Palestinians In Israel Refuse To Enlist In Israel's Army

For a really long time, Israel would not accept Palestinian enrollment in its army--those are citizens of the State of the Israel. And for the most part, Palestinian Arabs would not join the army because they do not want to be killing their brethren in Gaza and the West Bank. Both Muslims and Christian Palestinian citizens refuse to serve in the army and Israeli is happy about that.

Now, some loons in the Israel government--there are so many of them in this current government want to ask those people to serve in the army and protect Israel. So a group of ordinary young people made video for that matter where they are singing about refusing to enlist in the army that will send them to do acts that might be contrary to human rights.

See dozens of young men and women making it loud and clear, in the Israeli army we won't serve. They are all too familiar with the "Divide and Conquer  rule. Take me to prison if you may, but I ain't joining the army.

صوت فلسطيني ضد التجنيد


The lyrics of the song

I refuse to serve in the Israeli occupation forces
Even if I am sent to prison
And I know, mother, how proud you will be of me
Mother, I refuse to be recruited
And you can rest assured
That I will always revolt
Even if they torture me
I refuse to oppress my people
And stop my friends at the checkpoints
Let the freedom screams blow and roar
Down with military rule
I will liberate my land with my hands
And I will not collaborate with my oppressor
I give my heart and soul eyes for my oppressed

It's time for the occupation to end
No to negotiations and normalisation
And the right of return shall not be sold
The blood of martyrs shall not be wasted
It's time for the occupation to end

From Ramleh jail to Askalan jail
The prisoners have defeated their jailers
And shouted behind the bars:
It's time to end the occupation

The sons and daughters of Palestine
Reject the Israeli military service
And will not rest Until we end the occupation
It's time to end the occupation.

We shall liberate Palestine with our steadfastness
The people demand freedom
And we all reject recruitment and civil service with the Israeli army
The people demand freedom

Listen: The Samer Issawi Song Is Here #Palestine

As and democracy loving Israeli court denied bail for a Palestinian prisoner after calling for an emergency hearing to consider his case. The decision comes amid a 24-hour hunger strike in solidarity with Issawi and other hunger strikers held by at least 800 Palestinian prisoners detained by Israel.

Issawi  has become a Palestinian legend among his peers and country men. He has already inspired so mant social media activists and on the ground activists look up to him. Issawi has been refusing food for more than 200 days and his health has deteriorated rapidly since he began to refuse water.

Under Israeli military policy a prisoner may be held indefinitely without trial or charge. The United Nations has called on Israel to end this policy, known as administrative detention, and immediately release or charge detainees. I love watching Israel destroying their own image by their own actions and indifference. I do not think such actions go unnoticed anymore.

Ahmed Dari, a Jerusalem, based activist singer is out with a timely song, the songs that are not market drive. He has become one of the faces to make non-disposable songs in very disposable times. Dari isjoined this time by a new voice of Yousef Zaid. Israelis have no idea why they are detaining this man, but it looks like arrogance is only matched by his strong will.


ضلك قاوم٬ إلى سامر العيساوي من أحمد داري ويوسف زايد

My Hero Stevie Wonder Cancels On The Israel's IDF

Per US Campaign To End Israeli Occupation

Following outcries and appeals from people like you and advocates for boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) around the world, renowned musician and civil rights leader Stevie Wonder cancelled his performance for the Friends of the Israel Defense Forces (FIDF) Annual Fundraiser Gala! We learned about the great news as we watched yesterday's historic vote by the UN to upgrade Palestine's status to a “non-member state,” despite the strenuous objections of the United States and Israel.

Palestinians, Israelis, Artists Against Apartheid, the US Campaign, and member groups US Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott, the Rachel Corrie Foundation for Peace and Justice, were among the many who reached out to Wonder. Three international petitions garnered more than 10,000 signatures, including 4,000 of you who signed our petition in the 24 hours directly preceding the announcement. The Jewish Telegraph Agency reported that Wonder took noteof the petitions and decided to cancel. Thanks to all who signed! 

Now Stevie needs to know that people around the world are behind him! Click here to thank Stevie for doing the right thing!

