The Music of StruggleEnjoy some Israeli and Palestinian music about the conflict. The first song is a Hebrew rap about Nasrallah and the second is a Palestinian hip hop about who is a terrorist. Isn't it amazing how they still find room for music in their hearts. This music video tries to present the Palestinian viewpoint through music. This video tries to link Israeli struggle with 9/11.
23 Comments:
After watching the Hebrew rap about Nasrallah, I was really suprised at what the music said. They used the music to convey their personal dislike for Nasrallah through insults and threats of death along with their allies from Syria and Iran as well as Hezbollah.
They also use the music video as a way of showing that no matter what Nasrallah does, the Jewish population will not be afraid and never lose hope. I think this is even more important then the other part because it enhearten the Jewish people during the times of strife and so as to never give up hope of the end of the conflict.
The Palestinian view on the conflict through the hip hop group Meen Erhabe differs greatly from that of the Hebrew rap about Nasrallah but there are some similarities in the lyrics. They start off by rebuking the claim that all Palestinians are terrorists and saying that instead the accuser is the terrorist. They say that how is it fair to call us terrorists when you take away everything they own while they are in their own land.
Several good points are made as well. Many of the Palestinians are getting killed but they cannot get the law involved because the law is the Jewish community and it wouldn't do any good. In the video, it says that the Jewish people want to make minority Palestinians the majority in the cemetery. Then they claim that the democracy that Israel has is actually closer to the reign of Nazi Germany which is really a slap in the face to Jews everywhere.
Jewish people complain about how the Palestinian children throw rocks at them, and say that their parents should look after them but they can't because they are dead. In the music video, Meen Erhabe claims that Palestinians want peace but then can't have it because the only way the Israeli's would have it is to get rid of the Palestinian culture.
The overall tone of the video seems to be very angry and for good reason for the way that they have been treated. The video uses powerful images and footage to convey the sense of injustice against their people. It is very persuasive because of these aspects.
In the first set of videos of rap music, both express very angry sentiments and address the viewer in terms of “You are this, you are that” to the opposing party, arguing why their side is right. The Israeli lyrics are more on the offensive, basically saying that “you,” the Palestinians, are evil and are going to ultimately die from the Israeli forces. The chorus goes, “It’s already been sentenced from above that this is your end. We will send you back to Allah with the Hezbollah.” Meanwhile, the Palestinian song is attempting to defend its people, stating that the Israelis are the real terrorists, not the Palestinians, because they’ve taken everything from the Palestinians, and not only killed their men, but innocent women and children as well. It goes on to say, at one point in the song, “And I will continue defending myself even if you call me a terrorist.” Finally, at the end of the song, the old Palestinian man complaining that the Israeli’s came in and uprooted a 200 year old tree for no reason is symbolic of the message this video intended to convey – that the Israelis came in and unjustly uprooted their long- established society and culture.
It is clear, after watching both rap videos, that the Palestinians have the more objective and convincing argument. The Israeli video is making shallow statements based on emotions and religion rather than empirical and objective reasoning. Saying that the Palestinians will die because of what has “already been sentenced from above” is in no way acceptable as truth. However, the Palestinian argument in its rap video is taking facts and using them to support their situation. They are saying, look, the Israelis are, in fact, the terrorists because they have taken our land, killed this many people, etc etc. And then the Palestinian song states that therefore they are simply on the defense from the unjust Israeli offense.
In the second set of videos, the main issue contrasted is the United States. Basically in the Palestinian video they are blaming largely the United States for the persecution of their people. For example, it states “The United States is run by Zionists,” and that Israel has immense US support that has allowed its military operations to be realized. In contrast, the Israeli video is showing the United States perspective towards the Arab world, in essence, through the repeated images of the grief and sorrow caused by 9/11. This set of videos thus illustrates the argument that the US is a key player in the conflict and brings up all kinds of discussion and questions on what actions and role they are to take. What is clear, however, is that US support for Israel is creating a stronger divide between the Western and Arab world, causing more hostility between both sides.
