Black and White

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

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Israeli Military Commander Admits Violently Dispersing Nabi Saleh Protests Also When Peaceful

The trial of Nabi Saleh protest organizer, Bassem Tamimi, opened today with the testimony of Major Michelle Dahan who alleged that Tamimi ordered youth to throw stones based on the fact that he saw him on rooftops during demonstrations.

After more than half a year behind lock and key, the trial of Palestinian protest organizer, Bassem Tamimi, opened today with the testimony of the first prosecution witness, Major Michelle Dahan. Dahan served as a deputy battalion commander in Nabi Saleh between January and May this year, and was to testify on behalf of the prosecution in order to substantiate allegations of incitement to violence against Tamimi.


Dahan, who was commander of the military forces in the area and in charge of the Nabi Saleh demonstrations throughout said period, made it clear that the protests were dispersed before any violence ensued . He said, "[...] after midday prayer, at around noon, some 40 to 70 people would set out from the mosque's courtyard [...] and march down with flags [...]. As soon as the procession arrived at the [village's] main junction, we would declare it illegal and order people to disperse [...]. When the march would not disperse, we would start using crowd control measures [...]".


Referring to the protesters Dahan said, "We recognized the same activists, the same children and adults, with the adults mostly occupied with directing the forces [...]". Throughout his testimony, Dahan reputedly  to referred to the stone throwing children as "forces", alternating the two words.


 He went on to say that "The defendant would appear at the beginning of every demonstration, and as soon as it would turn violent, the defendant would disappear. During the stone-throwing, when we would enter inside the  village to arrest the stone throwers, we'd recognize him on rooftops".


The indictment against Tamimi alleges that he architected an elaborate system of violence against soldiers during Nabi Saleh demonstrations. Dahan indeed testified that Tamimi directed the village youth from rooftops, but could not back his statement by more that hearsay and speculation. The only concrete incident Dahan was able to tie Tamimi to took place at an unknown date in January wherein he claimed to have seen the defendant standing on a roof top in the village, shouting  and waving his arms during clashes in the village. Dahan, however, admitted to not having heard what the older men were shouting and to the fact that he does not at all understand the Arabic language.


When asked why he did not order Tamimi's arrest based on what he saw, Dahan admitted that his commanding officers ordered him not to do so, saying "My certainty [that Tamimi incited the youth] was apparently not sufficient [to justify arrest]".


Source: the popular struggle 

The Chair

The Chair.

The Blue Chair.

The UN Chair.

The Palestine's Right Chair.

The Palestine Deserve Chair. 

The State of Palestine Chair. 

The God Forbid Chair. 

The For God Sake Give Me A Break Chair. 

The Over Compensation Chair. 

The *censored* Chair 

The What Ever You Want To Call It Chair.

Must admit, this blue is pretty nice 

Are we done with the chair!? more?

With chair that big, the US wont Veto

Now, lets put the big ass blue chair a side and lets talk real politics.  

How the UN bid is going to serve the Palestinian cause? 

To be fair watching the US and Israel panicking is pretty amusing, yet this wont change much as the US value it relation with Israel more than its relation with the Arab world "which is already fucked anyway", adding to that the US presidential election is around the corner, so, Fuck those Arab "VETO". 

at the same time Israel expect violence to break anytime in the coming days, regardless the PA promises it will be peaceful, the troops in the west bank were increased 20%, new equipment have been bought and of course a lot of statements were made, either calling the PA for negotiation, or claiming the PA is playing solo. "as id Israel is a great team player"

In other hand the coming Palestinian state will mean nothing as long as Israel doesn't recognize it, after all the Israeli still consider the West Bank as disputed territories, which mean the Israeli government and people wont have any moral obligation to give up the occupied west bank. After all, morality tend to fade away when 40% of you economy come from controlling this territories and its native population. 

Fast Note: Security and military industry make good money without mentioning the settlements and it's business. agricultural, industrial and touristic"around dead sea" one!

leaving the most important to the end"Those are what concern me the most", The Right to Return-the core of the Palestinian cause-, and the PLO status as the only representative of the Palestinian people everywhere.
Can someone please explain it to me, how the PLO will represent the Palestinians when the state is declared, people can not have 2 representative, its simply not logical.
The PLO after the establishment of the Palestinian state will no more represent the Palestinian people, the Palestinian state governments will, a government the Palestinian refuges in Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and diaspora wont be able to elect.  

Speaking of the refuges, how they expect from Israel to allow the Palestinian refugees back to their original homeland, while the Palestinian state is just next door. Its a first grade logic, Palestinian live in Palestine, Israelis live in Israel! Which mean the Palestinian refuges, if they were ever allowed to return, will be only allowed to return to the Palestinian state, in the West Bank and Gaza, not to their original homeland, Israel will be no more responsible about their cause and their right to return.