FIDF announced the cancellation yesterday, November 29th, on the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People that marked 65 years since the UN voted to partition Palestine, leading to the exile and dispossession of Palestinians that continues to this day. Wonder's representatives said that the United Nations had also recommended cancellation in light of his official designation as a UN “Messenger of Peace.” Is it just us or did the United Nations just recommend cultural boycott?

Wonder’s cancellation constitutes one of the biggest victories to date for the Palestinian-led international campaign for cultural boycott of institutions complicit in Israel’s occupation and apartheid practices.

The US Campaign worked day and night on this campaign, reaching out to Wonder publicly and privately and helping mobilize thousands of individuals, organizations, and public figures around the world. But we can’t do this kind of work without your support.  

If you believe in us continuing and expanding this important work, we hope you will consider giving us a donation today. 

Activists in Los Angeles are planning a demonstration against the gala, which glorifies and raises money to support the Israeli military that enforces Israel’s occupation and apartheid policies, violating the fundamental human rights of Palestinians. The fundraiser will take place next Thursday, December 6th. Click here to join the Facebook event page for details, endorsements, and updates! If you are not on Facebook, we have also posted details on our Stevie Wonder Campaign webpage here. If you are in Los Angeles, you won’t want to miss this protest!

Stevie Wonder’s decision illustrates the mainstreaming and growing power of the global BDS movement. It is by working together in coalition to continue mounting pressure on Israel and complicit U.S. institutions that the Palestinians’ rights to freedom, justice, and equality can one day be realized.  

Stevie Wonder - Isn't She Lovely

Watch Artists and Alternative Subcultures in Gaza

Electronic Intifada had a post and the video below about the subcultures in Gaza where young people use art to speak to a global audience. Dancing, singing, painting, musicians  and more. The artists have a lot of issues to revolve with the community, but they are not slowing down.

They are teaching what little they know to the young people, dance troupe, painters and rappers all over the map of Gaza who want to tell a Palestinians story from the besieged Gaza. This is a heart warming tale of people who put up with a siege yet refuse to be broken and shattered souls. While their dreams might be born out of struggle, they have to exist and live with adversity from the locals.

Artists also have to run for their lives in Gaza like everyone else, but their contribution and voices will live through us.

 "Not a Dreamland" Artists and Alternative Subcultures in Gaza

Why I'm Boycotting Sacha Baron Cohen's Dictator

Sacha Baron Cohen loves to mock all things Arab and Muslim. All three of his most popular movies have gone out of their way to vilify Arabs and Muslims. Now, as brave men and women in the Arab world courageously and resiliently face down the despots that have beaten and killed them, Baron Cohen portrays a dictator. Not only is the movie horribly ill-timed, but it stands as a testament to his horrid disdain for Arabs and Muslims.     

In Bruno, he interviews a Palestinian and labels him a terrorist. That Palestinian is Ayman Abu Aita, a non-profit worker who would later sue Baron Cohen in the district of Columbia two years ago. Exactly what a show about a gay model has to do with Palestine is beyond me. Borat in its entirety is about a journalist from a Muslim republic who does crazy stunts and shows a great deal of ignorance and resentment toward Israel—it feels forced.  

Now comes Baron Cohen’s third movie, The Dictator, which centers around the stereotypical  caricature of an Arab/Muslim leader designed to make the entire Arab world and Muslim faith look bad. The very premise of the movie is offensive.  It trivializes the senseless torture, imprisonment, and murder of civilians when death is never funny. In my conversations with Libyans and Iraqis, not one has ever told me that the deaths of their family members under the rule of their respective despots and dictators was funny. The Muslims in this movies are humorless or close-minded stuck ups.

It seems that Baron Cohen also makes the point that only mad dictators would resent Israel.  Really? Try telling that to the dozen European countries who have been voicing their concerns with Israel’s occupation and land grab.  While the movie has not yet been released, from the many clips and trailers available online, it's hard to conclude that it will have anything nice to say about Muslims and Arabs. The movies offers loads of varying kinds of insensitivities to members of the Arab and Muslim communities.

Coming from an observant Jewish family, Baron Cohen is a partisan for the Israeli cause. He is a graduate of the London-based comedy group Habonim, which describes itself as "a Socialist Zionist Culturally Jewish youth movement".

