Across the Brooklyn Bridge

BBC NEWS | Middle East | 'Israeli plans' for Arafat death

Posted by Alif at 4:23 PM | Permalink   

"How's the restaurant? Did you guy's open yet?"
"No, not yet but we are getting there. Little by little."
"Well, keep me posted."

Posted by Alif at 7:18 AM | Permalink | Comments   

Posted by Alif at 8:52 PM | Permalink | Comments   

Whenever I travel, I do my best to pack in a way that I don't have to check my bag at the airport. This helps avoid having to stand in line waiting for my luggage to be unloaded once I arrive at my destination.

At Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv, I stand in line watching security inspecting everyone's bags along with mine. I watch as they visually examine everyone's packaged sweets, chocolates and other gifts that people are bringing back to the States most likely as tokens of their trip. I watch as they repack people's belongings back into their suitcases before moving on to the next person.

I also watch as Israeli security take my box of Ali Baba Chocolate Wafers, a gift purchased in Ramallah, run it through a couple of x-ray machines, conduct an explosives test on the box and then place it in a large white box with the words "SECURITY" imprinted all over it. It is then sealed with tape marked 'security' and then put it on the conveyor belt to be checked in.

At JFK airport, I see a group of young excited Jewish teens also just returning from Israel excitedly saying their goodbyes to each other and exclaiming what a wonderful time they had as I had to stand there with my carry-on luggage in hand waiting for the box of chocolates that Israeli security had deemed too dangerous for me to carry on board to be unloaded from the plane.

As fate would have it, it was one of the last items unloaded off the El Al flight I had taken back home.

Posted by Alif at 10:03 AM | Permalink | Comments   

I called my family in Palestine today .
"Marhaba! Kefal Haal?" Hello...how are you! I asked.
My niece 'N' is not familiar enough yet with the sound of my voice over the phone so she sounded a bit confused.
"Marjaba, al hamdullilah," she replied.
There was a pause.
"Ahhhhhhhhh!"
"Ana Farid!" I said.
I could hear a twinkle and excitement in her voice.
"Ahhh!!!," she said again as I heard her announce to everyone in the room with her that it was me on the phone.

It was my first phone call to them since I started taking an Arabic Level I class in September.

"Kulu shay tamam? (everything is good?") I asked her.
"Yaaa! Kulu shay tamam. Everything is fine!" she said with a laugh.
I gave her all I had in terms of what I've learned so far and I could hear she was delighted. She put my sister 'M' on the phone and we too spoke in Arabic using what I've learned thus far. She too was delighted. This was our first real conversation with each other without the use of an interpreter since we met in August.

I then spoke with my other niece who was equally as excited to converse with me with the bit of Arabic I'm able to muster up. It may not have been the most intellectual of conversations but it certainly was exciting for all of us.

Posted by Alif at 10:30 PM | Permalink | Comments   

We Will Never Give Up Our Land: Fighting the Occupation Wall

The violence and the injustice of the Israeli occupation is not new to Budrus or nearby villages. In 1948, the Israeli forces confiscated 80% of the village's land. In 1953, Israel's current prime minister, Ariel Sharon, led a massacre of 60 people in the neighbouring village of Qibya. Today, Sharon and his government are trying to steal 45% of Budrus’s remaining land through the wall.

But the residents of Budrus, which is located west of Ramallah, have refused to concede. Since November 2003, the village has mounted a popular campaign of resistance, based on unity and non-violent action. The town formed a grassroots Popular Committee, bringing together all the political factions within the village, along with the village council, schools, women's committees and youth clubs. The Popular Committee has also sought to work with Israeli peace activists and international observers from organisations like the International Women's Peace Service (IWPS) and the International Solidarity Movement (ISM). more>>>

Posted by Alif at 8:54 PM | Permalink | Comments   

I was in Taba, Egypt, two months ago. I remember how beautiful the view was as we travelled from the Israeli/Egyptian border to Ras Al Satan where we stayed. I remember seeing the new huts and buildings being constructed and dotting the landscape on my left overlooking the sea as we listened to Arabic music the taxi driver would play. It was a rich experience. I remember seeing camels dotting the road and running alongside the cab as we zoomed past them.

I also remember it being hot as hell.

