The Shyness Destination

The Shyness Destination

A few weeks ago I took the train from Tel Aviv to Kiryat Gat, on my way back home to Dura. I bought a ticket to Kiryat Gat because it was closest to the Tarqumia checkpoint, which is the nearest checkpoint to Dura. It was my first time to travel by train in Israel, but I really wanted to experience what it was like. Another reason which encouraged me to take the train was the late time; I was scared of being stuck somewhere in Israel, with no buses driving to the checkpoint left working.

When the train started moving I realized that I had made the wrong decision, and that I should've bought my ticket to Beersheba. The train station in Kiryat Gat is very far from the Tarqumia checkpoint, and certainly at that time of night there would be no buses or taxis to get me there. Through Beersheba, I would have to use the Metar checkpoint, which is more distant from Dura. But since it's a big city, I could find a taxi more easily there. So I understood that I should probably continue to Beersheba, get to the Metar checkpoint near Al Dahrya, (a small town near Dura), and from Al Dahrya it's not difficult to travel to Dura even at midnight.

But in order to get to Beersheba, I would have to get off the train at the station in Kiryat Gat and buy a new ticket. This made me worried, since it meant that I would have to wait for the next train to arrive, and nobody knew when the next train's exact time of arrival is, or how late it would be.

I was so confused. So I decided to ask one of the passengers on the train if my ticket from Tel Aviv to Kiryat Gat would still be valid if I stayed on the train and got off at the Beersheba station. I went to one guy who was standing near the trolley’s door to ask him if he thought that I would be able to continue to Beersheva with the ticket that I have. He said that I could, and that nobody would really check my ticket in Beersheba. Then he immediately asked me “Where are you from?" I answered him, "Palestine." At first he didn’t know what to say, until he asked again “What are you doing here?” I told him that I am a part of a movement that calls for peace between Palestinians and Israelis. He unconsciously started telling me about his eagerness for peace to happen someday, and started saying how he loves Makluba and Labneh and that he knows many bedouins in Rahat, and that everybody in Israel wants peace.

I appreciated his pleasant understanding of peace, but then he started asking all the people around us if they want peace with Palestinians, and he was pointing out that I’m a Palestinian. The passengers were confirming his yearning, saying "Yes, of course we want peace". Someone even told me: “ Go to your people and tell them that we want peace.” Another woman said: "Tell Abu Mazen to stop driving Bibi crazy in order to have peace.” Others just looked at me and said, “Everybody loves peace," and I didn’t know what to respond to them.

I started hoping that the train would reach Beersheba soon, as my face couldn't hide the shyness I was feeling when hearing such responses from passengers I never intended to communicate with. But I was so happy in my heart to see people saying "peace".

I arrived to Beersheba and took a taxi to the Metar checkpoint. There, I found many Palestinian women from the Hebron area gathering near the checkpoint, after a long time of being on the road. They were travelling to visit their relatives in the Israeli prisons. They were complaining about the hard day they had had, as they needed to wait for hours until they were authorized to pass the checkpoints, and then several hours more for the security checks within the prisons themselves, only to get a few minutes of conversation with their relatives through a phone, and a wall of glass separating them.

My mind couldn’t comprehend reality. On the one hand, you see signs of hope every day. Yet on the other hand, you also see signs of desperation. Which sings are more realistic? Which signs are stronger? Now I believe that the signs we feel and feed more are the ones more likely to win…

The Green Palestine

The Green Palestine

Last week we Palestinians succeeded in operating the first train journey from the East part of Palestine (West Bank) to the West part (Gaza Strip).

It was all easy. Thanks to engineers who worked so hard on this project, cars can also easily drive to Gaza from where I live in Dura, in the south of the West Bank.  A mutual agreement made all the necessary permits possible with the state of Israel. Actually the government usually takes care of those issues for us. Us normal people don't even care so much, since we choose the right politicians to serve us.

Palestine is a democratic state. Especially after Hamas and Fatah decided to dissolve themselves on the day of the actual independence of Palestine after the peace agreement with Israel was signed. They realized they needed to end their existence as resistance political parties. Hamas decided to leave all the politics aside and focus on getting charity to new Palestinian schools and hospitals while Fatah got completely transformed to its youth members who decided to devote their energy on taking Palestine to the modern world. We now run elections every 4 years and always on time, and have never had any delay even for a one day. The last presidential election brought a Christian young woman to become the president of Palestine. She is just 32 years old, an intellectual full of determination who wants to improve the political and social justice situation of the country. The parliament has many brand new political parties. The biggest one is the Green Party, whose main aim is to ensure the wellbeing of our environment as well as ensuring the freedom of citizens and non-citizens of Palestine. Although Palestine is a country that relies on small business projects, the high tech industry led by young businessmen and businesswomen is doing very well.  The Green Party leader has just submitted a draft for a new law that would facilitate the process for asylum seekers to get refugee status. We shall never forget that Palestinians were refugees for decades too.

