Saturday, December 26, 2015

Palestinian heritage

Monday, December 21, 2015

Global Message from Bethlehem: Bethlehem is a beacon for humanity

Symbols of peace, love, and honor were sent out after a Sunday mass held for victims of terrorism and occupation.

[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 (& America ...etc...)]

http://thisweekinpalestine.com/global-message-from-bethlehem-bethlehem-is-a-beacon-for-humanity/

Christmas Message
By Vera Baboun, Mayor of Bethlehem

In Palestine, the land which yearns for peace and justice, I live the realities of my Palestinian nation; realities of hegemonic occupation, systematic land confiscation, brutal wars, and an Apartheid Wall. This has been the national saga that my ancestors have lived, we are living, and our grandsons will seemingly have to live. In Bethlehem, the City of the Cradle and the Capitol of the Nativity, we live a life that unceasingly oscillates between reassurance and anxiety, tranquility and panic, gain and loss, and mostly between hope and despair – in fact, that is true for all of us in Palestine. However, and despite all, the hope that there will be better moments, better days, and a better future has always dominated my heart and mind. This hope stems from the intrinsic and holy message of my city, Bethlehem. Every year, since I became the mayor of Bethlehem in 2012, I have sent out Christmas messages that celebrate the birth of our Lord and thus the rebirth of hope, love, and peace. It is purely paradoxical: I send messages of peace from the city of peace that has to live without peace.

Bethlehem is besieged with ever-growing settlements and a horrendous Wall that not only walls in the city, but also its spirit, its faithful, and the message of peace itself. Our youth are leaving to seek better lives outside their walled city, our elders are still living the dream of peace and justice, and pilgrims come to the city to pray in its Holy Grotto – but we can only speculate whether they remember to pray for Bethlehem. In the midst of these realities, I wonder whether I should be hopeful, desperate, hopefully desperate, or desperately hopeful. As a faithful, I have to to remain hopeful and lead my life as a woman, a mother, or a mayor with adamant hope and resilience.
From my mayoral office that faces the Nativity Church and its Grotto, I look at Bethlehem from a steadfast angle. I look at the Bethlehem of yesterday, today, and tomorrow and aim at challenging all obstacles in order to achieve sustainable development for the city that is located in a governorate whose area includes eighty-two percent of what is called Area C, a zone that is fully under Israeli administrative and security jurisdiction and control. Bethlehem city and governorate are witnessing a natural demographic growth that adamantly needs infrastructure facilities such as water supply, waste water plants, and other services. Unfortunately, Area C stands like a concrete block in the face of natural growth, of development, and of dignified living.

In the last three years, my vision in leading the city has evolved around efficient use of land, better services, infrastructure projects, an urban master plan, a strategic seven-year plan for the city and the municipality, youth empowerment, touristic development, revitalization of our connection with our citizens who live in the Diaspora, Bethlehem as a World Heritage Site, and mostly Bethlehem as a global holy city. This global holy entity of Bethlehem is the nucleus of my vision: a city that is open for all, with all, to all. All who respect and appreciate Bethlehem and its message. When peace was brought into the world through the birth of our Lord in Bethlehem, it was not brought for Bethlehemites only, but for all of humanity. It is a grace that we need to cherish and preserve. True peace can never prevail in the world as long as the city of peace does not live in peace. However, the un-walling of Bethlehem and all that it represents need a serious reflection on the true meaning of Bethlehem and its global and human significance. We remain hopeful that the star of Bethlehem will be forever sparkling, Bethlehem’s bells ringing, and its faithful forever singing Glory to the Lord, Glory to justice, hope, love, and PEACE.

Issue: 212, Dec 2015

Bethlehem Follow the Star

Bethlehem… Off the Beaten Track
Photo courtesy of CCHP.

Christmas Spirit

Star Street, Bethlehem. Photo courtesy of IMEU.

Wednesday, December 16, 2015

My letter to the NYTimes RE Let Israel Fight ISIS by Shmuel Rosner

RE Let Israel Fight ISIS by Shmuel Rosner
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/11/opinion/let-israel-fight-isis.html?ref=international&_r=0

Dear Editor,

ISIS/Daesh sees quite clearly how successful modern Israel has been as a Jews-preferred nation state that actively oppresses, impoverishes and displaces the native non-Jewish Palestinians.

Israel could indeed not only help fight, but actually help end ISIS/Daesh's reign of terror- but not by deploying more violence, bullets, bombs and escalating bigotry.

"The Jewish State" VS "The Islamic State" both armed with lethal weaponry and hate filled rhetoric (plus plenty of graphic videos depicting the very real plight and suffering of the Palestinians) would only make a very bad situation much much worse, everywhere.

