The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge hit its high watermark this summer, dousing millions of Americans and raising millions of dollars for medical research.
And although its intentions are noble, the sight of a nation pouring out an estimated 5 million gallons of water has rubbed some people the wrong way.
Take the 1.7 million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, who couldn't take the challenge if they wanted to. (Video via Euronews)
"Israeli occupation is using all Palestinian water resources ... Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians are living in water crisis."
What they do have is rubble — and lots of it, due to Israel's intense bombing campaign that has leveled entire neighborhoods.
So, one Palestinian journalist decided to take lemons and turn them into social media lemonade. He filled a bucket with rubble, poured it on his head and asked others to do the same.
So far, it seems to be catching on: in two days the video has amassed 30,000 views and international media coverage
"Rubble. Destruction. Cement with sand. Small rocks. Dramatic image there. His Facebook page for the challenge is already up to over 2,000 likes."
But like its icy predecessor, the rubble bucket isn't for laughs.
Activists are trying to make a point, mainly that news coverage has, well, evaporated as thousands of civilians continue to suffer and die in the Gaza strip. (Via Facebook/Dalia Dayekh, Sawt El Ghad, Abu Yazan, Youtube/Mohammad Assaf
And in a part of the world where American opinions have an outsized influence on public policy, the Rubble Bucket challenge could be an important tool to win back media outlets who've turned to Michael Brown, Ebola, and the sight of former presidents getting wet.
But with or without media coverage, there will certainly be enough rubble to go around in Gaza.
“Wherever you look, buildings have been either hit or they’ve got bullet holes in them, windows have been blow out, and there is rubble all around me."
The United Nations estimates that so far in 2014's conflict four Israeli civilians have been killed, along with 1,444 Palestinians.
This video contains images from Getty Images.
