Quote of the Day
“The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is the sexiest conflict in the world, and everybody wants to be involved.”
- Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, last week at Harvard Kennedy School
Kinky.
But seriously, there is nothing sexy about this conflict, and I’m quite surprised the Foreign Minister would use such a flippant term.
Is there anything sexy about terrorists firing rockets at cities, blowing themselves up in crowded malls, or a terrorist gunning down 8 boys, or putting a bullet through the head of a baby?
No, the correct word is ugly. Because we are seeing palestinians use perhaps the ugliest tactics ever to be used in conflict.
Update: The following picture accompanies the article I linked to above:
Man, that woman really does everything.
Update: Yet another reason why the word sexiest does not come to mind when describing this conflict.
An Australian immigrant to Israel, Aussie Dave has been blogging since early 2003.
March 17th, 2008 at 7:22 pm
What she meant was,the world has all eyes on it as opposed to Darfur,the Phillipines,Thailand etc. and I know why.We can’t get a break.It will get worse.
March 17th, 2008 at 7:29 pm
Everything You’ve Already Known About Tzippi Livni But Were Afraid To Hear.
Our foreign minister, the doofus.
March 17th, 2008 at 8:33 pm
Tzipi Livni is right. I agree with her wording, which is purposely shocking, to get attention.
I agree with Ron. She is saying that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is the latest big fad for everyone in the world. The endless attention paid to this conflict hurts Israel, because excessive media attention makes it difficult for Israelis to do what needs to be done (ie. take out terrorists). By Livni articulating this, the “hip”, brainless contrarian crowd may reflexively switch to focusing on something else, like perhaps Darfur.
March 17th, 2008 at 9:15 pm
I’m not sure I disagree. If you look at the reporters who cover the Middle East (or get the Jerusalem desk) you see upward mobile reporters who will 1) write a book on the conflict 2) become an expert on the conflict or 3) become an editor at his newspaper.
Thomas Friedman, Jackson Diehl, G Jefferson Price, David Shipler, Barton Gellman etc. In general, unless a reporter is totally out of his/her league (Deborah Sontag comes to mind) the Jerusalem bureau chief is a stepping stone to bigger career opportunities.
It gives a moral canvas for a reporter to paint the “ambiguities” of the conflict. That’s the way it’s “sexy,” and I think this is what she was referring to.
March 17th, 2008 at 9:26 pm
ugh…
i’m a pretty avid pro-isreal guy…
but only in the most perveted sense of the word is the war
“sexy”….
i think she needs to brush up on her english a TAD more…
GO ISREAL!!!
March 17th, 2008 at 9:41 pm
It’s “sexy” in the sense that “activists” — at least in the US — are drawn to it (on the side of the Palestinians) as a means of showing just how “sophisticated” they are.
March 17th, 2008 at 10:02 pm
Sexy as in former Ha’Aretz editor Landau (Yemach Shemo Ve’Zichro)begging Rice to “rape” Israel.
March 17th, 2008 at 10:23 pm
I think I know what she means, atleast I hope I know and there isn’t some kind of Freudian symbolism going on.
March 17th, 2008 at 10:54 pm
More hot and steamy talk from our tramp.
Unbelievable!
March 17th, 2008 at 11:22 pm
She is clearly a frigging idiot, but she meant that it’s “sexy” in that it produces lots of bloody images for TV, but reporters are also able to stay in first class hotels in Israel, and commute to the West Bank etc. Unlike Darfur, where you’d be sleeping in a tent with a camel.
March 18th, 2008 at 12:06 am
It’s obvious what she meant. True, too. The only reason she shouldn’t have said it is because of the manufactured “outrage” from all the doofi at such a statement.
“Outrage” is another sey thing these days.
March 18th, 2008 at 12:13 am
Corey Feldman,
Who’s outraged?
As for being obvious what she meant, clearly not, given the different opinions expressed.
March 18th, 2008 at 12:32 am
Well, I thought she meant it in a cynical sense, actually critical of the frivolous pleasure many journalists seem to have in covering the ME conflict, sitting in some Tel Aviv bet kafe while typing away articles about the Apartheid state.
But I may give her more credit than she deserves…
March 18th, 2008 at 2:47 am
I think Livni is a nymphomaniac, just look at the first picture
March 18th, 2008 at 4:33 am
Sean Paul!!!!
March 18th, 2008 at 9:42 pm
I wrote about this the other day. Also found it interesting:
http://www.israelibyday.com/2008/03/israeli-arab-conflict-sexy.html