ePalestine

[ePalestine] Saudi Arabia: Thank you, but no thank you! (By Sam Bahour)

2023-09-26T15:19:00.008+03:00

(رابط اللغة العربية أدناه)

Saudi Arabia: Thank you, but no thank you!

No one can decide on strategic issues on behalf of the Palestinians.

By Sam Bahour

Read on:

English (Medium):
https://sbahour.medium.com/19aba701a17f?sk=ea69e02170cf025884dd908b2a16ecda

Arabic (وطن):

https://www.wattan.net/ar/news/414114.html

Arabic (الحدث):

https://www.alhadath.ps/article/171441/%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D9%85%D9%84%D9%83%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D8%B1%D8%A8%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B3%D8%B9%D9%88%D8%AF%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D8%B4%D9%83%D8%B1%D9%8B%D8%A7-%D9%84%D9%83%D9%86-%D9%84%D8%A7-%D8%AF%D8%A7%D8%B9%D9%8A-%D8%A8%D9%82%D9%84%D9%85-%D8%B3%D8%A7%D9%85-%D8%A8%D8%AD%D9%88%D8%B1

Hebrew (עִברִית) https://www.mekomit.co.il/ps/129730

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[ePalestine] 2023 UN General Assembly Debate: A Speech Worthy of the Palestinian People

2023-09-19T14:55:00.013+03:00

2023 UN General Assembly Debate: A Speech Worthy of the Palestinian People

The last speech of Palestinian President Abbas' political career.

By Sam Bahour

Read on Medium and Palestine News Network (PNN):

https://sbahour.medium.com/2023-un-general-assembly-debate-a-speech-worthy-of-the-palestinian-people-54b2dc0d797c?sk=803a7147883c20ead97a0e17a1c768b0

https://english.pnn.ps/news/46340

or in Arabic (اللغة العربية) on Alhadath and Wattan News شبكة فلسطين الإخبارية

https://www.alhadath.ps/article/171194/%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D9%86%D8%A7%D9%82%D8%B4%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D8%A7%D9%85%D8%A9-%D9%84%D9%84%D8%A3%D9%85%D9%85-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%AA%D8%AD%D8%AF%D8%A9-%D9%84%D8%B9%D8%A7%D9%85-2023-%D8%AE%D8%B7%D8%A7%D8%A8-%D9%8A%D9%84%D9%8A%D9%82-%D8%A8%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B4%D8%B9%D8%A8-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%81%D9%84%D8%B3%D8%B7%D9%8A%D9%86%D9%8A-%D8%A8%D9%82%D9%84%D9%85-%D8%B3%D8%A7%D9%85-%D8%A8%D8%AD%D9%88%D8%B1-

https://www.wattan.net/ar/news/413559.html

https://pnn.ps/news/680195

or in Hebrew on Local Call (שיחה מקומית):

https://www.mekomit.co.il/ps/129458/

or in German on Gesellschaft Schweiz-Palästina

https://www.palaestina.ch/de/aufgefallen/744-eine-rede-die-des-pala-stinensischen-volkes-wu-rdig-ist

[ePalestine] Interview with Jonathan Pollard

2023-09-18T11:57:00.007+03:00

Interview with Jonathan Pollard

Watch the FULL 16 minutes and 31 seconds, from 1:48:29 - 2:05:00

https://youtu.be/w3eTWXwn6_c?si=5QNhJlG1ZEoKTDaI&t=6509

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[ePalestine] That Massacre Was Personal

2023-09-17T22:54:00.002+03:00

That Massacre Was Personal

Watching the Sabra and Shatila massacre from Youngstown, Ohio.

By Sam Bahour

Read at Medium:

https://sbahour.medium.com/that-massacre-was-personal-79c0f285fa8a?sk=3cb5449a03fd6307da0f3875404a2e24

[ePalestine] The Bible Is Not a Baton [Book Review]

2023-09-15T11:16:00.001+03:00

The Bible Is Not a Baton [Book Review]

A Palestinian pastor throws an intellectual hand grenade into the body of knowledge on Palestine/Israel.

By Sam Bahour

Read at:

Medium

https://sbahour.medium.com/palestine-the-bible-is-not-a-baton-d26fe52eb447?sk=458ee4d08acc39570761aa6855aadc4b

Counterpunch

https://www.counterpunch.org/2023/09/15/palestine-the-bible-is-not-a-baton/

[ePalestine] Mondoweiss: Israel’s ‘slay-for-play’ practice must be stopped (By Sam Bahour)

2023-09-07T19:40:00.002+03:00

Mondoweiss

Israel's 'slay-for-play' practice must be stopped

For many Israelis, killing Palestinians with impunity is a state-sponsored sport.

By Sam Bahour

Read at:

https://mondoweiss.net/2023/09/israels-slay-for-play-practice-must-be-stopped/

or here:

https://sbahour.medium.com/israels-slay-for-play-practice-must-be-stopped-eb15ad57e096?sk=0ae680e61a526160d3c4f183ca24bb81

[ePalestine] Yesterday, I Was a “Security Threat”—Today, I Am Welcome in Jerusalem

2023-09-02T10:44:00.003+03:00

So proud of our daughter Nadine...yet another generation of Palestinians speaking truth to power...onward and upward!

