بين المهازل والأعمال‎

إذا بالفعل مهتمة الفصائل بالمقاومة الشعبية بامكانها قرائة كتابي المقاومة الشعبية في فلسطين (نشر مؤسسة واطن – راماللة) أو عل الأقل بحثي بعنوان دروس من المقاومة في فلسطين الى الربيع العربي (جزء من الربيع العربي من منظور حفوق الإنسان ) ويمكن تحميله هنا https://www.palestinenature.org/research/B31.-Durous.pdf فالدروس مهمة لأن العقبات أمام المفاومة الشعبية الناجحة لا تزال متواجدة. والرجاء بعد أن تقرأ ما أسفل أن تعطي رأيك مثلا هل هذا الوقت المناسب للدفع بقوة باتجاه الرجوع لميثاق المنظمة لدولة واحدة؟

أنا من العمر بما يكفي لأشهد فلسطين تختنق ببطء على مدى العقود شهدت الكثير وعملت أبحاث وكتبت كتبًا عنها بما فيها فساد القادة العرب وغدرهم منذ أمد بعيد. هذا الشهر وتواريخه المختارة بدقة من توقيع اتفاقيات العار في البيت الأبيض (بدءا من أوسلو وآخرها مهزلة توقيع البحرين والإمارات والحبل عالجرار) بالتزامن مع ذكرى مجزرة صبرا وشاتيلا وذكرى المحاولة الأولى للاستيلاء على حائط البراق 1928 (أدت لهبة شعبية – الإنتفاضة الخامسة) وبداية اثورة 1936 وبداية انتفاضة 1987 وأيلول الأسود 1970. تخبرني والدتي البالغة من العمر 88 عامًا (التي سبقت شهادة ميلادها الفلسطينية هذه الدولة العنصرية) أن العالم سيستمر في التغيير بطرق جيدة وسيئة (تتذكر صديقتها هيا بلبيسي التي استشهدت في دير ياسين على يد العصابات الصهيونية). وجهها الهادئ المتجعد يؤكد لي أن السلام ليس وجهة ... السلام هو الطريق. أنا ممتن لأنني وعائلتي وملايين آخرين من أجيال عديدة نبقى أوفياء لضميرنا ونقاوم الاستبداد والظلم ولا ننضم إلى صفوف المنافقين و "صانعي الصفقات" في عالمنا . إن رؤية الكثير من الأشخاص الطيبين يفعلون الشيء الصحيح هو بحد ذاته انتصار رائع.

هل يجوز لـ 7.5 مليون فلسطيني أن يظلوا لاجئين حتى في الوقت الذي يتم فيه دعم الطغاة ويطلق على مجرمي الحرب اسم صانعي "السلام"؟ لماذا يعتقد أكثر من نصف الجمهور الأمريكي أن ترامب كاذب ولكن لا يتحىوا أكاذيبه حول دولة الفصل العنصري؟ أكاذيب مثل صنع السلام بين الدول (التي لم تكن في حالة حرب أبدًا وكانت دائمًا في نفس المعسكر تقاتل حقوق تقرير المصير في فلسطين واليمن وسوريا ومصر وغيرها). أكاذيب مثل أن إسرائيل تريد السلام عندما يمكن بسهولة معرفة أن هذا أربح احتلال بالتاريخ. أكاذيب مثل الفلسطينيين ليسوا على استعداد للتنازل أو قبول مبادرات السلام عندما قبلت قيادتنا "إسرائيل" على 78٪ من فلسطين وكانت على استعداد لتسوية تشمل دولة منزوعة السلاح على 22٪ من الأرض وحتى بدون عودة اللاجئين. أكاذيب مثل أن الولايات المتحدة كانت تقدم الكثير من الأموال للفلسطينيين الذين عاملوا الولايات المتحدة بعد ذلك بعدم احترام (يتم تمويل الولايات المتحدة حول العالم لتعزيز المصالح الأمريكية الإمبريالية بما في ذلك في هذه الحالة مساعدة إسرائيل). أكاذيب مثل مساواة مقاومة الاستعمار بـ "الإرهاب" أو "معاداة السامية" وإدراج جميع الجماعات التي تناضل من أجل تقرير المصير والحرية في العالم العربي وخارجه على أنها إرهابية. أو الانخراط في حرب اقتصادية ضد دول مثل فنزويلا وإيران لمجرد دعم حق تقرير المصير. كانت الحقيقة الوحيدة التي قالها ترامب في لحظة غير مكتوبة (زلة) عندما صرح بأن الولايات المتحدة في الشرق الأوسط ليس من أجل النفط ولكن لمساعدة إسرائيل ولهذا السبب تم توجيه معظم جهود وزارة الخارجية الأمريكية إلى تعزيز الهيمنة الاقتصادية والسياسية الصهيونية في جميع أنحاء العالم (على سبيل المثال ابتزاز السودان وإخبارهم أنه سيتم إبقائهم عن قائمة الدول التي "ترعى الإرهاب "إلا إذا طبعوا مع إسرائيل).

