Remember last year’s “Gaza Freedom Flotilla”? In May 2010, six ships sailed into the Mediterranean with humanitarian aid and construction materials in an attempt to break Israel’s naval blockade. When Israeli forces boarded the ships to escort them to an inspection port, violence broke out one of the vessels, injuring and killing a handful of activists and Israeli military personnel.
Well now there’s another flotilla and a strange YouTube video by a guy named “Marc” who, like Tom McMasters—the guy who blogged as “A Gay Girl In Damascus”—is an Isreali actor masquerading as “Marc”, a gay activist spurned by the Gaza aid flotilla.
Lame.
According to The Christian Science Monitor, “Marc” made a YouTube video in which:
He claims to have sent an e-mail to a group involved with the flotilla (he doesn’t say which one) offering to bring an LGBT contingent. He says he was turned away and told that gay involvement would be detrimental to the interests of those involved.
He then goes onto say that the flotilla organizers are working with Hamas and support suicide bombers—though the organizers have publicly denounced violence of any sort and have claimed that their work is purely humanitarian, not the result of any Palestinian political group.
Web-sleuth Benjamin Doherty discovered that “Marc” is actually Omer Gershon, an Israeli actor and PR person. Guy Seemann, an employee in Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office then tweeted Gershon’s video. Seemann (tee-hee) has since deleted the Twitter link.
The CS Monitor’s Dan Murphy has an idea of why “Marc” created the slickly-produced video and why the Israeli government is now using it as propaganda:
In pro-Palestinian activist circles, the term [pinkwashing] refers to Israel and its supporters use of the lack of freedom for gays and lesbians in Arab countries as a way to paint the Palestinian cause as unworthy. Such activists say that while it’s manifestly true that Israeli gays have more rights than those in neighboring countries, it’s used to obscure the brutal facts of the economic blockade of Gaza and the occupation of the West Bank.
Hmm… pro-Isreali propaganda about Palestinian homophobia. Did Michael Lucas have a hand in creating this video?
Mirza
Well its true that the Arabs to a large extent abuse the gays in their countries, a similar scenario being in Palestine. but this reason alone cannot be used as a justified cause of the Israeli blockade of Palestine. How can you relate the actions of the Israeli blockade which don’t even allow the people of Palestine many basic amenities to the the lives of the gay people over there… Didn’t it ever occur to the people that get moved by such videos and side with the Israeli propaganda that because of the Israeli blockade, the gays and lesbians in Palestine also don’t get access to those basic amenities!!!?? Wake up people!
Matt
This weird situation aside, Israel recognizes gay marriages performed abroad, has openly allowed gays in their military for years, and is a wonderful example of a tolerant society in a region of the world where gays are put to death. Israel is a wonderful place and as gay people we should be proud of the fact that gays are welcomed in Israel — so much so that many gay Arabs flee to Israel in order to avoid persecution in their own countries.
George
Hamas is the reason for this nonsense. Hamas’ charter proclaims their desire to “kill the Jews” — and they will sacrifice their own people just so they can make Jews look bad in order to do so. When we help dismantle Hamas, just as we are doing to Gadhafi, the world will be a better place.
the crustybastard
I’m not saying that Israelis are all saints, and everything their government does is beyond reproach. They are no better or worse than the US and European countries.
However, rather uniquely to the Middle East, being gay in Israel isn’t a capital offense. We should applaud that. Moreover, rather uniquely to the Middle East, Israel also takes some pains to accommodate people who do not practice their state religion. We should applaud that too. Israel even allows Arabs in the government. What Arab country allows Jews in their government?
Indeed, what Arab country allows Jews, period?
In the not terribly distant past, Jews lived in communities all over the Middle East. The Koran is filled with stories of Jewish tribes on the Arabian peninsula. It should be noted that most Middle Eastern countries (and other Muslim states) have been more successful at eliminating their Jewish populations than the Nazis.
With that in mind, it is very difficult to take seriously the claims that Israel’s accommodation of Arabs is insufficient or intolerable, particularly given that Arabs and other Muslim countries show Israel and Jews precisely zero tolerance.
