Courtesy of UN Agency for Palestine Refugees
Friday, December 29, 2023
Our Dinner Today: A True Story of Historic Palestine, Gardening, Good Food, & Family by Mike Hanini Odetalla
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| Traditional Palestinian Stuffed Grape Leaves |
Our Dinner Today
By Mike Hanini Odetalla
2005-2023 All Rights Reserved
Preface: I post this in light of the recent #Israeli claims (cultural theft) on yet another #Palestinian dish and as a tribute to my late father in-law (ay)...And with Gaza in my heart
Today, my wife made a large pot of stuffed grape leaves for the family to eat for dinner. She had spent the better part of the day, carefully rolling the grape leaves into finger sized morsels. God bless her hands and talents, for she is one fantastic cook, ALMOST as good as my mother, and that is saying quite a bit!
Why am I writing about grape leaves at this time? Well let me explain and give some background to the grape leaves that we had for dinner today….
Back in 1969, 2 years after Israel invaded and conquered the West Bank, Palestinians were finally permitted to visit parts of #Palestine that became Israel after 1948. One of those places was my father in-laws home village of #Lifta. In 1948, the Zionists attacked and conquered Lifta, forcing the residents to flee, and the ones that stayed behind, were taken by truck and dumped into east Jerusalem, which was still in Arab hands! The Palestinian residents of Lifta left most of their possessions, homes, trees, and orchards behind as they instantly became homeless refugees! The Palestinian homes that remained had holes blown into their roofs and floors by the Zionists to insure that the villagers would not come back because their homes were now made “uninhabitable”!
In the summer of 1969, my father in-law ventured back to the village of his birth. It had been 21 long years since he had last set foot in his ancestral village. After walking around a bit, he came upon a large grapevine. With no one to take care of this vine, it had grown “wild” all over the courtyard of an abandoned house in the village. After getting a closer look, he noticed large bunches of grapes were dangling from the vine. He ate a few of the golden grapes, their taste awakening his senses and bringing forth an avalanche of memories, and then decided to take a couple with him to his house in the Ramallah area refugee camp!
Once back home in his humble abode, he gave his daughters a “taste of home” by allowing them to each try the grapes of Lifta. As he and his family ate the grapes, they threw out the seeds in the flower beds that he had built in front of his house. A few weeks later, lo and behold, a grapevine was sprouting from the ground. One of the seeds had taken and was now growing into a grapevine, transplanted as it were, away from its home and surroundings, much like people of the village of the village of Lifta.
And so the grapevine grew and grew, with my father in-law tending to it as if it were a small child, watering and pruning it, it became his obsession, a passion. As it grew, he erected metal bars and wires overhead, covering entire front area of the house and the tiny little “courtyard” of his hovel in the dust choked refugee camp of Al-Khadura. The grapevine, much like a grateful “child”, rewarded the old man’s love and devotion, producing year after year, an abundance of grapes, “golden drops of honey” as he liked to refer to them. In fact, the grapevine, which eventually grew to cover the entire area surrounding the house, spilling over to the neighbors home, produced such an abundance of grapes, which he ended up distributing to his many neighbors in the overcrowded camp.
Also, apart from the tasty grapes, the grapevine’s tender young leaves proved to be ideal for stuffing and rolling into some of the best tasting grape leaves around because they had a naturally “tangy” flavor to them. Eventually, there were more tender grape leaves than his family could consume in a growing season, so they started to pack them away for use in the winter months, when fresh leaves were no longer available.
As in many rural parts of Palestine, up to the 1970’s, there was no electricity, and therefore no refrigerators or freezers to freeze vegetables and other staples for later use. Many Palestinians would “can” many vegetables, including grape leaves. My mother in-law though, thought that “pickling” the grape leaves took away from their flavor, she preferred to pick them fresh, roll them tight, and insert them through the small opening of plastic bottles, filling up the bottle as much as possible, them placing the cap on tightly and put them away, a crude and early form of vacuum packing. This proved to be an ideal way to store the grape leaves, locking in the flavor, and freshness.
