WITH Ibrahim Nasrallahwriter Jordanian of Palestinian descentWhile on tour in Spain, he is astonished when the journalists he meets demand that acts of terrorism be condemned in advance. Hamas On October 7. “No one talks to me about condemning Israel’s actions in Gaza,” he says, hurt. You will not be asked such a question here, just to understand why Hamas is preparing a ‘causus belli’ in such a far-right government. Baby Netanyahu This can only mean a massacre, which some call revenge.
For this, we need to introduce Nasrallah, a 69-year-old poet and writer. Refugee camp in Jordan After his parents ran away from there NakbaLiterally ‘catastrophe’, this is what Palestinians call the forced exile of Palestinians after the 1948 Arab-Israeli war. The entire past history of his people is described by Nasrallah in 14 independent novels. Palestinian comedyTracing 200 years of history, from the struggle against the Ottoman Empire to the end of the British mandate in the region. the last one ‘Time of white horses’ (The universe of letters), That’s what’s on offer these days.
“I have not only been collecting family stories for 22 years. Because we Palestinians need little stories to be written They destroyed all our history. When I visited my parents’ village, Alburaj, 20 km from Jerusalem, I found nothing there that reminded me of what they said; “There were no houses, no town, just a weapons factory,” he explains.
Gaza is a completely occupied place where you don’t know if your child will come home from school alive.
Creating a story helps Palestinians identify with their past, but according to the author, it can also help them be understood beyond the fact that they can only be taken into account in the West. Either terrorists or victims. “We have a culture, a philosophy and, of course, a story that needs to be told.”
growing up poor
Nasrallah’s story is the story of a boy who grew up in poverty, in inhumane conditions, where his people were forced to live in caves. “In the 50s and 60s, there was no such thing as the international aid for refugees that we see today. There were no schools, we had no access to healthcare, famine and cold. “They were our comrades.” It’s surprising that someone can get to this point in a situation like this. poet and writer: “We all need to express what we feel. This is a way to heal. I soon realized that writing was good for me when there was so much pain around me, and in a way I was very lucky because I was able to continue doing it even though the conditions were not so good.”
What Hamas does is only 1 percent of what it does to Palestinians
He assures that he is not looking for political allegiance, what confronts him is the harsh reality. He told about the incident when he was 22 years old apartheid south africa During his years as a professor Saudi Arabia, a rich country focused on the poverty that exists there. After writing love stories, the reality of his country of origin has been imposed on him even more intensely since last October. “Loop It’s a totally busy place where you don’t know if your child will come home from school alive. In a refugee camp, a girl climbed onto the roof to save her cat and was shot. A Palestinian boy was asked on television what he wanted to be when he grew up and he answered:nothing, I won’t grow old, they will kill me first”.
Therefore, according to the author, Hamas’ claims about its actions on October 7 need to be placed in a historical context that cannot be ignored. “We wonder why Hamas carried out a 4-hour raid, but perhaps we forget that Israel has been at war with Palestine for 75 years. If we are crushed, the resistance will respond. What Hamas is doing is only 1 percent of what is being done to the Palestinians. There has been an attack in the Gaza Strip every 3-4 years for 20 years. “There are currently 2.3 million people under land, sea and air blockade in Gaza.” He also adds: ““Israel is also attacking the West Bank and Hamas is not operating there.”
They killed Rabin
In the face of such desolation, a minimum gap of hope can be opened, thanks to countries such as Belgium, Ireland and Spain, which take a stand against the killing of Gaza civilians. Even the US government no longer provides monolithic support for Netanyahu. The author finds this inadequate. “Israel doesn’t care about public opinion or demonstrations. Just as before the US invaded Iraq, more than 40 million people demonstrated against the war and destroyed the country.
According to the author, the two-state option is the only one that can resolve the eternal conflict, but he adds that this will not happen: “Netanyahu’s Israel only recognizes dead Palestinians With his nationalism, he managed to get the left to join extremism. The era of Isaac Rabin, who managed to sign an agreement with Arafat, is now over. But we must not forget that Rabin was killed by an Israeli, and we must not forget the possibility of a deal with him. “If Rabin were alive, they would kill him again.”