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| The school wheat field ready for harvesting. |
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Eurovision
Last Saturday night Israel won the Eurovision Song Contest for the fourth time in the history of the event. The singer, Netta Barzilai, is an example of how you don't have to be stick thin to be successful. She's a lovely person - modest, kind, and unspoilt by all the glitz. I hated the song at first but all my pupils at school and my DD at home are playing it and singing it constantly. I admit it's growing on me. I can't argue with the song's message.
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Embassy
The US Embassy moved from Tel Aviv to the capital city of Jerusalem. It's positioned within the Green Line - the pre-1967 borders - so it doesn't touch or any way alter East Jerusalem which can still be the capital of Palestine in the future, if that's what is wanted. All the two state solutions are about Palestine being all the land allotted to it in the 1947 UN vote for partition (i.e. before Israel took it over in the 1967 Six Day War). So it's only a provocative move if you want the whole of Jerusalem to be Palestinian and not a shared city.
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Defense
This week my friends who live near the border with Gaza, again within the Green Line of course, were safe because the IDF stopped thousands of terrorists crossing the border with the express purpose of murdering Israelis. And yes I am happy that 53 of the 60 who died were Hamas activists who will not be able to try again.
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Suffering
I'm also angry at the parents of an eight month old baby with a serious heart condition, who took their child to the front lines of a war zone where they knew there would be violence and tear gas - as there has been on every Friday for the past few months. I am sorry that the other six casualties and the many others who were wounded, did not heed the IDF warning leaflets to stay away, that were dropped over Gaza at the beginning of the week. But most of all, I'm sorry that the Gazans have to live under Hamas because the Israeli Arabs that I know do not want to live like this. I suspect that most Gazans would also choose to live and prosper rather than wage war and suffer.
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| Partially harvested. Each class harvested a patch. |
The Wheat Harvest
This weekend it's the festival of Shavuot. We celebrate the giving of the Torah on Mt Sinai and also the wheat harvest. My school is very agricultural as it's a kibbutz school so we do actually have a small wheat field for educational purposes. This week we harvested the wheat. Each class did a small section. They threshed the seeds out of the chaff, they ground it to make coarse flour, and they cooked with it. We use the straw to .... something ... with the animals (I'm not an animal person so I don't go there), and also to build mud walls strengthened with straw. I learned loads.
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Love and Gratitude
Today hundreds of Israelis filled their cars with food and other supplies for the holiday and drove down to the border areas with Gaza to feed our boys on the front line. It's not just the food of course, it's the outpouring of love and support after a difficult week. It's acknowledgement that they are in a shit situation and they do it to keep the rest of us safe.
So there you have it. A roller-coaster of a week. I'm joining Michelle's linky on Mummy from the Heart.
I'm exhausted from all the facebook activity and trying to explain what's going on here after the BBC and other media channels unfairly reported that Israel massacred 60 peaceful and unarmed civilian demonstrators. There was nothing peaceful, they were mostly not civilians, and they were armed. I'm done with explaining so I won't be accepting any challenging comments on this post. Just so as you know, I'm up for discussion on facebook but my blog is my home.
We loved her song! Classic Eurovision. I wish there was a solution to the crisis in your country and with its neighbours so that no one else has to live in fear.
ReplyDeleteThanks Becky. From your words to God's ears. xxx
DeleteI am sorry to admit that I know nothing of the troubles that have been / are going on apart from what I've seen from you on facebook. (I really should go out of my way more often to read the news :/) But I did want to say well done on on the Eurovision win, even though I was going to send you some )(good natured, of course!) grief about it on the day ;)
ReplyDeleteIt's the first contest I've watched in years and I was on the edge of my seat when it looked like Cyprus were going to win! But 2nd place is good enough for our little island :)
I have to admit that I forgot all about it on the night and I went to bed. Had I watched it, I'm sure I would have been tweeting you as Cyprus and Israel battled it out.
DeleteI am glad that you and DD are safe after such a turbulent week. I know that the media reports we get are not always the whole story - and like you I suspect that most Arabs would just like to get on with life, go to work and raise their families in peace. Hamas and organizations like it have a lot to answer for.
ReplyDeleteI did not realize that East Jerusalem could still be a Palestinian capital - we've only been told that the US has been provocative and that this means that Israel has full control over all Jerusalem etc. It is very interesting to get another perspective on things.
I know about the Eurovision Contest and usually catch a bit on YouTube - but there were actually a few articles these past few weeks asking why Canada can't be included if Israel and Australia can be! I think it was a bit tongue in cheek - but it might be a fun distraction for a few weeks each year.
Isreal does have full control over both Eat and West Jerusalem, and has had since 1967. The point is that all negotiations about Jerusalem have only been about returning to pre-67 borders. Moving the US Embassy to West Jerusalem does not in any way change the facts on the ground or prohibit more negotiations in the future about the status of East Jerusalem.
DeleteAbout Eurovision - why not all commonwealth countries and former colonies of European countries? That's just about the whole world except Russia, China and Japan.
I'm always suspicious about our media reports and how distorted they can report situations. So keep blogging so we know you are safe.
ReplyDeleteThanks MumB, you're a lovely lady. xxx
DeleteI didn't see Eurovision so I need to go and check out the song. Your wheat harvest sounds great, I'd love to see it all in action and be educated in that way and I am so sorry for all the unrest and fighting that goes on there. I'll be praying for peace. Mich x
ReplyDeleteThanks Michelle. The wheat harvest was wonderful.
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