A lot of people go to Taba to rent a beach hut where you sleep on flimsy mattresses on the ground with ants crawling all over you while you swat away mosquitos all night long. All for the chance to sleep on a beach. I travelled 5 hours through the Negev from Tel Aviv because I had heard how great this place was. CC, my traveling companion, and I lasted 1 day before we decided we didn't want to spend another night. Sleeping at a Bedouin run campsite and lazying about all day long eating foods from an uninspired menu was cute for all of a few hours.

The Sinai is stunning, don't get me wrong. I envision myself coming back to take it all in at a much more relaxing pace. I would have loved to have enjoyed myself this time around but my experience was clouded by my experiences with Israeli security and various soldiers who kept making appearances along my trip. I've often wondered if Israelis also breath a sigh of relief, the way I did, once they get past that border and enter Egypt.

I would love to make it back at some point in time under different circumstances. The peninsula truly is beautiful.

Posted by Alif at 7:40 PM | Permalink | Comments   

I think I accidentally step on a woman's foot as I'm trying to squeeze in and accomodate myself on the crowded subway car.

"Pardon me," I say to her.
"Don't worry about it. It happens. It's not your fault."
"Oh, I know it's not my fault. This is New York and this is part of living here."
"This is true," she says as she smiles back.

"We're all like cockroaches crawling all over each other during the morning rush hour. It's important for me to pardon myself because you never know what mood someone is in who might interpret being pushed as rude."
"That true. It's important to maintain one's conduct even when no one know's you. I agree."

"Sure. Besides, New York is filled with crazy people. You never know who's going to freak out on you if you don't apologize or excuse yourself."
"You can say that again."

"Absolutely. Hey. If I can get to work without getting my eyes scratched out by some crazy New Yorker riding the subway, I'm off to a good start."

Posted by Alif at 7:43 AM | Permalink   

I've noticed, since returning from my trip to Palestine, very few of my Jewish acquaintances have asked me about my trip. It's become an unspoken subject between us. When I run into them, we go through the standard salutory motions and then continue on our respective ways but not before looking at each other with a silent look that locks both our eyes together before we both quickly turn them away. I can only speculate at what they might be thinking.

Nor have I volunteered information to them about my trip. I just don't even know to begin telling them of what my experience travelling through Israel and the West Bank was like. It just seems like an abrasive subject to all of a sudden bring up in light of our respective opinions and beliefs about the situation.

There have been some Jewish friends, well aware of the ignorance, hatred and racism that exists among many Israelis against Arabs and especially Palestinians, who have approached me and expressed concern about how my trip went. Even with them, I have a very tough time broaching the subject in spite of their understanding. It does give me some degree of comfort to know that not all Israelis or Jews subscribe to the ideology of hate against the Arab people and that some are in complete solidarity with the people of Palestine.

Posted by Alif at 6:33 AM | Permalink | Comments   

Thoughts of my experience visiting Palestine for the first time, seeing my father for the first time in a number of years and of what it was like for me travelling through Israel itself continue to haunt me.

In Eilat which lies at the southern most point of Israel, I was sitting on a bench along a main road conversing with George and discussing whether to take a taxi or walk to our destination. A group of teenagers pass us and one of them looks straight at me, mockingly screams and then jumps back a couple of feet before steadying himself and falling back in line with his friends. I am not sure that I am reading too much into this but the message to me seemed rather implicit.

It's become harder to look at pictures and read accounts of how the Palestinians are being treated without thinking about my family there and what their lives are like.

Posted by Alif at 10:09 PM | Permalink | Comments   

Should I be surprised by this story? Any system that is set up to subjugate people has corruption built into it as a means to get around it.

In Jerusalem, I witnessed a pay-off of a huge bundle of Israeli a ride into Jerusalem by "Amir" who has papers which allow him to travel into Israel and back. He has told me he needed to conduct some business in Jerusalem and asked if I would be interested in accompanying him as he did so. "Sure!" I said. I gladly accepted the offer.

I didn't get to see much of the city but I did get to see 'Amir' make a very suspicious rendevous to an area near a park on the outskirts of Jerusalem and make a payoff of a huge bundle of shekels discreetly to an Israeli soldier standing by a military parked by the side of major road.

Posted by Alif at 1:45 AM | Permalink | Comments