(Chicago) – The Palestine Liberation Organization’s Representative to the US, Afif Safieh spoke about “Hopes Deferred, Hopes Renewed” as part of a benefit dinner for North Park University’s Center for Middle Eastern Studies.

By, Noala Guerra

Whenever I move to a new place I remember my dreams better. This morning I had a dream that I was on the beach in the summer in my city of Boston with my family in the future. Suddenly, a bunch of helicopters came & started dropping bombs on us, I was wounded in the back, covering my family, who thankfully were spared, I survived, but dozens perished, like on the attack on civilians in the beach in Gaza, this was not like the attack on the USS Liberty off the coast of Egypt in 1967 by Israel, this was a deliberate attack on civilians like Israel has done so many times with our weapons on their Arab neighbors & those that defend them, the attack on our ship was to make it look like the Egyptians did it, to prevent peace like always, shooting at our sailors as they swam in the Mare Nostrum, many of them perished or wounded, as they were stranded. Soon after it was covered up by our government, like by Senator McCain who continues to block investigations all these years later, who called it a accident. Attacks by Israel on civilians are far greater.

It was meant to be a joke and it got a big laugh from TV host Tavis Smiley when his guest, political pundit Andy Borowitz quipped, “George Bush plans to withdraw all his troops from Iraq – to Iran. That’s the plan - the exit strategy.”

With Anti-Palestinian economic sanctions, daily massacres of Palestinian civilians, and the likes of Avigdor Leiberman, Israel's newly appointed "Minister for Strategic Threats” urging Israel to assassinate the entire (elected into office) Hamas leadership, Mohammed Alatar’s documentary, “The Iron Wall” has emerged to shed light into the impact of Israel’s extremely dark and dank body politic. The Iron Wall is not only a New York Times Critic’s pick, President Jimmy Carter who is himself under attack for his courageous book, “Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid,” has praised the film. According to Carter, “The Iron Wall” is “the best description of the barrier, it’s routing and impact.”

For those who inhabit Tinseltown and its environs as Mel Gibson does, there’s one site that is as famous to locals as Hollywood and Vine is to tourists - the Temple of the Arts in Beverly Hills.