Coexistence? Singer who criticized Hamas forced out of Israeli benefit for Gaza
An Israeli Jew named Achinoam Nini (Noa) (pictured) and an Arab citizen of Israel named Mira Awad sing together. They are quite good. Good enough, in fact, that they have been selected to represent Israel at the 2009 Eurovision contest in Moscow in May.Hard as it may be to believe outside of Israel, many Israelis feel sorry for the innocent civilians in Gaza who were injured or had their homes destroyed in Operation Cast Lead. Today, there is a fundraiser concert in Tel Aviv for Gazans who were hurt in Operation Cast Lead. (Please don't ask me when the concert for the Israelis in Sderot and Ashkelon and Ashdod and Netivot and Be'er Sheva and dozens of smaller towns is taking place - we don't ask questions like that in this country). It will be attended by what is known here as the 'yfei nefesh,' or what would be called "bleeding hearts" in other parts of the world. Ms. Nini is not pure enough for the yfei nefesh. She and Ms. Awad were forced to withdraw from the contest because of an open letter to Gazans written by Ms. Nini.
Part of Noa's letter read: "Today, I know that deep in your hearts you wish for the demise of this beast called Hamas who has terrorized and murdered you, who has turned Gaza into a trash heap of poverty, disease and misery. Who in the name of "Allahâ has sacrificed you on the bloody alter of pride and greed.'Many' were 'enraged' by the letter. You will note that 'many' of those 'enraged' by the letter were Jews. And they demanded that Ms. Nini retract it or withdraw from the concert:
"I can only wish for you that Israel will do the job we all know needs to be done, and finally rid you of this cancer, this virus, this monster called fanaticism, today, called Hamas. And that these killers will find what little compassion may still exist in their hearts and STOP using you and your children as human shields for their cowardice and crimes."
The letter enraged many, and in a petition signed by actor Mohammad Bakri, producer Osnat Trabilsi, actor Makram Khoury, actor Saleh Bakri, director and producer Anat Even, publicist Yael Lerer, actor, director Juliano Mer-Khamis, and more, Noa was urged to take her words back.I don't know Ms. Nini and I suspect that her outlook on life is very different than mine. I hope that this episode has taught her what happens when politics intrude excessively on life. You can never be ideologically pure enough for everyone.
"Achinoam Nini's participation (in the fundraiser) without her showing deep remorse for her position, blocks the message of protest against Israel's systematic, intentional brutality, and its murder and injury of thousands of civilians, including hundreds of children," the petition read.
The signatories stressed that without this message, the concert for Gaza's children, that aims to be more than just an act of compassion and pity, will be tainted.
"Nini's performance will strengthen the hypocritical position of Israel's leaders, that express their regret over children who were killed 'by accident' and then offer to help rebuild Gaza," the letter, that was addressed to the concert's organizers, continued.
The organizers told Noa the event was centered around the question of accountability for the State of Israel's actions in Gaza, and wanted to be sure the singer identified with this cause.
Noa ultimately cancelled her participation in the event.
By the way, many of the same people are pressuring Ms. Awad to withdraw from Eurovision because they don't want an Arab representing the State of Israel. Yes, those would be Arabs and leftists - not Jews. The Arabs and leftists don't want to coexist with the Jews here. That's why I put the term 'Israeli Arabs' in scare quotes all the time. Despite the fact that Arabs in Israel are treated better than they are anywhere in the Arab world, they continue to elect leaders who regard themselves and their constituents as 'Palestinians' and not as Israeli citizens.
But when Israel's 2000 entry in Eurovision waved Syrian flags on the stage, that was okay.
Maybe we should have just sent the Teapacks again.
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 3:13 PM
3 Comments:
Carl - Average Israeli Jews are sick and tired of those among their countrymen who seek to justify, understand and enable Arab barbarism, extremism and Jew-hatred. They are just sick of it and have had enough. What is noteworthy about this development is something like this written by Achinoam Nini would have passed unremarked a few years ago. Quite simply, Jews are no longer willing to put up with the treason when it comes from within. And this is something of which the world needs to take stock. The Jews For A Second Holocaust will no longer be allowed to speak for the Jewish people.
As for the Gazans' suffering, it was all self-inflicted. Almost no Jew with a brain in Israel is disturbed by the devastation the IDF inflicted because it is a lesson to the other side that when you hate Jews and love death, to use an old expression here, you reap what you sow. The Gazans can rebuild themselves if they want but they're going to have to do it this time without Israel's help.
If the rest of the world doesn't grasp the mood among Israel's Jews, so sad, too bad. The Hamas has given Jews a clearer picture of the enemy. Noa Nini and her ilk in Israel can go with live with them if they don't understand why Gaza's plight is of little interest to Israeli Jews. And there's the little of Gilsd Shalit, two words missing from her nauseating justification for the genocidal thugs who run Gaza.
That says it all.
Achinoam Nini ("Noa" outside Israel) is a friend of a friend of mine. She is very left-wing, very much a "Shalom Achshav" type, and she's the one that went to sing Ave Maria in front of the pope. (Not something you or I would ever doing, and I'm not even Orthodox.)
If even somebody like her is unwelcome in this company, it ought to tell you something about the company. Believe it or not, there are leftists who have some standards left ;-)
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/gallery/2009/jan/23/gaza-middleeast?picture=342225611
Post a Comment
<< Home