The lessons of the Mickey Mouse affair

Mickey

Some good news were coming from Palestine this week: Hamas has suspended the Mickey Mouse look-alike TV show, and the Palestinian information minister said the program represented a "mistaken approach" to the struggle against Israel. If you weren't following this insignificant story, here it is in short: Hamas militants have enlisted a figure called Farfur, which strongly resembles Mickey Mouse, to broadcast their message of armed Islamic resistance to children. The outcry and protest could be heard from coast to coast. In an interview with the New York Daily News, even Walt Disney's daughter, Diane Disney Miller, was called to denounced the use of Mickey Mouse's image for "indoctrinating children like this, teaching them to be evil."

Google this story and you'll find hundreds of related news stories, comments, analyses, and even satire. Israel was quick to understand the potential of this story as a propaganda tool. "This cult of martyrdom has inspired Palestinian children to take an increasingly active role in the violence," says the statement from the Foreign Affairs Ministry.

The Los Angeles Times Editorial on Thursday offered a somewhat pessimistic assessment of the outcome of this affair: "There's an important lesson to be learned here - that you don't get to participate in modernity halfway. Sadly, the resolution of Farfurgate teaches precisely the opposite."

The LAT calls on Disney to sue Hamas for its use of Mickey. But what's the message here, that you can teach hatred as long as you don't use our sacred symbols to do it? The story of Farfur reveals more about the ways of international public opinion than it does about Hamas and the other extremist groups. Hamas didn't do anything of significance it didn't do in the past - or will do in the future. Preaching hatred to kids didn't start with Farfur, nor will it end when he is gone. It will just go back to sneak under the radar screen.

As long as no sacred symbols of the west are used, the world will be able to ignore it.

Caricature

A Washington fried suggested to me today that this is the Danish caricature story
in reverse: now it's the west's turn to be offended by people using its sacred symbols in an improper way.

There's a kernel of truth to this, but there's also a huge difference: no violence was used as to protest the misuse of Mickey. My friend thinks this is a technical difference. I think it's as significant as can be.

Herod

Following Thursday's blog about Herod and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, readers brought to my attention the fact that several archaeological journals do not accept articles about findings coming from the occupied territories. The policy of publications associated with The American Schools of Oriental Research is quite clear: "ASOR shall not publish any report of an archaeological excavation or survey carried out or licensed by an occupying Power."

Correction

Two days ago I wrote about the stormy events in the World Jewish Congress. Writing in haste, I started my feature writing about an event in Washington as if it was a WJC event.

Well, it wasn't. It was an American Jewish Congress event.

I have many excuses with which to explain this confusion, but I will save them from you. I should be ashamed, and I am.