Nablus Will Return

by Dr. Abdul-Sattar Kassem

(Elections Instead of Tears)

The great city whose history stretches back some 2,500 years before Christ appears sorrowful today, as though orphanhood hung over its hillsides. Nablus has stood firm across history against invaders, and has carved its own path with pride, contributing to the civilizational construction of the land of Bilad al-Sham and the Muslim nation. It has been known for its outstanding scholars, its skilled craftsmen and artisans, and its people bound together in mutual affection. Nablus is Muhammad Izzat Darwaza, Ibrahim Tuqan, Qadri Tuqan, and Adel Zuaiter, and others who wrote a chapter of glory for Palestine. And Nablus has been the destination of students from the lands of the Arabs and the Muslims, who turned it into a restless hive of learning and culture.

I look at Nablus now, and find it occupying a place far removed from its own origins. It holds many bearers of advanced degrees, yet it is nearly bereft of true scholars; it holds many notables, yet its wise men are almost buried from sight; it holds countless institutions, yet these barely operate with the honesty of simple, good people. Nablus has regressed to the point of scheming, conspiracy, and disregard for the public good. Armed men terrorize people and kill; directors steal; and those entrusted with public affairs guard only their own private interests. Chaos prevails, weighing people down on top of the burdens of the occupation.

…-ch of them has a power of deterrence against his rivals, and so they drowned and dragged others down with them. Matters reached the point of officials at educational institutions calling in armed men to terrorize students and teachers. What a shame for the young men who agreed to it.

The city suffers from opportunism, arrogance, and improvisation, and from a crowding of leaders enamored of spectacle. Most people have fallen silent, each searching for some leader to take him under his wing, so we have become sects panting after private interests at the expense of the public good. And the factions, for their part, contented themselves with statements, without ever confronting the wrongdoers. They could at least have refused to sit and drink coffee with those they had secretly showered with insults and rebukes. We do not want to fight one another, but we also do not want the oppressor to imagine that his oppression does no damage to friendship. As for the media figures, their lack of courage has hidden the truth from people, and at times has even misled them.

So what is the solution? The executive and judicial officials in the city must resign, and clear the way for elections. Periodic elections leave no one beyond accountability, particularly financial and security accountability. And if the political level refuses elections, then we must form a local committee, emerging from a general popular conference, to oversee electoral affairs. We must hold elections for the various councils, committees, and unions, and we must categorically refuse appointment, because appointment, in our Palestinian condition, is a blight whose harvest has already turned bitter.

Nablus Will Return, and Glory Awaits Her

Dr. Abdul-Sattar Kassem

Source: Translated from the original Arabic, “نابلس ستعود” by Dr. Abdul-Sattar Kassem.