A friend send me this earlier today through email, I am in shock since I clicked play.
The video starts nicely talking about the 3 major religion who lived in Palestine, and how important Palestine is for everyone. All OK, until, the commentator start talking about the establishment of Israel in 1948, this where the whole video started to go down all the way. First, the Video, Justified the establishment of Israel, by repeating the Zionist propaganda, Israel was established to save the Jews from the holocaust "The 2/11/1917 British promise, 20 years before the holocaust, has nothing to do with Palestine and Jews, Right?"
The video continued, totally Ignoring the 1948 and that forced 750 thousand Palestinian out of their homes, destroying over 400 villages "by the way the 750,000 became 6+ millions over the last 63 years".
What we are going to do with those?
The video also talked about the new generation of leaders, the youth, "they mentioned them, but they interviewed none!" and how all the political factions and social economical structure, and the youth formations "youth formation? really?" ACT like they are a part of state that believe in governmental structure, "and the Oscar goes to....".
Then they mentions the most important, the industry "obviously we have one!" and economy in Palestine, and how in Palestine we enjoy "economical growth","Building boom","a growing foreign investment" and a total dependency on Israel as it controls, borders, harbors, airports, customs, Telecommunication lines, the radio waves the Palestinian use, roads, and... I think this is enough. I wont call myself an economist, I burly passed my economy class in school, but don't you have to be controlling your borders first to have a good dependent economy?
Finally, where the hell they filmed this video, other than some landscapes, the video must be filmed in TelAvive or something, nice covered markets with a lot of tourist walking around, people having fun, enjoying life while working for Cocacola. But is this the same Palestine me and you live in? and what about the other Palestinian cities, Nablus, Jenin, Hebron, what about Gaza?
My Name is Ahmad, and their Palestine is not my Palestine.
Update,
Comment by Diana.
People who worked on this video in away or another affiliated with PA. either working for them or did in the past but either way what makes me upset in the video is not the issue of one vs. 2 states but rather the image they reflect upon us..
No the Palestinians are not rich, not educated and not all have the privileged of going to Orjuwan and such places... this might reflect a minority of a max 2000 Palestinians happened to live in Ramallah.. but the majority is refugees, villages and people who do suffer on daily bases. I do not intent to show the suffering in the counter video.. As we and the world as sick of seeing..
The image of us being ready for freedom.. The mass protests on the borders and the success stories of Palestinians are things people around the world should see.. But one thing the world needs to understand: This is who we are, we may be savages and we may be not meeting the qualifications of the west but this is who we are and nobody ever lived under such longs of occupation and made it to the end..
This video is made in a way to satisfy donors and western audience... But you know it does not reflect the real Palestinians and that's what we should focus on!
The blog (Bad Rachel) belong to Rachel Decter Abrams, a board member of the Emergency Committee on Israel, advocates for the extermination of Palestinians, including children. Abrams is married to former Assistant Secretary of State Elliot Abrams, and is the half-sister of Commentaryeditor John Podhoretz and step-daughter of Norman Podhoretz, founder of the neoconservative movement.
Last week I was walking home with a friend, talking, for some reason I said black power, referring to the US black power movement in the 1970s, my friend responded, the black power movement is reversed Racism, it only remind of this young white girl asking Malcolm X about how she -as a white- can help, and his response was "Nothing", just because she is white, all of those nationalist race based movements were doomed, they were simply fighting the wrong enemy.
The man
my friend continued, look at the African Americans right now; they fought based on race and color, they fought the white man as a white man, they fought against a color; and today they became what they fought in the 60's and 70's, they became part of the US colonialism, either supporting or fighting in the wars of Afghanistan and Iraq. They failed when they became part of an oppressing machine.
At first, I got really angry; I seriously felt it was insulting for a man I personally love and appreciate, "Malcolm X". Yet her words made me think about how nationalist movement can sometimes lead to such disastrous outcomes, i.e. the oppressed becoming an oppressor whenever this suited their interest as a community or a nation.
If we applied this idea to Arabs in general and Palestinian in particular, we will see where we are heading too. Nationalism in Palestine is pretty high comparing to other countries and nations, as people who either live under occupation; under a continuous threat of being ethnically cleansed(48 Palestinian included) or in the refugee camps, nationalism was the cord that reattaches a nation that was ripped apart.
