We aren't stupid whores, Majdalani

Bassem Zakarneh

Bassem  Zakarneh, a former student of mine and head of the Palestinian workers' union, is a family man as I am sure Ahmad Majdalani, the Minister of Labor is also a family man. Zakarneh would practice his English language vigorously, and during breaks the students would ask him questions about their rights as laborers under the collapsing Palestinian Authority. They asked about their rights as employees, not only in the private sector, but also within the ministries of Abu Mazen, a main source for employment. 

Once Zakarneh joked how his daughter is more fluent in English and helps him study, and she attended one of my classes sitting next to her father, brightly smiling and answering proudly while my adult students tried to get the thick of English off their tongues. 

When the AFP translates an insult to English, an insult slung at laborers calling them the "brothers of whores," both I and Zakarneh know what the original Arabic constitutes and the offense it takes on not only laborers, but the moral fabric of the West Bank. It is enough for one to completely disband from the PA if this is the baseline attitude of the illegal government. It seems that the PA no longer believes in the culture  of Palestine as they mold into what Israeli's would excuse as kosher pigs, manipulating the plight of Palestinians to ensure the security and interests of Israel.

While America harvested Fayyad, who has enough time to meet with the ADL to discuss things like Iran and "the assault on Israel's legitimacy," his posse was busy stuffing their pockets. Meanwhile Mahmood Abbas employes the services of Dyncorps, which works for the security and national interests of the US and in turn, Israel.

This place is small, and with Zakarneh sitting in my classroom, in the same room as a top engineer for Abu Mazen's security, the PA's Latin America ambassador, a nurse, a high school student, a banker, and a shoe vendor, you can begin to visualize that especially Ramallah can be too small for comfort. And an insult, especially one made public, is an insult against many.

When Ahmad Majdalani, the PA's labor minister, called laborers "brothers of whores," unaware that microphones were still running at a local radio station, Zakarneh also a guest to the radio station immediately decried not only the words, but also the general attitude of the PA. At a time when Israel was withholding salaries from laborers, the Economy Minister, Abu Libdeh, was being charged with corruption.

While Israel has released funds,  and retains its ultimate monopoly over the livelihood of Palestinians, the looming corruption and overall bleak environment of labor rights and honor continue to deteriorate. 

"Anger is what Palestinians are feeling after hearing disgusting words," said Zakarneh, demanding the resignation of Majdalani. 

While corruption seems typical in Ramallah, and yet subtly being dismissed as a part of life, the consequences which follow Majdalani's words will be emblematic of our generation's values and accountability as members to this gross society created by the PA. If youth and family remain quiet, then we are giving the go-ahead.

In typical fashion Majdalani excused himself, stating he was referring to Israel and it's military rule in the West Bank. And in his weak apology, while Zakarneh led a demonstration for repercussions, something exemplary of today's Palestinians became clear:

We are not stupid whores, Majdalani. We know now that you can't keep scapegoating Zionism to excuse your wretched, dishonorable ways. While Fayyad cries about the economic bubble he has created, and the Economy Minister can no longer function due to embezzlement and other charges, the PA hypocritically warns against Israeli manipulation of Palestinian funds. 

With every day it becomes more reprehensible to the common Palestinian that we are being not only occupied, but controlled by a puppet administration and a tool to Israeli security. Majdalani happened to also have acted on the behalf of the Ministry of Agriculture, whose own minister (whose mother was a very close friend of my grandmother's) also was accused of fraud and had to leave his post. 

One cannot emphasize how small Ramallah is. While suffocating from less space for economic development, the viral PA lifestyle is no longer the "thing" that the older generations were proud to be members of. While stories of wild pigs released by Zionists to ransack Palestinian farms become more frequent, it must be made clear: the Palestinian Authority are those ransacking, drooling, hogs.