http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2011-05/14/c_13875068.htm

Palestinians rally to mark al-Nakba Day

English.news.cn 2011-05-14 22:04:00

by Emad Drimly, Saud Abu Ramadan

GAZA/RAMALLAH, May 14 (Xinhua) -- The Palestinians continued on Saturday to rally in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip to mark al- Nakba Day when thousands of Palestinians were forced to leave their homes during the Arab-Israeli war in 1948.

Dozens of Palestinian artists, members of the Palestinian Union of Artists rallied at the square of the Unknown Soldier in Gaza under the title "the artists' unity for return to Palestine." They waved Palestinian flags, carried banners and chanted slogans calling for the unity of the Palestinians and their identity.

During the rally, the artists performed before the crowds that manifested the Palestinian people's suffering at Israeli army roadblocks, in addition to other shows that talk about the right of return for Palestinian refugees. The rally of the artists turned into a mass demonstration.

"We came here to empower the Palestinian national unity and to tell the world that we are sticking to our right of return, which is a holy right and we will never step back," said Sa'eed Kurayem, chairman of the artist union, adding that "the reconciliation deal has to be protected and implemented."

Around 74 Italian activists, who arrived in Gaza on Friday, also joined the rally. They chanted in Italian "Freedom to Palestine." Islam Ayoob, one of the Palestinian artists, told Xinhua that the Palestinians should go on with their reconciliation and their unity "to achieve their goals."

In Gaza City, dozens of Islamic Hamas movement's supporters also rallied in the city to mark al-Nakba Day. They waved Palestinian flags and carried banners with names of the ruined Palestinian towns and villages, from which its inhabitants had escaped in 1948.

Ro'aa Aabed, a six-year-old girl, said that she heard from her grandfather about the city of Jaffa. She said that she dreamed of returning one day to the city where her grandfather grew up. Aabed and dozens of Gaza children wore the traditional Palestinian garments that are symbolic to the Palestinian heritage.

Meanwhile, the deposed premier of Hamas rule in Gaza Ismail Haneya called for a mass dawn prayers all over the Palestinian territories on Sunday to mark al-Nakba Day.

The Palestinians, who fled their homes during the war, lived in refugee camps in the neighboring countries of Syria, Jordan and Lebanon as well as in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem. Since then, they have been called the Palestinian refugees.

At a roadblock near the northern West Bank city of Tulkarem dozens of Palestinians also demonstrated to mark the day. They waved Palestinian flags and chanted slogans calling for the right of return for the Palestinian refugees and for the end of the Israeli occupation.

Khaled Mansour, a coordinator for the Popular Activities to Mark al-Nakba Day, told Xinhua that the demonstration "is expressing the Palestinian national unity and also to express the Palestinians commitment to gain their right of return and ending the military occupation of their lands."

However, witnesses said that the Palestinian police dispersed dozens of Palestinian demonstrators who tried to approach an Israeli roadblock in the area of Tulkarem. No violence or injuries were reported. The Palestinian police said they dispersed the protest to avoid possible violence with Israel.

Israel Radio quoted Adnan Damiri, spokesman for the Palestinian police, as saying that the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) is not interested in more violence with Israel and is not ready for confronting a third Intifada or Uprising.

Meanwhile, the foreign affairs department in Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) said in a press statement sent to reporters that the Palestinians are sticking to the right of return and to the implementation of all the international resolutions related to the Palestinian cause.

The secretariat of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC), the parliament of the PNA said in a press statement that "the Palestinians are certain that the refugees will be able one day to return to their homes they were forced to leave in 1948 when the state of Israel was established."

"Israel is fully responsible for the Palestinians' Nakba ( catastrophe) and the death of thousands of Palestinians since 1948 until now," said the PLC statement, adding that "Israel should give them their legitimate rights of freedom and independence."

PLEASE do not ignore the vital importance of FULLY respecting the Palestinian refugees very real right to return to original homes and lands

my most recent letter to my elected leaders sent via congress.org

http://www.congress.org/congressorg/bio/userletter/?id=3181&letter_id=6892755021

Dear President Obama,

The Palestinian refugees right of return is not only about what happened in 1948 and 1967 when huge numbers of Palestinian men, women and children were pushed out into forced exile.