All of this brings me back to the tasty stuffed grape leave dinner that my talented wife made for us today.
Last year, while we were in Palestine for the summer, my 88 years old father in-law would climb on a ladder each morning, reaching high to the new growths, and pick a couple of handfuls of grape leaves and hand them to my mother in-law. Seeing him teetering up on a ladder like that caused his daughters much worry, but he insisted on doing this himself, and would not allow anyone else to do this, claiming that they didn’t know the “prime leaves from grass”. One morning I asked him why he was doing this, and he replied that he wanted his grandchildren (my kids) to have the best grape leaves to eat when they went back to America.
Just before we left Ramallah for the last time, after many teary farewells, the most heart wrenching moment was when he hugged my youngest son Omar, holding him tight, and said, “I hope that when you come to visit me again next year, I will be here for you”, my sister in-law handed me 4-1 liter plastic soda bottles filled with the grape leaves that my father in-law had been picking each morning.
So you see, the grape leaves that we are eating today, have a history and a story behind them, much like the refugees of Palestine. They didn’t just appear from thin air nor were they “manufactured”…From a seed!
When we go back to Palestine in the summer of 2005, my father in-law will no longer be able to pick fresh grape leaves for us to take back to America. About a month ago, doctors amputated his leg, at first below the knee, then, the rest of it. The main reason for the amputation was the lack of access to medical treatment due to Israel’s oppressive and inhumane road blocks and checkpoints…
So as we sat down to eat our dinner today, I noticed that my wife’s eyes were welling up with tears as she asked God to “bless the hands that picked these”…
Mike Odetalla 2-2005 All Rights Reserved!
Below are pictures of my late father in-law's grape vines. He passed away in 2015 still longing to RETURN to the home and village that he was forced to leave by the #Zionists! The home in Ramallah's Kadoora Refugee Camp has since been torn down and with it, the grapevines...
Mosab Abu Toha · Heartbreaking to learn that Ammar Ghraiba, a young motion graphic designer and an aspiring filmmaker, got killed today. Our journalists, poets, and filmmakers are killed. But the story, the poem, and the film continue.
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Heartbreaking to learn that Ammar Ghraiba, a young motion graphic designer and an aspiring filmmaker, got killed today. Our journalists, poets, and filmmakers are killed. But the story, the poem, and the film continue. |
Like Palestinians in the rest of east Jerusalem, most Armenians do not hold Israeli citizenship but only residency...
Only around 2,000 Armenians remain in the Old City quarter after waves of immigration primarily to the United States and Europe since the 1960s.
Like Palestinians in the rest of east Jerusalem, most Armenians do not hold Israeli citizenship but only residency... READ MORE https://news.yahoo.com/jerusalems-armenians-vow-keep-fight-102652851.html
Jerusalem's Armenians vow to keep up fight against 'settler' project
Fri, December 29, 2023
[AS ALWAYS PLEASE GO TO THE LINK TO READ GOOD ARTICLES or quotes or watch videos IN FULL: HELP SHAPE ALGORITHMS (and conversations) THAT EMPOWER DECENCY, DIGNITY, JUSTICE & PEACE... and hopefully Palestine]
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some images from Jerusalem's Armenian Quarter
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St. Mark's Chapel, Armenian Quarter, Jerusalem |
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St. James' Cathedral, Armenian Quarter, Jerusalem |
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Jerusalem Old City Shrines & Gates |
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| #AlQuds - #Jerusalem...#Palestinian Shopkeeper, early 1900s Palestine |
Thursday, December 28, 2023
Fallen United Nations Aid Workers- Courtesy of UN Agency for Palestine Refugees via This Week in Palestine
Fallen United Nations Aid Workers
As of November 30, 2023, at least 111 UNRWA colleagues have been killed in Gaza since the war began on October 7. More than half of them were teachers. These are not just numbers; these are our colleagues and friends. Some of them were killed in the line of duty, while others were killed at home with their families in Rafah, Khan Younis, northern Gaza, the central areas, and Gaza City. We grieve them. We remember them.