Baron Cohen makes movies in America in a way that reminds me of Israeli TV shows. When television programs in Israel feature an Arab character, he or she is always a stereotypical, dumbed-down version of the real thing. Why has no one called Baron Cohen out on his racism yet? Does it matter that in his three movies, not a single positive Muslim character is portrayed? I do not think his brand of racism is particularly popular since Hollywood studios have mostly abandoned it.

Baron Cohen should not be immune to criticism when he deliberately wages an assault on entire cultures and religions to serve his own agenda.   He invents characters and uses them as a mouthpiece for his views on entire groups of people. Indeed, he has run into trouble because of racist or prejudiced comments his characters have made.

Per his Wikipedia page

Regarding his portrayal as the anti-Semitic Borat, Baron Cohen says the segments are a "dramatic demonstration of how racism feeds on dumb conformity, as much as rabid bigotry", rather than a display of racism by Baron Cohen himself.[35] "Borat essentially works as a tool. By himself being anti-Semitic, he lets people lower their guard and expose their own prejudice", Baron Cohen explains.[9]

I'm sure when the topic of his support for Israel and its illegal occupation of Palestinian land comes up, he probably replies, "I am not engaged in those discussions.” Fair enough, but why does so much of his work focus on making Arabs and Muslims look despicable? An analyst from Bitterlemons.org, who was duped by one of Bruno's pranks, had this to say about him: "He is exploiting our tragic and painful conflict in the most cynical and deceptive manner. I doubt he'll give us anything in return." Baron Cohen cannot just punch one guy, smile in the face of another, and then look at the camera and say ‘I am not taking sides.’

Take this example, Cohen found enough time to slam the protest over the Toronto Film festival for its Tel Aviv event. Even celebrated Israeli filmmakers protested the 'celebration of occupation.' as a multi-million dollar  propaganda campaign on behalf of Israel but Sacha begs to differ.
 
Even a Palestinian American journalist --whose wife happens to be Jewish took issues with Sacha’s characters in his op-ed “Sacha Baron Cohen’s antics – good or bad?”.   

His movies do propagate stereotypes against Arabs that increase western animosity, specifically benefiting Israel. He's also clearly targeting the low IQ segment of the population (which may have racist proclivities of their own) with this type of college fraternity humor..

I have yet to see one Baron Cohen movie that picks on someone other than Arabs and Muslims. Sure he did a decent acting job in both Hugo and Sweeney Todd (good movie by the way), but it seems that any movie in which he stars, writes, and produces will do nothing more than advance stereotypes about Arabs and Muslims. He wins when his movies make a killing, but also when he sees his political agenda creep into the mainstream American discussion.

Baron Cohen’s big thing is Holocaust awareness, a worthy cause indeed. But neither Arabs nor Muslims had anything to do with it, so how is he achieving his goal by making Islam the butt of each of his jokes?  Baron Cohen is free to think what he wants and make any movie he likes to make, but he is not free to claim he is impartial to the conflict. This issue is akin to a white actor in blackface for many in the Arab and Muslim communities. Can you imagine an Arab actor lampooning a Jewish character in a mainstream movie? What if that actor had made questionable statements in the past about the Jewish people? Not in a million years would a movie like that see the light of day.  

All I ask is that Baron Cohen be labeled accurately based on his well established distaste for Arabs. Habonim Dror, Baron Cohen’s former “Jewish cultural youth movement” includes as one of its ideals “fixing the world.” It’s hard to see how systematically using Arabs as punchlines will achieve that end.

Red hot Chili Peppers: Will You Please Cancel Your Performance In Israel?

We get it, you are artists, not politicians. Unless you have been spending the bulk of your time on another planet, you would know that your concert in Israel comes at an awful time. As Israel leaders up in arms about waging a war with Israel and as they hold hundreds of Palestinian prisoners with no charge, please do not blame me if I see your tour as approval of such polities.

I am interested in bringing issues of the land, and all the facts on the ground realities created by Israel, but I tell you this, Israel robs Palestinians from water resources, and separates families by walls and ID cards, and do nothing to quell the gangs of armed settlers who attack farmers and business owners just because they are waking up in the morning to earn a living. And if that's not enough, you get your military check points where the IDF uses senseless practices are welcome and humiliation is fr breakfast for many Palestinians.