I find the two musical videos interesting for various reasons. I think the Israeli video seems extremely foolish and outrageous. Mocking other people and making claims that you will hurt another group of people is no way to build a bridge between two groups. The Palestinian video makes a few valid points and does an excellent job expressing the feelings of people who are losing their homes. I think it is encouraging that groups of people can find ways of expressing their feelings with words and music, rather than using violent tactics. That being said, I wish these groups used this tool to express a positive message that sought to build a bridge between groups of people, rather than point out what separates one another. Music can depict powerful messages and unite people. I hope that in the future the message that is created is constructive by nature.
The first thing that struck me was the similarities of the video clips between the first two songs. It seemed like they were both using the same footage to put across completely different views. In both of the songs they use clips of homes being destroyed and IDF forces using their might. It seems, to me, that the Nasrallah song should have maybe used footage from suicide bombings or katusha rocket attacks, but instead furthers the opposition's claim that they are destroying the homes of the Palestinians.
I think that the third video did well in using statistics to help support its point. These stats are ones that people who dont follow the conflict carefully are unlikely to realize, especially in the US. Though the pictures are graphic and the video is propaganda, I think it does a good job in supporting its claims and persuading the viewer to see things like the Palestinians do.
The fourth video, the Israeli propagada, isnt very convincing. I see the point that they are trying to make, that they face terrorist attacks everyday. I think that comparing, though it supports their cause, is a stretch. As the video is propaganda I see that the producers of the piece would like to show the world what they face, but they fail to show why they face these attacks.
I like Geoff’s point about the potential power of music and its potential impact on people. Though it would certainly seem better utilized in a peaceful manner, I think these songs and videos are inspiring for their audiences. The Palestinian video which shows the statistics and pictures of death is a great tool of inspiration. Young generations are incredibly impressionable and I think that if nothing else, seeing that video would certainly make you more active in the cause. Unfortunately, I think if I were to see that video as a young Palestinian man it would only instill more hatred in me and encourage me in a violent fashion. Though that would be effective to some, I think Palestinians, especially the young and impressionable youth need to turn their efforts to a more peaceful approach. It’d be interesting to see what other kinds of music are out there and how many propose peace. Young minds are extremely impressionable and unfortunately it seems like it’s much easier to turn to violence. With all that said though, it’s still good to see that people are at least trying to inform one another. They’ve all now recognized the problem and though their approach may not be the best road to resolution, it is a road nonetheless.
The Israeli music videos took me in two different directions. The first rap reminded of much of the hip/hop music of the United States. Poor lyrics and unimpressive put downs that make an obvious point, these guys don’t like Nasrallah. It was catchy and obvious and was very similar to much of what plays on the radio here, only instead of attacking terrorist groups our rappers are attacking each other. I think it had a similar feel as the Palestinian song, militant and angry, though very much less effective. The other video, which connected 9/11 and Israel seemed very interesting to me. It’s well known that the United States is Israel’s biggest ally and I thought that the video was a fairly inventive way to show it. While watching the video I got a sentiment of us suffering together. Though 9/11 is highly unlike the conflict and I don’t believe that the video makes a whole lot of sense, it did do a good job of eliciting a feeling of togetherness. It seemed to say “we’ve been hit with tragedies, lost loved ones, and wept, but we will prevail and we still have each other.” Even though I had absolutely no idea what the words were and didn’t agree with the compilation of events, I still felt the impression that it was trying to make. I think that alone displays its effectiveness pretty well. I also think it could and possibly does, serve well as a piece of propaganda to elicit support. If ever we were to doubt each other, that is the U.S. and Israel, messages like the one in the video would do a good job of creating a sense of unity and alikeness. The “us against the world” mentality can be reignited something like this and keep the alliance alive.
