Israel-Palestinian conflict writ large on road signs - Page 2

Gerald · 08-17-11, 04:49 AM

The increasingly heated dispute over place names in Israel underlies a much greater political struggle, the BBC's Yolande Knell explains from Jerusalem.

"Where are you going?" asked the friendly, but slightly over-familiar, Jewish-Israeli boy sitting next to me on the plane from London.

"I work in Jerusalem," I replied.

His smile instantly turned to a scowl. "It's not Jerusalem," he said. "It's Yerushalayim".

Many road signs are tri-lingual.

"That's in Hebrew, but in English we say Jerusalem," I protested and I was about to add - somewhat mischievously - that my Palestinian friends refer to it as "al-Quds" - the Arabic name for the city.

But at that point, the boy's little sister spilled orange juice over his lap. Our conversation was cut short.

Land may be at the heart of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict but every day the struggle to control the historical narrative is played out most tangibly in language.

Place names are the most obvious example.

If some prominent politicians on the Israeli right have their way, then in future the road signs here will only point to "Yerushalayim".

A proposal to have all signs displaying just the transliterations of Hebrew names of cities and towns is being considered by a new ministerial committee.

There is strong opposition among Israel's population of more than one million Arab-Israelis but also from members of the Government Names Committee.

These independent experts have been responsible for selecting place names since the 1950s - not long after the creation of the state of Israel. They argue that changing the system will confuse tourists.

'Powerful symbols'

But others believe that complete Judaisation of the map is long overdue.

At 32, Tzipi Hotovely is the youngest member of the Israeli parliament. A well-qualified lawyer and religious right-winger, she is also seen as the ideological voice and rising star of the prime minister's Likud party.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-14515035

Note: 17 August 2011 Last updated at 00:30 GMT

08-17-11, 04:49 AM	#1
Gerald SUBSIM Newsman Join Date: May 2008 Location: Close to sea Posts: 24,254 Downloads: 553 Uploads: 0	Israel-Palestinian conflict writ large on road signs The increasingly heated dispute over place names in Israel underlies a much greater political struggle, the BBC's Yolande Knell explains from Jerusalem. "Where are you going?" asked the friendly, but slightly over-familiar, Jewish-Israeli boy sitting next to me on the plane from London. "I work in Jerusalem," I replied. His smile instantly turned to a scowl. "It's not Jerusalem," he said. "It's Yerushalayim". Many road signs are tri-lingual. "That's in Hebrew, but in English we say Jerusalem," I protested and I was about to add - somewhat mischievously - that my Palestinian friends refer to it as "al-Quds" - the Arabic name for the city. But at that point, the boy's little sister spilled orange juice over his lap. Our conversation was cut short. Land may be at the heart of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict but every day the struggle to control the historical narrative is played out most tangibly in language. Place names are the most obvious example. If some prominent politicians on the Israeli right have their way, then in future the road signs here will only point to "Yerushalayim". A proposal to have all signs displaying just the transliterations of Hebrew names of cities and towns is being considered by a new ministerial committee. There is strong opposition among Israel's population of more than one million Arab-Israelis but also from members of the Government Names Committee. These independent experts have been responsible for selecting place names since the 1950s - not long after the creation of the state of Israel. They argue that changing the system will confuse tourists. 'Powerful symbols' But others believe that complete Judaisation of the map is long overdue. At 32, Tzipi Hotovely is the youngest member of the Israeli parliament. A well-qualified lawyer and religious right-winger, she is also seen as the ideological voice and rising star of the prime minister's Likud party. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-14515035 Note: 17 August 2011 Last updated at 00:30 GMT __________________ Nothing in life is to be feard,it is only to be understood. Marie Curie