Religion should be a personal private matter, not a state funded enterprise with freedom, jobs, housing, special privileges and positive PR reserved for those deemed to be the right religion. Respecting the spirit and the letter of international law and universal human rights, including but not limited to the refugees inalienable right to return to original homes and lands, would send a powerfully compelling message about real justice and peace.

Building peace and universal prosperity by establishing and sustaining the rule of fair and just laws will always an ongoing process, but it is the right road to be on, for everyone's sake. Israel needs to evacuate all of its illegal occupation of the West Bank and its crippling stranglehold on Gaza immediately OR give full Israeli citizenship with equal rights and freedoms to all Palestinians everywhere ASAP.

Sincerely,
Anne Selden Annab

NOTES
UN: Despite Human Rights Day, 'Many Challenges Remain'

Weeks of violence dampen Christmas spirit at Bethlehem hotel

Crucifixion: Nathalie Handal on being Palestinian, writing and enduring love

What is the Israel/Palestine conflict? ...Imagine a SEGREGATED road system where the color of your license plate dictates which roads you can drive on.

Strangling Jerusalem: "In reality, the roots of the violence in Jerusalem are deeper and far more complex. For decades now, Israel has been strangling East Jerusalem denying its Palestinian inhabitants freedom, opportunity, dignity, and hope, with devastating impact. Before Israel closed Jerusalem off from the rest of the West Bank in 1994, the city had served as the hub of Palestinian life. Not only was the city important for its religious role, all of the major Palestinian economic, social, cultural, educational, medical, and service institutions were located in the city. " James Zogby, President of the Arab American Institute & author of 'Arab Voices'

"Israel's unmistakable message is: "You are defeated and subjugated, now accept your lot." Palestinian political leaders are all seen as essentially saying: "We are your champions, but we have absolutely no idea about how to advance your interests, promote your cause or gain your independence." The West, and the international community generally, seems to be saying: "We'll get back to you as soon as Israel seems to be interested in peace again, now in the meanwhile here are some kind words and limited aid." " IBISH: The Tragedy of the Palestinians

***

"What is so special about the Journal of Palestine Studies is our commitment to academically rigorous content that is also accessible to non-academics, to anyone interested in Palestine. I want to make sure Palestinian non-academics who crave this information and history can enjoy the Journal as much as a scholar in Middle East studies." Nehad Khader, managing editor of The Journal of Palestine Studies

***

A Curious Land: Stories from Home... "A superb collection and a perfect selection for public libraries"

US State Department: "And as you know, we do not consider settlements to be part of Israel. We do not view labeling the origin of products as being from the settlements as a boycott of Israel."

STAY CONNECTED... 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

Unclench your fist... Live by the Golden Rule...

“Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”

Words to Honor: The United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Article 1.

All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.

Friday, December 4, 2015

Crucifixion: Nathalie Handal on being Palestinian, writing and enduring love

‘The girl on the bus comes back to me–she reminds me to wait for the adhan, the call to prayer. The sun to rise. The church bells to ring. I’m in Bethlehem.’ Photograph: Nathalie Handal

http://www.theguardian.com/books/the-writing-life-around-the-world-by-electric-literature/2015/dec/04/crucifixion-nathalie-handal-on-being-palestinian-writing-and-enduring-love

Guardian Books Network

Friday 4 December 2015 : In the latest in our series of essays on what life and work are like for writers around the world, Nathalie Handal describes an existence where hearts race so fast it’s hard to find time for grief

Crucifixion: Nathalie Handal on being Palestinian, writing and enduring love

By Nathalie Handal for The Writing Life Around the World from Electric Literature

I sit by the window and wait for her to finish her story. She has the posture of a ballerina. Her honey-colored eyes against her hot magenta headscarf offer a striking contrast. We are on a bus at the Bethlehem checkpoint en route to Jerusalem. The anthology of Arabic verse I’m carrying inspired the exchange. She tells me that each time she enters Damascus Gate she recreates the day that changed her forever. Then adds that she has eleven versions so far. I don’t know what she is speaking about and for a second the sky’s paleness distracts us. She explains... READ MORE

Saturday, November 14, 2015

What is the Israel/Palestine conflict? ...Imagine a SEGREGATED road system where the color of your license plate dictates which roads you can drive on.

http://thrivalroom.com/understand-israeli-palestinian-apartheid-11-graphics/

Understand the Israeli – Palestinian Apartheid In 11 Images

US State Department: "And as you know, we do not consider settlements to be part of Israel. We do not view labeling the origin of products as being from the settlements as a boycott of Israel."

WASHINGTON — The Obama administration said Thursday it doesn't consider a new European Union rule outlawing "Made in Israel" tags on goods from the West Bank as a boycott of the Jewish state, only a technical guideline for consumers.

The long-awaited EU rule has triggered a fierce backlash from the Israeli government.

