April 25, 1988: White House correspondent
Helen Thomas (2nd L) takes notes as former U.S. President Lyndon B.
Johnson faces reporters during a news conference in the White House Oval
Office. Source: REUTERS
Blunt Chronicler of Presidents From Kennedy Era to Obama
Thomas was also the first woman to be elected an officer of the White House Correspondents’ Association
and the first to serve as its president. In 1975, she became the first
woman elected to the Gridiron Club, which for 90 years had been a
men-only bastion of Washington journalists.
Ms. Thomas’s career bridged two eras, beginning
during World War II when people got their news mostly from radio,
newspapers and movie newsreels, and extending into the era of 24-hour
information on cable television and the Internet. Photo Credit: Doug Mills/The New York Times
ATFP is strictly opposed to all acts of violence against civilians no
matter the cause and no matter who the victims or perpetrators may be.
The Task Force advocates the development of a Palestinian state that is
democratic, pluralistic, non-militarized and neutral in armed conflicts.
"There is every
reason to be pleased that talks are likely to resume, but also to be cautious
about the likelihood for any immediate progress on final status issues. It is
therefore essential that a set of parallel, bottom-up tracks be developed that
support diplomatic efforts and can help mitigate any potential frustrations..."
Why John Kerry's Middle East peace push isn’t a fool's errand.
BY HUSSEIN IBISH|JULY 18, 2013
It was a tall
order, but Secretary of State John Kerry's efforts seem to be paying off: We
now appear to be on the cusp of renewed Israeli-Palestinian negotiations. The
formula for achieving this is still largely shrouded in secrecy, but whatever
emerges is likely to be, at least at first, essentially "negotiations about
having negotiations." The prospects for a major breakthrough in the immediate
term seem remote. Yet this achievement, in and of itself, should not be
underestimated...READ MORE
-Israel has a long history of harassing, detaining, and deporting
American citizens of Arab and/or Muslim background attempting to enter
Israel and Palestine.
-US laws mandate that all US citizens be afforded equal protection
while traveling abroad, and therefore, Israel's engagement in racial,
ethnic, and religious discrimination against US citizens is unacceptable
and should not be codified in law.
-Permitting Israel into the Visa Waiver Program and exempting it from
affording the same reciprocal rights to US citizens will effectively
sanction its discriminatory practices and would send the wrong message
that Congress is prioritizing the wishes of a foreign government over
the rights of US citizens.
-(Important: if you are an American citizen who has personally
been discriminated against when entering Israel or Palestine, include
that in your letter.)
Please note that both the "Recipient" and "Your Name" fields will automatically be filled out for you.
Both chambers of Congress have introduced legislation that will grant
visa waiver status to Israel. If enacted, these bills will allow Israeli
citizens to enter the US without a visa despite Israel's decades-long
history of engaging in racial, ethnic, and religious discrimination
against US citizens of Arab and/or Muslim background attempting to enter
Israel and the occupied territories. The Senate bill includes a very
troubling exemption that would make Israel the first country not bound
to extend the reciprocal visa waiver status to American citizens, which
is in direct violation of US laws barring discrimination, and will
undermine the US government's policy of calling for equal protection of
all its citizens traveling abroad.
We're being told that H.R. 938, "United States-Israel Strategic Partnership Act of 2013,” which currently has more than 300 cosponsors, could be brought up for a vote in the House before the August recess. S. 462 is expected to be considered in September. We need to raise awareness about this legislation now. ACT Today!
The Arab American Institute is collecting stories of American citizens
who have been harassed, detained, or deported when attempting to enter
Israel or Palestine. If you've personally experienced such an incident,
please provide details ... All personal information will
be kept private and stories will not be distributed without your
expressed permission.
The European Union has banned its 28 member states from signing agreements with Israel without an explicit exclusion of Jewish settlements in the West Bank or
East Jerusalem, in a directive described by an Israeli official as an
"earthquake".
The EU guidelines, adopted on 30 June, will
prohibit the issuing of grants, funding, prizes or scholarships unless a
settlement exclusion clause is included. Israeli institutions and
bodies situated across the pre-1967 Green Line will be automatically
ineligible.
The Israeli government will be required to
state in any future agreements with the EU that settlements in the West
Bank and East Jerusalem are outside the state of Israel.
