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This is an account of my five days in the West Bank/Israel earlier this month.

Paul O'Hanlon | 13.05.2005 15:28 | Anti-racism | Repression | Social Struggles | London | World

This is a 2,200 word article with 10 attached photos of my time in the West Bank and Israel in May 2005.

Apartheid wall - oops sorry security fence.
Apartheid wall - oops sorry security fence.

As close as I could get to Yasser Arafat's mausoleum.
As close as I could get to Yasser Arafat's mausoleum.

That wall again! It's twice the height the Berlin wall and much much longer.
That wall again! It's twice the height the Berlin wall and much much longer.


REPORT FROM WEST BANK, BETHLEHEM, JERUSALEM, RAMALLAH and JERICHO MAY 12th 2005


I travelled in very arduous fashion from Amman, Jordan to Jerusalem on Friday May 5th 2005. The 45-minute bus ride took me to the King Hussein Bridge where I spent an hour going through Jordanian emigration, not much too it except a 5 dinar exit fee (about 3 pounds) followed by an awful 4-hour ordeal at the Israeli immigration. They seem to want to examine every article I had and while I don't think they squeezed my toothpaste they did squeeze and double up a tube of sunburn cream. They gave me the third degree regarding my writing profession wanting to know what papers and magazines I wrote for. I had unfortunately locked my keys inside my briefcase and the lock had to be cut open. Luckily my house keys were inside and so was my laptop which they showed considerable interest in. They particularly wanted to see a folder of photos about Taba in Egypt near the Israeli border, where there was a bad Al Qaeda attack last year. They carefully looked at the first six or so photos of the slide show and seemed satisfied. They seemed somehow dissatisfied with the return date on my KLM ticket from Amman to Edinburgh via Amsterdam. (May19th)

They said I had no return ticket to Amman and I said I wasn't sure exactly what day I was going back.

I was made to sit for 2 hours while they made `enquiries` presumably about what they thought was my terrorist past. I felt pretty humiliated as it seemed as if everyone else had got through except me but I was given the consoling farewell of only being the second last to be let in. I wandered about outside and first impressions were that it was like Jordan - which of course it used to be prior to 1967. I had rather banked on a companion to accompany me but I'm afraid being tired and lost I fell prey to the oldest trick in the book. A smiling taxi driver whose name was - would you believe Moses, approached me and offered to help. He took me back to his home for a meal and then drove me to Bethlehem. He found me a hotel and then asked for 100 JDs (Jordanian Dinars) - about $70 which I foolishly gave him. That was more than the fucking hotel! How could I have been so silly?

Bethlehem is just a few miles south of Jerusalem; Christians all over the world know it as the little town where Jesus Christ was born. Major attractions include the church of the nativity at the manger square and the chapel of the milk grotto. Southeast of Bethlehem lies Beit Sahour which is the scene of the fields of olives , well known as shepherds fields, the place where the angel announced to the shepherds the birth of Jesus Christ.

Worse followed the next day when he drove me to Jerusalem, which suggests he was an Israeli and not a Palestinian. He drove me round the small town of Bethlehem and its much larger neighbour Jerusalem. We then went to Ramallah a city which has a population of up 100,000 with the surrounding area with its city centre of stone lions. He reluctantly took me to Jericho which being 417 metres below sea level is very hot. I ventured into the Dead Sea and just floated aimlessly for half an hour. It takes three showers to get all the muck off you. He got another 200JD off me.

