MISHKAN MUSEUM OF ART, EIN HAROD

Ein Harod is a kibbutz in northern Israel founded in 1921. For a history of Ein Harod, posted on this blog, see here. The Mishkan Museum of Art is Ein Harod's main attraction. COVID-19 has wrought havoc on this museum as it did on every other cultural institution in the world. For a write-up of the various shows that were put on here last year, see this article in the Jerusalem Post.

JUDEA

The ancient tribal territory of Judah, later modified to “Judea”, is a medium sized desert and steppe area roughly stretching from Jerusalem in the north to Beersheba in the south, and includes the cities of Bethlehem and Hebron. Most of the international community considers this area to be illegally occupied by the Jews. I’d respond to that, but I really shouldn’t use that kind of language on a blog. For a brief history of this area, I refer you to this blog’s posting here.

In between all the intifadas, attacking Jews who reclaim stolen Jewish property, Zionist and Arab prevention of Jews freely going to their holy places, rocks being thrown at passing motorists, Molotov cocktails, etc., not to mention international Jew-hatred resulting in multiple condemnations, especially from that Pile of Shit in New York, the Jewish population, commonly referred to as “settlers”, continues to try to lead normal lives, operate businesses, and conduct archaeological excavations of which, there are many sites. In fact, archaeological excavations continue to this day. See this article from IsraelNationalNews.com.

ISRAEL PAST AND PRESENT

The world’s irrational obsession with Israel is simply mindboggling. Every single day, literally, the anti-Semites would come up with a brand new excuse to hate Israel and Jews in general. Today, Israel is supposed to be an apartheid state. In yesteryear, Israel stole land from the Palestinians, and before the Palestinians, the Arabs. In the last 50 years, the country had been the receiver of more resolutions against it from that Pile of Shit in New York than any other country combined – and that includes the likes of Iran, North Korea, China, or Venezuela. But why? A couple of reasons. Primarily, because Israel is a Jewish country and no one likes that. Another reason, which is just as compelling, is that the Jews, as the indigenous people of Israel, won back its homeland and reestablished a successful independent country. This quietly serves as an inspiration, not just for the other indigenous populations in the Middle East and North Africa that are under Arab occupation such as the Copts in Egypt, the Assyrians and Kurds in Iraq, and the Amazigh (Berbers) in North Africa, etc. (which after all, is the theme of this blog, isn’t it?) but also to those beyond the region. This, I’m sure, give the dominant populations in those countries a little discomfort.

Today, Israel has been very active on the world stage but just as active a history, something the Zionists refuse to acknowledge. For a listing of past leaders of Israel, see this posting on this blog. For the latest news and analysis, I recommend (and I’m sure some might disagree with me) the Jerusaslem Post website.

 

AFGHANISTAN

Afghanistan is another one of those countries that has been in the news once or twice recently. The Islamic Emirate, whose population is composed mostly of ethnic Pashtuns, Tajiks, Hazaras, and Uzbeks, could be considered part of the “Greater Middle East” and in fact, none of Afghanistan’s neighbors are “Arab countries”. Indeed, it is sandwiched between the major countries of that region – Iran to the west and Pakistan to the east and south – as if that’s better. It is also bordered by Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan to the north, and Tajikistan and China to the northeast. Human habitation in Afghanistan dates back to the Middle Paleolithic era, and the country's strategic location along the historic Silk Road connected it to the cultures of other parts of Asia as well as Europe, leaving behind the mosaic of ethnolinguistic and religious groups, mentioned above. The land has also witnessed numerous military campaigns throughout its history including those by Alexander the Great, the Maurya Empire, Muslim Arabs, and the Mongols. Afghanistan also served as the source from which the Greco-Bactrians and the Mughals, among others, rose to form major empires. The various conquests and periods in both the Indian and Persian cultural spheres made the area a center for Buddhism, Zoroastrianism, Hinduism, and later Islam throughout history. The modern state of Afghanistan began with the Durrani dynasty in the 18th century. This empire, at its peak, ruled an area stretching from eastern Iran to northern India. Following its decline, and the death of Timur Shah, it was divided into the smaller independent kingdoms of Herat, Kandahar and Kabul, before being reunited in the 19th century after wars of unification led by Dost Mohammad Khan. During this time, Afghanistan became a buffer state in the "Great Game" between British India and the Russian Empire. The British in India attempted to subjugate the country but were repelled in the First Anglo-Afghan War; in the second Anglo-Afghan war, the British successfully established a protectorate. Following a third war in 1919, the country became free of foreign dominance, and eventually emerged as the independent Kingdom of Afghanistan in June 1926 under Amanullah Khan. This kingdom lasted almost 50 years, until Zahir Shah was overthrown in 1973, following which a republic was established. Afghanistan's history since the late 1970s has been dominated by coups, revolutions, invasions, insurgencies and civil wars, not to mention, a Soviet invasion and occupation and, after 9/11, an invasion by an American-led coalition force which hunted down the terrorist network that was responsible for the attacks on New York and Washington. Mission accomplished, the eventual American withdrawal unfortunately, ended up in a big mess. Today, the country is under the control of the Islamist Taliban, which came back to power after a 20-year long war. In the meantime, Afghanistan has witnessed high levels of terrorism, poverty, and child malnutrition, and an economy that ranks number 96 in the world. See this BBC report. Women’s rights are another issue of concern. See this video clip as reported by NBC News and this clip by the PBS NewsHour. 