المهزلة أن نرى الصهيوني اليهودي وولف بليتسر من CNN وهو يعمل مقابلة مع اليهودي الصهيوني جاريد كوشنر. مهزلة أن نسمع المستعمر فريدمان ينظر عن القيادة الفلسطيني. ومهزلة أن نتنياهوا يستلم مفتاح للبيت الأبيض (طبعا للإرسال رسالة للفلسطينيين حول مفاتيحهم!) نرى ممثلي البحرين والإمارات يبتسموا مثل الحمقى بينما يقول نتنياهو وترامب علانية أن القدس يمكن أن يزورها المسلمون (تحت الاحتلال الإسرائيلي غير القانوني) إلى الأبد وهم يعلمون أن الملايين من المسلمين والمسيحيين الفلسطينيين الأصليين لا يمكنهم زيارة قدسهم ومقدساتهم. مهزلة أن نتنياهو يقول صراحة إن القوة ما أوصلتهم إلى هذه المرحلة وستحقق المزيد. كم من الدول العربية سيتم نهبها وإفقارها بعد الإمارات والبحرين؟ (يقول ترامب 5 قريبا). وهل سيكون مصير هؤلاء القادة (بما فيهم من آل سعود) مختلفًا عن أولئك الذين سبقوهم في العمل لصالح إسرائيل؟ يمكنك الإنضمام إلى جانب الطغاة ومجرمي الحرب (ملوك الخليج + نتنياهو + ترامب) الذين يشنون حربًا على الإنسانية وتقرير المصير والعدالة أو تجد البديل لك من خلال العمل من أجل الإنسانية وتقرير المصير والعدالة. التاريخ سيحكم. قد يكون قوس الكون الأخلاقي طويلاً ولكنه ينحني نحو العدالة. الكرة في ملعبنا ومن المهزلة أن تبقى قيادتنا تحت المستوى المطلوب في هذه المرحلة التاريخية.

أنا كبير في السن بما يكفي لأذكر الحياة والعمل لفلسطين عندما عشت في الولايات المتحدة (على الرغم من العنصرية والتمييز هناك أيضًا) وكيف تركت ذلك للعودة إلى فلسطين (عودة من أرض محتلة إلى أخرى) عام 2008. كل حياتي تدعوني للأمل. طبعا أتمنى مزيد من الصبر على الأشياء التي لا أستطيع تغييرها والشجاعة لتغيير الأشياء التي يمكنني تغييرها (على سبيل المثال من خلال عملنا في الزراعة والبيئة والتأثير بشكل خاص على الشباب – أنظر https://youtu.be/uMQ9Rs85CjQ ) والحكمة لمعرفة الفرق. ولكن لا زلت أشعر أنني وجميعنا مقصرين في حق فلسطين – أمنا الكنعانية. يا ريت أسمع من القراء رأيهم. مثلا هل هذا الوقت المناسب للدفع بقوة باتجاه الرجوع لميثاق المنظمة لدولة واحدة؟

أ.د. مازن قمصية

جامعة بيت لحم

Old enough

I am old enough to have been able to see Palestine slowly strangulated over the past few decades, with us natives who trace ancestry thousands of years here kicked out or squeezed into cantons/open air prisons like Gaza and Bethlehem. Old enough to have researched events even before I was born and wrote books about them (like Sykes-Picot, Balfour-Cambon, Gawler, Hertzle and more). I am old enough to have personally witnessed Arab leaders’ corruption and treachery. I am old enough to personally witness rampant racism from white European Jews who think they are entitled to steal our land because they belong to the Jewish “people” (actually Judaism like Christianity is a religion for many people of diverse backgrounds). I am old enough to have worked with hundreds of decent Jews and tens of thousands of decent Muslims, Christians, Hindus, Atheists, etc towards peace and justice. I am old enough that when dates are chosen for treasonous signings like yesterday at the White House (now the name fits because it emphasized white rule), I can immediately link why 15 September (squarely in the middle of anniversaries of the Sabra and Shatila massacres and of the signing of the sell-out Oslo Accords). I am old enough to reminisce over a good life I lived in the US (despite racism and discrimination there also) and how I gave all of that up to return to Palestine under the thumb f the Zionists. From one Israeli occupied territory to another and back!. I am old enough to have patience for the things I can’t change, courage to change those I can (e.g. via our work in agriculture and the environment and influencing especially youth), and wisdom to know the difference. My 88-year-old mother (whose Birth Certificate in PALESTINE predates this Jewish state) tells me the world will continue to change in good and bad ways (yes she remembers her friend Haya Balbisi who was massacred in Deir Yassin by Zionists who became “leaders”). Her calm wrinkled face emphasizes to me that peace is not a destination… peace is the way. I am grateful that my family and I and millions of others of many generations remain true to our conscience and care for fellow human beings, resist tyranny and injustice, and do not join the ranks of the hypocrite dictators and “deal makers” of our world. Seeing so many good people do the right thing is itself a marvelous victory.

Reflections are still important. Is it alright for 7.5 million Palestinians to remain refugees even as dictators are propped and war criminals called “peace” makers? Why do more than half the American public think Trump is pathological liar but then do not challenge his lies about the apartheid state of Israel? Lies like making peace between countries (who have never been at war and have ALWAYS been in the same camp fighting rights of people to self determination in Palestine, Yemen, Syria, Egypt and more). Lies like Israel wants peace when Zionist elites are profiting to the tune of $15 billion/year from endless colonial occupation (see Shir Hever’s books and writings on the economy of the occupation). Lies like the Palestinians are not willing to compromise or accept peace gestures when our leadership accepted “Israel” on 78% of Palestine and was willing to settle for a rump demilitarized state on 22% of the land. (and why is international law and countless UN resolutions considered irrelevant). Lies like the “Jewish state” is democratic when they actually have dozens of laws that discriminate against non-Jews even in the areas within the green line (see https://www.adalah.org/en/content/view/7771) and hundreds of other racist discriminatory laws against us Palestinians living in the occupied areas beyond the green line http://orders.arij.org/searchMONo.php ). Lies like the US was giving lots of money for the Palestinians who then treated the US with disrespect (US funding around the world is done in advancing US government interests including in this case helping Israel control the occupied areas). Lies like equating resistance to colonialism with “terrorism” or “anti-semitism” (or if Jewish “self-hatred”!!) and listing essentially all groups fighting for self-determination and freedom in the Arab world and beyond as terrorists. Or engaging in economic warfare against countries like Venezuela and Iran simply for supporting right of self-determination.

