Shooting in Texas

The moment I heard about the shooting in the Baptist church in Sutherland, Texas, I recalled the first incident of sporadic shooting that I had ever heard of,  which was in Texas on August 1, 1966.   Charles Whitman, a young architectural engineering student, at the University of Texas in Austin,   started shooting at students from the Clock Tower  of the university and killing 13 people at the time.

  

There was no Al Qaeda at the time, nor were any Daesh or ISIL to blame for all the violence that prevails in the US.  It was a young American who simply went bezerk.  And it seems to be the case in this latest shooting.  My heart goes out to the families of the victims, and I am sure people all over will condemn such an act.

However,  unless there are laws that control the use of arms that are so easily available in the US,  or even ban them completely, we will continue to hear of such tragic stories.  Unfortunately, the arms industry is a very profitable industry and those involved in it will continue to block any legislation against banning it.   One should not belittle the role of the movie industry as well.  All those violent films certainly play a crucial role in inspiring young men to be creative in violent acts.  In fact, it is not surprising that they inspire foreign governments and liberation movements as well, to use some of the tactics that they learn from the films that show how the US disposes of regimes or people that are not in their good books or challenge their policies. 

I should think that our only hope are the women; the mothers and wives of all those victims.  Maybe they would be the ones to lead a campaign for a legislation that would control or completely ban the use of arms. 

More Absurdities

Colonizers are supposed to be experts on  the  “Divide and Rule”

policy.  We have not only  read about it in history books, we have

watched it, and lived through it.    So it is not surprising at all

that Israel is now putting conditions for resuming negotiations with

the Palestinians after the agreement of reconciliation between Fateh

and Hamas has taken place.  What is surprising is  that Israel

continues to claim that it has no peace partner, and it cannot resume

negotiations with the PA when there is a split between Fateh and

Hamas.  And now that the Palestinians are in the process of

reconciliation, Israel is putting its conditions.  It is very clear

that Israel is not interested in peace.  It is simply interested in

being left in peace on all the piece of Palestinian land.

From day one of the peace process Israel  has not stopped building

settlements and has been continuously creating a new reality on the

ground. The most recent plans  for new settlements in the Ramallah

area just proves its arrogance, and its ability to get away with

anything.  And now we hear talk about the solution of the century

involving all the region.  Just like the peace process was a stepping

stone for Israel to be accepted by the Arab world, these new

initiatives will guarantee the peace of mind that Israel is seeking.

When will the international community live up to its responsibility

and hold the state that it has created accountable for all its

violations of human rights and international law?  The latest

absurdities are the various state legislation in the USA,  against the

BDS.  One of the victims of the Hurricane in Texas could not believe

that for  contractors  to be able to get Hurricane rebuilding money

in Dickenson, Texas, they must promise they won’t boycott Israel.  He

said: “What does Israel or boycotting it have to do with our

disaster?  Indeed a sensible question, but little did he realize that

there is no limit to how far  the tentacles of Israel can reach.

However,  amidst all those absurdities, we were able to enjoy a lovely

and peaceful evening on Friday night at the Dominican Church in

Jerusalem listening to Mozart’s Requiem played by the Palestine Youth

Orchestra of the Edward Said National Conservatory of Music, with the

Harmonia Vocis Choir from the Lausanne area in Switzerland under the

baton of Julien Laloux.  A few Local members of the Magnificat

Franciscan Music school joined the choir as well.  And some of the

students of the Arabic Music program at Birzeit University played some

improvisations in between the different sections of the Requiem which

blended beautifully with the atmosphere.  The heavenly voices of the

soloists,  Zoe Vauconsant Massicotte from Canada, Dima Bawab, a

Palestinian-Jordanian, Marin Yonchev from Plovdiv and Hardmeyer

Raphael from Lausanne added special aura to the concert.  We even

forgot that life was not normal outside the gates of the church, and

that the occupation forces were around the corner.  The event was the

last of a whole week of cultural activities by the network of the

cultural and art organizations in Jerusalem.

