Ep#26 – An Aussie In Israel

An Aussie atheist living in Israel joins me on The #GSPodcastEddie (@eddieBohls) will be giving us a first-hand account of what life is like in Israel during this latest round of conflict with Gaza. He’ll be telling us what the protocol for a rocket attack is, and give us some details on the ‘Iron Dome’.

Also available on Stitcher , iTunes & Mp3 Download

Support the podcast at www.patreon.com/gspellchecker


Relevant Links
Is Hamas using human shields in Gaza?
Children being encouraged to kill Jews on Hamas Children’s TV Show

Eddie’s Footage of the Iron Dome (YouTube)
Israeli forces restoring electricity to Gaza
Palestinian Children killed on beach
3 Israeli boys abducted and murdered.
1 Palestinian boy murdered.

15 comments

  • Way too long an introduction dude 🙂

  • Thanks to you for bringing us this and to Eddie for his time. Very interesting to hear an inside account from Israel giving another perspective. Brave of you both to do this given the current climate. A tragic accident of history.

  • Hey GS, I love your podcast and I tried to listen to this episode but I couldn’t stand the BS!

    I will start this by saying I don’t think either side is in the right here! This is a religious conflict from start to finish with the Israelis being supported by the west, especially the hyper religious USA.

    When the Palestinian land was annexed by the UN at the urging of the USA to give the Jewish survivors of the attrocities of WWII somewhere to rebuild their lives. At the time it was a fair split although it was just taken from the Palestianins, but ever since 1947 the Jewish people have taken more land from the Palestians. In 1948 they became Israelis and they have taken more and more land from the Palestians.

    So let’s put this another way, what if I decided that your house was perfect. I don’t ask you but I move my family into your house, now you can ring the police or ask your neighbours for help but they fully support my family and myself. So you and your family are now living in the laundry of your house, having to beg and bargain to access to the toilet and the kitchen, you are cold and hungry in your own home!
    I am now eating your food, sleeping in your bed and just generally making life miserable for you and your loved ones so you lash out and attack. Now you really start to see suffering because you have become the aggressor and the police see me as the victim and allow me to stop supplying you food and water.
    Because there are terrorists with the same last name as yourself in the surrounding towns people just see you as a terrorist and start to see you and your family as not worthy of help.

    I know that this is an extremely simplified view, and the Palestinians have done wrong. Hamas are doing some insanely stupid things, but we have Israel and their torah believing settlers being pricks with Team America worlds police backing them and the rest of the western world towing the line.
    Since 11/09/2001 we have the world media just itching to show the islamists as terroristic scumbags, and many of them are but everybody has turned a blind eye to the land gouging that the Israelis have been doing since 1947 and a lot of this is done because they believe that the Torah says it’s their right!

    I know that if my home was just taken, I would fight and I would do everything within my power to get it back. So add to this the fact that it’s three different religions all believing that they are doing the right thing it’s just a destructive shit fight! But blaming the true victim is bullshit, and until the world stands up and says Israel time to get your settlers out of Palestinian land and to allow Palestianins free access throughout Palestinian land innocent people are going to die.
    When Israeli hard liners claim that they need to mow the grass from time to time, things look bleak.

    In closing neither side is doing the right thing and innocent people on both sides are dying! But one side is the aggressor here! GS I love your work, and I have learnt loads from you and I will be listening to your next show! I just don’t think that the Australian you interviewed would be terribly happy if I decided to move I to his house and live off his stuff!

    Cheers Alden

    • Firstly, thank you for your comments and kind words. Regretfully this is nothing more than a lengthy and unnecessary rant on your part.

      The podcast explained from the outset in no uncertain terms that you were to hear a particular perspective of first-hand experience, from a particular person, in a particular place, in a particular situation. You seem to be labelling this as ‘bs’ simply because they refused to speak from the perspective of an oppressed Palestinian (they are not by the way). I fear you’ve misunderstood the purpose of this episode, and must have completely ignored its explicitly stated aims laid out in the introduction. You seem to be critical of my guest simply for sharing his experience, instead of a) sharing someone else’s or b) sharing your viewpoint.

      I just don’t think that the Australian you interviewed would be terribly happy if I decided to move I to his house and live off his stuff!

      Where did he imply he would? I don’t even recall an opinion being offered on the land issue during the podcast. This one point really summarises how its almost impossible for some people to speak (or even listen) about this issue objectively, without wanting to push their views.

      If you want to address any actual points mentioned in the podcast, feel free.

      EDIT: Apologies if this seems overly forthright. It can be frustrating putting so much time and energy in to creating something, including safeguards (4 min spoken intro) to ensure it won’t be misunderstood, then having it misunderstood anyway:-) I do appreciate you taking the time to listen and comment regardless, and wish no ill-feeling.

      • GS, sorry for the length of the post I was not trying to discount the persons views on how tough it must be living in Israel at the moment. I am not sure how he can claim that the issues causing innocent people to die as anything other then religious, he stated that it wasn’t.
        My talking about the land was in regards to his comments all the good things that Israel are/have been doing to solve the problems, but how the Palestinians keep attacking them. But the Palestinians are still losing land and their freedoms that’s all, I was just trying to make a point in a simpler way.

        I hope that something happens to solve the tension so that more innocent lives are not lost, but I cannot see that happening.

