My Dear Stateless Palestinian,
They say that the soft wind of September would blow us a State. A Palestinian State. Amongst the fuss, the debates, the arguments, the pleas, my heart cannot but wonder, “Would we be finally brought together by a state?” You, who were born elsewhere and forced to live there; I, who was born and confined here within the borders, within the walls, within the barber wires.
Do you still remember that benevolent smile of yours that mocked my naivety when I wrote to you that I finally got my passport? My Palestinian Passport. You said you are not eligible for one. Held in my hands, my Palestinian Passport was turned into a curse with the words, ” This Passport/ Travel document is issued pursuant to the Palestinian Self Government agreement according to Oslo agreement signed in Washington on 13/9/1993″ inscribed. Oslo. Damn Oslo! How could they strip you out of what is yours and turn you into a final status negotiations. How could I, a seven-year old swinging in a white dress celebrating their return, not then realize that they would one day bring upon me, upon you, our eternal separation. I could then forgive all of your insults that you’ve never spared when the PA or Arafat were mentioned. I have even enjoyed your polite eloquent offense of a man I once considered a symbol. But, alas, no more.
Could September separate us even more?
Could borders confine us even more?
They say that by September I might no longer spend the night cursing the ever-roaring drones. It would be our air then. With no drones of our own. Not even a plane that might take me to you. They say that I won’t have to calm my sister down every time she wakes screaming in the midnight, for the bombing would stop. Her nightmares won’t. Her memories won’t.
They say we would be an independent people. My mother would no longer be a refugee. She would have to give up every dream of going back to Aqer. My grandmother would stop telling us of her tales of the lost village near Ghazza from which they fled in 1948. She would forget this history. It is no longer hers. She would have to stop telling the story every now and then. She’d eventually die; we would eventually forget, wouldn’t we?
And you would forget about your village. It was called Sandala, wasn’t it ? After all, it is out of the boundaries of your State where you cannot belong.
They also say we would have a president. An anthem. A flag, again. A map. And when I teach my students to draw the map of the State of Palestine, I would have to explain to them why it is fragmented into tens of pieces. Why does it not sound like the Gold Palestine their mothers wear on their chests, embroider with their hands. I would have to explain to them why the State of Palestine is surrounded everywhere by another state called Israel.
Amongst this mess, I wonder if they would remember that you exist somewhere. That you exist everywhere. But not home. Not in the “State”. Would they see you the way I do?
You are my realization of the Palestine that resides beyond the borders; of the millions of the Palestinians I’ve never seen, of the experiences I’ve never felt. The exile. The Diaspora. The hymns of return. The hope.
You are my realization that there could be no “Palestinian State” without you. For this, Stateless we shall both remain.
Yours
Another Stateless Palestinian.
annie said:
you are a jewel of Palestine my dear Sameeha
sameeha88 said:
Thank you Annie for such a sweet reply. I’m definitely awed 😀
48Refugee said:
I don’t know what September will change, but you eloquently mentioned all the things it won’t change. Hopefully soon all Palestinians, those within her ever-changing borders and those estranged, will claim their right to live freely in their home.
Beautiful writing!
sameeha88 said:
I don’t think it would change a thing. It would bring us back to reality after US would present a Veto. It would bring us into a reality with how helpless the UN assembly is when it comes to Israel
Mahmoud Omar said:
في زمان ما، وعبر طائرة ما، عادت فتاة فلسطينيّة تحمل جنسية أوروبيّة لتقابل المرأة التي شغلت تفكيرها على مدار عقود، عادت لتقابلها وتجري معها حوارًا تحاول به ان تشكّل فلسطين التي لا تزال صلصاليّةً جدًا في ذاكرتها الموروثة والمكتسبة، عادت تلك الصحفيّة لتجري لقاءً مع : ليلي خالد
تحدثتا كثيرًا، تناقشتا، عادت ليلى بها، وبمن تابع اللقاء، إلى زمن الشعارات الكبيرة والثورات التي تقوم لتحقق المستحيل لا الممكن، وعندما وصل بهما الأمر إلى فلسطين، فلسطين الدولة، النشيد الوطني والرّاية و”تعداد النسمات” قالت ليلى للفتاة القادمة بلغة عربيّة ركيكة، قالت لها فيما يبدو لي إجابةً على أسئلة ” صندوق سبتمبر السحري” : سآخذكِ إلى صبرا وشاتيلا, حيث يعيش الفلسطينيون الحقيقيون
ماذا سيجني، الفلسطينيّون الحقيقيون، في صبرا وشاتيلا، وبرج البراجنة، واليرموك، والبقعة، وتشيلي، من دولتنا ؟
شخصيًا، لا أشعر أن جواز أوسلو لعنةً فحسب، أنا اخجل منه، ومن هذه الشوفينيّة المموهة التي تتفشّى عندنا في غزة والضفة لدرجة أن كلمة “الشعب” تسير على لساننا كقطّة لئيمة.
