We See Hope in Their Eyes
by Mazin Qumsiyeh - qumsiyeh.org
February 25, 2018
This is very significant because that date is Nakba Commemoration Day, when against the wishes of the vast majority of inhabitants, a Jewish apartheid state was created by force of arms. Before and after that date, the largest post-WWII ethnic cleansing happened. Most of the native people of Palestine (of various religions) were pushed out and 530 towns and villages were depopulated.
Today 7.5 million are refugees or displaced people. 6.3 million live under direct Israeli racist rule. None have sovereignty over their lands. Immigrant Ashkenazi White European elites rule the apartheid state.
The 1.6 million Palestinians who had lived under martial law until 1966 and then given some citizenship “rights” but are subjected to further ethnic cleansing, home demolitions, colonial settlement expansion just as much as the Palestinians in the Gaza and the West Bank.
There is a meticulous and vicious program of slow genocide in Gaza. In Jerusalem (West Bank), there are more and more pressures to Judaicize the city by programs of denial of residency and recently the escalation of pressure on Christian and Muslims to strip them of Church and Mosque property by overtaxing them to bankruptcy in order to take their church and mosque property.
This week the Christian Churches including the Church of the Sepulcher closed their doors in protest. To my knowledge, this has never happened before (in 2000 years!). The world politicians are silent and the Palestinian authority (representatives) issue feeble sounds of pleading for the world community to implement International law and also to protect the Palestinian people. Yet, they all continue their failed policies and do not admit they made any mistakes.
As any rational reader of history knows, rights are never begged for from your oppressor. Oppressors must be forced to give up their powers. Resistance must be built up in ALL its forms sanctioned by International law (also see 4th Geneva Convention). Mahmoud Abbas whose term expired years ago and whose health is deteriorating (wish him to finally retire!) gave a speech at the UN Security Council in which he admitted that his authority basically works for the Israeli occupiers. Thus, the first and main obstacle now to liberation, return of refugees, and self-determination in Palestine is the Vichy government in Ramallah.
It is long past time to end the charade of Oslo and create a real “Palestine Liberation Organization”. To be clear: PALESTINE is all of Palestine not to “disputed” (per Israeli language) 22% of it (WB & Gaza) for which they have been “negotiating” endlessly. LIBERATION as in Liberty not accepting apartheid or the racist notions of a “Jewish state” (this also includes right of native Palestinians to return to their homes and lands). ORGANIZATION as in people organizing at capturing the amazing energy of the 12.5 million Palestinians around the world. That requires participatory democracy not a clique of comprador elites (term limits of 6-8 years are good idea for all leaders).
Every day here as we work the land and work with people we see the incredible energy and incredible opportunities. Just this week we planted over 200 native trees (carob, oak, azarole, pistacia) and worked with children from age 3 to 83! We launched projects on climate change, on sustainability, on biodiversity, on ecotourism, and on permaculture (one funded by National Geographic!).
The struggle continues against difficult odds. We watch our friends in Israeli jail (like four members of the Tamimi family and Munther Amayra). We miss some who departed recently. For example we lost Gale Courey, a great friend of us and all of Palestine; we planted a tree in her honor & a mutual friend is donating money to the museum in her honor.
Life goes on in all its ingredients: good ones and bad ones, people who lie and cheat and people who help and donate and work and give of themselves of others. We in Palestine and visiting and volunteer friends from around the world remain “having joyful participation in the sorrows of this world.” We trim the dead branches and see growth of new ones.
Spring in Palestine is beautiful with a tapestry of colors of plants, smell of blossoms everywhere, taste of fresh winter crops from our garden and greenhouse, and a spirit of people who defied all odds. 60% of our people are under the age of 18 and we work with some of them regularly. We see hope in their eyes. Life is still good. We savor it. Join us as we refuse to behave like like dead fish but indeed swim against the current!
Collectively, we feel alive by the effort and perpetuate humanity.
Palestinian man dies following beating by IDF soldiers
https://972mag.com/idf-soldiers-beat-a-palestinian-man-to-death-in-jericho-will-they-face-investigation/133346/
Nikki Haley: the U.S. Embarrassment at the United Nations
https://www.counterpunch.org/2018/02/23/nikki-haley-the-u-s-embarrassment-at-the-united-nations/
[BRICUP] British Committee for the Universities of Palestine NEWSLETTER
http://www.bricup.org.uk/#nletter
Stay Human
Mazin Qumsiyeh
A bedouin in cyberspace, a villager at home
Professor, Founder, and (volunteer) Director
Palestine Museum of Natural History
Palestine Institute of Biodiversity and Sustainability
Bethlehem University
Occupied Palestine
http://qumsiyeh.org
http://palestinenature.org
Join me on facebook https://www.facebook.com/mazin.qumsiyeh.9
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