The U.S. clarified its position a day after the decision by the EU, which applies to goods produced in Israeli settlements on the West Bank. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blasted the 28-nation bloc as "hypocritical" and accused the EU of double standards. One of his Cabinet members called the rule "disguised anti-Semitism." Even Israeli opposition figures chimed in with criticism.

"We do not believe that labeling the origin of products is equivalent to a boycott," State Department spokesman Mark Toner said. "And as you know, we do not consider settlements to be part of Israel. We do not view labeling the origin of products as being from the settlements as a boycott of Israel."

http://www.statesman.com/ap/ap/political/us-ok-with-new-eu-labeling-rule-for-west-bank-expo/npL2L/

[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 (& America ...etc...)]

Friday, November 13, 2015

My letter to the NYTimes RE "Europe Mislabels Israel"

RE Europe Mislabels Israel
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/13/opinion/europe-mislabels-israel.html?ref=international

Dear Editor,

Claiming that Europe has mislabeled Israel by creating guidelines that conscientiously refuse to empower Israel's settlement projects in the illegally occupied territories, Kontorovich reaches for every excuse he can find to bully his audience into totally ignoring Israel's ongoing long term and flagrant violations of international law and the Palestinians' basic human rights.

The very real plight and suffering of the Palestinians, the native non-Jewish men, women and children of the Holy Land, is dire... "Pro-Israel" experts playing shell games with various cherry picked laws in order to further oppress, persecute, impoverish, and displace Palestinians are good at their game, but not so good at Golden Rule thinking, and not so good at shaping a just and lasting peace to once and for all end the Israel-Palestine conflict.

Sincerely,
Anne Selden Annab

NOTES
#JeSuisBDS... "Anti-Israel" Activism Criminalized in the Land of Charlie Hebdo and “Free Speech”

The Palestinian People Ask: Where Is Israel’s F.W. de Klerk?

***

A Curious Land: Stories from Home..."A superb collection and a perfect selection for public libraries"

Unclench your fist... Live by the Golden Rule...

“Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”

Words to Honor: The United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Article 1.

All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.

Thursday, November 12, 2015

Three radiant girls with infectious smiles, carrying earthenware jars of water on their heads, Mount of Olives, Jerusalem, 1938

Three radiant girls with infectious smiles, carrying earthenware jars of water on their heads, Mount of Olives, Jerusalem, 1938. Notice the girls' dresses and wooden clogs, and the Augusta Victoria in the background.

British Mandate Jerusalemites Photo Library

Wednesday, November 4, 2015

My letter to the NYTimes RE "The Facebook Intifada" by Micah Lakin Avni

RE "The Facebook Intifada" by Micah Lakin Avni
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/03/opinion/the-facebook-intifada.html?ref=international

Dear Editor,

The NYTimes illustration for the badly named article "The Facebook Intifada" by Israeli Micah Lakin Avni looks quite similar to a cartoon by a french cartoonist, Zeon, where a Palestinian child is being stabbed by a state shape knife labeled Israel: The french cartoonist Zeon, was recently arrested in France: " A complaint appears to have been filed by the BNVCA (National Bureau of Vigilance against Anti-Semitism)... The judge has indicted the designer of incitement to racial, religious hatred, by speech, writing, picture or means of electronic communication." http://nonalignedmedia.com/2015/03/french-cartoonist-zeon-arrested-anti-zionist-work/

I think it is totally horrifying and tragic that Micah Lakin Avni's father, Richard Lakin, was murdered. I also don't like Zeon's ugly cartoons. But I think blaming Facebook/Twitter/social media (or cartoonists) for spreading venom and inciting violence is crazy and totally misleading.

People do not need social media to spread ideas- word of mouth and posters and pamphlets work too. If the point is to convince young Palestinians not to attack Israelis then please start seriously noticing and publicizing facts about all the many ways that the sovereign nation state Israel has been persecuting, impoverishing, disenfranchising and destroying Palestinian individuals and communities.

Israel obsessed with being "Jewish" is in long term and flagrant violation of international law and The Universal Declaration of Human Rights when it comes to the native non-Jewish Palestinians.

Israelis yearning to build global support for silencing criticism of the sovereign nation state called Israel are often able to curb the mainstream conversation, deflecting attention away from the very real plight and suffering of the Palestinians, but that most certainly does not stop the conflict and escalating hostilities.

Sincerely,
Anne Selden Annab

NOTES
"What is so special about the Journal of Palestine Studies is our commitment to academically rigorous content that is also accessible to non-academics, to anyone interested in Palestine. I want to make sure Palestinian non-academics who crave this information and history can enjoy the Journal as much as a scholar in Middle East studies." Nehad Khader, managing editor of The Journal of Palestine Studies

Bright & beautiful Karmah Elmusa in Elle Magazine.... "I'm Longing for Palestine While Living the American Dream" Oct 30, 2015

BDS calls for culinary boycott of Israel: After cultural and academic boycotts, movement urges top international chefs to 'take apartheid off the menu' and cancel their participation in November's Round Tables event in Tel Aviv.

