Grim Results of Israel's Apartheid. And a Story

My friend Michel runs a Palestinian, geo-political, tour guide agency. Grit and persistence keep it going, as tourism has dropped due to Covid. I asked for his assessment of the recent increase in settler and Israeli army violence against Palestinians. (Over 200 Palestinians, mostly civilians, and journalists Shireen Abu Akleh and Ghurfan Huran have been killed so far this year.) And what effect would the upcoming Israeli elections have on this situation? One of Michel’s tour guides, who had just served us Arabic coffee, answered first. She thought the candidates for Prime Minister of Israel were competing for who would be the toughest on Palestinians, thus spurring on instead of restraining, acts of violence like uprooting olive trees, attacking farmers and even international supporters as they attempted to harvest or work their land, vandalizing cars, and praying at the Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. I had read about all of these acts over the last few months, and asked if this incitement to violence would subside after the elections? “Maybe; but maybe the winner will set about implementing the threats made during the campaign.” Michel pointed out that the majority of the Israeli Knesset are now settlers, and will act to protect their interests and to satisfy their (settler) constituents. He likened today’s atmosphere of fear and aggression to the 1930’s when the Jewish underground was armed and very active (with British support) against the native Palestinian population. He didn’t hold out hope that the situation would improve after the election, though Israel might turn its attention away from internal policy and toward appeasing international concerns about the clear violations of Palestinian rights, settler aggression, and killings. “The only hope lies in Europe waking up, he added. American will never be a fair broker, Russia doesn’t care, and Asia is focused on trade.” I didn’t get to ask Michel, who was about to start a staff meeting, if he thought Europe would wake up, but there is no evidence that the Western world is about to defy the United States in order to change the course of events in Palestine and Israel. Finally, I asked what I should say to my community back home. I will be asked to give talks… “They will not understand. The only way to understand is to come here. And anything you say against Israel will be attacked by the media. But, do tell our stories. So, dear readers, here is a story that I offer to illustrate that Palestinians are not all of one mind. Jihan is a mother of 3, the youngest only 5 months old. She works part time at the Museum as a Biologist. She is married to a Greek Orthodox priest. (Note: It is only Roman Catholic priests who cannot marry.) As I know from a friend Stateside that being married to a minister can be challenging, I asked her about that. She admitted that it is hard being married to a priest due to his many duties that require a strict diet and periods of celibacy. But her discontent lay elsewhere. Sadly, Jilian would like to leave Palestine. She said that Muslims discriminate against the Christian minority, and beside that her grandmother is Lebanese. Palestinians don’t like the Lebanese because of their more “liberal” life-style, and Jilian feels that prejudice even though she dresses conservatively. (The Lebanese don’t like Palestinians either, maybe because of that very prejudice. The thousands of Palestinians in refugee camps in Lebanon are not allowed passports nor work permits.) As part-Lebanese, and as wife of a priest, and as a Christian in a majority Muslim country, Jihan does not feel she belongs anywhere. I let her sadness sink in, and then asked where would she go, if she could? “Anywhere were people love each other.” Then, as if knowing that that place doesn't exist, she added, “ People suffer everywhere; I would like them to be happy. I try to be loving to everyone “so they will feel it.”