10 dec 2019
Photo from the Palestinian 'Nakba' in 1948
The month of November, full of painful memories, passed without many Arabs remembering that on 2 November 1917, Palestine was officially usurped with the issuance of the ill-fated Balfour Declaration and that on 29 November – the real date of the Nakba – Palestine was divided.
It is, therefore, a mockery that the United Nations (UN), who issued the Partition Plan on the same day in 1947, chose for this day to be the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People.
In his speech on this occasion in 1977, the UN secretary-general reiterated the UN’s commitment to upholding the rights of the Palestinian people and stated that the UN will not budge in its commitment to the Palestinian people.
However, he did not tell us how it would be celebrated, or why he did not restore the rights of the Palestinians in this celebration, nor what is preventing him from carrying out his commitments, as he claimed.
This international organisation has disregarded our minds and has not once, since its establishment, done justice to the Palestinian people. Instead, it relinquished their rights and established the Israeli state on their land.
Although this solidarity will not return the land of Palestine to its indigenous people, we have not yet seen a positive action on the ground that expresses this solidarity, neither internationally nor on the Arab level, with the exception of the images of the Palestinian keffiyeh that we post on our social media pages.
However, the Arab governments have removed this day from their memories, as we have not heard a single word from them, not even a small gesture nor reference to the anniversary of this fateful day.
Nothing to remind the Nakba generation or the entire Muslim nations of the usurping of Palestine, nor explanations to the Muslim nationals on how Palestine was occupied, in order to keep Palestine alive in their hearts and memories.
Making the memory of history requires the revival of historical events in the consciousness of the people, both sweet and bitter, especially those that changed the course of history and transformed the paths of nations. This is what is in order to prevent the tampering of their history and to sharpen the minds of future generations. Regrettably, all countries around the world do this, except for the Arab countries.
We want the Palestinian cause to remain burning in the hearts of the Arab and Islamic people, and not let it be extinguished with the passing of time and the development of events. Regardless of how many Arab countries rush to normalise relations with Israel, the Arab people must continue to preserve their memories in order to act as the dam, preventing normalisation.
Israel managed to gather the Jewish people from around the world, in the diaspora, to create its state based on the idea of conjuring a revival of painful historical memories and stories. It is trying, by all means possible, to change the Palestinian landmarks, to erase its historical symbols, and to Judaise it by changing the Arab names of its cities and streets to Jewish names, and by linking them to religious occasions to stir their religious senses and to strengthen their sense of belonging to this land.
Meanwhile, we have 6 December, the day on which President Donald Trump announced, two years ago, his recognition of a unified Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, which follows the two significant dates in November. It, too, passed without anyone marking it.
This raises the question: have the nations become indistinguishable from their governments in erasing the recollection of history from the minds of the people?
It is unfair to oppress the oppressed and defeated Arab people for their desire to forget or overlook, as they are facing authoritarian governments and brutal forces directing their bullets at them, instead of at the Zionist occupation, acting as the border guards for the Israeli state.
Despite the Arab people’s distraction with themselves, their preoccupation with their domestic issues and conflicts with their tyrant leaders, they have not abandoned the Palestinian cause. It is present in their revolutions, and we have seen the Palestinian flag being waved during all of the Arab revolutions.
The chants of the demonstrators demanding to topple their government have been joined by chants of liberating Palestine, in a united symphony. This highlights the level of understanding of Arab citizens of the link between the toppling of tyrannical regimes and the liberation of Palestine. The relationship between the two is organic and intertwined, and cannot be separated from one another.
Palestine will not be liberated unless the Arab nations are liberated from their fascist leaders – the Zionists’ agents in the region. This is why Israel was the nation most angered by the Arab Spring revolutions, and the most objected to them.
The two following incidents ensuing the January revolutions speak for themselves: the young man who ascended the walls of a building overlooking the Nile in Cairo, climbing to the 19th floor where the Israeli embassy is located, and threw the Israeli flag onto the ground, amid clapping and chanting from the Egyptians around him, who burned the flag immediately.
