The price of freedom and the price of oppression

The price of freedom has always been high.  There is hardly a liberation movement in history that did not need to resort to violence before achieving its liberation and right to self determination.  All along history so many lives have been lost while people were struggling for their freedom and rights.  And unfortunately,   in most  cases it was only an armed struggle that helped people achieve their goals.  Indeed there were some  cases of peaceful resistance and civil disobedience which were  very often just as costly in human lives because the people seeking independence were not  spared the brutality of their oppressors.  

The Palestinians are not any  different.  Yet what makes our story a sad one, is that we tried both the armed struggle and the peaceful resistance, and we did not succeed in either.  Not because we are stupid, or not united or not peace loving,  but because we have a unique adversary with an agenda of turning the land empty of its people so that the myth on which they created their state becomes a reality “A land without people for a people without land.  The Palestinians have eventually realized that since the  US with all its might as well as the UN could not challenge Israel and make it budge, then it was time to come up with an innovative strategy and tools of resistance.  Even amidst all this barbaric invasion the UN failed to impose any sanctions on Israel.  And on the contrary, the US made a commitment of further aid to Israel ($230m)  from the American tax payers despite the demonstrations of the American citizens against this invasion, contrary to the legislatures. 

After seven years of siege by land air and sea,  and after the failure of all the peace talks and the building and expansion of Israeli settlements all over Palestine,  it would certainly be naïve to think that the Gaza people were not going to resort to innovative means to liberate themselves from their oppressors. So this is not about Hamas and the rockets.  It is about the whole Palestinian population crying out Enough is Enough.   What makes you wonder sometimes is why  the oppressors never seem to learn from history that no oppressive regime whether a kingdom, empire,  or a union could survive for ever.  So the price of oppression is no less costly than the price of freedom, and invading Gaza after a seven-year siege,  was not going to be a picnic for the Israeli army.  Once again I appeal to the Israeli mothers and wives of those soldiers to raise a voice of sanity and compassion.

I took another break yesterday evening from the horrors of the TV screen and attended a special mass at our parish church in Beit Hanina.  Bishop Shomali officiated along with the parish priest, and the Apostolic Delegate had a special prayer at the end of the service as well.  I know it is very difficult to pray these days, and so many believers wonder where God is in the midst of all this brutality, but we cannot afford to lose our faith nor our hope.  The whole service was very meaningful and after the blessing we all joined in singing “Mawtani” the famous national anthem, meaning “my land” More than ever people felt united for the one cause.  The youth carried a plaque that was placed near the alter which I am attaching.  

For those who do not read Arabic.  It says:  We are all one: The pain (the wound) is one.  And we prayed for Syria and Iraq as well.  But once again I say that it is going to take much more than our prayers to put an end to this genocide.