Back to Basics: Stay true to yourself

Back to Basics: Stay true to yourself

Gaza, I decided to go back to basics, not only in writing, but also in many aspects of my life. Since school days, I dreamt of being a journalist who gives the world compelling human stories and I pursued it immediately. I started this blog as a little cozy place where I can be me and write to myself and to a few others who would be interested in seeing how I unfold with time. I used writing as my therapy.

Then the world forces you to evolve and mature, if I may say. You lose your breath trying to catch up, sidetracked by people who want to mold you in whatever shape they see fit. I was pushed to obsess over viewership, I was told my writing wasn’t "professional enough", some said my style is too simple pushing me to become a little pretentious and some others wanted to just break me down saying they had my best interest in mind. Yeah right.

I caved in. I started writing for an American news agency. I started using complicated words found on a simple Google search of "Complex writing glossary". I started checking the views every two minutes. Everybody around me succeeded in influencing me, and I was eager to please. I started feeling fancy.

I got high on the hype of being published on prestigious websites. I started abandoning my aesthetic and slowly lost my voice to please others and fight less with editors.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t happy even though my dream came true. I was making money out of writing compelling human stories to have them manipulated by editor, but at least I was attending to everyone's image of who\how I should be.

Soon enough, after draining battles of discussing my writing rates and vicious fights with editors who could find no mistakes in my writing yet broke my style and voice down until it was irrelevant and what they published sounded like nothing I would have written.

I detached myself from writing in what felt like a painful slow progression, I decided not to write for money and I just lost the passion for it. What was once my remedy and joy ride turned out to be my misery and nightmare. I tried going back to writing after a while, but every time I did, my hands froze and my mind went into a complete shutdown mode. After I failed my talent, it decided to fail me. "Fair enough", I thought to myself.

My last blog post was nearly two years ago, yet people still emailed me and told me –Both in person and online- that they read my blog. I felt constantly embarrassed and flabbergasted, why would people still be interested?

I started reminiscing on the old days when I only wanted to write to fulfill my passion and perhaps inspire one person at least. I remembered how writing was a joyful experience of artistic release and a breath of fresh air. The days when viewership didn’t matter and all I cared about was writing and nothing else. It brought a smile to my face and reignited a spark inside me.

The last three years have been rough. Too many changes, drastic ups and downs and I lost myself in the process of what I thought was "The natural progression". I only started recently to slowly gain my old self back and it feels good. I closed a chapter and started a fresh one. Here I am, back to writing to myself and to whoever is willing to read, even if it was only one person in any part of the world, I am writing for you and me.

I am back to offer the same narrative of rawness and realness I once was known for, and my dorky  humor. I am back to share what is happening on ground but also to reflect a positive tone. I am back to my beginning days when I wrote for the sake of writing not caring how personal it gets or how crazy I sound. I am back because nobody has the right to own my voice or shut me up or control me. I am back because many people miss the human and relatable feel in my writings. I am back to prove that nothing is worth giving up on your talent for. I am back to tell you to keep believing, keep being you and always listen to your gut and I promise you it will pay off when you least expect it.

Consider this as a wakeup call to go against submitting to the norm, or what people expect from you or want you to be. Think of it as a plea for you not to give up, not from a preacher but from a person who went through it and knows how it feels. Take it as invitation for me and you to embark on a new journey where we stay true to ourselves and to everyone around us.

The happiness you waste your life looking for exists within, which makes external affirmation useless so never sacrifice who you are for someone else. Every person in your life might leave you for any reason, all you have is yourself so own it and work on it. Be your own person.

Together in good and bad,

Omar Ghraieb 

Day 7-8 of Israeli aggression on Gaza: Nakba two

Day 7-8 of Israeli aggression on Gaza: Nakba two

Gaza, July 16, Israel launched a new aggression\operation\offensive against Gaza and decided to name “Protective Edge” also known as “Solid Rock”. Israeli warplanes, tanks, drones and warships participated in bombing places across Gaza all day long. This makes it the third Israeli open war against Gaza in 5 years or less. This isn’t a report, this is a personal account of what I lived today through the seventh and eighth day of Israel’s new aggression on Gaza.

