Mazin Qumsiyeh: Here facing immorality

Here is where Israeli colonial settlements continue to expand on our lands. Here is where Israeli elites make billions from injustice while nature and people suffer.  Here is the forefront of a global struggle. Here is where western hypocrisy gets exposed.  Rhetoric about democracy and liberty in Syria and Iran is stripped naked when people see Western supported colonialism, racism and subjugation in Palestine. Here is where billions of Western taxpayer money is used to destroy life while enriching land thieves and war criminals.  Here where we lost most of our land to colonial settler activity and suffer regularly from racist settler attacks.  Here is where morality is shed daily because of paranoia and inferiority/superiority complexes (chosen but eternally victimized Jewish “people”).  Here is where immorality has become a norm of society (see good analytic piece in Haaretz below).  Here is where yesterday the Israeli occupation army and racist colonial settlers attacked villagers in Burin.  Several Palestinians were injured (one 16-year old Palestinian was shot by live ammunition from settlers). 18 were brutally arrested/kidnapped including our friend Ashraf Aburahma from Bilin. Ashraf was himself arrested many times in nonviolent demonstrations.  In one videotaped event, he was handcuffed, blindfolded and THEN shot at close range by occupation soldiers.

But here also is where we must and we will change things.  Here the struggle goes on (La Luta Continue, tastimur almasira) to hang on to our humanity. We Palestinians with help of people of conscience from around the world must do better to challenge immorality (including “mental occupation”).  We must work harder to undermine apartheid and repression.  More people come to visit and participate with us in our struggle thus lighting candles in the darkness.  We must accelerate this and be more bold.  Nothing scares the elites in the apartheid state or their Western and Arab/Palestinian collaborators than actions like civil disobedience and BDS (boycotts, divestments, and sanctions) and other forms of practical resistance.  There are signs of a new uprising/intifada. It will be the 13th or 14th wave/uprising on the way to liberty.  We hope it is a global uprising against injustice and that is why many of us talk with internationals on a daily basis about morality, justice, and human rights.  Of course there will be pain along the way (as happened yesterday in Burin) because no freedom is acquired without struggle and sacrifices. May the families of those thousands of martyrs killed in the struggle be comforted.  May the injured heel.  May the prisoners be released (some are now close to death as they engaged in a hunger strike).  May all the suffering end.  May more people shed immorality and join us to work to accelerate the end of injustice.

Do visit Palestine frequently even if only in your mind.

Just one story of thousands in the land of immorality: The struggle of Burin village
http://english.al-akhbar.com/node/14847

http://972mag.com/palestinians-erect-third-west-bank-outpost-are-attacked-by-idf-settlers/65308/


Pictures http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.560035280673447.130173.136633479680298&type=3
Videos before the evictions and arrest but shows settlers throwing stones  

https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=K5mtU5SPRYU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M86E-P25A58


Video of beating and kicking a Palestinian during the arrests https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVklEywRgUE

Standing defiant: Khalid Daragmah's family protect their land in a sea of settlements
http://www.middleeastmonitor.com/resources/interviews/5144-standing-defiant-khalid-daragmahs-family-protect-their-land-in-a-sea-of-settlements  

Follow-up: In my talks and in taking delegations around, I sometimes mention some things which happened in the past like the story of the “fugitive cows” in Beit Sahour or the destruction of a playground in Beit Jala.  Here and in future emails I will send some follow-up on these stories and on stories I had shared in previous emails.  They are not only relevant to those who heard directly from me about these things but to the thousands of others who receive those emails.  


The Story of 18 fugitive cows of Beit Sahour
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJcfJTELmoM


 Video of the Israeli destruction of a playground to build an apartheid wall on Palestinian land http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NH5KAvkgoDE 

Analytical pieces 

Never Again – unconditionally:
 “As Jews, with our own painful history of oppression, we are compelled to speak out against human rights violations committed by the State of Israel – in our name – against the Palestinian people.” These are the first words of a group of South African Jews in their public statement in the Mail & Guardian of 14 December 2012. They recognize not only their own wounds and humanity…………
http://marthiemombergblog.wordpress.com/2013/01/09/never-again-unconditionally/

Big Brother: When secrecy becomes a norm in Israel, it comes as a price premium
http://www.haaretz.com/weekend/magazine/big-brother-when-secrecy-becomes-a-norm-in-israel-it-comes-with-a-price.premium-1.500560

Mazin Qumsiyeh
http://qumsiyeh.org