This Land Is Mine

I envisioned This Land Is Mine as the last scene of my potential-possible-maybe- feature film, Seder-Masochism, but it’s the first (and so far only) scene I’ve animated. As the Bible says, “So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”

This Land Is Mine from Nina Paley on Vimeo.

Who’s Killing Who? A Viewer’s Guide

Because you can’t tell the players without a pogrom!

Early Man

 

Early Man
This generic “cave man” represents the first human settlers in Israel/Canaan/the Levant. Whoever they were.

Canaanite

 

 

Canaanite
What did ancient Canaanites look like? I don’t know, so this is based on ancient Sumerian art.

Ancient Egyptian

 

 

Egyptian
Canaan was located between two huge empires. Egypt controlled it sometimes, and…

Assyrian

 

 

Assyrian
….Assyria controlled it other times.

Israelite

 

 

Israelite
The “Children of Israel” conquered the shit out of the region, according to bloody and violent Old Testament accounts.

Babylonian

 

 

Babylonian
Then the Baylonians destroyed their temple and took the Hebrews into exile.

Macedonian/Alexander

 

 

 

Macedonian/Greek
Here comes Alexander the Great, conquering everything!

Greek

 

 

Greek/Macedonian
No sooner did Alexander conquer everything, than his generals divided it up and fought with each other.

Ptolmaic

 

 

Ptolemaic
Greek descendants of Ptolemy, another of Alexander’s competing generals, ruled Egypt dressed like Egyptian god-kings. (The famous Cleopatra of western mythology and Hollywood was a Ptolemy.)

Seleucid

 

 

Seleucid
More Greek-Macedonian legacies of Alexander.

 

Hebrew Priest

Hebrew Priest
This guy didn’t fight, he just ran the Second Temple re-established by Hebrews in Jerusalem after the Babylonian Exile.

Maccabee

Maccabee
Led by Judah “The Hammer” Maccabee, who fought the Seleucids, saved the Temple, and invented Channukah. Until…

 

Roman

 

Roman
….the Romans destroyed the Second Temple and absorbed the region into the Roman Empire…

Byzantine

 

 

Byzantine
….which split into Eastern and Western Empires. The eastern part was called the Byzantine Empire. I don’t know if “Romans” ever fought “Byzantines” (Eastern Romans) but this is a cartoon.

 

Caliph

 

 

Arab Caliph
Speaking of cartoon, what did an Arab Caliph look like? This was my best guess.

Crusader

 

 

Crusader
After Crusaders went a-killin’ in the name of Jesus Christ, they established Crusader states, most notably the Kingdom of Jerusalem.

Egyptian Mamluk

 

 

Mamluk of Egypt
Wikipedia sez, “Over time, mamluks became a powerful military caste in various Muslim societies…In places such as Egypt from the Ayyubid dynasty to the time of Muhammad Ali of Egypt, mamluks were considered to be “true lords”, with social status above freeborn Muslims.[7]” And apparently they controlled Palestine for a while.

 

Ottoman Turk

 

Ottoman Turk
Did I mention this is a cartoon? Probably no one went to battle looking like this. But big turbans, rich clothing and jewelry seemed to be in vogue among Ottoman Turkish elites, according to paintings I found on the Internet.

Arab

 

 

Arab
A gross generalization of a generic 19-century “Arab”.

 

British

British
The British formed alliances with Arabs, then occupied Palestine. This cartoon is an oversimplification, and uses this British caricature as a stand-in for Europeans in general.

Palestinian

 

 

Palestinian
The British occupied this guy’s land, only to leave it to a vast influx of….

European Jew/Zionist

 

European Jew/Zionist
Desperate and traumatized survivors of European pogroms and death camps, Jewish Zionist settlers were ready to fight to the death for a place to call home, but…

Hezbollah

 

 

PLO/Hamas/Hezbollah
….so were the people that lived there. Various militarized resistance movements arose in response to Israel: The Palestinian Liberation Organization, Hamas, and Hezbollah.

State of Israel

 


 

Guerrilla/Freedom Fighter/TerroristState of Israel
Backed by “the West,” especially the US, they got lots of weapons and the only sanctioned nukes in the region.

 

Guerrilla/Freedom Fighter/Terrorist
Sometimes people fight in military uniforms, sometimes they don’t. Creeping up alongside are illicit nukes possibly from Iran or elsewhere in the region. Who’s Next?

Angel of Death

 

 

 

and finally…

The Angel of Death
The real hero of the Old Testament, and right now too.

 

Note: If you want to support this project, please notice I have Paypal and Flattr buttons. TAX-DEDUCTIBLE donations accepted via the nonprofit QuestionCopyright.org.

Share

Author: Nina Paley

Animator. Director. Artist. Scapegoat.

1,291 thoughts on “This Land Is Mine”

  1. Hi, You mention over time Babylonian and Assyrians but systematically forget about Persian dynasties (Achaemenid , Sassanids, etc) who had hand over the region for a considerable time. (a couple of centuries)

    I leave this comment because I observe that Persian dynasties’s contribution to human history are omitted systematically in whatever historical review is for “public opinion” (like ancient architecture, politics, history of science, etc). While reviewing “ancient whatever” usually it starts with Greek, a bit of Egypt and then a big jump to Roman empire and maybe Ottoman era and then it continues with contemporary time.

