Below are the videos of what is now possibly considered the most controversial Daily Show interview to date (correct me if I'm wrong).
I'd seen them on my f-list over the past few days and hadn't had the time to watch or comment on them.
Today as I was going through my RSS Reader, someone shared the Mondoweiss post, the author of the post was actually in the audience that day.

I watched them and I found myself nodding a whole lot.
( Videos under the cut )
There isn't much to add to Barghouti and Baltzer, I always find it encouraging when Jon Stewart pushes the non-mainstream News agenda on his show.
I've read in a few places that people were irritated by his own Hasbarah bias, that he brought in Iran and tried to equalise the Occupation into being just a Conflict.
I think by voicing the "average" opinion, Stewart exposes the propaganda pumped into our heads and both Barghouti and Baltzer really stayed on message - that of non-violence and finding peace on the grass roots level, which where the true power comes from (damn I need to get back to my Arabic!).

I find Baltzer very interesting, as I had not heard of her before, Barghouti is a "known entity" and I've had a lot of respect for him and his activism for a while now - I hope I manage to actually hear him speak in person someday soon. But her background, coming from an American-Jewish Zionist household... I can relate, as y'all know.

Last week I was speaking to a fellow student and friend, she told me her partner was studying German and that as soon as they had their finances straightened out she and he were out of here.
I nodded in understanding and pangs, because so many of my friends speak like this (I speak like this a lot as well).
And she asked me if I also plan on leaving.
I said I'd like to live in a different country for a while, to have perspective, experience, do what my sisters did.
She persisted: "But you'd come back here?"
"Yeah, most likely"
"I wouldn't" she said.
And I said, like someone commented a few months ago when I was ready to pretty much pack and leave (if I could) then and there: "But what's to become of here if all us Bleeding Hearts leave?"
"I don't have a false sense of patriotism" she said.
"It's not about patriotism... it's about humanity".

I considered that I was very well indoctrinated in the Zionist ethos. I still am. I'm quite sure that the reason I see myself living elsewhere, missing this hell-hole and coming back, is because I was taught that "there is no where else that is Home for us".
As I've mentioned, ideologically speaking, I'm no Zionist, I'm a Lefty-Humanist. But I was taught and lived Zionism and very likely I learned to love my country, land and people because I was immersed in that ideology since I was a baby.
Cracks in that ideal began when I was in high school and went to Poland with my class mates and mother to see where we were exterminated... the Nationalist zeal so many came back with seemed utterly strange to me.
My apathetic teenaged angst prevented me from making the logical leap, it would be years before I could unpack the what that trip to Poland did to me, my classmates and all the other classes that went on that trip.

I suppose it's fitting that I'm writing this the week of Yitzhak Rabin's anniversary of his assassination. I had forgotten all about it, until I saw the signs for memorial ceremonies... to me it'll always be November 4th and not the Hebrew date I never follow anyway.

Where was I? Oh yes, I learned Zionism and I'm unlearning it as well. Jews and Palestinians co-operate all the time, talking on the level with each other, person to person.
Governments...
Well... not to sound all Libertarian (seeing as I like having a modicum of a safety net under me as I meander aimlessly through life), but when it comes to treating people like human beings, they're pretty fucking redundant.

But what Barghouti said was very true, it resonated.
I made it the title of this entry.

There is much to blog about, as much happened over the week and weekend, none of them particularly good.

Ah well, such is the state of the State.

As most of you know, Israel presents itself as a Homeland and Nation-State to the Jewish people, all well and good in principle I suppose.
A problem exists though in the notion that Israel has any say about how Jews relate to the State of Israel, or if they were to consider it a Homeland of any kind.
A 2000 year Diaspora is not so easily diminished by the fact that the State exists for 61 years or that the ideal of a Nation came about around the same time as all the others... it was a Spring, if I'm not mistaken.

Let it not be said that Israel doesn't share the arrogance of its neighbours when it comes to upholding what is the correct way for Jews to be Jews, and telling them so.

This week a new campaign targeting Diaspora Jews who have been lost to assimilation was launched.
As can be read in the article linked, the campaign is in aid of MASA, which is a partnership between the Jewish Agency and the Israeli Government that helps bring young Diaspora Jews to Israel for academic programs and things like that.

