May 31, 2021

فشل سلطة

 فشل سلطة أوسلو في الوظيفة الوحيدة التي تركتها لنفسها لتحقيق مكاسب فلسطينية



تم تكليف السلطة الفلسطينية (مجموعة أوسلو) بـ 1) إدارة مناطق حكم ذاتي لمراكز سكانية للفلسطينيين على أجزاء صغيرة جدًا من الضفة الغربية ، 2) حماية الأمن الإسرائيلي (هذه المهمة مهمة رئيسية و "مقدسة"). كخط جانبي مُنعت السلطة من أي شكل من أشكال المقاومة أو تنظيم المقاومة إذا كان ذلك مكلفًا لإسرائيل (سُمح بتنظيم مظاهرات في ميادين داخلية كالمنارة أو إحياء ذكرى النكبة في قاعات وطرح خطب رنانة). الإجراء الآخر المسموح به هو أن يكون لديهم تمثيل دبلوماسي في بلدان أخرى (وكان هذا موجودًا بالفعل قبل أوسلو). تكلفة وجود "وزارة خارجية" وبعثات دبلوماسية مرتفعة للغاية طبعا ليست بمستوى الأمن (66000 موظف لحفظ أمن إسرائيل واستقرار النظام المستبد). كان العائد على هذا الاستثمار ضئيلاً لأن معظم الأشخاص المعينين كانوا مجرد واجهة لإظهار الولاء لـلرئيس المنتهية صلاحيته وليس لديهم أي معرفة أو مصلحة في القيام بأشياء تكسب دعم الفلسطينيين. المكاسب جائت من الجاليات الفلسطينية في تلك الدول ومن المتضامنين األأجانب. لقد أحب ممثلين السلطة الجلوس على المكاتب والعيش في فلل راقية ومكاتب فخمة. أعرف هذا لأنني قابلت العديد منهم وأعرف كيف يقضون وقتهم. في مكاتبهم أو بيوتهم  وخدمات لطيفة وحضور الحفلات في الفنادق الراقية لكن لا يوجد أي عمل لفلسطين. معظمهم لا يتحدثون لغة البلد الذي تم تعيينهم فيه. على سبيل المثال "سفيرنا" في إسبانيا الذي يجني مبالغ طائلة من المال لا يتحدث الإسبانية (لغة رئيسية يتحدث بها مئات الملايين) وليس له علاقة حقيقية بحركات التضامن مع فلسطين في إسبانيا. حتى أنه سئم في إحدى المقابلات الإعلامية وطلب من مترجمه إنهاء المقابلة نيابة عنه. سفيرنا في الهند (1.3 مليار شخص) لا يتحدث اللغة المحلية (حتى بالحد الأدنى) وقد أخبرني شخصيًا أنه لا يزعج نفسه لأنه يستطيع التحدث لهم باللغة الإنجليزية! اشتكى "سفيرنا" في الدنمارك مؤخرًا من أنه لم يتلق أي مكالمات من وسائل الإعلام أثناء الحرب على غزة! لماذا تتصل وسائل الإعلام الرئيسية بناشطين مثل عيسى عمرو وعلي أبو نعمة وأنا وغيرنا ولا تتصل بسفرائنا (وزارة الخارجية) ووزارة الإعلام / الاتصال؟ أعتقد أن الإجابة واضحة. نتطوع ونخرج ونطرق الأبواب بينما يجلس أصحاب الرواتب في المكاتب والمطاعم كعادتهم وكانت خبرة الصحافة أن ممثلين فلسطين الرسميين لا يعلرفون فن التحدث. خلال 11 يومًا من الهجوم على غزة في مايو أجريت أكثر من 15 مقابلة وأكثر من اثنتي عشرة محاضرة لجمهور أجنبي فقط.  لست متأكدًا من أننا نريد أن "يتحدث" هؤلاء الأشخاص أنفسهم. معظمهم عندما يتحدثون يضرون أكثر مما ينفعون. إنهم يعرفون القليل عن التاريخ الفلسطيني، ولم يدرسوا استراتيجيات التخاطب (انظر مثلا هذه المهزلة من سفيرنا في الباكستان http://fb.watch/5QL8sfBbxM ) ويميلون إلى الهجوم على عناصر المقاومة ويظهرون الضعف والجهل واعادة مقولات الغرب الداعم لهم. مرة أخرى مع استثناءات قليلة (يتبادر إلى الذهن حسام زملط كاستثناء يخالف القاعدة). تمت إزالة سفراء فتح القادرين على التحدث مع المجتمع المحلي لأسباب شائنة (مثل عفيف صافية).