    You even exploit Zoroastrian “Faravahar” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faravahar) rising after the Egyptian symbol but It was quiet disappointing to read in your blog that you meant rather Assyrians. (They were not Zoroastrain, look in http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assyria#Assyrian_Religion)

    It seems to me that your cartoon’s message (endless war) is quiet clear, understandable and well-done, BUT I couldn’t retrieve myself from leaving this historical remark after reading the detailed prescription of characters in the blog.

    Nice work anyway.

  2. Fabulous! Reminds me of the book THE SOURCE by James A. Michener (1965). Michener used the device of people talking around an archeological dig in Israel, discovering puzzling objects in each layer, and using each as a diving-board to stories about the many varied cultures in different eras of Israel. One of my favourite books!

  3. I think the reason that you cannot see the Persian in this clip is that, Persian was only nation that when capture that region gave its people freedom instead of killing them, and did not say it is my land, but it is the land of all people who like to live there peacefully! They still are like that.

  4. Nice to be able to view the video here.
    As I’m from Germany, on Youtube, the video cannot be viewed as GEMA has not given the required permissions.

  5. Oh, me wanna t-shirt with Angel of Death… ok, it will maybe not have the same political message as the whole video… but the design is amazingly cool! 😀

  6. There were no “Palestinians” in 1917. The vast majority of Zionist settlers were not irreligious, and many were anti religious, so dressing them like ultra-Orthodox Jews is silly. There were very Orthodox Jews in Mandate Palestine, but they mostly predated the Zionists and had lived there for centuries. And around half of Israeli Jews are Jews kicked out of Arab countries and their descendants, not Europeans.

  7. What drives fundamentalist Christians and Zionists: Numeri 33; 50-53.
    50 And the Lord spake unto Moses in the plains of Moab by Jordan near Jericho, saying,

    51 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye are passed over Jordan into the land of Canaan;

    52 Then ye shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you, and destroy all their pictures, and destroy all their molten images, and quite pluck down all their high places:

    53 And ye shall dispossess the inhabitants of the land, and dwell therein: for I have given you the land to possess it.

    The lord was in fact preaching ethnical cleansing. Worshipping such a racist lord will never bring peace.

  8. You capture the utter senselessness of what’s going on in the region incredibly well. Justifying the displacement of one people based on prior occupancy by another people hundreds, even thousands of years earlier just defies all understanding.

    Reading into the history further and knowing from genetic studies that of all Middle Eastern population groups Israelis are most closely related to Palestinians just makes me wish even more that they could at long last come to an agreement to share the land, free from oppression and violence, in peace, together.

    Sounds stupid, I know, but I’ll never stop dreaming…

  9. Excellent Edutainment video. Although I would make a second video with peace being the owner of the land. We do have a choice.

  10. Wow, the Angel of Death blinks!
    Either that means there is hope for mercy ,,, or no, maybe it’s just a cartoon gesture of self-satisfaction, like he just ate your entire turkey this Thursday.

  11. Sina mentioned about the Persians. It was the Persians that allowed the Jews to go back and rebuild their Temple.

  12. Thank you for this great video. i dont mind 100% historical correctness, you really bring it to the point

  13. Nice work, a really apt commentary to the whole sad situation.
    Just one thing to one of the descriptions on this page tho’: (not a major mistake, nor any hard criticism but anyway: I’m not sure anyone can “sanction” nuclear weapons anywhere… again, just my (not so humble) opinion but… there you have it.

    Zid
    Oslo, Norway

  14. The crazy thing is that this video barely scratches the surface of all the conflict and violence that place has seen. It is suiting that one of the, if not THE, bloodiest place on earth is considered holy by three of the world religions.

  15. What genre of video would you call this, taking a recorded hit and using it as a base for your work? It’s not a music video as such as it has nothing whatsoever to do with the band who recorded the music. I love this concept as it is a fantastic way to tell a story.
    This is the BEST video seen in a long time, maybe ever. Well done!

  16. This is wonderful. I’m disappointed, after all your attempts to be even-handed, that in your deconstruction you say that the nukes depicted are Iranian. Iran doesn’t have nuclear weapons. Iran has been “five years from the bomb” since 1993. Israel, on the other hand, does have 400 nuclear weapons, right now.

    But your cartoon is admirable. I love all the archetypal warrior depictions.

  17. Tanya, that’s not what she said.

    The description of the last character is of the last resort of anti-Israel: terrorists, guerrillas, etc.

    Right above she mentions how Israel has over 400 nukes.

    I think the point is the people in the region may become so desperate to kick out Israel that they will resort to whatever means necessary.

    Thus the final winner of it all, the angel of death.

  18. I agree with Sina, you have left out the Persians who should be between the Babylonians and the Greek Macedonians-the Persians are the only foreign people praised in the Old Testament, Cyrus the Great is even called a massiah and the edits of Cyrus the Great and Darius the Great helped the Jews to return to Palestine and build the second temple, also this is in the Bible as is Xerxes, husband of Esther

  19. Please read carefully and think about THIS PROPOSAL.
    Is there any proposal better than this?
    If yes, please describe your proposal with us here.
    If not, please do your part to support this proposal.

