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[Lepa Krepa]

Israeli Eurovision duo stand firm to wave flag of co-existence

Jewish Israeli and Christian Palestinian Israeli admit ups and downs but vow to go ahead with controversial Eurovision performance






It was only ever supposed to be a shared project between two friends; a very public but not particularly radical attempt at Jewish-Arab co-operation against the backdrop of Middle Eastern conflict.

Achinoam Nini, a Jewish Israeli singer of Yemenite descent, and Mira Awad, a Christian Palestinian Israeli from the Galilee, agreed to perform a duet together representing Israel in this year's Eurovision song contest in Moscow. But they quickly discovered how fraught such efforts at what is called "co-existence" can become.

"I thought not only could we write and perform a great song together but that the message we would convey would be as important as anything else," said Nini, 39. "Today as a musician if you're given the opportunity to stand in front of 450 million people it would be silly to say no."

Known abroad by her stage name Noa, she has taken part in several joint projects with Arab artists, publicly backs a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and refuses to perform in Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank. She faces occasional anti-Israel demonstrations during her tours abroad, once in London and most recently during a tour of Spain last month, and has been very critical of Hamas, the Palestinian Islamist movement, in Gaza.

When the announcement of their Eurovision entry was made, Israel's military was deep into its devastating three-week war in Gaza. Suddenly, Nini and Awad found themselves facing a bout of criticism from the left. Several Arab artists – some Israeli, some Palestinian – published an open letter asking the pair to withdraw.

"The Israeli government is sending the two of you to Moscow as part of its propaganda machine that is trying to create the appearance of Jewish-Arab 'coexistence' under which it carries out the daily massacre of Palestinian civilians," the letter said. "Israeli artists, authors and intellectuals that take part in this propaganda machine, instead of working for justice, equality and the upholding of human and civil rights, not to mention international law, are partners to the crime."

Israel hasn't been shy about submitting unusual entries to Eurovision. Two years ago it was a band from Sderot, an Israeli town targeted by rockets fired from Gaza, with a song about the threat of terrorism, called Push the Button. Eleven years ago an Israeli transsexual known as Dana International won the contest.

This time the pair say they will carry on despite the protests and concentrate on their song, There Must Be Another Way, sung in English, Hebrew and Arabic. "It is our responsibility to continue waving the flag of peace and co-existence because what is our alternative?" said Nini.

"I understand the criticism and where it comes from," said Awad, 33. "We are in a tricky place here, the Palestinians in Israel. But this is the way I see we should be acting: as part of this place, part of the destiny of this place, taking part in modelling the future of this place."

Israel's Arab minority – a fifth of the population – have equal rights but have for years faced discrimination and they feel particularly threatened at the moment. Avigdor Lieberman, the far-right politician set to be the country's next foreign minister, came a strong third in Israeli general elections last month on a campaign call for all Arab Israelis to swear an oath of loyalty to Israel as a Jewish state.

Awad, born to a Palestinian father and a Bulgarian mother, has long campaigned for co-existence, although she admits to having her own "ups and downs" about it. "I can understand the despair around me," she said. "But we have to keep that vision alive of what can be done."

She works in an Arabic-Hebrew theatre in Jaffa and made a breakthrough appearance in an Israeli television sitcom, Arab Labour. She has sung with Nini for the last eight years and has previously competed to represent Israel at Eurovision, despite objections from the Arab community.

"I was aware of the complexity but the way I see it is that we are speaking about two states for two nations and what that really means if people would listen to the slogan is a state for the Palestinian people and another state which is called Israel, which is a Jewish country that includes minorities," she said.

"I am a minority in the Israeli state, therefore it is my country now and forever. I believe I have to strive for my place in it and fight for an equal place in it ... We cannot continue the way we are going with this 60-year-old war. It is not leading us anywhere."