NOTE: Due to lack power and too much news to track, I stopped for a while but I am trying to make up for it now. Blogs of the past few days will be posted successively.

Israeli warplanes, tanks, drones and warships have been participating in bombing places across Gaza for ten days now. This makes it the third Israeli open war against Gaza in five years or less.

Every night I seem to think it’s the worst night, until I go through the next one. I got so used to the house shaking and moving from the consecutive blasts that now it feels weird when everything is still. Flashing lights, the ground shaking all around, that’s my house during the current Israeli war on Gaza.

Every day, Israeli warplanes bomb a new house. A mosque is hit. A car is blasted. A hospital is attacked. Even cemeteries and handicap associations are no longer safe. Every day, new people die, people who were once alive with different hopes and dreams, are now nothing but a number in a news report. From life to statistics, that’s how vulnerable life is in Gaza right now. Who knows who is about to become a number, and when?

When you live in a conflict zone, like Gaza, experiences force you little by little to create the best “dos and donts” warzone guide book. First, the autopilot mode is ignited. You stock up bread, water, canned food, medicine and first-aid kits in no time without even thinking about it. You know which is the “alleged” safest spot in the house - usually the corners - and you know to stay away from windows and doors. Safety in Gaza is always missing and never found, but you use whatever means you have.

The question discussed among most of Gaza’s homes and neighborhoods has been around ceasefire or no ceasefire? My neighbors from one side are with it; they got tired and can’t handle any more madness. My neighbors from the other side are against in; singing melodies of how strong Gaza is. I, on the other hand, am sitting in the middle wondering when will I see the beach here again, or will I ever?

Gaza is like one small village where everyone knows everyone. Everybody is related one way or another. And those who you don’t know in real life, you befriend through social media, essentially turning Gaza into a home, not a village, which helps significantly when it comes to finding out what’s happening, and trying to figure out what to do. But even with these connections, it doesn’t change the fact we’re still faced with limited options.

Two nights ago, for example, many of my friends received Israeli recorded evacuation calls, all of whom live in the same area I live in. We realized quickly we needed to formulate a ‘safety’ plan, but in order to form a plan, you need to understand the very real but almost comical situation on the ground. Imagine this scenario: Nalan Al Sarraj, who lives in Tal el Hawa, tweeted that she got an evacuation call and was heading to her friend’s house which isn’t so far. While I didn’t get a call myself, we still worked on scenarios of what we should do. Say I got an evacuation call and went to seek refuge with a friend, they might already be out of their house because they too got a call. We both then would seek refuge with a third friend, and while we are there, he gets an evacuation call. “Where should we all go?” a question myself, Nalan and many others keep asking.

Truth to be told, nowhere in Gaza is safe. Some refugees sought refuge in UNRWA schools, but these were bombed by Israel during their “Operation Cast Lead”.

People living on the borderline in Gaza get evacuation leaflets, calls and warnings everyday to leave their lives and home behind and evacuate. Not enough UNRWA schools to seek refuge at. And the strip is already condensed hence the dramatic numbers of fatalities and death.

Living here long enough, trapped for days sometimes because of wars or attacks, I’ve realised I’ve become an expert in sound. Now, instead of getting bored of seeing my family and neighbors all day every day for days, I decided to develop this skill, and now I can differentiate between rockets and their sounds\ impact.

Say there is an Apache is nearby, very loud roaring above the house, that’s bad right? Yes and no. It’s a good thing in one way because it means your house won’t be targeted. Unfortunately it also means another house will be targeted from a place in the air above your house. Also, Apache rockets are mild in comparison to the loud, devastatingly damaging and explosive F16 rocket.

