48 thoughts on “Israeli Protest Song Banned from Army Radio – Tikun Olam תיקון עולם إصلاح العالم
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  1. Same thing happened with the US Armed Forces Radio. They banned Souljia Boy’s album for one song that had lyrics critical of US soldiers. He even had to apologize for offending the US Army, but they still demanded the song be cut from the album. Not only was his song banned from being on the radio, but all military bases were banned from selling his album.

  2. “degrading the IDF”?! It’ll take more than a song to outshine the degradation the IDF brings on itself.
    Only a matter of time before they ban the birds in the sky from singing, if it brings a smile to a Palestinian face.

    Beautiful song.

  3. Well, it is not a protest song, it is a hate song. Would you sing a song that tells dark lies about you and calls to hate you?
    Another lie, your first paragraph…

        1. A note on Smolani: this is a pejorative term used by the Israeli far-right to mean “dirty leftist bastard” or the equivalent. My comment rules note that I do not approve of commenters using false or deceptive nicknames as he has done. But since his trick is transparent and indicative of the overall duplicity he represents, I’m just letting everyone know of it here.

  4. @miss Costello

    ‘People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf.

    George Orwell

    And on your behalf Miss Costello

    1. You mean the IDF is killing people on her behalf? How’s that? Is she Israeli? Or do you mean the U.S. military is killing Muslim civlians in Pakistan & Yemen in order to keep her safe? Is there a law of nature or human civilization that innocents must die in order to save the lives of other innocents?

    2. Joel; Pardon? How do israeli thugs posing as ‘soldiers,’ (assuming these are your “rough men” and who would argue with that?) – “do violence on MY behalf”? I am an Englishwoman living in the UK. If I was living on the moon I would still need no man OR woman to “do violence” on my behalf or anyone else’s. I leave that to israel. Nobody does it better. Your quote; Why bring George Orwell into it? Do you really think he would want his name sullied by association with the ‘Totalitarian Democracy’ of israel? Everything he loathed and spoke out against. Incidentally, there’s considerable doubt the words you attribute to Orwell were actually his. But none whatsoever these are.

      “If you can FEEL that staying human is worth while, even when it can’t have any result whatsoever, you’ve beaten them”. George Orwell – 1984. Says it all, doesn’t it.

      1. There is a similar Talmudic quote if I recall it correctly. There was a debate among the rabbis whether Jews were permitted to attend Roman circuses because of the bloodshed & death that attended. One rabbi argued that Jews could attend in order to raise their thumb to preserve the lives of the gladiators. “When no one around you is a human being, strive to be one.”

      2. “do violence on MY behalf”? I am an Englishwoman living in the UK. If I was living on the moon I would still need no man OR woman to “do violence” on my behalf or anyone else’s.I leave that to israel. Nobody does it better”

        Hypocrisy: prejudice with a halo……….Ambrose Bierce

        Madam,
        As much as I identify with the song, for it is unfortunately so very true, the encumbrance of scars, both physical and emotional,laid bare before my childhood eyes, require that I remind you of the violence done on your parents or grandparents
        behalf and in defense of the British empire…………and believe me they did it better.
        May I be so bold as to suggest a little more compassion when judging the predicament that Israel now finds herself in…..and spelled with a capital “I”.

        1. ‘The British Empire’. I agree with you. Which is why I described myself as English, not British.
          “laid bare before my childhood eyes”- All I see laid bare before MY eyes are the victims of unspeakable cruelty (see links)carried out by sadistic, israeli thugs, which no doubt you will either deny with ease or have no problem at all with – then expect ME to ‘have compassion’! The words ‘compassion’ and ‘israel’ have no place in the same sentence, any more than israel had any right to invade, occupy, drive out / imprison and terrorize another people IN THEIR OWN LAND-PALESTINE-for sixty four years and counting.The ‘predicament’ israel finds itself in is of its own repugnant making. ‘As ye sow, so shall ye reap’. Bring it on. Ps. In MY book, there is NOTHING ‘capitol’ about israehel.

          http://electronicintifada.net/blogs/nora/new-report-documents-systematic-abuse-palestinian-children-israeli-military-detention
          http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/aug/26/israeli-soldiers-mistreatment-palestinian-children
          http://digitaljournal.com/article/331579

