Heartbreaking Tribute To Four Boys Killed On Gaza Beach Created By Israeli Artist Amir Schiby

[kpete]

?1405717502

Israeli artist Amir Schiby, known for his politically satirical collages, created an image of Ahed Atef Bakr, Zakaria Ahed Bakr, Mohamed Ramez Bakr, and Ismael Mohamed Bakr, to honor their tragically short lives. It depicts a lone soccer ball in the surf, with the shadows of playing children nearby. He wrote on Facebook that the image was created "as a tribute to all children living in war zones."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/07/18/boys-killed-gaza-amir-schiby_n_5599630.html

[Baitball Blogger]

1. I hope it goes viral.

[elzenmahn]

2. Says it all...

...a touching tribute, indeed.

[Fred Sanders]

3. How dare you show the truth of a 300 to 1 slaughter. If people see the carnage they may not support

it and may look not away from reality of the indisputable math, they may not want to continue the genocide.

Israel can stop the killing by stopping the killing and returning stolen land from the inmates.

[cali]

4. please don't misuse the word genocide. It's not accurate. It diminishes from what is

happening.

[Fred Sanders]

5. I will use it because it is true, 300 to 1, care to discuss the math?

Genocide, genocide, genocide....etc.

[cali]

8. sure. I'll discuss the math. 300 deaths to one has zip to do with genocide. Nothing. Nada.

Do consider informing yourself a wee bit. Here's the math, honey: The Palestinian population in Gaza and the W.B has increased 8 fold since 1967. To state the obvious: Populations do not grow when they are suffering genocide. duh.

Some people are more anti-the other side, more motivated by unsavory things than they are pro the side they supposedly support. Just saying.

[Fred Sanders]

12. Dearie, honey....shall we call it a slaughter and settle on a term not offending your sensibilities?

[cali]

14. It has nothing to do with my sensibilities, darlin'

(your imitating me is cute) It has to do with making an accusation that is false and that is the most serious accusation that can be made against a people or nation. Yes, slaughter is more accurate. you want to demonize. I am sickened by people who do that and make shit up to do it. It's disgusting and if the shoe fits YOU... well, dear, wear it.

[roguevalley]

30. is it possible any more to meditate on the image without someone venting their spleen here? THis

is a memorial to not only four infants who are gone there, but infants everywhere. Start a genocide threat somewhere else but leave this one alone. This is about these four infants and their loss. Why can be debated somewhere else. I want to think about them without the bullshit of politics for say ... five minutes. Is that okay?

I guess not.

[magical thyme]

21. Well that depends on the source of the population growth

Have the numbers increased due to high rates of birth?

Or have they increased due to more people forced into a smaller and smaller area?

I mean, certain Indian reservations experienced high population growth when natives were forced out of their homelands and into them. That doesn't mean that there was not genocide.

Edited to add:
And then there is population growth due to Israeli incursion into the region, with comparitively high birth rates.

Total fertility rate[edit]

2.83 children born/woman (2014 est.)
Jewish population: 5.07 children born/woman (West Bank alone)[22]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_the_Palestinian_territories

[cali]

41. your link proves that genocide is not what's happening either in Gaza or within

the Israeli Arab community or in the W.B. Population growth among Palestinians is incontestable. Look, if oppression, occupation and maintaining Gaza as an open air prison/detention camp, isn't bad enough, and you insist that it's genocide, I question your motivations. It appears to be more demonization of Israel and Israelis than concern and advocacy for Palestinians.

[magical thyme]

42. where did I insist that anything is genocide? nt

[Violet_Crumble]

44. It's not true, Fred. Neither side in this conflict is committing genocide...

Genocide's got a specific definition and is recognisable by the eight stages involved.

http://www.genocidewatch.org/aboutgenocide/8stagesofgenocide.html

What's happening now is indiscriminate killing of civilians. It reminds me of how the US behaved in Iraq, and that wasn't genocide either. Call it a slaughter, call it indiscriminate killing, call it shooting fish in a barrel. It's terrible and horrific, but it's not genocide. And the reason why when those accusations are aimed at Israel it offends people is because of the genocide of European Jews and the existence of Israel as a Jewish state. If Israel were to commit genocide, I wouldn't care about sensitivities about the word and I'd call it what it would be, but doing it when there's no genocide is wrong imo...

[Fred Sanders]

45. Would the dictionary definitions of serial murder, slaughter, or annihilation be better, accurate?

Attempts genocide, perhaps.

350 to 2 now.

[sulphurdunn]

18. Agree with you.

“If language is not correct, then what is said is not what is meant; if what is said is not what is meant, then what must be done remains undone; if this remains undone, morals and art will deteriorate; if justice goes astray, the people will stand about in helpless confusion. Hence there must be no arbitrariness in what is said. This matters above everything.” Confucius

[JoeyT]

35. Do you consider what was done to Native Americans genocide?

Because that's what it looks like is happening here. You push people off their land until they've got nowhere left to go, then you butcher them wholesale when they launch largely ineffective attacks on you, and justify it by blaming them.