There is a limit to everyone’s gullibility and I think this Moses had never read the tablets of stone. `Thou shalt not steal` or something like that. He wanted to come the next morning to take me to Tel Aviv for a mere $300. A real bargain when you consider the bus fare is 17 shekel. (Maybe $5) I sat and argued with him for half an hour - very mildly at first and them gradually the argument became heated. I banged my fist on the table a large number of times and told him I wasn’t going to pay him any more fucking money and that he a was a liar and a cheat and a thief. The housekeeper came in and with great alarm and said `Please. Please calm, down` His demeanour changed and he tore up the request slip he had written and incredibly offered me a free ride to anywhere I wanted to the next day. I went to the tourist police in Bethlehem and they sympathetically took down all the details and said they would come early next morning and take him in for questioning. I had unfortunately threatened him with the tourist police the previous day and he phoned up the next morning and said he couldn’t come. He had obviously guessed they were waiting on him. Sadly, I was fleeced of around $400 and worse followed with a taxi driver who was a Palestinian called Adnan took me for a free meal - I was highly suspicious as of course I thought `here we go again` but he came the next day and drove me around some of the seedier areas of Bethlehem but not Jerusalem as he was definitely Palestinian. I expressed an interest in Jenin where there was terrible carnage in 2002 led by that great humanitarian General Shaul Mofaz. This Palestinian guy got someone he called his brother to drive me to Jenin and after a long and dusty drive we were confronted by two sneering Israeli soldiers who said we could not pass. I expressed my disappointment explaining I had travelled a long way but they pretended not to understand saying: "You Speek Eenglish?"

After a brief discussion with the driver we went to Tel Aviv which is often described as a Miami in Miniature. I found a modest hotel and stayed the night. I was really looking forward to going to Amman by plane from Tel Aviv but Royal Jordanian fly every day of the week -except of course Tuesday. El Al doesn't operate such a service nor does it appear anyone else.

I took 2 hours to find the Tourist Information office who like most Information offices know fuck all information about anything.

I eventually decided to go to Jerusalem by bus - had to through security first. The journey took about one hour. I then got a bus to the Allenby Bridge where I had hoped to cross over to Jordan -it was still fairly early evening but the bridge was closed and they would not make an exception for me. Eventually I had to get a taxi back to Johannesburg - another night in a hotel and then yet another taxi ride back to Allenby Bridge. It took 2 hours to get through their emigration and I had to pay 128 shekel for the privilege of five really shitty days. I cursed the country but was a little wary of the aggressive machine gun toting guard who seemed to love bullying people - Over there! This way! That Way!
It was a relief to get through to the Jordanian side - they were much more pleasant though there was slight confusion about buses and taxis. The usual horde of Taxi drivers insisted I go with them as there was no bus service. I wasn't going to be a three time loser so I asked a Jordanian security officer who kindly escorted me to where the bus that didn't exist went from. It was just 2 JD (Jordanian dinar) and there was a collection of 1.5 JD at the end - driver's tips. It was such a thrill to be back to a country which to me feels like home. I went straight to the Al Monzer hotel and was embraced by Jamil who is the manager. I got a room with a private bathroom straight way. I had a little coffee and food and we talked a while about how horrible the last five days had been. I went upstairs to bed at 1400hrs -2pm and slept right through till 0750hrs the next morning - that's around 30 hours sleep! And boy did I need it!

I have been moaning too much about my misfortune but of course what I suffered was just the loss of some of the bank of Scotland’s money. Still they'll understand won't they?

The Israelis especially the security staff were rude and arrogant and aggressive. They have the whip hand over the Palestinians. I found some of the Palestinians less friendly than I had imagined. Maybe they thought I was an Israeli. After all they live in a virtual prison whose walls are closing in all the time. I complained about some of the prices in Palestine and said Jordan was much cheaper but they said `you can’t compare Palestine and Jordan - everything in Palestine has to be imported from Israel meaning they can charge what they want.`

I shouldn't feel bitter I know - I should feel apprehensive as my next port of call may be Baghdad - it's only a possibility mind.

I attach some photos of the West Bank/Israel. Sorry I can't label them as I usually do as my laptop is broken and so is my digital camera.

Pity the poor Palestinians and Iraqis though whose suffering is infinitely greater.