Jerusalem is like the city of Berlin. It has West and East parts, despite the fact that it is the political capital city of two completely different countries (East Jerusalem is the capital of the state of Palestine and West Jerusalem is the capital of the state of Israel) people are living in the city as if it was united. We normal people don't know how they made this system work but everything is working perfectly. I often see ministers from the Palestinian government and the Israeli government sitting together in a café in Jerusalem not knowing if they are in their own capital or in the other state's capital. Who cares? Food is good!

Ramallah is the youth center of the Middle East. Saudi women love to come to have fun in Ramallah, they love the beauty of the city and all kinds of weekend concerts.  It is a city that allows intellectuals to meet and to express themselves freely without any concerns or limitations.

Palestinians are everywhere; wherever I go I find a Palestinian restaurant or doctors. They are in America, Brazil, and France… etc but they never forget their Palestinian identity. They often come to share their experience in Palestine and they make a point in participating in the building of the new state. Their generous contributions, know-how and financial support actually helped the state of Palestine to develop quickly.  

The Gaza strip is no longer the most populated area in the world. What the government did was to encourage young couples to move and live in the West Bank. 700,000 inhabitants moved to live in the West Bank.  This is what freedom of movement does: where you live doesn’t matter anymore. Palestinians from the Gaza strip appreciate their new life so much! They are very smart people and their projects are very successful.

In the past, during the conflict, I used to be engaged in people-to-people peace meetings that helped build trust and dialogue between Israelis and Palestinians. We thought that once our dream of peace would be achieved, our job would be done. But it is the opposite that happened. We found out that our new job now is to share our experience with other people in the Middle East and help them resolve their conflicts. There is a sort of mutual peace ministry that works under both governments. They support our work and run peacebuilding programs. This Israeli-Palestinian peace team has offices in every country in the Middle East.

Life is beautiful and we are really lucky in this region. We have more than enough resources to live, and life is good. It is our responsibility to further our development and positive change. 

Palestine is green and you must see this to really enjoy it!

A state of contractors not the state of Palestine

    A State of Contractors not the State of Palestine 

What we see in Palestine so far a group of outsiders who believe in themselves that they know what Palestinians needs and they know what the best for Palestinians more than the Palestinians themselves. In fact they are implementing their own agendas, they see the situation by their eyes and based on their background which is more likely not very realistic and never mind if they have bad intention or really they are aiming to help. A man who lived and studies in Oslo doesn't understand the needs and wants of people in Nablus more than the people of Nablus themselves .

On the ground we obviously have Palestinians decision makers and leaders who are taking part on the shaping of the state building, there are a different kind of leaders from political leaders to community leaders and students leaders and women leaders and children leaders. however those "leaders" are not more than mangers or contractors who are implementing the big lines of the foreign policies of those big countries who has the biggest donations to the Palestinian Authority or donation to the civil society directly without giving it through the government .

Before Signing the Oslo accord in 1993, Palestinian community have demonstrated a variety of real leaders who built the Palestinian image on the unique Palestinian way with very minimum of the outsider influence . so we see that the most successful and amazing institutions were mainly built before that time, on the other hand we can notice nowadays the obvious failures on the Palestinian institutions, the political and the communal ones . and the most dangerous aspect of this is the feeling of being tied which decreased the energy and the power of Palestinians to decide and take the necessary steps to protect the Palestinian nation and because of the will of the Palestinians to build what they want by their hands and not necessarily by the hands of the modern western civilized money providers.

I believe that the billions of dollars that are already spent on helping Palestinians should be reconsidered and their effects measured if they were really meant to help Palestinians and the Palestinians real leaders should go back and forth to see what we gained and what we loosed so far.

We Palestinians should fight in order to build the state of Palestinians with Palestinian identity and agenda which will be most relevant for Palestinians and not to putting the Palestinian shaping on the hand of the whole world and their interests. a state of contractors  is what is seen now unfortunately.

