Skip to content
  • Image
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Youtube
  • Podcasts
  • Email
  • Contact
  • Home
  • Opinion
  • News
  • Features
  • Comment
  • Store
The Arab Daily News

The Arab Daily News

Original news, features, opinions from Chicago to Jerusalem

  • About
    • About
    • Our Writers
    • Subscribe to Ray’s Columns
    • Book Store
    • Contact
    • Submit Book Reviews, Press Releases
    • Advertise
    • Privacy Corrections Policy
    • Profile on Ray Hanania
  • Features
    • Food
    • Book Review
    • Humor
    • Movies
    • Travel
  • Arab Community Network Page
    • Arab Community Network Page
    • Arab Heritage America resources
    • Directory
      • Groups & Organizations
      • Mosques, Churches
      • Restaurants
      • 2008 & 2014 Arab Media Directories
    • National Arab Heritage Month
    • Video: Chicago Arab History
    • Video: Photo Array of Chicago Arabs
    • Overview of Arabs in America
    • Hanania standup comedy
    • Arabs on the Titanic
    • Obituaries
  • Podcasts
    • Arab News Ray Hanania Radio
    • Ray Hanania on Politics Podcast
    • Podcast Info
    • Hanania Podcast intro
    • Live Arab Radio
  • Your Views
  • Submit Press Release
  • Toggle search form
  • Imad Hamad Director American Human Rights Council
    AHRC Calls for Moral Consistency on Human Rights, Urges President Biden to Pause His Trip to Israel: American Arabs
  • The U.S.S. Liberty photo courtesy of the USS Liberty Veterans.
    Survivors of Israel’s strike on USS Liberty commemorate 55th year June 6 – 8 American Arabs
  • AHRC Logo new Feb 2021
    AHRC hosts an open meeting with TSA & community Activism
  • Former City Hall reporter Ray Hanania, ShawnTe Raines-Welch and Nick Kantas, candidates for Judge in the 4th SubCircuit, and Cook County Commissioner Frank Aguilar.
    Nearly 100 candidates, officials address Arab Democratic Club forum Sunday American Arabs
  • Citgo Gas Station and Quik Mart at 3759 W. Chicago Ave in Chicago ordered closed by Mayor Lori Lightfoot because a street gang member with an AK-47 killed someone in front of the store. Only Arab and Muslim stores are being closed by the Mayor
    Arabs and Muslim blast Mayor lightfoot for racist store closings American Arabs
  • Closure notice posted on the doors and windows of Arab American businesses during Mayor Lori Lightfoot's closure of Arab owned stores in June - Sept. 2021. Photo courtesy of Ray Hanania
    Chicago aldermen to host “forum” to explore Mayor Lightfoot’s racist crackdown on Arab stores Activism
  • Imam Jamal Saad leads the more than 1,000 muslim attendees in payer at SeatGeek Stadium's open grounds at the Eid al-Fitr celebration May 2, 2022 in Bridgeview
    Local Illinois officials join Chicagoland Muslims for Eid Celebration at SeatGeek stadium American Arabs
  • DCEO Panel discussion on business support opportunities for all businesses including Arab American businesses, April 26, 2022
    DCEO Access to Capital: Arab American Heritage Month business workshop American Arabs
  • DCEO Celebrates Arab American Heritage Month (AAHM) American Arabs
  • Alderman Raymond Lopez addresses the gathering at an Iftar hosted by Radi Abuhashish Thursday April 21, 2022 joined by Dr. Willie Wilson and other candidates for Chicago Mayor.
    Political candidates join local Arab leaders for Iftar Activism
  • U.S. Congressional Candidate Rob Cruz in the 6th District GOP Primary election June 28, 2022
    Republican Candidate for U.S. Congress, Rob Cruz, Opens a Dialogue with the Palestinian Community American Arabs
  • Peak Rock Capital affiliate completes acquisition of Ziyad Brothers, a leading provider of brander Middle Eastern and Mediterranean foods American Arabs
  • Closure notice posted on the doors and windows of Arab American businesses during Mayor Lori Lightfoot's closure of Arab owned stores in June - Sept. 2021. Photo courtesy of Ray Hanania
    Chicago aldermen to host forum on Arab businesses closed by Mayor Lightfoot American Arabs
  • April 24, 2022 Illinois DCEO American ArabChamber event
    American Arab Chamber and DCEO host online panel to help Arab Businesses secure funding Activism
  • Oussama Jammal presents Congresswoman Marie Newman with the Courage Award during the USCMO Annual Ramadan Iftar Dinner. Photo courtesy of Marie Newman Facebook Page
    Newman endorsed by major Arab and Muslim leaders Activism
Palestinian refugees fleeing Israeli and Zionist violence during Israelis war against Palestinians in 1947-1948

