Opinion Editorials, August, 2016

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In news of the Orwellian world we live in

-Israeli occupation soldier was caught on video stealing a crying eight-year-old Palestinian girl's bike and throwing it in bushes.

-Israeli prime minister defended the arrest of children and blamed the native Palestinian victims for their own suffering. The ranks of children in Israeli jails continue to grow.

-Israel detained Islamic officials for renovations of Dome of the Rock mosque without Israeli permission!

-Health of striking Palestinian prisoners deteriorates. Their fasting strike involved taking only water and salt some for several weeks now as the rank of the strikers grow. They are protesting the policy of administrative detention where they can be held for months and even years without charge or trial.

-Israel continues its policies of home demolitions and in one case demolished an entire village over 100 times (each time Al-Araqib residents rebuilt) -The Obama administration will reward Israel’s violations of human rights and international law by giving it close to $four billion per year in the next ten years (taxpayer money that should be spent on schools and healthcare instead on killing others). This is even a violation of US domestic law as it forbids aid to countries that persistently violate human rights (in this case more aid to Israel than than any other country and even more than to Latin America and Sub-Saharan Africa combined) -Israel is holding military maneuvers in partnership with other repressive governments including Pakistan and United Arab Emirates (vast majority of people in all countries do not like their governments' cozy relationships with repressive regimes like Israel or Saudi Arabia)

- The theatrical show of US elections is unfolding as I predicted almost a year ago. Hilary Clinton is ruthless and disastrous but Trump is a fumbling egomaniac of higher index of danger. Both do what the Military-Industrial-Financial complex tells them to do as they did during the elections kissing ass to the lobbies like AIPAC and thus engage in more wars that destroys our future. Both candidates spread fear f the other in a well choreographed move (and yet 95% of what they say about each other is true). But Clinton will win because the US public has been conditioned not to vote for candidates like Jill Stein of the Green parry (ie. they are told they have to vote for the lesser of two evils). Clinton as president will do more “service” to the bosses (damaging to American public but financially beneficial to the rich elites) than any “president” before here. The last two presidents who dared to speak out where Eisenhower on his way out of office and Kennedy just before he was assassinated. 

But how do we keep sanity? The key is to focus on the positive locally. Think globally and act locally is still good wisdom. For every person who sells his soul to the devil, there is a person acting in good conscience to help make this a better world. For every person who is corrupt, there is a person working hard with good work ethics.

For every free loader, there is a volunteer. For every dishonest there is someone honest who calls it out. I know because I interact with dozens of people daily of different backgrounds. Many volunteers are working here at the museum (http://palestinenature.org): decent hard working people. I am optimistic on the future and see glimpses of it daily. For example today, 26 girls (12-16 years old) from Aida Refugee Camp came to us as part of a summer programs learning about the environment and nature protection. These children are our future. When we are tired of the shenanigans of political leaders or selfish other "adults" with short-sighted needs driven agenda (the “me me me”

phenomenon), all we have to do is look to others who think of us, the human family, and even to us, the living creatures on earth. 

Today a friend had a heart attack and died and he was younger than me.

Is it not reasonable for each of us to ask what Jesus once asked “what good does one gain if they gain the whole world and lose themselves.”

Staying true to the best in us makes far more sense. 

The video of an 8-year-old girl’s bike taken:

 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/video-israeli-police-officer-crying-eight-year-old-palestinian-girls-bicycle-bushes-hebron-west-bank-a7169451.html 

Palestinian Detainees Continue Hunger Strike Amid Deteriorating Health http://imemc.org/article/palestinian-detainees-continue-hunger-strike-amid-deteriorating-health/ 

Clintonites knocked out platform references to ‘occupation’ and ‘settlements’ in fear of Adelson, Zogby says http://mondoweiss.net/2016/07/clintonites-opposition-settlements/ 

Clinton email: We must destroy Syria for Israel http://cognitiveliberty.net/2016/clinton-email-we-must-destroy-syria-for-israel/ 

 Who Should Bernie Voters Support Now? Robert Reich vs. Chris Hedges on Tackling the Neoliberal Order

http://m.democracynow.org/stories/16456?utm_campaign=9f0c3ece3a-Daily_Digest&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Democracy+Now%21&utm_term=0_fa2346a853-9f0c3ece3a-190322833 

‘There’s a vicious fight in our community’: Simone Zimmerman talks Bernie  It’s not Israel versus Palestine. The sides are a bright future for all of us, where everyone in the region has some freedom and dignity, versus people who are trying to entrench a racist, violent reality that privileges one group of people over another. That’s the kind of debate that really needs to happen

http://972mag.com/theres-a-vicious-fight-in-our-community-simone-zimmerman-talks-bernie-for-the-first-time/120888 

Why Brexit may be Palestine’s gain by Ilan Pappe

https://electronicintifada.net/content/why-brexit-may-be-palestines-gain/17366 

Report on “Human Rights violations and Popular Struggle in South Hebron Hills” covering June 2016 http://www.operationdove.org/docs/report/Report_HR_SHH_2016-06_Jun.pdf 

Fair description?: From the party of Likncoln to Trump http://www.vox.com/2016/7/20/12148750/republican-party-trump-lincoln 

Would you bear the Nakba on Israel independence day http://mondoweiss.net/2016/07/israelis-israeli-independence/ 

Sincerley 

Mazin Qumsiyeh

Professor and (volunteer) Director

Palestine Museum of Natural History

Palestine Institute of Biodiversity and Sustainability Bethlehem University Occupied Palestine

http://qumsiyeh.org http://palestinenature.org

Opinions expressed in various sections are the sole responsibility of their authors and they may not represent Al-Jazeerah & ccun.org.

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