Blasts have different sounds too. A tank shelling, for example, doesn’t sound like a warship shelling. Then there is this sudden huge blast, caused by an F16 rocket, it will take your breath away, literally. F16 blasts give mini heart attacks. But that’s only if you are lucky. If it’s closer, you are probably flying due to this sudden blast. There is also the sound of actually hearing the missile falling and then a blast. That’s the best and favorite kind among us all here. Hearing the missile fall means it probably won’t be targeting you.

I jump even when the door slams. There is a buzzing in my ears now as a result of the proximity of the explosions. My heart stops for a few seconds each time I feel a blast. I haven’t slept for nine nights, and I’m fasting during the days. My mind and body are in overdrive; tracking the news, preparing for an evacuation to I don’t know where any second now, preparing to die, stuck at home. My fear now is that I turn into a zombie.

At least 213 Palestinians have been killed at the time of writing, and a further 1565 others injured. Two new massacres were committed by Israel today against the Abu Dagga and Baker families. Seven fatalities from which five are children. Four children alone, brothers and cousins from Baker family, aged 9-11, were hit by an warship shelling on Gaza seaport, Western Gaza. Heartbreaking. My humanity is hanging by a thread, especially after I hear such news.

Don’t people in Gaza deserve to have human rights? Not even the children?

From Gaza,


Omar

Day 5-6 of Israeli aggression on Gaza: 172+ killed, 1150+ injured

Day 5-6 of Israeli aggression on Gaza: 172+ killed, 1150+ injured

Gaza, July 14, Israel launched a new aggression\operation\offensive against Gaza and decided to name “Protective Edge” also known as “Solid Rock”. Israeli warplanes, tanks, drones and warships participated in bombing places across Gaza all day long. This makes it the third Israeli open war against Gaza in 5 years or less. This isn’t a report, this is a personal account of what I lived today through the fifth and sixth day of Israel’s new aggression on Gaza.

I apologize for skipping day 5, I will be writing about both day five and six both. I had no time yesterday due to power outages, a little sleep and the intensity of the bombings. Too much news to track, allot of things to do. You try your best to keep up, sometimes your best isn’t enough.

Before I start, I would just like to say that I wish I was writing this out of propaganda, I wish we weren’t living through this brutality and I wish it was just lies I am making. Its not. You can easily Google the information now and see not only pictures but videos of what is Gaza going through. And for those who challenge my state of being a civilian, check what a civilian means and how its define by international standards, if you have a problem then blame them not me. Call me “not a civilian” all you like, I am a civilian and it is a fact.

The last two nights were intense. Many explosions nearby to an extent that I felt my ears will fall off. But how dare I complain about anything when whole families are being killed and Gazans have become refugees in their own country. Many families left their homes in the north seeking refuge in UNRWA schools, not that its safer or anything, Israel bombed them during cast lead. An estimation of four thousand people, left everything behind seeking some peace of mind, since safety is nowhere to be found in Gaza. No where is safe.

Israel committed many massacres, new and old ones, during all wars and times of no war. Latest one was Al Batsh family. A multiple-storey house was bombed. NINETEEN were killed and more than fifty others injured. All from the same family. Imagine losing your mom, And your dad, And your siblings. Oh, And your relatives. Oh wait, there is more, And your neighbors. If you were lucky to survive this, your whole life that you once knew has ended. Maybe those who survive are unlucky. I don’t know. Imagine waking up to find your whole family dead, your house was destroyed, even your neighbors and relatives are no longer there. Would you say: Thank god I am alive?

Mothers, daughters, grandmothers, kids, elderly, families, men, boys, girls, handicapped, sisters, brothers, relatives, neighbors, and friends, all are being killed. If you were lucky enough not to lose a member of your immediate family, you will def. end up losing a relative or a neighbor or a friend.

172+ Palestinians killed, 1150+ injured, 2500+ Israeli attacks on Gaza (360 square meter of a highly populated strip), nearly 750 houses\mosques bombed, destroyed or severely damaged. Houses. Mosques. Medics. Hospitals. Ambulance centers. Cemeteries. Farmlands. Coastline. Shore. Boats. Cars. Motorbikes. Buses. Residential areas. Banks. Schools. Colleges. Universities. And pretty much everything. Depressing huh? Well, that’s what we are going through. According to UNRWA, an estimation of about 70% of the fatalities are civilians, from which 30% of them are children. I think the percentages are even higher. Don’t believe me? Google UNRWA and Chris Gunness.