Putting Amal before Nakba in next 70 years

Posted on May 3, 2018May 3, 2018 By rayhanania 1 Comment on Putting Amal before Nakba in next 70 years
SHARE ...
1         
 
  
1
Share

  • Tweet

Putting Amal before Nakba in next 70 years

Changing the movement after 70 years to liberate Palestine, moving forward beyond the Nakba to Amal, from tragedy to hope. The Palestinians need to reassess their strategies moving forward, silence the fanatics and extremists, and build a new communications network to help the public and world see the truth about the history of Palestine and Israel’s violent and discriminatory policies

By Ray Hanania

I never liked the word “Nakba,” which in English means “catastrophe.” It’s a painful word, one that instead of inspiring hope and strength, feeds anger, emotion and failure.

Successful leaders and communicators will tell you that you don’t build a movement on tragedy. You use tragedy to fuel passion, but you build movements on hope, “Amal.”

The Nakba symbolizes the day on May 14, 1948 when Jewish immigrants fleeing Western anti-Semitism and hate, mostly from Europe, were given the land of Palestine by the West. Palestine was a land occupied mostly by non-Jews who were welcoming to Jews. But those non-Jewish Palestinian Arabs were betrayed and forced to flee.

In Israel today, Christians and Muslims are denied their basic human rights, living in a system relying on 65 laws to justify discrimination based on religious racism.

Palestinian Refugees from 1948 and 1967 have never received justice in Israel or in the American court system. Photo courtesy of the United Nations
Palestinian Refugees from 1948 and 1967 have never received justice in Israel or in the American court system. Photo courtesy of the United Nations

More than 700,000 Palestinians fled Israel into exile in 1948 in the face of Jewish and Zionist terrorism. Although 150,000 remained behind to be oppressed by Israel, they have grown to nearly 2 million. In 1967, Israel expanded this oppression by occupying Jerusalem, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip and oppressing millions more.

During the past 70 years, Palestinians and Arabs have wallowed in suffering, while Israelis turned to strategic communications, propaganda and fiction to construct a false historical narrative they easily sold to the West. In Many cases, they also sold it to the Arab World.

Israelis and Jews celebrate and rejoice in the reality of Israel, closing their hearts and minds to the suffering their actions have caused, while Palestinians commemorate in the tragedy.

The reality is that 70 years later, Palestinians are disorganized and divided over what path to take. Disorganization has led to anger. And anger has led to failure. Emotion seeks to turn back time to 1948. But we can’t turn back time.

Israel is slowly erasing Palestine, and ironically, Palestinian anger and extremism is acting like a fertilizer to strengthen that Israeli goal.

Israel could not survive if Palestinians and Arabs united. Israel uses our anger and extremism, to distort truth, twist history, and poison the minds of the public in the West. We need that public if we want to restore Palestine.

Palestinians flee Israeli violence and terrorism during the war of 1947-48. Photo courtesy of the United Nations
Palestinians fled Israeli violence and terrorism during the war of 1947-48. Photo courtesy of the United Nations

To do it, we must replace the loathing of Israel with the love for ourselves. In that positive energy, we can rebuild a movement to re-establish Palestine. We must change to win. Instead of commemorating the past, the Nakba, we need to celebrate the future, the Amal.

An important principle of success is that positive energy fuels achievement. We must redefine our movement from the Nakba to the Amal. Palestinians must abandon anger and hatred against Israel, and focus instead on the power of Palestinian and Arab culture.

How do we win?

We must do a better job of telling our story, not through anger but through positive narrative. We must change our focus from telling the story to ourselves, to telling the story to the public. Too much of the public believes Israel’s falsehoods that Palestine never existed, or that Israel is the victim.

Israel is not the victim. Israel’s government is the oppressor.

The Palestinian narrative must change from one of mourning, which celebrates death, to one of empowerment and hope. Palestine is not dead. It is alive. It has never left us. Our narrative must be made easier to understand.

We must present our story in a compelling, non-threatening manner. American lack of understanding is a good example of the challenge. When presented with differing and conflicting narratives, or truths, most Americans will believe the “truth” that sounds the most reasoned and is commonsense.

Until today, Israel has done a better job of presenting their story in a compelling and reasoned manner, while the Palestinian story has been conflicted, angry and sometimes, because of extremism, unreasonable.

