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Assaf Wohl
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Going with the flow. Costello
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Open letter to Costello

Singer who called off Israel show no anti-Semite, just self-righteous hypocrite

Dear Costello:

 

Firstly, accept my sincere apologies for being unable to refer to you as “Elvis,” for the obvious reason that you aren’t really Elvis.

 

Secondly, allow me to address your decision to cancel the show planned for Israel. I attempted to understand the reasons you referred to in your cancellation notice. You addressed the “humiliation of Palestinians civilians in the name of national security,” and I wonder what you meant.

 

Perhaps you’re referring to the roadblocks and fence we built in order to prevent suicide bombers from exploding in our buses and coffee shops. The dramatic decline in Palestinian massacres, from an average of one a day to almost nil may indeed be humiliating for them, as you noted.

 

Or maybe you referred to Operation Cast Lead. If that’s the case, you are in fact condemning us for deciding to put an end to eight years of rocket attacks targeting our kindergartens. If you think this is demagoguery, please go ahead and check the timers which the “humiliated” terrorists set for the rockets. They were aiming for the hours where our children head to kindergarten and to school.

 

Immediately after doing so, these terrorists rushed to hide being their own women and children. And why did they do so? So you, Costello, will see our response on your television screen, and proceed to express shock and suddenly call off your show in Israel – a year and a half later.

 

What exactly did you expect? That we’ll allow Islamic terror to butcher our citizens? We should remind you that we were not the ones to send our army thousands of kilometers away to spill blood at some remote islands near Argentina. We’re fighting for our very homes.

 

On this issue, Costello, you may wish to ask what British soldiers are doing in Afghanistan and Iraq, and why they’re humiliating the Afghan people every day without the latter ever dispatching suicide bombers or rockets to Britain. Did you also call off your shows in England? And what about the United States? Will you continue to perform there while Guantanamo is still intact?

 

Will you boycott our medical advances?

You refer to human rights, Costello, while ignoring the fact that Israel is a democracy. You should look into the State of Israel’s attitude to minorities, compared to our neighbors whose side you took. Let’s see how long it will take before you’re decapitated, should you aim to lead a Gay Pride Parade in Gaza or Hebron. Are you aware of the state of Christians in the Gaza Strip, or the state of women’s rights there? Your silence on these matters attests to the honesty of your claims.

 

You should also ask yourself why all these “humiliated” people would love to get an Israeli ID card. If we’re so bad to them, why are they infiltrating Israel in every possible way?

 

Also ask how many Fatah members were murdered after being hurled off roofs by Hamas and how many dozens of Muslims are being butchered by other Muslims every day. Look into the number of Sudanese Muslims who sacrifice their lives in order to escape to our “apartheid” state. They do so while fleeing the massacres committed against them by other Muslims.

 

Yet all of this is apparently of no interest to you. At the same time, you will likely not boycott all the medical, economic, and agricultural technologies produced by Israel. Through them, Israel saves hundreds of millions of people every year from disease and hunger. There is no self-respecting major high-tech or biotech company without some kind of representation in Israel. Meanwhile, our aid delegations are the first to show up in any disaster site worldwide, from Thailand to Haiti.

 

And what do the merchants of hatred who sold you their goods produce? What is their contribution to humanity? Oppression, terrorism, poverty, and fundamentalism.

 

It’s hard to ignore the fact that the only state facing the kind of attitude you displayed is the Jewish State. But, as Jews, we’re used to it. We don’t think you’re an anti-Semite, heaven forbid. You’re just a self-righteous hypocrite who wishes to be politically correct and go with the flow of the “sexy leftist camp” when it comes to criticizing Israel.

 

On a final note, I just want to remind you, Costello, what turns a person from an “artist” to a “phenomenon.” It’s about daring to innovate, rather than going with the flow. This can also be reflected by the art you produce. It’s nice music, but not much more than that. You know what; perhaps this is the difference between you and truly shining stars, such as Ray Charles (who you once referred to as “nigger”) or even Elvis. On this issue, all residents of the Middle East may be in agreement: There is only one Elvis out there.

 


פרסום ראשון: 05.25.10, 00:01
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