Glued to my laptop, unable to unfix my eyes to anything but Twitter and Facebook, every bundle of tweets matters, the revolution in Egypt IS the history in the making nowadays.
Being dehumanized and terrorized on daily basis is something both Egyptians and Palestinians can relate to. Palestinians in Gaza, in particular, have been directly abused by the despotic regime of Mubarak. Overwhelmingly, support and prayers for the peaceful protests in Egypt are felt by the Palestinians, who see their freedom as an extension to the freedom of the Egyptians.
Words of support, and sharing the videos and photos of the bravery of young Egyptians against the brutal forces is all what we, the young Palestinians, can do to help the Egyptians. This reminds me in the time of the Gaza war, when the Egyptians defied to take the streets in support for their fellow Palestinians.
Amid the fast events that are hopefully changing the political landscape of the Middle East comes the “Palestine Papers”, what Al-Jazeera calls as the biggest revelation about the stillborn peace process and the complicity of the Palestinian Authority. These revelations are like knowing that one is killed, then being given a detailed anatomy on how the killing occurred.
The implications, and the aftermath of this dump of the documents are not clear yet. But the only thing I am sure of is that the first and the only victim is the everyday Palestinian. Caught between a corrupt, defragmented, useless leadership, and the bitterness of the Israeli Occupation, whatever these Palestine Papers reveal, I cannot see how the plight of the Palestinians will be alleviated by these disgraceful details.
The Palestinians are feeling betrayed and desperate. Unity between the two rivals Hamas and Fatah if it seemed farfetched, now it is almost impossible. These four days of intensive “expositions” hurt any trust left in in the PA, and Hamas alike.
Egyptians and Palestinians know very well how politicians across the region backed by the US millions of dollars care about t power more than the people. The Palestine Papers confirm that totalitarian regimes like the Mubarak and the PA will do anything to suppress any defiance the people show.
Both Palestinians and Egyptians want to live in freedom and dignity, too. The Egyptians waited 30 years to revolt; we live in times where the power is coming to back the people.
Tunisia has been a great inspiration for the people across the region whose generations almost never witnessed change, or democracy.
People across the Middle East are watching hope for change being revived by these valiant emerging revolutions. Tunisia did it, Egypt and Yemen will do it. And it’s up for the Palestinians to restore their dignity and their freedom.
Lina Al-Sharif, 22, studies English literature at the Islamic University in Gaza. She blogs at http://livefromgaza.wordpress.com/.
