Category: 2021

Joe Biden said: “We will lead by the strength of our example, not by the example of our strength.”

Were such beautiful words meant from the heart, or simply written by a speechwriter? Maybe the same one who wrote Obama’s Cairo speech, after which all hell broke loose and the Arab Spring became the Arab Winter? 

Biden also said that his Administration will make Human Rights a cornerstone of its foreign policy. Again, is that Across The Board, or will it be Cherry Picking as usual?

I don’t really have any answers. I am not very good at reading tea leaves. Time will tell. Meanwhile though, words have consequences, whether they come from Biden or anyone else. These past two weeks and as Israel’s war on the Palestinian people saw the utter destruction of Gaza once the bloody hell again, as well as upheavals all over Occupied Palestine causing more deaths, orphans, widows, physical and emotional injuries and distress, uprooting, incarcerations and homelessness, the MSM went into action reporting the events. After all, with Trump no more consuming all the oxygen in their studios and the nation, if not the world, they have to find sensational, salacious or horrible ongoings to keep us all rapt – not that they are achieving this as their viewer numbers are way down, especially among the younger generations. Nevertheless, did they manage to get it right after all those decades of undermining, marginalizing and ignoring the Palestinian Catastrophe? They tried, and, a few of them succeeded, most failed miserably, because no matter how “fair” they endeavored to sound there was always that underlying bias, racism and bigotry that was in their subtext and in their trotting out of those same tired pro-Israeli Government “experts” that they interviewed who were, as usual, manufacturing facts and evidence to show their righteousness and the Palestinian people’s wickedness. Nothing new here! Simply a repeat of the same damn scenario with no journalist/host to call them up on that as they do when it is a Palestinian being interviewed. Winston Churchill once said: “Eating Words Has Never Given Me Indigestion.” Our MSM get so many things wrong, but they Never, Ever Eat Their Words! Truly, despicable, disrespectful and arrogant!

Irrespective of that, the drama of the Palestinian Catastrophe was heard by many more people than prior decades as the massive pro-Palestinian demonstrations worldwide have proven, and as many journalists with professional integrity have written about. There is no sense repeating it to those of you who have lived it – as I and millions of others have – or, to those of you who are aware of this tragedy. However, if you are a biased, racist, supremacist, Christian zealot, and/or political right-winger it would be useless to reiterate the details of this Calamitous event to you that really started with the Balfour Declaration of 1917 when Colonist Britain promised the Jews a homeland in Palestine. Just like that, they decided to give away part of the Palestinian people’s homeland of centuries to a white, supremacist, European Jewish people. Ink on paper sealed the deal that resulted in this Catastrophe, which has only brought on: Another Day, Another Year, Another War . . . since 1948 and to date.

So, what now? The Biden/Blinken “quiet diplomacy” seemed to work in that the vicious assault came to a halt after eleven days of merciless bombardment. Moreover, both Biden and Blinken reiterated that there has to be an end game and a lasting resolution to this bloody conflict – one that ensured equal rights and dignity for both Israelis and Palestinians, with emphasis on the “Two State Solution.”

Now, I really do not know what went on behind the scenes away from the microphones, as well as the conversations that went on between the American Administration, the Israeli Government, and Arab Governments. It did sound more even-handed, though, and the reopening of the US Consulate in Jerusalem might be an indication of restoring fair-handedness in US intentions – not that history has ever proven that even-handedness. However, what I do know is what I have been saying for many, many years: nothing short of the Two State Solution with full and independent sovereign rights will ensure that the Palestinian people could have part of their Dignity restored enough in order to assuage their immense sense of loss, humiliation and deprivation over the past decades. Otherwise it will only be:

Another Day, Another Year, Another War.

The injustice of this whole situation is not that it is complicated as so many Middle East “experts” have been parroting for decades. A Just solution is absolutely doable if the intentions of Israel, the United States and all the other Colonist Powers have the will to execute it. To date that will has been deliberately absent. Moreover, the many years of a Bibi Regime in Israel have managed to subdue the Progressive elements within the Israeli political system and subvert their pro-peace endeavors – an effort that began after Rabin was assassinated.

