A photo Andrew took in Israel.

When people are enemies, they tend to dehumanize one another. When people want to make peace, they emphasize their common humanity. I’ve always been intrigued by the notion of bridging the divide through music, food, and art.

A visit to Israel inspired Andrew Roseman to bring Israelis and Palestinians together through a music festival called Man of a Thousand Teas. Some may question whether this is an attempt to normalize the occupation, or argue that it doesn’t do anything to help but I see it in the same vein as the effort of Edward Said and David Barenboim’s West-East Divan Orchestra.

The American Student Who’s Planning an Israeli-Palestinian Music Festival

By Harry Cheadle, Vice

Andrew Roseman, like thousands of American students, visited Israel last year to experience the country’s culture and history. But unlike some young tourists, who spend their days getting drunk and tan in Tel Aviv or secretly pleasuring each other in tents in the desert, the junior from Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine, embarked on a project to bring Israelis and Palestinians together, at least for a day. Since spending four months in Jerusalem, he’s been working to create a festival (called Man of a Thousand Teas) that would feature musicians from both sides of the Green Line. I haven’t heard of anyone trying anything like that before, so I called Andrew to see how it was going.

VICE: What inspired you to try to organize a festival in Israel?

Andrew Roseman: Well, I was in the process of trying to book a [music] show in Jerusalem and I was talking to my [Palestinian] friends, and I was like, “Hey, I’m going to be playing in Jerusalem in a couple of weeks.” And they couldn’t come, obviously, because people from the Palestinian territories aren’t allowed to just enter Jerusalem without a special pass, and it’s very difficult to get. And on the other side, when I was booking shows in Bethlehem, my Israeli friends said, “Oh, I can’t go because I’m not allowed in Palestinian territory.” After a while, we were like, “You know, it would be kind of sweet if we could start a music festival that would bring together Palestinians and Israelis in a politically neutral area that both Israelis and Palestinians have access to.” There aren’t many places like that, but there are a few and with my friends’ help we were able to find a spot that you don’t need a pass or any sort of form to access—a Bedouin area in the Jerusalem wilderness, basically in the Judean desert. Little by little, it’s coming together, and I’m pretty excited about it.

What’s your perspective on how Palestinian and Israeli youth feel about the conflict between the two sides?

I was there when the most recent Gaza conflict was happening and the rockets were going back and forth. There were a bunch of protests and during one, you had Israelis on one side waving Israeli flags and shouting, “Get Hamas out of Gaza,” and then on the other side you had Palestinians waving Palestinian flags and yelling something—I don’t speak Arabic—about the Intifada. Those are two very different messages. I think young people from this part of this world just kind of grow into their context and they don’t necessarily get many chances to intermingle with each other and actually chill. Most of the people I’ve spoken to have really good intentions—at times, it appears that the issue is too complex and people are dug in too deep for anyone to make any sort of difference—but with that attitude we’ll never get anything done.

Have you got a lineup of bands and artists in mind?

Yeah, we’ve reached out to a bunch of bands. We’re in the process of talking to some booking agents. One artist that we’ve made a lot of progress with is Ben Blackwell—he’s a black Israeli rapper, and he’s got a song, “Israel We Go Hard,” that’s pretty sweet. I’d never heard of him before but he’s got a nice following on YouTube and after listening to his stuff we figured he’d be really cool to get on the bill. We’re also trying to get Shadia Mansour, who is a Palestinian female rapper—she’s unreal, she’s got incredible charisma. One big name is Balkan Beat Box, a pretty famous band from Israel, and we’re hoping to get them to be one of the headliners. Ninet Tayeb is this Israeli singer and she’s so talented and really, really sexy.

What’s the hardest part about trying to put this together?

Right now it’s funding. It’s the most difficult part and it’s so stressful. We’re talking to a bunch of fairly affluent influential people and they seem pretty interested… but they keep trying to make sure the festival will have some sort of political slant—kind of like conditional sponsorship—and we didn’t want to deal with that at all. We’re not trying to establish any political agenda, we just want these people together, listening to the music they like and having a good time with each other. The funding part has been difficult but I think if we all do what needs to be done we can make this happen, because it would be unreal, it would be indescribable. Anyone interested in helping Andrew and his friends out should email manofathousandteas@gmail.com @HCheadle

Islamic cemetery in Jerusalem faces silent destruction

(Maan News)

Jerusalem’s Mamilla, or Maman Allah, cemetery has been a Muslim burial ground since the 7th century.

