Friday, December 13, 2024

Dear America- Israel and its propagandists claim it is all about self-defense, but Israel is and has been the aggressor and the rule breaker.

Postcard from If Americans Knew

My 12/13/2024 letter to elected leaders

Dear America,

There is something we can do right now TODAY to end the violence and suffering in The Holy Land- STOP ARMING ISRAEL.

Israel freely violates all borders and international law and human rights over and over and over.

Israel and its propagandists claim it is all about self-defense, but Israel is and has been the aggressor and the rule breaker.

Please do not send Americans in to learn anything about security or police work in Israel, for Israel wants our money but scorns our ideals of real justice, freedom, equality, and democracy.

Do not trust Israel. Time and time again, for decades now, Israel has cruelly persecuted and impoverished the native non-Jewish men, women and children of historic Palestine.

Please stop funding, fueling and exasperating racist Israel's cruel crimes against humanity.

Sincerely,

Anne Selden Annab

Notes https://anniesnewletters.blogspot.com/search/label/Notes

SAVE THE CHILDREN please suspend all arms sales to the Government of Israel

CHRISTMAS 2024: From DC to the Vatican, baby Jesus is wearing a keffiyeh (RNS) — The pro-Palestinian creche is intended to point out the disconnect between the idealized Bethlehem of most representations and the reality in present-day Gaza and the West Bank.

Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib: "A horrific genocide is happening right now and it should be documented in the Congressional Record. The silence and indifference in Congress is disturbing. I submitted Amnesty’s 296-page report concluding that the Israeli government is committing genocide against Palestinians."

Amnesty International’s 2024 Human Rights Defender Award: The ongoing genocide in Gaza has exacted a devastating toll on journalists, those who risk their lives to report the truth. Among the 44,000 killed in Gaza, 138 journalists and media workers have been killed in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, while carrying out their critical role of bearing witness, truth-telling and documenting atrocities...

If I Must Die a book of poetry and prose by Refaat Alareer of Palestine: "If I must die, let it bring hope, let it be a tale..."

UN General Assembly ADOPTS resolution A/ES-10/L.32 affirming its full support for the mandate of the UN Relief and Works Agency UNRWA and deploring the legislation adopted by the Israeli Knesset on 28 October 2024 VOTE: In favor: 159 Against: 9 Abstain: 11

Bethlehem longs for the Prince of Peace this Christmas... "Before war broke out last year, there were an estimated 45,000 Christians in the Jerusalem and the West Bank, and another 1,500 in Gaza. Today, there are likely far fewer."

This Christmas, once again, we find ourselves reflecting on the meaning of Christmas through the image of Christ in the Rubble... 87% of housing units in Gaza are damaged.

BDS commemorates 37 years since the beginning of the 1st Palestinian Intifada of 1987... TAKE #nonviolent ACTION

Pope: ‘Enough with wars and violence in the world, let there be peace in the whole world’ 2024-12-07

Mosab Abu Toha of Palestine's newest book of poems Forest of Noise

Mary consoles Eve- art by Sister Grace Remington, a Cistercian nun at Our Lady of the Mississippi Abbey in Iowa

Palestinian women wearing traditional dresses (thobe), each different design represent different Palestinian villages and cities.

Israel/OPT/Palestine: Law to ban UNRWA amounts to criminalization of humanitarian aid

Amnesty International investigation concludes Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza

Soha Abdul Salam Saqallah, 13 years old, was killed by Israel today along with her entire family.

Americans should focus on building peace - My letter published online in my local newspaper The Patriot News: "Our domestic and foreign policies should align to shape true justice, peace, and prosperity for all people, regardless of race or religion."

"The United Nations was not created to take mankind to heaven, but to save humanity from hell." ~Dag Hammarskjöld, second Secretary-General of the United Nations

"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..." https://www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights

My Letters https://anniesnewletters.blogspot.com/search/label/letters

Dear Elected Officials- Stop poisoning the land, and undermining international law.

