Tuesday, March 10, 2009

שטח סגור | Closed Zone 1 | منطقة مغلقة

שטח סגור | Closed Zone | منطقة مغلقة

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Closed Zone, Part 2

Gideon Levy is one of the few writers to not have fallen head over heels in love with Waltzing with Bashir, Ari Folman's animated,surrealistic documentary of the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 1982 and its lasting effects on those who perpetrated it. Writing in Ha'aretz he describes the film as “stylish, sophisticated, gifted and tasteful - but propaganda.” Propoganda in that it focuses on the perpetrators, the invaders, and the impact of the war on them while neglecting to consider, at least on a human level, the victims, the Palestinian refugees that were massacred by the Falange proceeding with an Israeli green light and star shells and illumination rounds aiding them in their search for victims.

Levy continues: "Then, suddenly, the illustrations give way to the real shots of the horror of the women keening amid the ruins and the bodies. For the first time in the movie, we not only see real footage, but also the real victims. Not the ones who need a shrink and a drink to get over their experience, but those who remain bereaved for all time, homeless, limbless and crippled. No drink and no shrink can help them. And that is the first (and last) moment of truth and pain in Waltz with Bashir."


Levy's criticism of the film may be inspired by events far more recent than Sabra and Shatila. On the day that Folman accepted his Oscar, Israeli forces were relentlessly pounding Gaza.

Folman chose to remain silent. As Israeli rockets, bombs, tanks and artillery created scenes reminiscent of Beirut in 1982 Folman choose to draw no parallels. That was less honest than anything in his film.

It also compels one to draw attention to another member of the team that produced Waltzing with Bashir. Yoni Goodman was animation director on the film. He recently produced a short animated film for Gisha--Legal Center for Freedom of Movement. An organization that "calls on the State of Israel to fully open Gaza's crossings and to allow the real victims of the closure - 1.5 million human beings - the freedom of movement necessary to realize their dreams and aspirations." Closed Zone illustrates the consequences of Israel's illegal closure of Gaza. There is a link to it above.



Monday, March 2, 2009

Afghanistan by the Numbers

Civilian Casualties

  1. Number of people currently displaced in Afghanistan, according to estimates by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR):235,000
  2. Number of civilian deaths in Afghanistan in 2008 according to the United Nations (UN): 2,118
  3. Increase in civilian deaths from 2007 according to the UN: 40%
  4. Projected civilian deaths in Afghanistan (at 40% rate of increase) in 2009: 2,965*

Coalition Casualties

  1. Coalition Military fatal casualties January, February, 2008: 21
  2. Coalition Military fatal casualties January, February, 2009: 48
  3. Change from January, February, 2008 to January, February, 2009: +129%
  4. Coalition Military fatal casualties June-September, 2008: 159
  5. Projected Coalition Military fatal casualties June-September, 2009 (at 129% rate of increase): 364*

Canadian Casualties

  1. Number of Canadian forces fatal casualties in 2008: 32
  2. Canadian Forces fatal combat casualties in January 2008: 1
  3. Canadian Forces fatal combat casualties in January 2009: 2
  4. Canadian Forces fatal combat casualties June-September, 2008: 14
  5. Projected Canadian Forces casualties 2009 (at 129% rate of increase): 73*

Canadian Costs

  1. Current monthly cost of Canada's involvement in Afghanistan: $200 million
  2. Parliamentary Budget Officer Kevin Page's estimate of Afghanistan mission's total cost if it concludes in 2011: $13.9 - $18.1 billion
  3. Cost per Canadian household: $1500
  4. Proportion of mission's total cost dedicated to aid programs : 9-12%
  5. Proportion of mission's total cost dedicated to military operations: 75%
If you are a Canadian and live alone, in a single-person household, you will have paid $1,125 to kill Afghanis by 2011.

*NB: the point of these forecasts is to give an indication of the terrible toll this occupation will exact; it is by no means presented in a callous fashion.