كانت هذه فرصة للسلطة الفلسطينية لإثبات للعالم (بدءًا من الفلسطينيين العاديين) أنها ستفعل على الأقل الحد الأدنى المطلوب لمساعدة القضية الفلسطينية ودعم المقاومة بدل من محاربتها. الحد الأدنى كان التعلم من فضائح مثل إفشال استخدام تقرير غولدستون أو حكم المحكمة الجنائية الدولية بشأن الجدار وأكثر من ذلك. كان بإمكانهم اغتنام الفرصة لشرح شرعية المقاومة (بموجب القانون الدولي لدينا الحق في مقاومة الاستعمار) وإيقاف مسرحية "الحديث" عن دولتين (حديث بدأه بن غوريون في عشرينيات القرن الماضي لأغراض دعائية ولإعطاء الوقت لأنشطة استعمارية موسعة). بدلاً من ذلك على الأقل وهذا أضعف الإيمان كان بإمكانهم التحدث عن الحقوق ، وتقرير المصير، والعودة ، والمساواة ، إلخ مقابل نظام الفصل العنصري الاستعماري. من المدهش أن الذين نصبوا أنفسهم قادتنا ما زالوا يرفضون التحدث عن كامل فلسطين التي يوحدها شعبنا وهم يقسموها. أبو مازن كان بإمكانه زيارة شعبه في القدس والداخل وفي غزة هاشم (على الأقل الاجتماع معهم افتراضيا). ولماذا يتخلى عن 78٪ من فلسطين ويصر على اتباع وهم أوسلو ومقابلة ممثلي حكومة أمريكية لم تغير سياستها بسقوط ترمب وكوشنر؟ لو اتعظوا واستغلو هذه الفرصة الذهبية لزاروا غزه ووحدوا صفوفهم مع المقاومة في كل أرجاء فلسطين والشتات. كان بإمكان محمود عباس رفض مقابلة وزير الجارجية البؤريطاني انصياعة لإرادة الشعب. بس على الأقل كان بإمكانهم  تبديل معظم دبلوماسييهم بأشخاصًا أذكياء (موجودون بالفعل- أنظر الفقرة الثالثة). وحتى بعد تصويت مجلس حقوق الإنسان لصالح التحقيق في الجرائم لم ترقا سلطتنا إلى مستوى الدبلوماسية المطلوبة. دبلوماسية السلطة الفاشلة إما تنتج عن جهل وإما عن سوء نية (ولا أعرف أيهما أسوأ).

إذا كانوا يريدون اقتراحات لإستبدال الفاشلين بأشخاص فاعلين فالحمد لله شعبنا لديه موهبات كثيرة تصلح للدبلوماسية, هناك في جالياتنا في الخارج موهبات مثل نورا عريقات وعلي أبونعمة ولميس ديك ورندة عبد الفتاح. حتى هنا في فلسطين هنالك أشخاص مثل حنين الزعبي ورنا بشارة ولبنا مصاروة وعيسى عمرو وإبراهيم نصار و منى الكرد وميس أبو غوش وحتى من فتح هنالك موهوبين (مثل دلال صائب عريقات). لا ينبغي أن يكون الدبلوماسيون من حزب فتح فقط. فتح تحصل في أحسن الأحوال على 25٪ من دعم الفلسطينيين (13 مليون منا ليس فقط تلك الأقلية في الضفة الغربية وقطاع غزة). لذلك يجب أن يكون من دبلوماسيونا الربع من المهنيين من فتح (وليس الفاشلين الفاسدين) والباقي من المهنيين الآخرين. بما أن السلطة تعمل ضد جميع أشكال المقاومة (حتى المقاومة الشعبية) لكنها ادعت عباءة "المقاومة الدبلوماسية" فهذا التغيير الملح هو الحد الأدنى الذي يمكنها القيام به. لكن حتى عند هذا الحد الأدنى (وباستثنائات نادرة) فشلوا فشلا ذريعا. كنت قد اقترحت قبل ذلك من أجل (فتح) أنهم بحاجة إلى إجراء تغييرات جذرية. دائما يسألني المتضامنون الأجانب لماذا عندنا قيادة فاشلة لأعدل قضية في التاريخ. الشعب الفلسطيني اكتفى من هذا الجهل وسوء الأداء والفساد. هل ضحت فلسطين بمئة ألف شهيد ومليون جريح ومليون أسير عبر ثمان عقود لننتهي بحكومة فيشي أو كارزاي أو إمارة موز Banana Republic

