The most powerful man ruling Palestinians and more
August 30th, 2009In this digest: We comment on the transformation of Palestine and the weakness of Palestinian leaders, describe events happening that you will hear little about (or hear distorted stories about), share videos about the Israeli targeting of civilian and about the right of resistance, and share two action items asking you to write to the Gap about their opening a store in Israel and writing to Obama to demand Israel freeze its illegal settlement activities in the occupied areas (as the 2002 road map demands).
“O you who believe! Stand out firmly for justice, as witnesses to Allah, even though it be against yourselves, or your parents, or your kin, be he rich or poor, Allah is a Better Protector to both (than you). So follow not the lusts (of your hearts), lest you may avoid justice, and if you distort your witness or refuse to give it, verily, Allah is ever well acquainted with what you do.”(Surah Nisaa’:135)
Israel named a new ruler on Palestinians this week. Eitan Dangot (to be promoted to Major General) will direct the Office of the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) in the Israel army. He is certainly more important and more powerful than Mahmoud Abbas and Salam Fayyad. Nothing goes in and out of the occupied areas or moves between its cities without his approval. No construction, no economic activity, no education, no transport, and no health care are done without this overlord agreeing to it. He is in a line of Zionists managing Palestinian affairs that go back to Herbert Samuel in 1920 (who had absolute executive and legislative powers). Samuel states in his memoires that he was appointed by the British government not only with his known Zionist sympathies but largely because of these sympathies. Palestinians responded by mass resignation from government jobs, by strikes, protests, petitions, and pleas for change. But some notable elites met with him 7 July 1920 despite a call to boycott. Later he fired the principled mayor of Jerusalem Musa Kadhim Alhusaini and appointed the more compliant Ragheb Nashashibi (sounds familiar?).
According to news reports, Israel arrested several people praying at Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem. One of those was “a Gaza man was detained for being in the area without a permit.” (and yet Zionist propaganda still regurgitates the myth that the apartheid walls are for security!). Jimmy Carter joins the fast for Gaza. Some Palestinians spend all their waking hours planning how to defeat fellow Palestinians. Israeli papers leak the news that Obama administration is giving up on the idea of a settlement freeze in the illegally occupied areas. Settler population surpasses 500,000. Some are popping Champaign bottles celebrating the final victory of the Zionist project and the end not only of the physical Palestine but the idea of Palestine. Some of the victims as in all colonial situations get acclimatized and collaborate with their oppressors. Is this a Kafquesque/Orwellian world we live in or is that itself suggestive that a normal world can exist. Perhaps it is the way it always is: nature red in tooth and claw, a dog-eat-dog world and we do have big dogs and little dogs (and parasites that transfect dog brains making them rabid). But then again, nature indeed has everything and unlike creatures born into who they are, humans have choices to be like hyenas feeding on dead carcasses or like flowers giving nectar and beauty to earth. Sometimes the choice to be like the tapeworm or the honeybee seems to some individuals not so obvious. Bees are natural workers who live and die anonymous and unfelt as individuals while one tape worm can be prosperous, felt, and have an individual difference in its habitat. (sorry, this is the biologist in me speaking). But back to the human realm, we can also choose to be a war criminal like Peres, Kissinger, and Hitler or by a peacemaker like Desmond Tutu and Mahatma Gandhi (and anything in between). We can choose to be racist claiming Arabs or Muslims are this or that (or Jews for that matter) or we can embrace our common humanity and failings and call for coexistence and annulment of all ideologies of racism and segregation (e.g. Zionism). We do have choices. In these choices lies our true freedom and liberation as human beings. Going with the flow/fashion of “our tribe” (us vs. them) lay our enslavement. Those of us who refuse enslavement have what Mahmoud Darwish called “an incurable malady”: hope.
Video: Lest we forget: Guardian investigates Israeli war crimes in Gaza
Video: Free Gaza on the right of Resistance
Action 1: Gap set to open in Israel
http://jta.org/news/article/2009/08/23/1007397/gap-set-to-open-in-israel
Write to them at: custserv@gap.com and boycott
ACTION 2: News reports (e.g. in Haaretz http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1110507.html) reports that U.S. dropped or is considering dropping demand on Israel to freeze settlements in Occupied East Jerusalem (International law is clear that such settlements are illegal). Write and call Obama to demand complete freeze of all settlement activities including “natural growth” and walls built on Palestinian lands (this is also demanded by the road map that we are told Israel agreed to).