    The Proposal is
    A GENERAL REFERENDUM
    ======================================================================
    THAL ALL THOSE WHO HAVE A LEGITIMATE STAKE IN THE TERRITORY OF PALESTINE, INCLUDING MUSLIMS, CHRISTIANS AND JEWS SHOULD CHOOSE THEIR OWN SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT IN A GENERAL REFERENDUM. ALL PALESTINIANS WHO HAVE BORNE FOR YEARS THE ORDELAS OF EXILE SHOULD ALSO PARTICIPATE IN THIS REFERENDUM.
    ======================================================================

    Fourth International Conference for Support of Palestine,
    the Model of Resistance, and Ghaza, the Victim of War Crimes
    (4 March 2009 – 10:02)

    In the Name of Allah,
    the All-beneficent, the All-merciful.

    I welcome you, honoured guests—scholars, thinkers, statesman, and combatants—who have come to the Islamic Republic of Iran to participate in the Fourth Conference for Support of Palestine.

    Important and crucial developments have occurred between this and the last meeting held in Tehran during 15-17 Rabi al-Awwal, 1427 H. (April 14-16, 2006). These developments have brightened the future prospects of the issue of Palestine and made clearer our duties concerning this fundamental problem of the Islamic world.

    Among these important developments were the amazing military and political defeats inflicted by the Islamic resistance in Lebanon on Israel during the 33-day war in 1427 H. (2006), and the humiliating failure of the Zionist regime in the 22-day long criminal war against the people of Gaza and the legal government of Palestine.

    Now this usurper regime—which with its army and weapons backed by the U.S. military and political support flaunted a fearsome and undefeatable facade during the last several decades—has twice been forced to suffer defeat by the forces of resistance fighting with trust in God and the people, rather than reliance on arms and equipment.

    Notwithstanding its military exercises, preparations, and far-reaching intelligence outfits, as well as the unsparing support of the United States and some Western governments, along with the collaboration of some hypocrites in the Muslim world, the Zionist regime is faced with incompetence, a steep downfall and dissolution before the powerful wave of Islamic awakening.

    On the other hand, the crimes committed by the Zionist criminals during the historic events of Gaza—the genocide of civilians, the destruction of defenceless homes, the impaling of infants, the bombing of schools and mosques, the use of phosphorous bombs and other outlawed weapons; all this following an almost two-year blockade on supplies of food, medicine, fuel and other essentials of life for the people, and numerous other crimes—proved that the savage and criminal instincts of the leaders of the fake Zionist state have not changed in the least since the early decades of the disaster in Palestine. Exactly the same policies and predatory and ruthless motives which created such tragedies as those of Deir Yasin, Sabra and Shatila still rule the dark minds and hearts of the contemporary tyrants. Of course, the magnitude of such atrocities and their disastrous consequences have been amplified by the advances in technology.

    By now those who advocated a “pragmatic” approach under the illusion of the invincibility of the Zionist regime, and who succumbed to surrender and compromise with the usurpers, should have realized their mistake, as well as those who entertained hopes of peaceful coexistence with the Zionists, wrongly believing the second and third generation of Zionist politicians to be free from the criminal impulses of the first.

    Firstly, the false image of invincibility was shattered by the wave of Islamic awakening and maturing of the erstwhile sapling of Islamic resistance. The signs of the usurper regime’s weakness and despondency have become fully visible. Secondly, the aggressive character of the ringleaders of that regime and their unscrupulousness in committing atrocities remain unchanged since the early decades. They are not averse to committing any atrocity whatsoever and whenever they think they can do it.

    Now 60 years have passed since the occupation of Palestine. During this period all material means of power have been in the service of the usurpers, including money, weapons and technology, as well as political and diplomatic initiatives and the giant empire of news media and networks. Yet despite these staggering and far-reaching satanic efforts, the usurpers and their supporters have not only failed to solve the problem of the Zionist regime’s illegitimacy, but it has grown more complicated with time.

    The intolerance shown by the Western and Zionist media and pro-Zionist governments toward even the mere posing of any question concerning the Holocaust—which served as an excuse for the usurpation of Palestine—and research on the topic, is one of the signs of this nervousness and uncertainty.

    The image of the Zionist regime in world opinion today is much worse than it has ever been during its black history, and more serious questions are being raised concerning the rationale of its creation.

    The spontaneous and unprecedented world-wide protests against this regime and in support of the Islamic resistance in Gaza and Lebanon during the 33-day war, which extended from the Far East to Latin America, and demonstrations in 120 countries including Europe and Britain, the breeding ground of this EVIL TREE, reveal the emergence of a world-wide resistance against Zionism that has never been so serious and extensive in the last 60 years. It may be said that the Islamic resistance in Lebanon and Palestine has succeeded in awakening the world’s conscience.

    This is a big lesson, for both the Muslim Ummah and its enemies.

    It is a lesson for the enemies, who tried to create a fake and counterfeit nation and state by resorting to force and repression, and to convert it in course of time into an undeniable reality, and to make such an unjust imposition something normal for the Islamic world.

