McDonald’s ruins chances for a Tarantino moment in West Bank

By Ami Kaufman June 26, 2013 | Edit

As a result of McDonald’s Israel decision not to open a branch in the settlement of Ariel, here’s a discussion we’ll never hear, unfortunately.

Jules Winnfield: Okay, so, tell me about the outposts.

Vincent Vega: So what you want to know?

Jules: Well, building is legal there, right?

Vincent: Yeah, it’s legal, but it ain’t a hundred percent legal. I mean, you can’t walk on to a mountain, put a flag, and start buildin’ away. They want you to build on hilltops or certain designated places.

Jules: Those are outposts?

Vincent: Breaks down like this, okay: it’s legal to build it, it’s legal to own it, and if there’s nobody near it, it’s legal to live in it. It’s illegal to expand it, but that doesn’t really matter ’cause, get a load of this, all right; if you get stopped by the cops in the West Bank, they let the Jews do what they want. I mean, that’s a right the cops in the West Bank do have.

Jules: [laughing] Oh, man. I’m going, that’s all there is to it. I’m fucking going.

Vincent: Yeah, baby, you’d dig it the most. But you know what the funniest thing about the West Bank is?

Jules: What?

Vincent: It’s the little differences. I mean, they got the same shit over there that we got here, but it’s just…it’s just, there it’s a little different.

Jules: Example?

Vincent: All right. Well, you can walk into a Palestinian olive grove and just burn it. And I don’t mean just like a little bonfire; I’m talking about an inferno. And in Ariel, you can buy a falafel at McDonald’s. And you know what they call a Quarter Pounder with Cheese in Ariel?

Jules: They don’t call it a Quarter Pounder with Cheese?

Vincent: Nah, man, they got the Kosher system. They wouldn’t know what the fuck a Quarter Pounder with cheese is.

Jules: What do they call it?

Vincent: They call it a “Kosher Royale.”

Jules: “Kosher Royale.”

Vincent: That’s right.

Jules: What do they call a Big Mac?

Vincent: A Big Mac’s a Big Mac, but they call it “Beeg Mac.”

Jules: [in mock settler accent] “Beeg Mac.” [laughs] What do they call a Whopper?

Vincent: I don’t know, Burger King never took off. You know what they put on french fries in Ariel instead of ketchup?

Jules: What?

Vincent: Ketchup and mayonnaise.

Jules: God damn!

Vincent: I’ve seen ’em do it man, they fuckin’ drown ’em in that shit.

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Our team has been devastated by the horrific events of this latest war. The world is reeling from Israel’s unprecedented onslaught on Gaza, inflicting mass devastation and death upon besieged Palestinians, as well as the atrocious attack and kidnappings by Hamas in Israel on October 7. Our hearts are with all the people and communities facing this violence. We are in an extraordinarily dangerous era in Israel-Palestine. The bloodshed has reached extreme levels of brutality and threatens to engulf the entire region. Emboldened settlers in the West Bank, backed by the army, are seizing the opportunity to intensify their attacks on Palestinians. The most far-right government in Israel’s history is ramping up its policing of dissent, using the cover of war to silence Palestinian citizens and left-wing Jews who object to its policies. This escalation has a very clear context, one that +972 has spent the past 14 years covering: Israeli society’s growing racism and militarism, entrenched occupation and apartheid, and a normalized siege on Gaza. We are well positioned to cover this perilous moment – but we need your help to do it. This terrible period will challenge the humanity of all of those working for a better future in this land. Palestinians and Israelis are already organizing and strategizing to put up the fight of their lives. Can we count on your support? +972 Magazine is a leading media voice of this movement, a desperately needed platform where Palestinian and Israeli journalists, activists, and thinkers can report on and analyze what is happening, guided by humanism, equality, and justice. Join us.

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TEST TEST GAL Our team has been devastated by the horrific events of this latest war. The world is reeling from Israel’s unprecedented onslaught on Gaza, inflicting mass devastation and death upon besieged Palestinians, as well as the atrocious attack and kidnappings by Hamas in Israel on October 7. Our hearts are with all the people and communities facing this violence. We are in an extraordinarily dangerous era in Israel-Palestine. The bloodshed has reached extreme levels of brutality and threatens to engulf the entire region. Emboldened settlers in the West Bank, backed by the army, are seizing the opportunity to intensify their attacks on Palestinians. The most far-right government in Israel’s history is ramping up its policing of dissent, using the cover of war to silence Palestinian citizens and left-wing Jews who object to its policies. This escalation has a very clear context, one that +972 has spent the past 14 years covering: Israeli society’s growing racism and militarism, entrenched occupation and apartheid, and a normalized siege on Gaza. We are well positioned to cover this perilous moment – but we need your help to do it. This terrible period will challenge the humanity of all of those working for a better future in this land. Palestinians and Israelis are already organizing and strategizing to put up the fight of their lives. Can we count on your support? +972 Magazine is a leading media voice of this movement, a desperately needed platform where Palestinian and Israeli journalists, activists, and thinkers can report on and analyze what is happening, guided by humanism, equality, and justice. Join us.

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