المقال جميل، وأعتذر على الاطالة.
sameeha88 said:
It’s a pleasure to have you here. and this article was mainly dedicated to the “Real Palestinians” denied their rights while displaced and being detached from the Political arena
Salim Salamah said:
words are broken and so are my thoughts !!!
i have nothing to offer to you my stateless mate rather than a big hug from Yarmouk Camp ,Syria and a sharing of this text.
Yours
Stateless Salim Salamah
Haifa ,mount Karmil
sameeha88 said:
I’m very honored that my letter, thoughts, my feelings have reached you. Your comment has definitely made my day. Will always keep you in my prayers. Keep strong and be sure we’ll never forget about you
Stateless till we return
Sameeha
Salim said:
My dear Sameeha:
Your thoughts didnt only get to me but they rather became a responsability to tell.
I have surely shared this woderful space with others, And You definitly inspired me and many other people around.
I write because this is how I exists (Espically Poetry) , I am starting a project soon because of you and of (Sharon and my mother-in-law)…..
All our prayers for you now, because we know and we feel even from behind the borders, we can imagine your fears, pains and sarrows.
Proud to be Palestinan
Stateless till we return
Salim
sameeha88 said:
You’re making my day again. It’s such a great feeling to know that I’ve been the source of inspiration to someone.
Just for the record, “Sharon and My Mother-in-law” was my first inspiration to write too. If you roll down the blog, you’d definitely find a blog over that book. It was such an inspirational read, definitely, I owe a lot to Suad Amiry and to my teacher who introduced her to me.
It’s great to know that you’re writing as well. “You Write: You Be”, wrote Mahmoud Darwish. And we Write to Be.
If there’s anything I could help with in your project, it would definitely give me a great pleasure to do so.
Here’s my email address: Sameeha-88@hotmail .com. Please don’t hesitate to email me if there’s anything I could do.
Best
Sameeha
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Linah said:
very eloquent. sums up the disenfranchisement of the people on the ground which the western media should be focusing their lens on, not the idiotic gaffes of abbashole and his sulta. you certainly have a gift, a flair for writing!
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Marion said:
Dear Sameeha, your words arrived in Italy…
I am with you, with my palestinian friends, with freedom and rights.
Close to you, close to Palestina, everywhere
M.
Abu Salem said:
This “recognizing”is just a trick against Palestinians.Planfied and ordered by zionist to abbashole.
Filed this very instrutive link…
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=415804
ibnadel said:
Dear Sameeha,
Well, this is my first time to check your blog and read anything you have written. I am really impressed by your notions. I like the simplicity and romanticism with which you write.
Now, allow me to tell you that I think September is a real crisis for the “Land” of Palestine, because going back to the borders of 1967 means accepting the State of Israel and leaving huge parts of your original land. I just got a bit better when I knew that the new generation of Palestinian youth (like our Egyptian youth here) are well aware of what is going on. You are the HOPE and the FUTURE. You are the real RESISITANCE.
God bless you…
Yours,
Ahmed Adel,
Cairo – Egypt
sara el poke said:
i keep reading your words, time after time, and i just can not find the words to describe what i fee, AWESOME 🙂 keep going please.