Loving Home

Love is our Land

After leaving my house for 10 months to seek immigration in Germany, now I passed the borders with Jordan to come return back to Palestine. I never expected to be so much lucky with the people around me to find a cousin waiting me with his private car to take me back to Dura so I don't need to get more suffering travelling with my bags in the taxis and buses. The cousin insisted that I rest in that small and the simple canteen in the bus station in Jericho and to drink with him a cup of coffee. I started to ask him about the family and friends and all the events that happened in my absence. I told him a little about my experience and how I couldn't wait to cut my journey and come return back when my family needed me.

Dura

We started driving to Dura, its almost 4 hours from Jericho, the first Palestinian city after a person pass the borders with Jordan to West Bank side until Dura in the south of West Bank. I was not patient to wait the only last 4 hours to arrive home after two days traveling from Germany so i took the mobile of this cousin to call my house to inform my Mother that I'm really getting closer to her. as I arrived home many kids from the family were waiting outside checking the cars to be the first ones who see me when I arrive. some kids came to me kindly to help me carrying my bags and others ran to inform all the family and the neighbors around us that I'm finally here. I never noticed how beautiful our house is and how it's stones give a great feeling of security and belonging. I went fast up stairs to hug my Mother who her blessing never left my mind all the  days and nights in my time far in Germany . My older sister Klashina couldn't wait until I arrive the third flour where my Mother choose to live in our 3 flours house so she went down to meet me in the middle of the stairs. Love all what I missed in Germany and how the destiny saved my right of love to those moments. I ran to hug my Mother and to hold her hands, I told her that my promise to come back whenever she ask me to do that was the most holy commitment I have in my life. how I can't do this for the woman who was always the candle that burn itself to light her kid's life...

Love all what I felt, this love that keep showing you how beautiful and hopeful our life is. the women from the family side and the neighbors came to congratulate my Mother. all kept thanking me for returning back. My Mother kept telling them that she always trusted my promise to come back to her when she ask for that and that she is so lucky that I didn't have something bad in my time in Germany and that I gain more weight

 as she was always worried about my life on there. My Mother kept asking me if I have ate good and if I had health problems.

The cousins continue coming to congratulate my mother and I can't describe how happy I am for that. giving my Mother a better feeling after we lost our sister and to see people coming to our house for good news. I can't believe that some men still oppress and intentionally hurt women, don't they have mothers? have they ever understood their love in our lives? What rewards can we give it back to our Mothers if we don't feel and show their importance?

Where is my Mother and your Mother is our land, this I tell to my Palestinians and Israelis friends, Here we shall live in peace and loving. No where is home and no where can give us more love and warm as how much we can give to each other. we don't need to study the books of history and the theories of politics and international human rights to take a justification to our right to live in this land,  Our choice to bring a better life for all of us is the strongest help to move forward and end this conflict.

My Mother sends all her glads and thanks for all of you friends who show support in our hard moments and she believe that we are closer to our dream more than how the TV carry to us

 bad news from politicians who keep reminding us how hopeless they are.

Love for you all !

Aviva

Aviva

   In Rome International airport, July 2011. it happened that I met  Aviva who came to participate in an International camp about the refugee and immigrants issue in Europe. Aviva didn’t know that I’m Palestinian but she loved my attention about Israel and that I have a bit of knowledge that allowed me to understand whenever she spoke about the social justice demonstrations in Tel Aviv and many other cities in Israel and how she hate those left wing socialists in Israel.

In a moment when I tried to justify the Israeli social justice demonstrations she replied that she love Benjamin Netanyahu, and that he is the only Jewish leader who protect Israel. I understood for the first time that her support to Netanyahu as also others who support Netanyahu comes more from emotional reasons than any rational reason. That was in the first hours of our meeting, we had moved to another sleeping place - and during the night we went out to smoke and drink. Aviva didn’t drink Alcohol and she had brought with her a kosher food from Israel more enough for her whole trip in Italy which was more about three weeks. We started chatting again during the night - and when she asked if I’m Italian - I told her: no I’m Palestinian. She laughed and considered it only a joke.

I wanted to shock her with the truth so I pulled up my passport and gave it to her to check. She was speechless and unconsciously asked “why then you are nice?” In few minutes she claimed that she was sleepy and she needed to go to sleep. I was sure she just wanted to stop talking with me.