Jerusalem Story

Yesterday, I Was a "Security Threat"—Today, I Am Welcome in Jerusalem

By Nadine Bahour

https://www.jerusalemstory.com/en/blog/yesterday-i-was-security-threat-today-i-am-welcome-jerusalem

[ePalestine] Haaretz: Decades, I Defended Israel From Claims of Apartheid. I No Longer Can

2023-08-11T18:13:00.007+03:00

Dear friends,

The last two sentences make no sense after all that is written before them, but nevertheless a worthy read of yet another awakening.

Best,

Sam

---

Haaretz

Israel News

Opinion | For Decades, I Defended Israel From Claims of Apartheid. I No Longer Can

In Israel, I am now witnessing the apartheid with which I grew up in South Africa. The Israeli government's fascist, racist power-grab is the gift Israel's enemies have long awaited

Black students rally after the funeral of a 16-year-old black student who died in jail, in Soweto, South Africa in 1976. Credit: AP

Benjamin Pogrund

Aug 10, 2023

Israel 2023, South Africa 1948.

I've lived through it before: grabbing power, fascism and racism, destroying democracy. Israel is going where South Africa was 75 years ago. It's like watching the replay of a horror movie.

In 1948, as a teenager in Cape Town, I followed the results of the May 26 election on a giant board on a newspaper building. The winner-takes-all electoral system produced distorted results: the Afrikaner Nationalist party, with its smaller partner, won 79 parliamentary seats against 74 for the United Party and its smaller partner.

But the Nats, as they were called, in fact won only 37.7 percent of the vote against the opposition's 49.18 percent. Although the opposition got more than 11 percent more votes, the Nats said they had a majority and could do what they wanted.

In the Israel of 2023, I'm reliving some of these same experiences. Our proportional election system can distort results as well: last November, Likud, with its smaller partners, won 64 seats against 56 for the opposition. In fact, the right-wing bloc won by only 0.6 percent of the vote.

The 0.6 percent government says that it represents the will of the majority and can do whatever it wants. It goes on saying this even though a poll from the Israel Democracy Institute shows that less than one-third of Israelis back its law to end the so-called reasonableness standard, which allowed the High Court to overturn government decisions it deemed unreasonable.

South Africa enjoyed democracy – that is, among the whites who were 20 percent of the population. Blacks had no right to vote; only some multiracial and Asian South Africans could vote. Those who were not white suffered heavy racial discrimination in every part of their lives.

In Israel, Arabs, who form about 21 percent of the population, can vote. But they do suffer discrimination: Muslims and Christians are not drafted, and those who do not do army service lose out on benefits. The Jewish National Fund owns about 13 percent of Israel's land and bars non-Jews – that is, Arabs – from owning or renting it.

The coalition promises to deepen the discrimination. It has already threatened to withdraw millions of shekels meant for upgrading poor Arab living conditions.

In South Africa, the Nationalist victory meant apartheid, which intensified and institutionalized the existing discrimination against people of color.

In 2001, I joined Israel's government delegation to the World Conference Against Racism in Durban. The Sharon government invited me because of my expertise after a quarter-century as a journalist in South Africa; my specialty was reporting apartheid close up.

Children sit on a bench reserved for whites only along the waterfront in Durban, South Africa during apartheid, in 1960. Credit: AP Photo/Dennis Lee Royle

At the conference, I was disturbed and angered by the multitude of lies and exaggerations about Israel. During the years since, I have argued with all my might against the accusation that Israel is an apartheid state: in lectures, newspaper articles, on TV and in a book.

However, the accusation is becoming fact. First, the Nation-State law elevates Jews above fellow citizens who are Arab – Muslim, Druze, Bedouin, and Christian. Every day sees government ministers and their allies venting racism, and following up with discriminatory actions. There is no mercy even for the Druze who, like Jews, have been conscripted into the military since 1948.

Second, Israel can no longer claim security as the reason for our behavior in the West Bank and the siege of Gaza. After 56 years, our occupation can no longer be explained as temporary, pending a solution to the conflict with Palestinians. We are heading toward annexation, with calls to double the 500,000 Israeli settlers already in the West Bank.

The army is fully complicit in the illegal seizure of land and the creation of settlement outposts. The government misuses many million shekels for settlers. It abuses its own laws. Settlers kill Palestinians and destroy houses and cars. The courts seldom intervene. Soldiers stand by and watch.

We deny Palestinians any hope of freedom and normal lives. We believe our own propaganda that a few million people will meekly accept perpetual inferiority and oppression.

The government is driving Israel deeper and deeper into inhuman, cruel behavior beyond any defense. I don't have to be religious to know that this is a shameful betrayal of Jewish morality and history.

In South Africa, nice words were used for destructive laws. Imposing apartheid on universities to restrict black access was done by the "Extension of University Education Act." Tightening the "pass" – the document which was the basic means of control over blacks – was done by the "Abolition of Passes (Coordination of Documents) Act."

In Israel, "judicial reform" is used to describe the destruction of democracy, starting with ending judicial review of the executive and Knesset. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tells foreign TV that the changes are small and the opposition is silly. He does not explain why then he and his partners have been ruthlessly determined to ram it through despite colossal opposition and with the country on fire.

At a rally against the judicual overhaul in Tel Aviv, protesters hold up signs saying "Jewish and racist: Looking the occupation in the eye" and "Imagine you are Palestinian." Credit: Itay Ron

In South Africa, removing the vote from multiracial and Asian citizens set off mass protests, led by World War II veterans. The highest court, the Appellate Division, struck down the vote law as unconstitutional. The Nationalists used their majority in parliament to set up a High Court of Parliament, which overruled the Appellate Division, and was then dumped. Multiracial and Asian citizens lost the right to vote.

