Palestine, “Green card fever”
by Sabrina ~ November 26th, 2010. Filed under: Uncategorized.Joe Sacco’s comic book, though scant in text compared to the archetypal novel, is perhaps the most telling piece of literature I’ve come across in relating the ordeals of the Palestinian people. It’s such a raw and gritty account because it takes the actual words that people have uttered and gives them a face, albeit a ‘comical’ or cartoon-like one. I not only picture the events because of the graphics but feel like I’m temporarily being transported to the West Bank, taking refuge at Balata or Nablus camps, crossing checkpoints or taking cabs, marching in protests, or even held prisoner…or guard…at Ansar III. It’s a drastic notion but I actually feel an emotional connection to this book, something the others failed to reach; I kept them at bay. Anyway, as for an interesting point I found in this book: the ID cards of the Palestinians.
Orange ID cards show that the Palestinian it belongs to is ‘clean’ or has a clean record with no arrests. Green IDs show that the Palestinian in question has served a prison sentence or two, and is damn proud of it. It’s not the traditional idea of a green card : amnesty, permanent residence, future citizenship, but something completely different. And Joe (yeah, we’re on first-name basis) finds that he thinks it odd, at a certain juncture, when he meets people who haven’t been to prison. They tote it sometimes, like tattoos and battle scars as ‘street cred.’ Almost everybody he meets has at least once been detained in some format for some reason, mostly for throwing molotovs, it seems, or being suspected of partaking in illegal organizations. Many times, though, it seems like the prisoners haven’t done a single thing wrong, but who’s checking? No one. The justice system from this side of the border (Palestinian camp side) seems highly partial and off and makes me wonder how much of what I’m reading is true, and if it is, how angry it makes me. I can hardly stand hearing about the injustices I keep reading. The toughest part about the text is that it isn’t exactly a historical one. No, it doesn’t tell us about a war that’s passed, a conflict long over, like the others did; it tells us about one going on right now. How do you judge something like that without seeming partial, bias, even prejudiced?
November 29th, 2010 at 11:30 pm
Having been to Ramallah, I can say that Joe Sacco is spot on in his depiction. I’ve seen the settlements in Jerusalem first hand and the effects that the demolition of homes have of the progression (or better, hindering the progression) of Palestinian families. I think that it is important that someone highlights this because it is a condition constantly overlooked by Americans. I can’t say that I think the creation of Israel has been completely negative (look at the economic growth over the years), nor can I say that I’m hopeful that any sort of peaceful settlement will be reached between the two parties, but I certainly can say that injustices have occurred and will continue to occur. The most discouraging aspect of these injustices is that they are preformed against civilians, most of whom are barely making a living in Ramallah.
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