April 9: Day of Massacring Palestinians in Deir Yassin, Egyptians in Churches By Mazin Qumsiyeh Al-Jazeerah, CCUN, April 10, 2017

Coffin of one of the victims of the attack on a Coptic church in Tanta, Egypt, April 9, 2010

Today is the anniversary of the massacre at Deir Yassin. On 9 April 1948, my mother’s friend in school (both studying to be teachers school in

Jerusalem) chose to go back to her village of Deir Yassin. That was the last time my mother saw her young friend Hayah Balbisi and this victim of Zionism remains etched in memorty of my 84 year old mother. Deir Yassin was not the first, last, or the largest massacre committed by Zionist forces during that era of ethnic cleansing.

But it was prophetic and emblematic for us because its deliberate effect was magnified to scare the villagers (even some survivors were paraded in the streets of Jerusalem and loudspeakers told of more impending massacres). Dar Al-Tifl AlArabi orphanage was created to house the surviving orphaned children. Dozens of massacres were committed just in the six weeks leading up to Israel’s creation and dozens after.

Over 500 villages and towns were depopulated in the bizarre 20th century attempt to transform a multi-cultural/multi-religious Palestine to become the “Jewish state of Israel”. And the price tag is still being paid in areas like Iraq, Yemen, Syria, and Egypt. 

Today also saw terrorists bombing Christian Churches on Palm Sunday over

120 were killed or severely injured. Our condolences to the victims and our thoughts and prayers with the injured. I look back at seven years ago on a palm Sunday when we breached the wall of apartheid (at least for a short while before we go t arrested). Please see this video

https://youtu.be/wsX3P_ADk34

Jesus rode a humble donkey into Jerusalem then. Our donkey and mule (and accompanying humans) were all arrested on that Palm Sunday 9 April 2010.

What would Jesus do in our troubled world today? Alas, so many lies flood our airways, so much misinformation, so many deluded people (some Palestinians even supported the US bombings in Syria and Yemen). I will end with a poem I wrote in 2011 when we commemorated Deir Yassin as Israel bombed Gaza killing so many civilians. Then I need to go back for the long nights as we prepare to open our museum and botanical garden ( palestinenature.org). 

Deir Yassin to Gaza

(by Mazin Qumsiyeh, Written on the way back home, dedicated to Juliano*) 

My kind old mother laments

Decades of memory that transcends

Fake Gods and fake peace offers

who bless nichsayon** and slaughter

our eyes fail to see or just lament

blood of a child licked off a pavement

By stray thirsty cats

with more morals than army brats

Our ears fail to hear

voice of Dr. Izzeldinne echoes

“I shall not hate” anguished cries

After three beautiful daughters

With a tank shell and a niece in slaughters Our noses feail to smell The whiff of death mixed with gun powder Or the vomit of our tortured Our hearts fail to feel the punctured womb by the old home the severed girl’s head by the mosque dome Mutilated, dismembered, disconnected Our fingers fail to touch an anguished young mother Looking for a child Jews, Christian, Muslims wail.

 The lost humanity to no avail the generals must have their joy to test their newest toy in Gaza white phosphorous back in use yesterday impunity from war crimes thanks to the US of A billionairs must make more dollars zealots must sacrifice children at altars Gabriel can stay a knife but not drones And hate can murder a thousand Julianos While the apathetic multitude watch TV Obliviously focused on their shopping spree Bypassing love and responsibility Chasing gadgets, hate, and vanity Next news bulletin.... get the experience Next anniversary..awaken the conscience? 

*The Jenin Freedom Theater and Juliano in his own words (excellent video by Jen Marlowe) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQGqmLyunm0 

**Nichsayon: Hebrew for (Ethnic) cleansing 

Stay human 

Mazin Qumsiyeh 

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