Opposition to apartheid grew. The Nats, with their majority in parliament, enacted the Suppression of Communism Act, giving the justice minister the authority to issue arbitrary decrees severely curtailing personal freedoms. Punishments included house arrest and being forbidden to be with more than one other person, and prohibition on public speaking or writing. Offenders could get up to five years in jail. Communists were the first target, followed by liberals – even fervent anti-communists - and anyone who opposed apartheid, peacefully or violently. Then came 30-day detention without trial, which grew to three months, then six months and finally detention without end.

Many thousands were "banned," detained without trial and sentenced to lengthy imprisonment. Army and police repeatedly went into segregated black townships and killed and brutalized people.

In Israel, about 1,200 West Bank Palestinians are reported to be imprisoned without trial. The army constantly raids West Bank towns, wreaking havoc and detaining more so-called terrorist suspects. Tragedies continue.

Under the guise of fighting crime in the Arab community, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir wants a law to give the police the power to jail Israelis without charge or trial – a policy already practiced in the West Bank.

Ben-Gvir has already replaced the Tel Aviv police chief, whom he reviled for being too lenient on protestors. He has ensured that the prisons head's tenure will conclude at the end of this year. He is checking promotions and hiring in police and prisons. He wants an expensive "national guard," under his control.

In South Africa, a secret Afrikaner organization, the Broederbond, (Band of Brothers), pulled the strings behind the scenes. It approved every job of significance: school headmasters, police, senior prison and army officers and the civil service members. Its partner was the Dutch Reformed Church, described as the Nationalist Party at prayer. Calvinist and conservative, its priests declared that the Bible was literally true, that it justified apartheid and Afrikaners were the Chosen People whose mission was to save "white civilization."

The Nats applied "Christian National Education" to schools. Radio and television were tightly controlled. Movies and theater were censored. Thousands of books were banned as "undesirable, objectionable or obscene." Marriage across color lines was prohibited. The entire country was divided so that people of different races lived in their own areas; whites took the most and the best. Millions of people of color were forced out of their homes.

Members of the Sublaban family sit in front of a sign reading 'Welcome to apartheid' after being evicted from their East Jerusalem home, in July. Credit: Olivier Fitoussi

In Israel, the ultra-Orthodox have joined forces with Likud and religious nationalists to secure unlimited money for their separate schools, to keep their children out of the army and to impose their religious dictates on the entire country. They control Jewish marriage and divorce, and allow only Orthodox marriages. Their reach is only spreading.

In South Africa, international opposition to apartheid was rejected. The country became the polecat of the world. United Nations condemnations and boycotts and business disinvestment were dismissed. The economy sank. Finally, ruined, it could no longer support apartheid and this was a major reason forcing whites to give up their power and privileges in 1994.

In Israel the results of the coalition's assault on the judiciary, and its promises of much more to come, are well reported. The disastrous effects on the economy are already emerging. The United States gives Israel $3.8 billion-plus every year and defends us against attacks, whether justified or not, in international forums. We depend on the United States for survival, but we are losing support in Congress. Coalition leaders couldn't care less.

The Education Ministry's director general has quit in protest of the judicial overhaul. Judges are denigrated. The coalition wants the attorney general fired. The lawyers' association is being defanged. Stringent control is underway for the media. Shabbat observance is coerced. Culture and women's rights are coming under restrictive control. Bedouin are evicted en masse. Protestors are called traitors.

We are at the mercy of fascists and racists (both carefully chosen words) who cannot, and will not, stop.

I write about South Africa and Israel because I know both of them, 53 years in one and nearly 26 years in the other. Neither is unique. The same pattern of right-wing repression has happened in our time in Hungary and Poland, in Asia, Africa and Latin America, and earlier, in Europe in the 1920s and 1930s.

In Israel, I am now witnessing the apartheid with which I grew up. Israel is giving a gift to its enemies in the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement and its allies, especially in South Africa, where denial of Israel's existence is intense among many Blacks, in trade unions and communist and Muslim circles. BDS activists will continue to make their claims, out of ignorance and/or malevolence, spreading lies about Israel. They have long distorted what is already bad into grotesqueness, but will now claim vindication. Israel is giving them truth.

Benjamin Pogrund, South African-born, was deputy editor of the Rand Daily Mail in Johannesburg, and came on Aliyah to launch a dialogue center in Jerusalem. He was awarded South Africa's Order of Ikhamanga Silver for services to journalism and academia during apartheid.

https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2023-08-10/ty-article-opinion/.premium/for-decades-i-defended-israel-from-claims-of-apartheid-i-no-longer-can/00000189-d4ac-d821-afdd-d

[ePalestine] Recording of Economic Justice In Palestine!

2023-08-07T21:44:00.005+03:00

Here is a recording of the webinar. ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

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Dear Sam,

Thank you sincerely to everyone who joined yesterday for our timely conversation with Sam Bahour.

Become a member today to sustain a future beyond apartheid, partition, annexation, and occupation.

The video recording of the webinar can be found below for all those who weren't able to attend or would like to refer to the conversation in the future. We are proud to create platforms for deep learning and engagement that provide communities around the world with insight into the apartheid policies of occupation in Gaza and the West Bank.

We were particularly proud to host Green Olive member Sam Bahour to discuss the fragmentation of the Palestinian economy and the incredible resilience, steadfastness, and creative capacity of communities living under military rule. We have collated various articles he has published below for those that would like to continue educating themselves and others about economic justice in Palestine.