If this is the kind of policies and people supporting them you guys want to entertain, then by all means be my guest. But the band of many beloved instant hits will be "Throw Away your Television", will take a whole new meaning. And please not to forget to dedicates at least on of your songs to the people living under an illegal occupation, "Torture Me" Red Hot Chili Peppers - Torture Me (Lyrics)

Sitting The Record Straight on Palestine

The Never Before Campaign is back with a new video about the practices of the Israeli occupation in the Palestinian territories. This is not about the people of Israel, but rather about their military of which they are supposed to be proud and serve if called.

The video below takes a minute to watch and it helpless observers of the conflict to understand what words really mean. There are too many idiots (and not just Fox News) talking about the Israeli occupation in friendly terms.

Israeli Apartheid Week: Call it as it is

BDS Gets Lara Fabian To Cancel Her Lebanon Concert

They have called her a supporter of Israel and that's enough to cancel her appearance in Lebanon. Today Lara Fabian, the Italian singer has announced on her Facebook page that she is not going to Beirut.

Lara had two concern planned in Lebanon, but the moment activists have called her out on her past, she has got the message. In 2008 she appeared in concert in Israel along with Israeli singers to celebrate 60 years on the Nakba, the day Israel has established their country on the ruins of Palestine.

Casino Du Liban was the venue for those concerts will not be booked that night. I must hand it to the activists who keep their pressure on entertainers who go out of their way to make matter worse of Israel's neighbors. BDS 1, Israel 0. Nothing personal Lara is an amazing talent and will always be.

About Lara

Belgian-Italian international singer who holds Canadian citizenship. Multilingual, she sings in French, Italian and English. She has also sung in Spanish, Portuguese, Russian once in Hebrew on Israel's 60th Independence Day celebrations, and in German in 1988 for a version of "Croire" (ger.: "glauben" eng.: "believe").

Enrico Macias, Israeli Arab Jew Algerian Musician

It's now official, the people of Algeria love the music of this native song, Enrico Macias, they welcome his music, but refuse the man himself. That's the real life story of singer Gaston Ghrenassia, also known as Enrico Macias. Born to a Jewish family in Constantine, Algeria, and has played the guitar from childhood. Thanks to his father who was a violinist in an orchestra that played primarily maalouf, Yalonda-Arabic music. Gaston started playing the Orchestra at 15.

In Montreal Canada he was honored, and in his speech he renewed his desire to visit Algeria where he wants to throw a concert for the Jews of the world. But as far as we know no one in Algeria has picked the hint and this it seems that Enrico is unwelcome.

We have to go back to 1999 when he was invited to visit by the president of Algeria himself. Due to calls of boycott and controversy, Enrico has not made the trip. He has not given up hope, expressing his desire to visit Algeria in just about every occasion.

One thing remains true, the people of Algeria from all ages appreciate Macias music and they buy his CDs. One thing Macias did say that did not help his case is criticizing the government of Algeria for wasting the gas resources of their country. While it might be true what he said, it will not earn him any friends in high places.

A number of Algerian intellect maintain they they welcome the singer to come visit in one condition, "he must distant himself from the Zionist movement", if he does that, he would be welcome home.

If you get worked up about this, think about this millions of Palestinians wish they could go back and visit their native land, as of right now Israel has refused to even agree that those people do exist.
Enrico Macias - Habibi Ya Aini

Ahmad Dari Fails To Love The Occupation

Ahmad Dari is one of the hardest and most prolific on this list as he knows how to make a viral video. He is not a celebrity as of yet, but his videos land on major Arabic news sites (His song about the release of Gilad Shalit for example) Ahmad doesn't do romance videos, his thing is Palestine and its people.

The Jerusalem native has written many humorous songs for Palestine that lampoon the reality of living there under occupation. Ahmad comes from a long line of Palestinian intellects who use humor to channel the grim reality they face. Ahmed keeps his music lively by utilizing graphic and calligraphy.

This time we get to learn more about the opinions of Ahmad whose humor often hide his deep frustration with the occupation and The Wall, Israel built on stolen land--does Israel do anything lately but commit in illegal acts?

Ahmad Dari, Al-Hob, أحمد داري، أغنية شو بدو يحببني فيك

Rafeef Ziadah, The Poet With A Golden Style

No good cause goes away without having its own form of music, clothes and poetry, this has been true since the dawn of time. Palestine is no different, it has given the Arab world and the rest of the world some of the best firebrand poets who breath life into things and manage to communicate in simple words, complex realities.

