Palestinians need more negotiators, not arms
By: Camelia Entekhabi-Fard /Asharq Al Awsat
Wednesday, 30 Jul, 2014 .
Not long ago, perhaps less than a decade ago, I was one of those Iranians who viewed the Palestinians as terrorists and opportunists. As somebody who was born and raised in Iran, I can confidently tell you that this view is prevalent; there are many Iranians who viewed, and continue to view, the Palestinians in this way. Tehran is one of the biggest supporters of the Palestinian Hamas movement, and the same goes for Lebanon’s Hezbollah militia, and ultimately it is the Iranian government’s support for such organizations that creates this feeling among the Iranian public. Iran’s state media coverage regarding the Palestinian–Israeli conflict is characterized by propaganda. The Iranian people have not had the opportunity to hear the real story and to view what is happening to the Palestinian people from a moral standpoint. This gives rise to the prevalent view among the Iranian general public of Hamas as an opportunistic group that is coming to Iran for finances and seeking to embroil Tehran into the conflict.
The Iranian public are angered by the regime spending so much money on Hamas and Hezbollah when so many Iranian people themselves are living in poverty. Iranian society respects the principle of helping others, but there are other considerations that must be taken into account. Iran’s international prestige has been severely damaged by the Islamic Republic’s support of these militias, not to mention the sheer amount of money it has lost. I could tell you that when I was living in Iran, I was more sympathetic towards the Israelis than the Palestinians. The same goes for many other Iranians I was in contact with in Tehran during this period. The Iranian public’s knowledge about the Palestinian–Israeli conflict is miniscule; everything the Iranian people know about it comes directly from the regime. This represents Tehran’s interpretation of events, which they put forward to serve their own interests.
However, I ultimately changed my view about the Palestinian–Israeli conflict after I moved from Iran to the US. I studied International Affairs at New York’s Columbia University, and this brought about a change in my assessment of the situation. It’s interesting to see that the prevalent view among intellectual Americans is one of support for the Palestinians and condemnation of Israel. This support doesn’t have anything to do with Hamas or Fatah, but rather it’s a democratic call for Israel to end its occupation of Palestinian territories and abide by the UN Security Council resolution, which calls for Israel to withdraw to the pre-1967 borders. It was in the US that I learnt, and continue to believe, that the Palestinians are not a bunch of terrorists who represent a threat to Israeli peace and stability.
This brings us to the current round of conflict between Israel and Palestine, which has seen more than 1,000 Palestinians killed in the Israeli aggression against Gaza. As I write this op-ed, this conflict is ongoing, with all attempts to reach a lasting ceasefire ending in failure.
I am sure that many people in Iran are heartbroken by the sight of defenseless Palestinian women and children with no place to hide from the Israeli air strikes on Gaza. The one party that seems to be doing everything to bring about a desired ceasefire is US Secretary of State John Kerry, and not the Iranian side, unfortunately.
Speaking in late July, Iranian Supreme Guide Grand Ayatollah Ali Khamenei appeared to call for the West Bank to follow the approach being taken by Hamas in Gaza—namely, to pick up arms and fight Israel. During a speech to university students on July 23, Khamenei said: “Our belief is that the West Bank should be armed like Gaza. Those who love the fate of the Palestinians, if they can do something, this is it. The people there [West Bank] should be armed. The only thing that can uproot the distress of the Palestinians . . .[is] to have the strongest hand. It is to show strength.”
Following Khamenei’s comments, the Iranian, Arab and international media ignited, asking whether it would be better to seek a ceasefire, or fight as Khamenei urged.
Mohammed Reza Shah Pahlavi, the last Shah of Iran, truly sought to help the Palestinian people, and some argue that if he were not ousted by the 1979 Islamic revolution, he would have played a major role in ending this conflict. However the Islamic Republic of Iran has a different regional goal than that of the former Iranian monarchy. There has been no communication between Tehran and Tel Aviv; in fact, Iran and Israel are each other’s greatest enemy. If US President Barack Obama believes so strongly in the diplomatic approach, to the point that he has angered Tel Aviv—one of America’s closest allies—by making up with Iran over the nuclear dossier, then why can’t he enforce peace between Palestine and Israel? On the other hand, Iran has the financial and military resources to continue supporting Hamas and Hezbollah and play the role of spoiler in the Middle East if they so choose. However, how long will they continue to choose to do so?
Edward Said, one of the greatest Palestinian–American intellectuals of our time, focused on the lack of communication between Washington and the Arab world when dealing with the Palestinian Cause. Culture and Resistance: Conversations with Edward W. Said quotes Said as saying that “the absence of initiative” is “our greatest enemy.”
The Palestinians don’t need more arms, they need more negotiators. Communication is the key.
“فالتفت يسوع فرآها وقال: ثقي يا ابنتي، إيمانك شفاك، فشُفيت المرأة من تلك الساعة” (متى 9:22).
