| Tell The media that Palestinians are the victims. A new celebrity is in town. Her name is Nonie Darwesh self-described as "a non-practicing Muslim originally from Palestine". She is touring the US campuses bemoaning Palestinian violence and cursing Palestinians love for revenge, bloodshed and Anti-Semitism. The Star Ledger wrote a big op-ed on her life story. See below a response from Donna Nassour which, for reasons (un)known, has not been published as of yet. Nonie Darwesh is now touring the US as part of Jewish-sponsored scheme to defame the Palestinians and dishonors their struggle for independence and freedom. The Bergen Record ran a story on her recent talk in NJ. See below Aref's short response. We urge you to read both the Star Ledger's op-ed and the Record's story. We hope you share our view that while we do want a just and a peaceful resolution to the conflict, It is the Palestinians whose lands which was robbed; it is the Palestinians whose homes were destroyed, it is the Palestinians who were made homeless, it is the continued oppressive military occupation of Palestinian lands that is at the core of the conflict. Nonie Darwesh is unwittingly being used to further serve Israel's interests. Do tell our true story by taking action today: To send letters to the Star Ledger: eletters@starledger.com (letters to the editor) oped@starledger.com (op-ed articles). Submissions may be mailed to: Editorial Department, The Star-Ledger, 1 Star-Ledger Plaza, Newark, NJ, 07102-1200.
Deborah Cohen, Deputy op-ed page editor: dcohen@starledger.com To send letters to the Bergen Record: Letters to the Bergen Record: letterstotheeditor@northjersey.com Peter Grad, Op-ed page Editor: Grad@northjersey.com Below are two responses relating to the Darwesh story: Regarding the Star Ledger's op-ed, a letter by Donna Nassour My heart goes out to the Nonie Darwesh. Growing up without a father must have been difficult. For many years she has lived with the knowledge that it was an Israeli double agent who delivered the bomb that killed her father. Nevertheless, given her pain and emptiness it is not surprising that she continues her struggle to find closure by searching for someone else to blame for his death.
What is sad is that her search has made her into another weapon in the pro-Zionist's bag of propaganda tricks. If Ms. Darwesh wants to talk about the Palestinian educational system and culture that is her prerogative. Nevertheless, I urge her to recognize and think about the damage she is perpetrating against the Palestinian struggle for independence and freedom from an oppressive, unjust and illegal occupation by Israel. The Palestinians are not responsible for their own suffering at the hands of the Israeli government.
Has Ms. Darwesh visited the Occupied Palestinian Territories lately? I think not. If she had she would have a clearer picture of what the situation is today. The Israeli Apartheid like rules, regulations and ever changing laws created by the Israelis in which the Palestinians are forced to live under chip away at the self esteem and self worth of every Palestinian man, woman and child.
When people are systematically oppressed generation after generation they will react to that oppression. I unequivocally object to the use of violence by both Palestinians and Israelis. It would be my hope that the reaction would be in the form of nonviolent resistance to the occupation. I can tell you there is a growing movement of Palestinian nonviolent resistance to the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian Territories.
If Ms. Darwesh wants to go out and speak about the Palestinian educational system and culture then I think there should be someone from the Israeli side who is willing to go out with her to talk about how human rights and international law are not taught in Israeli school nor are they part of Israeli society especially when it comes to Palestinians and other Arabs, and how the truth about how the Palestinians are treated is not accurately reported by all of the Israeli press.
Ms. Darwesh claims that Palestinians have been trying to "prove to the Arab world that they are worthy of respect by never making peace with Israel." I am appalled that she believes the Palestinians are the ones holding up the peace process. Apparently she has bought into the Israeli and U.S. propaganda. There has never been an Israeli government that honestly tried to make peace with the Palestinians. The Palestinians do not have the power to do anything alone.
I have personally met with many Palestinians living in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Everyone I have spoken with is sick and tired of the conditions they and their families have been forced to live under. As they watch the continued construction of the illegal Separation Wall, many are feeling hopeless. They want an end to the occupation. They want peace. It is irresponsible for Ms. Darwesh to claim anything different.
If there is to be a peaceful, just and sustainable end to Israeli Palestinian issues, then there must be a complete and honest discussion of how it can be achieved. That would include the truth about the occupation, the lack of human and civil rights for Palestinians, the number of Palestinian men, women and children killed everyday by the Israeli Army and Israeli Settlers, the real reasons for and effects of the illegal Separation Wall, along with a variety of other issues.
The truth is out there. Let us not be afraid to speak out about what is going on in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories. All of the killing must stop. It is not achieving anything positive for anyone.
Everyone has the right to live in peace and security. Let us not forget that those rights apply equally to Israelis and Palestinians.
Donna Nassor, J.D.
From: Aref Assaf
To: Bergen Record
Dear Editor: Re: Mothers on the warpath for peace (21/16/2006) The story of the two bereaved mothers, one Palestinian , the other, Israeli, while seemingly genuine in there desire to build trust and mutual understanding, is awash in morally unequivocal claims of shared victimhood. The article talks of Israeli 'commandos" killing Arabs then talks of Arab "terrorists" killing innocent Israeli civilians. It talks of deeply ingrained Arab hatred for Jews and persistent desire by Israelis to make peace with their enemy. It talks about Palestinian textbooks teaching violence and hatred against Jews, while Jewish textbooks teach children to count oranges and apples. This is an orchestrated attempt to completely debase the Palestinian national and historical narratives. This method of demonizing the victim has been endlessly used in many conflicts where somehow the victim is invariably blamed for aggravating their own plight. If they just do not resist our advanced weapons; if they just accept our domination over their lives; if they just let us rape their land, their women; if they would just 'recognize' us- then peace would assuredly come. This is exactly the premise of such tours by Jewish-sponsored advocacy groups. Ultimately, there aim is not to reach a just solution because that would require the stronger party, Israel, to first admit to its crimes against the Palestinians, but also to be ready to accept the moral and legal implications of such a stand. By equating the violence of the oppressor to that resistance of the oppressed, you leave out the cause of the violence and the needed remedy to end it. Ultimately, it is the admission by Israel, the Jewish people and all their friends, that it is Israel's continued occupation of Palestinian lands that is the real cause of violence between the two people. Textbooks do not kill, bullets do. Textbooks do not blow up homes, churches and mosques, Israeli booms from jetfighter and tanks do. Textbooks do not render people homeless, destitute and stateless for over for years; Israeli and Zionist plans and policies of expulsion and forced transfer do. Textbooks, on both sides of the divide, merely reflect realty: End the occupation; resistance by the victims will cease. At any rate, independent studies have proven that Palestinians textbooks do not incite children. A comparison with Israeli textbooks would lead to more accusatory eyes at Israel's almost total denial of responsibility for what befell the Palestinians. (See my piece on this subject) Aref Assaf, President American Arab Forum, Paterson, NJ Aref@americanarabforum.org 973-960-2673 | 