Israelis, like Americans have an almost, mystical reverence for their flag and many houses shops, cars and taxis display at least one flag, often two. They both have an arrogant disdain for their neighbors be they Mexico or Canada in the US (where the hell is Canada anyway?) On a much more severe scale is the contempt the Israelis have for the Palestinians.

On Saturday 7th May I travelled around Bethlehem and Jerusalem and then went to Ramallah which is about 16km (10 miles) north of Jerusalem. It is sometimes known as "the bride of Palestine'' the twin cities of Ramallah and El Bireh are said to have a combined population of 100,000. I went to see Yasser Arafat's tomb though I couldn't get really close to it. The house of Palestinian leader Abu Mazen is well guarded with two helicopters close by. I said that I thought Ramallah was much bigger than I thought.
I asked a couple of local people for their views. I spoke to a young student “I asked what the people in the west could do to help the Palestinians?''
"Ramallah is my country. We are friendly people; we are welcoming to all visitors."
The roads are Israel are much better than in Palestine and it is much easier to cross a Palestinian checkpoint than an Israeli one. I interviewed a young female student from Jenin called Samana and I told her of how 500 people from Socialism in Scotland had effectively closed the Hilton hotel in Glasgow for two hours - the so-called `butcher of Jenin` Shaul Mofaz was staying there but will probably not be residing there again! She said Palestinians just wanted to live in peace.

From Ramallah we went to Jericho and the Dead Sea which at 417 metres below sea level (that’s 1,368 feet) is the lowest place on earth. Jericho, the so-called `city of palms `is the oldest inhabited city on earth. Dating back almost 12,000 years. Excavations at Tel al Sultan ruins show Jericho settlements as early as 10,000BC. No trip to Jericho would of course be complete without a visit to the Dead Sea. I am not the world’s greatest swimmer but I simply had to float on my back and paddle along. I swallowed a little of the sea water which I think is 34% salt. The tourist industry is much more developed on the Israeli side than the Palestinian side as the Israeli’s don't want tourists in Palestine.

I had hoped to visit the city of Jenin where there was a dreadful massacre in 2002 but on reaching the town two sneering soldiers turned us away.

I went on to Tel Aviv, Israel’s largest city, and will tell you about that later.

A number of photos are attached but I’m sorry the quality isn’t as good as usual. my digital camera and laptop both packed up and not being a mainstream reporter like Richard Littlejohn of the Sun who reportedly gets 15,000 pounds a week ("Oh gawd blimey look at the size of them , Phwoar!, we ought bomb all them bloody Arab pigs senseless. bloody asylum seekers getting benefits of 300 pounds a week while I have to manage on 15 grand a week, I mean it's not bleedin'on is it?")

I cannot replace my lost camera and laptop but I hope what I have cobbled together is of some interest and maybe just a little better than Richard (`you couldn't make it up) LitttleJohn.


I’m thinking of Baghdad but only thinking about it mind! More news later, Paul













Word count 2,176 words

Paul O'Hanlon
- e-mail: o_hanlon@hotmail.com

Comments

Hide the following 22 comments

Nice report

14.05.2005 12:19

Nice report Paul and thanks for the pictures. It's good to hear how effective the fence has been in preventing suicide bombers from getting into Israel.

Mick


you think your some sort of hero?

14.05.2005 19:56

what is this rubbish typical of the irish to be on the side of terror mr o'hanlon?

its not called the west bank that was a name given by the king of jordan,its called judea samaria, did you visit the bloodridden streets of israel where the homocide bombs go off? or the terror training schools deep insode gaza and the'west bank'?

did you go to a mosque where they preech murder to the jes.

you do gooders who travel to israel to stir up trouble are the worst kind of jew haters

you make me ill

betar boy


Revere our flag - Yes!

14.05.2005 20:00

"Israelis have a mystical reverence for the flag"???

You idiot - you took so little interest in Israel that you didn't stop to realise it was coming up to Independence Day, so everyone has their flags out. Bet you didn't stop for Memorial Day either.

Must remember - always look on the bad side of life (in Israel, anyway). Good riddance.

