Mazin Qumsiyeh: Shrinking map of Palestine, aging politicians, and more

09/04/2020 الصفصاف

Yesterday the Palesinian factions (all of them) held a meeting to try to
get their act together in light oif the main challenges facing the
Palestinian struggle. The meeting was moderated/led by Mahmoud Abbas (Abu
Mazen) who gave a speech that true to form was interjected every other
sentence by his own commentary on his speech (unscripted notes) so went far
longer than necessary. He also showed the same shrinking map of Palestine
he showed at the UN and other venues. He did not know and maybe few in his
audience know that the map was first drawn by my son Dany when we saw the
shrinking map of the US as Europeans colonized it in stages and remaining
natives ended up in reservations. On positive aspects everyone agreed we
face an existential struggle and that the US/Israeli Imperialism/Zionism
threatens to liquidate the case of Palestine and to dominate the Middle
East (Western Asia) and far beyond. They all agreed you need a
representative PLO to include all nationalist and Islamic factions,
independents, and voices of the new generation. They all agree that we have
points of strength and resistance is important (though some think popular
resistance plus armed resistance while some think only popular resistance).
But true to form, they still formed committees and took no positions that
surprised anyone (me, native Palestinians, Zoionists or the world at
large). They did set a time limit of five weeks for the committee on
reform/restructuring the PLO. So we keep hope alive but we do need
revolutionary change. My suggestion is that the Palestinain people say to
these elderly leaders that unless you do this PLO restructuring by a
certain date that we will create a new representative PLO ourselves. Young
professionals and independents must be represented.. If a cause is not
advancing, it is time not to abandon the cause but change the leadership.
Our ship has been drifting for three decades and if the leadership can’t
get its act together, we should not abandon ship, we should change
captains. Enough is enough.

Life continues to be busy here at the Palestine Institute for Biodiversity
and Sustainability, Bethlehem University (palestinenature.org) wth projects
and research, education, conservation and other actions leading to
sustainability of our species and our planet. Individually and
collectively also we continue to have meetings (online) to advance causes
of justice and peace against all odds.

US Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (USACBI)
Statement and Announcement of Webinar on Climate Justice for Palestine:
During this time of climate crisis, which is an existential threat to the
entire biosphere of the planet, participation in the BDS campaign remains a
necessary and urgent endeavor, one that supports both a free Palestine and
the global movement for climate justice. …[ join us on 8 September for
what promises to be an exciting event ]
https://usacbi.org/2020/08/usacbi-statement-and-announcement-of-webinar-on-climate-justice-for-palestine/

And another important webinar: People Power: COVID 19 and Beyond, co-hosted
with Waging Nonviolence. Tuesday, September 8, at 11:00 am – 12:30 pm EDT
and titled National Current Nonviolent Uprising for Dignity, Justice and
Equality and highlights US/Black Lives Matter, Lebanon, Thailand, Zimbabwe,
and hopefully Sudan.
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/nonviolent-uprisings-now-fighting-for-dignity-equality-and-justice-tickets-119022514545

BDS Coordinator is free. Please support the BDS movement
https://bdsmovement.net/news/freemahmoud-mahmoud-nawajaa-free
https://bdsmovement.net/donate

It is not a coincidence that the plane carrying war criminals from Israel
to the United Arab Emirates carried the name of “Kiryat Gat” a zIionist
colony built on the stolen lands of the ethnically cleansed Palestinain
villages of Iraq Al Manshiya and Al-Faluja. This is a clear message to the
Arab world. Starting in 2000 we led an effort (via Al-Awda network) to
highlighlight “Kiryat Gat” and against Intel for supporting apartheid.
Intel’s president and chief executive Craig Barrett said, June 18 2001 on a
visit to Israel, that Intel is reconsidering a $3 billion plus expansion of
the company’s “Kiryat Gat” plant (due to “the current economic climate and
industry slowdown” (Jerusalem Post June 19). This followed an initial call
by us in Al-Awda Coalition (I was then in the US) for activists to contact
Intel to protest their investments in Israel. Over 2000 letters were sent
to Intel based on that call. After the announcement of the delay in
expansion (a smaller version was built later), Intel worked with the
Jordanian government to facilitate introduction of computers in schools and
even helped ANERA, the American Near East Refugee Aid. However. The
campaign continued despite these attempots at tokenism because Intel still
supports the apartheid regime. Our articles and opinion pieces on this
issue in 2000-2001 have also published in newspapers in the Arab World
including: Al Dustour (Jordan), Al Watan (Qatar), Al Hayat, Al Safeer
(Lebanon), Al-Quds, Al Ayyam (Palestine), Al Ahram (Cairo), Al-Watan
(Kuwait), and Al-Khaleej (United Arab Emirates).
https://electronicintifada.net/content/nakba-intel-and-kiryat-gat/7625
https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/corporate-responsibility/intel-in-israel.html