Call: President Barack Obama 202-456-1111
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton 202.647.5291
FAX: 202-456-2461 email http://www.whitehouse.gov/CONTACT/
Mazin Qumsiyeh, PhD
A Bedouin in Cyberspace, a villager at home
http://qumsiyeh.org
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What do you and other Palestinians think of Fayyad?
Mr. WWW
Why Fayyad? the beloved kid of the Americans !! Does this says it all?
I live the street and breathe it. The street thinks that all the P”N”A is corrupt and they know that it is led by Mr. Dayton and (Dr.) Fayyad is the right hand of Mr. Dayton. However, Mr. Dayton is applying the zionist Agenda, just like what the British were preparing for establsihng the zionist entity (since Balfour Diclaration up to the Nakba) before they end their mandate, Mr. Dayton is preparing for the Great Israel !!!
The street is sick of all the corrupted “elite”, or gangs of you like !!!
Your “reverent” or benevolent Fayyad got only 3% in the last elections, but thew Almighty “democratic” Americans assigned him and prepared him to be their servant a long time ago as they pressured Arafat. Then in a short time Arafat was assassinated to pave the way for the corrupt collaborators !!
What is he (Fayyad) going to achieve? He’s only managing the financial affairs of the PNA !!! He’s a super employee managing the European and the Arab money to feed the corrupt mouths !!!
The “democratic” American are playing a great role in creating a bloody police authority to ensure the security of the “chosen people” at the time the zionists are going ahead in judaizing the whole of Palestine and stealing the rest of the land !!!
The problem is not Mr. Fayyad or Dahlan (funny, our tribe sent a delegation to congratulate both), the problem is in the system itself, corrupt inside, and combined of the VIP holders… !!!
They, the zionists and the Americans, are hectically busy in ensuring the security of Israel on the whole of Palestine and providing a “super deluxe” occupation for the Palestinians !!!
The core problem is that they are ignoring the core of the problem; a whole people occupied since ages and struggling to get free !!! As long as they are ignoring this fact, all what they have to do it to wait (or prepare) for the next Bosnia, Holocaust or intifada !!!
Is the 3% more significant for you that the 60% of Hamas?
God bless you and Mr. Fayyad a long with Mr. Dayton
Sami, the bedouin.
Sami, I was wondering what you think of Fayyad because his rhetoric and actions have been progressive. You say you want a free secular democratic country and that sounds like a good ideal. He never said he supports the one-state idea because he knows its unrealistic with current sentiments of the parties involved, but he said that he wants the future Palestinian state to be progressive and protecting of all its residents and citizens, including Jews who wish to live peacefully there. The West Bank has seen great economic and security improvements under Fayyad, especially when compared to the Palestinian Authority under Arafat. Abbas is corrupt as well.
I don’t know if the economic and security improvements are real based on positive economic, security, and democratic currents in the Palestinian Authority and the Palestinians. I think the West has now applied the “realist” school of thought to the West Bank, by giving money and arms to the “moderates”, hoping that they provide the Palestinians what a government is supposed to provide, improved services and security, even though all that power was not democratically gained and is usually infested with corruption. While that is developed (hoping corruption will decrease), the West has to (as Obama has done) push for “peace negotiations” (I know you hate those words because you don’t believe they are genuine).
Fayyad says all the good ideal things you wish for, yet you often mention those involved in armed resistance positively and call Fayyad corrupt. Those involved in armed resistance, are never led by people who say the good ideal things you wish for (secular democratic state), yet you support them (even though they do corrupt things as well and don’t behave democratically either).
I think the Fatah and Hamas factions have to unite and compete for power in a democratic system. But that is impossible when they all have their own security forces and gangs. Those in America and Israel you call “Zionists” operate in democratic systems in their respective states, competing for power in different branches of govt. In the US, the Democrats and Republicans compete for power in a democratic system, where the people can hold them accountable through peaceful and civilized means. When a person or party doesn’t satisfy the people, he or she loses her power. That’s why the majority party changes every now and then. Same with Israel, except that there is more competition and the leading coalition party changes more often and has more parties than in the US . They do all of this without having their own militias. There is no Labor or Likud militia. But Fatah and Hamas do have their own militias who fight each other and others.
Is all this the fault of the Palestinians? No. Either the West didn’t listen or care, or the Palestinians were just unaware and didn’t have the individual power of holding Arafat and the PLO accountable when they started to be accepted in the West to negotiate with and even started giving aid intended to create state institutions but was actually spent on Mrs. Arafat’s shopping sprees in Paris.