It is said to hold the remains of companions of the Prophet Muhammad, soldiers and officials from the rule of Saladin in the 12th century, as well as generations of Jerusalem’s most important families.

When Israeli authorities opened Mamilla mall in 2007, the cemetery remained a stark reminder of ancient Islamic history in the midst of modern commercial structures.

Today, the cemetery is on the verge of complete destruction.

The Los Angeles-based Simon Wiesenthal Center is set to build what is termed a “Museum of Tolerance” on cemetery grounds, a plan which has already seen over 1,500 graves disinterred to make way for the site.

The cemetery has also been the site of racist attacks by Jewish extremists. In 2011, at least 15 tombstones were sprayed with slogans reading “death to the Arabs.”

Mamilla cemetery is an ancient symbol of Palestinian and Islamic cultural heritage, but faces a long battle to protect its historical significance as Israel continues to build over its history.

This “price tag” assault and numerous attacks like it do not represent Judaism, which calls for respect and tolerance for other religious traditions and especially the dead.

These settlers who act in the name of G-d, and a supposed exclusive claim to the land in the West Bank by desecrating tombs are the lunatic fringe; every religion has them.

What if they were Muslim? (h/t: JD)

Jewish settlers vandalize Muslim cemetery in Jerusalem

(Al-Akhbar)

Suspected Jewish settlers damaged 30 graves and scrawled anti-Arab graffiti on the headstones in an ancient Muslim cemetery in west Jerusalem, Israeli police and witnesses said on Thursday.

“The words ‘price tag’ and Stars of David were scrawled on around a dozen tombs in the Muslim cemetery in Mamilla in central Jerusalem,” a police spokeswoman told AFP, saying an inquiry had been opened.

An AFP correspondent at the scene said the vandals had also written “Mohammad is dead” and “Maale Rehavam” on the tombs some of which date back to the 12th century.

Maale Rehavam is an illegal outpost in the southern West Bank where Israeli police removed six caravans a day earlier.

The move sparked angry protests by settlers and their supporters in and around Jerusalem.

The Al-Aqsa Foundation, a Jerusalem-based religious and archeological preservation group, said wine glasses were found in the area and 30 graves were damaged.

In a statement, the foundation held Israeli Israeli authorities responsible for the attack and urged Islamic countries to intervene to end attacks on Muslim and Christian sites in the holy city.

Price tag is a euphemism for hate crimes carried out by Israeli extremists which generally target Palestinians or Arabs and their property.

There have been several attacks on Mamilla graveyard, known in Arabic as Ma’man Allah cemetery, which dates from the 12th century and is the resting place of several Sufi saints.

Descendants of those interred in the west Jerusalem cemetery say it also houses the remains of soldiers and officials of legendary Muslim ruler Saladin.

(AFP, Ma’an, Al-Akhbar)

These “suggestions” are familiar stock and trade language with Islamophobes. A few years ago you had Geller saying it and now you have another Israeli politician, this time from the Habayit Hayehudi “suggesting” it.

Knesset candidate suggests Dome of the Rock should be ‘blown up’

Until Friday, Jeremy Gimpel was just a name on a list. To be precise, he was number 14 on the list of Knesset candidates for Habayit Hayehudi, the new incarnation of the National Religious Party headed by Israel’s new political rock star, Naftali Bennett.

But the spotlight began glaring on Gimpel over the weekend after video from a speech the Atlanta-born Gimpel made to the Fellowship Church in Winter Springs, Florida, was posted on Facebook by journalist Yehuda Nuriel. The video caught the eye of veteran commentator Amnon Abramovich, who broadcast the video on the widely-viewed Channel 2 newscast on Friday night. In his lecture, Gimpel said:

“Imagine if the Golden Dome – I’m being recorded so I can’t say ‘blown up’ – but let’s say the Dome was blown up, right? And we laid the cornerstone of the Temple in Jerusalem. Can you imagine? None of you would be here – all of you would be like, “I’m going to Israel, right?” No one would be here, it would be incredible!”

After the newscast the video of Gimpel’s words went viral on Israeli Facebook, stunned commenters called Gimpel “dangerous,” “psychotic” and “a religious fanatic.” Nuriel followed up withanother video of a televised radio show in which Gimpel is quoted as saying the Dome of the Rock is so visually striking in Jerusalem in order to send the message that it “doesn’t really belong there.”