Israbrit


keep it up

15.05.2005 10:14

Nice report. And you must of known that you would get flamed by the usual trolls for daring to criticise Isreal. After all, if you criticise anyone who is jewish or israeli then you must be anti-israeli and pro-terrorist and anti-semitic. of course. just like criticising tony blair makes you anti-christian. or something.

keep up the good work! Indymedia needs more correspondant work like this.

Krop


Betar = Zionism! Zionism = Fascism! Betar are Fascist!

15.05.2005 15:31

Hey!

Betar a bunch of fascist Zionists, who sole interest, is in the expansion of the Zionist State, so that The West Bank and Gaza are in the hands of the Zionists. They want Israel to be ethnically cleansed of any Palestinian who used to live there!

They complain when people support the Palestinian Cause, because they know that the truth of what Israel is doing is reaching the greater public! This is weakening the racist Zionist cause, and exposing the barbaric treatment of the Palestinian on a daily basis by the Zionist forces that ILLEGALLY occupy the West Bank and Gaza. Betar, Resolution 242 sound familiar!

If you have ever been down to the M&$ on Oxford Street, on a Thursday night, then you’ll know that there are two pickets. One supporting the Palestinian right to self-determination. The other support the Zionist State of Israel, and it’s policies of ethnic cleansing! You will know that the Betar picket never uses their mega phone to support Israel, but instead to verbally attack a peaceful anti-racist picket! You also may of heard when Betar aren’t using it to attack the other picket, the use into promote their racist beliefs.

“End the Arab Occupation of Jewish Land” – This is racist as it stating that one group of people have more rights to a piece of land than another! That comes for Betar! If you don’t believe me, then go down and listen!

C YA!

Anon...


look betar boy ...

16.05.2005 09:16

... so you are proud of your religious ancestry. Good.

Use it to do good things.

Meanwhile, perhaps you could spend some time reading up on your history and contemporary studies - you seem to have many of your facts wrong.

Palestine was occupied by the Palestinian people - and has been for thousands of years (in fact the genetic composition of Palestinian people is closer to the 'biblical' people than 95% of your fellow jews!).

Israeli terrorist forces (ie those that resorted to using terror to establish israel) forced these people from their ancestorial lands.

These people are not happy that you claim god told you to do it (especially as the Palestinian people quite happily practice a number of religions including christianity, islam, judeaism and all those funnny ones in between and amalgamations of the 'big' ones).

Not every Palestinian is a terrorist - not even the thousands of children imprisoned, exiled, beaten or shot - although doing these things to them might conceivable involve them in feelings of revenge.

There is no such thing as race, nor is there a particular 'jewish gene' - ie it is all in the mind! The xenophobia displayed towards those not in the correct tribal group (not only but especially from jews to non jews) is irrational, self defeating and disgusting.

The fact that many in the west choose to support the oppressed people of Palestine does not make them natural enemies of jews - try as you and yours might, there simply isn't the 'them and us' script that holds water. For a start, many many groups inside israel and eminating generally from the worlds jewish population, simply do not see it as a jewish question first and formost - they see it as a human rights question.

Who is denying whom their human rights?

Answering this question (truthfully mind!) will reveal that the position of betar and other facistic leaning groups is untenable. In fact, such facistic xenophobia only has one historical comparison - to another group who felt it their manifest destiny to displace people from their homes and lands in the name of [false] genetic arguments.

Betar boy, your arguments are paper thin and only held together with violence (domination) and ignorance (intimidation). You impress no one here with your pre-packaged line. Your attempts to infuse rhetoric and falsehood into every discussion - whether here or elsewhere online - may well be the result of 'instruction'from above and guidence from the zionist propagander dept., but ultimately gets you no where.

Your country{sic] is not safer, your religion is not left with higher standing or greater regard from within or without, you win no friends, make no connections ...