I still cant get over the bombing of cemeteries (3+), like the English cemetery in Gaza. And also the handicap association. Even handicaps are not spared. Three handicapped females were killed. Human rights much?

As we enter a week into protective edge, or Israeli ongoing aggression on Gaza, you feel a shift. Being under siege and occupation for so long makes you adapt very fast to any current situation, bad or good, which is totally unhealthy. The first few days we were in denial, then we started adjusting and now we are used to it. Yesterday, people were leading normal life in the daylight, nearly, which kind of confused me. I was sad, happy, confused, frightened and puzzled.

Now if a huge explosion hits nearby, its like: “Uhm, yeah that was near”. With no shock or terror. We got accustomed to this and its sad.

Here are a few types of explosions I noticed during this war:

1- Sudden blast. Just a huge big “KABOOOOOOOOMBOOOOOOMPAAAAAAAW” out of no where.

2- Hear a missile penetrating air and then “KAAAAAAABOOOOOOM”.

3- Hear a missile falling and then the ground shakes.

4- Tank shelling.

5- Warships shelling.

6- Apaches missiles.

7- And finally, the big F16 gigantic rocket. If you are lucky enough to just hear it without getting dead or injured.

This will sound crazy, but we all favor type “2”. We prefer to anticipate death instead of getting blown up with no further warning. We think its safer, when its actually not safe. But hey, if you hear a missile falling it means you’re lucky, its near you but not targeting you.

Every time the phone rings, you assume you will get a call from Israeli army to evacuate your house, if you are lucky. Although now Israel uses the new “Warning missiles”, yeah warning missiles, you heard right. They bomb the house with a warning missile, if you were still alive, you have 1-3 minutes or less to leave. If you were lucky. Many houses got bombed with no warning missiles, hence the huge numbers of deaths and injuries or fatalities and causalities if you want fancier definitions. I don’t.

Homebound for a week now. I try all ways with my family to let me go out. Its always a big fat resounding NO. I tried negotiation with my dad, using Maya Angelou quotes of empowerment, beg, childish sounds, fake tears, threatening to do it behind his back and finally I played the “Adult” card. You would think this powerful card would have an impact on my dad, right? NO. He said if I was an adult I would know better than wanting to go out during these difficult times. He is right. I put my head down and dragged my defeat away with me.

Every morning I hear the birds chirping and the sun filling the place, I miss Gaza. I miss the beach. I miss the freedom of choice whether I want go out or stay home. I miss my favorite places here. I miss my friends. I miss the streets and the feelings. I miss walking around. Seeing your family for a week, every day, nonstop, while you are homebound and under war is kind of a challenge. I hope none of them read this entry. If they do, I hope they know I love them, but I need space (or a change of face) so I hope they don’t end up hating me. What? I promise my readers here brutal honesty.

It hurts when you see children die. People with names, lives, families and a being turn into numbers. A statistic. Its like you can smell death, overshadowing the smell of gunpowder. Its like blood is running through the streets.

Life was never normal here, ever, by all means, but I miss my normal life, whatever that was before the Israeli ongoing war. Every day you live through the fear of losing a loved one. Its nerve wracking.

As usual, the house was all shaking while I was writing this blog entry. Or diary. Whatever you want to call it. Explosions in the background. Like I am watching an action movie, but instead of watching it this time, actually living it.

Once again: A shout out to medics, nurses, doctors, journalists on the grounds and everyone who risk his\her life for the sake of others. Heroes is a cliché, so you all deserve a better definition.

And A shout out, also a HUGE thank you, to all the big numerous protests around the world in support of Gaza. We love you.

Let’s see what the 7th day will bring, if we live to see it.



