letter I just sent to my elected leaders
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Merry Christmas! This time of year is a good time to think of one well known Holy Family- and all families - all love and all babies born, regardless of who or why. Which brings me to Bethlehem in The Holy Land- historic Palestine.
In the 1940s no one had cell phones, and few people had cameras.
Technology has progressed by leaps and bounds since then. When the United Nations
was formed after the scourge of war and the horrors of the Nazi
Holocaust, people from many different countries and religions came
together to figure out a better way forward for all people.
Fast forward to today's world. Cell phones abound and citizen journalists have been capturing countless aspects of life on planet earth for decades now. Social media has allowed numerous people to see and know things beyond their own backyard. Some of the things that many people in the Western world have been seeing for the first time are Israel's flagrant violations of international law and human rights- specifically Israeli crimes against Palestinian men, women, and children.
Meanwhile, here in America real freedom, justice, and democracy are
being embezzled by corporate greed and political corruption to empower
Israel and war.
Zionist propagandists dominate America's mainstream media and rather
than funding peoples' needs our tax money is being misused to fund
Israel's endless wars and the ethnic cleansing of the Holy Land.
In 1950 Dorothy Thompson spoke out about the Arab refugees from the Arab-Israeli war in the film "SANDS OF SORROW". You should watch it. https://archive.org/details/sands_of_sorrow ... Israel blocked Palestinians from returning to their homes and lands after that war, and Israel continues to block the refugees' return. Israel wants all the land, resources, and wealth it can grab- including donations from America.
Israel does not care if America is
destroyed- nor do the corporate billionaires who are accumulating huge
profits by underpaying workers and overcharging customers. Short
sighted policies based on greed proliferate.
"Acting Together for a Shared Future" is a telling phrase chosen by the United Nations this year, to honor and advertise International Human Solidarity Day- December 20th: ALL of us- not just one preferred race, religion, or nationality- all of us benefit from the rule of fair and just laws and true equality. ALL of us- not just one preferred race, religion, or nationality- have inalienable rights.
Golden Rule thinking underpins our United Nations and 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..." https://www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rightsTargeting judges, prosecutors and UN experts with sanctions because you don't want to hear the truth about Israeli crimes is wrong.
It is also very very wrong to be vilifying and de-funding UNRWA and UNESCO and the United Nations.
Sincerely,
Anne Selden Annab
NOTES https://anniesnewletters.blogspot.com/search/label/Notes
Acting together for a shared future- Each 20 December, International Human Solidarity Day renews the United Nations’ founding promise: our shared future is secured not by standing apart, but by acting together.
"The goal is to expel these people,” Taor said, referring to the local Palestinians... In the Jordan valley [PALESTINE], teenage [ISRAELI] settlers [FUNDED BY ISRAEL] drive herds of goats into a [INDIGENOUS] Palestinian community in a bid to force [NATIVE BUT NOT JEWISH] families out
December 8th 2025 in Jerusalem: The United Nations flag was pulled down & replaced with an Israeli flag
"Nothing says “trust us” like a massive propaganda budget." Assal Rad
Old Photos & maps of Gaza ... An ancient place where people have lived longer than recorded history: It is often forgotten that Gaza was once the richest port in the Eastern Mediterranean, super wealthy from the export of Arabian incense and Indian spices.
Every day, across the region, #UNRWAworks to make a difference.... The plight of Palestine Refugees remains the longest unresolved refgee crisis in the world
“Palestine Refugees remain refugees because of the absence of a political solution.... Dismantling UNRWA will not address the refugee status of Palestinians. A political solution will. Investing in peace is the answer to end what was meant to be a temporary situation.” – @UNLazzarini
Icon art by Kelly Latimore: "Christ in the Rubble," illustrates the prophetic message that if Jesus was born today, he would be born "under the rubble."
A young girl of Bethlehem in traditional Thob and Shatweh (Per Reem Ackall) ... Christians of Palestine
To see humanity in everyone and want everyone to thrive is a beautiful way to live... Ms. Rachel
“I never thought I’d go on TV and beg for children not to be intentionally starved and that would be controversial.” Ms Rachel
"The genocide in Gaza is far from over- We live not in a post-Holocaust world of ‘Never Again’ but in the same world that led to the Holocaust, a world of ‘Again and Again’" Raz Segal in The Guardian
"It’s not just Gaza. From the West Bank to Syria and Lebanon, Israel’s onslaught continues- Broken ceasefires, bombing, ground incursions and mounting deaths: Israeli imperialism is now expanding across the region" Nesrine Malik
Israel's AI powered ethnic cleansing of indigenous Palestinians being fueled & empowered by American technology : Nvidia’s CEO has confirmed that the US chip giant will build its huge campus for up to 10,000 employees in Kiryat Tivon. December 18th 2025 ....
