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Geopolitics

Gaza Ground War: Twitter Reacts In Arabic And Hebrew

Gaza Ground War: Twitter Reacts In Arabic And Hebrew
Laura Thompson and Daniel Shadmy

Here is a sample of how Israel's ground offensive into Gaza was playing out on Twitter in Arabic and Hebrew.

Tweets in Arabic

*A young Palestinian named Mustafa Abu Zir tweeted this morning from Gaza, “the electricity has been cut to our neighborhood for 18 hours.. my laptop and phone battery died and we have become isolated from the outside world. #Gaza Under Fire”

الكهرباء مقطوعة على منطقتنا منذ 18 ساعة .. ن�ذت بطارية اللابتوب والمحمول وعزلنا عن العالم الخارجي .. #غزة_تحت_القص�

— مصطÙ�Ù‰ أبو زر- غزة (@MustafAbuZir) July 18, 2014

*Mournful observers outside of Gaza have also used Twitter to re-post graphic pictures of dead children and of families overwhelmed by grief. One Saudi professor with more than 300,000 followers tweeted a photo of dead children — before they died. “The criminal Zionists Israel killed these two boys yesterday while they were playing. #Gaza will overcome, as evil is only temporary; and God will not forget the deeds of the morally corrupt.”

قتل الصهاينة المجرمون أمس هذين الط�لين وهما يلعبان. ستنتصر #غزة، لأن الباطل كان زهوقا؛ لأن الله لا يصلح عمل الم�سدين! pic.twitter.com/s6QcaxP2qK

— أحمد بن راشد بن سعيد (@LoveLiberty) July 18, 2014

*Arab politicians took to twitter too to mourn and urge action. An official in Egypt’s Salafist Nour party tweeted, “the ground attack on our family in Gaza is of the greatest stupidity, as only innocents will pay the price; there is no alternative to an Arab and Islamic alliance that will face the enemy; no more talk about half-solutions.”

الهجوم البري على أهلنا �ي غزة حماقة كبرى يد�ع ثمنها الأبرياء ؛ لا بديل عن اصط�ا� عربي وإسلامي لمواجهة العدوان ؛ ولا حديث عن أنصا� الحلول .

— نادر بكار (@naderbakkar) July 18, 2014

*It is clear that Arab twitter users display an immense amount of solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, and in certain places a very palpable empathy, such as this sentiment displayed on a wall in Dara’a, considered the birthplace of the uprising against the regime in Syria. “The wounds of Dara’a are speaking: ‘have patience, oh Gaza.’”

أمتنا تهزأ بالحدود.. أمتنا تحطّم القيود.. أمتنا تجود وتجود.. أمتنا تعود.. �أين الم�ر يا يهود..؟ الصورة من درعا. #غزةpic.twitter.com/T0mYRvUaz3

— أحمد بن راشد بن سعيد (@LoveLiberty) July 18, 2014

But Arabic-language tweets are also shot through with politics and with anger at Arab politicians.

*The Egyptian government’s failed effort at a Israeli-Palestinian ceasefire this week was deeply compromised by Egypt’s own political scene, in which the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood has been declared a terrorist organization (and some of its members sentenced to death). Many Islamists and their sympathizers thus view the regime of Abdel Fattah al-Sisi as a sell-out — as shown in this photoshopped image, in which Sisi’s shirt reads, “Sympathize with Israel.”

#GazaUnderAttack To follow the latest news Gaza have followed this account on Twitter @Against_israel ) #غزة_تقاومpic.twitter.com/7BmSm1JjaS

— الÙ�رقد (@ahmad_awd_) July 17, 2014

The twitter user Arab-Leaks, which promises to reveal the secrets of Arab governments, similarly tweeted a sarcastic image of the Arabs’ battle plan to save Gaza.

استن�ار عربي لنصرة غزة . pic.twitter.com/oGCkdGkQEd

— ويكليكس | Arab-Leaks (@WikLaeks) July 18, 2014

Tweets in Hebrew

*“That’s it, there in. With God’s help they will all come back safely."

×–×"ו ×"×� × ×›× ×¡×•. בעזרת ×"ש×� שכול×� יחזרו בשלו×�. #צוק×�יתן

— Edden Toppol (@eddentoppol) July 17, 2014

*"It is a matter of a day or two before they get out of there. Simply because they are running out of people to interview on TV."