In London and out of Canada, this time we can a passionate voice delivering a heartwarming poem about Palestine and the attacks on Gaza in 2009. The poet's young age does little to stop her form giving us a true and a very real history lesson about the image Arabs and Muslims have in the Western media. That's the tale of Rafeef Ziadah Rafeef Ziadah is a Palestinian spoken word artist and activist. Her debut CD Hadeel.

Rafeef pulls no punches, she sounds like a real Palestinian who have had enough with the media indifference of the Palestinian plight. I tell you that really shows in her words. I say keep rocking it, you have so many stories to tell and your passion and style will bring out the best in you and tell stories that need to be told.

Rafeef Ziadah - 'We teach life, sir', London, 12.11.11

Biafra Goes Where No Other Punk Rocker Has Gone Before

American musician turned activist has lost a lot of money by dropped out of a planned Tel Aviv gig. Jello's curios mind did not settle for others opinions on an issues he made sure he gets his own facts. I found the account of his journey to Palestine and Israel to be breath taking and enlightening for many. His trip has been document by both pictures and videos to make his works speak louder.

Jello Biafra - Thoughts On Visit To Israel

So now I have been to Israel. I have also been to Palestine. At least I got a taste of the place, but not in the way I originally hoped.
Many people reading this know the uproar and complicated reasons my band, Jello Biafra and the Guantanamo School Of Medicine pulled out of a July 2nd show scheduled in Tel Aviv. In many ways I really wish we had played. But I also share most of the boycott's supporters' feelings about Israel's government, the occupation, and ongoing human rights violations.

Few months ago we along with many others have called on the singer to cancel his planned concert to Tel Aviv. He ultimately canceled the Tel Aviv gig, but unlike many others he did the next best thing. He took a trip to the area on his own trying to make sense of it all. His analysis and take on the whole ordeal is one not to be missed. After all this is not just a gifted musician, he is also a staunch activist. He could have just done the concert and gotten paid, but then that would throw away all his years of quest for justice and fairness. I applaud his courage.

Biafra concludes his trip with this

As I said in my previous statement it would have been so easy for me and the Guantanamo School Medicine to quietly decline the Israel/Tel Aviv offer and no one would have been wiser. Naïve or not, we thought that in our own small way, if we showed up we might be able to do some good. Opinions swung back and forth every day as hell got hotter, even among individual band members.

I do not regret speaking out. It has been quite a learning experience along the way. I can't very well shut up now. It is like I've been covered with someone else's chewing gum and I'll never be able to scrape it all off. As my friend said, "It gets in your blood", and it has definitely gotten in mine.

What does it mean to be pro-Israel?

What does it mean to be pro- Palestine?

Who is David? Who Is Goliath?

Everyone has such a strong opinion and every person's is different – another sharp quill on that damn porcupine.

Read in details here his account

Egyptian Pop Music Takes on Israel

Mona Eltahawy, the white man's favorite Egyptian talking head, famously claimed that the Egyptian revolution has nothing to do with Israel's policies. And that not a single soul has chanted anti-Israel chants during the 18 days of the Egyptian revolution that ousted Mubarak. That claim was debunked by a number of sources with videos and footage that prove otherwise.

But even if she was right, pop music shows that there is no decrease in animosity towards Israel in Egypt.

Mubarak exited the stage few months ago. The music from Egypt that we are seeing is a lot bolder than Mona would like to admit. A number of songs released in the past few months had harsh words for Israel, marking this country as Egypt's enemy. This is bad news for Mona who seems to be alone in her arguments about how welcoming the Egyptians are of Israel--they are not. Just because Ms. Eltahawy lived in Israel does not make her an authority on how the people of Egypt feel about the country.

But do not take it from me. Take it from the Egyptian entertainers who tell it as it is, appealing to popular currents in Egypt. I hope Mona and her supporters take note. Pop culture is the best indicator of the pulse of the street. It does not come from a vacuum, like opportunistic voices for hire. Such voices cannot just and go invent another reality that will advance their careers and open Israel-loving doors for them.

Here is some music "moderate" Arabs need to put on their iTunes:

Mohammad Roshdy اغنية محمد رشيدى - رسالة الى اسرائيل

This is an A list singer that does mostly romantic songs, but when it comes to Israel he offers no love.

The lyrics go something like this:

"We have a message to deliver to you! We came to remind you of Sinai and the war that has revealed who's the coward, we are the Arab youth, and we will liberate Palestine"


Ana Ya Israel "Asmy Masr"- Hamza Namira | أنا.. يا إسرائيل - حمزة نمرة


This is the hottest Independent Egyptian singer who is actually making real music and has released one of the best selling albums in Egypt's history. He has the busiest concert schedule compared to any other singer. See toward the end of the song as Hamza performs it live, the crowd goes wild.

The lyrics:

Israel, I am not a government or regime, nor I am not a king with bodyguards!, I am an ancient word as old as civilization. Israel, my son was killed when the meaning of peace was lost! The dead are alive in their places in Hebron, Bethlehem, and Lebanon! I have the greatest name, my name is Egypt!

3enwany - Sodfa Band - ZAP Tharwat - Mohamed Suwaid - Kazaz - عنواني

The all dude band Sodfa with household names like ZAP Thawarwat and Mohamed Suaid, the power duo that records a number of soundtracks for popular shows on Egypt's TV. This is a powerful clip where the Palestine flag can be seen throughout this clip.

The lyrics go like this:
Forgive me Jerusalem! Palestine is my address. I see Saladin standing at your gates with his troops, bringing down those walls, millions of revolutions. We took what's ours. March for liberty"

Finally to me those songs are not about hate or violence, they are about justice. Justice shouldn't offend people, if offends you, then you might be doing something wrong to begin with.

Shit For Music Israelis Listen To

I wish the lyrics for this song were true, I wish the music video has some truth, but neither of these two things. No matter how bad Nasralla is, he is not going to change his mind because of a silly music video.

He is none of those things they make him out to be in this music video. Was the video funny? sure if you are an Israeli living in the north, you will find it humorous and maybe feel good to laugh at the expense of the man giving you nightmares.

I can see people in Israel hating this man, but there is more to the question, it's not that simplistic question "Why Do They Hate Us?" Do not ask me, just ask your army that question.

Frishman&Strikers-YALLA YA NASRALLA subtitles

Jello Biafra Cancels Tel Aviv Gig

He has proven that he is not about hype but rather substance. In canceling his gig in Israel he has also showed many that he has a brain. While we called on this gifted musician to cancel his planned gig in Tel Aviv, we are happy to learn he has called of his concert there.

But Jellos is not taking sides, he is still a dreamer and a sensible musicians who refuses to be bullied and used as a tool for one agenda or another. While many Israelis like his music, many Arab and Jewish Americans out here are among his fans did not want him to go to Israel until they change their polices in that country.

It took some time, but Jello has shown his true colors and sided with the obvious! But he is not attacking Israel or anything. Jello is also showing that he has a lot of class, he means not to beat on the dead horse. In fact in his statement he said the following:

"What about the people on the same side of the human rights fence we are, who now don't get to see us play?" asked the punk star. "Should they be boycotted too?

"I've been doing this long enough to know better than buy into hardline absolutes such as playing in Israel automatically supports apartheid or Israel's government. That threat is ridiculous."

He condemned the way in which discussion about playing in Israel had descended into a "childish bickerfest" from both Palestinian and Israeli groups, and noted that many of the "Punks Against Apartheid" petition signatories had no idea who he was.

He added: "I can't back anyone whose real goal or fantasy is a country ethnically cleansed of Jews or anyone else, where people who think for themselves or talk to the wrong person are automatically a sellout."

I respect the musician and wish to bring back the attention where it belongs, Jello's music and work and not his politics.

Shakira Goes to Israel And Hugs a Murderer

Say what you say about teen idol Justin Bieber, but he has more back bone than Shakira does and he has the bigger brain too.

Shakira, the Lebanese Colombian singer went to Israel despite calls for her to cancel her appearance in that country. She spoke in English, becasue Spanish is not good enough anymore and taunted that country's history of spirituality and civilization. Needless to say Shakira was the guest of Israel President Shimon Peres who got the job becasue the guy before him in that post raped too many women.