          1. Miss Costello, your comment reminds of one of my favorite on the subject by Gandhi.

            ““Palestine belongs to the Arabs in the same sense that England belongs to the English or France to the French…What is going on in Palestine today cannot be justified by any moral code of conduct…If they [the Jews] must look to the Palestine of geography as their national home, it is wrong to enter it under the shadow of the British gun. A religious act cannot be performed with the aid of the bayonet or the bomb. They can settle in Palestine only by the goodwill of the Arabs… As it is, they are co-sharers with the British in despoiling a people who have done no wrong to them. I am not defending the Arab excesses. I wish they had chosen the way of non-violence in resisting what they rightly regard as an unacceptable encroachment upon their country. But according to the accepted canons of right and wrong, nothing can be said against the Arab resistance in the face of overwhelming odds.”
            Mahatma Gandhi, quoted in “A Land of Two Peoples” ed. Mendes-Flohr.

    3. Given that George Orwell was not exactly a “might makes right” kind of guy, I’m sure that the above quote, if genuine, was meant in the following way:

      “People sleep peaceably in their beds at night because of a false perception that the violence done by rough men supposedly on their behalf makes them more safe, when in reality that violence makes them less safe as it creates enemies for them.”

      1. Andy; well said! I prefer your version of the quote. To the best of my knowledge, it isn’t actually a quote at all , but a sentence from an article written for the Washington Times in 1993 by Film Critic Richard Grenier. The confusion arose from Orwell having expressed similar sentiments relating to a work of Rudyard Kipling, inevitably resulting in the quote attributed to him. The fact Grenier didnt use quotation marks in the article (unthinkable, had it been a genune quote of Orwell’s) would seem to confirm the validity of this view.

  5. Richard writes: ” So goes the logic of the oppressor who never knows or understands his own power and oppressive acts.

    It seems that they have cloned “American Exceptionalism” and NOW have an “Israeli Exceptionalism”

      1. You are absolutely right, fiddler.

        The US is certainly NOT the first nation to suffer
        the ‘favored nation” or “chosen people” syndrome.

          1. A syndrome is a group of symptoms that together are characteristic of a specific disorder, disease, or the like.
            The Chosen People Syndrome is a pathological belief that one’s own race, ethnic group or culture has been specifically selected by nature or g-d for dominion or hegemony over the earth.

            It should not be seen as particularly aggrandizing the group, but ALSO humbles and degrades the group, since there accomplishments are only through the intervention of nature or a supreme being.

          2. I prefer using the term exceptionalism or supremacism. I don’t mind the term Chosen People as long as it’s understood as a sense of moral obligations & principles rather than as a sense of entitlement or superiority.

          3. Unfortunately, the term, irrespective of how it is “understood”, it has ALWAYS been exercised as an entitlement and superiority. ALSO unfortunately, those who view themselves as superior are always singled out for selective disdain.

          4. What findings including physical signs and lab tests could a doctor use to diagnose “The Chosen People Syndrome?” What is the patient’s chief complaint? Are there treatments or cures for this ailment?

    1. It is the same exceptionalism, the logic of dominance and exploitation of others and their property. There is no other explanation for the destruction of Iraq…and Palestine.

      1. Israeli exceptionalism has been going strong for a long time, not just since now. The (albeit dubious) excuse that existed up to 1948, when the situation of European Jewry truly was exceptional, has long – at the very latest since 1967 – lost its validity. Ever since, Israeli exceptionalism is fuelled by the denial of this fact, by the forceful continuation of the meme of the Jews as the eternal victim, even when at the same time, paradoxically enough, the image of the macho sabra emerged.
        American Puritan settlers may well have nourished a similar victim mentality at the time – victims of both European persecution and economical hopelessness and the violent resistance of the native “savages” – but Americans are way past that now. So I wouldn’t say contemporary Israeli and American exceptionalisms are alike, rather that Israel seems determined to repeat, in a way, American history, including its depredations.

      2. Davey wrote:
        >What findings including physical signs and lab tests could a doctor use to diagnose “The Chosen People Syndrome?”

        It ISN’T a viral infection or congenital condition, but it IS contagious,to those without genuine personal self-esteem . One does NOT have to be a proctologist to recognize an ass hole when one sees one.

        > Are there treatments or cures for this ailment?

        In some cases, yes. but it requires honesty and an open mind. Something that EVERYONE does NOT possess.

