hello everbody.
The two videos below are really amazing. I got them from different people over time, you may have seen them already, but if you haven’t , this is DEFINALTELY worth the couple of minutes it takes.
It’s a wow. Believe me :-)
As we approach a new year, good to know where we’re headed, or rather, to understand we have NO IDEA where we’re headed!
My conclusion?
“ all we need is love” .
Hope you got lots of it this year and all of those to come.
Hug
achiNOAam
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cL9Wu2kWwSY&feature=fvst
And the last update:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ILQrUrEWe8
Monday, December 21, 2009
Friday, November 20, 2009
hunger
hello all,
a few years ago i was chosen to be good will ambassador for the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. i am very proud to be able to contribute to the important work done by the good people there.
this is a 15 second video i would ask you to watch. and read on, if your heart leads you to....
warmly,
noa
http://www.1billionhungry.org/
and watch this, you must:
http://www.cultureunplugged.com/play/1081/Chicken-a-la-Carte
a few years ago i was chosen to be good will ambassador for the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. i am very proud to be able to contribute to the important work done by the good people there.
this is a 15 second video i would ask you to watch. and read on, if your heart leads you to....
warmly,
noa
http://www.1billionhungry.org/
and watch this, you must:
http://www.cultureunplugged.com/play/1081/Chicken-a-la-Carte
Thursday, November 12, 2009
once again in the name of balance
Dear friends,
The link below is a speech made in the UN human rights council by the president of the ‘UN watch’ group.
I think it is worth your time. Especially interesting the reaction of the chairman at the end. I listened to the speech several times and could not under any circumstances understand why the chairman asked to remove the speech from the protocol….is it not the job of UN watch to criticize UN activity? If there is no such freedom of speech, what legitimacy does this respectable organization have?
I am sending you this under the slogan of ‘there is no black and white’. The slogan so important for us all to remember.
I will also say, for the sake of balance, that I believe Israel should be looking seriously into all the points mentioned in the Goldstone report. I think my country has the responsibility of checking and rechecking it’s actions and it is my duty as a citizen to call for this action to take place, as I have on my blog and every other forum. Our worst enemy is self-righteousness. I want to make it clear that I am not a spokesman for Israeli foreign policy. On the contrary, I am very critical of it.
BUT, at the same time, I will not tolerate the racism, hypocrisy and bigotry against Israel displayed in almost every international forum including, sadly, the UN, as the speaker below summarizes so well.
If you care about forming a balanced, intelligent opinion, I think hope you should take the time to see this. The speech is in English.
Sincerely,
Achinoam (noa)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhWgZu6tcZU
this is the UN watch site, many interesting things here, mostly not about the middle east.
www.unwatch.org
The link below is a speech made in the UN human rights council by the president of the ‘UN watch’ group.
I think it is worth your time. Especially interesting the reaction of the chairman at the end. I listened to the speech several times and could not under any circumstances understand why the chairman asked to remove the speech from the protocol….is it not the job of UN watch to criticize UN activity? If there is no such freedom of speech, what legitimacy does this respectable organization have?
I am sending you this under the slogan of ‘there is no black and white’. The slogan so important for us all to remember.
I will also say, for the sake of balance, that I believe Israel should be looking seriously into all the points mentioned in the Goldstone report. I think my country has the responsibility of checking and rechecking it’s actions and it is my duty as a citizen to call for this action to take place, as I have on my blog and every other forum. Our worst enemy is self-righteousness. I want to make it clear that I am not a spokesman for Israeli foreign policy. On the contrary, I am very critical of it.
BUT, at the same time, I will not tolerate the racism, hypocrisy and bigotry against Israel displayed in almost every international forum including, sadly, the UN, as the speaker below summarizes so well.
If you care about forming a balanced, intelligent opinion, I think hope you should take the time to see this. The speech is in English.
Sincerely,
Achinoam (noa)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhWgZu6tcZU
this is the UN watch site, many interesting things here, mostly not about the middle east.
www.unwatch.org
Monday, October 19, 2009
goldstone and a plan for the future
about the goldstone report..
i have not read it all, but i do want to express a general opinion.
if there is to be any criticism of military behaviour, it has to be equally on both sides (of course, if we're talking real fairness, then lets look into every military conflict in human history, shall we? or is it only this one we're interested in, and why? every semi intelligent person should be asking themselves that question).
if anything, both sides should be looking carefully into their methods/actions/policies.
the IDF has done this many times in the past. when fault has been found, proper measures have been taken.
in fact, i as a citizen demand do know what my army is doing. i am the first to criticize them when they go wrong, and that has happened in the past. it infuriates me.
do the palestinians want to know what hamas has done? i hope so. will they be infuriated as i am when atrocius behaviour is uncovered? i sure hope so.
can hamas inspect themselves? will they? and if they do, how credible will it be? what infrastructure do they have to survey them, what 'objective observer'? i would like to know.
war is ugly. and so much of what is going on is ridden with propaganda, prejudice, manipulation and outright lies.
something to watch:
http://www.unwatch.org/site/apps/nlnet/content2.aspx?c=bdKKISNqEmG&b=1313923&ct=7536409
so what should be done?
recognize, apologize , share
and:
1. israel, stop the building in the settlements
2. all, go back to the negotiating table immediately!!
3. palestine, give up the right of return and swap it for something more feasible (some sort of compensation)
4. draw permanent borders for palestine and israel
5. israel, talk to syria and find the solution there, which is clear cut and has been for years.
6.all arab countries, recognize israel's right to exist and agree to live peacefully with that fact.
7. work out jerusalem. it's not impossible, many good plans have been drawn already
8. commit to an the end of the conflict!!
politicians, get to work. you've wasted too much time and sacrificed too much human life on arrogance, fear, self-righteaousness, and stupid pride. enough!!!
i have not read it all, but i do want to express a general opinion.
if there is to be any criticism of military behaviour, it has to be equally on both sides (of course, if we're talking real fairness, then lets look into every military conflict in human history, shall we? or is it only this one we're interested in, and why? every semi intelligent person should be asking themselves that question).
if anything, both sides should be looking carefully into their methods/actions/policies.
the IDF has done this many times in the past. when fault has been found, proper measures have been taken.
in fact, i as a citizen demand do know what my army is doing. i am the first to criticize them when they go wrong, and that has happened in the past. it infuriates me.
do the palestinians want to know what hamas has done? i hope so. will they be infuriated as i am when atrocius behaviour is uncovered? i sure hope so.
can hamas inspect themselves? will they? and if they do, how credible will it be? what infrastructure do they have to survey them, what 'objective observer'? i would like to know.
war is ugly. and so much of what is going on is ridden with propaganda, prejudice, manipulation and outright lies.
something to watch:
http://www.unwatch.org/site/apps/nlnet/content2.aspx?c=bdKKISNqEmG&b=1313923&ct=7536409
so what should be done?
recognize, apologize , share
and:
1. israel, stop the building in the settlements
2. all, go back to the negotiating table immediately!!