The Palestinian refugees right of return is not simply about a distant yesterday.

The Palestinian refugees right of return is totally about today and tomorrow as Israel continues to usurp Palestinian land, rights, freedom and security in multiple ways.

Please do not let manipulative propagandists and clueless advisers push you into undermining universal basic human rights and a just and lasting peace in the Middle East... PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE do not ignore the vital importance of FULLY respecting the Palestinian refugees very real right to return to original homes and lands!

Obviously extremists and outsiders on both sides prefer to portray the Palestinian refugees right of return as something explosive, dangerous and subversive- and hate mongers do a great deal of harm to the idea by trying to turn it into a weapon and way to undermine international law and public support for a two state solution to once and for all end the Israel/Palestine conflict.

The real right of return is ALL about living by the Golden Rule & respecting universal basic human rights:

The real right of return is ALL about empowering peace with the rule of fair and just laws & true democracy here and now in today's world.

The real right of return is about working and living in peace- as a valued part of a diverse community... The real right of return is ALL about ending institutionalized bigotry, injustice and religious tyranny.

Open your mind and your heart and welcome home true return- not more forced transfer. Many, if not most Palestinian refugees will eventually chose to relocate to a real Palestinian state rather than be Israeli- but the refugees themselves need to be the ones that make that individual choice.

Don't let extremists, bigots, religious tyrants and useful idiots destroy civilization in the Holy Land: A fully secular two state solution with both Israel and Palestine doing all they can to honor and respect universal basic human rights (including but not limited to the Palestinian refugees right to return) to once and for ALL end the Israel/Palestine conflict really is the best way forward- for everyone's sake.

Sincerely,
Anne Selden Annab

Annie's New Letters

Growing Gardens for Palestine

What would you do if your citizenship were rejected once your passport expired?

http://www.thenational.ae/thenationalconversation/editorial/close-the-door-on-israels-land-grab

Close the door on Israel's land grab

National Editorial

Last Updated: May 13, 2011

What would you do if your citizenship were rejected once your passport expired?

Impossible, you would think - a travel document isn't your only, or even your primary, tie to your land of origin. But that was the fate of 140,000 Palestinians, as the Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz reported this week, when Israel quietly cancelled their West Bank residency status between 1967 and 1994. It was as if residents simply blinked out of existence when their travel documents expired.

This kind of immigration policy is not unheard of in other countries - many reserve the right to revoke the residency of a foreign national who has lived abroad for too long. But the West Bank is not a foreign country for Palestinians, nor should they be categorised as immigrants in their own land by an Israeli occupier.

And yet, such is the state of affairs west of the Jordan River, where dwindling water resources, land scarcity and soaring population growth have made the possibility of a viable Palestinian state seem more remote with each passing year.

For decades, Israel has pushed into Jerusalem and the West Bank without regard for international law. Western powers have turned a blind eye; the Palestinians' allies have objected with little effect.

But there is now a chance to close the door on that era of encroachment - and the stark evidence of Israel's strategy to rob Palestinians even of residency should provide further weight against it in the international arena. In September, the UN General Assembly will vote on recognition of a Palestinian state, a vote that will undoubtedly favour the Palestinians.

More needs to be done. We wonder what kind of Palestinian state can emerge as this unceasing march on what remain of Palestinian lands continues. This is not only a matter for the more than 100 countries who will vote in favour of recognition, but also Israel's patrons in the United States and Europe who have lent it a cloak of legitimacy.

Saeb Erekat, the former chief negotiator for the Palestinian Authority whose own brother had his residency revoked by this unjust policy, has called it a war crime and a "systematic policy of displacement". Given Israel's systematic plan of illegal colonisation, carried out as much by the wheels of bureaucracy as by soldiers on the streets, the world should listen to Mr Erekat's assessment.

Israel has to choose: Mideast peace or apartheid

"The choice is not between Hamas and Israel, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has suggested. The choice is between settlement-colonies or states: between accepting two states with the 1967 border outlining the shape of the future for Israelis and Palestinians where real peace is possible, or maintaining an apartheid regime that will define our relationship with Israelis as one of oppressor and oppressed. We have clearly made our choice; we are waiting for Israel to do the same.

