To read the article on the Huffington Post click here
My two-year-old nephew Omar had been confined to a small apartment with six other screaming children and their families since Israel began its bombardment of the Gaza Strip.
Shortly after a cease-fire was announced on Wednesday, he and his parents returned to our family home in Bait Lahia. My mother, who I spoke to over the phone, said that the first thing that Omar did was rush up the stairs in search of his most prized possession: his bike.
To read the article on the Huffington Post click here
My mom is the Matriarch of our family. She is the family’s central bank and the great mother and a grandmother you would want for your own kids. While Israel was waging its war on the civilians in Gaza, my mother Fatema was busy keeping her 30 grandchildren entertained. They have been losing power often -- more often than they are used to -- due to constant shelling and interference by the Israeli army.
“Tonight, I will wear an extra pair of pants, to be ready. In case anything happens to us at night, I will be decent as I am being transported to a local hospital or morgue. I want to look good even if I have left this earth.” As I felt a chill up my spine, she went on to tell me about our next door neighbour Essam; the 19-year old was bombed on his motorcycle near our Beit Lahia home.
She told me that my cousin Rabah also suffered some injuries from the same attack. Rabah is the kind of Palestinian entrepreneur that Wall Street would love. He came from humble origins and grew up to own one of the largest textile businesses in Gaza. At one point he was even a main business partner with Israel jeans producers. My mom has always liked Rabah because she says he has a good head on his shoulders. She told me that at the crowded hospital he was given a band-aid and told to go home and return once the military assault is over for surgery.
My mother mentioned the other day that the Israeli attacks have brought her closer to her favorite grandson, though she would never admit it. She is very protective of him and every time my family home shakes, she races for Omar and holds him tight. She is not obsessive, but she was the images of recent dead Gaza infants.Little Omar is her new life and she will do everything to keep him safe.
She just called me a few hours ago to let me know that they no longer live at home and that the entire family has moved to my brother’s small apartment 15 minutes away. When I saw her number on my caller ID, my heart began racing, expecting the worst. Then I started to calm when I reminded myself I have not read any more names that I know. “I worried that you would call us at home, and get no answer, so I did not want you to worry for us. There are many Israeli shellings in our area, so we evacuated and took the kids.” She added that it seem the Israeli military wants to bomb the Abu El Mezza home, right next door to ours. Abu El Mezza is a large family that already lost their 19-year old son Essam on the first day of the attacks.
In most cases, Israelis do attempt to target specific homes, but nobody can predict the damage of those airplane bombs. Take for example, the home of the Abu Alfool family in Beit Lahia. It was first targeted with a warning shot and an hour later the real bombs were dropped. As a result, at least seven homes saw major damage from those bombs. Not only is this collective punishment, but it’s also inhuman. Fifteen bystanders walking the streets were taken the hospitals with mild to serious injuries. The home where my family has taken shelter is three blocks away and as a result of the bombs dropped, the indoor glass shattered all over the property. Luckily none of our family members have been hurt, which is something I am incredibly grateful for. Now my family is crammed in a small apartment trying to convince themselves that they will be safer when they know this to be untrue. During the Israel’s Cast Lead Operation in 2008-09 they also moved toward the city center when my cousin Hope was shot in the kitchen as she made mint tea. My mother says that even though it’s very cold outside, they have to keep all the windows open because the constant shelling and rocket noises shatter the glass. “This way the windows won’t be shattered and do us harm.”
While people are scared for their lives because certain death is incredibly close. My little sister-in-law Raghad who is on third grade has taken up poetry as a mechanisms of coping with the madness and fury the Israeli army has unleashed on Gaza. She read us her latest poem about her hopes for her favorite holiday coming back for the sake of the children she said.
Meanwhile, pro-Israel activists in the U.S. have been mocking Palestinian deaths -- even the cold blooded murder of babies in their cribs. These desensitized feelings are troubling even to observers in Israel. Only people who have never seen a real war can be this naive about true human suffering as a result of these conflicts. Many of these bigoted commentators are confusing popular war games with full blown wars; these are real people, not avatars. For the sake of my family in Gaza and all families in the region, I hope this madness ends soon.