We must replace hatred, anger and emotion with hope. When we respond to the haters, we empower their narrative and their standing in the eyes of the public.

Palestinians must set aside differences and come together as a community. We have to end the divisions which create confusion and a “noise” that distorts what the public hears. Palestinians don’t really work well together. We cluster around politics, a reflection of our tribal culture. We use our history in different ways.

Palestinians must become more tolerant of differing voices in our community. There is no single road. There is no one voice to victory. We need all our opinions. We need real Democracy which is built with tolerance, not intolerance.

Individual Palestinian groups with selfish interests and politics have hijacked the Palestinian cause. They exclude Palestinians they disagree with and spend more energy fighting among themselves than fighting the Israelis. All of the Palestinian conferences marking the Nakba embrace a limited range of Palestinian voices, opinions and ideas.

If Palestinians can’t bring our community together, we can’t win the public’s support. No Palestinian should be excluded from the movement to restore Palestine. If we can’t respect ourselves, how can we expect others to respect us?

Palestinians must do a better job of communicating with ourselves as a Palestinian community if we hope to be more effective in communicating and winning over the public. We need to better network. We need to spend more energy helping other Palestinians than engaging in vitriol with Israelis.

Let’s transform the Nakba into the Amal, a movement to bring our community together, to empower our narrative, and to celebrates the beauty of a future where Palestine exists in Statehood.

(Ray Hanania is an award-winning Palestinian American columnist and the author of several books including “Yalla! Fight Back.” His personal website is www.Hanania.com. Twitter: @RayHanania)

  • Author
  • Recent Posts
rayhanania
rayhanania
Op-Ed writer, author, radio host, podcaster at The Arab Daily News
RAY HANANIA — Op-Ed writer, author, radio host, podcaster

Ray Hanania is an award winning political and humor columnist who analyzes American and Middle East politics, and life in general. He is an author of several books.

Hanania covered Chicago Politics and Chicago City Hall from 1976 through 1992 at the Daily Southtown and the Chicago Sun-Times. He began writing in 1975 publishing The Middle Eastern Voice newspaper in Chicago (1975-1977). He later published “The National Arab American Times” newspaper (2004-2007).

Hanania writes weekly columns on Middle East and American Arab issues as Special US Correspondent for the Arab News ArabNews.com, at TheArabDailyNews.com, and at SuburbanChicagoland.com. He has published weekly columns in the Jerusalem Post newspaper, YNetNews.com, Newsday, the Orlando Sentinel, Houston Chronical, and Arlington Heights Daily Herald.

Hanania is the recipient of four (4) Chicago Headline Club “Peter Lisagor Awards” for Column writing. In November 2006, he was named “Best Ethnic American Columnist” by the New American Media. In 2009, Hanania received the prestigious Sigma Delta Chi Award for Writing from the Society of Professional Journalists. He is the recipient of the MT Mehdi Courage in Journalism Award. He was honored for his writing skills with two (2) Chicago Stick-o-Type awards from the Chicago Newspaper Guild. In 1990, Hanania was nominated by the Chicago Sun-Times editors for a Pulitzer Prize for his four-part series on the Palestinian Intifada.

His writings have also been honored by two national Awards from ADC for his writing, and from the National Arab American Journalists Association.

Hanania is the US Special Correspondent for the Arab News Newspaper, covering Middle East and Arab American issues. He writes for the Southwest News newspaper group writing on mainstream American issues.

Click here to send Ray Hanania email.

Follow RayHanania on Gettr.com, the uncensored Twitter Ray Hanania on Gettr, the new Twitter
rayhanania
Latest posts by rayhanania (see all)
  • Nearly 100 candidates, officials address Arab Democratic Club forum Sunday - May 15, 2022
  • Arabs and Muslim blast Mayor lightfoot for racist store closings - May 7, 2022
  • Unresolved status of Palestinian rights makes UNRWA essential - May 7, 2022

  • Tweet

SHARE ...
1         
 
  
1
Share
 
1
Share
1         
 
 Tweet 
Arab World, Bloggers, Commentary, Editors Picks, Israel, Middle East, Opinion, Palestine & Jordan, Ray Hanania, Terrorism, YallaFightBack Tags:70 years, Amal, change, communications strategy, Israeli lies, Israeli propaganda, Israeli violence, Nakba, Palestine, Palestine Statehood, Palestinians, silencing the extremists

Post navigation

Previous Post: Israel closes Palestinian youth media office in East Jerusalem, alleging terrorism
Next Post: CNN’s Chris Cuomo pressed Netanyahu on Israel’s WMD and Slipped in The Truth