They also besieged the embassy in Cairo, forcing it to shut down and its staff to leave the country – an incident that surprised the Israelis and shocked the world.
The second scene is of the student who raised a Palestinian flag during a football match at the Cairo International Stadium last month and was promptly arrested and sentenced to prison.
This is the fundamental difference between revolutionary Egypt and coup-led Egypt; free Egypt and fascist Egypt. This is the case with all of the region’s countries that are ruled by dictatorships, which Israel is keen to keep in place, not wanting them to be replaced by democratic governments.
The relationship between the dictatorships and Israel is also an organic one, through the exchange for protecting Israel, these dictatorships gain power from Israel to confront the people who revolt against them. This was clearly witnessed in the Syrian revolution, as they protected the killer Bashar Al-Assad, preventing his overthrow, out of fear of him being replaced by a democratic government that would work towards liberating the Golan Heights, which his tyrant father, Hafez Al-Assad, gifted Israel on a silver platter.
It is, therefore, no wonder that Israel, boasting that it is an oasis of democracy in the region, supports dictatorial regimes in the area. Without them, Israel’s flag would not have ever been raised inside occupied Palestine, and there would not have been a state called Israel.
The month of November, full of painful memories, passed without many Arabs remembering that on 2 November 1917, Palestine was officially usurped with the issuance of the ill-fated Balfour Declaration and that on 29 November – the real date of the Nakba – Palestine was divided.
It is, therefore, a mockery that the United Nations (UN), who issued the Partition Plan on the same day in 1947, chose for this day to be the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People.
In his speech on this occasion in 1977, the UN secretary-general reiterated the UN’s commitment to upholding the rights of the Palestinian people and stated that the UN will not budge in its commitment to the Palestinian people.
However, he did not tell us how it would be celebrated, or why he did not restore the rights of the Palestinians in this celebration, nor what is preventing him from carrying out his commitments, as he claimed.
This international organisation has disregarded our minds and has not once, since its establishment, done justice to the Palestinian people. Instead, it relinquished their rights and established the Israeli state on their land.
Although this solidarity will not return the land of Palestine to its indigenous people, we have not yet seen a positive action on the ground that expresses this solidarity, neither internationally nor on the Arab level, with the exception of the images of the Palestinian keffiyeh that we post on our social media pages.
However, the Arab governments have removed this day from their memories, as we have not heard a single word from them, not even a small gesture nor reference to the anniversary of this fateful day.
Nothing to remind the Nakba generation or the entire Muslim nations of the usurping of Palestine, nor explanations to the Muslim nationals on how Palestine was occupied, in order to keep Palestine alive in their hearts and memories.
Making the memory of history requires the revival of historical events in the consciousness of the people, both sweet and bitter, especially those that changed the course of history and transformed the paths of nations. This is what is in order to prevent the tampering of their history and to sharpen the minds of future generations. Regrettably, all countries around the world do this, except for the Arab countries.
We want the Palestinian cause to remain burning in the hearts of the Arab and Islamic people, and not let it be extinguished with the passing of time and the development of events. Regardless of how many Arab countries rush to normalise relations with Israel, the Arab people must continue to preserve their memories in order to act as the dam, preventing normalisation.
Israel managed to gather the Jewish people from around the world, in the diaspora, to create its state based on the idea of conjuring a revival of painful historical memories and stories. It is trying, by all means possible, to change the Palestinian landmarks, to erase its historical symbols, and to Judaise it by changing the Arab names of its cities and streets to Jewish names, and by linking them to religious occasions to stir their religious senses and to strengthen their sense of belonging to this land.
Meanwhile, we have 6 December, the day on which President Donald Trump announced, two years ago, his recognition of a unified Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, which follows the two significant dates in November. It, too, passed without anyone marking it.
This raises the question: have the nations become indistinguishable from their governments in erasing the recollection of history from the minds of the people?
