Thank you for sharing this. I went to the west Bank in 2018 and it utterly shattered me. And I have made in my life's mission to make people know the truth.
I’m horrified by the way that many Jews are conflating anti-Semitism with anti-Zionism or even any criticism of the current Israeli regime. Thank you for reaching out and connecting with the Palestinians. May you travel and report safely. May all people live in peace someday soon. 💜🙏🏼
Thank you for this essay, I lived in East Jerusalem and the West Bank briefly and it was already brutal, though not as bad as now. I would recommend seeing something in the Jordan Valley – there's a town in the north that has a well, but the well is Israeli-controlled so the water is free to settlers but paid for Palestinians, if you want to see something that's a very direct form of apartheid. There are also settlements that have refused IDF protection because they think it's too pro-Palestinian, might want to see communities affected by those, e.g. Beit Omar.
I would also see Ramallah to see what the 'most comfortable' version of the occupation looks like, talk to people with Jerusalem permits that can be revoked at any moment, and also of course talk to settlers, both right- and left-wing, to see how they justify it or what they know and think. Talk to Israelis in general too. All the above were the most eye-opening experiences for me.
Thanks for this note, Michael. I actually just returned to New York but I did quite a few of those things you mentioned. The water situation in the Jordan Valley is so shocking--i'm going to be writing about it soon. Look forward to your thoughts on future posts.
So much senseless suffering. I don't know how the Palestinian people keep going, and with grace.Thanks for sharing this. Glad I found your writing. From Ireland.
Yes, grace. If you don’t see the grace that was afforded to this Jewish author from the Palestinians that he met; then imo you have lost your humanity.
Let's look back on the reason Gaza is being attacked in the first place and slow down a little on who we're calling graceful. A graceful people wouldn't send a battalion of young men to rape and murder more than a thousand innocent people, deliberately killing as many innocents as they can. A graceful people would never have allowed that. Not only was it allowed, they were fucking *celebrated.* Not a single one of those rapist barbarians who returned home were sent to prison for their *deliberate* crimes against humanity.
And you say they handle it with grace. Makes me sick.
The Palestinians have a right under international law to use militant actions - including offensive military action, against their oppressors. The vast majority of operations by Hamas and PIJ were against military bases or settlements that cannot be distinguished from military bases. Half of the 'completely innocent' settlers were killed by the IDF. There were no mass rapes, and they did not try to kill 'as many innocents' as they could because hostages were needed to leverage the IDF into released the scores of Palestinians held in administrative detention - the equivalent of torture prisons.
You and the Israeli people are sick, and perdition is your reward after judgement day.
You certainly are a hateful person. I don’t dispute that some Gaza citizens cheered Hamas’ attack, but you can’t put that on every one of the millions of regular people, children, old people, who live there. Hamas rules the place, can you imagine yourself rising up against an armed militia that took over the city you live in?
The Israeli “settlers,” really land stealers, have been pushing Palestinians off their lands, out of their homes for decades. The amount of land that the Palestinians have has been steadily taken from them. It’s almost impossible for them to get a building permit issued from the Israeli govt, but if they don’t build on a piece of land, the Israelis declare it abandoned & allow “settlers” to take it & build on it.
If the Palestinians build homes without a permit, the Israeli govt just sends in bulldozers to knock it all down.
Doesn’t sound very fair to me.
Also, Israeli military shot an American 15 yr old in the head in the West Bank & not a peep about it on any American networks. If a Palestinian had been the one who had killed an American boy, it would have been wall to wall coverage for 24-48 hrs.
In all the stories flying around the internet, for whatever reason, this moved me like no other. Maybe it’s the humility and humanity. Godspeed and strength to you and all you meet ❤️
So many thanks in the comments. Here is one more - Thank you for your humanity. Thank you for seeing their humanity. Thank you for sharing your experience. Thank you for feeling their “qahr”. And most importantly, thank you for speaking up as a Jewish voice - yours are the most important and loudest voices in the West that will help #FreePalestine. THANK YOU!
looking forward to future posts... I remember a shopkeeper telling me to encourage people to visit and to please share their stories because he truly believed if people knew what was happening and their conditions, that change could come.
Truly hope the messages of encouragement and gratitude drown out the negative messages - your work is rare and it's so important in this age of misinformation and dehumanization.
Thank you for sharing this. I went to the west Bank in 2018 and it utterly shattered me. And I have made in my life's mission to make people know the truth.
I visited in 2013 and the cruelty and fear has never left me.
I’m horrified by the way that many Jews are conflating anti-Semitism with anti-Zionism or even any criticism of the current Israeli regime. Thank you for reaching out and connecting with the Palestinians. May you travel and report safely. May all people live in peace someday soon. 💜🙏🏼
That conflating is a cynical ruse... it's never been sincere.