From beautiful Gaza, lingering to hope,



Omar

4m Gaza 2 NYC: Mission Impossible

4m Gaza 2 NYC: Mission Impossible

Gaza, October 14, I have been hesitating about writing this post or waiting. But I actually might not make it to NYC so I decided to write everything that happened to me since the 1^st "4m Gaza 2 NYC" post, so you better buckle up because it’s a hell of a bumpy ride.

Hmmm I don’t even know from where to start. Ok, so after definite guarantees from a news agency in the West Bank that I wrote for, I decided to go ahead and apply through Jerusalem. I didn’t know what was waiting for me. In fact, many were commenting on how confident and assured I was. They made fun of my optimism but it didn’t affect me at all.

I sent all the required documents to the news agency and I had strong faith that I will DEFINITLEY get a permit to visit Jerusalem. After all, I am not affiliated with any Palestinian faction, I don’t have any security issues and I am a journalist. Many other Palestinians cross Erez, so why wouldn’t I cross to?

September and October were loaded with Jewish holidays so I collected some needed patience (You must know that patience isn’t one of my virtues) and waited with a smile. The number of people who thought I was crazy for applying through Jerusalem increased, but I didn’t care and I never lost confidence.

Ofcourse, during my waiting period, I skipped job interviews and cared less for any job opportunity since I will be leaving to NYC soon, or so I thought. I only went to an UNRWA job interview and I took the whole thing lightly although I did really good.

I let all my friends in Jerusalem know that I am coming soon. I wanted to meet them all and I was very excited that I will be visiting Jerusalem. Honestly, my excitement about Jerusalem topped my excitement for NYC. I would sleep and dream about walking in the streets of the old city and the alleys of Eastern Jerusalem and wake up the next day with a smile on my face.

I googled some amazing hotels in eastern Jerusalem, took addresses of some interesting places I want to visit and made a schedule that contains the names of places and people I wish to meet and see. It was crazy that I will have only two days but I was determined to make it work.

A few days ago I got a call. I was asked for an interview by Israeli authorities on Erez check point so they can determine whether I should be given permission or not (a permission to visit my own land, no comment). I kept an open mind until I learned that the interview was on October 22^nd. I will not have any time for my interview in the US consulate in Jerusalem and will def. have no time to get to Cairo on time if I was ever granted the visa. And this interview won't guarantee me a permit.

So I quickly shifted all my plans and efforts to the US embassy in Cairo. I thought it will be just like the one in Jerusalem and boy I was very very very wrong.

Now I have a few days to finish the procedures of a new US visa application, pay again, schedule a meeting in US embassy in Cairo, get there to do it, wait and then make to NYC in time. You might think its possible, but trust me its not.

I decided to take today off to consider whether I wanna go through this anymore or not. I decided that I wont go down without a fight. Cairo sounds like a long shot but I am gonna do it even if I am gonna waste time, energy, nerves and money and even if I know that there is a 90% chance of failure. I am Palestinian, we never give up and we never go down without a fight.

The death of your dream\s is a price you have to pay for living in besieged Gaza. Its not your fault yet you have to pay the price anyway. But what I am trying to tell the world is: Living in Gaza doesn’t mean we are not allowed of having dreams and making those dreams come true. That is why I am not giving up no matter what.

I got an email with an important yet not final\guaranteed book offer but I couldn’t be happy about it because all I can think about now is whether I would be able to make it to NYC or not. I have seen support and I am very thankful but with all due respect to everyone no one feels what you are feeling or goes through what you are going through but you.

This is so major for me on so many levels. I try to explain it sometimes but I feel. This is linked to so many things that I will mention later but the most prominent issue that I see from everything I went thru lately is that: People in Gaza are humans too; they have the right to dream\travel without going through hell and back. Gazans get scholarships\training and many other offers to travel but they cant, they are trapped. Not only Erez is impossible and Rafah is hellish but also the battle of obtaining a visa is a crisis by its own self.

This inspired me to send this email to the US consulate in Jerusalem:

"Dear Sir\Madam,

I write you today hoping to have my voice heard. My permit to Jerusalem has been denied and I have only a week to get to Cairo, schedule an appointment and go through it. This means that there is a 90% chance that I will no longer be able to get a US visa. 

