The extremely regrettable situation regarding Palestine is that our Pakistani brothers lack a formal awareness of its issue. They do not know how it started, the stages it has gone through, and what its sustainable and desired solution is. About Palestine, their entire knowledge is limited to the fact that it’s a Jewish occupation on Muslim land, that Al-Aqsa has been taken from Muslims, that Yasser Arafat’s wife was Jewish, and that Hamas is a military organization founded by Sheikh Ahmed Yassin. From these points, it can be estimated by Yasser Arafat’s Jewish wife’s point that our nation is not aware that there is a significant number of Jews worldwide who not only understand the issue of Palestine comprehensively but have dedicated their lives in support of Palestine’s cause and the rights of Muslims. Their whole existence revolves around the cause of Palestine.
These Pakistani brothers only remember Palestine when there is a major event occurring there. In contrast, the Jews connected to the cause of Palestine work towards it every year, every month, every week, and every day. They also have strong ties with the leaders of Hamas. For instance, consider the case of Norman Finkelstein. He is a scholar whose name is associated with renowned figures like Noam Chomsky and Edward Said. These individuals are Jews, not just authors of books related to the Palestinian cause, but their credit extends to numerous speeches, lectures, and interviews on the subject. You can gauge their commitment to Hamas from their direct interaction, for example, during the second Intifada when the top leader of Hamas, Abdel-Aziz al-Rantisi, sat in Gaza, talking to an Israeli:
“Are you sure your strategy is correct?”
Rantisi did not respond by saying, “Hey, Jew! Who are you to ask me this question?” Instead, he replied:
“In the first Intifada, for one Israeli killed, we had 20 of our people martyred. This time, for one of the Israelis, six Palestinians were killed. This means we are hitting them hard and positioning Israel to incur more losses.”
It reveals that being Jewish does not mean being an enemy of Palestinians. A similar situation exists with Micah Peltz. Micah’s grandfather was among those who founded Israel, and his signature is on Israel’s documents. But look at the next generation of this same family: Micah’s father, Mattathias Peltz, was a major general in the Israeli army but later got involved with the cause of Palestine after leaving the military. Micah Peltz followed him. He threw away his job in the Israeli army and became an advocate for the Palestinian cause, despite facing personal tragedy where his niece perished in a suicide attack associated with Hamas. Micah was an uncle, but the mother and her sister replied that they needed to work more for Palestine, otherwise, more children would die.
It’s not that the supporters of Palestine among the Jews don’t have to face any backlash. They pay a heavy price for their connection to this cause. For instance, Norman Finkelstein has not been given any American university job since 2007. He is a professor by career, not an ordinary one, but a top professor. Similarly, take the case of young Jewish woman journalist Katie Halper. She was associated with the Chicago-based American Parliament’s channel. Three years ago, she was fired from her job for recording just one segment against Israel. The segment didn’t even air. She just recorded it and lost her job. It’s not as if she could find a job somewhere else. The Israeli lobby then tracks such Jews so that they can’t find employment anywhere. So, Katie Halper had to resort to YouTube for support.
If we look beyond individuals to the level of institutions, the American-based website Electronic Intifada is extremely important. Its cause can be estimated from its name. It’s a consistent news website and not a small one; it’s a very robust website. Although it’s led by a Palestinian immigrant Ali Abunimah, many active Jews and Christians are also part of this group. They have a YouTube channel too, where a lot of in-depth interviews and discussions are available.
On the other hand, the extremely important Mondoweiss website completely focuses on Israeli political and military crimes. The number of its followers is approximately 20 million. It’s a non-Muslim website in America, but several Muslims are also involved. The attention of this website remains on Palestine and is instrumental in raising awareness of the cause.
The third website is from a Jewish magazine – 972mag. It’s a completely Jewish website but supports Palestine and Palestinians. Its latest lead story suggests its commitment, which is somewhat like this, ‘Palestinians are asking if you are with us, and American Jews are showing that yes, we are with you.’
Moreover, apart from the Jewish lobby in America, a powerful organization that is detached from J Street, named the ‘Pro-Israel’ organization, is strictly against Israeli crimes inflicted on Palestinians. That’s why Israeli officials strongly dislike this organization.
We have given these examples as illustrations. Otherwise, if you search on the internet, particularly on YouTube, you will see that Jews in America have formed two clear groups. Among these groups, one supports Israel, while the other supports Palestine. According to a survey report, one-third of American Jews have turned into supporters of the Palestinian cause. In contrast, in our Pakistani case, we are standing with zero efficiency. Our only efficiency is to quickly inform the nation of the secret that Yasser Arafat was a traitor because his wife was Jewish. And after that, we immediately rushed behind Coca-Cola and McDonald’s, thinking that by boycotting them, Israel could be eliminated.
That’s why Palestinians do not pay attention to our uproar. They know that we Pakistanis are not contributing anything positive to their case, just creating pointless and directionless noise. When our rallies are titled ‘Al-Quds’ instead of ‘Palestinian Muslim,’ the message goes that we are merely concerned with the first Qibla. The status of Palestinians is secondary. We didn’t even make an effort to consider how people of different faiths, including Palestinians and their cause, are fighting this case. When we are not united with Palestinians on their case, how important is our noise?
The culprits of this situation are our ignored religious leaders who themselves do not feel the significance of the Palestinian cause. If they were aware, they would have organized an ‘Al-Quds rally.’ Al-Quds is a part of the Palestinian state. In this regard, there is a United Nations agreement that has support from major powers like Russia and China. Those so-called religious leaders don’t even know that the sanctity of a believer’s life and property is higher than even the Kaaba. We stand behind the right to boycott Jerusalem over Beit-ul-Maqdis, and that’s all we said. Read this narration from Ibn Majah:
“Abdullah ibn ‘Umar narrated that he saw the Messenger of Allah performing Tawaf of the Ka’bah and saying, ‘How excellent you are and how pleasant is your scent! How great you are and how great is your sanctity! By the One in whose hand is the soul of Muhammad, the sanctity of a believer’s property and life is greater in the sight of Allah than your sanctity.’ We should have a good opinion about the believer.”
(Ibn Majah, Hadith Number 3932)