    It is also a lesson for the Muslim community, especially the proud youth and their alert conscience, so that they may know that any struggle waged for the restoration of usurped rights is never in vain, and that God’s promise is indeed true when He, the Most High, declares (in the Qur’an):

    “Those who are fought against are permitted [to fight] because they have been wronged, and Allah is indeed able to help them. —Those who were expelled from their homes unjustly, only because they said, ‘Allah is our Lord.’ Had not Allah repulsed the people from one another, ruin would have befallen the monasteries, churches, synagogues and mosques in which Allah’s Name is mentioned greatly. Allah will surely help those who help Him. Indeed Allah is all-strong, all-mighty.” (22:39-40)

    And when He, the Most High, says:

    “Indeed Allah does not break His promise.” (3:9)

    “Allah shall never break His promise.” (22:47)

    “[This is] a promise of Allah: Allah does not break His promise, but most people do not know.” (30:6)

    “So do not suppose that Allah will break His promise to His apostles. Indeed Allah is all-mighty, avenger.” (14:47)

    And what promise can be more categorical than this promise of God,

    “Allah has promised those of you who have faith and do righteous deeds that He will surely make them successors in the earth, just as He made those who were before them successors, and He will surely establish for them their religion which He has approved for them, and that He will surely change their state to security after their fear, while they worship Me, not ascribing any partners to Me. And whoever is ungrateful after that—it is they who are the transgressors.” (24:55)

    A big fallacy which has taken control of the minds of some persons concerning the problem of Palestine is that a country named Israel is a 60-year old reality with which one has to reconcile. I do not know why these people do not learn from other realities that are in front of their eyes. Is it not a fact that the countries of the Balkans, Caucasus, and Southwest Asia reclaimed their identity after 80 years of loss, and after being parts of the former Soviet Union? Why cannot Palestine, which is part of the body of the Islamic world, reclaim its Islamic and Arab identity? Why cannot the Palestinian youths, who are among the most astute and resistant of Arab youth, overcome this unjust reality by their will and resolution?

    Another big fallacy is to say that negotiation is the only means of deliverance for the Palestinian nation. With whom are these negotiations to be held? With a usurper, misguided and bullying regime which does not believe in anything except force? What have those who have been captivated with this game and delusion achieved?

    Firstly, what they obtained from the Zionists in the form of the Palestinian Authority—its humiliating and disgraceful character aside—was at the enormous cost of having to recognize the ownership of the usurper regime over nearly the entire Palestine.

    Secondly, even that partial and fake authority was at times trampled underfoot by the Zionists under empty excuses. The siege of Yasser Arafat in his administrative building in Ramallah and numerous forms of humiliation he was made to suffer are not events that can be forgotten.

    Thirdly, during Arafat’s days and, especially, after him, they have treated the officials of the autonomous Authority as police-station chiefs whose duty was to prosecute and arrest Palestinian combatants and to keep them under intelligence and police surveillance, thus spreading seeds of enmity among Palestinian groups and prompting them to wage war against one another.

    Fourthly, even that puny achievement was the fruit of the struggle of Palestinian combatants and resistance of its proud men and indomitable women. Had the Intifada not occurred, the Zionists would not have given them even this little, despite the successive compromises made by the conventional Palestinian leaders.

    Or shall it be negotiations with the United States and Britain, who are guilty of the biggest sin in creating and sustaining this cancerous tumor, and who moreover, are one of the parties to the dispute and not arbiters.

    The United States government has never ceased its unconditional support for the Zionist regime and its flagrant crimes, such as those committed during the recent events in Gaza.

    Even the new American president, who came to office with the slogan of bringing change in the policies of the Bush Administration, avows unconditional commitment to Israel’s security, which means defending state terrorism, defending injustice and oppression, and defending a 22-day-long massacre of hundreds of Palestinian men, women and children. It is a policy which amounts to the same crooked ways of the Bush administration and nothing else.

    Negotiations with bodies associated with the United Nations are another exercise in futility. The United Nations has perhaps confronted few tests such as the problem of Palestine, wherein it has been exposed and earned a bad name. It was a day when the Security Council promptly and officially recognized the occupation of Palestine by acquisitive terrorist groups and played a basic role in the birth and continuation of this historic injustice.

    After that, for several decades, it maintained a satisfied silence with regard to the cases of genocide, expulsion of refugees, war crimes and various atrocities committed by that regime. Even when the General Assembly voted branding ZIONISM AS A RACIST IDEOLOGY, the Security Council not only did not go along but also maintained practically a diametrically opposite stand. The oppressive world powers, which enjoy permanent membership in the Security Council, use this world body as an instrument. As a result, the Security Council not only does not help the cause of world security, but also rallies to the assistance of these powers whenever they deploy notions such as human rights, democracy and the like as pretexts to further their greed and domination, drawing a curtain of deception and lies over their illegitimate actions.

    The deliverance of Palestine cannot be obtained through begging from the United Nations or the dominating powers, and more so from the usurper regime. The sole path of its deliverance is through resistance and fortitude, through the unity of purpose of the Palestinians and THE WORD OF GOD’s ONENESS (TAWHID), which is the inexhaustible resource for human struggle.

    The pillars of this resistance, on one side, are the combatant Palestinian groups and each and every one of the faithful and resistant Palestinians, those who are within that country as well as those who are abroad.

    From another side, the pillars are the world’s Muslim nations and governments, religious scholars, intellectuals, political figures and academicians. If these two pillars remain firmly in their place, there is no doubt that in every part of the world, awakened consciences, hearts and minds which have not been spoiled by the spells of the news media empire belonging to the global arrogance and Zionism, will rally to the assistance of the victims and those who have been denied their rights, forcing imperialism to confront a storm of thoughts, emotions and actions.

