So as the 60th anniversary of the Nakba approaches and Israel readies to celebrate its sixty years of existence, the Turks tell us that Israel is prepared to return the Golan Heights for peace with Syria. Perhaps no one told Israel's ministry of tourism of the upcoming plans. A couple of weeks ago, the add above appeared as a two-page spread in the New York Time Sunday Magazine. "You'll love Israel from the first Shalom" states, unconvincingly, the advertisement featuring a cowboy atop a horse in a wide open, golden wheat field with green hills on the horizon. Shave his beard and stick a Marlboro in his mouth and this could be Montana... Trouble is, this lush farmland is not Israel, it is in the Golan Heights and the cowboy is nothing more than a settler usurping Syrian land. Does Mr. cowboy-settler look like the type of person who will surrender "his" 1000 acre farm for peace?
But the add doesn't stop there. At the lower right hand side, and without a hint of irony, it states: "Israel, No one belongs here more than you"!!! Really? I guess someone should spread the good news to the reufugees of Nahr el Bared, Ein el Helweh, Shatilla ...
3 comments:
Perfect Title.
It's a shame though how embarrassingly weak and ancient are our self-promotion mechanisms. It is completely dwarfed by that of our smaller neighbors the Lebanese [not to mention the israelis, that is], even on non-controversial issues.
You are absolutely right Yazan. I can guarantee you that a dozen pro-Israel organizations would be at the New York Times' throat if they had published, let say, an add about Syria that makes what they feel are false claims.
When I saw this add a couple of months ago I couldn't stop laughing. Israeli cowboys.
The idea is that this land was a desert with a couple of camels, and then the Israelis came back after their long exile and look at it: it is green and lush. Wow, another biblical miracle.
Just like the white americans who conquered the West. Manifest destiny at work boys and girls. Israel= the US in the M-E.
True, we Lebanese went overboard with self promotion, while you Syrians were too busy with pushing Arabism.
But Syrianism is back, so just be patient and you also soon have gloriously moronic legends to make you feel better, just like us.
MM.
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