''

There Must Be Another Way

There must be another
Must be another way

Your eyes sister
Say all that my heart desires
So far we’ve gone
A long way a very difficult way hand in hand

And the tears fall pour in vain
A pain with no name
We wait
Only for the next day to come

There must be another way
There must be another way

Your eyes say
A day will come and all fear will disappear
In your eyes a determination
That there is a possibility
To carry on the way
As long as it may take

For there is no single address for sorrow
I call out to the plains
To the stubborn heavens

There must be another way
There must be another way
There must be another
Must be another way

We will go a long way
A very difficult way
Together to the light
Your eyes say
All fear will disappear

And when I cry I cry for both of us
My pain has no name
And when I cry I cry
To the merciless sky and say
There must be another way

And the tears fall pour in vain
A pain with no name
We wait
Only for the day to come

There must be another way
There must be another way
There must be another
Must be another way



pesma je otpevana na hebrejskom i na arapskom jeziku:


There must be another way

Einaich achot
Kol ma shelibi mevakesh omrot
Avarnu ad ko
Derech aruka derech ko kasha yad beyad

Vehadma’ot zolgot zormot lashav
Ke’ev lelo shem
Anachnu mechakot
Rak layom sheyavo achrei

There must be another way
There must be another way

Aynaki bit’ul
Rakh yiji yom wu’kul ilkhof yizul
B’aynaki israr
Inhu ana khayar
N’kamel halmasar
Mahma tal

Li’anhu ma fi anwan wakhid l’alakhzan
B’nadi lalmada
l’sama al’anida

There must be another way
There must be another way
There must be another
Must be another way

Derech aruka na’avor
Derech ko kasha
Yachad el ha’or
Aynaki bit’ul
Kul ilkhof yizul

And when I cry I cry for both of us
My pain has no name
And when I cry I cry
To the merciless sky and say
There must be another way

Vehadma’ot zolgot zormot lashav
Ke’ev lelo shem
Anachnu mechakot
Rak layom sheyavo achrei

There must be another way
There must be another way
There must be another
Must be another way

[Lepa Krepa]

a ovo je pismo upućeno miri awad:

PACBI — Ramallah, Occupied Palestine, March 8, 2009

Palestinian artists and intellectuals in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip are disappointed by the news of your intention to represent Israel in the Eurovision Song Contest. The Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI) is writing to urge you not to participate on behalf of Israel in this contest.

To represent Israel in the Eurovision Song Contest will serve to polish the international image of an aggressive occupying state that has long been engaged in ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity. It will communicate to the rest of the world that Israel’s war crimes and violations of international law are acceptable to us as Palestinians! May we remind you of some of the actions of the state you will be representing: the ethnic cleansing of more than 750,000 Palestinians in 1948; the subjugation of 3.6 million Palestinians to a system of occupation and apartheid in the West Bank and Gaza Strip since 1967; the long history of extra-judicial killing of Palestinian leaders and activists; the imprisonment of tens of thousands of Palestinians since 1948; the building of the apartheid wall; the recent vicious attack on occupied Gaza and the murder of more than 1,440 people (of whom at least 400 were children).

Your performance in this contest will be telling Palestinians that their suffering - the product of colonialism and racism - doesn‘t matter. You will be giving a slap in the face to each and every Palestinian singer, musician, artist, filmmaker, writer, poet, as well as regular Palestinians, who have to struggle to overcome Israel’s deliberate efforts to silence their voice.

You may feel that it is important for you to represent Israel to demonstrate the full spectrum of Israeli society, which includes Palestinians living in Israel. This is utterly misguided. Until Palestinians living within Israel have full rights and do not suffer systemic discrimination and violation of their human and political rights, Israel has no right to portray itself as a healthy, multicultural society. And until it ends its occupation of Palestinian lands and complies with international law, it should be boycotted by all artists. You must realise that if you participate in such a high-profile event you will be seen not only as an individual singer, but as the representative of other Palestinian artists as well as Palestinians at large. Can you not see that by representing both occupier and occupied you will shatter the Palestinian message to the rest of the world?

It is also particularly appalling to us that you plan to perform alongside the singer Achinoam Nini, who has issued a letter blaming Israel’s brutal attack on the Gaza Strip on Hamas. She wrote: “I can only wish for you that Israel will do the job we all know needs to be done, and finally RID YOU of this cancer, this virus, this monster called fanaticism, today, called Hamas.” These words demonstrate that Nini expresses the colonial attitude of the occupier; she blames the victims for trying to defend themselves and she thinks she knows what is better for the victims than they do themselves – even if this means killing 1,440 and injuring more than 5,300 people.

