mecca of unity II

In a previous blog posting, entitled "a mecca of unity", I discussed the formation of a Palestinian unity government between Hamas and Fatah. With the deal still on the table, it appears as though both sides will proceed with the unification and new proposed government structure. After all, the Palestinian people need a unified leadership, someone to represent the people who have no rights, no voice, no freedom. Does resistance to occupation always have to be seen as terror? This is a controversial - yet very real - question of legitimacy, what much of the world cannot fathom because they have not expericenced it. Spending even an hour in the West Bank will show you exactly what I mean.

I had someone write to me randomly on MySpace this week (as randoms often do), a girl from Canada. My MySpace page says I live in "Palestine, Israel" (as Palestine is not a "country" per se, on the drop-down list of selections or otherwise, so I've listed it as the city or territory and Israel as the country), where, as a researcher, I continue in my neutral stance somewhere in between. This girl asked me, "Where is Palestine? I've never heard of it before." My initial reaction to this inquiry was "where do you live, in a freaking cave?" but bit my tongue (err, my fingers, its a keyboard not an orofice). I thought back to my previous existence on the North American continent, and how when caught up in one's daily life, the events going on in the rest of the world seldom affect us... or we don't let them because our concerns are so far removed. I remember my former mantra (up until this past summer as a matter of fact) "if it doesn't affect me directly, I don't care." So my response to this Canadian gal was carefully crafted, as a reflection of my own past mentality in light of the current situation. Compassionately, I replied "I hadn't either when I lived in North America, so you're forgiven!" and I directed her to google or wikipedia, alerting her that she might be hearing about Palestine if she chooses to follow the International news.

Meanwhile, in Palestine, UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization) has just requested that Israel halt their excavations under the ramp leading to the Temple Mount (or Haram al-Sharif in Arabic). Without International intervention, these archaeologists would inevitably continue to stir up controversy in the already controversial Holy City of Jerusalem (al-Quds in Arabic). So while archaeologists spend a lot of time in caves, YOU don't have to live in one. Get Global. What happens in the rest of the world IS of your concern. It's YOUR world.