We are all Davids

Folks, the name of this blog is Smooth Stone, and as I wrote here, I based the name of Smooth Stone on the Bible story of David and Goliath, in 1 Samuel 17. You see, all it took was one smooth stone for David to slay Goliath, the arrogant Philistine. David was a shepherd and carried only a sling and a pouch, and within the pouch were five smooth stones he found from a nearby brook. David carried no sword. David told his king, Saul, that he needs no armor to face the Goliath, the taunting Philistine. David did not want to fight Goliath, but the Philistines had been gathering themselves for a very long time and during this time they grew to have a large army. And having gotten together a great army, they made war against the Israelites.

Goliath cursed the Israelites and cursed David by the name of God, and threatened to give his flesh to the beasts of the earth, and to the fowls of the air, to be torn in pieces by them. To whom David answered,

Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a breastplate; but I have God for my armor in coming against thee, who will destroy thee and all thy army by my hands for I will this day cut off thy head, and cast the other parts of thy body to the dogs, and all men shall learn that God is the protector of the Hebrews, and that our armor and our strength is in his providence; and that without God's assistance, all other warlike preparations and power are useless."

Why do I repeat this story?

Because I want to tell you the story of Oded Balilty, the photographer and one of the winners of the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Photography.

Here is the citation:

For a distinguished example of breaking news photography in black and white or color, which may consist of a photograph or photographs, a sequence or an album, in print or online or both, Ten thousand dollars ($10,000).

Awarded to Oded Balilty of The Associated Press for his powerful photograph of a lone Jewish woman defying Israeli security forces as they remove [illegal] settlers in the West Bank.

And here is the award winning photograph. It is a photo of a lone female Jewish settler pushing back against at least 20 Israeli security officers during clashes that erupted as authorities cleared the West Bank settlement of Amona, east of the "palestinian" town of Ramallah.

This woman is David, and the Arabs and the murderers amongst them, and Olmert and his self-loathing government - they are Goliath.