The Israeli army’s repeated practice of running over Palestinians, whether alive or wounded, with tanks and bulldozers, is not a series of isolated incidents but one of the most brutal forms of deliberate killing carried out over the past two years
"It’s a deliberate policy, not a natural disaster. In fact, the UN specifically called on Israel to lift the restrictions on aid, making this headline deliberately misleading...." Assal Rad
"Jews are not responsible for Israel's actions. Israel should not use them a shields, and no one should turn them into scapegoats. We reject any attempt to associate any religion with the crimes of state or non-state actors or individuals, whether Judaism, Islam or Christianity" Ambassador Riyad Mansour- of & for Palestine
"Difficult to function while a genocide in Gaza – which is still ongoing – and accelerated ethnic-cleansing in the West Bank unfolds. And it has been difficult to wrestle with the ways in which the media is complicit in what is happening. More than 200 Palestinians journalists have been killed in Gaza by Israel since 7 October; far too many journalists in the West have been silent about this. The scale of carnage in Gaza simply wouldn’t have been able to take place without the media dehumanizing Palestinians and manufacturing consent for atrocities...."
"Archaeology has become yet another mechanism of oppression, alongside settler and military violence, movement restrictions, and daily dispossession. And while Palestinian communities resist with the few means available to them, Israeli archaeologists continue to legitimize and advance these forces. If Israeli archaeologists wish to maintain their academic legitimacy — and, more importantly, cease participating in an unethical project of colonial domination — they must heed the warnings of their international peers and reject the state’s cynical exploitation of their profession."
Ahmad a MUSLIM risked his own life tackling the terrorist and disarmed him - getting shot himself in the process. He is the epitome of a hero. PLEASE THINK BEFORE YOU PREACH HATRID TO RELIGIONS
Pope Leo XIV says in a statement that he wishes to "entrust to the Lord the victims of the terrorist massacre carried out yesterday in Sydney against the Jewish community". He adds: "Enough with this antisemitic violence! Let us eliminate hatred from our hearts." The pontiff also asks people to pray together for everyone who suffers as a result of war or violence.
The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs strongly condemned the terrorist attack targeting the Jewish community during a Hanukkah event in Sydney, Australia...
"The moral failure here is not abstract. The 1,000 pastors who enjoyed their free trip to Israel did not seem concerned that Palestinian Christians living minutes away cannot freely access their own churches in Jerusalem and other holy sites without Israeli military permission." ....U.S. Pastors Become Willing Ambassadors for Israel’s War-- More than 1,000 U.S. pastors flew to Jerusalem on December 3–7 for the Friends of Zion Ambassador Summit , a fully funded trip backed by Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs
We now see the ugly face of Gaza’s ‘new normal’. Israel’s genocidal campaign has left behind a reality that our starved bodies cannot survive.
Israel’s expanding ‘Yellow Line’ swallows Gaza districts and uproots families Palestinian families are forced to flee their homes in silence as Israeli deployment lines creep closer, despite the ceasefire
The UN special rapporteur on the Palestinian territory says the cost of rebuilding Gaza should be paid not only by Israel, but also by the US, Germany, Italy and the UK, as they are the main arms suppliers to Israel.
Painted by a Christian girl in Gaza.
‘We're told we must forget what happened in 1948': Palestinian pastor Munther Isaac... Journalist Peter Oborne sat down with Palestinian pastor Munther Isaac, who leads the Christmas Lutheran Church in Bethlehem, to discuss topics such as the hardships Israel's actions have caused for Palestinian Christians, the genocide in Gaza and the influence of Christian Zionists in the United States.
New Israeli barrier will slice through precious West Bank farmland- Palestinians who have worked the ‘breadbasket’ area for generations face being replaced by Israeli settlers... “All these [Palestinian] families have title deeds. They grow grapes, peppers, tomatoes, potatoes, bananas, za’atar and olives. This land is very rich and that is the reason it is being taken. The whole aim is to take it over for settlers to use it.” Abdullah Bsharat: The council leader said he had been told by Israeli officers that the road and barrier would together be 50 metres wide, but Palestinian buildings or farmwork would not be allowed along a 200-metre cordon on either side.