SAVE THE CHILDREN please suspend all arms sales to the Government of Israel

SAVE THE CHILDREN please suspend all arms sales to the Government of Israel

CHRISTMAS 2024: From DC to the Vatican, baby Jesus is wearing a keffiyeh (RNS) — The pro-Palestinian creche is intended to point out the disconnect between the idealized Bethlehem of most representations and the reality in present-day Gaza and the West Bank.

St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Washington’s Capitol Hill neighborhood is one of several churches across the country that have created crèches called “Christ in the Rubble.” The name comes from a book by Palestinian Christian pastor Munther Isaac. Featuring the baby Jesus wrapped in a black-and-white checkered keffiyeh, the creche is intended to remind Christians that if Jesus were born today, he would be born under the rubble. (Photo courtesy Lindsey Jones-Renaud)

By Yonat Shimron December 9, 2024

(RNS) — The scene representing the birth of Jesus is a common December sight, artfully arranged on church lawns or entryways across the country.

But in some churches this year, the nativity crèche is looking a bit different.

The manger has been replaced with a pile of rocks, and the baby Jesus is swaddled not with a thin blanket but with a black-and-white keffiyeh, the Middle Eastern-style scarf that has become a symbol of Palestinians’ resistance to Israeli aggression.

This tableau, often called Christ in the Rubble, first appeared last year in the town of Bethlehem outside the Evangelical Lutheran Christmas Church, pastored by the prominent Palestinian minister and activist Munther Issac. All Saints Episcopal Church in Pasadena, California, quickly copied it and constructed one on its lawn.

This Advent season, leading to Christmas, they are becoming more common. Even Pope Francis was presented a crèche Saturday (Dec. 7) by two Bethlehem-based artists, featuring a baby Jesus nestled in a keffiyeh.

The pontiff declared “Enough wars, enough violence!” while receiving the delegation of Palestinian groups that organized the project.

In Washington, D.C., less than half a mile from the U.S. Capitol, another church assembled a Christ in the Rubble crèche last week.

The nativity scene outside St. Mark’s Episcopal Church features a Black baby Jesus swaddled in a keffiyeh lying in a bed of broken bricks and clumps of concrete and wire.

It is intended to bring awareness to Israel’s ongoing war that has leveled the Gaza Strip and killed more than 44,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, as well as to the plight of Palestinians in Bethlehem, located in the occupied West Bank. While most Palestinians are Muslim, there is a thriving Palestinian Christian community in Bethlehem, the site of Jesus’ birth, according to the gospels of Matthew and Luke.

“At Christmas, we sing about Bethlehem and we put up our manger scenes and talk about this story of Jesus being born in this town of Bethlehem with its themes of peace, love, joy and hope,” said Lindsey Jones-Renaud, a lay member of St. Mark’s who was part of the team that assembled the crèche last week. “But there’s such a disconnect between all that and what is actually happening in Bethlehem right now and in the surrounding lands.” ... READ MORE https://religionnews.com/2024/12/09/this-advent-christ-in-the-rubble-creches-feature-a-baby-jesus-in-a-keffiyeh/

[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]

Thursday, December 12, 2024

Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib: "A horrific genocide is happening right now and it should be documented in the Congressional Record. The silence and indifference in Congress is disturbing. I submitted Amnesty’s 296-page report concluding that the Israeli government is committing genocide against Palestinians."

"Congress is about to vote to send nearly $1,000,000,000,000 for weapons and war when the Pentagon just failed its 7th audit in a row. But what's even more disturbing is that many of my colleagues own stock in defense contractors and benefit financially." Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib

"A horrific genocide is happening right now and it should be documented in the Congressional Record. The silence and indifference in Congress is disturbing. I submitted @Amnesty’s 296-page report concluding that the Israeli government is committing genocide against Palestinians." Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib

Amnesty International : Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory https://www.amnesty.org/en/location/middle-east-and-north-africa/middle-east/israel-and-the-occupied-palestinian-territory/report-israel-and-the-occupied-palestinian-territory/

Amnesty International’s 2024 Human Rights Defender Award: The ongoing genocide in Gaza has exacted a devastating toll on journalists, those who risk their lives to report the truth. Among the 44,000 killed in Gaza, 138 journalists and media workers have been killed in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, while carrying out their critical role of bearing witness, truth-telling and documenting atrocities...

