My letter to the Washington Post RE The Palestine Romney doesn’t know by Zahi Khouri

Painting By Ismail Shammout

RE:  The Palestine Romney doesn’t know by Zahi Khouri
http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-palestine-romney-doesnt-know/2012/08/09/5de0bcdc-e235-11e1-98e7-89d659f9c106_story.html

Dear Editor,

Delighted to see "The Palestine Romney doesn’t know" by Zahi Khouri in the Washington Post, providing a revealing glimpse of Palestine's rich heritage, dignity and potential- as well as calmly explaining an utterly outrageous and cruel man made situation so that more Americans might better understand the very real plight and suffering of the Palestinians.

Politicians, religious leaders, pundits and propagandists worldwide who use the Israel-Palestine conflict to raise rage and funds only make matters worse and the conflict more entrenched by empowering various hate mongering extremists, bigots, militants, terrorists and criminals preying on both sides. 

Religion should be a personal private matter, not a state funded project.  Tax payers here and there should not be forced to subsidize religious 'scholars' and schemes. 

Israel and Palestine as two fully sovereign secular Golden Rule nation-states living side by side in peace to once and for all end the Israel-Palestine conflict give both Israelis and Palestinians, individually and collectively, a chance to build a promising future for all their children (individually and collectively), generating good role models and positive ramifications for all their neighbors...  Full respect for international law and universal basic human rights can and will help make that happen.

Sincerely,
Anne Selden Annab

NOTES
Karima Aboud the First Photographer in Palestine
 
Another Look at Palestinian Culture:"Palestinians deserve the opportunity they've been denied for so long, to build their own state and develop their culture in independence and freedom"

PBS Convenes Nat’l Dialogue on Arab Americans... & Shadid Remembered at Book Awards

International Day of Peace... Anyone, anywhere can celebrate Peace Day: September 21, annually

Dr. Salam Fayyad, Palestinian Prime Minister: Inscribing Bethlehem on the World Heritage List... This Week in Palestine

Talal Siam- Palestinian Calligrapher... in This Week in Palestine

Abbas says going to UN even if it conflicts with others' interests

When Israeli bulldozers arrived to demolish her home, 14-year-old Palestine refugee Salha Hamadin called on her pet Hantush to take her somewhere far away until they finished.

Violent attacks by settlers on Palestinians and their property, mosques and farmland had increased by 150% over the past year.

Palestinian officials point out that US Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney is undermining peace... "What this man [Mitt Romney] is doing here is just promoting extremism, violence and hatred"

'Separate and Unequal' is Unacceptable to Palestinians

"If you have to modify it, it isn't really a democracy."

Romney Versus the World Bank

World Bank says Palestinian economy unsustainable noting that "Israeli restrictions remain the biggest impediment to investing, creating high uncertainty and risk"

Do you support as a solution to this conflict the emergence of a fully sovereign state of Palestine on the territory occupied in 1967, including East Jerusalem? Yes or no?

Demographics should be a research tool, not a national policy shaping institutionalized bigotry and injustice.

********

The Office of International Religious Freedom ( http://www.state.gov/j/drl/irf/ )  Given the U.S. commitment to religious freedom, and to the international covenants that guarantee it as the inalienable right of every human being, the United States seeks to:

Promote freedom of religion and conscience throughout the world as a fundamental human right and as a source of stability for all countries

Palestinian Refugees (1948-NOW) refused their right to return... and their right to live in peace free from religious bigotry and injustice.

Refugees and the Right of Return: "Palestinian refugees must be given the option to exercise their right of return (as well as receive compensation for their losses arising from their dispossession and displacement) though refugees may prefer other options such as: (i) resettlement in third countries, (ii) resettlement in a newly independent Palestine (even though they originate from that part of Palestine which became Israel) or (iii) normalization of their legal status in the host country where they currently reside. What is important is that individual refugees decide for themselves which option they prefer - a decision must not be imposed upon them."

"It is in Israel's vital interest to come to a complete resolution of the conflict between it and the Palestinian people sooner rather than later, relieving the weight of this tragic conflict from both of our peoples' shoulders. We owe it to ourselves. We owe it to the world." Maen Rashid Areikat: The Time for a Palestinian State Is Now

"Where, after all, do universal human rights begin? In small places, close to home - so close and so small that they cannot be seen on any maps of the world. Yet they are the world of the individual person; the neighborhood he lives in; the school or college he attends; the factory, farm, or office where he works. Such are the places where every man, woman, and child seeks equal justice, equal opportunity, equal dignity without discrimination. Unless these rights have meaning there, they have little meaning anywhere. Without concerted citizen action to uphold them close to home, we shall look in vain for progress in the larger world."Eleanor Roosevelt

The Golden Rule... Do unto others as you would have them do unto you

2012 Stream ATFP's Middle East News: World Press Round up and stay up to date with the latest news concerning the Isareli-Palestinian issue.

Zahi Khouri: The Palestine Romney doesn’t know

Israel's military occupation blocks the economic, political and social potential of Palestine.

AS ALWAYS PLEASE GO TO THE LINK TO READ GOOD ARTICLES IN FULL: HELP SHAPE ALGORITHMS (and conversations) THAT EMPOWER DECENCY, DIGNITY, JUSTICE & PEACE... and hopefully Palestine]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-palestine-romney-doesnt-know/2012/08/09/5de0bcdc-e235-11e1-98e7-89d659f9c106_story.html

I am a proud American. I am a hardworking businessman and job creator. I am a faithful Christian. 

