[Marxism] More on the Israeli hate-speech video

[Pat Costello <pt_costello@xxxxxxxxx>]

(Ironic that the kids in this video mimic African-American hip hop culture.)



http://maxblumenthal.com/2009/06/feeling-the-hate-in-jerusalem-on-the-eve-of-obamas-speech-in-cairo/


Max Blumenthal writes: On the eve of President Barack Obamaâs address to the 
Muslim world from Cairo, Egypt, I stepped out onto the streets of Jerusalem 
with my friend Joseph Dana to interview young Israelis and American Jews about 
their reaction to the speech. We encountered rowdy groups of beer sodden 
twenty-somethings, many from the United States, and all eager to vent their 
visceral, even violent hatred of Barack Obama and his policies towards Israel. 
Usually I offer a brief commentary on my video reports, but this one requires 
no comment at all. Quite simply, it contains some of the most shocking footage 
I have ever filmed. Watch it and see if you agree. (This video was removed from 
the Huffington Post on the grounds that it had âno news valueâ and âdid 
not move the conversation forward.â)

 

Update:  Joseph Dana, one of the co-creators of the video above, has written 
the following to explain why he and Max Blumenthal made the video, and what he 
thinks it shows:

    Itâs about entitlement, stupid.

    Max and I went on to the streets of Jerusalem at ten oâclock on a 
Wednesday to ascertain the feelings of the young population about Obamaâs 
upcoming speech in Cairo. As is often the case, the streets of central 
Jerusalem were not filled with native Israelis but American Jews. Doubtlessly 
anyone who has visited Jerusalem has encountered the droves of American Jewish 
kids that are sent to Israel to study for a period of time from Teaneck or 
Westchester. We asked people a simple question, âWhat do you think of Obama 
and Israel?â Most of the people that we talked to were dual American Israeli 
citizens. The answers in this video reflect the education and worrisome 
perspectives that many American Jews harbor towards Israeli politics. The sense 
of entitlement that the American Jewish community has when it comes to Israeli 
policy is on full raw display in the words of these young adults.

    Based on our interviews these people were from high socio economic 
backgrounds and had developed thoughts about current Israeli politics. The 
question is why more journalists are not covering this story. All you have to 
do is walk the streets of Jerusalem and you will find dozens of people that 
harbor the same beliefs. As a resident of Jerusalem, I can say that the people 
represented in this video are not members of a fringe group or simply drunk 
college kids. These people reflect the sentiments shared by many people in this 
country and this city. These people and their families are the core of the 
opposition to meaningful peace between Israel and her neighbors. This is what 
Obama is up against.




      

________________________________________________
YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message.
Send list submissions to: Marxism@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Set your options at: 
http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/options/marxism/archive%40archives.econ.utah.edu