Ye olde grievance shoppe

It’s hard to match the title A Chronicle of Gaza, in Kitsch Form with the opening paragraph:

“I can offer you a discount on the headbands,” said Tareq Abu Dayyeh, souvenir-store owner. “They’re just like the kind used by suicide bombers.”

I don’t think of glamorizing suicide bombers as kitschy, tasteless would be a better word. But here’s the gist of the story from the reporter Daniel Williams.

Since then, the shop has been a one-stop barometer of Palestinian fortunes, selling kitsch that chronicles war, political infighting and Gaza’s isolation since 2006, when Israel began to blockade the coastal strip.

When the store opened, it was called the PLO Flag Shop, and the souvenirs reflected hope. Yasir Arafat, the leader of the Palestine Liberation Organization, had returned from exile to take control of parts of Gaza and the West Bank. Peace seemed to be on the horizon and in tribute the shop displayed little crossed Israeli and Palestinian flag pins and key chains, Israeli flags and menorahs, the candelabra that is a symbol of Judaism.

A big seller was an inflatable vinyl pillow imprinted with Mr. Arafat’s smiling face. One that was purchased in 1995 deflated after a few months.

Israeli-themed mementos fell out of favor in the late 1990s as peace talks foundered, the Israeli settlements expanded and Hamas carried out a suicide-bomb campaign inside Israel. Posters of Saddam Hussein, who supported Palestinian liberation, were the rage.

If you look for the word “terror” in this article, you won’t find it, though Williams acknowledges a “suicide-bomb campaign.” The problem is that the terror is presented as an afterthought. It’s probably the main reason that the “peace talks foundered.” My guess is that mementos glamorizing terrorists – such as the above mentioned headbands – were very popular sellers, and, maybe, still are.

However, this might be the most telling paragraph:

The upbeat mood did not last. In 2006, Danish flags became a hot item, purchased to torch in protest of cartoons depicting Muhammad, the prophet of Islam, published in a Danish newspaper. That summer, Hezbollah, the Lebanese militia and party, fought a 33-day war with Israel, and Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah’s leader, became a subject of heroic portrait posters.

What do the Danish cartoons have to do with changing fortunes of Middle East peace? Nothing, but it was an episode of international Muslim grievances against the West. Nasrallah too, fought Israel after Israel withdrew from southern Lebanon and the supposed reason for Hezbollah’s existence disappeared. But Nasrallah is a hero because he attacked Israel with rockets.

The PLO flag does, as Williams say, reflect the recent history of the Middle East, but it is through the lens of Palestinian (and Arab) grievances.

Crossposted on Soccer Dad.