Yet those nationalistic feelings were manipulated since the very beginning by the Palestinian Bourgeoisie -who unlike the usual colonized nations' Bourgeoisie did not cooperate with the colonizing power, as they were replaced with the Zionist Bourgeoisie- they appointed themselves the task as the protector of the people and the land. Chanting progressive slogans, and practicing a noble form of political struggle, i.e. the Armed Resistance. At the same time they didn't hesitate to eliminate any movement rising outside the frame they build. I wasn't really surprised when I learned about the assassination of Palestinian unionists in the early 1930's by the grand Mufti loyalists, the unionists being: Michele Metri the head of the Arab Labor Association in Jaffa, and Sami Taha the head of Haifa branch of the same association .
What else you expect?
The Palestinian in the 1930's saw the British colonialism, and the Jewish immigrants as their real enemy, As they were the one who want to destroy the Arab Palestinians. however the Palestinians failed to see the most dangerous enemy, i.e. The Palestinian Bourgeoisie who only followed their interests and would delay the popular movements from growing in Palestine until the Nakaba in 1948.
After the Nakba in 1948, the Palestinian Bourgeoisie lost their powers over the people -losing everything somehow made people equal-, which gave the people the opportunity to organize themselves in political formations, mainly part of the already existing political parties in the hosting countries such as the communist party and the Arab Nationalist. It took the Palestinians some time before they were able to form their own parties such as Fatah, FPLP, DFLP and the PLO.
94 years had passed since the British occupation of Palestine, 94 years had passed since Balfour's Declaration, and we still see only the obvious, we hate the settlers, but we make business deals with companies investing in settlements, we blame the IDF for mass killings, yet we fail to see who benefited from those killings. Who destroyed Iraq so they can rebuild it, who blew up Afghanistan just to gain its natural resources, and no, I am not talking about gas and oil, I am talking about those who resigned contracts under the flag of rebuilding a war stroke country. Bomb them then rebuild their country, then bomb them again,...etc; a new business plan made by the capitalists.
We get mad
Our true enemy is not the one who holds a gun in your face, it's not the settler, or the IDF soldier, or even the NYC riot police in wall street, our enemies are those who benefit from the people suffering everywhere, he can be Arab, Muslim, Jew, Christian, Hindu, Black, White....etc he can be anything, but one thing for sure, he is a 1%.
Every time I sit and talk to new foreigners coming
either to study Arabic in Beir Zeit, or to spend the summer volunteering in
some NGO or doing some work somewhere, the hell I care, I hear the same old
talks. Ohh I love Palestine and Palestinians, I am so coming next year,
freedom, Love, Peace... CRAP CRAP CRAP and finally BS.
I usually listen to them
talking passionately about the amazing time they spend at this
village or that. "ohh i am sooo in love with tea and Meramyeh and na'a
na'a" they would also talk about the Wara'a Enab they ate the other day
too, and they always finish it with "Ohh, Ahmad living with those people,
sharing food with them, made me understand their pain, I feel like I am one of
them." (seriously, already? You came like a week ago!). I usually
smile, and think "how deep lady gaga’s lyrics are!?"
Most of those people never stayed in Palestine longer
than the usual 3 months, they come in, have a nice trip, and maybe hook up with
either a Palestinian, or an Israeli(you never know) Then they get on an
airplane and get the fuck out of here. Many we never see again(Thank God),
some return;"they come back to liberate Palestine".
Ramallah down town
About a month ago a friend of mine asked me to meet up
in a bar in Ramallah called Bait Annesah, despite my promise to myself not to
step a foot there, I went to see this friend, as she was leaving the next day.
I finally got in the pup,, after convincing the bouncer that I am part of a
group, which was waiting for me inside.
I walked up to sit with my friend, who was already sitting
with a group of Palestinian(i am not sure) Europeans and Americans. The
conversation carried on, while I sat there saying nothing, until one of the so called Palestinian said
"Existence is Resistance, being here is part of resisting the
occupation". I looked to their faces for reaction, I saw nothing but
approval. I said bye to my friend directly, as I couldn't stay any longer;I would
kill someone if I did.
FYI: existence is resistance when your house, land, or even bar under threat of being attacked by settlers or army, when your existence as individual effect the Israeli policies in your area. Existence is NOT resistance if you are sitting in a bar in Ramallah downtown!
This is one of the too many statements I heard from
many of those same pretentious, arrogant white-people, with a big
colonialist and orientalist mentality. And just to help you
understand why I said what I said, I am adding a couple of those statements I heard:
"The Palestinian keep fucking it up." American. "they wont give up!"
"I really can't understand why you people love
violence that much" European. "coffee?"
"Palestine will be much better, if you got rid
those bearded fanatic" European. "who?"
"I can't believe this man, he told me I can't
drink in there, so dark age" European. "OK"
"I dressed as Palestine for Halloween this
year." American. "not going to ask how!"