3. palestine, give up the right of return and swap it for something more feasible (some sort of compensation)
4. draw permanent borders for palestine and israel
5. israel, talk to syria and find the solution there, which is clear cut and has been for years.
6.all arab countries, recognize israel's right to exist and agree to live peacefully with that fact.
7. work out jerusalem. it's not impossible, many good plans have been drawn already
8. commit to an the end of the conflict!!
politicians, get to work. you've wasted too much time and sacrificed too much human life on arrogance, fear, self-righteaousness, and stupid pride. enough!!!
Monday, September 14, 2009
our ordeal in Barcelona
About 3 months ago, Gil Dor and myself recieved an invitation to perform in the ‘Diada’ in Barcelona, the most important celebration in Catalunya, that takes place on their national day, september 11th (it is actually the day they lost their independence and were forced to join the Spanish union). I was asked to sing a song called “el cant del ocells”, the song of the birds. It is an old Catalan song that was resurrected by Pau Casals, the world famous cellist (from Catalunya), who made it into a national symbol of peace and dreams yet to be fulfilled. It is one of the most important and well loved songs in catalunya. The organizers asked me to collaborate on this song with the Arab Orchestra of Barcelona, with whom I happily agreed to join forces. It was also planned that I sing the theme song from ‘life is beautiful’ in Catalan as well. The invitation was a huge honor for us.
A few days before the concert, a group called “Palestinian Solidarity Group” in Barcelona called to Boycott me and my performance, claiming that since I had “justified the bombing of gaza” in my open letter to the Palestinians during the gaza war, I could not sing for peace in Barcelona. The radical left wing party, ICV, who are ironically also in the government and so responsible for inviting me to begin with, joined this group in calling for the cancellation of my concert, a boycott on me personally and on Israel as a whole.
The newspapers were full of this story, it was on the front page everywhere in Spain and especially in Catlunya as the Diada is a hugely important event for them, and I am very famous in Spain. A large internet campaign was launched as well.
Gil Dor and myself decided to fight back, with a major retaliation against this indomitable propaganda. We got prime space in all the newspapers, tv and radio. Our point was, that the situation in the middle east is much too complex to be judged by such childish, simplistic terms. We are people with a long history of peace activity. Condemning Hamas does not mean going against the Palestinian people, the opposite is true. We believed during the Gaza war and still believe the Palestinian population in Gaza are being held hostage by hamas and their fanataic views, who are willing to sacrifice innocent victims on the altar of their death-loving ideology. At the same time, we continue to support Abu Mazen’s strategy of dialogue, co-existence, and a two-state solution. We support dialogue and compromise above all else. Our well known peace plan, “recognize, apologize, share” is the flag we bear proudly (read more details on earlier blog posts, especially 'politics, first step'). The Israeli embassy in Spain, the Spanish foreign ministry (Miguel Moratinos and his staff, who were visiting Israel at the time), our Israeli and Spanish management and promoters all came to our assistance. Mira Awad was also interviewed, and expressed strong support for our cause and our message.
This message came across clearly in all the media, and in Friday morning’s headlines the tide was clearly changing in our favor.
During the concert, there were about 50 people in the front rows form this organization, waving Palestinian flags, blowing whistles, yelling “boycott Israel! Boycott Israel”! they tried as hard as they could to get me off stage, to make me stop singing, to make sure nobody could hear me.
But they failed!
Even though my heart was breaking inside, I decided not to surrender to this ‘violent’ minority and to respect the event and the people of Catalunya who invited me.
I sang the lovely song ‘el cant dels ocells’ with the Arab orchestra, who played beautifully. It must be said to their credit, that despite the fact that they were attacked by the Palestinian organization constantly and urged to cancel their performance with me, they refused, preferring to stand on stage together and convey this message of peace for all to see.
Then I spoke. I read a speech I had written, translated into Catalan. In this speech, I said that I was honored to perform in Catalunya and that I admire how, despite all the dreams they have yet to fulfill (referring to ther dream of independence), they cultivate peace and brotherhood on their lands. We in the middle east, I said, have many dreams too, but our road is a bloody one. we look to the west and take inspiration from a continent that was once drenched in blood and has found somehow a way to live in unity and solidarity. That is our wish too.
Then I said that it is my dream to sing in the signing of the peace treaty between Israel and Palestine.
I got a huge standing ovation from the audience, and when I sang “life is beautiful”, there was perfect silence.
you can see the video here, our performance is 27 minutes into the ceremony
http://www.tv3.cat/videos/1483099
the song 'beautiful that way' here
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VCFugd5WOK0
The next day, the newspapers were full of compliments, saying “victory for Noa, star of Diada”. The media condemned the behavior of the demonstrators, and the ICV radical left party , who initiated the boycott, claimed they had never meant to do it and they were misunderstood …! Now they want to collaborate with us!
It is important to state that this victory was not only ours, it was a victory for Israel, and for all people everywhere who believe peace is not only a dream but can be a reality of we work for it!! In days when Israel’s image is being so ruthlessly and diabolically distorted everywhere, I feel this incident is a real ray of light.
A few days before the concert, a group called “Palestinian Solidarity Group” in Barcelona called to Boycott me and my performance, claiming that since I had “justified the bombing of gaza” in my open letter to the Palestinians during the gaza war, I could not sing for peace in Barcelona. The radical left wing party, ICV, who are ironically also in the government and so responsible for inviting me to begin with, joined this group in calling for the cancellation of my concert, a boycott on me personally and on Israel as a whole.
The newspapers were full of this story, it was on the front page everywhere in Spain and especially in Catlunya as the Diada is a hugely important event for them, and I am very famous in Spain. A large internet campaign was launched as well.
