A group of Jordanian advertising and media professionals have created an ad campaign for the Palestinians that purports to educate the West about Israel's "unjust" occupation of Palestinian land.
The campaign, posted at Dying2Live.com, was created by volunteer Jordanian media and advertising specialists, graphic artists and Web designers. It attempts to "mobilize public opinion, to open the world's eyes to the various [Israeli] violations of basic human rights, in an effort to bring forth the plight of the Palestinians to the Western world in a language they understand."
The campaign features still photographs of Palestinian children, in playful or rueful poses, and superimposes them with notable American and international icons. A message is added for effect, and the children's poses usually match those of the icons.
In one, a grinning Palestinian boy is posing next to a graphic of classic film star Charlie Chaplin, coupled with the message, "Bassem of Palestine fancies becoming a Charlie Chaplin: Dare we say he can laugh out loud?"
In another, a different boy is seen next to Abraham Lincoln, with the message, "Zaid of Palestine aspires to be an Abraham Lincoln: Dare we say aspirations are not for fools?"
In still another, a young girl is superimposed next to Mother Teresa, saying, "Sarah of Palestine hopes to be a Mother Teresa: Dare we say hope still exists?"
Each photomontage contains an additional message, and each also comes with a graphic that features a Palestinian flag and this phrase: "Palestine. Dying to Live." Only children are featured in the campaign.
"We are all volunteers and belong to no political party. We realize that running this campaign in major papers in the West is not only costly, but needs calculated strategic planning," says a message on the site describing the campaign. Site developers said the point of the campaign's message "does not purport to spread confrontational, aggressive, graphic material, but rather to appeal to audiences' human side."
"Help us break the silence," the site says, without providing the names of the media professionals who developed the campaign.
An e-mail address for anyone requesting information is the only point of contact on the site. WND requests for comment went unanswered by press time, however.
Some observers interpret the name of the site, Dying2Live.com, as a subtle glorification of suicide bombing. According to a post on the site littlegreenfootball.com, "The purpose of this campaign … seems to be to legitimize the martyrdom concept to a Western audience. Of course, the word 'martyr' does not appear."
Meanwhile, Israeli officials yesterday froze plans to ease the government's West Bank crackdown and start talks with Palestinian leaders following a pair of suicide bombing attacks in Tel Aviv that killed three people.
A statement issued from Israeli Defense Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer's office said plans had been drawn up to loosen restrictions on Palestinian civilians in seven cities reoccupied by the army last month, but the plan has been put on hold for the time being.
"Israel is striving to ease the conditions as much as possible for the broader Palestinian population, but Palestinian terror is continuing to perpetuate the suffering (of the population)," said the statement.
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