I applied for a US visa because I was invited by the UN for a media training. Only a few elite Palestinians are chosen each year and they chose me this year because they saw in me a prominent journalist, social media pioneer and a public figure from Gaza (per to what they said). New York has been the city of my dreams for a long long while because NYC is a dynamic, passionate yet serene city and we are very much alike. NYC is the city of dreamers and I am a dreamer.

But thanks to the fact that I live in besieged Gaza, this dream has ended before it even started. 

I hereby send you an urgent request to try to find a solution for the people from Gaza who wish to apply for a US visa because they were chosen for a scholarship, training, tour .... etc. Why dont the US consulate consider opening a representative office in Gaza? or maybe interview the people from Gaza through skype (which is a method used internationally and professionally).

Its devastating to struggle for a couple of months to make ur dream come true but its even more devastating to watch your dream die without being given a chance even. My dream and the dreams of many young people here in Gaza have died because of the hardships we go through to try to obtain an interview at a US consulate here or in Cairo and we failed for reasons that have nothing to do with us and that arent in our hands.

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE consider my request. Atleast my dream wouldnt have died for no reason. You have the chance to help many people realize their dreams so please just consider discussing my suggestions. 

Just because we live in Gaza it doesnt mean we dont have the right of dreaming and realizing our dreams.

I have confidence in you. 

My best regards of gratitude, respect and hope.

Thanks."

I am waiting for their response. If they don’t respond, then I will start a petition.

We have the right to live, have equal rights, have dreams and be respected like everyone else and its about time we demand this.

I hope this sparks a change. If I got to NYC or not, atleast I would have made a change that will lead to facilitate a person's life in Gaza in his\her pursuit to make dreams come true.

Love,

Omar from BESIEGED Gaza.

"Visit Palestine" poster by Franz Kraus - what does it stand for?

"Visit Palestine" poster by Franz Kraus - what does it stand for?

Gaza, March 20, I came across this “Visit Palestine” poster somewhere and I stopped to admire my homeland’s beauty. Honestly, the portrait is beautiful. The past two years have been a sole proof that when “its too good to be true, then its probably NOT true”. I took a closer look. I spotted writings in Hebrew and the name of the artist behind it. I was right. A quick note: This poster was made in 1936.

Franz Kraus, Israeli graphic designer, was the artist behind this beautiful poster. More curious than cats, I immediately turned to google to know more about Mr. krausz. Here is some info about him:

Franz Kraus (also known as Franz Krausz; 13 May 1905, St. Pölten, Austria – 1998, Tel Aviv, Israel) was an Israeli graphic designer. Kraus grew up in Graz, Austria, and claimed that his favorite place was the art studio of brother Emil Kraus. Kraus lived in Berlin 1926–33, where he eventually assumed the position of the sole graphic designer of the Friedrich Ernst Hübsch-Verlag (publisher). The job fulfilled his early desire to become an artist; he had envied brother Emil's talent. As a night student, he studied in the Reimann Schule in Berlin, the city where he met his wife-to-be Anni. Due to the frightening public antisemitic incidences there, he and Anni decided to immigrate to Palestine. (WikiPedia)

If you wish to learn more about Franz Kraus, check this WikiPedia Link:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franz_Kraus

When you take a first look, you would think Franz was a Pro-Palestinian Jew\Israeli. Think again. Yes, this portrait was done in 1936 (before the Palestinian Nakba, Foundation of Israel). Yet, Franz painted a wide range of similar portraits “celebrating” the beauty in Palestine and asking Jews everywhere to come and redeem their land. Yes, you read it well, redeem their land and yes “again” this was prior to the foundation of Israel. Some of Franz’s portraits had titles like: “Blessed Land of Israel Awaits Redemption”, “Redeem the Land”, “Zionist Pioneer - Krausz Draft”, “Yakhin Jaffa Oranges - Jordan Jaffa Oranges”, “Guide to New Palestine”, “Invest in Palestine - Build the Jewish State”, and “Eretz Israel - The Country of Our Future”.