Mai, was a young UNRWA colleague in her mid-20s. She was a bright software developer with physical disabilities. She was killed in the Jabalia Refugee Camp with members of her family on November 1.
Samir was killed with his wife and his eight children in the central areas. He worked in staff safety.
Dr. Sirin was a dedicated UNRWA gynecologist. She was killed in Bureij Camp on October 11.
With a heavy heart, we publish the names of the UNRWA staffers, people with emotions and aspirations like you and me. They certainly were not just numbers.
1 Fatima Psychosocial counselor 2 Mohamed Ali Teacher 3 Mohammed Iyad Teacher 4 Iz Elden Kamal Teacher 5 Reem Ibrahim Teacher 6 Khitam Samir Teacher 7 Nisreen Admin 8 Jasser Salman Mechanical design engineer 9 Awad Guard 10 Mohammad Ahmad Guard 11 Sireen Mohammad Ob-Gyn specialist 12 Adel Driver 13 Jalal Jamil Teacher 14 Samah Admin 15 Walaa Storekeeper PLD 16 Mustafa Field engineer 17 Mohammad Said Admin 18 Mohammad Abou Admin 19 Suzan Education 20 Hani Education 21 Mahmoud Education 22 Yaser Education 23 Huda Education 24 Belal Education 25 Hind Education 26 Faisal RSSP 27 Fatma Education 28 Rewa Education 29 Amna Education 30 Tamer Education 31 Mohammed FSRM 32 Ahmed FSRM 33 Omar Ahmed FSRM 34 Mohammed FSRM 35 Ahmad Mohd Education 36 Mohammed Logistics 37 Amal Health 38 Saleh Engineer 39 Samah Education 40 Khuloud Health 41 Suzan Education 42 Mohd Ahmad Education 43 Khaled Education 44 Omar Education 45 Sahar Education 46 Fadi Education 47 Rima Education 48 Amani Education 49 Rasha Education 50 Sami FSRM 51 Abed Education 52 Nema Education 53 Suhaila Education 54 Iman Education 55 Hilen Education 56 Selah Mohammad Education 57 Majed Education 58 Ahmad Education 59 Mahfouz Education 60 Nael Education 61 Mai Education 62 Samir FSRM 63 Hala Education 64 Hani Education 65 Osama FSRM 66 Riyad Education 67 Basma Education 68 Taghreed Education 69 Manal Education 70 Asthm 71 Wesam Education 72 Raed PLD 73 Mohammed Education 74 Abdullah Education 75 Mohammad Education 76 Mai IMTD 77 Fayez RSS 78 Khalil IMTD 79 Samer Education 80 Hasan Education 81 Amal Education 82 Maysoun Education 83 Haytham Sanitation 84 Salma Education 85 Rasha Education 86 Mayson A Education 87 Sabrin Education 88 Amani Education 89 Darwish PLD 90 Hasan Education 91 Amneh Education 92 Abdalla Education 93 Mjd Education 94 Rushdy ICIP 95 Iman RSS 96 Mohammad Education 97 Mohammad A Education 98 Abla Education 99 Rabab Education 100 Karim Education 101 Amna PLD 102 Tasnim RSSP 103 Mariam Education 104 Aref ICIP 105 Iusama Education 106 Ismail Usama Education 107 Haya Education 108 Mohammed FSRM 109 Mariam Education 110 Rana Education 111 Hiba Education
RSSP: Relief and Social Services Programme
FSRM: Field Security and Risk Management
PLD: Procurement and Logistics Division
IMTD: Information Management and Technology Department
ICIP: Infrastructure and Camp Improvement Programme
https://thisweekinpalestine.com/fallen-united-nations-aid-workers/
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| This Week in Palestine December 2023 |
Ahmad Khairy another Palestinian journalist killed by the Israeli bombardment of Gaza
The Jewish settlers 'living the American dream' in the West Bank
"US-born settlers are "overrepresented" in the West Bank, Sara Yael Hirschhorn, a historian and a political analyst working as a visiting professor at Israel's University of Haifa, said.
