Tuesday, July 18, 2023
Elder of Ziyon
From Israel Today:
Backgammon (“Shesh-Besh” in this part of the world) is thousands of years old and remains a popular pastime among Arabs and Jews. There is even a tournament held annually in Jerusalem’s Old City. Held for the first time in 2016, the “Jerusalem Double” event aims to “tear down walls.”Shesh-Besh is just the right tool for this purpose, as the game has been played in the Middle East for as long as there have been humans. Neither Jews nor Arabs can claim it as the game seems to predate both cultures.The enthusiasm of the participants, who come from all parts of Israeli society, is correspondingly high. There are walls not only between Jews and Arabs, but also between the secular and the religious, between the young and the old, and between the citizens of the capital and rural areas. All of these communities are represented at the Jerusalem Double, traveling from across the country to take home 25,000 shekels as the winner.This game, which can last anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours, really breaks down walls as you can’t help but exchange a few words while pondering your next move and sipping your Turkish coffee.In Shesh-Besh, maneuvering pieces across the board is all about strategy, but since dice are involved, there’s also a good deal of luck. That doesn’t bother the players in this religious region. It may even be that there is more prayer at this tournament than in some synagogues or mosques.A tournament where people come together and shake hands after playing is a symbolism that is urgently needed in today’s rushed world.
Who can possibly have a problem with Jews and Arabs playing a board game together at the entrance to the Old City?
The "Eye on Jerusalem" program, which was shown by Jordanian TV, yesterday, Monday, monitored the "Shesh Besh" festival, which is being held by the Israeli occupation municipality in the Bab Al-Jadid area.In its weekly report, filmed in Jerusalem, the program showed scenes from the festival held by the occupation municipality in Bab Al-Jadid, located in the far west of the Old City in Al-Quds Al-Sharif, as part of the occupation municipality's procedures to Judaize it.He explained that this festival is now imposing itself annually, as it includes a tournament in the dice game, and musical activities for Jewish settlers, which are held in front of Arab shops and the ancient walls of Jerusalem.The video clips also showed that the Jewish settlers behave in the neighborhood as if its people did not exist, ignoring that they are attacking the sanctity of an authentic Arab neighborhood in Jerusalem, despite the objection of the heads of churches and residents to these Judaization measures.A resident of the Christian Quarter in ancient Jerusalem, Nabil Abdullah, said that what is happening in Bab al-Jadid is an advanced attempt to change the features of this place, because it has an Arab-Palestinian Christian character for thousands of years, adding that holding these activities there falls under the heading of "facts on the ground.".The report indicated that the occupation municipality has allocated a huge budget for this Judaizing activity, in an effort to create a new reality in that area, to be part of the Jewish narrative amid a complete absence of the narrative of the people of the city...In turn, the Jerusalem Director of Church Relations, Youssef Al-Zaher, said in a video call from Jerusalem that the event and its accompanying activities are considered alien to the neighborhood, and constitute a cultural occupation of it.
Look at the photo above and see how much this is "Judaizing" the neighborhood!
The report makes it clear: the existence of Jews is what they object to.
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