OTF in the WSJ

Sarah Ellison wrote a piece about the Israel-Lebanon blogging phenomenon for the July 28 Wall Street Journal, with prominent mention of yours truly and this Lebanese blogger, whose latest posts can be found at the Lebanese Political Journal.

The direct link to the piece is here, but it's by subscription only so I've pasted the article into a separate webpage on this blog – link here.

By SARAH ELLISON
July 28, 2006; Page A1

As missiles and hostile rhetoric fly back and forth
between Lebanon and Israel, bloggers on both sides are talking to one
another.

Lisa Goldman, a 39-year-old Canadian-born Israeli
blogger in Tel Aviv, wrote in a recent post, “Will this turn out to be
the first time that residents of 'enemy' countries engaged in an
ongoing conversation while missiles were falling?”

Bloggers from Lebanon and Israel — some on the scene,
others around the world — are providing live updates of their
experiences, commenting on each other's writing and sometimes linking
to blogs across the border.

Read the rest here.

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25 Comments so far (Add 1 more)

I just read Sarah Ellison's article. Excellent story.
One can only hope that “our community” as Lisa calls it is not COMPLETLY torn apart by the time this mess is over.
And I have hope that we can and will rebuild it, after time has healed some of the wounds that are currently being inflicted on everyone.

1. Anonymous
on December 31st, 1969 at 6:59 pm
You and me both, my dear. Thanks for sticking around and for all your support in this horrible time.

2. Anonymous
on December 31st, 1969 at 6:59 pm
Facinating stuff.
Keep up the good work!

3. Anonymous
on December 31st, 1969 at 6:59 pm
The wounds this time are very deep.
(notice the words 'this time'…when will be the 'next time'?). We all know the 'previous' times.
Good luck.

4. Anonymous
on December 31st, 1969 at 6:59 pm
Hy.
Some puts tremendous efforts to build links, ties e-friendships, trying to bring out common points and sense. At every Israel-Arab conflict, initiatives tries to put people together. Voices explain that “we” are neighbours, and that “we” build together “our” future.
Like in the past six years, i have heard about joint Israeli-Palestinian concerts, peace conferences, seminars, journeys, fiestas, fund raising… Did i miss one?
I wanted to know if you don't feel frustrated, that individual gestures get crushed by decisions taken by much larger institutions or organisations. Some live in a e-future-middle-east, but aren't e-links just vain when facing the real world? Why is there a need to bring several people from each side together, each one talking to himself, pulling out his passion, theories and stories?

5. Anonymous
on December 31st, 1969 at 6:59 pm
Man's inhumanity to man is universal, and has been going on for long time past. It is only hope, faith, and love that will change all this. Someday we will all realize that nothing truly exists but compassion, and it is compassion that must eventually be what brings about this change in man. Adam Kadman

6. Anonymous
on December 31st, 1969 at 6:59 pm
Why is there a need to bring several people from each side together? There isn't such a need. In the end it doesn't produce anything.
The issues separating certain groups of people are far larger than some people think. It isn't an issue of I hate you and you hate me and if we just realized that we are both humans we won't hate each other and we would all live in peace. That is a childish view of world affairs. There are large and complex forces keeping certain peoples apart that no person to person individual contact can change.
Any relationship between citizens of two warring countries is just bound for tragedy. Only when the complex issues are solved can true and lasting friendships between individuals of the two countries can be maintained.

7. Anonymous
on December 31st, 1969 at 6:59 pm
Actually, there have been examples of communication between individuals and even institutions on each side of a war in almost every instance. Usually it is through academia and the arts, now electronic media has become increasingly important. It is thought that these connections, while strained during wartime, and of course occasionally broken, help to normalize relations much more quickly once war is over by providing a common platform.

8. Anonymous
on December 31st, 1969 at 6:59 pm
I have never seen such communication as being benefitial in normalizing relations much more quickly once the war is over.
What does normalize relations much more quickly after war is ironically demonizing the enemy during war.
When you make up names for your enemy like Jap or Krout then when the war is over you can separate the actions of the “Japs” or the “Krouts” from the Japanese and German people you meet because even though they are actually the same people, emotionally you can separate them as the enemy and them as the people who now you are trying to normalize relations with.

9. Anonymous
on December 31st, 1969 at 6:59 pm
Here in North America we put our japs and krouts into internment camps in WWII, regardless of their politics or generations removed from the enemy country.
I can't imagine that helped normalize anything once the war was over.
Can you – can anyone please think of a war other than WWII when drawing examples? That template for warfare no longer exists.