مش عيب علينا

عريضة للتوقيع http://chng.it/NFrp2zXxtY


The Palestinian (Oslo) Authority was tasked with 1) running autonomous regions with population centers of the Palestinains only on very small parts of the West Bank, 2) protecting Israeli security (this task is main and “sacred” task). As a sideline, the authority was prohibited from any form of resistance or organizing resistance if it is costly to Israel (organizing a demonstration on Al-Manara or a Nakba commemoration in a hall with speeches was allowed). The only other action allowed was to have diplomatic representation in other countries (this was already there before Oslo). The cost of having a “foreign ministry” and diplomatic missions is very high. The return on this investment was miniscule because most of the people appointed were only ale to show loyalty to El Presidente and have no knowledge or interest in doing things that gain Palestinians support. They liked to sit at desks. I know this as I met with many of them and know how they spend their time. Lush offices, nice services, parties for diplomatic core but hardly any really work for Palestine. Most of them do not speak the language of the country to which they are appointed. For example, our “Ambassador” to Spain who has been drawing nice sums of money speaks no Spanish (a major language spoken by hundreds of millions) and has no real relationship with any of the Palestine solidarity movements in Spain. In one media interview he even got tired (he is OLD) and asked his translator to finish the interview for him. Our Ambassador to India (1.3 billion people) does not speak the local language (even minimally) and he personally told me that he does not bother because he can just speak to them in English! Our “Ambassador” to Denmark complained recently that he got hardly any calls from media during the war on Gaza! Why is the mainstream media calling me and activists like Issa Amro and Ali Abunimah and not calling our ambassadors (Ministry of Foreign Affairs) and our ministry of Information/ Communication? I think the answer is obvious. We volunteer and we go out and knock on doors while the paid people sit in offices and draw salaries. In the 11 days of the attack on Gaza in May, I did over 15 interviews and over a dozen lectures to foreign audiences alone. But then again with very few exceptions, I am not sure we want those same people “speaking”. Most of them when they speak do more harm than good. They know little of Palestinian history, they have not studied communication strategies, they tend to regurgitate lines of attack on resistance, and they project weakness and ignorance. There are very few exceptions (Husam Zomlot comes to mind as an exception that proves the rule). Fatah Ambassadors that are able to speak or work with the local community are removed for nefarious reasons (e.g. Afif Safieh). This would have been an opportunity to prove to the world (starting with us common Palestinians) that the Palestinian authority will do at least the minimal needed to help the Palestinian cause.

That minimum would have been to learn from their own treachery of scuttling the use of the Goldstone report or of the ICC ruling on the wall and more. They could have grasped the moment to explain the legitimacy of resistance (under International law we do have a right to resist colonization). They could have stopped this charade of “talking” about two states (a talk that started in the 1920s by Ben Gurion for propaganda purposes and to give time for expanded colonial activities). Instead they could have talked like we activists do: about rights, self determination, return, equality etc versus the colonial apartheid system. It is amazing that our self-appointed leaders still refuse to acknowledge that 78% of Palestine is occupied and they abandoned our right to this (larger) part of Palestine. If they learned, they would fire most of their diplomats and would hire smart people (already around). If they want suggestions, I have many to suggest including people from Fatah (like Dalal Saeb Erekat) but really the diplomats should not be from the minority Fatah party. Fatah at best gets 25% of Palestinian (13 million of us not only those minority in the WB and Gaza) votes so our diplomats should be about a quarter from Fatah professionals and the rest from other professionals. Since the authority works against all forms of resistance (even popular resistance) but claimed the mantle of “diplomatic resistance” this is the minimum they could do. But even at this (save) minimum they failed miserably. I had suggested before that for their own (Fatah) sake they need to make drastic changes. The Palestinian people have had enough of this ignorance and bad performance.


