that Israeli World Cup coverage is being provided in Hebrew and Arabic. He references an article in Palestine Today [Ar], writing:

“Gazans are scrambling to find ways that they can watch the World Cup. Al Jazeera is scrambling its World Cup signal and requires that viewers pay for the right to watch it. It is unclear from the article whether Gazans are unable or unwilling to pay, so they are trying alternative means to receive the games…

The article then mentions that “the occupying power” is providing World Cup coverage in Arabic for free, alongside its Hebrew coverage. It is hiring senior Arab sports analysts for these broadcasts.

But rather than showing appreciation for this move, the article says that this is being done to steal Arab viewers away from the Al Jazeera coverage!”

…Arabs might privately appreciate and respect what Israel does, but the culture is set up so that it is inconceivable that this private appreciation will ever translate into the public sphere.

[For a link to the article referenced, please see the original blog post.]

Israel's World Cup History

Mattjew of Blogs of Zion, posting in 2008 in a long build-up to the 2010 World Cup festivities, offers us an historical perspective. He teaches us that Israel's only official foray into World Cup play was in the Mexican games of 1970, but that we were defeated in the first round. Israel's next taste of championship play was in the finals of 2006 in Germany, but the team failed to make the qualifying rounds.

As an addendum shedding light on Arab and Israeli play, Mattjew adds:

“Groupings for the World Cup soccer qualifying matches depend on location. It is obvious that Israel has been lumped into European soccer play since 1948 because of one reason, FIFA is too nervous to handle and be responsible for a potential match between an Arab or Muslim country against the State of Israel. The Arab nations have always had trouble playing the European top notch national teams whereas Israel can hold their own and have proven so in 1970 and 2005. If Israel were in their rightful groupings they probably would have made it to the Finals of World Cup play many times in the past 60 years.”

Bnei Sakhnin - Team Logo

Strangely, Israel's World Cup blog has been silent since May. Their last entry was a review of the film “After the Cup: Sons of Sakhnin United,” which chronicles the story of a mixed Arab and Jewish soccer team that won the European State Cup in 2004 (the same team referenced above). Author Ibracadabra explains:

“The film asks…what’s next for a team fielding Arab, Jewish, and foreign-born players, owned by an Arab, coached by a Jew – and symbolically representing the over 1.4 million Arabs who are citizens of Israel?”

He speaks to the universality of the film, to which any devoted fan can relate:

“Soccer clubs and rivalries are rooted in politics. In religion. In cultural identity. We can’t escape that. And in this film, [Director Christopher] Browne doesn’t attempt to escape that. But the film does a surprisingly amazing job of actually not letting politics take over. And that’s refreshing. Sure, the backdrop is a conflict in the Middle East but the film focuses on the little things – the obsessive fan, the under stress Captain (Abbas Suan), the owner with pride, the local small town broadcaster / anchorman who is a strange figure of fun – “The day of the game, I can not even eat, I can not even speak, only smoking and drinking coffee,” - and the coach stuck in the middle of it all…

Read More

As for this author, I'm signing off with the sound of vuvuzelas ringing in my ears. To read more, check out Global Voices Online's special World Cup coverage section.

Photo Credits

1. Real Madrid stadium (2009) by Marcp_Dmoz via Flickr with Creative Commons license

2. Sakhnin United (Bnei Sakhnin) team logo sourced from Wikimedia Commons with Creative Commons license

Israel: Dubious Thanks to USAID

Maya Norton — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 05:56:15 +0000

JoeSettler posts a photo of a sign he often passes that reads, “This [road] is a gift from the American people to the Palestinian people.” “What I think that USAID overlooked,” he comments, “Is that Jews also use this road regularly.” According to their website, USAID has donated $1 billion in aid to projects in Gaza and the West Bank since 1993.

Israel: Storing Water for Emergencies

Maya Norton — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 05:55:25 +0000

When you live in the Middle East, water is essential to your daily survival. Israeli Kitchen recommends ways to store water in preparation for an emergency and what water sources you can use if your standard stores dry up.

Israel: A Woman's Power to Name Herself

Maya Norton — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 05:54:24 +0000

“I’ve noticed that whenever a woman defends having taken her husband’s name… it’s invariably stated, ‘After all, feminism is about choice.' Well I’m not pleased with having women who choose tradition, or patriarchy, telling me what feminism ‘is about,'” writes Israeli Yam Erez at Stand By Your Name.