Interesting comments every one. All of you are making good arguments and have suprised me more than once with your astutre comments. Good job. Do not get intimidated with my intejections, I sometimes [will not say when] do play the devil's alternative to push you all.
Music has long been utilized to voice political dissent and displeasure with current events and situations.
Neither video presents an objective perspective on the conflict - one side attacks the Palestinians while the other side attacks the Israelis. You see objectivity because you see the picture painted by the Palestinian rappers as the truth. In reality, you identify with the subjective observations of the Palestinian rappers. Neither side is objective.
The impression I gain from the music is dismal - I feel like neither side is willing to accept responsibility for the conflict. Each side is more concerned with placing blame on the other side. This conflict will not be solved until each side recognizes the flaws in its position and realizes that peace will come through mutual responsibility.
This music does not present a solution or divide blame equally. It is only concerned with damaging the position on the other side. The videos are like negative campaign ads.
This is what needs to be circulating in our media. I would never say Americans are dumb, but I would say we are lazy...or we at least tend to be attracted to information that is easily accesible. I think videos, music and fewer words would attract a more diverse audience. After watching these videos I had absolutely no sympathy for the Israelis. I really wanted to...i wanted to watch both sides' videos and feel balanced. That was impossible.
The Israeli vidoes depicted only their military dominance. In the video reflecting 9/11 all we see is Israeli soldiers. That is not who i can relate too. Similarly in their music video they sang about dominance, about kicking out the garbage...and again the majority of images were of Israeli soldiers. Where are the Israeli civilians? If i do not see them suffering the way Palestinians suffer, then should I assume they do not suffer?
The palestinian video was very upsetting, yet very worth seeing. Statistics were given. Images of civilians were shown and images of rebels were shown. In the music video, thier lyrics were certainly aggressive, but not dominating. Unlike the Israeli lyrics which were offensive and cruel, the Palestinian lyrics were much more defensive- they questioned the occupation, but did not swear to kill off all Israelis.
I was dissapointed with the Israeli videos. I wanted to feel compassion and yet all i experienced was anger because of their aggression and dominance.
I think videos like these, while obviously biased need to be seen. News is almost always biased, so at least American people will see both sides. Additionally, in our news we always read about Israel being attacked by terrorists, but in both Israeli videos, videos supported by Israel all we see are soldiers. We do not see community nor do we see compassion, only intense military dominance of another nation's territory. I would say they committ terrorist acts as well.
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This was pretty interesting. I have seen the Palestinian hip hop song couple of times but never the hebrew one. It is interesting to see that the Palestinian hip hop song was talking about how they are under occupation, bombing, and daily killings and massacre of their people, and how the hebrew song in a way affirmed that fact, by sayings such as "we are going to send you back to ALLAH", and that the IDF is going to "burn you on fire" Not surprisingly, all that happend, but to no avail, except it killed civilians, Israeli occupied the Southern parts of Lebanon, and massacred civilians which is exacty what the Palestinian hip hop group was complaining about. Although the hebrew one was targeted towards Nasrullah, nevertheless, it emphasizes the facct that Israeli's are the aggressors in this issue. The hebrew one also showed how Israeli is militarily far more superior than the ones they are fighting. The singer talked about having, F-16, battleships, missiles and Tanks.
Not sure what I can say that hasnt already been said, but here goes. The Hebrew rap was pretty lame in my view, both in its lyrics and substance. It was basically a fight song for the IDF and a put down on Nasrallah, Hezbollah, and any other enemy of Israel. It didn't explore any issues though, instead just making juvenile comments and threats.
The Palestinian rap was better I though because it wasn't simply an attach on Israeli military. It asked us to reconsider our notions of terrorists, in light of evidence that the Palestinians have lost many more lives than the Israelis and have suffered occupation, harrassment, and been forced out of their homes. It was obviously propaganda though, as it doesnt point out flaws in the Palestinian people and doesnt show pictures of Israeli communities torn apart by violence. Overall it is easier to sympathize with and understand because it is angry in tone and represents a downtrodden group of people. In the Israeli video how can you sympathize with someone who says "we're goign to kill you with our big war machines"?
