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Total number of comments: 835 (since 2009-07-30 01:58:29)

Today in Palestine

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  • Israel demonstrates sovereignty over occupied territories by stamping passports of West Bank visitors 'Judea and Samaria only'
  • If only it was just one tweet: One activist's experience in the 'Our Land' Facebook group
    • Today in Palestine October 19, 2012 at 7:58 pm

      "Tell that to the families of Tom Hurndall, Furquan Durgan and Rachel Corrie, who paid the ultimate sacrifice."

      It's a crime that those honorable martyrs died, their courage will never be forgotten by any Palestinian. I'm not sure why you bring them up though as this does not change what I originally said about internationals not being the ones dying in the 10s of 1000s, getting their homes bulldozed and their children kidnapped and tortured in Israeli interrogation centers. Please, spare the knee jerk emotional responses and lets stick to the facts.

      "Fortunately, your attitude isn’t shared by the Palestinian activists I met in the West Bank, who expressed nothing but gratitude to have the support of the internationals and welcomed us into their communities and homes. Those are the people I’ll remember as I continue to engage in Palestine solidarity work."

      I never said Palestinians weren't/aren't grateful, let me repeat: internationals do not have any right to dictate our movement to us.

    • Today in Palestine October 19, 2012 at 7:46 pm

      - What you call stinging criticism is actually just a reaction to the comments being made about "Palestinians on a witch hunt to get Greta."

      - Personally, I don't care what any individual thinks about anything at all, but if you run social media PUBLICLY to advocate for the Palestinian cause and then moronically tweet videos claiming that Jews are responsible for the holocaust then you should be ready for the backlash from anyone and everyone that gives a crap about the Palestinian cause.

      - Palestinians that want to clarify that the majority of us deplore the videos and that Greta's explanations don't sit well with us are not the enemies. Greta's defenders have been from the beginning reacting as though Palestinians are to blame since this entire fiasco broke out. Now it seems that her fans are rewriting history of how this all got started while willfully ignoring what the facts are. Her explanation may resonate with you, but not for everyone and to expect that Palestinians not speak out against this is shocking. Anyone foolhardy enough to suggest that Palestinians are simply obeying their Zionist masters for demanding accountability can hardly be described as a friend of the Palestinians. I wonder how any of you would react if a group promoting equality and justice in the U.S. tweeted an article about Africans being responsible for slavery. Or an article that said blacks actually lynched themselves. I wonder if you would demand that African-Americans publicly defend the offenders the way you expect Palestinians to line up behind Greta when no real explanation has yet to be offered?

      - I am incredibly disappointed in the reactions from a lot of Mondoweiss readers, the fear that some of you have to confront anti-semitism (again, I have not called her that but I also did not see per Bekah's post that she was very angered by it). Confronting anti-semitism does not weaken our fight against Zionism or apartheid Israel.

      - There's a lot of racism (anti-Arab) in the responses from a lot of the folks here, it's obvious that many don't recognize it because I think I may be the only one that has repeatedly pointed it out but white people just have zero business telling people of color how to conduct their struggles and how to drive them. I'm sorry if this hurts your feelings but I am not attacking you as people, I am just saying, you have absolutely no right to tell us how to conduct our struggle and to make demands of who we expect accountability from.

      - Palestinians not happy with what Greta did and the explanations she offered are being condescended to and outright told they are ingrates and not deserving of solidarity if this is the attitude we will have. For me, as someone who identifies as a person of color I can't help to see a lot of so called solidarity activists using their privilege (in most cases white) to tell the natives how to conduct themselves.

      - Anyone is welcome to join Palestinians in Palestine and stand in solidarity with them. Many Palestinians are very grateful for the assistance they get from internationals which allows them to do basic things like walk their children to school or harvest their olives, but doing those things does not allow you the privilege to chastise Palestinians when they don't do what you want them to do. Nor does it give you the privilege to dictate what Palestinian resistance should or should not look like. Do not speak for us we have a voice and we are using it.

    • Today in Palestine October 19, 2012 at 12:10 pm

      Sean,

      That’s fine with me and a lot of other Palestinians. We are not looking for support from people with gargantuan egos who are unwilling to listen to what we say and from people who think they know better what direction our movement should move in. We certainly don’t want the direction of our movement dictated by anyone especially from Westerners. Internationals are welcome to join us but they can’t be at the forefront of our cause and they must know when to take a backseat to any general Palestinian consensus. This is not your movement, I repeat: this is not your movement. You are not under occupation, you are not dying in the tens of thousands and your homes are not being bulldozed, your children are not being arrested at 3am and dragged to Israeli dungeons where they are tortured and interrogated. You have zero right to dictate to us what our positions should or should not be. Just like I have no right to tell any other people how they should conduct themselves. If you think you are going to make me feel bad by telling me that I am losing support from people who don’t like my “narrow views” you are sadly mistaken, it’s high time that people that aren't invested in this cause for the RIGHT reasons high tail it out of our movement and find another hobby. I am OK with zero support from the West, I don’t think that Palestine will be liberated tomorrow or the day after and I think right now we are witnessing a revival and renewal in Palestinian activism. I do not think that the fate of Palestinians is tied to whether we have support from the West or not AT ALL. When Hezbollah managed to rid itself of Israeli occupation not once but twice it did so without the support and solidarity of Westerners, and they were very successful.

    • Today in Palestine October 19, 2012 at 11:51 am

      "Additionally, I find your emphasis on identifying and combating anti-Semitism most interesting. I would have thought that you would be more concerned with breaking the siege of Gaza and less critical of those who are attempting to do so."

      I don't think that any Palestinian that is currently speaking out about this whole Greta situation thinks that their job is to "identify" anti-semitism. This is a reaction to a series of events that happened publicly on social media under twitter and facebook identified as Palestinian solidarity accounts. Had she not been careless in her tweeting, facebooking and explanations then Palestinians certainly wouldn't have been dragged into this mess.

