Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, November 2001, page 16

How Did Palestinians react to the attacks on the United States?

An American Missionary

 

The Sorrow Unseen, the Story Unheard

 

By Sandra Olewine

In these days when much of the world reels from the heinous actions of hijackers using passenger jets as “flying bombs” into major buildings in the U.S., likely killing thousands, certainly injuring tens of thousands and leaving families the world over grief stricken and lost, words and images should be carefully chosen, particularly by those in leadership and in the media.

These acts raise the term “terrorism” to an unprecedented level. Most acts ever given this designation pale in the face of the massive human loss and destruction. Never again will any of us step foot on a plane and not remember, at least for a fleeting moment, what happened in New York City, Washington, DC and Pennsylvania. For many, and particularly for many Americans, the recognition of human vulnerability has never been as clear as it is in these days.

We humans often don’t live well in the midst of such vulnerability. We try to create a sense of stability and security in our environment by whatever means necessary in order to cope with disruption, death and grief. Retreating to “safe spaces” and finding someone to blame, someone toward whom to direct our anger and despair, is not difficult to understand. But, sometimes such “retreating” can lead to a strong urge to “protect ourselves against them”—
whomever “them” might be.

As I watch the scenes which are displayed on television and listen to the words of some of the American leadership, I am dismayed by the careless and blanket statements concerning Muslims in particular and Arabs in general which are being expressed. The need to create “security” by blaming evil deeds on an entire tradition of people does not do justice to the lives of those killed. The work of 20, 50, 100, or 1,000 should not lead us to make blanket assumptions or statements about over a billion people. In every country, in every tradition, in every race, there are people who act out of malice and hatred to destroy others. Surely we Americans have not forgotten that the last horrible terrorist act carried out in our country was by ourselves.

I’ve had numerous e-mails from people asking me to help interpret the scenes they have watched of Palestinians “celebrating” after the event. Yes, there were some gatherings of people, particularly in Nablus, who were shown in the very early hours of the horrible attacks in the U.S. on the street, dancing and cheering, and passing out chocolate. But, these expressions were few and certainly did not represent the feelings or mood of the general population. The deep shock and horror of the Palestinian people, the real sorrow for all the dead and wounded, was, and continues to be, unseen by the world, particularly in the U.S.A. It is the story unheard.

Because those few scenes were disturbing, the easy response is to cast judgment on the participants, naming those “celebrating” as inhuman, despots, or despicable. The more difficult response, though, particularly in the midst of grief, is to ask the questions about what might drive people, men, women and children, to such actions. One might remember that the people who were seen “celebrating” are a people who for almost a year have been under a brutal siege, who due to the siege have been unable to feed their families and hover on the brink of poverty and despair, who have watched their children and their parents killed by bullets, tank shells and guided missiles, most of which are supplied to the Israeli occupation army by the U.S.A. One might remember such things as one watches those images. Attempting to understand motivations doesn’t discount our feelings of anguish at such scenes, but does allow us to keep humanity a bit more in tack in a time of such utter brokenness.

But, more importantly to me is what has mostly gone unseen by the American public. I have to ask why these scenes of a few Palestinians have been shown again and again and again, as if they capture the “truth” of Palestine. How few cameras have caught the spontaneous sorrow, despair, tears and heartache of the vast majority of the Palestinian people. As the news unfolded here on Tuesday afternoon about the extent of the attacks, people gathered, as people did everywhere, in front of television screens to learn as much as possible. My phone rang and rang as Palestinians from around the West Bank called to express their horror and their condolences.

Yesterday following a prayer service held at St. George’s Anglican Cathedral, I talked briefly to the U.S. consul general in Jerusalem. We talked about the scenes from here which were most prevalent on the TV. He told me that his office had received a stack of faxes of condolences from Palestinians and Palestinian organizations “this high” (indicating a stack of about 12 inches). He asked his staff to fax a copy of every last one of them to CNN to give a different visual image from Palestine.

When we left the cathedral after the service, we drove by the American Consulate in East Jerusalem. Gathered there were about 30 Palestinian Muslim schoolgirls with their teachers. Looking grief-stricken, they held their bouquets of dark flowers and stood behind their row of candles. Silently, they kept vigil outside our consulate. But no cameras captured their quiet sorrow.

When I got home, my neighbor explained that her son who is in 8th grade came home in the afternoon and talked to her about the students reactions at school. He told her that everyone was talking about what had happened. He said that many were asking, “how could someone do that?” “Is someone human who can carry out such acts?” He went on to tell her that many of the girls were crying.

Friends, then, began stopping by my home. Palestinian Christians and Muslims came together, visiting me to express their sorrow and to ask what they could do. Again, the phone rang incessantly with Palestinians asking if everyone I knew was okay and asking if they could do anything to help.

As we talked, many went on to tell of stories of their loved ones who are in the States—relatives they were worried about having been injured or killed, or who had been subject to harassment in the last couple of days. Others talked of having received e-mails from people who had been supporters of their work who wrote saying, “I can never again support the Palestinian people,” as if somehow Palestinians everywhere were suddenly responsible for the attacks in the States.

The remarkable thing to me, though, was that despite such messages, these same people still wrote letters of condolence, made phone calls to friends, and asked what they could do to help. Despite the world, and particularly the American world, not seeing them or seeing them only as “terrorists,” Palestinians continued to express their common humanity with people everywhere as they shared in the heartache and dismay.

Rev. Sandra Olewine is the United Methodist Liaison in Jerusalem.

An Arab-American Activist

 

Is a Picture Really Worth a Thousand Words?

 

By Ray Hanania

American newspapers, television and radio stations are filled with reports that tried to cast the Palestinians as the evil force behind the attacks against the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

The most damaging was based upon the least credible, a video of about 45 seconds or more that ostensibly showed Palestinians celebrating in the streets as word reached them of the bombing of New York’s World Trade Center buildings.

