Munther Fahmi
Today we received the email below from Munther Fahmi, the 57-year-old bookseller born in Jerusalem but stripped of his residency and threatened with deportation. We helped out Fahmi’s petition drive last spring. So now Fahmi gets to stay in the city he was born in. We celebrate, but cannot help noting the savagery latent in this note.
My dear friends and supporters,
I am thrilled to announce that the Government of Israel has accepted the Israeli Supreme Court recommendation that my residency be reinstated. I have been granted 2 years’ residence on the basis of a Jerusalem Identity Card, and pending good behavior, shall receive permanent residence thereafter.
I am deeply indebted to all of you and extremely grateful for your kind support during this year of particular uncertainty. There is still much work to be done for resolution in line with international law for the 130,000+ Palestinians whose residency has been revoked by the Government of Israel.
With Best Wishes,
Munther Fahmi
The Bookshop at The American Colony Hotel
“pending good behavior”
ie
– Singing Hatikva to each customer
– Providing a JNF donation box instead of a cash register
– Removing all books that do not comply with the Zionist narrative
– changing his name to Shlomo
If Israelis had the same patronising, contemptuous terms they would all have been expelled years ago. What do Israelis know about ‘good behaviour’ after what they put people like this through, people who were there long before them, and have done nothing except the outrageous crime of existing and being born to the wrong parents? I wouldn’t be surprised at all if they mysteriously find examples of ‘bad behaviour’ (existing, selling books?) not long before the end of the two years, and once the media spotlight has moved on. I hope not, but it would be in keeping with their Kafka-esque laws.
“and pending good behavior” Which would mean what. Shut up, roll over and bark?
Phil Andrea Mitchell provided open space on her program yesterday for Israel’s twisted views on Iran. She continues to help build the stage for an attack.
This past week Matthews brought Adelson, Israel several times.
Imagine the US being invaded by Bulgaria and occupied for over 40 years and New Yorkers being told they could only stay in New York if they were loyal to the Bulgarian parliament. That is colonialism. The Navajo can explain it.
Pending good behavior = Arbeit macht frei?