It is unfair to oppress the oppressed and defeated Arab people for their desire to forget or overlook, as they are facing authoritarian governments and brutal forces directing their bullets at them, instead of at the Zionist occupation, acting as the border guards for the Israeli state.
Despite the Arab people’s distraction with themselves, their preoccupation with their domestic issues and conflicts with their tyrant leaders, they have not abandoned the Palestinian cause. It is present in their revolutions, and we have seen the Palestinian flag being waved during all of the Arab revolutions.
The chants of the demonstrators demanding to topple their government have been joined by chants of liberating Palestine, in a united symphony. This highlights the level of understanding of Arab citizens of the link between the toppling of tyrannical regimes and the liberation of Palestine. The relationship between the two is organic and intertwined, and cannot be separated from one another.
Palestine will not be liberated unless the Arab nations are liberated from their fascist leaders – the Zionists’ agents in the region. This is why Israel was the nation most angered by the Arab Spring revolutions, and the most objected to them.
The two following incidents ensuing the January revolutions speak for themselves: the young man who ascended the walls of a building overlooking the Nile in Cairo, climbing to the 19th floor where the Israeli embassy is located, and threw the Israeli flag onto the ground, amid clapping and chanting from the Egyptians around him, who burned the flag immediately.
They also besieged the embassy in Cairo, forcing it to shut down and its staff to leave the country – an incident that surprised the Israelis and shocked the world.
The second scene is of the student who raised a Palestinian flag during a football match at the Cairo International Stadium last month and was promptly arrested and sentenced to prison.
This is the fundamental difference between revolutionary Egypt and coup-led Egypt; free Egypt and fascist Egypt. This is the case with all of the region’s countries that are ruled by dictatorships, which Israel is keen to keep in place, not wanting them to be replaced by democratic governments.
The relationship between the dictatorships and Israel is also an organic one, through the exchange for protecting Israel, these dictatorships gain power from Israel to confront the people who revolt against them. This was clearly witnessed in the Syrian revolution, as they protected the killer Bashar Al-Assad, preventing his overthrow, out of fear of him being replaced by a democratic government that would work towards liberating the Golan Heights, which his tyrant father, Hafez Al-Assad, gifted Israel on a silver platter.
It is, therefore, no wonder that Israel, boasting that it is an oasis of democracy in the region, supports dictatorial regimes in the area. Without them, Israel’s flag would not have ever been raised inside occupied Palestine, and there would not have been a state called Israel.
6 nov 2019
Israeli settlers are seen at an ancient historical site in the West Bank city of Nablus on 22 April 2019
Palestine is one of the richest countries in the world in terms of antiquities, competing with Egypt in the Arab world. At least 22 civilisations have left their mark on Palestine, the first of which were the Canaanites; their presence is still visible today.
Since 1948, successive Israeli governments have paid particular attention to the antiquities that have a distinct Arab and Palestinian identity. Committees of Israeli archaeologists were formed to research in every part of Palestine on which Israel was founded. The aim remains to create a fake historical narrative by Judaising Palestinian antiquities. Historical monuments in major Palestinian cities, such as Acre, Jaffa, Jerusalem and Tiberias, have not been spared from this process.
Moreover, Israel has used various institutions to Judaise Palestinian fashion through systematic cultural theft and forgery. Even local recipes are not spared. Israel has participated in international exhibitions to display Palestinian fashion and cuisine labelled as “Israeli”.
This is how Palestine’s heritage and history dating back thousands of years are being stolen by the Israeli occupation and the “mafias” selling invaluable antiquities. This is happening at a time when Palestinian parties are taking action and calling for the protection of their legacy, history and civilisation.
In this context, studies have indicated that there are over 3,300 archaeological sites in the occupied West Bank alone. A number of researchers confirm that, on average, there is an archaeological site every half a kilometre in Palestine which indicates the true identity and history of the land.
It is important here to mention the devastating effects of the Israeli separation wall on the future of Palestinian antiquities and monuments. The ongoing building of the wall on Palestinian land in the West Bank will ultimately lead to the annexation of over 50 per cent of the occupied territory. It will also include over 270 major archaeological sites, in addition to 2,000 archaeological and historical locations. Dozens of historically important sites and monuments have been destroyed in the course of the construction of the wall.
