Back in the United States from the Front lines Palestine

From: Mazin Qumsiyeh

Back safely after over three weeks of bittersweet experiences in Palestine,
it is only proper to start by telling you about how I felt on touchdown at
JFK Airport in New York.  My mind was swimming in a set of emotions ranging
from positive anticipation of being back to our house in CT (harvesting our
tomatoes, checking on our cat etc) to thinking about accumulated work that
has to be cleared (both professionally for my job to all the needed stack of
work for human rights issues that went unanswered as we were away).   My
thoughts were interrupted as the Royal Jordanian airline captain announced
that passengers must prepare passports for inspection at the airplane door's
exit.  We recalled the unforgettable experience of three years ago when I
was unfairly detained after precisely such an announcement (details of that
incident are posted at http://www.qumsiyeh.org/caseclosed/).  My wife and I
quickly consulted on how to respond if I was the target in this case.  We
decided that I was to again (and even more forcefully) insist on my rights
as a US citizen and she was to try to document (including photograph if
possible) the event. My wife was questioned on why she had a video camera on
but then let go to proceed with detention of the wanted man. At first I felt
a relief that it was not me they wanted but then I felt bad for that
Palestinian man who they might try to intimidate like they did me three
years ago and who may not pursue his rights as vigorously as I did then. It
would be good for ADC, CAIR, ACLU and other groups to gather stats on this
kind of questioning.  It is also important for all US citizens to get
involved and informed about the increasing attempts at what can only be
described as the Zionization of the USA (slowly turning it into a police
state while draining its resources; see action alert below).

On the drive back to CT from NY, there was lots of time to think of all the
brave and honest people we met along the way.  Here is just a sampling of
those:

* The great folks at Romana Charitable Association (in a village in the
northern tip of the West Bank) who gave us a tour of villages impacted by
the wall and who delivered services that focused on education to their
community.
* The Tayba village folks who get "visited" (i.e. harassed) after we left by
the Israeli army for letting us tour their land which comes close to the
apartheid wall.  (An Israeli army jeep stopped and asked us forcefully to
leave at the time of our visit).
* The doctors at Jenin hospital who work tirelessly under unimaginable
conditions.
* The few remaining shopkeepers in Hebron who try against all odds to resist
the Israeli ethnic cleansing of their neighborhoods.  A recent story on this
appeared in LA Times, see
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg -resist1aug01,0,4948926.story?page=2&coll=la-home-world
* Marwa AlSharif's wonderful family in Dura, Hebron area who were so
hospitable to us.  Marwa was a girl who came to CT in 2001 to remove a
bullet from her head (see
http://findarticles.com/p /articles/mi_m1141/is_38_37/ai_78728672 )
* George Nimr Rishmawi of the Rapprochement Center and George Saliba
Rishmawi and Michel Awad of Siraj Center for their selfless dedication to
giving internationals a good program on Palestine
* A 9 or 10-year-old girl at the bridge from hell (Allenby Bridge which is
the only border crossing open to Palestinians from the Southern part of the
West Bank). She wore a map of Palestine as a necklace and patiently helped
and consoled her younger siblings through the ordeal that lasted several
hours.
* David, a US citizen who painted murals for a school, designed a logo for
Siraj center and did countless other tasks of kindness to local Palestinians
in the Bethlehem district.  And to countless other internationals like him
who selflessly bore witness (even occasionally taking risks at certain
cites) and volunteered their efforts in countless ways (especially working
with young people).
* Hanna and Dunya and the team of Birthright unplugged who bring Jews to
visit the occupied areas and the ethically cleansed villages and learn first
hand what Zionism is all about and also take young Palestinians (in the
re-plugged programs) to visit their ancestral depopulated villages
* Dr. Walid Albasha in Jenin and Dr. Bashar Karmi in Ramallah who managed
despite all odds and restrictions by the occupation authorities to set up
excellent private scientific laboratories.
* Hundreds of individuals (relatives, friends, and new acquaintances) who
kindly hosted us, fed us, and/or attended one of the 12 lectures I gave.

I could go on and on about all the positive and energetic people we met
(literally hundreds over a very short period of time).  Naturally, there are
those fewer individuals (Israelis, Palestinians, Internationals) who are
despondent or have even given up.  But even among those, we find so many who
continue to do their work for peace or at least "do no harm" (and that must
always be the golden rule for all of us).  And naturally, there are yet
smaller numbers who indeed do harm: they include not only the Israeli
Zionist elites but also their Palestinian collaborators who profit from the
system and from endless conflicts. All of that still confirms what should be
obvious by now: the struggles are not between Israelis and Palestinians or
Shi'a and Sunni etc. but has always been between those with greed for power
and control (a mean "do-harm" minority) and the rest of humanity (the
have-nots, the oppressed majority etc). It is the latter who pay the price.