"I don't think Palestinians understand, what
non-violence means" American. "TRUE"
This post is not directed against a lot of the great
people who got to knowthe Palestinian cause as their own, standing at the front
line in Nabi Saleh, Bilin and Nilin, or spend hours documenting and translating
to expose the Israeli practice against my people. I have nothing but respect
and appreciation for them, this post is against those who think by spending a
week or 2 hanging out in Ramallah bars and expensive restaurants, they
can claim to understand me, my people and my cause. This one is against everyone
who thinks he/she has the right to judge my people, based on their standards.
"Do not judge, and you will not be judged"
Luke 6:37
Born in 1954. Became the Secretary General of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine(PFLP) after the Assassination of Abu Ali Mustafa in 2001. After the Assassination of the right wing leader, and the Israeli minister of tourism Rehaven Ze'evi, the Palestinian Authority arrested Ahmad Sa'adat, and held him in the presidential compound in Ramallah, before he was moved into a prison in Jericho under US/Britich guards. In March 2006, the Israeli kidnapped him in Operation Bringing Home the Goods. In December 25, 2008, the Israeli military court in offer, sentenced Sa'adat for 30 years. He have been in solitary confinement since then.
2- Ahed Abu Gholmah
Born in 1968 Joined the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine(PFLP). studied anthropology in BeirZaiet University, he was active during the first Intifada. In 1994 Israel put his name on its wanted list, he managed to stay free until the PA arrested him in 2002. From 1996 until 2001 Ahed worked with Al Dameer (concentrate on the Palestinian prisoners rights in the Israeli prisons). Israel accused Ahed for providing armed and training for the PFLP cell that assassinated Rehaven Ze'evi. Arrested by the PA in 2002, and later kidnapped by the Israeli in 2006 in Operation Bringing Home the Goods. In December 25, 2008, an Israeli military court sentenced Ahed for 30 years. He have been in solitary confinement since then.
3- Abdallah Barghoti
Born in 1972. was Born in Kuwait which he left with his family in 1991 to Jordan, where he finish his high school, before he move to South Korea to work and study Korean literature for 2 years, after that he returned to Jordan to study mechanical engineer. Barghoti returned into his village in Palestine in 1990, worked in Jerusalem until 2000, before the first Intifada start, he then started to work in Ramallah and then Nablus where he was recruited by Hamas. In 2001, after the Sbaro restaurant suicide attack in Jerusalem held by Ez Al Deen Al Massri(Picture below) AlBarghoti became on the top of Israel's wanted list.
In March 5th, 2003 while ALBarghoti was taking his daughter to the doctor he was arrested by the Israeli special force, few months later, an Israeli military court sentenced Al Barghoti for 1700 years. He have been in solitary confinement since then.
4- Jamal Abu AlHaija
Born in 1959 ٍJamal returned to Palestine after the second Gulf war in 1990, after 11 years of teaching in Yemen and Saudi Arabia. As soon as he arrived to Palestine he participated in the first Intifada, he was arrested six times. During the Second Intifada he lead the Islamic movement in Jenin, in April 2002, Jamal fought with his brothers in Jenin camp against the Israeli invader where he lost his arm. He was arrested in August, 26, 2002. In April 11th, 2006 he was sentenced for 225 years. He have been in solitary confinement since then
5- Mahmoud Essa
Born in 1968 "Not confirmed" Mahmoud Essa was arrested in 3 Jun, 1993, after the kidnapping and killing of the Israeli officer Nassem Tolidano. "In response to this attack, Israel arrested and exiled 415 into Marj Al Zohor, they all returned a year later, as they refused to leave." Mahmoud Essa was sentenced for 121 years. He have been in Solitary confinement for the last 12 years. He describe his solitary confinement
"Life and Death are Equal in the solitary confinement, even death and grave are more merciful, as it hold internal comfort after the man passes away, but in those cells, its a continuous death, in every second, in every blink. Words can't describe, and human cant stand"
Hope this gave you an Idea about some of the men who suffer from the Israeli fascist policies in its prisons industrial complex. Solitary confinement has no purpose but revenge from those men, who did nothing but standing in the face of the Israeli occupation.