The only truth spoken by Trump was in an unscripted moment (a lapse of judgement on his part) when he stated that the US is in the Middle East not for oil but to help Israel (that comment was totally ignored in Zionist controlled CNN, FoxNews etc)! Indeed that is why the US government gave them hundreds of billions, why most of the effort of state department is directed at promoting Zionist economic and political hegemony around the world (e.g. extorting Sudan now telling them that they would be removed from states “sponsoring terrorism” only if they normalize with Israel). Why are taxpayer money being siphoned off to benefit a state that deliberately attacked a US ship in International water (see http://www.gtr5.com/ ).

It is surreal to watch Jewish Zionist advocate Wolf Blitzer interview Jewish Zionist advocate Jared Kushner. It is surreal to see US media ignore the demonstrations outside the White House during the premature “celebration” of victory over the Palestinians (many of the demonstrators were Orthodox anti-Zionist Jews). It is surreal to see the boozing womanizers from Bahrain and UAE smirk like morons as Netanyahu and Trump say openly that Jerusalem can be visited by Muslims (under Israel’s illegal occupation for perpetuity) when they know that millions of native Palestinian Muslims and Christians cannot visit their holy places in Jerusalem. Surreal that Netanyahu openly says that Israel power is so far out-reaching that it got them to this stage and will get them much more. How many Arab states will be pillaged and impoverished now beyond the UAE and Bahrain? (Trump says 5-6 more soon). And will the fate of these new Israeli human puppets be any different than those that preceded them working for Israel (killed, dead, living in shame now in Lebanon or elsewhere, forgotten)? The surreal situation was foreseen by many of us who wrote and educated about these things for decades. It is not satisfying and rather sad that we predicted these scenes decades earlier (for example when the so called “Oslo accords” were signed that allowed the PLO to recognize Israel but Israel did not recognize Palestine). Well now the lines are drawn. I again ask: Is it alright for 7.5 million Palestinians to remain refugees even as dictators are propped and war criminals called “peace” makers? Why can’t we get all 6 million Jews who live here plus the 13 million Palestinians to simply vote on what form of governance they want? You can join the side of murdering dictators and war criminals (monarchs of the Gulf + Netanyahu + Trump) who are waging war on humanity, self-determination, and justice or you find your alternative by WORKING for humanity, self-determination and justice. We must stand with the oppressed people of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, UAE, Egypt, Palestine and elsewhere. Millions are standing with us against these tyrants. History will judge. The arc of the moral universe may be long but it bends towards justice. La Luta Continua.

Truths

 George Orwell said “in a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act.” So let us all tell the truth:

-The Western governments have never really cared about human rights or democracy. They propped dictators, toppled democratically elected governments (like in Iran in 1953 and Chile in 1970), and engagedin policies that killed many millions of innocent people. They support murdering genocidal pyromaniacs like the rulers of the “UAE” and “Saudi Arabia” and ”Israel”. They label as terrorists any genuine resistance movements (in fact how vicious the attacks from racists are on a country or a people tells us precisely how honorable those being attacked are!). 

-Palestine is just a physical base for Zionism to conquer the Arab world and much beyond. The Zionists actually speak openly of how we will be their servants and they our masters. All the data is there for people to study and investigate. And as time went by, they made it impossible to criticize Zionism or Israel and even increasingly “illegal” to do so. Again, it is an assault on free speech and democracy in countries such as Germany, France and the UK that claims the mantle of human rights.

-Colonial-Native struggles end in one of three scenarios: a) Algerian model (nearly 2 million killed, 1 million colonizers and their descendents left the country), b) genocide of natives (USA, Australia), c) coexistence in one country of descendents 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 adversaries with collusion of corrupt dictators. But Zionists and all those collusionists’ regimes need to decide on which of the three outcomes they want. Prolonging it is not helpful to them. The number of Palestinains today is 13 million (12 times what we were in 1917 when the Balfour and Cambon declarations were made in support of Zionism). Impoverished natives reproduce more than economically empowered minorities and the world will eventually democratize or die.

-Those who engaged in exploitation and destruction in the past century (Belgium in the Congo, British in Afriua and Asia, US in Cambodia and Vietnam etc.) largely got away with it because the world was fragmented. Now, the world is far too crowded and us far too connected such taht military might no longer can be used effectively to dictate things without repercussions. Hence the last attempts at this were failures (US in Iraq, Israel in Gaza and Lebanon, US client states attack on Syria and Yemen). This gives hope.

-Whether the PLO leadership of Yasser Arafat and Mahmoud Abbas signed the Oslo accords out of ignorance or knowing its criminality, staying with it for three decades knowing how much of a charade it was and doing so to keep their positions is indeed criminal behavior. And for the remainder of Palestinain body politics, acquiescence is collusion. Why none of these so-called leaders is willing to admit that this horrific delusion of apartheid couched as “peace process” was a second catastrophe/nakba at par with 1948/1949 nakba.

-The so-called Arab league since Jamal AbdelNasser died in 1970 (perhaps assassinated) serves as a tool for US/Israeli of oppression and imperialism. The gulf monarchies in particular used to tremble at the speeches of AbdelNasser. Now they even get away with murdering and dismembering an opposition journalist in their own embassy in Turkey. They get away with committing genocide in Yemen and occupying it to give Israel bases in the Island of Socotra. They get away with funding Israeli apartheid and destruction of their own religious heritage. They impoverish their people, and are happy to give hundreds of billions of dollars to enrich coffers of imperialists and Zionists as long as those allow them to keep oppressing people.

-The fault is not merely in our “leaders” who put short term financial profit ahead of people and planetary survival. That would be easy to remedy if it was. The fault is in us for keeping these “leaders” in power. Clapping for them, facilitating their dominion over us, playing along with their games of divide and conquer (fear mongering) and overall abandoning our own dignity. We must believe in ourselves and our people (something elite politicians do not want us to do). That is how we get rid of colonialism (including Zionism), pandemics, the environmental nakba (catastrophe) and the risk of nuclear war.

