Intifada III: Third time's the charm (?)

Readers, you'll note a brand new thing on the blog today, if you look to your right: an email sign up form! That way, if you are like my mom, and not sure how to use 'the facebook', or not like my friend M., who checks the blog daily, you can now be alerted by email when I post a new entry. Good thing, because things might get interesting soon: Intifada 3 may be coming, and this time, we're playing for keeps!

(I have like 15 other intifada slogans lined up, for my future t-shirt company. Don't you worry, this girl is nothing if not a war profiteer. Kidding!!)

In all seriousness, there's been a lot of whispered shouts lately about May 15th, Nakba Day (Palestinian holiday, 'Catastrophe Day', click on it to read all about it). There was that Third Intifada Facebook site, which Israel convinced Zuckerberg to take down, and lots of youth-led action lately, including protests and the new version of pounding the pavement, tweeting the interweb. Journalists have descended upon Ramallah; you can't walk through the Menara (main circle) without tripping over a BBC cameraman or a 19 year old French hippie wearing a keffiyah. Ugh.

What do I think? I think that while the calls for Palestinian independence and recognition of the endless, almost obscenely self-indulgent Israeli violations of international law are totally, utterly spot-on, I also think Palestinians, at least the vast majority of cab drivers, moms, and random shop-owners I have the privilege of chatting with, are just plain tired of violence. Ramallah is indeed a bubble, but if you go to the other towns in Palestine you see cities just devastated by years of civil war; bullet holes in houses, bullet fear in children, bullet memories in parents. That being said, the revolutions in Egypt and Tunisia were inspiring; however, the reality in Libya, Syria and Yemen sobers the youth enthusiast of the Arab Spring.

So stay tuned and I guess we'll see what happens. As for me, off to sushi (!!!) tonight in Jerusalem and a party to welcome a friend back to town, so, obviously not fretting too much.