... like I suggested, do some research into what happens to despotic, facistic, fanatic or other irrational and unkind groups in history ... they prosper weakly and briefly before having the whole house of cards collapse spectactularly and innevitably (usually to innocents mostly) fatally.

I refuse to bow to your false god, will not stop resisting your supremacist nonsense, do not intend to allow your irrational hatred to make me irrationally hate you.

Because I care about the welfare of the Palestinian people does not exclude me doing the same about the welfare of israeli people.

Your plan for the area doesn't care about the welfare of anybody - that which is unsustainable will end.

Abandon your hatred and division - join the human race.

jackslucid
mail e-mail: jackslucid@hotmail.com


I was never any good at maths but...

16.05.2005 10:43

30 hours sleep? No no no. Look, if you go to bed at 2 in the afternoon and get up at 7:50 next morning then you're looking at......around 18 hours sleep? Don't think it's possible for a human to stay asleep for 30 hours....?

Zionist tarts can all kiss my black booty. Herzl was a tit.

applejoe


jack

16.05.2005 11:43

firstly excuse my grammer my spelling is poor.

now then you have just written a long answer to me but only one part of it makes me realise that you no nothing of the history.

you say palestinian history goes back thousends of years? are you mad? where do you get this rubbish from show me evidence of palestinian history 100 years ago and you can have the land.

even the word palestinian is a new word there were never a palestinain people or country or goverment or currency, sure there have been arabs there for thousends of years but jews as well. in fact if we are going to get picky the jewish faith is a lot older then islam.

hebron is awash with jewish history as is gaza

even as early as 67 when jordan occupied the west bank there was no claim for a palestinian state.

there is no way in the world that making gaza palestine will bring peace it will create another terror state even closer to israel and after a relative calm period the bombs will strat again for the west bank then jerulasle.

but thats what you want isnt it one state palestine from the river to the sea.

betar boy


reaction

16.05.2005 13:49

... your reaction is reactionary!

First, your offer: "you say palestinian history goes back thousends of years? are you mad? where do you get this rubbish from show me evidence of palestinian history 100 years ago and you can have the land". Very generous - but what gives you the right to deal in Land? If there was evidence that showed the falsehood of your arguments, the land wouldn't be yours to give away anyway!?!

So, the evidence ... ever read any Roman history? Any Roman historians? Looked at any Roman maps? No, thought not, otherwise you would've seen the words Palestine applied to that region repeatedly. No need to go into the complex genetic evidence that links people with places, nor the complex science that can detect - from a set of bones/teeth - where exactly a body grew up, nor even the multitude of written/sung/spoken history of the people of the area (hint; the fact, as you state, that there have been jewish people living there for millenia, only strengthens my argument that, the region has always had a mixed religious population and therefor jewish terrorists have NO RIGHT to claim it all for their warped interpretation of [genetic-cum-religious] manifest destiny.)

Get to the point and tell us all why it is people who CALL themselves jewish (and there appears to be no other critia other than this arbitary one - no genetic uniformity, no divine pronouncement, no obvious marker) also claim that it is their superior right to live in this land. (By the way, we know already, it is called arrogance and is based on the notion of all supremacist cults: sky ghost favourtism/genetic manifest destiny/political expediency etc).

Finally, address some of the other points made here, namely that zionism is [now] a racist xenophobic political cult and that this stance is the only one that is allowed to influence or inform your [betar] outlook - hence your denial of 'difficult' evidence; your avoidence of culpability in the human catastrophy of ethnic clensing; your poor grasp of meaningful history and the necessary distortions you employ to ensure that the real issues are ignored, sidetracked or misrepresented.

jackslucid
mail e-mail: jackslucid@hotmail.com


roman palestine?