-Yet, the growth of the BDS movement and of people’s support for Palestinian human rights miraculously continues to grow. If I look at the number of attendees to webinars I am invited to speak to (2-3/week) and growth of networks and actions, the conclusion is inevitable: Palestine cannot and will not be liquidated. The question is where each of us stands: the side of Biden, Trump, Netanyahu and ilk, or the side of native people. If we were to tackle climate change, threats of nuclear war, global pandemics, and much more, we should reconnect to native people and empower them. Being on the wrong side here is existential. 

The ultimate bit of truth is as Martin Luther King said: we either live together as fellow human beings or die together as fools. A “win” of business deals to control the world’s wealth will ultimately mean we either wake up and reverse this or we ALL die as a species. We are afterall 7.5 billion people and they are a tiny minority who hope to run the world to their short term advantage but will cause long-term catastrophe (extinction as a species). Their children can have billions or they can have a livable world but not both.

As for us common people, it is time to "revolt against the machine" as the old song used to say OR we will all not survive (even our oppressors will die with us).   

الحقيقة

 

قال جورج أورويل "في زمن الخداع العالمي ، قول الحقيقة هو عمل ثوري". لذلك دعونا جميعًا نقول الحقيقة:

- لم تهتم الحكومات الغربية أبدًا بحقوق الإنسان أو الديمقراطية. بل دعموا الديكتاتوريين وأسقطوا الحكومات المنتخبة ديمقراطياً (كما في إيران عام 1953 وتشيلي عام 1970) ، وانخرطوا في سياسات قتلت ملايين الأبرياء. إنهم يؤيدون أنظمة الإبادة الجماعية مثل حكام "الإمارات" و "السعودية" و "إسرائيل" ويصفون أي حركات مقاومة حقيقية بالإرهابيين (في الواقع مدى شراسة الهجمات على بلد ما أوشخص ما من قبلهم (وأبواقهم مثل قناة العربية) يخبرنا على وجه التحديد بمدى شرف من يتعرضون للهجوم

- فلسطين هي مجرد قاعدة للصهيونية لغزو العالم العربي وما أبعد. يتحدث الصهاينة في الواقع بصراحة عن الكيفية التي سنكون بها خدامهم وهم أسيادنا. جميع البيانات متوفرة للناس للدراسة والتحقيق. وبمرور الوقت وتخاذ الكثيرين جعلوا من المستحيل وحتى "غير القانوني" انتقاد الصهيونية أو إسرائيل. الهجوم على حرية التعبير والديمقراطية في دول مثل ألمانيا وفرنسا والمملكة المتحدة أمثلة من دول تدعي الخحريات وحقوق الإنسان.

- تنتهي صراعات المستعمرين مع السكان الأصليين في واحد من ثلاثة سيناريوهات: أ) النموذج الجزائري (ما يقرب من 2 مليون شهيد و مليون مستعمر وأحفادهم غادروا البلاد) ، ب) الإبادة الجماعية للسكان الأصليين (الولايات المتحدة الأمريكية ، أستراليا) ، ج) التعايش في بلد واحد لأحفاد المستعمرين والسكان الأصليين (بقية العالم > 140 دولة). لا يوجد سيناريو رابع. فلسطين لن تكون استثناء. إنه النضال الأخير والممتد إلا بسبب قوة الصهاينة وثرواتهم بل لضعفنا. لكن الصهاينة وجميع الأنظمة المتواطئة في حاجة إلى تحديد أي من النتائج الثلاث يريدون. إطالة الأمر لا يفيدهم. يبلغ عدد الفلسطينيين اليوم 13 مليون (12 ضعف ما كنا عليه في عام 1917 عندما صدر وعد بلفور ووعد كامبون دعما للصهيونية). السكان الأصليون الفقراء يتكاثرون أكثر من لو كانو في وضع اقتصادي حسن وهذه معضلة الإستعمار.

- أولئك الذين انخرطوا في الاستغلال والدمار في القرن الماضي (بلجيكا في الكونغو ، والبريطانيون في أفريقيا وآسيا ، والولايات المتحدة في كمبوديا وفيتنام ، إلخ) أفلتوا إلى حد كبير بسبب تجزئة العالم. الآن أصبح العالم مزدحمًا للغاية  وأصبح من غير الممكن استخدام مثل هذه القوات العسكرية بشكل فعال لإملاء الأمور دون تداعيات. ومن هنا كانت إخفاقات محاولات حديثة مثل حرب الولايات المتحدة على العراق وإسرائيل على غزة ولبنان ودول عميلة للولايات المتحدة على سوريا واليمن). هذا يعطي الأمل.

- ما إذا كانت منظمة التحرير الفلسطينية بقيادة ياسر عرفات ومحمود عباس وقّعت على اتفاقات أوسلو عن جهل أو معرفة لإجرامها فإن البقاء معها لمدة ثلاثة عقود للحفاظ على مواقفهم هو سلوك إجرامي بحق الشعوب. بالنسبة لما تبقى من الجسد الفلسطيني فإن الإذعان هو تواطؤ بالجرائم. لماذا لا يقوم أي من هؤلاء القادة المزعومين  للاعتراف بأن هذا الوهم الرهيب للفصل العنصري المصاغ على أنه "سلام" كان نكبة ثانية على قدم المساواة مع نكبة 1948/1949.

- ما تسمى بالجامعة العربية ومنذ وفاة جمال عبد الناصر عام 1970 (ربما اغتيل) هي أداة للقمع والإمبريالية الأمريكية / الإسرائيلية. ممالك الخليج على وجه الخصوص كانت ترتجف من خطب عبد الناصر. الآن يفلتوا من قتل وتقطيع صحفي معارض في سفارتهم في تركيا ودعم الإمبريالية والصهيونية علنبا. يرتكبوا إبادة جماعية في اليمن ويحتلوها لمنح إسرائيل قواعد في جزيرة سقطرى. يفقرون شعوبهم ويسعدون بتقديم مئات المليارات من الدولارات لإثراء خزائن الإمبرياليين والصهاينة طالما تسمح لهم بمواصلة اضطهاد الناس.