Only days before our national reconciliation, Prime Minister Netanyahu complained to the international community regarding the lack of a unified Palestinian government. He asked, “Shall I make peace with Gaza or with the West Bank?” To Netanyahu we can now reply, “You shall make peace with the State of Palestine.” Netanyahu may persist to find excuses why he will not negotiate in good faith with us, and we will persist to take our case to the United Nations.

Gaza is not to be regained by bullets but by the ballot box. The way to peace is through reconciliation and democracy. I hope that Israelis and the international community will stand shoulder to shoulder with us in order to support peace and reconciliation between Palestinians and Israelis by ending the Israeli occupation and consolidating a sovereign Palestinian state in the 1967 border." Saeb Erakat, chief Palestinian negotiator.

Israel has to choose: Mideast peace or apartheid

Politico: George Mitchell's exit marks low point in peace process

"As for Mitchell’s legacy, his departure found observers on the region still debating whether the administration squandered a window of opportunity – or whether it never had one at all..."READ MORE

Israel has systematically exploited the resources of the Jordan Valley in the occupied West Bank, favouring settlers over Palestinians

A Palestinian farmer works on his irrigation system, supplied by water coming from a large tank built by the Palestinian Agricultural Relief to help farmers in the West Bank village of Tamun. Israel has systematically exploited the resources of the Jordan Valley in the occupied West Bank, favouring settlers over Palestinians, a report by Israeli rights group B'Tselem has found (AFP/Saif Dahlah)

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110512/wl_mideast_afp/israelpalestinianssettlerwaterrights

Israel exploits Jordan Valley, says rights group

– Thu May 12, 10:58 am ET

JERUSALEM (AFP) – Israel has systematically exploited the resources of the Jordan Valley in the occupied West Bank, favouring settlers over Palestinians, a report by Israeli rights group B'Tselem found on Thursday.

Entitled "Exploitation and Dispossession", the report found Israel dominated the land, water resources and even tourist sites along the strip of land which runs along the eastern flank of the West Bank, in what appeared to be a prelude to a de facto annexation of territory.

"Israel has instituted a regime that massively exploits the resources of the Jordan Valley and the northern Dead Sea, far more than elsewhere in the West Bank, demonstrating its intention: to de facto annex the area to the state of Israel," the rights group said.

"Israel has taken over most of the water sources in the area, allocating almost all derived water to settlements," it said, charging that such actions violated international law, which prohibits the exploitation of natural resources within an occupied territory.

B'Tselem said the 9,400 Jewish settlers living there were able to develop intensive agriculture because they received an annual water allocation of 45 million cubic metres -- almost a third of the quantity accessible to the West Bank's 2.5 million Palestinian residents.

"This generous water supply has enabled settlements to develop intensive-farming methods and to work the land all year round, with most of the produce being exported," it said.

At the same time, Israel's control of water sources in the area had depriving Palestinian farmers who had been forced to cut back.

"Due to the water shortage, Palestinians have been forced to neglect farm land that used to be cultivated and switch to growing less profitable crops," the report's authors wrote.

The study reviewed various measures used by Israel to take control of 77.5 percent of land in the Jordan Valley by declaring large swathes to be military firing zones, nature reserves or to be under state control.

Israel had also taken over most of the major tourist attractions in the area, such as the northern shores of the Dead Sea, the Qumran caves where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found and the springs on the Ein Fashkha reserve, allowing private Israeli businesses to profit from mineral extraction and tourism.

The report was hailed by Dr Shadad Attili, head of the Palestinian Water Authority who said the disparity in water allocation was a clear example of the "systemic inequalities" taking place under Israel?s occupation.

"The Jordan Valley serves as a microcosm of what is going on across the occupied Palestinian territory when it comes to Israel?s systematic exploitation of Palestinian water resources in violation of international law," Attili said in a statement, accusing Israel of using water "as a weapon to target some of the most vulnerable" Palestinians.