Click this link for a video recording of the webinar.

Warmly,
Erez Bleicher
Communications and Membership Director

Join The Green Olive Collective By Becoming A Member Today!

We know you believe in a democratic future free from the violence of occupation.

That's why we're asking you to sustain our work for justice by becoming a member today.

Your membership will allow us to grow as an advocacy center committed to a future beyond apartheid, partition, and occupation. It will directly support monthly solidarity visits to communities facing displacement in Area C. It will allow us to develop new tour guiding initiatives highlighting the lived reality of Palestinians. And it will allow us to sustain global campaigns encouraging people around the world to take action.

DEFEND EQUALITY. BECOME A MEMBER TODAY.

The crisis in Israel and Palestine has never been greater and people on both sides of the Green Line are in profound need of change. The recently elected Israeli government has dramatically increased Palestinian home demolitions and expulsions. We need everyone's help to raise the profile of the situation and to bring some hope in a circumstance in which it feels distant. Become a subscription member today to sustain our ongoing advocacy as we build a global community committed to human rights.

Additional Resources About Economic Justice In Palestine:

Here are additional resources from Sam Bahour you can use to continue educating yourself and others about economic justice in Palestine:

This is the unnamed Palestinian casualty of Israel's assault on Jenin, an article situating the recent assault on Jenin with the larger political context meant to systematically constrict the development of Palestinian economy.

Palestinians have every right to reject another Oslo, discussing how occupation policy has forced the Palestinian economy to be structurally dependent on Israel.

Paypal and Palestine, about the suffocating limitations placed on the Palestinian economy by Israel and private sector giants such as PayPal.


	You have received this email because you have taken a tour, attended an online event or had other contact with the organization. Israel Tel: +972-3-721-9540 • USA Tel: 1-612-276-2077 Edit your subscription \| Unsubscribe		Green Olive Collective Inc. PO Box 1135 Jerusalem, 9101001 www.greenolivetours.com office@greenolivecollective.com

[ePalestine] Medium: My clown is in an Israeli prison, again! (By Sam Bahour)

2023-07-09T22:00:00.004+03:00

Medium

𝗠𝘆 𝗰𝗹𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗮𝗻 𝗜𝘀𝗿𝗮𝗲𝗹𝗶 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗻, 𝗮𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻!

Are Israeli mothers and fathers resting better knowing Palestinian children will not be smiling?

By Sam Bahour

Read at:

https://sbahour.medium.com/my-clown-is-in-an-israeli-prison-again-2219690a866e?sk=19625ad412fb14f7bbca31c710687a0b

[ePalestine] Haaretz: This Is the Unnamed Palestinian Casualty of Israel's Assault on Jenin (By Sam Bahour)

2023-07-03T17:43:00.001+03:00

Haaretz | Opinion

This Is the Unnamed Palestinian Casualty of Israel's Assault on Jenin

Amid Israeli airstrikes and our political struggle for statehood, we are fighting an economic battle to keep Palestinians in Palestine, the ultimate act of non-violent resistance against the Netanyahu government's state and settler violence. So why are some U.S. companies turning away?

By Sam Bahour

July 3, 2023

Read at:

https://www.haaretz.com/opinion/2023-07-03/ty-article-opinion/.premium/this-is-the-unnamed-palestinian-casualty-of-israels-assault-on-jenin/00000189-1b9d-df82-a78f-7fbfe7c20000

or here (no paywall):

https://sbahour.medium.com/this-is-the-unnamed-palestinian-casualty-of-israels-assault-on-jenin-7ccb25eec240?sk=6a1a0c2f757d63f82a2b1c84b750e716

#Palestine #Israel #economy #Jenin

[ePalestine] [Book Review] From Wisconsin to Gaza to Jenin: An American Writer’s Lived Experience in Palestine

2023-06-24T22:36:00.004+03:00

From Wisconsin to Gaza to Jenin: An American Writer's Lived Experience in Palestine [Book Review]

By Sam Bahour

Read book review at:

https://sbahour.medium.com/66d51691b49a?sk=bfc91d94593be498e1fd4818a6aff429

[ePalestine] PayPal’s missed opportunity with Palestinians

2023-06-18T22:08:00.006+03:00

The Plain Dealer (cleveland.com)

PayPal’s missed opportunity with Palestinians: Sam Bahour

Published: Jun. 18, 2023, 5:11 a.m.


Signage outside PayPal headquarters in San Jose, California is pictured on March 10, 2015. At PayPal's May 24 annual shareholders meeting, shareholders rejected a shareholder proposal that PayPal offer its services in the Palestinian territories and other conflict zones. A proponent of that proposal, Palestinian American business consultant Sam Bahour of Youngstown, who has been working in the West Bank for a number of years, argues in a guest column today that that was a mistake. Jeff Chiu \| AP Photo

By Guest Columnist, Sam Bahour

EL-BIREH, West Bank -- I recently addressed the virtual PayPal annual shareholders meeting, during which I had five minutes to present a case for shareholders to pass a resolution requesting PayPal to open its services to Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza. The resolution was titled “Provision of Services in Conflict Zones.”

Read here:

https://www.cleveland.com/opinion/2023/06/paypals-missed-opportunity-with-palestinians-sam-bahour.html

or download PDF here.

[ePalestine] Webinar: Want Israeli-Palestinian Peace? Try A Model of Confederation

2023-06-11T11:35:00.002+03:00

Click on above photo or here to watch.

