Sunday evening. It was cold outside and my wife and I decided to light the fire and settle down to watch a movie. We searched, as you do, through the plethora of channels on offer nowadays, until we saw a movie called ‘The Promise’ on Prime. The very name evoked memories. Twelve years ago, in 2011, director Peter Kominsky made[Read More…]
Maybe it’s a quirk in my character that in times of calamity I always look for the silver lining. It doesn’t often appear, but in this darkest hour of despair, when nothing seemed possible and the collapse of hope was profound, I found it. The spark. I found it growing in the refugee camps of my home town of Jenin,[Read More…]
An innocuous phrase, meaning how welcome is the rain as it falls upon this earth beneath, full of goodness and sustenance, the nourishment of life. Not on Gaza. Four days ago, when the people of Gaza heard the thunder in the heavens and looked towards the sky they saw surveillance drones, Apache helicopters and F-35 war planes bulging with state-of-the-art[Read More…]
May 15th, is the 75th anniversary of the Palestinian Nakba (Catastrophe). And counting. I say ‘and counting’ because the theft of our land, the occupation, the siege on Gaza, the disposition of our people, the ethnic cleansing of Palestine and replacement of the Palestinian nation, with Jews, often of dual nationality, from around the world, continues more aggressively than ever.[Read More…]
A long arduous and thorny road to nowhere. This mad journey was started back in 1974, during the Arab summit in Rabat, Morocco, where the Arab league took it upon itself to elect the Palestine Liberation Organisation as our sole representative. It was a fait accompli. The Palestinian nation was not consulted. On the 15th November, 1988 our fate was[Read More…]
Some might think that state genocide is a new phenomenon in Israeli occupied Palestine. I can assure you that this is the very essence of Zionism. The point was, and still is, to occupy the land, get rid of the people by any and every means, and change the topography and the demography of Palestine to favour Jewish supremacy. The[Read More…]
In May of this year, I will reach the ripe old age of 80. Through all the decades that I have been on this earth this question has been on my mind. When will it ever end? So far, a logical and fair answer eludes me. It’s not for lack of trying, it’s because every time we Palestinians, despite all[Read More…]
After the blood bath in occupied Palestine in 2022, more than 230 Palestinians were killed. The Israeli Occupation Forces and the heavily armed Jewish illegal settlers in the West Bank continued their feral killing spree into 2023 unabated. In the first month of this year, Israel murdered 36 Palestinians. Ten of those murders took place in Jenin, my birthplace. This[Read More…]
After the raid in Jenin, there was a reaction from Gaza. Immediately, Israel sent in the airforce with its normal venom and brute force. More Palestinians were killed, more destruction of property, and more disruption of life. That was followed yesterday by an attack on a synagogue outside Jerusalem which resulted in eight Israelis killed. Netanyahu said that he will[Read More…]
Three days into the New Year. Three murders in Palestine. Don’t let us allow these martyrs to become just the opening numbers in the Israeli score of dead Palestinians, 2023. Three young men, filled with hope and with anger had families, loved ones. They had dreams and ambitions, so let us name them, respect them and mourn their short lives.[Read More…]
It is New Year’s Eve, 2022, by all accounts the year that has been the hardest for Palestinians living under the yolk of Apartheid Israel. At least 207 people killed, 47 of whom were children. That Israel is an Apartheid state is not just an off-the-cuff remark, or yet another adjective to throw at Israel, it is what Amnesty International[Read More…]
I think it is. The tide of international dissent against Israel’s impunity is becoming a torrent since the introduction by the IHRA, International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance of what they have defined as ‘Antisemitism’. This new definition has been interpreted and used as a weapon to bash, intimidate and silence any voices of criticism against the government of Israel. Even the[Read More…]
The accepted definition of Apartheid by the United Nations and the International criminal court is as follows: ‘Apartheid refers to the implementation and maintenance of a system of legalized racial segregation in which one racial group is deprived of political and civil rights. Apartheid is a crime against humanity punishable under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. It[Read More…]
I believe that for us Arabs to survive and progress we must have in common more than religion, language and rhetoric. We need unity, transparency and honesty. We Palestinians are teetering on the edge of a precipice. Until very recently, every Arab leader, politician, cleric and pundit, given half a chance, would mount the platform and raise the Palestinian flag[Read More…]
