Nov. 19, 2008
It was one of those things that only happens in Israel. I would've had a story for you today about the Palestinian economy, but the guest speaker, a Palestinian businessman, couldn't make it: He was detained at the checkpoint by Israeli soldiers and was delayed by more than an hour. In the end we did a phone interview on someone's mobile on speaker in a room with about 20 reporters. But the point was lost. The real story was his absense.
This was a public relations nightmare for Israel, by Israel. Here were 20 reporters from the foreign press: NY Times, BBC, La Stampa (viva Italia!) and others (like me), waiting for an update on the state of the Palestinian economy, and here the speaker was detained by a 19-year-old Israeli soldier at a checkpoint. Samir Hulileh is the CEO of Palestinian Development and Investment Ltd. and has a "VIP pass" that should get him through Jerusalem checkpoints without a problem. But of course, not today.
Instead, reporters already heavily sympathtic toward the Palestinians, got a different story, one that supports the views of "Goliath Israel vs. the underdog David Palestinian."
The checkpoints are there ostensibly to catch suicide bombers or others with terroristic intents. Today, it stopped a man on a quest to improve the quality of life for his people. Only in Israel.
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About Me
- Daniel Jansezian
- Jerusalem, Israel
- Hello, my name is Daniel Jansezian and I am a baby. In the first year of my life, I traversed the Atlantic twice roundtrip in an airplane, I learned to roll over, I found two excellent and tasty appendages called thumbs near or on my body, I became a dual citizen, I lived through major revolutions in neighboring states, I’ve tasted some exquisite Italian delicacies such as gnocchi con cingale (wild boar) and cannoli cream and I underwent open heart surgery! I’ve done a lot so far in my short life. And now, I’m blogging.
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