Vadim Dovganyuk

Hello, I am Palestinian. 🇵🇸 And since honesty is rare in my politics, allow me to confess a few things. The UN offered me a state. Alongside Israel. Borders, independence, recognition. I said no. My leaders promised that the war would "drive the Jews into the sea." Instead, I lost everything, and they called it a catastrophe. Not because they didn't offer me a state, but because I rejected it. 1948–2025. Arab states could have integrated me, given me rights, passports, dignity. Instead, they locked me up in refugee camps for generations, so that I would remain a weapon against Israel. They built palaces for themselves and prisons for me. They used me as propaganda, not as people. After another lost war, I could have built a state in the West Bank and Gaza. Instead, I insisted on "no peace, no recognition, no negotiations." Three no's. Fifty years later, I'm still stateless. Turns out rejection doesn't pay the rent. Oslo, 1990s. Israel said, "Let's give it a try." It gave me autonomy. Guns for the police. Billions in aid. What did my leaders do? They stole the money, armed militias, and launched an intifada. Suicide bombings instead of schools. Rockets instead of factories. Gaza, 2005. Israel left completely. No settlers, no soldiers. I had the chance to turn Gaza into a Mediterranean Singapore. I voted for Hamas. They turned it into Mogadishu by the sea. Billions in aid? Tunnels, rockets, and palaces for their leaders, while my people eat canned food in the dark. Democracy? I haven't had elections in almost 20 years. Hamas kills dissidents in Gaza. Fatah imprisons them in the West Bank. My leaders cancel elections because they're too busy fighting for power. Religion. Instead of building a future, I put clerics on television teaching children to hate Jews. I glorify "martyrs" who blow up buses. I raise my children on songs of blood and fire instead of books and science. I trade hope for holy war. Arab world. Arab regimes call me "brother." But ask them how many Palestinians can live freely in Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, or Kuwait. They exclude me, but they celebrate my death, because my death is their excuse. Absurd. I keep saying I want to "build a state." And ironically, right next door is Israel: the neighbor that built a thriving democracy, a technological powerhouse, desert farms, dusty cities. No oil, no infinite wealth, just courage. I could have learned, copied, collaborated. Instead, I chose envy and rage. Anti-Jewish obsession. I could have accepted Jews as neighbors. I could have said, "Two nations, two states." Instead, I repeat: "From the river to the sea." Instead of showcasing honor, hospitality, and the rich Arab culture, I displayed only the culture of the sword.Anger, extremism, and bloodshed. Instead of shouting salaam (peace) to the Israelis, I shouted death to the Jews. And then I feign surprise when the Israelis don't trust me, when they're angry, disappointed, and convinced that I don't want coexistence at all. Accountability. I blame Israel for everything. Always. Do my leaders steal billions? Blame Israel. Does Hamas fire rockets from hospitals? Blame Israel. Do I glorify death more than life? Blame Israel. Accountability is not my strong suit. I am Palestinian. I could have built a nation, many times over. I chose rejection, corruption, and endless war. I could have lived in peace with Israel, but I chose to live in the shadow of its destruction. So yes, I am a victim. But all too often, I am a victim of my own leaders, my own choices, and my own refusal to let go of hatred. And that, dear reader, is the tragedy no one wants to admit.