Gil Dor and myself decided to fight back, with a major retaliation against this indomitable propaganda. We got prime space in all the newspapers, tv and radio. Our point was, that the situation in the middle east is much too complex to be judged by such childish, simplistic terms. We are people with a long history of peace activity. Condemning Hamas does not mean going against the Palestinian people, the opposite is true. We believed during the Gaza war and still believe the Palestinian population in Gaza are being held hostage by hamas and their fanataic views, who are willing to sacrifice innocent victims on the altar of their death-loving ideology. At the same time, we continue to support Abu Mazen’s strategy of dialogue, co-existence, and a two-state solution. We support dialogue and compromise above all else. Our well known peace plan, “recognize, apologize, share” is the flag we bear proudly (read more details on earlier blog posts, especially 'politics, first step'). The Israeli embassy in Spain, the Spanish foreign ministry (Miguel Moratinos and his staff, who were visiting Israel at the time), our Israeli and Spanish management and promoters all came to our assistance. Mira Awad was also interviewed, and expressed strong support for our cause and our message.
This message came across clearly in all the media, and in Friday morning’s headlines the tide was clearly changing in our favor.
During the concert, there were about 50 people in the front rows form this organization, waving Palestinian flags, blowing whistles, yelling “boycott Israel! Boycott Israel”! they tried as hard as they could to get me off stage, to make me stop singing, to make sure nobody could hear me.
But they failed!
Even though my heart was breaking inside, I decided not to surrender to this ‘violent’ minority and to respect the event and the people of Catalunya who invited me.
I sang the lovely song ‘el cant dels ocells’ with the Arab orchestra, who played beautifully. It must be said to their credit, that despite the fact that they were attacked by the Palestinian organization constantly and urged to cancel their performance with me, they refused, preferring to stand on stage together and convey this message of peace for all to see.
Then I spoke. I read a speech I had written, translated into Catalan. In this speech, I said that I was honored to perform in Catalunya and that I admire how, despite all the dreams they have yet to fulfill (referring to ther dream of independence), they cultivate peace and brotherhood on their lands. We in the middle east, I said, have many dreams too, but our road is a bloody one. we look to the west and take inspiration from a continent that was once drenched in blood and has found somehow a way to live in unity and solidarity. That is our wish too.
Then I said that it is my dream to sing in the signing of the peace treaty between Israel and Palestine.
I got a huge standing ovation from the audience, and when I sang “life is beautiful”, there was perfect silence.
you can see the video here, our performance is 27 minutes into the ceremony
http://www.tv3.cat/videos/1483099
the song 'beautiful that way' here
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VCFugd5WOK0
The next day, the newspapers were full of compliments, saying “victory for Noa, star of Diada”. The media condemned the behavior of the demonstrators, and the ICV radical left party , who initiated the boycott, claimed they had never meant to do it and they were misunderstood …! Now they want to collaborate with us!
It is important to state that this victory was not only ours, it was a victory for Israel, and for all people everywhere who believe peace is not only a dream but can be a reality of we work for it!! In days when Israel’s image is being so ruthlessly and diabolically distorted everywhere, I feel this incident is a real ray of light.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
reaction to Catalan Palestinian Activists
The following document answers several questions I have been asked as a part of the discussion about my Open Letter to my Palestinian Brothers, from January 2009 (Gaza War).
1. Why did you write the line: “I can only wish for you that Israel will do the job we all know needs to be done, and finally RID YOU of this cancer, this virus, this monster called fanaticism, today, called Hamas. “ ?
The last Gaza operation came after 8 years of consecutive bombing by Hamas on Israel’s borders. 8 years! Israel has been dragged into war by those who dream of dying for Allah. This is not something I have invented:
Hamas Covenant, 18 August 1988
“The Slogan of the Islamic Resistance Movement: Allah is its target, the Prophet is its model, the Koran its constitution: Jihad is its path and death for the sake of Allah is the loftiest of its wishes.”
The declared purpose of these rocket attacks and mortar shelling was to continue the Islamic Palestinian armed struggle against Israel. Here's another quote :
Hamas covenant: “Israel will exist and will continue to exist until Islam will obliterate it, just as it obliterated others before it"
During those 8 years, Hamas threatened to kill anyone who worked for peace with Israel. One of my Palestinian friends, whose name I will not disclose, escaped with barely his life after his friends had their legs shot off by Hamas. This is not fantasy, this is fact!! My friend managed to escape thanks to the help of his Israeli friends, and continues his important work for peace from Ramallah.
War is ugly. Whoever chooses the path of war should not be surprised at its tragic consequences.
Hamas have chosen this path OPENLY. Israel is fighting a war of survival….that is exactly what Hamas says : “Israel will exist and will continue to exist until Islam will obliterate it, just as it obliterated others before it"
And yes, I want to live and not die!! As opposed to Hamas, it is NOT my loftiest aspiration to die for ANY god! I want to live and let live. Live!! And I'm firm in my belief that so do the majority of the Palestinian people.
2. Are you blind to the fact that supporting war is supporting the killing of innocent people?
I am not SUPPORTING war. This allegation is a warped statement meant to serve the propaganda machine.
In my opinion, war is a primitive substitute for dialogue.
In our region, there have been many attempts at dialogue. Unfortunately, until today, they have failed. Responsibility for that, I believe, lies on the shoulders of both sides by definition.
There is no such thing as a ‘clean war’.
The question one should ask is: what are your intentions?? What is your plan?
The answer from the Israeli declaration of independence,Issued at Tel Aviv on May 14, 1948
“WE APPEAL - in the very midst of the onslaught launched against us now for months - to the Arab inhabitants of the State of Israel to preserve peace and participate in the upbuilding of the State on the basis of full and equal citizenship and due representation in all its provisional and permanent institutions.
WE EXTEND our hand to all neighboring states and their peoples in an offer of peace and good neighborliness, and appeal to them to establish bonds of cooperation and mutual help with the sovereign Jewish people settled in its own land. The State of Israel is prepared to do its share in a common effort for the advancement of the entire Middle East.”
The answer from the Hamas covenant:
“There is no solution to the Palestinian problem except by Jihad. The initiatives, proposals and International Conferences are but a waste of time, an exercise in futility. The Palestinian people are too noble to have their future, their right and their destiny submitted to a vain game”
“Egypt has already been cast out of the conflict, to a very great extent through the treacherous Camp David Accords, and she has been trying to drag other countries into similar agreements in order to push them out of the circle of conflict”.“The Day of Judgement will not come about until Moslems fight the Jews (killing the Jews), when the Jew will hide behind stones and trees. The stones and trees will say O Moslems, O Abdulla, there is a Jew behind me, come and kill him"
3. Don’t you think that in view of the fact that the internal affairs of the Palestinian people should be respected, it is very politically incorrect to criticize the democratically elected Hamas?
Many terrible dictators were democratically elected and caused their own people and others endless suffering.
There are moments when a citizen must break the silence, and the code of ‘politically correctness’ and expose evil where it lies.
