Just something that I thought needed posting.

Editor's Note:

Here is a human story by a first generation Palestinian-
American. It is a narrative not well known in the US.

Palestine Before and After - by Sherri Muzher

"People are tired of hearing about it," a friend once told
me matter-of-factly about the Middle East conflict. Tell
me about it.

As a first-generation American of Palestinian descent, I
can vouch that nobody is more tired of this conflict than
Palestinians. But many of us don't have the luxury of
flipping the channel or ignoring what is happening to our
relatives and friends.

Palestinians with serious illnesses in Gaza are denied
access to medical care. More than 150 have died and
children are being stoned on their way to school by Jewish
settlers.

We do what we can but it never feels sufficient. And though
we're 100 percent Semitic, the usual tiring label of "anti-
Semite" is thrown at us for speaking out against the
injustices.

This month marks the 60th anniversary of Israel's creation
and the dispossession of the Palestinians from their land.
I'll save the history lessons because the realities have
even been acknowledged by Israeli historians, most recently
by Professor Ilan Pappe in 2006 with his book, "The Ethnic
Cleansing of Palestine."

Instead, I'd like to focus on the Palestinian people.

Denying their humanity has taken on many forms in the
Israeli PR arsenal � from employing pop culture to paint
Palestinians as terrorists at conception to the media's
glorification of Israel's birth.

In recent years, pro-Israeli commentaries claim our parents
don't love us. Apparently, my parents' years of love and
sacrifice illustrate they never read the Palestinian manual
for parents.

Sarcasm aside, it all makes strategic sense: Dehumanize
Palestinians or deny their heritage long enough that any
action against them doesn't seem so outrageous, even if
they are expulsions at gunpoint.

Consider that Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir said in
1969 in an oft-repeated statement, "There is no such thing
as a Palestinian." Too bad she didn't read up on history
because there has been a collective consciousness of their
unique identity for millennia. The ancient Canaanites
weren't called Palestinians, but neither were the
Mesopotamians called Iraqis or the Celts called Irish or
British. Still, the roots are unquestionable and run
eternally deep, from archeological finds to folktales.

Another example of whiting out the Palestinian heritage
is using the term "Israeli Arab." I've never heard of a
generic Arab race � every Arab has a specific heritage,
be it Palestinian, Lebanese, Algerian, etc. Think of
Latin America, where they all speak the same language
(Spanish, except in ****tuguese-speaking Brazil) and most
share the same religion (Roman Catholic). In the Arab
world, they all speak Arabic and most are Muslim.
Nonetheless, each country has its own dialect, foods
and customs. Mexicans and Argentines differ, as do
Palestinians and Egyptians.

And within each Arab nation, there is even more diversity �
from distinguishable dialects and expressions, to being
able to identify the region a Palestinian woman came from
by the intricate embroidery on her traditional dress.
Palestinians have always had a rich and vibrant culture
that is all their own, before and after Israel's creation.

There is no question that Palestinians have taken a
bruising with poorly made leader****p decisions and
factional fighting in recent years. But what has remained
steadfast is their fierce embrace of identity and their
resilience. This is true not only of Palestinians in
Palestine but those of Palestinian descent in the dias****a.

Whether it was the election of Tony Saca to the presidency
in El Salvador or respected fiscal conservative U.S. Sen.
John Sununu being singled out for praise by Time magazine
or Dr. Motia Khaled Al-Asir being awarded the British
Empire Medal by Queen Elizabeth II, those of Palestinian
descent continue to make their mark around the world.

It is worth repeating that the Jewish Torah teaches us
that man was created in God's image. The Palestinians
have never been absent from this equation.

Sherri Muzher is director of the Michigan Media Watch in
Woodhaven, Mich.