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Gaza, January 22, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - Exactly one year ago, the Gazans who were seared by the bright flames of phosphorous bombs used by what is ironically called the Israel Defense Force, placed much hope on the new president of the United States. They believed he would promptly intervene and press Israel to stop its crimes against our beleaguered land, that he would be just and fair as he promised. However, he did practically nothing: Israeli crimes are still perpetrated against the Palestinians, the worst of which was the siege imposed on Gaza as a retaliation for the people's exercise of democracy in the elections of 2006.
Those elections were hailed as clean and fair by ex-U.S. president Jimmy Carter.
As an "Americanist" in Gaza -- a professor who loves America and the wonderful American people, and teaches American literature and American culture, I was disappointed with the performance of the new American administration in its first year.
I expressed this disappointment in a message to Obama sung by Palestinian children -- those who do not know why they are orphaned, why they are jailed in a big concentration camp called Gaza, or why they are being suffocated by a siege imposed by the most unethical force of oppression in the world -- one that uses the most sophisticated American weapons. My message is a lyric written on behalf of Gaza kids, yet sung by them. My song is titled "Gaza kids are calling for Obama."
It is exactly what Gaza kids want Obama to do to improve the image of America in the Muslim world -- not the highly rhetorical speech delivered in Cairo by President Obama, the Noble Prize winner!
I think Obama should quickly develop a real peace plan that would meet the legitimate demands of the Palestinians for an independent state next to the state of Israel. The Palestinians also are expecting Obama to waive the Israeli and American veto power on Palestinian reconciliation, because without Palestinian unity, there will be no real peace.
President Obama and his aides should stop thinking of the Middle East crisis as a security problem, but rather acknowledge it as a political crisis that should be solved immediately on a just basis. It is then that all the Muslims in the world would sing Viva America, and Viva, Viva Obamaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!
To see and listen to the song, please visit this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9-THtmcL1Q
By Dr. Akram Habeeb
Dr. Habeeb is an Assistant Professor of American Literature at the Islamic University of Gaza.
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