The
binding directive, part of the 2014-20 financial framework, covers all
areas of co-operation between the EU and Israel, including economics,
science, culture, sports and academia. It does not cover trade, such as
produce and goods originating in settlements.
An EU
statement said the guidelines "set out the territorial limitations under
which the commission will award EU support to Israeli entities …
Concern has been expressed in Europe that Israeli entities in the
occupied territories could benefit from EU support. The purpose of these
guidelines is to make a distinction between the state of Israel and the
occupied territories when it comes to EU support."
The
move follows a decision by EU foreign ministers last December that "all
agreements between the state of Israel and the EU must unequivocally
and explicitly indicate their inapplicability to the territories
occupied by Israel in 1967". All Israeli settlements are illegal under
international law...READ MORE
[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]
"Although zaatar
is unique in Palestinian cooking, it is more than just something to
eat. It is a powerful cultural symbol; and it is the aroma in every
Palestinian home. It is the wild thyme that is handpicked as it
flourishes on the mountains of occupied Palestine during spring. It
conveys the smell of Palestinian soil, leaving me with many indefinable
memories. Palestinians adore it. Palestinian travellers always take it
with them as a gift to pass on, the scent of their luggage betraying the
contents. It is said that you can identify Palestinian travellers by
the smell of zaatar and meramiya (sage) amongst their
belongings. These scents have an effect on the Palestinian people and
have become the anchors of memory that signify their lost villages and
homes." Rana Abdulla
[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]
We begin this story
with the search for the best Palestinian recipes, weaving the
traditional culinary palette into a tantalising experience. This later
becomes a search for personal cultural identity. When pondering on my
childhood experiences, I remember my mother’s lovely features and her
delicate soft skin as she began her day early and ended it late,
completing all her housework. Amongst my warmest memories, I recollect
how she sang as she cooked. As a child I observed her in her solitude
picking stones from the lentils with joyous care, as if picking flowers
from the garden, giving her fulfilment. My mother, Fatme Hamshari, loved
to cook alone. Every day she baked a fresh loaf of homemade bread in
the taboun, our mud-and-clay hearth oven used by the fellaheen.
She taught me how to mix the flour and water, the yeast and sugar, then
knead the dough, cover it with a clean cloth, and let it rise in a warm
place; afterwards it would be cut into round pieces and covered again
to protect its face. She made sure that I cleaned my hands with dry
flour after preparing the bread dough. She never allowed me to touch the
oven or to cook or bake.
My
mother taught me primarily by example how to run an organised home -
ironing our clothes and taking care of the many other household duties;
most important of all, personal cleanliness. Growing up in our family
environment, I learnt self-discipline. I was able to defer gratification
and never just accept the status quo. The smell, presentation, and
taste of the fresh bread and zaatar that she prepared inspired
me. Everything she did gave her enjoyment and invigorated her spirit.
Every move she made in the kitchen was accompanied with a smile, an
expression of tremendous love that charmed me completely. She taught us
about Palestinian folklore by memorising people’s stories and linking
them to our life events. She had the ability to weave dynamic, accurate
accounts of life and past events that are still alive in my mind as if
they were happening at this very moment. She knew every village of
Palestine.
My
grandmother influenced us a lot with her tasty recipes. She would
prepare the most incredible salads and cook nutritious, flavourful
dishes, which would be both tasty and, at the same time, packed with an
assortment of elements good for the body and soul. Zaatar, for
example, is an herb that is strongly associated with the Palestinian
identity. Poets, writers, and artists often refer to it in their works.
Although zaatar
is unique in Palestinian cooking, it is more than just something to
eat. It is a powerful cultural symbol; and it is the aroma in every
Palestinian home. It is the wild thyme that is handpicked as it
flourishes on the mountains of occupied Palestine during spring. It
conveys the smell of Palestinian soil, leaving me with many indefinable
memories. Palestinians adore it. Palestinian travellers always take it
with them as a gift to pass on, the scent of their luggage betraying the
contents. It is said that you can identify Palestinian travellers by
the smell of zaatar and meramiya (sage) amongst their
belongings. These scents have an effect on the Palestinian people and
have become the anchors of memory that signify their lost villages and
homes.