After watching these videos I wanted more, better ones. Music is an expression of self through visual and auditory mediums and has great emotional power. I would like to see a video of an Israeli rapping or singing about their struggle to keep their Jewish identity, to lives in an area under attack by Palestinian militants, and a meaningful explanation of why they believe Israel is necessary and justified in its actions.
For the Palestinians, I'd like to see a video where you hear about the day to day struggles under occupation, a personal recollection of the challenges a Palestinian faces, and an explanation of why the Palestinians feel so strongly about their right to the land and what the Palestinian identity is.
I think that if those kinds of music and videos were more available then there would be more understanding between Palestinians and Israelis, hopefully minimizing the conflict.
I didn't even know that there was rap in that region of the world. I'll be honest, I thought it was awful.
All that aside, I thought that the Israeli song made some hugely controversial comments. I didn't feel that the lyrics were quite so controversial in the Palestinian song, although, some of the sub-titles were difficult to read. The two videos really shows a good representation of teenage social dispute between Israel and Palestine, a stray from the political end of things, which is interesting.
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While I imagine at least some of the subtlety of the Hebrew rap's word play was lost in translation, I'm probably going to stick with Matisyahu for my Jewish rap. It was basically a propaganda song with some ridiculously juvenile insults: "You look like an orangutan," "you have lice in your beard"? C'mon. I'd laugh if I didn't know they were completely serious, it's the kind of thing Borat or Trey Parker and Matt Stone might sing in jest. They are just capitalizing on the very worst of anti-Palestinian attitudes. There were no legitimate grievances cited, nothing uplifting in any way for Israel, just senseless bashing and threats directed towards the Arabs.
I can appreciate the Meen Erhabe song much more, primarily because it actually had a substantive message rather than "Kill the Jews." I thought a lot of the images from the video were very powerful, particularly the boy sitting in the rubble, the man in front of the bulldozer and of course the soldiers beating the kid with a rock, which we've all seen before. These things along with the singers' vitriolic deliveries (as opposed the Israelis’ derisive ones) really helped me get into their heads, and consequently the video was much better. I'd go so far as to say that the music and the images were effective in telling the story, even without understanding the words. Again, I would think that from a lyrical standpoint the translators butchered the song beyond recognition, but all the same I was really impressed by "I'm not against peace, Peace is against me." That says it all right there.
I thought the final video was utterly shameless. The series of juxtapositions they make is just insanely conflicted. If anything, one would think Israelis would want to put as much distance between this conflict and the Holocaust as humanly possible, considering some of their opponents accuse them of genocide and everyone recognizes the oppression. Somehow the person who made this video gets off spinning it the opposite way; mind boggling, really. The 9/11 images are equally bad. I really don't see where they were going with those, but I'll assume it has something to do with the notion that if I don't support Israel, I support al-Qaeda (which has virtually nothing to do with Israel in the first place), I hate America also, or I hate fireman or something along those lines. I'm horrified by the 5 star rating it received, and I sincerely hope that that was just whoever posted the video voting for it five times. Oh, and it almost made me throw up in my mouth to think that a soldier showing a child his M5 or whatever is considered a unifying image.
I thought the Palestinian videos did a good job of stating their case against Israeli occupation. The best music and poetry usually come from the people living in the worst conditions in a society. The Israeli videos were actually kind of offensive to me. The first one kind of praised their recent war this summer and condemned their enemies to death, calling them the scum of the earth, a bit unnecessary. It kind of symbolized Israeli hatred of Palestinians. The last video comparing 9/11 to the Israeli situation was ridiculous. The two have absolutely nothing to do with each other and nothing remotely in common.