Al Jazeera’s Gaza correspondent, Anas Al-Sharif, has been awarded Amnesty International’s 2024 Human Rights Defender Award.

12 December 2024

The ongoing genocide in Gaza has exacted a devastating toll on journalists, those who risk their lives to report the truth. Among the 44,000 killed in Gaza, 138 journalists and media workers have been killed in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, while carrying out their critical role of bearing witness, truth-telling and documenting atrocities.

The deliberate targeting and killing of journalists and press by Israeli forces constitutes war crimes under international humanitarian law. Despite these clear violations, no perpetrators have been held accountable to date and have continued to target journalists will full impunity.

To honour the extraordinary resilience, bravery and courage of journalists working in the most perilous conditions, Amnesty International Australia is proud to announce the inaugural Human Rights Defender Awards.

In a global context increasingly plagued by misinformation and disinformation, where journalism has spread across new platforms, and biases have been ingrained in the reporting of major media outlets, the need to uphold freedom of expression and opinion has never been more critical. The Awards honour those who have risked their lives to ensure and uphold the integrity of journalism, in protecting freedom of independent information.

The Human Rights Defender Awards celebrate excellence in human rights journalism and the remarkable courage and determination of journalists dedicated to documenting the realities of the Gaza crisis.

This year’s awards recognise individuals based on the significant impact of their fearless reporting on the genocide in Gaza, their innovative use of social media and citizen journalism to challenge traditional narratives and their ability to inspire action for justice.

Mohamed Duar, Amnesty International Australia’s Occupied Palestinian Territory Spokesperson says:

“Freedom of the press is essential to enable democratic and free societies. Freedom of information is a fundamental human right. Journalists and the media are crucial to ensure transparency and accountability. Yet media freedom and the safety of journalists are under threat around the globe. Each attack on journalists is an attack on press, freedom and truth. Journalists are not and should never be a target.

“It is in this context that the Amnesty International Australia Human Rights Defender Awards honour excellence in human rights journalism and applaud the courage and determination of journalists who put their lives on the line to tell important human rights stories from within or on Gaza. The Awards honour those who have risked their lives to ensure and uphold the integrity of journalism, in protecting freedom of independent information.”

The 2024 recipients of the Human Rights Defender Awards are:

Bisan Owda, Palestinian Journalist, Activist, and Filmmaker

“Thank you, for the work, for the recognition and all the efforts you do to shed light upon this genocide. It’s an honor to accept this award.

“I’m here, in front of you, surviving more than 420 days. Surviving being killed by bombing, while I am helping my people by spreading truth and documenting the genocide. I don’t find anything more honorable on earth than defending the rights of defenseless people, the oppressed people.

“Thank you to all the rights defenders on this earth and thank you for this award. Free Palestine.”... READ MORE https://www.amnesty.org.au/human-rights-defender-awards-2024/

If I Must Die a book of poetry and prose by Refaat Alareer of Palestine: "If I must die, let it bring hope, let it be a tale..."

If I Must Die by Refaat Alareer (Author), Yousef M. Aljamal (Compiler), Susan Abulhawa (Foreword)

“If I must die, let it bring hope, let it be a tale.”

This rich, elegiac compilation of work from the late Palestinian poet and professor, Refaat Alareer, brings together his marvelous poetry and deeply human writing about literature, teaching, politics, and family.

The renowned poet and literature professor Refaat Alareer was killed by an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City alongside his brother, sister, and nephews in December 2023. He was just forty-four years old, but had already established a worldwide reputation that was further enhanced when, in the wake of his death, the poem that gives this book its title became a global sensation. “If I Must Die” is included here, alongside Refaat’s other poetry.

