Holocaust Tax Allowance by Gilad Atzmon

I do think that taking Tax from Jews is nothing less than Anti Semitism in practice. After the Holocaust and 2000 years of Jewish suffering we should accept that Jews have the right to hide some money from the tax authorities, just in case the horror repeats itself.

 The BBC reported today that A US watchmaker told the American court that he “hid $10,000,000 in a Swiss bank account because of ‘survival behaviour’  learned from the Holocaust”. The 65 year-old watchmaker, Jack Barouh, argued his secretive behaviour was motivated by his “fear as a Jew of persecution and sudden loss.” Indeed with 10 million dollars Barouh could barely survive; he could for instance, hire a private jet that would fly him anywhere in the world, he could settle in 5 star hotels in the most beautiful sea resorts, yet, no one could guarantee Barouh a constant supply of matzo balls and gefilte fish and this may well be the true meaning of Jewish fear.

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Film: “Targeted Citizen” (15 minutes)

Targeted Citizen - English from Adalah on Vimeo.

http://vimeo.com/10302596

The film “Targeted Citizen” (15 minutes), produced by filmmaker Rachel Leah Jones for Adalah, surveys discrimination against the Palestinian citizens of Israel. With the participation of experts Dr. Yousef Jabareen of the Technion and Dr. Khaled Abu Asbeh of the Van Leer Institute, as well as Adalah attorneys Sawsan Zaher, Abeer Baker and Hassan Jabareen, inequality in land and housing, employment, education and civil and political rights are eloquently addressed. These interviews are reinforced by the contrasting informality of on-the-street conversations conducted by Palestinian comic duo Shammas-Nahas and punctuated by the hard-hitting rhymes of Palestinian rap trio DAM. The film's theme song “Targeted Citizen,” written and recorded by DAM especially for Adalah, tells it like it is without missing a beat.

Polanski's Ghost Writer - a film review by Gilad Atzmon

It is somewhat puzzling that director Roman Polanski, who has   managed to evade justice for more than three decades, decided to make a film chronicling a disgraced British PM in his attempt to escape the War Crimes Tribunal in The Hague.

Polanski's latest movie is based on Robert Harris’ bestseller (The Ghost). It tells the story of a ‘fictional’ ex British MP Adam Lang (Pierce Brosnan) who though once hugely popular, is now totally despised. Lang is in exile in the USA with his wife Ruth (Olivia Williams). He fears extradition to The Hague Tribunal.

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Hard Talk BY NAHIDA THE EXILED PALESTINIAN

http://uprootedpalestinians.blogspot.com/2010/04/hard-talk-zionists-occupiers-heed-my.html

Zionists occupiers… Heed my call

Like most people, I do believe in dialogue and civilized coexistence, like most people I long to live in dignity and freedom in my homeland, like most people I yearn for peace and justice for every human, like most people I like to foster loving and trusting relationships with all decent individuals; however, our problem with the Zionist occupiers is not about hate and distrust as they like to believe, it’s not about security as you constantly declare, nor is it about dialogue or lack of it thereof!

Our problem with you is not confined to the many aspects of your occupation, human right abuses, checkpoints, walls, collective punishment and assassinations.

The origin of our problem is as profound as a the roots of a fig tree, buried deep and covered up with piles of dishonesty and deceit, yet its fruits has the pungent taste of supremacy, arrogance, racism, dehumanization, theft, and war crimes, and no amount of fig tree leaves could conceal or beautify.

So, to unearth the core of the problem and spell the truth-out loud and clear, I am going to direct my words towards the Zionists of all shades and affiliations.
Furthermore, I am going to be to honest and blunt here; as the catastrophic situation that they have created does not stomach glossing over any longer

Zionist occupiers:

I must warn you; that what I am going to say is not going to be very pleasant, it will taste as bitter as the chilling years of your occupation, as cold as the barren roots of our uprooted olive trees, and as sour as the dry lips of dying babies at your military checkpoints.

