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Thursday, December 15, 2005

 

Building Bridges Impossible Without Justice

(photo courtesy lawrenceofcyberia)

I am a Palestinian
I was born in Jerusalem
Palestine is my homeland
But I cannot return there

I am an American Jew
I was born in USA
Israel is not my homeland
But I can "return" there


The two young girls who recently settled in Palestine both asked that their pictures be removed from one of my posts, which is their right, according to my trusted advisor. I will continue to "attack" these gleeful young settlers from North and South America until they realize the injustice of which they are a part. Yael's comments and blog post in which she maligns and smears me are in a post below. But you know what, fellow pro-Palestinian bloggers; if you don't get smeared, then you're probably not doing your job, which is not to be complicit in racism in any of its forms. What would have happened if Martin Luther King, Jr. gave up? What would have happened if Nelson Mandela or Desmond Tutu agreed that South Africans be relegated to the townships and apartheid? What will our children say if we compromise on the inalienable right of return, thus making ourselves complicit with racism? For me, I honor Dr. Salman Abu Sitta, who has meticulouly shown in addition to being just, that it is feasible for Palestinians to return to their homes. That is unless you believe that we are inherently violent, that we are inherently hateful and unfit to live among others. This from Rinat:

"Dear "Umkahlil", Nothing against your views, feel free to write about whatever you want, but I also ask you to remove my picture from your post immediately. I'm being just educated and I expect you be to be too. I DID NOT autorize you to make use of MY picture anywhere.
If you want to talk and discuss in a civilized way, be my guest. However stop attacking people. You don't know me. I don't understand why this attitude. This is not the best contribution for peace and dialogue in the Middle East.
Thanks in advance,RINAT, from the blog BALAGAN."

If one is not willing to accept a "piece" for "peace" building bridges is not possible. There is no such thing as "kinder," "gentler," racism, yet this is what those "reasonable" Israelis and Palestinians interested in building bridges buy into when they do not see the injustice in the denial of the right of return for Palestinians to all of historic Palestine.

And Rinat and Yael, I am not really interested in "peace and dialogue." My interest is in peace and justice. My intention is to make you feel uncomfortable; my intention is to make you come to realize that it is racism that you, who come from Brazil, and you, who come from New York, may immigrate to Palestine, but Palestinians who were born in Jaffa and Haifa may not return to their homes. I do not intend to be complicit in racism in any of its forms--the racism that says that people may not return to their homes because they are not the right ethnicity or religion. I do intend to leave a legacy for my children of a mother who was complicit in racism.

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