Zaatar
is dried in early summer, mixed with sumac and sesame, and stored for
later use. It can be added to chicken dishes, baked into plain dough, or
put on salads. This herbal condiment has been made this way for
generations. Well-known for its salty, tangy taste, zaatar is an
excellent savoury complement to salads, cheese, and biscuits, as well as
a delicious appetizer before almost any evening meal. It is perfect as a
seasoning for meat, fish, or vegetables, or simply made into a paste
with Palestinian extra virgin olive oil. No preservatives or additives
are used in any part of its creation. Zaatar is high in anti-oxidants.
Zaatar,
sometimes translated as hyssop, is a stout, many-stemmed grey, fuzzy
shrub, about two feet tall. In summer its white, rather small flowers
are grouped in dense spikes on the upper part of the branches. The taste
of zaatar is similar to oregano. It is part of the marjoram family. Its Latin name is Origanum syriacum. Zaatar
belongs to the Labiatae (or Lamiaceae) family, which includes mint,
sage, basil, rosemary, thyme, and many other aromatic plants. A
distinctive feature of all the plants of the Labiatae family is the
flowers with petals resembling upper and lower lips. Many plants of this
family are aromatic and have square stems when cut crosswise, but this
is not universal. Zaatar bread - also known as fatayer fallahi,
which means villagers’ pie - is a typical Palestinian pastry that is
usually made in spring, which is the official season for collecting
fresh wild thyme. It is flatbread, oily but crunchy, and stuffed with
fresh zaatar leaves, onions, and sumac.
Fatayer Zaatar Recipe Dough: 3 cups white flour 1 teaspoon instant yeast 1 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon sugar 1/4 cup olive oil
Dough:
In a medium-size bowl, combine flour, yeast, salt, sugar, and olive
oil. Rub the mixture together until the oil is well combined with the
flour. Gradually add one cup of warm water while kneading using one hand
(add more water if the dough is dry or more flour if it is too sticky).
Cover the bowl with a plastic bag and place it in a warm place for
about 30 to 40 minutes or until doubled in size.
Filling: In another bowl, combine zaatar (thyme) leaves, chopped onions, sumac, salt, and olive oil. Mix all together and set aside.
Cut
the dough to form three or four balls. Using a rolling pin, roll out
each ball on a hard surface that is greased with olive oil until you
make a paper-thin sheet of dough. Another option is to use your hands to
punch down the dough until it becomes so thin that you can’t punch it
further (don’t worry if the dough ends up with some holes).
Add a pinch of zaatar stuffing and a pinch of olive oil to the dough sheet, fold two sides of the dough to the middle. Add another pinch of zaatar stuffing and fold the dough. Keep adding a pinch of zaatar and folding the dough until you can’t fold it any further.
Place
stuffed dough pieces on an oven tray greased with olive oil. Flatten
the dough pieces with your hands. Place the tray in a preheated oven for
about 10 minutes or until they become slightly brown or golden. Flip
them over and leave them for another 5 minutes. It’s best when served
hot to enjoy the crunchiness of the bread. This is usually served with
fresh yogurt or tea.
Palestinian
girls, including myself, were eager to marry young and have children as
did our mothers and grandmothers before us. My mother raised me with a
sense of duty and love for the family. However, I didn’t grow up cooking
and didn’t realise that cooking was part of the many responsibilities
of marriage. I moved into my husband’s home with only one recipe in my
culinary repertoire: fried eggs. My first cooking experience was with
rice. I filled the pot with the full 10-pound bag of rice not realising
that it would double in size. The rice rapidly expanded while it cooked,
resulting in lots of foam and an explosive boil-over. I slumped into a
chair and cried about my lack of culinary skills. The stove and the
kitchen floor took hours to clean and the rice ended up in the garbage
bin. To my surprise, I was assured I’d be taught how to cook. This
formed part of my cultural identity. I still learn something new in the
Palestinian kitchen every day.
My
grandmother made many elaborate recipes in a flash; she was a fast and
efficient cook. Her ability to produce traditional dishes amazed us. She
added her own hints and touches to the dishes, which never failed to
mesmerise us.
My mother and grandmother live on through me and their recipes.
Rana
Abdulla is a Palestinian Canadian from the village of Bal’a, Tulkarem.
She is a Canadian Certified Public Accountant who graduated from
Thompson Rivers University in British Columbia and St. Lawrence College
in Ontario. Her career has been a blend of taxation, auditing, and
refugee advocacy. She also taught accounting for college students at
Algonquin College in Ottawa, Ontario. In addition to Arabic, she is
fluent in French and English.