The small Israeli minority who truly understands the colonial nature of Israel and its actions could not remain silent. Udi Aloni, Israeli film director replied to her: “You use your loving words in the service of your conquering people and call upon the Palestinians to surrender in a tender voice. You bestow upon Israel the role of liberator. Upon Israel – that for over 60 years has been occupying and humiliating them.”

Your singing partner has justified the indiscriminate killing of Palestinians, actions which led the UN agencies and human rights organizations to call for war crimes investigations. What is worse, now you will be a partner in this justification, in front of the entire world. Whether you like it or not, your performance will be used to help Israel whitewash its atrocities in the Gaza Strip.

As you may know, virtually all Palestinian filmmakers, artists and cultural figures have called on their colleagues worldwide to boycott Israeli cultural and arts institutions due to their complicity in perpetuating Israel‘s occupation and other forms of oppression against the Palestinian people. In response, in the past months, throughout the world, groups of artists, singers, film-makers, students and academics, have consolidated their efforts to show solidarity with the occupied Palestinians, to condemn Israel‘s war crimes and its apartheid regime, and to call for effective political action such as boycotts, divestment drives, and sanctions (BDS).
We call upon you, as a Palestinian, to at least emulate the actions of artists, including Bono, Snoop Dogg, Bjork and Jean-Luc Godard, who have taken action to ensure they are not perceived to support Israel’s actions until it fulfils its obligations under international law and fully recognizes Palestinian rights.

Palestinian artists have also written to you urging you not to participate in this event. They note: ‘Israel‘s image as a ‘democratic‘, ‘enlightened‘ and ‘peace loving‘ state is what allows the international community to support it. Your participation in the Eurovision is participation in the Israeli propaganda machine. Every brick in the wall of this phony image allows the Israeli army to throw 10 more tons of explosives and more phosphorus bombs. We are sure that you also see these images and cry…. Please Mira, for the children of Gaza and for the future of every child in this land – Arabs and Jews – don‘t be an accomplice to the killing machine."

We add our voice to theirs and are hopeful that you will decide not to take part in this contest. We trust you are able to understand that your contribution will be used to endorse and justify the actions of the colonial Israeli government and army in the Gaza Strip. We hope that a decision based on principles will override professional advancement and career considerations.

Yours truly,

PACBI
http://www.pacbi.org/etemplate.php?id=966
info@boycottisrael.ps
www.pacbi.org


šta vi mislite?

[Lepa Krepa]

iako mi se nikako ne dopada ton pisma i smatram da je prepuno militantnog šovinizma, u nekim stvarima it does have a point. ovaj njihov duo mi baš izaziva mixed emotions, s jedne strane sam dirnuta, kao i svakim naporom koji bilo ko u tom njihovom ludilu napravi u ovom pravcu; sa druge, moram priznati da sam imala prilično gorak ukus slušajući ovo. mislim, uraditi onako nešto i onda posle par meseci poslati "there must be another way" na evroviziju, zaista vrhunski cinizam... ne znam, tricky, k'o što rekoh.

[Vel boy]

Mislim da i na izraelskoj strani ima tvrdoglavaca i ekstremista poput te PCBI palestinske organizacije koja se protivi ovome. I, mislim i da i jedne i druge treba odjebati te podrzati ove dve devojke koje pokazuju da je moguc suzivot i saradnja te koje zele taj drugi nachin Izraelcima i Palestincima.

[Lepa Krepa]

to je one way of looking at it... ne osporavam palestinski ekstremizam i militarizam, ali uloga izraela kao države je nedvosmisleno agresorska i represivna, a ovakvim nastupom se relativizuje ta situacija i izjednačavaju se pozicije koje, jbg, nisu jednake. zato mi je ova njihova akcija onako... _(i) gorka. čisto sumnjam da bi prošla predstavnička pesma koja bi otvoreno adresirala okupaciju gaze, zidanje zida, ovaj poslednji horor koji se desio i celokupno nasilje nad palestinskim stanovništvom (uključujući i one koji/e su izraelski državljani/ke poput mire awad). mislim da je stvar malo prebenigna i preuopštena da bi realno propitivala izraelsku osvajačku politiku, a niam sigurna da se bez toga može govoriti o nekom stvarnom angažmanu (makar i bila evrovizija u pitanju).

