A day of joy???

250 of our brothers will be released tomorrow from the Israeli jail! There is no doubt that tomorrow will be a happy day for the 250 families, who will get their fathers and brothers back to where they should be.. at their homes.

BUT IS IT REALLY A HAPPY DAY ??

Can we forget all the other prisoners? There are still thousands of prisoners in Israeli jails waiting to be released in the same way that these 250 prisoners have been released.
What about them? We should all remember that our efforts to achieve freedom for our prisoners and nation has just started. As you can see at this caricature our leaders don't always put the prisoners issue at the top of the priority list and it is wrong.


I have a relative which has been kidnapped by Israel, and since that moment I haven’t seen him. I feel it is a crime, that a mother can not see her child for more than 6 months! It is absurd…
I wonder how Palestine could have been like, if all our prisoners would have been released.. Maybe someday, Abu Mazen will succeed in bringing all our beloved ones home. I personally believe that Abu Mazen can lead us out of this harsh times and that his way is the right way, but we must help and support him. I just hope that the Israelis see the opportunity and that Hamas will not ruin it again.

There is another issue that we mustn't forget. Our brothers are still stuck outside Gaza, in the Egyptian side of Rafah, it looks as if no one cares about them. its unacceptable that they can't come back to their families through the Rafah crossing but it's also unacceptable that HAMAS is preventing them from coming back through other crossings, because of political reasons.

asad

Shopping in Ramallah

Last week, since Wednesday, something rare has happened in Ramallah- the streets of Ramallah were full of happy people buying gifts, food, clothes and many other goods. It was amazing hearing the word "tfadal" (your welcome) as the answer of parents to their children instead of saying "NO" or "not now".

It wasn't because of a holiday or was it ? WE GOT OUR SALARIES !!!

This scene is not an often one. (I do hope it will become one…) Many months Ramallah's shops haven’t sold so many goods and clothes. It was a real change for me to see so many happy people, because most of the time the shops in Ramallah are empty, and people are not cheerful or happy as they could have been otherwise in different terms.

Is there a way to maintain happiness such as I have witnessed last week? Is there a way to keep us happy in ramallah like we are now? Why people shouldn’t get their salaries on a regular base? Isn't that an elementary thing? State workers should not be afraid of not getting their salaries. It should not be like that. If a person is working, and he has a job he should always get his money. He should feel safe in his work place, and not neglected by the government.

I can surely see a difference, since Salam Fayad was appointed. Scenes such as this one are making me happy, a spark of hope comes to my heart, and it brings me back to hope that Palestine might allow her citizens to live in a dignified way.

I happened to hear a song which is really widespread in Palestine. I got it to my cell phone. This song calls our leaders to finish the crisis.

Here are some of the words:

Finish this crisis or leave us!!

Abbas or Haniya, we are sick of the fitna!

Fatah and Hamas has brought us back to the jahiliya (the dark ages)

In case someone wants to hear this song, it can be downloaded from here:

http://www.4shared.com/file/18721054/bdcf86d/Palestine.html

May we all have a nice day,

Asad.

SO WHAT IS NEXT?

Everyday that passes, I realize more and more how powerful Hamas has become.
Everyday I find myself wondering whether Hamas can stretch his long arms, and get into ramallah like it has got into Gaza.
And sadly I feel as if this day is not far away. I believe that Hamas has enough power to come and change ramallah, like it has already changed Gaza.

I have read that the Palestinian prisoners will eventually get their salaries from the government, as Ashraf Al Ajami has said a few days ago. He also said that the government will keep paying the salaries on time, and that the prisoners are getting a unique status.
And I wonder, how did we get into a situation like this, that we are not dealing with the problem from the bottom, from the root of the problem?
One year passed, and it is time for us to realize that now is our chance, and Now is the right time to bring our prisoners back to our families, now is the most appropriate period.

Aren't we captured by Hamas decisions which acts only for its own interests, and not always for the Palestinian nation's interests?
A year passed, and so far nothing has happened. How many years will we have to wait for our brothers and sisters to return to their homes?
Aren’t we all have a relative, friend, father, or a brother, captured in Israel?

We mustn't think that money or declarations can bring them back home, the solution is not money! The solution is bringing our brothers back home to our families!


Asad.