Haaretz, 19 January 2013

Israeli border policemen stood near what Palestinians called the new village of Bab Al Shams (Gate of the Sun), on Saturday 11 January 2013. Israeli forces raided and dismantled the encampment early Sunday. (Issam Rimawi / APA images)

by Ilisha

What does the conflict between Israel and Palestine have to do with Islamophobia? The fact that 1.) Foundations based in the United States are major backers of the Islamophobia Movement at home while at the same time being huge supporters of Israeli Settlements. 2.) The Islamophobia Movement consistently demonizes, in stark “Good” vs. “Evil” terms, Islam/Muslims and Palestinians in the name of Pro-Israel advocacy. 3.) The promotion of the “Clash of Civilizations” theme that pits the “Judeo-Christian” world against “Islam.”

Israeli governments have exploited the theme of “civilizational conflict” ever since the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the US more than a decade ago. In the immediate aftermath of the horrific terrorist attacks on America in 2001, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was asked what it would mean to relations between the US and Israel, he was surprisingly candid:

It’s very good.

Then, apparently realizing that would probably not be well received, he edited his remark:

“Well, not very good, but it will generate immediate sympathy.” He predicted that the attack would ”strengthen the bond between our two peoples, because we’ve experienced terror over so many decades, but the United States has now experienced a massive hemorrhaging of terror.”

In case anyone doubted his sincerity, he repeated similar sentiments during a conference in 2008 at Bar-Ilan University on the division of Jerusalem as part of a peace deal with the Palestinians:

“We are benefiting from one thing, and that is the attack on the Twin Towers and Pentagon, and the American struggle in Iraq,” Ma’ariv quoted the former prime minister as saying. He reportedly added that these events “swung American public opinion in our favor.”

Want to drum beat support for a reckeless and dangerous war against Iran?

Invoke the “Mad Mullah with Nukes” theme.

Want to steal more Palestinian land, while pretending to be engaged in a peace process? Blame the lack of progress on bloodthirsty Islamocrazies hellbent on throwing Jews into the sea.

And it works.

How else can Israel appear to be the victim of the “Islamocrazy Palestinians?”

It is, after all, Israel that is occupying Palestinian land, not the other way around. It is Israel that is building illegal settlements on stolen Palestinian land, complete with “Jews only” bypass roads. Yet we are told it is the Palestinians who are somehow holding Israelis captive, and that’s why it’s impossible to make peace.

Some Palestinians have decided they too can play the “settlement” game. They set up a makeshift “settlement” called “Gate of the Sun” on private Palestinian land that Israel plans to expropriate for an illegal Jewish settlement that will effectively cut the West Bank in two. (We must ask who exactly are the Jewish settlers? Usually, they are extreme, right-wing religious fanatics, accommodated by the Israeli state, who have also been known to participate in price-tag attacks on West Bank villages, mosques and churches.)

Unlike Israeli settlers in the West Bank, Palestinians set up their “settlement” on Palestinian land. In response, occupation authorities evicted the “settlers” within days.

Violating court order, Israeli occupiers forcibly remove Bab Al Shams village from Palestinian land

Demonstrating once again the illusory nature of the rule of law in Israel when it comes to the rights of Palestinians, Israeli occupation forces on Sunday morning violently expelled dozens of Palestinians who had on Friday established a village they called Bab Al Shams [Gate of the Sun] on privately-owned Palestinian that has been seized for Jewish settlement in the occupied West Bank…

Read the rest here

Are we really expected to believe a great civilizational struggle between the West and Islam is forcing Israel to gobble up what’s left of Palestine?

As long as the Israeli regime and supporters in the US exploit the “bloodthirsty crazed Muslims are the problem” theme to obscure real issues, we have an obligation to expose them. In the case of the Gate of the Sun “settlement,” the real issues are discrimination, lawlessness, double standards, blatant land theft and a relentless effort to put the final nail in the coffin of the two-state solution.

*********************

In the meantime, Israel is busy recruiting the next generation of Jewish settlers with a “Birthright” rally in Jerusalem, inspiring glaze-eyed fervor reminiscent in some ways of the 2006 American documentary film Jesus Camp. You will also see that Sheldon Adelson makes a cameo in the video. Adelson is a big backer of ‘Birthright,’ while also being a major funder of Islamophobia, he has made his views on Islam and Muslims clear in the past.:

‘Birthright’ ecstasy in Jerusalem — Ziojuana, no occupation, lotta Jewish babies | Mondoweiss

The mosque is also known as the Prophet Dawud Mosque and has been the subject of attempted Settler violence in the past. In fact, according to the story below the first story of the mosque was taken over and converted into a Synagogue.

