Looking Forward

Over the weekend there were two major developments here in Palestine. One was that the new National Unity Government was announced, which will hopefully lead to an end to Palestinian infighting and also greater international recognition of the Palestinian government. The second development was personal, as I taught my first class at Amideast.

It's worth mentioning that when I reference the weekend I'm not talking about the traditional western Saturday and Sunday weekend that we are all accustomed to, but instead a weekend which takes place on Thursday and Friday. While the western weekend is based on the Christian Sabbath, which obviously takes place on Sunday, the Muslim holy day is Friday. While it's strange at first, after a while it doesn't phase you. After all, they're only Sunday and Friday are only names.

While I'd be stretching the truth if I said my class went smoothly, overall, it wasn't bad for our first meeting, considering my lack of preparation. It wasn't that I purposely didn't prepare, it's that I was told my students had only met once to this point, when in fact they'd met on two previous occasions. When I asked the students to open their textbooks to unit 7 and half of them looked at me in confusion, I knew that something was wrong. They quickly explained to me that they'd already had unit's 6 and 7, and that today they were supposed to be writing their first exam, an exam which I naturally didn't have in my possession. After speaking with the director of the program and realizing that I was responsible for drafting an exam, I returned to inform the students that the exam would have to be postponed until next class. Half of them were pleased and the other half considerably disturbed, however it was a result that I was not responsible for. Despite the initial confusion I felt the class went well. I continued in the students text books to cover unit 8. Even though I'd prepared to teach the use of infinitives and gerunds, I didn't find it difficult making the transition to adverbial clauses. The instructors manual certainly helped.

It had been raining in Palestine for two days, which seemed like ten, as it had barely rained at all since I'd been in the West Bank. When I left the public relations department at An-Najah, en-route to Amideast, I did so when the sun seemed to be emerging. I walked the entire way, about 45 minutes, in the sun. I felt it was a sign that I'd made the right choice to stay in Nablus. Unfortunately when I left Amideast the symbolism had been distinguished by another strong rain. I walked the entire way back to my flat in the pouring rain. I'm surprised that I didn't get sick. I think it's probably the result of all the fruit I'd been eating, it certainly wasn't the chocolate.

The National Unity Government was finally announced this weekend. I say finally because there has been anticipation, since I arrived in Nablus, for the announcement of this government. It took them nearly a month to form the government, which is a result of the Mecca Agreement agreed upon by Fatah and Hamas, in February, in Saudi Arabia. The newly formed National Unity Government will be presented to the Palestinian Legislative Council for ratification shortly. Once it's ratified, it will then be the official government of the Palestinian people.

It may seem that it took a long time to form the government, but it's obviously not a simple task. There seems to be a mix of optimism and anxiety as a result of the announcement of the completion of forming the government. I had a conversation with my roommate Rabeh the other day, in which he expressed both emotions to me. We talked mostly about the job that the incoming interior minister will be faced with. It goes without saying that the political situation here is volatile at best. One of the most important issues to deal with is the fact that all of the political parties have military wings. Just imagine if the the Democratic and Republican parties in the United States had separate armies that were always clashing. Just imagine how hard it would be to make progress if you added bullets to bureaucracy. "It's a major problem", Rabeh told me. He hoped that the interior minister would have success in bringing greater internal security and an end to the infighting. I also hope for his success.

Another major problem is the fact that many states are refusing to communicate with the new government. This, in my opinion, is a ridiculous stumbling block to peace. Our country has refused to recognize the new government, because its highest ranked representatives are members of Hamas. We are setting a dangerous and foolish precedent by supporting democratic elections throughout the world and then refusing to recognize the governments that emerge as a result. The elections which took place here in Palestine, in January of 2006, were elections urged and supported by the United States, and were afterwards ruled free and fair. They were not declared free and fair internally but by an independent organization, an independent American organization run by our former leader, President Jimmy Carter.

The Palestinian people spoke and as a result Hamas was thrust into the international political spotlight. Our country and other countries refuse to negotiate with Hamas, saying that we will not negotiate with terrorist organizations. I've been living here for long enough to understand that Hamas has changed quite dramatically, and their leaders are not terrorists, but they are our only legitimate partners for peace. They certainly are not going to disappear anytime soon. For years western leaders refused to deal with the late President Arafat under the same premise and now that he is gone, which is a point of controversy in itself, we refuse to deal with his successors. Many leaders around the world have acknowledged that Ismael Haniyeh has brought diplomatic credibility to the Palestinian people since taking office. It's not that we should open a dialogue with Hamas, it's that we must, because they are no longer this "terrorist organization" like the American media would have you believe, but they are the chosen political leadership of a people who have seen more than enough suffering.

It disgusts me that we refuse to deal with the elected Palestinian government and at the same time we sit at negotiating tables with representatives of the most oppressive regime in the world in the North Koreans. This double standard is an interesting one to examine. It makes one realize the true effect of becoming a nuclear state. It's no wonder so many states around the world pursue nuclear weapons, it seems our foreign policy suggests this as the appropriate path towards negotiation. I pray that the results are not catastrophic, Inshallah.