Palestinians for Dignity: Saeb Erekat, Go Home

As posted on Electronic Intifada

More pictures can be found here

Under the pouring rain, Palestinians for the first time took part in a protest right in front of the Palestinian Authority compound Al-Muqata’a, which has become to symbolize, as one of the more lavish foreign funded state-building projects, an illusion of authority under the Israeli occupation. In her article describing the PA’s spatial organization of state structures, Linda Tabar quotes an official who describes the Muqata’a as an image “of grandeur that creates the impression we have a state.”

The protest, organized by a group of young Palestinians who called themselves Palestinians for Dignity, was against the farcical “negotiations about negotiations” currently taking place in Amman, Jordan between the PA represented by unelected chief negotiator Sa’eb Erekat (who incidentally, resigned his post after it was revealed that the Palestine Papers were leaked from his office in 2011) and the Israeli delegation, headed by Yitzhak Molcho. A third meeting is expected to run today between the two sides, after the first two were conducted last week on January 3rd and January 10th respectively.

From the statement released by the youth, the ongoing negotiations have once again commenced without any pre-conditions:

Counting on the same fruitless and failing process of the past two decades, the negotiations contradict past PLO statements that have explicitly rejected negotiations until settlement expansion is frozen, borders are clearly referenced and defined, and the fulfillment of the release of all political prisoners.

It has become increasingly obvious that the PA and its leadership have stopped pretending to sugarcoat their salient acts with their occupier, which does not reflect the interests of the Palestinians. In fact, twenty years of failed negotiations have only made the life of the average Palestinian more miserable as a result of the enhanced state of occupation they live in, as the rapid land grabs and construction of settlements are implemented with the full knowledge and even blessing of the negotiating team of the PA.

The statement continues,

Palestinian youth are fed up with illegitimate representation, a national consensus that does not unite them, and of a future state that does not guarantee the rights of the majority of the Palestinian people, in specific, Palestinian refugees in exile. We demand a strategy that is supported by political, economic, academic and cultural boycott of the Zionist entity, the strengthening of the steadfastness of the people, and preparation for direct elections to the Palestinian National Council (PNC) representative of Palestinians across the world.

The protest didn’t say silent for long. In my opinion, Palestinian silent protests are an oxymoron. Pretty soon, abetted by the expressive posters, vigorous chants were shouted by those in attendance who numbered around one hundred. Plainclothes police once again “infiltrated” the protest, but their faces were familiar to many who were involved in the now obsolete March 15th youth movement.

Chants called for Saeb Erekat to go home, and asserted that the right of return was not for sale. One variation was that the blood of the martyrs was not going to be sold out. Negotiations and normalization were used interchangeably in the chants as in this context they were really synonymous after all. One popular chant was “Right of Return, Freedom, National Dignity/ عودة, حرية, كرامة وطنية”

The plainclothes police moved to the other side of the street, the side of the Muqata’a. They watched us from inside their cars and a couple even took pictures, which forcibly reminded me of the Israeli army during the weekly protests in the village of Nabi Saleh who carry out the same act. After an hour and a half, the protest was over, but not before the youth shouted that if the message today wasn’t heard by the PA leadership, then there will be more protests to follow.

Shortly afterwards, one young man from Tulkarem who participated in the protest (and who prefers to remain anonymous) was attacked and arrested by the PA security forces. His arrest lasted for two hours, including an hour of interrogation about the names of the people who were chanting against the PA.

There is no longer a psychological barrier of fear against the Palestinian Authority and its security forces. Their interests are to consolidate their elitist status while the majority of the Palestinians continue to suffer from a two-tiered tyranny: The Israeli occupation and its bestial policies, and the suppression and stifling rule of the main Palestinian parties, Fateh in the shape of the PA in the West Bank and Hamas in the Gaza Strip. We will not stand by anymore on the sidelines, as outdated so-called representatives negotiate our rights away with the same side that is continuously oppressing us. It is simply ludicrous, shameful, and outright embarrassing that these negotiations still occupy a space in the Palestinian political spectrum. Only free men and women negotiate, and for all their money, expensive cars and villas, and security coordinated travel permits, the Palestinian leadership is still at the end of the day occupied by Israel and its whims.

