"i must become the action of my fate" --June Jordan
Ask me anything
Ask me anything
Kareem and Haneen from Palestinian Sesame Street
US to sell Israel 2,500 Hummers, trucks
IDF officials reach preliminary deal on equipment used by US forces in Iraq, Afghanistan
08.01.12 - The IDF is soon to purchase 2,500 Hummer vehicles, trucks and other equipment from the United States military, Yedioth Ahronoth reported Sunday.
Top IDF officials have recently travelled to the US and reached a preliminary agreement on the deal, which includes gear used during US engagements in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Defense establishment sources noted Saturday that the purchase is worthwhile for Israel, as the payment for the gear would be taken out of the military aid provided by the US…
Read More: ynet
Meanwhile…
Palestinian Sesame Street ails without US funds
RAMALLAH, West Bank – It’s quiet time on Palestinian Sesame Street.
07.01.12 - The iconic children’s program, known as “Sharaa Simsim” in Arabic, has been put on hold for the 2012 season because of a funding freeze by the U.S. Congress.
Sharaa Simsim is one of many U.S.-funded Palestinian programs suffering after Congress froze the transfer of nearly $200 million to the U.S. Agency for International Development in October. The suspension aimed to punish the Palestinians for appealing to the United Nations for statehood.
The funding suspension — affecting hospitals, education, and government ministries that all rely on American aid — is breeding resentment and frustration in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, even among the most progressive organizations.
In the Ramallah offices of Sharaa Simsim on Thursday, the writing workshop room was empty and the set was closed.
“If we had funding, we would be writing scripts, we would be reviewing scripts, we would be hiring filmmakers to produce the videos,” said executive producer Daoud Kuttab.
Even as the freeze put Palestinian Sesame Street on hold, the State Department is investing $750,000 in the Israeli version of the show, which is now filming its newest season with an emphasis on teaching children the value of fairness.
Danny Labin, an executive at the Israeli TV channel that co-produces Israeli Sesame Street, called the funding halt to the Palestinian show “extremely unfortunate.”
“Young children, whether Israeli or Palestinian, who are in need of educational tools to foster diversity appreciation and to prepare for life in a pluralistic society, should not be penalized or held accountable to the politics and political leadership, over which they have no control,” Labin said…
Read More: Yahoo! News
Read More from Today in Palestine: Mondoweiss
nooooooooooooo my childhood
We knew this would happen. In the short term it’s a huge hardship. In the long term, though, Palestine building & maintaining cultural institutions independent of US $$ is a good thing.