    • Today in Palestine October 19, 2012 at 11:40 am with 2 replies

      TGIA, I'm not going to cut Greta slack on her "ayatollah" and "fatwa" comments. If Fox news used this same terminology you would be horrified and you would claim it was Islamophobia. After the first incident where she accused him of issuing fatwas, Ali registered his resentment directly to Greta via twitter. The fact that someone of Muslim background specifically brought this up to her did not deter her from then following up and making the second ayatollah comment. At the very least her indifference in how she labels Arabs and or Muslims who have stated they are not happy with these terms being levied against them should be a red flag for anyone. The fact that she simply doesn't care that Arabs/Muslims don't want to be accused of issuing fatwas and or being called ayatollahs does nothing but continue to make us even more suspicious of her. Like you, I consider myself an Atheist, but I do not take kindly to Westerners that are quick to use this type of language.

    • Today in Palestine October 19, 2012 at 11:21 am

      "What if, for example, supporters look at how Greta is being treated (along with Wright) and say, “Eff this! I’ve got better things to do than waste my time fighting for causes and people who’ll toss me under the bus as soon as a hasbarist snaps his/her finger.”?"

      If internationals can't accept criticism and accountability from Palestinians that they claim to be advocating for then they truly don't have a place in our movement. And again, it is absolutely condescending and racist to assume that Palestinians took a position against Greta because they are being manipulated by Zionists. The fact that you can't understand how frustrating the Palestinian reaction has been to Zionists speaks volumes about your understanding of how hasbarists work.

    • Today in Palestine October 19, 2012 at 11:13 am

      @N49
      You may not be asking me to keep quiet but those in your camp (those that feel that Greta should face zero accountability) have not stopped attacking Palestinians for voicing their opinions. As far as Greta is concerned, I repeat: She tweeted something claiming Jews were responsible for the holocaust, when asked for clarification she said it was a mistake and meant to be posted in an on-going conversation about racism, that on-going conversation it turns never existed. After repeated requests for clarification were met with “I said it was a mistake and got posted here on accident” I think that the Palestinians are well within their rights to say, “mistake or not this woman’s answers are not adding up and we have the right to condemn her.”

    • Today in Palestine October 19, 2012 at 11:05 am

      Cliff, it’s absurd to say that diaspora Palestinians don’t represent the general Palestinian populace. I’ve never said that the sky was falling and have from the very beginning expressed my joy that Palestinians have condemned Greta. Whether it was a mistake, in which case she should have immediately clarified by showing us the conversation that took place for context (which it turned out there was never any conversation that took place to contextualize) or whether she is herself anti-semitic (or just tolerates it like we saw in Bekah’s post) the Palestinian cause demands people who are impeccable in publicly representing us. Unlike others who think the sky is falling I actually think this is a great moment in the Palestinian movement—where we are actually voicing our own opinions despite what internationals think. The fact that you are so dismissive of actual Palestinian voices and go as far to say that we aren’t representative of our own people while at the same time defending Greta and her mistakes or faults speaks volumes Cliff, I am going to try not to respond to you anymore because I refuse to go around in circles with someone who is not even Palestinian but wants to determine who are real Palestinians are who are not. You’re just being silly.

    • Today in Palestine October 18, 2012 at 10:47 pm

      NorthOfFortyNine,

      I won't keep quiet about anything that is harmful to my cause. Which elected officials are you talking about? Do you think that the proxy Zionist Palestinian Authority represents me? Or Barack Drone Obama? It's a shame, I didn't follow the comments section here closely enough to realize how many non-Palestinians on this website are comfortable publicly telling Palestinians to shut up because they know what's best. You just don't get any of this on a very basic level: we Palestinians have the right to choose SELECTIVELY who represents us. We do not need to accept any "pro-Palestinian" voice into this movement simply because you guys want us to. Do you also go to African-American communities and enforce your opinions on them? Your privilege is that you think people (who happen to be white) can do or say whatever it is they want and that the we (the Palestinians) should be accepting and OK with any of that regardless of how damaging it is to our cause. Absolutely not. Which each comment that I read here I am more happy that this discussion is finally taking place and openly. We Palestinians are not desperate enough for "help" that we will take it from people who are careless (note that I still didn't call Greta anti-semitic) or people that condescend to us. Finally, I have not seen anyone from the Greta Berlin fan club say one word about the "ayatollah" and "fatwa" comments. If Greta is not a racist then why the hell don't one of you pull her aside and tell her that she keeps shoving her foot deep down her own throat?

    • Today in Palestine October 18, 2012 at 10:36 pm

      Breaking the siege of Gaza and the liberation of Palestine is actually the only thing that's important to me, this circus act caused by Greta and her fan club which refuse to take any real responsibility and ownership over any of her behavior are both a distraction and important reminder that we Palestinians must take ownership of our cause from internationals who claim to speak in our name. Here's a list of 122 other Palestinians that agree with me link to electronicintifada.net And, I am fairly certain that if more Palestinians were made aware of the Islamophobic comments made by this woman who is claiming to speak on behalf of Palestinians (the majority being Muslim) that this list would grow dramatically, overnight. But, hopefully, that's enough to satisfy your curiosity over whether I know anything about what Palestinians think or not. I do not represent all Palestinians but I am a Palestinian voice and I'm sorry if it bothers you but as a Palestinian my opinions on what direction I want to see our movement go in carries more weight than yours.

    • Today in Palestine October 18, 2012 at 8:10 pm

      I never assumed any paid or unpaid position as spokesperson for the Palestinian cause, we are made up of many different voices: Muslim, Christian, Atheist and secular. Not one person can assume role of spokesperson for our cause--or any cause for that matter. But, if you are asking if my opinions on Palestine as a Palestinian carry more weight than a non-Palestinian, then yes, the answer is yes. If you disagree please tell me why and how a non-Palestinian opinion on Palestine is more important than mine.

    • Today in Palestine October 18, 2012 at 6:15 pm with 10 replies

      Jesus these comments and this whole Greta/Ofer fiasco has been a real eye-opener for me.

