I spent several days in Palestine earlier this month, and even when I was deep in Palestinian territory, on lands that are supposed to become a Palestinian state, I saw Jewish symbols.
Like this menorah, just outside the Palestinian city of Nablus, seen out the bus window of a bus filled with Palestinians going to Ramallah. How would that make you feel?
If you want to understand why the peace process is a joke… If you want to understand why the two-state solution actually feels impossible… If you want to understand why Palestinians feel no sense of sovereignty inside their historic lands… then all you have to do is drive around a little and see how deep is the Jewish presence in the occupied territories.
I’m not talking about the settlements. They’re on all the hilltops. I’m talking about Jewish/Israeli symbols and declarations on the road.
And yes, people say that the Israelis can pull out. I just don’t believe it.
Disgusting. Absolutely disgusting.
The worst part is that I, as a non-Jew, am starting to see these symbols as Israeli symbols and not religious ones. When the Star of David or Menorah is no different than the hammer and sickle, that should trouble people.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again — letting Israel steal Jewish symbolism from the rest of Judaism and emblazon that symbolism on their tanks and bombs and other instruments of the Occupation will forever taint that symbolism and will forever tie the stone of Zionism around Judaism’s neck. The same exact way the existing symbolism of the swastika has been forever poisoned by what Nazi Germany did with it.
Communist eastern Europe was full of symbols of that ruling party.
After the fall of communism, those red stars, statues of Lenin, Stalin, Marx and Engels, vanished very fast.
After the palestinians take control of their land, removing the jewish symbols will be just a childs play. I wish that was the most difficult task in front of that people.
I do not know whether to laugh or to cry….
Israel flag is offensive, Menorah is offensive, Star of David is offensive… but memorial plate on the place where someone was murdered is also offensive?
Why don’t you Phil focus your reporting on looking for organic restaurants in Judea and Samaria, since you make yourself a laughing stock here.
The contrast in money spent on West Bank archaeological sites such as Herodion (Jewish, lavishly funded, visitor info site, restaurant) ) and Hisham’s palace (Arab, neglected, just piles of stones) says it all. Or the road from the airport to Jerusalem with all the signposts to “Jewish sites”. Hasmonean this. Maccabee that. There is only one history that matters.
It is such a crock of Zionist garbage.