Do You Read Arabic? I Read Pictures.

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The Difference






Sent in by one of our peripatetic readers, off in the ether zone this time. She probably presumed I read Arabic???

Would someone translate the words? Do they confirm or contradict the obvious surface meaning of the cartoon?

25 thoughts on “Do You Read Arabic? I Read Pictures.”

  5. It’s older Israeli Army kit. And, I’m not a “she”. But, I’m still out in the ether traveling. I’ve got the GoTo blah blah PC app installed and any where I can get public wireless; I simply click my heels together three times and say, “There’s no place like home”.

    A confrere sent it to me after a discussion of “hearts and minds”. The origin is unknown and I’ve not been anywhere I could ask a Hebrew speaker for a translation.

    It’s pretty strong, though. Meant for internal consumption.

  6. This was something I believe I saw on omdurman.org’s site. It shows the difference between Hamas using women and children as human shields, and the Israeli soldier shielding women and children. The difference between cowardice and bravery.

  8. Dymphna: Sorry to disappoint. Just checked again; still got the guy bits. And, there are still a couple of layers of sock puppets between my Web presence and the me in meat space.

  12. The word on the right is “ruach,” which means “spirit.” I didn’t recognize “Tzahal,” but being an acronym for “Israeli Defense Forces,” it’s not biblical Hebrew anyway.

    As has been pointed out, the expression means “Spirit of the Israeli Defense Forces.”

    Jeffery Hodges

    * * *

  13. So that’s what “ruach” looks like.

    It’s a good thing my elderly Jewish cousin-in-law doesn’t do computers…he would look at my mistake and swear it was genetic that I didn’t recognize Hebrew…

    …once, my Irish cousin, his wife, decided she’d learn Hebrew and that her husband would teach her. So every night after dinner they would sit down with a drink and attempt a Hebrew lesson. After half an hour or so, Jewish husband would mutter something about “thick micks” and the Dublin lass would be on about “the Hebe in the house.”

    Otherwise, they got along fine.

    But as you see, my failing is, indeed, genetic.

  14. senescent wasp:

    when you say this is meant for internal consumption…am I to consume the image or merely internalize it?

    Just asking.

    And of course, I knew you weren’t no girl…not in any of your disguises. Though it’s one you might consider if your legs aren’t too hairy.

    Or a burqa maybe.

    Thanks,everyone, for your help. I’m considering getting one of those T-shirts. A great outfit to wear to an Episcopal service.

  16. Great picture. Maybe it really should be translated into Arabic for some tshirts going to other markets. Might not sell too well, but hopefully the message, even if not purchased, would fester inside once it is seen.

  18. I’ve seen this before…it’s Hebrew, of course…and it shows the difference between the Arab, using women and children as shields, and the Israeli soldier, standing in front of women and children to protect them…
    It is used to show that the ones who state “equivalence” between attacking a grandmother at passover is not the same as aiming a missle at a terrorist leader who deliberately hides in a house full of women and children to discourage the Israelis from killing him…

  20. Soory I was looking at another posting-

    Ruach Zahal – does mean the spirit of the Army – sorry if someone reads the above – and misunderstands

  21. Hi Dymphna

    This can be loosely translated as
    ruach Tzahal…`spirit (or motivation) of the tzahal, or Israeli Army.

    This is a pretty well known graphic in cetain circles, and it contrasts the spirit/purpose of the IDF in protecting women and children as opposed to Palestinian terrorists hiding behind their women and children.

    Apropos indeed….Am Yisroal Chai!

  22. Hi Dymphna

    Great blog. I saw this picture a while back. Not sure where though. The writing is indeed Hebrew.

    Arabic is much more cursive. Hebrew is distinguished from Arabic by being more “blocky”.

  23. This must be an older IDF poster designed to inculcate the IDF ethos, “Purity of Arms (http://www1.idf.il/dover/site/mainpage.asp?sl=EN&id=32)” to the troops.

    The IDF ethos remains the same. On the other hand, the pictures of the Islamist side could be modified to be more accurate and timely. I would suggest that the male Jihadi should be depicted as hiding very far away or perhaps off cashing an EU relief check. The female should be equipped with a bomb belt under the burka in the general vicinity of her womb.

  24. 3 arguments to dismiss this somewhat propaganda:

    1. If Israeli soldier really shields women and children from the casualties of war, then why are they now targeting missiles to civilians? Like what is happening right now? A university? Come on, where are your humanitarian image as proposed?

    2. Seriously, they don’t give a damn to any walking Palestinians, a boy with rocks and stone versus a completely armed Israeli soldier? They don’t look like a Hamas Islamist to me….and certainly that doesn’t look like the picture as proposed

    3. Now Hamas is proposing truce, rejected by the Israeli government, now who really is promoting violence and continued gun fighting? Just for a single captured Israeli soldier, hundreds of innocent lives are taken away, and by the way how many Palestinians are caught again? Oh, hundreds. What a shame.

    Three reasons; Outrageous civilian targets, violent war conducts, and of course unjustified, unreasonable standings in the fight

  25. Salah El Din is coming soon insha Allah.
    Al Qouds is Arabic the history assured that

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