Wednesday, January 28, 2026

On Tuesday's #HolocaustRemembrance Day, we honour the memory of all those who perished in the Holocaust & the enduring legacy of those who survived. Today & every day, we must counter antisemitism, Holocaust denial & distortion and all forms of hatred.

On Tuesday's #HolocaustRemembrance Day, we honour the memory of all those who perished in the Holocaust & the enduring legacy of those who survived.

Today & every day, we must counter antisemitism, Holocaust denial & distortion and all forms of hatred. un.org/en/observances

https://x.com/UN/status/2016013548137181231

AS ALWAYS PLEASE GO TO THE LINK TO READ GOOD ARTICLES (or quotes) IN FULL: HELP SHAPE ALGORITHMS (and conversations) THAT EMPOWER DECENCY, DIGNITY, JUSTICE & PEACE... and hopefully Palestine, or at least fair and just laws and policies]

https://www.un.org/en/observances/commemoration-holocaust-victims-day

A warning to all people of the dangers of hatred, bigotry, racism and prejudice."

- United Nations General Assembly Resolution A/RES/76/250 on Holocaust Denial

Holocaust Remembrance for Dignity and Human Rights

The United Nations was established in response to the horrors of the Second World War and the Holocaust. The Holocaust has had a profound impact on International Human Rights Law, resulting in the United Nations’ adoption of foundational documents in 1948: the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.

United Nations General Assembly Resolution 60/7 in 2005 designated 27 January as the annual International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust and established the Holocaust and the United Nations Outreach Programme. This date was chosen as it marks the anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz Birkenau German Nazi Concentration and Death Camp on 27 January 1945.

The International Day is a global reminder of the dangers of hatred, bigotry and antisemitism. The Day is a call to remember, reflect and take action to ensure such atrocities never happen again. The International Day is observed with commemorative events and activities at United Nations Headquarters in New York and the United Nations offices around the world.

Anne Frank 1929-1945 Hind Rajab 2018- 2024 ... NEVER AGAIN MEANS NEVER AGAIN FOR ANYONE !

"We call on Israel to immediately cease such actions against UNRWA premises, respect the Agency’s mandate, lift all restrictions imposed on its activities, and fully comply with its obligations under international law, in line with the latest advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice of 22 October 2025 on the Obligations of Israel in relation to the Presence and Activities of the United Nations, other International Organizations and Third States in and in relation to the Occupied Palestinian territory. "

https://x.com/UNRWA/status/2016390890764325140

The Advisory Commission expresses deep concern and deplores actions by the Government of Israel to demolish the headquarters of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in occupied East Jerusalem. Such actions set a dangerous precedent, threatening to undermine the multilateral system.

Israel must abide by its international obligations to ensure the protection and inviolability of United Nations premises in accordance with the provisions of the Convention on Privileges and Immunities of the UN (1946) and the UN Charter. We urge Israel to comply with its obligations under international law.

We call on Israel to immediately cease such actions against UNRWA premises, respect the Agency’s mandate, lift all restrictions imposed on its activities, and fully comply with its obligations under international law, in line with the latest advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice of 22 October 2025 on the Obligations of Israel in relation to the Presence and Activities of the United Nations, other International Organizations and Third States in and in relation to the Occupied Palestinian territory.

In light of these serious events, the Advisory Commission reaffirms its firm and unwavering support for UNRWA and for the full implementation of its essential mandate to meet the needs of Palestine refugees until a just and lasting peace is reached in the region.

https://www.unrwa.org/newsroom/official-statements/statement-advisory-commission-unrwa

Background Information:

UNRWA is the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East. The United Nations General Assembly established UNRWA in 1949 with a mandate to provide humanitarian assistance and protection to registered Palestine refugees in the Agency’s area of operations pending a just and lasting solution to their plight.

UNRWA operates in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, The Gaza Strip, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria.

Tens of thousands of Palestine refugees who lost their homes and livelihoods due to the 1948 conflict continue to be displaced and in need of support, over 75 years on.

UNRWA helps Palestine Refugees achieve their full potential in human development through quality services it provides in education, health care, relief and social services, protection, camp infrastructure and improvement, microfinance, and emergency assistance. UNRWA is funded almost entirely by voluntary contributions.

Your support is crucial to help us provide emergency aid
to displaced families in Gaza

UNRWA: Facts Versus Claims

UNRWA has long faced misinformation and disinformation campaigns, including about its staff and operations.

UNRWA Commissioner-General: Gaza’s ban on international journalists fuels disinformation—lifting it is a necessity

Palestinian journalists have been our eyes and ears covering the atrocities of the war on Gaza and bringing a human face to describe the impact. They have worked heroically and against all odds.

Together with humanitarian workers they have paid a heavy ultimate price. More than 230 of them have been killed. Gaza is the deadliest place in the world to be a journalist, just as it is the deadliest place to be a humanitarian worker.

