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I knew about this going into it and had my qualms.
Ive performed here many times, but I want to be asked back, so my careers at stake.
We laughed, and then I felt at ease.
I decided to play it by ear.
I went onstage and talked about silly stuff for five minutes.
A joke about my name.
Being a math major.
How Amazon trucks drive too fast for comfort.
Once the audience was on my side, I made the announcement: Im Palestinian American and proud.
It got tense for a little bit nearly everyone there knew the history between the organization and Palestine.
Prior to posting the bit, Id been hovering at 5,000 Twitter followers for nearly ten years.
Over the course of four days, my followers doubled.
It got nearly 1 million views.
My parents raised me and my sister apolitically.
Since I was 19, my family and I started going to rallies and hosting vigils.
Some of my family members got arrested a few times.
My dad was put on all sorts of lists.
He pays more rent, but Ive been there longer.
I told this joke onConanin 2013 and NBCsLast Comic Standingin 2015.
Wanda Sykes told me she selected me because of that joke, saying the world needed to hear it.
(I wish she said the same about my math jokes, but you cant win them all.)
A turning point came in 2014, when the siege on Gaza caught the worlds attention.
So my roommate and I releaseda sketch we had made in 2013.
So I kept writing.
In 2018, the story became topical again as Palestinians protested for their 70-year right of return.
And comedy is a vehicle for that.
Is the Israel-Palestine conflict complicated?
It absolutely is, because if it wasnt, it would be over by now.
But increasingly, Im also realizing that I have a goal.
In some sense, Ive always known it: I want the conflict to stop.
I want peace in Israel and Palestine.
I want all the complicated to be uncomplicated and solved to the best of our ability.
And sure, once theres peace in the Middle East, Ill go back to telling jokes about math.