May 30, 2021

Terror

 Idelber Avelar’s The Letter of Violence: Essays on Narrative, Ethics, and Politics is a brillian little book gifted to me over 16 years ago by the author. Avelar traces how violence was pervasive tool in western ideologies including its presence ffrom Greek “democracy” to the catholic church structures in the Middle Ages to the modern usage of this by states like the USA and Israel. One chapter from my book on “Sharing the Land of Canaan” Violence and terrorism written soon after the events of 11 Sept 2001 addresses some of those issues http://qumsiyeh.org/chapter8/

But much more needs to be written on this subject. I remain haunted by such horrors like the killing of 67 children in Gaza in May 2021 or by the murders and butchery witnessed in Nanking (Nanjing) in 1937 or by the hundreds of other atrocities committed in our history of misnamed "civilization". Such images should give us pause to think about this species of ours optimistically named by Linnaeus as Homo sapiens. The methods of murder may change (from swords and bayonets to F-35s) but we must face the fact that the story of our species is that horrors repeat and only the actions of few people advance peace and justice. What is to be done to stop it? Your thoughts please in the comments section below






May 23, 2021

Rotarian call for Peace

 [Send email to mazin@qumsiyeh.org for inquiries about this]


Rotarians Clubs in District 2452 and Rotarians everywhere have long advocated putting service above oneself in promoting human dignity and peace. The news from our district's area has been distressing and we ask that the international community intervenes based on the UN Charter and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. At the time of this writing (May 19th), the latest flare-up cost the lives of 219 Palestinians and 10 Israelis. The destruction in the Gaza strip was particularly hard with 61 children killed by Israeli bombings. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that 52,000 Palestinians were displaced and 450 buildings were destroyed in this latest attack (many of them housing dozens of families and in many cases entire families were wiped out) [1].

We recognize that this issue has a long history: since 1948, 500+ Palestinian villages and towns were destroyed and currently 7.5 million (of total 13 million) Palestinians are refugees or displaced people [2]. Yet we strongly believe that peace based on international law is doable and is critical to world peace. International resolutions and International Law support the right of Palestinians to return and to self-determination [3]. Israel's occupation of the Syrian Golan Heights plus the West Bank (including Jerusalem), and Gaza are subject to the Fourth Geneva Convention regarding protection of civilians in armed conflict which prohibits the occupying army from annexation or relocating its population into occupied territories as well as its obligation to protect lives and livelihoods of the local population [4]. All measures such as settlements, home demolitions, building segregation walls, and removal of Palestinians from their homes and lands including in Jerusalem are illegal per international law [5].

Human Rights organizations such as Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and B'Tselem (Israeli human righst organization) have condemned the gross violations of basic rights by the state of Israel and described the system of apartheid that underpins it [6].  65 laws discriminate against the remaining 1.5 million native Palestinians who hold Israeli citizenship [7]. Israel is also the power that rules over the lives of 5 million more Palestinians who are not Israeli citizens but subject to its military occupation in the West Bank and Gaza and they are subjected to hundreds of military orders that are discriminatory [8]. For example, the illegal Israeli restrictions on Christians and Muslims from reaching their Holy sites in Jerusalem started the latest flare-up.

Rotarians advocate for sustainable peace for both Israelis and Palestinians based on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the UN Charter (including self-determination), and all relevant UN Resolutions. We urge all Rotarian Clubs to engage in conversations and work together in their own countries towards sustainable peace in the Holy Land. Rotarians in District 2452 are willing and ready to provide speakers and support.