Co-sponsored by the Florida Chapter of World BEYOND War, the Veterans For Peace Chapter 136 in The Villages, FL, and Partners For Palestine, FL.

[ePalestine] تخرجت ولكن، غير قابل للتوظيف

2023-05-28T10:01:00.030+03:00

يمكن أيضًا قراءة هذه المقالة على صحيفة الحدث ووكالة وطن.

تخرجت ولكن، غير قابل للتوظيف

ماذا تفعل عندما تدرك أن شهادتك لا يمكنها أن تجلب لك وظيفة.

بقلم سام بحور

صورة من المناظرة الانتخابية لانتخابات مؤتمر مجلس طلبة جامعة بيرزيت للدورة 2023-2024

التخرج من الجامعة بحد ذاته في مجتمعنا له شأن كبير حقا إذ يكبر جيل اليوم ويتعلم في ظل واحدة من الأوضاع السياسية والأمنية والاقتصادية غير المستقرة، إن لم يكن أكثرها، والتي يمر بها شعبنا في تاريخنا المعاصر، فإن الضرر البنيوي الذي يعانيه هذا الجيل واضح لجميع من يراه.

قبل عامين، كتبت مقالًا بعنوان (تخرجت من الجامعة؟ تهانينا، بس شو يعني!) (1) حاولت فيها إرشاد خريجي الجامعات الجدد لدينا حول كيفية كتابة السيرة الذاتية لزيادة فرصهم في العمل. ولقى إقبالا إذ قرأه الآلاف، ولكن لا تزال ذات الأخطاء التي أشرت إليها في المقال تظهر في السير الذاتية للخريجين الجدد الذين يقدمون لوظائف في الشركات.

بعد التأمل في عشرات الخريجين الجدد الذين تم تعيينهم في وظائف خلال العامين الماضيين ولم يستمرو بها حتى لأسابيع، بل أحيانًا أيام، استنتجت أن القضية أعمق وأخطر بكثير من عدم تدريب خريجي الجامعات على كيفية كتابة السيرة الذاتية أو حتى اتخاذ خطوات أساسية تجاه ترويجهم الذاتي لقدراتهم.

إن افتقار الخريجين إلى أكثر المهارات الأساسية ليس بأمر جديد، ولكن يجب أن تتوحد جهودنا لتصحيح هذا الخلل، من أجل النماء بمشروعنا الوطني وزيادة فرصنا للتحرر.

إذا كانت هناك حاجة إلى أي دليل آخر على أن المشروع الوطني، ومعه نظام التعليم العالي لدينا، في محنة شديدة، فلن يحتاج المرء لأكثر من مشاهدة المناظرة الانتخابات الطلابية في جامعة بيرزيت (2) الأخيرة، وهي مشابهة لما سبقها في الأعوام الأخيرة، ليدرك بأنه إن وصفت هذه المناظرة بأنها مثيرة للشفقة فلن نوفيها حقها بهذا الوصف. وحقيقة أن إدارة الجامعة أصرت على أن هذه المناظرة كانت جزء من "حفل زفاف ديمقراطي" لا تبشر بالخير لإحياء المشروع الوطني.

الانتفاضة الأولى

أود أن أشير ليس فقط إلى جيل اليوم، ولكن إلى الأضرار البنيوية التي لحقت بالجيل الذي ولد خلال الانتفاضة الأولى عندما كان التعليم أحد القطاعات التي استهدفها الاحتلال الإسرائيلي.

كان آباء هؤلاء الأطفال حديثي الولادة في الانتفاضة الأولى هم الجيل الأخير الذي اعتز بالتعليم كما جرى العرف في مجتمعنا فعندما أغلقت إسرائيل الجامعات، عمل المجتمع المحلي على فتح مقرات للدراسة في الفنادق والمنازل.

بالإضافة إلى التعليم الرسمي، كان لدى هؤلاء الطلاب الجامعيين خلال الانتفاضة الأولى مجتمع مدني أصيل ونابض بالحياة، تحفزه، بشكل أساسي، الأحزاب السياسية لمنظمة التحرير الفلسطينية الفاعلة والمتعددة الأقطاب، مما أضاف الكثير إلى تعليمهم الرسمي. يتضح كل هذا في عمق المعرفة التي يمتلكها هذا الجيل في التاريخ الفلسطيني، والحركة الوطنية الفلسطينية، ناهيك عن المعرفة العامة الواسعة بالعديد من الموضوعات مثل الدين والعلوم وغير ذلك.

لم يكن مصدر هذا التعليم المتعدد المستويات هو الجامعة ومنظمة التحرير الفلسطينية فحسب، بل كان سببه أيضًا الوحدة الأسرية القوية، التي غرست القيم اللازمة منذ صغرها للسماح لهؤلاء الطلاب الجامعيين بأن يصبحوا مواطنين منتجين ونشطين.

تمكن المجتمع المحلي في ذلك الوقت من الحفاظ على قيم أخلاقية عالية وقبل كل شيء، كان متحدا في مشروع وطني واضح، مشروع للتحرر والاستقلال.

الجيل الذي ولد خلال الانتفاضة الأولى هم آباء اليوم.

وتأتي مرحلة أوسلو

عندما فرضت اتفاقيات أوسلو على الفلسطينيين، تفكك كل ما تم تحقيقه على صعيد التعليم الذي كان بمثابة عماد المجتمع وذلك عند استلام السلطة الوطنية الفلسطينية، حديثة المنشأ في حينها، لقطاع التعليم العالي.

