Wonderwall Techno Remix = Blasphemy.

So I realized today I picked the wrong week to be kind of lax on the blogging- whoops.

There was this speech I think the President made, and I think it was kind of a big deal? The commentary here, and on the blogosphere, has been non-stop. I just thought busting out the Arabic was awesome, even if he pronounced a few words wrong (I seriously cannot talk). I cannot even begin to summarize all the different reactions, and while I would love to use this blog to share some thoughts on it, I won't bore you. But in relation to my stay here in Israel, the strong policy emphasis on the end of settlement building has been extremely controversial here. (“The United States does not accept the legitimacy of continued Israeli settlements. This construction violates previous agreements and undermines efforts to achieve peace. It is time for these settlements to stop.”) I attended a rally in front of the US consulate the day of the speech, and there has been strong resistance from the Israeli government to bow down on this one. Further, there has been a lot of dialogue on what these means long-term for US-Israeli relations, and how much pressure we are willing to exert on each other. It seems to be working, as the two-state option that had seem previously to be dying is back on the table. How this plays out should be extremely interesting, as Netanyahu has to balance the critical relationship with the United States and the conservative elements of his government, which are keeping him in power- and they aren't a fan of the US approach to settlement building. Funny story, Netanyahu got upset at the US because they said that we weren't upholding the commitments of the Bush government, that we wouldn't challenge the existence and growth of the settlements- we shot back that they agreed to a two-state solution. Bam.

As he continues his tour (recently visiting the Holocaust sites), his every word is being followed (gasp, what does he mean by raising his voice with that word?!?!?) . What is the reaction here? One extreme (warning: a little vulgar) demonstrates how little tolerance SOME-highlight some- Israelis and Jewish Americans have for compromise with the Palestinians. Another great example is these poll numbers, which are probably a better representation than a bunch of drunk teens. At the same time, some are applauding his ability to take the middle road, while being honest and frank with both sides (An African-American President with Muslim roots stands before the Muslim world and defends the right of Jews to a nation of their own in their ancestral homeland, and then denounces in vociferous terms the evil of Holocaust denial, and right-wing Israelis go forth and complain that the President is unsympathetic to the housing needs of settlers. Incredible, just incredible. -Jeff Goldberg )

As a politics, diplomacy, and foreign policy junky, this is all just utterly fascinating to me- like, could I have picked a better time to be here?? Years of diplomatic standards and policy approach being challenged and uprooted- and I get to be here for it, and see how it plays out from the other persepective. I can't wait until I can do this for the rest of my life.

I could go on forever, but at least you have an idea of how it is all being seen here. I got a day off (first in three weeks) and went to Tel Aviv- the problem with getting the day off on Saturday is it's Shabbat, and NOTHING is open, outside of 24 hour grocery stores and some cafes. So while I went to Tel Aviv/Jaffa, I didn't get to see the hustle and bustle of the city, but it ended up being mish mishkilla. I took a sharut, which is like a taxi for a lot of people, (since they close the buslines on Shabbat) to the Central Bus Station. Now, since I brilliantly left my guide book in Ramallah, I didn't have a legit map or idea of where exactly I wanted to go, outside of the suggestions made by my native Tel Aviv friend. And since it was Shabbat, most of those suggestions were null and void anyway. So I decided, hey, why not just walk around a little? Yeah. Okay, except the fact the central bus station is in an extremely seedy part of town, and is home to large parts of the immigrant population (tons of Asians, who knew?). I caught on quick when I saw the prostitute getting arrested. Time to catch a taxi. I'm glad I decided to be the irresponsible American and do so, though- a side of Tel Aviv I would have missed by hanging out in the areas only suggested by native Tel Avivians.

Once in Jaffa (Yafo in Hebrew, I have issues since I pronounce it the Arabic way....), which is an extremely hold and historically significant port that is now a part of the Tel Aviv municipality, I was walking around, and heard a New York accent- said hey! and ended up meeting a NY Jew and her daughter, who were touring around. The woman, Lynn, had lived in Israel for a short period about 20 years ago, and married an Israeli before returning to the states. We ended up chatting and we decided to try to find something open (to little avail). Her experience twenty years ago provided a unique perspective- she kept saying how she didn't understand, everything in this part used to be open on Shabbat, that her and the other secular Jews would come here because it was Arabic, and stayed open while the rest of Tel Aviv closed. It is all Jewish now. She seemed utterly confused, but it made sense to me- Jaffa has a controversial recent political past, as it has been one of the places that Israel has been accused of trying to erase its Arab background and character. Once again, this is controversial, and I don't know enough to stake a claim. But I thought her observations were extremely telling.

So this mother-daughter duo proved to be super amazing, and invited me along back to main Tel Aviv with them. We found one of the only cafes open, and we had a lovely conversation- about their experiences with Israel (I got the advice to never marry an Israeli, too chauvanistic for American women), and a lot of other interesting stuff. While neither live here now, they have strong sentiments tied to it. All peachy, until they asked what I was doing in Israel. I mentioned my work with the Gypsy population, and the word 'oppressed' came up in my reference to the Gypsies. Bad word here. This wonderful, extremely smart (she is an educator, her daughter is an assistant district attorney in the Bronx), literally snarled, 'I have no sympathy for the Palestinians. They had their chance and squandered it. I defend my own.' Seriously, I wasn't even talking about the Palestinians. Topic change: wow, great iced coffee, yes? I can't win- she asked where else I had traveled, and I said Egypt, and that turned into, 'I won't go there because it is an Arab country; I know they hate me- and it doesn't matter to me, because I hate them too.' Um, so that guys' shirt, funny looking, huh? cough, cough. I just don't know how to respond to this intenseness, these irretractable hatred for someone you don't know, heck, an entire population. I know it goes both ways (like the the recent attempt to stone some Israelis in Nablus), but it astounds me how we we can vilify, dehumanize, and in turn oppress entire peoples: and its easy just because they aren't one of us. This doesn't just apply to this conflict- the Gypsies- I'm saving some astoundingly bigoted reactions I've had about the Gypsies for a separate post-, antisemitism, the immigrant populations, the caste system, begging children, Africa, and it goes on and on. At what point is our psyche so tuned out to these things? Humanity, I'm a fan, but really. I kind of wanted to bust out with te 'Joy to the World' lyrics by Three Dog Night- anyone else remember that one? Totally still know the hand motions.

I genuinely enjoyed my afternoon with this pair, and we are going to meet up in Jerusalem; she asked me to show her around a few places. I'm not sure how I am going to tell her the places I know best are in East Jerusalem and the Arab Quarter of the Old City.

Anyway, Tel Aviv is a COMPLETELY different world from Jerusalem- pick up a hybrid New York/California beach city, have everyone speak Hebrew and look extremely attractive, and you've got Tel Aviv. The constant presence of religion in Jerusalem was starkly absent- I saw maybe 5 kippas all day and the females were all in typical US summer clothes (I was by far the most conservatively dressed with a longer skirt and 3-quarter sleeved shirt) while in Jerusalem, everyone wears kippas and collar bones can be scandalous. It was like two sides of a coin. Oh, and to reference the title of the post, I was walking along the Mediterranean beach (SO beautiful) when I heard a techno remix of Wonderwall by Oasis. No. Absolutely not. It destroyed everything wonderful about that song. Tel Aviv, you may be forever on my minus list for that.

Next post: preparing for the meeting with the Mayor, spending the day with Hauwa Ibrahim and Amoun, Jericho, some research updates/general day-to-day stuff of my work, and FOOD. Not that you cared about what is coming next, I just need to remind myself. I start interviews tomorrow! (finally....) Wish me luck!