Time and again when the actions of a Palestinian group result in as much as scratching an Israeli citizen, the Israeli military retaliates. Using the logic of ‘might makes right,’ which plays itself out in cycles of bloodshed, Palestinians have to die. This is the logic of extremes, devoid of dignity, signaling little respect for human rights and the autonomy of democracies. The logic paves a path to Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s office and overlays that path with Palestinian blood. The motivation behind Netanyahu’s call to arms is the inexorable political pandering to his right-wing coalition, and the lives of Palestinians should not get in his way.
The horror sewn by Israeli might is tragic. Blood soaked boxes of Palestinian body parts are the evidence of the loss of innocent civilians. These boxes, collected by paramedics after the Israeli assault and visible in film footage, may set into motion a counter logic among the Gaza militia to target Israeli civilians. Like in ancient Greek tragedies, an unstoppable cycle of revenge might escalate. Where are the voices of reason sickened by random rocket attacks on Israeli civilians and bombings of Palestinians? “Let’s send the people of Gaza to heaven”, said one Israeli politician as his country’s army was shelling people living less than 20 minutes away from their headquarters.
While people of Gaza have seen a lot of suffering and God knows what the top Israeli war generals have in store for them, I have spotted grown men crying at the scene of the blood and the ambulance. I fear for my family who have been made refugees in Gaza for 64 years now. Sixty Years ago, they fled for safety in Gaza. Now they are being bombarded again by the descendants of those who have made them refugees in the first place.
Cruelty upon cruelty is the only way to describe the plight of the Palestinians who have been under siege since 2007. My family closed their businesses early and went into hiding in different places to increase the odds of their survival. Their neighborhood in Beit Lahia has already been targeted by the Israeli Airforce. Children in these areas are unsure what to make of the strange times they have yet to understand.
The Israeli government will tell you that they are running surgical operations in Gaza and expect you to cheer them on. But by their actions, this Israeli government has only taken Hamas seriously and has never bothered to talk to the peace-minded Palestinian Authority in Ramallah. President Abbas is waiting for a phone call and all he gets is mockery and insults from various government officials in this Israeli coalition. Netanyahu’s government has marginalized both the Palestinian peace movement and his own. In essence, they have empowered the hawks at home and in Gaza.
While many militants have been murdered by the Israeli military campaign on Gaza, some civilians have also been killed. Take four year old girl Anan Arafat, who has just been pulled out of the rubbles of her family home in Gaza. How the Israelis find themselves threatened by a four year old is a mystery to me. If killing Palestinians gives some Israelis short-term peace of mind and comfort, I hate to think what any future peace agreements with such characters would look like.
Well Jewish people of the world left and right might speak ill of Israel, criticize its actions and trash its government, but at the end of the day, Israel is their plan B. So, every Jewish soul out there can count on the State of Israel to be their home if all things go south in their respective countries. That's the plan all calling and I certainly can understand that.
Israel welcomes them with open arms, some cash and language and career training. I wish we Palestinians have a default plan B, a country that will always be there for us. Sure, you can say, go to one of the Arab countries. Most refugees live in those lands with not passport or travel documents some of them do not even get an ID.
While, we love them and we feel close to them, we are not their problem to fix. If you break it, you pay for it. Those Arab states did not break Palestine, Britten, the UN and the Jewish gangs did that. If a county like Egypt does not let me pass via their land to go home, do you expect them to host me as one of their own?
So the luxury of plan B is not afforded to the Palestinians whom continue to live in refuges camps around the Middle East. I know many Palestinians excel outside home, and make a home for themselves away from that area. But they have earned their stripes. They almost did not get any help to get their.
So it;s unfair to tell Palestinians to go look somewhere else for a home whiles most Jewish people have at least two homes and two passports.
Author: Hanitizer
| Posted at: 10:11 AM |
Filed Under: Palestine,
politics,
US
|
Shooting in Rafah border, and the death of more than 15 Egyptian officers, I do not know who is behind this. Certainly most Palestinians would have no MOTIVE committing this senseless act of murder. I am now hearing and seeing more rage in Egypt that has been directed toward Gaza Strip and the Palestinians, some even want to see Egypt bomb Gaza.