Hurrah!

On the news this morning we heard that the USA welcomed the Saudi

Arabia resolution to allow women to drive as of the beginning of next

year. And mind you all this welcome is for women over 30 and until sun

set only and not out of town unless accompanied by a husband or a

brother.    How ironic I thought when man has already reached the

moon, the Saudi women are still living within a system that not only

deprives them of driving  a car, but of many other rights as well.

Yet the USA does not seem to see any of the Saudi  violations of human

rights, because it is its ally, and they have common vested interests

in the region, just like it has common values with Israel.

I was hoping the USA would welcome initiatives by Saudi Arabia  that

would end the war on Yemen and the Gulf boycott of Qatar.   But then

nothing is surprising about the priorities of  the president of the

USA when he seems to be threatening one country after another asides

from waging internal wars against  the media and the sports teams.

May the Lord have mercy on all nations  lest we be faced with a Third

World War.  However, I wish for the  day when the USA would welcome

the end of Israel’s countless violations  of Palestinian  human rights

in the West Bank as well as in Israel.

A message of Concern

To the friends in the USA

September 1, 2017

The devastating news that we have been watching regarding hurricane

Harvey has left us dumbfounded.  I have been glued to the TV set for

the last few days.  And  yesterday news of another disaster in South

East Asia filled the screens. I am not sure how much of it is due to

our failure to do something about climate change, but it should

certainly make the world leaders consider that possibility very

seriously.    However I am sure that the devastation caused by wars

that are being waged in different regions can definitely be avoided.

My thoughts and prayers are with you, and specially those of you who

have been affected or lost dear ones.

The PYO Tour

 The annual  tour of the Palestine Youth Orchestra,  a flagship

project of the Edward Said National Conservatory of Music  started in

Amman, Jordan last week under the baton of the renowned Dutch

conductor Vincent De Kort.  Despite the difficulties  and obstacles of

bringing young Palestinian musicians from all over the world as well

as some international musicians,  the concerts at Birzeit University

and Al-Najah University went very smoothly.  Of course my sister Rima

and I were very proud to see our grandchildren part of this orchestra

playing with passion and enthusiasm.

The program included  The Star Wars  Suite by John Williams, and

Maurice Ravel Bolero, Romeo and Juliet Suite by Sergei Prokofiev, and

Danzon NO2 by Arturo Marquez.  and three Arabic songs by Rahbani

brothers peformed by Nay Barghouti.  With her beautiful presence and

lovely voice she was almost  as good as Fairouz , the original singer

for the Rahbani music.  There was also a piece by my son Suhail  "To

Ahmad"  which he had written a few years ago when his musician friend

Ahmad was denied entry to the country.  The piece was specially

orchestrated for the PYO by Norwegian musician Oystein Frantzen.  The

performance at the Nasib Shaheen Hall at Birzeit University was

dedicated to Vladimir Tamari, a renowned Palestinian  artist, who had

passed away recently in Japan where he has been living in exile.  His

sisters Tania and Vera were among the audience and were very moved by

this gesture.  His daughter Mariam Tamari , a professional soprano,

had performed with the Palestine National Orchestra on its debut in

Jerusalem  in 2011, as well as  on other occasions.

When everything around us seems so stressful and hopeless, we are

indeed thankful for such performances, and we hope that music will

continue to uplift our spirits and give us hope for a better future,

especially for the younger generation

I Cannot Help But Wonder...

 Is Israel the 51st state  of the US?.  Or is the US a territory under

the control of Israel.  It is unbelievable that the Israeli Knesset

and the American Congress would be simultaneously involved with

passing laws that would impose fines and sanctions on anybody who

promotes any non-violent movement such as the  BDS (Boycot Divestment

and Sanctions) against Israel for its  continued illegal military

occupation of the Palestinian Territories.

While both the US and  the United Nations consider the occupation of

the West Bank as well as the annexation of East Jerusalem and the

building of settlements are illegal, yet the US continues to support

Israel in pursuing this illegal status.  While we Palestinians are

physically occupied by Israel, the US, however, is  morally and

psychologically occupied.