She told BI there's a higher proportion of residents with American roots in the West Bank settlements than in Israel proper — about 15% versus 1%."
The Jewish settlers 'living the American dream' in the West Bank
Dec 28, 2023
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"According to 2015 research by Hirschhorn for Oxford University, an estimated 60,000 American Jews lived in West Bank settlements.
Hirschhorn said that these figures didn't count suburban neighborhoods of Jerusalem over the Green Line and the number could be much higher."
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"Dror Sadot, a spokesperson for B'Tselem, a Jerusalem nonprofit addressing human-rights violations in the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories, told BI that all settlements in the territories were illegal under international law but that Israeli law distinguished between legal and illegal settlements.
Sadot said settlers were exploiting Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza to complete their goal of dominating the West Bank"
...READ MORE https://www.businessinsider.com/60000-american-jews-live-in-west-bank-settlements
[AS ALWAYS PLEASE GO TO THE LINK TO READ GOOD ARTICLES or quotes or watch videos IN FULL: HELP SHAPE ALGORITHMS (and conversations) THAT EMPOWER DECENCY, DIGNITY, JUSTICE & PEACE... and hopefully Palestine]
Powerful Bansky
Mike Hanini Odetalla Powerful Banksy!
MidEast:JustPeace
They often target the writers and poets and artists first, knowing the strength of the narratives they create.
They often target the writers and poets and artists first, knowing the strength of the narratives they create.
UN asks Israel to end 'unlawful killings' in West Bank & Read more: ‘I was very terrified’: The ordeal of two children detained by Israeli forces in Gaza
[Please notice the trend: Palestinians 1. in Israel, 2. in the West Bank, 3. in Gaza all attacked, harassed, & impoverished by racist Israel... day after day, decade after decade]
UN asks Israel to end 'unlawful killings' in West Bank
28 December 2023
A United Nations report issued Thursday said the human rights situation in the occupied West Bank was rapidly deteriorating and urged Israel to "end unlawful killings" against the Palestinian population.
"The use of military tactics and weapons in law enforcement contexts, the use of unnecessary or disproportionate force, and the enforcement of broad, arbitrary and discriminatory movement restrictions that affect Palestinians are extremely troubling," UN rights chief Volker Turk said in a statement.
& Read more: ‘I was very terrified’: The ordeal of two children detained by Israeli forces in Gaza
The so-called “safe corridor”, established by invading Israeli troops in Gaza in October, is used by Palestinians forced to leave northern areas of the strip to the south.
However, scores of eyewitnesses and rights groups say the corridor is anything but safe, accusing Israeli forces of using it to kill, detain, and abuse Palestinians.
Hundreds of Palestinians have been detained while taking the journey
since the start of the war, including doctors, women and children... READ MORE https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/war-gaza-israel-palestine-ordeal-children-detained-israeli-forces
& read more
A convoy of Israeli settlers' cars and motorcycles entered the Armenian Quarter in occupied East Jerusalem on Wednesday, looking to usurp the Armenian-held area, the community has said in a statement.
The Movement for the Protection and Preservation of the Armenian Quarter, in a post on Instagram, warned that tensions were high and that Israeli police had “without probable cause” arrested three Armenians, including a minor, while backing Israeli settlers.
“Instead of removing the trespassers, the Israeli police permitted a few settlers to continue their presence intended to possess the Armenian property,” said the community in a statement.
With Israel’s war on Gaza taking much of the world's attention, Israeli settlers in the occupied territories, including the Old City in East Jerusalem, have increasingly used the distraction to press illegal land claims.
