Pinkwashing has become a diversionary tactic in Israel's rebranding campaign. the word is a take from "whitewashing," which means to conceal or gloss over something. In the case of Israel, "pinkwashing" is the practice of emphasizing acceptance of LGBTQ persons in order to distract from the oppression of Palestinians. The LGBTQ community protests these tactics.
This clip is from Pinkwashing Exposed: Seattle Fights Back. Pinkwashing is a term activists use to describe a strategy undertaken by the Israeli government to rebrand Israel and fix its tarnished image by promoting it as a country that recognizes gay rights and is a gay tourism destination. It is part of the broader "Brand Israel" campaign to shift global public perceptions about Israel and cover up the realities of its brutal colonial occupation of Palestine and its apartheid regime.
Palestinian American rap poet Remi Kanazi rejects the normalization embedded in reconciliation-through-dialogue initiatives. “Nothing,” he says, “is normal about occupation. Nothing is normal about apartheid, ethnic cleansing, siege, blockade, settler-only roads, and bombing water wells, schools, and mosques....”
Appropriating the kufiya is another form of normalization. London-born rap artist Shadia Mansour performs her hit song Kufiya Arabiya! [The Kufiya is Arab] which has become a rallying cry against appropriation. Rapping with her is M1 from Dead Prez. [EXPLICIT]
In her tweets, TV food guru Rachael Ray confuses the origin of hummus and calls it "Israeli food." The Twittersphere sets the record straight for her.
See also "Amer Zahr sets the record straight below.
Comedian Amer Zahr sets the record straight in this tongue-in-cheek recipe.
This segment from the film "Occupation of The American Mind" highlights how U.S. mainstream media favors the Israeli government viewpoint. And that this is a result of Israel's hasbara or propaganda campaign which started around 1984 to combat negative reporting about the massacre at the Sabra and Shatila refugee camps.