The propaganda machine of what goes on in programs such as MASA and Birthright aside, the new campaign is by far worse than any I've ever seen.
The video of the ad linked here or viewable ( under the cut )

Now, the problem isn't the fact that this campaign exists, much to my annoyance, the problem is with the idea that Israel has basically created a campaign in which it calls people to tattle to this agency about Jewish people who aren't "Jewish" enough.
And when I say tattle, I mean that the number given in the ad isn't for curious Diaspora Jews to call and inquire, no-no, it is for us, Israeli Jews, to call that number and give the email, facebook, blog, phone-number of people we think are up to no good, like *gasp* not actually care or think about Israel that much, or *shock-horror-and-awe* date someone who isn't Jewish!

That's right! We, the true Children of Zion, must make sure our frivolous siblings in lands filled with temptation and free will and choice in how to be Jewish, know the true path of the Chosen People.

In the most fascist way possible.

Nothing says Homeland like Fatherland.

The ad, aimed at Israelis (hence the Hebrew) is supposed to invoke the feelings of sorrow and grief. The greyness and the music of flutes are themes found more often than not at our memorial ceremonies. Generally speaking, if there we are commemorating something of memorial it is going to be either for our Glorious Dead soldiers, or the victims of the Holocaust.

Israel needs the Diaspora.
It needs it mainly to have something to discount when it comes to Jewish identity.
As I said, the true Children of Zion (me), are the true Jews, all those others Out There, were not brave enough, strong enough in their Jewish conviction, or simply not truly Jewish, to come to Israel (Eretz Yisroel/Palestinah) and fight to create the state.
Or something ridiculous like that.

Surprise, Not all Jews appreciate this new campaign.
No! Really?! I'm so... unsurprised by this faux pas:

A day after mounting a scare-tactic campaign to prevent the assimilation of Diaspora Jews, the Prime Minister's Office and Jewish Agency received some 200 calls, most of them reporting names of Jews living abroad.

However, many callers also blasted the campaign - which describes assimilation as a "strategic national threat."
[...]
About 100 of the callers reported unmarried Jews aged 18-30 living in France, the United States and New Zealand. Callers also left their acquaintances' Facebook and Twitter names as well as email addresses so that MASA people could contact them.

The campaign also evoked many angry phone calls, some calling the campaign a "farce."

"Are we also supposed to report acquaintances who don't intend to have children?" one caller asked.

"We wanted to raise a public debate, even if it arouses argument and emotions," MASA's CEO Ayelet Shiloh-Tamir said Thursday.

Emphasis mine

A public debate.
Yeah, a-huh, right. Israelis, especially ad campaigns, always like "arousing argument and emotions" with the notion that this is what grabs attention and provokes response and any response, is a good response.
When utterly disregarding the fact that an ad campaign of this nature makes it legitimate to give out information about people who didn't give their consent to this, it's no longer "public debate".
It's the basic democratic idea that people can live their lives how they chose, so long as no harm comes to another person.

We're the only democracy... how? Exactly?

If you're interested, you should read No Silent Holocaust on IsraLeft.

Over the past two weeks I've been mainly following the situation in Iran because, well, everyone else is following it.

I have no qualms about the fact of being a part of the sheeple.

From my own little prism here, I can look at the Israeli and the feminist connection. Not much is being said about the former except with Israel itself which has been a notorious sabre rattler towards Iran for the past, I can't rightly say, but ever since 2006 and Benjamin Netanyahu's reference to Iran=Germany, Year=1938 and Ahmadenijad=Hitler, Iran has been a fairly regular Starman Boogie Man in my perception of current Israeli conciousness.

Israel has been used the same way in Ahmadenijad's rhetoric.

Peas in a pod.

I'll move on to what I actually want to talk about.

This very interesting article breaks down the dynamics of the mainstream media, what is covered, what isn't a why.

( Quotes )

Neda has become the Iranian woman who is ALL Iranian Women.

The role and portrayal of women in Iran over the past 10 (now more) days has been covered extensively.
Because it took me a couple of days to join the online "amateur" media brouhaha the first article on the subject about the portrayal of Iranian women in the protests and demonstrations was the Racialicious article So You Think You Want A Revolution (In a Loose Headscarf - I think since Christiane Amanpour the West's perception of Iranian women has been that of modern women in a heinous situation - most likely before Amanpour, but she is certainly a huge figure and symbol of Westernised Iranian woman, which is obviously a plus.
Not to mention Marjane Satrapi, Azar Nafisi and of course Zahra Rahnavard, all of whom are inspirational and modern and less-than-overtly-traditional (some of them outright secular).