The movement said that the attempt by Israeli settlers to overrun the “Armenian Gardens” - known as the “Cows' Garden” in the Old City of Jerusalem, was a “malicious attempt to change facts on the ground”.
“We are fighting now for the integrity of the Armenian and Christian
quarters,” said Hagop Djernazian, a co-founder of the movement to save
the Armenian quarter, and member of the Jerusalemite Armenian
Community.... READ MORE https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/israeli-settlers-jerusalem-take-over-armenian-quarter-force
28 Dec 2023 Israeli bombing kills two more journalists in northern Gaza & Israeli forces raided six exchange companies in the West Bank, seizing the money then blowing up the safes.
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| Al Jazeera LIVE coverage: aje.io/fdiiy5 |
Israeli bombing kills two more journalists in northern Gaza
Two more journalists have been killed in Israeli bombings, raising the total death toll of journalists in the enclave to 105, the Government Media Office has said.
More than 30 people were killed in the Israeli army attack on a residential square in Beit Lahiya, including photojournalist Ahmed Khair al-Din and journalist Mohammad Khair al-Din, Palestinian news agency Wafa reported.
Israeli forces raided six exchange companies: Palestine Monetary Authority
The Palestine Monetary Authority (PMA) says Israeli forces at dawn raided the headquarters of six exchange companies under the PMA’s control in a number of governorates in the occupied West Bank.
“The Israelis arrested a number of the owners of these companies and seized sums of money from their safes, after blowing them up,” it said in a statement, adding that it is “following up this sinful attack with all relevant parties”.
It said it considers the attack “an act that violates all international norms, laws, charters and agreements, and aims to undermine confidence in the Palestinian banking and banking sector”.
Wednesday, December 27, 2023
My letter to my elected officials: Hamas violence, Israeli violence, American violence, domestic violence- ALL are ALL WRONG & totally counter-productive.
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| Norman Rockwell's Golden Rule- United Nations |
Hamas violence, Israeli violence, American violence, domestic violence- ALL are ALL WRONG & totally counter-productive.
Do you want fair and just laws and policies to shape a better future for more people, or do you want to send the message that violence "wins?"
Winning with violence is a dangerous delusion. Those left to tell the
tale write the story. That used to mean the side with the strongest
army & the best weaponry including the most talented writers and
extensive propaganda wins. Not anymore. In today's world, with global communications witnesses see, share, and show the vile cruelty of war and home demolitions.
The Genie is out of the bottle as real human beings describe the murder of beloved family members, and
the horrors of being forced into exile over and over again: The very
real plight and suffering of the native non-Jewish Palestinian men,
women and children is a crime against humanity, and has been since 1948
when racist Israel refused to respect the refugees right of return. Now
racist Israel is hell-bent on the pulverization of Palestinian refugee
camps.
Racism and corruption are a bad way to shape our foreign policy & any government: Please stop arming, empowering, and excusing Israel.
Sincerely,
Anne Selden Annab
American homemaker & poet
NOTES
Israel has killed more than 21,000 indigenous Palestinian HUMAN BEINGS in Gaza, the majority of those killed or injured have been women and children.
Church leaders in Bethlehem cancel Christmas celebrations
Israel’s Christmas present to the tiny Baptist church in Gaza on the second Christmas Day is a tank shell that penetrated the building and damaged and destroyed the interior.
US Foreign Policy Is a Scam Built on Corruption
Displaced with his family, Sulieman Tarazi sought refuge at Saint Porphyries church, where he extended help to everyone around him. He was killed by Zionists Oct 19, 2023
250 Palestinians have been killed and 500 wounded in the past 24 hours. A holocaust is happening right before our eyes in Gaza, and world leaders refuse to stop it.