I certainly understand the rage in Egypt, those fallen men are hero even in Palestine. And most people who work in the border are both Egyptians and Palestinians. The reality is, we do not knows many things, I happen to believe five things to be true:
Egypt has ignored the Sinai desert--as they are also limited to what they can do due to the Camp David treaty.
In marginalized communities, extremists Muslims group (Jihad, Qaeda) thrive. And there are Palestinians reside in Egypt's border areas.
The current government of Egypt is Gaza's best friend in the world--they promise to east the siege and allow for freedom of movement. Why would Gaza want to crap where they eat? Plus, the government in Gaza and the one in Egypt stem from the same theological schools
Israel/certain political groups in Egypt are not too happy about the government of Egypt acts of kindness toward Gaza.
The underground tunnels between Gaza and Egypt need to be demolished, there is simply no need for them and they have served their purpose until the siege was made lighter late last year. Now, they are used for greed and people who bring in weird people and illegal merchandise.
Having said that, I stand firmly behind the government to f Egypt as they try to figure out what really happened and wish people would just refrain from jumping to conclusions. I would also ask the government in Gaza not to give the one in Egypt a hug of death. They are not in office to make Gaza a better place, they cannot do that until Egypt is back to speed.
In other news
A CNN Anchor commented on the horrific Sikh shootings in Wisconsin by saying "Sikhs are often unfairly targeted" and he went on to talk about how they are often mistaken for Muslims.
So that also would mean mean, if the shooting and attack were on a mosque, this would mean those Muslims are fairly targeted.
My thoughts go to the people of Wisconsin and in the Sikh community at those difficult times.
"For behold, ye do love money, and your substance, and your fine apparel, and the adorning of your churches, more than ye love the poor and the needy, the sick and the afflicted."
The Book Of Mormon (Mormon 8:37)
A few days I ago I was halfway through writing a post on the Romney family's generosity and the positive role they play at Brigham Young University, my alma mater. But then Presidential candidate Mitt Romney went to the Middle East, and in front of wealthy donors at a cozy fundraiser went on to bash my culture in his bid to impress few donors. His statements suggested Israeli culture helped explain the country's economic success. In an effort to butter up to wealthy Jewish donors, he felt compelled to tarnish my heritage. I wasn't aware that Mr. Romney was an anthropologist capable of making such bogus claims. From Yemen to Morocco the Arab press covered and criticized his racist remarks. Romney further attributed Israeli supremacy to its culture and of course the "divine hand of providence."
For more than 60 years my family in Gaza, relatives in the West Bank and college buddies in East Jerusalem have being living under Israeli occupation. Violent airstrikes, murder, assassinations and land grabs do not allow for any economy to survive let alone thrive. Yes, Mitt Romney forgot about that little buzzkill known as the occupation. He wants the Palestinians to create an economy out of nothing while living within a militarized prions of walls, checkpoints fences and uniformed 19-year olds armed and ready to shoot.
Palestinians cannot tend to their farms without first getting permission from the Israeli government to do so. Fishermen cannot get into the water without Israel allowing access to the sea. And if that's not enough, the occupation gets a say in what college students can chose to attend. They have vetoed thousands of students college choices and even banned them from seeking higher education in academic institutions that are not within their own towns.
Yet the Palestinian can do attitude, resilience and life loving nature continues to make the most of a God awful scenario. That's why people like me make their way to places like the United States for further education. Romney's remarks are racist as they have been rightfully dubbed by the mainstream. Those comments illustrate that the candidate has ill feeling toward poor people. If you are rich you have a superior culture. If you are poor, well, sucks to be you.
As a graduate student at Brigham Young University I was part of the 50 to 60 students admitted each year to the The Romney Institute of Public Management. An accredited program that grants a Master's degree in Public Administration. Certainly I wasn't the first Palestinian admitted to the program. The great majority of alumni of the program tend to gravitate toward public service and the not for profit sector. The program offered by the The Romney Institute of Public Management is unique in that they prepare generations of people who want to make the world a better place. For example, the institute has a social venture center where people learn to create new outlets to improve lives around the globe. I am now beginning to wonder if Romney believes or fully understands the consequences of his most recent remarks on the subject of poverty. Romney has brought shame on his good family's name.