Here is my attempt to explain why power in the Middle East is mostly dealt behind the scenes: In the decades before 1948, the Arabs in Palestine and across the Middle East were enticed by foreign powers for their natural resources and military assistance, mainly Europe and the Ottomans (America was actually a very minor player during most of this time). Some sided with the Ottomans, or the Germans, others sided with the Allies (mainly the British and France) and the Soviets(which later was the foe to Western Europe and America). All the local players in this power struggle All the local Middle East players in this power struggle (mainly the different groups of Arabs, and various minorities and subgroups) were separated by religious and ethnic divisions, and then by clans (for example, the Hashemites, Sauds, Alawites(al-Assad), and al-Husseini are some of the famous ones). These types of organization of people have been in existence since the dawn of time. But power within these groups traveled from father to son, resembling dictatorships. While many of them dreamed of pan-Arab and later Islamic unity, their was very little reason for them to do so. Since the leading elite so easily controlled the natural resources (because only a few were given the technology from the West to extract it) in their allotted territory and the money they got from it, they had no reason to unite with other groups for their resources and military alliance. In Europe, a king had to compromise with the feudal lords because natural resources weren’t as concentrated and were very easy to extract technologically speaking. But in the Middle East, who ever made the deal with the Europeans got the tech. to extract the oil, and got richer and powerful from oil (or got more and better weapons) over other competing groups. But my explanation isn’t clear cut for every situation. In countries that were more nationalistic, it was often foreign powers (West vs Soviets) either using those in power as proxies or they supported someone else to undercut those in power because they favored the other foreign power.
And then there were the Zionists. Their goal and rise to power has actually been the most public. Zionists lobbied in international conferences and international organizations. They even lobbied Arabs and Ottomans. While they were separated from the rest by religion, Zionism brought Jews from around the globe and hence they were not separated by clans and separate tribes (except the haredeim, aka Ultra-Orthodox, who have their own religious Zionism, even though some of them say they are anti-Zionist). This led to a relatively united group who were led by idealists, and later followed by other Jews who were caught in the middle of ME power struggles and came to the only place that would take them because they didn’t belong to any of the other religions and tribes/clans. The idealist leaders didn’t join the Zionist movement because it gave them power and organization to compete with neighboring Arabs since many of them weren’t born amongst the Arabs (like the various Lebanese groups competing for power because they were always near each other). And since they all came together around the same time with a shared past and no model of organization which they that resembled a dictator/King(father to son power transfer) in over 2,500 years, it was much easier for them to create a democratic system. George Washington could have easily been king, but decided not to and that set the tone for a clear succession process (elections). Naturally the Zionists disagreed on many issues, but most of it was pushed back because of the most urgent, ensuring survival.
So how is a Palestinian is a Palestinian supposed to manage the occupation and get his freedom when Fatah jails Hamas and vice versa with no court date in sight? I don’t know, but you should expect the most out of the Palestinian factions that supposedly represent you. Learn organizational skills from the Jews (there are probably several thousands Jewish organizations dealing with advocacy and non-religious issues), if one organization doesn’t suit you, create your own.
I don’t think Hamas has the support of 60% of Palestinians any more.
Mr. W,
Yes, I am calling for a one secular state for all, bu did the zionists leave any room for this dream? Do they look at me as a human? Do they accept me to live peacefully at my homeland side by side?
Since the early 1970s the israeli people is heading to the extreme right, and there are no leftists left any more in Israel. The zionists left no hope at all with there new (massively elected) government of Natenyaho and Leibreman, and even their “leftist” partner Barak the head of the criminals of Gaza holocaust !!! The zionists are heading more deep in their racist mentality and practice. Look at what they are doing now: demolishing our houses, arresting the people, killing our kids who do peaceful demonstration, letting the fanatic settlers to rampage the land free and armed to teeth to kill the villagers and burn their fields, steal more and more land, suffocate us more and more …. what the hell they want other than the GREATER ISRAEL?
Yes, there are a bunch of peaceful isrealis who cant fill the seats of a minibus traveling lonely against the stream, but the whole israeli society is racist aiming at my land and killing me soon or kicking me to Jordan, which is the obsessing horror of the Jordanian government now…. I can see the coming Bosnia Mr. W and you will see how your “peaceful” zionists are going to act !!!!
Yes, I can fully agree with you:
but do I have any other option?
