George Hincapie Rides for Racism but George Zeidan Ran for Freedom
By: Michael Springmann/Arab America Contributing Writer
Huh? George Hincapie, a former professional bicycle racer, heavily promotes his sale and use of Israeli-made Everysight Raptor Smart Glasses. They’re the US $649 eyewear designed to allow the biker to utilize a Heads-Up Display of such things as emails, heart rate, gyroscope, and barometer. The “sports” equipment is a spin-off from a major Israeli weapons-maker. Every dollar spent on them is a dollar spent on strengthening the Zionist war machine’s racism.
George Zeidan, on the other hand, runs for freedom. As a participant in the New York City Marathon, November 4, 2018, his goal was to raise money for UNRWA, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency. That organization provides food, health care, and education to more than 5 million Palestinian refugees the Zionists ethnically cleansed from their homeland during and after 1948. The other 49,999 runners were in the Marathon for sport. The media focused on the Kenyans and Ethiopians, and there was no mention of Zeidan. But George Zeidan was there to call attention to the American government’s canceling its contributions to UNRWA’s budget. Last year, the U.S. provided it $364 million, funding almost 30% of that agency’s operations in the region.
Finishing in four hours Zeidan raised $5,600 for UNRWA, as he put it, “This event is fascinating. It brings people together from all backgrounds and is a great platform to raise awareness of meaningful causes like the UNRWA.”
Who is this runner? Mr. Zeidan is one committed individual. He is committed to Palestine, he is committed to running, he is committed to his Fulbright scholarship. A Palestinian refugee born in al-Quds (Jerusalem), he managed to leave and attend college in North Carolina, the Tar Heel State. Isolated and ostracized as an Ayrab, he, nevertheless, found friends who introduced him to running. Back in Palestine, he began the country’s first community-based running club in Bethlehem.
Attracting 300 members, Mr. Zeidan moved on, co-founding the Right To Movement Palestine Marathon, the only marathon in the world where runners do four laps on the same 10-km path due to lack of space and movement restrictions.
Returning to the United States for Fulbright–funded master’s degree studies, Zeidan focused on using his legs to bring attention to social justice in Palestine.
Targeting the large, visible Marathon in the Big Apple, the passionate Palestinian ran the 26.2 miles (42 km) to raise money for UNRWA, to stave off a potential humanitarian disaster among Palestinians, and to forestall the destabilization that would inevitably ensue should UNRWA shut down.
This is Burj al-Barajneh “Refugee” Camp in Beirut–with UNRWA support. Photo J. Michael Springmann
For more information, go to the Right to Movement Palestine Facebook page. As the page notes “We run to tell a different story.”
Michael Springmann is an attorney, author, political commentator, and former diplomat. He has written Visas for Al Qaeda: CIA Handouts That Rocked The World and a second book Goodbye, Europe? Hello, Chaos? Merkel’s Migrant Bomb. Both are available on Amazon. The books’ website is: www.michaelspringmann.com