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. 

Reza Aslan, propose a solution to NGOization of Palestine

Al Arabiya news came out with this interesting article listing why Hamas in the Gaza Strip is regulating NGOs closely unlike the West Bank where NGOs seem to be thriving without any exit plan. This comes following Hamas' obstruction of an Amideast student from Gaza to fulfill a scholarship opportunity in the US.

The media is really milking the obstruction of NGO intervention in the Gaza Strip, which is highly touchy for even me to attempt to define for the outside reader. But perhaps my personal experience in grant writing, NGOs, and foreign relations can shed some light as to why Gaza is not easily willing to allow NGOs into the small, narrow, bombarded strip. For the outsider trying to bring aid to Palestine, like Reza Aslan, Hamas seems to be exactly what the media portrays it as: arrogant, stubborn, and not doing enough for the sake of its people.