A Waltz with Mahathir: An Israeli comments in a blog of a Malaysian leader (Ynetnews)

Found an interesting piece in Ynetnews website after Hanan vs. Mahathir fever in Chedet. The popularity extended to Israel news website called: Ynetnews. The piece entitled: A Waltz with Mahathir: An Israeli comments in a blog of a Malaysian leader was generated & posted below for public viewing.

The Ynetnews Interview with Hanan on Chedet's website (Hebrew)
http://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-3666845,00.html

http://translate.google.com/translate?prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ynet.co.il%2Farticles%2F0%2C7340%2CL-3666845%2C00.html&sl=iw&tl=en&history_state0= (English Translation with Google-Translate)

Below is the complete version:
A Waltz with Mahathir: An Israeli comments in a blog of a Malaysian leader

The former Malaysian PM, Dr. Mahathir Mohammad bumped recently an unexpected reactor in his blog after he published an article against the bombardment in Gaza and proposed to boycott Israel. The reactor, an Israeli named Hanan, self recruiting, took voluntarily the mission to welcome cordially a foe country.
(Erez Ronen, Published: 05-Feb-09 10:44)

“Hanan… I agree entirely with you that building a great nation doesn't only take brains, but as you said it sure does help. However brains alone without a heart (feelings) can produce a monster”. That’s how Dr. Mahathir’s preface was written in a post of his personal blog where he responds to Hanan’s (the full name is confidentially registered) arguments in one of Dr. Mahathir’s previous post which he calls boycotting economically Israel due to the Gaza war.

Dr. Mahathir who served as Malaysian PM for 22 years, till 2003, never concealed his anti-Israeli sentiments blended sometimes with anti-Semitism. Along the post he indicates that the global economical crisis happened because of the Jews as well as claiming that the Jews are restricting the freedom of speaking in related issues about the murdering of Jews during the 2nd world war. There is no diplomatic relations between Malaysia and Israel and Malaysia rejected any mutual political dialogs in the past.

“I felt the committed to react”
Those facts are not deterring Hanan who is responding constantly and intentionally in Malaysian blogs and tries to present our side. Hanan tell in his YNET interview: “The story with Dr. Mahathir started sometimes a few years earlier after his expression about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. That anti-Semitic speech evoked a great anger among the free world leaders as well as in Israel. For me, as a second generation to parents who survived the holocaust, the content of Dr. Mahathir’s speech was harassing and I felt I must response to him. I was able to track the Malaysian’s PM e-mail address via the official website of the PM and composed an answering e-mail directly to him. Since then I’m following after issues in Malaysia, mainly those which are related to Israel and the Jews.”

Hanan is saying further more: “I responded twice or three times in Dr. Mahathir’s blog in a relatively sharp tongue backed with facts when he proposed to boycott Israeli and mainly American products who is supplying Israel sophisticated weapons that is used against the Palestinians. It looks like my Israeli “chutzpah” (impudence) in my response in his domestic blog (which wasn’t harassing or humiliating) and providing a kind of a hostile position to his position was surprising and too much. I assume he felt internally that he must his special new post labeled “HANAN” and provide his answer against my criticism”.

Flipping the coin
Hanan’s initial exposure to Malaysia was during his job in a global Hi-Tech company. “I had the opportunity to meet Malaysians in third countries. That’s how I was able to establish friendly relations with them. Just that thing triggered me to make a research about Malaysia from different aspects”.
During his personal research, Hanan was exposed to the political view of the senior officials which are related to Israel. “That was bothering me because I met people who were polite, kind, friendly and were able to understand the Israeli position with support”.

“I’m not involved in any other informative activity. I really don’t have much time for that purpose. It is sufficient for me that narrow arena of responding in Malaysian blogs. It is a kind of a personal project. I think it is important since those arguments are in a personal level – people talking to each other and not politicians against politicians which may be a turning point to establish a peaceful world. This is a dialog eyes to eyes either with agree or disagree upon issues. At least, I cause the other side to think differently. Simply to flip the coin and look what is on its other side”.

The blog correspondence between Hanan and Dr. Mahathir provoke reactions in Malaysia where Dr. Mahathir’s blog is very popular. The post about the “boycott” accumulated about 400 comments while the post “Hanan” accumulated over 500 comments. “Dr. Mahathir’s personal reply to me created a wide echo. That echo was mainly with anger against me and very supporting to Dr. Mahathir. The number of comments is telling the whole story. Very few comments were supporting me, ignoring the brainwashing of the media there and I’m even receiving supporting e-mails from people over there about the Israeli reaction in Gaza” – Hanan says.

The detaining risk
But does those opinions penetrating? From a brief review of the comments in the blog, it looks like it is not – the majority of the comments are supporting Dr. Mahathir’s anti Israeli words and confronting Hanan’s tries to present the other side. “Yes, most of the responses are against me because they are Dr. Mahathir’s fans. Some of them are understand me and supporting me, but they are a handful”.

Hanan was suspecting if he wouldn’t activate some pressure, he would be filtered out of the comments on Dr. Mahathir’s blog. “I thought he wanted to filter my comment, so I published it on a different blog saying that I think I filtered. After about eight hours, my first comment appeared on the network, assuming as no choice (the show of free speaking must go on), as well it wasn’t vulgar or harassing. Apparently, there wasn’t a real reason to filter my comment out of the blog as same I wasn’t filtered out of other blogs”.

“It is to understand that an individual’s expression in Malaysia is not really free as in Israel and there is always a danger of being detained (under the ISA law) if it is hardly outspoken against the government or Islam. Malaysia is a modern country and described as a free one, but the minorities are discriminated by the NEP law. Therefore, so few are responding positively about my comments. As well, my assumption is that Dr. Mahathir is deciding which comments to publish and which to filter out”.

Is it a dialog of deaf?
Dr. Mahathir himself, even claiming not anti-Semitic, expresses himself systematically against Israel. “It looks like he hate Jews and anti-Semitic”, Hanan answers when he was asked if he don’t think that his dialog is a dialog of deaf to create one. “I don’t see any reason to refute his claims in front of his fans. I think that the abhorrers of Israel should have some tough life during their rhetoric speeches. I’m trying to prove that what he says is not based firmly, but anger not leaning on logic. I’m providing historical and present facts as I am aware of and known to all of us including written evidences just to refute his claims”.

“He is educated and mentored his people during 22 years of ruling as PM. He is not the type of persons to admit a mistake, even they think they did it. At the moment he admits the mistake, he is not standing any more on a solid ground and becomes non-relevant. I’m trying to reach the Malaysians via his blog, even to a few of them. A thousand miles journey starts with a single step. Dr. Mahathir’s blog is an excellent lever to present the opposite of his views”.