While at my alma mater, I met countless Mormon students who studied abroad at the university's satellite campus in the old city of Jerusalem. After experiencing life under occupation, the great majority of those students came back with overwhelming support for the Palestinian cause. Something that disturbed some administrators. The students did not come back back philosophizing about God and culture, they saw fellow humans in distress and sympathized with them.
While I think some extremist elements in Israel might be pleased with Romney's racist remarks, I happen to think that the mainstream Israelis would not agree with him. As a Palestinian and alumni of Brigham Young University I find such remarks reprehensible . I'm deeply disappointed in his characterization of the poor and his insensitivity to the plight of people living under occupation.
Mohammad Awajah is a forty-three year old Palestinian father from the West Bank city of Jericho whose ability to speak was just restored.
During his shift as an employee for the Palestinian Telecommunication Company on January 13, 2011 he opened a phone wire box where he says he inhaled a gas that caused him to lose his ability to speak. His family, including his wife and five little kids, thought this was just a temporary bug; but days later he was still unable to speak and their medical trials had officially begun.
Om Moussa, Muhammad's wife said, “We visited with a professor surgeon in the West Bank who was unable to help. We tried many medications that did nothing to bring his voice back.” She continues “The professor said he cannot help because a long time has passed since the incident.” They still visited a number of local clinics that would prove fruitless.
They even visited with a doctor in the celebrated Israeli hospital Hadassah. Nobody was able to reunite Muhammad with his voice. At that point Muhammad started to lose hope and started seeing psychologists due to his depression. He would felt disconnected from his family and because he could not talk to anyone and didn’t care about anything around him. His youngest son Aboud wouldn’t talk to him and kept away from him due to this sudden change.
A West Bank doctor advised them to make up a dramatic scene that would be shocking enough to bring back Muhammad’s voice. Om Moussa played along and put on a good show where she pretended that she only had few days to live due to some serious illness. Muhammad offered to pay all his money to save her, but still had no voice.
Months later, Om Moussa watched a talk show where a Gaza-based Palestinian Ear, Nose, and Throat specialist was talking about a case where he was able to restore the speaking ability of an elderly woman who had lost that ability more than 15 years ago. Dr. Ahmad Jadaba’s success story was well publicised in the Palestinian media.
Desperate for help, Om Moussa called the doctor and consulted with him on her husband’s case.
Due to an outdated phone directory she had to make 18 wrong calls before she could reach him. Later they met via video conference even though they were only a short drive apart. Dr. Jadaba promised Muhammad and his wife that he would do his best to restore his speaking ability.
Now, the political reality and uniqueness of the situation hits: Dr. Jadaba lives in besieged Gaza, and the Awajahs live in the West Bank. Traditionally the better doctors and facilities are in the West Bank and Israel. So most ill Gazans travel there, not the other way around. No one has ever come Gaza for health care.
Confused by the unusual request, the Israeli authorities denied them a permit to go into Gaza for medical attention. They stressed that if physicians in Israel couldn’t fix it, no one else can. Thus Israel denied all of their seven attempts to get a permit to enter Gaza. Om Moussa wouldn’t quit, working with the local health authorities in both Gaza and Ramallah. In the end, they traveled to Jordan and from Jordan they flew to Egypt and from Egypt, and special coordination that required miracles, they arrived in Gaza.
At the Rafah border, Dr. Jadaba brought his family and received Muhammad and his wife, offering to host them at his house.
Arriving in Gaza on July 5th, Dr. Jadaba started his treatment on Mr. Awajah. At first it started with the assessment and the following day, the help of Endoscope (laryngostroboscope/ thermolaryngoscope). Four days later, Awajah got most of his his voice back to where he can make out most of the letters. Dr. Jadaba put aside a conference he was supposed to attend in Turkey to attend to Mohammed and his family.