This past week with Blinken shuttling in the region aid has begun to flow into Gaza, rebuilding has started and many promises of more aid are in the pipeline. Does that mean it’s all over? Not by a very long shot, mainly because “The Peace Process” has been tabled by the US until there is a return to a semblance of normalcy. Shamir once said (my words): Peace Process? Yes, and I can stretch it for many, many years to come. That is exactly what actually happened and “Process” never became an executable plan, nor was it ever meant to be neither by Israel, the US, or the Europeans – disappointingly, as my own personal experience has proven. History often repeats itself. Will it do so again in this case? Sadly and reluctantly, I am leaning towards the repetitive, and the reason why I say this is that our world is ailing from a lethal Virus; from a Climate Change that will be unveiling numerous issues before – and if ever – we manage to get control of the deterioration; from the reprehensible and nefarious tactics of Despots and Strongmen in many locations on this sick Planet who have become brasher, ruder and crueler; and from what is a Trump Movement that seems to be expanding in its goals of Disruption, Chaos, Dismantling of Democratic Principles, Refuting of Science and Reason; Reverting Any and All Gains made by Women and Minorities in every aspect; sowing suspicion, mistrust and conspiracy theories that are confounding democratic governments wherever they are. All this is going to need Herculean Efforts to undo and enormous pressure on democracies simply to be able to function, which might make the issue of Palestine recede to the very back burner! All of the above is a recipe with the onerous heading of: The Dark Ages. What it sadly bodes is:

Another Day, Another Year, Another War . . .

. . . Unless: Sane Heads are able to navigate those muddy waters. In the meantime, we all need to fully support and uphold our American Democracy more than we have ever done before despite any reservations, criticisms and/or hesitations that we might have – and I have quite a few! – because the alternative is extremely dire and the forces of evil are hard at work to bring the demise of what is, at the moment, a seemingly fragile democratic system. The path ahead has never been clearer to me as I focus on the larger picture and not only on one, or the other of our numerous worldwide tragedies.

Meanwhile, Palestinians might be given a shot of Palliative Care now and then, while their Catastrophe tragically lingers and continues on. Ergo: It’s Not Over! Not by a long shot, especially because Bibi – and as our historical experience has proven time and time again – is capable of choreographing an “incident” to derail any efforts towards attaining dignity and peace. And, if I’m wrong – as I hope that I am – then I have no problem eating my words!

These past two weeks there was so much traffic flowing through my brain that it congested my mental highway and got me to where I was experiencing a Writer’s Block. What do I want to write about? There is so much going on – some dramatic, some comical – that could inspire a writer, numerous subject material to choose from, yet, my brain refused to budge! Was it just being stubborn? Or, was it simply fatigued? Infuriated, perhaps? Furious? Heartbroken? Is there really any reason for that in our out-of-control world? Huh?

. . . Anyway, I could write about a boxer called Felix Verdejo who killed his girlfriend and their unborn child, because he had already been married for eight years and had a daughter with his wife. The girlfriend was inconveniencing the scoundrel! That’s where we are these days: gruesome stories every single day! Your girlfriend, wife, husband, child, employer, coworker have upset you? Just shoot them up! Off them! While murders seem to be happening all the time, what upset me so very much coming at the heels of my reading about that Felix fellow was a report regarding the fifty percent increase in Domestic Violence and Abuse during this Epidemic.  The United Nations calls this the “Shadow Epidemic” and, while the violence targets mostly women, it also includes Child and Other Abuse. Tragic! Barbaric! Totally uncivilized!

. . . I could also write about divorce in this unsettling era, and of Melinda and Bill Gates. Again, while divorce happens all the time, that one shocked me quite a bit! Where’s Oprah to interview them and open her eyes wide, form her mouth into that artificial “O” and, maybe, share something scandalous?