Look, I’m not too crazy about Texas, but if Mexico was shooting rockets into Texas every day and bombing Texas restaurants and buses, I wouldn’t say that Texans deserved that, even knowing that the US may not have played fair in annexing that state from Mexico, or the Indians for that matter. In diplomacy and war, nobody plays fair. Nobody, not even the losers. That’s human nature.
That said, I would happily cede to Mexico both Alabama and Mississippi. Maybe they could do something with them. The US has obviously failed.
kuy
I like how even though the article discusses the gay baiting tactic used by israeli governmetn supporters to obfuscate treatement of palestinians, some of the comments here quickly fall for precisely that gambit.
Let’s not be short sighted.
Ray
Hamas hasn’t been stabbing people in pride marches, that was Hasidic Jews. Hatesidic would be a better term for them. And whether you want to admit it or not, you know it was one of them that shot up that gay youth center. The real question here is why is the Israeli government trying to fool American gays into supporting their crimes against humanity when we should be worrying about the crimes America commits against gays?
SteveC
Israel does not recognise civil marriages performed in Israel – either straight or gay. It may be the best country in the region in which to be gay, but don’t fool yourself into thinking it’s some worldwide beacon for LGBT rights. Don’t forget that the perpetrator of the attack on the LGBT Center in Tel Aviv a couple of years ago has never been caught. and don’t forget that about the only thing the christian/jewish/muslim religions agree on in Jerusalem, is opposition to Jerusalem Pride.
As for this video – well it looks like an attempt to paint the Gaza Flotilla as homophobic.
Who is behind this video?
SteveC
And don’t kid yourself into thinking that Israel’s status as a moderately gay-friendly country compared to its Arab neighbors, excuses its vile behaviour towards the Arab people whose land they keep stealing.
the crustybastard
@SteveC:
Quit glossing over the vile behavior of the Arabs.
What did Israel get for unilaterally withdrawing from Gaza? More rockets shot into civilian neighborhoods, more terrorism, more provocations.
The Palestinians need to quit acting like goddam barbarians.
SugarC
Palestinians are being walled off and slowly massacred by people whose descendants were walled off and slowly massacred.
Who are the barbarians?
These lies won’t work anymore. Everyone can see what you’re doing.
Remember the Polish ghetto and then hang your heads in shame at what is happening in Gaza. Seriously, shame on you.
Dmitriy
@SugarC:
Walled off and massacred?
really? do you remember when before they were walled off, they blew up 1000+ people between 2000-2005 after walking away from peace talks.
How about the 850,000 Jews that Arab countries including Palestine(which was Jordan and Egypt between 48 and 67) sent packing with little more than the clothes on their back after 1948?
You should be ashamed of making absurd comparisons for the sake of propaganda for a people who would hang you in a second for being queer.
SteveC
Crustybastard – I’m not glossing over the vile behaviour of the Arabs towards LGBT people.
But that does not justify Israeli theft of Arab land or their utter lack of regard for Arab life (Israel has ALWAYS murdered on average 10 Palestinians, for every Israeli murdered by a Palestinian).
I’m sick of Israeli whining – get out of the West Bank and East Jerusalem – it belongs to the native Palestinian population some those vile settler extremists; dismantle the illegal jewish settlements built in those areas; and maybe then people might start showing Israel some sympathy.
George
There has never been a country called Palestine — ever in history. It’s not even an Arabic term. It’s a Roman term that the Romans used to try to de-Judaize the land called Judaea and Israel. Apparently, it’s still working. Can you name Palestine’s first president? Its currency? What are its historical backgrounds?
Israel has a right to its ancient land and her people should be allowed to co-exist amongst the Arabs.
sajepress
@the crustybastard: Please see following story from Haaretz
Meet Houda Ezra Ebrahim Nonoo, Bahrain’s Jewish U.S. ambassador:
http://bit.ly/MeetBahrainsJewishAmbassador
http://sajepress.com
Rainfish
@George: From our old friend Wiki…
“The name Palestine before Hadrian…
The term Palestine (Greek: ??????????/Latin: Palaestina), originally referred to the coastal lands of the biblical Philistines, a people of Aegean origin who settled in the southern coastal plains of Canaan, in the 12th century BC, their territory being named Philistia.