And that's what we like to see.

Beautiful women fighting for their right to be free from religious oppression and tyranny.

It's also a romanticism of the violence that is going on there.
Yes, they are taking the punches and they are fierce and they are equal to the men out there in the street.

But it feels like there's an exotification game going on here.
The deaths and violence are tragic and we, watching the News, view them as a form of entertainment.

These women are being looked at. Gazed upon.

Mousavi may be a Reformer, but back in the 80's he wasn't so progressive, could he have changed perhaps, but the Ayatollah regime persists and will probably not be taken down in the near future (though no one suspected the protests and riots to go on for this long).

The mainstream media's obsession with the images of women, I think, beyond making the whole damn thing romantic, makes it beautiful. The image of Neda bloody and bruised and so beautifully mourned and grieved over is the way we should view Iran itself: bloody and beautiful.
Exotic.

That isn't to say I don't admire the women who are going out there everyday, fighting tooth and nail to be heard over the mayhem of their situation.
I do.
I can only hope I have an ounce of their courage.

I'm just saying, be wary of how they are being seen.
Because there is something beyond the headscarf and the blood on Neda's face.

More articles on the subject:
CNN: Iranian women stand up in defiance.
Slate: Woman Power; Regimes that repress the civil and human rights of half their population are inherently unstable..
Feministing: The Women Protesting in Iran.

There is such a ton of information pouring out of ontd_political regarding Iran I just can't keep up! The comments are a constant update for me because I'm not following Twitter - yeah, yeah, call me a Luddite.
My Facebook is a stealth one, I'm just not keen on that kind of information sharing, which is what's making this Iran uprising both effective and so bloody dangerous for the people actively twitting and facebooking etc.

The mainstream media is just failing.

I'm mainly following BBC, Al-Jazeera and Ha'aretz and my god, stop looking at this as though this is a game of "Risk" or "Diplomacy" - this ruthless game in which Nations are monoliths and the people who actually make up that society are relegated to spectacles of violence.

Robert Fisk of The Independent wrote a brilliant article Iran's Day of Destiny.

I can't look at the Youtube footage coming out of there, same as the last time I viewed a Youtube video of a demonstration against the Separation Wall I cried for an hour.
And I've been there.
Fuck.

As I mentioned in my previous post, I'm pretty sure that this isn't going going to harbour the great change for Iran, much as the Iranian people deserve. The regime is too stable and the Mullah's are ruthless as we all know.

Last night I read an article in Ha'aretz that irritated me, because the head of the Mossad - the Israeli Institute for Intelligence and Special Operations - Meir Dagan, basically came to the same conclusion as me - that this won't be the great change - but also added this lovely little tidbit about how the Iran Elections affect Israel:

"The reality in Iran is not going to change because of the elections. The world and we already know [Iranian President Mahmoud] Ahmadinejad. If the reformist candidate [Mir Hossein] Mousavi had won, Israel would have had a more serious problem because it would need to explain to the world the danger of the Iranian threat, since Mousavi is perceived internationally arena as a moderate element...It is important to remember that he is the one who began Iran's nuclear program when he was prime minister."

'Cause never mind that Ahmadiniejad is a Dictator and that with Mousavi it would have been perhaps easier to actually talk to.
There would, conceivably, been a chance to actually attempt to establish an actual diplomatic relationship with Iran.
But no, their whole national agenda is to Nuke Israel.
Duh, how could I forget.
Oh and of course - their homophobia is worse than ours.

Something tangentially related - Netanayahu's speech of utter emptiness is still making headlines in these parts.
I'd say something constructive regarding him and his "reaching out" - which btw, WHAT?! - but I think my opinions about him, the ministers and the current government in general is widely known.
Basically, him uttering the combination of words "Palestinian", "State" and "Peace" are so devoid of any real meaning that I can say that if he represents the Israeli consensus, we are as empty headed and devoid of any kind of empathy that is rightfully human.
I'm not even going to bother linking to anything he said.
Seriously.

At least in Iran there is some movement.
Israel is stagnating under the perception of Democracy - which is far more complicated here that any other place I've ever heard about.