In all the years that I have been involved in the desperate story of my country and my people I have never felt more despair than at this moment. My despair does not stem from the loss of faith in my people’s ability to fight, resist and sacrifice. No, not at all. We Palestinians have been resisting and fighting our[Read More…]
We have a saying in Arabic that literally translates into “An unprotected property will encourage a thief.” In this case the thief needs no encouragement. This is a particular thief, well-practiced, seasoned and used to getting away with ill-gotten gains. We are speaking of course of Israel. And most particularly about the current longest serving Prime Minister, Mr Benjamin Netanyahu.[Read More…]
Today, May 15th, is the 72nd anniversary of the Palestinian Nakba (Catastrophe) and counting. I say ‘and counting’ because the theft of our land, the occupation, the siege on Gaza, the disposition of our people, the ethnic cleansing of Palestine and replacement of the Palestinian nation with Jews with dual nationality from around the world continues more aggressively than ever.[Read More…]
Through the years I have battled to expose the hypocrisy and the double standards of western politicians when it comes to Israel and the Palestinians’ inalienable rights of freedom, justice and self determination. Why am I singling out western politicians and governments? The answer is simple, because they have been and still are the dominant power in the world since[Read More…]
In all my years on this earth I have never had any doubt that we Palestinians will one day get our rights recognised and our land liberated and that we will, at last, have the right to return home. When I say, ‘we the Palestinians’ I do not refer to officialdom. I do not refer to The Palestinian Authority, to[Read More…]
In 1929, as a result of extreme British mandatory forces’ oppression and a huge increase in Jewish immigration to Palestine, the beleaguered Palestinians showed their first act of defiance. They announced a general strike and raised black flags. The British Government’s answer to that legitimate protest was to hang the three leaders of the resistance; Hijazi, Zeir and Jamjoum. Their[Read More…]
The third Monday of January every year has been designated a national holiday in the USA to honour the memory of slain civil rights leader, Dr Martin Luther King Jr. — who was assassinated April 4, 1968 in Memphis. This honour was proposed during the Reagan era in 1986 but it was not recognised nationally until the year 2000. Even[Read More…]
A new year. A new decade. What we Palestinians need is a new revolutionary approach and a new school of thought based on total unity of purpose for the common good, not just for the benefit of one faction or another. For that to happen, without shedding one drop of Palestinian blood, both Fateh and Hamas, the two main Palestinian[Read More…]
My journey with activism started early on in my youth in 1958 in Jenin, my place of birth. I was fifteen years of age. Angry at the loss of a huge chunk of our land to the Zionists. Angry at the lack of preparation to reclaim not only our land but also our dignity and honour. Angry at what I[Read More…]
In my opinion this aptly describes our country at the moment. We are in the throes of a general election. The country has been embroiled in a near civil war over the issue of Brexit for the last three years. Mr Boris Johnson, never one to ever speak the truth, decided to call a general election on December 12th simply[Read More…]
“Today I come bearing an olive branch in one hand, and the freedom fighter’s gun in the other. Do not let the olive branch fall from my hand. I repeat, do not let the olive branch fall from my hand.” Yasser Arafat November 13th 1974 UN General Assembly. The late Abu Ammar – Yasser Arafat -believed not only his Arab[Read More…]
Today, November 2nd 2019 is the 102nd anniversary of one of the darkest days in the bloody history of the British Empire. For exactly 102 years ago today the then British Foreign Secretary, Lord Arthur Balfour wrote a personal letter to Lord Walter Rothschild in which he gifted him Palestine as a ‘home’ for the Jews. That fact that Palestine,[Read More…]
In all the years that I have been actively involved in our struggle for liberation and justice I have never reached such a low point than in the last few weeks. Listening to pronouncements from both Ramallah and Gaza about the so-called forthcoming general elections had me hitting rock bottom. Can a meaningful, unencumbered, straightforward election happen in Palestine? Of[Read More…]
“We will prevent the Israeli occupation army from raiding Area A, not with violence but with our bodies.” So said the recently appointed Prime Minister of the so-called Palestinian Authority, Dr Mohammed Shtayyeh . He went on to say, “Israel is invading the PA’s territories, and the signed agreements do not allow for such invasions.” There is a very apt[Read More…]