And I am Palestinian.

Much as my multiple identities might drive Mitt Romney to head scratching, it is he who needs a lesson in, to borrow his recent words, “culture and a few other things.”

Were he to spend a day with me in the Holy Land, I could take him to the Jerusalem neighborhood where my family home has stood for five centuries. I could show him the orange trees in Jaffa that my family helped introduce to the world in the 1930s.

That’s right: Jaffa oranges are a Palestinian, not Israeli, trademark. Yet like so many “cultural” markers claimed by the self-professed Jewish state, even the fruit trees my people have tended for centuries have been expropriated.

Romney might be duped into thinking that oranges, falafel and hummus — staples of Palestinian cuisine for generations — are Israeli products. But how dare he claim that a state built at the expense of another people’s history and accomplishments is guided by “the hand of providence”?

Israel did not make the desert bloom. Instead, thanks to a deal struck with the British viceroys of Mandate Palestine, it made away with a land, a set of institutions and, indeed, a culture that was not its own.

It did so at the expense of my people. Like more than three-quarters of Palestine’s population, my family was forced to leave this land after Israel’s creation in 1948. Even though we had to abandon our successful businesses and centuries-old homes, however, we did not become the “uncultured” victims that Romney’s caricature suggests.

Most of us went to other Arab countries, where Palestinians became known for our business acumen and management know-how, and helped to build nascent private and public sectors. Ask our fellow Arabs in Lebanon, Jordan or elsewhere in the Persian Gulf region and they will tell you: Palestinian culture, with its premium on education and hard work, has been a force for hope, development and prosperity.

Despite their circumstances, Palestinians living under Israel’s brutal occupation share the same culture and proudly claim the same remarkable achievements. I ...READ MORE

Karima Aboud the First Photographer in Palestine

Karima Aboud (1894-1955)

  Karima was born in Bethlehem. Her father was Pastor Said Aboud, pastor of the Lutheran Church in Bethlehem. She is considered the first photographer in Palestine, and perhaps the first in the Arab world .  Palestinian Surprises

Karima Aboud the First Photographer in Palestine

Another Look at Palestinian Culture

"Palestinians deserve the opportunity they've been denied for so long, to build their own state and develop their culture in independence and freedom"

 by Dr. Ziad Asali, President, American Task Force on Palestine

[AS ALWAYS PLEASE GO TO THE LINK TO READ GOOD ARTICLES IN FULL: HELP SHAPE ALGORITHMS (and conversations) THAT EMPOWER DECENCY, DIGNITY, JUSTICE & PEACE... and hopefully Palestine]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ziad-j-asali-md/another-look-at-palestini_b_1760294.html

Given the current conversation about issue of Palestinian culture and its relationship to politics and economics, I feel it's appropriate for me to add my own Palestinian-American perspective.

Palestinian culture has developed in the broader Arab, and more specifically Levantine, contexts. Contemporary Palestinian Arabs are among the primary, although not the sole, heirs of the accumulation of history in their land, including prehistoric, ancient, biblical and Jewish, Roman, Islamic, Crusader, Ottoman and British periods. Their distinct national identity emerged contemporaneously with and parallel to the Israeli identity and Zionist movement. Palestinians differ from other Arabs culturally in many ways, but within different localities they also differ from each other.

It is the experiences of the 20th century, particularly the British mandate, the encounter with Zionism and Israel, and the often tense interaction with other Arab societies and states that has given the Palestinians their distinctive national culture. The persistence of the Palestinian issue for so many decades reflects the tenacity and resilience of their national identity and culture.

The Palestinian quest for excellence in education isn't culturally hardwired or built into their DNA. It is rather the specific byproduct of the Palestinian experience in the past century. Palestinians, particularly of my generation, were forced to confront a reality without national institutions to rely on. Our parents and we knew, after the Nakba in 1948, that we had few real alternatives other than education in making our way in the world.

The Palestinian spirit of entrepreneurship has been reflected around the region and the globe, and continues to resiliently operate in both the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. This entrepreneurship and the knowledge-set acquired through intensive education significantly contributed to the whole region in the 50s-70s as Palestinians helped to develop many Arab societies.

As former president Bill Clinton noted in 2011, Palestinians "have done remarkably well outside their country. I have never met a poor Palestinian in the United States; every Palestinian I know is a college professor or a doctor." This is not to say, of course, that all Palestinians belong to an elite group. But it does mean that there are other explanations for a struggling Palestinian economy in the occupied territories than simply the Palestinian mentality.

Every serious study of the Palestinian economy has noted the deeply onerous effects of the restrictions of the Israeli occupation. Without them, there is no question that Palestinians would be faring better.

During the first Intifada that began 1987 and the second that began in 2000, education among Palestinians was significantly disrupted and has not yet fully recovered. A World Bank report issued on July 25 recognized the centrality of occupation restrictions to hampering the development of a more robust Palestinian economy, but it also emphasized the need for Palestinians to revamp their educational system to better prepare their people for private-sector employment.