- الخطأ ليس فقط في "قادتنا" (سيكون من السهل علاجه إذا كان كذلك) . هم وضعوا الربح المالي قصير الأجل قبل الناس وبقاء الكوكب. بل إن الخطأ فينا لإبقاء هؤلاء "القادة" في السلطة. مشكلتنا التصفيق لهم (شعبنا سحيجة بنسبة عالية) وتسهيل سيطرتهم علينا والقبول بسياسات فرق تسد (ترويج الخوف مثلا بين السنة والشيعة) والتخلي عن كرامتنا بشكل عام. يجب أن نؤمن بأنفسنا وبشعبنا (وهو أمر لا تريدنا النخبة السياسية أن نفعله). هذه هي الطريقة التي نتخلص بها من الاستعمار (بما في ذلك الصهيونية) والأوبئة مثل الكورونا والنكبة البيئية (الكارثة) وخطر الحرب النووية.

 

- ومع ذلك بأعجوبة  يستمر نمو حركة المقاطعة BDS ودعم الناس لحقوق الإنسان الفلسطين. إذا نظرت إلى عدد الحاضرين في الندوات عبر الإنترنت التي تمت دعوتي للتحدث معهم (2-3  ندوات أسبوعيا) ونمو الشبكات والإجراءات المضادة فإن الاستنتاج لا مفر منه: لا يمكن تصفية فلسطين ولن يتم ذلك. السؤال هو أين يقف كل واحد منا: جانب بايدن وترامب ونتنياهو وأمثاله ، أو جانب السكان الأصليين. إذا أردنا معالجة تغير المناخ ، وتهديدات الحرب النووية ، والأوبئة العالمية ، وأكثر من ذلك بكثير ، يجب علينا إعادة الاتصال بالسكان الأصليين وتمكينهم. أن تكون في الجانب الخطأ هنا أمر وجودي.

الجزء النهائي من الحقيقة كما قال مارتن لوثر كينج: إما أن نعيش معًا كأخوة في البشرية أو نموت معًا كأغبياء. "الفوز" بصفقات تجارية للسيطرة على ثروة العالم سيعني في النهاية إما أن نستيقظ ونغير هذا الواقع أو نندثر جميعا. نحن 7.5 مليار وهم أقلية صغيرة يأملون في إدارة العالم لمصلحتهم على المدى القصير ولكنهم سيسببون كارثة طويلة الأمد (انقراض كنوع). يمكن أن يكون لأطفالهم المليارات أو يمكن لأطفالهم الحصول على عالم صالح للعيش ولكن ليس كلاهما.

بالنسبة لنا عامة الناس فقد حان وقت "الثورة على الآلة" كما تقول الأغنية القديمة

12 years

I returned to Palestine in 2008 (after a quarter of a century in the US) and it is good to reflect on these 12 years. Below this is the message from August 2008 explaining why I came back and what I had planned to do here. Much of course happened in 12 years good and bad (and that is the nature of life). Sadly, I witnessed two Israeli large attacks on Gaza and persistent daily attacks on life of Palestinians. I witnessed wars inspired by the US on Libya, Yemen, and Syria and toppling a dictator in Egypt to be replaced by an elected government which in turn gets toppled by another dictator. I witnessed 60 million Americans electing Trump to be president while the rest learned nothing from democratic establishment propping crooked Hillary “we came [to libya] we conqured” Clinton. They will still vote for the lesser of two evils. I witnessed locally home demolitions, ethnic cleansing, and de-development with Western complicity and hypocricy. I lost 19 friends who were killed by the occupation forces. I myself was harassed and detained/arrested many times. I witnessed and participated in civil disobedience and civil resistance and wrote a book on popular resistance. My students and I research environmental justice issues and wrote many research papers. We helped many needy families. And we are now struggling as pandemic picks up here in besieged Palestine.

I have split my time between working on human rights issues for Palestinains and working for the environment. These are not mutually exclusive as there is significant overlap. There are issues of colonizer assaults oin the environment and environmental justice. There are issues of human sustainability and food security (dependent on the environment). Ofcourse where and how we act evolves and changes in time. In those 12 years, I learned that our struggle as indigineous people in Palestine is connected to the struggle of indigenous people everywhere. I also learned that since the wealthy elites have no future for themselves without a healthy planet and a healthy planet depends us indigineous people, the elites must learn to listen to us.

For many years we have been active and I had no problem sleeping despite bad new all around us. Action is the best antidote to despair. Recently my own initiatives and actions seem not enough to keep my sanity even those that have tangible results (like founding and volunteering at the Palestine Institute for biodiversity and sustainability that we now employ 9 people and publish on, educate about, and conserve our environment). We witness Israeli bombing of Gaza and Lebanon, home demolitions, persistent human rights violations in Palestine, Yemen, and Syria (e.g. Turkey occupation forces cutting water to 1.3 million people in Hasaka). We also witness the US descending into a fascist state with people having to choose lesser of two evils as the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. Here are two other examples of news that keeps me awake:

-At least six COVID-19 cases outside of quarantine confirmed in two days: Al Mezan warns of a potential human catastrophe in Gaza after Israel tightens its closure and bans fuel entry http://www.mezan.org/en/post/23788

-The UAE ruler worked against the interests of his and all people to succumb to US dictates (made by the Israel lobby) and killes people and occupies their lands in Yemen and now turns it over to build the Israeli empire. Israel to have bases in Socotra, Yemen an island of unique habitat that is already under significant pressure fro the UAE’s military occupation: https://southfront.org/uae-israel-plan-to-create-intelligence-bases-on-socotra-island/

-Some 6 million US and 3 million Brazilians infected with Covid-19 while their presidents are merely happy to get richer and serve Zionist masters.