أولا، لم يعد المجتمع موحدا في رؤية واضحة للمشروع الوطني وفُقدت البوصلة التي وجهت الفلسطينيين لعقود، كل هذا أدى إلى ما أسميه، أمركة مجتمعنا وبدأ المزيد والمزيد من القادة السابقين، واحدًا تلو الآخر، في مجتمعنا يهتمون فقط بالحفاظ على الذات والتقدم الذاتي، بأي ثمن.

ثم تم إنشاء وزارة التعليم العالي، ليتم دمجها لاحقًا مع وزارة التربية والتعليم، ثم يتم فصلها إلى وزارتها الخاصة مع إضافة "البحث العلمي" إلى اختصاصها. وما كان هذا التخبط التنظيمي إلا مؤشرا على الأحداث القادمة.

اختف ذلك القطاع الأهلي النابض بالحياة والقائم على المجتمع المحلي والذي كان موجودًا قبل إنشاء السلطة الفلسطينية، ليستبدل بمنظمات غير حكومية مسيرة بأموال المانحين ويقودها خريجو الانتفاضة الأولى، الذين أصبح العديد منهم مغيبا بسبب عملية أوسلو ما دفعهم للبحث عن مؤسسات لاحتوائهم.

حاول العديد من خريجي الانتفاضة الأولى أن يتولوا مناصب حكومية في بيروقراطية السلطة الفلسطينية فقط ليجدوا أنفسهم مجبرين للعودة إلى مظلة المنظمات غير الحكومية حيث شهدوا تدهورا في تمويل القطاع العام وقدراته، ناهيك عن الكفاءات.

والأهم من ذلك، أن الأطفال حديثي الولادة في الانتفاضة الأولى، الذين نشأوا في فترة أوسلو، عاشوا الانتفاضة الثانية وشهدوا عدوان الاحتلال الإسرائيلي الذي لا ينتهي بل يزداد، واختبروا بشكل مباشر النسيج الأسري الممزق وغياب الهدف الوطني لديهم.

تتطلب كل من هذه الديناميكيات تحليلها المنفصل، لكن هذه الخلفية تعني فقط أن خريجي اليوم لم يسقطوا من السماء، بل خرجوا من سياق، وهذا السياق يجب فهمه، ولكن لا يعني هذا أبدًا أن يصبح عذرا لأننا لطالما كان، ولا يزال، لدينا القدرة الكاملة على تعديل الوضع وإرشاد الخريجين إلى المسار الصحيح.

في حين سيكمن البديل عن إصلاح مسار التعليم في المزيد من اللجوء إلى سوق العمل في إسرائيل، وهو تهديد استراتيجي لوجودنا كشعب ومجتمع.

تخرجت ولكن غير قابل للتوظيف

وبالتالي، ما هي الخيارات المتاحة لخريجي اليوم عندما يدركون بسرعة أن شهادتهم الجامعية ليست ذات قيمة على صعيد المعرفة كما اعتقدوا هم أو آباؤهم؟ والأسوأ من ذلك، أنهم يكتشفون أن شهادتهم لا يمكنها أن تجلب لهم وظيفة.

لا توجد إجابة واحدة على هذا الواقع الصعب، واسمحوا لي أن أقترح نقطة انطلاق.

تقبل حقيقة أن تربيتك (ربما) وتعليمك (بالتأكيد) لم يعلماك بعض المهارات الأساسية، مثل التواصل والتفكير الناقد والانضباط والقراءة والكتابة، وبالنسبة للبعض، الأخلاق. كل هذه المهارات هي قابلة للتعلم، ولكن عليك أولًا أن تعترف أنك لا تمتلكها، وهو تحدٍ لكثير من الذين يعيشون على اعتداد زائف بالنفس.

تقبل الحالة المحزنة لعالم اليوم، حيث تكون وسائل التواصل الاجتماعي هي مصدر المعلومات الرئيس إن لم يكن الوحيد. لقد عادت الآن كل مهام القص واللصق المذهلة التي استخدمتها في الجامعة لتطاردك في مسارك المهني. وفي حال كنت ممن يتشبثون بالهاتف المحمول، فأنك بذلك تفتقد حياتك الخاصة بالرغم من الفائدة التي يمكنك الحصول عليها من وسائل التواصل الاجتماعي، حتى الولايات المتحدة "العظيمة" ترى هذا الخطر في هذا التقرير الإخباري الذي نشر مؤخرا، "وزير الصحة الأمريكي: نحتاج إلى حماية الأطفال من مخاطر وسائل التواصل الاجتماعي على الفور" (3).

تقبل حقيقة أن السياق الذي تلقيت فيه تعليمك كان فاسدًا، وأنه قد يكون لديك شهادة في تخصص معين، ولكن قد لا يكون لديك أساسيات هذا التخصص. هذا التقبل يمنحك الحالة الذهنية اللازمة لتلحق ما فاتك. إذا كنت متخصصًا في المحاسبة ولا يمكنك الإجابة على سؤال من المبادئ الأساسية للمحاسبة، ، أو إذا كنت متخصصًا في اللغة الإنجليزية أو الترجمة وكانت سيرتك الذاتية مليئة بالأخطاء الإملائية، أو إذا كنت متخصصًا في التسويق ولا يمكنك تسمية ثلاث شركات في السوق، أو إذا تخرجت من أي تخصص ولا يمكنك استخدام برنامج الوورد، يجب أن تنظر في المرآة وتتخذ قرارًا استراتيجيًا لتصحيح مسارك.