UPDATE: The incident with the arrested young man, Said al-Edreesy, is now public

Blue Chair

Palestinian song "Blue Chair" mocks PA’s UN statehood bid

A group of Palestinian youth activists who were sick of the western media protraying the Palestinians as a collective entity regarding the Palestinian Authority’s UN bid have produced a satirical video and song titled “Blue Chair”. In its simple sing-song lyrics, the video highlights sarcastically the fact that supporters of statehood have become obsessed with “magical” chairs rather than basic human rights. The lyrics, translated from Arabic, are below.

In one of the many Palestinian Authority (PA) campaigns to draw up support for UN membership, a mock Palestine UN chair was sent to travel around the world before reaching its final destination, naturally the United Nations building in New York. In the increasingly contested discourse about the PA’s bid for recognition of statehood, the symbolism the chair held won over many people as it carried with it the romanticized connotations of the world finally recognizing a Palestinian state.

Unfortunately, the same supporters fail to realize that this is basically just a PR stunt designed by the PA (who have forgotten the little scandal called the Palestine Papers and have vowed to resume negotiations with Israel) as the US will make good on its promise and veto such a request. Additionally, “statehood” is but a nonsensical diversion, drawing the attention of many to belittle the Palestinian cause — either knowingly or not — to a mere question: “Should Palestine be granted the right to statehood or not?”

A state on the 1967 borders is fruitless in that it cancels out the refugees’ right of return and impossible in that the land in the West Bank is not contiguous by virtue of the hundreds of illegal Israeli settlements and outposts. Furthermore, there are no specific “Arab only” roads or means that connect the West Bank to Gaza, which remains under siege. What is most sickening is the fact that the campaign carries the slogan “Palestine 194” signifying Palestine as the 194th member of the United Nations, while simultaneously abusing the number that holds so much significance for refugees as it is UN resolution 194 passed in 1948 that guarantees the Right of Return.

Compounded by the fact that the PA carries no legitimacy over the majority of the Palestinian people, in the diaspora and from within, the bid for statehood is nonrepresentative and fails to address the occupation directly, the crux of the whole conflict.

Translated lyrics:

The blue chair

This is the story of a magical blue chair… A blue chair that will
travel, soar and fly!
It comes in dark blue…and in white, Palestine, is drawn (2X)

This chair…is not just any chair (2X)
This chair is an extraordinary and magical kind!

This blue chair…can rise high
This blue chair…can achieve
It can a bring us a state
This chair is one magical blue chair!

This is the story of a magical blue chair…a blue chair that will
travel, soar and fly
It comes in dark blue…and in white, Palestine, is drawn
This Chair…is not just any Chair (2X)
This chair is an extraordinary and magical kind!

This blue chair… a chair for our refugees
This blue chair…will give us our “Right of Return”
This chair…will give us back Jerusalem and Palestine

This is the story of a magical blue chair…a blue chair that will
travel, soar and fly
It comes in dark blue…and in white, Palestine, is drawn
This Chair…is not just any Chair (2X)
This chair…is of an extraordinary kind

We’ve got our blue chair…with its own number too
An enemy to the settlements it serves

We are the Palestinians…with our magically dangerous blue chair
We are people…not like any other people
We are people… who have fallen in love with chairs!

Originally posted on Electronic Intifada

Hamas and Fateh: A Tale of Two Expletives

Try them out. It's rewarding in a childish way.
"Fateh off Netanyahu!"
"I will kick the living Hamas out of you."
"You stupid motherFateh, get off the road!"
"What a Hamasface."
"Your mother is a dirty Fatehsucking bish."
 "I don't give a flying Hamas."

Once upon a time, Palestine held its first transparent democratic election. Some Palestinians were prevented from voting as Israel sprung up flying checkpoints here and there, thus stalling them until it was too late. Nevertheless, the average turnout was around 74%. The parties running for elections numbered six, but it was essentially a two horse race between Fateh and Hamas. Long story short, Hamas won the majority of the seats in the Palestinian Legislative Council (74 to Fateh's 45). Sugar Daddy Bush Jr did not like the outcome at all. Many were thrown by surprise at the result. And thus, the USA nodded its head sagaciously as it completely undermined the whole election on the basis that Arabs still don't know how democracy works, and implemented that theory by causing internal strife/civil war/political separation of two territories after an attempted US backed coup backfired/installing American trained and supplied security forces whose job is to crush dissent in the West Bank/ and finally, giving its blessing to an imposed siege on the Gaza strip. Don't forget the three billion dollars annual military aid that enforces Israel's security, i.e. occupation!