Three days later, here’s Muhammad in a video of him saying his first words since the accident—from the Koran
.
Perhaps the most touching moment came when Mohammed called his son Abboud to tell him that he now has his voice back and they can play together. The seven year old teared up and said, “I Love you Dad!”
Dr. Jadaba has called on Palestinian businesses to provide medical equipment to the main Gaza hospitals and he has gladly pledged to accept any case where his skills are needed. “The only Endoscopes available are the ones in private clinics and not in the public hospitals where they are needed the most.” He added, “the device I used on Mohammad has been decommissioned a long time ago.”
This is a celebration of a strong Palestinian women and a Palestinian professional who despite all odds never stopped exploring. Another hero is the business where Mohammed used to work. They covered all of his medical costs and showed a good business practice. I would add the role of the media in publicizing this story to the public and telling the world about the unbreakable will of the people of Palestine.
My latest articles on my experience with laws and justice in Gaza
When I was in Gaza, I was amazed with how local family councils were able to establish rules and handle situations that some of us in the United States might expect the state or police to deal with. Each family in Gaza has an elder who represents them, speaks on their behalf at meetings, and whatever is agreed upon will be followed by each family. For example, I remember a while back a situation arose when a guy from a different family spit on a dentist from my family. The elders of the families met and made the situation right. The guy who did the spitting had to apologize in public and the dentist's ego was intact. No one had to go beat the guy up or attempt to send spit his way.
The world famous sport apparel company was a prime sponsor for an all Israeli marathon held in Occupied Jerusalem. This is just stupid because most countries and most business know that the future of Jerusalem has not been determined. This is not politics, this is a universally accepted truth. Worse, the marathon took part of East Jerusalem, where the vast majority of the city residence live. So Adidas is actually dragging their countryy and with it the entire brand.
So when this company sponsors a marathon in an occupied territory, forgive me if I conclude that they support a morally wrong act. The Arab sport committees working through the Arab League have moved forward with boycotting this company and its products. During their last conference in Saudi Arabia, the decision was passed. (details here)
This is a boycott on a moral ground not a political one. This is a company choosing to sponsorship a sport event that clearly stares, Israeli Jerusalem on its promotional materials. So Adidas took a side, I did not chose this fight. While its true the Palestinian residents of Jerusalem only run when they are chased by Israeli soldiers, its still no excuse to make this political decision.
So, I know I will not be buying a new pair of Adidas Supernova. Adidas Sponsors Boycott Adidas Please! We did not make this political, by choosing to sponsor this marathon, Adidas is no longer just a shoe company. Therefore, we are all free to throw the proverbial shoe.
A lot has been happening lately, I have become morecynical about many things around me. Whether it's a revolution in Syria or the struggle for health care here, I am very cynical about the process. And the situation in Palestine does not give me much hope either. I wish I can escape politics, but I really cannot it abandon it for two reasons:
I am a Palestinian, politics is the bread and butter for me growing up. Everything in my life can be explained in political jargon. Like millions others, politics have led me to be where I am. If I cannot find my family on Skype, it's because they are out of power! Why you ask? Israel, has bombed their only power generating planet in 2008. And politicians in Egypt, Hamas, Fatah cannot seem to make a deal.
I freaking live in Washington, DC, this American city that breaths politics. Everyone with an ambition in this world comes to this city. Whether they are Americans of Internationals, DC is like the place to be that person. There's no other city in the world like this city at the moment. National, local and international roads all meet here in DC. Never mind the think thanks and lobbyists who even rent spaces on buses and metro seats to make political points. So the moment you open your eyes, you are into it.
In other news, my favorite quote form a Supreme Court justice in the debate about health care is this: It's not that the government making you buy something, it's that those who do not participate in the market make it more expensive for everyone else. In other words, those who do not have health insurance, also get sick...when they do most often than not people like you and me end up paying for it. I know people on the right might deny it, but they get sick too, and get help as much. I also understand the right's worries about encouraging bad behavior, as insured people might not be as careful about their health when they are getting free care.
