The State of Israel is about the same age as my Dad, I realised last week, as Israel celebrated Yom Ha'atzmaut the 67th anniversary of its Independence. Israeli schools, including the dwarfs' school, were closed and Israel Airforce jets flew overhead during the afternoon, causing us to race outside and look. Fortunately they roared over a few times, as Rashimi kept missing them, but by the last surge, he managed to catch a glimpse of the grey arrows shooting across the gaps between the tall trees in our garden. The noise was deafening, and a harsh reminder of the extent of force employed to establish this state. And the extent to which this is still lauded amongst many of Netanyahu yes voters, in the name of security. An aerial display of power and national pride.
A timely visit from a friend of ours, also about the same age as the State of Israel, coincided with Independence Day. He's half British and half Palestinian, and gave a candid talk about British involvement in Palestine, culminating with another version of the Balfour Declaration of 1917. The bone of contention which Britain implanted in every Palestinian narrative that exists today. Since it will be the centenary in 2017, our friend has suggested an alternative to the original declaration to be written in two years time to mark the occasion.
The original Balfour Declaration:
'His Majesty's government view with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people, and will use their best endeavours to facilitate the achievement of this object, it being clearly understood that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine, or the rights and political status enjoyed by Jews in any other country.'
The suggested alternative:
'Her majesty's Government view with favour the establishment in Israel/Palestine of a national home for the Palestinian people, and will use their best endeavours to facilitate the achievement of this object, it being clearly understood that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Arab communities in Israel/Palestine or the rights and political status enjoyed by Palestinians in any other country.'
As if the country needed any more Israeli flags. It's been difficult to look in any direction without a flapping of blue and white interrupting the view. The dwarfs, J and I took a trip to the beach last weekend, and just when I was marvelling at a view out to sea, free from the ubiquitous blue star, I looked down and realised I was standing almost on top of, an enormous star of David scraped into the sandy beach.
There has been independence in the air in other parts of our life. The Glammy, back in Jordan, has married for a second time, on this occasion, to a man of her own choosing called Bader, who's a few years her junior and seems wonderful. Her cantankerous uncle who was responsible for pushing her last, disastrous marriage forward with his gun neatly placed on his lap as he delivered the instructions, has since died (of natural causes) so she has been able to live a life of her choosing for the first time in 30 years. She has posted a multitude of wedding and honeymoon photos from Amman and Limassol. She is a slip of a thing these days - and looks as happy as I've ever seen her. I told the boys her news. 'Will she still be the thame when she's mawwied?' wondered Rashimi.
St Grace is having difficulties with her husband back in Jordan, who's becoming increasingly unhappy about her being away from him, albeit that she earns twice as much as he does, and gives all her earnings to him at the end of each month. He's driving her away with this treatment and verbal abuse. She talks to me a lot about it, and how happy she is here. Whether she's gliding around the house with a mop, or dwarf wrangling with those dark shining eyes, she takes huge pride in her work and is grateful for this personal adventure in the holy land. A committed Christian, I don't think I've ever met anyone who follows those rules with such a full heart, which is why her adopted name suits her so. Since Sri Lanka has yet to go through a bra-burning social change, it's women like St Grace who need to weather the storm of men having the upper hand before they can take more control of their own lives. Ironically it was always St Grace who rolled her eyes about the Glammy's faltering romances, but now the tables have turned.
Sensibly planning for the future, on her Easter trip to Sri Lanka to visit her son, she bought herself a trishaw in Colombo which she is already hiring out: the beginning of her dream of owning a small business one day. And she's told her husband that if he continues to bully her, she will finish her work here in Jerusalem when we leave, and go straight back to Sri Lanka without him.
Could this be the first, faint whiff of smouldering of latex?
A timely visit from a friend of ours, also about the same age as the State of Israel, coincided with Independence Day. He's half British and half Palestinian, and gave a candid talk about British involvement in Palestine, culminating with another version of the Balfour Declaration of 1917. The bone of contention which Britain implanted in every Palestinian narrative that exists today. Since it will be the centenary in 2017, our friend has suggested an alternative to the original declaration to be written in two years time to mark the occasion.
The original Balfour Declaration:
'His Majesty's government view with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people, and will use their best endeavours to facilitate the achievement of this object, it being clearly understood that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine, or the rights and political status enjoyed by Jews in any other country.'
The suggested alternative:
'Her majesty's Government view with favour the establishment in Israel/Palestine of a national home for the Palestinian people, and will use their best endeavours to facilitate the achievement of this object, it being clearly understood that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Arab communities in Israel/Palestine or the rights and political status enjoyed by Palestinians in any other country.'
As if the country needed any more Israeli flags. It's been difficult to look in any direction without a flapping of blue and white interrupting the view. The dwarfs, J and I took a trip to the beach last weekend, and just when I was marvelling at a view out to sea, free from the ubiquitous blue star, I looked down and realised I was standing almost on top of, an enormous star of David scraped into the sandy beach.
There has been independence in the air in other parts of our life. The Glammy, back in Jordan, has married for a second time, on this occasion, to a man of her own choosing called Bader, who's a few years her junior and seems wonderful. Her cantankerous uncle who was responsible for pushing her last, disastrous marriage forward with his gun neatly placed on his lap as he delivered the instructions, has since died (of natural causes) so she has been able to live a life of her choosing for the first time in 30 years. She has posted a multitude of wedding and honeymoon photos from Amman and Limassol. She is a slip of a thing these days - and looks as happy as I've ever seen her. I told the boys her news. 'Will she still be the thame when she's mawwied?' wondered Rashimi.
St Grace is having difficulties with her husband back in Jordan, who's becoming increasingly unhappy about her being away from him, albeit that she earns twice as much as he does, and gives all her earnings to him at the end of each month. He's driving her away with this treatment and verbal abuse. She talks to me a lot about it, and how happy she is here. Whether she's gliding around the house with a mop, or dwarf wrangling with those dark shining eyes, she takes huge pride in her work and is grateful for this personal adventure in the holy land. A committed Christian, I don't think I've ever met anyone who follows those rules with such a full heart, which is why her adopted name suits her so. Since Sri Lanka has yet to go through a bra-burning social change, it's women like St Grace who need to weather the storm of men having the upper hand before they can take more control of their own lives. Ironically it was always St Grace who rolled her eyes about the Glammy's faltering romances, but now the tables have turned.
Sensibly planning for the future, on her Easter trip to Sri Lanka to visit her son, she bought herself a trishaw in Colombo which she is already hiring out: the beginning of her dream of owning a small business one day. And she's told her husband that if he continues to bully her, she will finish her work here in Jerusalem when we leave, and go straight back to Sri Lanka without him.
Could this be the first, faint whiff of smouldering of latex?
 |
| Dinner with my brother, the witch |
There's only one problem with the alternative Balfour Declaration:
ReplyDelete"Her majesty's Government view with favour the establishment in Israel/Palestine of a national home for the Palestinian people..." - There was NO "Palestinian people" in 1917. There was however a Jewish people.