تخلص من الفردية الخاصة بك واخرج للمجتمع، قد يكون هذا المجتمع مجتمعك الجغرافي، أو مجتمعك المهني، أو مجتمعك السياسي، وما إلى ذلك والمثل الأفريقي الشهير الذي يقول "إن تربية طفل يتطلب قرية "، صحيح تماما لذا توقف عن محاولة أن تكون رامبو وافعل ذلك بنفسك.

وبهذه العقلية:

قم بإعداد السيرة الذاتية الخاصة بك، واحدة حقيقية، تكتبها بنفسك، وليس من قبل صديق، وليس عن طريق أداة ChatGPT. سوف يشكو معظم الخريجين الجدد من أنه ليس لديهم ما يضعونه في سيرتهم الذاتية. إذا كان هذا صحيحًا، فأنت لست فاعلا ومن الأفضل لك تجاهل السيرة الذاتية والانتقال إلى الخطوات التالية في الوقت الحالي.

افهم أن التخرج من الجامعة هو البداية وليس النهاية من حيث صلته بالمعرفة. إذا رفضت أن تستمر في التعلم مدى الحياة، فإن المعرفة التي تمتلكها على وشك أن تنتهي مدة صلاحيتها. اذهب وابحث عن الموارد اللازمة لتضمن استمرارية اكتساب المعرفة في مجال خبرتك أو اهتمامك. اشترك في قوائم النشرات الإخبارية المتعلقة بمجالك، قم بشراء كتاب أو استعارته، وانضم إلى الجمعيات المهنية، واقرأ، ثم اقرأ، ثم اقرأ مرة أخرى. لا تتوقف أبدًا عن القراءة.

احصل على تدريب احترافي (هذه النقطة ليست هي نفسها ما ذكر أعلاه) لسد الفجوة بين تعليمك الغير مكتمل وما تحتاجه القوى العاملة، فإن التدريب المهني سيخدمك بشكل جيد. ولكن لا تنخدع في أي تدريب، وخاصة تدريب المانحين المجاني أو التدريب الممول، فمعظم هؤلاء المانحين لا يضعون مصلحتك أو مصالحنا الفضلى في الاعتبار. بدلًا من ذلك ادرس خيارات التدريب، واعلم ما سوف يوفرونه في الواقع، ومن سوف يقوم بإعطاء التدريب. بالرغم من أن عدد كبير جدًا من السير الذاتية تدرج العشرات من الدورات التدريبية ولكن عندما للمتقدم وأسمع إجابة السؤال الأول المطروح في المقابلة، أدرك أن الأمر كله مجرد خدعة.

والعمل الأكثر قيمة الذي يمكنك القيام به، الآن، وغدًا، وإلى الأبد، هو التطوع. نعم، نريد جميعًا العمل فور التخرج، ولكن عندما تقبل كل ما سبق، فإن إحدى الطرق للسير على الطريق الصحيح هي التطوع لاكتساب خبرة عمل على أرض الواقع. كما هو الحال مع التدريب، لا تقبل على أية فرصة تطوعية بل تحقق من أن المنظمة سوف تسمح لك حقًا بالتعلم. إذا كنت تذهب للتطوع لمجرد أن تكون قطعة جمالية في مكتب شخص ما، فأنت تهدر وقتك وكرامتك. وإذا وجدت فرصة عمل تطوعي، خذ الأمر على محمل الجد، كما لو كانت وظيفتك.

بالطبع، هناك الكثير لقوله ولكن هذه نقطة بداية.

علما بأن هناك دوما استثناء لكل ما ذكر أعلاها، لذلك أنا لا أحاول بأي حال من الأحوال التعميم لكن لدي خبرة كافية مع العديد من الشركات لأكون واثقًا من أن الكثيرين قد يستفيدون من هذا التحليل.

مبروك على تخرجك. الآن، ابدأ في التعلم!

سام بحور هو مستشار أعمال فلسطيني أمريكي ومعلق سياسي مستقل من رام الله/البيرة في فلسطين المحتلة. قام بتوثيق محاولة لإنشاء جامعة في قبرص بعنوان، تصدير التعليم الفلسطيني إلى الفلسطينيين: توثيق خطوة أخرى إلى الأمام .(4) ويكتب في مدونة ePalestine.ps. @SamBahour

(1) https://epalestine.blogspot.com/2021/06/you-graduated.html

(2) https://www.youtube.com/live/wPZrGd8UpuE?feature=share&t=2644

(3) https://www.cnbc.com/2023/05/23/us-surgeon-general-we-must-protect-kids-from-social-media-risks-now.html

(4) https://www.jadaliyya.com/Details/37749/Exporting-Palestinian-Education-to-Palestinians-Documenting-Yet-Another-Step-Forward

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[ePalestine] PayPal Annual General Assembly Meeting (AGM)

2023-05-25T21:10:00.003+03:00

Yesterday, I addressed the PayPal Annual General Assembly Meeting (AGM), where I presented, on behalf of Harrington Investments, a 5-minute statement supporting a shareholder resolution asking shareholders to vote to extend PayPal services to Palestinians in Palestine. PayPal's board recommended a "no" vote, and the shareholder resolution did not pass. However, this is not the end of the road; standby for the next steps.

