An Israeli rediscovers his Iraqi roots

[QueerJustice]

By Shahar Smooha



AMMAN - There was nothing surprising about the stunned looks I got last Friday as I stood at the entrance to the girls school in Swafiyeh, handed the guards and the representative of the Iraqi elections committee an Israeli passport and declared my wish to register to vote in the elections to the Iraqi parliament, which would begin in Jordan exactly a week later.

The elections official asked to see some document attesting to my connection to Iraq and the belittling look on his face was replaced by one of sincere astonishment when I gave him my grandparents' 1951 laissez-passez. After pointing out my father's name on the yellowing certificate and presenting a signed and notarized translation of a document proving I am his son, the mustachioed Iraqi ordered me to wait. He disappeared into the big building with my passport and the Smooha family's most precious document, leaving me with the guards at the entrance.

A scant five minutes later it was my turn to be surprised. The mustachioed one, smiling broadly, appeared at the edge of the school's inner courtyard, instructed the guards in Arabic to let me in, and then turned to me in English: "Welcome. Please follow me." When I strode with him into one of the classrooms manned by Iraqi elections officials, another surprise awaited me. The four women and young man seated behind small desks had been apprised of the Israeli's approach and they were waiting for me, all smiling.


http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/533483.html

[QueerJustice]

1. One of the biggest

out of country Iraqui communities in the world.....and NO polling booths in the land....

[sweetbutterfly]

2. Great story.

[Djinn]

3. it makes nice sound bites for the news

but they could have EVERY Iraqi expat (and descendent of expat) in the world voting and it still wouldn't change the fact that more than a quarter of those IN iraq will be unable to vote and the the election is NOT to decide who runs Iraq anyway.

[QueerJustice]

4. yep the ``election`` is a complete mess....

[Djinn]

5. it's been making my skin crawl listening

to "respected" journalists on respected programs continually referring to "first free elections in Iraq" "first time voting" blah blah blah, these elections have no more to do with democracy than Saddam's famous 99.9% landslides.

Shit why don't we just let the ol bugger back in, now he's seen the alternative p'raps he can be convinced to going back to running Iraq for the benefit of oil interests and torturing anyone who got too lippy. Atleast the man's got experience