Update! Jonathan's post on his visit to Israel's Parliamentary Committee

A few days ago, I relayed Jonathan's request for input for his meeting with an Israeli Parliamentary Committee. When he tried to post it, apparently he experienced a hacker problem and asked me to post it on my blog instead. This is what he had to say:

Everybody wans to talk, no one wants to listen

Parliament committees are the best; They are a gathering of experts in their field, coming to help the legislator to deal with issues they are not acquainted with. That is why when i came yesterday to the special parliamentary committee, i was certain that i will not fall on deaf ears, and i might have a way to persuade them that peace is the way, and that the internet is discourse.

Although i did my best, the committee was eager to hear about how Israel is dealing with Hasbara (a word why literally translates to Explination but is closer to Information, Public Relations and Propaganda) on the web. They mostly wanted to hear how are we winning in surveys on major websites and why everyone, besides the United States, hates us. I came to talk about what are the Lebanese doing and what can be gained from cooperation with them, they wanted to hear about literal violence.

Even Nir Ofir from Tapuz, which offered Lebanese to Blog on their website, didn't have the chance to explain about their actions, but only to hear again and again questions phrased like We are the ones who hold technology, how come we aren't winning the war on the net? I don't think we should Win the war on the net, but we should end it.

Even the Israeli Hasbara couldn't explain why UN officials were killed in lebanon without any cause, and rumors are that the UN notified Israel about their location and requested them not to bomb.

I'm getting sick of this war, soon i'll start protesting against it, and not only think that we should end it by disarming Hizbullah
Jonathan.

I sense that Jonathan was not only tired but a bit disappointed to say the least. I keep thinking of Yes Minister or Yes Prime Minister, where are the Youtube video's of them that describe politics so well? Universally. Yes, universally.

No we can't have alphabetical seating in the abbey, we'd have Iraq and Iran next to each other, plus Israel and Jordan all sitting in the same pew. We'd be in danger of starting World War III. I know Ireland begins with an I but no. Ireland doesn't make it any better, Ireland doesn't make anything any better.

- Bernard (on phone), A Diplomatic Incident