Since the war began, international journalists have been banned from entering Gaza independently - something that is fundamental to media freedom.

The ban fuels disinformation campaigns and polarised narratives. It aims at questioning firsthand data and eyewitness accounts, including the testimony of international humanitarian organisations, as well as at dehumanising Palestinians.

The ban on international journalists has lasted too long, lifting it is overdue.

Gaza City, Gaza: A displaced Palestinian girl looks out from her tent in Gaza City- Photograph: Dawoud Abu Alkas/Reuters- Holocaust remembrance and a tsunami museum: photos of the day –The Guardian’s picture editors select photographs from around the world Tuesday 27 January 2026 ... & "“I represent one and a half million children who were murdered and who are not here to speak for themselves,” Friedman told German media. “My story is representative of all their stories because we all had similar experiences. I was simply luckier than them, because I survived.”"

Gaza City, Gaza

A displaced Palestinian girl looks out from her tent in Gaza CityPhotograph: Dawoud Abu Alkas/Reuters

Holocaust remembrance and a tsunami museum: photos of the day – Tuesday

The Guardian’s picture editors select photographs from around the world

https://www.theguardian.com/news/gallery/2026/jan/27/holocaust-remembrance-and-a-tsunami-museum-photos-of-the-day-tuesday?CMP=share_btn_url#img-7

‘I was simply luckier’: Holocaust survivors warn against forgetting Nazi atrocities

People urged to stand up against populism and antisemitism as the world marks International Holocaust Memorial Day

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jan/27/i-was-simply-luckier-holocaust-survivors-warn-against-forgetting-nazi-atrocities

"... Friedman, who emigrated to the US where she became a successful therapist, warned against the rise of the populist far-right in Europe. She said she would directly address the AfD, which is up for election in five states this year and is predicted to do well in at least three of them.

The anti-immigrant party, which backs policies such as the mass deportation of non-naturalised citizens, has repeatedly called for an end to what it calls “Schuldkult” or a “culture of guilt”, to describe the perpetuation of the memory of Nazi crimes.

“I want very much to face up to them, not to hide away from them,” said Friedman.

Kaja Kallas, the European Union’s top diplomat warned that antisemitism was more rampant than at any time since the Holocaust, and was “taking on new and disturbing forms”. She also warned of AI-generated content which was being deliberately created “to blur the line between fact and fiction, distort historical truth and undermine our collective memory”.

The Frankfurt-based Anne Frank Educational Centre drew attention to a “flood” of AI-generated content being used like propaganda, in which the victims were ridiculed, with the aim of denying or trivialising them.

Representatives of the Jewish community across the world, including Josef Schuster, president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, urged people to show “civil courage” and stand up for democracy at a time when ...." READ MORE https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jan/27/i-was-simply-luckier-holocaust-survivors-warn-against-forgetting-nazi-atrocities

Candles were placed at the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe in Berlin. Photograph: Liesa Johannssen/Reuters

Monday, January 26, 2026

"The family I mentioned happens to be Christian. But let no one think this is about Christians or Muslims. This is about Palestinians. All of us. We are all now exposed. All unprotected. All living under a system where the attacker is shielded and the victim is punished..." Rev. Munther Isaac

Munther Isaac منذر اسحق

@MuntherIsaac

Yesterday, Zionist settler thugs attacked the village of Birzeit, near Ramallah. They uprooted trees and deliberately let their flocks loose on Palestinian families’ lands—lands that are not only a source of livelihood, but a source of dignity and rootedness.

When one woman from the village dared to shout at them and confront them, the settlers attacked her. She was attcked and had to be hospitalized and was placed in intensive care. Thank God, today her condition is stable.

When her son and other relatives saw what was happening, they did what any human being would do: they rushed to defend her and pushed the attackers away.

Now here is the real question: What did the Israeli army do? They did not arrest the settlers.

They did not protect the family. They did not stop the attack. Instead, they beat the Palestinians and arrested the son who defended his mother. As of now, we have no news about him.

Let us call this what it is: Zionist terrorism.

The problem is not only the settlers. The problem is the system that empowers them.

The problem is the immunity they enjoy. The problem is the protection they receive from the army. The problem is the ideology that sees Palestinians as disposable, as obstacles, as people without rights. This is not an isolated incident. This is happening everywhere in the West Bank. Day after day. Village after village. Family after family. Farmers, shepherds, children, elderly people—all are victims of this organized lawlessness.

The family I mentioned happens to be Christian. But let no one think this is about Christians or Muslims. This is about Palestinians. All of us. We are all now exposed. All unprotected. All living under a system where the attacker is shielded and the victim is punished.

This is injustice in its naked, brutal form. A system that protects violent settlers and arrests a son for defending his mother is not a system of law. It is a system of oppression and apartheid.