"Restrictions imposed by Israel on the amount of water Palestinians can access are part of a deliberate policy designed to put additional pressure on struggling Palestinian communities to leave their land," he charged.

The Jordan Valley, which was captured by Israel during the 1967 Six Day War along with the rest of the Palestinian territories, spans 1.6 million dunams and makes up 28.8 percent of the West Bank.

Statistics in the report show it is home to 65,000 Palestinians living in 29 communities, and around 15,000 Bedouins, while 9,400 settlers live in 37 settlements in the area (seven of them wildcat outposts).

Last month, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told AFP the Jewish state would insist on maintaining troops in the Jordan Valley in any peace agreement with the Palestinians, saying it would be crucial for Israel's future security.

But Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas completely rejected the idea, telling AFP last month that such a troop presence would torpedo the possibility of an independent state, and would effectively destroy his Palestinian Authority.

Palestinians demonstrate for refugees' right to return

http://world.globaltimes.cn/mid-east/2011-05/654691.html

Palestinians demonstrate for refugees' right to return

• Source: Xinhua
• [04:34 May 13 2011]

The West Bank and the Gaza Strip on Thursday witnessed demonstrations calling for the Palestinian refugees' right of return to their home as the Palestinians are to mark their 63th Nakba day on Sunday.

Nakba day, or "catastrophe day" in Arabic, is an annual Palestinian event to commemorate the creation of Israel in 1948.

Dozens of students demonstrated in Gaza City, where they took to the main streets and marched up to the local headquarters of the United Nations. The demonstrators rallied before the UN headquarters and called for urgent international movement to enable the Palestinians to return home.

They waved Palestinian flags, held banners with the names of the Palestinian towns and villages they left in 1948 during the Arab-Israeli war, when the state of Israel was established, and wore traditional garments that show the Palestinian history of each village and town.

The young demonstrators handed a written letter to the UN officials at the building, urging the UN to help the Palestinians resolve their 63-year issue by finding a just and fair solution that enables the Palestinian people to gain freedom, independence and compensation.

"The Palestinians would never be able to build up their future elsewhere, except in Palestine. Palestine is the land of their fathers and ancestors," said the letter, adding that "the right of return for the Palestinians who were forced to leave their towns is a right that can never be dropped."

Meanwhile, hundreds of Palestinians demonstrated in the West Bank city of Bethlehem. Waving Palestinian flags and chanting slogans demanding the Palestinians' right to return, the demonstrators marched towards the church of Nativity in the town, as an announcement of launching a series of peaceful protests to mark the Nakba day.

Mohamed al-Lahham, a member of the popular committee to revive the Nakba day, told the protestors that the right of return is a legitimate right that can never be dropped or changed.

Similar demonstrations were also staged in the West Bank city of Jenin and Tulkarem, with leaders and representatives of various political powers and factions, including the rival movements Fatah and Hamas, participating.

Qais Abdel-Karim, a member of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP), told the rally that peace in the region "can never be achieved without giving the Palestinian people their legitimate right, mainly their freedom and independence."

The Palestinian Forum for the Right of Return had earlier called on the Palestinians to demonstrate across the Palestinian territories and abroad, mainly on May 15, the Nakba day.

Israel announced Wednesday that its army forces were preparing for possible confrontations during the Palestinian demonstrations on the day.

Israeli Radio reported that the Israeli army chief Beni Gants had held a meeting with the commanders in the West Bank to study the means of dealing with the protests. According to the Radio, the Israeli army is preparing for various scenarios.

The Palestinian refugees, who have been living in poor conditions in refugee camps on the Palestinian territories or Arab countries like Lebanon, Syria and Jordan since 1948, mark the Nakba Day every year by rallies and protests for their right to return.

