In response to an Israeli who claims to be a Peace Activist

Dear Noa,

YOU said. "I have seen the peace process rise and fall..."
I say, let's be honest about this, there has never once been an honest attempt by Israel for a peace process but instead there has been ever increasing human rights violations poured down on the Palestinian people disguised as "protecting Israel against the enemy."

YOU said, "That enemy is fanaticism ... All have fallen to this destructive, horrible fanaticism at some point in their histories and the results have been devastating."
Yes, I say that fanaticism is a horrific extreme in any form however, the oppressed, deprived, abused, victims of Palestine are far from fanatics. They are simply fighting for their right to survive and hope to one day thrive again in their own land. This is land where their ancestors have lived and farmed for centuries. I have been in Palestine! I lived in Palestine! My husband is Palestinian. I expereinced the abusive behavior by the IFD myself alongside my Palestinian family while I was there. I KNOW what it feels like to be treated like a cockroach by an elite armed force by a FANATICAL government that has no intention of peace with the Palestinian people but instead a master plan to irradicate them from existence so they can take over the entire region for more incoming immigrants Jews from around the world.

YOU said, "I have often spoken out against fanaticism in my country, ........ I see it’s black eyes and spine-chilling smile, I see blood on its hands and I know one of its many names: Hamas."
For your information, Hamas was democratically elected by the Palestinian people in Gaza to govern and lead them as much as could be done within the confines of Israel's apartheid walls. You see, Gaza, is nothing more than a ghetto, a walled in open air prison. Life in your home by the Sea could never compare to life under occupaiton. Israel has always been in control of this situation allowing and disallowing food, medicine, water, electricity, and other essential things needed for a common life whenever it pleased. Israel has pushed and tortured and punished the people of Gaza and all of Palestine to try it best to provoke anykind of meagar attack do that they could go in and demolish hundreds and thousands.

YOU said, "You know it is raping your women and raping the minds of your children. You know it is educating to hatred and death. You know it is chauvinistic and violent, greedy and selfish, it feeds on your blood and screams out Allah’s name on vain, it hides like a thief, uses the innocent as human shields, uses your mosques as arsenals, lies and cheats, uses YOU, tortures you, holds you hostage!!"
I say, you know nothing about Islamic culture, Arab culture, Palestinian culture at all. You know nothing of how women are admired, honored and treated like jewels. You know nothing of the strong Arab women I know (Muslim and Christian) who are professionals, who are executives, who are medical doctors, who are teachers, mothers.

YOU said, "I know you are SICK of being held hostage by this demon, this ugly beast, .....I have watched it miss so many opportunities, and as a citizen of this country I am the first to admit it and criticize its foolery. ....."
I say, "Why do you think it is just to wall in an entire ethnic group of people who are indigenous to a region, torture them by building beautiful settlements in view of their eyes on land stolen from them, construct super highways that they are not allowed to used, oppress them, cut them off from any means of making a decent living, imprison them on a whim for any reason at all including children, bulldoze down their homes for any obscure or made up reason, brutalize them at checkpoints and even torture them in front of other Palestinians, obliterate them hundreds at a time because they tried to fight for their right to exist, .................... NO justice - No peace ----- ever heard of Ilan Palle

YOU said, "Enough my brother …." Do you treat your brothers this way?

YOU said, "you want some coffee? Here, sit for a while…lets talk….we know the words, we know the songs, we know the road…."
I say, any Palestinian that I know would love to simply drive or walk to your home to sit with you in a civilized manner to drink coffee, sing, talk, laugh, contemplate life, etc..... but, unfortunately they are being held captivate to Israeli imposed apartheid. Israel would be a beautiful place if the Palestinians also had such a luxury as to simply be able to come visit you to sit and drink coffee. What a luxury to have such freedom!

Sincerely,
Roro Faraj,
Christian, American, Palestinian at heart, who loves all people of all belief systems all over the world.

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my above message was to ROBERT
I am using my sense. I lived in the west bank. I am speaking from what I lived and saw with my own eyes. I experienced myself the horrible checkpoints as I went to Jerusalem, Jericho, the Dead Sea, and inside the west bank... I am not spreading gossip. I was treated with great respect and dignity by the Palestinian Authority police while anytime I had to deal with an Israeli soldier or cop I was treated rudely. I was ridiculed for being married to a Palestinian. I saw how the Palestinian people are treated by the Israeli soldiers. I saw a young Palestinian man shot in the back of the knees while standing blind folded for simply writing an anti-apartheid slogan on one of the apartheid walls built by Israel. I visited with wounded Palestinians in the hospital who would never be able to walk again because they too were shot in the kness by Israeli soldiers for standing up to them by talking back to them rather than take their abuse. What I said in my discussion is documented facts. A really good source for facts would be Ilan Pappe who is a great historian. He is an ex-Israeli who now lives in London. Look him up and see for yourself the facts. President Jimmy Carter has tons of factual information about this.
I am not a propogandist. I am speaking out against a severe human rights violation. I am American and I know what my own government is doing alongside the Israeli government. I hope that Israel and Palestine can co-exist. I hope and pray that the Isreali government and the Israeli people will finally agree to allow the Palestinians to have their own place in this world in peace and with dignity.
Peace can happen just as quickley as war breaks out.
I abore violence and war.
We all have a right to live in peace and dignity. We must learn from the holocaust and the civil rights movement of recent history.
It is my dream to live in peace with everyone. I love all people. I crave a diverse population chock full of interesting cultures, rituals, folk tales, and fabulous food!
God, please help us!
Absolutely perfect post... it says it all.... AND, as long as Politicians can wage war on civilians and other politicians smile about it and let it go.. there will be these wars....

