The media are full of bad news, but as much as possible I shall try to stick to good or positive news over the Sukkot holiday. There’s plenty of time to catch up afterwards.
Today’s relatively good news relates to a rather different Palestinian view of BDS, accusations of “apartheid Israel” and much more. For those who haven’t been paying attention, the views expressed by the speaker, Bassam Eid, a very well-known Palestinian human rights activist, in the following article and video will prove extremely surprising. But for those who know the speaker, whether by reputation or from personal contact, his perspective is not shocking at all. Bassam Eid has made something of a name for himself as a very clear-headed, straight-talking activist who is not afraid to take on the radical-chic chatterati, the extreme leftists, and the bigots and haters who hate Israel more than they support the Palestinians.
Barry Shaw tells us about Bassam Eid and his work – and how he has been boycotted by the EU amongst others for not being anti-Israel enough! (Emphases are added):
NETANYA, Israel — Bassam Eid is a Palestinian human rights activist. He created Palestinian Human Rights Monitoring Group that focuses on human rights abuses by and corruption in the Palestinian Authority. No other ‘human rights’ organizations focus on citizen abuses at the hands of Palestinian leadership both in Ramallah and Gaza. He was jailed by the Palestinian Authority for his work.
Eid’s organization focused only on human rights violations perpetrated by the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank and the Hamas regime in the Gaza Strip.
“There are many human rights organizations in Israel, whereas there are and were hardly any organizations in the Palestinian Authority that monitored its actions in this regard,” Eid says.
Eid’s organization received significant funding from European states and managed to employ researchers who operated in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Five years ago, however, things changed, and the funding from Europe came to an end.
Why should a person who bravely exposes the corruption and human rights abuses of the Palestinian leadership against their own people be suddenly deprived of his funding by European countries?
“I think it happened because European policy in recent years has been to come down hard on Israel and not the Palestinian Authority,” Eid says. “They view Israel as the main obstacle to the peace process and want to support the PA. One of the ways to show this support is to stop funding organizations that are critical of the PA.
…
For his outspoken truth Eid was intimidated and prevented from speaking by BDS protesters at the University of Johannesburg in March 2105.
About the Palestinian Authority Eid told Rebel Media;
“The Palestinian Authority is living in one valley and the Palestinian people are living in another valley. There is no communication between the two.”
“Almost not one Palestinian benefited from the money coming from abroad to the Palestinian Authority.”
…
“I am not sure that there is even one Arab state that is in favor of a Palestinian state. If you take the Palestinian case from 1948 until 1967 the West Bank and east Jerusalem was under the control of the Jordanians and Gaza Strip was under the Egyptian control. Did Jordan or Egypt between 1948 and 1967 try to create a Palestinian state? …
The evidence that Arab states really don’t care about improving the lot of the Palestinian Arabs can be seen in the factual statistic that not one Arab country is listed in the top twenty nations that donate to Palestinian humanitarian causes.
To Israel, he says, “You must remember that your country is still feeding 1,800,000 Palestinian in the Gaza Strip. The State of Israel is supplying food, medicine and fuel while 22 Arab do nothing and watch Israeli trucks bring supplies into Gaza.
You are still feeding us Palestinians and, thanks to you, we are surviving.”
Watch Bassam Eid in this video (via Yehieli):
Kol hakavod to Bassam Eid. On the one hand it is both saddening and infuriating that he is so ostracised by his own people and by those who claim to support the Palestinians. On the other hand it is heartening that such a courageous man has managed to make a dent in the international media and in international human rights organizations. Maybe he will the harbinger of more brave souls who will follow his lead.
Anne's Opinions 