What’s got Sami Kishawi's knickers in a knot?

What’s got Sami Kishawi's knickers in a knot, this time?

In a rapidly warming world plagued by famine, disease and strife, Sami's concern is, well ...knickers. Shorts. Back and white patterned shorts, in particular, sold by retailer Zara because after all, Palestinians hold the patent on all things black and white and it's cultural appropriation, I tell you, Cultural Appropriation! to design anything in black and white without acknowledging this.

Apparently, anti-Israel activist and budding fashion analyst and arbitrator of taste Sami Kishawi resents having the politically significant kuffiyeh "worn around the waist and over the butt."

From Sami via his website: Sixteen Minutes for Palestine

The cultural appropriation of the kuffiyeh — be it in any form — is offensive not just to Palestinians but to all indigenous peoples who hold onto such designs as a sign of national, cultural, or historical identity. Although television show producers and American military officers appropriate the kuffiyeh as a trademark way of identifying "terrorists" for audiences to stare at or soldiers to shoot at, ZARA's appropriation of the kuffiyeh is yet another affront to the collective identity of a people struggling for an end to Israel's occupation and a start to the observance, accommodation, and protection of their natural human rights.

Ok, then, Sami. We get it. We get it. How dare Zara market anything in black and white without kowtowing to the Palestinian narrative?

Next in Sami's cross hairs: The New York Times Crossword puzzle

Sami has recently issued a critical update with vital new information on ZARA's  black and white shorts. Those are his words. "Critical update". Because our days couldn't possibly go on without this essential information.

He writes:

Earlier, we reported that fashion retailer ZARA was selling kuffiyeh-printed shorts without any attribution to the culture or history associated with it.

Days later, we updated the initial report after discovering that the item had been removed from the website. The original link as well as another direct link to the shorts both bring up a webpage that reads: "We are sorry. The item you are looking for is no longer available. Next, you will see similar products to: printed shorts".

Apparently, we aren’t the only ones to find Sami’s concerns, ummm, concerning

He continues:

Some readers feel that we are inappropriately sexualizing the product and misdirecting our criticisms. Others feel that our criticism of the kuffiyeh-printed shorts is overly sensitive.

Well, now that you mentioned it.....

Trying to suppress my snickers, reading ‘bout Sami's kickers.

Gaza: What Siege?

Ever wonder why the anti-Israeli activists have shelved their high profile publicity stunts?  Its been many months since we've heard about a flotilla or a flytilla.   I'm guessing its because they've finally realized that the world isn't stupid.

Social media shrinks the world. Its hard to even pretend there's a humanitarian crisis.   Do a quick Google image search search for Gaza hotels.  Check out the brand new construction. Palatial halls. Beautiful swimming pools. Luxurious rooms.

Arcmed Almashtal  hotel in Gaza.

Search for Gaza restaurants.  Look at their extensive menus and buffets.  Check out Palmera in Gaza City- known for its Bavarian pastries and cakes. (Yes, those photos are by the very same Sami Kishawi who bemoans the "siege" and "starving" and the children of Gaza)

Menu, Roots restaurant, Gaza city

 Everything thing you need to know about the "siege" of Gaza  is below. From Sept. 8  through  Sept 14, 1,428 trucks carrying 38,545 tons of supplies entered Gaza. 2,882 people crossed through the Erez crossing. From the beginning of the year, 41,852 truckloads of supplies have entered Gaza, bringing a total of 1,159,552 tons of supplies

Siege. Fail.

Sami Kishawi, Mads Gilbert and the Electronic Intifada: Wrong again

In an interview that just appeared in the Electronic Intifada (sorry- I don't link to hate sites) Sami Kishawi ( an undergrad at the University of Chicago and member of Students for Justice in Palestine ) publishes a discussion with Mads Gilbert ( Norwegian doctor, and member of the communist party ). Sami's got a history of being rather lose with statistics. Mads is no stranger to controversy himself, once justifying terror attacks against the US, claiming "If the U.S. government has a legitimate right to bomb and kill civilians in Iraq, the oppressed has a moral right to attack the U.S. with the weapons they may create as well." When asked if he supported a terrorist attack against the US he answered: "Terror is a poor weapon, but my answer is yes, within the context I have mentioned."

Regarding health care in Gaza:

SK: What is the health care situation in the Gaza Strip like now?

MG: As a result of the Israeli siege, there has been widespread development of anemia among children and women due to malnutrition as a result of siege and poverty. Stunting, where a child is more than two standard deviations shorter than what it should be, is sharply on the rise. In 2006, around 13.5 percent of children were stunted. In 2009, 31.4 percent under age two were stunted.

