If you read the memoirs of David Ben Gurion, you will come to realize the extent to which he’d traveled to encourage the wounded population of post-WWII European Jews to migrate to the Holy Land. He’d tour their refugee camps from the western-most location in France to the far east of Poland. And he would talk to them, listen to their stories and their grievances, weep with them, and then tell them of what awaits them should they decide to come to Palestine; a safe Jewish homeland where nothing bad could happen to them. Never again.
David Ben Gurion was a visionary, he brilliantly predicted that when Colonial Britain would pull out from Palestine, it will only be a matter of numbers; which of the two rival communities (Arabs and Jews) could mobilize enough fighters and weapons to take over the ensuing vacuum? He needed more numbers of his own; the emigrants will take of that. He also needed less numbers of the rival community, no probs, ethnic cleansing should take of that as well.
When the Jewish State was declared, and instantly recognized by whatever global power that mattered at that time, the Arab states were taken aback. They fought. Sent their fragmented armies to fight the daylight theft of land and the outrageous crime of displacement. Or to fight with no clear vision at all. They were defeated. And the rest is history.
Today, an ex bouncer is ensconced in the confines of the Israeli Foreign Ministry, a racist pig who at 2003 had offered to provide busses to transfer the thousands of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli dungeons to the dead sea, should the Israeli government agree to drown them there. Today, Arab farmlands are still being confiscated in the west bank to build homes to the Jewish settlers. Today, there is no hope in sight of a Palestinian state. Today, thousands of Gazan families are either still mourning their loved-ones, or living in cold tents as refugees for the Gazillion time. Today, there are millions of Palestinians scattered around the world with no hope of return. Today, there is a racist separation wall and there are racist and discriminatory policies against the indigenous population of Palestine. Today, there is the occupied Golan Height. Today, there is a water crisis in the west bank. Today, there is grief and sorrow everywhere in the Holy Land.
You have probably watched the speech of Ahmadinajad in the racism conference in Geneva. Man, it was a circus. Every other arsehole in the media is reporting the walk-out of the European delegates (which is totally unwarranted in my humble opinion, because it seems that Najad’s speech wasn’t dissimilar to what I stated above. So one should wonder what bug was up the European asses as they walked out). Very few talked about the protests of the supporters of LGBT groups at the beginning of his speech. The sad irony is, glass house and all that, Ahmadinajad, with all due respect, should have known better than to throw stones while he persecutes homosexuals and squashes dissent.
A guy walks up to the podium every other day, and he is required to impress the crowd. He needs to divert their anger somewhere else. And between the electioneering agenda and the chirping quality of the Persian language, one is obliged to wonder if he really is sincere. And even if I’m thinking that Palestine needs and deserves better advocates and protagonists than this, what am I doing about it?
What are any of the Arabs doing about it?
Today, he’s the only loud voice in the region. The Europeans will find reasons (hell, they will concoct them if they have to) to walk out of any conference. The Arabs are more or less silent. And the Palestinian people are left in limbo.
That's what's happening today.
18 comments:
Well put DJ, couldn't agree with you more.
So how exactly does this apply as a remembrance of the people lost in the Holocaust (of which, Jews were slightly more than half - not the entirety of those people)?
I tip my hat!
Well written DJ. The Jewish lobby works tirelessly in promoting the idea that they are still the victims. Finklestein points to a growing number of publications referring to Israel as the "Jew among states" which helps in labeling any anti-Israeli comment as anti-Semetic. The outcry against Najad's speech is just the latest example of the lack of tolerance when it comes to criticizing Israel.
death to terrorists!
Exactly Bujassem, I couldn't agree more with you. Death to terrorists who blow themselves up in pizzerias and fly planes into tall buildings!
Jazza, you have certainly outdone yourself. As far as bigotry goes, this must be one of the most balanced and totally objective bigoted posts ever. Hats off!
Abu Kareem, Yazan and Omar,
Thank you, gentlemen. Always a pleasure to have you around.
Allie,
A more proper name for this post could have been 'marking the holocaust remembrance day from an Arab's perspective'. But you're right, there were many innocent gay and gypsy victims too. Who usually get far less attention.
Although, my reference to Iran's persecution of LGBT groups might atone for this innocent oversight.
Herr Nick,
Yes! Death to Muslim terrorists only!
The other Terrorists are to be commended, elected to office, received in the most elegant of diplomatic circles, crank out best selling books, establish research centers and be given Nobel peace prizes! Yay!
لووووول يا جاز
يعطيك العافية بردّك على هذا الصهيوني نك ز دك!
ناس بدون عقل ولا ذوق. حيوان عيني عينك!
hala Bu Jassem, wallaow, na7no laha!
btw, you should resume blogging. Your posts are being missed.
hala ya DJ... wallah yareit.. who knows.. i will write soon inshalla but in a different form and medium :)
sha5wer!
ما قلتلك يا بوجاسم هي شكلها تحمي بكسا كل ما تجي على بلوجي أو بلوجك
lol!
Uh, Deej? This might be my America-centric distortion of life, but I'm assuming the Nobel-prize winning terrorist of whom you speak is Arafat? Because, my first read of that was Obama. Which...um...well, you might need to explain that one.
(And, of course, by "explain that to me" I mean "send me an email or a FB message." Because you KNOW I'm not going to remember to look at follow-up comments from a post from April)
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