      1. Thrilled that Palestinians are reclaiming our struggle from those that seek to represent us and speak on our behalf.

      2. Shocked by the narcissism of those that think Palestinians owe them loyalty for their activism.

      3. Seems that those scolding Palestinians are the ones I feel are displaying most anti-semitism. I criticize Zionism, Israel, Israelis (every single one that willfully lives on stolen Palestinian land) but when you start wanting to dissect Judaism or wondering why you can't criticize Jews how is that not as disgusting as when people want to equate Wahhabis, Salafis and the House of Saud with Islam? Or child molesting Catholic priests with Catholicism?

      4. Pretending that you know better than Palestinians about what is right or wrong for the Palestinian struggle is racist.

      5. If you want to do something good in this world do it without expecting anything in return, not even a "thanks." I buy sandwiches for homeless people all the time and I walk away quickly so that they don't feel obligated to thank me. One of the things about Islam that I appreciate is that Muslims are obligated to do good deeds and not talk about them so maybe the activists that want to support the overwhelmingly Muslim Palestinians could learn a thing or two from them about being humble from them.

      6. I am a big fan of Woody Tanaka's comments.

    • Today in Palestine October 18, 2012 at 12:32 pm with 22 replies

      I find it extremely condescending and just a little racist to assume that Palestinians are only doing this to please their Zionist masters (that's what you are basically saying). Please, enough with this arrogant and condescending attitude from people who claim to support us. This is really not that hard to understand. There was a woman, she was not Palestinian, she is sketchy, we view that a threat to our movement, we want to make sure the world knows we don't endorse or support her sketchy behavior. End of story. Not hard to understand.

    • Today in Palestine October 18, 2012 at 12:18 pm with 14 replies

      It's incredible that none of the Greta fan club grasp that Palestinians themselves have ensured that there is no damage caused by this fiasco by forcefully and tenaciously speaking out against racism, anti-semitism and holocaust denial.

      Piano teacher, I respect and admire all the work that you have done and for your participating in breaking the siege on Gaza but I am bewildered by you and others that think like you that say we are making too much of a big deal out of "nothing."

      Do you people not realize the scrutiny that our movement is subjected to? Do you not understand that this has nothing to do with bending over backwards to please "the lobby" but that the hard work that Ali and others have done to distance our cause from racists or apologists is actually what is the real thorn in the side of Zionists because they wished to discredit us via the actions of people like Greta?

      I don't want to get into any philosophical questions about what truly makes an anti-semite, the fact is that Greta is responsible for this current sh*t storm and it is up to Palestinians (and others like Bekah) to clean up her mess. I understand that Greta has done good work in the past but that does not give her carte blanche to discredit our movement by associating our cause with unsavory characters online.

      At the end of the day you have to ask yourself/selves what is more important to you: loyalty to one person that has made repeated mistakes and repeatedly made Islamophobic comments or the bigger cause which is Palestine? No one is asking you to put Greta on trial or distance yourself from her as a person but stop these hysterics against Palestinians because we don't want her representing us.

  • Free Gaza's Col. Ann Wright disinvited from Swedish Boat to Gaza
    • Today in Palestine October 16, 2012 at 12:08 pm with 5 replies

      Great comment Bruce.

    • Today in Palestine October 16, 2012 at 10:32 am

      Hi. I'm not going to accuse Greta of being an anti-semite but it would really behoove all of her friends to pull her aside and have a serious talk to her about the responsibility she needs to show as a Palestinian solidarity activist. Her tweets on the free gaza twitter feed and on her Facebook page have been incredibly inflammatory and she uses the language of the neocons against Palestinian activists who dare criticize her carelessness and question her intentions and motives (which is our right and responsibility as Palestinian activists to scrutinize anyone that wants to be a part of our cause). Not only did she accuse Ali Abunimah of issuing fatwas but she also called him Ali Ayatollah. These things are happening publicly on social media, so perhaps her first tweet was a mistake? What's the excuse for the second tweet? And for the Facebook posting? Are those also mistakes? She, and a lot of her supporters seem to have lost sight of who they are supposed to be expressing solidarity for and instead of attacking and criticizing Palestinian activists for not showing loyalty to Greta and her mistakes you can take a moment to explain to her the importance of scrutinizing her every word both verbal and written while she is "on the clock" for Palestine. Finally, though I am not Muslim I find her disgusting ayatollah and fatwa comments to be not funny and enough for her to lose all credibility as far I am concerned. Those that are disrespectful to our activists (who are doing their jobs by making sure that the Palestinians do not lose credibility based on the carelessness of international activists) have no room in our movement and should not be speaking on our behalf, she needs to check her white privilege and quickly.

      As far as Ann is concerned, this is unfortunate and I don't place the blame on the "hysteria" of the movement but rather this proves how lackluster the response from FGM has been.

      Signed,
      A Palestinian that doesn't have the privilege or desire to be publicly careless when it comes to the holocaust.

  • Free Gaza Movement Twitter controversy leads Jewish Voice for Peace to distance itself from group
    • Today in Palestine October 8, 2012 at 9:49 pm with 1 replies

      You need to get over yourselves as individual activists. I thought the focus of this solidarity work was Palestinians and in this particular case those under a brutal blockade in Gaza. Nothing that Greta has said thus far has turned out to be accurate, whether this is a careless mistake or not the Palestinian cause and the people of Gaza cannot afford such careless mistakes and sloppy cover-ups from activists claiming to speak for us. This is not about Greta Berlin, this is about the damage that Greta does to our cause and the absolute stupidity for FGM to stand behind this woman while everyone else sees their ship sinking, literally. And there are some of us who don't have a lot of money yet have donated to FGM, repeatedly. I want to know that I am sending my money to people that show a bit more intelligence and diligence with the work they are doing.

  • Fatah youth chant against Fayyad, they're met with chants against Abbas
    • Today in Palestine September 12, 2012 at 10:49 am

      Annie, it's a reference to the Paris Protocols which are part of the reason why Palestinians are in this mess.

  • Killed by Syrian government -- but young filmmaker had focused on Israel
    • Today in Palestine June 1, 2012 at 10:32 am

      "It's based on interviews he did with a boy who survived war between Israel and the Lebanese group Hezbollah in 2006."