Another group of Israeli nominees who were from Tel Aviv area joined in the next day. They seemed very secular but very nationalistic. Aviva who is very religious and who grow up in Ma'ale Adumim settlement in West bank spent all her time with them. The point behind bringing Palestinian and Israeli participants in such a pure European conference was to give us the chance to get to know each other. However, at the beginning we were totally separated and avoiding each other. Each one of us sadly was closer to the Italian participants than to each other - when in fact we both came from the same land. Aviva was doubtful and she sometimes spoke with me about Judaism and what is kosher and was is not kosher.

Getting access to Internet in Italy was not an easy dream. For that I had to buy an Italian SIM card and to book an Internet service for one month “this needed a whole week to be possible”. I needed the internet to stay in touch with friends and family back in home and in the rest of the world. Strangely - I was the only participant who cared to have internet. One night while I was Skyping with a friend, Aviva came to offer me money so I let her to use my laptop and my internet. She asked how much money I wanted, so she can use my laptop to Skype with her husband, as she missed him! I was shocked to get such an offer. Firstly - because I’ve never got money (or asked for any in the past) for such help. Secondly, because Aviva was brave to ask me a help after some days of no talk! I told her that she can use my laptop the whole night and whenever she needs to Skype with anyone and she don’t need to pay me money because I don’t make business out of my laptop.

Aviva used my laptop for almost one an hour and she came back to my room she was crying. She asked me again “why did you help me?” I told her that I’m not really doing something extraordinary. If I needed such thing I would ask for it. Plus, I don’t need my laptop 24 hours and anyone can borrow it from me if they need it. Aviva responded telling me that she understands what I’m saying but she is Jewish and I’m Palestinian! I told her it’s sad that we hold such images on our minds about each other that is usually not true. It’s sad that we don’t see how similar we are. I told Aviva that many of my friends are Jewish and the woman I loved is Jewish. I told her that the more we break the fears inside us and the more we discover each other the more we will find that we can live together in peace and harmony.

I think that Aviva later went into a storm of thinking and doubting all what she believed once about Palestinians. She started to come daily to me to ask how Palestinians life looks like and what is going on in our homes, our cities and our universities. We spent hours learning about each other.  Aviva who continued using my laptop was so eager to make a favour for me. She started to think every day about me when she cooked something for herself. She made me lunches and dinners each day so I didn’t need to eat the Italian Pasta that I don’t like at all!

Aviva changed so much! She even demanded from me a very weird demand. She - as many Israelis, lives with security fears. I can’t demand that those fears are exaggerated. But it’s not healthy at all. She wanted from me to promise her that if a huge war happened against Israel to hide her and her family in my house because Arabs will not attack Palestinians houses. I told her that there is no need to think always about wars and darkness. I told her that she and her family are always welcomed to my house. I pray to God that she never needs to come out of survival and escape - but to come always out of missing and happiness.

Aviva’s Father was a Rabbi; she used to always Skype with him too! Always to get his guidance about keeping the Jewish laws in her time with us. Where to eat and where to avoid eating - since the eating rooms usually had food with pork meat - also how to observe Shabbat and so on. She told her Father about me and her father told her that it’s not strange to meet good Arabs – but that she shouldn’t be fooled because Arabs are not all like Hamze.

The other Israeli nominees were too much politicalized! They show dissatisfaction about Aviva’s responds and interactions with me. They always tried to stop her! They have warned her in Hebrew many times to be careful with me. I was hearing and able to understand their Hebrew words!

Make Your Visit Hopeful, Mr President

Make Your Visit Hopeful, Mr President 

On the event of your visit this week to Israel and the Palestinian territories, I welcome you warmly and wish you success, as the world's freest black man and leader in the world and in history. Naturally your visit gives lots of hope to the citizens of the whole Middle East and especially to Palestinians and Israelis.

Dear Mr President, my people, the Palestinians are still living under the consequences of the continuous conflict between Palestine and Israel. This conflict is technically preventing the establishment of the Palestinian state as an independent state for our nation. This right is considered legitimate and inalienable in the modern world we are living in, and stated clearly in the human rights declaration.

Mr President, I want to take you deeply into the impacts of the absence of this right. It has taken the life of lots of innocent people each year for decades, and created a harsh reality controlled by fears and oppression - from the restricted right of movement within the Palestinian territories, to the stuck economy that fails to absorb the majority of young Palestinians in the market by giving them jobs which could help them build their life and their families. This results in angers and fears that usually translate into rounds of violence every few years, as a result of a periodic lose of hope that the situation might become better.