For four years Yasin Abu Saleh el-Rifai and his wife Iman are fighting an almost doomed battle to save their land. The plot has belonged to his family, the el-Rifai family, for generations and it is his land, by inheritance. His grandfather's tomb is situated there too. The impressive structure of the tomb still stands, but the settlers have desecrated it, removing the bones from the tomb and destroyed the any remains in order to eliminate the evidence. Unfortunately for him, and for many other residents of Anata, some of them members of his family, an Israeli settlement by the name of Anatot (aka Almon) was built on their land in 1982. This settlement has grown over the years and today its fenced-off area includes hundreds of acres of private, taboo-registered Palestinian land, which the Palestinian owners cannot access.
A few words about this settlement: the settlers of Anatot are some of the worst people. It is a secular, extreme right-wing settlement of police officers and army officers, some of them retired. So the law is with them…and far away from the public eye they do what they want, a constant rampage. Sicilian Mafia in Israel of 2011. Netanyahu's personal driver is also a resident of Anatot.
El-Rifai's story is somewhat different from the story of the other Palestinian landowners. He and his wife, an Israeli citizen, formerly Jewish with a "blue" ID are allowed to enter the settlement and they are not denied access to the land. This is not the case for the other landowners, who are not Israeli citizens, and are therefore required to conduct impossible coordination procedures in order to reach their land and cultivate it.
Their 'blue' ID cards have not spared el-Rifai and his wife a great deal of agony. In recent years Anatot's settlers have been doing all they can to try to expel them from their land. The land that appears to be barren in the clip was once full of olive trees. Settlers ran over el-Rifai's wife with a mini-tractor, the two were beaten on several occasions, requiring hospitalization. Yasin was also stabbed. Their share of misery has also included the uprooting of all fruit trees on the plot, destruction of agricultural equipment, contamination of the water well by throwing carcasses and garbage into it, burning the cave which is located within the confines of the plot, constant uprooting of any newly-planted trees, threats against the two as well as physical assaults on them. Countless complaints have been submitted to the police, but nothing has been done to stop the abuse. El-Rifai and his wife have not given up, and against all odds they are trying to hold on to their land. Yasin, desperate to find some support, contact activists through the Internet a few months ago.
b. Activist Tal's account:
On Friday, a group of Israeli activists from various groups came down to sit with Yasin on his land, drink coffee, eat something, plant a few symbolic trees, and raise a Palestinian flag on his plot. We were certainly not looking for trouble. We were a small group, women and elderly people among us.
As we were sitting there, eating and laughing, Yasin received a call on his mobile phone, and the settlement's security officer threatened him that "people want to come up and beat you to a pulp, if that's what you want, keep the flag there". The phone call was recorded. You can listen to it here:
Afterwards, seven police and military vehicles appeared on the main road. They stood there for half an hour. Then a few civilian (privately-owned) cars drove up to them, and there seemed to be an exchange going on. All of a sudden, all the military vehicles disappeared, except for one police car, and within minutes tens of private cars gathered on the road. Around 50 people came out of these cars, led by an army officer and a border police, who were not trying too hard to stop them...The rest is history. They came up to us, cursed us, beat us with stoned and clubs and iron rods, plundered. Yasin was thrown to the ground, his head cracked open with an audible bang (he's not a young man, and he suffers from a heart condition and diabetes). He lay motionless on the ground for a few minutes, his wife holding his head and trying to stop the bleeding. We formed a protective ring around him, so that the bloodthirsty settlers don't reach him. At that time I thought he was dead. I yelled "get an ambulance", but no one paid attention. Miri (an activist) saw another activist, Edo, being beaten right next to a police officer, the settlers taking his camera. The officer was speaking on his phone. She approached him and said: "They stole Edo's camera and now they are hitting him!". The officer's nonchalant response was "you're interrupting my conversation". I stood there trying to prevent the attackers from reaching Yasin. A police officer came and took me away saying he's doing it to protect me. None of the officers protected Yasin. None of the attackers were pushed back or detained. Three of us were arrested on false charges and released later that evening because there was no case against them. The settlers chased us with their cars, causing damage to our cars, all the way up to West Jerusalem. Police officers who drove along, escorting us, did not think something had to be done about that. An entire spectrum of Anatot settlers, children, youths, women, the young and the elderly participated in the attempted lynching. No one would have cared if we had been killed there. Only the police who would have had to account for this…
c. Activist Guy's account:
Three months ago, we, Taayush activists, received an appeal from the couple. They were almost desperate and they asked for our help. We came down there, another activist and I, and we met a lovely couple, whose sole request was not to be driven off their land and not to suffer physical abuse and damage to property.
Due to various constraints, it was difficult for us to help at the time, but we did try to enlist various activists and groups. In recent weeks, activists have come down a few times and planted new trees, but each time, after a short while el-Rifai found them uprooted.
