Earlier we posted that the Israeli Ministry of Tourism had apologized for featuring a map of Israel that included occupied territory as part of Israel. Well, a sharp reader has pointed out that the Ministry is still featuring similar maps on their website (one example pictured right).
At least the Ministry acknowledges that Palestinians exist in their FAQs:
Are tourists allowed to enter areas outside of the Israeli responsibility (Palestinian areas)?
Passage to the two major tourist cities of Bethlehem and Jericho in the Palestinian Authority is direct without prior clearance or required authorization.
As regarding the rest of the Palestinian areas, it is recommended to forward requests to the IDF Public Relations Office.
Ah, nothing says vacation like having to register with an occupying army. And memo to the Israeli Ministry of Tourism – until the occupation is over, you are responsible for the "Palestinian areas."
the maps are also in their textbooks and have been for generations. i posted one such photo on my blog the other day: http://bodyontheline.wordpress.com/2009/05/19/wha...
When Israelis insist that the rest of us recognize Israel as a Jewish state, they are also insisting that we recognize the westbank territorities as Jewish. It has been clear for at least a decade, maybe longer for more acute observers, that Israel in their own mind have annexed the westbank. That is why it is so important when we hear the insistance on Israel's recognition, we respond with "but where are the borders?" This is how they will confuse and obfuscate their de facto annexation. Edward Said was so prescient when he criticized the Oslo accords — Arafat gave away too much with nothing in return. He anticipated this problem.
Going to the tourist site at http://www.goisrael.com/tourism_eng? I noticed General Interest Christian Interest Jewish Interest but no Muslim Interest
Here's a link to the map. http://www.goisrael.com/NR/rdonlyres/1EB6BDEA-AEB...
right, no muslims here.. oy. i wonder if there are legal grounds (ie: false advertising) to ban the 'go israel' commercials, whose slogan "no one belongs here more than you", doesn't exactly apply to all viewers.
It does not apply to Islamic Fascists supporters of Hamas who wish to commit acts of genocide. Think they should add it to the advertisement?
Actually, one should have no complaint about this map. Part of Palestine was occupied militarily in '48 and the rest in '67. If there is no problem with the establishment of the state in '48 it would be consistent to accept the occupation of '67. If we are troubled with the occupation of '67 it does not make sense to be accepting of that of '48. First step now is for Palestinians and their friends to accept Israeli control over all of historic Palestine and then demand the right to vote in accordance with Israel's image as "the only democracy." As Palestinians gain the right of return to their original real estate Jews will also be able to reside anywhere between the sea and the river. Laws and property rights and property transfers will be based on universal values and not primitive tribal exclusivity.
"universal values"… how nice… you mean universal market values, of course… and there's no need for "primitive tribal exclusivity" when the market is rigged in your favour…
Last Sunday's NY Times had an article entitled "TAKING THE KIDS: In Israel, History With a Whiff of Adventure" (http://travel.nytimes.com/2009/05/17/travel/17kid... a first-person account by a mother (obviously Jewish) who traveled to Israel with her children and looked for attractions that would be more fun for the kids than the usual museums, etc. – stuff like a restored clandestine Haganah munitions factory, a crusader castle in Acre that the Brits used as a prison for Jewish "freedom fighters," a jeep ride up the Golan Heights, and "Genesis Land," a "Biblical-style encampment in the Judean Desert," where "tourists can take a camel trek and eat traditional cuisine under 'Abraham’s Tent' and the kids enjoyed "donning Bedouin smocks and sharing shish kebab, hummus and pita bread around low tables." The map accompanying the article, at least online, does put lines around the Gaza Strip, West Bank, and Golan Heights, but without explanation, . The article itself notes that the Golan was captured in 1967, but neglects to mention that under international law it still belongs to Syria. And of course there's nothing to indicate that "Genesis Land" ("about 15 miles from Jerusalem, on the Alon road") is in occupied Palestinian territory. In fact, the words "Palestine" and "Palestinian" are not used anywhere in the article.
That is the most rational response I have read all day, thank you for that! I would also like to point out to everyone that just because people want Israel to remain a "Jewish State" doesn't mean that every pro-Jewish State person thinks the Arabs that live here should be second class citizens. There are certain cultural institutions and practices that are important to Jews as a people whose religion is a part of their lifestyle (in whatever varying degree, depending on how observant of the religion you are), and it is nice to have a place to live where you can feel at home in that way, where you are no longer an outsider; but that doesn't mean that other people should not be able to live here and enjoy civil rights and get to do their own thing. Frankly, the Middle East is chock full of countries where Islam is the official religion of the country, so if Israel lets people keep their mosques and churches open for business and have equal access to jobs, education, health care, etc then what difference does it make if there are little menorahs on the coins and Sunday is on Friday? If life in Israel for the average middle class Arab Joe would be better than in the Arab countries suffering, say, embargoes, despotism, or civil wars, would it be so bad to live under the white and blue? We have to reach a point of mutual trust and acceptance though before equal rights in this country, the key to everything if you are approaching with reason rather than fundamentalism, will ever be possible. MUTUAL is the key there– no one wants to be the idiot who drops their defenses and suffers for it, and I can understand the concerns of both Jews and Muslims in Israel in that situation.
The reason that "Arab countries [are] suffering, say, embargoes, despotism, or civil wars" is that they almost all have Western-appointed puppet governments. If Jewish settlement in Palestine had remained on a consensual basis, rather than taking the form of Western-sponsored military invasion and commercial takeover, then Jews would have been allowed to practice their religion and live peacefully in their own communities. However, just as you now fear demographic flooding by Arabs, the Arabs fear demographic flooding by Jews (many of whom seem to despise the local culture and ecology, and regard Palestine as a sort of annexe to Florida).