The UN is a sham.... organized religion contributes to the problem.... this kind of forum, a place and energy where people can create the energy and hunger for peace and justice is the best way to peace.
AND that's a bit frightening and sad.

BUT; today, reach out to 2 strangers and send peace. And ask them to send peace to two people and so on and so on. That's all we as individuals can really do.

So, to two of you... I send deep peace to you and please flow it on to two of your friends.

LoveRon
Regarding Hamas, what do you expect a people to do when they have been born under such hatred and oppression for so long? I hate violence and I hate that they are shooting rockets into Israel. They have lost their minds. What do you expect though! How would you react in the same exact situation being walled in, starved, deprived of a normal life, deprived of dignity? This dispossession must stop in order for this to come to a peaceful end. We all know that Israel (the government) wants no peace with the Palestinian Arabs. The Israeli government and other super powers don't care about the Palestinian people or this would not be happening.
The huge problem is that these people have no place to go. They are surrounded by trigger happy soldiers.
Nice! I love you and all of my freinds on this site, Israelis, everyone!!!!! We are blessed to have a person like you on this planet!
It will be a challenge to me
To try to include Noa and Roro (and Reem) all as co-friends in my heart.
I have been thinking about this for the past couple of days.

I am trying to understand when is it easier to identify, to bring the other closer to our heart?
When are some words of anger more bearable than others?
Dearest Ruach

It is not amazing that Majed is in my heart..it is only human.

Much of the anger of people is due to us looking at the NOW..that is the suffering before our eyes.
When we react against this present suffering it can be inerpreted either as pure empathy for them...or as putting total responsibilty on the one who drectly causes the pain.

Israel has enough to be criticized for..but the criticism will only be valid and effective if a proportionate amount of criticism is waged against those who have tried their best to do away with israel's existence..or those who have used this horrible tragedy as tool for their own agenda.
I believe this war must end now. It doesn't matter anymore who was right, who provoked who... What really matters is that, at this very moment, people are beeing killed, people are starving, people are hurt and hopeless. We are all equal, all human beeings who should simpathize with each other and unite to promote the respect for life and dignity.

At this point, we must simply stop the war.

Then we should negotiate, peacefully, solutions for this situation.

Let's all unite for this, shall we?
What Roro Said is true. Every word of it.


How do I know this ? I have relatives who lived in the Palestine mandate until 1948, and they were very distressed by what they witnessed and lived through. Always, we watch the news carefully, and, in the last year or so, I have read at least a dozen books on Israel and Palestine, and started to examine what is on the internet.

For the last 60 years, every year the situation becomes worse than we ever imagined it could become. Can you even imagine what it may be like next year ? Up until now (every year), I always said, this is as bad as it could possibly ever get.


Although I identify strongly with every word Roro wrote, I would like to emphasize one point she made:
‘there has never once been an honest attempt by Israel for a peace process...’


I would like to make one point of my own: Israeli’s have been seduced by their own propaganda, and are at great risk if they do not promptly start to behave in a more responsible manner. (Needless to say, the entire world has been seduced by Israel’s propaganda.)
I might say the Israel has been seduced by fears and its honest feelings of feeling justified, not its propoganda.
I am afraid the rhetoric of the Arab world (and the actions that have accompanied them) have not done much to help awaken us to a different reality.

You are right that things have always gotten worse..When things have gotten worse for the Palestinians, they have gotten worse for Israel as well.

That is why finally, even those in favor of the military steps know that in the end the real solutions must be in the diplomatic sphere...Besides STOP THE WAR..we must proclaim loudly START TALKS FOR MUTUAL RECOGNITION.
Des, fine. I really have no problem with this. (but pls email Hamas to accept Egyptian cease fire proposals..Pls demand that international observers be placed at the borders--alongside the the demand to open borders for merchandise)

I just hope to see your protest in he future when countries or movements continue calling for non-recognition of Israel. When shelling conitnues of israeli towns...or when the border crossings in Gaza are attacked by Palestinians, border crossings that were supposed to house joint economic efforts and let merchandise pass in both directions.

These attacks cause "less suffering"..make less headlines..but are the fuel that make the flames so outrageous.
Des...Please note that i agree with you..and really have no problem with it.

I imagine your heart can find room for the real fears and sufferings that feed this conflict.
This includes Israeli and Palestinian.

People must learn that violence is not the answer..but the problem.

Jihad either be taken out of the lexicon or must become a Jihad without violence..something that some Palestinians realize.

Is this true to heart as well?

Violent rejection is the key factor that has caused the map the Palestine to get smaller over the decades.

Territorial compromise and more freedom, even under occupation, have always come through negotiations. Maybe it is a shame that Israel left Gaza without negotiations.

The Taba negotiations that Israel held with Palesitinians in Jan. 2001, as the second intifada was being waged, brought us the closest ever to a solution. Israelis, weak human as we are, did not the to reelect the government in light of the intifada..and negotiations were stopped.

The world could identify with the "freedom fighters" of the second intifada..and as violence prevailed the seeds of today's war were planted.

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