And while we wait for the troubadours
8 Jan – Sderot, Israel. Israeli citizens watching Gaza under attack.
Eduardo Castaldo 2009.
Click on the image to see it and others in big.
Eduardo Gastaldo was one of the many (that is to say, all) photographers/journalists who was denied access to Gaza when Israel bombed the shit outta the place. While this cease-fire still holds, I’ll post a few of his pastoral, and incongruous images from the safe side of the wall. Most of his images from the series Watching Gaza serve to reflect a general Israeli support of the war, but to their credit also Israeli anti-war demonstrations in Tel Aviv. You’ll have to go to his own site for that more balanced view, though.
Though I gladly participated in the Palestine peace march here in Xela two weeks ago, I didn’t support the local organizers in defacing the monument at the Plaza de Israel (a big metal Star of David) as representative of the crimes of the state of Israel. I felt that instead of encouraging peace, it inspires returned prejudice against a people on the base of religion – remembering that prior to being a national symbol, the star is a symbol of Jewish identity, a religious rather than a state emblem. (oh, the irony of confusing it with a swastika) Just to say that albeit a small act, symbolically it’s as strong as the benevolent little peace march. At least in my mind.
I know that there are a few who would rather see and hear about stuff closer to my own life, and to Guatemala, and I hope I will be able to tell some soon, besides from telling that I’ve been alternating between my bed and the pot these past few days (I feel a lot better today, thank you).
Hiya, I would probably argue that the Star of David that flies above Israel is a Zionist construction, and one of their earliest and best victories: to fuse not only in their dogma, but in world opinion, the imperialist goals of Zionism, and the Jewish faith, which in reality couldn’t be more divergent. Over the years this has led to every critic of Israel, and it’s Zionist ambition to be labelled anti-semitic, which in most cases has not been true. The early Zionist leaders were masters of propaganda, and revising history to suit their political ends, appropriating the Star of David from the Jews was the pinnacle of their efforts.
Any monument named the Plaza de Israel, displaying a Star of David as large as the one in Xela has fallen for this hook, line and sinker, and could probably use a little paint to remind folks of this.
Hej hej…
Hiya yourself, you’re most probably right in your arguments, and I’m glad to get a more knowledgeable comment than my own on the Zionist complex .. so thanks for furthering the understanding. My point is more locally grounded, in that whereas you may be right, the people of Xela are in fact probably not reminded of these things. However rigorously appropriated into a national symbol for the Israeli leaders, then for most people, I believe, the Star alone still holds value as the religious symbol when seen out of context.
Mainstream media have made repeated use of the symbol as that of the oppressed Jewish people, which like you say has given rise to an anti-anti-semitism thing since, which the state has taken great advantage of over the years, but it is still the way the general public sees the symbol. I’ve got nothing against vandalism as such if targeted carefully, it’s just about picking the right iconography. But hey, maybe people do understand it and the evil scheme behind it, better than me.
But I was also the wet blanket who commented with somewhat same arguments on the happy hippies’ placards and big banners bearing, in big happy letters, ‘Make Hummus Not War’.
hej-hej.