My words will be parched, choking and hard to swallow; it will be as rigid and impervious as the cement of your apartheid wall

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Symbolic Identifiers and Jewish Stereotypes by Gilad Atzmon

Jews are usually proud to define themselves as Jews. Some Jews may, for instance, proudly carry the Jewish banner (Jews for Peace, Jews for Justice, Jews for Jesus and so on) as if they believe that the ‘J’ word contains special righteous attributions. However, they also will be gravely offended if they are called a ‘Jew’ by others. Suggesting to a Jew that “he is a Jew” or “behaves like a Jew” can be regarded as a serious ‘racist’ offence. 

 It is linguistically noticeable that the symbolic identifier ‘Jew’ or ‘Jewish’ operates as both noun and as an adjective. As much as the term points to a ‘thing’ it is also descriptive. However, I assume that symbolic identifiers associated with ideological and identity politics tend to function in a dual grammatical mode. The words ‘feminist’, ‘socialist’, ‘Nazi’ and ‘white supremacist’ can point to a human subject but they can also be descriptive. I guess, for instance, that a feminist who proudly carries the feminist flag may also accept that being called ‘a feminist’ will also assign some particular characteristics and ideological beliefs. Crucially, we also accept that being a feminist, a socialist, a Nazi or a white supremacist are matters of political choice. People are not born feminists or as socialists. They adopt those ideologies or identities later in life.

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Hypocrites by Nahida the Exiled Palestinian

http://uprootedpalestinians.blogspot.com/2010/04/hypocrites_18.html

An extract:

You are not welcome in our stolen land of Palestine with your existing mentality

Before we accept you and welcome you as guests and as our brothers and sisters in our land that you have stolen:

Go
Repent

Wash the blood off your hands
Weep the souls of the little ones you’ve murdered

Weep the innocent villages you’ve destroyed

Weep the blessed olive trees you’ve uprooted

Weep the tears of little girls you’ve orphaned

Weep the mutilated bodies of small boys you’ve devastated

Weep the tens of thousands of youth you’ve disabled

Weep the tens of thousands of homes you demolished

Weep the millions of aching hearts of refugees you’ve created

Weep the soil of the Holy Land you’ve polluted

Weep the stream waters and ancient wells you’ve poisoned

Weep the hundreds of thousands of bodies you’ve tortured

Weep the hills and orchards you’ve disfigured

Weep the alleyways you’ve dissected

Weep the landscape you’ve cut to pieces

Weep the towns you’ve bombed to oblivion

Weep the dignified women you’ve dishonoured

Weep the enduring elderly you’ve humiliated

Weep the infants you prevented from getting to hospitals

Weep the laughter and giggles of tiny ones you’ve muted

Weep the scents of herbs and blossoms you’ve suffocated

Weep the farms you’ve destroyed and confiscated

Weep the culture of embroidery, humus and falafel you’ve robbed and claimed

Weep the prophets’ messages you've abused and defiled

Weep the Divine Guidance you’ve corrupted

Weep the Ten Commandments you’ve violated

To read it all:

http://uprootedpalestinians.blogspot.com/2010/04/hypocrites_18.html

Interview with Carlos Latuff by Kourosh Ziabari

I don't trade ideology for money
Interview by Kourosh Ziabari for Iran's Jame-Jam newspaper

The hero of "freedom of speech", boycotted by the corporate, mainstream media that are irresistible against the astringent truth: this is the most precise and accurate introduction which I can present about Carlos Latuff. Born in the suburbs of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, he is an artist of conscience whose artistic commitment and morality prevented him from becoming the pawn of imperialism. Carlos Latuff is a world-renowned cartoonist who has long brought into existence artistic works and cartoons in which the footsteps of creativity, novelty, intelligence and decency can be traced noticeably. He has never been given the opportunity to showcase his matchless cartoons in the New York Times, Guardian, Washington Post, BBC or CNN; however, the narrow hallways of personal blogs and independent media outlets which allowed his cartoons to breathe in the atmosphere of publicity, made him a man of genuineness and reality, known by those who seek something beyond the outdated, obsolete propaganda of "all options are on the table"......

To read more:

http://uprootedpalestinians.blogspot.com/2010/04/interview-with-carlos-latuff-by-kourosh.html

Poet and Author Alice Walker Speaking in Gaza (Democracy Now)

"The world is aware, the world will judge you..."

Israeli ID order set to criminalise Palestinians

Bring them Back

I am not going to make it to the Free Gaza concert in Athens today.

I an stranded in London due to volcanic ash....