    We have seen an example of this truth in recent days during THE MAGNIFICENT RESISTANCE OF GAZA. The sobs in front of the news cameras of a Western chief of one of the international aid organizations, expressions of sympathy by activists belonging to humanitarian organizations, the large and impassioned public demonstrations in the heart of European capitals and American cities, the bold moves made by the heads of several states in Latin America—all these are signs that the non-Muslim world has not yet been fully subjugated by forces of evil and corruption—called ‘SATAN’ in the nomenclature of the Quran—and that the ground is still open for truth to manifest itself.

    Yes, the resistance and fortitude of the Palestinian combatants and people, together with all-round support and assistance from all Islamic countries, will break the satanic spell of the usurpation of Palestine. The prodigious energies of the Islamic Ummah can solve the problems of the Islamic world, including the urgent and acute issue of Palestine.

    Muslim brothers and sisters throughout the world, my message now is addressed to you as well as to all persons with an alert conscience, irrespective of country and creed. Make an effort, and break the spell of impunity for the ZIONIST CRIMINALS. Bring to trial the political and military heads of the usurper regime who have had a role in bringing about the Gaza tragedy, and mete out to them the punishment laid down by reason and justice.

    This is the first step to be taken. The political and military leaders of the usurper regime should be brought to trial. If criminals are punished, the room for criminal acts by those who possess the motives and madness to commit them will be restricted. Impunity for perpetrators of great crimes is itself a cause and incentive for further crimes.

    If after the 33-day Lebanon war, the Muslim world community had earnestly demanded the punishment of Zionists leaders responsible for the terrible atrocities committed during this war, had this legitimate demand been made following the massacres of wedding processions in Afghanistan, after the atrocities committed by Blackwater mercenaries in Iraq, and following the Abu Ghuraib scandal and other cases involving U. S. soldiers, we would not have witnessed another KARBALAIN GAZA.

    In these cases, we, Muslim states and nations, have not acted in accordance with our duty as dictated by the laws of justice and reason. Its consequence is what we are witnessing today.

    It is a matter of deep regret that some governments and world politicians are totally alien to moral values and judgments of human conscience. They are insensitive to the 22-day long genocide in Gaza in which 1350 people were killed and about 5500 civilians were wounded, many of them children. The murderers and criminals are not only not punished, but are even rewarded. The security of the bloodthirsty regime is considered sanctity to be defended at all cost, and the victims, whether it is a government elected by a decisive popular vote or the people who have elected it to office, are accused and condemned. Such is the judgment of political tribunals totally divorced from ethics and alien to conscience and human virtues. Yet, when these governments encounter public opinion in the form of a deep hatred, instead of noting its obvious cause, they again resort to political maneuvers, thus continuing the vicious circle.

    Dear brothers and sisters throughout the Islamic world! Let us learn from experience.

    Our great community, with the boon of the ISLAMIC AWAKENING, possesses tremendous power. The key to the solution of many of the problems of the Muslim countries lies in the resoluteness and solidarity of this wonderful galaxy. The qestion of Palestine is the most urgent problem of the Islamic world.

    At times some people are heard to say that Palestine is an Arab problem. What does that mean? If it means that there is a stronger feeling of consanguinity among the Arabs, who are willing to offer Palestine a greater service and do more struggle for its sake, that is something desirable and we welcome it. But if it means that the heads of some Arab countries should refuse to pay any heed to the cries of help of the Palestinian people which are addressed to all Muslims, if it means that they may collaborate with the ruthless usurper enemy in such an important case as the tragedy of Gaza while loudly condemning others who cannot remain indifferent to their call of duty to help Gaza—then no proud and conscientious Muslim or Arab will accept it, nor spare the speaker of disapproval and reproach. It is the same as the logic of AKHZAM, who used to beat his father and chide others for interfering. After him, his son would assault the grandfather with his fists. The fable is the source of an Arabic proverb. (Which means: My sons have left me covered with blood, a custom that I know was laid down by Akhzam)

    Offering a multi-faceted assistance to the people of Palestine and complete support is a joint duty of all Muslims. The governments which criticize the Islamic Republic of Iran and some other Muslim countries for assisting Palestine should come forward to bear the burden of such support so that others are relieved of this Islamic duty. But if they lack the ability and courage to do so, instead of criticism and causing hindrance, they should appreciate the dutiful and courageous steps taken by others.

    Respected audience! You who are present at this conference are thinkers and specialists about the problem of Palestine. Today our historical duty is not to repeat the bland statements and torpid theories of the past, but to suggest approaches for liberating Palestine from the oppression of the Zionist regime.

    Our proposal is a solution which is in total agreement with democracy and can form a common logical basis.

    That proposal is

    THAL ALL THOSE WHO HAVE A LEGITIMATE STAKE IN THE TERRITORY OF PALESTINE, INCLUDING MUSLIMS, CHRISTIANS AND JEWS SHOULD CHOOSE THEIR OWN SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT IN A GENERAL REFERENDUM. AALL PALESTINIANS WHO HAVE BORNE FOR YEARS THE ORDELAS OF EXILE SHOULD ALSO PARTICIPATE IN THIS REFERENDUM.