Keep resisting!

---

I suppose at some point I will reapply my "real" Facebook and get a Twitter.

I'm a follower.

I had been trying to find good links and have something to actually say about Iran and the elections which were so blatantly falsified I don't know where to begin about that.

ontd_political has a live update on the situation to which I am linking:


I can only say, keep yourself informed, read what you can and just know that change in possible.

On a more pessimistic note, I don't think this is going to be Iran's big change. So many have already died and what with the Revolutionary Guards brining in troops from other counties - in one of Andrew Sullivan's updates at The Daily Dish, he reports that Mousavi supporters heard their attackers speak Arabic and not Farsi.

Meanwhile, as the killing, fighting and violence goes on, the Ayatollah himself is calling for National Unity. I'm interested to see if his blatant religious rhetoric will actually fool the people who are pissed off at him and his posse.

The Israeli Person-On-The-Street doesn't particularly care about all this, because both the conservative and the progressive governments would have continued with their nuclear plans and very doubtful, that even if the Reformist Mousavi would have won that he would have decided that Israel was worth talking to.
As far as Israel is concerned, if you're not with us, you're against us.
I wish we'd get it into our minds that we are, in fact, teeny-tiny and pretty much not worth thinking about by bigger, richer nations in any kind of beneficial way.
Even the EU is postponing upgrading ties with Israel.

Whatever shit the world is in, it is certainly interesting.
Can understand why that's a curse, huh.

On the 15th of May, Israeli News networks got this message:
Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman's party wants to ban Israeli Arabs from marking the anniversary of what they term "the Catastrophe" or Nakba, when in 1948 some 700,000 Arabs lost their homes in the war that led to the establishment of the state of Israel.

The ultranationalist Yisrael Beitenu party said it would propose legislation next week for a ban on the practice and a jail term of up to three years for violators.

"The draft law is intended to strengthen unity in the state of Israel and to ban marking Independence Day as a day of mourning," said party spokesman Tal Nahum.

Some, a tad, a bit, of sanity remains in the Knesset - Maybe.

Yeah...

Yesterday, US Secretary of State Clinton said:
"[President Obama] wants to see a stop to settlements _ not some settlements, not outposts, not 'natural growth' exceptions," Clinton said, referring in the last case to population growth on existing Israeli settlements in the West Bank from births and from allowances for adult offspring of settlers to buy homes near their parents.

"We think it is in the best interests (of the peace process) that settlement expansion cease," Clinton added

Israel's reply, you ask?
No! Screw You!

Since the 15th there have been many a demos against the anti-Nakba bill, though I find it distressing the mainstream is saying that the Palestinian-Israelis should shut up already.
It was of course a deliberate provocation to announce the bill of the 15th of May, which is the international Nakba commemoration day.
Just like the raid on New Profile activists happened on the eve Memorial Day.

I'm feeling the Democracy.

No doubt it will come knocking on our door before long.

I used to think Martin Niemoller poem was dated, too ominous to convey the reality that I live in.
Now, I don't think it's ever been more true:
In Germany, they came first for the Communists, And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Communist;
And then they came for the trade unionists, And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a trade unionist;
And then they came for the Jews, And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Jew;
And then... they came for me... And by that time there was no one left to speak up.

I make no apologies for quoting this over used poem.

I've always been a bit of a floater when it came to Activism - it has to do that I haven't actually been politically active for that long - I've mainly been active at the Uni and participated in a few things in which I didn't particularly feel I needed to actually be affiliated.

Well, since the operation on Gaza and the marginalization of the Left in these here parts I've felt the need to find a place in which I could be active and have a firm support network.

This past Sunday a general meeting of Hadash - the Party I voted for if you recall - the agenda of which was the establishment of a New Left. Of course, it was more about the broadening of the message Hadash always spoke, but because they aren't "Zionist" have been marginalised.

Thank you human ingenuity for the Interwebs.

Anyway, Hadash (al-Jabha in Arabic) is an acronym for The Democratic Front for Peace and Equality. Like many Leftist organizations, fronts and movements, it is kind of taken for granted that women are included, that women have something to say.
And on Sunday, at the general meeting, every single one of the women who spoke to the large assembly of over 300 people, said that there is not enough women representation.

