In the US, we hear a lot of narratives explaining Palestine and Palestinians, but I don't believe most of them are made by Palestinians themselves—though the actions of a few Palestinians certainly influence them. We hear a lot of narratives of hatred, of each side wishing the other out of existence, of violent acts of desperation. We don't hear enough narratives of tolerance and peace.
Since coming here, I've been listening to the narratives told by the people I've met, and what I've heard contrasts strongly with the mainstream story told in the US.
Today, we (yes, I am functionally a unit of we—at the moment, I don't believe I'm allowed out of arms-reach of Majd—so no one worry, I'm being taken very careful care of) went to an event commemorating a Palestinian political martyr, Faisal Husseini, a leader of nonviolent popular resistance to Israeli occupation, especially relating to East Jerusalem.
His son spoke at the event, describing an Isreali practice of representing Palestinians with a mirage of terror while cutting of the hand offering peace. He told a narrative of Palestinian unity based upon love for one another and for one's country rather than upon hatred of the enemy. I've heard narratives taking into account the obvious military strength of Israel, and insisting upon peaceful action in a situation where one cannot possibly attain a violent victory, and I saw video footage of completely unarmed Palestinian protesters (not even holding the rocks so well known in our stories) being confronted by Israeli soldiers with bats and tear gas. I've been hearing narratives of love for all people, and the desire to live in peace among them.
It's not that terrorists don't exist, but I think their presence is blown severely out of proportion. Their narrative is almost the only one widely heard, but I don't believe they represent the majority of Palestinians. Majd explained that she thinks that neither the terrorists nor the government are working for the good of Palestinians, and yet those are the only people who get a voice in our press.
That doesn't mean that Palestinians plan to stop fighting. The cheers of the audience at the metaphor of Heusani as a sword at the Israeli settler's throats, or Majd's assertion that above all, she wants peace, but that she will also never forget the injustice does not suggest a willingness to lie down and get stepped on in negotiations. But what I've heard is a narrative about fighting for respect and justice, not for the annihilation of Israelis.
"a narrative about fighting for respect and justice, not for the annihilation of Israelis."
ReplyDeleteIsn't the end result the same Chandra? If people keep fighting for respect and justice, it's not that far off to think that they would not stop fighting at all. Nor will they actually learn to forgive their enemies and move on if they do not forget the the wrongdoings of the past.
But then again, the United States believes in the same concept and the issue of power comes into play. Palestine is evil because they do not have the power to overthrow the government, while the US is good because by preaching the same type of violence, we do it for modern causes such as freedom from tyranny.
But I do see your point that everyone, including the Palestinians need to be more engaged with their own story. It's just that when the overall message is still fighting and violence: the underlying "just" causes tend to be overshadowed.
Hey Jisan- thanks for commenting! And you're so special I wrote an entire post about it.
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