16.05.2005 16:31

let me remind you that the word palestine was indeed a roman word made up by the romans in order to make disapear any evidence of israel and the kingdom of israel which is refered to long before any pa;estine came into exsistance, this dosent make the arbs there today anymore palestinian then immigrants that come here and call themselves british.
there were many different sorts of people livng in these areas but without quesion the hebrews the jews were there beofre the islamics.
on that basis and going by the torah i claim israel as the land of the jews , why is it that muslims can have 27 states around israel all of them evil dictaorships by the way but little israel gives you such a problem.
you refer to zionists do you even know what the word zionist means?

people like you have been trying to rid the world of israel since the greeks romans nazis crusades all of them but the thing is and take this in
NO ONE WILL EVER DESTROY ISRAEL AND WE COULD ALWAYS TAKE OUT THE WHOLE MIDDLE EAST WITH OUR BOMBS IF IT CAME TO IT AND TAKE ALL THE DOGS WITH US WHO WANT TO KILL US.
but i have to say this it makes me laugh how the people on the 'arab'demo on thursdays are mainly english communists whats that all about?

betar boy


to those who are brave enough...

16.05.2005 22:56

I feel sorry for both Jews and Palestinians for they are both being manipulated for other agendas. I have often pondered the question of how someone can be a Jew and atheist simultaneously, or how terms like Messianic Jew can exist without creating a paradox. I have also reviewed with great sceptism the validity of political Zionism as it exists today, and noted how little rationality there is for a seperate Jewish state that has an immigration policy geared toward a pro-jewish demographic (which additionally is not defined on religion as it should, but by bloodline). I have pondered all this, and through my analysis I am simply not prepared to accept the notion that the Jews of Israel can actually be as xenophobic as they appear to be. It simply doesn't make any sense for a community like the jews to tribalise themselves around a motto as insignificant and as meaningless as bloodline, especially where any original segregation was derived from a religious base. No, it simply doesn't add up. When you look at the bigger picture, Israel's existence is illogical enough to be compared to a car crash victim coma-patient who is only being kept alive by an external life-support machine. The reality of Israel, like the coma-patient, is that it's clinically dead. In conclusion, it is religious nutters, such as christian zionists, "enlightened" theologians who are entities responsible for creating this absurd mess. Sure, there are Jewish Zionists who have religious objectives also. But for the main, I cannot rule out the prospect that both jew and palestinian alike are being manipulated for the sake of Christian biblical prophecy. In short, Jesus cannot return until the jews returned to Israel; the Christians KNOW that, and have done everything in their power to allow his return become reality. It does not matter that a Jew does not practice Judaism. What matters is that Israel EXISTS, not matter what it takes to maintain it. Think of it like this: how long do the Christian faithfuls have to wait until the Second Coming? Another 1000 years? 2000 years perhaps? Maybe even 5000 years? And until then, every new human generation is born into a diseased world, with much pain and suffering. 10,000 years of more pain and suffering? "No way" says the church. "I'd rather FORCE biblical prophecy right now and get Jesus on the scene as soon as possible; at least that way the next 10,000 years will be of peace, and those aforementioned future generations will live in happiness rather than misery and despair". "Force biblical prophecy?? You must be mad...? And risk the wrath of God by giving Christian energy to the foundation of a non-Christian entity, and ultimately envoking the Son of Satan??"........."Means to an end..." he says, "I'd sooner sacrifice my Christian soul by making way for the anti-christ, than to allow the humans of the world to endure another 10,000 years of despair."

It's utilitarianism. Simple advanced theologically ludicrous utilitarianism.

amateur eschatology


Total Paranoid Hatred

17.05.2005 12:14

BWAHAHAHA - the Romans called an area Palestine because they wanted to erase the word 'Israel'. What a conspiracy! Was the 'myth' of the dinosaurs dreamt up to distract people from the Jewish peoples? You're similar to the NAZI's who think that there is a huge conspiracy against the Hitlerian regime. Those who believe in the protocols of Zion and other nonsense like that. Fuckin hell, you guys are so similar its uncanny.

