Stories about Israel from March, 2009
Israel: Oboe Player Wins Seat in YouTube Orchestra
Israeli musician Nir Gavrieli has won a coveted seat in the YouTube Symphony Orchestra for his oboe rendition of Rossini's “La Scala di Seta.” Israelity reports that 3,000 people video-auditioned for 90 spaces in the orchestra. Finalists were voted on by 13 million YouTube viewers. The orchestra will perform in...
Israel: “No Such Thing as Peace Now”
“There is no such thing as ‘peace now’,” reflects JC of Israel Stories. “Immediate peace would involve hurried diplomacy, painful Israeli concessions, total withdrawal from land, and the transfer of thousands of Israeli citizens. Hang on a second. Now I may have a short memory, but didn't Israel do that?”
Israel: Israeli Innovations Light the Way in Africa
A Jewish Heart for Africa is providing Israeli technology in the form of solar power and drip irrigation to needy communities in Ethiopia, Tanzania, and Uganda. “We are pumping 20,000 liters of water per day — it’s changed the entire economics of the village and the peoples’ health,” says founder...
Palestine: Author Alice Walker Visits Gaza
Author Alice Walker visited Gaza with a delegation of activists last week to witness the devastation caused by the recent war with Israel. Walker says she hopes to speak with President Barack Obama upon her return to the United States.
Israel: Cynical News
From Israel, Gershom Gorenberg links and comments on stories which made newspaper headlines which he says: “actually, if we made this stuff up, you would accuse us of third-degree cynicism. But we’re innocent. This stuff really happened.”
Palestine: West Bank Obstacles
Palestinian blogger Haitham Sabbah posts an article on the obstacles which control the movement of Palestinians from the West Bank and notes: “There is only one place on earth where you can find all the types of barriers and closure systems, forcibly imposed by the Israeli occupation forces. This place...
Israel: Tweets on Rocket Fire into Southern Israel
James Buck rounds up Tweets from Twitter on the recent round of rocket fire from Gaza into southern Israel in this post on Breaking Tweets.
Lebanon: Israel Apartheid Week Ends
UrShalim, from Lebanon, posts a video to mark the end of the Israeli Apartheid Week 2009.
Middle East: Women Looking for a Cause to Celebrate
Female bloggers from across the Middle East joined hands in marking the International Women's Day with posts reflecting on the occasion and celebrating the lives and achievements of women who have touched them. In Saudi Arabia, American Bedu admits that while many women in the kingdom may not even be...
Israel: Recruiting for the war of words
The Israeli government has been recruiting people for online hasbara, or promotion of Israel, and Mo-ha-med, who is based in Israel, decided to sign up.
Jordan's “shameful reaction”
Jordanian Naseem Tarawnah is incensed with his countries “shameful reaction” towards Israel's plans to demolish 180 homes in East Jerusalem and evict 1,500 Palestinians. “[T]he reaction from the Jordanian state has been, as usual, quite horrendous, offering no more than a “denunciation” of Israel’s actions. Even the masses aren’t allowed...
MENA: Clinton Does the Middle East
Hillary Clinton wrapped up her first visit to the Middle East as US Secretary of State, with stopovers in Sharm El Sheikh, Israel, the West Bank and Turkey. Bloggers from the region discuss Clinton's visit in this post.
Israel: Gaza Aid in Exchange for Shalit
“A proposal has been made in the U.S. Congress to link the 900 million dollars of aid pledged to Gaza to the release of kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit, who has been held in an undisclosed location without access to the International Red Cross, in contravention of International Law, for nearly...
Palestine: Objecting the ‘t-word’
Writing at KABOBfest, Carlos argues for the non-biased application of the term ‘terrorist’ following the bulldozer attack in Israel. “Would Haaretz and the Jerusalem Post use the ‘t-word’ to describe Israelis who use the same type of machinery to destroy dozens of homes in East Jerusalem?” he asks.
Israel: Saudi Woman Driver Arrested
Aussie Dave from Israel reports that a woman in Saudi Arabia has been arrested for .. driving a car. “I will resist making any women driver jokes since I don’t want to obfuscate my disgust over the horrendous treatment of women in Saudi Arabia and other Muslim or Arab countries,”...
Israel: Film Illustrates Problem of Closed Gaza Borders
In the Israeli blogosphere you rarely get the feeling that everyone is listening and no one is talking, and that's the case today with the debut of a short film called “Closed Zone.” A 90-second animated film about the sealed Gaza border crossings, “Closed Zone” already has 31,600 hits and 200 text comments on YouTube, and counting.
Israel: Jewish-Arab Demographics in Delicate Balance
Jewish Israeli communities in areas with high Arab populations face impending demographic problems about how to keep a Jewish majority. Rock of Galilee writes about how his village plans to stay Jewish.
Israel: Airport Security Detains British Rapper
When British rapper Lowkey arrived in Israel this week to help raise funds to rebuild Gaza, airport security didn't react kindly to his arrival and detained him for questioning. David of Israelity explains: “For better or worse, we invented profiling… Justified? Well, yeah. The ultimate goal is to prevent people...
Israel: Jerusalem Suffers Third Bulldozer Attack This Year
The first time it seemed like a freak attack: an anomaly separate from time and place. The second, it was a nightmare. Now it has happened again. Israeli news reported today what appears to be the third terrorist attack with a bulldozer in the last eight months, writes Maya Norton, who reviews the reactions of Israeli bloggers in this post.
Israel: Cold Front Warmly Received
The snow and icy rains that chilled Israel this weekend received a warm welcome from its residents. As the rainy season draws to a close, many fear that this year's low rainfall will lead to dangerous summer drought.
Israel: Negotiating a Prisoner Exchange for Gilad Shalit
Three years ago, Palestinian militants captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit in a cross-border raid. Despite numerous diplomatic attempts to earn Shalit's release, the 22-year old remains in Hamas custody. In exchange for his freedom, Hamas demands the release of 1,400 Palestinians currently held in Israeli jails while Israel says Shalit's release is a pre-condition for a ceasefire, writes Maya Norton, who reviews the reactions of Israeli bloggers towards this deal.
