Now let me tell you a little about me, and a true story that took place when I was living in the UAE, United Arab Emirates.
I was in my twenties, and had little experience of the World. I was born in America and lived there all of my life, until I married.
I then lived in England, Holland and Australia until we arrived in the UAE. I worked for the American Embassy there in a diplomatic capacity.
One day I went to the English Club.
Three men were sitting at a table next to mine, having a very intelligent and interesting conversation. I was alone and eavesdropping.
They must have noticed, because they invited me to join them. At one point I told them that I was an American, and I asked them what their Nationalities were. They answered that they were Palestinian.
When I learned that, everything about me changed. My posture changed. My participation changed. I was no longer laughing, smiling or enjoying contributing.
These men could not help but notice my drastic changes and asked me, “Why?” “What has happened?”
I thought for a moment and then I decided to just grab the bull by the horns, and I gave them the reason. I told them that I was afraid of them.
They were aghast. They were confused.
So, I explained that I believed that Palestinians wanted to kill Americans and Jews.
With that statement, a fuse was lit.
I had one of the most memorable conversations of my entire life. I learned so much that day.
I have since taken the time and been able to verify for myself that everything that they told me was true.
I knew that America and it’s Allies gave Jews a place to live in Jerusalem, and that is all that I knew.
I had no idea that America had actually evicted Palestinians from their homes, their businesses, and their lands.
On my own, I might not have ever learned this.
You see, there are vast areas of unoccupied land there. I had just assumed that the vacant land was what had been given to the Jews who wanted to be transplanted to Israel. That seemed to me, the practical and fair thing to do, so that was probably what had been done.
NOTHING could be further from the truth, as I was about to learn.
One of the men began to tell me about his family who he could trace back to living there for many centuries……CENTURIES
They all began to speak of the businesses they had owned, the lands they had, the houses they had.
EVERYTHING had been taken from them, seized by America, and the transplanted Jews.
They told me that most of these transplanted people could not even speak, read or write the language.
They all felt very sorry for these people who had suffered so much loss, but they could not understand why the Palestinians, of ALL the people there are in this world, were the ones who should have to pay for what had happened to them.
Palestine had not committed any crimes against them, and was not involved in any way with Germany.
Palestinian families were tossed out of their homes and into the street.
Why?
Their shops and businesses were seized and taken from them. They had no way to earn their livings.
Why?
Their lands were taken.
Why?
Everything that they had worked hard for, everything they had to provide for their own children had been stolen from them and had been given to strangers.
They had received NOTHING in compensation. They had lost EVERYTHING.
WHY?
One man started getting emotional about this. He stood up, reached into his pocket and pulled out a key. He showed it to me.
It was the key to the front door of his house that he had worked so hard to pay off, and to own without a mortgage attached to it.
He no longer had this house because it was stolen from him and given free and clear to people who had not worked one day to own it.
His eyes welled with tears as he showed me this key, and he told me that this key is always with him and is all that he has left of his house.
I could not control myself. I cried.
If you believe this is an acceptable thing to do to someone else, then please, post your address. I am in need of a home – mine burned down.
I will wait until I see you leave your house, then I will go inside of it, change the locks and call it mine.
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