As someone said earlier, if you know a country keeps talking about getting rid of your existence, who wouldn't build towns to practice war with those specific locations?



Of course people in the media here would be mad about it. The same way people get mad about Iranian leaders when they say they want to destroy Israel. And are non-Israelis in the region there happy about this(Israel building the fake towns)? I doubt it. But I don't see what's so odd about it. There probably ARE fake towns in places like Iran for them to practice war with Israel. I'd be surprised if there weren't.



I have to say that I think it's bold of wildroze to get involved in any of these political topics.

First of all, the MENA board is so baised towards the Arabic Middle Eastern issues and not Israel's issues. I haven't seen any evidence to suggest the opposite so if there is, I would be willing to read it. People can say, "oh everyone is welcome here.." but who would want to post here when the bias is towards something they don't agree with? And when they happen to be a small minority who don't agree?

Secondly, there is a bias towards Islam in the MENA forum. Yes there are some non-Muslims, but with the bias towards people's home country or SO's countries, which are mostly Arab or Middle Eastern(sorry if I don't have the terms 100% correct but you know what I mean), which are mostly Muslim countries, it seems it would be very hard for a Jewish Israeli to participate in this forum without drama.

I looked at some of the pictures thread, and how wildroze was jumped on for being upset at seeing negative politically charged pictures about Israel killing Palestinians, etc. After all the pretty pictures posted. It was not the time nor place. I was annoyed as well. And just imagine if she had posted pictures of dead Jewish people killed by Palestinians first...that would have gone over well... Yet when she is upset about the pictures that are posted, people jumped down her throat. I don't get it. It's a double standard.

This forum is also very left leaning, which also would discourage any "conservatives" to participate a lot unless they want to face daily political battles. That can be seen clearly in the SOTU thread (left leaning I mean).

I participate because I have been doing it for awhile, have gotten used to the way certain things go, and know what might happen if I say certain things. But I try to say things respectfully if I need to disagree. I do respect many members here. I just wonder why people can't see how unwelcoming they are being to people like wildroze.

peezy and guess who else bites the dust

First of all, the MENA board is so baised towards the Arabic Middle Eastern issues and not Israel's issues. I haven't seen any evidence to suggest the opposite so if there is, I would be willing to read it. People can say, "oh everyone is welcome here.." but who would want to post here when the bias is towards something they don't agree with? And when they happen to be a small minority who don't agree?

Secondly, there is a bias towards Islam in the MENA forum. Yes there are some non-Muslims, but with the bias towards people's home country or SO's countries, which are mostly Arab or Middle Eastern(sorry if I don't have the terms 100% correct but you know what I mean), which are mostly Muslim countries, it seems it would be very hard for a Jewish Israeli to participate in this forum without drama.

I looked at some of the pictures thread, and how wildroze was jumped on for being upset at seeing negative politically charged pictures about Israel killing Palestinians, etc. After all the pretty pictures posted. It was not the time nor place. I was annoyed as well. And just imagine if she had posted pictures of dead Jewish people killed by Palestinians first...that would have gone over well... Yet when she is upset about the pictures that are posted, people jumped down her throat. I don't get it. It's a double standard.

Will you clarify your use of bias because the way I am reading it, it is highly insulting. Bias means an impartial judgement or an unfair policy rooted in prejudice. Is this what you mean? I will refrain from replying further until you clarify.

You're saying the US media wouldn't pick this up and go to town with it, should say, Hezbollah built a town like this after an Israeli town, make pictures of it available to the press, announcing their new tactical training Fake Israeli Town?

Do we have to agree? Its quite simple that this is a forum about the Middle East, full of people who support it. Why wouldn't we talk about the issues facing our countries and our spouses countries?

I disagree, I am not Muslim and I don't have a problem participating. This is a MENA forum what do you want us to discuss? These are the issues that are important to us.