JERUSALEM PAST AND PRESENT

Jerusalem has been the capital of the nation of Israel for over 3000 years since the time of King David, probably making it the longest serving capital city in the world. But because it is the Jewish capital, the present international community refuses to recognize it as such. So if you’re looking for some juicy anti-Semitic propaganda like distinguishing between “Arab East” and “West” Jerusalem, I suggest you go to the websites of the BBC or the Guardian or the LA Times or the NY Times, but you won’t find such propaganda here. I refuse to do that. And because Jerusalem is the Jewish capital, this post will focus only on the Jewish aspects of the city (unless it is important to mention otherwise), so get used to it!!!

For a brief historical overview of the city, see this posting on this blog.

Jerusalem isn’t as violent as people think it is. This article in the online version of the Jerusalem Post (jpost.com) describes briefly the many cultural events in the city in the first week of February 2022.

YEMEN

Yemen, also known as South Arabia, is a country on the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula with a population estimated at over 30,000,000. Its constitutionally stated capital, and largest city, is Sana’a. Currently, Yemen is a member of the Arab League, the United Nations, the Non-Aligned Movement and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation.

In ancient times, the country was known as Saba (Sheba) and was the home of the Queen of Sheba. It was a trading state that included parts of modern-day Ethiopia and Eritrea. Saba was later followed by the Kingdom of Awsan. By 275 CE, Yemen was ruled by the Himyarites who had adopted Judaism. Christianity arrived in the fourth century. Islam spread quickly in the seventh century and Yemenite troops were crucial to the Islamic conquests that followed. Several dynasties emerged between the 9th and 16th centuries and in the 19th century, the country was divided between the Ottoman (North Yemen) and British (South Yemen) empires. After World War I, the Zaydi Mutawakkilite Kingdom of Yemen was established in South Yemen but was overthrown in 1962 and the Yemen Arab Republic, a British protectorate, was created in its place. It remained a British protectorate until 1967 when it became independent. In 1990, North and South Yemen united to form the modern Republic of Yemen (al-Jumhūrīyah al-Yamanīyah) with Ali Abdullah Saleh as president. With the outbreak of the Arab Spring, the people of Yemen took to the streets to protest widespread poverty, unemployment, corruption, and Saleh's plan to amend the constitution and eliminate the presidential term limit. Eventually, Saleh stepped down and the powers of the presidency were transferred to Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi. Since then, the country has been in a civil war (alongside the Saudi Arabian-led military intervention aimed at restoring Hadi's government) with several proto-state entities claiming to govern Yemen. At least 56,000 civilians and combatants have been killed since January 2016. The ongoing humanitarian crisis and conflict has received widespread criticism for having a dramatic worsening effect on Yemen's humanitarian situation, that some say has reached the level of a "humanitarian disaster". Today, Yemen belongs to the least developed country group, referring to its numerous "severe structural impediments to sustainable development". (see video)