Lord, have mercy.

https://x.com/MuntherIsaac/status/2015482384108658738

Sunday, January 25, 2026

The Women Who Shaped the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

70 years ago, Eleanor Roosevelt was instrumental in drafting the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. But she was not alone. Discover who are the women who shaped the major instrument for the defense of Human Rights.

Dear America, A barbaric new era has already begun as Americans are duped into being wage slaves for billionaires who have no respect for basic human rights and the rule of fair and just laws.

letter I just sent to my elected leaders

Dear America,

A barbaric new era has already begun as Americans are duped into being wage slaves for billionaires who have no respect for basic human rights and the rule of fair and just laws.

Twice in recent weeks ICE agents have murdered American witnesses and lied to cover up the truth. Rather than being held accountable the Trump administration double downs on lies to blame and vilify the victims of ICE violence.

So what happens to our rights & freedoms, to our jobs & our economy, to our future when all news and opinion is pushed online to be stored, sorted, tweaked, and restyled by data centers and hyperscalers owned by billionaires and tyrants who have a vested interest in deceiving We the People.

This past year the USA has myopically withdrawn funding from UNESCO and other such crucial good works including most recently the World Health Organization.

The United Nations & international law were formed after the horrors of the Nazi Holocaust: Holocaust Museums world wide should have been teaching generations of children that racist hate, state sponsored bigotry, injustice and terrorism are all evil and wrong, but instead right now here in America the Holocaust is being exploited to raise funds to help Israel trap, target and kill Palestinian men, women and children.

Global billionaires have formed a 'Board of Peace' that nefariously reinforces Israeli disinformation campaigns and Zionism's cruel policies with the ongoing impoverishment and further displacement of Palestinian refugees. Orwellian doublespeak obscures the wicked quest to undermine and destroy both Palestine AND the United Nations & international law.

'Board of Piece' spelled with an 'i' would be a more accurate name for it as a massive real estate swindle is being shaped by people who really should know better.

Crippling UNRWA [the United Nations Relief and Works Agency of Palestine Refugees] and destroying United Nations aid centers and operations cannot and will not ever erase the fact that every Palestinian refugee has an inalienable and natural right to return to original homes and lands- no matter how you want to spell it.

Sincerely,

Anne Selden Annab

NOTES

"The United Nations is the only place on Earth where all the world's nations come together to discuss common problems and find shared solutions that benefit all of humanity. This intergovernmental organization born out of the ashes of the Second World War remains indispensable to the pursuit of world peace, justice, equality and sustainable development" https://www.un.org/en/

The right of refugees to return to homes and lands they were expelled from is an individual right and cannot be unilaterally abrogated by third parties. https://imeu.org/resources/resources/fact-sheet-palestinian-refugees-the-right-of-return-under-international-law/441

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

WHO statement on notification of withdrawal of the United States: As a founding member of the World Health Organization (WHO), the United States of America has contributed significantly to many of WHO’s greatest achievements, including the eradication of smallpox, and progress against many other public health threats including polio, HIV, Ebola, influenza, tuberculosis, malaria, neglected tropical diseases, antimicrobial resistance, food safety and more. WHO therefore regrets the United States’ notification of withdrawal from WHO – a decision that makes both the United States and the world less safe.

"A lost moral compass opens a barbaric new era after Israeli officials compete to take credit for the storming and destruction of a United Nations compound in occupied East Jerusalem, others call for the annihilation of an entire community of UNRWA staff..." Philippe Lazzarini 20 January 2026

1940s, Bethlehem, Palestine 🇵🇸 Palestinian Christian newlyweds in Beit Sahour. In Palestine, the tradition of sticking green leaves and yeast dough to the newlyweds’ home is a folk blessing symbolizing life, growth, and abundance.

‘Impunity won’t last forever’: What gives Francesca Albanese hope

"This is not the first atrocity to have happened in world history, but it is the first to be fully televised. I would like to ask the people in Israel: Do you see what is being done in your name? There have been reports from B’Tselem and other human rights groups, there are soldiers who have broken the silence, and some have even committed suicide. Israelis know what is happening to the Palestinian people, but they seem not to care...."

Israel EXPANDS- erasing Palestine

Kairos Palestine – The Palestinian Christian Initiative
A Moment of Truth: Faith in a Time of Genocide

"Leave Gaza alone. If the goal is truly peace, then the path is simple: end the occupation and help restore the rights that have been taken from Palestinians since 1948. We, the Palestinian people, are the ones who must determine our own future. Peace cannot be imposed while our land is occupied, our lives controlled, and our voices ignored. It cannot be imposed by those who have been contributing to our suffering. You know who I’m talking about! Stop supporting those who oppress us and murder our people." Mosab Abu Toha

Three journalists among 11 Palestinians killed by Israeli forces in Gaza. Reporters had been in car on way to new camp, says media group, as two 13-year-old boys killed in separate incidents ... Israeli forces have killed at least 466 Palestinians in Gaza since the ceasefire took effect in October, according to health authorities.

