Not sure where to post this or what kind of reception it will get here. Please be nice. This post is about my experience with befriending and organizing with Palestinian people as an American.
My experience with Palestinian people is the opposite of how they’re portrayed.
Here’s a list of my recent interactions, but this is just about my friends so obviously I can’t speak for everyone:
-They constantly ask abt my mental
health
-curiosity about LGBTQ+ ppl
-My Arabic teacher saying I look cool being alt. She said I remind her of Avril Lavigne
-most are in favor of a two state solution and a ceasefire, NOT killing all Jews. Tho there’s a significant portion that has lost hope in a two state solution, they’re still not terrorists
- Asking for awareness & videos
-multiple artists/writers to share work w back & forth
-They don’t hate Americans either. They hate our government. In fact, once my Palestinian friends heard my accent or learned I’m American- they gush about their friends in the US and how they seem to care more about Palestine than some Arab countries (direct quote, not my words. I don’t necessarily agree or disagree.)
--lastly, just like any civilization, Palestine is not monolithic. There might be some bad people in the bunch just like there is with literally everyone around the world, and they might get most of the media attention. That’s genuinely not how most Palestinians think tho