I don’t know what redemption Franz was talking about if all those portraits –those with redemption and Zionist titles- was made between 1935 and 1936. If Israel was founded in 1948, what land do they want to redeem exactly? Ok, I wont be turning to google or WikiPedia or different links to tell you about the history of Palestine. I am not a history teacher, nor do I have the intention of giving you a lecture in history.

So, Palestine was Palestine until some Zionist Jews like Mr. Franz decided they wanted redemption. Redemption of a land that was never theirs, AGAIN Israel was founded in 1948. So Zionist Jews inside and outside of Palestine decided to expel Palestinians and take their land because they wanted redemption. Palestinians tried to fight against this ethnic cleansing but unlike Israel, we were not armed by the British occupation, so we lost. So who should ask for redemption? Prior to 1948, Israel didn’t exist, Palestine did, yet we have no right to claim that the land is ours???!!!

Franz wanted Zionist Jews to come occupy Palestine and take everything, even the name of the country they will take by force. Instead, they came and took over but changed the name into Israel. Well, he did mention Eretz Israel as the country of their future in one of his portraits. He failed to mention that it will be built on the ruins of a country, ruins of a nation and on the ruins of Palestinian corps.

Israel relied on “smuggled” Western, Soviet and Czech weapons to ethnically cleanse my people and my land. I give Israel A for repeating history in such a shockingly replicated way. They performed and still performing an on-going “holocaust” against Palestinians but we aren’t allowed to talk about it or we will be labeled as “anti-Semitic”. As if, Palestinians themselves aren’t Semites. They forced Gaza to rely on “smuggling” tunnels after imposing an unjust siege using the pretext of “Shalit”, an Israeli soldier who was released weeks ago, yet Gaza remains under SIEGE.

Ok, ready to hear something hilarious? I came across another link related to “Visit Palestine” poster that was done by Franz Kraus. The article featured David Tartakover, sixty, the graphic artist behind the appearance — or reappearance — of this poster. David is an Israeli who won a top prize for design in 2002.  He expressed his anger when he saw the same poster hung, painted and portrayed by Palestinians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. He considered this as “Hijacking” the art of his fellow Zionist –We are talking about Franz Kraus here- and how Palestinians did it in a very cheap way.

So an Israeli has the right to feel angry and accuse us of hijacking a poster that portrayed OUR land. Yet we CAN NOT ACCUSE Israel of hijacking our land, hijacking our culture and killing civilians. Hush, you are Palestinian. You were born to die with no voice or rights.

Have you heard of this expression: “He believed his own lie”? I think it implies on Israelis.

We differentiate between a Jew and a Zionist, but its not enough. We call for peace, but its not enough. We condemn the killing of Israeli children in local accidents, but that’s not enough. We condemn the death of Jewish children in international accidents, but its not enough. We shout loudly to explain that not all Gaza’s 1,800,000+ residents are militants, but they don’t believe us and its not enough. We swear that most of us are civilians, they don’t believe us and its not enough. Its never enough. 

Its our land, we are the victims yet WE ARE OBLIGED TO ALWAYS EXPLAIN OURSELVES. We are the occupied not the occupiers. Civilians are killed here while Israel claim self defense, feel free to check Israel statistics about the number of civilians killed by Palestinian “militants” each year and you will find a simple single digit if not 0. Yet, check the number of Palestinian children killed in Gaza by Israel, the number would be so damn high.

You have to be really super dumb, brainless and idiotic to not see the truth.

Palestine existed before 1948 and exists now, yet some Israelis tell us Palestine doesn’t exist because its Israel now. Here is my message for them:

“Dears, if you steal a land from someone that doesn’t make it yours. Dear, if you decided to change the Oranges name to Apples that doesn’t make an apple out of an Orange. Dear, wake up because you are living a lie fed to you by propaganda with an agenda.”

Free Palestine.

Yours truly,

Omar from Gaza