There are still some of us around, so it wasn't a complete genocide, which means it wasn't genocide?

[cali]

6. I guess I want to say something else: I think using this post

to snark, makes it look like you care more about scoring point than the tragedy of the deaths of these children.

[Fred Sanders]

7. 300 to 1, some people can count the piles of bodies all on one side, others prefer to deflect it.

[cali]

9. If you're accusing me of deflecting it, well, that's laughable, dear.

and no one familiar with my posts on I/P would take such a claim seriously. Genocide has a specific definition and a real meaning. YOU are misusing the term. One wonders why. Occupation, oppression and land theft through settlements isn't bad enough? Seems to me that you're just one of those wearisome demonizers. ugh.

[Fred Sanders]

10. Wearisome is the operative word,

[cali]

11. oh my. a less than meaningful remark that isn't remotely cogent. I'm sooo impressed.

[Fred Sanders]

13. Like honey and dearie, look in the mirror, sweetie.

[cali]

15. do try harder to defend your indefensible use of the term "genocide", pumpkin.

And I look in the mirror quite enough thank you.

[JI7]

38. Palestinian population is increasing, Israel has not and will not stop this , this is why Apartheid

is the term being used by many including the sec of state and many israeli politicians .

[kpete]

16. "a tribute to ALL children living in war zones"

genocide, slaughter, massacre, murder, butcher, kill (off), annihilate, exterminate, liquidate, eliminate, destroy, decimate, wipe out, put to death

words don't matter
life has been stolen



peace (don't laugh),
kp

[cali]

19. with respect, words do matter. words are often the difference between war and peace

words are what we as humans have. they are our most important tool. they matter a great deal. it's facile to say they don't matter. that's like saying communication is irrelevant. In fact, it is saying that.

[duhneece]

17. Thank you, kpete

I needed to be reminded of the goodness of some Israeli today. There seems to be so much pain being revealed right now. Or is that just me?

[cali]

20. why? I don't understand. I find that as sad as someone saying they need to be reminded

of the goodness of some Muslims.

[bravenak]

26. Not all Israeli's are jews.

I don't think that poster said Jews. I have said the same thing about us when we drone and kill civilians.

[cali]

27. Of course not. but I think from the context it's clear she/he didn't mean

Arab Israelis. and I don't drone and kill civilians; neither do you. Our country does and no, I don't need to be reminded that Americans aren't a monolith either.

[roguevalley]

31. I felt the same thing on the first day of the Iraq war. I was ashamed to be American. I imagine ther

are Israelis who feel the same thing as I did today. This will do no good. I loathe Netanyahu. He is having his will on this issue and the innocent die just like Dick head and Chimp with Iraq.

Futile. Futile, futile.

[bravenak]

32. I think that Netanyahu will not be getting the benefit of doubt anymore.

He is making the area more dangerous for everyone. He misses the Bush white house, i believe. They are all cut from the same cloth. The rightwing did this. They can't b trusted with anything. I keep crying over the kids.

[roguevalley]

33. I agree. It is so futile to be in the middle even from this distance. I am glad I am not young.

[bravenak]

34. So true. I hope we don't leave our children with this.nt

[duhneece]

29. I meant to use Israeli simply as human

Since the poster told THAT story. If someone posted of someone doing a kind act for the immigrants at the border, I would have felt the same way...or something along those lines for the family of folks of the downed airliner...or someone who opposed US Rep Pearce. Today the hard news that screams 'do something' to ease this pain, to raise awareness of the injustice, to protect the environment...I just get overwhelmed at times and really, really appreciate knowing of those who act creatively and don't get caught up in the desire for revenge or violence.
Sorry I don't express what I'm really thinking too well, but I'm working on it, so thank you for letting me know that you perceived what I wrote so differently from what I meant.

[cantbeserious]

22. Thank You For Sharing

eom

[Roy Serohz]

23. A sad K&R

[eridani]

24. It is important to recognize and support the Israeli opposition

Many are not at all happy about being an imperial power.

[NealK]

25. K&R

[democrank]

28. Those precious children....

~PEACE~

[Coventina]

36. A beautiful, poignant, powerful image. Thanks for sharing.

I hope the message of the piece will resound in people's hearts.

[DeSwiss]

37. K&R

[center][/center]

[Hekate]

39. Dear Goddess, that makes me cry for our shared humanity

and our shared inhumanity.

After scanning the responses in this thread, though, I think I will skip them.

TY, kpete.

[Douglas Carpenter]

40. knr

[Violet_Crumble]

43. That's pretty heartbreaking...

[countryjake]

46. Haunting

Thanks, kpete.