I cannot concentrate. The selfie of this boy is haunting me. He is not just another boy killed. He is not just another name or number somewhere far or even close. It got too close. It is there. A few hundred meters from home. It could have been my son. I cannot have my daughters walk to the street alone anymore. It is not just not safe anymore. It is murderous.
It is an occupation for what it is.
Maybe this is a wake-up call. For us in Jerusalem …
We are envied for living under the luxury of the occupation inside Jerusalem. Jerusalem is a unified city. We Palestinians use the same soft train Israelis use. We go to their malls. We walk to their parks (it is all ours initially, all on occupied land under “international law”!!). We can go to the beach. We can move easier (than our fellow Palestinians in the west bank). We receive services, social security, medical, retirement (we pay taxes …extra taxes). We live in the only democracy in the Middle East!!!!!
Maybe it is just time to remember …
This is OCCUPATION …
Israel is the State of Occupation.
There is not much to it.
There is only one true face of Occupation.
It cannot be another.
And then the world blames us when we glee at their losses…
The world denied us our existence.
The world has been allowing systematic ethnic cleansing of Palestinians for the last 65 years.
The world is still watching our eradication as human beings.
Ooops…. Human beings. Are we human beings?
The world turned its back on us, and they expect us to behave…
Damn this world
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Nadia, it is not the world – I do not know what I can do. I sign petitions, I have written letters, I pray. I’ve posted blogs. As a Buddhist, I strive to rid myself of my poisons, desire, anger, ignorance, hatred. I know that it is these poisons that must be wiped out in each person for us to create a world of peace and justice. As I wrote earlier, every day my heart bleeds for the injustices being done indigenous peoples around the world, in many countries. And I do believe a balance will come and we must always strive toward that. I cannot say I know your pain I do know the gentleness of your heart and you must not give that up for that is your strength and separates you from the ignorant, malicious hatred of the attackers.
Surely you’re not justifying the kidnapping and murder of innocent Israeli youth, are you? You have written “And then the world blames us when we glee their losses… The world turned its back on us and they expect us to behave…”.
How disgusting of you to plead your case for Palestinians in such a way, while denying that Israeli life is just as important. Where is the humanity???
Some of your people feel gleeful at the loss of life for other Human Beings?!! How despicable, shameful, and utterly useless as a tool for peace in the region.
You expect sympathy & empathy from the world? Well, then try giving some back when the situation calls for it!
I would never feel glee, nor would most of the Jewish people I know, at the loss of life for any Human Being!
Imagine being a mother and hearing that your child was found in a field wrapped up in a bag, mutilated, and under rocks!!!
-It’s time for you, and others who think like you, to come up with positive suggested solutions, instead of the constant complaining which leads to nothing.
At least Palestinians can live in Israel and are a part of all facets of Israeli life. Can you imagine if the tables were turned?? I certainly can’t.
Palestinians are some of the best treated people in the Middle East, much better than many of their “brothers” & “sisters” in other Arab lands (example: Syria etc). One should be careful what they wish for… I am all for a justifiable & sustaining peace in the Middle East, a place where Jews are welcome as well. By the way, if you are wondering about me, my mother was thrown out of Egypt, along with her entire family almost overnight, for being Jewish, so where is the talk about all the Jewish refugees thrown out of Arab lands?? Remember, we are ALL Human Beings, who deserve mutual respect, comfort, and humanity.
Israeli lives seem to have the attention of the whole world . A human life to me is a human life . But apparently not to u.
The situation is different in the two circumstances . Settlers living in the West Bank are armed and exist there to practically harass Palestinians . Hitch hiking can contribute to such incidents . Mind you , that no one knows what the truth behind their death is . There are suspects . But it is all assumptions . What ur government ( if u r Israeli) is definitely not giving all the details . The boy who was murdered , tortured and burnt this morning was walking next to his house . He was not walking in another person’s territory . The boy who was murdered in jenin was going out to buy food . He was show holding a bag of eggs .
You make the oppressed and the oppressor in the same level . You think of occupation as just a normal life .
If u are an Israeli u cannot get what it means to be oppressed. If you r not an Israeli . U need to learn about the inbalance of inequality .
We Palestinians live best in the Middle East ??????
That’s an old joke …
I thought I made myself abundantly clear when I said that ALL life is important, whether it’s Palestinian, Jewish, or whoever! You are attributing the hardship of the Palestinians to the armed settlers living in the West Bank, but forget to mention the rocket launching terrorists who continuously fire rockets, kidnap, and murder innocent Israeli civilians (Jewish & non Jewish)!! You say that I think of occupation as just a normal life? You are absolutely false, because I do not see it as an occupation! Israel has the right to exist, and it’s on Jewish land… How many times is Jerusalem mentioned in the Koran vs. the Torah? Jerusalem played a prominent part in Jewish history and writings more than two thousand years before Islam’s rise and the writing of the Koran, which makes no mention of Jerusalem. What about Muslims? Where does Jerusalem fit in Islam and Muslim history? It is not the place to which they pray, is not once mentioned by name in prayers, and it is connected to no mundane events in Muhammad’s life. The city never served as capital of a sovereign Muslim state, and it never became a cultural or scholarly center. Little of political import by Muslims was initiated there.