So this morning, the first meeting of what may turn into the Hadash Feminist Forum met up. It was really interesting, 'cause there were a few older Hadash members, including former (and legendary) MK Tamar Gozansky and a whole lot of newbies like Moi.

I won't get into the whole meeting as minutes were taken and I actually don't remember everything that was said.
I added my own 0.2 about queer women and their position in the Left and society as whole, because we kept talking about women of colour (Jewish and Arab), working class women, mothers etc.
I felt good about at least raising the issue

What really bugged me though, was when an Anarchist man ( had some things to say - cut for going off tangent )

It was a productive meeting and we've already arranged to meet other women's movements that are part of the Front and will most likely start getting things done for International Woman Day - 8th of March FYI.

I'm hoping to find an activism base here, because I'd really like to strengthen the parliamentarian Left in these coming months because of blow it took in these election.
Bibi is Prime Minister.
What is the Agnostic/Atheist cry for help and hope and despair?
Oh, the Humanity!

*rubs hands*
So, what do we have here on this fair morning, after yesterday's stormy and election day!

Here's the breakdown according to the latest exist polls according to Politico.co.il with yours truly interesting notes:
Kadima - 28 mandates (23% of the vote) - Meaning Livni, at this point is to be PM. On the one hand, hooray...? Woman PM. On the other hand... woman PM with a Right wing agenda who has a history of voting against woman and minority right bills. And is likely to only turn Left-ish because Bibi will be taking all the Right wing seats under his Wing.

Likud - 27 mandated (21%) - Meaning Netanyahu is not going to let Livni get a clear victory. That fucking ass.

Yisrael Beitenu - 15 mandates (12%) - Oh my holy fuck, we're doomed, whoever ends up being PM is going to have to give Lieberman, that maniac, an actual position!

Avodah - 13 mandates (10%) - this, the party of Ben-Gurion, Golda and Rabin... how the mighty have fallen. Well, seeing as those who were mighty in it no longer had any say, I can't say I'm too surprised.

Shas - 11 mandates (9%) - the reason we went into *cough*early*cough* elections. They wedged Livni's attempt at creating a coalition and I doubt they'll be making things easy this time around as well. But at least they lost a seat this! I'm claiming a small victory over that.

Yahadut Ha'Torah - 5 mandates (4%) - another Right Wing religion party... I'm feeling the representation here.

National Union - 4 mandates (3%) - a party of former Likud and National Religious members. The other parties just didn't seem to cut it... oy.

National Religious - 3 mandates (3%) - these are the ones who ostensibly represent the Settlers interests. Though seeing as the Right bloc is fucking huge... they have a much smaller count than before.

United Arab List - Ta'al - 4 mandates (3%) - same as in the 17th Knesset. Not much to say about them. Like most of the Arab MK's they made a lot of noise, but were mostly ignored.

The Party I voted for: Hadash - 4 mandates (3%) - Yeah Baby! Extra seat in the Knesset! I'm very glad that their word got out and actually got them in! This is the only joint Jewish-Arab Party, it doesn't do tokenism and actually passed laws that were of benefit to everyone, while trying to fight discrimination and (unofficial) segregation.

Meretz - 3 mandates (3%) - what a blow. Their inconsistent message really put a stick in their wheels. Not to mention that with only three mandates, the best feminist and woman MK won't be getting back in because some upshot from the New Movement (which I mentioned not too long ago) got her seat, which is third on the list.

Balad - 3 mandates (3%) - again, no change. This Arab nationalist party is also a big noise maker and is also ignored. Israeli Arabs really have very little say in Israeli politics.

That's all folks. There are still the Soldiers, Diplomats and other Double Sealed (ballots put into double envelopes because the voters couldn't get to their registered ballot box - not the same as absentee) votes that need to counted.
Hopefully the Left gets a little more leverage. But I doubt it.
I hope this was an interesting to you as it was to me.
Probably not.

Any questions pertaining to this little Middle Eastern Banana Republic Theocracy Ethnocracy Mockery okay, okay!
Middle Eastern Democracy.

A critical article regarding Waltz with Bashir called When Israel accepts the war waltz and when it doesn't which was brought to my attention by shelestel via esizzle.

As some of you know Waltz with Bashir won the foreign language Golden Globe which aired during the second week of operation "Cast Lead" a.k.a the Israeli War on Gaza.
To say it was apropos would be an understatement.