Like most of the Arab, and much of the developing, world, Palestinian education tends to emphasize rote learning rather than fostering analytical skills and critical thinking. Prime Minister Salam Fayyad recognized this in an important speech on education he gave on August 8, 2010, in which he said the educational system in the West Bank should focus on critical thinking, language skills and combating fanaticism.

Palestinian politics has, not surprisingly, mirrored that of other Arab societies and included elements of patronage, corruption, and a lack of transparency and accountability. But since at least the 1970s there has been an active and dynamic Palestinian civil society that was unusual in most of the Arab world. This relative political pluralism and openness, however imperfect, may be among the key reasons that Palestinians have not experienced their own uprising during the current "Arab Spring." And importantly it was the Palestinians themselves who began seriously tackling problems with governance and emphasizing self-reliance, particularly through the state and institution building program launched in 2009.

Even before the "Arab Spring," serious reforms aimed at good governance, transparency and accountability were underway in one of the most unlikely Arab contexts: the occupied West Bank. The institution-building program led by Fayyad still stands as one of the most thoroughgoing efforts at reform in the Arab world and anticipated many of the key demands that erupted throughout the region in the past 18 months. Palestinian society is currently the scene of a wide-ranging set of debates about the role government, the rights and responsibilities of citizens, and the quality of private and public institutions. This debate should be acknowledged and encouraged.

Over the past 30 years, the rise of religious fanaticism in some parts of Palestinian society, mirroring that in the broader Arab world as well as among Jewish Israelis, has also undermined healthy social, cultural and educational attitudes. However, such fanaticism does not define the Palestinian mainstream or essential national culture. To the contrary, most Palestinians, while devout and socially conservative, remain essentially secular and fundamentally worldly.

Palestinians are no better or worse than any other group of human beings. They've reacted to a series of harsh developments over the past century much as any other group of people probably would have. As long as they remain without a country in which they can be first class citizens, this will continue to hamper their economic viability and stunt the development of their society and institutions. Palestinians deserve the opportunity they've been denied for so long, to build their own state and develop their culture in independence and freedom.


Click here to go to this article on ATFP's website.
Click here to see this article on The Huffington Post.

PBS Convenes Nat’l Dialogue on Arab Americans... & Shadid Remembered at Book Awards

Shadid Remembered at Book Awards You are invited to honor the life and work of Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Anthony Shadid (1968-2012) on Saturday, Sept. 29 at the AANM, as Nada Bakri (right) accepts a Lifetime Achievement Award on her husband’s behalf during the 2012 Arab American Book Award Ceremony. This event celebrates the year’s best books by and about Arab Americans; it features a sumptuous strolling buffet, open bar, live music, and following the award ceremony, a book signing with authors including Diana Abu-Jaber (above left). Tickets, just $20/$15 Museum Members/students, are available online only HERE. Click HERE to listen to a recent Democracy Now interview with Bakri, a respected journalist in her own right; as was her husband, Bakri is a correspondent for The New York Times. Shadid died while reporting from Syria earlier this year, just prior to the publication of his book, House of Stone: A Memoir of Home, Family and a Lost Middle East.

PBS Convenes Nat’l Dialogue on Arab Americans Public libraries in major U.S. cities including Los Angeles, Houston, Boston and Detroit are being asked to host events, forums and dialogues in connection with the new PBS series Arab American Stories, currently airing on stations across the country. The Battle Creek, Mich.-based W.K. Kellogg Foundation has granted series originator Detroit Public Television (DPTV) $250,000 to bring the television content to life through community conversations, beginning next month, that are designed to engage non-Arab Americans as well as Arab Americans. A website will compile and convene content, and host virtual community discussions featuring topical experts. DPTV will also write a curriculum for middle and high school students that will meet national core standards. Read more and see a list of participating libraries HERE.

International Day of Peace... Anyone, anywhere can celebrate Peace Day: September 21, annually

International Day of Peace

 

International Day of Peace: September 21, annually

Anyone, anywhere can celebrate Peace Day. Millions of people in all countries do. It can be as simple as lighting a candle at noon, or just sitting in silent meditation. Or it can involve getting your friends, family, organization, community or government engaged in a large event. The impact of millions of people in all parts of the world, coming together for one day of peace, is immense. Peace Day is also a Day of Ceasefire – personal or political. Take this opportunity to make peace in your own relationships as well as impact the larger conflicts of our time. Imagine what a whole Day of Peace would mean to humankind.

 

http://twitter.com/PeaceDay

The International Day of Peace,a.k.a. "Peace Day" provides an opportunity for individuals, organizations and nations to create practical acts of peace on a shared date.

It was established by a United Nations resolution in 1981 to coincide with the opening of the General Assembly. The first Peace Day was celebrated in September 1982.

In 2002 the General Assembly officially declared September 21 as the permanent date for the International Day of Peace.

By creating the International Day of Peace, the UN devoted itself to worldwide peace and encouraged all of mankind to work in cooperation for this goal. During the discussion of the U.N. Resolution that established the International Day of Peace, it was suggested that:

Peace Day should be devoted to commemorating and strengthening the ideals of peace both within and among all nations and peoples…This day will serve as a reminder to all peoples that our organization, with all its limitations, is a living instrument in the service of peace and should serve all of us here within the organization as a constantly pealing bell reminding us that our permanent commitment, above all interests or differences of any kind, is to peace.