A Palestinian refugee signs a banner that reads "Yes to return" during a demonstration to mark the 63rd anniversary of "Nakba'" Arabic for "Catastrophe", the term used to mark the events leading to Israel's founding in 1948, in Shouneh west of Amman May 13, 2011. Nearly 5,000 Jordanians gathered in the Jordan Valley near the Israeli border to demand an end to the occupation of Palestinian territories. REUTERS/Muhammad Hamed (JORDAN - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST ANNIVERSARY)

Residents stand near a big Jordanian national flag as they watch a demonstration to mark the 63rd anniversary of 'Nakba' in Shouneh, west of Amman May 13, 2011. Nearly 5,000 Jordanians gathered in the Jordan Valley near the Israeli border to demand an end to the occupation of Palestinian territories. Nakba, Arabic for "Catastrophe", is the term used to mark the events leading to Israel's founding in 1948 REUTERS/Muhammad Hamed (JORDAN - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST)

Nakba' rally : A Palestinian refugee with her national flag painted on her face attends a rally marking the "Nakba" which befell Palestinians following Israel's establishment in 1948, in Shuneh, west of Amman. (AFP/Khalil Mazraawi)

Egyptian demonstrators hold the flags of Arab nations at Cairo's Tahrir Square. Thousands of people rallied in Cairo's Tahrir Square on Friday calling for national unity, after attacks on Egyptian churches, and for solidarity with the Palestinians.(AFP/Khaled Desouki)

Palestinian farmers harvest wheat during harvest season, on a farm near the West Bank city of Jenin, Wednesday, May 11, 2011.(AP Photo/Mohammed Ballas)

A girl runs past a Palestinian flag spray painted on a wall in the Balata refugee camp, near the West Bank city of Nablus May 11, 2011. Palestinians will mark "Nakba" (Catastrophe) on May 15 to commemorate the expulsion or fleeing of some 700, 000 Palestinians from their homes in the war that led to the founding of Israel in 1948. REUTERS/Abed Omar Qusini (WEST BANK - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST ANNIVERSARY)

Boys run past a wall with a painting of the Dome of the Rock, in the Balata refugee camp, near the West Bank city of Nablus May 11, 2011. The Dome of the Rock is located in Jerusalem's Old City and is on the compound known to Muslims as al-Haram al-Sharif, and to Jews as Temple Mount. Palestinians will mark "Nakba" (Catastrophe) on May 15 to commemorate the expulsion or fleeing of some 700,000 Palestinians from their homes in the war that led to the founding of Israel in 1948 REUTERS/Abed Omar Qusini (WEST BANK - Tags: SOCIETY POLITICS)

Palestinian refugee Mohamed Harb holds a key he says belongs to a house his family was forced to flee 63 years ago, as he poses for a photograph at his house in the Balata refugee camp near the West Bank city of Nablus May 11, 2011. Palestinians will mark "Nakba" (Catastrophe) on May 15 to commemorate the expulsion or fleeing of some 700, 000 Palestinians from their homes in the war that led to the founding of Israel in 1948. REUTERS/Abed Omar Qusini (WEST BANK - Tags: POLITICS SOCIETY)

An elderly Palestinian man holds up a key as he speaks on behalf of Palestinian refugees during a rally marking the upcoming 63rd anniversary of the Nakba, or catastrophe, the Arabic term used to describe the uprooting of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians with the 1948 creation of the state of Israel, in Rafah refugee camp, southern Gaza Strip, Wednesday, May 11, 2011. (AP Photo/Adel Hana)

A Palestinian worker examines posters for the upcoming 63rd anniversary of the Nakba, or catastrophe, the Arabic term used to describe the uprooting of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians with the 1948 creation of the state of Israel, at a print workshop in the Balata refugee camp, in the West Bank city of Nablus, Wednesday, May 11, 2011. The poster reads Dear Haifa, We are returning. A Palestinian refugee. (AP Photo/Nasser Ishtayeh)

A Palestinian refugee holds a handmade symbolize key to his family houses left by Palestinians in 1948, during a rally marking the 63nd anniversary of the 'Nakba,' Arabic for catastrophe, in Rafah refugee camp, southern Gaza Strip, Wednesday, May 11, 2011. The rally marked the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians who either fled or were driven out of their homes during the 1948 war over Israel's creation. (AP Photo/Adel Hana)