Immediately after the attacks, Israeli officials went on the offensive, making two strategic public relations moves: First, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon called for a day of mourning. The second was the full-court press by the Israeli media, with the Jerusalem Post leading the way, to elevate the perception of Palestinian support of the bombing.

Remember, in America, perception is reality. Once stated, it is accepted as fact.

The video was taken by an unknown British cameraman, yet it was broadcast on nearly every major American television station.

It shows an elderly Arab woman wearing a hijab and glasses dancing. Also shown were a few men laughing and waving, and a group of young children, boys, who were waving the Palestinian flags and laughing out loud.

On its face, the images of the 20 or so Palestinians could have reflected almost anything. No one was quoted. Yet, all the announcers insisted that the video showed “Palestinians celebrating” the bombing and handing out sweets, “a common Arab celebration custom.”

These 20 or so “dancing Palestinians” and this one woman with glasses suddenly became the symbols of more than 3.5 million Palestinians who live either under Israeli occupation or in refugee camps.

The fact that Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat and more than two dozen Palestinian organizations in the West Bank and Gaza had denounced the bombings seemed inconsequential in the face of this short, unconfirmed video report.

The fact that nearly every major Arab country had denounced the bombing didn’t matter either.

All that mattered was that it had been shown, and that pro-Israeli advocates who swarmed on the media in the hours after the bombing made reference to “the Palestinians who danced in the streets and handed out sweets to celebrate” the bombing in New York.

Sharon cleverly linked the bombing to the attacks against Israelis. His subordinates then went on a media offensive to “drill” the point, meaning that they were to reinforce the concept in the minds of Americans.

Other pro-Israel writers also referred to the image of celebrating Palestinians, and the Jerusalem Post made it the focus of its editorial, which was quoted as the source for the unverified charge.

This perception, which is false, has now become the moral foundation for the United States to act against Palestinian interests even more harshly than it already has done. It is conceivable that the United States will now step back as Israeli steps up its attacks against Palestinian cities.

Although the United States has sided with Israeli in a partisan show of anti-Arab sentiment, it has spoken out against the use of tactics such as “extra-judicial” killings of targeted Palestinian leaders.

I am not even sure if the United States will protest against that practice from this point forward, as Israelis now argue that the United States should employ that very practice in its response to the yet unidentified masterminds of the World Trade Center bombing.

While the Palestinians do understand the concept of media relations and public relations spin as a necessary part of their war against Israeli oppression, they still do not grasp the process of PR spin.

It’s not enough to recognize what the issue is. You need to be able to quickly and effectively take that message to the primary media audience in the United States.

Several Palestinian leaders are capable of bringing that message to the American public, the real arbiters of the Middle East conflict.

But they haven’t done that yet.

Until they do, the Israelis will continue to exploit implausible evidence like the 45-second video clip of a handful of unknown Palestinians celebrating something, as if they were the official representatives of the Palestinian people.

Meanwhile, the official representatives of the Palestinians are being ignored because they just don’t know how to get the right kind of attention.

Ray Hanania is a Palestinian-American author and writer. His e-mail address is This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

SIDE BAR 1

 

A Message From Beit Sahour

In the name of Beit Sahour Municipality and in the name of each and every citizen of the Shepherd’s Field, Beit Sahour; we convey our deepest condolences to the entire American people for the horrific loss of innocent lives as a result of the horrible acts of terror. In particular, we share the grievances of all the families of the victims. We pray to God to please give these families patience and strength.

As Palestinians who suffer daily from acts of Israeli aggression against our innocent people, we cannot find the words to express how shocked we were to see the horrific scenes on TV. We condemn such acts and we do not accept such horrific acts in the third millennium, when peace, prosperity, and freedom should cover the whole world.

We reiterate our deepest condemnation of this horrible act on these innocent humans. No matter how we express our sorrow, we cannot find enough words to say how sorry we are.

Please let us work together to stop these acts of terrorism all over the world. Let us work hand in hand to establish a safer world to live in.

P.S. Each person in Beit Sahour shares this message with us.

—Beit Sahour Municipality press release, Sept. 12, 2001

SIDEBAR 2

 

Attack on Beit Sahour

Last night at 11 p.m. the city of Beit Sahour was subjected to a brutal and unprovoked attack by the Israeli army.

While the citizens of Beit Sahour watched the aftermath of the horrific events in the U.S., many concerned for family and friends who are in New York and Washington and all feeling the same sense of horror and disbelief, the Israeli army took full advantage of the situation. The fact that world attention has been diverted away from this region and the troubles here has led to an increase of aggressive actions against the Palestinian people.

Beit Sahour has become yet another victim of this strategy. Last night, Beit Sahour was subjected to heavy shelling and bombing. The bombardment emanated from the Har Homa (Jabal abu Gnaim) settlement, land that was expropriated from Beit Sahour for Jewish use. The attack, which was directed toward the east side of Beit Sahour, resulted in one death and 10 injuries.

The fatality was a 21-year-old man who was a Red Crescent worker; he was at the scene to tend the injured and take them to safety, but became a victim himself. Rescue workers are still searching the scene this morning for the rest of his remains. In addition, two Red Crescent vehicles were damaged in the onslaught.

Please, we ask of all of you not to forget that Palestinians are suffering continued attacks and persecution daily, and since the heinous attacks in America the Israeli army has become more and more aggressive. The use of heavy armaments against innocent civilians is increasing, and we fear for our safety as Israel now attacks us with impunity. We ask the world not to forget our plight and not to allow Israel to hide behind the tragedy of others. Surely enough innocent people have died already?

—Beit Sahour Municipality press release, 9/16/01

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