 
Notes
[1] See https://www.ochaopt.org/crisis and https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/more-than-52000-palestinians-displaced-gaza-un-aid-agency-2021-05-18/
[2] Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics http://www.pcbs.gov.ps/  and United Nations Relief and Work Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) https://www.unrwa.org/userfiles/2010011791015.pdf
[3] See UNGA resolutions https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_Nations_resolutions_concerning_Palestine
UNSC resolutions https://www.un.org/unispal/data-collection/security-council/
And https://unctad.org/topic/palestinian-people/The-question-of-Palestine
[4] https://www.un.org/unispal/document/applicability-of-the-geneva-convention-relative-to-the-protection-of-civilian-persons-in-time-of-war-of-12-august-1949-to-the-occupied-palestinian-territory-including-east-jerusalem-and-the-other/
[5] https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/campaigns/2019/01/chapter-3-israeli-settlements-and-international-law/ https://news.un.org/en/story/2004/07/108912-international-court-justice-finds-israeli-barrier-palestinian-territory-illegal
[6] https://www.hrw.org/report/2021/04/27/threshold-crossed/israeli-authorities-and-crimes-apartheid-and-persecution
https://www.btselem.org/publications/fulltext/202101_this_is_apartheid
https://www.amnesty.org/en/countries/middle-east-and-north-africa/israel-and-occupied-palestinian-territories/report-israel-and-occupied-palestinian-territories/
[7] The Discriminatory Laws Database – Adalah www.adalah.org/en/content/view/7771
[8] https://www.alhaq.org/publications/Al-Haq_Publications

Signed
Rotary Club Bethlehem, Palestine
Rotary Club Jerusalem, Palestine

Rotary Club Ramallah, Palestine

Rotary Club Al-Bireh, Palestine

Rotary Club Amman, Jordan

Rotary Club Amman Ammon, Jordan

Rotary Club Amman Citadel, Jordan

Rotary Club Amman Cosmopolitan, Jordan

Rotary Club Amman Jordan River, Jordan

Rotary Club Amman Metropolitan, Jordan

Rotary Club Amman Petra, Jordan

Rotary Club Amman Philadelphia, Jordan

May 17, 2021

Talking points

 

Israeli racism in practice

Draft seven simple talking points:


1)  Palestine was colonized and replaced by a colonial settler state called “Israel”. The ideas was simply to take a multi-ethnic, multi-cultural, multi-religious country and transform it to a "Jewish state." The core of this project (Zionism) is ethnic cleansing which started under British Rule (to fulfil the illegal Balfour declaration) and continued and accelerated under more direct Zionism control and continues today in places like Shaikh Jarrah in Jerusalem and other parts of Palestine (inside and outside the so-called green line). That is why we have 7.5 million Palestinian refugees and displaced and 530 villages and towns wiped out.

2)  International law is very clear: Palestinian Refugees have a right to return to their homes and lands, Israeli colonial settlements built since 1967 including in Jerusalem are illegal, and Israel has engaged in processes that amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity

3) Israel has never been a democracy. It is an apartheid racist regime that even after expelling most Palestinians, have instituted 65 laws that discriminate against the remaining 1.5 million native Palestinians (became a minority of 20% of the population). Yet Israel also is the power that rules over the lives of 4.7 million Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza who are not given Israeli citizenship and they are subject to hundreds of military orders that serve as racist laws. For example the denial of entry to our own city of Jerusalem even for religious reasons to visit the holy sites.

4) Zionist propaganda is easy to refute with logical explanations based on facts (and the three principles above). For example, it is easy to answer the non-sense like Israel is defending itself and using wrong analogies like what if Mexico shoots rockets into the US, what should be the response? Answer: wrong analogy: 
If someone comes and shoots your brother, points a gun at your head and tells you to get out of your house and they claim their religion tells them to do so. Then you are pushed down the street and they besiege you and stop you from getting food and medicine and test new guns on you every few years then you decide to throw a stone towards your old house so they take an RPG and level your new house, do you call this "self-defense" or "disproportionate response"? Who is then the terrorist? Anyway international law is clear on this point: colonized/occupied people have a right of resistance. Anyway colonization is itself violence: ask native Americans and Blacks in South Africa or any other country that went through the experience. Colonization kills 10 native civilians for every 1 colonizer (in Palestine as in South Africa under apartheid). The answer is simple, end apartheid ends the violence (exhibit A: South Africa).


