Indians Dreaming of Cowboys

"Peace Now, an Israeli group that opposes settlements, released a report on Saturday saying that at least 44 new settlement sites had been established in the West Bank since Mr Sharon was elected prime minister in February 2001. The outpost settlements are most vulnerable to attack by Palestinian militants because they are often located outside perimeter fences. Their residents are considered the most ideological and radical of the settlers. 'They imitate the Wild West. They have horses. They have cattle. They have guns. They are playing cowboy and treating others, in this case the Palestinians, as though they are the Indians,' said Amiram Goldblum of Peace Now." (Israel orders removal of illegal settlements, Barbara Demick, Los Angeles Times/Sydney Morning Herald, 1/7/02)

"Itamar has a wild west feel to it and Hayman, who was born in Hollywood and left the US for Israel 15 years ago, sees himself as a modern John Wayne, pioneering settlement in a hostile land. 'I'd rather be making the news than watching it in television,' he says." (Settled in & staying put, Catherine Taylor, The Australian, 6/7/02)

Got the pic?

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, two Australian 'Indians' are dreaming of cowboys:

Warren Mundine:

"Jewish people are a nation of people originating from a common geography, genealogy, language and religion. They were also dispossessed of land and sovereignty and dispersed over thousands of years, yet they maintain their identity as a people and nation." (Vilification law changes not about freedom but how we think about race, Sydney Morning Herald, 18/12/13)

Noel Pearson:

"In the legal world, Arnold Bloch Leibler is a force of nature, with clients including a disproportionate share of the country's wealthiest companies and families, and a vast pro bono practice stretching from the Yolngu of Arnhem Land to the Yorta Yorta of Victoria. During an articled clerkship at ABL's Collins Street headquarters I came to know the story of Australia's Jewish community and how a people endured oppression and discrimination through history; how they rose up from the ashes of the Holocaust." (Invaluable lessons in striving on behalf of one's community while serving humanity, The Australian, 21/12/13)