Palestinian refugee Shaher Al-Khatib, 71, holds a handmade symbolic key to his family houses left by relatives in 1948, during a rally marking the 63rd anniversary of the 'Nakba', Arabic for catastrophe, in the village of Alberrj near Ramallah , Wednenday, May 11, 2011. Palestinians mark the day when many thousands were forced to leave their ancestral homes during the creation of the state of Israel in 1948. (AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed)

Palestinian school girls paint a scene, symbolically depicting the 'Nakba', or 'Catastrophe', the term used to mark the events leading to Israel's founding in 1948, during an activity in the West Bank city of Ramallah, Thursday, May 12, 2011. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were uprooted in the 1948 war that led to Israel's creation. (AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed)

Palestinian women wearing traditional dresses salute as they sing the national anthem during a festival to commemorate Nakba in Beirut May 12, 2011. Palestinians will mark "Nakba" (Catastrophe) on May 15 to commemorate the expulsion or fleeing of some 700, 000 Palestinians from their homes in the war that led to the founding of Israel in 1948. REUTERS/ Sharif Karim (LEBANON - Tags: ANNIVERSARY CIVIL UNREST POLITICS SOCIETY)

A Palestinian woman wearing a traditional dress take part in a festival to commemorate Nakba in Beirut May 12, 2011. Palestinians will mark "Nakba" (Catastrophe) on May 15 to commemorate the expulsion or fleeing of some 700, 000 Palestinians from their homes in the war that led to the founding of Israel in 1948. REUTERS/ Sharif Karim (LEBANON - Tags: ANNIVERSARY CIVIL UNREST POLITICS SOCIETY)

A Palestinian boy holds a symbolic key to the house his family left in the 1948 war, as others wear headbands with the Arabic term 'We are coming back', during a rally marking the 63rd anniversary of the 'Nakba', or 'Catastrophe', in Gaza City, Thursday, May 12, 2011. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were uprooted in the 1948 war that led to Israel's creation. (AP Photo/Adel Hana)

Palestinian girls hold signs with names of communities uprooted in the 1948 war, during a rally marking the 63rd anniversary of the 'Nakba', or 'Catastrophe', in Gaza City, Thursday, May 12, 2011. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were uprooted in the 1948 war that led to Israel's creation. (AP Photo/Adel Hana)

Palestinians, one holding key symbolizing the right of return of refugees, and others waving Palestinian flags take part in a demonstration to mark the 63rd anniversary of 'Nakba', Arabic for 'Catastrophe', the term used to mark the events leading to Israel's founding in 1948, in Manger Square outside the Church of Nativity in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Thursday, May 12, 2011. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were uprooted in the 1948 war that led to Israel's creation. (AP Photo/Nasser Shiyoukhi)

Palestinians, one holding a giant key symbolizing the right of return of refugees, take part in a demonstration to mark the 63rd anniversary of 'Nakba', Arabic for 'Catastrophe', the term used to mark the events leading to Israel's founding in 1948, in Manger Square outside the Church of Nativity in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Thursday, May 12, 2011. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were uprooted in the 1948 war that led to Israel's creation. (AP Photo/Nasser Shiyoukhi)

Egyptians carry a giant Palestinian flag during a protest against Israel's closure of Gaza as they march at Tahrir Square, the focal point of Egyptian uprising, in Cairo, Egypt Friday, May 13, 2011. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)

Egyptians gather around a Palestinian flag during a protest against Israel's closure of Gaza at Tahrir Square, the focal point of Egyptian uprising, in Cairo, Egypt, Friday, May 13, 2011. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)

A protester flashes the victory sign as he holds a Palestinian flag at Tahrir Square in Cairo May 13, 2011. Thousands of Egyptians took to the streets on Friday to push their military rulers to do more to help Palestinians following the overthrow of the country's president Hosni Mubarak. The gatherings in Cairo, Alexandria and El-Arish come amidst preparations by activists to organise a march to the Gaza Strip on Sunday, May 15 -- which Palestinians mark as the anniversary of their 1948 displacement following the establishment of Israel. Egyptian authorities have banned the march, saying the timing was inappropriate given sectarian tensions in Egypt. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh (EGYPT - Tags: CIVIL UNREST POLITICS)

