Stories about Middle East & North Africa from June, 2010
Israel: Pixies Pull Show Stopper
In the wake of mounting international criticism and condemnation of Israel’s clash with activists intent on breaking the blockade on Gaza, the Pixies, a veteran rock band, have canceled their concert in Israel. Nicole Hyman follows the debate on the link between music and politics on Twitter.
Brazil: Brazilian President in Israeli TV Video-Joke
Brazillian netcitizens react to Israeli Latma TV video mocking President Lula da Silva. Hellington from Full ideas blog believes [pt] that the video only shows the ignorance of the world concerning Brazil, though he agrees with the idea that the Brazilian President shouldn't meddle with Iran and other sensitive issues....
Egypt: Protests and Policy Changes After Flotilla Raid
News of the flotilla raid in Gaza has sparked an uprising in Egypt. Thousands of Egyptians protested both Israel's actions and the stance of their own government earlier this week.
Iraq: Who's Going to be the Next Prime Minister?
Although the Iraqi parliamentary elections took place in the 7th of March, the two major blocs according to the poll results, are still not able to agree on a single candidate to be named as the new prime minister. Iraqi bloggers have their say on the deadlock in this post.
Algeria-Morocco: Online Initiative to Reopen Borders
A group of Moroccan and Algerian citizens have launched an online campaign for the reopening of the borders and rapprochement between their neighboring countries. Relations between Algeria and Morocco have been strained by their contention over Western Sahara and their borders have been closed since 1994.
USA: American student loses eye in West Bank protest
One of the many protests that erupted after Israel's deadly raid on the Turkish aid convoy ended in tragedy for a 21-year-old American student, Emily Henochowicz, who was protesting in the occupied West Bank, at the Qalandiya checkpoint on May 31.
Maghreb: Overwhelming Support for Flotilla Activists
The global outcry following the deadly Israeli attack on the Gaza-bound Freedom Flotilla has been reflected on streets across the world and throughout the Internet, on social networks and personal blogs. Hisham looks at reactions from the Maghreb in this post.
Palestine: “I am afraid of the sea”
In reaction to the raid on the Gaza Freedom Flotilla on May 31, Gaza blogger Kawther Abu Hani has written a poetic post from the perspective of a child, entitled Sweets Don't Drown.
Tunisia: 33 Sarastic Tweets on the #Flotilla Attack
Tunisian blogger Sami ben Gharbia shares what he describes as the “33 most sarcastic tweets about the #flotilla” attack by Israel on a Gaza-bound ship.
Israel: IDF Poetry Slam Between Druze, Bedouin Soldiers
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
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
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
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.”
Saudi Arabia: Top 10 Most Beautiful Saudis
Saudiwoman’s Weblog published a list of the top 10 most beautiful intellectual Saudis.
Worldwide: Demonstrations for Palestine
Roba from Jordan published pictures from different demonstrations world wide against Israel's last attack on the Gaza Freedom Flotilla, in Holland, Greece, Egypt, United Kingdom, Lebanon, Pakistan, Malaysia, Sweden, France, Turkey, India, Italy, Canada, Spain, Belgium, United States, Bulgaria and Austria.
Iraq: The Flotilla Attack – A Series of Double Standards
Iraqi bloggers, whose country has been at the receiving end of sanctions, terrorist attacks, tyranny, Al-Qaida extremists, and wars for a very long time, are having mixed reactions to Israel's attack on the Gaza-bound flotilla. Tarek Amr rounds up their opinions in this post.
Global: Rachel Corrie “Immortalized” With Ship's Mission
A humanitarian aid ship called the MV Rachel Corrie (named after a young American peace activist who was killed by a bulldozer Gaza in 2003) set sail for Gaza from Ireland carrying 11 passengers and 9 crew members from 5 countries, but was soon intercepted.
Israel: A mixed bag of reactions to the flotilla raid
The following post is an assortment of blog entries translated from Hebrew, all taken from the 'hot-topic' page dealing with the flotilla raid, on the Israeli blogging platform Israblog, writes Gilad Lotan.
Global: Reactions to Twitter’s sinking #flotilla hashtag
The recent flotilla debacle may have started at sea but it was to the Twitosphere that many activists turned, filling it with condemnation of Israel. The power of Twitter as a mobilizing force and alternative platform for affecting change is not to be underestimated. But what would happen if Twitter started censoring, as many tweeting about the flotilla began to fear?
Israel: Flotilla Videos Gone Viral
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.
MENA: Question Time Following Gaza-Bound Flotilla Attack
As the dust settles, and some of the 'truths' come out, a new wave of tweets on Israel's attacking the Gaza-bound flotilla take over the Internet. Here are a few reactions from the Twittersphere summing up reactions of users around the world, some asking questions we are yet to learn the answers for.
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