. . . Or, I could write about how we evaded a tragedy had the debris from the Chinese rocket fallen on an inhabited area of our Planet. Apparently, it landed in the Indian Ocean. Phew! That made me think of how we humans have contaminated and trashed our Planet, and how we are now also doing the same thing to our Space with all that debris and Space Junk orbiting around! That’s unconscionable!

. . . Or, I could write about the Republicans and their sinister doings and sayings! What a farce! How embarrassing! The very antithesis of Patriotism!

. . . Then there are all those cyber-attacks, ransomware, corporate and infrastructure threats? What the hell is going on? Is Anyone, or Anything safe anymore?

. . . Maybe I could write about the ridiculous and up close (close!) images of people’s arms being injected with the Virus vaccine? How uncreative, unimaginative and simply disgusting is the media that cannot come up with different portrayals when discussing the Virus other than the jabbing of people’s arms, those same ones they have been shoving in our faces for the past year??!! What exactly is the point? What are they trying to tell us? Ridiculous!

. . . Perhaps I could also write about the frequent tragic bombings going on in Afghanistan and Iraq, the chaos, protests and unrest going on in so many places in the world! Where do I start on this subject?

However . . .

. . . the recent very disturbing incidents going on in Palestine have managed to agitate and infuriate me once again as they have been throughout my lifetime! And, maybe that is the reason why I am not being able to think of anything else to write about. Bibi’s atrocious ploys and political shenanigans are again at play and the Palestinian people are his punching ball! How many more times will we suffer before the killing is over? How many times has this sordid scenario been played whether it is Sheikh Jarrah, or Jerusalem and Gaza and all over Occupied Palestine? Actually, it is simply criminal with no other words to describe it than ethnic cleansing and apartheid! While the World was busy dealing with a lethal Virus and economic instability amongst numerous other problems, the Israeli Government has been running amok and consolidating its chokehold on Palestine and the Palestinian people. How many times do we tell the World that this has been going on for over 75 years? How many times do we have to repeat the story of the Palestinian Catastrophe? We have written about this in hundreds of books, poems, articles, posts, plays and op-eds. How many times do we continue to cry, to agonize, to wonder when is this going to stop? And how many times had the Western and American media in an effort to whitewash anything pertaining to Israel ignored our side of this tragic story as they presented and slanted it so that it seemed like it was our fault that all this had happened, although in discussing these recent dramas they tried to be fair and some succeeded, while most failed? But, that’s not nearly enough! And the Israeli Government spin machine is still spinning lies. Are the US and the Western World not perturbed to howl about the Rohingya, the Uyghurs, human and democratic rights in Hong Kong, occupation of Crimea and all other issues that license and incense them to point fingers at Russia and China, but Never at Israel? Bigots! Racists! And, frankly, I am so sick and tired of listening to our State Department, as well as other European Officials expressing how “extremely concerned” they are! I am so sick and tired of their hypocrisy and their lies! I am so sick and tired of these blatant double standards that apply Everywhere, but are Totally Inapplicable to the Palestinian people! What will it take after 75 plus years of occupation, expropriation, uprooting, forced expulsions, incarcerations, humiliation, provocation, demolishment of orchards and property, shootings and killings and every other constricting situation that the sinister Israeli Government can come up with to make life unbearable for the Legal, Rightful Owners of Palestine? It is Unbelievable! It is so Infuriating! That is Not what Palestinians would have been told had the shoe been on the other foot! Would our State Department have “expressed concern” if Palestinians had been violently evicting Israelis from their homes? Would they Joe Biden? Huh? Hypocrites that they all are, that would never happen! Double Standards and then some! What is it going to take for the Palestinian people to achieve Justice from the same people who have defied every United Nations Resolution for which Any Other Nation would have been punished by sanctions, or outright war and who throw the Holocaust and Anti-Semitism at the whole world and at every chance they get valid, or not? It is simply unbelievably atrocious, inhumane, unjust and against every known convention and international law! As I have always said in my posts: Colonialism has never ended!

And, yes, you who are reading my post today probably know all this and more! Right? However, the Palestinian people remain Steadfast, Persistent and Insistent until we have Equality and Justice! Samidoon! Samidoon! Samidoon!