من منا لا ينزف في قيمه، وعلاقاته، وممارساته، وإيمانه، وأسس رجائه في هذا الزمن القاحل الذي ابتعدنا فيه عن تعاليم الإنجيل المقدس؟
نعم، انحرفنا، وتخلينا عن المبادئ، وغرقنا في مجتمع استهلاكي أفقدنا هويتنا وأوقعنا في شراك الأنانية الشيطانية، حتى أصبح “الأنا” المتضخم بوصلتنا وغايتنا. مؤسف أن نعيش وفق أهواء هذه “الأنا” المخادعة، فنُفصل حياتنا على مقاس نزواتها، وننسق تصرفاتنا وأقوالنا بحسب رغباتها. هذه الأنانية القاتلة هدمت كيان العائلة، وهي حجر الأساس في الأوطان والمجتمعات. طردت المحبة من قلوبنا، فأظلمت نفوسنا، وسقطنا في التجارب، وابتعدنا عن طريق الخلاص القويم الذي رسمه لنا السيد المسيح بدمه على الصليب.
خسرنا كل شيء لأننا خسرنا أنفسنا، وتعامينا عن قول المعلم: “ماذا ينفع الإنسان لو ربح العالم كله وخسر نفسه؟”.
وقعنا في فخاخ إبليس بسبب قلة إيماننا وانجرافنا الأعمى وراء المال والنفوذ والسلطة. وهكذا، ننزف دون انقطاع مع كل خطيئة نرتكبها، لأنها موت روحي.
ننزف عندما نستسلم للشر ونغرق في الطمع والشهوات. ننزف عندما لا نحب، ولا نغفر، ولا نسامح، ولا نصلي، ولا نبشر بكلمة الله.
ننزف عندما نبتعد عن الإيمان ونقع في التجارب. ننزف عندما تغرينا ملذات هذا العالم الفاني. ننزف عندما نفتقد مخافة الله في تعاملاتنا مع الآخرين وأسرنا.
ننزف عندما نسمح للجشع والحسد أن يحكم حياتنا.
ننزف عندما نعبد المال والممتلكات بدل عبادة الله. ننزف عندما نخذل دماء الشهداء ونستخف بتضحياتهم. ننزف عندما نؤيد زعماء وسياسيين يتاجرون بمصيرنا وبلقمة عيشنا ووطننا. ننزف لأننا ارتضينا العبودية والعيش كالقطيع. هل نستغرب بعد ذلك أن يتحول لبنان إلى ساحة حروب للآخرين، ويفقد استقلاله وسيادته؟ لا خلاص لنا ولا وقف لهذا النزف القاتل إلا بالتوبة، والصلاة، والصوم، وعمل الكفارات. الرب غفور ومحب، يريد مساعدتنا وشفاء جراحنا إن عدنا إليه بإيمان ورجاء، كما فعلت المرأة النازفة.
لقد افتدانا الرب بابنه الوحيد وحررنا من عبودية الخطيئة الأصلية، لكنه ترك لنا الخيار: إما أن نسير في طريق الخلاص نحو ملكوته، حيث لا وجع ولا عذاب، أو أن نبتعد عن هذا الطريق وننغمس في الشر، فنلقى الهلاك الأبدي حيث “البكاء وصريف الأسنان، والنار التي لا تنطفئ، والدود الذي لا يهدأ”.
في هذا الأحد، لنستلهم العبر من إيمان المرأة النازفة، فنقوي ثقتنا بالله وبمحبته، وبنعمة الغفران التي يمنحها لمن يسعى إليها بصدق وتوبة: “هو الذي يغفر جميع آثامك ويشفي جميع أمراضك” (مزمور 103: 3). لنتضرع إلى الله من أجل خلاص لبنان، ووقف النزيف الذي أصاب مؤسساته، وهداية قادته إلى دروب الإيمان والعدل والشهادة للحق.
ملاحظة/نشرة المقالة عام 2013 ويعاد نشرها اليوم مع بعض التعديلات
The Third Lent Sunday/The Miracle Of Healing The haemorrhagic Woman Luke 08/40-56: 40 Now when Jesus returned, a crowd welcomed him, for they were all expecting him. 41 Then a man named Jairus, a synagogue leader, came and fell at Jesus’ feet, pleading with him to come to his house because his only daughter, a girl of about twelve, was dying. As Jesus was on his way, the crowds almost crushed him. And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years, but no one could heal her. She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped. “Who touched me?” Jesus asked.
When they all denied it, Peter said, “Master, the people are crowding and pressing against you.” But Jesus said, “Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from me.” Then the woman, seeing that she could not go unnoticed, came trembling and fell at his feet. In the presence of all the people, she told why she had touched him and how she had been instantly healed. 48 Then he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace.” While Jesus was still speaking, someone came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue leader. “Your daughter is dead,” he said. “Don’t bother the teacher anymore.” Hearing this, Jesus said to Jairus, “Don’t be afraid; just believe, and she will be healed.” When he arrived at the house of Jairus, he did not let anyone go in with him except Peter, John and James, and the child’s father and mother. Meanwhile, all the people were wailing and mourning for her. “Stop wailing,” Jesus said. “She is not dead but asleep.” They laughed at him, knowing that she was dead. 54 But he took her by the hand and said, “My child, get up!” Her spirit returned, and at once she stood up. Then Jesus told them to give her something to eat. 56 Her parents were astonished, but he ordered them not to tell anyone what had happened.”