Yes, Mr. Fayyad has improved a lot since he was assigned before Arafat was assassinated, but all what he has done is an American and zionist agenda of the bright vision of Mr Daytoon of “peace through security” !!!: What security are they talking about? the security for the settlers to ranpage free? Their “creative” (like the creative anarchy) project of creating bloody terrorist troops all what they are doing is to suppress their people, in order to provide security for the zionists who are stealing the land and demolishing our houses?
Funny what you are talking of !!! I am not a slave Mr. W, nor collaborator with the Americans and the zionists !!
You tell me that not all the israelis are zionists !!! who elected this crazy government then? look at the recent polls to see that 80% of the Israelis are against freezing the settlement…. which means that the vast majority of the israelis (zionists) are with the Greater sirael and dont see that there is a whole people suffreing from their crazy mentality and practice !!!
The Americans and the zionists can deceive someone else but not me any more… all what they do is giving us pills of tranquilizers to silence us for a short time to complete their project !!!
Yes, I am with one HUMAN secular state but when I face the lunatic racists I wont hesitate to hold a gun to face the their devil, and I am with the freedom-fighter who are far more human than the “democratic” Americans and the people of the “only democratic oasis in the Middle East”
Mr. W: “lie and lie more and more, not only til others believe you but till you start to believe your lie” as Shamir said once.
Sami, the bedouin.
Mr. W,
Yes, I am calling for a one secular state for all, bu did the zionists leave any room for this dream? Do they look at me as a human? Do they accept me to live peacefully at my homeland side by side?
Since the early 1970s the israeli people is heading to the extreme right, and there are no leftists left any more in Israel. The zionists left no hope at all with their new (massively elected) government of Natenyaho and Leibreman, and even their “leftist” partner Barak the head of the criminals of Gaza holocaust !!! The zionists are heading more deep in their racist mentality and practice. Look at what they are doing now: demolishing our houses, arresting the people, killing our kids who do peaceful demonstration, letting the fanatic settlers to rampage the land free and armed to teeth to kill the villagers and burn their fields, steal more and more land, suffocate us more and more …. what the hell they want other than the GREATER ISRAEL?
Yes, there are a bunch of peaceful isrealis who cant fill the seats of a minibus traveling lonely against the stream, but the whole israeli society is racist aiming at my land and killing me soon or kicking me to Jordan, which is the obsessing horror of the Jordanian government now…. I can see the coming Bosnia Mr. W and you will see how your “peaceful” zionists are going to act !!!!
All this is at the time the Americans are backing israel financially with HUGE subsidiaries and providing them with the super modern and most fatal weapons to be tested on our children !!! Funny !!!
Yes, I can fully agree with you:
but do I have any other option?
Yes, Mr. Fayyad has improved a lot since he was assigned diring the days of Arafat, but all what he has done is an American and zionist agenda of the bright vision of Mr Daytoon of “peace through security” !!!: What security are they talking about? the security for the settlers to rampage free? Their “creative” (like the creative anarchy) project of creating bloody terrorist troops all what they are doing is to suppress their people, in order to provide security for the zionists who are stealing the land and demolishing our houses?
Funny what you are talking of !!! I am not a slave Mr. W, nor collaborator with the Americans and the zionists !! I am the street that will never die, I am the fighting demographic reality !!!
You tell me that not all the israelis are zionists !!! who elected this crazy government then? look at the recent polls to see that 80% of the Israelis are against freezing the settlement…. which means that the vast majority of the israelis (zionists) are with the Greater israel and dont see that there is a whole people suffreing from their crazy mentality and practice !!!
The Americans and the zionists can deceive someone else but not me any more… all what they do is giving us pills of tranquilizers to silence us for a short time to complete their project !!!
Yes, I am with one HUMAN secular state but when I face the lunatic racists I wont hesitate to hold a gun to face their devil, and I am with the freedom-fighter who are far more human than the “democratic” Americans and the people of the “only democratic oasis in the Middle East”.
Mr. W: “lie and lie more and more, not only til others believe you but till you start to believe your lie” as Shamir said once.
There is a project dear called the New Middle East which means the Greater israel, and dont tell me the Americans gave up this dream even at the “democratic” era of the “democrat” Obama !!! They new the limits of their power in Iraq, Afganstan, Lebanon and Gaza that jeopardized they financial system, but their dream is still there to come from a very, very tricky directions that might deceive the already deceived !!
Sami, the bedouin.
Sami, pre-Israel Jews could have said the same thing if you just replaced “zionists” with Arabs.