        Cheers Alden

        • Hi Alden,

          Thanks again for your comments. I’ll just address a few, or perhaps ask some questions.

          I am not sure how he can claim that the issues causing innocent people to die as anything other then religious, he stated that it wasn’t.

          Did he? Without listening again I can’t be sure what part you’re referring to. I recollect asking him whether people there (meaning the natives) consider this a religious conflict, rather than asking him whether he considers it as much. Regardless, there is a lot of debate on this, and good points on either side. I’ve no problem myself with affirming this as a religious conflict, as I think it is. But I don’t ask my guests on to tell me what I think:-)

          My talking about the land was in regards to his comments all the good things that Israel are/have been doing to solve the problems, but how the Palestinians keep attacking them. But the Palestinians are still losing land and their freedoms that’s all, I was just trying to make a point in a simpler way.

          And you may absolutely have a point, but it doesn’t invalidate his observations about Israel, and the attitudes of the Israeli people as ‘bs’.

          I hope that something happens to solve the tension so that more innocent lives are not lost, but I cannot see that happening.

          Completely agree.

          Thanks again,

          GS

  • Hey GS, ok I was out of line by saying what he was saying was BS! I shouldn’t have said that and I will say I shouldn’t have disregarded his views I apologise. With listening to your opening statement again you said you weren’t trying to make the show a pro-israeli fest, I am trying to find the point to make sure the point about this not being a religious issue.

    Ok you asked if it was recognised as a religious conflict in Tel Aviv and he said definitely not but beforehand he was saying that the surrounding nations were all islamists who wouldn’t stop until the Jews were out of their lands.

    I screwed up having a pop at you GS, I should just tweet Eddie instead. You did a good thing bringing somebody on to bring out more talking points, I have been accused of being an anti Semite because I don’t see the Palestinians as bad people and that I think that Israeli government and the western world is letting down the Israeli citizens.

    I think that the way things have been for the past sixty years for the Palestinians isn’t anything less than oppression. Again I don think either side is right!

    Mate I screwed up, I missed a part of your opening statement and I thank you for everything you do.

    Cheers Alden

  • Hey GS, another great podcast.
    I confess to being more or less ignorant to the situation as a whole in this troubled part of the world, apart from the coverage we get in the news in the UK, so it is so enlightening and refreshing to here from someone actually there. Albeit from one side of the border.

    Personally, I thought it was an unbiased opinion piece and I’d be so interested to here from someone on the “other side” of the conflict. Although as you say, they’ve probably got a bit on their plate at the minute to come on a podcast but here’s hoping.

    Keep doing what you do man, it’s all very good!

  • I’ve annoyed myself with my spelling and grammar. Oh well, at least GS can correct me. Just for good measure… Athiest…

  • Gents, let me clarify the things I said about whether this is considered a religious war or not.

    This is undoubtedly a religious war.
    However it is not Jews against Muslims or vice versa.

    It is Islamic extremists against anyone who is not.

    Look at ISIS (Daash) in Iraq and Syria.
    They are killing the ‘heretics’ within their own people.
    Jews – as a whole – are on high the agenda.
    As are Christians and anyone else.

    In my experience living in Israel, they do not fight in the name of their religion.

    They fight to save their houses, their children, their mothers and fathers and each other……They fight for their right to exist.

    That is what I meant when I suggested it is not considered a religious war here. They are not planning military missions based on scripture.

    -There is no celebrating ‘God is Great’ when a Muslim death occurs.
    -There is genuine sadness for those that are caught in the middle that don’t share the same sentiment as their governors.
    -There is no lambasting of Islam as a whole.

    It is a war where religion commands the actions of one, but not the other.

    I hope I have clarified my remarks.

    As you know I am an Australian atheist with no agenda, influence or bias.

    My comments are based on what I see, hear and experience during my extensive travels throughout the Middle East in the past 10 years.

    I am writing a new blog where I hope to expand on this further.
    But first, it’s time for a beer.

    Best to Alden and the mighty GSPELL.

    Ed

    @eddieBOHLS
    http://eddiebohls.blogspot.co.il/

  • Hello Eddie, thanks for your reply and I am sorry for dissing your comments I was out of line.
    I am interested in knowing what the thoughts are about the Israeli settlers who are moving into and building on Palestinian lands because they believe that all the land has been given to the Jewish people by god and that no man made law will stop them.
    Sunday night 60 minutes Australia, had a story on what is happening at the moment and it wasn’t the usual Israel good and Palestinians bad that has been in the news lately. They interviewed the head of the Israeli group Settlement Watch and she made some great points about how these Israeli people who are ignoring everybody are causing huge problems and if they would stop things might cool down. If the maps are to be believed the Palestinians have lost a lot of their land since 1948 and freedoms with the walls and border crossings. I am not saying that they haven’t done things to deserve not to be trusted!

    This is a horrid situation, neither side is right! But I do think that it’s too easy to say that the Muslims are just out to kill the Jews, because there are Jewish people who would be happy to do the same. I think that the west are a little kinder to to Jewish people because of the ties to christianity?

    I am also an Australian atheist, who is trying to be neutral and looking for information on each side I just look at the simple human nature thing of the stolen lands with the addition of the opposing religious beliefs and maybe I am just being too kind to the Palestinians. I know GS said that they aren’t oppressed, so maybe I am missing something but I am glad that you replied Eddie!

    Cheers Alden

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