#JeSuisBDS... "Anti-Israel" Activism Criminalized in the Land of Charlie Hebdo and “Free Speech”

National Geographic: A Photographer Captures Joy in Gaza ... From days at the beach to party preparations, Tanya Habjouqa offers a different look into life during conflict.

Concrete tent embodies contradictions of Palestine refugee life 2015

Strangling Jerusalem: "In reality, the roots of the violence in Jerusalem are deeper and far more complex. For decades now, Israel has been strangling East Jerusalem denying its Palestinian inhabitants freedom, opportunity, dignity, and hope, with devastating impact. Before Israel closed Jerusalem off from the rest of the West Bank in 1994, the city had served as the hub of Palestinian life. Not only was the city important for its religious role, all of the major Palestinian economic, social, cultural, educational, medical, and service institutions were located in the city. " James Zogby, President of the Arab American Institute & author of 'Arab Voices'

IBISH: The Tragedy of the Palestinians

***

A Curious Land: Stories from Home..."A superb collection and a perfect selection for public libraries"

Unclench your fist... Live by the Golden Rule...

“Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”

Words to Honor: The United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Article 1.

All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.

Saturday, October 31, 2015

"What is so special about the Journal of Palestine Studies is our commitment to academically rigorous content that is also accessible to non-academics, to anyone interested in Palestine. I want to make sure Palestinian non-academics who crave this information and history can enjoy the Journal as much as a scholar in Middle East studies." Nehad Khader, managing editor of The Journal of Palestine Studies

"As managing editor of the Journal of Palestine Studies, I have a responsibility to other scholars and a responsibility to be true to the history of the Palestinian people." Nehad Khader

"... The thing I value the most about the Journal is our independence, though. There’s no one who steps in at any point to tell us what content we can or cannot publish. We have full independence, and that’s rare. Unless it’s bad scholarship, at no point does anyone stop us and say “that topic is too controversial” or “this is unacceptable because it might upset so-and-so.” When I started working here, I was surprised to discover that nobody would be looking over the Journal team’s shoulder. Our articles are meticulously fact-checked, well researched, and peer reviewed by experts, but never censored. JPS is so trusted and highly regarded for a reason, and I know how important that legacy is..."

http://blog.palestine-studies.org/2015/10/07/1879/

I know you’re an integral member of the Journal team now, but when did you first learn of the Journal of Palestine Studies?

I first found out about the Journal of Palestine Studies when I was in high school exploring a used bookstore in Philadelphia. Even as a young person I was drawn to these bound archives documenting the latest conversations and shifting fate of my homeland. My family is originally from Haifa, so growing up in Philadelphia I was ecstatic to discover a window into my own history through the Journal.

I kept these first few issues that I found in high school and they have a special spot in my office in DC today. One of them is Issue 41, from 1989, the 10^th anniversary issue of the Journal of Palestine Studies.

When I brought them home my parents recognized the names of renowned Palestinian academics and scholars inside the cover—at the time, such as Professor Walid Khalidi and Hisham Sharabi. We sat around the kitchen table exploring this treasure that I happened upon. I couldn’t have imagined then that one day I’d get to work side by side with these incredible scholars to make the Journal possible. ...READ MORE

Bright & beautiful Karmah Elmusa in Elle Magazine.... "I'm Longing for Palestine While Living the American Dream" Oct 30, 2015

Karmah Elmusa

"Throughout my life, I've felt a constant longing emanating from my father, a sort of melancholy incompleteness. At some point his displacement became an essential part of my and my younger brother Layth's identities. Perhaps we felt the tension of being Palestinian-American more acutely as time went on, and it presented us with a choice: hide that part of ourselves or wear it like a badge. So we embraced our Palestinian-ness—and our ethnic names—and never looked back. By now, we know what's coming: unrest. And we brace ourselves for the status quo: American politicians will dismiss dead Palestinians as "terrorists," while respectfully mourning each lost Israeli life. We live with the guilt that we are here, not there. The guilt that we can come and go as we please, while Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza are barricaded into their homes, neighborhoods, or cities. Israel is flanked by water, but many Palestinians will never see the sea."

http://www.elle.com/culture/career-politics/a31572/essay-on-being-palestinian-american/

I'm Longing for Palestine While Living the American Dream

My father was born in Palestine and raised in a refugee camp; I was born and raised in our national's capital. Who does that make me, exactly?

by Karmah Elmusa
After living under occupation their whole lives, and with no prospect of political resolution on the horizon, Palestinian youth have taken to the streets this month in protest. As I sit and watch the polarizing coverage—now considered to be at near-"catastrophic" levels— from afar, disparate emotions dart around inside me like pinballs, striking chords and hitting nerves. There's the sadness, of course–the sadness that I always feel when I think about Palestine—that is now pulled to the surface and sharper than usual. Sadness that so many of today's young people are lost to a struggle that is decades old. Sadness that it feels like it may continue for decades more... READ MORE

BDS calls for culinary boycott of Israel: After cultural and academic boycotts, movement urges top international chefs to 'take apartheid off the menu' and cancel their participation in November's Round Tables event in Tel Aviv.