Author: Hanitizer
| Posted at: 10:10 AM |
Filed Under: Palestine,
politics,
US
|
Jon and his team know more about Palestine than any American decision maker in DC. Well, the decision makers know the truth, but they would not speak out becasue if they do, they will be adding a little title before their name "Former"! It's sad sad when someone who is meant to be funny can deliver the hard truth, which when it comes down to it, is pure simple logic.
So the US passed a law in 1990 telling the UN, it will cuts its funding or any agency that deals with Palestine directly. According to Robert Waxler from Florida--he is also Jewish. That this makes sure that the two parties negotiate together. Here's where the congressman reveals his a big goon:
Israel does not want to negotiate anymore, they just want to grab more Palestinians land. What in the history of this particular Israeli government and the loons at its helm in charge makes you think they want to talk peace?
Whoever wrote that 1990 law has received funds from the AIPAC--a Jewish lobby that works on behalf of Israel--look it up.
The very idea of let the two parties negotiation without the UN meddling, is laughable. It's like telling the persons who has been raped that they cannot report to the police and instead they and the rapists need to make it work. Excuse me, this is how what he said registers in the Palestinian mind. He knows it, but he chooses to overlook it becasue he wants to be able to enjoy his dinner and call himself a "good guy"
The separation barrier that separate the Gaza Strip and Egypt continues to be an issue for the residence of the narrow strip. The project which was finished in 2005 prior to Israel’s Gaza pullout
The area borders Israel on the north and east, and entry into Israel is possible only at crossings under its control. Access to and from the Gaza Strip by sea, to the west, and by air, is under Israel's exclusive control. (For more info about the crossing and Israel read B'Tselem)
Israel built a barrier and 200–300 meter buffer zone in the Philadelphi corridor, that’s the distance a bus has to take you from the Palestinian side
To travel out of Gaza, all residents have to sign up with the local government who in turn reject your departure--mostly in criminal and political grounds.
The Egyptians share the info they get from the Palestinians with the Israelis and thus there is a lit of about 20 k to 50 thousand names on that list for people who cannot travel out of Gaza. Some of those on the list can also be criminal or drug deals with some crimes in Egypt. but the majority are people who might have affiliation with militant Palestinian groups.
And there is another list that Fatah helps put for people they do not like, the Mubarak men used to believe anything Fatah said, but this is not true right now.
Some people who are banned from entering Egypt or traveling through it--most Palestinians are not allowed into Egypt, but rather transported to the airport with police escort, a service many Gazans have come to actually enjoy, travel underground through the tunnels on the borders. But this service tends to be shady and not much info about the operation of tunnels is available.
To sum, to travel those 200 to 300 meters, Palestinians have to be given the green light from Hamas, Fatah, Israel and Egypt too. I have gone through this process few times and it's not easy--travel is not easy by nature, but this can be one hell of a humiliating experience that requires patience, resilience and a great deal of luck
It turn out that Soda Stream, the popular gadget to make soda at home is not all innocent. They are now making claims as Earth Friendly. See, more than 3 years ago, I sworn off soda, and have so far kept away from it. So this company has no business with me. But every time I hear my favorite radio show in the DC area promoting it, I cling. People should be made aware of those things, and they should make their informed decisions about he products and the agendas they aline themselves with.
We employ more than 1,000 people worldwide, with over 30 nationalities represented. Company headquarters are located in Israel and we have seven manufacturing facilities in Germany, Israel, Australia, South Africa and China. The SodaStream group has an intellectual property portfolio that includes 65 patents and 198 trademark registrations worldwide.
A Swedish Chain has already kicked out the company from selling there. The Israeli company has been the target of a two-year campaign by Swedish activists who seek to highlight the company’s complicity with the Israeli occupation. The main production facilities for Sodastream are located at Mishor Adumim, the industrial zone of the Israeli settlement Maaleh Adumim in the occupied West Bank.
Sodastream, whose products are sold in 41 countries, has repeatedly attempted to deflect attention from the factory in the occupied West Bank, claiming that it is just one of many around the world.