There are 2 types of struggle: The struggle for compromise and the struggle for “all or nothing”. The first one's goal is life on both sides and a chance to heal and prosper. The other type is death and destruction to at least one side with a good chance of death to all.
The Zionist struggle has historically been one of compromise, whereas the Arab armed struggle has been of the ‘all or nothing’ sort. (Please read Israel's declaration of independence and compare to Hamas covenant). Since the beginning of Zionism it won the support of many nations worldwide as it was viewed as a struggle for fair compromise. It is this support that facilitated the establishment of the state of Israel, especially following the Holocaust.
In their struggle to gain ‘everything’, the Palestinian people lost everything!
This tragedy brought them to a place of weakness which in turn led to the emergence of a new trend: the Palestinian struggle for compromise, Hence Oslo negotiations and accord.
To those who wish to compromise, I say: here I am, willing to share everything I have with you!
But there is another faction of the Palestinian people that not only sustains the ‘all or nothing” attitude, but draws it resources from places far from Israel and Palestine.
I am referring to Hamas and other fundamentalist groups, worldwide.
This is exactly why I separate the Palestinians into different factions.
I fully support Abu-Mazen and the current FATAH leadership, and all Palestinians who strive for peace. I am their staunchest ally. But those who wish to eternalize violence and war? I will never support them, even if they were democratically elected.
In conclusion, I would like to restate my well know views:
1. I advocate the two state solution based on mutual compromise.
2. My own ‘peace plan’, “recognize, apologize, share”, can be found in a previous blog entry called "politics, first step".
1. Why did you write the line: “I can only wish for you that Israel will do the job we all know needs to be done, and finally RID YOU of this cancer, this virus, this monster called fanaticism, today, called Hamas. “ ?
The last Gaza operation came after 8 years of consecutive bombing by Hamas on Israel’s borders. 8 years! Israel has been dragged into war by those who dream of dying for Allah. This is not something I have invented:
Hamas Covenant, 18 August 1988
“The Slogan of the Islamic Resistance Movement: Allah is its target, the Prophet is its model, the Koran its constitution: Jihad is its path and death for the sake of Allah is the loftiest of its wishes.”
The declared purpose of these rocket attacks and mortar shelling was to continue the Islamic Palestinian armed struggle against Israel. Here's another quote :
Hamas covenant: “Israel will exist and will continue to exist until Islam will obliterate it, just as it obliterated others before it"
During those 8 years, Hamas threatened to kill anyone who worked for peace with Israel. One of my Palestinian friends, whose name I will not disclose, escaped with barely his life after his friends had their legs shot off by Hamas. This is not fantasy, this is fact!! My friend managed to escape thanks to the help of his Israeli friends, and continues his important work for peace from Ramallah.
War is ugly. Whoever chooses the path of war should not be surprised at its tragic consequences.
Hamas have chosen this path OPENLY. Israel is fighting a war of survival….that is exactly what Hamas says : “Israel will exist and will continue to exist until Islam will obliterate it, just as it obliterated others before it"
And yes, I want to live and not die!! As opposed to Hamas, it is NOT my loftiest aspiration to die for ANY god! I want to live and let live. Live!! And I'm firm in my belief that so do the majority of the Palestinian people.
2. Are you blind to the fact that supporting war is supporting the killing of innocent people?
I am not SUPPORTING war. This allegation is a warped statement meant to serve the propaganda machine.
In my opinion, war is a primitive substitute for dialogue.
In our region, there have been many attempts at dialogue. Unfortunately, until today, they have failed. Responsibility for that, I believe, lies on the shoulders of both sides by definition.
There is no such thing as a ‘clean war’.
The question one should ask is: what are your intentions?? What is your plan?
The answer from the Israeli declaration of independence,Issued at Tel Aviv on May 14, 1948
“WE APPEAL - in the very midst of the onslaught launched against us now for months - to the Arab inhabitants of the State of Israel to preserve peace and participate in the upbuilding of the State on the basis of full and equal citizenship and due representation in all its provisional and permanent institutions.
WE EXTEND our hand to all neighboring states and their peoples in an offer of peace and good neighborliness, and appeal to them to establish bonds of cooperation and mutual help with the sovereign Jewish people settled in its own land. The State of Israel is prepared to do its share in a common effort for the advancement of the entire Middle East.”
The answer from the Hamas covenant:
“There is no solution to the Palestinian problem except by Jihad. The initiatives, proposals and International Conferences are but a waste of time, an exercise in futility. The Palestinian people are too noble to have their future, their right and their destiny submitted to a vain game”
“Egypt has already been cast out of the conflict, to a very great extent through the treacherous Camp David Accords, and she has been trying to drag other countries into similar agreements in order to push them out of the circle of conflict”.“The Day of Judgement will not come about until Moslems fight the Jews (killing the Jews), when the Jew will hide behind stones and trees. The stones and trees will say O Moslems, O Abdulla, there is a Jew behind me, come and kill him"
3. Don’t you think that in view of the fact that the internal affairs of the Palestinian people should be respected, it is very politically incorrect to criticize the democratically elected Hamas?
Many terrible dictators were democratically elected and caused their own people and others endless suffering.
There are moments when a citizen must break the silence, and the code of ‘politically correctness’ and expose evil where it lies.
There are 2 types of struggle: The struggle for compromise and the struggle for “all or nothing”. The first one's goal is life on both sides and a chance to heal and prosper. The other type is death and destruction to at least one side with a good chance of death to all.
The Zionist struggle has historically been one of compromise, whereas the Arab armed struggle has been of the ‘all or nothing’ sort. (Please read Israel's declaration of independence and compare to Hamas covenant). Since the beginning of Zionism it won the support of many nations worldwide as it was viewed as a struggle for fair compromise. It is this support that facilitated the establishment of the state of Israel, especially following the Holocaust.
In their struggle to gain ‘everything’, the Palestinian people lost everything!
This tragedy brought them to a place of weakness which in turn led to the emergence of a new trend: the Palestinian struggle for compromise, Hence Oslo negotiations and accord.
To those who wish to compromise, I say: here I am, willing to share everything I have with you!
But there is another faction of the Palestinian people that not only sustains the ‘all or nothing” attitude, but draws it resources from places far from Israel and Palestine.
I am referring to Hamas and other fundamentalist groups, worldwide.
This is exactly why I separate the Palestinians into different factions.
I fully support Abu-Mazen and the current FATAH leadership, and all Palestinians who strive for peace. I am their staunchest ally. But those who wish to eternalize violence and war? I will never support them, even if they were democratically elected.
In conclusion, I would like to restate my well know views:
1. I advocate the two state solution based on mutual compromise.
2. My own ‘peace plan’, “recognize, apologize, share”, can be found in a previous blog entry called "politics, first step".
