Samer Sinijlawiسامر السنجلاوي
@SSinijlawi • 12,712 subscribers
Political Activist → Advocating for Palestinian Reforms & Democracy → Palestinian-Israeli Coexistence The world is a hotel and my home is Jerusalem
Videos
The start of meetings of Gaza’s technocratic government in Cairo marks the opening of a new chapter in the lives of two million Palestinians, exhausted by an unprecedented war and years of devastation. This may well be the most important government in Gaza’s history—not only because of the immense challenges it faces, but because it is unlike anything the Palestinian political system has ever known. It is a government entrusted with managing the largest budget in Palestinian history, overseeing the most extensive reconstruction effort Gaza—and arguably the modern Middle East—has ever seen. More than that, it is a government operating under conditions that have never existed before: broad international backing, unprecedented political attention, and a level of popular support rooted not in ideology or factional loyalty, but in sheer public exhaustion and a deep desire for normal life, dignity, and stability. This government is not judged by slogans or rhetoric. It will be judged by its ability to restore basic services, rebuild homes and infrastructure, reopen schools and hospitals, revive the economy, and reintroduce the idea that governance can serve people rather than dominate them. What begins in Cairo is more than a series of meetings. It is the first test of whether Gaza can move from survival to recovery, from despair to responsibility, and from endless crisis management to a future shaped by competence, accountability, and hope.
Samer Sinijlawiسامر السنجلاوي453,181 次观看 • 6 个月前
A rare message from the Gazan protestors in English. Prof-Hassan Abujarad, a leader of Bait Lahia, pleading with western activists to hear the cries of the people of Gaza: “We are chanting against Hamas, and against their rule. We demand that the world hear our voice! The war must be stopped – the hostages must be released immediately!”
Samer Sinijlawiسامر السنجلاوي319,920 次观看 • 1 年前
Demilitarization is not only a Palestinian imperative; it is also an Israeli one. Palestinians must have their own Altalena moment—the moment when one legitimate national authority alone holds the monopoly over the use of force, and all armed factions surrender their weapons to the state. But Israel must also ensure that it does not reverse the lesson of its own Altalena. This video shows why. Armed settlers carrying automatic weapons are attempting to drive Palestinian farmers from their own land near my home village of Sinjil, north of Ramallah. Incidents around Sinjil have drawn growing international attention amid reports of increasing settler violence against local residents and farmers. No democracy can accept private armed groups enforcing their own political agenda. The state—not militias, not armed factions, not extremist settlers—must have the exclusive authority to use force. One authority. One law. One weapon. On both sides. That is what real demilitarization means. That is the only foundation on which Israelis and Palestinians can build a secure and lasting peace.
Samer Sinijlawiسامر السنجلاوي20,063 次观看 • 28 天前
Israelis on the left and right are divided on many issues, but at least one thing unites them. The belief that Palestinians hate them and will continue to hate them, and that therefore they cannot be trusted. It’s not just Bibi. The majority, even on the left, are deeply sceptical. This is a tragedy. As Palestinians, we have the power to shatter this stereotype. To show Israelis that trust is possible, that coexistence isn’t a dream, that we don’t harbour any ill will. And once we do that, we will see those sentiments reciprocated. We need a reset. And honestly I don’t think it’s as difficult as people make out. Once we gain each other’s trust, we can move ahead with a political resolution that will end this conflict once and for all. We have a history, I’m well aware. But it needn’t determine our future.
