I am old enough – Mazin Qumsiyeh
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,
Hertzl 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 Palestinains
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 want peace when they 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 Palestinains 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/cont
discriminatory laws against us Palestinians living in the occupied areas
beyond the green line http://orders.arij.org/searchM
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 waster (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 demonstations outside the white house during the premature
“celebration” of victory over the Palestinians (many of the demonstators
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 Jeruslaem can be visited by Muslims (under Israel’s illegal
occupation for perpetuity) when they know that millions of native
Palestinian Muslims snd 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 Palestinains to remain
refugees even as dictators are propped and war criminals called “peace”
makers? Why can’t we get all 6 illion Jews who live here plus the 13
million Palestinains to simply vote on what fYou 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. I will stand with the oppressed people of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain,
UAE, Egypt and Palestine. 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.
Stay Human and keep Palestine alive
Mazin Qumsiyeh
A bedouin in cyberspace, a villager at home
Professor, Founder, and (volunteer) Director
Palestine Museum of Natural History
Palestine Institute of Biodiversity and Sustainability
Bethlehem University
Occupied Palestine
http://qumsiyeh.org
http://palestinenature.org
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