Sunday, August 23, 2009
on peace/demonstrations/declarations and taranta
On August 23rd I had the pleasure of performing in the impressive “Notte de la Tarante” festival in Melpignano , Italy.
It is a wonderful celebration of the traditional Taranta music of the region. hundreds of thousands of people, many of them young, show up to celebrate, sing and dance. Not with Madonna or the Rolling Stones, but with their own heritage, their own roots.
Being an honorary citizen of Melpignano, an extraordinary place with a unique mayor (the one and only Sergio Blasi) which deserves a chapter of its own, I was happy to accept the invitation to participate in this exceptional event. I came together with the wonderful Mira Awad. We were to each sing one song from the taranta repertoire, and then sing our song, “there must be another way”, together.
(For whoever does not know, Mira is a Palestinian Israeli singer-songwriter. We represented Israel this year in the Eurovision song contest with a song we wrote in three languages, Arabic Hebrew and English, conveying a message of tolerance and co-existence to hundreds of millions of people around the world.)
I went on stage at roughly 1:30 am (it’s an all night event). After singing the beautiful Taranta song “damme nu ricciu” , I spoke to the audience, saying how happy and proud I was to be there, and explaining that the song they were about to hear bore the message of peace and co-existence, breaking the walls between languages and cultures , bringing hope though music. I then invited Mira to the stage. As I looked out over the audience I saw a huge sign. It said “mira and noa…”, and I couldn’t make out the rest. There was a map of Israel, and Palestinian flags were waving.
I immediately interpreted this as a sign of support from the audience for the work mira and I were doing, and this made me very happy. When mira came on stage I pointed it out to her joyfully, wanting to share the beautiful moment. We sang together with energy and intention, as we always do, took our bow, and I went off stage, leaving mira to her solo song. I could hear the audience yelling “mira, mira”, and I was once again happy they were embracing my friend with love and respect, as they have always embraced me.
When I got to the side of the stage, I saw galia my tour manager looking like a ghost, with tears in her eyes. I asked her what was wrong?? And she said:”the sign, the sign! Didn’t you see it? I’m devastated…”.
That’s when I realized my mistake. I became cold as a rock.
You see, dear friends, it was no sign of support. No demonstration of unity and hope, of willingness to build a better future.
The sign said: : “noa and mira, accomplices in the killing machine. Israel=Nazis”.
Yes, that’s what the sign said. Right in front of our faces.
And the calls ‘mira mira’ were to the killer mira, the criminal mira.
Her crime? Singing for peace. Daring to hope for a better future.
The organization who are responsible for this hijacked the Taranta festival for their own selfish, ignorant, destructive propaganda-driven agenda. And their southern-Italian hosts were just too polite, sweet and open-minded to do anything about it.
The Italians around me were unbelieving, shocked and apologetic. For many of them I am a sort of hero. Years of concerts, stubborn insistence on playing even in the smallest venues and sustaining the highest level of musicianship and originality and tireless work for peace have gained me their unwavering love and admiration. They simply could not understand this rude and violent display of hatred.
I know these Palestinian groups. This is not the first time they have shown me their ‘love’. They have been haunting me for years. I have tried communicating with them by mail, tried intelligent dialogue and reasoning but to no avail. The fact that I have dedicated half my life to supporting the Palestinian cause, at a very high personal price, means nothing to them.
These groups represent a very small part of the Palestinian people. As always, most people want to live and not die. To live and let live. To live.
But these groups know how to make noise. They are funded by big money from fanatic organizations that call for nothing less than the death of my children and the destruction of my country (unless of course I convert to islam and wear a burka). They have no interest whatsoever in finding a ‘path to follow’ that will lead to two states for two people, coexistence, prosperity and peace. Their agenda includes fanning the flames of hatred and war for eternity, until we all burn in a hell of vengeance and self-righteousness
I have no intention of embarking once again on the endless, futile dissection of thewhat/who/where/why/how of middle eastern politics. I’ve been around that block too many times and it has led me nowhere.
I say only this:
There are two options.
Either we eternalize the violence, hatred, suffering killing and vengeance and pass it on to our children and our children’s children like a bloody, cursed inheritance.
or
we put the past respectfully behind us and look to the future, using all of our resources to find a way to live together without violence.
My agenda is clear.
I have children and I have no time to waste on testosterone-driven religious fanatics who want to die and kill in the name of some god or another and pull us all down with them. Or bored European pseudo-intellectuals who need a cause and choose one carelessly.
I CHOOSE LIFE.
As I’ve said many times before,
Recognize, Apologize, Share. (you can read the elaborate version of that theory in a former blog)
So, despite how hurt I was by what occurred, I plan to continue in just the same way, stubbornly, adamantly, bull headedly, with full belief that…
there must be another way.
Signing out.
Noa.
It is a wonderful celebration of the traditional Taranta music of the region. hundreds of thousands of people, many of them young, show up to celebrate, sing and dance. Not with Madonna or the Rolling Stones, but with their own heritage, their own roots.
Being an honorary citizen of Melpignano, an extraordinary place with a unique mayor (the one and only Sergio Blasi) which deserves a chapter of its own, I was happy to accept the invitation to participate in this exceptional event. I came together with the wonderful Mira Awad. We were to each sing one song from the taranta repertoire, and then sing our song, “there must be another way”, together.
(For whoever does not know, Mira is a Palestinian Israeli singer-songwriter. We represented Israel this year in the Eurovision song contest with a song we wrote in three languages, Arabic Hebrew and English, conveying a message of tolerance and co-existence to hundreds of millions of people around the world.)
I went on stage at roughly 1:30 am (it’s an all night event). After singing the beautiful Taranta song “damme nu ricciu” , I spoke to the audience, saying how happy and proud I was to be there, and explaining that the song they were about to hear bore the message of peace and co-existence, breaking the walls between languages and cultures , bringing hope though music. I then invited Mira to the stage. As I looked out over the audience I saw a huge sign. It said “mira and noa…”, and I couldn’t make out the rest. There was a map of Israel, and Palestinian flags were waving.
I immediately interpreted this as a sign of support from the audience for the work mira and I were doing, and this made me very happy. When mira came on stage I pointed it out to her joyfully, wanting to share the beautiful moment. We sang together with energy and intention, as we always do, took our bow, and I went off stage, leaving mira to her solo song. I could hear the audience yelling “mira, mira”, and I was once again happy they were embracing my friend with love and respect, as they have always embraced me.