10. Anonymous
on December 31st, 1969 at 6:59 pm
Actually what helps to normalize relaitions after the war is ironically to de-humanitize the enemy during the war.
This is because after the war you can separate their actions during the war from the relationship you have with them now because emotionally you can separate the impression you have of them when the war is over from the characture of them you had during the war.

11. Anonymous
on December 31st, 1969 at 6:59 pm
I don't want it to be easier to kill people. I see dehumanization as a bad thing that lets us commit bad actions we would never commit against someone we knew as a fellow human.

12. Anonymous
on December 31st, 1969 at 6:59 pm
hi lisa, i love reading you and wanted to invite you to check out our new initiative, soon to be populated by more women:
http://israeliwomen.blogspot.com/

13. Anonymous
on December 31st, 1969 at 6:59 pm
Hey Lisa!!!
Saw you on TV! In DW-TV (the german channel we get on cable in my neighbourhood). I was going through channels and then I saw you! It's amazing how connected we all are now a days: a costarican girl on a holiday gets to see one of her favorite blog-writers on german tv!!! Amazing!!! Great interview by the way!!!
Saludos desde San José!!!
Vivi

14. Anonymous
on December 31st, 1969 at 6:59 pm
Another blogger shoots back the next day, “The Palestinian Authority is as democratic as Lebanon and Israel.” Ms. Goldman swiftly responds; “You are quite right about the PA…It was my oversight.”
Are you kidding?
The PA can hardly be called Democratic.

15. Anonymous
on December 31st, 1969 at 6:59 pm
Yes anonymous,i'm the one who posted this comment a few weeks ago, you should know that for me, a citizen of this Palestinian authority, i find it as democratic as any other entity that calls itself democratic! I suggest that you visit the palestinian Territories at least ONCE in your life before you talk about them, it's very easy to count on the Media…but you took a huge risk and you fell in the Trap!
Next time, when you post a comment, it would be nice that you back it up with some relevant Data! because me too,i can say that israel can hardly be called democratic,my argument is as valid as your's , which means, not valid at all! and trust me, we can keep criticizing each other for the next century, this won't lead us to anything but self-destruction!

16. Anonymous
on December 31st, 1969 at 6:59 pm
Perhaps you have a different definition of “democratic” than what is commonly accepted. Since you are a citizen of the PA, what would happen if you went to the most populated square in your town and shouted at the top of your lungs “I hate Hamas! Down with Islam!” What would be the first thing that would happen? I'm sure it would't be pretty. The opportunity to vote a free society does not make. There has to be so many other things, freedom to speak without free of being jailed or killed or your family being killed is just one.

17. Anonymous
on December 31st, 1969 at 6:59 pm
wow! Nice spirit….If you believe that saying ” Down with islam” is democratic, then you have a serious problem, this is called RACISM, EHTNOCENTRISM, etc etc…it is really disgusting and i would never go there, i have absolutly no problem with islam or muslims! As for Hamas, don't worry, i already participated in a lot of protests against Hamas! eventhough they got elected DEMOCRATICALLY, i believe that protesting is a Right and i do exercise it! No further than two weeks ago, i was in a protest against hamas policies! Nobody killed me , nobody insulted me! But it's really not my problem if the media you watch doesn't report such things! Anyways, Lisa at some point posted something about a leftist AntiWar protest in Tel Aviv, most of the comments were in favor of exterminating the protestors and called them traitors….! how democratic does this Democratic society look like ?

18. Anonymous
on December 31st, 1969 at 6:59 pm
I cerainly don't believe in “down with Islam”, I have never said such a thing and would never say such a thing. And please, what has happened to those protestors in Tel Aviv? Nothing! Those protestors can go out to the street and scream at their top of their lungs that they hate Israel, they want all the Jews to be pushed into the sea and nothing will happen to them. and you may not like it but free speech protects all kinds of speech, including vulgar, racist speech which you tried to throw into my face with your capital letters. Racism is defined in the dictionary as the belief that one race is inherantly better than another. Why is that when I turn on Al-Manar or another arab satellite television I listen to people discussing how Jews are from “apes and pigs” and it is muslims religious duty to kill every one of them? Now that's racism! And if I didn't read about this rally against some Hamas “policy” whatever that is I certainly read about journalists being told what they can or cannot print, being afraid of their lives that if they reveal secrets about Hamas or Fatah that they don't want let out they fear for their lives! That is not freedom nor is it democracy, no matter how many nasty words you throw at me with capital letters no less.