You may hear my statement here, starting at 7:10:

https://east.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/vsm/web?pvskey=PYPL2023

All my respect to Harrington Investments, a leader in Socially Responsible Investing and Shareholder Advocacy since 1982!

Some early media coverage:

Guardian

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2023/may/24/paypal-palestine-ban-us-congress-

Haaretz

https://www.haaretz.com/us-news/2023-05-24/ty-article/.premium/paypal-shareholders-push-platform-to-expand-access-to-palestinians-in-west-bank-gaza/00000188-4d05-df79-a19d-ff1da3a70000

Wafa

https://english.wafa.ps/Pages/Details/135979

Arab News

https://www.arabnews.com/node/2310186/business-economy

Mondoweiss

https://mondoweiss.net/2023/05/paypal-upholds-its-ban-on-palestinians

[ePalestine] Don’t cry for me. Cry for yourselves.

2023-05-12T19:55:00.002+03:00

𝗗𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝗰𝗿𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝗲. 𝗖𝗿𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗹𝘃𝗲𝘀.

The voice of a Palestinian child in Gaza, taken from this world by Israel — "the only democracy in the Middle East".

By Sam Bahour

https://sbahour.medium.com/dont-cry-for-me-cry-for-yourselves-d3aa1ed58e64?sk=697246c9d08451251e996634ad05e672

[ePalestine] DAWN: Jamal Niser: Israel Imprisoning Elderly US Citizen Without Charge or Trial

2023-04-19T18:00:00.010+03:00

Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN)

Free my cousin Jamal Niser NOW!

https://dawnmena.org/us-sanction-israeli-judge-for-wrongful-detention-of-us-citizen-in-west-bank-prison/

https://dawnmena.org/jamal-niser-israel-imprisoning-elderly-us-citizen-without-charge-or-trial/

For more info and what you can do see here (https://bit.ly/FreeJamalNiser)

[ePalestine] ATTN: Multinational firms in Israel

2023-04-01T21:23:00.002+03:00

https://plus61j.net.au/featured/la-familia-and-ben-gvirs-national-guard-the-violent-underbelly-of-israels-far-right

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[ePalestine] 𝑷𝒓𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒐𝒖𝒔 𝑰𝒔𝒓𝒂𝒆𝒍𝒊 𝒈𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒏𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒔...

2023-03-27T09:02:00.005+03:00

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[ePalestine] al-Walaja

2023-03-25T20:00:00.016+03:00

Today, I visited the village of al-Walaja, on the other side of Bethlehem, on the Green Line, to meet the village mayor and a group of activists working to save the village. On our way to the meeting, we passed several homes that were recently demolished by Israel.

This village is under attack by Israel. After the original village was depopulated in 1948 the new village of al-Walaja, east of the Green Line, is now walled in and dozens of homes are under demolition orders. The majority of the village is classified as "Area C" and it is surrounded by the illegal Israeli settlements of Gilo and Har Gilo. The village is in a legal struggle to get the Israeli occupation authorities to allow the village to have a Master Plan so they can legally build, which to date they have refused to allow. The case is live...more on this shortly.

Landscape photo: From the rooftop of a home under construction in new al-Walaja, which is under a demolition order, looking toward the original village of al-Walaja that was depopulated in 1948. In the valley is the railroad that was part of the Hejaz railway that went from Damascus to Medina. To the right is the Separation Wall and associated security road.

Photo of activists: The village mayor and a group of village activists, along with an Israeli friend and his wife who are working in solidarity with the village.

Olive grove photo: In the middle of the olive grove sits the oldest olive tree in Palestine. Under the tree, not seen in the photo, is a security guard who keeps watch on the tree so settlers do not uproot it. (More here https://thisweekinpalestine.com/the-ancient-olive-tree/)

Satellite map: Shows the location of alWalaja. Learn more here: https://www.alhaq.org/media/15677.html https://www.btselem.org/jerusalem/dispossession_and_home_demolitions_in_al_walajah

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[ePalestine] Talk - Resisting the Radical Right: Palestinian Civil Society

2023-02-09T23:36:00.009+02:00

Thanks to American Friends of Combatants for Peace and their outstanding team for making tonight's conversation happen.

All the books, documentaries, and my writings that I mentioned may be found at my blog: ePalestine.ps

For all those who asked about what can be done in the US, I strongly suggest watching @TheBoycottFilm from Just Vision; starting March 1st it will be streamed online worldwide.

Watch recording here: https://youtu.be/Z0-gdy5CI3Q

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[ePalestine] Celebrating Tu B'Shvat🌳

2023-02-08T21:09:00.004+02:00

Celebrating Tu B'Shvat🌳

You will get this immediately if you are on AIPAC's mailing list. If not, trust me.

DONATE HERE: https://epalestine.ps/donate

FOR MORE INFO ON TREES IN PALESTINE: see the visual in the first comment below.

[ePalestine] Request for Quote - Flags

2023-01-18T18:10:00.005+02:00

Ben Gvir, Israeli leader of the ultranationalist Otzma Yehudit [Jewish Strength] party, said in a statement from his office that he had ordered Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai to implement a new policy. The statement read:

“Minister Ben Gvir sent the [Israeli] police commissioner’s office an order stating that all police officers of any rank are authorized in the course of police work to pull down flags of the Palestinian Authority.”

~The Times of Israel, 9 January 2023

P.S. If you don't know what LAND DAY is, look it up.

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[ePalestine] New Israeli Government

2022-12-29T10:13:00.005+02:00