When I got to the side of the stage, I saw galia my tour manager looking like a ghost, with tears in her eyes. I asked her what was wrong?? And she said:”the sign, the sign! Didn’t you see it? I’m devastated…”.
That’s when I realized my mistake. I became cold as a rock.
You see, dear friends, it was no sign of support. No demonstration of unity and hope, of willingness to build a better future.
The sign said: : “noa and mira, accomplices in the killing machine. Israel=Nazis”.
Yes, that’s what the sign said. Right in front of our faces.
And the calls ‘mira mira’ were to the killer mira, the criminal mira.
Her crime? Singing for peace. Daring to hope for a better future.
The organization who are responsible for this hijacked the Taranta festival for their own selfish, ignorant, destructive propaganda-driven agenda. And their southern-Italian hosts were just too polite, sweet and open-minded to do anything about it.
The Italians around me were unbelieving, shocked and apologetic. For many of them I am a sort of hero. Years of concerts, stubborn insistence on playing even in the smallest venues and sustaining the highest level of musicianship and originality and tireless work for peace have gained me their unwavering love and admiration. They simply could not understand this rude and violent display of hatred.
I know these Palestinian groups. This is not the first time they have shown me their ‘love’. They have been haunting me for years. I have tried communicating with them by mail, tried intelligent dialogue and reasoning but to no avail. The fact that I have dedicated half my life to supporting the Palestinian cause, at a very high personal price, means nothing to them.
These groups represent a very small part of the Palestinian people. As always, most people want to live and not die. To live and let live. To live.
But these groups know how to make noise. They are funded by big money from fanatic organizations that call for nothing less than the death of my children and the destruction of my country (unless of course I convert to islam and wear a burka). They have no interest whatsoever in finding a ‘path to follow’ that will lead to two states for two people, coexistence, prosperity and peace. Their agenda includes fanning the flames of hatred and war for eternity, until we all burn in a hell of vengeance and self-righteousness
I have no intention of embarking once again on the endless, futile dissection of thewhat/who/where/why/how of middle eastern politics. I’ve been around that block too many times and it has led me nowhere.
I say only this:
There are two options.
Either we eternalize the violence, hatred, suffering killing and vengeance and pass it on to our children and our children’s children like a bloody, cursed inheritance.
or
we put the past respectfully behind us and look to the future, using all of our resources to find a way to live together without violence.
My agenda is clear.
I have children and I have no time to waste on testosterone-driven religious fanatics who want to die and kill in the name of some god or another and pull us all down with them. Or bored European pseudo-intellectuals who need a cause and choose one carelessly.
I CHOOSE LIFE.
As I’ve said many times before,
Recognize, Apologize, Share. (you can read the elaborate version of that theory in a former blog)
So, despite how hurt I was by what occurred, I plan to continue in just the same way, stubbornly, adamantly, bull headedly, with full belief that…
there must be another way.
Signing out.
Noa.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
home made religion...
just got back to hotel after performing with Mira Awad in Paola, Itlay. The concert was great. people were warm and receptive. the goal was to raisie money to re-build a church that had been destroyed by the earthquake in l'aquila.
sigh...
i have mixed feelings.
on the one hand, i can commend the church of st. francesco de paola for making this effort. it is noble, on their part..and no doubt, san francesco was one of the 'good guys' of his genre, nature loving, modest, kind. but i can not help but wonder, would it not make more sense to use all that power and money to build a new school, orphanage, library, shelter for battered women or homeless people, rehabilitating clinic, etc etc etc...?
this brings us to my problem with religion.
first, it amazes me what an ENORMOUS amount of money and resources go into the maintenance and cultivation of the religious institutions wherever they may be, money that could go into making people's lives better...feeding, educating, healing...for a start. i mean, could it be that proportionally, churches, temples, mosques and synagogues are THAT much more important than schools, hospitals and museums?
then, it AMAZES me how much war, hatred, misogyny, prejudice , and violence is waged in the name if this or that religion. from the crusades to the Inquisition to 9/11 and the list us WAYYY long. fueled by fear and greed, religion will ever too often transform into a dark-hearted monster, evoking pandemonium, sweeping all it's believers along in the great flood.
for me, there is only one justification for the term god, and that is, if it is in direct correlation with the term LOVE. love, and with it, compassion, unity, fraternity, solidarity, benevolence, kindness, generosity, and so on and on and on, the heart's to-do list. love your brother as you love yourself.
and the question is asked: if these terms are universal, if they exist in every single human being's heart, if they are known to every mother nurturing her child, why then, do we need religion?
don't get me wrong. i can respect anybody's religious beliefs, UNTIL they tangle with morals and values that should be shared by all humanity. until they get ugly and violent and domineering and worse of all: self righteous. until they become the moral apron for hiding behind. until they separate the world into 'them' and 'us'. until they become dangerously judgemental. and so sadly, much too often, religion is the source of all of the above, where it should never be. it should be solely a source of hope, light, positive energy and solace.
recommended reading: 'the god delusion', by richard dawkins.
and/or check out the lyrics of a song i wrote called "home made religion", from the album "blue touches blue".
tomorrow ravello. a very beautiful place. we'll take it from there...
good night.
sigh...
i have mixed feelings.
on the one hand, i can commend the church of st. francesco de paola for making this effort. it is noble, on their part..and no doubt, san francesco was one of the 'good guys' of his genre, nature loving, modest, kind. but i can not help but wonder, would it not make more sense to use all that power and money to build a new school, orphanage, library, shelter for battered women or homeless people, rehabilitating clinic, etc etc etc...?
this brings us to my problem with religion.
first, it amazes me what an ENORMOUS amount of money and resources go into the maintenance and cultivation of the religious institutions wherever they may be, money that could go into making people's lives better...feeding, educating, healing...for a start. i mean, could it be that proportionally, churches, temples, mosques and synagogues are THAT much more important than schools, hospitals and museums?
then, it AMAZES me how much war, hatred, misogyny, prejudice , and violence is waged in the name if this or that religion. from the crusades to the Inquisition to 9/11 and the list us WAYYY long. fueled by fear and greed, religion will ever too often transform into a dark-hearted monster, evoking pandemonium, sweeping all it's believers along in the great flood.
for me, there is only one justification for the term god, and that is, if it is in direct correlation with the term LOVE. love, and with it, compassion, unity, fraternity, solidarity, benevolence, kindness, generosity, and so on and on and on, the heart's to-do list. love your brother as you love yourself.
and the question is asked: if these terms are universal, if they exist in every single human being's heart, if they are known to every mother nurturing her child, why then, do we need religion?
don't get me wrong. i can respect anybody's religious beliefs, UNTIL they tangle with morals and values that should be shared by all humanity. until they get ugly and violent and domineering and worse of all: self righteous. until they become the moral apron for hiding behind. until they separate the world into 'them' and 'us'. until they become dangerously judgemental. and so sadly, much too often, religion is the source of all of the above, where it should never be. it should be solely a source of hope, light, positive energy and solace.
recommended reading: 'the god delusion', by richard dawkins.
and/or check out the lyrics of a song i wrote called "home made religion", from the album "blue touches blue".
tomorrow ravello. a very beautiful place. we'll take it from there...
good night.