Howard Thurman: I Will Light Candles this Christmas & The Work of Christmas
All I want for Christmas is a Right of Return FREE PALESTINE
A mural painted of Wael Dahdouh - Binnish, Idlib province, Syria
Spelling it out... a perfect perch for the Dove of Peace
Bethlehem’s bombed-out nativity sculpture sends a powerful message
Bethlehem Pastor Rev Munther Isaac criticises Western hypocrisy and Church complicity in Gaza crisis
Basilica of the Nativity in Nazareth has a patinated bronze statue of St Joseph with shiny knees from the affection people have show him through the years #Palestine
"Hope” by Palestinian artist, Sliman Mansour
This icon is placed over the altar above the place of Jesus’s birth on the Feast of the Incarnation, at the place of the birth of the Christ-child in the Basilica of the Nativity, Bethlehem.
I’m a Palestinian Christian in Gaza. I want peace—for my homeland and my family.
Dear Santa
“Jesus Would Be Killed in Gaza” Peter Oborne’s Alternative Christmas Message
In solidarity with the people of Gaza, Bethlehem cancels its annual Christmas festivities. #Palestine #Christians
"A message of great hope accompanied by this light of the Christmas star despite the great sadness and despite the ugly occupation…" Bethlehem's Manger Square Christmas 2023 "The Holy Family, the first Palestinian refugee family" illustrating the ongoing Nakba by artist Tariq Salsa
Mosab Abu Toha "If you are celebrating Christmas, please make sure to decorate your Christmas tree🎄 with some slices of watermelon to honor Palestine and some strawberries to honor Refaat... And never stop demanding a ceasefire!"
All I want for Christmas is a free Palestine- Josh Mayfield an artist for Palestine
Susan Muaddi Darraj: "Thank you, @ensarasbookcorner , for including BEHIND YOU IS THE SEA 🌊 in your "most anticipated releases of 2024"! And thanks for this gorgeous graphic!"
Up on the border of Israel (actually occupied Syria) and Syria with Lebanon, is the ancient site of the Hellenistic era town... the source of the river Jordan
"Christ In The Rubble" By artist Kelly Latimore of Kelly Latimore Icons... hoping to create "more dialogue among Christians in the United States during this holy season about the ways our beliefs and actions - or lack thereof - contribute to the violence we're currently witnessing in Gaza"
Historical photo of the day: In 2011, thirteen thousand Palestinian children smashed a Guinness World Record on a beach in northern Gaza for the largest number of people flying kites simultaneously.
Americans in Jerusalem Are Helping Kick Out Palestinians... What is a guy from Virginia doing building a fence around a Palestinian home in Jerusalem?!
The plight of Gaza’s ‘WCNSFs’ – wounded child, no surviving family: "The numbers of Gaza’s dead, wounded and orphaned children are uncertain but there is no question they have borne the brunt of the war"
Don't let our tax dollars pollute the Holy Land with more bullets & bombs... & racist hate
Invest Time & Money in American Ideals - NOT ISRAEL ... letter to my elected officials
"Where, after all, do universal human rights begin?
The UN Mediator for Palestine, Count Folke Bernadotte, believed that the Palestinians displaced had a right to return to their homes and wrote several UN reports to that effect.
"It would be an offence against the principles of elemental justice if these innocent victims of the conflict were denied the right to return to their homes while Jewish immigrants flow into Palestine, and, indeed, at least offer the threat of permanent replacement of the Arab refugees who have been rooted in the land for centuries."
Bernadotte was assassinated on Friday 17 September 1948 by members of the group Lehi, a Zionist terrorist organization, commonly known in the West as the Stern Gang
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| 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 |
Israel has killed more than 21,000 indigenous Palestinian HUMAN BEINGS in Gaza, the majority of those killed or injured have been women and children.
Death toll in Gaza rises to over 21,000, as Israeli Prime Minister announces that he's ‘working’ on ethnic removal of Palestinians from the besieged Strip
The number of people in Gaza killed by Israeli attacks has risen to at least 21,110 since 7 October, with a further 55,243 injured, according to a statement by Gaza Health Ministry spokesperson Ashraf al-Qudra.
