Obviously I think there are many good things in Israel and in Tel Aviv in particular, or I wouldn’t have written a guide showcasing them. I want people to know there are good things happening in Israel and Tel Aviv that are worth finding out about and exploring. There are many good people here, too, doing some great work in many fields. Ultimately, the vast majority of the people in Tel Aviv just want to get on with their lives and are no better or worse than people anywhere else. There are things in Israel apart from politics.
On the other hand, politics are a matter of life and death in Israel. The purpose of my guide is not to whitewash all the nasty stuff Israeli does (and it does some pretty nasty stuff), but rather to encourage visitors to see an alternative view of the complex situation in Israel – the one less talked about by both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. This could involve going to an underground party or eating at a secret restaurant only locals know about, but it could also involve learning about the broader context of the conflict by going on a political study tour to Hebron or speaking to local Israeli Jewish activists who don’t toe the government line. Sometimes, you need to see things with your own eyes, the good and the bad, if you’re going to really understand a place.
Recently, I’ve noticed a few Hasbara (<–good link, follow it) sites pointing at my guide. Hasbara is the Israeli government’s PR for foreigners / propaganda machine, which operates on several fronts. One of these fronts is all about shifting the topic of conversation away from the occupation and Israel’s war crimes by encouraging Israeli citizens to tell people abroad about the “good things Israel does” and also to rave about such things using all kinds of dedicated websites. As much as I enjoy the extra publicity and being able to piggy back on the full might of the propaganda machine, I don’t want to be associated with the war effort. I strongly disagree with the way the Hasbara handles freedom of speech both in and outside Israel.
I don’t like it when government employees who are about as far away from the underground scene as can be raid my site for info to use in the Hasbara efforts. Hasbara is not all about showing how cool Israel is. Sometimes it’s about smearing valid critics as anti-semites or trying to bring in laws to make criticism from within Israel illegal (yes, several such laws have been proposed recently). The idea that Israel is a democratic state that allows alternative discourse among its citizens is simply not true. The current government is pretty damn scary.
While this does not make the Tel Aviv underground scene any less vibrant and valid, it does mean the country as a whole is not exactly paradise.
So just in case there are any doubts:
- DIY Tel Aviv is in no way related to, funded by, supported by or supportive of the Hasbara project, the Israeli government and the vast majority of the policies of the Israeli state.
- DIY Tel Aviv is pro-peace and pro-personal freedom. This means I’m no fan of Hamas, religion-based intolerance (anywhere) or terrorists who target innocent people. I’m also no fan of the occupation and the Israeli army.
- As far as I’m concerned, all the cool, underground and alternative things that happen in Tel Aviv and in Israel happen in spite of and not because of the Israeli government and its policies.
Beautiful things happen in this country all the time but it’s not the government that makes them happen. The government usually tries to stand in the way.
So if you want to visit Tel Aviv and see the alternative, underground sides of it, please do. There are some great things to see and do here and wonderful people to meet. But please don’t forget about the darker sides Israel has and please use the information in my guide to learn more about the situation if you can. Maybe you can help make it better in some way. Who knows?
PS. If you disagree with the views expressed on this page, please read this post.