Saturday, August 8, 2009
greetings from tarragona
hi everbody.
writing from Tarragona in Spain. People here live so differently. all the political mass that sits so squarely on our shoulders back in the middle east and weighs us down to the ground is non existent here. we were out walking at midnight, the streets were teeming, families and couples and seniors and infants all together , talking laughing eating living...just living! is that what peace really means? normality? ah yes....what a dream.
People recognized me everywere and i was happy and proud to greet them. i feel comfortable and easy going in their midst.
on the way to dinner (which starts at ten here!) we passed by 2 'clubs' where young people are taught the local art of human tower building! yes, that's right. they climb up on each other’s shoulders until they create a sort of human ‘tower of pisa’ but without the slant :-) and of course the smallest children, like little monkeys, are taught to scramble up nimbly to the top and stand proud, their hands outstretched, links in a long chain of Catalonian tradition. it really moved me. that chain. i guess making the album 'genes and jeans' and performing it over the last 2 years has made me feel more deeply than ever the significance of connecting to a deep root, and spreading your wings from there...like that little girl on top of the tower..
Tonight we perform here. Mira Awad will open the show with her beautiful songs and we'll continue with our ‘genes and jeans’ and other stuff, then Mira and i will sing duets from our album.
thank god for music.
be well all.
love.
writing from Tarragona in Spain. People here live so differently. all the political mass that sits so squarely on our shoulders back in the middle east and weighs us down to the ground is non existent here. we were out walking at midnight, the streets were teeming, families and couples and seniors and infants all together , talking laughing eating living...just living! is that what peace really means? normality? ah yes....what a dream.
People recognized me everywere and i was happy and proud to greet them. i feel comfortable and easy going in their midst.
on the way to dinner (which starts at ten here!) we passed by 2 'clubs' where young people are taught the local art of human tower building! yes, that's right. they climb up on each other’s shoulders until they create a sort of human ‘tower of pisa’ but without the slant :-) and of course the smallest children, like little monkeys, are taught to scramble up nimbly to the top and stand proud, their hands outstretched, links in a long chain of Catalonian tradition. it really moved me. that chain. i guess making the album 'genes and jeans' and performing it over the last 2 years has made me feel more deeply than ever the significance of connecting to a deep root, and spreading your wings from there...like that little girl on top of the tower..
Tonight we perform here. Mira Awad will open the show with her beautiful songs and we'll continue with our ‘genes and jeans’ and other stuff, then Mira and i will sing duets from our album.
thank god for music.
be well all.
love.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
a tired mother's thoughts
so what's going on??
i am feeling down in the dumps these days.
i feel israel is on the brink of a real explosion. like some horror sci fi movie scene, the forces of evil seem to be gathering frightening momentum. we've had hordes of ultra orthodox going crazy on the streets, throwing stones, hitting cops, creating total havoc, in DEFENCE of a woman who almost starved her child to death! and why?? simply because she was "part of THEM"! what the hell is THEM for god's sake?? does being part of THEM justify murder?? shouldn't a court of law be the judge of that?? i am appalled and horrified. and the treatment of foreign workers here is beyond belief, beyond disgust. if they would have passed that law about evicting the children of foreign workers born in israel from this country, i would have ripped up my passport. enough is enough. and add the horrible murder of those young homosexuals in TA and the murderer still on the loose!! i mean, who needs terrorist bombers when we have all this?? i don't know what's going on. it's just appalling. but you know how the hebrew saying goes, the fish stinks from its head.i feel the present government is such a pathetic failure they should all go home NOW, staring with Netanyahu the zero and followed by his criminal entourage led by the psychopath Liberman and the fascist Eli Yishai. HOME.
sadly, besides Livni (possibly), there is not a ray of light in parliament to replace them. darkness all around.
so what do i hang on to?
i look close to home. i shut off the tv and search for hope in the boring mundane actions of stubborn people who won't give up..
like my friend Issam who escaped from gaza and is now living in ramallah, who against all odds created a summer camp for kids form ramallah and sderot who spent 2 weeks of the summer together. he said it was a blast (no pun intended :-)
like my friend ofer bronstein who travels ceaselessly to an fro talking to this side and that, bringing people together, fusing, mending, building bridges.
like the incredible "parent's circle", amazing people , bereaved families who have paid the highest price as a result of this conflict, arabs and jews dedicated to peace against all odds.
these and many more like them are my heros.
i salute you!!!!
and now, i'll go to sleep. tomorrow my daughter turns 5. we'll sing and dance and eat choclate cake. she wanted fairies for her birthday. she likes to dream. like her mom.
may she grow to see better days than these.
good night.
i am feeling down in the dumps these days.
i feel israel is on the brink of a real explosion. like some horror sci fi movie scene, the forces of evil seem to be gathering frightening momentum. we've had hordes of ultra orthodox going crazy on the streets, throwing stones, hitting cops, creating total havoc, in DEFENCE of a woman who almost starved her child to death! and why?? simply because she was "part of THEM"! what the hell is THEM for god's sake?? does being part of THEM justify murder?? shouldn't a court of law be the judge of that?? i am appalled and horrified. and the treatment of foreign workers here is beyond belief, beyond disgust. if they would have passed that law about evicting the children of foreign workers born in israel from this country, i would have ripped up my passport. enough is enough. and add the horrible murder of those young homosexuals in TA and the murderer still on the loose!! i mean, who needs terrorist bombers when we have all this?? i don't know what's going on. it's just appalling. but you know how the hebrew saying goes, the fish stinks from its head.i feel the present government is such a pathetic failure they should all go home NOW, staring with Netanyahu the zero and followed by his criminal entourage led by the psychopath Liberman and the fascist Eli Yishai. HOME.
sadly, besides Livni (possibly), there is not a ray of light in parliament to replace them. darkness all around.
so what do i hang on to?
i look close to home. i shut off the tv and search for hope in the boring mundane actions of stubborn people who won't give up..
like my friend Issam who escaped from gaza and is now living in ramallah, who against all odds created a summer camp for kids form ramallah and sderot who spent 2 weeks of the summer together. he said it was a blast (no pun intended :-)
like my friend ofer bronstein who travels ceaselessly to an fro talking to this side and that, bringing people together, fusing, mending, building bridges.
like the incredible "parent's circle", amazing people , bereaved families who have paid the highest price as a result of this conflict, arabs and jews dedicated to peace against all odds.
these and many more like them are my heros.
i salute you!!!!
and now, i'll go to sleep. tomorrow my daughter turns 5. we'll sing and dance and eat choclate cake. she wanted fairies for her birthday. she likes to dream. like her mom.
may she grow to see better days than these.
good night.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
concerts, islands, lakes, music, love.
back from an interesting tour....