"While the Round Tables event is presented as a “fruitful dialogue about culture, economy, and social issues,” it is instead an appalling use of the time honored tradition of sharing culinary experiences as a means for whitewashing widespread violation of Palestinian fundamental rights, including the right to food. "

" ...according to United Nations reports, only 35 per cent of Palestinians living under Israeli occupation are food secure [6] with Israel's illegal wall and settlements appropriating large swathes of land for Israelis whilst ghettoizing Palestinians and denying them livelihoods [7].

Palestinian citizens of Israel, which make up 20 per cent of the population, hardly fare any better. Palestinian communities are being forced off their land as part of Israel’s ongoing ethnic cleansing. Israel refuses to recognize 176 Palestinian towns and villages within its internationally recognized borders, many predating the creation of the state, denying them even the most basic of services such as water and electricity. Israeli bulldozers regularly demolish entire villages leaving families homeless.

And though you will have no problem traveling to Tel Aviv, roughly 7 million Palestinian refugees and internally displaced persons resulting from Israel’s ongoing ethnic cleansing are denied the right to return to their lands as guaranteed under International Law"

....READ MORE
https://www.stopthewall.org/sites/default/files/Letter%20-%20Take%20Apartheid%20Off%20The%20Menu.pdf

http://www.bdsmovement.net/2015/action-alert-tell-these-food-chefs-to-cancel-their-round-tables-with-apartheid-13492

ACTION ALERT: Tell these food chefs to cancel their Round Tables with Apartheid! - See more at: http://www.bdsmovement.net/2015/action-alert-tell-these-food-chefs-to-cancel-their-round-tables-with-apartheid-13492#sthash.3jbWcyvq.dpuf

Friday, October 30, 2015

#JeSuisBDS... "Anti-Israel" Activism Criminalized in the Land of Charlie Hebdo and “Free Speech”

Glenn Greenwald

Oct. 27 2015, 10:34 a.m.

"Indeed, an outstanding Washington Post op-ed this week by a former IDF soldier, Assaf Gavron, documents how such attacks on Israel critics now extend to Israeli citizens themselves. Gavron describes how “the internal discussion in Israel is more militant, threatening and intolerant than it has ever been,” and “those few dissenters who attempt to contradict it — to ask questions, to protest, to represent a different color from this artificial consensus — are ridiculed and patronized at best, threatened, vilified and physically attacked at worst.”

Israel defenders love to equate “criticism of Israel” with “anti-Semitism” and then sanctimoniously deny that anyone does that. But criminalizing BDS advocacy — threatening people with large fines and prison terms for protesting the polices of the Israel government — is as clear of a case as it gets. As Haaretz put it, “The dragnet has also swept up BDS protesters whose actions have targeted Israel, not Jews.”

Ponder how pernicious this is. It is perfectly legal to advocate sanctions against Iran, or Russia, or Sudan, or virtually any other country. Indeed, sanctions and boycotts against those countries are not only frequently advocated in the West but are official policy. But it is illegal — criminal — to advocate boycotts and sanctions against one country: Israel. It requires sky-high levels of authoritarianism, even fascism, to abuse the criminal law to outlaw advocacy of policies and activism when it involves one country, and one country only..."

https://theintercept.com/2015/10/27/criminalization-of-anti-israel-activism-escalates-this-time-in-the-land-of-the-charlie-hebdo-free-speech-march/

The post-Charlie Hebdo “free speech” march in Paris was a fraud for multiple reasons, as I wrote at the time. It was led by dozens of world leaders, many of whom imprison or even kill people for expressing prohibited views. It was cheered by many Westerners who feign upset only when free speech abridgments are perpetrated by Muslims, but not — as is far more common — by their own governments against Muslims.

Worst of all, the march took place in a country that is one of the most hostile to free speech rights in the West, as France quickly demonstrated in the days after the march by rounding up and prosecuting Muslims and other anti-Israel activists for the political views they expressed. A great, best-selling book by French philosopher Emmanuel Todd released this year argues that these “free speech” marches were a “sham,” driven by many political sentiments — nativism, nationalism, anti-Muslim bigotry — that had nothing to do with free speech.