Specialised studies of Palestinian antiquities indicate that, since occupying the West Bank and Gaza Strip in June, 1967, Israel has been able to steal and sell even more Palestinian artefacts from the West Bank. This phenomenon was exacerbated by the outbreak of the Aqsa Intifada at the end of September 2000.
The Palestinian Authority’s Department of Antiquities and Cultural Heritage has pointed out that more than 500 archaeological sites and more than 1,500 landmarks have been stolen and destroyed by Israeli thieves and the occupation. It is a simple fact that, as the work of Salman Abu Sitta has demonstrated, more than 500 Palestinian towns and villages have been destroyed and wiped off the map by Israel since 1948. The Department also confirmed that the cultural and economic resources of Palestine continue to be depleted by Israel.
Palestinian studies indicate that the reason for this ongoing Nakba is the collapse of any system to protect Palestinian areas due to Israeli control. Such protection falls under the direct management of the occupation, which basically means that the Israeli army is free to destroy cultural heritage sites, as has happened in Jerusalem, Nablus, Hebron, Bethlehem, and other Palestinian cities, towns and villages.
Archaeological theft and the violation of Palestinian heritage sites is one of the biggest challenges facing Palestinians as they seek to preserve their culture and physical presence in their homeland, which is threatened by Judaisation and targeted by systematic Israeli policies. We need to raise awareness in Palestinian society to confront this new-old challenge imposed by Israel.
We also need to boost our capacity to fight Israel’s theft of our history at the local, regional and international levels. This may be reinforced through Palestine’s full membership in relevant international organisations, including UNESCO.
Cultural diversity in Palestine dates back thousands of years. It is shameful that we are allowing this to be whitewashed out of history as Israel seeks to “prove” its fake narrative of the “Jewish state”, to the exclusion of the indigenous people.
Palestine is one of the richest countries in the world in terms of antiquities, competing with Egypt in the Arab world. At least 22 civilisations have left their mark on Palestine, the first of which were the Canaanites; their presence is still visible today.
Since 1948, successive Israeli governments have paid particular attention to the antiquities that have a distinct Arab and Palestinian identity. Committees of Israeli archaeologists were formed to research in every part of Palestine on which Israel was founded. The aim remains to create a fake historical narrative by Judaising Palestinian antiquities. Historical monuments in major Palestinian cities, such as Acre, Jaffa, Jerusalem and Tiberias, have not been spared from this process.
Moreover, Israel has used various institutions to Judaise Palestinian fashion through systematic cultural theft and forgery. Even local recipes are not spared. Israel has participated in international exhibitions to display Palestinian fashion and cuisine labelled as “Israeli”.
This is how Palestine’s heritage and history dating back thousands of years are being stolen by the Israeli occupation and the “mafias” selling invaluable antiquities. This is happening at a time when Palestinian parties are taking action and calling for the protection of their legacy, history and civilisation.
In this context, studies have indicated that there are over 3,300 archaeological sites in the occupied West Bank alone. A number of researchers confirm that, on average, there is an archaeological site every half a kilometre in Palestine which indicates the true identity and history of the land.
It is important here to mention the devastating effects of the Israeli separation wall on the future of Palestinian antiquities and monuments. The ongoing building of the wall on Palestinian land in the West Bank will ultimately lead to the annexation of over 50 per cent of the occupied territory. It will also include over 270 major archaeological sites, in addition to 2,000 archaeological and historical locations. Dozens of historically important sites and monuments have been destroyed in the course of the construction of the wall.
Specialised studies of Palestinian antiquities indicate that, since occupying the West Bank and Gaza Strip in June, 1967, Israel has been able to steal and sell even more Palestinian artefacts from the West Bank. This phenomenon was exacerbated by the outbreak of the Aqsa Intifada at the end of September 2000.