×¢× ×™×™×Ÿ של יו×�-יומיי×� וצריך ×™×"×™×" לצ×�ת מש×�, פשוט ×›×™ ×™×™×"מרו ×"מרו×�×™×™× ×™×� ל×�×•×œ×¤× ×™×� #צוק×�יתן

— Avi Muskal (@muskal) July 18, 2014

*"Let’s all pray for peace, peace in Gaza and in Israel. May the soldiers come back home safely. Amen. A peaceful day to all of us!"

בו×�ו × ×ª×¤×œ×œ למען ×"שלו×�, שלו×� ×¢×–×" וישר×�ל. ושיחזרו ×"חיילי×� ×"בית×" בשלו×�! ×�מן. יו×� שקט ור×"וע ×œ×›×•×œ× ×•! #צוק×�יתן

— JaYannah Morad (@JayMorad) July 18, 2014

*"The earth is trembling; the adrenaline rushing in, the pressure is growing and the prayers are getting stronger. May the soldiers come back safely and may God protect all of our soldiers."

×"×�×"מ×" רוע×"ת, ×"×�×"×¨× ×œ×™×Ÿ עול×", ×"לחץ ×"ובר ו×"תפילות מתחזקות. שרק יחזרו בשלו×� וש×�לו×"×™×� ישמור על כל ×"חיילי×� ×©×œ× ×•! #צוק×�יתןpic.twitter.com/2XNzkm3Bw4

— #YAEL☮ (@yael_hazan) July 17, 2014

*"One who fires from his home is responsible for a response on his home and his family. Israel will not attack #Arabs (or anyone) anywhere in the world except when its citizens are being attacked."

@arbiv2lo מי שיור×" מביתו ב×"חלט ×�חר×�×™ לת×"וב×" × ×"×" ×‘× ×™ ביתו! #ישר×�ל ל×� תוקפת #ערבי×� (ו×�×£ ×�×—×") בשו×� מקו×� בעול×� זולת ×"יכן שתוקפי×� ×�ת ×�זרחי×".

— meir bar מ×�יר בר (@meir_bar) July 15, 2014

*"This is how i like the IDF #IDF #Rough #Gaza #Protectiveedge #war #arabs #Terrorists"

×›×›×" ×�× ×™ ×�ו×"ב ×�ת צ×""ל ðŸ˜�😂😂 #צ×""ל #כסח#×¢×–×"#צוק×�יתן#מלחמ×"#ערביי×�#ערבי×�#מחבלי×�pic.twitter.com/6fDPuXaHbs

— צורי×�ל ×"ומן (@Zurael_Duman) July 18, 2014

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Geopolitics

How Turkey's Jumbled Opposition Bloc Can Take Erdogan Down

Turkey heads to the polls in May, with a newly formed opposition bloc hoping to dislodge President Tayyip Recep Erdogan. Despite some party infighting, many remain hopeful they can bring an end to Erdogan's 20 years in power. But first, clarity from within a complicated coalition is needed.

Photo of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan

Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Turkey

Bekir Ağırdır

-Analysis-

ISTANBUL — Turkey was hit by a political earthquake recently, at the same time that we were mourning the victims of the actual earthquakes. It was a crisis triggered among the main opposition coalition, the so-called “ the table of six,” by the inner dynamics of the nationalist Good Party (IYI) that resulted in a renewed understanding among the rearranged table.

The six-party coalition has been set up to challenge President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s “one-man rule” and is looking to dislodge him after 20 years in power in the country’s upcoming national elections scheduled on May 14.

I am not a fan of analyses based on a who-said-or-did-what perspective, nor those focusing on the actors themselves either. I won’t attempt to analyze the political actors unless the daily agenda forces me to. They are not my priority: the condition of our society and our political system are what matters to me.

We were all told to follow the tabloid version of the story, articles based on hot gossip and anonymous statements full of conspiracy theories about the disagreements of the table of six, and the question of who would run against Erdoğan.

The truth is that there were three crises in one. The first is what we call the political crisis, which is actually shortcomings in collaboration and taking control of the process. The second is the structural problems of the political parties. And the third is the gap between politics and the vital needs of the society.

From day one, there were shortcomings in the general functioning of the table of the six — in their ability to act together in critical situations and, more importantly, in their ability to take control of the process. There were clues for these in recent times, such as the different stances the opposition parties took for the issue of providing constitutional protection for the headscarf.

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