      Beautiful. But I must quibble with that sentence, it was a war by Israel against the people of Southern Lebanon.

  • 9th grade Palestinian boy arrested at 3:45 am, soldier leans close and whispers 'F*ck your mother' as they haul him off
    • Today in Palestine May 31, 2012 at 2:31 pm

      Yeah, I don't expect anyone to take it all in. I'm just record keeping...

    • Today in Palestine May 31, 2012 at 1:34 pm with 6 replies

      I thought about using that excerpt Annie, it's hard to figure out what will move people anymore, I feel like no matter how scandalous Israel's behavior is no one is shocked by anything anymore, not even the Palestinian victims.

    • Today in Palestine May 31, 2012 at 1:00 pm with 9 replies

      I think I am completely desensitized now.

  • Day after pogroms, Likud MK calls for internment camp for African refugees
  • Video: Israeli mob demands all African refugees be deported from the country (and anyone who disagrees deserves to be raped)
  • Green Party candidate for President calls for end to Israeli apartheid
  • Nakba 64 years later, we will never forget
  • Activists block entrance to Ma’ale Adumim settlement in solidarity with Palestinian hunger strike
    • Today in Palestine May 14, 2012 at 10:46 am with 1 replies

      I'm watching this video over and over and I am dying. I am just dying. Khader Adnan will go into our history books for awakening the Palestinian masses. I am sure of that.

  • Israeli officer threatens to rape Palestinian activists in custody (if this happened in Syria it would be headline news)
    • Today in Palestine May 14, 2012 at 12:44 am

      Annie, in retrospect, I regret the headline I chose. It wasn't my intention to minimize or deflect from what happened to Syrian women, only to take a shot at the mainstream media in this country but I added nothing of value by inserting the line about Syria... ana asifa.

  • RIP MCA: Yauch challenged Islamophobia and US militarism in the Middle East on MTV in 1998
    • Today in Palestine May 4, 2012 at 4:35 pm

      I know Zionists like to brag about the chosen people's contributions to the universe, but, I think you had your shining moment with the Beastie Boys.

    • Today in Palestine May 4, 2012 at 4:33 pm

      Listening to my Beastie Boys play list now, License to Ill will always be my favorite.

      link to youtube.com

  • To counter the injustice of Israeli impunity, remember the Samouni family
    • Today in Palestine May 1, 2012 at 7:59 pm

      What did we expect? That an occupying apartheid machine that wantonly massacres civilians at will would find itself guilty of war crimes? The biggest mistake we commit is to expect any semblance of justice from the Zionist entity, it does not thrive from being just.

  • Video: #Flagwoman protester raises Palestinian flag on Israeli military vehicle outside Ofer prison
    • Today in Palestine May 1, 2012 at 7:47 pm with 1 replies

      The girl getting pepper sprayed in the face is Linah Alsaafin, a journalist that has contributed to this site, Al Akhbar and Electronic Intifada. The strength that she and her younger sister show in the face of watching Israeli thugs beat, maim and kill their friends and acquaintances is inspiring, they symbolize Palestine to me.

  • Major olive producing village ordered to uproot 1,400 trees by May 1
    • Today in Palestine May 1, 2012 at 7:54 pm

      I wonder when Zionists will learn to love the land more than they hate Palestinians. Oh right, the olive trees remind them of the indigenous people, nevermind.

  • Netanyahu goes looney tunes on Israeli Independence Day
    • Today in Palestine April 25, 2012 at 11:37 am with 7 replies

      It blows my mind to think about how I grew up hearing that Zionists had a hasbara machine like nothing else this world has seen. In the same week we got to see Michael Oren made to look like an absolute moron & Netanyahu bring out a cat and parrot to sell Israel to Israelis. That is awesome.

    • Page: 8
  • '60 Minutes' profiles Palestinian Christians, Michael Oren falls on his face
    • Today in Palestine April 23, 2012 at 10:24 am with 1 replies

      This was soooooooo goooooooooood! It's like one of maybe 5 times I watched MSM and felt satisfied with the coverage, now that I think about it... I think Simon was responsible for past satisfaction too. I love Bob Simon!

  • 'What do you want from a 5 year old girl? She threatens your state?': Israel raids a house in Nabi Saleh
  • The Quartet is worthless
    • Today in Palestine April 11, 2012 at 10:09 am

      OK Annie, I am super busy with work this week but I will work on something this weekend.

    • Today in Palestine April 10, 2012 at 11:49 pm with 6 replies

      Is it worth it to invest my time in aggregating all the documentation of IOF cruelty to animals owned by Palestinians and doing an FYI to PETA or not?

  • Israeli soldiers drive tractor over worker's legs to stop Palestinians from building a house on their (occupied) lands
  • Three years after Israel’s deadly assault: Gaza lives
    • Seham December 29, 2011 at 1:12 pm

      "Gaza: The mother of resistance; umm al muqawama. The mother of steadfastness; umm al sumood."

      I love this Nadine and I'm happy to find you here!

  • Israeli station airs footage of soldiers attacking handcuffed, blindfolded Palestinian
  • Egypt, Syria, and the dynamics of counter-revolution
  • PalestiniansRegister.org seeks to restore democracy for all Palestinians
    • Seham November 14, 2011 at 8:04 pm

      Ahmed,

      Benjamin Doherty from Electronic Intifada brought up an interesting point on twitter... who are the people behind this website that will be collecting our personal information, information about them the last time I checked was very scarce. Do you them, is this legitimate or an attempt to fish for information?

  • Israeli settlers gas a 10-year-old boy, and stop olive harvest
  • Caption contest
  • The joyful theater of Tahrir
  • Jewish terrorists strike again, this time in the Galilee
    • Seham October 3, 2011 at 8:04 pm with 1 replies

      I applaud Lizzy for using the same language that *they* use. If a Palestinian so much as sneezes in the direction of an Israeli Jew, it is referred to as terrorism and the term "price-tag" doesn't come close to describing the terror that settlers routinely engage in. Any unsuspecting American perusing headlines wouldn't really grasp the reality of Israeli terrorism or that such a thing even exists if they were relying on watered down headlines from the mainstream media.