2 very different concerts. one in Panarea, a small and very beautiful island off the coast of sicily. we were the first artists to eer perform there :-) the island has a permanent population of about 150 people (!) and in summer it triples, but that's it :-) and the best part, NO CARS! only electric golf carts! and no street lights. you can see a billiob stars at night. i loved it and can't wait to get back there with my husband and kids.
show afer that was in Gardone Riviera, on the shore of Lake Garda. what a beautiful place. god has blessed the italians with absolutley everything.
the oncert was in an amphitheater overlooking the lake. we had a great audience, full house, tons of enthusiasm and love poured out. the lighting board collapsed at some point but it didn't hurt the magic..maybe even added to it, as it was obvius we were working with minimal assistance from technology :-)
now back home. had rehearsals for 'meir ariel' event in ceasaria next week. it will be a very cool concert. he was one of israel's most beloved songwriters, passed away ten years ago. this weekend we have gigs in 2 very nice clubs in israel, with mira as our guest. friday night in a place called 'radio bar' in kibbutz bet-keshet in the north, and saturday night in jerusalem in a place called "ha maabada" (the labrotory).
whoever's in the holy land is more than welcome. :-)
2 very different concerts. one in Panarea, a small and very beautiful island off the coast of sicily. we were the first artists to eer perform there :-) the island has a permanent population of about 150 people (!) and in summer it triples, but that's it :-) and the best part, NO CARS! only electric golf carts! and no street lights. you can see a billiob stars at night. i loved it and can't wait to get back there with my husband and kids.
show afer that was in Gardone Riviera, on the shore of Lake Garda. what a beautiful place. god has blessed the italians with absolutley everything.
the oncert was in an amphitheater overlooking the lake. we had a great audience, full house, tons of enthusiasm and love poured out. the lighting board collapsed at some point but it didn't hurt the magic..maybe even added to it, as it was obvius we were working with minimal assistance from technology :-)
now back home. had rehearsals for 'meir ariel' event in ceasaria next week. it will be a very cool concert. he was one of israel's most beloved songwriters, passed away ten years ago. this weekend we have gigs in 2 very nice clubs in israel, with mira as our guest. friday night in a place called 'radio bar' in kibbutz bet-keshet in the north, and saturday night in jerusalem in a place called "ha maabada" (the labrotory).
whoever's in the holy land is more than welcome. :-)
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
politics...first step.
hi everybody.
you know, there is no way politics will not find their way into thei blog. that's just the way it is.
i thought a good way to start would be with my "peace plan" for the middle east. it's pretty straight forward, even obvious (like, duuuh..). but we all know the simplest things are often the most elusive. that's definately the way it works in the middle east.
here it is:
1. RECOGNIZE-
Each side must recognize the rights of the other to life, freedom, independence, identity, the right to flourish, the right to a peaceful existence. This is the first and critical stage of the plan. Without formal recognition, in writing, signed by the recognized leaders of each nation, no progress can be made.
2. APOLOGIZE-
Both sides have done horrible things to each other in the name of this and that ideal. Since the death of one life is parallel to the death of all of humanity, there should be a true and deep remorse for these actions, a heartfelt apology on both sides for the pain and anguish they have caused.
3. SHARE-
Each side should revoke their dreams of a complete ‘anything’. Only through compromise is peace achievable. In this way, on one small piece of land, we can create 2 countries, Israel and Palestine, living peacefully and respectfully alongside each-other.
with love,
noa
you know, there is no way politics will not find their way into thei blog. that's just the way it is.
i thought a good way to start would be with my "peace plan" for the middle east. it's pretty straight forward, even obvious (like, duuuh..). but we all know the simplest things are often the most elusive. that's definately the way it works in the middle east.
here it is:
1. RECOGNIZE-
Each side must recognize the rights of the other to life, freedom, independence, identity, the right to flourish, the right to a peaceful existence. This is the first and critical stage of the plan. Without formal recognition, in writing, signed by the recognized leaders of each nation, no progress can be made.
2. APOLOGIZE-
Both sides have done horrible things to each other in the name of this and that ideal. Since the death of one life is parallel to the death of all of humanity, there should be a true and deep remorse for these actions, a heartfelt apology on both sides for the pain and anguish they have caused.
3. SHARE-
Each side should revoke their dreams of a complete ‘anything’. Only through compromise is peace achievable. In this way, on one small piece of land, we can create 2 countries, Israel and Palestine, living peacefully and respectfully alongside each-other.
with love,
noa
Monday, July 13, 2009
july 13th
hello everybody,
i'm very excited as this is my first post on my very own blog :-)
this weekend's shows were nice, thanks to all the great peole who came out to see them.
thursday the 16th sees us on an airplane to barcelona. that evening we rehearse with a symphony orchestra for a conert the next day. we will be singing three songs, amongst them the aria 'glitter and be gay' from the opera 'candide' by leonard bernstein. fun for me as it's not what i normally do :-) we will also be singing a duet with the phenomenal Joan Manuel Serrat. later on we move to Palma de Mallorca and Madrid, where will be hosting Mira Awad and her band as an opening act ! mira is great. we will also be singing some duets together at the end of my set. hope to see my spanish friends there :-)
take care all.
i'm very excited as this is my first post on my very own blog :-)
this weekend's shows were nice, thanks to all the great peole who came out to see them.
thursday the 16th sees us on an airplane to barcelona. that evening we rehearse with a symphony orchestra for a conert the next day. we will be singing three songs, amongst them the aria 'glitter and be gay' from the opera 'candide' by leonard bernstein. fun for me as it's not what i normally do :-) we will also be singing a duet with the phenomenal Joan Manuel Serrat. later on we move to Palma de Mallorca and Madrid, where will be hosting Mira Awad and her band as an opening act ! mira is great. we will also be singing some duets together at the end of my set. hope to see my spanish friends there :-)
take care all.
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