Related Posts

  • Students Protest in Constantine Source Nozha in Algeria. Photo courtesy of Abdennour Toumi
    Is Algeria facing a brain drain? Abdennour Toumi
  • UN Headquarters New York
    UN Resolution to Outlaw Nuclear Weapons #GoodByeNukes #FreeVanunu Arab World
  • Hunger strike escalates for prisoner Bilal Kayed Arab World
  • Jamie Farr brings down the House at annual AAI banquet American Arabs
  • USS Liberty Survivor of Six-Day War’s RX for PTS and RE: Anti-Semitism and White Nationalism #ReportHate Arab World
  • Journalists for Human Rights supports Syrian media Arab World

More Related Articles

Lithium ion battery by Varta (Museum Autovision Altlußheim, Germany) (Photo credit: Wikipedia) Muslims hold Science and Tech convention Sept. 10 Kazakhstan Arab World
Protest in Sanaa, Yemen (February 3, 2011) (Photo credit: Wikipedia) Red Cross urges support for Yemeni detainees Arab World
Shadid falls short of election in Oklahoma City mayoral race American Arabs
Reply to Mordechai Vanunu Question for Netanyahu and Trump American Arabs
Magnifying Heather Heyer and POTUS Trump’s Twitter BLOCK of COMMON DEFENSE Arab World
A military checkpoint along the route of the forthcoming West Bank Barrier (Photo credit: Wikipedia) Israel arrests 16 year old girl who slapped soldiers entering her home Arab World

Comment (1) on “Putting Amal before Nakba in next 70 years”

  1. Ray Hanania says:
    May 13, 2018 at 6:23 am

    These are the nations recognizing the US Embassy move to Occupied Jerusalem: oppressive, dictators and corruption nearly everyone. The Arab and Muslim Worlds should target these countries and close relations with them, if they had any honor

    Albania, Angola, Austria, Cameroon, Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Czech Republic, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Georgia, Guatemala, Honduras, Hungary, Kenya, Macedonia, Burma, Nigeria, Panama, Peru, the Philippines, Romania, Rwanda, Serbia, South Sudan, Thailand, Ukraine, Vietnam, Paraguay, Tanzania and Zambia

    Log in to Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

  • OPINION COLUMNS
  • Palestinian refugees forced to flee their homes at gunpoint by Jewish terrorist groups operating in Palestine in the 1930s, 1940s and after Israel was created on May 14, 1948. Photo courtesy of the United Nations
    Unresolved status of Palestinian rights makes UNRWA essential
    May 7, 2022
  • The Ray Hanania Radio Show Live Wed 5 PM EST in Detroit, Washington DC, Ontario and on Thursday in Chicago. Watch the program live at Facebook.com/ArabNews
    Second Season of “The Ray Hanania Show” Arab American radio launches April 6
    April 4, 2022
  • Hollywood Sign
    Will Smith violence takes Oscar protests to dangerous level
    March 31, 2022
  • Chicago's racist Mayor Lori Lightfoot ordered more than 150 Arab owned stores closed in 2021 in a racist effort o fight street gang crimes
    Arab Daily News launches Arab American Network to fight racism
    March 12, 2022
  • NEWS
  • Imad Hamad Director American Human Rights Council
    AHRC Calls for Moral Consistency on Human Rights, Urges President Biden to Pause His Trip to Israel:
    May 24, 2022
  • The U.S.S. Liberty photo courtesy of the USS Liberty Veterans.
    Survivors of Israel’s strike on USS Liberty commemorate 55th year June 6 – 8
    May 23, 2022
  • AHRC Logo new Feb 2021
    AHRC hosts an open meeting with TSA & community
    May 19, 2022
  • Former City Hall reporter Ray Hanania, ShawnTe Raines-Welch and Nick Kantas, candidates for Judge in the 4th SubCircuit, and Cook County Commissioner Frank Aguilar.
    Nearly 100 candidates, officials address Arab Democratic Club forum Sunday
    May 15, 2022
  • NEWSWIRE
  • Imad Hamad Director American Human Rights Council
    AHRC Calls for Moral Consistency on Human Rights, Urges President Biden to Pause His Trip to Israel:
    May 24, 2022
  • The U.S.S. Liberty photo courtesy of the USS Liberty Veterans.
    Survivors of Israel’s strike on USS Liberty commemorate 55th year June 6 – 8
    May 23, 2022
  • AHRC Logo new Feb 2021
    AHRC hosts an open meeting with TSA & community
    May 19, 2022
  • Closure notice posted on the doors and windows of Arab American businesses during Mayor Lori Lightfoot's closure of Arab owned stores in June - Sept. 2021. Photo courtesy of Ray Hanania
    Chicago aldermen to host forum on Arab businesses closed by Mayor Lightfoot
    April 15, 2022