The Palestinian Authority’s Department of Antiquities and Cultural Heritage has pointed out that more than 500 archaeological sites and more than 1,500 landmarks have been stolen and destroyed by Israeli thieves and the occupation. It is a simple fact that, as the work of Salman Abu Sitta has demonstrated, more than 500 Palestinian towns and villages have been destroyed and wiped off the map by Israel since 1948. The Department also confirmed that the cultural and economic resources of Palestine continue to be depleted by Israel.
Palestinian studies indicate that the reason for this ongoing Nakba is the collapse of any system to protect Palestinian areas due to Israeli control. Such protection falls under the direct management of the occupation, which basically means that the Israeli army is free to destroy cultural heritage sites, as has happened in Jerusalem, Nablus, Hebron, Bethlehem, and other Palestinian cities, towns and villages.
Archaeological theft and the violation of Palestinian heritage sites is one of the biggest challenges facing Palestinians as they seek to preserve their culture and physical presence in their homeland, which is threatened by Judaisation and targeted by systematic Israeli policies. We need to raise awareness in Palestinian society to confront this new-old challenge imposed by Israel.
We also need to boost our capacity to fight Israel’s theft of our history at the local, regional and international levels. This may be reinforced through Palestine’s full membership in relevant international organisations, including UNESCO.
Cultural diversity in Palestine dates back thousands of years. It is shameful that we are allowing this to be whitewashed out of history as Israel seeks to “prove” its fake narrative of the “Jewish state”, to the exclusion of the indigenous people.
7 oct 2019
The Israeli Apartheid Wall, which is being built largely on occupied Palestinian land in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, once more underscores the ugliness of military occupation.
As such, it truly epitomises the nature of Israeli apartheid [pdf] and also delineates the siege-driven, isolationist mentality that dominates the ruling-class thinking in Israel.
Even years before the establishment of the state of Israel over the ruins of the Palestinian homeland in May 1948, Zionist communities in Palestine perfected the stratagem of besiegement, isolating themselves behind massive walls while blockading Palestinians, the native inhabitants of the land, in every way possible.
Throughout the Nakba – the catastrophic ethnic cleansing and destruction of Palestine in 1947-48 – Israel used this military theory in abundance.
Neighbourhoods, villages and entire towns would be besieged for days, weeks or months, while being bombarded from all directions before their residents were finally pushed out. None of these ethnically-cleansed Palestinian communities, which numbered in the hundreds of thousands, were ever allowed to return to their homes.
In fact, besiegement and isolation remain at the core of the Israeli military strategy to date.
No other place, however endured the brutality of the seemingly never-ending siege like the Gaza Strip. Gaza, that small region of 365 square kilometres, has been under various stages of besiegement and blockade since 1948.
The most hermetic stages of this perpetual siege began some time in 2006 and intensified in the summer of the following year.
Three factors make the latest siege on Gaza particularly horrific: its long duration, the lack of any serious respite for besieged Gazans and, most importantly, the fact that it has been interrupted by massive Israeli wars that killed and wounded thousands of Palestinians. With much of Gaza’s infrastructure destroyed or dilapidated, the Israeli blockade on the Strip has proved to be the most savage and deadliest of all sieges.
On 30 September, Israel’s Channel 12 reported that nearly 70 per cent of an underground barrier east of Gaza is now complete. An estimated 1,400 Israeli and foreign workers are reportedly taking part in building the barrier, which when finished, will extend to reach 60 kilometres in length.
Considering the layers of walls, fences, trenches and no-go military zones, the additional underground wall around Gaza seems frivolous. Is it possible that Israeli leaders truly believe that Gaza is not isolated enough?
In actuality, the latest wall will likely satisfy a psychological, not a practical objective, as it gives the Israeli army and southern settlements a temporary sense of safety, while once more hailing Israeli leaders as the protectors of a defenceless and exposed nation.
Oddly, while scores of young Gazans continue to be killed at the fence separating Gaza from Israel while protesting the Israeli siege on the Strip, it is the Israelis who claim to be targeted, unsafe and victimised.