Refaat wrote extensively about a range of topics: teaching Shakespeare and the way Shylock could be appreciated by young Palestinian students; the horrors of living under repeated brutal assaults in Gaza, one of which, in 2014, killed another of his brothers; and the generosity of Palestinians to each other, fighting, in the face of it all, to be the one paying at the supermarket checkout.

Such pieces, some never before published, have been curated here by one of Refaat’s closest friends and collaborators. This collection forms a fitting testament to a remarkable writer, educator, and activist, one whose voice will not be silenced by death but will continue to assert the power of learning and humanism in the face of barbarity.

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Refaat Alareer, poet born and died in Gaza, Palestine

Refaat Alareer was killed because his message reached the world

UN General Assembly ADOPTS resolution A/ES-10/L.32 affirming its full support for the mandate of the UN Relief and Works Agency UNRWA and deploring the legislation adopted by the Israeli Knesset on 28 October 2024 VOTE: In favor: 159 Against: 9 Abstain: 11

UN News

@UN_News_Centre

#BREAKING UN General Assembly ADOPTS resolution A/ES-10/L.32 affirming its full support for the mandate of the UN Relief and Works Agency

@UNRWA

and deploring the legislation adopted by the Israeli Knesset on 28 October 2024 VOTE: In favor: 159 Against: 9 Abstain: 11

4:52 PM · Dec 11, 2024

Tuesday, December 10, 2024

Human Rights Day:

Realising the healthy international relations can be created only among populations made up of individuals who themselves are healthy and enjoy a measure a independence, the United Nations elaborated a Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which was adopted by the U.N. General Assembly on December 10, 1948. - Albert Einstein

We stand today at the threshold of a great event both in the life of the United Nations and in the life of mankind, that is the approval by the General Assembly of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. - Eleanor Roosevelt

America did not invent human rights. In a very real sense human rights invented America. - Jimmy Carter

Norman Rockwell's celebration of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Bethlehem longs for the Prince of Peace this Christmas... "Before war broke out last year, there were an estimated 45,000 Christians in the Jerusalem and the West Bank, and another 1,500 in Gaza. Today, there are likely far fewer."

A priest walks by the Church of the Nativity, traditionally believed to be the birthplace of Jesus

Joyce M. Davis | jdavis@pennlive.com

There will be no Christmas celebration in Bethlehem this year.

Bshara Nassar says it’s hard to celebrate the Prince of Peace when Israeli bombs are killing thousands of Palestinians every day, only a few miles away in Gaza.

Like Jesus, Nassar was born in Bethlehem, a Palestinian town a little more than 5 miles from Jerusalem. Thousands of Christian pilgrims make the trek to the Church of the Nativity in Manger Square to pay homage to the birthplace of Christ.... READ MORE

https://www.pennlive.com/opinion/2024/12/bethlehem-longs-for-the-prince-of-peace-this-christmas-social-views.html

#AdventNotArms

This advent, we reaffirm our belief in the sanctity of all life and demand an end to the violence and killing. We call on the UK government to reject weapons as a solution, suspend all arms sales to Israel, work to protect human dignity and do all it can to push for a ceasefire. embraceme.org/advent-not-arms

This Christmas, once again, we find ourselves reflecting on the meaning of Christmas through the image of Christ in the Rubble... 87% of housing units in Gaza are damaged.

Munther Isaac منذر اسحق

@MuntherIsaac

This Christmas, once again, we find ourselves reflecting on the meaning of Christmas through the image of Christ in the Rubble.

Christ is still under the rubble in Gaza, as children are still being pulled from under the rubble in Gaza.

It is heartbreaking that we are still calling and pleading for a ceasefire.

Decision makers seem to be content with this war continuing as long as it has. They have decided that Palestinians are dispensable. 44700 killed (not including those under the rubble), including close to 17500 children.