-One comparison makes this point most clearly: Jerusalem appears in the Jewish Bible 669 times and Zion (which usually means Jerusalem, sometimes the Land of Israel) 154 times, or 823 times in all. The Christian Bible mentions Jerusalem 154 times and Zion 7 times. In contrast, Jerusalem and Zion appear as frequently in the Qur’an “as they do in the Hindu Bhagavad-Gita, the Taoist Tao-Te Ching, the Buddhist Dhamapada and the Zoroastrian Zend Avesta”—which is to say, not once.
You are too hard to follow… I prefer to keeps theological / philosophical approach to my studies .
You will never see what I mean . Because you see your right on my land and hence my life as your right .
I can assure you only on one thing … Our plight as Palestinian is just and right . No matter what u do .. Injustice cannot go on forever . Jews are supposed to have learnt the lessons of oppression .. But apparently your arrogance always lead you to blind conceit that will eventually lead to a major downfall.
You have the right to exist … On my land … Ok… Don’t go too far .. We remain to be resisting occupation. And you will always remain an occupation . You were given a land as a compensation for the ill doings of the west to u.. It doesn’t mean you have the right to do this on us . Palestine my dear is not just about a land . It is about a people… And these people are really alive …. Keep praying for peace… But before that understand it .
You can yourself PeaceInThe MiddleEast but you do not seem to embody that concept in your words. Nadia was writing the words of pain, she has never said or implied that she does not value all of life. You fail to understand that just because a land is mentioned in a Holy Book, does not replace history. The fact that for many hundreds of years Jewish people and Muslim people lived in the land of Palestine and Jerusalem in relative peace. It was the actions of the West that divided up the Middle East and allowed Palestine to be taken over by a minority that has led to these injustices. And sad to say, rocks are not bullets, bombs are not nuclear weapons. It really doesn’t matter how often Jerusalem or Israel or Muslims mention each other or places in their holy books. The bottom line is both religions believe in the same One God – and this is the shame. People are using religious differences to cloak what is essentially a secular and political land grab. If you want to speak of peace you must embody it, in the language you use and write, and how you look at other people.
Is that so, “Skywalkerstoryteller”? So what you are saying is that Nadia’s pain is greater than my pain, or the pain of the parents of the murdered children, or the pain of all Israelis, Jews, and rationally minded, kind & caring individuals in the world? Are you in fact justifying Nadia’s rationale to the kidnapping & murder of innocent people? Where do you get off making that claim about me? Where is your stance on this situation? You are clearly biased, as you were the first one to comment on her blasphemous blog posting, and I quote from you: “Nadia, it is not the world – I do not know what I can do. I sign petitions, I have written letters, I pray. I’ve posted blogs. As a Buddhist, I strive to rid myself of my poisons, desire, anger, ignorance, hatred.”
If that is the case, then why don’t you practice what you preach, and look at BOTH sides objectively!! How easy it is for you to file false claims about Israel, and you jump on the propaganda bandwagon. Why don’t you go visit both parts of the region, I know I have many times, and can form an intelligent opinion, i suggest you do the same, or keep your one-sided “peaceful” post to yourself!
!!!
You have a lot of anger and are reading what you want to see. So I will not address your tirade. But, I do want to respond to your question below, Palestine did have a government and a currency, and a culture – which was destroyed by the invasion and war of the late 1940’s. Nadia posted two historic videos about Palestine before the partition. You should check them out.
You’re darn right I have a lot of anger, and what makes me even more upset is that I’m not seeing any anger or any condemnation from the both of you for the 3 murdered Israeli boys. Nadia has a cause she’s fighting for, but what does that have to do with the brutal loss of 3 innocent lives? Are you so blinded by propaganda, that you will turn your back, just because it is Jewish life that was taken away?
By the way, please tell me about the Palestinian currency, army, school system, Government etc… prior to Israel being created. Oh wait, that’s right, there never were any of these things! “Palestine” as you are claiming it to be, never existed, and now that Israel has turned the land into a thriving Country with wonderful innovations for the World, others want to take it and claim it as their own. Shameful! The Palestinians want to do this “by the sword” and with blind hatred of the Jews. Why not try to get along, and live together like normal Human Beings do? Together everyone would prosper so much more in so many ways!
nadiaharhash, what you have written is nothing but a hate speech, it saddens me that you are you a bred on hate. It might come as a shock on you but you see; Israelis don’t hate Palestinians, they really don’t. You also write: “Our plight as Palestinian is just and right . No matter what u do .. Injustice cannot go on forever . Jews are supposed to have learnt the lessons of oppression”. Oh you mean that when Palestine’s grand mufti and hero, Haj Amin al-Husseini went and met Hitler in order to make sure more Jews were killed during the WWII. The Jews should have learned a lesson of oppression? Despite this Jews still don’t hate Palestinians.
