by Iman Najjar-Annab
Dear on-the-fence-about-the-Occupation, two-state-solution Israeli,
Please stop posting warm fuzzy photos and articles that show moments of kindness between Israelis and “Arabs”. Please, do not post that Belgian postage stamp showing the beginning of a bad joke, a priest a rabbi and an imam. Please stop pontificating about Arab/Muslim extremism being the root of the Arab-Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
Please do not laud Yitzhak Rabin as a good man who would have achieved peace had he not been assassinated. He was a murderer and signed the removal and dispossession of over 700,000 Palestinians and the death warrant of hundreds.
Please do not talk about Palestinian leadership being weak because those in power now do not represent us. Our young lions, men and women both, are either behind bars or on the streets risking death so others may have a chance at a dignified life. They resist with stones against the fourth most powerful army in the world with little hope.
Do not. DO NOT. Do not talk about dialogue with the Palestinians. We have nothing to negotiate with. We live under the boot.
Do not. Please, for the love of God, do not say that Arabs have 22 countries and Jews have just one. You insult me and millions of others when you reduce our diversity to “Arab”. From Syria to Morocco to Sudan we are all different, our spoken Arabic is different, dialects and vocabulary, cultures and customs as diverse as the universe. We are also Jews, Christians, Muslims, Agnostics and Atheists.
Would you ever ask a Brazilian to move to Argentina because they are anyway all Latin American?
What stands in the way of peace is the Occupation and your clinging to the racist idea of a state for Jews. Israel is a colonial project no less violent than any other because violence is the very fabric of colonial projects.
Palestinians are kind people and you will most often encounter kindness. I would like to believe the average Israeli is kind too.
But kindness and postage stamps are not enough.
For real change its time to put the IDEA of a Jewish state down, humanely, and opt for a pluralistic, secular democracy based on human rights for all inhabitants of historic Palestine, including you if you wish to be part of such a society.
Please do not say that Israel today is just that, a secular democracy. It isn’t. It is a Judeo-supremacy. Please do not say Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East because it has much work to do.
Please do not say that Israel is a beacon of light amongst oppressive “Arab” states. Israel is just as oppressive against Palestinians. If you cannot acknowledge this, it means you are still on the fence about human rights and you need to get off on the right side of history.
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About the author
Iman Najjar-Annab a second generation Palestinian in exile, was born in London and lived most of her life in Europe and the Middle East. She is a professional researcher interested in community engagement and an activist for Palestinian human rights in the Occupied Territories. Iman is currently based in Toronto where she is completing an M.Ed in Social Justice Education. She hopes to return to Palestine to educate young people on matters of social justice.