    The Western world should know that non-acceptance of this solution will imply an absence of commitment to DEMOCRACY, which it always claims to support. The failure to pass this test will further expose its double standards. Palestine was also the focus of an earlier test, when the West didn’t want to accept the result of elections in the West bank and Gaza which brought the Hamas government into office. Those who accept democracy so long as it results in achieving their aims are WAR-MONGERIING ADVENTUERS. If they talk about peace, it is nothing but lies and deception.

    The reconstruction of Gaza is one of the most urgent problems of Palestine. The Hamas government— which was elected by a decisive majority of the Palestinians and whose epical resistance, which saddled the Zionist regime with defeat, is the brightest page in Palestinian history of the last hundred years—should be at the centre of all reconstruction efforts. It will be appropriate for the Egyptian brothers to open the way for aid to move in and allow Muslim countries and nations to carry out their duty in this regard.

    In conclusion, I honour the memory of the martyrs of the 22-day war. With their blood they made the Palestinian Gaza a matter of pride for Islam and Arabs. I implore God’s mercy and forgiveness for them. In addition, I invoke His blessings for all the martyrs of Palestine, Lebanon, Iraq and Afghanistan and for all martyrs of Islam, as well as for the pure spirit of our magnificent leader, the late Imam Khomeini.

    I beseech God, the Most High, to exalt the honour of Islam and Muslims, to bring Muslim nations closer to one another, and bring a daily increasing awakening to the Islamic world.

    May Peace and Allah’s mercy and His blessings be upon you.

    Tehran, 6th, Rabi’ul-awwal, 1430
    March 4-6, 2009

    source :
    http://www.leader.ir/langs/en/?p=contentShow&id=4858

    ======================================================================

    Together, as the 99%,
    We can stop WAR-FOR-PROFIT for 1% elite only.

    The 1% elite is always the CIA.
    The(greedy)Capitalist-(tyrannical)Imperialist-(racist)Arrogant.

    The 1% elite of CIA can be removed and cleansed by
    THE ISLAMIC AWAKENING means
    The awakening of JFK & Love (Justice, Fairness, Kindness & Love)

  20. Dear Nina,
    I received your cartoon “This land is mine” on YOUTUBE from a friend and I liked it very much, so much, that I made a translation of the “Viewer´s Guide” into Portuguese and passed it on to all my friends in Brazil, are you interested in the translation?

  21. Please read carefully and think about THIS PROPOSAL.
    Is there any proposal better than this?
    If yes, please describe your proposal with us here.
    If not, please do your part to support this proposal.

    The Proposal is
    A GENERAL REFERENDUM
    ======================================================================
    THAL ALL THOSE WHO HAVE A LEGITIMATE STAKE IN THE TERRITORY OF PALESTINE, INCLUDING MUSLIMS, CHRISTIANS AND JEWS SHOULD CHOOSE THEIR OWN SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT IN A GENERAL REFERENDUM. ALL PALESTINIANS WHO HAVE BORNE FOR YEARS THE ORDELAS OF EXILE SHOULD ALSO PARTICIPATE IN THIS REFERENDUM.
    ============================
    Since you asked:

    I am not how one could have a “better” proposal since for A to be better than B, then there must be some by which A and B are measured. If B is just a string of of undefined words, than it has not meaning, let alone a metric. (This difference in viewing the world mayh explain why the Isralies are the second most represented country on the Nasdaq, while all of the Arab / Moslem world has Fewer patents (actual measurable things dealing with the actual physical world) than — well almost any country or state, outside of Africa.

    So, let me parse this Referendum. A Referendum is a vote on a proposal. No proposal was stated. Is this a referendum to decide on the official color of the sky, if females should be allowed to read, or should have there external genitals removed? So the initial statement starts out by being completely devoid of meaning in any sense.

    And it continues: Who shall determine who has a “legitimate stake in the territory of palestine”? And it continues to get worse, as the words legitimate and stake are not defined, and the “territory of palestine” is nowhere described. Does that include all of Jordan? The Jews have their form of government in Israel, where Arabs and palistinains can vote and take part in deomnstrations and not worry about getting lynched by neighbors who disagree with them. See how different this from say — Shiite & sunii, or for that matter any Muslim who is even slightly different from any other muslim. And who exactly are all those “AALL PALESTINIANS WHO HAVE BORNE FOR YEARS THE ORDELAS OF EXILE SHOULD ALSO PARTICIPATE IN THIS REFERENDUM.” And why does a Position-sensitive proportional counter systems for the detection of X-rays, neutrons, and charged particles nave anything to do with this? ORDELA.com?

    Or is the author just another typical lazy barely literate writer promoting incoherence?

    And what of the Jews who were forcibly kicked out of all the Arab countries over the past 75 years?

    So no, I do not have a “better proposal”, since that would mean that any kind of proposal actually exists as opposed to just another lame anti Jewish barely literate screed.

    I will make a small attempt to answer one question:
    Why cannot the Palestinian youths, who are among the most astute and resistant of Arab youth, overcome this unjust reality by their will and resolution?

    The answer is that a culture based on hate, death and destruction “we love death more than the Jews love life”, will never achieve anything except what they love, which is death and destruction. Try creating and inventing rather than destroying and killing. Maybe then you accomplish something.

  22. Good Job, I agree with all who say that it doesn’t have to be 100% accurate to be awesome! Though some peaceful Persians might have been a good show of how alternatives are always present. Will share…thank you.