The absurdity of France’s celebrating itself for free expression was vividly highlighted by this week’s decision from that nation’s highest court, one that is a direct assault on basic free speech rights. The French high court upheld the criminal conviction of 12 political activists for the “crime” of advocating sanctions and a boycott against Israel as a means of ending the decades-long military occupation of Palestine. What did these French criminals do? This:

The individuals arrived at the supermarket wearing shirts emblazoned with the words: “Long live Palestine, boycott Israel.” They also handed out fliers that said that “buying Israeli products means legitimizing crimes in Gaza.” ...READ MORE

Thursday, October 29, 2015

National Geographic: A Photographer Captures Joy in Gaza ... From days at the beach to party preparations, Tanya Habjouqa offers a different look into life during conflict.

[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 (& America)]

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2015/10/151009-gaza-palestinian-photos-tanya-habjouqa/

Khalid Zir and his five daughters take in the ruins of their home in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Silwan.

"....She’s done her share of hard-news photography, but since 2009, she’s also been taking photos for her "Occupied Pleasures" series. A book of them will be published in December. Habjouqa says she doesn't want to trivialize her subjects’ difficulties by showing them in carefree moods, but those moods are real too.

"The humor, the sadness, the suffering, fear," she says. "It is one giant cocktail here. Fluctuating in seconds.""

"When the work was first published, I was flooded by emails from Palestinians in diaspora who would sometimes simply write, "Thank you." Or occasionally expand and say, "Thank you for showing us as we are, for allowing us to recognize ourselves." Tanya Habjouqa

Concrete tent embodies contradictions of Palestine refugee life 2015

[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 (& America)]

https://www.maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=766191

A newly constructed concrete tent in the Duheisha refugee camp south of Bethlehem in the West Bank. (MaanImages/Alex Shams)

By: Alex Shams

BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- Bethlehem’s Duheisha refugee camp on Friday officially became home to a new community center housed in an unexpected but albeit quite familiar structure for local residents: a refugee tent constructed entirely out of concrete and mesh.

The concrete tent is located in the Edward Said Garden of the al-Feniq cultural center near the camp, and has been dubbed by its creators as a “gathering space for communal learning.”

The design pays homage to the history of camp’s 15,000 residents by recalling their ancestors’ struggle after they were forced to flee their homes in villages west of Jerusalem in 1948 by Zionist militias, a part of the total of approximately 750,000 Palestinians who were forced from their homes in what many historians have called “ethnic cleansing.”

At the same time, however, the structure challenges the idea of the temporariness of refugee camps, highlighting their increasing permanence and the importance of the camp’s history of struggle and resistance since 1948 by “embracing the contradictions of an architectural form that emerges from exile.”

To do so, the structure’s creators insist, does not detract from refugees’ right to return to their original villages inside what is now Israel.

Instead, they say, it emphasizes the strength of the community and culture that have been formed as a result of nearly seven decades in exile, as well as their continued insistence on reclaiming their stolen homes and land.

Children run outside of the concrete tent in the Duheisha refugee camp south of Bethlehem. (Campus in Camps/Sara Anna)

'It reveals the contradictions in which we live'

The concrete tent is the brainchild of Campus in Camps, a year-long “experimental education program” for refugee youths from across the West Bank that focuses on issues related to urbanism, space, and lived experience in the refugee camps. The project is affiliated with DAAR, the Decolonizing Architecture Art Residency based in nearby Beit Sahour.

Ishaq Albarbary, a participant in Campus in Camps from Bethlehem’s Duheisha refugee camp, told the crowd assembled at the structure’s inauguration after a collective iftar on Friday that the concrete tent was a result of three years of “discussion, reflection, and of challenging ourselves.”

“The nature of our work at Campus in Camps is to connect the practical and the theoretical,” he said. “At the same time, we don’t want the discussion to always be internal between ourselves, and so we decided to something material to open a space for discussion about and for the society in which we live.“

The concrete tent is not being presented as a solution. On the contrary, it reveals the contradictions we live in,” he added, noting that they hoped it would be used for meetings, discussions, and leisure.

Construction of permanent structures in the refugee camps is an ideologically-charged issue for Palestinians, as many refugees see any hint of permanence in their surroundings as a tacit admission that they will not return to the villages their families were expelled from.

Since the camps’ humble start as a collection of UN-donated tents in the late 1940s and early 1950s, however, they have been dramatically transformed. In the years after the establishment of the camps, residents slowly began building mud walls and later adding cinder blocks and eventually...READ MORE

My letter to the Baltimore Sun RE Politically incorrect statues provide teachable moments by Alexander E. Hooke

Swans Reflecting Elephants, 1937 by Salvador Dali

Baltimore, MD -- 6/10/15 -- Confederate Generals Robert E. Lee (right) and Stonewall Jackson are depicted on horseback in a monument near the Baltimore Museum of Art. (Jerry Jackson/Baltimore Sun)

Artists Rebuild Destroyed Buddha Statues With Ghostly 3D Projection

RE Politically incorrect statues provide teachable moments
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/oped/bs-ed-confederate-lessons-20151027-story.html

Dear Editor,

I applaud and totally agree with the very wise philosophy professor at Stevenson University, Alexander E. Hooke's thought provoking column "Politically incorrect statues provide teachable moments"

I like how Hooke calmly connects the dots between Salvidore Dali, Buddhist Statues, and Confederate symbols. But I think he missed one crucial point... we human beings are not perfect. None of us. Every individual is a unique blend of good, bad and indifferent.

