Saturday 21 August 2004

Cruel and Unusual

When working with a bunch of Israelis over in Germany, I became aware that Israel and Australia shared a national passion : Barbecues.

The Red-Sea Pedestrians I worked with called the Noble Art of Barbecue their 'National Sport', and referred to numerous passages about 'Burnt Offerings' in the Old Testament/Torah to bolster their claim that, if they hadn't actually invented it, they've certainly got at least 3000 years of practice in it.

Hence the following outraged article from Arab News, English Language news service in Saudi Arabia ( and spotted by Currency Lad ):
GAZA CITY, 17 August 2004 : Israel yesterday announced plans to use the aromas of barbecues and fresh bread to break a day-old hunger strike by Palestinian prisoners. The 1,700 inmates, seen by Palestinians as symbols of resistance to Israeli occupation, want wardens to stop strip searches, allow more frequent family visits, improve sanitary conditions and install public telephones, supporters said.

Israeli officials call the protest launched Sunday a ploy by the prisoners to secure easier communication with groups waging an almost four-year-old uprising, and have vowed to fight their liquids-only fast.

The Prisons Service said it would draw on tactics used in hunger strikes by jailed Northern Irish militants in the 1970s and 1980s, such as withholding basic amenities. "Among the various methods we plan to employ is holding barbecues outside the walls of the affected prisons," a Prisons Service spokesman said.

"We look at psychological means to deal with problems like this," Prisons Service spokesman Ofer Lefler said. “Our interest is to return prisoners to eating as soon as possible.” He said no decision had been made on when to begin the threatened cookouts.
Utter, Utter, Utter BASTARDS!

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