Video deliberately leaves out ‘anything Palestinian’
THE ISRAELI army has published a bizarre video inviting people to visit the West Bank but failing to mention that it is occupied Palestine.
Using the Jewish biblical and politically-loaded name for the West Bank “Judea and Samaria” in a recent tourism campaign in the West Bank, Israel and its army bluntly refused to call it Palestine or mention the fact that most of its population are Palestinian.
The Israeli army, which has been occupying the West Bank for decades, published the bizarre video inviting people to come and visit the West Bank and its historical sites, which all have Arab names, but fails to mention that they are all part of Palestine or that Palestinians live there.
The video, which was released on Saturday by the army’s governing body in the West Bank Co-ordination in Government Activities in the Territories is clearly intended to focus on “Judea and Samaria’s” economy which Israel treats as separate from its own economy.
The presumed birthplace of Jesus and a shrine to Moses are two of the West Bank religious sites featured in the promotional video.
Many of the historical and more prominent sites in the West Bank are under Israeli control and tourism profits go directly into Tel Aviv’s pocket. Critics have said these are not mentioned in the video since they have already been publicised.
“In fact, the site doesn’t mention most of the West Bank’s most prominent tourism sites, almost all of which Israel lays claim to,” the pro-Palestinian 972 Magazine said in an article critical of the video.
This is because Israel already is profiting from these sites. It now wants to turn a profit on the other sites, the magazine said.
“It doesn’t mention the Qumran caves, where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered, the archaeological park at Susya, Herodion, Tel Shiloh, or any other site of historic or Jewish import.
“Those sites are run by Israel and Israelis, and the tourism fees go to Israel.”
The video has been criticised as evidence that Israel is seeking to exploit the culture and historical identity of Palestinian lands.
The video fails to mention many well-known Palestinian cities and tourist attractions. The cities of Ramallah, Hebron, Nablus and Jericho make no appearance in the video. The nightlife and cafe culture in those cities is completely ignored.
The 972 Magazine’s article argued that it was a deliberate move by the Israeli army to act as if there is not “anything Palestinian worth seeing, or anyone Palestinian worth meeting in the West Bank”. Telesur