Today, Friday 30.9.11, a few of us decided to come and visit the couple. We numbered around 15 people. we brought work tools with us, such as hoes. Needless to say, we were welcomed with open arms and much love.
A short time after our arrival, we saw the settlement's security vehicle stop on the main road. It seemed that the security officer didn't like our presence there and called the police. A Border police team arrived, but they didn't intervene or interfere. Gradually, more and more settlers gathered on the main road, approximately 200 Meters in front of the hill where we were working. By noon, more than 20 settler cars could be spotted there. Then we saw two of them going up towards us, and I immediately called the police and alerted them to the danger. Below us, on the main road, we were able to see a few police cars, but they didn't prevent the two settlers from approaching us. When they came near us, they cursed and threatened us. Other settlers began to go up the hill towards us, dozens of them...
I called the police again, I warned them that bloodshed was imminent, I begged them to send the policemen who were present uphill, towards us, but to no avail. The settlers came up to us, and attacked us. This was simply an attempted lynching. I was punched a few times, knocked down to the ground, and when managed to lift myself up, I saw a border police officer. I ran to him and begged him to protect me, to save me, I practically hung onto him. But they just kept hitting, not heeding his calls to step back. They broke one of the cameras which I was holding, snatching it and throwing it to the ground and trampling over it. More punches and I am screaming and seeing the end. Again, I find myself on the ground, again lifting myself up and starting to flee, my glasses are gone and I don't know where I'm running, and I do see the settlers approaching me, and screaming at me. I ran towards the road and saw a police officer. Weeping and distraught, I asked him to save me.
He took me to the car and somehow I along with another activist managed to escape and exit the settlement.
But what about the rest?
They continued to be beaten, and the attempted lynching went on. Three of us are still at the hospital, one with a head injury, and I came out of all this, miraculously, with just one arm broken and lots of bruises.
for more data:
1. A preliminary report with two clips and photos was published on Mondoweiss yesterday:
Lyrics: I sing the song of the colony How many years and you're still not free And your mother cries and you ask god why Greed is the knife and the scars run deep How many races with much reason to weep And your children cry And you ask god why
Annie, she came from Dunlavin Town The TB came and killed her family all around Population booms Eleven in two rooms Katie she came from down Townsend street Ten in a bed and no shoes on their feet 1916 came They played the patriots game Freddy, he came from the Iveagh flats Tenement slums and infested with rats Sleeping on damp straw Trying not to break the law Thomas, he came from Kilmaine in Mayo Semi starvation was the only life you'd know In a two room shack Then jailed in Letterfrack
I look to the east, I look to the west To the north and the south, and I'm not too impressed Time after time After crime after crime They raped, robbed, pillaged, enslaved and murdered Jesus Christ was their god and they done it in his name So he could take the blame if it's not all a game With bible in one hand and a sword in the other They came to purify my land of my Gaelic Irish mothers And fathers, and sisters and brothers With our own ancient customs, laws, music, art Way of life and culture Tribal in structure We had a civilisation When they were still neanderthal nations We suffer with the Native American, the Indian in Asia Aboriginal Australia The African people with their history so deep And our children still weep and our lives are still cheap You came from Germany, from France, from England And from Spain From Belgium and from Portugal You all done much the same
You took what was not yours Went against your own bible You broke your own laws Just to out do the rival But did you ever apologize For the hundreds and millions of lives You destroyed and terrorised Or have you never realized Did you never feel shame For what was done in your country's name And find out who's to blame and why they were so inhumane And still they teach you in your school About those glorious days of rule And how it's your destiny to be Superior to me But if you've any kind of mind You'll see that all human kind Are the children of this earth And your hate for them will chew you up and spit you out
You'll never kill our will to be free, to be free You'll never kill our will to be free, to be free You'll never kill our will to be free, to be free Inside our minds we hold, hold the key
After listening to the song, for like 200 times, I looked up the singer and lyrics writer Damien Dempsy and I found out this:
I have been always a big fan of the Irish music, after all, the first English song I ever memorized in my life was "Some said the devil is dead". As a strong believer in the joint struggle, and no I am not talking about the myth of Palestinian and Israeli struggling against... Israel. I am talking about the fact that all oppressed nations, whether they were in south east Asia, Arab world, South America, or in Europe, are all fighting the same evil. "this give an idea for 2 other posts, will write them when I research them :)"
I wonder, why the Palestinian public is not aware about other nations suffering, its sad, yet comforting to know that you are not alone(this is pretty selfish, I know). their is other places with their own oppressors, just like the IDF, if not worse. The question is, why their is no global joint struggle?
