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In Palestine: "Kin, Aval Lo." Yes But No
13 March 2010By Mazin Qumsiyeh
It was hard to say goodbye to my wife and friends
in the US. The last night was very meaningful as we
were in New York seeing the performance of Najla Said,
daughter of my friend and mentor, the late Professor
Edward Said (for an earlier statement from Najla, see
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CEMrmRCbvA0 ). I cried
while she was speaking because her words expressed
deep emotions that I often felt but could not
adequately express. I was touched by her openness with
her emotions about being, like her father, "out of
place" living in New York but somehow connected to
Palestine. The play is simply called 'Palestine' and
it ends with her saying that Palestine makes her cry!
A truly powerful play.
On the flight from New York to Amman, I have time to
ponder the past, the future, and the present.
Questions race in my mind and most left unanswered.
How did we end-up here? Did I reach out enough to
those few individuals who came to my talk at Rutgers
and Northeastern to defend Zionism? How do I show
appreciation for those who came to support or who
hosted me? What will happen in the next few weeks, to
me and to Palestine? My thoughts are interrupted by
the Delta pilot announcing that we will enter
restricted airspace and that everyone is to return to
their seat and buckle-up? The US citizen behind me
comments as the stewardess passes that this must be a
military base. She says simply "we are passing over
Israel". I think in my mind "same thing" and want to
say it out loud but decide to not say anything.
We land in Amman around 5 PM, and the officer at the
passport control asks me how long I will be staying
and I say I am leaving directly to Palestine. I chat
with the taxi-driver, a Palestinian who never saw
Palestine. He tells me I should stay overnight and
feels protective of me. I arrive at
the Jordanian border controls and it is empty and I am
quickly processed and I catch the bus smoothly. As the
bus crosses the bridge into the occupied territories
my heart beats a little faster. At the first
checkpoint before the passport control, I make a call
to the lawyer. His phone is turned off. 30 minutes
later we are about to disembark in front if the
building with passport controls and I call again. No
answer. I begin to sweat. I call my sister and tell
her to try to reach the lawyer. There are two friendly
individuals who happen to be on the same bus. One of
them teaches with me at Bethlehem University. When I
give him my card, he just simply says "do not worry,
it will be OK". I feel an inner peace that is hard to
describe. I smile at him. I smile at the 3 year old
child in the seat in front of me.
Half an hour later, my friends passed through and I am
at the window being asked questions by a blond
Ashkenazi young women who never smiles. After
examining my Palestinian document (issued by the
Israeli ministry), and spending a few minutes at her
computer, she demands I show her my American passport.
She asks a few more questions. She consults with the
girl next to her, whispers something and points at the
screen. The other girl says something like "kin, aval
lo." yes but no.. I am still calm. She hands me back
my American passport. Three minutes later, she stamps
and hands me back the other document. My friend who
was waiting for me says "see I told you". I did not
answer. I am a bit confused. Questions rush through my
head. What does this mean? Does it confirm the idea
that they came to my house after I left so that I
would be scared and not come back? Or was this because
of the pressure from the letters from the senators
office, from three congressmen, from many activists
demanding that I be given safe passage? (see below).
Or maybe there is yet another game I do not
understand. Maybe the Buddhist charm that a friend
gave me for good luck worked and they simply missed me
buy accident? Maybe they will come for me later?
Emotions of relief are tempered by a deep anger at
this whole affair. Whatever game is being played, it
is sick and not amusing. I promise myself that I am
not going to let it pass, I will follow my lawyer's
advice and a) still go to see the military officer
Sunday or Monday (after the weekend/Sabbath), b) still
keep this issue public and publicized. I resolve to do
more to support others who are less fortunate than I
am. La lucha continua. I get home at 11:30 PM, tired
and drained. My mother is waiting for me on the
street. I kiss her cheeks and tears come to my face as
Najla's words come to mine "Palestine makes me cry".
I will keep you informed of what happens next but for
now I will call friends here to see where we are with
planned activities of popularresistance. I will also
prepare my lectures for tomorrow at Birzeit University
and take it one day at a time occasionally reporting
to you as before on life under occupation. I am truly
grateful for and touched by all the letters of
support. A petition was created and is posted at
TheStuggle.org. There is even a facebook page which
has now hundreds of members to support me (http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=341498237214
<http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=341498237214&ref=mf>
&ref=mf ). This outpouring of love is hard to
reciprocate but if there is anything I could ever do
for any of you, please do not hesitate to ask. For
example, I would love to host you in Palestine and
show you around.
For now, I enjoy the simple pleasure of eating green
almonds from my yard. And the journey continues of
seeking to have "joyful participation in the sorrows
of this world". Life under colonial occupation
continues. Negev human rights activist Nuri el Okbi
was brought to the Be'er Sheba Magistrate's Court on
many "charges" because he refuses to leave his land
http://zope.gush-shalom.org/home/en/channels/press_releases/1267326280/
Israel continues to intensify efforts at social
engineering in the Negev as elsewhere to remove
Palestinians from their land. Today (Friday), the
occupied areas are under full closure with worshippers
prevented from getting to Al-Aqsa mosque to avoid any
demonstrations over Israel's approval of 1600 new
housing units for Jews in Arab parts of the city. The
latter represented not just a spit on the face of Abu
Mazen but visiting US vice president Joe Biden who
wiped it off and called it rain according to Haaretz (
<http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1155895.html>
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1155895.html ).
There is a Zionist man I sometimes exchange views with
openly and on numerous occasions he told me in
response to incidents like these: the world is based
on might/power and state interests, get used to it. I
choose to believe that all good comes from people who
disagree with this Machiavellian notion. After all, if
we all believed in entrenched power, we would have no
civil rights in the US, no end to the war on Vietnam,
and Palestine would have become a pure Jewish Zionist
state by now.
With love to all.
Mazin Qumsiyeh, PhD Popular Committee to Defend Ush
Ghrab (PCDUG) A Bedouin in Cyberspace, a villager at
home <http://www.qumsiyeh.org/
©
EsinIslam.Com
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