Tag Archives: propaganda

Sep 1 2015

Why to say Israel is an apartheid state is completely and utterly false, here’s a different method to prove it

Ok, photos can easily be manipulated, so for Muslims, liberals, lefties and political hipsters who seem attracted to the Pro-Palestine movement, instead of showing you photos and links why this is not at all true, let me try a different approach;

I like Google street map view.   In fact I’m a huge fan of most of Google’s services.   Using Street map view is a great way to look at where you went on holiday or where you are planning to go.   You can see such things as what is next to a hotel, a building site or a nice view of a beach.  There all kinds of uses for this fantastic web based app.   It great for bloggers as it a doddle to put a window into the world in an average typical WordPress blog like mine.

So I also think its a good weapon against political propaganda.

Please click and wiggle your mouse on any of these links

So Israel an apartheid state?

Well, would a country hateful against Arab people bother putting all the street signs in English, Hebrew and Arabic?

Is this sign discriminatory?  actually it is!!   An unusual idea in Israel’s highways, is they have a special fast lane.   Pay more money and dodge the traffic by travelling in a special premium lane.   This is ‘unfair’ to normal tax paying motorists but useful if you want to pay to get somewhere quicker.   The Sherut vans tend to use those.   Oh, Sheruts are yellow minibuses which are cheap and go to your door.   They have drivers who are Arabs or Jews and have passengers who are Jews or Arabs or foreigners.

Ok, recognise this place?  its a religious monument to the Bahai faith.   I don’t agree with the Bahais as they are sort of Universalists.  They believe in a little bit of everything, I don’t know much about this faith, apart from their pretty garden which stands out in Haifa.   But this group is allow to have their own freedom of religion here.  Can you image this happening in any other middle east nation?

What about other ethnic groups in Israel?

The Armenian Christians live in own community in Jerusalem

When a Turkish Pro-Palestinian ship went to dock with Gaza, on a ‘peace’ mission.   The Armenian Christian community put up a lot of posters reminding people of the 1 million or so Armenian Christians murdered by the Turkish in 1915.   An event largely forgotten and not willing to be reconcilled or any forgiveness by Turkey since then till now.  😦

Jews and Arabs work in the Shuk, the open air market for fruit and vegetables, and Jews and Arabs shop together. Jews and Arabs also go to modern supermarkets and malls too.

I like the fact that actually Jewish and Arab people tend to eat a lot of the same food too.

Jun 4 2010

June Gaza Flotilla incident and being a volunteer in a unpopular place

I know Christians working in numerous troubled parts of the world all over.  Pakistan, South Africa, Chile, Ukraine and many more.  Western nations as well.   For me, being in Israel has to be one of the most difficult, not so much just in the context of my actual role and living there, but more in case of being an ambassador and explaining to people in my home country both Christians and non-Christians alike why I am volunteering there.

“Christians supporting Israel? Oh so you are Zionist are you?”  is sometimes reactions I get.   This week has been particularly difficult as I try and explain to some people what I believe why the IDF had to board the ships by ‘freedom fighters’ trying to enter Gaza.

In a usual predictable fashion, there is worldwide condemnation of Israel being an aggressor on civilians yet again.   But hold on are these people really people providing humanitarian aid and support to the Palestinians?  Look on Youtube and you can see videos released by the IDF about these people came armed, ok mostly with relatively crude weapons, kitchen knives, iron bars and such, but still able to kill.   Fine if you wish to make a legitimate statement they could of just held up banners and could arrange a third party from the UN to arbitrate sending goods and assistance from their boat to the people in Gaza, instead they were there motives are not so well intentioned.  Even more so, one of the pro-Palestinian activists (I think from the UK or Europe) brought an 18 month old child, why?  Sounds familiar like Hamas terrorists deliberately attack Israel from amongst buildings knowingly containing women and children.  To the folks from Europe, just like some anarchic animal rights protest group, it probably seems jolly exciting to join a band of mercenaries against what they have read as an oppressive authority, and join a cause.  Its now been found that the supposed Turkish freedom fighters have links to Al Queda.

As I said earlier, I am not really a political sort of person.  In the UK I have voted on all three parties at different years, sometimes though when injustice and lies come from our familiar media channels you need to speak out, and when you are a Christian supporting Israel, your views are not always very popular.  All boycotts are a stupid and pointless thing and don’t achieve anything productive.  Instead we need pray and show love to people in all places of conflict.   Israel may get financial support from the US, but for me as a volunteer, the kind donations I have been given by people this year can be counted on one hand.   I am in great need of sponsorship and through asking through various channels, finding a regular sponsor has turned up very little so far.

My role as an IT administrator in the charity in Jerusalem means I have a relatively hidden backroom job but very necessary role of keeping a charity infrastructure running.  As usual with my blog I don’t like talking about politics and arguing, so I will get back to just more biblical places I have visited and seeing people in need lifted up and encouraged by the different Christian organisations I know of here.