-What the media ignores about the UN report on Biodiversity (the need to empower indigineous communities)

https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/biodiversity-un-report-indigenous-worldview/

But in the end, I and my wife and the volunteers around us accomplished even more than what was predicted 12 years ago (below), I met hundreds of people who made a difference in my life. Some were maryred, some injured, some died of natural causes (e.g. our friend Qavi who helped so many Palestinians and wanted to die and be buried in Palestine). We gave thousands of talks and built an email list of tens of thousands.  We built institutions and we helped hundreds of young people. And indeed we had “joyful participation in the sorrows of this world.”

PS The achievemnts for 2019 just for this one project are posted at 

https://www.palestinenature.org/about-us/final-annual-report.pdf

=========

Leaving the US For Palestine (August 2008)

After such knowledge; what forgiveness?
Think now
History has many cunning passages,
Contrived corridors
And issue, deceives with wispering ambitions
Guides us by vanities.
Think now
She gives when our attention is distracted
And what she gives, she gives with such supple confusion
We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time
T. S. Elliot

I graduated from Jordan University with a Bachelor degree at age 21 and then taught in Palestinian Schools (Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Jericho).  In those year and a half as a middle and high school teacher (Jan 78-June 79) I worked very hard at two jobs (extra teaching at private school in Jerusalem) so as to save money for higher education. I saved enough for the airline tickets and an extra $1500 for the first few months in America. I came to the US in August 1979 to pursue higher education and ended up making it a home while maintaining a home in Palestine.  Since then I got my doctorate, medical boards in genetics, and served on faculties at the University of Tennessee, Duke, and Yale Universities.  I published over 130 scientific papers and three books. Here I also met first my wife, built a family, made thousands of friends, and chose to become a citizen. Thus, my journey in the US was wonderful and highly successful.   Much of my activism was driven here by the desire to improve this country (e.g. stop it from committing war crimes and crimes against humanity).  I strongly believe that unless all of us work together to change US foreign policy (a policy shaped by Zionist lobbies), we are all doomed.  We see that millions of US citizens are also concerned about the way this foreign policy is damaging our economy and reputation around the world. I think it must (and it will) change.  There are many good signs (e.g. the books of Carter and Mearsheimer and Walt became best sellers). Yet, today with the new laws that shred constitutional protections, government intrusion on every sphere of life, the US has been more Israelized.   These things, restrictions on students coming from the Arab world, and the war economy in America (that devastated higher education here) makes a repeat of my story much more difficult if not impossible. My own journey has not been easy.  Racist Zionists tried to block us at every corner and racism in a society shaped by Hollywood films that villify Arabs is rampant.  Some take their positions  at institutions of higher education and at funding agencies (e.g. March of Dimes, National Science Foundation, National Institute of Health) as a license to advance their racist ideologies.  This situation continues although I did notice that in the past 12-15 years things have become more opened up.  This is a function of a) numbers: Zionist ranks are dwindling and populations of all other people in the US are growing, b) the internet opening up the dialogues and increasing exposure to the truth, and c) more Arab and Muslim Americans taking on their civic responsibilities and asserting their rights and their responsibilities in this society. But perhaps it is always a struggle anyway.  

But the difficulties I faced (including a major health issue) are nothing compared to what other Palestinians face under occupation or in exile (e.g. in refugee camps in Lebanon and Syria).  I consider my challenges/difficulties in life as blessings.  I would not want them changed if I had the power to change them. Difficulties in life make us who we are and help us improve.  In this I am thankful even to those self-declared enemies and protagonists who sometimes succeeded in what they aimed to do and sometimes failed but always provided me with good lessons.  So perhaps a tinge of me wants more difficulties.  I look back with nostalgia at my upbringing under Israeli occupation.  I look with nostalgia at the time I was teaching in the West Bank.  I talk to my elderly diabetic mother every week and she tells me stories of what is going on on the ground.  Her stories include things like people dying because of being prevented from going to health clinics, students denied the right to go to school, lands confiscated, children shot in the back of the head, extra-judicial executions, further acts of ethnic cleansing, and more. I also go to Palestine every year and I see the apartheid system getting worse.  Walls surrounding towns and villages, US weapons that killed or maimed friends and colleagues, economic strangulation, and much more.  But both mother and I see so much good work being done by good people of all faiths and backgrounds.

Thus, every year when I go visit Palestine, I cannot wait to come back even though life there gets worse (checkpoints, the violence of the occupation, the economic deterioration).  My last visit was of July last year.  The hate I witnessed from settlers, from occupation soldiers, and yes from some natives was so thick in the air and permeated everything.  The racism, the segregation, the apartheid walls... and all the other things I occasionally share with you through this cyberspace.  BUT, there is also lots of love.  Love is not usually expressed in words in Palestine. Even among family members it is rare to hear the words "I love you".  Love is expressed at a far more meaningful sense in caring, asking how your health is, offering food, hospitality, offering your clothing and what little you have etc.  These are acts of love.

In the US, I witness acts of love perhaps two or three times a day in person (I see many more on the emails and other news sources).  In Palestine, in my last visit, I witnessed acts of love in the dozens in some days.  In one day of a nonviolent demonstration in Bilin and then in the Hospital where Ibrahim Bornat was taken after being shot, I witnessed hundreds of acts of love.  They came not just from Palestinians but from Internationals and even Israelis who were with us. In the US, writing a letter to the editor or demonstrating in front of a congressman's office are acts of resistance (and yes love). In Palestine, teaching a child to read, eating, drinking, breathing living, and everything we do in life there are acts of resistance (and love).  This is because that is not what the colonial Zionist movement wants (they want us all out to create a more uniform "Jewish state" that is cleansed "nichsayon").

Of course without the US support of Israel, Israel can't survive as a colonial power.  That is why work in the US has been and must continue to be a center of focus.  We simply must change US policy in the Middle East (if nothing else than to save the US from economic collapse!). Work must be done both in Palestine and outside of Palestine.  Indeed that is part of the reason why I have not relocated to Palestine earlier. There is something indeed about fate and destiny.

