al-Masmiyya al-Kabira - المسمية الكبيرة: A Cry of an Active Consciousness By Mahmoud Zedan (Abou Adli)

The location is Masmyia Al-kabeera, one of the biggest villages in Gaza Strip. It had a strategic position that linked the most important highways that led to Jerusalem, Jaffa, and Gaza. Masmyia was located at the extreme north part of Gaza Strip bordering the middle heart of Palestine. The time was 1946; a prelude or an introduction for a mass departure from Palestine to the surrounding countries and to distant other countries that lie thousands of miles far away. The departure preceded by anarchy, killing, destruction and strikes all over Palestine. Within that period, I completed the seventh grade and appeared to be one of the best students who could stand in front of the crowds and gatherings to deliver speeches recommended by the principal of our school. Hence, I was accepted as a good figure in my community and trusted by all.
Personality matures according to practice within the community involvement and I had the chance to do that. Though I was the youngest of my brothers, my father depended on me completely to look after our agriculture and live-stocks. He was one of the biggest land owners. My brothers had different interests.
Later on, I was chosen to administer the post office of my village; I became the main and the only employer. My contract was with the British government, and my check used to come from Jerusalem every month. Gradually, I opened a book-shop beside the post office. I used to purchase the books from the big book-shops in Jaffa, and Haifa. The books were needed to the surrounding schools like Yasour and Kastina. The text-books prescribed by the government were not enough. My work in the book-shop was in the afternoon.
Masmyia was booming in all directions. In agriculture, there were the orange groves, all kinds of grains, and vegetations. On the main street there were cafes, small malls, gas stations, work-shops for different manufacturing and handcraft like carpentry and smithy. There were two schools for boys and girls, a post-office, and a clinic or an office of a physician
Definitely, the net of cooperation between the two big families; Mohana and Yaghi; and the sagacity of the community leaders established a common understanding towards social, financial, and administrative aspects. They could handle the most difficult problems in the Area. They were the arbitrators between the conflicting families, clans, tribes, conciliators and pacifiers of enmity and hatred planted among different groups. The best example for that is The Blood Committee for Conciliation and Arbitration Including the Blood Money Estimation. Ahmad Abel-Aziz Mohana was chosen one of the sixth members in that committee established by the British Mandate Government of Palestine.
The first year of dispersion for Masmyia was in Batoula-Alkhaleel, a small village that overlooked the plains of Palestine on the east. That year passed quickly for the generosity of its people, Al-Amli clan; and also for the colorful nature and green pasture. It was really as a picturesque tableau drawn by a professional artist. It was a good resort, or a recreation center that we enjoyed deeply. We rented a house with a fruit orchard full of all kinds of fruit, especially Khaleel؟s grapes.
The distinguished personalities of Mohana family decided to move to Gaza strip; they were familiar with its administration, their files and records were in Gaza archive. They had good relations with Shawa family, especially with Rashad Al-Shawa. They had the conviction to be prominent and domineering; they wanted to practice their rights as they were in Masmyia. Many of them, for the long run, flourished. They had the conviction also that if they stayed in the west bank they would not be able to deal with the influential dignitaries there. The best reward that they had was enrolling their sons in the universities of Egypt and had scientific seats like engineering and medicine. Thanks to President Nasser who offered them that opportunity. The downside to the relocation was that the families of Masmyia split into two parts; the part in Gaza and the other which stayed in the west bank.
The years of struggle were in Gaza, every person had the option to develop and establish himself. The opportunities were very rare. Education was a very good venue to follow; business also another venue to choose if capital was available. I chose the first option; Education. I had the position of a teacher with U.N.R.W.A, at the same time I enrolled in Gaza College. It had the same system as the Egyptian. I got my High School Certificate-General Secondary Certificate (Private Section) in June 1954. I studied in the morning and taught in the afternoon. A good intellectual and professional English teacher taught me in the college, he made me love the language. He was a Christian named Dr. Habash. I taught English to intermediate classes for five years, 1949-1954.The inspectors of English knew me hence then. I didn؟t live long in Gaza Strip, it was only six years.
I was chosen by U.N.R.W.A with another three teachers to teach English in Libya. They were Abed Rahman El-Halholi principal of Braig High School; he passed away there. Tawfig Hourani was another teacher who became head of a committee to recruit teachers for the government of Libya and finally Mohammad Abu Huzama. A lady called Mrs. Touchstone came to Gaza Strip and chose us. She was a member in an Association called Point Four. That Association helped developing countries in Education and Agriculture. Point four ended its work on 1961 and terminated our contracts. The Libyan government offered us a new contract but less salary than Point four. I signed the contract; however, prior to the beginning of the scholastic year I had another contract with the Kuwaiti Government. I had the opportunity to meet a Kuwaiti delegate on my way home from Libya to Gaza. The Kuwaiti delegate was in the Kuwait Embassy where contracts were being offered to new teachers; the next day I accepted their offer.
The first ten years, I taught English then I shifted to work as a Social Expert after I got my degree in Philosophy and Sociology in 1971 from Beirut University Bachelors in Philosophy and Social Studies from Regionally accreted Institution in the United State.. For the next twenty years I became a Senior Social Expert in Ahmadi Educational Area, but transferred later to the division of Social workers and Psychologists in the Education Department.
To my conviction, we lived happily in Kuwait; the Palestinians were sincere in their devotion, especially in the sector of education. They had good positions in the government and private sectors. Their happiness was evident in their success. Palestinians had influence in making decisions but from the back door. Some people exaggerate and say that Palestinians built Kuwait: I do not agree with them, I say that we shared in building Kuwait. We raised our children there in a very good environment. They taught, fed, and clothed our children in schools. In 1985 and on, life became difficult in Kuwait when they stopped all the privileges they gave before, the unemployment increased for the new graduates and lastly they ended our contracts after the Gulf war. The compensation for the termination was not fair, but we signed it. We lost the means of living. The number of unmarried girls increased; the family economy began to tremble.
We had no choice but to find another solution. Where ever we go, all doors were closed. The Arab States closed their boundaries. The only prospective was to immigrate to the United States of America because I had a son there; an American citizen. I immigrated on the 7th of December 1990. This was the third dispersion: the first one was in 1948 when we lost our properties, we lost our dignity, and we lost our Identity; the second was in 1967 when we were prevented to go back to Gaza after the Nakba (misfortune) war of June 1967, our bitterness increased and our hopes faded. We built a home in Kuwait, and now we built it in America. In 1990, our roots were plucked out and any chance of being close to Palestine vanished. The Arabs played a fundamental role in keeping us away. Going to America has its retrospection and subsequent results that contradicts with our culture and religion. America has proven to be a good place for my family, for now.
We are still in a difficult situation because we, the Palestinians, are unable to make effective decisions, we do not have a clear vision; a clear goal, approved by all without influence. Some say that they want piece, while others want to fight. Some insist on the legitimate right of return, and some are lenient to that cause. What about the settlements that spread all over Palestine What about the fate of Jerusalem We suffered a great deal; sixty years of torture and pain that is over whelming. Settling in America and accepting our fate as such, is accepting defeat and abandoning our roots. I want nothing more than the right to go back to my land and live among my people, my culture, and my religion. Is that too much to ask?