Since its inception, Peace Day has marked our personal and planetary progress toward peace. It has grown to include millions of people in all parts of the world, and each year events are organized to commemorate and celebrate this day. Events range in scale from private gatherings to public concerts and forums where hundreds of thousands of people participate.

Anyone, anywhere can celebrate Peace Day. It can be as simple as lighting a candle at noon, or just sitting in silent meditation. Or it can involve getting your co-workers, organization, community or government engaged in a large event. The impact if millions of people in all parts of the world, coming together for one day of peace, is immense.

Dr. Salam Fayyad, Palestinian Prime Minister: Inscribing Bethlehem on the World Heritage List... This Week in Palestine

Nativity Church, Bethlehem. Photo from Palestine Image Bank.

[AS ALWAYS PLEASE GO TO THE LINK TO READ GOOD ARTICLES IN FULL: HELP SHAPE ALGORITHMS (and conversations) THAT EMPOWER DECENCY, DIGNITY, JUSTICE & PEACE... and hopefully Palestine]

http://www.thisweekinpalestine.com/details.php?id=3766&ed=209&edid=209

Inscribing Bethlehem on the World Heritage List
By Dr. Salam Fayyad, Prime Minister

The thirty-sixth session of the World Heritage Convention, which was held in Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation, represented an important milestone in building the State of Palestine. On Friday,  June 29, 2012, Bethlehem, Birthplace of Jesus: Church of the Nativity and the Pilgrimage Route was the first site to be inscribed on the World Heritage List under Palestine.* It is a significant moment in our struggle to achieve freedom and independence; it represents a momentous step towards our right of self-determination.

The inscription of Bethlehem not only reflects the outstanding universal value of the place where Jesus Christ was born, the church that was built by Empress Helena in 339, and the Pilgrimage Route, but it also gives hope and confidence to our people for the inevitable victory of our just cause. It represents the growing international realisation of the urgency to retain our national cultural rights on our land.

The decision to include Bethlehem as an endangered site by UNESCO is the first outcome of the recognition of Palestine as a full member-state by UNESCO last October and our endorsement of the 1972 Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage. It is also the first step towards inscribing on the list other natural and cultural sites of outstanding universal value in Palestine. The recognition of Bethlehem as a world heritage site is the most remarkable event on the path of Palestinian state building since the establishment of the Palestinian Authority, and it is the most important since the inception of the Palestinian Authority.

Thirteen out of twenty-one members of the World Heritage Committee voted in favour of the decision to recognise the endangered status of Bethlehem during their meeting in Saint Petersburg; six members voted against and two abstained. It is time for UN agencies to uphold their political, legal, cultural, and ethical responsibilities, put an end to what the Palestinian people are suffering, and safeguard Palestine’s cultural and natural heritage from the aggression of Israeli occupation.

Throughout the millennia, Palestine has been a cradle for civilisations and a cultural bridge between East and West; it has played an important role in the evolution of human history. Bethlehem, Jerusalem, and all Palestinian lands are symbols of coexistence and tolerance. This is a call for the international community to fulfil its responsibility to help us end the Israeli Occupation of our land that was taken in 1967, and allow us to determine our future, live freely and in dignity in an independent state, retain our cultural status, and contribute to stability and international peace.

We extend our appreciation to the World Heritage Committee for its decision. In addition, the inscription of Bethlehem would not have been possible without the continuous efforts, follow-up, and support of all the ministries and institutions that worked tirelessly on this file, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Permanent Mission of Palestine to UNESCO, the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, the Ministry of Culture, the Negotiations Affairs Department of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation, the Bethlehem Municipality, and the Centre for Cultural Heritage Preservation in Bethlehem; and also to the experts, volunteers, and friends who helped make this a success. To all of you, we extend our gratitude.

---

*    The Old City of Jerusalem and Its Walls was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1980 (and on the List of Sites in Danger in 1981), through a request submitted by the Kingdom of Jordan; and the site is inscribed under the Old City of Jerusalem.

See PDF www.thisweekinpalestine.com/i172/pdfs/article/inscribingbethlehem.pdf

 Diyar Dancing Theater Group celebrating Bethlehem’s inscription on the list of World Heritage Sites. Photos by Elias Halabi.

Talal Siam- Palestinian Calligrapher... in This Week in Palestine

By Nabil Darwish
http://www.thisweekinpalestine.com/details.php?id=3781&ed=209&edid=209

 
“Through wording letters, the various colours and tones that have passed through my brush strokes, and a two-decade period of questions, realisations, and thoughts on the artistic life, I have now come to somewhat understand an edge of the overall view of our beautiful Arabic language, which has historically created unique typographic synonyms of values and principles (which, in this current age are often ignored). Through my canvas creations, I am now speaking through my art.”

These are the words spoken during an evening coffee with the 1948-born Jerusalemite calligrapher, Talal Siam. These are the words that summarised his thoughts during this passing week in Palestine’s life.

His philosophy is expressed through the traditionally used colours that fill the lines of his brush strokes or even pen strokes, and is derived from his hunger to preserve the true identity and nature of our Arabic typography and language. His goal is not just to strengthen the understanding of calligraphy in our time, but also to open the eyes of his viewers to the brushed calligraphic words of monumental historical philosophers and poets, or even punctuated words from the holy Qur’an, which he strongly argues has been mistakenly placed aside in our current time.