Reading this very interesting article, few things popped out and made me think of something I hadn't actually considered before.

"It is a completely apolitical film. It's a personal film. If it were a political film, we would have dealt with the other sides, meaning that we would have interviewed the Palestinian and Christian sides. And it does not. It's a very personal film," Folman told France 24.

But in being apolitical, Waltz With Bashir also fails to provide context.

The film's narrative begins as Folman, the main character, travels to Europe and around Israel speaking with fellow soldiers who fought in Lebanon. He eventually begins to piece together what happened during his time in Beirut, which he had erased from his memory.
[...]
Maybe it was too much to ask Folman to reinterpret the entire historical accounting of Israel's invasion of Lebanon in one film. But if the Israeli public is able to swallow the sensitive nature of Waltz With Bashir it is precisely because it stays away from treating the Israeli state as a long-time political actor in the systematic, ongoing violence in Lebanon.

Thus, there is no overt questioning of why Israel was in Lebanon in the first place. Israeli military actions are validated under the guise of "fighting terrorism," and this is poignant when considering how the current Gaza war will be viewed in hindsight.

Also, Waltz With Bashir fails to present Israeli soldiers as direct participants in the massacres of Sabra and Shatila. Israeli soldiers were only following orders so any responsibility lay solely with the chain of command.

Emphasis mine.

I have to say... this wasn't something I had considered before. Quite simply, because I am ignorant of Israel's role as a political entity within Lebanon's inner politics.
I consider myself a pretty well-informed individual.
I knew of the massacre.
After the second Lebanon war I took the time to read about the first Lebanon war and "discovered" the massacre in which the IDF is complicit.
Before 2006 Sabra and Shatila was just something that happened to the Palestinians in Lebanon. I had no idea who or why or even what was committed.
For over 21 years a portion of history - mine and theirs - was unknown to me.
This is not something strange, I know a few others to whom this movie was the first time they were confronted with the fact that the we, Israel, helped commit a crime... no "war" prefix needed in my opinion.

This article is correct in stating (not directly) that Israelis in general do not ask "Why?", "For what reason?", "How does this serve us?".
We [the collective] take for granted, in this very militarist and nationalist inclined society that everything done, even if it's "bad" is for the good of Israel and Jewish people.
In Sabra and Shatila there was senseless murder.
Ari Folman shows that very well.
What isn't asked is "Why were we even there in the first place?", now I don't know what Ari Folman's thoughts or opinions on that are, but I do know that for the "average" Israeli the question doesn't even enter our minds.

We are not encouraged to ask these questions that may undermine the hegemony of citizen loyalry to the Zionist collective.
We are not encouraged to ask questions period, we are either stupid or provocative, and who wants to be regarded as either stupid or provocative.

Every war is a war for the continued existence.

Even though every war, since the 1982 Lebanon war, has brought about internal protest.

This war, on Gaza and against Hamas, has brought a wave of right wing nationalism and extremism. The political discourse may be saying "Left", but facts on the ground (a saying we love so much in this part of the world) is screaming "Right":
During "Cast Lead" over 700 Palestinian-Israelis (colloquially known as Israeli-Arabs) were arrested and brought in for questioning for demonstrating against the war.
The two Arab parties Balad and Ra'am-Ta'al were stricken from the ballot (the Supreme court will reinstate their place, no doubt).
The Israeli media did not do it's job by asking the tough questions that great Free Press Journalism makes, we can always blame the IDF censors, but I think a certain ideology runs through Israeli media.

The biggest questions the no one asked was "what good will this war bring? will it actually stop Hamas from firing rockets? and if this is for the people of Sderot and the rest of surrounding towns why was this not dealt with before 2005, before the IDF left the strip?".

Same with Lebanon 1982... no one asked why. Not the soldiers who were only following orders like all the soldiers in the world who do not want to consider what they do to be inhumane. Not the home front who wants to believe that what is happening is done for their own protection.

No one asks.
No one answers.

It's a point that is, I think, brought across quite poignantly in Waltz with Bashir.

On Tuesday February 10th the State of Israel will be voting for it's 18th General Election (and our 5th in a decade, seriously, "Third World" stability) and it is slim pickings.