5) No colonial – anti-colonial struggle has ever ended in a “two-state solution”. It is fictional and the talk about it from the time that Ben Gurion proposed it over 100 years ago is merely (as Ben Gurion himself stated on more than one occasion) intended for PR efforts (he even cited colonial treaties with native Americans which could be broken after consolidating powers).  Colonial-Native struggles end in one of three scenarios: a) Algerian model (nearly 2 million killed, 1 million colonizers and their descendants left the country), b) genocide of natives (USA, Australia), c) coexistence in one country of descendants of colonizers and of native people (the rest of the world >140 countries). There is no fourth scenario. Palestine will not be an exception. It is the last struggle and prolonged only because of the resourcefulness and wealth of Zionists and the weakness of their victims with collusion of corrupt Arab leaders and western governments beholden to special interest lobbies. This explains Israel's impunity from international law.

6) If we want a roadmap to real sustainable peace (not pacification), all we have to do is insist that we implement the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It has all the needed elements (no discrimination, rights of refugees to return etc).

7) Thus it is clear that people around this planet need to have joint struggle (including via a push for boycotts, divestment and sanctions) just like we did with South Africa to end the Israeli regime of apartheid and implement human rights.  


You can add resources here like reports and statements from Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, B'Tselem etc

May 14, 2021

Nous serons libres

 Dernier article de Mazin Qumsiyeh, résistant, militant et chercheur-universitaire (vous pouvez vous abonner à son site et aussi soutenir son muséum)

Un article sur mon blog le 12 mai 2021 :

http://popular-resistance.blogspot.com/2021/05/dignity.html

 

Au cours des dernières 48 heures, j'ai été interviewé dans de nombreux médias au sujet des événements qui se déroulent ici. Mon message, au-delà de leur dire ce qui se passe réellement sur le terrain, est simple : Il ne s'agit pas d'un "conflit", ni d'un différend frontalier, ni d'une question tribale ou religieuse. C'est simple : les dernières crises de colère du système colonial. Je m'attends à ce que les choses s'aggravent un peu (c'est toujours plus sombre avant l'aube). Bombarder des quartiers civils, tirer sur des manifestants non armés et mentir, est la marque de fabrique de toutes les rencontres entre les puissances coloniales européennes et les indigènes. Comme cela a été vrai en Afrique du Sud sous l'apartheid et en Amérique après la colonisation espagnole et britannique, c'est vrai en Palestine sous la colonisation juive européenne. Les responsables coloniaux comme le chef corrompu Benjamin Netanyahu (originaire de Mileikowsky en Pologne) sont fiers du soi-disant système de défense "Dôme de fer" contre les roquettes de la résistance palestinienne depuis Gaza (mais le dôme ne fonctionne que dans une mesure très limitée et est très coûteux). 40 000 dollars par missile du dôme de fer, plus de 1000 tirés la semaine dernière, ce qui signifie que les contribuables américains ont dépensé 40 millions de dollars rien qu'en missiles dépensés en une semaine. Les contribuables américains paient bien sûr la facture contre leur gré (grâce au lobby sioniste à Washington) pour défendre l'apartheid israélien (4 milliards de dollars par an en aide militaire - plus que l'aide étrangère américaine à l'Afrique subsaharienne et à l'Amérique latine réunies). Tout cela pour qu'Israël puisse poursuivre ses politiques illégales et racistes de nettoyage ethnique à Jérusalem et au-delà. Ainsi, les États-Unis continuent d'être complices de violations du droit international qui constituent des crimes de guerre et des crimes contre l'humanité (par exemple, 12 enfants tués par des armes fournies par les États-Unis en une seule semaine à Gaza). Mais la nouvelle équation a montré que nous avons dépassé l'époque où la puissance militaire, les murs et les armées pouvaient dicter l'avenir. Ce sont les gens qui dictent l'avenir. Les plus de 13 millions de Palestiniens (dont 7,5 millions de réfugiés et de personnes déplacées), soutenus par des centaines de millions d'êtres humains décents dans le monde, ne succomberont pas à la force brutale des colonisateurs/occupants/voleurs. Les sourires sur les visages des jeunes Palestiniens enlevés par des voyous lourdement armés (alias les forces de sécurité israéliennes) nous donnent à eux seuls l'espoir d'un avenir radieux. La Palestine sera libérée ! Des manifestations ont eu lieu non seulement dans des villes palestiniennes (occupées) comme Jaffa, Haïfa, Lod, Bethléem et Jérusalem, mais aussi dans plus de 100 autres villes, de Washington DC à New York en passant par Londres, Amman, Sanaa, etc. Tous les gens voient et ressentent la nécessité de libérer la Palestine - toute la Palestine. C'est également remarquable en dépit de la manipulation des grands médias qui tentent de cacher et d'obscurcir la situation (même lorsqu'ils font des reportages, ils parlent d'"affrontements" et cachent l'oppression coloniale contre le peuple opprimé) et des gouvernements qui collaborent, financent ou normalisent avec le régime d'apartheid. C'est l'une des causes les plus justes au monde qui n'est toujours pas résolue. Le dernier round a commencé le 12 avril lorsque les occupants israéliens ont commencé le dernier round pour tenter de restreindre les musulmans à Jérusalem dans leur effort incessant pour judaïser la ville. Pour moi personnellement, Jérusalem est ma ville. J'y ai été professeur de lycée et je vis dans une banlieue de Jérusalem appelée Bethléem (à 5 km du centre ville). Qu'Israël refuse à moi et à des millions d'autres personnes le droit de visiter notre ville (illégalement occupée selon le droit international) ne passera pas.