When asked what Arabic calligraphy is for him, he answered with the simplest smile, not because it is a typical question he must have been repetitively asked about, but more from the true nature of what it is for him. “It is the essence of my artistic soul. Its natural curves and ease flow from the passion within me, from its modernism and contemporary feel, to its old creative forms, which I have extensively studied over the years.” He notes that the language is adaptable to the sprit of the artist and art form, and the exact reflection is the artist’s soul.

During his years studying architecture in the United States, and even before, Talal explains that the “care” from his Jerusalem home and from his surroundings never left him, even strengthened him at many times. Though when he returned, he was struck by the change in that same “care” factor he knew before, and its growing scarcity over the years. This, he explains, is what drove him to make his canvas creations, which have been presented in various galleries over the years. He notes that it was because of his resistance to such coldness that he screamed out through calligraphic words to grace light on those that need it.

His strength through calmness is what stunned me. Yet, at the same time, his brush strokes show his strong passion, which is what truly creates a unique sense of artistic presence in Palestine’s real heart, Jerusalem.

Train your heart to observe.

Do not envy the old for living many years For death is the ultimate end. Better know if you wish the old longer years, It is a curse that you send.

Humbleness is as thin as the reflection of the moon on the surface of waters.

Perfection is a blessing.

Patience is the key to success.

Trust God.

Do not think that either youth or beauty last forever. Make the best of your prime for it is now or never.

Many were the days that made me cry in the past, Yet later on I cried for them having passed so fast.

You know, sometimes my ears are alerted by a sweet sound. Ears often beat the eyes in tracing beauty.

See PDF www.thisweekinpalestine.com/i172/pdfs/article/aotm.pdf

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Abbas says going to UN even if it conflicts with others' interests

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08/08/2012 NABLUS (Ma'an) -- President Mahmoud Abbas reiterated Tuesday that the Palestinian Authority would insist on the UN bid seeking to obtain international recognition that Palestine is a state under occupation rather than a disputed territory.

“Even if this step conflicts with other parties' interests, we will not step back,” Abbas said in remarks at Al-Najah National University as he joined a ceremony to honor top high school graduates in Nablus district.

“Israel neither halted settlement activities, nor recognized the Palestinian territory occupied in 1967 as occupied territory. Thus, the only choice we have is to go to the UN equipped with a united Arab stance,” Abbas added.

“In this homeland, we will secure foothold and will not leave. We will not repeat the mistakes of 1948 and 1967, but rather counter all hardships regardless how big they are until we build our Palestinian state with the noble Jerusalem as its capital.”

Abbas also addressed the Hamas-Fatah dispute, which he described as an ongoing case of “sleeplessness”. “Because we are a democratic people, we decided to carry out local elections on Oct. 20.”

With regard to the situation in Syria, he reiterated that the Palestinians decided to avoid any intervention in internal affairs of Arab states. “We will not intervene even if some people are trying force us to intervene. The Syrian people have supported the Palestinian cause very much and we hope Syria will recover because it’s the pulse of the Arab world.”

Abbas also denounced the attack on Egyptian soldiers in Sinai Sunday evening. “This was a crime which we condemn. I telephoned President (Muhammad) Mursi to offer condolences and we decided to lower flags to half-mast for one day in honor of the Egyptian martyrs. Egypt has done a lot to the Palestinian cause for tens of years.”

Abbas visited Nablus in the afternoon where he was received by the governor, Jibreel al-Bakri, member of Fatah Central Committee Mahmoud al-Aloul, the PA minister of endowments Mahmoud al-Habbash amongst other officials and security leaders.

Abbas and about a hundred dignitaries from Nablus district had Iftar with 350 orphans and their families from Nablus district in addition to more than 50 disabled people and 50 top high school graduates. 

When Israeli bulldozers arrived to demolish her home, 14-year-old Palestine refugee Salha Hamadin called on her pet Hantush to take her somewhere far away until they finished....

[AS ALWAYS PLEASE GO TO THE LINK TO READ GOOD ARTICLES IN FULL: HELP SHAPE ALGORITHMS (and conversations) THAT EMPOWER DECENCY, DIGNITY, JUSTICE & PEACE... and hopefully Palestine]  http://www.unrwa.org/etemplate.php?id=1408

Palestine refugee girl’s story receives international award

Tags: Barrier | Bedouin | conflict | demolitions | West Bank

1 August 2012
Jerusalem
When Israeli bulldozers arrived to demolish her home, 14-year-old Palestine refugee Salha Hamadin called on her pet Hantush to take her somewhere far away until they finished.

Hantush, a flying lamb, took Salha on an adventure to Spain, where she met with the Barcelona football team’s Lionel Messi, who then returned with Salha to her community and promised to fix their football field. Messi then offered Salha a position on the team, but she refused, saying that she had to go home and take care of her sheep. Because her father is in jail, Salha is the only one in the family who can take care of them.

This was the basis of a story written by Salha, winner of this year’s “Hans Christian Andersen – Fairytale Bay” prize. Salha lives and studies in Wadi Abu Hindi, and is part of the Arab Jahalin Bedouin community in the Israeli-controlled Area C of the West Bank.