I'm obsessing a bit on the decision because it will actually be the first time I vote for the country's Knesset and PM. This isn't so surprising when one realised that I turned 18 two weeks after the 2003 elections and was out of the country in 2006, so... didn't get to vote.
Add to all that, that I'm actually politically aware and that my own politics seriously do not align with... anything that's on the electoral market.

I've no faith in the system.

Even the small parties that are voted in have very little power and generally produce bills to do with social welfare which is always good, of course, but with the way this country is going in that regard it looks as though even the Communist Party (the forerunners in social welfare laws) will be losing it's footing.

The whole election process is such a crock. We, the citizens, know that each and everyone of the politicians is corrupt, that every single move they make is in their own self-interests, that none of them have any intention of creating change (other than increasing the change lining their pockets) and that any ideology they have is used for nothing more than for pushing an agenda that will give them more power.

The main election issue floating around in the media isn't social welfare, or even the mush hailed Peace Process (which has been a joke for many a year).

It's how "we're" going to deal with Gaza.

There's no talk about... talking.

The word Occupation hasn't been mentioned anywhere, leaving the conciousness of the masses who are gearing to vote for a government that will continue streaming money into an Army that is being trained in policing a population while calling it "Defence".
Indeed, the whole "Only Democracy in the Middle East" myth doesn't live up to the standard of Israel believes itself to emulate.
We are of the British parliamentary method.
The fact that there is a vote doesn't a Democracy make.
When it is your ethnicity that dictates whether you are a citizen or second-class citizen...
When your religion dictates who you can associate and marry...
Well, I don't see any Western ideal there.

One of my friends mentioned that she will be voting for Tzipi Livni.
I asked her why, genuinely curious.
She said she can't not vote for a woman, because even if she doesn't do anything different (which she won't in the event of her being elected) there is still something symbolic in having a woman Prime Minister.
And in general I would agree.
But the idea of voting for someone which the only difference between her and the other candidates is Livni being a woman (it's a big significance difference), when her politics are just atrocious as Netanyahu's and Barak's.

I'm seriously considering blank-balloting.

My head cold has broken me and I'm sitting here sipping tea.
Ah, well. Tomorrow is another day and it shall be made of coffee.

One of the things that have been on my mind lately is the forthcoming election - for those not in the local loop - Israel is going to have be voting for general elections in early 2009, these are going to be our 6th elections in 13 years.
Oh, no, we're so much better than the rest of the post-colonial countries of the Levant!
If my nose weren't so clogged my *snort* of utter derision would have probably been heard all the way to Beirut.

Any way.

The elections yes.
There are many problems, my biggest one is that I may have to go against my principals and vote for someone in order to prevent someone else from getting elected.

Tzipi Livni, current leader of the Centrist Kadima Party is not doing well in the poles. On any regular day this wouldn't bother me, since I have no great love for a former Likudnik or for a party made out of Ariel Sharon's own megalomania.
However, current poll leader seems to be the aforementioned Likud Party which is headed by Binyamin "Bibi" Netanyahu...
You cannot begin to understand how scary the thought of this man being back in the PM's office is.
Really, I'd rather have The Master.

A dilemma.

Do I cast my vote for the smaller party of my choice which actually holds onto values that I believe in (e.g. Meretz *sigh* or Hadash) or do I vote for Livni just to make myself feel better that my vote wasn't taken from her and gave victory to Bibi.

What's a Grrl to do?

What would you do?

---

Something else to think about:

In case you weren't aware, there is a group of young (18-19) Israeli Jewish conscientious objectors, known as The Shministim who refuse to be drafted into the IDF because of an ethical, moral and, yep, conscientious stance.
They are known as The Shministim (English and Hebrew websites) which is a Hebrew nick for High School seniors, and the Army drafts us right out of High School.
Tomorrow (December 18th) is the day of action.
Currently seven of this year's draftees have been charged with refusal to join the army and have been put in jail, some of them multiple times.
Press the links if you want to learn more about them, what they stand for and why it is important to support them.

Here they are, in their own words:

Meretz is a liberal-Left wing Israeli party, which in the 90's was quite popular among the Intellectual Elite, The Student Body and in fact the majority of Jewish (and also some non-Jewish) people under the age of 35.
I dunno what happened, but the party lost it's luster and has been the political equivalent of a yapping Chiwawa. Makes a lot of noise, doesn't get much done with the saving grace of Zehava Galon* the only Meretz Memeber of Knesset with an actual social and feminist agenda.