[Vel boy]

koliko znam, Izrael je spreman da prizna stvaranje palestinske drzave chim Palestinci zvanichno priznaju Izrael.
zidanje zida te vojni odgovori na Gazu (mada preterani shto osudjujem) su zalosne reakcije na monstruoznosti terorista s palestinske strane.
a, trebalo bi Miru Awad pitati koliko je/nije diskriminisana i nasilje-ovana u Izraelu, umesto za nju vec unapred prichati.

p.s. ja sam lichno svestan koliko u Izraelu ima demagoshke birokratije (to se pogotovo ogleda u useljenichkim organizacijama i kultu vojske; neki od razloga zashto tamo nisam hteo da uselim kada sam vec mogao....), ali u poredjenju s stanjem na Palestinskim teritorijama (pogotovo zalosnoj ekstremistichkoj Gazi, chast izuzecima), Izrael je ipak znatno bolji.

[Ulix]

Originally posted by Vel boy
koliko znam, Izrael je spreman da prizna stvaranje palestinske drzave chim Palestinci zvanichno priznaju Izrael.
zidanje zida te vojni odgovori na Gazu (mada preterani shto osudjujem) su zalosne reakcije na monstruoznosti terorista s palestinske strane.
a, trebalo bi Miru Awad pitati koliko je/nije diskriminisana i muchena u Izraelu, umesto za nju vec unapred prichati.

1. Spremni su da priznaju Palestinu, ali u kojim granicama?

2. Naravno, u Izraelu sve neki miroljubiv svet, a oni Palestinci, boze me prosti, sve terorista do teroriste. I deca. Narocito palestinska deca. Zato ih i treba sve potamaniti - preventivno, profilakticki, da ne bi postali teroristi kad nauce da citaju i pisu... Ma da, Izrael to sve defanzivno, takoreci.

[Vel boy]

Originally posted by Ulix
[1. Spremni su da priznaju Palestinu, ali u kojim granicama?

pa, u ovim koje vec imaju Palestinske Teritorije. mozda josh vratiti Golan.

Izrael je ionako vec steshnjen (to se vidi i letimichnim pogledom na mapu), sve arapske zemlje imaju ihahaha prostora i shirine......

Originally posted by Ulix
2. Naravno, u Izraelu sve neki miroljubiv svet, a oni Palestinci, boze me prosti, sve terorista do teroriste. I deca. Narocito palestinska deca. Zato ih i treba sve potamaniti - preventivno, profilakticki, da ne bi postali teroristi kad nauce da citaju i pisu... Ma da, Izrael to sve defanzivno, takoreci.

izvrcesh i lazesh! nishta to ja nisam tako rekao, to su tvoje rechi. svako ko zeli moze da prochita svaku moju rech, rechenicu, misao i ideju i da jasno vidi da ja nishta onako kako ti izvrcesh nisam rekao ni mislio.
Ja samo kazem da teroriste i ekstremiste (bilo palestinske ili izraelske) treba zatvoriti u jednu vakuumisanu prostoriju da se medjusobno izglodju i iskolju, a obichan, miroljubiv narod bilo Palestinski ili Izraelski pustiti na miru i suzivotu.
Slichno kazem i za ex-Yu problematiku.

[jukie]

Ili kako kaže Alisa u "Alisi sa one strane ogledala, i šta je ona tamo videla":

* * *

`I like the Walrus best,' said Alice: `because you see he was a little sorry for the poor oysters.'

`He ate more than the Carpenter, though,' said Tweedledee. `You see he held his handkerchief in front, so that the Carpenter couldn't count how many he took: contrariwise.'

`That was mean!' Alice said indignantly. `Then I like the Carpenter best -- if he didn't eat so many as the Walrus.'

`But he ate as many as he could get,' said Tweedledum.