Samer Sinijlawiسامر السنجلاوي96,706 次观看 • 1 年前
A few years ago, I took my daughters to see the new Spider-Man in West Jerusalem. The theater was packed with Israeli kids from the neighborhood, their excitement filling the room before the movie even began. As the film played, I noticed something strange. During certain scenes that seemed ordinary to me, the kids around us would burst into laughter or cheer. I couldn’t understand why they were getting so excited. My daughters later explained to me these were subtle callbacks to earlier Spider-Man films. But the kids recognized them instantly; their shared memory made them laugh as one. Then I looked at my own daughters. At home, of course, they speak only in Arabic. But that night, in the middle of the movie, swept up in American pop culture, my daughters – and the Israeli kids around them – were suddenly speaking English, as if it was the most natural thing. And in that darkened cinema, I couldn’t tell my daughters apart from the others. Their laughter sounded the same. Their words flowed in the same language. Their joy was identical. For those two hours, the divisions we are taught to see, the differences we are taught to fear – Arab and Jew, Palestinian and Israeli – disappeared. This moment has stayed with me. I realized how quickly children adapt, how easily they find common rhythm. Maybe the divisions we cling to as adults are less natural than we think.
Samer Sinijlawiسامر السنجلاوي86,626 次观看 • 11 个月前
Jews have always been here. That’s an historical fact. They didn’t vanish and return. Their presence in the land is unbroken over centuries. I know this from personal experience. My grandfather had a Jewish business partner in the 1920s. And just like Jews were never alone here, neither were we. Palestinians, too - whatever we were called at different stages of our history - have long lived in this land. We spend so much time fighting over competing narratives, we forget the truth: we’ve always lived side by side. Sometimes in tension. Sometimes in harmony. But always together. We don’t need to erase each other’s history to claim our own. We need to recognize that both peoples have roots here - deep ones. And from those roots, we can grow something new.
Samer Sinijlawiسامر السنجلاوي89,131 次观看 • 1 年前
I welcome the announcements from France, UK and Canada recognizing a Palestinian state. Unfortunately, recognition without reconciliation is just theater. As a Palestinian, we're told to celebrate symbolic statehood declarations by countries thousands of miles away. But none of them control our future. The only state that can make Palestinian sovereignty real - the only state we should be trying to win over - is Israel. Real peace requires strategy. That means talking to Israelis - not the G7 or the UN. It means less energy spent on hollow gestures, and more invested in building trust, leverage, and alliances with the only state that can actually make two states a reality. Until we convince Israelis that a Palestinian state is in their interest - for their security, their future - nothing changes on the ground. Diplomatic missions across the world won't bring us peace. Conversations in Israeli neighborhoods just might.
Samer Sinijlawiسامر السنجلاوي71,294 次观看 • 1 年前
When Barak Ravid asked President Volodymyr Zelensky about his message to the thousands of Ukrainian children now living under Russian control, the Ukrainian leader’s response was nothing short of extraordinary. With a trembling voice, he apologized. He told his people he was sorry for being too weak to protect their children. That rare moment of humility and responsibility revealed the essence of leadership — the courage to admit failure, the humanity to share in the pain of the people, and the honesty to own responsibility rather than deflect it. Now compare that to the silence of Mahmoud Abbas. For two long years of brutal war over Gaza, more than 20,000 Palestinian children have been slaughtered, tens of thousands injured, and hundreds of thousands displaced. Families have been shattered, neighborhoods reduced to rubble, and a generation scarred forever. And yet, in the face of this unimaginable suffering, Abbas has not offered a single word of apology, a single acknowledgment of responsibility, a single gesture of empathy toward the parents burying their children. This is not just political failure — it is moral bankruptcy. Abbas has abandoned the very essence of leadership: standing with your people in their hour of greatest need. While other leaders, even under impossible circumstances, dare to show humility and courage, Abbas hides behind silence and excuses. The Palestinian people deserve better. They deserve a leader who does not run from responsibility, who does not turn his back on grieving mothers and fathers, who does not treat the death of 20,000 children as someone else’s burden. They deserve a leader with the strength to protect — and the humanity to say, “I am sorry.”
Samer Sinijlawiسامر السنجلاوي43,479 次观看 • 10 个月前
October 7 shattered Israeli trust—just like the Second Intifada did before. And when trust dies, so does compromise. Here’s the truth no one wants to say out loud: Israelis won’t make peace until they feel safe. As Palestinians, it is our responsibility – actually, our strategic imperative – to calm their fear and make them feel secure. Until we do, neither side will find peace.