As you can see from the pics provided, significant damage has been visited on the historic site, including damage to 17th century Ottoman style marble tiles. Judaism does not allow for the sanctity and heritage sites of other religions and nations to be desecrated in this manner, it is the misguided interpretation of a lunatic fringe and the Israeli establishment’s acquiescence and appeasement that allows for such attacks to continue.

Sadly it seems Israel and the world is willing to bear this sort of extremism in silence, without condemnation or redress. (h/t: IbrahimV)

What if they were Muslim?

*Disclaimer: This story as of yet has not been confirmed by other NGO’s or mainstream news agencies.

Jewish groups attack mosque in Jerusalem

(WorldBulletin)

Jewish groups have attacked the Psalmist Mosque in occupied Jerusalem and destroyed the Ottoman tiles in the mosque, the Al-Aqsa Foundation and Cultural Heritage Organization said.

In a written statement released, the Al-Aqsa Foundation and Cultural Heritage Organization said that Jewish groups attacked the Psalmist Mosque, located in the south-west of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, and destroyed Ottoman marbles and tiles from the 17th century.

“Israel had turned the first story of the mosque into a synagogue in the past despite the fact that it was an Islamic architecture,” the statement underlined.

The attack on the mosque caused anger and this was not the first time that the mosque was desecrated, the statement said.

The Chairman of the Al-Aqsa Foundation and Cultural Heritage Organization, Zeki Muhammad Igbariyye stressed that the Psalmist Mosque should be returned to its actual owners and should be an Islamic mosque.

Related:

-Extremists Attacked A Mosque in Jerusalem

-Jewish Extremists Attack Mosque in Jerusalem

Jerusalem: illegal settlers plan to drown out Muslim call to prayer with loud rock music

After the French Hill neighborhood of Jerusalem has decided to play very loud music, in defiance of the volume and disturbance of the sound of the muezzin at the mosque in nearby Al-Issawiya, two additional Jewish neighborhoods, Pisgat Ze’ev and Har Choma, have announced that they, too, will take up a similar approach. French Hill also decided to go with hard rock, and not Mediterranean tunes, as had originally been planned, because, as they put it, hard rock is more likely to deliver the message.

According to Yediot Jerusalem, the French Hill neighborhood has recently approached an amplification company with an order for four huge speakers to be directed at Al-Isawiya. As soon as the village muezzin will start his exceedingly loud prayer, it will be responded to with ear shattering Rock n’ Roll, letting local Arabs understand how disturbing the loud prayers have been to their Jewish neighbors.

Har Choma and Pisgat Ze’ev residents are waiting to see the results from the French Hill “pilot.” If the protest via rock blasts succeeds, the other two neighborhoods, situated on the border of the Jerusalem municipality, will follow suit.

Jewish Press, 16 July 2012

Settler Attacks

“Price-tag” attacks against Palestinians continue and are likely to increase.

According to Reuters,

The U.N. World Court considers the settlements illegal but Israel, citing historical and Biblical links to the territory, disputes this.

Pro-settler vandals suspected in anti-Arab assaults

(Reuters) – Suspected Israeli pro-settler activists vandalised Palestinian cars in Jerusalem on Monday, their second attack in a week in apparent retribution for plans to move 30 settler families from illegally built homes.

Israeli police are concerned there could be further attacks before a July 1 deadline to move the families.

“The main suspicion we are looking at is that it is a ‘Price Tag’ (attack),” police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said, referring to violence by militant settlers who have vowed to exact revenge for any attempt to curb settlement in the occupied West Bank.

Palestinians fear Israeli settlements, built on land Israel captured in a 1967 war, will deny them a viable state, and they refuse to return to peace talks frozen since 2010 until their expansion is halted.

The U.N. World Court considers the settlements illegal but Israel, citing historical and Biblical links to the territory, disputes this.

The name “Ulpana”, an area in Beit El settlement where the Supreme Court found that five apartment houses had been built illegally on private Palestinian land, was daubed on one of seven vehicles whose tyres were slashed in East Jerusalem.

On Friday, anti-Arab slogans were spray-painted on vehicles in Neve Shalom, a community of Jewish and Arab peace activists in central Israel.

Police suspect “Price Tag” activists were responsible and appointed an investigative team, but have not made any arrests.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu angered settlers last Wednesday when, at his urging, parliament defeated an attempt by ultranationalist lawmakers to legalise the Ulpana dwellings and thousands of others erected on Palestinian-owned tracts.

Netanyahu, a right-wing leader, has long banked on the support of settlers and their backers. His opposition to the attempt by the far-right to circumvent the Supreme Court over Ulpana, has left a reservoir of resentment among settlers.