87% of housing units are damaged.

Thousands are physically handicapped. Millions are traumatized. It is literally hell on earth in Gaza.

How many more need to be sacrificed before decision makers decide enough in enough?

We insist: we see the image of Jesus in every child killed. They are precious to God.

May we unite this Christmas in lighting a candle for Gaza, and particularly for the children of Gaza. This is beyond symbolism. Let us unite in prayer, and commit ourselves to the cause of ending this genocidal war. We cannot stop talking about Gaza.

We can stop advocating. Most importantly, we will not lose our faith and hope in God and the goodness and justice of God.

12:47 PM · Dec 8, 2024

Sunday, December 8, 2024

BDS commemorates 37 years since the beginning of the 1st Palestinian Intifada of 1987... TAKE #nonviolent ACTION

Sunday, 8th December:

We commemorate 37 years since the beginning of the 1st Palestinian Intifada of 1987. A collective and inclusive movement spread from Gaza across historic Palestine calling for boycotts, strikes, and popular resistance to end Israel's military occupation and colonial rule.

“Today we confront the most brutal phase of Israel’s 76-year-old regime of settler colonialism and apartheid. This is manifested in a genocide perpetrated against our people in Gaza, which is funded, armed and shielded from accountability by the colonial West, led by the US. Also corporations and institutions that continue business-as-usual with apartheid Israel are complicit in apartheid and genocide. In the spirit of the Palestinian Intifada, we continue to steadfast, to resist oppression, and we shall eventually overcome. We call on people of conscience worldwide to mobilize to end all forms of state, corporate and institutional complicity with Israel. Together, we shall prevail and build towards a better humanity.” - Mahmoud Nawajaa, BNC General Coordinator.

Monday, 9th December:

The International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and of the Prevention of this Crime.

For over a year, we have been sharing the images, stories and ghastly statistics of the rising number of Palestinians killed, burned, starved, displaced, and fallen sick by Israel’s devastating genocide in Gaza. We have been calling for and enacting pressure on states and international institutions to fulfill the bare minimum of their legal obligation to end complicity by imposing lawful, targeted sanctions on Israel.

On 5th December, 2024 the world’s largest human rights organization, Amnesty International, added its voice to states, UN experts, and thousands of legal scholars and historians who have reached the same conclusion. Amnesty found that, based on policies, actions, and omissions since 7 October, 2023, Israel is committing genocide against 2.3 million Palestinians in besieged and occupied Gaza. It called on states to impose targeted and lawful sanctions on apartheid Israel.

Tuesday, 10th December:

On the UN Human Rights Day, in the spirit of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, we call on our supporters to heed the Palestinian call for action. Adopted only days after the UN passed the illegal and unethical Plan of Partition of Palestine 76 years ago, the Declaration has been systematically violated by Israel throughout its existence as a settler-colonial apartheid state.

Let's organize across these dates, peacefully disrupting business-as-usual with Israel, amplifying Palestinian demands in your mobilizations, and helping us grow the power of the BDS movement to stop Israel’s genocide in Gaza and dismantle its regime of settler-colonial apartheid.

TAKE ACTION:

1. PRESSURE YOUR GOVERNMENT TO IMPOSE SANCTIONS ON ISRAEL, INCLUDING A COMPREHENSIVE MILITARY EMBARGO.

2. TAKE TO THE STREETS TO PRESSURE GOVERNMENTS TO END COMPLICITY.

3. FOCUS ON BDS PRIORITY TARGETS AND CAMPAIGNS.

4. DEMAND THE IMMEDIATE SUSPENSION OF APARTHEID ISRAEL FROM THE UN.

READ IN FULL https://bdsmovement.net/Three-Important-Dates-Three-Reasons-To-Mobilize

Pope: ‘Enough with wars and violence in the world, let there be peace in the whole world’ 2024-12-07

From Palestine to the Vatican: A Nativity Scene Adorns Paul VI Hall, Crafted by Artisans from Bethlehem

As the Christmas season approaches, the Vatican’s Paul VI Hall unveiled a Nativity scene, meticulously crafted by Palestinian artisans from Bethlehem. Organized under the auspices of the Higher Presidential Committee for Church Affairs in Palestine and the Embassy of the State of Palestine to the Holy See, with the oversight by Dar al-Kalima University and the Piccirillo Center.