The Tabboun Column

The Political Grapevine Political Tabboun. Original photo by tim-mossholder-KX1BBNY69Ao-unsplash
  • Tabboun
  • The Political Grapevine Political Tabboun. Original photo by tim-mossholder-KX1BBNY69Ao-unsplash
    The Political Grapevine/The Tabboun, Friday Dec. 16, 2021
    December 16, 2021
  • The Political Grapevine Political Tabboun. Original photo by tim-mossholder-KX1BBNY69Ao-unsplash
    Tabboun: Chicago remains strongest Palestine voice
    September 7, 2016
  • The Tabboun: Israeli human rights violations hit
    June 30, 2016
  • The Political Grapevine Political Tabboun. Original photo by tim-mossholder-KX1BBNY69Ao-unsplash
    Tabboun: Himes questions troop deployment to Syria
    November 3, 2015
  • The Political Grapevine Political Tabboun. Original photo by tim-mossholder-KX1BBNY69Ao-unsplash
    The Tabboun: Dearborn removes statue of racist former mayor
    September 29, 2015

Creative Commons License
All work on this website is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Do not edit original work. Give credit to the original source.

  • 08-09-21-Ziyad-Sices-Ad.jpg
  • 08-09-21-Ziyad-Ad-Pantry-essentials.jpg
  • ZiyadBrandLogo-2016BlackRedBackgrnd.jpg
  • HANANIA Arab News Op-Eds
  • Ukraine conflict gives Palestinians chance to redefine their conflict
    March 9, 2022
  • Mishmeshan PHC medical center destroyed in Syrian Government assaults. Photo courtesy of UOSSM Union of Medical Care and Relief Organizations
    President Biden’s dyslexic policy in Syria is a mess
    October 20, 2021
  • Annissa Essaibi George and family
    Annissa Essaibi George faces “race hypocrisy” in campaign to be Boston Mayor
    October 20, 2021
  • Jerusalem image of Jews and Arabs walking together. Shutterstock. Courtesy of Arab News Newspaper
    Jewish Michigan lawmaker leads push for Two State Solution
    October 7, 2021
  • BOOK REVIEWS
  • Stories My Father Told Me by author and artist Helen Zughaib, book cover. Photo courtesy of Cune Press
    Stories My Father Told Me by author and artist Helen Zughaib
    November 1, 2021
  • Girl Fighters, new book on Yemen Book Cune Press
    New Book: Girl Fighters: Break Tradition in Yemen 
    October 25, 2021
  • ENTERTAINMENT
  • The Ray Hanania Radio Show Live Wed 5 PM EST in Detroit, Washington DC, Ontario and on Thursday in Chicago. Watch the program live at Facebook.com/ArabNews
    Second Season of “The Ray Hanania Show” Arab American radio launches April 6
    April 4, 2022
  • American Arab CHamber President HassanNijem accepts the Proclamation from Chicago Ald. Roderick Sawyer at the Chamber dinner March 30, 2022
    Chicagoland celebrates Arab American Heritage Month
    March 31, 2022
  • Hollywood Sign
    Will Smith violence takes Oscar protests to dangerous level
    March 31, 2022
  • 03-30-22 Arab Chamber Heritage Month Flyer
    Arab Chamber to host Arab Heritage Month dinner March 30
    March 14, 2022
  • “Rupture”, the psychological thriller produced by MBC STUDIOS, has won Best Saudi Film at the 2021 Red Sea International Film Festival (RSIFF).
    MBC GROUP’s Rupture wins Best Saudi Film at the inaugural Red Sea International Film Festival
    December 15, 2021
  • New-iTunes-1400-x-1400-The-Ray-Hanania-Show-Podcast-Icon-300-x-300.jpg
  • Podcast-iTunes-Logo-Chi-City-Hall-1985.jpg
  • powerpr300x300ad.jpg
  • The-Kings-Pawn-Book-300-x-300.png
  • terroristbookcover-300-x-300.jpg
Arab News Newspaper Logo
Read the Arab News, the leading English language newspaper in the MIddle East

Follow Ray Hanania at Gab.com, MeWe.com and IDobbinate.com, the alternatives to Facebook and Twitter Censorship.

Click here to get information on The Ray Hanania Radio Show and its podcasts

Copyright © 2022 The Arab Daily News.

Powered by PressBook Premium theme