  • Why isn't Kusra killing on the front page of our newspapers?
  • 'Are there any Palestinians unaffected by the occupation?' I ask him
  • Photos of the crowd at the opening of MECA's 'A Child's view from Gaza' Exhibit
    • Seham September 30, 2011 at 1:50 pm

      Ugh, the Pro Zionist people at the bottom the first link... I'll refrain from commenting.

    • Seham September 30, 2011 at 1:48 pm

      thanks Annie, will check them out.

    • Seham September 30, 2011 at 10:35 am with 4 replies

      Seafoid, I've been waiting for pictures of the crowds for that reason, but mostly people are taking pictures of the art--which is also good. But, it's amazing that people are out in these numbers to see the art. Awesome exposure for these little Palestinian artists and also bad publicity for Mocha and local Zionists.

  • Two strikes for Ethan Bronner; does he get a third?
    • Seham September 25, 2011 at 7:23 pm

      Bronner is going to get strikes infinity because ethics is not in the lexicon of the NYTimes when it comes to Palestine and Israel.

  • Well ain't that America: Obama ignores Palestine in UN speech on freedom, and the world watches the US execute an innocent man
    • Seham September 22, 2011 at 8:01 pm

      I didn't realize you were a proud Israeli, I wouldn't have wasted my time trying to explain why decent people around the world doubted the evidence presented against Troy Davis. You come from a place where the treatment of Davis wouldn't raise eyebrows as you are accustomed to treating the indigenous Palestinian population in the same way. Good to know that the oppressors identify with other oppressors no matter where they are. Yay solidarity?

    • Seham September 22, 2011 at 3:42 pm

      Oh yeahhhh, I'm oooozing with respect for all those political activists judges especially Alito, Scalia, Thomas, ooozing. I am especially a big fan of Thomas' insane tea party wife. How long have I been posting here and you still don't have my number. Duh.

    • Seham September 22, 2011 at 2:35 pm with 10 replies

      Samuel,

      - 7 out of 9 witnesses recanted and many said they were pressured by DA to give testimony that they gave.

      - A woman fled Georgia because a man who said he was the actual killer threatened her life.

      - Former FBI director and federal judge called for a halt to the execution while evidence was investigated.

      -NO DNA evidence.

      - Refusal to do a polygraph test.

      I am absolutely against capital punishment, but even if you aren't, don't you think there was enough doubt to halt that execution? This was cold blooded murder by the state of Georgia. Sleep well.

  • Chris Matthews's thought bubble: we cut the deal to create Israel and we can't go back on it
  • Arab Sources: Bishara on Palestine's UN bid
  • On the 29th anniversary of the Sabra and Shatila massacre
    • Seham September 16, 2011 at 1:19 pm with 6 replies

      Thanks Walid, I'm going to order that book and thanks for adding that to the comments section. The stuff I posted wasn't on the internet anywhere but I thought it was important to type it out and have it housed somewhere, I'm glad that excerpt you added is here.

  • 'Arab Sources' on Mondoweiss
  • See the children's drawings that terrified the San Francisco Jewish Community Relations Council and the Jewish Federation of the East Bay
    • Seham September 12, 2011 at 2:47 pm with 1 replies

      Walid, I saw that this morning but hesitate getting too excited, I mean, what do you think the prospects of Jordanians doing something are?

    • Seham September 12, 2011 at 1:39 pm with 13 replies

      This one pathetic move by Bay Area Zionists have brought more publicity to what the pictures that these children have drawn than anyone could have dreamed possible. The idea of the lobby being as brilliant and tactical as everyone thinks they are is a joke, they aren't very smart at all. Had the art exhibit been allowed to proceed, I would never even had known. Thanks, Zionists.

  • US demands Palestinians drop statehood bid as Israel does a mad dash to build support at the UN
    • Seham September 9, 2011 at 10:04 am

      Walid, thanks for your response. And, though I am not convinced that they are all in cahoots right now (Israel has been flying all over the place trying to prevent this from happening) I do agree with the outcome if it passes: table scraps. So, while I am pretty indifferent to this statehood bid I am enjoying watching the U.S. under a Democratic administration fully reveal just how anti-democratic they are. That's all.

      About Samira Tawfik, I thought she was Palestinian... until a group of Jordanians claimed her. No idea she was Lebanese, thanks.

    • Seham September 9, 2011 at 12:32 am

      Of course ! Godddddddd, I missed you Taxi!

      night

    • Seham September 8, 2011 at 11:57 pm

      She's Jordanian, but yeah a blast from the paat indeed :D

    • Seham September 8, 2011 at 10:39 pm

      I hear you, I wish my dad could have seen the fall of Hosni, if there is anyone in the world that I could have been glued to tv with for those 18 days it woulda been him.

    • Seham September 8, 2011 at 10:33 pm

      I used to go nuts to this Samira Tawfik song: link to youtube.com I don't get why the Grand Theft Auto pic is in the video though.

    • Seham September 8, 2011 at 9:40 pm with 11 replies

      Taxi, it reminds me of my father and uncles and their friends getting drunk and playing cards as well. I was ashtray and coffee girl, & they tipped very well. Always with Fairouz, Um Kulthoum or... Samira Tawfik playing the background. I never quite understood their crush on Samira Tawfik, but, whatever.

    • Seham September 8, 2011 at 9:36 pm

      :) thanks Seafoid, I go through phases listening to Fairouz. And you just got me back into her again. Zahrat Al-Mada'en is one of my favorites, I think one of every single Palestinian's favorite songs. Here's a version with English subtitles for those interested: link to youtube.com

    • Seham September 8, 2011 at 9:30 pm with 8 replies

      Walid (& the rest of the gang),

      What do you think of this?

      The PA doesn’t represent me; why should I trust its statehood bid?
      link to electronicintifada.net

  • Alert: French JDL is recruiting 'militants' to travel to West Bank in 2 weeks
  • First lady of Palestinian rap features Dead Prez's official video for 'The Kufiyyeh is Arabic'
    • Seham September 5, 2011 at 7:52 pm

      Thanks Inanna, I went on a brief hiatus after the Egyptian revo but am happy to be back on a more consistent basis.

