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NOTE: My latest Middle East Eye piece deals with Bibi’s “secret Iranian nuclear archive” and Israel’s latest attack on Iranian forces in Syria. Amongst other exclusive information, I break the story that the attack was launched using German-made, nuclear-armed Dolphin submarines, one of which was stationed in the Red Sea. The missile trajectory took it through Jordanian airspace. Please read and promote via social media.

Young Palestinian poet, Dareen Tatour, wrote a poem in the midst of the Knife Intifada three years ago. Entitled, Resist, the poem called for resistance against Israeli Occupation, and steadfastness in the face of oppression. Standard poetic themes in the face of injustice. There are literally thousands of similar poems, including memorable ones written by Israel’s first national poet, Haim Nachman Bialik.

But in Israel, writing such a poem and using Facebook and YouTube to disseminate it will get you branded a terrorist. Dareen was arrested three years ago. Her trial was postponed for that entire period and she was placed under strict house arrest. She was only permitted to leave her home once per weekend, and then only with police minders.

Yesterday, the court finally made a decision in her case: guilty. No surprise since Israeli courts convict 98% of Palestinian security defendants of their “crimes.” Dareen was found guilty of “incitement” and belonging to a terror group. It makes no difference that she doesn’t belong to any terrorist group. Expressing sympathy with the goals of the Palestinian national movement is enough to be deemed a terrorist.

Here is an eyewitness account of the shameful spectacle presided over by Judge Adi Bambilia, a judge so ashamed of her verdict that she mumbled her way through it so it would be that much harder for the assembled world media to know the result and report it:

The judge came in only after the media was allowed to take pictures in the courtroom. She sat on her high bench, said that the verdict is long, and that she would read only some of it. She read in a low voice and people complained that they can’t hear. She usually uses a mike – but not today. The guards wanted to throw out of the court the people that complained – but the judge requested them not to do it. It all took hardly a few minutes, The only sentence that could be heard clearly was when the judge cited some old court ruling about the importance of the freedom of expression. Soon she concluded: “I decided to convict…” Then she went on in a very low voice to name the articles of conviction by their technical numbers, without any explanation, and soon disappeared through the back-door to her chamber.

Just one item indicating the ludicrousness of the Israeli State’s case against Dareen. It presented as an expert witness, a “translator” who grievously mistranslated her poem to claim it called for violence. The prosecution called the witness an “expert” in both spoken and literary Arabic, when he couldn’t even translate her poem properly. You remember Bibi’s dog and pony show headlined by the charge: “Iran Lied.” Well, forget that. Israel lied, “big time,” as both Trump and Netanyahu would say.

Dareen’s plight might have amounted to little amidst the sea of suffering and injustice perpetrated on Palestinians regularly by the Israeli military-intelligence apparatus, but her cause was taken up by an international human rights campaign supported by, among others, the literary freedom NGO, PEN. Its director visited Dareen under house arrest and took a picture with her to show the international artistic world’s solidarity.

While Israel may deem a terrorist, I honor her here by publishing her original video including her poem and its Hebrew and English translations. Keep in mind that Israel considers all of us accessories to terrorism by merely reading this. By the way, YouTube has restricted the video warning viewers that it contains inappropriate content. You have to click through the warning before you can view it. Thanks YouTube for standing for artistic freedom in the face of Israeli censoriousness!

Here is a statement Dareen’s lawyer, Gaby Lasky, published on Facebook yesterday. I’ve translated it:

English translation:

Resist, My People, Resist Them In Jerusalem, I dressed my wounds and breathed my sorrows

And carried the soul in my palm

For an Arab Palestine. I will not succumb to the “peaceful solution,”

Never lower my flags

Until I evict them from my land.

I cast them aside for a coming time. Resist, my people, resist them.

Resist the settler’s robbery

And follow the caravan of martyrs.

Shred the disgraceful constitution

Which imposed degradation and humiliation

And deterred us from restoring justice. They burned blameless children;

As for Hadil, the sniper shot her in public,

Killed her in broad daylight. Resist, my people, resist them.

Resist the colonialist’s onslaught.

Pay no mind to his agents among us

Who chain us with the peaceful illusion.

Do not fear doubtful tongues;

The truth in your heart is stronger,

As long as you resist in a land

That has lived through raids and victory. So Ali called from his grave:

Resist, my rebellious people.

Write me as prose on the agarwood;

My remains have you as a response. Resist, my people, resist them.

Hebrew translation (actually done by Israelis who know Arabic!):

הִתְקוֹמֵם, עַמִּי, הִתְקוֹמֵם נֶגְדָּם

בִּירוּשָׁלַיִם חָבַשְׁתִּי אֶת פְּצָעַי

וְתִנִּיתִי אֶת צָרוֹתַי לֵאלֹהִים

וְשַׂמְתִּי אֶת נַפְשִׁי בְּכַפִּי.

לְמַעַן פָלַסְטִין עֲרָבִית

לֹא דַּי לִי בְּפִתְרוֹן שֶׁל שָׁלוֹם

לֹא אוֹרִיד לְעוֹלָם אֶת דְּגָלַי

עַד אֲשֶׁר אוֹרִידֵם מֵעַל מוֹלַדְתִּי.

הַכְנִיעֵם לַזְּמַן שֶׁיָּבוֹא,

הִתְקוֹמֵם, עַמִּי, הִתְקוֹמֵם נֶגְדָּם

הִתְקוֹמֵם כְּנֶגֶד שֹׁד הַמִּתְנַחֵל

וְלֵךְ בְּעִקְבוֹת שַׁיֶּרֶת הַחֲלָלִים.

קְרַע אֶת הַמִּסְמָכִים הַמְּבִישִׁים

הַמַּנְצִיחִים אֶת הַדִּכּוּי

הַמּוֹנְעִים מֵאִתָּנוּ לְהָשִׁיב אֶת זְכֻיּוֹתֵינוּ.

שָׂרְפוּ אֶת הַיְּלָדִים הַחַפִּים מִפֶּשַׁע

וּבְהָדִיל צָלְפוּ בְּפֻמְבֵּי

הָרְגוּ אוֹתָהּ לְאוֹר הַיּוֹם.

הִתְקוֹמֵם, עַמִּי, הִתְקוֹמֵם נֶגְדָּם

הִתְקוֹמֵם כְּנֶגֶד תּוֹקְפָנוּת הַמִּסְתַּעֲרֵב

אַל תַּטֶּה אֹזֶן לִמְשָׁרְתֵי הַשִּׁלְטוֹן

שֶׁקָּשְׁרוּ אוֹתָנוּ בְּאַשְׁלָיַת הַשָּׁלוֹם

אַל תַּחְשֹׁשׁ מִלְּשׁוֹנוֹת הַמֶּרְכָּבָה

כִּי הָאֱמֶת שֶׁבְּלִבְּךָ חֲזָקָה יוֹתֵר

כָּל עוֹד אַתָּה מִתְקוֹמֵם בְּמוֹלֶדֶת

שֶׁחָיְתָה פְּלִישׁוֹת וְלֹא הִתְעַיְּפָה

עָלִי קוֹרֵא מִקִּבְרוֹ

הִתְקוֹמֵם, עַמִּי, הִתְקוֹמֵם נֶגְדָּם

וּכְתֹב אוֹתִי בִּפְּרוֹזָה אֶל מוּל הַיָּרִיב

הָפַכְתָּ לִתְשׁוּבָה לִשְׂרִידַי

הִתְקוֹמֵם, עַמִּי, הִתְקוֹמֵם נֶגְדָּם.