"The @UN General Assembly has given a strong endorsement to the ruling by the International Court of Justice that claims about @UNRWA being infiltrated by Hamas are not substantiated, nor are allegations that UNRWA is not a neutral organisation. This vote is an important sign of support for UNRWA from the overwhelming majority of the international community. As the @CIJ_ICJ stressed, UNRWA is the key humanitarian actor in the occupied Palestinian territory, & everything must be done to facilitate our work, not hinder or prevent it.... " Philippe Lazzarini
"A tent is not a home. It is never a real solution. It is meant to be temporary, a stopgap. But for people in Gaza, it has become a fragile dwelling, one that can be bombed, flooded by rainwater, or torn down and swept away the moment a tank advances. This is not new for us. UNFORTUNATELY!!!! It is the story our parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents lived. They were expelled from their homes in 1948 and forced into tents for days, then weeks, then months, then years, and, for many, now decades. Entire camps were erased as the world watched. For 78 years, generations have witnessed the suffering of our people, often in silence, sometimes while their governments enabling it." Mosab Abu Toha
Israel is BLOCKING over 6,500 trucks with essential winter aid from entering Gaza... children are going barefoot and wearing summer clothes in the freezing cold. ... World leaders and the international community continue to look away and abandon the people of Gaza. - B'Tselem בצלם بتسيلم
‘We’re drowning’: Gaza baby dies as storm floods tent encampments Rainwater and sewage flood streets and tents in Gaza as storm brings heavy downpours expected through Friday
"Gaza is currently facing a humanitarian catastrophe as a result of Israel's destruction of more than 90% of homes while the Strip is facing a storm with rain and winds exceeding 100 km/h, which will sweep away and completely flood hundreds of thousands of dilapidated tents, threatening the lives of people, especially children, who will be left exposed to the bitter cold and disease." Dr. Mustafa Barghouti
77 years ago today, the UN adopted the Genocide Convention – a treaty to ensure mass atrocities such as the Holocaust never happened again. Tragically, this has not been the reality. Nearly 2 months after the so-called ‘ceasefire’ in Gaza, Palestinians are still enduring Israel’s genocide. Over 350 people have been killed by Israeli forces since October 29, with access to life-saving aid and medical supplies still restricted.
On #HumanRightsDay we reiterate that human rights cannot be applied selectively. #OurEverydayRights are also the rights of Palestine Refugees. What is at stake are the values enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and international law.... Human Rights must be upheld without exception.
Meet Arwa Elrayess—the first Palestinian elected president of the Oxford Union in its 202-year history.
Palestinian writer and journalist Plestia Alaqad paints a stark portrait of life for Gazans under siege with The Guardian, describing a world that is both physically and symbolically shrinking...
"Since the US-brokered ceasefire was announced on 10 October, Israeli forces have killed more than 360 Palestinians in Gaza; according to a UN official, at least 70 are children – like Jumaa and Fadi."
"I experienced hunger, I experienced bombing and shelling, and I have experienced exile and loss because I am Palestinian, because I am from Gaza, all I did was I was born in Gaza. Gaza is a small place that is very beautiful, it has a lovely sea, and lovely weather, not like the weather here. There is sun, and no wind. I am here today to tell you how Gaza is beautiful and how people there are very nice, and all the children love to play and they love to go to school and they love to be children like other children. I am here to tell you about Palestine, our culture, our traditions, and that we love life, we don’t like destruction and that we don’t deserve what we have lived through and continue to live through.”" Renad from Gaza
Gaza has become the place with the largest populations of child amputees in modern history [BECAUSE of ISRAELI VIOLENCE & ZIONIST CRUELTY !]
Hundreds of thousands of [PALESTINIAN] homes [IN GAZA] have been destroyed or severely damaged [BY ISRAEL], leaving [PALESTINIAN] families exposed to winter storms. Fragile tents collapse under rain and wind, while Israel’s genocide continues and the destruction of [PALESTINIAN] homes goes on
The United Nations has called for an investigation into the recent “horrific” killing by Israeli forces of two young brothers in Gaza who were reportedly targeted by a drone while collecting firewood.
Crackdown on Palestinian civil society: Union of Agricultural Work Committees raided by Israel
At the General Assembly debate on the Question of Palestine, Ambassador Riyad Mansour said: "Everywhere in the region the same policy, land grab disguised under security pretexts. In Palestine, in Lebanon, in Syria. This is a recipe for perpetual occupation, perpetual bloodshed, perpetual war, instead of shared peace, shared security, shared prosperity.""
Israel is holding 6,000 trucks, enough supplies for Gaza for 3 months - Monday, December 1st 2025
On the last day of the Pope’s journey, a rainbow graces the shrine of Our Lady of Lebanon in Harissa.
Israeli settlers attack and rob Italian and Canadian volunteers in West Bank- Group beaten in early hours of morning in village where they volunteered to help protect Palestinians from settler violence
The Art of Occupied Palestine ... Dreaming at the Window.... painting by Palestinian artist Shaima' Farouki.