The rap video by the Palestinians I think would make a great impact on a person who did not know much about how they were being treated by Israelis. It pointed out some very good points of how the Israelis are treating them, some of these facts that people do not want to recognize. Since so many Americans do not get to see this coverage very often from this viewpoint, I think that expressing it through music would be a good way to show American's just what the country we support is doing to people. In the video showing statistics, it is shown how much more a significant number of palestinians have been killed compared to Israelis, yet Israeli's will still claim that they have to fight against them, and continue going on killing Palestinians today. The number of Palestinian children killed was almost 7 times the amount of Israeli children killed, and in my mind there is no justification for innocent children being killed. I do not know how our country continues its support after seeing these numbers and knowing what the Israeli's do to Palestinians on a daily basis. Yes the Palestinians do fight back, but how harsh can their fighting back be when you compare these numbers and you see how much more damage the Israelis have done to their populations. In the rap it says more than once of how many children are orphans now because their parents have been killed, or how their parents just left them. And how many of these Palestinians are without homes now since Israeli's go about demolishing them in order to create their own settlements, of new homes that the palestinians have to view and remember that the place they once called home was once in its place. I just cannot understand how Israel still to this day can justify all of the attacks they put on Palestinian's lives each day.
Lyrics based on politcal groups or figures is nothing new. While I was suprised to see Israeli and Palestinian groups expressing their views, it is something we see in the United States all the time. For example during every presidential elections celebrities always endorse (usually democratic) a candidate. Additionally many artists mention political figures in their music. While this may surprise some people this makes perfect sense, music groups are able to reach large audiences through concerts, cd's, and radio appearances. Lastly another advantage is it expands the issue to people who are not neccesarily involved in politics or who are following the situation.
When I first listened to the first two raps, I agreed with a lot of the comments already posted about the ignorance of the Nasrallah rap and the feelings of solidarity students had with the Palestinian rap. However when I thought more about the Palestinian rap I found it to possess a different type of ignorance that is prevalent throughout American Hip-Hop.
I thought, would these proclamations of solidarity also hold true for the griping of American hip hop artists who rap about the gritty underworld of drug-dealing, prostitution, robbery and murder; who often attest (read: blame) these deplorable acts as the natural manifestation of the poverty and social injustice that African Americans face in this country.
While poverty and social inequality are certainly the root causes of both street crime in America’s inner-city, do we excuse the crime and violence they spawn as ‘natural results of those conditions?’ No. While an educated observer acknowledges the root causes of crime in the ghettos, we don’t vindicate them. So while the videos depicting the plight of the Palestinians may very well warrant all the sympathy in the world, the suicide bombings of buses, markets, and shopping malls (not depicted in these videos) are not vindicated in the least and deserve to be taken note of. The Israeli video would have done better to display pictures and video of the aftermath of a suicide bombing.
i really love the videos and feel that music, is the only way to convey a message… I found another, however, more powerful poem that conveys a strong message.. its called “ Look Into My Eyes” –Outlandish
it was a poem originally written by a 16 year old Palestinian girl:
Look into my eyes
And tell me what you see.
You don't see a damn thing,
'cause you can't possibly relate to me.
You're blinded by our differences.
My life makes no sense to you.
I'm the persecuted Palestinian.
You're the American red, white and blue.
Each day you wake in tranquillity,
No fears to cross your eyes.
Each day I wake in gratitude,
Thanking God He let me rise.
You worry about your education
And the bills you have to pay.
I worry about my vulnerable life
And if I'll survive another day.
Your biggest fear is getting ticketed
As you cruise your Cadillac.
My fear is that the tank that just left
Will turn around and come back.
American, do you realize,
That the taxes that you pay
Feed the forces that traumatize
My every living day?
The bulldozers and the tanks,
The gases and the guns,
The bombs that fall outside my door,
All due to American funds.
Yet do you know the truth
Of where your money goes?
Do you let your media deceive your mind?
Is this a truth that no one knows?
You blame me for defending myself
Against the ways of Zionists.
I'm terrorized in my own land
And I'm the terrorist?
