“We want Peace: Thoughts from a Black, Palestinian, Ashkenazi Jew, Christian”
A man of color. Recent ancestors who were slaves from Africa brought to Jamaica to work fields and serve “massa’s”. Ancient and generational ancestors who walked and still walk the narrow, crowded, streets of the holy land — the old city of Jerusalem. Yep. Blood lines that transcend both sides of the conflict, Palestinians and Israelis. That’s me. Reyahd David Julian Kazmi. A black, Palestinian, Ashkenazi Jew, Christian. The grandson of a Pentecostal preacher, the son of an educator and a small business owner. Often times when I talk about this and my individual educational and lived experiences surrounding my culture, both sides of my family feel offended, and I’m sure they’ll be upset with this, but that’s ok. We must share our truth, our stories.
Just last month, I was blessed enough to take my daughter, wife, and her parents to the beautiful countries of Israel and Palestine. We visited and toured numerous holy and historical sites throughout the country reliving my cultural and our spiritual faiths. As we interacted with locals, my in-loves heard the terms, “Palestinian Christian”, “Palestinian Jew”, “Palestinian Muslim”, “Arab Israeli”, Israeli Jew”, and just “Palestinian” and “Israeli”. Regardless of what their faith or “nationality” was, there was a resounding common theme of PEACE. All people on the ground wanted was PEACE; the ability to move and work freely, to put food on their family’s table, and to put a roof over their family’s head. They respect each other’s faith and culture. Both sides. Regardless of their perceived, told or embraced identity, most of them live side by side, work hand in hand, and bypass the religious, political, and extreme ideologies that exist and somehow have over taken the wants and needs of the majority of people who live there.
Sadly, the struggles for power and ego of “leaders” on both sides of the conflict have overtaken the people. Further, these “leaders” make decisions without taking into consideration the effects of their actions. As a result, the various forms of western media give us a biased or skewed perspective of the reality that exits in this part of the region and even elsewhere. As a Christian, many of us don’t know that Bethlehem, the birthplace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is in the West Bank, which is Palestine and governed by the Palestinian Authority. The old city of Jeruslaem, although governed by Israel, houses all major faiths and quietly shows discrepancies about which religious faiths and which cultures are more aligned with each other.
Let’s be real, both sides of this conflict are wrong. It’s that simple. But when discussing this, we can not and I will not generalize an entire group of people based on the actions of a minority nor of a government. With both blood lines streaming through my veins, my heart is broken for both sides. Historically speaking, the discussion about who “owns” or has the “rights” to the land is pretty straight-forward, but I’m not writing this to share a history lesson nor a legal lesson on international law as that’s an entirely different discussion.
I’m writing this to share how the very “leaders” of both of these nations have failed their people, failed the world, and have failed to safely and responsibly oversee the holy lands of the birthplace of the world’s major faiths.
For generations, in various parts of the country Palestinians have been oppressed by the actions of the Israeli government whether it be the expansion of settlements, meaningless military occupation and action in territories, and/or the blockade of or lack of resources to their land.
For generations, in various parts of the country Israelis have felt threatened by the actions of Hamas and other one-off groups that carry out meaningless terrorist activities under the guise that they have nothing else to do to fight back against their oppressor.
Regardless of one’s perspective on the issue, what is fact is that none of these actions by either side yield any thing positive for the people who live in these countries.
In this particular conflict, the evil acts of Hamas, regardless of their intention or reasoning, does nothing, but hurt the people of Gaza who they have historically been unable to properly govern. Beyond death, the people of Gaza are now going to have a worse situation than they already did, many of whom did not want any of this to happen. Further, in my opinion, their actions will eventually harm the Palestinians in the West Bank and even those living in Israel including those in East Jerusalem. In addition to Israel taking over and soon occupying land in Gaza, their full retaliation will be incalculable to what Hamas did. To date, a little more than a week after Hamas’ attacks, the Gaza Health Ministry states over 2600 Palestinians, the vast majority innocent civilians, have died by Israeli airstrikes and a soon to be ground offensive while cutting off water, electricity, food, and resources to 2 million Palestinians. This coupled with hospitals at capacity with no additional life lines, is more than destructive.
Vice verse, the evil acts of the government of Israel only puts their people at harm. Whether it’s their unlawful occupation of Palestinian Territories which are against international law, their inhumane treatment of Palestinian civilians throughout the country which some equate to apartheid or their unequal retaliation in Gaza and probable expansion of land grabs in other parts of the country, this will further bleed animosity between the two governments and ultimately groups of its people. To date, Israeli officials report over 1300 Israelis, the vast majority innocent civilians, have been killed by the Hamas attacks.
This conflict is doing nothing, but killing children and families on both sides. These incredulous acts by both parties are strengthening animosity and hatred, and more importantly, killing off and ruining the minds of generations of people. All people want is PEACE.
Where are the REAL, moderate, peace-loving leaders in Israel, Hamas, and even the Palestinian Authority? To the current “leaders” of these groups, STOP. Stop ruining the sacred lands of faith and spirituality for so many of us because of your egos and want for “power” and “land”. Stop ruining the lives of both of your people. Stop making both of my cultures look like terrorists or occupiers or war mongers. PLEASE. STOP. And if you don’t stop, to my generation and those that follow, the time is now! We MUST do our part by electing new leaders, standing up and speaking out against all of these injustices on BOTH sides of this mess, and taking the mantle of leadership from those so undeserving and carry it with humility, justness, love, and faith. Let’s give the people what they want, PEACE.
