Racism is in the Mind, Not in the Heart

     Sammeh Hammoudeh’s optimism is infections because he comes from his heart, and you can't argue with the heart. He says, in the context of our conversation about religions and how he reacts to what Israel is doing to Palestinians, "If you live from your heart, there is nothing between you and God, and then you have no anxieties or fear." His warm smile fills the room, and I believe that he walks his talk.
     Sammeh was encarcerated in a U.S. prison for two and a half years before being exhonerated of all charges of supporting terrorist organizations. Then, disregarding his innocence, the court ordered him deported. He was handed over to ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) and put in jail for the maximum time allowed for someone awaiting deportation. The good news was that he was returned to his native Palestine The bad news was that he was kept from finishing the last three months of his PHD. studies at the University of Southern Florida.
     He might have cause to be bitter. Instead, he puts his personal experience in the context of the ebb and flow of world events, adds a large dose of spirituality, and shares his wisdom with his wife, six children, his university students, and us. Sammeh now teaches Political Science at Beir Zeit University.
I was anxious to hear Sammeh's opinions and analysis of the Arab Spring and its effects here in Palestine. Here is what I gleaned from our conversation over a traditional Palestinian dinner, coffee and tea.
     "The Arab Spring is an introduction to change." Israel must now be more careful. It cannot do whatever it wants because its actions are bringing reactions in the Arab countries that surround it. The recent prisoner "swap" (one Israeli for 900 Palestinians) was a result of pressure from Egypt. Jordan is having weekly demonstrations outside the Israeli embassy in Amman. Syria is holding out, but is targeted by the West for its support of Hezbollah, Hamas and alliance with Iran. But the main thing is the people are learning that they can DO something. And the politicians are learning that they CANNOT do whatever they want. An additional bonus is that the Arab Spring has changed American attitudes towards Arabs. (I recalled the posters in Wisconsin saying "This is Our Tahir Square.")
     As for one state or two states, Israel made sure that two states would fail, because they didn't want an independent Palestinian state alongside it. Yet Israel's racism makes one state impossible also. Zionists have acted with a "kind of stupidity" by putting their state in the middle of the Arab world and simultaneously rejecting all things Arab. "They think that power can get them everything....But look what happened to Egypt." Israel is fighting a losing war with its Arab neighbors.
     The answer lies in Israel realizing that it will not have security as a racist state and must change its attitude to respecting and cooperating with Arabs. This change of heart will bring peace to the Middle East. In fact securiy never comes from military power, but only from accepting other cultures. Such openness will eventually eliminate racism. "Racism is not natural; it is in the mind, not in the heart."
     We asked about Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood. Hamas has the position that Israel is not a legitimate state, and this land is Palestine and cannot be given to anyone. Thus, they would like to dismantle Israel, but not by killing the Jews. Their position wll not change and will not allow Hamas to "negotiate" with Israel. Sammeh sees Muslim Brotherhood through the lens of the charitable work they do on the ground, and notes that they are not as extremist as the Wahabi sect of Islam that won 20% of the elections in Egypt. He does not think the Brotherhood is allied with the U.S. in any way (which would ruin its reputation), whereas the PA and Israel are controlled by the U.S..
     Sammeh admits that he is an optimist: "Change will come to Palestine soon - in the next ten years." How does he think this? Well, he notes, changes have been happeninng in the whole world, from attitudes towards the rights of women to having global connections that can bring down dictators and strengthen the voice of the people. While I have my own doubts, I appreciate this voice from a well-informed Palestinian intellectual.