Hi Raye,

I looked at those photos. Didn't download them, filter them, or magnify them, just looked.

I saw an apparently genuine image of three soldiers seeking cover, reloading or preparing to return fire. When I was in Israel in the early eighties, I was able to determine who were Israeli Jews and who were Palestinian Arabs by their attire, their automobiles, and their attitudes. Arabs were more conventionally "friendly" by Western standards. I recall little about the ubiquitous Israeli uniforms I saw, but those soldiers could be Palestinian or Israeli.

I think there were one or two other pictures that looked spontaneous.

Most of the other images looked posed. The photographer's intent, with the willing cooperation of his subjects, appears to be the assembly of particular, chosen, elements for the creation of an image that will have quasi-religious significance to the Palestinian viewer.

Elements: Flag, weapon(s), group of people, headdress, etc. Anyone can make their own catalogue of elements from looking at the photos.

1. As a western viewer I notice the lack of spontaneous emotional, um, vibrancy. The images are static.

2. Photos, at least of the dead taken while they were alive, seem to have some little meaning for Arabs in the Middle East. These photos are made into posters for display to generate emotional frenzy at protests. They are displayed on graves of the interred. Maybe a throwback to Egyptian sarcophogii(sp?) and early Coptic coffin paintings.

3. Again the throwback thing as it relates to the assembly of elements within the photograph: A cartouche spelled the name of the person regardless of the arrangement of elements within the "roped-off" cell. It was only necessary that all be present therein.

4. Types of firearms displayed are probably indicate to the Palestinian viewer from whence his support cometh. At issue is whether the message is true or is sent to encourage further violence by ephemeral promise of further support. I think the latter most likely. These people have been left hanging before. As were the Hungarians in the 1950's.

5. Curious lack of emotion in the images referenced earlier in this post may be a deliberate attempt to create a sense of serenity, zen-like assurance. Or the production of these images with these elements may be a form of magical ideation/spell-casting. "If we go through the motions properly, we will get what we want."

6. Which brings me to the sense of (or 'vibe') poverty and desperation which pervades the images, for me, perhaps because of what I think I see as a lack of emotional depth or projection.

7. I am reminded of posed photographs of gang members in the United State - colors, guns, drugs, girls, hand-signs.

vM