Expressing ideas and hopes through literature

“As soon as I read the story, I knew it would win”, said Samah Tamimi from the Italian organisation Vento Di Terra. They worked in partnership with the Tamer Institute for Community Education, a pioneering organisation established in Jerusalem to respond to the needs of Palestinians for informal education under the harsh reality of life under Israeli occupation. The two organisations delivered a series of workshops funded by the European Union, encouraging Bedouin students to discover their traditional Jahalin legends. In addition to promoting Bedouin oral traditions, the project gave the students an opportunity to express their ideas and hopes for the future through literature.

“I am proud of this achievement because it benefits my school and community”, Salha explained. “I can be creative and distinguished, and overcome challenges, just like everyone else.”

Story combines childhood fantasy with reality of displacement

Salha’s story Hantush describes the reality of life for her Bedouin community in the occupied Palestinian territory: a life filled with demolitions, displacement and neglect, but also a girl’s dream of playing sports and having a good time. The story captured the imaginations of the jury, who bestowed an honourable mention on her after reviewing approximately 1,200 submissions.

“The Bedouin community is neglected in the mainstream”, Tamimi added. “But this prize is a small way to demonstrate that with the help of the local and international community, the reality can be different. Salha and her community’s confidence have increased as a result of this prize.”
Salha agrees, and is now inspired to continue honing her craft. “I hope to continue to write about my rights, dreams, and ambitions.”

My letter to the Philadelphia Inquirer RE The Pulse: Is culture the key to Israel's success? by Michael Smerconish

Occupation Diaries by Raja Shehadeh – book review: Anger co-exists with a sense of beauty in a valuable journal of West Bank life..."These raw emotions are also linked to the death of his mother, just before these diaries open. She was exiled from her home city of Jaffa in 1948, and watched her family's wealth disintegrate. In remembering the turbulent 60 years that followed, in which she lost her family, friends and property, he finds himself "still angry at what she had to suffer"

RE: The Pulse: Is culture the key to Israel's success? by Michael Smerconish, Inquirer Columnist
http://www.philly.com/philly/opinion/inquirer/20120805_The_Pulse__Is_culture_the_key_to_Israel_s_success_.html

Dear Editor,

Michael Smerconish asks an interesting question: "Would the Israeli economic miracle continue unabated if we swapped the populations of Israel and the United States? "... but a much more relevant question is "Would the Israeli economic miracle continue unabated if we swapped the laws and regulations of Israel and the United States?"

Dan Senor's book about "Israel's Economic Miracle" is Hasbara- promos & PR efforts for Zionists to convince both insiders and outsiders to believe in and invest in Israel.  Hasbara tends to dismiss or ignore vitally important truths and facts, in particular about the very real plight of the Palestinians, in order to show Israel in the best possible light. 

Hussein Ibish, Senior Fellow at the American Task Force on Palestine & author of  What’s Wrong with the One-State Agenda? Why Ending the Occupation and Peace with Israel is Still the Palestinian National Goal,  is fully aware that Arabs all through out the Middle East find Romney's clueless comments quite insulting.  Ibish wisely points out in Lebanon Now that: "The bottom line is there is no cost whatsoever for doing your utmost to outbid any opponent on adoration of all things Israel and no benefit whatsoever to doing otherwise. So for a politician like Romney, going to Israel and making a series of fantastically one-sided, and in many cases indefensible, statements during a campaign is a no-brainer. This included a snide, uncalled-for insult against the Palestinian people that suggested they were culturally inferior to the Israelis because of their impoverishment, without recognizing the onerous restrictions of the occupation."  http://www.nowlebanon.com/NewsArticleDetails.aspx?ID=423856

Genetically and culturally, I think it is obvious that world wide we are all human beings with feelings and thoughts and dreams and memories, some shared some not- regardless of supposed race or religion. Millenniums of various migrations and marriages blend us, connect us, make us one people...  Each one of us earthlings is a unique individual with the potential to be brighter and braver and more inspiring than the most admired heroes of past generations-regardless of supposed race or religion. 

Sincerely,
Anne Selden Annab

NOTES
Songs and Pictures from Palestine: Thyme & a poem

Tales from the West Bank: Palestinian Raja Shehadeh chronicles life during occupation

Palestinian villages face demolition to create IDF training ground

Violent attacks by settlers on Palestinians and their property, mosques and farmland had increased by 150% over the past year.

Palestinian officials point out that US Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney is undermining peace... "What this man [Mitt Romney] is doing here is just promoting extremism, violence and hatred"

'Separate and Unequal' is Unacceptable to Palestinians

"If you have to modify it, it isn't really a democracy."

Romney Versus the World Bank

World Bank says Palestinian economy unsustainable noting that "Israeli restrictions remain the biggest impediment to investing, creating high uncertainty and risk"

Do you support as a solution to this conflict the emergence of a fully sovereign state of Palestine on the territory occupied in 1967, including East Jerusalem? Yes or no?

Demographics should be a research tool, not a national policy shaping institutionalized bigotry and injustice.

********

The Office of International Religious Freedom ( http://www.state.gov/j/drl/irf/ )  Given the U.S. commitment to religious freedom, and to the international covenants that guarantee it as the inalienable right of every human being, the United States seeks to:

Promote freedom of religion and conscience throughout the world as a fundamental human right and as a source of stability for all countries

Palestinian Refugees (1948-NOW) refused their right to return... and their right to live in peace free from religious bigotry and injustice.