I also have a home in Connecticut and will maintain that for the time being. It is our destiny as Palestinians to be so conflicted and separated.  I have relatives in 40+ countries. I have friends and colleagues in over 100 countries.  So I guess, the world is my home. The corner of it that received a lot of oppression deserves a lot of attention/activism.  

Activism for human rights is not only a duty but it is one of the most rewarding things to have done myself (marriage, having a son, writing books are others). Activism falls truly under the category of enlightened self interest which is what philosphers and sages of old have encouraged us to practice. So in that sense I am still going to be doing acts similar to here.  My focus will shift though.  I will be doing somethings:

- Teaching at Bethlehem University (a new masters program in Biotechnology, course in human molecular genetics)
- Working on environmental/conservation issues (see http://www.qumsiyeh.org/nature/ )[we ended up establishing a large institute now employing 10 people and dozens of volunteers- palestinenature.org]
- Building a laboratory for clinical genetics that employs Palestinian graduates
- Doing other activities that create job opportunities (see for example by going to http://www.pcr.ps/ and click on outsourcing Palestine project at right)
- Writing more books (the next one on my agenda to complete is on history, theory, and practice of Palestinian non-violent resistance over the past 128 years)
- Giving help where I can (my dream is to start a "food not bombs" chapter)
- Continue the never-ending work to improve myself and fight the demons within.
- Having fun!

And as our newly departed poet Mahmoud Darwish wrote: "I long for my mother's bread, and my mother's coffee, and her touch. Childhood memories grow up in me Day after day. I must be worthy of my life. At the hour of my death, worthy of the tears of my mother.”
I have a home in Beit Sahour, a lovely town despite the colonial occupation.  Please look at these two videos of my hometown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-D2jy1knHs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXFd48-W7JQ

It also seemed the right time on the 60th anniversary of the Nakba (the ethnic cleansing of Palestine) to focus more on helping in Palestine while still maintaining a base in the US.

With humility and serenity, I will try to be positive, productive and helpful as one of millions struggling under occupation/colonization.  My regular email messages may slow down or get way shorter.  These emails will also undergo a change away from posting things from secondary sources.  Since I will be on the ground more, I will report more of what I observe in Palestine and occasional suggestions for unique and inspiring actions for peace with justice we can all support.

If I slighted any of you, I apologize.  I want to thank all of you for your kind support (especially those who took the time to act on action calls).  I also want to thank those in Connecticut who helped make the state a great place to live.  You all will be in my thoughts always.

If you ever want to take a trip to Palestine, please drop me a note and come visit!

In the meantime, stay tuned and best of Love to all.

Mazin Qumsiyeh

PS: Lessons I try to remember about life (most learned from mistakes :-)
http://www.qumsiyeh.org/lessonslearned/

Perception

Perceptions are driven by experiences. 

25 years ago while at Duke University I attended a lecture by a leading Zionist who was in his late 70s at the time and essentially retired from his Israel advocacy positions though still giving lectures like that (for hefty fee). What stuck in my mind is when he explained why Zionists like him like and promote dictatorship in the Arab world. He simply ended his explanation by stating that "we can easily deal with one person." Henry Kissinger once quibbled about one such dictator "he is an SOB (son of a bitch) but he is OUR SOB". This stuck with me over the years as I watched repeatedly how the US (under the Zionist lobby's dictates) targeted people like Moammar Qaddafi or Bashar AlAsad while strengthening relationships with genocidal maniacs like Mohammad Bin Salman (Saudi Arabia) and Mohammad Bin Zayed (UAE). Human rights became a tool of empire rather than a principal.

Experiences shape perceptions. Three years ago I was in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and met with lots of people ranging from hard working expatriates (Palestinians, Syrian, Bangladeshi) working men and women to elite Emirati natives including in the ruling families. Most of the people living there are not citizens and the country is built really by those from abroad. The rulers of the emirates (literally principalities) were not united until 1971 when British supported Shaykh Zayed brought them together in essentially a confederation. The Zayed family retained foreign policy. Shaykh Zayed was also very interested in the environment (convinced of its value also because of decline of wildlife that affected hobbies of his like falconry). His generation knew the old ways and wanted to modernize while keeping heritage. His children including the current de facto dictator (Mohammad Bin Zayed) are spoiled uneducated womanizers mesmerized by the supposed superiority of the white man. Their main concern was to enjoy life and the environment and people be damned! Western elites did their homework well and in the last 30 years were able to make sure this new generation can never inch away from their hegemony. The UAE has never been at war with Israel but was like many other countries an important tool of imperialism and zionism (focused to thwart Arab nationalism). Zionists thus infiltrated the UAE very early on with business and other deals. Since most Israelis hold dual citizenship with other countries, Israeli businessmen were able to acquire large chunks of the UAE as American, Canadian or French Jews. More direct openness to Israel happened in the early 1990s right after Yasser Arafat signed the surrender agreements otherwise known as Oslo agreements. Multi-national corporations were able to profit significantly while people of Yemen and Syria were punished to please the Israeli Zionist elites who wanted all countries in the Arab world to drop even any pretense of supporting Palestinian rights. 

Perceptions are driven by experiences. About 25 years ago in a trip to China to visit my wife's family in Wuxi, I had a chance to one day (when the family was too busy to take us around) to hop on a tour bus with a group of foreigners. I struck a conversation with one of them who happens to be Israeli and he told me that he had come for business dealings. At the time I was living in the USA (before my wife and I moved to Palestine). Many American Jewish elites were teaching their Children Chinese. When I asked one of them why that is, he said that the future lay in China and that the US as a world economic power is "spent" to use his words. 