Samer Sinijlawiسامر السنجلاوي46,740 次观看 • 1 年前
Israelis fear Palestinians. Not because they’re born to, but because of decades of violence, failed leadership, and broken trust. And I get it. Fear shuts everything down: compassion, dialogue, the possibility of a shared future. But I also believe we can change that. If we fix things on our side—how we lead, how we speak, how we show up, they will start to see us differently. No longer as a threat, but as people. As partners. This isn’t about bending over backwards or turning the other cheek. It’s in our own best interests to choose a smarter path—one that leads to dignity, justice, and a two-state solution where both peoples can live freely.
Samer Sinijlawiسامر السنجلاوي30,307 次观看 • 1 年前
The real winner of these elections is CECPalestine the Palestinian Central Elections Commission. Against all odds, it demonstrated that Palestinians are fully capable of organizing democratic elections—both in the West Bank and, notably, in Gaza. Voter turnout was higher than in previous rounds, despite Hamas’s boycott. This reflects something deeper: a growing current of moderation within Palestinian society. Candidates and voters alike showed a commitment to political engagement, governance, and a future shaped through institutions—not violence. President Mahmoud Abbas faced a clear political message. Wherever genuine competition was allowed, his camp was challenged—and often defeated. Where competition was restricted, he prevailed. This is not a sign of strength, but of a system resisting renewal. Importantly, he was challenged from all directions: —from the left and the right, —from moderates, liberals, and reformists, —and even from within Fatah itself, including more radical factions, as seen in places like Jenin. In small and medium-sized cities—where tribal dynamics play a lesser role—a new generation is emerging. Young reformists, many of them breaking away from traditional Fatah structures in protest, achieved significant victories. In larger cities, however, tribal influence remained a decisive factor. The implications are clear: The success of the elections and the visible rise of a pragmatic, reform-oriented current within Palestinian society should be enough to move forward—without delay—toward national presidential and legislative elections. This is no longer just a political demand. It is a societal readiness.
Samer Sinijlawiسامر السنجلاوي10,216 次观看 • 3 个月前
I’m trying hard to salvage a two-state solution in 2025. But let’s be clear: we had a real chance in 2008. A deal that could’ve given us a sovereign Palestinian state. Borders based on ’67 lines. Land swaps that made sense (82% of settlers would’ve stayed inside Israel). A connection between Gaza and the West Bank. Two capitals in one city, side by side. It wasn’t perfect, but it was possible. And we said no. That choice haunts me. Because history doesn’t offer endless second chances. And because that deal recognized both peoples’ realities—our need for freedom, their need for security. It offered dignity and hope. And that’s why I support a two-state solution—but because it’s the only path that gives us both a future. When opportunity knocks again, I hope we don’t walk away. We can't afford to miss another moment like 2008.
Samer Sinijlawiسامر السنجلاوي28,300 次观看 • 1 年前
The Old City of Jerusalem can’t be captured in words — you must walk its alleys, breathe its air, feel its stones beneath your feet, as the spirit of the prophets accompanies you. It is the capital of faith, the place where Judaism, Christianity, and Islam all converge. Maybe this city is the shortest path to God, a window to heaven. The moment you see it, something stirs in your soul.
Samer Sinijlawiسامر السنجلاوي15,534 次观看 • 11 个月前
Are we fighting over land—or over the illusion that one side can erase the other? The war will end. But Israelis and Palestinians will still be here—side-by-side on the same land, sharing the same sky, breathing the same air, burying our dead in the same soil. We’ve lost so many lives fighting over who belongs more. Maybe it’s time to ask: how do we both belong? Coexistence isn’t a fantasy. Denying it is.
Samer Sinijlawiسامر السنجلاوي17,282 次观看 • 1 年前