Van Ramadan:

Our Dutch Friends
The Puzzle is completed.

We all are used to say welcome when you come to Gaza like our guests. This time it felt different for many of us. It felt that we are on the same level, you were only gone for a while but you are back to your home. Not guests anymore, like we all are Palestinians, Gaza residence who are living in another country because of a known or unknown reason. Like all other Palestinians who are living into other places. So, we are the same people in the same ship that is going across the same sea. It is better to be said that you are the reflection of our picture in Holland and we are the reflection of your picture here. You do carry our fears, and do understand our feelings. You had the chance to live our lives as visitors, so shot shots of what we go through everyday. But look, you are digesting it, you could put the pieces together and solved the puzzle of understanding what does it mean to be Palestinian. First I thought you are crazy and don’t know what is it you are doing leaving all the pleasure behind you and coming to the misery of Gaza and trying to be nice. I though you could be nice if you send money to Gaza to help in the situation instead of coming in a way that looks crazy to the one who does not know you for the first time. But then and after several times meeting you and feel how sensitive you are, I started to think in another way, Oh God, those people do have a point to made and they are defending it strongly. So lets look to it from a different point of view. If they do have the energy, the knowledge and the courage to do it, so they could do it and we have to understand it. It is because they are humans and they do react upon this nature of humanity. There are lots of humans and humanity values all over the world, but it is difficult for them all to put the pieces of the puzzle together. Gaza, Palestine, Palestinian Israeli conflict, two people but one country or one people but to countries, love, hatred and who is right and who is wrong. Those are the pieces of the puzzle that need to be put together. Anneke Joes, Anja. Eelco, Jan, Ruud, their families and many others collected those pieces and made up the whole picture of another meaning of humanitarian understanding of the Palestinian feelings. They were able to put together the meaning of life for many people who lost it and its been scattered with the uncertainty and complications in their lives. Those people are the reward, myself and many others do understand now what does it mean for us and for you to not welcome you anymore, because now you became part of the puzzle, but together we are completing the picture and it is not vague anymore. It is clear for everyone that we do look like holding each others hands in the completed puzzle, but actually we are crossing our hearts together. For everyone to know what I mean, we learned to carry a Dutch heart and you learned to carry a Palestinian heart.