The Palestine Institute of
Biodiversity Research and its Palestine Museum of Natural History
Tue, Jul 15, 2014 at 10:38 AM

HumanRights Respect

The situation in Gaza is horrific. A handicap center was bombed killing two
special girls. A doctors house is bombed. A family is bombed as they come
out of a mosque killing 18 members. Resistance factions in Gaza responded
with rockets that fell on cities deep inside "Israel" (1948 Palestine). The
capabilities of a besieged Gaza strip astonished many Israelis (projectiles
reaching as far as Haifa, frogmen penetrating an Israeli base successfully
from the sea, a drone that flew for hours in Israeli airspace before it was
finally shot down etc). We have to remember that Israel started the
genocide in Gaza. Even if we take the most rcent issue, it was Israeli
airplanes that first attacked Gaza after 2 years of signing an agreement
not to do so. So Israel attacked Gaza and the resistance responded by
firing a few rockets and Israel then decided to target hundreds of homes
and over 20 mosques in Gaza. Western media and politicians seem oblivious
to facts. In so doing tehy encourage aggression which will only bring more
radicalism. The notion of might makes right will get further entrenched
here and I am afraid the future will be bleak for all of us (Israelis,
Palestinians, Americans etc). I always explained to visitors and the media
that there is no win-lose scenario, there is either a lose-lose scenario
(the might makes right path of Zionism) or a win-win scenario (justice and
human rights including the rights of refugees to return to their homes and
lands). We all need to take responsibility and do something positive not
something negative. We either live together as equal human beings or we
perish together as fools." Education is a key component of this. Knowledge
is power and I urge all to share with us as we educate young Palestinians
and others about the value of knowledge and of respect.

In the words of our friend and the martyr Vittorio Arrigoni: "Stay human"

Sincerely
Mazin Qumsiyeh
Professor and Director, of The Palestine Institute of
Biodiversity Research and its Palestine Museum of Natural History Bethlehem
Occupied Palestine