The newest wall, once it is officially launched with massive fanfare, will still make no difference. It will not upgrade the status of the Gaza siege in any way, nor will it alter the collective fear that has been thoroughly instilled in ordinary Israelis.
For Gazans, wall or no wall, the siege will remain intact.
Israeli wall architects may argue that the latest wall will deter Palestinians from digging tunnels as well as preventing resistance fighters from circumventing the siege via the sea – since part of this underground barrier will also extend into the Mediterranean Sea.
However, there is no proof that walls or fences, over ground or underground barriers have prevented Palestinians from retaliating against Israeli attacks. If the Israeli logic holds any truth, Palestinian resistance would have dissipated or folded decades ago as the Israeli siege mentality was put into practice from the very start of the Israeli war on the Palestinian people.
Israel receives $3.8 billion in US funding, in addition to hundreds of millions in loans and other financial giveaways which are mostly used to fortify Israel’s so-called security. To no avail. Palestinians, impoverished and incarcerated in Bantustan-like structures and open-air prisons, continue with their resistance unhindered.
It is clear that the Israeli security model has failed. In fact, that model never had a chance of success in the first place. The additional Israeli wall around Gaza and the hundreds of other walls and fences that are yet to be built are only meant to feed the collective illusion among Israelis and their leaders that the answer to their problem does not lie in ending the apartheid regime, military occupation and siege, but in adding more layers of “security”.
“At the end of the day as I see it, there will be a fence like this one surrounding Israel in its entirety. We will surround the entire state of Israel with a fence, a barrier,” Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said on 9 February 2016 during a visit of the construction site of the barrier around Gaza.
Netanyahu added: “In our neighborhood, we need to protect ourselves from wild beasts.”
While such language and behaviour reflect the deeply-rooted racist mentality at work in Israel, they also underscore the dehumanized way in which Israel sees Palestinians. Since “wild beasts” are not human, they can be killed en masse, besieged and ethnically cleansed in their millions without an iota of regret or remorse.
The problem then is not that of “security” or so-called “terrorism”. Not that of Hamas, or any other group, secular or Islamist. It is not that of Gaza’s March of Return or of children approaching the fences around Gaza. The problem is the entrenched Israeli racist mentality that perceives Palestinian natives as sub-humans and as “wild beasts” to be exterminated or forever besieged.
As such, it truly epitomises the nature of Israeli apartheid [pdf] and also delineates the siege-driven, isolationist mentality that dominates the ruling-class thinking in Israel.
Even years before the establishment of the state of Israel over the ruins of the Palestinian homeland in May 1948, Zionist communities in Palestine perfected the stratagem of besiegement, isolating themselves behind massive walls while blockading Palestinians, the native inhabitants of the land, in every way possible.
Throughout the Nakba – the catastrophic ethnic cleansing and destruction of Palestine in 1947-48 – Israel used this military theory in abundance.
Neighbourhoods, villages and entire towns would be besieged for days, weeks or months, while being bombarded from all directions before their residents were finally pushed out. None of these ethnically-cleansed Palestinian communities, which numbered in the hundreds of thousands, were ever allowed to return to their homes.
In fact, besiegement and isolation remain at the core of the Israeli military strategy to date.
No other place, however endured the brutality of the seemingly never-ending siege like the Gaza Strip. Gaza, that small region of 365 square kilometres, has been under various stages of besiegement and blockade since 1948.
The most hermetic stages of this perpetual siege began some time in 2006 and intensified in the summer of the following year.
Three factors make the latest siege on Gaza particularly horrific: its long duration, the lack of any serious respite for besieged Gazans and, most importantly, the fact that it has been interrupted by massive Israeli wars that killed and wounded thousands of Palestinians. With much of Gaza’s infrastructure destroyed or dilapidated, the Israeli blockade on the Strip has proved to be the most savage and deadliest of all sieges.