You think you know all about terrorism
But you don't know it the way I do,
So let me define the term for you,
And teach you what you thought you knew.
I've known terrorism for quite some time,
Fifty-five years and more.
It's the fruitless garden uprooted in my yard.
It's the bulldozer in front of my door.
Terrorism breathes the air I breathe.
It's the checkpoint on my way to school.
It's the curfew that jails me in my own home,
And the penalties of breaking that curfew rule.
Terrorism is the robbery of my land,
And the torture of my mother,
The imprisonment of my innocent father,
The bullet in my baby brother.
So American, don't tell me you know about
The things I feel and see.
I'm terrorized in my own land
And the blame is put on me.
But I will not rest, I shall never settle
For the injustice my people endure.
Palestine is our land and there we'll remain
Until the day our homeland is secure.
And if that time shall never come,
Then we will never see a day of peace.
I will not be thrown from my own home,
Nor will my fight for justice cease.
And if I am killed, it will be in Filasteen
It's written on my every breath.
So in your own patriotic words,
Give me liberty or give me death.
I was disappointed at the manner in which the Israeli perspective was presented in the music video and the 9/11 slide show; not only were both entirely emotional, but they were devoid of any empirical evidence unlike the Palestinian ones. The 9/11 slide show elicited absolutely no empathy with the Israeli struggle, as it primarily focused on IDF soldiers not the civilian populations effected by the violence. It has been attested through UN resolutions, the Palestinian population and international human rights organizations that the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land is indiscriminately and draconically, regardless of age, sex or religion, torturous and murderous. The slide show portrayed the Palestinian population as one that has been continually suffering at the hands of an overbearing, apartheid government. Contrastingly, the Israeli rap was both depraved and sophomoric, focusing on disparaging Arabs and Muslims. The military superiority demonstrated in the Israeli video is simply a by-product of American cooperation and did further made me frustrated that my tax dollars fund an apartheid government that is ethnically cleansing Muslims from their lands and slaughtering them via laser guided missiles, apaches and F-16s. What I found rather interesting was that fact that the Israeli rap’s subtitles did not capitalized Allah, which seemed as another way to disrespect the Arab and Muslim populations within in the occupied territories. God is a proper noun, correct? Why not capitalize the word?
I've just got a chance to look at the Hebrew rap about Nasrallah, and I was NOT surprised at what the music said.. as it portrayed the true and actual attitude that they have.
the kind of language that they were using in their lyrics.. such as “khalab” which means dogs, “scum of mankind” etc…etc..etc.. is nothing new as it is the outcome of the hate they breed within their youth for absolutely no reason simply because they are NOT the ones that are being terrorized, persecuted, and massacred.
I’ve just recently saw some pictures of little Israeli kids signing missiles and sending messages in the recent Lebanon war where they wrote messages like:
“Dear Lebanese/Palestinian/Arab/Muslim/Christians - Kids,
Die with love.
Yours,
Israeli Kids”
now how can we EVER have peace with attitudes like that ??
heres the link : http://www.stolenchildhood.net/entry/israel-lebanon-war-a-conflict-between-israeli-lebanese-children/
and things like this are NEVER shown on american media..i wonder why ..hmmm
When I watched the Hebrew rap I wondered what Israeli citizens think about this rap. I'm hoping that they take it as seriously as we would a rap about killing some Iraqi citizens. A few would make it their anthem but most would not give it a second thought other than ridiculous. For the video that attempts to connect 9/11 with the Israeli struggle, I didn’t really understand it. I think that I would need to know Hebrew in order for this video to have any affect on me. Only after reading other posts did I see any reason for this video.
The Palestinian songs and videos had more substance. While they both are propaganda, they had more substance to it and attempted to explain their plight and why they turn to violence. They had numerous photos showing the actions of the Israelis against them. The Hebrew rap just glorified the violence and never really showed or told why they felt they needed to do these things.
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