Betar Boy - HAHAHAHAA - You guys are even more nuts and paranoid than I originally thought. No wonder you can be so inhumane against your fellow human beings with a paranoid mindset like that. It explains to me perfectly how you can murder and displace families based on a mythical fiction that God gave you a shitty piece of land to the East of the Mediterranean. Why not a piece of land in bloody Derbyshire eh? It might not support olive groves, but at least the the army would do something positive for once, and stop you from killing and stealing all the land from the people who live there at the moment and running bulldozers into Zoos that might be there, killing all the animals (remember last year in the Gaza strip, no?).

Betar Boy - you and your mates need some sure accomodation while you come to terms with your psychiatric conditions. Remember - if you're mad, you will be the last person to know it. I'm sure if you came to the UK claiming asylum there would be some nice free Group 4 run secure accomodation available for you...its where Palestinian kids end up, after all, when they flee from your genocidal supporters.

Krop


Communists

17.05.2005 16:38

Betar Boy

Who liberated Auschwitz? Answer me that!

C&P


krop you are a fool

17.05.2005 17:01

not one mention of ....

arab death squads that send kids into israel to murder as many people as they can

murdering babies in communities in gaza and judea samaria by sniper shots

training arab kids in school to fire guns and make boms at 4 years old

preeching through the mosques how to kill the jews who are evil.

kidnapping young jewish girls on the streets of tel aviv and selling them to arabs

ripping idf men apart with bare hands showing blood on their jands like savages.


by the way why is it ok to throw jews out of their homes in gaza but not arabs?

why do i have to look at nazis with plo flags in oxford street boycotting jews.

the trouble with a rasicst like you is israel is always wrong and the terrorists are right.

the poor palestinian victims always them isnt it never mind all the jews murdered in the name of allah

betar boy


do you really believe your own lies?

17.05.2005 22:51

betar boy

Do you really believe the lies that you put on indymedia???

your twisted ,sick lies are designed to re-write the truth about what is going on! Your a completly twisted, man. It's ok to have a single zionist state (not jewish as israel is not a jewish state), but if the palestinians what there own state alone side israel, no that can't happen. seriously, you on a different planet!

The only fascist on Oxford Street are not the ones with Palestinian Flags (PLO) as you put it! BUT are the ones with Flags of the Zionist State!

Feel the Love, Peace in the Middle East!


the mirror on your wall

18.05.2005 01:19

I never denied any of those things that you now bring up, for they are new things you mention. And even if those new things are true, then my reaction is the same: if you treat people like shit they treat you the same way.

Take a look at yourself in the mirror. You have become the mirror image of those that you hate.

Krop


its very simple

18.05.2005 02:22

i find it incredible, there are 27 muslim countries in the world and numerous christian ones catholic hindu bla bla yet you nazis have a massive problem with 1 yes 1 jewish state the size of wales 9that you want to make half the size of wales).

which part of my last staement was a lie? i can prove every point, challenge me on any of them.
i have served in the IDF i have seen the terrorist training camps i have seen the savages and their bloodthirsty ways.

why should there be another palestinian state? they have jorden.

why should israel have a nother terror regime on her doorstep making parts of israel only 4 miles wide?

you people will do anything to destroy the jewish state because you hate the jewish state because you dont want a jewish state it hurts you dosent it.

mad arabs screaming for allah walking onto buses and killing civillians seems acceptable to you people.

we are used to this hatred it dosent go away but i suggest one thing seriously come to oxford street meet both groups i swear on my life our group is civilised we have older people and kids we are polite, we are articlulate and we debate, the PLO lot are often drunk they hate the police they will not sebate anyone who disagrees they just swear and shout.

its a vile protest with the same 20 faces every week

betar boy


serious question

18.05.2005 11:37

betar boy - i just want to know one thing. What's the point in being an Israeli Jew? Can you tell me that? I'm not trying to be rude - I just want to know?

Are you a practicing Jew? Do you feel a tribalistic connection to the geography of Israel/Palestine because of your relationship with God?