Thank you for this essay, I lived in East Jerusalem and the West Bank briefly and it was already brutal, though not as bad as now. I would recommend seeing something in the Jordan Valley – there's a town in the north that has a well, but the well is Israeli-controlled so the water is free to settlers but paid for Palestinians, if you want to see something that's a very direct form of apartheid. There are also settlements that have refused IDF protection because they think it's too pro-Palestinian, might want to see communities affected by those, e.g. Beit Omar.
I would also see Ramallah to see what the 'most comfortable' version of the occupation looks like, talk to people with Jerusalem permits that can be revoked at any moment, and also of course talk to settlers, both right- and left-wing, to see how they justify it or what they know and think. Talk to Israelis in general too. All the above were the most eye-opening experiences for me.
Thanks for this note, Michael. I actually just returned to New York but I did quite a few of those things you mentioned. The water situation in the Jordan Valley is so shocking--i'm going to be writing about it soon. Look forward to your thoughts on future posts.
So much senseless suffering. I don't know how the Palestinian people keep going, and with grace.Thanks for sharing this. Glad I found your writing. From Ireland.
Grace!?
Yes, grace. If you don’t see the grace that was afforded to this Jewish author from the Palestinians that he met; then imo you have lost your humanity.
Let's look back on the reason Gaza is being attacked in the first place and slow down a little on who we're calling graceful. A graceful people wouldn't send a battalion of young men to rape and murder more than a thousand innocent people, deliberately killing as many innocents as they can. A graceful people would never have allowed that. Not only was it allowed, they were fucking *celebrated.* Not a single one of those rapist barbarians who returned home were sent to prison for their *deliberate* crimes against humanity.
And you say they handle it with grace. Makes me sick.
And what does any of this have to do with the West Bank? Or do you not know the difference between the West Bank and Gaza?
The Palestinians have a right under international law to use militant actions - including offensive military action, against their oppressors. The vast majority of operations by Hamas and PIJ were against military bases or settlements that cannot be distinguished from military bases. Half of the 'completely innocent' settlers were killed by the IDF. There were no mass rapes, and they did not try to kill 'as many innocents' as they could because hostages were needed to leverage the IDF into released the scores of Palestinians held in administrative detention - the equivalent of torture prisons.
You and the Israeli people are sick, and perdition is your reward after judgement day.
You certainly are a hateful person. I don’t dispute that some Gaza citizens cheered Hamas’ attack, but you can’t put that on every one of the millions of regular people, children, old people, who live there. Hamas rules the place, can you imagine yourself rising up against an armed militia that took over the city you live in?
The Israeli “settlers,” really land stealers, have been pushing Palestinians off their lands, out of their homes for decades. The amount of land that the Palestinians have has been steadily taken from them. It’s almost impossible for them to get a building permit issued from the Israeli govt, but if they don’t build on a piece of land, the Israelis declare it abandoned & allow “settlers” to take it & build on it.
If the Palestinians build homes without a permit, the Israeli govt just sends in bulldozers to knock it all down.
Doesn’t sound very fair to me.
Also, Israeli military shot an American 15 yr old in the head in the West Bank & not a peep about it on any American networks. If a Palestinian had been the one who had killed an American boy, it would have been wall to wall coverage for 24-48 hrs.
In all the stories flying around the internet, for whatever reason, this moved me like no other. Maybe it’s the humility and humanity. Godspeed and strength to you and all you meet ❤️
I learned somewhere recently that authenticity puts off the strongest energy. Stronger than love. I think that’s what we feel here.
Thank you for all of this. May it help break through the noise & disinformation, and be in service of Palestinian liberation.
THANK YOU for doing this. THIS is what might get through to people.
You humble me with your vulnerable approach. Thank you so very much. 🦉🌻✊
Thank you for doing and sharing this.
So many thanks in the comments. Here is one more - Thank you for your humanity. Thank you for seeing their humanity. Thank you for sharing your experience. Thank you for feeling their “qahr”. And most importantly, thank you for speaking up as a Jewish voice - yours are the most important and loudest voices in the West that will help #FreePalestine. THANK YOU!
💯
Such an important truth to tell, and you capture it all so meaningfully, thank you for your courage.
Looking forward to reading more stories from you, thank you for writing and sharing this.
This is all so deeply deeply sad. Thank you for bearing witness by going and seeing for yourself, and then writing. Take care of your heart.
looking forward to future posts... I remember a shopkeeper telling me to encourage people to visit and to please share their stories because he truly believed if people knew what was happening and their conditions, that change could come.
Truly hope the messages of encouragement and gratitude drown out the negative messages - your work is rare and it's so important in this age of misinformation and dehumanization.
Extremely powerful writing. I will share this with everyone I know.
Thank you