  23. To: Douglas Nusbaum

    1) You have no better proposal. That’s okay. I also have no other proposal. To my view, the proposal of A GENERAL REFERENDUM is for the interest for the 99% Palestinians & the 99% Jews. But NOT for the 1% zionistic-racist-greedy-satanic-tyrannical regime in Saudi Arabia, State of Israel, the US, UK and Indonesia (my beloved country).

    2) THE PROPOSAL for A GENERAL REFERENDUM in
    The 4th International Conference for Support of Palestine,
    the Model of Resistance, and Ghaza, Victim of War Crimes.

    Many participants attend this Conference; each of them have their own understanding. Every one has their own understanding based on their background and education.

    I’d like to put my comments upon yours.

    1) (This difference in viewing the world mayh explain why the Isralies are the second most represented country on the Nasdaq, while all of the Arab / Moslem world has Fewer patents (actual measurable things dealing with the actual physical world) than — well almost any country or state, outside of Africa.

    MY COMMENT:
    There is always difference in viewing the world, therefore NOT ALL NATIONS want to follow what Israelis did on the Nasdaq and patents. So let other nations excel in the fields of their choices.

    2) So, let me parse this Referendum. A Referendum is a vote on a proposal. No proposal was stated. Is this a referendum to decide on the official color of the sky, if females should be allowed to read, or should have there external genitals removed? So the initial statement starts out by being completely devoid of meaning in any sense.

    MY COMMENT:
    Do you have difficulty to get a proper understanding about the PROPOSAL for GENERAL REFERENDUM – proposed by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei? I suggest you read this once again. Ali Khamenei make this proposal and already shared with so many participants of the 4th conference.
    He is the Leader of Islamic Republic of Iran. He is also the leader of Islamic Revolution in Iran and it seems now in the Middle East.

    This revolution is only the beginning, since 1979 by Imam KHOMENEI. This revolution will move toward THE REVOLUTION OF IMAM MAHDI & JESUS.

    Mahdi (PBUH),Ten Revolutions in One Revolution
    http://www.roshd.org/eng/beliefs/index.asp?BEL_CODE=107

    Be ready for THE ARRIVAL of MAHDI & JESUS.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4OeMQUL6rQ

    After the 4th conference, this PROPOSAL had been rejected by the Zionist regime in Saudi ARAB, the State of Israel and some other ARAB countris.

    This regime started a war (again) on last 14 Nov 2012. Actually this is the NEXT WAR-FOR-PROFIT. Unfortunately the huge & instant profit goes to the 1% elite only. Not to the 99% Israelis, nor the 99% Palestinians. The profit goes to Zionist regime in Israel, US, UK and some EU countries. Need evidences? Google can help.

    https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=133899503429040&set=a.118002508352073.24394.117999398352384&type=1&relevant_count=1

    3) Is this a referendum to decide on the official color of the sky, if females should be allowed to read, or should have there external genitals removed? So the initial statement starts out by being completely devoid of meaning in any sense.

    MY COMMENT: Off course these do not need referendum. If these need referendum, than your “short lecture about referendum” is useless.
    Do you agree that the “majority votes” has the right to choose the official color of the sky? whether my or your daughter should be allowed to read, or have there external genitals removed? 🙂

    4) And it continues: Who shall determine who has a “legitimate stake in the territory of palestine”?

    MY COMMENT: The Palestinians know well about this. They know theirs. Indonesians/Israelis/American/Brittons/Europeans/Japanes/Chinese don’t know about this as we and our ancestors are not born and raised there.

    5) And it continues to get worse, as the words legitimate and stake are not defined, and the “territory of palestine” is nowhere described. Does that include all of Jordan?

    MY COMMENT: Maybe this can help.
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palestine

    6) The Jews have their form of government in Israel, where Arabs and palistinains can vote and take part in deomnstrations and not worry about getting lynched by neighbors who disagree with them. See how different this from say — Shiite & sunii, or for that matter any Muslim who is even slightly different from any other muslim. And who exactly are all those “AALL PALESTINIANS WHO HAVE BORNE FOR YEARS THE ORDELAS OF EXILE SHOULD ALSO PARTICIPATE IN THIS REFERENDUM.” And why does a Position-sensitive proportional counter systems for the detection of X-rays, neutrons, and charged particles nave anything to do with this? ORDELA.com?

    MY COMMENTS: Please click these and share with others who do not yet aware about the facts in GAZA. Maybe, once again maybe, zionist regime are spreading fake news and picture to the innocent people in Israel.

    7) Or is the author just another typical lazy barely literate writer promoting incoherence?
    MY COMMENTS: Which one is promoting coherence?
    A GENERAL REFERENDUM (for 99 %), or
    WAR-FOR-PROFIT (for 1% elite only)?

    8) And what of the Jews who were forcibly kicked out of all the Arab countries over the past 75 years?

    MY COMMENTS: The usurpers, imperialists, war-criminals SHOULD BE kicked out not only in all Arab countries, but in EVERY COUNTRY.
    The greedy Colonialist/Imperialist had been kick out from my country (Japanese, Hollander, Britton, Spain, etc). It is NOT the nation, but the ATTITUDE of greedy and arrogant colonialist-imperialist which is not acceptable. If someone come to my home with bad attitude (arrogant, greedy like dogs or gorillas) of course I will kick straight on his face, especially when he’d killed my children, women & elders. How about Israel? Who have in aggression to the State of Israel since Independence (from Mandatory Palestine) in 14 May 1948?