If Shakira was Lebanese or had any link to Lebanon, she would know that this guy wearing a suit taking picture with her, is a cold blooded murder who killed hundreds of Lebanese children in the Qana Massacre when he bombed the hell out of the shelter. But that was 1996 when Shakira was keeping it real and making music she felt her heart of heart.

Shakira went there as a UNICEF ambassador, and met with Peres, the same guy who bombed a UN compound and killed hundreds of civilians were killed and injured. Bet Shakira knew that, but went to Israel anyway. Shakira did not forget to visit schools in Israel, but had no backbones to bring up how Israel bans thousands of Palestinians form getting an eduction. Maybe the Colombian starlet needs to get an education herself.

And for Israelis, they must be excited it as they now been officially recognized as a country by the Hips Don't Lie lady. On another note, Shakira seems to have answered her own question in her earlier song "Dónde Están los Ladrones" -Where Are the Thieves?- becasue she seems to have found a place that was founded by those ladrones.

Shakira y Pique con el presidente israelí Shimon Peres

Ask Shakira Not to Go To Israel

Artists should not support regimes that condone violence and injustice against others. By going to Israel, what message is Shakira sending to the world? I thought she is one of the few pop singers and entertainers who actually understand the complexity of the world. She is an intellectual person so her decision to go to Israel and taker part of a PR campaign to improve the image of the state of Israel makes no sense.

The truth about Israel's crimes against the people of Palestine and Lebanon (Shakira's heritage homeland) are clear as the sun...and we know the sun came out in Shakira's last tour, there is no need to send the sun packing with this kind of free for all Israel love fest media bonanza, it's simply uncalled for.

Here's what you can do now...

Join this Facebook page

21 June 2011 Shakira to Israel in violation of call to boycott Israel

Description

This facebook group endorses this: The OPEN LETTER to Shakira, published by the PABCI, and written by Israeli citizens, Jews and Palestinians. This letter is endorsed by the Facebook Group "Shakira : Say NO to apartheid and YES to Freedom to Palestine." SEE http://refrainplayingisrael.posterous.com/open-letter-to-shakira-published-by-the-pacbi Colombian singer Shakira is expected to arrive in Israel on Tuesday June 23, 2011 for the "2011 Israeli Presidential Conference." see http://www.presidentconf.org.il/en/about.asp

Jello Biafra To Israel Despite Calls for Boycott

Jello Biafra, the musician, spoken word artist and leading figure of the Green Party of the United States will be taking his show to Tel Aviv despite the growing calls to boycott Israel for their action in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

I find the concert by Mr. Biafra in Tel Aviv disturbing on so many levels, he is a spoken word champion, but he is not a man who seems to want to live by his owns spoken words. Thus his actions are contrary to many of his work speaking truth to power. He is also a spokesperson for the Green Party here in America, but the trip to Israel makes me a mascot for the party of the Green dollars.

For a man whose career is all about social justice and civil rights he is dead wrong. The message here is this, Jello Biafra is for these things here in America, but not anywhere else. Which seems to be in agreement with many Israelis who love human rights, but not for the Palestinians. It gets worse ever since his early childhood it seemed the artist had interest in international politics that was encouraged by his parents.

According to Electronic Intifada "Jello Biafra bucks international BDS call, will play show in Tel Aviv"

Someone once said that “punk rock is dead.” Alas, another nail in the coffin was hammered in on Tuesday, when punk rock legend and former frontman of the anti-imperialist, anti-corporate San Francisco-based band Dead Kennedys, Jello http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifBiafra, decided to go ahead with a planned gig in Tel Aviv despite pressure on him to respect and honor the Palestinian-led call for boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS).

The artists responding via their Facebook page announced that they will go on with their planned concert

Believe me, the decision to play in Tel Aviv was not taken lightly by me or the band. We have been through weeks of intense ongoing debate and discussions, soul searching and research. We have met with two peace activists, one of whom is Palestinian and lives in Ramallah.

In general they are using the ignorance card, we really do not know much about the situation, but that won't stop them from partying in Tel Aviv while few miles sough of that city, my family and a million and half others people in Gaza get no party and have no electricity. And maybe just maybe, this school of medicine will see Palestine in such a short notice.

Jello Biafra and the Guantanamo School of Medicine - "Holiday in Cambodia" - Grass Valley, Ca.