On 30 September, Israel’s Channel 12 reported that nearly 70 per cent of an underground barrier east of Gaza is now complete. An estimated 1,400 Israeli and foreign workers are reportedly taking part in building the barrier, which when finished, will extend to reach 60 kilometres in length.
Considering the layers of walls, fences, trenches and no-go military zones, the additional underground wall around Gaza seems frivolous. Is it possible that Israeli leaders truly believe that Gaza is not isolated enough?
In actuality, the latest wall will likely satisfy a psychological, not a practical objective, as it gives the Israeli army and southern settlements a temporary sense of safety, while once more hailing Israeli leaders as the protectors of a defenceless and exposed nation.
Oddly, while scores of young Gazans continue to be killed at the fence separating Gaza from Israel while protesting the Israeli siege on the Strip, it is the Israelis who claim to be targeted, unsafe and victimised.
The newest wall, once it is officially launched with massive fanfare, will still make no difference. It will not upgrade the status of the Gaza siege in any way, nor will it alter the collective fear that has been thoroughly instilled in ordinary Israelis.
For Gazans, wall or no wall, the siege will remain intact.
Israeli wall architects may argue that the latest wall will deter Palestinians from digging tunnels as well as preventing resistance fighters from circumventing the siege via the sea – since part of this underground barrier will also extend into the Mediterranean Sea.
However, there is no proof that walls or fences, over ground or underground barriers have prevented Palestinians from retaliating against Israeli attacks. If the Israeli logic holds any truth, Palestinian resistance would have dissipated or folded decades ago as the Israeli siege mentality was put into practice from the very start of the Israeli war on the Palestinian people.
Israel receives $3.8 billion in US funding, in addition to hundreds of millions in loans and other financial giveaways which are mostly used to fortify Israel’s so-called security. To no avail. Palestinians, impoverished and incarcerated in Bantustan-like structures and open-air prisons, continue with their resistance unhindered.
It is clear that the Israeli security model has failed. In fact, that model never had a chance of success in the first place. The additional Israeli wall around Gaza and the hundreds of other walls and fences that are yet to be built are only meant to feed the collective illusion among Israelis and their leaders that the answer to their problem does not lie in ending the apartheid regime, military occupation and siege, but in adding more layers of “security”.
“At the end of the day as I see it, there will be a fence like this one surrounding Israel in its entirety. We will surround the entire state of Israel with a fence, a barrier,” Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said on 9 February 2016 during a visit of the construction site of the barrier around Gaza.
Netanyahu added: “In our neighborhood, we need to protect ourselves from wild beasts.”
While such language and behaviour reflect the deeply-rooted racist mentality at work in Israel, they also underscore the dehumanized way in which Israel sees Palestinians. Since “wild beasts” are not human, they can be killed en masse, besieged and ethnically cleansed in their millions without an iota of regret or remorse.
The problem then is not that of “security” or so-called “terrorism”. Not that of Hamas, or any other group, secular or Islamist. It is not that of Gaza’s March of Return or of children approaching the fences around Gaza. The problem is the entrenched Israeli racist mentality that perceives Palestinian natives as sub-humans and as “wild beasts” to be exterminated or forever besieged.
19 sept 2019
By Elise Schroons
The recently opened coffee shop named Aida in Aida refugee camp, Bethlehem, welcomes customers for a coffee and a chat. Its name ‘Aida’ originates from a popular coffee shop of the same name that was located nearby.
It was owned by Aida, a Palestinian woman, whose story of helping refugees, fleeing from their homes following the occupation of Zionist militias in 1948, inspires the Aida residents.
“The idea was to name the coffee shop after a woman called Aida, who owned a popular coffee shop herself in Bethlehem in the forties. She sold coffee next to – what we now call – the Aida refugee camp,” says Akram Al Warah, the owner of the coffee shop Aida.
“When the refugees from western Jerusalem and western Hebron arrived in the area in 1948, they had nothing on them except for some clothes in a bag and their key to their home in their hand.