Public art depicting a hero is made to celebrate what many at the time see as someone to celebrate. This is who we are, we have a complicated past created by real people, products of their time, who thought they were doing the right and necessary thing. Sometimes our predecessors were very right, sometimes they weren't.

I'd rather live in a world that appreciates, generates and preserves art and artifacts, than a world where art and artifacts are pulverized by political and/or religious campaigners and task forces set up to decide which elements of our collective history and art should be condemned and destroyed figuratively or literally.

I'd rather live in a world where we the people are encouraged to stop and think. To individually reassess our own assumptions: A world where we are free to educate ourselves and maybe even carefully explore difficult conversations and topics. A world where there are teachable moments. A world with more diplomacy- and less war.

Sincerely,
Anne Selden Annab

My letter to the NYTimes RE Thomas Friedman Telling Mideast Negotiators, ‘Have a Nice Life’

RE Thomas Friedman Telling Mideast Negotiators, ‘Have a Nice Life’
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/28/opinion/telling-mideast-negotiators-have-a-nice-life.html?ref=international

Dear Editor,

Stop and think: In calling for negotiations to end the Israel-Palestine conflict do we really want to fight for a sovereign modern nation state's "right" to persecute, impoverish, destroy and displace targeted indigenous others?

Israel's "Jewishness" is a comfortable and familiar fantasy for many people, but that fantasy has a dark side with horrifying ramifications including the myopic inclination to shape conversations as well as peace processes that hand a heavily armed Jews-preferred Israel more time and more ways to harass and further impoverish more Palestinian individuals, demolish more Palestinians homes, and usurp more Palestine land.

Sovereign nation state Israel's long term and flagrant rejection of international law and The Universal Declaration of Human Rights when it pertains to Palestinian men, women and children predates and heavily influences today's Israel-Palestine conflict. Obfuscations of that basic fact mislead many people into failing to see what is really going on- what is hiding in plain sight: Israel can and should immediately vacate all its Jewish-only settlements in the illegally occupied territories.

There is little Israeli support for vacating Israel's Jewish-only settlement projects in the illegally occupied territories because Israel generously subsidizes its Jewish citizen settlers, providing them with affordable housing on usurped Palestinian land, where individual Israelis are lured into foolishly investing their earnings, savings, and excuses into further entrenching Jews-preferred Israel's divisive and discriminatory policies.

Modern man made Israel is called "The Jewish State" and Israel does constantly empower its preferred religious scholars and schemes with taxpayers' money, but is Israel really Jewish? What about all the many native non-Jewish people and the intentional systemic Israeli destruction of Palestinian homes and villages? What about the Palestinian refugee crisis- the forced exile, continued impoverishment, persecution and displacement of Palestinians both in what is called Israel proper, as well as all through out the West Bank and Gaza?

Sincerely,
Anne Selden Annab

NOTES

STAY CONNECTED... 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

Unclench your fist... Live by the Golden Rule...

“Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”

Words to Honor: The United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Article 1.

All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.

Monday, October 26, 2015

My letter to the Guardian RE "A galaxy" of "Star authors call for Israeli-Palestinian dialogue rather than boycotts"

The voice that connects things (Mahmoud Darwish ) Reading Room 2010 Sculptures and installations made by using books as the main production material by Pierre Lionel Matte of Norway..." To counterbalance the black/white descriptions of culture and identities I chose poems by Palestinian writer, Mahmoud Darwish."

RE "A galaxy" of "Star authors call for Israeli-Palestinian dialogue rather than boycotts"
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/oct/22/star-authors-jk-rowling-hilary-mantel-israel-palestinian-boycott-guardian-letter

Dear Sir,

Not too long ago a huge galaxy of star citizens (as well as regular folk and many a nobody) through out all the world thought slavery and the slave trade was a normal part of life. Excuses abounded, even religious texts were deployed to bully everyone into subserviently accepting a totally toxic and cruel situation.

I suspect there were many dialogues and "negotiations" between masters and slaves. Perhaps some dialogues and "negotiations" even made life a teeny tiny little bit easier for an individual slave or two- but all in all slavery continued on as a very cruel status quo and toxic situation... Just as America's southern plantation owners saw no reason to end slavery, Israel sees no reason to stop usurping Palestine land, resources, and life.

Israel, a fully sovereign and free nation state, sees no reason to end its divisive and discriminatory anti-Palestine/anti-Palestinian policies.