White America, do you see why we blame you for our misery?

The Fateh led PA's sole concern was to continue funneling in those millions of dollars in foreign aid, promoting an illusion of a feasible state complete with a booming industry, while arresting anyone who had wet dreams/nightmares about Hamas.

Hamas' sole concern was to revel in its new "emirate", painting Gaza green in the midst of international ostracism while it continued to promote the facade of resistance by firing shoddy tinpots at nearby settlements, which culminated in an internationally complicit massacre in December 08/January 09.

Fateh disallowed demonstrations that has anything to do with Hamas, securing its grip on a newly formed police state. All traces of green flags disappeared, replaced by the desperate gaudiness of the yellow Fateh flags.

In Gaza, Hamas flaunted its corrupted demeanor and autocratic nature as it too suppressed any dissenting voices. We are not aware of the atmosphere in the universities there but it requires little imagination.

At Birzeit University, students affiliated with Hamas were promptly arrested and in some cases tortured, while the PA turned a blind eye and the university administration proved its deadly incompetence yet again. The student party affiliated with Fateh never missed a chance to publicly diss Hamas and spread its vile propaganda. Hamas withdrew from student elections for two years, in protest at the treatment and continued imprisonment of its party members at the hands of other students.

Israel and her supporters congratulated themselves over glasses filled with Gazan children's blood to what they saw as a win-win situation for them. Hamas "Destroyer of Israel" were effectively isolated and under siege (the other 1.5 million population were viewed as collateral damage) and Fateh "Negotiations Evermore" were their sniveling lapdogs, eagerly pushing for Israeli land takeovers in return for money. The real losers, the average Palestinian, witnessed with anguish as the Palestinian cause and self-determination were essentially shelved somewhere among history's back pages. Calls for unity fell on deaf ears.

Fateh, the instant collaborator of Israel. Hamas, a ruthless regime. One thing they have in common is their despotic self-interests at the cost of the Palestinians, their tyrannical incumbency.

Yesterday the two sides signed reconciliatory papers. Our sarcastic demands for them to kiss and make up were finally heeded. Brokered by a new Egypt, Hamas and Fateh seemingly put an end to five years of malicious discontent and animosity. How well was this news received? The Guardian has the best sub-heading: Celebration in Gaza City is dispersed by police wielding batons, while Ramallah seems more concerned with Champions League.

Ain't that the truth.

People shouldn't be heralding this as a new era for Palestinian unity that would now commonly advocate the Palestinian cause and seek repercussions from Israel for its continued apartheid and occupation polices, etc. Why did Hamas and Fateh sign an agreement yesterday? Why now? What gives?

Fateh's response to the Arab Spring revolutions was to pay lip service to change in the political system for fear of having the serfs revolting. It lost a major ally in Mubarak's Egypt, and found itself being propelled by one less puppet string. Likewise, Hamas is trying to steer away from any ties to the Syrian regime, that funder of annihilative cache of weapons, as Dr Bashar al Assad's penchant for killing protesters did not go by unnoticed.

How in the world can these two ideologies be married into an agreement? How will the PA operate when the international community shuns it thus forgoing any financial aid? What sort of interim government will this joint effort be like? Where does Israel fit in this equation? In fact, a lot of our questions mirror  Ali Abunimeh's, whose perspective on this so-called progressive step forward is a must read.

If there is an agreement on a joint “government” how can it possibly function without Israeli approval? Will Israel allow Hamas ministers be able to operate freely in the occupied West Bank? Will PA officials be able to move freely between the West Bank and Gaza? Israel is effectively at peace with the current Abbas wing of the Palestinian Authority and at war with Hamas. Impossible to see how such a government can operate under Israeli occupation. If anything this proves the impossibility of democracy and normal governance under Israeli military occupation.

Netanyahu made a somber appearance on TV. He said that the PA must chose either peace with Israel, or peace with Hamas. This takes us back to the conceptual meaning of Peace in Israelispeak. We're tempted to shout back, "Bring it on suckers!" but who are we kidding.