The government plans to move the 30 families in Ulpana to alternative housing in a nearby military zone. In an apparent bid to placate settlers it said it would build 851 new settler homes in the West Bank, drawing Palestinian and international condemnation.

Ironically, these Ultra-Orthodox Jewish protesters attacked the Arabs for the purpose of protecting the sanctity of the Sabbath, but, they seem to forget about the sanctity of the human being and the dignity that should be afforded to them. In this way they are similar to other extremist fundamentalists.

Imagine if these Ultra-Orthodox vigilantes were Muslim, and attacked elderly Jews, while yelling “Death to Jews,” you can be sure the Islamophobic looniverse would be going buck-wild about how Islam is to blame.

What if they were Muslim?:

Jerusalem: Haredim attack elderly Arab

(YNetNews)

A number of ultra-Orthodox attacked an elederly Arab and an Arab family following a violent demonstration in Jerusalem against the desecration of the Sabbath, Ynet reported.

An eyewitness said the attack, which took place Saturday evening near the ultra-Orthodox neighborhood of Mea Shearim, was “shocking.”

“The haredim used to just yell ‘Shabbos,’ but the situation is gradually escalating, and now they throw stones at passing cars and set up roadblocks,” said the eyewitness, who lives nearby.

“We call the police, and when a squad car arrives they (haredim) run away. When the squad car leaves, they return. It’s a kind of game.”

Last Saturday, the eyewitness said, several dozen ultra-Orthodox – mostly teens and little children – stayed at the intersection (corner of Nevi’im and Dvora streets) followingthe demonstration “in search of a victim. They surrounded an elderly Arab man, shoved him and threw stuff at him. It could have ended in a lynching.

“I immediately intervened and tried to help him. They shoved me, threw garbage at me and called me a ‘stinking leftist,’” he recounted.

Later, the eyewitness said, the haredim attacked an Arab woman and her two children with belts while yelling “death to Arabs.” Border Guard officers who were dispatched to the scene dispersed the crowd.

“It was frightening, sad and disgraceful,” the eyewitness said.

More anti-Palestinian violence from fanatical settlers who believe the land has been deeded to them by God, and therefore they have right to intimidate Palestinians into leaving:

Israeli settler shoots Palestinian in West Bank

NABLUS (Ma’an) — An Israeli settler shot and wounded a Palestinian man on Saturday in a clash that began when a group of settlers set fire to fields belonging to a Palestinian village in the occupied West Bank, officials said.

Najeh al-Safadi, 22, was handcuffed by a guard from the illegal settlement of Yitzhar who threw him to the ground and shot him while other settlers kicked him, a relative said.

Muntaser al-Safadi said people from his village, Orif, which is near Nablus in the northern West Bank, arrived and rescued the young man. He was transferred to Rafidia hospital with severe injuries.

Residents said about 25 settlers, some of them carrying guns, set fire to wheat fields and an olive grove near the Orif school. Settlers fired at people who were trying to put out the fire, they said.

Villagers came out to extinguish the fire and ended up clashing with the settlers, said Nablus official Ghassan Daghlas. Eight people were injured and four of them were hospitalized, he told Ma’an.

An Israeli military spokesman confirmed that a settler shot and wounded one Palestinian, adding that security forces were sent to the scene to break up the violence.

“The Israel Defense Forces regards this incident as severe and will thoroughly investigate it,” the spokesman said.

The military is investigating a similar incident from last week in which a video distributed by an anti-settlement group appeared to show a settler shooting and wounding a Palestinian during a confrontation with rock-throwing Palestinians, as soldiers stood by.

Daghlas said Saturday’s attack was a direct assault on civilians, and part of a pattern of incidents sparked by gun-toting settlers.

The official expressed surprise at the “international silence” toward Israeli violations, particularly the silence of the United Nations.

It is also being reported that Settlers attacked an Imam in the Ain Silwan region:

Settlers attack mosque Imam, IOF arrest a boy

(Palestine-info.co.uk

AL-KHALIL– A number of Jewish settlers attacked on Saturday the imam of Ain Silwan mosque in Silwan town in Jerusalem after storming the neighboring area.

Jerusalemite sources stated that the settlers attacked the seventy-year-old imam of Ain Silwan mosque, Adam Samreen, under the pretext of enabling tourists to enter the place. Meanwhile, the Zionist settlers raided the neighboring area, and attacked the guard causing him injuries.

It is noted that the ongoing Zionist attacks against Jerusalemites aim at forcing them to leave their lands and properties.