  6. The song demonizing the army and soldiers hurts the morale is clearly not appropriate for army radio . I am sure the army radio in the USA would also ban a song like that.
    PS. 686 likes, 1,488 dislikes not as you say “Interesting also that the song has 460 “Dislikes” and only 330 “Likes.”

    1. The song doesn’t demonize the army or soldiers. It’s actually deeply sympathetic to them & their plight. If you think your soldiers don’t suffer from the pain they inflict on the Palestinians you’re a dolt. The song does demonize something: the Occupation. That’s what you’re really defending. Not the army or the soldiers. Let’s be clear on that.

    2. A Yid wrote:
      “I am sure the army radio in the USA would also ban a song like that.”

      WHAT “army radio in the USA” ???
      Armed Forces Radio Network, is specifically barred from broadcasting
      over the United States.

      THAT, of course doesn’t mean the the US government doesn’t
      control (to a considerable degree) the M.S.M. !

  7. First, Yizhar is among the greatest active Israeli musicians. This song defiantly delivers the message and has good artistic quality.
    And yet, should the Radio of the IDF spend taxpayers money to convey this controversial (is Israeli terms) messages? I think It’s crystal clear why they won‎‎’t.
    And anyone wishing (Including me, great song!) may still listen on Youtube or buy the album.

    1. Where is it written that Israeli media may not air “controversial” messages? What is Israeli media if it can’t do this? Is it little more than North Korean patriotic marching tunes aired 24 hours a day to lull the masses to sleep? Don’t be ridiculous. As for cheering Ashdot, if you were a true fan you’d be outraged.

      1. GLZ is not an ordinary Israeli media. It belongs to the IDF, 50% of it’s budget comed from the IDF and most of it’s workers are soldiers. So I understand why the IDF won’t spend taxpayers money on such messeges, which anger many Israelis (“hit a raw nerve”).
        As for the rest of the media – that’s something different. Unlike North Korea, there IS other media.

        1. There was a time when the IDF was truly a diverse microcosm of Israeli society. But now 50% of the officer corps is religious & many of those are settlers. The IDF is no longer diverse, hence it’s current right wing or worse orientation. If the IDF truly was the people’s army Galey Tzahal would represent diversity on air. It doesn’t.

    2. Michael wrote:
      “And yet, should the Radio of the IDF spend taxpayers money
      to convey this controversial (is Israeli terms) messages?”

      Are you KIDDING?
      It is BECAUSE it is “taxpayers money” that they have NO right
      to censor the message of ANY segment of the population.

      1. What taxpayers are we talking about, Israeli or American? Misguidedly for sure, Barbara Streisand donates to the IDF and she can afford sizable gifts.

        1. Davey wrote: “What taxpayers are we talking about, Israeli or American?

          It doesn’t matter. The funds that American taxpayers are forced to contribute to the State of Israel (et al)
          is another issue altogether; best directed at the U.S. government.

          >”Barbara Streisand donates to the IDF and she can afford sizable gifts.

          Not really relevant; What Streisand does with HER money is HER business. HOWEVER, as long as Israeli taxpayers support IDF radio their views, ALL THEIR VIEWS, should be include.

          A good comparison is NPR in this country. There are hundreds of thousands of “members” who contribute differing sums, BUT it STILL receives government money and as long as this is the case they must legally reflect the views of the general population.

          Whereas, NO broadcast facility CAN reflect ALL of the opinions of the population, it SHOULD be entirely private.
          That is why I have NEVER contributed to NPR.

          1. I intended only to call attention to the funding. So much exogenous funding flows into Israel, I would not be surprised if it finds its way (or otherwise permits, money being fungible) the funding of the station. It is relevant. The funding is always relevant. But, it is a different issue, I agree.

  8. If the song is of any positive indication, it does show us that the real spirit of the Jewish goodness still exists in some , and it did not just vanish from all of Israel and Jews. That is hope!

    1. Noevil9; Agreed. There are many brave, dedicated Israelis /organisations, (Jews /Christians alike), who put themselves at risk on a daily basis to stand side by side with the Palestinians in their fight for freedom and justice. And paid the price for doing so.

  9. the day in which the hatered will be taken out of the palestinian syllabus will be the day i shall be able to swallow this tablet

    1. And the day the word ‘NAKBA’! will be ALLOWED, ACKNOWLEDGED AND TAUGHT IN iSRAELI SCHOOLS, ALONGSIDE THE HOLOCAUST, will be the day israhel doesn’t breed ignorant bigots such as you.

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