It has been seven months since Israel and the United States have been massacring Palestinians in Gaza. At the same time Israel has been maintaining its occupation in the West Bank and expanding its settlements there. As a matter of fact on March 22, 2024 Bezalel Smotrich, Israel’s current finance minister announced that they have seized about 3.8 square miles of Palestinian territory in the West Bank. This land seizure by Israel is the largest one since the 1993 Oslo accords, according to a settlement watchdog group called Peace Now.
Thoughts on the U.S. and Israel’s Settler Colonialist Project in the Levant
I’m Lebanese-Syrian. I was born in Beirut, Lebanon in 1980. My mother is Syrian and my father is Lebanese. My family and I have lived through and survived Israel’s war on Lebanon, and the Lebanese civil war, not to mention the wars on and in Syria. I would like to say that I’m no stranger to the politics in my two countries and that whole region, but with how much history there is I always felt like I didn’t know enough.
I grew up in Burj-al-Barajneh, a refugee camp that was set up for Palestinians who were driven out of Palestine by Israel. Palestinians are like family to me, there isn’t much distinction, we lived and grew up together. And though I have never been to Palestine, my love for it is born from the love for my Palestinian friends and family. I unequivocally stand in solidarity with them.
Allies and Accomplices: What’s the Difference and What’s at Stake?
A few years back I remember coming across the term “Ally” in the realm of anti-racism work, specifically as one that is extended to White people from people in the BIPOC community, but also from the LGBTQ+ community to all people.
It wasn’t long after that I began to read pieces from different people and sources in the BIPOC community who were critical of the term and its meaning. It didn’t take me very long to start to see the shortcomings of the term “Ally”, and why many BIPOC activists championed the term “Accomplice”.
“I would (insert hyperbole) for you”
How often do we hear people saying some over the top thing they would do to prove their love or commitment or whatever, towards someone else? I’ve heard people say things like “I would die for you”, “I would jump in front of a car for you”, “I would take a bullet…”, “I would fight anyone…”, “I would do whatever it takes…”. All this said in an effort to show the extremes that someone would go to show how much they care. But do they…?
Should any country have “A Right to Exist”?
Without getting too lost in the details of what is a “country” and the philosophy around “Rights” and “Existence”, I want to talk about the means through which countries come to exist. Specifically, countries that are born through genocide, ethnic cleansing, forceful land seizure, theft and illegal settlements. Even more specifically, countries like Israel, Canada, the United States and Britain.
Those countries came about through two main factors: 1- Imperialism, the creation of an empire by conquering another peoples’ lands, usually through military force. 2- Colonialism, building on and preserving the conquered lands and resources by a foreign people, as well as imposing their own practices, attitudes and way of life on the native population. Colonialism also includes the annihilation and displacement of the native population by the invading population.
Thesis, Antithesis, Synthesis…And Hope
Staying hopeful in the face of the overwhelming death and destruction that the U.S. and Israel have brought upon the Palestinians has been a challenge for many of us. In Particular for Palestinians and Arabs in the diaspora who were born into and have followed this for our entire lives.
Speaking for myself and other Arab friends and family, we have also lived it through the eyes and lives of our parents and our grandparents. We remember them talking about the war and the displacement of Palestinians from the occupied territories. We have also lived it through the eyes of Arab scholars, historians and political scientists.
“Arabs need to stop fighting with eachother”
I was recently talking with a close Arab friend of mine, who is also Lebanese Syrian, about the atrocities being committed by Israel against the Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank. Among the different things we discussed, he mentioned something that didn’t sit well at all with me. He said
“The Arab people need to stop fighting amongst each other. They need to learn how to band together.”
When I asked him to clarify what he meant by this, he gave me the example of what amounts to different religious groups fighting and bickering over difference. Fights between Sunni and Shiia Muslims, between Muslims and Catholics, Christians, between Arabs from different countries etc.
October 7, 2023, An Intifada During a Nakba
That was the day the world heard of the Hamas resistance fighters breaching Israel’s apartheid wall, and wrecked some havoc on, what was once, Palestinian land
News immediately came out that “Hamas invaded Israel from Gazza, attacking people partying at a rave. They killed innocent civilians, beheaded 40 babies, and raped both men and women. They also burned people alive and took hostages”. Right…suffice to say that every single one of those claims was later shown to be either false or unsupported. But that didn’t matter. The fear had been stoked. I immediately knew of what was going to follow. Israel was going to unleash hell on the Palestinians of Gazza.
Anti Doping? More Like Anti-Black
We have a book at our house, called “Race Cars” that we read to our 4 year old Firas. The story is about a black race car and a white race car who love to race. The two cars, Chase and Ace, are best friends, and want to have fun and succeed together. Historically, only white cars have placed in the top 3. Until one day, Chase won the race and Ace came third place. The organizers of the “Race Car Race”, who are all white cars, did not like this. So every following year they began to introduce more rules. These rules made the race more difficult for any car that wasn’t white. Signs telling Black and coloured cars to take longer detours. Signs preventing Black and coloured cars from using shortcuts, but allowing white cars to do so. And having police stop and interrogate Black and coloured cars.
Distraction, Procrastination, And Technology
We live in a time where we are saturated with instant gratification. Many of us can have anything we want and need delivered to our doorstep in a matter of hours or days at the most. Coupled with high stress from daily life, work, family, pandemic, and we have a recipe for dropping out. And what better and more convenient way than with near infinite access to technology. As long as you can pay for it of course.
From video games, streaming shows and movies, to online shopping, there is no shortage of ways to be distracted. Technology makes it so much easier too.