Sniffles for Palestine

Originally posted 1/18/2009, transferred from other blog

Last night, I went with several others to the Israeli Consulate in Boston to protest Israel's actions in Gaza over the past few months. It was cold as hell, but I was willing to endure it for the cause. I had made a poster earlier in the day, in Arabic and reinforced with wooden dowels:

The sign reads, "Peace and the mercy and blessings of Allah be upon Gaza. Oh, Allah, the Giver of Peace, the Protector!" I made it mostly for the benefit of the Palestinians in attendance because I figured they might find the message comforting.

For quite a while, we picketed outside of the consulate, holding our signs and shouting slogans. From there, we marched to the state house and, then, to Government Center. In both places, we stopped and heard speeches. It was so uplifting to see people standing up for what's right and speaking truth to power.

Many of us, including me, nearly froze into popsicles in the single-digit degree weather, but it was worth it. Even the sniffles and sore throat I have today are worth it. I felt like we were making an important stand.

My only regret is that supporting Palestine and Palestinians is such a radical and marginal position in the U.S. In other countries -- even Israel, from what I hear -- it's an issue that you can debate openly and take a stand on. In the U.S., not so much. Everyone takes it for granted that Israel is this wonderful, glorious beacon of democracy in the Middle East that we have to support no matter what, and if you support the Palestinians beyond a basic show of sympathy, then there must be something wrong with you. As I've said elsewhere, it's time for the world to wake up and tell Israel "NO!"