The whole point of unity should be "unity of goals for the Palestinian people" and not unity of factions. Factional unity, is it really in our best interests? Considering the agendas and actions of Fateh and Hamas in recent years and how that has affected the Palestinians, it's really a non-question.

Honestly, when we heard the news we were waiting for further explication. "And then what?" Our noses crumpled in disdain because there's gotta be some kind of ulterior motive. Whatever happened to Fayyad's 2011 Palestinian state, one that excludes Gaza?

On the bright side, maybe the hunger strikers can find a new hobby now.

Today on campus we saw a sickening sight. In front of the student council building, celebratory-like, the loudspeakers were out once again, a small mast had Fateh, Hamas, and PFLP flags, and students took turns eulogizing "O unity, thou honorable thing" shit into the microphone. The same students that not too long ago made it their favorite pastime to denounce Hamas and exalt Fateh on every occasion. We kept walking.

Al Jazeera Reveals Failure of Negotiations

At the time of this writing, Saeb Erekat is sweating his tiny balls off on the Arabic Al Jazeera channel, gulping down water and yelling unnecessarily so and accusing the anchors of being unfairly quoted. For over one thousand and six hundred documents have been revealed throughout the twenty year course of "peace negotiations" between Israel and the self-appointed Palestinian negotiators. Only an idiot needs to be convinced by all these documents; the so called peace process, proposed initially at the Madrid conference in 1991, has been a laughing stock from the beginning, full of glaring holes of US-backed Israeli propositions of land for Israel's security (and not peace) and unrequited gaping concessions made by the Palestinian team. The negotiations themselves have been going on about ten years prior to Madrid.

First things first. Who the hell appointed the Palestinian Negotiating Team? What an abrasive autocratic clique of unabashed collaborators. Stand up Ahmad Qurei, Yaser Abdrabo, Mohammad Dahalan (all sequestered to bugger off somewhere else) Salam Fayyad and reigning chief negotiator, Saeb Erekat. In no way at all do they represent the Palestinian people, and by Palestinian we include those in the Gaza Strip and 1948 Palestine, not just the bantustan riddled West Bank. Claiming to speak and act on behalf of the Palestinians is such a grievous insult. In fact, it's purely criminal.

Al-Quds/Jerusalem. The Holy City which the Israelis see as their rightful capital, even if it means evicting every non-Jewish member, demolishing historic neighborhoods, and impudently building illegal settlements with the zealousness and manic energy of the tasmanian devil. It is one of the most sensitive and thorniest issue for those who resolutely insist on hammering along the so-called peace process. The original Jerusalem residents, Muslim, Christian, and Armenian (we'll leave out 'Jewish' since they obviously got the better deal), are under threat of losing their homes, their identity, and their livelihoods by the on-going Judaizing process. Most have. Oh, and then there's all this bother about a third temple for the Jews built beneath the Al-Aqsa mosque, the third holiest site in Islam, which in order to be discovered must entail the excavation of the mosque. The old city is part of the occupied Palestinian territories (since 1967) which clearly means that the excavations, the closing down of Arab-owned stores, and the eviction and subsequent replacement of Palestinians with immigrant Jews is illegal.

Enter sweaty Erekat. Back in 2009, he proposed a "creative" solution for the problem of the old city of Jerusalem. Israel gets control of the Jewish quarter and part of the Armenian quarter, which implicitly brings Israel right up to the Haram al Sharif's western compound wall. In other words, the Armistice Line is redrawn 600 meters closer to the very borders of the Haram al Sharif. The Palestinians get control of the Christian and Muslim quarters. And the Haram al Sharif itself can be overseen by an international committee. That's not all folks! The year before, Ahmad Qurei and Erekat offered to concede almost all of East Jerusalem-for nothing in return. This means legalizing all the settlements, except for Jabal Abu Ghneim, and giving up the Arab neighborhoods.