The Palestinian want Palestine

Until someone give me a clear answer regarding the PLO and the right to return I will never consider supporting the PA bid in the UN. At the contrary, I will stand with many other Palestinian youth against it(I guess I live in a free nation). After all, Haifa and Jarra aren't mine to give up.

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* Pictures and Art work are stolen from around the web, I would mention the source if I wasn't lazy to trace them back.

Peaceful Resistance

The Confrontation with the Israeli army in Naksa day at Qalandia in Sunday, and  after the Israeli took over the streets in no time with their tear gas, concussion grenade, and rubber bullets. the Palestinian protesters were forced back to the same old position, the same one as May 15, Nakba clashes.
Well, I have nothing to say about it, The pictures below will tell more,

But the protest took a different direction, a group of protesters gathered around the soldiers, the Protesters were chanting and holding signs, and every time the soldiers throw tear gas, they would gather again as soon as the gas fade away, at this moment boarder police went down to confront the protesters, pushing "usually with their bodies, never saw a soldier use his hands." the protesters back -who had their hands behind their back-. the police used the means they know the best, they used tear gas at least twice, they stopped after they gassed themselves"somehow the commander who throw the gas canister, just miss calculated the wind, so he teargassed his men, rather than the protesters, I have some respect for this commander, as he returned to his men, although the gas was everywhere, to check on them.!"

After the second gassing, the police called the Skunk water Canon (it is chemical blue/greenish liquid that smell like sewage water. it stick on clothes and skin, not easy to remove). as soon as it's arrived the protesters rushed to confront it, as soon they stood in front of it, the canon opened fire!! "to be more accurate, open water" refreshing them in the very hot sunny day! I got some of this refreshing liquid as well, a week later I still smell it.

The protesters stood against the truck for a while, they were pushed, and pepper sprayed before the police finally push them aside letting the trucks enter, to wash the street of Qalandia refuge camp.

The protester stood doing almost nothing for a while before a military jeep showed up, 2 protesters tried to block it's way, the soldiers at this point responded violently they stormed the 2 protesters, they arrested one, dragged him and forced him inside the jeep. The protester who escaped the arrest said "we shall not let this Jeep leave as long as this guy inside", the protester tried to block the path, but the soldiers were aware this time and forced everyone away.

One of the protesters tried to b lack the way, but not for long, he was chased and brought to the ground for a while, protesters and medics argued the Israeli police to let him go in an ambulance eventually, claiming he was badly injured.


Seeing all this made me think-for the first time- about the power of peaceful resistance in Palestine, the soldiers most of the time stood there a bit confused as for the first time, they are dealing with Palestinian protesters with no stones in their hands, they wanted to use the same old means, I could see the urge in the border police face to shot, yet he couldn't, their was no excuse to use such power, over an obviously unarmed civilian.

The soldier, and border police are used to deal the stones throwers, young men who can be easily listed under combatant, that can cause harms to the soldiers(the list of people who can be considered as a threat on the soldiers life is wide). In other hand Israeli police is more capable to suppress peaceful protest, but they don't operate in the west bank,....... maybe they will sometimes soon.

Yet, you can easily note, how noneffective the peaceful protest was(so the stone throwing), the soldiers could easily arrest them all in minutes, their were only 20 protester.. "maybe less" they were scared, or at least not welling to be arrested. after the water canon stand, there was no more action only 2 people were left to meet their fate, with the Jeep stand.
Those activist failed to understand, peaceful resistance is just like the armed one, need planing, need attacks plans as much as it need defiance mechanism, it's not enough to walk down the street with your hand behind your back, this can be stopped in a tear canister.
The people who adopt the peaceful resistance must maintain the same qualities an armed fighter poses, they must be willing to be arrested, beaten, and even shot dead to achieve their purposes. those qualities I didn't see among most of the activist who stood there.

In the end as someone believe in armed resistance, I think those peaceful resistance advocate have something to offer, we must give them the chance.. in the end, it can't get worse.

Final note, you can't throw stone and do/claim peaceful protest at the same time... those 2 don't work very well together.

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PS: The Palestinian as people still maintain their right to use any mean necessary to achieve their purposes of Independent state on their righteous land, and the return of the refugees.  

Arrested At Qalandia

An Israeli Police officer Hold down a Palestinian protester in attempt to Arrest him, after he stood in front of an Israeli army jeep, to prevent it from driving away with another protester arrested earlier. The protester in this picture was taken away with ambulance later! He is fine now.