Introduction to Palestine

My presentation in India for the Students of GPS -Gujarat Public School- About my Dearest Palestine, See The Greatness Of Palestine In The Eyes of It's people... Thank U India/baroda/GPS/BRG group & My Lovely Sister... Abhilasha Agrawal ;)

Abhilasha... A Real Sister

The year 2008 Witnessed a great achievement, Which is... Representing Palestine In India, Baroda & at one of the most famous schools named GUJARAT PUBLIC SCHOOL.

It was actually a cultural exchange program in partnership between GUJARAT PUBLIC SCHOOL (GPS) & the world's largest student organization in the world (AIESEC).

A project under the name of ONE WORLD where students from more than 20 countries participated in it, and shared their culture, history & lifestyle with the school students in order to raise cultural awareness and get them closer to their culture and land.

we had been working for this project as student cultural ambassadors, and thankfully i had been the student cultural ambassador of my dearest country ever PALESTINE, giving presentations about my country, telling about the Palestinians & their life, talking about our Palestinian and generally about our Arab culture & great rich history.

After my experience there, i would sadly admit that Palestine and the Arab world are not that known, i would sadly say that the world is not aware of our existence and our great ancient and modern history civilization, and this is the crucial point ever... That this project helped me and the other cultural ambassadors to know about one another, to share their thoughts and minds, to tell about the variety of the globe we belong to, giving each and every participant of this project the global understanding and the respect of the other, But, who's the one behind all that?! is it me?! or the cultural ambassador of Taiwan?! or UK or Turkey Or China???!!! of course the one behind all that is the dearest person to my heart... My dearest sister ABHILASHA AGRAWAL.

Abhilasha Agrawal (ABHI) is my sister, and she's also the director of the school we worked for -GPS- and the director of the project... Project ONE WORLD.

Well, to speak about Abhilasha it takes me several hours to show how amazing that girl is, how helpful that girl is, how intelligent Abhilasha is.

She's the one who took the responsibility of gathering us under one roof -GUJARAT PUBLIC SCHOOL, and honestly speaking is the one & the only one...

rarely to find a person like her, it's rarely to find a Leader in every way that a person can be called a leader, respected by all... The officials and the media persons moving to the servants and the internationals, a one that's sacrificing her life for the sake of other.

to me... Abhilasha is more than a sister, she's a sister, a friend & a mother regardless her young age, she's the one who's very friendly, cooperative & dreamer...

by listening to her you feel how dreamer she is, she's dreaming of better and educated Indian society, and working for this target very hardly.

in her eyes you can see a lover, a lover for everything, her country, her parents & her students at GPS, and she's trying as much as she can to provide them with the global direction that she believes in by making a partnership with Aiesec Baroda that brought me & the other interns to her school.

On the personal level I'd proudly say... "Without Abhilasha none of us would have been there, and none of her students at GPS would have got the chance to get closer to others cultures and lifestyles, moreover, Abhilasha was always there for me, she inspired me with everything amazing in her personality & she helped me to show my Palestinian rich culture the best way, she always showed me how she was inspired by my love to my country, and that was a main reason behind working so hard to deliver the right message of the Palestinians and the Arabs and generally the Muslims all around the world.

She made my trip by her enthusiasm to know more about the Islamic and the Arab culture & traditions, not only this... What Abhilasha gave me and still giving is more than any person could ever imagine...

Beside the full support of her during my trip and stay at GPS, she gave me several souvenirs and things from India as well as the other interns but the thing that touched me a lot is... Her letter to the Palestinian ambassador to Cairo and the certificate to the embassy in Egypt as a gesture to what i proudly did there, and to show her gratitude of having a Palestinian friend in her project, probably Abhilasha doesn't know what does this mean to me and to the Palestinians, it means a world to every Palestinian on earth that she respects and gratitude our existence and rights and our right to express the Palestinian case as well as the other cases like the Taiwanese, and generally all the other countries.

I came back to Egypt full of energy and self confidence -just- because of her, because she is the one that deserves the best from every one as especially from me.

Your gifts for my parents & sister are really beyond expectations, your very nice words to me that touched my heart and made me cry are considered the world to me, not only because they are precious and extremely valuable, but because they come from my best & dearest person ever Abhilasha.

