Aref Assaf

08/12/07

I just returned from a two-week journey to Palestine. This visit was of immense personal relevance because it represented the first occasion that my entire family- six brothers, two sisters and my elderly parents met in the same location since 1981. It was a perfect Kodak moment where we reignited our collective memories of an innocent past devoid of life's ordeals and family responsibilities. Yet, the recent visit also marked a turning pint in my assessment of what is befalling our people in Palestine. Some of the most rewarding moments emerged as we visited so many places and talked to old friends and leaders. One such moment was meeting again with Deya Ali, the ever hopeful and intensely funny Palestinian youth whom we helped while in the United States for a series of operations to remove bullet shrapnel from his almost devastated body. Deya is now a mature man and despite his disabilities, he has hopes for himself and his people.

Nothing comes close to exemplify Palestinians' sense of  permanent suffocation  than the immense Apartheid Wall which Israel built on Palestinian lands. While I have taken many pictures of the this monster of electrified barbed wires, massive concrete walls and deep pits, I would recommend viewing this multimedia link by EI to appreciably understand life behind the wall. On one occasion I decided to take  my young nephews to visit and pray in Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. To my shock, as we reached the infamous Kalandia Checkpoint, the two teenagers were forced off the bus and told to walk home- a distance of three kilometers.  When I inquired as to why the harsh decision by the soldier, he explained that they have no right to enter Israel. But according to Israel's own rules, persons under 16 years and over 60 years may enter Jerusalem. My father who is 86 years old and in a frail health was repeatedly refused entry into Jerusalem to pray there. Talk about religious freedom which Israel boasts as a symbol of its  control over Jerusalem.

When  Israel new President Shimon Perez offered to return 95% of Arab lands, he excluded Greater Jerusalem from his calculations. According to Israel, greater Jerusalem which comprised about 20% of the 1967 West Bank is Israeli territory and not subject to negotiations! This was similar to the now famous Camp David offer to the late Arafat!
Life goes on in spite of the factional strife that is tearing apart the Palestinian national  fabric. Enough blame can be placed on the heads  and the lawless gangs of both Hamas and Fatah. We even now two TV station, one run by Fatah and the other by Hamas. Even the date to announce the Tawajeehe Exam results were announced on separate days. Hamas chose Friday and Fatah choose Tuesday. The only clear winner is Israel. Corruption and nepotisms still ravage all aspects of Palestinian lives. Yet there  are powerful symbols and actions to solidify their love for the lands. The weekly protest in Bilin is but one example. The contradictions persist and the enemy, Israel, smiles all the way to American banks.

Multimedia on the impact of the Apartheid Wall: http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article7115.shtml

Related AAF article on the wall