Getting poetic about Palestinian eroticism

مشكلة عرب اسرائيل وثماره – كابوس، فتعداد العربي في إسرائيل قد تخطى المليون وهو ينمو بسرعة
انظر إليهم – تسودّ الدنيا في عينيك! سأقولها من دون أجرح اليهود: العرب في الليل يحرثون ليعظموا جنسهم
ما هذا – خسوف ضوء القمر، نفحة ملاك الموت، علامة الشغب؟ فأنثى الأرنب، القطة، الجرادة لا تعرف مثل هذا الشَّبَق!"


· The problem of the Arab-Israelis and their produce – a nightmare; the number of Arabs in Israel is over 1 million and increasing.
· Look at them - Life blackens in front of your eyes! I will tell it without taking anything from the Jews – the Arabs are working hard at night in order to make great their race!
· What is this – is it a lunar eclipse, the breath of the angel of death, a signal of riot? Even the female rabbit, the cat, and the locust do not know such eroticism.


The above is a poem written by Gershon Ben-Ya'acov, and posted in the Russian-Israeli newspaper, Vesti (August 25, 2005). Needless to say, they're being sued for incitement of racism. And possibly also on aesthetic grounds.

It's been raining in Nasereh

It's been raining in Nasereh.
We've been blessed with grey skies and temperatures of 14 degrees.

So this afternoon I stole the opportunity to indulge in the company of coffee, and in that of a beautiful Nazarene by the name of K.

For some reason, on this wet afternoon in Nasereh, the coffee finally tasted like it should.

Disenfranchised Bedouin youth

The Center for Information and Higher Education in the Naqab (Negev) presented troubling information as regards education among the Arab Bedouin of the Naqab. Only 2,000 Arab Bedouin graduate from high-school every year, and less than 10% thereafter enter institutions of higher education. In addition, approximately two-thirds of students change their program of study when at university/college, while a quarter of female Bedouin do not complete their bachelors.

Approximately two-thirds of Bedouin that do enter institutions of higher education do not succeed in English. Furthermore, on average a Bedouin student stays a year longer at an institution of higher education than his Jewish counterpart. (www.arabs48.com, November 23, 2005).

You need only to see the living conditions for Bedouin in the unrecognised villages of the Naqab to understand why the above is happening.

It's very shocking, and such a shame that youth are being deprived of a future. They have no present, and the only way to make a future would be through education - and they don't even have that made available to them.

Unreal.

جدارية في بيت لحم

On Sunday, the Arab HRA's 'Human Rights Education and Community Outreach' Department took around 30 youth to Bethlehem, in the West Bank, to throw a Diego Rivera on the Wall.

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As there are always aguafiestas looking to rain on the parade, this occasion was no different. Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) were quick to disperse the muralists in action.

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In any event, I'm of the opinion that these young artists well deserve a round of applause.

Chilling in al-Quds with Loay Qudsi

I spent the 26th and the 27th of November in al-Quds/Jerusalem with sa7iby, Loay Qudsi.

In case you were wondering, his last name has no connection with al-Quds because he's originally from Nabulus.

In any event, we dabbled in some nightlife on the 26th, and the next day, which also happened to be my birthday, we spent in the Old City, at Hebrew University and at Fort David (Gila3t Dawood). The suug in the old city was something else, and let me tell you about the hummus!

Al-Quds also houses a piazza, and together with its cafés and live music, it felt at times European. I liked it.

Yes, I liked it. But not everyone would agree - others feel there's just too much tension in the air. The population roughly breaks down like this - 30% religious Jews, 30% secular and 30% Arab. Since East Jerusalem was annexed by Israel, it has become a city that breathes tension. The annexed East Jerusalemites refused to take on Israeli citizenship, and the majority to date identify as Palestinian.

For information on Israel's current policy in East Jerusalem, and how the population is daily being strangled, see this leaked report from the European Union's Mission in Jerusalem and Ramallah.

I'll post the following pictures to relay the rest of the story.

On the way to the Old City

Qudsi sizing up the entrance to the Old City

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Al Aqsa in the distance

EMHRN meeting in Vienna, November 12-13, 2005

I was in Vienna last weekend at a network meeting; the network is called the Euro Mediterranean Human Rights Network (EMHRN). The Arab HRA, the organisation I represent, sits on the Steering Committee of the network's Working Group, called the Working Group on Palestine/Israel.

We finalised European advocacy strategies in London and Brussels for December 2005, and spoke of future possibilities for late 2006.

Although the meeting schedule didn't allow for a visit into Vienna, we did manage to sample great chocolate, rich ice wine and some warm hospitality from a Croatian-minority couple living near the city of Neusiedl am See.

Room Keys at the Hotel

Guess who... found an iron that morning

Caffeine Advocacy

Why Gaza is still Occupied Territory

Gaza is still occupied. We heard it from a Gazawi (Gazan), the Director of the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR), Raji Sourani. He was supposed to meet with us in Austria as part of the Euro Mediterranean Human Rights Network's 'Working group on Palestine/Israel', but because no Gazawi can currently leave Gaza, we had to settle for a teleconference with him.

