In Response to Danny Ayalon: The REAL Truth about Palestine

[shira]

http://globalvoicesonline.org/2013/11/09/in-response-to-danny-ayalon-the-real-truth-about-palestine/

In a video released in July 2011, Israeli Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Danny Ayalon offered his version of the “Israel Palestinian Conflict: The Truth About the West Bank”. In the video he explained the meaning of terms such as Palestine, the West Bank and the Occupied Territories based on the official Israeli narrative that denies the existence of Palestine. In response, on November 6, 2013, two Palestinian young women react to Ayalon with historic facts and sources, from Herodote and Aristotle to Ariel Sharon´s birth certificate that identifies him as born in Palestine.

The Actual Truth about "Palestine"
http://hpmonitor.blogspot.com/2013/11/the-actual-truth-about-palestine.html

There's a new video making its way around "debunking" Danny Ayalon's video that came out (wait for it) two years ago. As is usually the case with Palsbara, insults, ridicule, whining, the race card, and strawman arguments take the place of actual arguments. So Matt and I thought we would create a video debunking their debunking. Check it out below:

[oberliner]

1. Palsbara

I wonder if that term will catch on.

[shira]

2. Palsbarados won't like it very much. n/t

[Violet_Crumble]

3. What do you think of the clips?

Here's the original from Danny Ayalon

It's 6:17 of concentrated justification for claiming that there's no such thing as an Occupation and justification for Israeli settlements in the West Bank.

I'm also not sure where the 'whining' is in the other clip I just saw. Maybe it's because the people in the clip were Palestinian women or something. They came across as a lot more natural in front of the camera than Ayalon, who was very stilted and reeked of having a lot of how-to-speak-naturally-in-front-of-a-camera training beforehand that looked like it went to waste...

[oberliner]

4. They are all silly

People need to stop with the shenanigans already and apply pressure on both sides to sit down and make a deal for peace.

Something along the lines of Geneva Accord.

I wish people would post Youtube videos promoting that.

[delrem]

5. Unfortunately the reality of Israel's continuing occupation and siege aren't compatible with that.

Danny Ayalon "an Israeli diplomat and politician. He served as Deputy Foreign Minister and a member of the Knesset for Yisrael Beiteinu. He served as Israeli Ambassador to the United States from 2002 until 2006" (google's description) is a ranking politician of the occupying country, and his vid is a world outreach purporting to explain "The Truth About the West Bank". In his vid he denies the existence of Palestine, now or ever in history, thus denying the existence of a Palestinian people.

That isn't "silly", oberliner. Weird, yes, but silly, no. It's the weird ideology of the (racist) occupying country, it's the weird counter-factual excuse for the settler movement, and it's smug contradiction of fact, of the history of whole peoples, is sociopathic.

[oberliner]

6. The whole video thing is really silly

What is the point of these videos, exactly? Why not focus on videos that promote peace?

[aranthus]

7. They are deceptive in different ways.

On one viewing I did not notice any outright lies from Ayalon. The deception is in what he leaves out. For example, it is entirely true that there was no Palestinian state in Palestine at any time in history. But that doesn't mean that the current Palestinians have no national rights. Ultimately, Ayalom is making a legal argument about an issue (who has a legitimate claim to the West Bank) that isn't truly legal. The Palestinian video had more outright lies, and was more overtly dishonest. Jesus was a Palestinian? Please.

Overall, I think that the arguing over legality is pointless, and a misuse of legal jargon.

[oberliner]

8. Well said

By the way, who exactly is behind the Palestinian video? Anyone know?

[aranthus]

9. I have no idea.

It is a shame though that they used the Ayalon video as a jumping off point for abuse, condescension and outright lies. Think what they could have done if they had responded honestly.