Why? They have their shop on a Palestinians land--I say Palestinian becasue even the UN recognizes it as so including the EU and the Israel friendly US congress. So next time, you sip some o that soda and thinking yourself that you have done a good deed, think again.
This is a company that has done well by coming up with a good idea that people really need, they solve a problem for people. But all that creative juices have failed when they choose to put a factory in an illegal territory. business should make money and add value, not get caught in political controversies that mean nothing to the product and do damage to the brand.
Now the company tried to make nice with the people and now claims that their workers are Palestinians. Fine, but if the land at which your shop is Palestinian, and your workers are such, why don't they list Palestine as one of the locations where they operate? Maybe they can answer that...
Every now and then I write for other blogs to get the word out about a particular subject that I like or dislike. The past 7 days, I had authored 3 blogs for the World Wide Variety News Blog The Huffington Post. I used to focuses on politics and I still do, but now I try to write more comedy and about Arabic music. While on the subject, sometimes Arabic music can be comedy as well.
Here are the thee topics with links to read the full:
From Resistance to Pop: Liberating Palestine with an Auto Tune. This article is about the rise of pop music coming from Palestine and its new voices. Read here
Rima Fakih, Miss USA, Quotes the Koran To Show Her American Patriotism. This is about the Lebanese American Miss USA that was in DC last week, she gave a talk about challenges she faced living in post 9/11 America Read Here
Iraq and Roll Comes to a Town Near You Read. This one is about my favorite Iraqi rock band, that makes some fine music worthy of a world wide audience Here
Israelis illegal actions can only cause minor "discomfort" for world leaders. Just look at how soft the statements from EU, UN and the US about the bizarre Israeli decision to expand their projects in settlements.
Palestinians actions however give world leaders "nightmares" and according to those leaders such actions bring an end to the world as we know it. Go and read such comments during the Palestine Statehood bid at the UN.
To quote Nicholas Kristof of the New York Times, "I demand more of Israel partly because my tax dollars supply arms and aid to Israel. I hold democratic allies like Israel to a higher standard, just as I do the United States."
When Israel does something illegal, the Palestinians and the most of the world calls it a violation of international law. Israel respond by citing some other law--say the Israeli's army code of conduct. Israel dismisses international law and it pretend one of two things:
Such man made laws don't apply to country commissioned by God.
The world is picking on Israel.
On short, when it comes to laws Israel is that sleazy old man with van hanging around school yards with lots of candy. While he might not be doing anything illegal at the moment, you know he is up to no good becasue he was arrested once before on the same charges.
Stories of two newly released Palestinian prisoners have particularity moved me:
Ouida Kolab, a 48 year old Gaza man released after spending 23 years in prison--out of which 11 years were in solitary cell. Kolab got out of Israeli jail as a mess. While most of those prisoners have seen hellish days in captivity. Ouida seems to be having the hardest time adjusting back to the real world. Suffering of sever mental problems, always feeling tired and anxious insomnia, stomach ulcers and a wholesale of symptoms. Ouida's body is noticeable frail, worse he is having a hard time finishing a meal as he requires constant medical supervision. His health troubles don't stop there, he has been experiencing trouble with his nervous system with frequent shaking. Ouida is unable to set on a chair and prefers to squad as he was accustomed to in his prison cell. Gaza doctors are trying to treat him by advising his family to treat him as a baby and gradually reintroduce him to the world and a better diet. This is a result of having to spend 23 years in imprisonment that allowed him to be a guest at at least 6 different Israeli prison. (Source)
Dahir Qabha, the son of the West Bank city of Jenin is one of over a 100 prisoners exiled into Gaza and not allowed to return to their homes in the West Bank. Months before he was arrested by Israeli forces, he was engaged in 1993 and soon to be married to Raeda, a girl next door love story. Long story short, he spends 18 years in prison and despite all odds and pressure from family and friends Raeda hold out and preserves the very long engagement indeed. 19 years later he is in Gaza and Raeda manged to make it to Gaza--through Jordan and Egypt. And the wedding for the ages takes place, closing a very romantic chapter of this Palestinian story. Couple of family members were able to make it to Gaza--Israel have to give travel clearance, but for a moment Gazans were happy to join the celebration and acted as surrogate family for those love birds. Dahir is the first freed prisoner to get hitched. (source) (pictures)
P.S. I do not know what crimes if any those two individuals have been accused of, All know is that they have served a considerable amount of time in confinement. I was simply touched by their very moving stories.