19. Anonymous
on December 31st, 1969 at 6:59 pm
i'm not throwing anything at anybody's face….You were the one who used the words ” Down with islam” ,i only quoted you..
As for your definition of democracy, i can't accept it! First of all i wonder if you understand arabic ( Al Manar and arab televisions speak in Arabic…) As for the famous ” Palestinian Media Watch” organisation, i have seen a few of their publications, most of the time, they put words in the mouths of people! I'm not saying that there never was racism on Arab TV, but it's not as bad as you picture it! I watch israeli Television Stations, I understand hebrew, i read israeli press and the number of times i found racist ideologies and statements is countless, to me this is not Democracy! Democracy's limit is RACISM! now, can you give me links to articles about Palestinian journalists who got threatned recently ? A Palestinian journalist was stopped on a checkpoint two days ago, the soldier asked him ” Is Nasrallah a Dog?'” when the journalist replied ” no” they arrested him and kept him at the checkpoint for about 10 Hours, this is Democracy…huh ? Al jazeera director in the occupied territories got arrested 3 times a few weeks ago because he said things that israel didn't want the world to know about….now this is Democracy too ? Bush had a plan to attack Al Jazeera station in Qatar…That's Democracy! Tayseer Alooni , an Arab journalist is currently held at a prison in spain because he had an interview with BenLaden …. that's democracy! Rachel corrie stood in front of a Buldozzer to try and stop the demolishing of a house , the buldozzer didn't stop it's work and smashed Rachel to death! This is democracy ? Arab citizens in israel can't buy some kinds of lands because they are arabs….Maybe this is democracy too….Arabs can't work as security agents in israel, this is probably equality, and i quote you “one race is inherantly better than another”! all of this and i didnt start talking about the violations in the Palestinian occupied territories….. Admit that nobody is perfect and that israel too can make mistakes, as often as DAILY ! live with it and try finding solutions instead of digging Gaps! i know what are the mistakes of my society! i kno that we do have a lot of wierd things but don't worry, it's never as bad as you want to see it! I am a Palestinian Christian, and i never was persecuted by any Palestinian muslim as you might think…. I live the same life as my compatriots! Last week, a soldier stopped me on the ” Container” checkpoint at the southern entrance of bethlehem because i WAS smiling! He found my smile offensive! he made me get out of the cab, do his job and collect the ID Cards of the others in the cab, he then insulted me and called me all sorts of names, and made me wait half an hour before letting me go…all of this because i wanted to go to Ramallah and i was smiling! now how democratic is this ? actually if this soldier falls on this Blog on day, i want him to know that I really don't recognize his authority on me and that in my eyes, he is just another clandestine occupying my land for no reason whatsoever ( I'm talking about 1967 lands…) , and my respect to him is close to – 60 …. If it's not him who will read this, i hope other soldiers will! this soldier's attitude is a Shame for the israeli defense establishement, and it's sad to see that From all the soldiers i met on checkpoints, only very few had some humanity….and i mean it VERY VERY VERY FEW so PLEASE give me a break with this ” Freedom of speech” thing, if the problem was only FREEDOM OF SPEECH, we would have reached a solution a long time ago….

20. Anonymous
on December 31st, 1969 at 6:59 pm
the PA isn't a state. How can it have a democracy? Israel is a state and yet has no democracy. What do you thnk will happen if non-Jews become the majority?

21. Anonymous
on December 31st, 1969 at 6:59 pm
Okay guys, I think you have both made your points. Take it to email, okay?

22. Anonymous
on December 31st, 1969 at 6:59 pm
It's not the same Lebanese blogger who you chatted to on the BBC's Newsnight, is it?

23. Anonymous
on December 31st, 1969 at 6:59 pm
Nope, that's someone else.

24. Anonymous
on December 31st, 1969 at 6:59 pm
hi,
i saw you on NHK, the national japanese tv, a min ago.
it was very impressive & heart breaking to me.
i as a japanese, feel like very sad for the both tragic acs and
hope there's no gunfire on both of you.
I'd sometimes read this and see what's going on. thx. bye

25. Anonymous
on December 31st, 1969 at 6:59 pm