Palestine: My Perspective on the Topic

 ________Translated with ChatGPT_______

I begin this with a heavy heart. First, because I have witnessed humanity morally self-destruct. This isn’t the first time, and likely won’t be the last. However, despite the vast information available today—what we can see, hear, and read—we continue to operate as we did in the caves: the one with the most power wins.

As this is a complex topic, it will take many hours and pages, so I have decided to address it bit by bit. Some of the topics I consider important include:

• The history and rights of Palestine

• Europe and its concentration camp outside of Europe

• Between Judensaat and Mein Kampf

• Zionists vs. Jews; terrorists vs. resistance

• Resolutions and failures of international bodies like the League of Nations, UN, etc.

• 75+ years of Nakba: The history of a genocide

• My dream solution: Holy Land

• The Jerusalem Trials

I cannot deny that impartiality is difficult on this topic. I acknowledge my closeness to Palestinians and my resistance to the Zionist racist vision. In this sense, I must say that on both sides, there are groups whose actions deserve condemnation. I use the term “Zionists” to differentiate Jewish religion from the political ideology of Zionism, which, while claiming to be part of Judaism, is a political concept unrelated to religion. Recently, I read: “Right now, I don’t care if you’re Jewish or not, or any other religion. What matters is that there’s a genocide in Gaza.”

The intention of writing this is simple: to help those who follow my updates on social media understand my reasoning on this subject. Some have asked me about it, and I find it important to convey my thoughts and why I think the way I do. My sister Ren once said about me: “He can be stubborn, harsh, and relentless in his words, thoughts, and even actions, all in pursuit of a truth he believes in and defends as the path he has carved out.” I will try not to be so harsh in voice or actions, but in the face of injustice that amounts to genocide, it’s difficult not to be. However, unlike Piers Morgan on all his shows saying, “I have a moral quandary,” I have none. Killing is wrong, on any side.

I begin with something basic about my roots. Even though the language was lost, my great-grandparents were Levantines—that is, Arabs from what is now Lebanon. My grandmother, Sussen Majluf Canaán, and my father, Gerardo Cruz Majluf, perhaps distanced themselves from their Arab roots for personal and family reasons, but I have tried to maintain and reconnect with them. In terms of the caste chronicles created in Spanish colonial Mexico, I am what they called a “Saltapatrás” (a racial mix). I have Indigenous Mexican blood, Spanish blood, apparently some French, and, of course, Arab blood. Whenever there’s talk about Arabs (“moros” in derogatory Spanish), “sudacas” (South Americans, though Mexico is geographically not South America, the term is still derogatory in Spain), or “indios” (Mexican derogatory for Indigenous people), they’re talking about me.

My connection to Palestine deepened around 1983–1987. My mother was part of a group called something like “Collective Support for Struggling Peoples.” They organized events in solidarity with countries like Guatemala, El Salvador, Argentina, Chile, and, of course, Palestine.

During those years, two representatives of the PLO (Palestinian Liberation Organization) visited Morelia, Mexico. It was shortly after the Sabra and Shatila refugee camp massacres, carried out by fascist Christian Lebanese factions but with the Israeli army’s approval. Ariel Sharon was later found indirectly guilty of “ignoring” the consequences of closing the camps (Sabra and Shatila; link here). As today, the images were horrifying. A documentary was shown, though I couldn’t watch it as a child. We gave those Palestinians some drawings with the Palestinian flag, and they gifted us a keffiyeh, pins, and some documents, which I still keep at my parents’ house.

Life went on, and at some point, my mother asked me about adopting a Palestinian sibling. There were already hundreds of thousands of orphans. It wasn’t possible; the PLO didn’t want to remove children from their roots. Those children are likely my age now—if Israel hasn’t killed them yet.

Since then, about 40 years have passed. With highs and lows, I’ve followed Palestine’s struggles. Along the way, for example, some university friends and I dreamed of meeting in Jerusalem in 2000. It didn’t happen. A couple of years ago, I thought about visiting Lebanon but then faced the issue: if I visit Lebanon, I can’t visit Palestine due to Zionist restrictions. In the end, my uncle Salvador Cruz Majluf passed away before we could make this trip happen. To this day, I haven’t been to Lebanon or Palestine, but I know the time will come.

Finally, about three years ago, I started searching for people significant to my life. Palestinians were an important part of that because of my Arab roots. I resumed reading and following events in Palestine. It was still the same story as the last 75 years: “A single tale of dispossession” (Abulhawa, 2006).

I already knew all of this, but in these years, I became more informed. By the end of last year (2022), I started posting or reposting content, mainly on Instagram, about Palestine. I didn’t think we’d reach the genocide of Palestinians in Gaza, but here we are.

For around 80 days, I’ve been reposting about Zionist abuses in Israel against Palestinians. People often ask:

Do you condemn Hamas?

And I reply: I condemn all forms of mass killing. To those who ask this, I add:

Do you condemn Israel’s genocide of Palestinians over the last 75+ years?