When presidents of otherwise stable country like want to get in the news, they have to come up with stunts or some acts of nature to get their 15 minutes of fame on the world's stage. For the first time, I am reading something the President of Austria. Why did he make the news you may ask?
Heinz Fischer, Austria's President, Jumps With Parachute From Helicopter (video). Still only 500 people watched the video so far. Hugo Chavez had to get cancer to get the world talking about him again.
The issue of media attention is no problem to Arab/Muslim leaders. It can be a gaffe or some idiotic inaccurate statement and then they are all over the news with labels such as "Crazy", "Antisemitic"...make your pick. For for President Abbas he seems not to have a problem having a story about him in the news on daily basis and the same goes for any Israeli politician. Anytime one of these guys farts, the media is all over his A##.
I am thinking this is not always positive. It must be flattering to see your name and image out there being read by everyone on the globe, but again is the life of the people you are meant to lead getting any better by your presence? I hope this questions gets asked more often.
Ukrainian native Ereena, hugs her girls after 9 years locked in an Israeli jail, she was arrested with her husband in Bethlehem, sentenced to 40 years.
The West and Israel love to brag about how democratic and how much they value the life of all humans...they claim their armies operate under an ethical code of conduct. But watching the media reaction of today's prisoner swap between Israeli and the Palestinians, I couldn't help but notice how biased the media reports are. While most Arab media outlets covered the Palestinian prisoners and their stories, they have also treated Shalit with humility and refrained from using dehumanizing the solider--even though he wore a uniform, carried a gun and was ready to kill. The stories in Arabic in my conclusion are a lot more fair to the other side than the Israeli ones.
Here's a sample of what many Israeli officials/politicians had to say about this swap:
Those are Palestinians murderers--Israeli president
Europe/White House only Welcomes the release of the Israeli solider Gilad Shalit
We value the life of our own, we care less about those others--Ehud Barak
Our one solider is worth more than those 1027 Palestinians--Haartez, Bibi
Israeli soldiers should kill terrorists 'in their beds' following Shalit deal, former IDF rabbi
Not sure how such statements make you the enlightened one, and the other guy the "savage". One of the freed Palestinian prisoners is two years old, if this is the way you describe a two year old, then your heart and soul are dead.
I know this no one in Israel is happy that the prisoners are home with their loved ones, they all wish these people would die. But I know this, the people of Palestine and namely Gaza are genuinely happy to see the Israeli solider back with his family.
What if some Arab country did a peace gesture and offered to extend citizenship to the Israelis. That could be done in a way to say, we really love those Israelis and we do not want to harm them, we just want them to become like us.
Israels will accept or refuse, but the gesture would be some PR stunt about good wills. The Israelis would then look bad, they are the ones who refuse to be part of the region, not the other way around. Most Israelis hold a second citizenship at the moment, mostly European and American citizenship.
So say now an Israeli is killed--I do not want anyone to lose their lives, the news will report a Saudi has gotten killed today and no one would lift a finger. It's just another dead Arab, it won't make the news. We know that Israel does not want to give its citizenship to the Palestinian, you can be sure of that. So the Palestinian cannot get sympathy if his/her death was reported as an "Israeli dies" headline.
Arabs believe that the death of Arab means little to super powers of the world, they frankly don't care about a dead Arab. Israel can kill a million Arab and France, UK, and the US will look the other way. Of course there people get away with killing Arabs every chance they can--sure they try not to do it, it's bad for business.
I think we should try this approach, this has nothing to do with religion, it's about changing the rules of the game without anybody eliminating the other. If you are building walls, they can keep you in as well as keep folks out. I say give the Israelis a citizenship of some other Arab country--I am sure Oman would be happy to print extra passports in an effort to get people to know that they actually exist.
P.S. this is not a call or endorsement of violence, it only begets violence.