Nous serons libres. Je recommande au public israélien de décoloniser son esprit et de se débarrasser de l'illusion de la suprématie et de l'exceptionnalisme juif, de renvoyer les réfugiés et de s'asseoir avec nous pour forger un avenir de paix et de justice pour tous ! Les dômes de fer, les murs d'apartheid en béton, les illusions de détruire la troisième mosquée la plus sacrée de l'Islam, et toutes les autres "mesures" prises ne font que se retourner contre eux.

 

Voici trois articles tournés vers l'avenir que j'ai écrits il y a de nombreuses années, qui sont toujours d'actualité et me rappellent qu'il faut garder l'espoir. http://qumsiyeh.org/biologyofpeace/

http://qumsiyeh.org/peaceoneartheveninpalestine/

http://qumsiyeh.org/ofcowardicedignityandsolidarity/

 

Note de bas de page 1 : Sheikh Jarrah : Affrontements, bagarres, conflits - les euphémismes des médias occidentaux pour désigner la violence d'Israël https://www.middleeasteye.net/opinion/sheikh-jarrah-israel-palestine-western-media-coverage-euphemism

Note de bas de page 2 : Danse tourmentée du colonisateur https://mondoweiss.net/2021/04/the-tormented-dance-of-the-colonizer-peter-beinart-liberal-zionism-and-the-battle-for-palestine/

 

Note de bas de page 3 : Le 9 mai 2011, Haaretz a publié que le directeur général du ministère de la Défense, le major-général (réserviste) Udi Shani, a déclaré qu'Israël prévoit d'investir près d'un milliard de dollars dans les années à venir pour le développement et la production des batteries du Dôme de fer. "Nous n'abordons plus cela en termes de capacités opérationnelles initiales, mais nous définissons l'objectif final d'absorption des systèmes, en termes de calendrier et de fonds. Nous parlons de [disposer] de 10 à 15 batteries Dôme de Fer. Nous allons investir près d'un milliard de dollars à cet effet. C'est l'objectif, en plus des 205 millions de dollars que nous avons investis dans le projet.