The earliest known mention is thought to be in Ancient Egyptian texts of the temple at Medinet Habu from c.1150 BC which record a people called the P-r-s-t (conventionally Peleset) among the Sea Peoples who invaded Egypt in Ramesses III’s reign. The Assyrian emperor Sargon II called the same region Palashtu or Pilistu in his Annals dated 709 BC. The Hebrew name Peleshet (???? P?léshseth)- usually translated as Philistia in English, is used in the Bible to denote the southern coastal region that was inhabited by the Philistines to the west of the ancient Kingdom of Judah.”
—————-
Available for everyone’s edification, read more at:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Definitions_of_Palestine_and_Palestinian
Rainfish
Hmmmmm…apparently, this chat-box does not transcribe into Greek…hence the ?????? question marks instead of the Cyrillic characters in the above text.
Oh well, go to the link provided in order to bask in the Cyrillic alphabet.
skzip888
This guy is like a redneck who moves to a black neighborhood, flies his confederate flag around, and then wonders why people don’t like him. Such blatant, overly-pragmatic sucker punching can’t be helping the already troubled peace process. Gay life under Hamas is, undoubtedly, shitty enough that you shouldn’t have to go about making things up.
Ganondorf
SteveC – I’m not glossing over the vile behavior of the Americans towards American Indian people.
But that does not justify American theft of native American land or their utter lack of regard for native american life (America has ALWAYS murdered on average 100 native americans, for every American murdered by a native American).
I’m sick of American whining – get out of Georgia, Kansas, Iowa, Montana, Texas, Nebraska, Missouri, Utah, New York, and California – it belongs to the native American population some those vile settler extremists; dismantle the illegal American settlements built in those areas; and maybe then people might start showing America some sympathy.
Britain next? Where do you live?
Dmitriy
@sajepress:
wow give yourself a round of applause: you identified one of the 5000 or so remaining Jews (mostly in Morocco and Tunisia) out of 300 million or so Arabs
that is just sooooo many
the crustybastard
@SteveC: I’m not glossing over the vile behaviour of the Arabs towards LGBT people.
You’re glossing over the vile behavior of Arabs towards everyone.
the West Bank and East Jerusalem…belongs to the native Palestinian population…dismantle the illegal jewish settlements built in those areas; and maybe then people might start showing Israel some sympathy.
The Arabs picked the wrong side in WWI and WWII. That tends not to be rewarded by the victors. The Palestinians didn’t want to be forced to integrate with Jews, so the British gave them Jordan, whereupon the Palestinians promptly made themselves unwelcome there. Nobody’s fault but their own they’re stateless.
The Israelis occupy certain territories because the Arabs lost the war they brought to exterminate Israel. Arabs have no more legitimate claim to Jerusalem than Jews have to Mecca. Sympathy is the one emotion no sensible Israeli will ever expect from Arabs no matter how much accommodation they make, and Arabs don’t — uniquely in all of Earth’s history — deserve a “do over” because they lost a war.
@Dmitriy:
Yeah, I was wondering if that link was intended to disprove my point by…proving it.
When you consider the amount of the Middle East controlled by Arabs, Israel is like a matchbook on a football field. But even that is too much to allow Jews.
When it comes to Jews, people just become unhinged. Don’t get it, never will.
Queer Supremacist
When did the big bus from Stormfront get here? I imagine you neo-Nazi Muslim-lovers and the racist black gay Uncle Tom Obama-lovers have a lot to talk about.
Muslim “states” are genocidal land robbers who brainwash their people to hate Jews, hate Israel, hate the US, hate the West, hate gays, hate women, to distract from their own corruption. We have given both Israel and the PA money that Israel, which has a thriving country, doesn’t need and we can no longer afford, when being a strategic ally would be sufficient, while Arafat built an empire of corruption, graft, and bigotry with that money while his people suffered at his hands. The false claims that Israel is responsible for their suffering originates with their propaganda machines My path to the renunciation of my poorly-reasoned teenage left-wing beliefs started with their swallowing of the anti-Israeli propaganda. How ironic that modern Zionism, which was founded by the socialist Theodore Herzl, would come to be attacked by the left. It seems you only like Jews when they’re victims. When we try to prevent ourselves from becoming victims again, you turn on us. Will the same happen to gays when we fight back with force?
@Ganondorf: It’s Turtle Island, not “America”. America is that 70s band that was too fucking lazy to name a horse.