Well, no more Chiwawa yapping for Meretz!
There's going to be a New Left in Israel!
Voices from different Labour and others from the Israeli Literati are putting their voices in for a stronger Meretz.
What a lovely, lovely thing it is to see all these former Labourists see the light of the "Real Left" in Israel.
This light is so bright, that they've completely blinded by the fact that all these Labourists and Literati are men.
White men.
Upper-middle class, intellectual, white men.

I love the smell of exclusion in the morning.
It smells like liberal bullshit!

Seriously now, did no one notice? Are Zehava Galon and Tsiva Greenfeld the only worthy women on the Meretz platform.
What there aren't any intellectuals and Literati women in this country? Don't tell me they're all flocking to Tzipi Livni?!
*gasp*
Could, could it be that you're taking the women's vote for granted?
MK Haim Oron, your sexism is showing, your racism too!

Adios, I'll find someone else who actually holds the values I believe in. You know, those values of social justice, representation, diversity and yes, bloody inclusiveness!.

( Labor figureheads to support Meretz in upcoming elections )

Notes:
*Tsiva Greenfeld was sworn in just before the Knesset liquidated itself for the elections in February, so I really have no opinion on her.

On November 5ht (Never Forget *Solidarity Fist*), which is the day I found out about Obama's election since I didn't stay up all night in order to view the process, I was talking to a bunch of friends and we were all recounting what a great speaker he is and what a great sense of humour he has.
"His father send him from Krypton!"
Peels of laughter from the politically aware comic books geeks of the Literary Studies department of Tel-Aviv University.
Me?
Disconnected from reality?
Pfft.

In any event, Sinfest continue to make that narrative fun and appealing: ( Today's Sinfest )

Also, since I feel the need to continue being the dork; it's been a while since I posted a Just Some Random Guy Marve/DC theater video.
Enjoy the latest installment in I'm a Marvel... I'm a DC... Happy Hour:

First things first: Happy Birthday queenmab21!!!!!
A quarter of a century is nothing to sniff at.

Second, it feels like Saturday again.
The one thing about these holidays is the whole messing up my days of the week thing going on. This has probably been one of the more eventful and weird holidays in a while.
Also the fact that the country went into a total warp during this time... I try to think what it was like last year and really the energies last year were way calmer.
This year people just went crazy.

I didn't write about Akko and everything that went on there. The Jewligans and the ethnic/religious sectarianism that absolutely blew up over Yom Kippur no less - in which this sort of thing is such a huge cultural no-no!
I mean the man (non-Jewish, as Akko is a mixed city) who drove the car when he shouldn't have, it's not something that should have created riots that went on for three days!
There's something wrong when religiosity, on a day in which contemplating our relationship with GD and Humanity is paramount, is used to invoke violence.
But really, I don't think I have anything intelligent to add to the issue, I mean, it shouldn't have been done.
The riots, the uber-over-reaction to someone who broke a cultural tradition, which strictly speaking isn't even their own - not driving on the Day of Atonement isn't written in law, it's more a common-practice, it's just something that's agreed publicly not to be done on this day.
It's taken far too seriously by some factions as every year you hear about kids throwing stones at Ambulances in certain neighborhoods.

It always occurs to me that people who are confidant in their ideas and ideals really don't feel the need to force them down other people's throats. It's one thing to be passionate about them and try and persuade people to see things your way... but to go so far and to, I don't know, try to force people into something they don't believe in.
And I'm aware that this goes both ways, no need to remind me of that one.
It reminds me of the motto's one hears around the country when the voices that aren't consensus speak out:
"Consider the feelings of the public"
The public is almost always the conservative and religious public.
It seems that it is often forgotten that "other" people are "the public" as well.

So hey!

You know which country's Parliament has a majority of women?

Rwanda.
Yes, that's right.
That place.

You know which Parliament doesn't?

Israel.
Yes, that's right.
That place.

In this I've been told that Israel is the only country where the head of the executive branch, the legislative branch and the judicial branch are all women.
Whoop di doo.
That's pretty meaningless not what makes the real difference when the those who represent me and other non-"default" people in society is quite a lot less than their/our percentage in the population.

But go Rwanda!