"Meanwhile, the occupied West Bank is also experiencing its most severe economic downturn on record, with movement and access restrictions and the collapse of jobs"... Israel’s war and restrictions drive Palestinian economy to record collapse. UNCTAD warns two years of attacks and longstanding restrictions have driven occupied Palestinian territory’s economy into its most severe contraction.
Rama Duwaji Makes a Powerful Statement wearing Palestinian-Jordanian Designer Zeid Hijazi's creation, for her husband Zohran Mamdani's acceptance speech
Zohran Mamdani is rewriting the political rules around support for Israel. If support for Israel is no longer de rigueur in New York, it may soon not be obligatory in Washington. That is good news for Palestinians - by Kenneth Roth in The Guardian
"This brings to 1,004 the number of Palestinians killed by Israel in the West Bank since October 2023, including 217 minors. At least 21 of the killings were perpetrated by settlers. “ We are witnessing the total abandonment of Palestinian lives. Israel has already shown it is capable of far greater violence, as we are seeing in the Gaza Strip. The situation in the West Bank is deteriorating by the day and will only worsen, because there is no internal or external mechanism to restrain Israel or stop its ongoing policy of ethnic cleansing. The international community must put an end to Israel’s impunity and hold those responsible for crimes against the Palestinian people to account” said Yuli Novak, B'Tselem executive director. Since October 2023, alongside the ongoing genocide in Gaza, the Israeli military has been enforcing an increasingly permissive and reckless open-fire policy in the West Bank, including the use of airstrikes in populated areas. The military has also armed and mobilized thousands of settlers into regional defense battalions and rapid-response teams within settlements. Under this blanket impunity, armed settlers attack Palestinians on a daily basis, burning homes, farmland and crops, looting property and killing residents. Although dozens of such attacks occur every day, and many are captured on video and well documented, Israeli law-enforcement authorities rarely open investigations. In the 21 cases where settlers have killed Palestinians, not a single perpetrator has been convicted." B'Tselem בצלם بتسيلم
"Since the “ceasefire” in the Gaza Strip took effect on 10 October 2025, Israel has killed at least 345 Palestinians there, including at least 119 children, and wounded about 889. The World Food Programme (WFP) reported this past week that it managed to bring into the Strip only about two-thirds of its planned aid and could provide food to just 500,000 people – roughly 30% of its target. The main obstacles are Israel’s draconian bureaucratic restrictions on aid organizations and its ongoing refusal to open the crossings. According to reports, during the 45 days since the “ceasefire” was declared, Israel has demolished roughly 1,500 structures across the Strip, in violation of the agreement. With the sewage system in ruins and heavy rain in mid-November, many IDP tent camps have flooded. Most people in Gaza are homeless, hungry and lacking access to basic services, yet world leaders are standing by, issuing empty statements and enabling the normalization of this unbearable reality. The international community must act now to ensure protection for Palestinians, the immediate entry of humanitarian aid, and accountability for those responsible for the genocide." B'Tselem בצלם بتسيلم
"Israel is allowing fewer than 200 aid trucks a day into the Strip, despite a ceasefire deal requiring 600. Ismail Al-Thawabteh of Gaza’s media office says Israel is “managing hunger in Gaza deliberately, slowly, and cumulatively,” with malnutrition now above 90 percent. He adds that Israel has killed at least 342 Palestinians since the Oct. 10 ceasefire began and continues to block heavy machinery needed to recover bodies from rubble. He calls it deliberate starvation and obstruction of relief, urging mediators to pressure Israel to comply."
"Over 35,000 tents were flooded with heavy rainwater. Over 288,000 families sleeping in torn tents. ~1.2m people are homeless. Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part, is an act of genocide." Mohamad Safa
𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒖𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒈𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒃𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒆𝒗𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒂𝒖𝒕𝒚 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒊𝒓 𝒅𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒎𝒔.” - Eleanor Roosevelt, US First Lady 1933-1945 and Chair of the drafting committee of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Dear America- "ISRAEL SAYS" is not God talking.
Dear America- Israel has a right to exist, but Israel has no right to starve and displace the men, women and children of historic Palestine.
The vast majority of Americans are not wealthy & the taxes that We The People pay are being diverted into funding religious bigotry and terror via Israel's cruel war on the native non-Jewish men, women, and children of historic Palestine. HAMAS cruelty and stupidity echoes Zionist cruelty and stupidity and on and on it goes. Neither approach will build peace or security.
The weapons industry and a global war machine- AND INJUSTICE- burgeon with American tax payer funds.
Violence is a problem- not the answer.
STOP THE SIEGE- stop funding crazy cruel Israeli schemes & the forced displacement, imprisonment, starvation, torture, and killing of human beings in Gaza and Palestine
"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