The ceremony was presided over by His Holiness Pope Francis, who was joined by Dr. Ramzi Khouri, PLO executive committee member and head of the Higher Presidential Committee for Church Affairs.

Dr. Khouri conveyed warm greetings from the Palestinian people, President Mahmoud Abbas and members of the Higher Presidential Committee. He expressed deep gratitude for the Pope’s unwavering support for the Palestinian cause and his tireless efforts to end the war on Gaza and promote justice.

In a symbolic gesture, two Palestinian children presented the Pope with the “Star of Bethlehem” plaque, reflecting the pain and resilience of Palestinian children suffering from the war, famine, and devastation in Gaza.

Pope Francis used the occasion to call attention to Bethlehem’s sacred Nativity sites, emphasizing their message of peace and love. “Despite their differences,” he remarked, “all Nativity scenes embody the universal message of hope and goodwill left to us by Jesus.”

His Holiness issued a heartfelt appeal:

“Enough with wars! Enough of violence! Do you know that one of the most profitable industries is the arms trade? Profit made for the purpose of killing—how can this be? Enough with wars!” He reiterated his strong condemnation of the arms industry that thrives on war and death.

The Pope also remembered all those suffering from the scourge of war worldwide, stating, “With tears in our eyes, we lift our prayers for peace. Let there be no more wars, no more violence. May peace reign across the world and touch every heart beloved by God.”

The 10-foot-tall Nativity Scene aims to draw global attention to the Holy Land, where conflict and sorrow persist. It features the Holy Family carved from olive wood, with the Christ Child laid upon a Palestinian keffiyeh. A mother-of-pearl Star of Bethlehem adorns the scene, inscribed in Arabic and Latin with the message: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men.”

Mosab Abu Toha of Palestine's newest book of poems Forest of Noise

Mosab Abu Toha of Palestine's newest book of poems Forest of Noise

Mosab Abu Toha

@MosabAbuToha

Mosab Abu Toha taught English at United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) schools in Gaza from 2016 until 2019, and is the founder of the Edward Said Library, the only English-language library in Gaza.^[5] In 2019-20 he was a visitor at Harvard University, as a Scholar-at-Risk Fellow at the Department of Comparative Literature,^[5] a librarian at the Houghton Library, and a fellow in the Harvard Divinity School.

Abu Toha is a columnist for Arrowsmith Press,^[6] and has written from Gaza for The Nation, Literary Hub, the New York Times,^[7] and The New Yorker.^[8]

His poems have been published on the Poetry Foundation website, and in publications which include Poetry Magazine, Banipal, Solstice, The Markaz Review, The New Arab, Peripheries, The New York Review,^[9] The Progressive,^[1] The New Yorker,^[10] and The Atlantic.^[11]

In 2022, he published his first book of poetry, Things You May Find Hidden in My Ear (City Lights). It won the Palestine Book Award and an American Book Award. It was also a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award and the Walcott Poetry Prize.^[1] The New York Times said, "Abu Toha’s accomplished debut contrasts scenes of political violence with natural beauty."^[12] For the National Book Critics Circle, Jacob Appel wrote, "What makes Abu Toha’s work resonate so strongly is his gift for the particular. By avoiding panoramic generalizations, he hones in upon evocative images that capture the larger plight of his people."^[13]

In 2023, Abu Toha was appointed to a visiting faculty position at Syracuse University through the Scholars at Risk network.^[14] He is currently serving as an instructor and writer in residence at The American University in Cairo for the Spring 2024 semester. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mosab_Abu_Toha