It was nice to have a chance on our way back to spend a day in Jordan
visiting the ancient city of Rekem/Petra, carved of solid rock by  our
ancestors the Nabatean canaanites (see "Who made the Desert Bloom"
http://www.mediamonitors.net/mazin16.html ).  It was almost a magical time
riding a donkey in the valley that used to be a busy marketplace in a
thriving city dotted on the side by what were homes, tombs, courts, palaces,
an amphitheater, water canals, and triumphal arches.  All carved in
sandstone with brilliant colors.  No wonder this cite was voted recently as
one of the Seven Wonders of the World ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petra
and http://ce.eng.usf.edu/pharos /wonders/Forgotten/petra.html ).

In a few days and as I manage to find time, I will post some pictures of all
the above on my website.  In the meantime, please also read Stanley Heller's
report from the Land of Apartheid published in Counterpunch
http://www.counterpunch.org/heller08022007.html

But more importantly, please let us together redouble our efforts for
justice which is the only route to peace.

+ Joint Call by Israeli, Palestinian and European Human Rights
Organizations: The Rafah Border Crossing Must be Opened. Gaza Residents Are
Not Pawns in the Struggle for Control of the Strip
http://www.btselem.org/english/press_releases/20070730.asp

+ Methodists concerned with Israeli occupation: N.E. Conference pushes to
divest. "Ratcheting up the simmering debate over how Protestant
denominations should express their concern about Israel, the New England
Conference of the United Methodist Church is advising congregations and
individuals to divest their holdings from a wide variety of American
corporations that the United Methodists believe support the Israeli
occupation of Palestinian land."
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles /2007/07/31/methodists_concerned_with_israeli_occupation/

+ Dry twigs by Smadar Lavie
A speech delivered at a rally against the demolition of 30 families' homes
in Kfar Shalem, Israel, 7 July 2007
"We must demand a true partnership and equality in one state for all of us,
Mizrahim and Palestinian alike, a state that will be our permanent home. "
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article7132.shtml

+ ACTION ALERT: Oppose $30 Billion in Military Aid Package to Israel
The United States plans to increase military aid to Israel by 25
percent—from $2.4 billion to $3 billion per year, guaranteed for the next 10
years. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told reporters in Jerusalem on
July 29 that President George W. Bush agreed to this new $30 billion
military aid package when they met at the White House on June 19. This
agreement is appalling for many reasons:

U.S. taxpayers are being asked to donate $30 billion to help Israel buy
weapons at a time when our own nation's financial resources are stretched
thin. According to a June 28, 2007 Congressional Research Service report,
the U.S. has spent $611 billion on the "war on terror" since the Sept. 11,
2001 attacks, including $567 billion in Iraq alone. Our own economy,
schools, and health care are in shambles thanks to this war that many,
including President Bush, believe is being fought to protect Israel.
Israel routinely violates the U.S. Arms Export Control Act and Foreign
Assistance Act by using U.S. weapons to commit human rights violations
against Palestinian and Lebanese civilians. Israel uses U.S. military aid to
continue its illegal 40-year military occupation of the Palestinian West
Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza Strip. Israel illegally used U.S. weapons,
including cluster bombs, when it carried out attacks on civilians in the
Gaza Strip and Lebanon last summer.
To add insult to injury, Israeli and U.S. mainstream media are trying to
confuse Americans by describing a proposed $20 billion U.S. military sales
package to Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries as "aid." The distinction
between possible arms deals with the Gulf and military aid to Israel has
been deliberately blurred.
The United States is financially rewarding Israel at a time when the Jewish
state is ignoring Arab peace overtures and intentionally starving Gazans.
Israel is preventing humanitarian aid, salaries, food, water and electricity
from reaching Palestinians imprisoned behind Gaza's Israeli-controlled
borders.
Write or telephone those working for you in Washington, DC demanding that
the U.S. withhold all military aid to Israel until that country agrees to
makes peace with its neighbors.

For more information on U.S. policy in the Middle East, subscribe to the
Washington Report on Middle East Affairs < www.wrmea.com/subscribe>.

Write or Telephone Those Working for you in Washington.

President George W. Bush
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.
Washington, DC 20500
(202) 456-1414

White House Comment Line: (202) 456-1111
Fax: (202) 456-2461

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice
Department of State
Washington, DC 20520
State Department Public Information Line:
(202) 647-6575

Any Senator
U.S. Senate
Washington, DC 20510
(202) 224-3121

Any Representative
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515
(202) 225-3121

E-Mail Congress and the White House
E-mail Congress: visit the Web site <www.congress.org> for contact
information.
E-mail President Bush: <president@whitehouse.gov >
E-mail Vice President Cheney: <vice.president@whitehouse.gov>
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Mazin Qumsiyeh, PhD
http://qumsiyeh.org
http://justicewheels.org