This is what Raji had to say:

The Occupation remains and Gaza is completely disconnected from the West Bank and Al-Quds (Jerusalem). Israel maintains complete air and land control (in spite of the fact that there is no physical army presence on the ground).

Mainstream media talks about Gazawis now having the chance to step up to the plate and prove themselves. But here is the de facto situation on Gazawi ground:
- Lives of Gaza's inhabitants still completely controlled.
- Israeli navy presence just 10 metres from Gaza's shores.
- 3-5 kms from border, Israel fires sonic bombs as a method of intimidation.
- Political assassinations commonplace by Israeli apaches. Since the disengagement and until November 13, 2005 - 17 such killings.
- The Rafah border crossing is totally sealed.
- Unemployment in Gaza used to stand at 66% - today it is more. 81% people under poverty line – facing real economic, social, political strangulation.
- Israel decides what Gazawis drink, eat and wear. Very frightening.
- Buffer zones exist in the north and west; the army will shoot and kill any movement in that area.
- Gazawi fisherman can’t even go to the sea.
- There are 985 kilo bombs parked 360° around Gaza.
- Israel has been able to achieve this ‘withdrawal mirage’.
- However, the reality is very different and is not promising on any level.
- 1.4 million people are caged in. And nobody seems to see that.

He added:

- 7,000 settlers evacuated – which is great. But it’s business as usual. Remember, the withdrawal wasn't about the Palestinians; it was about a military presence that was working out too costly for them.
- Israel has marketed the Disengagement smartly; so much so that they can reasonably convince the Europeans to work with them on Israeli security.
- Israel is manufacturing another Bin Laden in Gaza by continuing their present practice in the region.

Advocating for Palestinians

To make inroads into seeing true Palestinian representation within Israel (and even in the Occupied Territories; yes Gaza is still occupied), the struggle can assume two forms:

- An internal struggle, and
- A struggle that employs external advocacy measures

True, empowerment of the population is vital to seeing representation... as are other internal strategies - like working with the Israeli public to make them aware of real Palestinian issues, political participation, and even (running contrary to the previous) economic and political boycotts. However, part of the struggle is applying external pressure on the Israeli government; international advocacy helps us get there.

I will be in Vienna, Austria tomorrow, and for the following 3 days, to work on just that. The Euro Med Human Rights Network's 'Working Group on Palestine/Israel', on whose Steering Committee the Arab HRA sits, will be meeting to talk about the European Neighbourhood Policy, the Barcelona Process and general advocacy strategies for Occupied Palestine and Israel.

Look, if they don't listen to us, maybe they'll listen to those that can prospectively make them richer. Maybe they'll listen to those that they aspire to be, the Europeans.

Anyway, details on the meeting to follow.
Must get to packing.
Leaving shortly.
Very.
Short.
Notice.

And in the words of Lascelles, my Jamaican/ Torontonian/ photographingmanofwisdomwithmanywordsofintellect, Keep the faith, the beat goes on...

Quotes from the West Bank

Two weeks ago I was in Bethlehem. In the West Bank.

There are stories of border crossings, the current status of Palestinian civil society, and why the Palestinian women I've met are not what I expected (not a bad thing). But I'll postpone those stories for tomorrow.

Today I'll leave you with quotes. Quotes from the two conferences I attended. Also in attendance were European funders and advocacy groups, Palestinian and Israeli NGOs, and words spoken but till date not understood...

"If you dig a hole with a needle, you make a packet, then you take a spoon, then you take a shovel..."

He then adds, "They are from us who is doing it yknow, they are not from them."

This from the moderator, "It’s kind of like an active forum. It’s kind of like a weird animal."

"Mohammed, let’s go step by step. I’m really feeling like, yknow, a car turning round and round in a playground..."

"Mohammed, Laila... wait! Everything is missing… I’m not bullshitting myself, neither you guys here yknow… I explained yesterday, working on the Israelis and not with the Israelis… Mohammed you are really trying to put make-up on the face of the thing… This is the normalisation terms that we used and we ate shit!"

This is an open call to all translators; we're west-banking on you.

Lubna Azabal

This post goes out to young, talented female actors world-over; and is especially directed to Belgian artists of Moroccan origin.

Belgian artists of Moroccan origin that exhibit soul in their step and breathe character in their smile.

I had the pleasure of meeting, albeit briefly, Lubna Azabal of Paradise Now / Exils / Viva Laldjérie - fame. She's in Nasereh for the French Cultural Centre's 1ère édition du Festival du Film Français de Nazareth.

I'm not sure how much of her spirit you can feel through the inserted photos, but I'll throw them in anyway because they're easy on the eyes.

Veo aspectos de las actrices de mi vida personal - Brooke, Jimagua, Zuzia - en ella