Queen of Hypocrisy

Rania, queen of Jordan recently publised a children's book, along with an American writer - Kelly DiPucchio, and an American illustrator - Tricia Tusa.

The book is called "The Sandwich Swap" and it speaks about two girls who come from different cultures: Salma has pita and humus, representing the Arabic "world", and Lily has a sandwich with peanut butter and jelly, obviously representing America. At first, the two girls don't get together, but later - as the story "evolves" - they become friends and they share their lunch with each other.

As a kids, educational, story - this is all very nice. The problem is when this comes to "real life", and that is where the queen failed: when offered to translate her book to Hebrew - Her Highness refused.

As far as the Jordanian queen - who is originally a Palestinian - is concerned - it's okay to share, trade, become friends - all of this is very nice, but doesn't apply to Israelies, and the only way the queen could make this any clearer was to say that Lily and Salma become friends only to join forces against Sara and her Matzo bread...

The thin red line

"Jerusalem is a red line and the world should not be silent about Israel's attempts to get rid of Jerusalem's Arabs residents, Muslims or Christians... to stop Israel's provocative measures in Jerusalem, that seek to change its identity and threaten holy sites there" said today Jordan's King Abdullah II to the visiting EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton.

Let's read this again, shall we? "...Israel's attempts to get rid of Jerusalem's Arabs residents"? "seek to change its identity...?" Without hesitation and without any shame, His Royal King dares telling this blunt lie, knowing that it was his forefather who did exactly this - killing and deporting Jerusalem's Jewish inhabitants.

Abdullah knows that if Israel really wanted - not a single Muslim would have lived in Jerusalem, but instead - Jews are not allowed to pray in the Temple Mountain - Judaism's holiest site - while Muslims are allowed to. Abdullah knows that Israel is doing this of its own good will: after all, the Arab countries tried many times before to destroy Israel and failed.

Abdullah knows all that, and still - he dares lying to an official EU delegate. I know his late father would have buried himself alive, had he seen his son king lie like that, but apparently this king has no shame, no sense of dignity, and most of all - no respect to the truth.

But you know what really bothers me? Knowing that the king wouldn't dare lying, if he knew that the person he's talking to actually cares about the truth, and Catherine Ashton apparently doesn't care.