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By Gilad Atzmon Something positive is happening, I would even call it a shift of awareness, a realisation that the Palestinian struggle is leading somewhere after all. This week, at Exeter University, to a very crowded theatre, in an event of that was a commemoration of 60 years of the Nakba, I had a chance to listen to Dr Manuel Hassassian, the Palestinian Ambassador to Britain. I may as well say it, Palestinian eloquence cheers me up and fills me with hope and pride and Dr Hassassian has plenty of it. These days it is rather rare to hear or see a PLO spokesman who lets his fierceness and rage be seen. The Ambassador was angry, he was furious, yet, at the same time, astonishingly measured and considered. "Enough is enough", was his message. He admitted that twenty years of negotiation with the Israelis led his people nowhere. America is not a true honest negotiator and this may not change in the near future. America and Israel have locked themselves into a Catholic marriage, they can have a spat, sometimes they do not talk for weeks but somehow, they always stay together. "We the Palestinians," said the Ambassador, "tried our very best to secure a peace deal. In 2002, the Arab League offered a peace imitative, this didn't lead anywhere either. All we hear about is the Israelis seeking security." As pathetic as it does sound, he had to bring to our attention the absurdity of the fact that the state with the world's 4th largest army is seeking security from occupied Palestine! The crowd burst into laughter. Apparently the Israelis think they are close to exhausting the patience of the Palestinians, suggested the Ambassador. However, in his view, they are really miscalculating the balance of power. The future belongs to the Palestinian people. "True, they, the Israelis, have a 'nuclear bomb', but we," said the Ambassador, "have a 'demographic bomb'." Again, the audience cracked into laughter and believe me, there is nothing more cheerful than seeing a big theatre crowded with Palestinian solidarity activists having a laugh at the expense of almighty Israel. In less than 12 years the Palestinians are going to be the majority on the ground. If the Israelis believe that 22 Arab states and billions of Muslims will let them get away with their daily atrocities, they are really fooling themselves. Though the Ambassador didn't say it, the message was clear. As far as the Palestinians, Arabs and Muslims are concerned, the window of opportunity is closing down. The doomed fate of the Jewish state is written on the wall. You have to be blind not to see it. In Exeter University Theatre everyone could see it. Needless to say, Rabin, Peres, Sharon and Olmert have read it as well. Apparently, the looming reality has been far stronger than their political power. In Exeter I saw a room full of students of very many nationalities including of course very many young Palestinians and Arab students. Many British people of all ages were present, including the very supportive community of the local PSC branch. The Exeter Friends of Palestine may have got the recipes right. They have combined an academic and intellectual discussion with a cultural event and a culinary break. After three talks, one given by a PhD student Aida Es-Said, one by Dr Manuel Hassassian and the third by myself, the audience was invited to attend a concert featuring Nizar Al Issa, Mohammed Diab, a local folk dance group and my own Orient House Ensemble. On the way to the concert the entire crowd was introduced to the best of Palestine cuisine: Humus, Tabuleh, Falafel, Grape leaves and so on. There wasn't even a hint of the old anachronistic dogmatic leftist clichés. No one insisted upon telling us what we should talk about. No one mentioned 'anti-semitism'. It wasn't at all about Jews and their suffering, but rather about Palestine and the ongoing genocide committed by the Jewish state. The event was all about Palestinians who stood up and say: this is who we are, this is our Nakba, this is what we think, here is what we eat, this is what we listen to and this is how it looks when we break into dancing. If you like what you see, hear or eat, then Salam Alekum. If you don't, no worries, don't waste your time, just move on, go somewhere else. -- Gilad Atzmon was born in Israel and served in the Israeli military. He is the author of two novels: A Guide to the Perplexed and My One and Only Love. Atzmon is also one of the most accomplished jazz saxophonists in Europe. His CD, Exile, was named the year's best jazz CD by the BBC. He now lives in London and can be reached through his website: gilad.co.uk. This article appeared in Palestine Think Tank. |
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