Refugees and the Right of Return: "Palestinian refugees must be given the option to exercise their right of return (as well as receive compensation for their losses arising from their dispossession and displacement) though refugees may prefer other options such as: (i) resettlement in third countries, (ii) resettlement in a newly independent Palestine (even though they originate from that part of Palestine which became Israel) or (iii) normalization of their legal status in the host country where they currently reside. What is important is that individual refugees decide for themselves which option they prefer - a decision must not be imposed upon them."

"It is in Israel's vital interest to come to a complete resolution of the conflict between it and the Palestinian people sooner rather than later, relieving the weight of this tragic conflict from both of our peoples' shoulders. We owe it to ourselves. We owe it to the world." Maen Rashid Areikat: The Time for a Palestinian State Is Now

"Where, after all, do universal human rights begin? In small places, close to home - so close and so small that they cannot be seen on any maps of the world. Yet they are the world of the individual person; the neighborhood he lives in; the school or college he attends; the factory, farm, or office where he works. Such are the places where every man, woman, and child seeks equal justice, equal opportunity, equal dignity without discrimination. Unless these rights have meaning there, they have little meaning anywhere. Without concerted citizen action to uphold them close to home, we shall look in vain for progress in the larger world."Eleanor Roosevelt

2012 Stream ATFP's Middle East News: World Press Round up and stay up to date with the latest news concerning the Isareli-Palestinian issue.

My letter to the NYTimes RE Palestinian Candor, or a Slip? & Israel’s Fading Democracy by Avraham Burg

A section of Israel’s barrier between the Shuafat refugee camp and the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Pisgat Zeev. (Oded Balilty/Associated Press)

RE: Palestinian Candor, or a Slip? & Israel’s Fading Democracy by Avraham Burg
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/04/opinion/palestinian-candor-or-a-slip.html?_r=1&ref=global
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/05/opinion/sunday/israels-fading-democracy.html?ref=global

Dear Editor,

In the New York Times today (8-5-2012) a Zionist letter writer cynically misconstrues Maen Rashid Areikat's comment that "No human being would accept remaining under a discriminatory regime that denies him basic rights. Sixty-four years of a relentless struggle for freedom by Palestinians is a testament to that." 

Meanwhile the Israeli author & former speaker of the Knesset Avraham Burg has a provocative column "Israel’s Fading Democracy" asserting that "Israel arose as a secular, social democratic country inspired by Western European democracies." ... Israel can argue with Israel about Israel for eons- romanticizing the past in many different ways, while decrying the future as if the fully sovereign and heavily armed nation state Israel is about to disappear.  But it is a shell game as long as that country called Israel is persecuting, oppressing and displacing the native non-Jewish men, women and children of historic Palestine. 

A fully secular two state solution to once and for all end the Israel Palestine conflict won't stop Zionist letter writers from misconstruing Palestinian peace efforts, but it will at least help stop Israelis from usurping even more Palestinian land and rights- and it will help curb the zealots and religious 'scholars' and crooks and cynics who thrive on the continuation of the conflict.

Sincerely,
Anne Selden Annab

NOTES
Songs and Pictures from Palestine: Thyme & a poem

Tales from the West Bank: Palestinian Raja Shehadeh chronicles life during occupation

Palestinian villages face demolition to create IDF training ground

Violent attacks by settlers on Palestinians and their property, mosques and farmland had increased by 150% over the past year.

Palestinian officials point out that US Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney is undermining peace... "What this man [Mitt Romney] is doing here is just promoting extremism, violence and hatred"

'Separate and Unequal' is Unacceptable to Palestinians

"If you have to modify it, it isn't really a democracy."

Romney Versus the World Bank

World Bank says Palestinian economy unsustainable noting that "Israeli restrictions remain the biggest impediment to investing, creating high uncertainty and risk"

Do you support as a solution to this conflict the emergence of a fully sovereign state of Palestine on the territory occupied in 1967, including East Jerusalem? Yes or no?

Demographics should be a research tool, not a national policy shaping institutionalized bigotry and injustice.

********

The Office of International Religious Freedom ( http://www.state.gov/j/drl/irf/ )  Given the U.S. commitment to religious freedom, and to the international covenants that guarantee it as the inalienable right of every human being, the United States seeks to:

Promote freedom of religion and conscience throughout the world as a fundamental human right and as a source of stability for all countries

Palestinian Refugees (1948-NOW) refused their right to return... and their right to live in peace free from religious bigotry and injustice.

Refugees and the Right of Return: "Palestinian refugees must be given the option to exercise their right of return (as well as receive compensation for their losses arising from their dispossession and displacement) though refugees may prefer other options such as: (i) resettlement in third countries, (ii) resettlement in a newly independent Palestine (even though they originate from that part of Palestine which became Israel) or (iii) normalization of their legal status in the host country where they currently reside. What is important is that individual refugees decide for themselves which option they prefer - a decision must not be imposed upon them."