As a non Jew I can assure you that you are 100 % wrong when you claim that the world has turned their back on you, no other state without being an official state has received as much humanitarian aid as Palestine, they have received much more than any other country, not even Africa as a continent has not received as much as the Palestinians. Now where did all that money go, which could have bettered the standard of living and increased a common Palestinians education and knowledge instead of stupidity and hate? You should ask you dear leaders about th.
It’s really shameful to glee over any life lost, even an Israeli, the reason why you are living under occupation is simply because Palestine launched a terror war on Israel, it1s not as if the Israel occupied you without any reason or aggression. Neither is it Israel’a nor innocent Israeli teens fault that Palestinians have ended up like this. Blame it on your leaders, who launched war on the Jews after the West gave Jews a land they could call home in the British mandate of Palestine.
as ur talking about history …irrelevant one and mostly untrue .. I am living in a confrontation zone at this very instant ( this is not literally speaking ) in jerusalem , as settlers are washing hands from slaughtering our youth and terrorising us … instead of searching for the murderers .. punishing the victims
How terrible of you to write such lies!! You should look in the mirror, and ask yourself if what you are writing is at all responsible. Slaughtering your youth??? Which ones? The ones who are firing missiles into Israel, or the ones who are planning the next kidnapping, torture and murder of of innocent Israelis? And by the way, show me proof that innocent Palestinians are being murdered! Perhaps the ones who have taken up armed aggression may be in harm’s way, but that is to be expected, or would you like the Israelis to lay down their defence and just be executed? You have a very warped sense of reality, and what bothers me is how you are trying to infect the blogosphere with it. You STILL have NOT condemned to kidnapping and murder of the Israeli boys!! We are waiting…
Very well said!! I absolutely love to read informed & intelligent comments like these, and wish more were out there like them. You truly are a “speaker of truth”. Thank you for sharing this valuable insight.
If you want to have an open & rationale conversation, I am open to it, because I’m a Humanist, and try to remain objective. I wish well for both sides of this conflict, can you say the same? I want to hear you say how terrible it is that those boys were kidnapped and murdered. Until then, your words are meaningless & baseless. Show your Human side, and well being for ALL!
maybe u can come to beit hanina and share real life with us here ?
we are under seige and the murderers are out there protected by ur army .
u want me to condemn what ? Occupation .. I do . we are in this circle of hell because of occupation .
can u tell me where are the murderers of the boy here in jerusalem ?
can u tell me where are the murderers of the 3 settlers too ? how come it is so impossible to find them ?
HUMANIST !!!!!!!! where is humanity when you can build your existence on mine and then ask me to salute you ?
Well guess what?! It turns out the murdered Palestinian boy may have been an honour killing by other Palestinians because the boy was found out to be Gay. It’s being investigated. On top of that, at least the Israelis are condemning the loss of life of this boy, and the army / police is investigating, and are not handing out candies dancing in the streets! You write: “when you can build your existence on mine and then ask me to salute you”… Hahaha!! You must be joking!! We built our existence on yours?!!!! Do you have the faintest idea of history? It seems to be like you might need to educate yourself a little more on these sensitive issues before writing your little blog with blind hate.
Wow! It turns out, the Palestinian boy who was murdered was killed by his family in an “honour killing” for being Gay, and not by the Israelis! It’s a shame that he was murdered, and it’s a tragedy that he has lost his life. What amazes me is how some people will lie, and say anything to make a point, even if the facts suggest otherwise. Shame!!!
Can u please stop …
nadiaharhash, I suggest you don’t try to rewrite history and check your facts before you claim it’s not true, if you look into what the Western world and the Muslim world has contributed towards the Palestinians in humanitarian aid, you would be shocked, but I believe you are fully aware of the corruption and foul play amongst the leaders of Palestine. The truth of the matter is that the Palestinians are f***ed by their own leaders. Suha Arafat (Yasir Arafat’s widow) amongst others are one of the wealthiest women in the world today and thanks to all the billions that has been given Palestine as humanitarian aid.
Now, if you want to reproach and condemn someone for the situation Palestinians are in, you should criticize your own leaders. But I guess that is something you would not dear in risk for your own life. I can make a list for you and tell you the net worth of the fortune which of the leaders of Palestine, it has been well documented and it’s not exactly a secret. Also the money given from the world in humanitarian aid is well documented. As for the Palestine’s grand mufti and hero, Haj Amin al-Husseini, he did indeed meet Hitler and he was wanted to stand court after the WW II for his inhuman warcrimes.
Here, scroll and you will find photo of your beloved mufti with Hitler. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haj_Amin_al-Husseini
You should be ashamed of yourself for lying and pretending all what is happened above is not true, how can anybody trust people like you who who shamelessly lies?
Wow! It turns out, the Palestinian boy who was murdered was killed by his family in an “honour killing” for being Gay, and not by the Israelis! It’s a shame that he was murdered, and it’s a tragedy that he has lost his life. What amazes me is how some people will lie, and say anything to make a point, even if the facts suggest otherwise. Shame!!!
can u please stop this …
can u please stop this …
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I can stop, can you?