    • Seham September 5, 2011 at 3:59 pm

      Haytham, thank you soooo much for translating this. I appreciate it and again apologize for the messed up translation I posted yesterday!

    • Seham September 5, 2011 at 12:51 am with 6 replies

      I was so happy to see Dead Prez in this video and so happy to see REAL African-American hip-hop artists embrace the Palestinian struggle.

      This song was my introduction to Dead Prez ( link to youtube.com) and I remember stopping dead in my tracks listening to every word and wondering why the hell Arabs didn't rap this first.

      And Inanna wanted more so here's another new one, this time Lowkey is rapping featuring M1 again (freaking awesome!) and Black the Ripper, it's called Obamanation and Ali Abunimeh is mentioned in it. Oh and Glenn Beck is in the intro :D link to youtube.com

    • Seham September 5, 2011 at 12:31 am with 9 replies

      Haytham and everyone else,

      Very sorry, I didn't read the lyric translation before posting. I got them from this website:

      link to hiphopdiplomacy.org

      Mea culpa. I will check things more closely before posting in the future.

  • Happy Dershday
  • 'If Popeye and Olive Oyl were Islamists, would they be fair game as well?' --Blumenthal on Gaza strikes
  • Cheers and laser show as man removes Israeli flag from Israel Embassy in Egypt
  • My response to 'DailyKos' smear
    • Seham July 28, 2011 at 12:06 pm

      "These guys are upset that the blog is making progress. If Mondoweiss wasn’t, then it wouldn’t be in the crosshairs as it is now."

      EXACTLY.

    • Seham July 28, 2011 at 10:45 am with 7 replies

      Annie, I said "I wonder" not "it is" :)

      I hear you and I guess you can't be Jewish and have accusations of anti-semitism hurled at you without responding but DK is popular with the PEP crowd for a reason and it's just to absolutely transparent that it's sickening so I just WONDER what the point is in responding. Anyone that supports justice for the Palestinians has always known that DK is no friend of the Palestinians.

    • Seham July 28, 2011 at 10:31 am

      Also, is suing DK for libel not an option? Because I just glanced at the post you link from their site and that looks like libel to me. Well libel and a lot of jealousy.

    • Seham July 28, 2011 at 10:27 am with 9 replies

      This is a great post Phil, but, I wonder if you are wasting your time and efforts with the charlatans at DailyKos who represent everything about the Democratic party establishment that automatically makes them anti-justice when it comes to Palestine. They have had a long history of anti-semitism against Palestinians and whatever funding they get or seek out in the future will be on the basis of their horrible position on Palestine.

  • I have no doubt that Palestinians will be victorious, sooner than later
    • Seham July 20, 2011 at 3:11 pm with 5 replies

      Chet, there is a lot of IDF stenography in a lot of Haaretz articles. To be honest I don't think Haaretz does nearly enough to remind its readers on a daily basis that they are living in a country that is a colonialist apartheid regime oppressing millions. I see articles like this one to be a red herring video to tell the world that they are "mindful" of the crimes of the occupation. It's not enough for me, not even close.

  • Straight outta Gaza
  • Month of 'relative calm' --Israeli settler crimes in the month of June
  • Israeli troops respond to kites, clowns and children in Nabi Saleh the only way they know how - with tear gas
    • Seham June 28, 2011 at 10:29 am

      Go ahead and laugh if it will make you feel better, Woody. Those children even the youngest ones are stronger than any of those armed thugs hurling tear gas canisters at them. Trust me, in the end those kids will be victorious.

  • Reporters hector State: Is the blockade legal? What right does Israel have to 'defend itself' from humanitarian aid?
    • Seham June 25, 2011 at 1:04 pm with 4 replies

      Wowwww, Richard is quoting the UN on Israel. That must have been so HARD for him. Did you all hear the newbie say she doesn't want to go into the technicality of "the law of the sea" but that Israel does have the right to defend itself against international threats on its waters? But before that she admitted that she didn't know anything about "the law of the sea" or what were Israel's waters or international waters. Obama has been picking people as incompetent as Sarah Palin to answer Middle East questions since the beginning of his administration. I wonder how long before this seemingly soft spoken new one breaks under the pressure of having to deal with repeated questions about why her country defends and explains apartheid. Wouldn't it be fun if journalists continued to ask legitimate questions? Lee is awesome.

  • 6, count em 6, members of Congress sign letter to Clinton expressing concern for 'safety' of US citizens on flotilla
    • Seham June 24, 2011 at 11:12 pm

      Part of the problem with you, Witty, is that you NEVER hold Israel accountable to anything that even remotely resembles "the law."

  • Hillary gives Israel green light to 'defend' itself from flotilla
    • Seham June 24, 2011 at 7:40 pm

      No Taxi, you are wrong. It doesn't matter how many Americans Israel kills. Today when a microphone was put in front of any State Dept spokesperson they all said the same thing: "Israel is good, Palestinians are bad, help Palestine and die or go to jail, we warned you." These arrogant and racist Americans are never going to care about Arabs that they can't squeeze something out of. Therefore, Israel can kill, steal and do all the dastardly deeds it wants and that's just a "minor" issue according to Obama. We can't as Arabs sit around and ever think that Americans will be outraged by anything that happens to us or to any American trying to help us. Never. Did the petition to condemn the murder of Rachel Corrie in Congress ever get more than 2 signatures, anyone?

    • Seham June 24, 2011 at 7:37 pm

      According to Israel and the US it's ALL Israeli waters.

  • Arab LGBT Movement: "We are not victims in need of a white male savior working in London..."
    • Seham June 26, 2011 at 5:35 pm

      Too bad they never wanted to quote me on anything having to do with Israel.