Israel sees no reason to respect international law; no reason to live by The Golden Rule - Do unto others as you would have them do unto you- and no reason to honor and uphold The Universal Declaration of Human Rights: "Whereas recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world" http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/

What a huge shame that Harry Potter's brilliant creator is using her fame and popularity to help perpetuate the very real plight and suffering of the native non-Jewish population of historic Palestine.

The global information age is here: Modern day boycott campaigns focused in on advocating a nonviolent way to bring attention to a very cruel status quo and toxic situation are a natural response, and boycott campaigns are bound to grow more popular and more pervasive as more and more people world wide figure out that Israeli propaganda has been very misleading: Let's start with the fact that there really is such a thing as a Palestinian.

One of my favorite Palestinians is the poet Mahmoud Darwish born in Palestine March 13, 1941 - died August 9, 2008. His words live on ... "About Darwish’s work, the poet Naomi Shihab Nye has said, “Mahmoud Darwish is the Essential Breath of the Palestinian people, the eloquent witness of exile and belonging, exquisitely tuned singer of images that invoke, link, and shine a brilliant light into the world’s whole heart. What he speaks has been embraced by readers around the world—his in an utterly necessary voice, unforgettable once discovered.” https://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poet/mahmoud-darwish

Sincerely,
Anne Selden Annab

NOTES
Smithsonian has a fascinating article on slavery in America, disclosing shocking facts- and once common words- that I never knew until this week. "Retracing Slavery's Trail of Tears" by Edward Ball tells of hidden history such as "A coffle of slaves being marched from Virginia west into Tennessee, c. 1850." ..."It took four months to assemble the big “coffle,” to use a once-common word that, like so much of the vocabulary of slavery, has been effaced from the language."

Delores McQuinn: “You see, our history is often buried,” she says. “You have to unearth it.” http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/slavery-trail-of-tears-180956968/#eDXuwuGkyuzIsE5r.99

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Strangling Jerusalem: "In reality, the roots of the violence in Jerusalem are deeper and far more complex. For decades now, Israel has been strangling East Jerusalem denying its Palestinian inhabitants freedom, opportunity, dignity, and hope, with devastating impact. Before Israel closed Jerusalem off from the rest of the West Bank in 1994, the city had served as the hub of Palestinian life. Not only was the city important for its religious role, all of the major Palestinian economic, social, cultural, educational, medical, and service institutions were located in the city. " James Zogby, President of the Arab American Institute & author of 'Arab Voices'

"First they came for Palestinians... "

Sunday Dialogue: The Media Gap

After years of peaceful [Palestinian] protest, Hebron activist dies in tear gas

Palestinians need hope, not calm

President of Palestine to address special meeting of the United Nations Human Rights Council October 28, 2015

635 flying checkpoints have been imposed between Palestinian towns, Refugee camps and cities #Palestine

“EXTREMELY VOLATILE SITUATION ACROSS THE OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY” – UNITED NATIONS EXPERT EXPRESSES GRAVE CONCERN

Tit-for-tat violence is ‘new normal’ in occupied territory..."The emerging “new normal” – characterised on the Palestinian side by spontaneous acts of violence mainly by youths, and on the Israeli side by settler vigilantes and trigger-happy soldiers – is yet another reminder that the status quo is neither manageable nor containable." Hussein Ibish

The ugly order of free-for-all killings in Israel-Palestine - See more at: http://www.jordantimes.com/opinion/rami-g-khouri/ugly-order-free-all-killings-israel-palestine#sthash.4Q036fgT.UFvoh4TJ.dpuf

The ugly order of free-for-all killings in Israel-Palestine By Rami G. Khouri in the Jordan Times

Ex-U.N. Official John Dugard: Israel’s Crimes are "Infinitely Worse" Than in Apartheid South Africa

Sam Bahour: Palestinians must not fall into this trap, again! "To cover up its crimes, Israel needs to feed all the western stereotypes of Palestinians as violent and subhuman rather than hungry for freedom and equal rights."

Artists got ‘Homeland is racist’ Arabic graffiti into the latest episode of ‘Homeland’

A Palestinian woman, wearing her traditional embroidered dress while shopping in Ramallah's open market, holds a pomegranate.

On World Food Day, we are reminded that food is so much more than just what we eat... 16 Pictures of the World's Kitchens Show the Hearts of Homes

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Unclench your fist... Live by the Golden Rule...

“Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”

Words to Honor: The United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Article 1.

All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.

***

...The Net ... a poem

...Forwards ...a poem

... The Connectors ... a poem

..Destroying Careers and Countries

RECRUIT ... a poem

... There Are Clues

Click by Click Culpability

America/Israel/Palestine 1776

... In Growing Gardens for Palestine: I ask you not to bomb

Translating the Obvious ... A poem for peace in Growing Gardens for Palestine

Trust... A poem for peace in Growing Gardens for Palestine