Palestinians hold a giant key symbolizing the right of return during a demonstration to mark the 63rd anniversary of 'Nakba', Arabic for 'Catastrophe', the term used to mark the events leading to Israel's founding in 1948, during the weekly demonstration against Israel's separation barrier in the West Bank village of Bilin, near Ramallah, Friday, May 13 , 2011. (AP Photo/Nasser Ishtayeh)

Palestinians carry symbolic bundles as they march during a rally organized by the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine marking the 63rd anniversary of the Nakba in Beirut, Lebanon, Friday, May 13, 2011. The Nakba, or catastrophe, is the Arabic term used to describe the uprooting of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians with the 1948 creation of the state of Israel. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

A Palestinian refugee holds a key symbolize the right of return of refugees, during a demonstration to mark the 63rd anniversary of 'Nakba', Arabic for 'Catastrophe', the term used to mark the events leading to Israel's founding in 1948, in Shouneh west of Amman, Jordan, Friday, May 13, 2011. Nearly 5,000 Jordanians gathered in the Jordan Valley near the Israeli border to demand an end to the occupation of Palestinian territories. (AP Photo/Nader daoud)

Jordanian children hold a huge kefiyah, a traditional Palestinian scarf, during a demonstration to mark the 63rd anniversary of 'Nakba', Arabic for 'catastrophe', the term used to mark the events leading to Israel's founding in 1948, in Amman, Jordan, Friday, May 13, 2011. About 500 protesters marched in Amman's downtown market district Friday also demanding an end to Jordan's 1994 peace treaty with Israel and the expulsion of the Israeli ambassador. (AP Photo/Raad Adayleh)

A Palestinian refugee holds a giant key symbolizing the right of return of refugees during a demonstration to mark the 63rd anniversary of "Nakba", Arabic for "Catastrophe", the term used to mark the events leading to Israel's founding in 1948, in Shouneh west of Amman May 13, 2011. Nearly 5,000 Jordanians gathered in the Jordan Valley near the Israeli border to demand an end to the occupation of Palestinian territories. The script on the key reads: "We went out a small family but we will get back millions". REUTERS/Muhammad Hamed (JORDAN - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST ANNIVERSARY)

A Palestinian holds an iron key symbolizing homes people lost in 1948 when the Jewish state of Israel was created, during a gathering to mark the 63rd anniversary of the "Nakba" in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip. Israeli forces prepare to take position during clashes with Palestinian youths in east Jerusalem. (AFP/Said Khatib)

A Palestinian refugee holds a giant key to symbolize the right of return of refugees during a demonstration to mark the 63rd anniversary of "Nakba", Arabic for "Catastrophe", the term used to mark the events leading to Israel's founding in 1948, in Shouneh west of Amman May 13, 2011. Nearly 5,000 Jordanians gathered in the Jordan Valley near the Israeli border to demand an end to the occupation of Palestinian territories. REUTERS/Muhammad Hamed (JORDAN - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST ANNIVERSARY)

A Palestinian refugee holds a giant key to symbolize the right of return of refugees during a demonstration to mark the 63rd anniversary of "Nakba", Arabic for "Catastrophe", the term used to mark the events leading to Israel's founding in 1948, in Shouneh west of Amman May 13, 2011. Nearly 5,000 Jordanians gathered in the Jordan Valley near the Israeli border to demand an end to the occupation of Palestinian territories REUTERS/Muhammad Hamed (JORDAN - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST)

The Agenda - Broadcast - Arab Spring: No Thaw for Israel?

The Agenda - Broadcast - Arab Spring: No Thaw for Israel?

Ibtisam Barakat: When Palestine is Free I will . . .

Ibtisam Barakat

When Palestine is Free I will . . .
حين تتحرر فلسطين احب ان انظم مهرجانا سنويا "للكعك والفلافل" في مدينة القدس لكل أطفال فلسطين -- ابتسام بركات 2011
ابتسام في القدس -- نيسان 2011 -- عدسة نيفين شاهين

When Palestine is Free I will . . .
...By Ibtisam Barakat

When Palestine is free the first thing I will do is establish an annual sesame-cake and falafel feast to be held for all Palestinian children on the streets of Jerusalem.