In other words, every third child is less developed than he or she should be. And stunting does not only affect growth. It also affects brain development and the ability to learn. This is a direct consequence of malnutrition. Remember, this is not caused by drought or natural disasters, but a deliberate, man-made lack of food and water, imposed, planned, and executed in the most detailed way by the Israeli government. They even calculate how many calories to let in to Gaza to avoid outright starvation but to “just” cause malnutrition since that goes under the radar of human rights abuses.

Except looking at objective indicators, this is simply not true.


According to last years National Nutrition Surveillance Report from the Ministry of Health Nutrition department using WHO statistics in the Palestinian territories:

"The surveillance system shows that major nutrition indicators of underweight (weight for age); wasting (low weight for length); stunting (short for age), tallness, overweight and obesity among children 9-12 months are all within the acceptable national and regional levels.
However, the prevalence of overweight (weight for length) of 26.6 per cent among children 9-12 months is high, and has increased by 2.2 per cent from the 2008 rate (24.4 per cent in 2008).

According to this report, stunting in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, as of 2011 are below 5%.

Need some context Sami? In neighboring Egypt, the rate of stunting is 29%. In Jordan, its 8%.

Life expectancy continues to rise under the "brutal and genocidal" Zionist occupation. A Palestinian born in 2010 can expect to live to 73.4, higher than in Hungary, China, and oil rich Saudi Arabia. Its also higher than the Palestinians neighbors in Jordan and in Egypt. Its significantly higher than the world average of 67.2 years.

In the words of Daniel Patrick Moynihan: "Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts."

Nice try, Sami.

Sami Kishawi : How low can you go?

Sami Kishawi hits a new low in his latest essay 'On Gilad Shalit’s fifteen minutes of fame and the hummus he ate' Forgive me if I dont link to the sack o'crap.

Sami's spews are in italics:

'I wonder how long it will take for Gilad Shalit, his family, and his supporters, to realize that his fifteen minutes of fame are almost up.'

It was 5 Years, Sami. 5 years.

"Here is a soldier, a military combatant, a conscientious member of an army implementing the illegal occupation of a people and its land. Shalit is nothing special — the Israeli military currently employs tens of thousands of his prototypes. The only thing that stands out from the ordinary is that Shalit happened to be captured while on active military duty."

Sami, Gilad as a POW would have been entitled to the rights of all prisoners under the Third Geneva Convention, e.g., the right to humane treatment (Art. 13); the right to have knowledge of a POW's location (Art. 23); and the right to unfettered access to the Red Cross

"But soon after, the memory of Shalit disappeared almost as fast as he did. Except by his family and close friends, he was no longer considered a hot topic."

No, Sami. We never forgot.





We didn't forget him in San Francisco, where he was made an honorary citizen. He wasn't forgotten in Paris, France, Rome, Italy ,Miami, FL, New Orleans, LA, Baltimore, MD, and Pittsburgh, PA, all of whom adopted him as their own.

"As it turns out, all they could find was a skinny Shalit. So, in a frantic effort to condemn Shalit’s treatment, they blamed Gaza’s hummus. He wasn’t starved, they admitted, “but the menu was primarily Gazan and not really nutritious. There were pitas and a lot of hummus.” In other words, Shalit’s captors inhumanely denied his right to appetizers and deserts from a five-star restaurant along the beautiful coast."

Yes, Sami. An emaciated, gaunt pale Gilad Shalit was released. A boy who had been in solitary confinement for 5 years. One who hadn't seen daylight in 5 years. The International Committee of the Red Cross repeatedly asked Hamas for permission to visit Shalit . Even B'Tselem issued a statement saying "international humanitarian law absolutely prohibits taking and holding a person by force in order to compel the enemy to meet certain demands, while threatening to harm or kill the person if the demands are not met"

"Although the Gazan diet wasn’t good enough for Shalit, it is good enough for thousands of Palestinians facing a siege that prevents foods as simple as chocolate and nutmeg from entering the territory. If pita and hummus isn’t all that nutritious for Shalit, it likewise isn’t all that nutritious for those who have nothing else, those who have no access to the necessary vitamins and minerals, those whose foods spoil at the Eretz border crossing."

Sami, the rumors of "starving Gaza " are just so yesterday. The only goods that are currently restricted are arms, weapons, ammunition, and items that have military as well as civilian applications. 6,946 tons of goods and gas (including 360 tons of fruit) entered Gaza from Israel this week alone. Last year, an article in the Eastern Mediterranean Health Journal reported a 34.1% obsesity rate for males in Gaza, and 41.6% rate for women.

Sami, I suspect the core of your problem isn't lack of information. Your problem is lack of empathy and a singular lack of compassion.