Mr President Obama I know you are not coming for fun in our mad region. I know you will be meeting the Israeli leadership and the Palestinian one. I tell you that you are mistaken if you are coming to hear them. I have been hearing them since I was born 23 years ago, and they talk nothing good. They are the natural products of the hopeless situation and they are not responsible leaders at all. They are actors and they are failures. They don’t care about ending the conflict that destroys the lives of our people and makes the future of the coming generations dark and hopeless.

Mr President, as you are coming to Tel Aviv to meet the Israeli leadership and later to Ramallah to meet my leadership, I demand from you to not be limited to hearing from both leaderships, because we have been hearing from them long enough. I have seen the same figures talking of the same story in the same useless way without bringing us any progress. Mr President, as the President of the United States, the strongest country in the world and the country that has the most influence on both leaderships, I demand of you to practice your power and your moral duty, to end the suffering of my people and the occupation, and bring an agreement that insures the security of the State of Israel living in prosperity, alongside the state of Palestine.

As a moderate liberal Palestinian, I expect of you dear President to meet and deliver a message of hope and partnership with the Palestinian young generation, who are naturally moderate and against all the dark ideology, and eager to partner with the free liberal parties in the world as your own. My brothers and sisters in Palestine are angry with their reality but they are not hateful Mr President. They are open minded and have big hearts. Many of them watch American movies and they celebrated your victory in the two elections in USA. They speak English as good as you do. They deserve your attention. They are the majority of my society and the future leaders you must count on. In concrete terms - while you ignore those who are supposed to be on the side of moderate and liberal people in the world, they are being beckoned  by countless less liberal parties in the Middle East.

The Berlin Of Middle East .

The Capital Of Peace

West Jerusalem and East Jerusalem !; not anymore separated since 1967. As the same as the reunion of West Berlin and East Berlin on 1989? But when Berlin got united it was marked as a city of freedom where prosibrity appeared on the capital of Germany again. Unfortunately when Jerusalem got united it became a city of oppressions. Ironically ! after the reunion they needed walls instead of removing them and expansions for Jerusalem up to Bethlehem and Jericho and Ramallah... Is this beautiful? Jerusalem shall never be separated but Humans there should be ALSO united and equal !!!

Selfish acts  is a self destruction and barrier in the road of developments. You can apply this on your own life or you can see it on the national Eye or even destruction for the interests of nations. United Jerusalem is the ultimate capital for the State of Palestine ! United Jerusalem is the ultimate capital for the State of Israel. Jerusalem is Islamic land for Muslims in the whole World ! Jerusalem is the land of Jews from Yemen up to USA. Jerusalem is Alquds ! Jerusalem is Yurshaleim !. Residents of Jerusalem are those who speaks Arabic and has the Palestinian's blood moving in their veins only!!! Jerusalem is a Hashem gift for those who got Jewish blood on their veins!!!..., all those slogans bringing us to nowhere. Jerusalem actually has no special love to any ethnic group or nations and Jerusalem don't believe in any religion and Jerusalem is bigger than any specific nation. Jerusalem for everyone who feel his/ her connection for it for any reason no matter what a historical facts or God messages we can bring in the arguments! Jerusalem is Cafe Aroma and Bab Al'amoud. Jerusalem is a city for very religious people and for less religious and for Artists.
Because the past have been gone in its nice and ugly memories. The future was kept for us. Its all in our hands for the good and the bad. Jerusalem could be the open city for cultures and capital cities and all kind of understandings or it will stay the curse that kill our dreams and security as our kids got killed for Jerusalem.
Justice before security? or security before justice?: no ever human born with terrorism mentality or ignorance. Its the external conditions that move us to right or left. Inside each single human a Diamond of goodness and the desire of living in stability and harmony. we all born equal. Lack of justice is lack of vision and conflicts. If animals got justice they would probably live together in peace but Human also will live in security after justice. but what make humanity different than animals that the Mankind looks for security by Justice but Animals want to continue their destiny. so Justice first then security.

Our Jerusalem shall be the home for all of us. Leaders of Middle East meeting there to solve conflicts and build joint development's projects as how the beautiful Berlin Now!. Jerusalem of different cultures and civilizations dialogues; Young Saudis with Young Israelis and Youth from all over the middle east making concerts in our beloved Jerusalem. Jerusalem of happiness and Promises. Security and Justice...