Mr. Netanyahu keeps claiming that Israel is the state for all Jews,

inviting all Jews from all over the world to come to Israel.  Yet how

ironic that  a Jewish lady Rabbi, Alissa Wise,  who was a member of

an interfaith delegation planning to come and visit Israel was denied

with the rest of the delegation from boarding  a Lufthansa Airlines

jet at Washington Dulles International Airport heading to Israel.

It seems the Prime Minister would like to welcome only Jews who

approve and support  all the illegal measures of the State.  The

sincere Jews and non- Jews who for the sake of the welfare of Israel

would like to see a non-violent way to end the  occupation, are not

welcome to Israel.  There is no doubt that  the Prime Minister and his

right wing government are proving to be their own worst enemies.

Whatever Lola wants, Lola gets

Yabous Cultural Centre in Jerusalem  had just ended all its preparations for the yearly Jerusalem Festival, and Rania, my daughter- in- law, director of Yabous, was spending hours to get everything ready for the opening night with a Flamingo performance on July 18.  Of course all the family was planning to attend a variety of events, and in fact I had invited guests for the Flamingo night.

However, tension started mounting in Jerusalem after the shooting incident that took place on July 14, 2017 at El-Haram El-Shareef, one of the holiest sites in Islam.  It is worth noting that the security of El-Haram as well as Jerusalem itself is under Israeli control, and that the armed men who shot the Druze soldiers and eventually got shot, are from Um El-Fahem inside Israel. This led to the closure of all the gates that give access to Muslim worshipers to reach the mosque, and of course it led to the cancellation of the Festival. 

One cannot but wonder who could possibly benefit from such a shooting. 

Ever since the occupation of the Palestinian Territories including East Jerusalem after the June 1967 war, Israel has coveted the area of the mosque, claiming it to be  the site of the Jewish Temple and referring to it as “The Temple Mount.”  For a starter they evicted all the Palestinians living around the Wailing Wall and demolished their homes so as to turn the whole area into a plaza for Jewish worshippers.  Then there was the attempt to burn the mosque, which Israel at the time alleged the perpetrator was lunatic.  And for those who might have forgotten, the 2002 armed uprising was triggered by the provocative visit of  Ariel Sharon to the compound of  El-Haram El-Shareef.  Confiscation of property around the area never stopped and neither did the excavations below the Haram which has affected many houses in the area.

It almost fits the pattern, so that the status quo at El-Haram el Shareef agreed upon with Jordan, the Palestinian National Authority and Israel would not hold any more.  Electronic devices and smart cameras have been placed at the main entrances to the mosque, but the Palestinians as well as Jordan refuse to deal with this change in the status quo.  However, that has not deterred  worshippers from worshipping on the streets outside the gates of Jerusalem despite the brutality of the Israeli armed forces to an extent that they raided the Makassed hospital where some of the injured young Palestinians were being treated.   Never has the Jerusalem community, both Muslims and Christian, been so united in facing this onslaught on one of its holiest sites. 

After fifty years of a brutal military occupation it has become openly clear that Israel is capable of achieving what it sets out to achieve and gets away with it even if it violates international law and UN resolutions.  “Whatever Lola wants Lola gets,” a song from the fifties, continues to be so pertinent  regarding Israel.  The daily provocative incursions into the compound of the mosque  by settlers under the protection of Israeli forces,  proves their intention. 

Should the international community allow this to go on?  And will the intervention to salvage this third holiest Mosque in the Muslim world by countries who have peace agreements with Israel like Jordan, and Egypt, and others countries like Saudi Arabia and the Emirates, who have unofficial relationships, make a difference? Or will they acquiesce to all the Israeli measures and allow Israel to achieve what it wants to achieve regardless of  the havoc that it will bring to the area should the Israelis partition the mosque as they did with the Ibrahimi mosque in Hebron?  God forbid!!!