It's not a double standard at all. No one told she couldnt post photos or what to post photos of. The reality of it is, Israel has more beauty to show that the West Bank and Giza. You are assuming what people would have done if she posted those photos. We acknowlegde there is suffering on both sides but everyone refuses to accept that. WOM has every right to post photos of what life is REALLY like in the West Bank, there is no way to sugar coat it because its reality. There is no reason for Wildroze to take offense to that because we are not blaming her for it or anyone else for that matter, they were just photos.

I may have used the wrong word, but I mean tendency. Not ignorant judgement, but just the tendency of what is supported and what is not. I know many of you are very intelligent. So if I re-worded it, I might say...it is the tendency of MENA to lean left, or it is the tendency to support certain issues over other issues. I didn't mean it in the insulting way.

I don't understand that because I said there is a tendency for MENA to lean a certain way, and how some people would not be welcomed would equal to saying hold back your opinions?

I don't understand that because I said there is a tendency for MENA to lean a certain way, and how some people would not be welcomed would equal to saying hold back your opinions?

I don't understand that because I said there is a tendency for MENA to lean a certain way, and how some people would not be welcomed would equal to saying hold back your opinions?

JP- for me a double standard would still be the picture issue. I do believe if wildroze posted pictures that were politically charged against Palestine, people would not be happy and would react the same way she did.

I know there are horrible things that go on over there. I personally don't care that the pictures were posted. But I don't think it would have been a good reaction if wildroze had been the one to initiate the politcally charged pictures instead of WOM. What bothered me was the way people reacted to wildroze saying how she felt. Not that the pictures were originally posted.

I don't understand that because I said there is a tendency for MENA to lean a certain way, and how some people would not be welcomed would equal to saying hold back your opinions?

An India forum would tend to learn towards India. Canadian forum would lean towards Canada. Israelis don't considers themselves Arabs for the most part and Arabs don't consider Israelis to be Arabs for the most part. I don't know what the MENA forum should be discussing besides MENA related topics.

Your post wasn't just about wildrose. You said you were annoyed, Israel's "issues" aren't discussed here. You are clearly voicing your opinion about the situation, so you are going to get feedback on it.

Are there any Israelis on VJ? I don't think someone would be attacked here simply because they were Israeli. I would really be interested in hearing an Israelis take on the situation in Palestine/Israel. I can understand why you feel like you do, Stina, but until an Israeli shows up here we can't judge.

The point is not whether a country has war plans or fake towns. Let's assume Iran finished building such a town, only Israeli, a few months ago and FoxNews caught wind of it. How do you think the coverage of this would play out? Do you think it would be dismissed as every country having war plans, or do you think it would be blown into a big story, furthering the claim that Iran is a threat to peace?

So no one really answered what would happen in the media were the subject changed from building a fake Arab town to building a fake Israeli town.

No one has to prove what they are allowed to talk about or not talk about, what they are allowed to show in pictures or not. I didn't say to stop doing anything you are doing.

But I am saying how someone from a different perspective would feel about all this, and would not feel truly welcome.

If people disagree with me, that's fine. But I am just saying what I feel about it.

But this is the MENA foum, not just for one country or nationality as it would be for India, Canada, as you mentioned above. I am not saying what has to be discussed and what doesn't have to be. But it would be intimidating I think to join in anywhere where you felt your issues or opinions were not supported most of the time. It doesn't even have to be an Israel/Arab issue. I would love to see discussion between Jewish Israelis and Arabic people on here in this regional section. I know it takes the other people showing up too, it can't just happen if they don't come. I understand that. But it almost seems like Israel(Jewish Israelis) being part of the MENA forum is forgotten.

im shocked that someone mentioned that israelis should join the european forum. israel is very much a part of the middle east. there is a strong middle eastern culture there. no, most israeli citizens are not arabs, but that does not make them european. its this complex that we have to deal with.

im shocked that someone mentioned that israelis should join the european forum. israel is very much a part of the middle east. there is a strong middle eastern culture there. no, most israeli citizens are not arabs, but that does not make them european. its this complex that we have to deal with.