"Disturbing"

Mark Espiner, "world music critic and theatre director," takes a look at rap in Israel in "The Guardian."

Hip-hop on the frontline, has the subhead "Globalised rap music may have lost its bite, but in the Middle East it's giving voice to both sides in the conflict."

Key phrase is "both sides."

The rap form allows a powerful voice for political invective, and is being used on both sides of the Israel-Palestine conflict.

But that's about as much "balance" as you'll get from the "Guardian" writing about an Israel it despises.

The appeal of hip-hop has found a voice in the alienated Arab-Israeli/Palestinian communities within Israel, dominated by the Jewish majority and identifying with the sentiments of US rappers in their struggle against discrimination.

Emphasis added, of course. Espiner then goes on to write about Tamer Nafer, "an Israeli-Arab rapper from the suburbs of Tel Aviv," and offers a sample of his lyrics:

"You buried the parents under the stones of their own homes
and now you call me a terrorist
Who is a terrorist?
You are a terrorist."

I wonder if he does it in a Saddam voice. "I am not the terrorist; you are the terrorist!" OK, so we've all heard this kind of apologetics for Palestinian terrorism before. I find it repulsive, but then I find a lot of U.S. rap repulsive, too.

Now compare how Espiner writes about an Israeli rapper:

But countering this alienated voice, rather disturbingly, is the voice of rightwing Zionism in rap. Subliminal, otherwise known as Kobi Shimoni, makes no bones about his stance. His rallying cry to the crowd at a concert is to ask them to wave their Israeli army dog tags in the air. One of his albums, The Light and the Shadow, has a muddy fist - that looks like a bloody one - on the cover, clutching a medallion Star of David.

Please; mud is mud, blood is blood. What's "disturbing" about this whole scene, I fail to see. But then I fail to see how waving dog tags is "disturbing" and how apologizing for bus bombers isn't. But then I'm not "Guardian" material.

Dubbed the Israeli Eminem, the former soldier's shock is not in suggesting Michael Jackson is a paedophile or swearing a great deal, it is in song titles such as Divide and Conquer or lyrics such as "the country is dangling like a cigarette in Arafat's mouth" or "to think that an olive branch symbolises peace / Sorry it doesn't live here anymore. It's been kidnapped or murdered / There was peace my friend / Handshakes, fake smile. Treaties signed in blood." Forget Eminem, this is more like hip-hop's Sharon.

Shocking! He actually says that the peace initiatives of a generation of Israeli leaders have been undermined by the murderous actions of Hamas and Al Aqsa! How dare he! Much more "disturbing" than a Palestinian denying that terrorists are terrorists.

Here the music of alienation is in danger of becoming one of aggression and oppression.

Uh-huh. And "you are the terrorist" is in no such danger at all. What a fool. Espiner concludes with the suggestion that Subliminal is "sinisterly" twisting hip-hop's message into, "you're not from here, get out."

Well, here's some things he doesn't know, or doesn't feel like telling you. Kobi Shimoni is not "countering" Tamer Nafer. Tamer Nafer was a protege of Kobi Shimoni. They had a friendship that eventually broke apart under political pressures, despite the efforts of the two young men to hold on to common ground and their shared love for a music style. The complex relationship was chronicled in an award-winning documentary titled Channels of Rage.

In one scene from the documentary, people in the audience of a Subliminal concert yell, "Death to the Arabs!" He shouts back at them: "Cut it out, you natives! Not death to the Arabs, but life to the Jews!"

"Disturbing," isn't it?

"As the final credits [of 'Channels of Rage'] roll, the two are heard arguing with each other, debating their people's points of view – but actually reaching agreement on some issues."

What a fascinating story that would be; especially compared to the "Guardian's" slithery anti-Israel tripe masquerading in a cheap "both sides" gown.

Some other surprises: Tamer Nafer is hardly "alienated" from Israel. He and Palestinian rappers like him make concert tours of Israeli cities, performing before large crowds of Arabs and Jews. But as a resident of Israel he is regarded as a traitor by Palestinians outside it, and is unable to arrange a tour of Egypt and Jordan. The only place he's truly "alienated" is in the Arab world.