Some 100 "pro-Palestinian" activists from different countries arrived in Jordan during the past few days on another anti-Israel mission.
The activists did not come to Jordan to:
- Visit or help thousands of Syrian and Palestinian refugees who are being held in miserable conditions along the Jordan-Syria border.
- Hear information about the daily massacres in neighboring Syria. Had they wanted, the "pro-Palestinians" could have interviewed dozens of Syrians and Palestinians who fled the violence and bloodshed in Syria and heard horrific stories about how both the Syrian army and the "revolutionaries" have been slaughtering innocent civilians, including women and children.
- Protest against the kingdom's official policy of discrimination against Palestinians -- an issue that has drawn sharp condemnations not only from Palestinians, but also from some Jordanians.
- Demonstrate against the government's recent decision to impose severe restrictions on media outlets.
- Hear about the harsh conditions of Palestinians living in a number of refugee camps in Jordan.
- Protest against the Jordanian government's decision to revoke the Jordanian citizenship of tens of thousands of Palestinians.
- Hear how thousands of Palestinians have been expelled from Iraq and other Arab countries in recent years.
- Promote the rights of women under Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
- Protest against the Palestinian Authority's crackdown on journalists and bloggers.
They did not come to Jordan because they were planning to visit Lebanon and see for themselves how Palestinians are subjected to apartheid regulations that prevent them from working in many professions.
Instead, the activists spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on a mission whose only purpose is to provoke Israel, and not help Palestinians.
The activists came as part of the Welcome to Palestine Campaign to demand the "right of return" for millions of Palestinians to their former villages and cities inside Israel.
They came to Jordan knowing that Israel would not allow them to cross the Allenby Bridge into the West Bank. Yet, they chose to go ahead with their trip so that they could later accuse Israel of banning them from expressing solidarity with the Palestinians.
Organizers of this anti-Israel campaign say they were only hoping to donate school stationery to Palestinian children. But who ever said that Palestinian children in the West Bank are lacking in schoolbags and pencils? Even the Palestinian Authority and UNRWA have not complained of any shortage.
Once again, it has been exposed that Americans and Europeans who claim to be pro-Palestinian are actually just Israel-haters. These activists seem to have a problem only with Israel. For them, the Palestinian issue is just a vehicle for vomiting their hatred toward Israel, and most likely all Jews. They are your grandmother's recycled anti-Semites.
For most of these international activists, Palestinian leaders such as Mahmoud Abbas and Salam Fayyad are "traitors" because they say they believe in the two-state solution and conduct security cooperation with Israel.
These activists are on the side of the radicals in the Palestinian camp. They are closer to Hamas and Islamic Jihad than to moderate Arabs and Muslims. The Palestinians do not want support from Westerners who pretend to be more Palestinian than the Palestinians.
The Palestinians need support from people who promote democracy, moderation, accountability and coexistence with Israel. It is time that the "pro-Palestinian" activists leave the Palestinians alone and search for another cause to advance their messages of hate and violence.
Hisham Jarallah is a journalist based in the West Bank.
Avram