Israel: iPhone Weather App Divides Jerusalem

Maya Norton — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 07:37:43 +0000

If you want to know the weather for Jerusalem on your iPhone, you're going to have to get specific, reports Jewlicious‘ CK. You will now have to choose between East and West Jerusalem. “On the Yahoo weather page East Jerusalem’s weather is in Palestinian Occupied Territories >West Bank >Jerusalem and West Jerusalem’s weather is in Weather >Israel >Yerushalayim >Jerusalem.”

Israel: Politics and Protest with Humor

Maya Norton — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 07:36:45 +0000

I see your protest and I raise you one. Jameel of the Muqata gives us politics with a much needed sense of humor. Last Saturday, a left-wing demonstration protesting 43 years of Israeli occupation in the West Bank was infiltrated by counter protesters holding signs such as, “We believe in blah-blah-blah,” and “We make the world abandon reason”- an Israeli cultural reference based on the recent “We Con the World” video. See blog for photos.

Israel: Violence, Non-Violence, and Palestinian Solidarity

Maya Norton — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 07:35:19 +0000

In “7 Reasons I'm Conflicted about the Fredom Flotilla” Daniel Sieradski writes: “By engaging in violence…[the activists] have demonstrated succinctly to Israel's supporters and allies that they, and by extension all Palestinian solidarity activists, are neither non-violent nor pro-peace. This hampers their cause and the greater cause of Palestinian liberation.”

Israel: Barred from Spain's Gay Pride Parade

Maya Norton — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 07:34:03 +0000

In an entry entitled “You Know You're an Outcast When…” Israeli blogger David Bogner remarks on Spain's barring of Israel from its gay pride parade. Meanwhile, Tel Aviv celebrated its largest parade ever with 100,000 participants, Isrealli reports.

Israel: IDF Poetry Slam Between Druze, Bedouin Soldiers

Maya Norton — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 05:33:07 +0000

Picture this: Druze and Bedouin Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers sitting in a room singing call and response poetry to each other in the ancient Arabic style of Zajal. The video and background information can be found at Nizo's Blog, subtitled “A Gay Palestinian Muses on the Missile East.”

Israel: Demonstrations Outside Prison Where Flotilla Passengers Held

Maya Norton — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 05:32:08 +0000

Joseph Dana posts a video of demonstrators waving Turkish and Palestinian flags in front of the prison in Beer-Sheva, Israel, where the passengers of the flotilla were being housed until deportation. Video is in Arabic and Hebrew with no subtitles, but you can still get a sense of the action.

Israel: Protests and Counter-Protests in Flotilla's Wake

Maya Norton — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 05:31:04 +0000

Alison Avigayil Ramer provides a detailed report on her blog, Your Virtual Community Organizer, of “Demonstrations for and against Israel, the IDF and Turkey in Tel Aviv [Israel] following Flotilla Incident.”

Israel/Turkey: Battle of the Bucks

Maya Norton — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 05:30:07 +0000

Michael Horesh of Afternoon Tea in Jerusalem reflects on the economic war looming between Turkey and Israel: “Who will suffer in the end? Just the average citizen, on either side, as politicos continue to trade insults, replacing cooperation with distrust.”

Israel: Flotilla Videos Gone Viral

Maya Norton — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 09:19:40 +0000

An Israeli video called “Flotilla Choir: We Con the World” has gone viral on Facebook in the last 24 hours. While it shows no compunction about the violence involved in the flotilla incident, it aggressively illustrates the widely held Israeli belief that Hamas is responsible for the poor state of well-being of the people of Gaza.

(Full text of video available when watched directly on YouTube.)

The video was produced by Caroline Glick, managing editor of the Jerusalem Post, one of Israel's two primary English language newspapers.

On a post in her personal blog entitled, “We Con the World- The Gaza Flotilla Crew Speaks!” Glick posts the video– which launched today at 94,000 views and counting– commenting:

This week at Latma - the Hebrew-language media satire website I edit, we decided to do something new. We produced a clip in English. There we feature the Turkish-Hamas “love boat” captain, crew and passengers in a musical explanation of how they con the world.

The “love boat” reference harks to a speech Israel's Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu made in the wake of the incident. In a press forum, Netanyahu asserted:

“This wasn't a love boat, this was a hate boat. These weren't pacifists, these were violent supporters of terrorism.”