    • Seham June 25, 2011 at 12:50 am with 1 replies

      yes Annie, and one thing I am really enjoying on twitter is the support that gay marriage is getting from the majority of Arab Muslims that I follow, some that I always perceived to be as more on the conservative side that are congratulating New Yorkers. No wonder Israel is freaking out and doing so much pink washing these days. Did you see this yet? link to electronicintifada.net

    • Seham June 24, 2011 at 4:14 pm

      Also, despite what you think of yourself I really do want you to fall off the face of the planet and I didn't invoke you in this post voluntarily. I added Mideast Youth's statement to this site and was asked to incorporate the piece by Electronic Intifada and to tie your fiasco into it, so I did. Personally, I think you are getting too much undeserved attention that you clearly, clearly want.

    • Seham June 24, 2011 at 3:56 pm

      I post here anonymously because I want to be able to travel back and forth to Palestine and visit the few remaining relatives I have left in peace without having a cavity search done each time I go from point A to point B. Most of what I do here is aggregate news and highlight crimes of the occupation against my people, I'm not creating narratives to sell any book or promote myself, Tom.

    • Seham June 24, 2011 at 1:14 am with 1 replies

      They have a movement, don't worry :)

      via @TheGayishState

      @HybridStates Gayish State will react in an appropriate & Gayish manner to homophobia. We selected F16s with pink triangles from catalogue.

      @HybridStates Only the Gayish People can defend our interests and guarantee our security.

      @HybridStates Heterosexuals have 203 nations. The Gayish People only want one.

      @lilithvf1998 Hasn’t it been a dream of the Gayish People to have a state of our own? Built with Gayish Labor? To make the desert fabulous?

      @CelestialBeard We require genetic testing to determine Gayish identity of returnees. We also have extensive archives of Our Gayish History.

      @ChrisRBarron We need a GAYISH STATE to protect the Gayish People from genocide at the hands of homophobes.

      Etc. Hilarious.

    • Seham June 23, 2011 at 10:14 pm with 7 replies

      Again, if you are a gay Arab trying to fight for equality in Arab society you don't do that by writing about making out with your partner in public places, peddling erotica on your blog or wanting a San Francisco carnival like display of pride week brought to the streets of Damascus. What he did was damaging to the serious work that gay activists are doing in the Middle East. For example, he was the first to post a disgusting response to this wonderful statement by Mideast Youth defending himself as another Arab woman. The comment struck me and others as odd and a quick search revealed that it was him! Now everyone is talking about him, again, and the voice of real Arab gays was silenced, again.

      If he cared about LGBT issues he would play a more prominent role in fighting for same sex marriage in the US. If he gave a crap about gay Arabs he would have shut the hell up after the outrage they expressed when it was discovered he wasn't a Syrian lesbian after all. MacMaster only cares about himself, he reminds me of all those right wing Americans in the US that condemn the death penalty in Iran as barbaric and medieval yet applaud when minorities and mentally retarded people get executed at home.

    • Seham June 23, 2011 at 2:54 pm with 13 replies

      FYI!!!!

      The person pretending to be Miriam Umm Ibni is actually Tom MacMaster pretending to be an Arab woman, again! WTF is wrong with that guy? Yaani, why doesn't he know that everyone knows about his IP address by now?

      He posted it with this IP address: 188.74.64.53 which is the same one he used for his Amina hoax.

      I mean, I am speechless!

    • Seham June 23, 2011 at 2:20 pm

      You can pink/white wash MacMaster all you want, but as far as I am concerned he is no friend of Arab queers or others within "the movement." He doesn't speak for Arabs gays or straights and before you jump to his defense you should familiarize yourself to just how repugnant he is:

      Max Blumenthal: Fraudmeister Tom MacMaster calls me a self-hating Jew
      link to maxblumenthal.com

      “Amina” Fraud Tom MacMaster Threatens To Sue Me (Updated)
      link to maxblumenthal.com

      He put real people at risk. Who's picture did he use of the muhajiba "Rania"doing hajj? Is she in Syria? I certainly hope not.

      How does saying you want gay pride a la USA and writing soft porn do anything to advance the cause of queers in the region?

  • Atzmon and Jewish identity
  • Open letter to Gaddafi supporter Cynthia McKinney from disappointed Palestinians
    • Seham June 23, 2011 at 11:48 am

      Oh yea Bandolero, I remember you very well, you started cheerleading most vocally for Qadhafi right after his screaming rant where he called Libyans rats drinking Nescafe laced with drugs and promising to go after them from house to house. I remember you very well. Not even Arab apologists for the regime stooped as low as you did.

    • Seham June 22, 2011 at 8:42 pm

      "I wouldn’t be surprised if they turned out to be a “gay girl from Damascus”."

      Ha.

      Bandolero, I would be more accepting of your views if you didn't blatantly cheerlead for Qadhafi, which you do, often. US plots aside (and I believe the US is knee deep is some serious counter revolution0-izing all over Arab world, right now) these regimes are still committing crimes against their people and I just can't stomach watching anyone applaud for Qadhafi.

    • Seham June 22, 2011 at 5:05 pm with 8 replies

      Gonzo, you are right about the LTC and I was blinded by the atrocities that Qadhafi was committing against Libyan and thus more willing to overlook their shortcomings. The only thing that bothers me and the only reason that I am bothering to comment on this thread is because I am baffled as to why Arab leftists are so judicious in their words when discussing the Syrian opposition even tho it has some SHADY elements in it yet they are so willing to completely condemn Libyan opposition and put quotation marks against all crimes committed against them. I lost count of how many hoax videos out of Syria I have seen to date!