Is it because when ‘God’ created this land, with its sweeping landscapes, its proud hills, its sweet streams, its succulent figs, its crunchy grapes, its juicy oranges and its mighty olive trees he was overwhelmed with its beauty? Maybe because of all this he decided to call this land his own and, as such, plagued it or blessed it from[Read More…]
This is the morning after the night before. This is the reality check. This is the most ominous thing that could happen to us Palestinians at this stage of our struggle against occupation and persecution. Britain has its new Prime Minister. Who is Boris Johnson? The shambolic, disheveled, stuttering Boris Johnson we all know is but an act. it is[Read More…]
Well it’s happened. It’s real. Mr Jared Kushner, the son-in-law and Senior Advisor of President Trump has delivered 136 pages of lies, suppositions and conjuring tricks to seduce or compel us Palestinians to accept our fate and surrender our rights. What rights? As far as this document is concerned Palestinians have no rights whatsoever and as for a Palestinian perspective,[Read More…]
This vile ultimatum that’s been the undercurrent of the so very well touted ‘Deal Of The Century’ has a touch of the deja vu for me. Obviously I’ve seen it before. To be exact, over 71 years ago when the Hagganah Zionist terrorist organisation, after committing massacre after massacre in Palestine in 1948, pursued the fleeing Palestinians who were advancing[Read More…]
This is the Arabic name for the holiest of cities, the most sacred of cities, the most beautiful yet tragic of cities in the world. Jerusalem. I have known Jerusalem all my life. I travelled to Jerusalem most weekends when I was young and walked through the cobbled streets and the alleyways of the ancient city. I ventured into each[Read More…]
Do you ever sit with your thoughts and wonder what religion has done for you or to you? As a Palestinian I often do and this is the reason that many years ago I declared myself to be agnostic. It is because of religion and unproven words in an old text called The Bible that a group of atheist Zionists[Read More…]
Today, March 30th, is the anniversary of two ominous events that occurred on our land and to our people. The first anniversary happened 43 years ago to the day. That was when the Israeli army in 1976 usurped over 2000 hectares of land owned by Palestinian families in the Galilee area. All the government of Israel needed to do was[Read More…]
I assure you I haven’t, all of a sudden, found religion. The God I refer to is not the God of compassion and humanity, but a mythical God of power, destruction, thievery, under-handedness, double standards etc. etc. as has been used by various western powers throughout history. When those first Christian crusaders marched towards Palestine, under the banner of Pope[Read More…]
This morning, Friday the 15th March, we woke up to the horrendous news of the massacre of 49 people at two mosques in the city of Christchurch, New Zealand. A further 20 people are seriously injured. Just the name of the city – Christchurch – and the mention of two mosques being attacked with the innocent, Muslim worshippers being mowed[Read More…]
I have been coming to Australia, particularly to Perth, Western Australia, for the last 43 years. My wife, Sandra was born here and now our daughter and her family live here. When I first arrived in December 1976 Perth reminded me of Haifa, in Palestine. There are the eucalyptus trees dotted everywhere, there is the warm blue expanse of the[Read More…]
It’s been exactly a week since the colonisers of our land, Mr. Netanyahu and his gang of war criminals, decided not to renew the mandate of TIPH, the Temporary International Presence in Hebron whose role has been to observe and report. These observers were volunteers and they come from Turkey, Switzerland, Norway, Sweden and Italy and their job was to[Read More…]
DRIP, DRIP, DRIP These are three simple words that represent many aspects of human survival. There is a drip of water that quenches the thirst. There is a teardrop running down the cheek, be it in sorrow or happiness and there is a drip of rain that keeps the ground fertile, green and alive. But then there is the drip[Read More…]
When Donald Trump, the current incumbent of The White House, threw his hat into the ring of the US Presidential elections in 2016 we Palestinians who keep a close watch on the politics of Washington held our breath. Not in expectation. Not in awe, but in fear and trepidation. Here is a man who is ignorant. Here is a man[Read More…]
Every time I watch anything to do with Israel on American TV, or listen to a radio report somewhere, or read an article in a newspaper or online, I am always confronted with the same slogan. “We must support our closest ally with whom we share values and a way of life. We must do our utmost to enable them[Read More…]
2018 is on its last breath and I, for one, will not shed a tear. In fact I hope that such a year will never be repeated. Not for us Palestinians. Not for any oppressed people of the world. Nor even for the people of my adopted country, England, who are grappling with the toxic effect of the Brexit debacle.[Read More…]