Or maybe you're not religious, in which case, what makes you Jewish? How do you FEEL Jewish? What makes you any different from the Palestinians? Do you refer to any visible ideological difference with the Palestinians when constrasting yourself from them?

Most importantly perhaps: What would you be sacrificing to reject your Jewish identity?

chocky


bored now

18.05.2005 11:55

Yawn....turn over the record dearest...and don't forget your prescription is turning up at the chemists tomorrow.

Krop


You call yourself Jewish???

18.05.2005 23:04

betar boy.

You call yourself Jewish! you don't represent the Jewish people in britian, let alone london. Groups such as betar only help to give true jews in the country a bad name!

Just so you know i've been past M&S on Oxford street, when your lot have been there. I can tell you for a FACT that what you say about the "PLO" lot is total and utter lies! Do you really think you defend the murder on Palestinians, over 4,000 i might add, by tell total and utter slanderous lies about a peaceful protest in support of an oppress people?

betar boy, you make me sick. not because your jewish, oh no, that i have no issues over before you even think of going there! because you lie to defend murder. you lie to defend the ethnic cleansing of 700,000 Palestinians in 1948.

I can tell you as a Jew, there is NO JEWISH STATE! there is a ZIONIST STATE, that being ISRAEL!

There is NO PALESTINIAN STATE, and Jordan is NOT A PALESTINIAN STATE, it is an ARAB STATE!

betar boy, get over it, you FASCIST!

CjS`


let me explain chocky

18.05.2005 23:41

i am a traditional jewish guy.

i was raised by parents sent to hebrew school as most jewish kids are and learnt about the torah and the history of jews in the land of Israel how the greeks, romans tried to murder us the history of jews in masada.

most jewish kids tour israel at 16 as i did its a fantastic country made into milk and honey by the people living there, sure there are many refugees for instance the ethepian blacks who were rescued from murder and bought to israel, russian jews to and victims of the holocaust, but also there wer thoushands of jews who were expelled from iraq and iran and syria, also there are many jews who have lived there for generations.

so we learn this and we love it becasue being jewish you have a connection with other jews.
so we have 1 tiny country in the whole world , we are surrounded by many enemies islamic countries who hate the jewish state.

so i decide to join the IDF at 20 and did 2 years in gaza and i promise you 3 things
1) we did not sit around planning to murder arab babies
2) we did find many many terrorists hidden amongst the kids and women
3) we did find the most incredible hatred written in schollbooks about how the jew is the son of apes
and also we helped as did many israeli doctors many arab kids and yet we were shot at and snipered and stabbed and killed by gangs of hamas and others at every oppertunity.
i can tell you the amount of suicde bombs we stopped getting through was 30-1

so i then come back here and i find there are english people who want to stand in my city london and fly this PLO flag and boycott the country that gave me so much.
as a londoner and jew with much familey in israle im not going to let this happen hence the counter boycott.

im telling you i have been there done it seen i and until you have stood in the middle of a jerusalm street and picked up skin and heads of kids and old men you really cant comment

betar boy


cjs

19.05.2005 07:40

your post is utter garbage why?

1) you say the plo protest is peaceful!! they chant victory to the intifada and palestine will be free from the river to the sea!!
A) the intifada is not a party mate it is the planned killing and murder of civillians in order to get land so of course they support murder of jews or they wouldnt chant victory to the intifada.

b) they chant palestine will be free from the river to the sea, now this means i take it the north to south the entire state the destruction of israel, so how is this not supporting murder?

2) 700,000 palestinans elnically cleansed? and you call me a liar? where the hell do you get these figures from and what do you mena etnically cleansed you have really messed up with that number its pure crap no one has been etnically cleansed.
the nazis shaved heads made soap from skin hairbrushes from hair, did med experiments on jews and gassed 6million of us id say thats ethnically clensing.

finally dont forget many people of many faiths live in israel and worship, its not a zionist state do you even know the word zionist? it simply means the right of a jew to have a homeland

betar boy