"It is in Israel's vital interest to come to a complete resolution of the conflict between it and the Palestinian people sooner rather than later, relieving the weight of this tragic conflict from both of our peoples' shoulders. We owe it to ourselves. We owe it to the world." Maen Rashid Areikat: The Time for a Palestinian State Is Now

"Where, after all, do universal human rights begin? In small places, close to home - so close and so small that they cannot be seen on any maps of the world. Yet they are the world of the individual person; the neighborhood he lives in; the school or college he attends; the factory, farm, or office where he works. Such are the places where every man, woman, and child seeks equal justice, equal opportunity, equal dignity without discrimination. Unless these rights have meaning there, they have little meaning anywhere. Without concerted citizen action to uphold them close to home, we shall look in vain for progress in the larger world."Eleanor Roosevelt

2012 Stream ATFP's Middle East News: World Press Round up and stay up to date with the latest news concerning the Isareli-Palestinian issue.

My letter to my local paper The Patriot News RE Romney's visit demonstrates problems in U.S.-Israel relations by Thomas L. Friedman

We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration At The Lincoln Memorial: U.S. President-elect Barack Obama and his wife Michelle walk down the stairs of the Lincoln Memorial January 18, 2009 at the National Mall in Washington, DC. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

RE:  Romney's visit demonstrates problems in U.S.-Israel relations by Thomas L. Friedman
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/01/opinion/friedman-why-not-in-vegas.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

Dear Editor,

Thomas L. Friedman is getting much much better at recognizing that Americans should not be bamboozled into idolizing Israel, but his recent scathing column on Romney's fundraising there feels more like damage control for Israel than a fully honest appraisal of the situation. Friedman falls into the trap of thinking that peace efforts, arguments, and agreements need to be shaped to empower Israel as a "Jewish Democracy". 

Fact is violent attacks by Israelis on Palestinians and their property, mosques and farmland had increased by 150% over the past year : How many more Palestinian homes will Israel destroy, how many more Palestinian families will Israel fragment, and how many more Palestinian refugees will Israel create in its demented quest to be demographically "Jewish"... & how many more armed and angry religious extremists will Israel fund and/or inspire?

Fact is modern man made Israel's obsession with being demographically Jewish primarily perpetuates a huge refugee crisis as the vast majority of native non-Jewish people of historic Palestine have been pushed into poverty, forced exile and despair. It is an ongoing crisis and catastrophe with widespread negative ramifications.

Fact is a two state solution to once and for all end the Israel-Palestine conflict for everyone's sake must be geared to stop bigotry and injustice, not exasperate it. 

Fact is democracy is democracy- of all the people, by all the people, and for all the people. The moment you try to modify democracy with race or religion you replace equal rights with institutionalized bigotry bound to grow worse.

Sincerely,
Anne Selden Annab

NOTES
Songs and Pictures from Palestine: Thyme & a poem

Tales from the West Bank: Palestinian Raja Shehadeh chronicles life during occupation

Palestinian villages face demolition to create IDF training ground

Violent attacks by settlers on Palestinians and their property, mosques and farmland had increased by 150% over the past year.

Palestinian officials point out that US Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney is undermining peace... "What this man [Mitt Romney] is doing here is just promoting extremism, violence and hatred"

'Separate and Unequal' is Unacceptable to Palestinians

"If you have to modify it, it isn't really a democracy."

Romney Versus the World Bank

World Bank says Palestinian economy unsustainable noting that "Israeli restrictions remain the biggest impediment to investing, creating high uncertainty and risk"

Do you support as a solution to this conflict the emergence of a fully sovereign state of Palestine on the territory occupied in 1967, including East Jerusalem? Yes or no?

Demographics should be a research tool, not a national policy shaping institutionalized bigotry and injustice.

********

The Office of International Religious Freedom ( http://www.state.gov/j/drl/irf/ )  Given the U.S. commitment to religious freedom, and to the international covenants that guarantee it as the inalienable right of every human being, the United States seeks to:

Promote freedom of religion and conscience throughout the world as a fundamental human right and as a source of stability for all countries

Palestinian Refugees (1948-NOW) refused their right to return... and their right to live in peace free from religious bigotry and injustice.

Refugees and the Right of Return: "Palestinian refugees must be given the option to exercise their right of return (as well as receive compensation for their losses arising from their dispossession and displacement) though refugees may prefer other options such as: (i) resettlement in third countries, (ii) resettlement in a newly independent Palestine (even though they originate from that part of Palestine which became Israel) or (iii) normalization of their legal status in the host country where they currently reside. What is important is that individual refugees decide for themselves which option they prefer - a decision must not be imposed upon them."

"It is in Israel's vital interest to come to a complete resolution of the conflict between it and the Palestinian people sooner rather than later, relieving the weight of this tragic conflict from both of our peoples' shoulders. We owe it to ourselves. We owe it to the world." Maen Rashid Areikat: The Time for a Palestinian State Is Now

"Where, after all, do universal human rights begin? In small places, close to home - so close and so small that they cannot be seen on any maps of the world. Yet they are the world of the individual person; the neighborhood he lives in; the school or college he attends; the factory, farm, or office where he works. Such are the places where every man, woman, and child seeks equal justice, equal opportunity, equal dignity without discrimination. Unless these rights have meaning there, they have little meaning anywhere. Without concerted citizen action to uphold them close to home, we shall look in vain for progress in the larger world."Eleanor Roosevelt

 

2012 Stream ATFP's Middle East News: World Press Round up and stay up to date with the latest news concerning the Isareli-Palestinian issue.