    • Seham June 22, 2011 at 4:59 pm

      Correct link that I posted above: link to news.yahoo.com

    • Seham June 22, 2011 at 4:46 pm with 2 replies

      Yeah Tovio, there are American Wanabees and there may be AQ among Libyan rebels but what I am talking about are Arab leftists that have completely abandoned the opposition in Libya because of the role that NATO is playing while at the same time not doing the same to Syria even though there are many Syrians in the opposition begging the US to interfere in the affairs of the country and giving countless interviews to Israeli media. I am pointing out those hypocrisies. About the rape "claims" I have read countless accounts from rights activists and doctors who are describing in detail accounts of rape that are occurring, (from today link to news.yahoo.com) if Patrick Cockburn or other leftists want to completely discount any and all rape allegations then that is unfortunate. It seems whatever filter they are using to desensitize themselves from the atrocities that are occurring in Libya does not filter out the stupidity behind some of the claims that seemingly pro US opposition forces in Syria are making. Why believe all the bullsh*t from Syria but because of NATO involvement in Libya nothing the rebels who accepted NATO's help is true? Or the majority of Libyans can be dismissed as Qaida or puppets? Can I dismiss the majority of Syrians as sectarians? For the record though I originally was supportive of what the Libyan people wanted and it seemed that they wanted NATO intervention I now realize how foolish it is/was to ever expect NATO or any other western entity to do anything for the Libyan people but just because there are some idiots among the Libyan rebels doesn't mean that I think it's ok to turn a blind eye to the suffering of the Libyan people whether they are being attacked by NATO forces or by Qadhafi forces.

    • Seham June 22, 2011 at 12:54 pm with 4 replies

      This is great, I love this letter. While we're on the subject of Libya I posted this on twitter: Arab leftists can be the biggest hypocrites in the universe and I am happy not to identify as such. In Syria though there are elements of the opposition that are clearly aligned with Saudi Arabia, Israel and the U.S. we still get detailed accounts from Arab leftists of ALL regime crimes against the people. In Libya as soon as NATO started bombing the country then suddenly those same Arab leftists went completely silent on Qadhafi crimes and began questioning claims of rape and atrocities by Qadhafi forces made by Libyan civilians. Libyan rebels are dismissed as either wannabee American puppets or members of Al Qaida. The hypocrisy and double standards are mind boggling.

  • Matan Ofan - in Israeli military uniform - threatens mutiny, indiscriminate shooting to prevent 'Sudanis or Syrians' from reaching Tel Aviv
  • Graduating with honors
  • How Israel deals with nonviolent Palestinian protest
    • Seham June 14, 2011 at 7:02 pm with 4 replies

      People always say to me, "if you won't vote for Obama who will you vote for, who is the alternative?" oh please, I don't give a f**K about an alternative and Obama went on television and spoke about violence in the Middle East and didn't mention a single word about the violence engulfing Palestinian civilians on a daily basis, instead when he talked about violence he only mentioned Israelis as victims. Palestinian women and children (I'll leave the men out of it, they're such an easy target for the West that why even bother) are victims of Israeli violence, oppression, racism and cruelty every single day and they don't even get symbolic empty rhetoric. Say what you want about Israelis, but the American government both Democratic and Republican are just as disgusting and just as complicit. I am sure if Netanyahu showed this video to Congress that those monkeys would have jumped up for another standing ovation for him.

    • Seham June 14, 2011 at 6:54 pm with 1 replies

      Every single week Palestinians face the same brutality for peacefully protesting and every single week they go out and continue to peacefully protest. Ni'lin, Bil'in, Al Masara, Silwan, etc. The only difference is that every once in a while an international or Israeli is the one at the receiving end of Israeli regime violence and we hear about it. Right now every single week Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and other human rights organizations are issuing weekly/daily press releases on violence in the Arab world at the hands of Arab dictators yet they expect us to applaud them when they issue a statement once a year about Israeli violence against Palestinians. Really, really am I to believe that it is easier for these human rights organizations to get into Syria and Bahrain than into Palestine? Ugh, every single day I find myself more disgusted and repulsed by everyone except for a small circle of activists (and be wary Israel because it is growing!) that care about justice.

    • Seham June 14, 2011 at 5:51 pm with 2 replies

      A pattern (though not recent) of Israeli violence against women. No one will question what in that society makes it OK to attack women who aren't doing anything, save that for racist comments and innuendos about Arab men and Arab society. How Israelis manage to get away with this behavior without being described with the same terminology that the MSM reserves for Arab regimes in mind boggling. These victims of Israeli violence will never make it into one of Obama's speeches.

  • Rightwing Israelis stage race-baiting action, bringing Sudanese refugees to posh Tel Aviv pool
  • Bahrainis should sue the U.S... "US defense sales to Bahrain rose before crackdown"
  • 'Is everybody doing it?'
  • Some thoughts on the fake gay blogger from Damascus....
  • Why I fell so hard for 'A Gay Girl in Damascus' (and why the hoax makes me angry and conservative)
    • Seham June 13, 2011 at 11:56 am with 2 replies

      Phil it is not impossible that there are "out" gays in the Middle East who are loved by their families, don't worry not every single homosexual in the M.E. lives in fear of getting honor killed. It bothered me a lot to hear Arabs saying, "I knew this couldn't be real because no one would be an out of the closet lesbian in Syria." I don't know many real life Syrians but I do know Moroccans, Iraqis and some Palestinians who are out of the closet and were eventually embraced by their families. It should never be all or nothing, we don't fit nicely in a box even if we come from very conservative and traditional families. Money and education often change the way people look at certain things and undoubtedly it is hard for gay Arabs to come out in the ME and they have a lot to overcome but we're never going to fit nicely in a box when it comes to anything.

    • Seham June 13, 2011 at 11:46 am

      Dear, I didn't do anything. All I did was pass information from Ali Abunimeh and Benjamin Doherty and opine for you. As much as I would like to take even partial credit for this, I can't.

  • A young American Jew describes being arrested for standing in opposition to the Jerusalem Day parade
    • Seham June 10, 2011 at 11:41 am

      I love the Palestinians chanting "Allahu Ahkbar" when Lucas was arrested, they were praying for him. :)

    • Seham June 10, 2011 at 12:15 am with 32 replies

      It's interesting what's happening with the Palestine/Israeli conflict ain't it? After all these years and all the money that Israel has spent to spin their little propaganda all over the world on various types of media, I find *myself* actually feeling sorry for Jews that get their religion gets tarnished with the thuggish brutality of the Zionist state. Israel does to Jews what Bin Laden did to Muslims.

    • Seham June 9, 2011 at 11:47 pm

      I LOVE this dude.

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