Erekat on al Jazeera, as if to justify himself, shouted that even though this it what was offered to Israel, Tzipi Livni (part of the negotiators back then) adamantly refused to accept. We suppose he's trying to bring up the point of Israel's graciousness, and not the obvious correct reason for its refusal:

THEY
WANT
IT
ALL

So. Does Erekat think that by conceding East Jerusalem for nothing in return will put him in the history books as the most shrewd and calculating negotiator of all time? Or will be be busy papering his bathroom tiles with benjamins?

And you know what, it's not surprising at all. This whole story is only natural, with a few douchebags happily giving away the homeland of Palestinians without second thought and fulfilling their farcical role in...negotiations.


Lastly, this gem of a quote from Shitface: "The only thing I cannot do is convert to Zionism."

D'oh!

The Screw-ball Quintet

Hello everyone! Negotiations are here to the rescue! Rest assured that once the 'gruelling' talks are over, there will be peace in the Middle East! Honest to God! There will be blood, sweat and tears. There will be compromises and sacrifices! There won't be any capitulations! No renunciation no submission and best of all, no selling out! The Palestinian side will be treated as equally as the Israeli side! Let the confabulations commence forth!

The Playas in the Game

Peace be upon you! Let me clarify one thing. We can DO this bitch, yes we can! Black man president of the US? Been there, done that. Peace in the Middle East, we're gonna do it. Yeah, my little catchphrase has gotten pretty annoying. Oh, I'm no Muzlem sympathizer, which is a good thing that the Hamas beards are not invited. The old fat man is more reasonable. I say "Oppress your people here'safewmilliondollars" and he obeys! It's more about the security of the state of Israel and laying the smackdown on the terrorists who dare disturb it. I have a good feeling about this. It's one way to boost my sliding approval rates and silencing the nasty

rumours about my faith. I've got a hot body everyone, Hasselhoff got nothing on me!

Hello there old chaps. I'm rather adorable, aren't I? I wanted to wear this lovely Star Trek outfit at my inauguration but my advisers advised against it. Oh well. I know what you're thinking. Yes indeed, these are GENUINE blue eyes! It explains the fact why I am the best looking Arab monarch. And why I can't speak Arabic for the life of me. Teehee! I've got a lovely brown-nosing wife who has made it a habit to stop by on Oprah Winfrey's show, and tons of money! And no authority. I'd rather be posing in my colorful Oriental costumes for pictures and portraits where my subjects can drool over my perfectness yet I am obliged to attend this delightful little vacation at the White House. Shouldn't they be calling it the Black House? Ha-HA I made a funny! Crumpets anyone?

Ehhh. Ze fact zat I am looking everyday more like zis kind of overblown toad iz not good for my hels. Enough with the Egyptian-Bloodsucking dialect, but really, my hels, I mean health, is waning. However, I checked last time and the deal I made with the devil is still intact, I have a solid 100 years left in me. Power to me!!! Let me see..my role in this charade is to continue the strangulation of the people of Gaza, getting rid of the Muslim Brotherhood and effectively Hamas, and to line my bong with more billions of dollars! Ah, but my people love me. They just don't know that yet. I tell them it is all for the greater good. I am greater than them, so I deserve to live my life and run my country the way I see fit. I hope these silly talks don't take long, I have an appointment with the doctor in Switzerland who recommended euthanasia for me. Power to me!!!

Kill Steal Expropriate Occupy Terrorize Apartheid Jewish State Settlements Power Control Checkpoints Wall Siege Shoah Murder Massacre Oppression Demolition Ethnic Cleansing Violence Wiping Out Natives Zionism Imperialism Colonialism Anti-Semitism Security Judiazing Messianic Revelations Crackheads Extremists Hagana IDF Palmach God Given Right Democracy

Must we go through this tiresome façade again? I've got this in the bag dudes. Check out my movie-star-while serving-in-the-army pic!

Shalom! I am fat old man. I make deal with Hosni's devil. I like travel to Europe and the America to trash rich hotels and burn expensive cigars on the blouses of blondes. I am convert to Zionism! I have money, money, and more money. I still President of the PA, even after 2 years of expiry date ha-HA! I pretend I care about nationalist cause. I care about settlers and security of Israelis, first and foremost. I open my arms to hug them. They give me benjamins! Ka-ching! When in Ramallah, I travel with concierge and bling bling vehicles. I give shit not to Palestinians. I am big man! I overdose on Viagra. I like Obama, he give me nice rooms.