At the end... And as i used to say and still saying to you and to the others THANK YOU SEEMS To BE VERY LITTLE TO BE SAID, thanking you is a must and a duty, not only MOATASSEM BELLAH is thanking you, but the Ambassador MR. Nabil Amr -the Palestinian ambassador to Egypt, and not only me & the ambassador, But the whole Palestinian nation that's thanking you for everything you did for the Palestinians & Palestine, and of course my parents who are proud of me now of doing all what i did in India JUST because of YOU.

Whenever i look at your Picture that's on my mobile wall paper that i took during our visit to the TEMPLE when you prayed for me to fulfill all my dreams, i start to cry, because this means your appreciation to my work at your school, and you love what i respect all day long. But i try to hold my self hoping to return back one day and meet my lovely sister ABILASHA.

Thank you Abhilasha, Thank you GPS and Thank you India, And INSHALLAH one day we'll meet and we'll remember those amazing days at GPS... My regards to Your Students and my friends at GPS, and The staff moving to the servants.

With ALL my love & respect to my Dearest and best & inspiring Hindu Abhilasha Sister from Your Palestinian Muslim Friend & Brother YUVRAJ.

Handala

Naji Al Ali... A Palestinian cartoonist, not only talented he also uses his talent for the best of his nation. he was born in Ash-Shajara village in 1936, one of 480 villages destroyed after 1948 by Zionists. His family was displaced to Ein Al-Hilweh refugee camp in Lebanon.

One of the most important characters of Naji-Al Ali is The child above. do you want to know who is that child? well, let me tell you... His name is Handala, not beautiful, his hair is like the hair of a hedgehog who uses his thorns as a weapon, he is not fat , happy, relaxed, or pampered child, he is barefooted like the refugee camp children. His hands are clasped behind his back as a sign of rejection at a time when solutions are presented to us the American way. Handala was born ten years old, and he will always be ten years old. At that age Naji-Al Ali left his homeland Palestine, and when he returns Handala will be 10.

No one of us can see Handalas' eyes, whenever we look at him we only find him turns his back and the only way to see his face When Arab dignity is no longer threatened, and when the Arab individual regains his freedom and humanity. Still, Handala is the witness of the century who will never die... The witness who watch and feel the pain of his nation and the weakness of a nation led the whole world one day.

May be some of you don't feel the importance of Handala, but if you focus on Handala you'll find it clear that he is not only a cartoon character but much more.Handala always looks at Palestine... A problem which is so difficult to be solved soon. During Naji-Al Ali era Handala was only looking at Palestine; but now -unfortunately- He looks at most of our Arab countries; Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, Somalia...ETC. he looks at them suffering because of the current Arab weakness. But He is still passive enough to take an action.

I always ask my self when are we going to see Handalas' face???!!!, when are we going to watch Handala running towards Palestine, Iraq & Lebanon helping his nation to get out of all their catastrophes?!, Is it soon to gain that chance! is my generation going to reach that moment or it will be postponed to the next or the upcoming generations??? -hope to be us.

Knowing Handala is not enough, my medal of Handala is always with me; between my hands and in my mind, I'm always asking my self am i moving on the right road or i have to move to another one to let Handala get his freedom and dignity. i always hold Handalas' hands trying to separate each, i look at him and feel how we are still less able to save any of our lands, may be because of passiveness or less creativity but we are still. Even though Handala is also a symbol of the Palestinian and Arab suffer which will stay till we get our stolen rights.

The story of Handala is much more than a story, it's a story of generation, of nation, of a person who felt the pain of his people made him inventing that symbolic character. Naji-Al Ali described the whole Arab situation and weakness by his symbol Handala making him not only a legend, but a dream of each of us to find him Deciphering restrictions and moving towards the freedom and returning back his nations' dignity.

The greatness of Naji-Al Ali made him one of the most important cartoonists in the world which attracted the whole worlds' respect to his nation and his country. The New York Times once wrote: "If you want to know what the Arabs think of the US look at Naji Al-Ali's cartoons."

Last but never least, directing my words to you Handala... you will never stay passive, you will move and prove to the whole world that our nation will never stay passive, there is no silence anymore. it's the time for work... For getting back our rights, our dignity & our respect. I always say " if there is only one Arabian on earth, Palestine will survive, Lebanon will re-gain it's power & the whole Arab world will be improved in a way or another" just keep looking at Palestine and the Arab world which increase your will to resist and do your best for the sake of the nation you belong to.