While the refugees were waiting and longing to go home again, Aida would welcome them in her small coffee shop with tea and coffee and provided them with food and blankets,” Akram continues.
The coffee shop opened its doors in July 2019, 71 years after Aida served her first cup of coffee for the refugees. “With our coffee shop, that carries Aida’s name, we want to keep her spirit alive and remember her generosity and nobility. I believe it will give us good luck,” the owner says.
Back in the day, Aida was of great importance for the refugees because of her help and compassion. However, her story is still important today. “By telling Aida’s story we can remind the new generation of what has happened in the past. We want them to remember the history of their homeland,” says Hussnie Al Warah, the brother of Akram and a barista at the coffee shop.
The recently opened coffee shop named Aida in Aida refugee camp, Bethlehem, welcomes customers for a coffee and a chat. Its name ‘Aida’ originates from a popular coffee shop of the same name that was located nearby.
It was owned by Aida, a Palestinian woman, whose story of helping refugees, fleeing from their homes following the occupation of Zionist militias in 1948, inspires the Aida residents.
“The idea was to name the coffee shop after a woman called Aida, who owned a popular coffee shop herself in Bethlehem in the forties. She sold coffee next to – what we now call – the Aida refugee camp,” says Akram Al Warah, the owner of the coffee shop Aida.
“When the refugees from western Jerusalem and western Hebron arrived in the area in 1948, they had nothing on them except for some clothes in a bag and their key to their home in their hand.
While the refugees were waiting and longing to go home again, Aida would welcome them in her small coffee shop with tea and coffee and provided them with food and blankets,” Akram continues.
The coffee shop opened its doors in July 2019, 71 years after Aida served her first cup of coffee for the refugees. “With our coffee shop, that carries Aida’s name, we want to keep her spirit alive and remember her generosity and nobility. I believe it will give us good luck,” the owner says.
Back in the day, Aida was of great importance for the refugees because of her help and compassion. However, her story is still important today. “By telling Aida’s story we can remind the new generation of what has happened in the past. We want them to remember the history of their homeland,” says Hussnie Al Warah, the brother of Akram and a barista at the coffee shop.
Customers can order takeaway or can take a seat.
The Aida coffee shop is a popular place to meet for local Palestinians as well as for tourists. “Not only locals from the camp come here to drink coffee and meet with their friends, tourists visit the shop too.
They like the interior and the vibe of the café,” says Hussnie. “We want to create that same sense of home, welcoming and acceptance that Aida’s coffee shop used to give to the generations before us,” adds Akram.
The interior of the Aida coffee shop tries to reflect the Palestinian culture and past. “We used antique furniture and ornaments such as an old suitcase, television and radio to revive the past.
Additionally, we added a lot of plants and local art. The decoration is similar to how the Palestinian people used to decorate their houses,” according to the barista.
Through the coffee shop, the owner supports the community and the new generation Palestinian artists, thinkers and activists. “With every cup of tea or coffee you purchase, you offer a helping hand. We dedicate 20 percent of our monthly profits to the Aida Youth Center to encourage making music, art and film for the children of Aida Camp,” concludes Akram.
The Aida coffee shop is a popular place to meet for local Palestinians as well as for tourists. “Not only locals from the camp come here to drink coffee and meet with their friends, tourists visit the shop too.
They like the interior and the vibe of the café,” says Hussnie. “We want to create that same sense of home, welcoming and acceptance that Aida’s coffee shop used to give to the generations before us,” adds Akram.
The interior of the Aida coffee shop tries to reflect the Palestinian culture and past. “We used antique furniture and ornaments such as an old suitcase, television and radio to revive the past.
Additionally, we added a lot of plants and local art. The decoration is similar to how the Palestinian people used to decorate their houses,” according to the barista.
Through the coffee shop, the owner supports the community and the new generation Palestinian artists, thinkers and activists. “With every cup of tea or coffee you purchase, you offer a helping hand. We dedicate 20 percent of our monthly profits to the Aida Youth Center to encourage making music, art and film for the children of Aida Camp,” concludes Akram.