Perceptions are driven by experiences. Thirty years ago while talking to an influential media person in the US who happens to be a liberal Jew we seemed to agree on everything from workers' rights to women's rights to civil rights to the need to eliminate nationalism to need of the US to reduce its military and care more for its poor. We agreed that is until we opened up the issue of Israel. In that he was essentially a right wing nationalist: supporting military, supporting racism, and against basic equality and human rights for non-Jews in historic Palestine. I found and met hundreds of "liberal" American Jews like that over the years who were LEFI (liberal except for Israel). The blind spot is hard to remove since it emanates from a very deep tribal notions of us "the Jews" Am Israel Hai is repeated among themselves (the People of Israel Live). Hard but not impossible; readers know that the harshest critics of Zionism and promoters of collective human rights have Jewish backgrounds. Thus it is not surprising that my most trusted friend when I was in Connecticut was an American Jew (Stan Heller) and today in Palestine, my wife and I share an apartment with Zohar a long-term volunteer at the museum. 

I think any rational human being sees that the world economy has concentrated wealth in the hands of the few while all others regardless of their religion or background struggle. Less than 1% of the world population controls more than 50% of the global wealth (i.e. assets). Who are these 1%? They are diverse: Indian tycoons, Russian oligarchs, Arab dictators ruling oil rich kingdoms and emirates, and of course Israeli billionaires. But the diversity in the rest of the people (the 99%) is even more. The ruling elite try to use hate and fear to create divisions among us (divide and conquer). That is why Trump and Bin Zayed and Bin Salman talk about Iran, about Palestinians, about Yemenis and others in such derogatory ways. 

Perceptions are driven by experiences. I am writing a book of these experiences while I lived in the USA for over a quarter of a century. In it I recount countless experiences, good and bad.  Bad experiences like attacks on freedom of speech at universities in the US, personal attacks, run ins with Zionists, profiling at airports.  Good experiences like witnessing positive transformation including of Jews and others who became anti-zionist and for human rights, kindness of strangers, love, friendships, growing and learning new things. Experiences shape who we are and I am grateful for ALL experiences.

The question posed here is for serious analysis and discussion relates how best to respond? It is not an easy question and the isolation of people from each other because of the Covid-19 pandemic adds a new layer of complication on top of others (e.g. the mass media like Facebook that reinforces any views whether racist or other). Would love to have a conversation on this (you can add comments below this).

Knowing how small

Knowing how small we are helps you/us achieve big things

Each of us individual human beings is a very small part of a vast universe. Knowing who we are helps us achieve big things. Earth was formed as a spinoff planet some 4.5 billion years ago (bya) . It is part of a universe with no boundaries. An infinity that has trillions of galaxies like our own galaxy (the Milky Way). Our galaxy is actually "small" Compared to other galaxies. Yet our galaxy contains billions of stars like our small star (the sun). Life evolved on our small planet (there are billions like it in the universe) some 3.5 bya followed by evolution of photosynthesis 3 bya. Large animals proliferated in the Cambrian explosion 0.5 bya when levels of oxygen reached about 10% (now 21 %).  Aerobic metabolism is more efficient than anaerobic but oxygen has reactive oxygen species: oxygen, peroxide, hydrogen peroxide, hydroxyl radical etc. Proteins absorb 70% of reactive oxygen species. Humans evolved in Africa only a few million years ago and so still share >99% sequences/genes with our nearest relatives chimpanzees and gorillas. For most of our species’ (homo sapiens) existence on earth there were other species of hominids (human-like primates) with us like Homo habilis etc. We live in rather small populations with very difficult existence as hunter-gatherers using primitive tools (chimps also use tools). We then had the copper and iron ages which helped build populations. But it was the agricultural revolutions some 12000 years ago that ushered in an expansion of population (as food resources became more reliable) and this led to the so-called civilization. This agricultural revolution is documented first right here in the fertile Crescent and hence we have the Cradle of civilization. Jericho for example  is the oldest continuously inhabited town on earth.  Yet, humans remained susceptible to diseases and ravages of weather and much more. It was the industrial-scientific revolutions that finally allowed populations to grow in a logarithmic scale in the past 200+ years going from less than one billion in 1800 to nearly 8 billion today. We know the impact of this on our planet and everyone is now familiar with climate change and other human induced global changes.  Some 2/3rd of the world wildlife has already been lost thanks to human activities. Humans and their domestic animals now account for more than half of the vertebrate biomass on earth. The situation is recognized as unsustainable for our living planet. We need earth to survive but earth does not need us. Keeping this bigger picture in sight, us small human beings can and do make a difference especially when we work together.

Indeed humanity evolves both in positive and negative ways aided by the proactive action of its components. Let me take our example here: colonialism by European Jews in Palestine devastated an ancient indiginous way of life that goes back thousands of years. Over 500 villages and towns most of them going back sevral thousand years were evacuated/ethnically cleansed. An assault on a culture and society that is all too common in the modern colonial history (take for example the devastation of native societies in the Americas). But recognizing who we are and with humility, Palestinians defended themselves and refuse to simply vanish. Our people resist in the most amazing ways and retain their dignity in the face of colossal onslaught. Yes some do give up and even become collaborators (like some blacks in South Africa under apartheid) but the majority persist and resist (Sumud in its p[roactive meaning). We see that everyday not just among Palestinians but free thinking people around the world. Take our own small sphere here represented by the Palestine Institute for Biodiversity and Sustainability (PIBS) & the Palestine Museum of Natural History (PMNH) founded in 2014 as part of Bethlehem University (another beacon of hope founded in 1973). What the small group of volunteers (dozens) and staff (6-18+) were able to achive in this short period is nothing short of miraculous.  To get a glimpse of this, see our 2019 annual report here: https://www.palestinenature.org/about-us/final-annual-report.pdf

And since the lockdown, we are producing short virtual tours. We share with you the first two videos

On the botanical and ecogarden http://youtu.be/7cBil5ahC6o

On the cultural heritage exhibit  http://youtu.be/uNzameJYIQ8 

And so we do big things with help but they are still small things in the universe.....