Blog on the path forward
Over the past 45 years, I have been active on the streets and on the internet for our people struggle for return and self-determination in the face of a most brutal and merciless colonial regime. I read thousands of books and wrote a few myself. I read tens of thousands of research and analytical papers (and wrote hundreds myself). The problem of our country can actually be described very briefly. Its solution (remedies) can also be described briefly. Implementing the solution would be doable and is the only way to avoid a catastrophic world war.
So briefly, we have 15 million indigenous Palestinians, over 8 million of us are intentionally made refugees or displaced people (and that number increases daily). So far over 250,000 Palestinians were killed or perished prematurely thanks to genocidal policies since 1948. A million were injured and another million imprisoned since 1948. The perpetrator Jews fell under the spell of an idea called Zionism that tries to convince people that Jewishness is a nationality (Constantinian Judaism as called by Marc Ellis) and thus that Jews as a collective not only have a right to this ancient land but have an exclusive right to it. Gathering as many Jews as possible from around the world to take over indigenous land was done by force of arms and forces of lobbies around the world that got Western Governments to adopt this project of ethnic cleansing and genocide (and ecoside and scholasticide!).
The main problems faced by this colonial project are:
- 1) that it arrived at colonialism a bit late after colonialism lost its appeal (the shiny city on a hill, promised land, inferior races and all that),
- 2) A stubborn resistance of the local people (Christian, Muslim, Bahai, Druz etc) who would not simply go away (see my book on this), and
- 3) difficulty to control information in the 21st century (e.g. live feed of genocidal acts).
The main support for the Zionist project and why it persisted so long were several (not in any particular order):
- 1) very good hasbara /propaganda disseminated largely through well controlled western corporate media and Hollywood creating an illusion (pop culture) that Israel is a democracy, that it is redemptive and good for Jews, and that it is defending itself against barbarism,
- 2) A well-oiled Zionist network willing to do anything to advance the cause including bribery, blackmail, and arms twisting in other ways,
- 3) A policy of creation and support of Arab and Muslim autocratic leaders willing to support the project to keep their seats. These three pillars have received significant blows thanks to the obvious intentional and ongoing genocide and a global (including Arab and Muslim) awakening. But the pillars for now seem to hold though shaky. My thought is that the pounding at those pillars must increase significantly to end this nightmare for humanity and to avoid a catastrophic world war (where ALL will be losers).
- 1) Resistance: naturally in colonial anti-colonial struggles, most of the resistance is unarmed and some of it armed. International law recognizes not only a right to resistance but obligation to resist. This includes the imperative of building institutions of sumud (resilience/resistance) on the ground like our own institution (palestinenature.org) and hundreds more. Over the past 150 years, it has been shown that killing more Palestinians creates more (and even smarter/more innovative) resistance (again see my book on this).
- 2) Support by all people of conscience around the world. This includes things like Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (See bdsmovement.net), media work, civil disobedience and more.
- 3) Truth telling: Putting out the real narrative of what is happening and dispelling the myths and lies including about colonizers right to defend themselves, nature of racist apartheid regimes, and the myths of a two-state solution. For the latter, see my 2004 book
- 4) Dismantling the support network of colonialism. This includes exposing all individuals and entities that support Zionism including the Palestinian Authority (PA). The PA was created by the Oslo accords and supposed to be interim for 5 years but is now 30 year old and had made Israel economically and diplomatically successful while destroying our society methodically. This is now the most profitable colonial occupation in history. Undermining this rigged system is an imperative as is pushing for the alternative decolonization and anti-apartheid struggle. That is much harder for colonialist to cope with. See books by Edward Said on this.
Note I did not add a fifth point about the UN, International laws or conventions since their implementation depends on mechanisms where the US can and has used veto power on those thus giving Israel impunity. The jury is still out on whether such mechanisms or even statements by human rights organizations have utility beyond their public relations value. The four points above should suffice in synergy to hammer more at the three above listed pillars of Zionist colonial support. This is our human path which is away from the Zionist path which leads to world annihilation and self-fulfilling prophesy of Armageddon. We still can save humanity but the window is closing so we must act urgently. Your thoughts are appreciated.
Finally a poem with translation.
My rough translation (Poet Mohthel AlSqour):
Do you think that when you burned me And danced like devil over my remains
* = new testament ** = glorification of god/supplication
And left me for thrashers to thrash me
Shades to the eyes of the sun in sockets
Do you think you have suppressed my identity
And erased my beliefs and my history
In vain you try - no extinguishing a revolutionary
I, like the resurrection, one day coming
I am like Jesus coming back strong and from each storm gathers mself
I will come back - oldest revolting lover and back as the gloriest of highest revolutions
I will be back with the Torah, the Injil* and the Quran and the tasbih** and the prayers
I will be back with all religions as one religion devoid of hatred and divisiveness
A man from the trench inevitable my return..
I am all the coming times
Stay Human and keep Palestine alive
Mazin Qumsiyeh
A bedouin in cyberspace, a villager at home
Professor, Founder, and (volunteer) Director Palestine Museum of Natural History
Palestine Institute of Biodiversity and Sustainability Bethlehem University Occupied Palestine
facebook pages Personal Institute
French