Moreover, the statement said 195 people had been killed in the past 24 hours and 325 injured.
The majority of those killed or injured have been women and children.
Ordinary Palestinians still living in the north of Gaza have told Middle East Eye about the starvation they are suffering amidst the ongoing Israeli bombardment of the city.
"This is my first time being able to connect to the internet for 50 days. We are witnessing horrific days. Death feels imminent, and danger is looming. We fled our house tens of times," said 22-year-old Aseel from Gaza City.
"War is terrifying, and Gaza has become a ghost city. The harsh conditions and scarcity of food have transformed people into monsters, fighting for survival. People are ready to kill each other for food," she added.
"The local market next to us is filled with vendors who have looted shops. They sell goods at five or ten times their original prices. No aid is reaching us, and water is scarce. We have no other choice apart from drinking salt and polluted water."
"Last week, we woke up along with our displaced relatives, amidst the dust and rubble of the neighbouring house, completely unable to see each other. When we thought we made it, a military tank was awaiting us at the end of the street. We kept running until we reached a further place.
"They kill us with airstrikes, tank raids, white phosphorus, machine guns, drones, and field executions, while the world is watching.
"All that comes to my mind is how misled I was into studying law and believing in human rights. How can a Gazan believe in international law?" Aseel continued.
Reporting by Walaa Sabah in Gaza. https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/israel-palestine-live-gaza-war-hamas-ceasefire
AND At least 6 Palestinians killed by Israeli drone strike in the occupied West Bank
Church leaders in Bethlehem cancel Christmas celebrations
Dec 22, 2023
Church leaders in Bethlehem have called for the cancelation of Christmas festivities and celebrations as the war in Gaza continues and the humanitarian crisis worsens.
Archbishop Atallah Hanna in Jerusalem, Rev. Drs. Mitri Raheb and Munther Issac of Bethlehem are three Christian leaders who made calls for subdued celebrations while pressing world leaders to facilitate a ceasefire.
“I want to remind the world, and especially Christians and Christian churches, that Palestine is the land of [Christ’s] birth, and Bethlehem is the city of that birth .... I say to all Christians and to all the world, that celebrate this holiday, when you eat and drink, remember that some people are hungry, they can’t find food or water in Gaza. When you celebrate, remember that some people have been deprived of their freedom and deprived of celebrating the holiday, and of joy and happiness.”
The move implemented in the Holy Land comes as the Gaza health ministry reports 20,000 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed, more than 8,000 of them children since Oct. 7.
Israel’s Christmas present to the tiny Baptist church in Gaza on the second Christmas Day is a tank shell that penetrated the building and damaged and destroyed the interior.
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| Israel’s Christmas present to the tiny Baptist church in Gaza on the second Christmas Day is a tank shell that penetrated the building and damaged and destroyed the interior. |
US Foreign Policy Is a Scam Built on Corruption
The $1.5 trillion in military outlays each year is the scam that keeps on giving—to the military-industrial complex and the Washington insiders—even as it impoverishes and endangers America and the world.
Tuesday, December 26, 2023
Displaced with his family, Sulieman Tarazi sought refuge at Saint Porphyries church, where he extended help to everyone around him. He was killed by Zionists Oct 19, 2023
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| Sulieman Tarazi with his family |
We are not numbers
Sulieman Tarazi, aged 35, held a master's degree in orthodontics from Jordan University of Science & Technology and practiced as an orthodontist at an orthodontic clinic.
Renowned for his professionalism and kindness, his patients regarded him as an exceptional dentist, making him one of the best in Gaza.
Displaced with his family, Sulieman sought refuge at Saint Porphyries church, where he extended help to everyone around him.
On October 19, 2023, the church became a target for the Zionist Army, resulting in Sulieman's martyrdom.
His wife, Layla, sustained critical injuries, while his children, Jameel and Had, also suffered injuries during the incident.