Two weeks ago I visited Palestine for an author tour in various Palestinian cities. I asked the students in the 6th grade in some schools this question: what will you feel when the occupation is over and Palestine is free? They complained that they could not imagine that freedom. There were too many hostile images that came at them -- soldiers, checkpoints, tanks and many fears.

And when I said freedom can happen only if you imagine it first, vividly, and that imagining our dreams is not a luxury but the first step toward them.. that it requires resistance too of all the hostile images inside.. at that point the children closed their eyes with heart-breaking child defiance and began an inner fight for the feeling of freedom in themselves.

And they began to speak of their dreams and rescue their hopes. Their voices rose above their silence telling what freedoms they just arrived at. Mostly, and before anything, the 6th graders of Palestine wanted to go to the city of Jerusalem. Under occupation, only a few miles away from their cities, Jerusalem is an entire map of freedom away. Most of them had not seen Jerusalem all their young lives..

They hear about it daily, and love it and dream of it and some have relatives living there too. And from stories, they know of the carts on Salah Eddin Street that sell sesame cake and falafel. They are as famous for for children as the Jerusalem ancient walls and the churches and the mosques.

So when Palestine is liberated I will establish an annual sesame-cake and falafel festival on the streets of Jerusalem for all Palestinian children.

First we will eat and dance and run and touch everything in the city like it touched us for lifetimes. And then I will ask them about history and how the occupation used to be. I dream that they will say that they can't imagine the occupation anymore, and that they cannot imagine being anything but free.. that the space in their infinite minds is filled with freedom and its possibilities.

And I imagine we will discuss history, imagined and real; freedom, imagined and real, and Jerusalem, the city to which the Rahbani brothers wrote: "our eyes travel toward you daily. They wander in the hallways of your temples.." And I will add the hallways of the temples of our heads, where our imagination and reality begin, bringing to life thoughtfulness, kindness and the beauty of transcendence.

Ibtisam Barakat 2011

Ibtisam Barakat At the Read Everywhere Awards Ceremony for Children Literature in Arabic. Cairo, Egypt, April 14, 2011

Spring has sprungA girl collects spring flowers at the Khiam village valley, near the Israeli border in south Lebanon, on April 27. Jamal Saidi/Reuters

My letter to San Francisco Chronicle RE Israel's obstacles to peace hurt U.S.

RE: Israel's obstacles to peace hurt U.S. by Richard North Patterson
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/05/08/INRD1JA1TN.DTL&ao=all

Dear Editor,

In Jerusalem alone, and only since 1967, one by one Israeli authorities have revoked the residency rights for more than 14,466 indigenous Palestinians in an ongoing effort to make Jerusalem "Jewish". Richard North Patterson under the pretense of advocating peace wants to help Israel continue on with this myopically cruel and counterproductive trend of investing in institutionalized bigotry by convincing us that the "Palestinians must accept that there will be no huge repatriation of Palestinian refugees and their descendants."

Any one who has seriously studied this problem knows that a refugee's right to return is a universal basic human right already very much honored and implemented since 1948. One obvious precedent is the fact that Jewish victims of the Nazi Holocaust have been reclaiming property usurped, as well as citizenship and the freedom to work and travel all through out Europe.

Today is Mother's Day here in America. I live in community and a country where it does not matter what my religion is, and I am free to travel across town to have brunch with my daughter in her home. Yesterday I was free to travel to another state to my son's college to cheer his team on. I do not have to worry about my home being usurped in my absence, or my daughter's home being bulldozed, or our residency rights being taken away. That is what the right of return is all about- the rule of fair and just laws empowering decency, dignity, peace, security, possibility and progress for ALL the people.

Currently religious extremists and hate mongers on both sides of the Israel/Palestine conflict are thriving, as are pessimists. Time will only make matters worse: A fully secular two state solution based on honestly respecting universal basic human rights (including but not limited to the Palestinian refugees' very real right to return to original homes and lands) to once and for all end the ongoing insanity and extremism of the Israel/Palestine conflict really is the best way forward- for everyone's sake.

Sincerely,
Anne Selden Annab

Growing Gardens for Palestine