November Aspiration … communicate

It’s November,
The Balfour Declaration,
The assassination of Arafat,
The Independence declaration of Palestine,
Many things took place in November….
are taking place right now…

Yesterday I had the first seminar in what I call “Palestinian Perspective to the Israeli Palestine Question” with a group of Jewish seminary freshman students from the U.S mainly. This is my sixth year in this program. After the eruption of July’s aggression, I thought I am not part of this anymore.
After all, there is something that will never change. It is all a waste of energy.I was always s a great believer in the concept of ” if you manage to make a change in one you make a change in the universe. “My mission in this approach wasn’t to change though, it was just interacting humanity. Our lives and mindsets took such a different aspect of being brainwashed that change is nothing but a naïve
My intention remains to touch that human still vibrant side of each one of us. What happened in July made me realize that this was all ineffective?
In times of real eruption of a conflict, a disaster, everyone automatically lines up in his own set up of planned roles initially and hence, believes.
It was one of those times that I came close enough o understand what takes a radical paradigm to take over.

Being radical however is not a solution to anything. It only brings rage and more intolerance, and if there is anything that we don’t need are such sentiments.
But again, I came definitely closer to understand what it takes to jump over that paradigm. And it was definitely for that long exercise on reconciliation with myself that prevented me from joining that direction.
After a good discussion with the coordinator who was among my list of blocked people of the Gaza invasion, I decided to join this group.
Admittedly, this year felt different. The whole situation is different. All that we have been learning and teaching in the last decade has proved to be nothing but a waste. It felt like opening a blank paper and starting over.
My sense of consideration is no longer the same. In the past, I would consider how sensitive I should keep my tone, my words and my attitude. Today, I don’t feel this anymore.
It is perhaps the same feeling that always drove me, being genuine in what I express and feel. Today, I just don’t think that anymore. Israelis. Jews should realize that the situation is not the same anymore, we finished that phase. We don’t need to compliment each other, prove anything to one another anymore.
It is time to confront our failures and misdoings. Our defeats and losses and make a decision on how to proceed.
A realization we both should acknowledge, we both exist on this piece of land, regardless of the fact of an oppressor to the oppressed, an occupier and occupied. Realizing this point will make us get closer to how we want to continue onward. In the last two decades, both sides seemed to have forgotten this actual fact. It is true I will always, and will continue to promote peace, but peace needs to be also identified. There is a base for how we start, and our core should be acknowledgment
Acknowledgment first to what the other is and what he represents and believes.
With each discussion, I enter with Israelis, no matter how open-minded or closed. Young or old. The debate is always the same. Israel has closed itself to the reality of this conflict. The fact of occupation.
Until Israeli public face this reality.
Peace is still a long way behind.
On the last note, I would say, if anyone wonders what do I expect the Palestinians to acknowledge, I would say, we need to recognize defeat.
And why I continue to meet these young people… I learned so much from them. If I have a dream of young Palestinian generation; it is a dream that we can educate our youth in the same way these youth are trained when it comes to acquiring knowledge, being able to listen to a woman in the clothes of an enemy trying to break all their romantic myth of their “Promised Land” and yet elaborate and reason and debate with attempted common sense and moral debate, probably disagreeing with every single word uttered.
It is that space of allowing ourselves for hearing, touching, communicating with our differences that I seek to change.
Let’s call it … November aspirations…