The quote was picked up and a video was rapidly created and circulated amongst Israeli social networks, using the 1970s American sitcom “The Love Boat,” which took place on a cruise ship, as a parody for the MV Mavi Marmara.

The video's creators, identified as GazaFlotilliaTruth [sic], post in the commentary section of the video:

“This is NOT a peaceful humanitarian mission but a full blown terrorist act in mid-sea!
Peace activists DO NOT stack up knives and guns waiting to attack Israeli soldiers - THAT'S WHAT TERRORISTS DO
Knives and Guns ARE NOT Humanitarian aid
Humanitarian aid can be very easily be sent through Israel to gaza for every day many trucks full of humanitarian aid is being sent by Israel to Gaza after having been inspected.

ISRAEL HAS A RIGHT TO DEFEND IT'S CITIZENS FROM TERRORISM!
ISRAEL WILL NOT APOLOGIZE FOR SAVING IT'S CHILDREN'S LIVES
ISRAEL IS THE ONLY DEMOCRACY IN THE MIDDLE EAST BEING ATTACKED FROM ALL SIDES”

This one and a half minute video reels the credits for the “show,” which include Prime Minister of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority Ismail Haniyeh, Islamic leader Ra'ad Saleh, as well as numerous shots of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad hugging Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. The video also shows a woman identified as a peace activist who was filmed as saying that the passengers of the MV Mavi Marmara would be happy with two outcomes: breaking the Gaza blockade or martyrdom, as well as showing photographs of weapons found on board the ship (caches of knives, captioned “Flotilla humanitarian aid”).

The original footage of the activist, created by Palestinian Media Watch, can be viewed here (Arabic with English subtitles).

The woman says:

“Right now we face one of two happy endings: either martyrdom or reaching Gaza.”

(She repeats this twice.)

Returning to the original “We Con the World” video, blogger Renee Ghert-Zand writes on the Israeli culture of satirizing news in “News Director as Cruise Director”:

When there is BIG news, you can always be sure that a parody of it is not far behind… the Israeli satirical website Latma Press (“Why Be Annoyed Alone?”) has beat everyone to the punch with a “We Con The World” video starring the Flotilla Choir. It’s the “Turkish Aid to Gaza Song, With Captain Stabbing and Friends.”

She adds:

“Given how fast things move today, it’s evident that she [Glick] and her fellow satirists felt there was no time to lose in getting their (singing) voices on these critical events out there. They clearly took Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu remark that “This was no Love Boat,” and ran with it.

This would be funny, if it weren’t so infuriating and sad.”

Facebook commentors additionally added comments such as:

“Funny yet the sad truth at the same time.”

“Truth Yes . Sad no. Tragic yes.”

And the message urging users to pick up the video and make it viral (which has since happened):

“You must watch this video edited by Caroline Glick asap. This is an amazing spoof on “We are the World” by the Turkish Peace Activists. Please send this out to everyone you know and help get this out. The truth must be heard. The scam of this “peace mission” must be exposed. If this video receives enough views, it can get onto YouTube’s home page by the “Videos Being Watched Now,” which will give tremendous exposure to many others who may not be familiar with the facts of what really happened on the “peaceful” Flotilla from Turkey to Gaza.”

This article is part of the ongoing series of Global Voices Online's coverage of “Israel Flotilla Raid 2010.”

Notes:

1. The numbers of viewers listed for each video as noted on YouTube may not be fully accurate as there are several different versions of each video posted.

2. Quotes from Facebook are from a public profile. They can be found by doing a search for “Caroline Glick” on Facebook.

Israel/Palestine: Drawing the Line in Gaza

Maya Norton — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 04:02:11 +0000

“So Gaza is under a seige,” writes Lirun of East Med Sea Peace, “And Gazans are suffering badly whether we like to believe it or not.. and yet Israel has a grave security risk. I don't care how much people belittle those rockets, the situation sucks.. but where do we really draw the lines?

Israel: Between the Bean and the Ban

Maya Norton — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 04:01:11 +0000

The current political climate between Israel and Turkey may be tense, but something that every Israeli can enjoy is the beloved national drink, café turkí (Turkish coffee). Israeli Kitchen observes: “I see the sales girls taking a break in the shop doorways – each one holding a cigarette between her fingers, sipping languidly from a glass of Turkish coffee.”