Wonderland
I talk to my parents on an almost daily basis via Skype. Ordinarily, this event would not be noteworthy. And usually, neither are our converations. But they being in Gaza, and I here in the U.S…gives things a different spin. I sometimes sit and reflect on the absurdity of it all.
We speak normally. Of course in teh back of my mind is the fact that it is impossible for me to go there and see them, having tried and failed twice, although I like them am a resident of Gaza. And the fact that they have been unable to depart Gaza to see me.
Our conversations almost always start with “any news about the border?”. And usually, there isn’t. If there is, its a rumor “everyone is insisting this weekend, but nothing confirmed”. And “this weekend” come and goes with the rumor falling flat. And the one time there was “real news”, when the border did open for 3 days, they were unable to get out. They have registered to leave Gaza and come visit us here for over 3 months now, to no avail.
“Real news”- what’s real anymore when it comes to Palestine? I have always said Gaza resembles Alice’s wonderland. And now more than ever. It is led by a government elected fairly, but which no one outside of Gaza recognizes-but which manages the day to day affairs of the residents there in any case, down to daily updates on the Ministry of the Interior’s website about whether the border is open or not and when and where to get your ticket and bus numbers if you’ve registered to travel.
Its a place who’s own resident can no longer access (like myself). Where “space” has a different meaning altogether- where air and sea and land are off limits; and so like ants, they burrow below the ground to create an alternate lifeline; an alternate reality- like Gaza altogether.
It is not its own country nor state nor sovereign territory. It is just sort of suspended-in time, space…
And then of course there’s the occupied West Bank, the base of the “Palestinian authority”- who’s so-called president rules in a term that’s long expired-just like the Accord its based on, but whose authority is recognized as legitimate (solely legitimate), the reverse situation of Gaza.
Make sense? Welcome to Wonderland.
07/28/2009 at 2:55 am
What makes sense is, since the rejection of the UN partition, the refusal to accept the existence of Israel, and the constant attempts to eliminate the “zionist entity” from the Middle East, and the failure of the above at every attempt, that the Palestinians are a people who never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity.
Your last opportunity was the Taba proposal in 2001 where Barak offered Arafat everything he wanted, including a Palestinian Capital in East Jerusalem, on the condition that the Palestinians declare an end to the conflict. The result – intifadah 2.
It is not Alice’s Wonderland. It is the inability of the Arab people to accept the existence of Israel. It is the unbridled hatred fed to the Palestinian children in their mother’s milk. It is the inability to join the 21st century and build a country, because the true desire is not to build Palestine, but rather destroy Israel (explicitly stated in both the Hamas and PLO charters)
07/28/2009 at 5:02 pm
This is a truley sad state of affairs. I have an elderly grandmother in Gaza whom I’m almost certain I will never see before her time is up, and yet, none of this matters because of international perception of what is and what isn’t the truth on the ground in Gaza. Thank you for the street view of the situation.
Larry would be benefitted by reading the results of the Taba negotiations. Your definition of “everything he wanted” must differ greatly from mine, as the Israeli demands in that proposal wrap up the Palestinian people in a nice compact nutshell positioned conveniently under an Israeli boot. This is in addition to attempting to retain settlements built on occupied land. You do not negotiate for less than what you are due, and the future state of Palestine is due the land that those settlements are built on. No people in their right mind would accept a proposal that creates an existence of subservience and deference to a foreign power. If Israel was willing to give up everything that Arafat wanted, they would very excitedly gobble up the Arab Peace Initiative that has been around for so long. If you take the time to read the API, Larry, on your way back from reading the Taba proposal, I’m sure you’ll see that the idea of Israel has been accepted by the Arab league. What is not accepted is the creation of an official Palestinian ghetto that defers to Israel on all sovereign rights, not to metnion the eleventh hour Israeli land grabbing in an attempt to maximize Israel’s land mass.
07/28/2009 at 7:34 pm
Ahmed,
Thank you for your thoughtful response. I base my assessment of what occurred at Taba on transcripts of interviews with Dennis Ross, who, along with many of the Palestinian delegates felt this was the best deal they would ever get. For example see http://www.tomgrossmedia.com/mideastdispatches/archives/000555.html
although there are multiple similar sites with identical information.
Personally, I am against an Israeli land grab, and I do believe internal Israeli policies have lead to this. I also believe that if the Palestinians wanted a state of their own, the guiding light at this point should be first and foremost disarm, accept Israel as a Jewish state (which Abbas has specifically refused to do, although he recognizes the existence of Israel), and then negotiate borders and terms. As Hamas stands today, this will not happen.
I view the API as a positive step, but there needs to be some modest modification. The reliance on 1967 borders is a non starter for the moment. First there were no borders in 1967, just an armistice line. Related to that, the unfortunate land grab has led to facts on the ground that need to be recognized and dealt with. I think the Golan Heights is a very tricky and very emotional question that, although Israel has said is open for discussion, in the long run will be difficult to implement.
Ultimately, let us look at the long term benefits for all parties. Israel has built a vibrant nation with advanced technologies all the while spending huge sums of money for defense. Once Israel feels secure, those resources become available for the betterment of all in the area. The Arab world, lacking in much of the advanced technology, stands to benefit economically and technologically from joint ventures with Israel.
Until all parties look forward to the benefits, rather than backwards at the catastrophes, there will be no progress.
08/12/2009 at 12:57 am
Great text. Hope you can walk through the border problem. I think that unfortunately we can’t do much more than hoping that the border opens… I wish you the best, good luck!
02/06/2010 at 9:54 pm
I tried to make an argument like this one time, but I did not get a particularly good response. I’m hoping your writing on this subject turns out better than mine did. Keep up the good work.
04/23/2010 at 1:08 pm
Although I am not Palestinian, nor Jewish, nor Christian: I am continually and utterly appalled DAILY on the state of things in occuppied Gaza. I don’t know why I am affected so much. No one understands it and frankly I wonder myself sometimes. I guess it’s a general sense of human empathy for a people whom it looks like there is no end in sight to their 62 years plight at the hands of some of the most evil people in the world, the Zionist. No one in their right mind would blame the ordinary Jew; but the regime that rules Israel is in blatant violation of human rights. What with organ trafficking and killing innocent civillians, one has to wonder if our Palestinian brothers and sisters will make it out of the worst holocaust in recorded history. Even though many say that Israel is defending itself: it is completely insane. 1300 Palestinians for 13 Israeli deaths, and some of which were friendly fire. Why don’t we go on a rampage and kill all the animals and babies on the planet? They are about as defenseless as those in Gaza. It makes me mad on so many levels. To think that human beings are capable of such horror, boggles my mind.
If I ever would pray, it would be for the liberation of the Palestinans and the subsequent annihilation of the Zionist regime. It is my wish.