The Israeli entry into said song contest has stirred some controversy: of course, you might say, a left-wing peacenik with an Arab collaborator, at a time when Israelis voted for right-wing parties and, during the recent invasion of Gaza, told peace protestors to stay home on this one.
More accurately though, the left is mad (though to be fair, the artist has had to cancel threats because of bomb threats from the extreme right, so confusion is warranted).
Chosen by Israel to represent the country at the Eurovision Song Contest — this year being held in Moscow in May with an expected television audience of 100 million — Ms. Nini asked if she could bring along her current artistic collaborator, an Israeli Arab singer, Mira Awad.
Not to detract from the seriousness of an issue, but permit an aside: slightly provocative to use the word "collaborator" in such a context?The selection committee liked the idea of having both Arab and Jewish citizens in the contest for the first time. But coinciding as it did with Israel’s Gaza war and the rise of Avigdor Lieberman the ultranationalist politician who threatens Israeli Arabs with a loyalty oath, the committee’s choice was labeled by many on the left and in the Arab community as an effort to prettify an ugly situation.
A petition went around demanding that the duo withdraw, saying they were giving the false impression of coexistence in Israel and trying to shield the nation from the criticism it deserved. It added, “Every brick in the wall of this phony image allows the Israeli Army to throw 10 more tons of explosives and more phosphorus bombs.”
Neither Ms. Nini, 39, nor Ms. Awad, 33, has been deterred. But since they consider themselves peace advocates, they are a bit surprised. The antiwar movement, they say, seems to have turned into a Hamas apology force. That, together with the political turn rightward in Israel, means that while the two are being sent to represent this mixed and complex society, they also feel a bit orphaned by it.
A quick thesaurus search doesn't provide the WWII (dare I say it?) connotation of the word, as a traitor, unless you happen to know what a quisling is (and I suppose fellow traveller if you're Joseph McCarthy ... perhaps confederate if you're Abraham Lincoln):
assistant, associate, co-worker, colleague, confederate, fellow traveller, helper, partner, quisling, running dog, team player, teammate |
Both singers and their collaborator, Mr. Dor, say that they spend many hours arguing over the meaning of a Jewish democratic nation, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and how to do their part to make things better.Ah, if only we all had the leisure time to do so. Just you and your running dogs.
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