This was a puzzler. After a pause, Alice began, `Well! They were both very unpleasant characters -- '

[Ulix]

Originally posted by Vel boy

izvrcesh i lazesh! nishta to ja nisam tako rekao, to su tvoje rechi. svako ko zeli moze da prochita svaku moju rech, rechenicu, misao i ideju i da jasno vidi da ja nishta onako kako ti izvrcesh nisam rekao ni mislio.
Ja samo kaem da teroriste i ekstremiste (bilo palestinske ili izraelske) treba zatvoriti u jednu vakuumisanu prostorije da se medjusobno izglodju i iskolju, a obichan, miroljubiv narod bilo Palestinski ili Izraelski pustiti na miru i suzivotu.
Slichno kazem i za ex-Yu problematiku.

Ne izvrcem. Rekao si da su izraelske mere reakcija na ekstremizam sa palestinske strane.

Evo: "zidanje zida te vojni odgovori na Gazu (mada preterani shto osudjujem) su zalosne reakcije na monstruoznosti terorista s palestinske strane."

To je potpuna nebuloza.
Kao kad bi rekao da je bio OK genocid koji je Milosevic sprovodio nad Albancima, samo zato sto je postojala OVK, pa je ubijanje albanskih civila bila srBska reakcija na ekstremizam za albanske strane. Zalosna rekacija, naravno. I preterana. I vredna osude, dakako. Ali ipak reakcija na tudj ekstremizam, pa je to onda na neki nacin OK i krivi su ekstremisti. Albanski, jos kako.

Zao mi je, ali jedan ekstremizam ne moze da posluzi kao opravdanje za drugi.

[Vel boy]

Originally posted by Ulix
Ne izvrcem. Rekao si da su izraelske mere reakcija na ekstremizam sa palestinske strane.

Evo: "zidanje zida te vojni odgovori na Gazu (mada preterani shto osudjujem) su zalosne reakcije na monstruoznosti terorista s palestinske strane."

To je potpuna nebuloza.
Kao kad bi rekao da je bio OK genocid koji je Milosevic sprovodio nad Albancima, samo zato sto je postojala OVK, pa je ubijanje albanskih civila bila srBska reakcija na ekstremizam za albanske strane. Zalosna rekacija, naravno. I preterana. I vredna osude, dakako. Ali ipak reakcija na tudj ekstremizam, pa je to onda na neki nacin OK i krivi su ekstremisti. Albanski, jos kako.

Zao mi je, ali jedan ekstremizam ne moze da posluzi kao opravdanje za drugi.

Zid ima (bar bi trebalo da ima) cilj samo samo da sprechi teroriste da vrshe napade po Izraelu. I tu je zid totalno logichan. Na zalost, nusproizvodi tog zida su ostale teshkoce koje prichinjava obichnim, miroljubivim Palestincima u njihovom kretanju. I s tim se izraelska javnost suochava u smislu shvatanja da to nije fer. No i Palestinci se trebaju suochiti sa tim kontraproduktivnostima koje im teroristi i ekstremisti u njihovim redovima prichinjavaju.
Sve ostale tvoje konstrukcije i lazi, od sad ignorishem.
Svaka moja izjava, poruka, ideja i misao su kristalno jasni svakome ko zeli da shvati shta govorim. Zao mi je, ali ekstremistima i teroristima, bili oni izraelski ili palestinski ili ne znam vec chiji, NEMA popushtanja!

[Lepa Krepa]

ja sam nekako imala nameru da pokrenem diskusiju o ovim konkretnim ženama i ovoj konkretnoj stvari koju su uradile. jasno je da je za to neophodno imati stav o izraelsko-palestinskoj situaciji, ali ne bih da se tema pretvori isključivo u tu priču... stvarno me interesuje kako drugi ljudi doživljavaju ovu pesmu, pogotovo u kontekstu eurosonga, a s obzirom na nedavnu invaziju izraela.

[Vel boy]

da. i ja sam mislio da je tema prvenstveno namenjena vrlo zanimljivim zivotnim putevima ovih dveju zena, a ne o chitavom pretresanju izraelsko-palestinskog sukoba i prepucavanju oko toga. tim vishe, jer ja smatram da je na samim Izraelcima i samim Palestincima da reshe te njihove probleme koji su toliko iskomplikovani i isprepleteni da mnogi sa strane josh ni nisu svesni.