    9) So no, I do not have a “better proposal”, since that would mean that any kind of proposal actually exists as opposed to just another lame anti Jewish barely literate screed.

    MY COMMENT: The PROPOSAL for A GENERAL REFERENDUM will soon be acceptable by people who already receive and read this proposal with clear thinking and pure hearts. This proposal will be rejected by the 1% elite who make PROFITS from these wars.

    Which one is more favorable for 99% Jews & 99% Palestinians?
    a) WAR-FOR-PROFIT (for Netanyahu, Obama, Bush, Rostchild, etc), or
    b) GENERAL REFERENDUM (for 99% people in Palestina)

    10) I will make a small attempt to answer one question:
    Why cannot the Palestinian youths, who are among the most astute and resistant of Arab youth, overcome this unjust reality by their will and resolution?

    The answer is that a culture based on hate, death and destruction “we love death more than the Jews love life”, will never achieve anything except what they love, which is death and destruction. Try creating and inventing rather than destroying and killing. Maybe then you accomplish something.

    MY COMMENT:
    Too many facts bring us to the conclusion that :
    “Palestinians love FREEDOM (not death) and the only 1% zionist regime in ‘endless love’ with WAR-FOR-PROFIT for their dirty business & they don’t care with the the 99% Palestinians as well as the 99% Jews”.

    WAR-FOR-PROFIT destroy and kill Palestinians, Jews, Arabs, Vietnamese, Americans, Brittons, Europeans. And the 1% zionistic-greedy regime are LOOTING the 99% people tax by doing “dirty monkey business with producers & dealers of weapons which has no use at all”.
    I can give so many evidences about these.

    Salam. Shalom. Selamat. Om.

  24. Shalum

    What is it about Humans that causes us to do these things ? Its’s not only Israel, but pretty much everywhere, although Israel stands out at the top.

    Blame it on the leaders, yet thousand upon thousands have volunteered their lives to serve in the armies that battled each other.

    Why ? Religion. Politics, Money. Power ?

    When will it End or will it ?

    Prepare to Survive ? Then what ?

  25. Great work Nina!
    But indeed as Sina said, I missed the Persians.
    I saw their sign, but missed their men.
    Anyway, what a statement! Thought provoking while amusing… Huge!

  26. The first zionist settlers were mostly secular not ultra religious. The settler you portray is the post 1967 west bank settler.

  27. Hi Nina.So sad but so true.I would read the end of THE BOOK (The Bible) and add a scene after the nukes.The Bible does tell about peace in the end.

  28. לדוברי העברית שבין הצופים,
    הכיבוש הפרסי ושיבת ציון הראשונה בעקבות הצהרת “בלפור” של כורש נעלמו מן הסרטון. יתכן שיש לזה משמעות, ויתכן שזה תמים.
    בכל אופן ×–×” די מזכיר את חד גדיא שלנו , אלא ששם הקב”×” מחסל בסוף את מלאך המוות
    העמים שראו בארץ ראש גשר למעבר ושליטה באזורים ומשאבים אחרים, באים ונעלמים.
    מי שרואה במקום את ביתו שב וחוזר ,גם לאורך ההיסטוריה, וגם בסרטון.
    . אז כמו בתפילה לגשם- שלא יהיו בתינו קיברותינו- צריך לעצור את מלאך המוות. השאלה שנשארה בלתי פתורה – איך?

  29. The fighting between the Palestinians and Israelis is misleading. You make it look even. You mention nukes on the Israeli side but what you show is an equal force. I know you didn’t show it in all the other conflicts but this one is going on now, and the Israelis have been promoting this notion that they need to bomb, massacre, bulldoze homes, destroy olive trees, etc etc for self-defense. Do you really think it’s equal? You need to put the Israeli fighter bombers dropping phosphorus bombs and drones and tanks against some puny Palestinian rockets and stone-throwing children. Be careful about your cartooning stereotypes. The animation is great, and it will circulate widely, but you should be responsible in what kind of caricatures you are creating that people who really don’t know what’s going on over there now will take from this video. It’s distorting the horrible reality (the tremendous military aggression and occupation) that the Palestinians live under, and for what? for a cool video?

    Also,Zionism started with Hertzl in the 1800’s not as a reaction to Hitler’s Nazism but as a political movement. As a matter of fact, Nazism was fashioned after Zionism, a racist ideology of supremacy-in the case of Zionism: Jewish supremacy. This is obvious in Israeli’s refusal to let Palestinians stay living on their land (against all international laws), to live in peace and equality–they only want to exterminate them and steal their property. The Israelis make no genuine effort towards peace or human rights.

    I’d like to see your take on the conflicts of Europe, and Africa, and South America, and North America, and Asia and Australia. The Middle East is far from the worst as one of your commenters stated.

    Oh, and if you’re going to put Arab “terrorists” you need to put opposite them the Jewish Zionist settlers who are also terrorists. And throw some American politicians in there too since most of the Israeli weapons come from the US.

  30. Just found it! The instrumental at the end is “Exodus” by Quincy Jones. Would have been helpful if the creator mention it in the credits. Also great video, I think I might sing the song for a audition I be doing.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *