How Tragedy becomes Farce

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Taken in Gaza City, Gaza (See more photos or videos here)

31°31' 08" N, 34°26' 56" E

Joseph Goebbels oversaw the construction and promotion of walled ethnic prison-cities throughout Nazi-Occupied Eastern Europe. He jokingly referred to the ghettos - in which millions of innocent Jewish civilians were incarcerated simply because of their race - as "Death Boxes."

With American funding and American diplomatic suport, Israel is reviving and expanding - in Occupied Palestine - the horrifying idea that an entire people can and must be simply sealed up in a prison, simply because of their ethnic background.

.....

Resonant remarks by that most odious of Americans, Ronald Reagan, at the Brandenburg Gate, West Berlin, Germany
June 12, 1987

"We come to Berlin because it's our duty to speak, in this place, of freedom. Behind me stands a wall that encircles the free sectors of this city, part of a vast system of barriers that divides the entire continent of Europe. Those barriers cut across Germany in a gash of barbed wire, concrete, dog runs, and guard towers. Farther south, there may be no visible, no obvious wall. But there remain armed guards and checkpoints all the same--still a restriction on the right to travel, still an instrument to impose upon ordinary men and women the will of a totalitarian state. Standing before the Brandenburg Gate, every man is a German, separated from his fellow men. Every man is a Berliner, forced to look upon a scar.

Today I say: As long as the gate is closed, as long as this scar of a wall is permitted to stand, it is not the German question alone that remains open, but the question of freedom for all mankind. Yet I do not come here to lament. For I find in Berlin a message of hope, even in the shadow of this wall, a message of triumph. We believe that freedom and security go together, that the advance of human liberty can only strengthen the cause of world peace.

General Secretary Gorbachev, if you seek peace, Come here to this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!

The totalitarian world produces backwardness because it does such violence to the spirit, thwarting the human impulse to create, to enjoy, to worship. As I looked out a moment ago from the Reichstag, that embodiment of German unity, I noticed words crudely spray-painted upon the wall, perhaps by a young Berliner: "This wall will fall. Beliefs become reality."

Yes, this wall will fall. For it cannot withstand faith; it cannot withstand truth. The wall cannot withstand freedom."

HISTORICAL FOOTNOTE: Israel's ethnic incarceration wall is three times as long as the Berlin Wall once was, and at points is over twice as high.

Comments

	AnomalousNYC says: So many people viewing, and no one saying anything at all. In its silent consumption, Flickr is a perfect mirror of the world looking at Israel's crimes. Posted 34 months ago. ( permalink )
	AnomalousNYC says: "US Secretary of State Condi Rice visited refugee camps in Sudan and spoke of sanctions and government complicity in creating such a human tragedy. She then flew to Israel/Palestine and Lebanon but failed to visit a single Palestinian refugee camp. Instead, she praised Ariel Sharon for his “courage” in planning “disengagement” from the Gaza strip; a tiny desert enclave with 1.3 million Palestinians, most of them refugees denied their internationally recognized right of return. This was another example of a US foreign policy that has gone haywire. No one was allowed to ask Rice about the statement by Dov Weisglass, Ariel Sharon’s right hand man that “the significance of the disengagement plan is the freezing of the peace process . . . Effectively, this whole package called the Palestinian state, with all that it entails, has been removed indefinitely from our agenda... all with a presidential blessing and the ratification of both houses of Congress" (October 2004). And no one seems to recall that Ariel Sharon stated clearly in 1988: “You don’t simply bundle people onto trucks and drive them away... I prefer to advocate a positive policy: to create, in effect, a condition that in a positive way will induce people to leave.” - Mazin Qumsiyeh Posted 34 months ago. ( permalink )
	e-terno! [deleted] says: i loved the composition (oh! ;D) Posted 34 months ago. ( permalink )
	feature says: i am grateful to you for your promotion of freedoms and equalities. (and isn't is bizarre that these simple and obvious human requirements need be championed?) Posted 34 months ago. ( permalink )
	mkaggen says: amazing--thank you for making the connections Posted 34 months ago. ( permalink )
	themetalbaby says: i was tempted to flag this as a may offend pic, not for any real reason that flickr can fix. but basically because this is an issue i think needs to be be addressed by all free thinkers in a position to do so, but the only problem is i don't know how to get across to people how important this is, and even if i do managed to do that then what the fack can we all do about it? anyway great work as usual aNYC. Posted 34 months ago. ( permalink )
	AnomalousNYC says: SOME COMMENTS ABOUT US TAXPAYER FUNDING OF THE ISRAELI "DISENGAGEMENT" FROM GAZA: * In defiance of international law, Israel has militarily occupied the Palestinian Gaza Strip and established illegal settlements there for more than 38 years. If the United States is serious about promoting the rule of law, it cannot reward Israel with money for the numerous human rights violations it has committed against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip over the past four decades. * Although Israel plans to dismantle its illegal settlements and military bases in the Gaza Strip, it will still maintain a full-scale sea, air, and land siege of the territory. Gaza will remain an open-air prison under Israeli control, preventing Palestinians from exercising their right to freedom of movement and from engaging in economic activity. Under these conditions, Israel will still in effect be occupying the Gaza Strip, according to international law. * Israel’s plan to “disengage” from the Gaza Strip does not meet even the minimum expectations articulated by the United States. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice stated that “when the Israelis withdraw from Gaza it cannot be sealed or [an] isolated area, with the Palestinian people closed in after that withdrawal. We are committed to connectivity between Gaza and the West Bank, and we are committed to openness and freedom of movement for the Palestinian people.” (Source) * Israel’s plan to “disengage” from the Palestinian Gaza Strip is not meant to advance the peace process, but to put it into “formaldehyde”, according to Dov Weisglass, senior advisor to Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, who stated that “the significance of the disengagement plan is the freezing of the peace process…Effectively, this whole package called the Palestinian state, with all that it entails, has been removed indefinitely from our agenda…All with a presidential blessing and the ratification of both houses of Congress.” * According to international law and agreements signed by Israel and the PLO, the Gaza Strip and West Bank (including East Jerusalem) is a single territorial unit, illegally occupied by Israel since 1967. The “disengagement” plan is a smokescreen to further isolate one Palestinian area from the other to create apartheid-like Bantustans. While Israel “disengages” from Gaza, it will continue construction of the illegal Wall in the West Bank, expand illegal settlements there, and confine the Palestinians to ever shrinking parcels of land. This “Bantustanization” of Palestinian land effectively denies the Palestinian people true self-determination and the right to return to their homeland. * Israel is asking for US aid to relocate settlers from the Gaza Strip to areas in the Galilee and the Negev for “development” where Palestinian citizens of Israel constitute a majority and a large minority, respectively. This threatens to dislocate more of these remaining Palestinian citizens of Israel from their homes and lands. Already "development" has been used to remove hundreds of Bedouin families in the Negev and to destroy their crops. * Unconditional US military, economic, and diplomatic support for Israel’s 38 year-old military occupation of the Palestinian Gaza Strip has resulted in the de-development of the Palestinian economy and the destruction of its infrastructure. Rather than rewarding Israel for maintaining the Gaza Strip as an open-air prison after the “disengagement”, the United States should provide money for the re-development of the Palestinian economy. Posted 34 months ago. ( permalink )
	salomão santana says: we are moved by the hope Posted 34 months ago. ( permalink )
	[mrb4real] says: i absolutely hate ghettos.. the way you gradually reduce a human being's worth to the point of being non-existent is pretty much my idea of the most anti-christal thing you can do to anyone.. like the nazis did in warsawa/wherever before deporting people to the deathcamps. strong statements you bring, but i'm not sure as to how i view the web as a constructive grounds for social debate though..but as opposed to no commitment it's great.. :) Posted 34 months ago. ( permalink )
	AnomalousNYC says: I welcoem discussion but I'm not sure I'm really looking for debate per se. What I am saying is legitimate and based on indisputable fact. There really isn't anything to debate because this ghetto is simply indefensible. Normal human beings should not feel the need to oppose these very obvious calls for justice and decency. In my experience there is something fundamentally wrong with the kind of people who feel moved to "debate" something like this. That something wrong is often zionism, whch seems to efficiently transform normal, intelligent, compassionate human beings into these incomprehensible tribe-obsessed racists, hellbent on demonizing anyone who says a kind word about their "enemy" or who criticizes their beloved tribal warriors. Often, however, after decades of an activist right-wing Christian elite and a corporate media which have been profoundly sympathetic towards Zionism, it is diffifcult to distinguish between zionism and the popular views of mainstream America. Posted 34 months ago. ( permalink )
	[mrb4real] says: i absolutely agree with you,well i don't absolutely agree with anyone, but in this matter i do. in europe there has been a lot people supporting the palestinian cause for a long time now..& very much hopelessly so, as israel's prime benefactor is the usa. & with the kind of money they are willing to spit into this political monstrosity, i'm pretty sure we won't see the end of this before israel has stolen every inch of land possible.. so on a second note; I think change can be IMPOSED if enough political will is generated here in the US that i totally agree on. probably the only solution.. what made me think you were looking for a debate though was your first posting ; So many people viewing, and no one saying anything at all. Flickr is a perfect mirror of the world looking at Israel's crimes. but of course, the sad thing is that it's always easier to look away. so props to you on your commitment. Posted 34 months ago. ( permalink )
	brutal says: I was inclined to agree that flickr is not a good forum for broaching these issues, but then realised it's a great place, since it puts them before those who may have never before considered the matter. That done, many like themetalbaby ask: "...what the fack can we all do about it?" Surely there are lobbies working to educate our public officials on the dangers of Hyper-Zionism to Arabs, Jews, and everyone; it would be nice to see some links to them here. Posted 34 months ago. ( permalink )
	AnomalousNYC says: I think the best thing anyone can do is get informed. Really, make it your responsibility to get informed. I am confident that I am relating the truth here, but don't take my word for anything: Just go out and start looking. Reading Israeli newspapers is as good a place to start as any. I recommend: www.haaretzdaily.com/ Israel, for all its many failings, actually has a far more free press than we do here in the United States. Most Israelis look with astonishment and displeasure at the ridiculous way American newspapers talk about Israel as if it can do no wrong. For people new to the conflict, I usually encourage them to begin with progressive Israeli sites and authors. A good place to start is: www.btselem.org/index.asp Here in America, electronicintifada.net/new.shtml is a good site, as is: www.pmwatch.org/pmw/index.asp Posted 34 months ago. ( permalink )
	Sunshines Uniques says: May the wall come tumbling Down!!!!! Great job Anomalous NYC! Posted 34 months ago. ( permalink )
	Tatiana Cardeal says: I will be ever thankfull because you are posting all of this on Flickr and everywere you have the opportunity to do. Don't stop beating your head on this mirror. We will break it, piece by piece, day by day :) Good night thomas. Posted 34 months ago. ( permalink )
	la_femme says: Incredible what you can do with this image... Before I read what you wrote under the photo... I thought exactly the same, "Berlin"... I do not have words... perdon. Posted 33 months ago. ( permalink )
	taNm says: This photo is very effective. It puts the viewer in the position behind the wall, where when he looks up he can see a sky shared by all, but before that is a barbed wire that will draw blood should he try to climb over it. and he cannot look forward. he is standing at the end. Good work. Posted 22 months ago. ( permalink )
	taNm says: And www.haaretzdaily.com. was not found! Posted 22 months ago. ( permalink )
	AnomalousNYC says: Sorry, they change it periodically - it's now www.haaretz.com/ Posted 22 months ago. ( permalink )

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Taken in Gaza City, Gaza (map)
Taken on August 3, 2005

26 people call this photo a favorite

Viewed 2,020 times

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How Tragedy becomes Farce

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AnomalousNYC says:

AnomalousNYC says:

e-terno! [deleted] says:

feature says:

mkaggen says:

themetalbaby says:

AnomalousNYC says:

salomão santana says:

[mrb4real] says:

AnomalousNYC says:

[mrb4real] says:

brutal says:

AnomalousNYC says:

Sunshines Uniques says:

Tatiana Cardeal says:

la_femme says:

taNm says:

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