Palestinian Live Satellite Channel
Watch the Palestinian Satellite Channel live from Palestine.
Watching the events live on television of Arafat's return to Ramallah for burial brings up so many thoughts, feelings and memories. I will blog on these later. For now, suffice to say that I completely empathize with the Palestinian people and their cause.
Prior to going to Palestine this past year, this was not the case. Like most people, I also bought into the Israeli/Jewish propaganda machine that would have everyone believe that Israel = good, Palestine = bad.
Before my trip to Palestine, I was sold on this idea that Israel is America's only friend, that it is a true democracy, that it wants peace and that the Palestinians are all insane, bloodthirsty terrorists who raise their childre to hate Jews and to blow themselves up. I really believed this ... until I made my trip to Palestine.
It felt so liberating watching the thousands crowded in the mukata for the world to see. It felt liberating seeing the Palestinian flag raised for the world to see. It felt liberating to see unrestricted movement by the Palestinians, without Israeli Occupation Forces yelling, harassing, humiliating, detaining or insulting them. Of course, this does not mean that it was not going on in other areas of the West Bank. But in Ramallah, I saw a people congregated and liberating themselves of their emotions for the world to see.
Yasser Arafat certainly has his shortcomings ... but one has to wonder, as I did prior to visiting Palestine, why does the rest of the world, why do world leaders and dignataries honor this man where as only the United States and Israel vilify him? What are we being told here that runs so contrary to what the world thinks of the Palestinian people and their cause? Why do the French honor Arafat with an honor guard procession? Why does the U.N. consistently condemn and pass resolutions against Israel's polices in the Occupied Territories and why does the United States consistently vote against these resolutions? Why is it that anytime some speaks up against these policies, they are deemed "anti-Semitic"?
Watching the events live on television of Arafat's return to Ramallah for burial brings up so many thoughts, feelings and memories. I will blog on these later. For now, suffice to say that I completely empathize with the Palestinian people and their cause.
Prior to going to Palestine this past year, this was not the case. Like most people, I also bought into the Israeli/Jewish propaganda machine that would have everyone believe that Israel = good, Palestine = bad.
Before my trip to Palestine, I was sold on this idea that Israel is America's only friend, that it is a true democracy, that it wants peace and that the Palestinians are all insane, bloodthirsty terrorists who raise their childre to hate Jews and to blow themselves up. I really believed this ... until I made my trip to Palestine.
It felt so liberating watching the thousands crowded in the mukata for the world to see. It felt liberating seeing the Palestinian flag raised for the world to see. It felt liberating to see unrestricted movement by the Palestinians, without Israeli Occupation Forces yelling, harassing, humiliating, detaining or insulting them. Of course, this does not mean that it was not going on in other areas of the West Bank. But in Ramallah, I saw a people congregated and liberating themselves of their emotions for the world to see.
Yasser Arafat certainly has his shortcomings ... but one has to wonder, as I did prior to visiting Palestine, why does the rest of the world, why do world leaders and dignataries honor this man where as only the United States and Israel vilify him? What are we being told here that runs so contrary to what the world thinks of the Palestinian people and their cause? Why do the French honor Arafat with an honor guard procession? Why does the U.N. consistently condemn and pass resolutions against Israel's polices in the Occupied Territories and why does the United States consistently vote against these resolutions? Why is it that anytime some speaks up against these policies, they are deemed "anti-Semitic"?