This week will go down in the annuls of history as the week when the American nation failed to change course, unite and become great again. I am saying ‘become great again’ because this is the rallying cry that the current incumbent in the White House, Mr Trump, used to get the American electorate to put him in office two[Read More…]
As surely as night follows day if you want to make all before you tremble and kneel at your feet you only have to mention religion. The fear of God and a promise of the hereafter is all that is necessary. Cynical? Yes it is, but I am not talking about myself. I am agnostic. I speak of the cynical[Read More…]
The power I am speaking of is that of the Zionist occupiers of our land who will not stop at anything to wipe every Palestinian off the face of this earth and erase every semblance of Palestinian life and culture of our ancestral home. This savage power has been enabled and empowered throughout the last century by various western powers,[Read More…]
Did you hear the story of the small Palestinian, Bedouin community of Khan Al Ahmar? Threatened by the Israeli Occupation Forces’ bulldozers yet again? Please let me remind you here that these Bedouins were forcibly removed from their original habitat in the Negev Desert at least twice before. When they arrived in their area close to Jerusalem in the 1950s[Read More…]
By continuing to punish the Palestinian people for being Palestinian and unfortunately in the way of the American/Zionist juggernaut of power and supremacy Mr Trump and his team of right wing ultra Zionists have done us all a favour. The final fig leaf has just dropped revealing the true nature of the American ‘honest broker’ for the so-called Deal Of[Read More…]
Last Friday was an eventful and emotional day for this exiled Palestinian. I recorded a TV programme, ‘Eye on Palestine’ for Al Magharibia Channel on the continuing plight of the Palestinian refugees. I’ll share the link with you when I receive it. But the evening was the major event when both my wife and I attended the second yearly awards[Read More…]
The assault on the Palestinian people by the Trump administration has taken a vicious turn. Not only does it deny them their right of return, and compensation for damage done to their lives and livelihoods as enshrined in UN resolution 194, it also just denies them their daily bread. This is not new. In 2016, Mr Trump, the then Republican[Read More…]
Today is known in Islamic tradition as ‘Youm Arafah’ Or ‘Waqfet Arafah’ . What it means is that all Muslims who are able to make the Pilgrimage, ‘Al-Hajj’ to Mekka, a main tenet of Islam will gather on top or around Mount Arafat cloaked in their white unstitched shrouds in total subjugation to their faith and maker. They will spend[Read More…]
Many a pundit, commentator or analyst witnessing what has been going on in Palestine for the last hundred years can draw parallels between our situation and that of Apartheid South Africa and/or the liberation movement in Algiers. Though there are similarities with our cause in the struggle for freedom in both those countries there are also vast differences. International conditions[Read More…]
What a week it has been. Not only do we have to endure the debacle that is BREXIT but the Zionist lobby has decided to inflame the debate about alleged anti-semetism in the Labour party. They directed their venom at its leader, Jeremy Corbyn. Dame Margaret Hodge, a veteran member of the Labour Party, a Jewess of German origin is[Read More…]
Last Tuesday the Israeli government, emboldened by total support from the Trump Administration and the total cowardice of the international community passed one of the most discriminatory, racist bills in the history of the State of Israel, the Jewish Nation State Bill. The vote was 62:55 with two abstentions. The bill categorically states that the State of Israel is for[Read More…]
One American and one Australian. Nikki Haley is the current US Ambassador to the UN. Julie Bishop is the current Australian Minister of Foreign Affairs. These two women have taken it upon themselves to not only support genocidal operations by Israel against unarmed Palestinian civil society but also to champion the cause of the Jewish State no matter what. I[Read More…]
The brutality and callous disregard for Palestinian lives and international law by the Israeli Occupation Army reached a zenith yesterday when they gunned down more than fifty Palestinians and wounded in excess of 2700. No Israelis have been killed.
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My Amma (Malayalam word for Mother) passed away on August 22, 2023 at 3.10 AM. It is always difficult to deal with the passing of a parent, that too one’s mother. I thought the grief would go away. No it didn’t. All those bitter sweet memories won’t go away. At night I lie awake for hours. My friend, guide and[Read More…]
