Depeche Mode cancelled their Israeli Concert scheduled for Thursday evening in Tel-Aviv. Whilst it may shock non-israelies, Tel-Aviv is quite active, with all shops open, and business are as usual. Tel-Aviv now is crowded with refugees from the north and many businesses are offering discount prices for residents of northern towns hosting in Tel-Aviv. I, myself, am not hosting any refugee at my house (though Idok offered a different view of hosting refugees). However, the cancellation of Depeche Mode’s concert has seem to hit the Israeli Morale.
First, the opening act cancelled, two days ago which was indeed the opening act to Depeche Mode’s cancellation (who can find me the link to the one who said that joke?, and no, not velvet).
The thing is, that Depeche Mode’s cancellation is just a sign for Israel’s world support. Though the UN Security Council did not condemn Israel for the “Mistake†in Qana (ignore the headline, read on) the world is still afraid to come here (obviously). But even when people are afraid, they are standing with who they support. I guess that by understanding why Depeche Mode cancelled, i understand why the world fails to support Israel. It’s not only Israel where life was stopped, but also in Beirut; and war is never good for business.
The only thing that this war is an exception for Tom Friedman’s Golden Arches theory (Israel, Lebanon). Two countries are fighting, while both of them are holding a branch of McDonalds. When Friedman wrote this theory (which he later explained in “The World is Flatâ€) he forgot, probably, one thing. The next war will be between the modern and the fundamentalist (sorry for using western-dialectics here) and not between the modern and modern, or fundamentalist and fundamentalist) and when the Clash of Civilsations occur, then no one can tell what will be the outcome.
The only question, which i try to run from, is deciding which of the civilisations is better. Should ultraorthodox behaviour lead to a better world, or will modern life do so? Both Tel-Aviv and Beirut are modern cities, which much alike. Both on the shore of the Mediterranean sea, with active life and with cultural diversity. Both, however, misrepresent their country. Both Israel and Lebanon, the black sheep of the Middle east, have many religious sects fighting (either violently or not) against modernism and against other religions in the area.
Both cities try to appear modern, and hide the fact that their nation is at war while the music goes on. Maybe now Beirut is different, but in peaceful times, there still is a war both in Lebanon and Israel. Both cities suffer from this war; Tel-Aviv has suffered many terrorist bombing during the last 10 years, when Beirut has as well. Both cities, however, are fighting for normal lives.
Tel-Aviv, much like Beirut, wants this war to end. It wants it to end not only to gain peace, but also to return to average day life, the quiet which hides the real tension that was brought out by this war – the tension that religious extremists, no matter from which religion, cannot be satisfied by partial victories.
Did you read Jimmy Carter’s opinion in WaPo?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/31/AR2006073100923.html
He makes a point I raised in discussions before:
“Tragically, the current conflict is part of the inevitably repetitive cycle of violence that results from the absence of a comprehensive settlement in the Middle East, exacerbated by the almost unprecedented six-year absence of any real effort to achieve such a goal.”
Exactly. Now Isreali politicians act as if this war was forced on them, but they had 6 years to improve relations, to release tensions, to get into negotiations, and, most importantly, to support the fragile democracy in the north. They didn’t do anything to prevent new escalations. They really don’t have the right now to point at other’s motes, they should care about the log in their own eye. But why don’t the Israeli voters hold them accountable? They must be under influence of Weapons of mass deception.
On that note, Gray, you can also hold the American voters accountable for voting in Bush for the second term! That, inspite of so many people not wanting him and his neo con co horts to do the damage they were afraid that was going to be done. I understand the conflict of feeling whether it is a matter of fundamentalist vs modernism. I think that somehow, because of the nature and history of the Israeli conflict, fundamentalism has grown stronger out of it as a reaction and a solace of sorts. Probably on the Israeli side as well. I posted the video of Wafa Sultan, who made some ‘damaging’ comments on Aljazeera tv accusing Muslims to be at fault for this supposed clash of civilizations. Come check it out or go to Mahmoud, I saw it there in the first place, doesn’t matter where you see it. You probably already heard of her. The thing is, for every fundamentalist conservative Muslim/Christian/Jew, is a moderate, more outward looking type. Unfortunately, only in an moderately ruled world, can conservatives of all stripes exist. Unfortunately, in a conservatively ruled world, there is room for only one (world/religious) view.
Jonathan, I have ’rounded’ up one more blogger, still working on the rest..
take care,
Ingrid
Gary,
I don’t think that the government here is perfect; i do think that they could have worked for peace, and that this war wasn’t forced on anyone. but i do think that now, that the war has started, it must be used in order to make peace, and not in order to continue.