 

May 12, 2021

Dignity

12 May 2021

Gaza civilian areas bombed by apartheid forces

I was interviewed in many media outlets in the past 48 hours about the events here. My message beyond telling them what is really going on on the ground here is simple: This is not a “conflict” or a border dispute nor a tribal or religious issue. It is simple: the last tantrums of the unsettled settler colonial system. I expect things will get a bit worse (always darkest before the dawn). Bombing civilian neighborhoods, shooting unarmed protesters, and lying is a hallmark of all European colonial power encounter with natives. As this was true in South Africa under apartheid and in America after Spanish and British colonization, so it is true in Palestine under European Jewish colonization. Colonial officials like corrupt leader Benjamin Netanyahu (originally Mileikowsky from Poland) are proud of the so called “Iron Dome” defense system against Palestinian resistance rockets from Gaza (but the dome works only to very limited extent and is very costly). $40,000 per iron dome missile, over 1000 fired in the past week so it means it cost US taxpayers $40 million just in spent missiles in one week. US taxpayers are of course footing the bill against their wishes (thanks to the Zionist lobby in Washington) to defend Israeli apartheid ($4 billion annually in military aid– more than US foreign aid to Subsaharan Africa and Latin America combined). All so Israel can advance its illegal and racist policies of ethnic cleansing in Jerusalem and beyond. Thus the US continues to be complicit in violations of International law that amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity (e.g. 12 children killed by US supplied weapons just in one week in Gaza).But the new equation has shown that we are past that age when military might, walls, & armies can dictate the future. People will will dicate the future. The >13 million Palestinians (7.5 million of them refugees and displaced people) supported by hundreds of millions of decent human beings around the world will not succumb to brutal force of colonizers/occupiers/thieves. The smiles on the faces of young Palestinians being kidnapped by heavily armed thugs (aka Israeli security forces) alone gives us hope in a bright future. Palestine will be freed! Demonstrations were held not only in (occupied) Palestinian cities like Jaffa, Haifa, Lod, Bethlehem, and Jerusalem but in over 100 other cities from Washington DC to New York to London to Amman to Sanaa etc. All people see and feel the need to free Palestine – all of Palestine. This is also remarkable despite the manipulated mainstream media trying to hide and obfuscate (even when they report they claim “clashes” and hide the fact of colonial oppression vs oppressed people) and the governments colluding, funding, or normalizing with the apartheid regime. This is one of the most just causes in the world still left unresolved. The latest round started 12 April when Israeli occupiers started the latest round to attempt to restrict Muslims in Jerusalem in its relentless effort to Judaicize the city. For me personally, Jerusalem is my city. I was a high school teacher there and I live in a suburb of it called Bethlehem (5 km away from city center). That Israel denies me and millions others the right to even visit our city (illegally occupied according to International law) will not pass. We will be free. My recommendation to the Israeli public is decolonize their minds and shed the illusion of Jewish supremacy / exceptionalism, return the refugees and sit down with us to forge a future of peace with justice for all! Iron domes, concrete apartheid walls, delusions of destroying the third holiest mosque in Islam, and all the other “measures” taken only backfire.

Here are three forward looking article I wrote many years ago that are relevant today and remind me to keep hope alive

http://qumsiyeh.org/biologyofpeace/

http://qumsiyeh.org/peaceoneartheveninpalestine/

http://qumsiyeh.org/ofcowardicedignityandsolidarity/

Footnote 1: Sheikh Jarrah: Clashes, scuffles, conflict - western media's euphemisms for Israel's violence https://www.middleeasteye.net/opinion/sheikh-jarrah-israel-palestine-western-media-coverage-euphemism
Footnote 2:  Tormented dance of the colonizer
https://mondoweiss.net/2021/04/the-tormented-dance-of-the-colonizer-peter-beinart-liberal-zionism-and-the-battle-for-palestine/ 

Footnote 3: On 9 May 2011, Haaretz published that Defense Ministry director general Maj. Gen. (res.) Udi Shani said that Israel plans to invest nearly $1 billion in the coming years for the development and production of Iron Dome batteries. "We are no longer approaching this in terms of initial operational capabilities but are defining the final target for absorbing the systems, in terms of schedule and funds. We are talking about [having] 10–15 Iron Dome batteries. We will invest nearly $1 billion on this. This is the goal, in addition to the $205 million that the U.S. government has authorized," Shani said