Israeli prisons continue to function as a network of torture camps for Palestinians, with the systematic abuse even more extensive than before. This includes physical and psychological abuse, inhuman conditions, deliberate starvation and denial of medical care, all of which has led to numerous deaths. Some witnesses also described undergoing or witnessing sexual violence and abuse. The transformation of prisons into a network of torture camps is part of the Israeli regime’s coordinated onslaught on Palestinian society

The demolition of buildings inside the UNRWA Headquarters, a United Nations site, in East Jerusalem that started on Tuesday was unprecedented. Yet it is part of a pattern of deliberate disregard for international law and the United Nations. UN Member States must uphold international law, without delay. This UNRWA compound is a UN facility, and therefore inviolable under the Convention on Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations. It was first leased by UNRWA from Jordan in 1952.

"The Holocaust, like all genocides, was not inevitable. Warning signs abounded long before the mass killing, and began with the process of “othering”. The Holocaust cautions us to heed these warning signs and to challenge hatred, bigotry, racism, and prejudice. We can draw on our knowledge of the past to counter the fear and suspicion spread today through the manipulation of information, hate speech and the distortion of history."

"It was not Hitler or Himmler who abducted me, beat me, and shot my family... It was the shoemaker, the milkman, the neighbor- who recieved uniform and then believed they were the master race." Karl Stojka, Auschwitz survivor

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/id-card/karl-stojka

#ProtectTheFacts

Forbidden Plants of Palestine: Each tatreez [embroidery] motif documents a “Forbidden Plant of Palestine,” carrying a story of connection and resilience, offering a reminder of the enduring bond between the people and the land that nurtures them.

1936, Jerusalem, Palestine 🇵🇸 A Palestinian shepherd.

“A lost moral compass opens a barbaric new era: after Israeli officials compete to take credit for the storming & destruction of a United Nations compound in occupied East Jerusalem, others call for the annihilation of an entire community of UNRWA staff. These statements from officials of a Member State cannot be tolerated by the Member States sworn to the UN Charter. These actions must be referred to the highest level & fought against.” Philippe Lazzarini

These are not just concrete blocks, they are people’s homes. Since the ceasefire, the IDF has destroyed more than 2,500 buildings along the Yellow Line. Far more buildings were damaged beyond repair. “Total loss” is how one of you testifiers describes what they saw in Gaza:

"Then there’s the latest Israeli innovation: the humanitarian gag order. Thirty-seven aid organizations suspended. Doctors Without Borders (MSF) — the very name a promise of medical care for the wounded and dying - expelled from Gaza because they had the audacity to call this what it is: genocide."

Wild flowers of Palestine. Bethlehem-star

Paperback of the week: Righting Wrongs by Kenneth Roth -Roth spent three decades as head of Human Rights Watch. His record of past victories is also a warning for the future

Senior clergy say outside agendas are fracturing Christian unity in the Holy Land and undermining their authority

Jerusalem Patriarch, churches say Christian Zionism threatens Christianity

The Patriarchs and Heads of the Churches in Jerusalem have issued a statement rejecting Christian Zionism and warning against unauthorized "representation" of Christians in the Holy Land.

"These shameful tactics are part of the relentless campaign by Israeli authorities to unilaterally prevent UNRWA from executing its #UNGA mandate in occupied East Jerusalem, which does not fall under Israeli sovereignty. The application of Israeli law therein is illegal. In October 2025, the @CIJ_ICJ ruled that Israel is obliged to facilitate relief provided by UNRWA. And yet, the present actions represent the very opposite." Roland Friedrich

Philippe Lazzarini @UNLazzarini: It was an honour to have a private audience with His Holiness Pope Leo XIV... I sought the Holy Father’s support to preserve UNRWA’s critical services, primarily in the area of education, public health & safety nets for Palestine Refugees in #Gaza & across the region until a just & fair political solution is in place.

‘The [ISRAELI] settlers brought the violence’: the ethnic cleansing of a West Bank village... Ras ‘Ein al ‘Auja is a small community of about 135 families – and the only one remaining in this part of the Jordan valley

"Almost all of those killed or who die from the cold are forcibly displaced Palestinians whose homes were destroyed by Israeli bombardment, as the Israeli occupation continues to block the entry of caravans and reconstruction materials." Maha Hussaini

Israel poised to start construction of bypass through heart of West Bank: Road project, part of blueprint for new illegal settlement in E1 area east of Jerusalem, is considered a tool of annexation

“Since the start of the cease-fire” ... GAZA. The so called peace plan is allowing Israel to "finish the job": 450 killed; 2,500 structures destroyed; lifesaving aid blocked.

“From tourism to education to business, Americans have profited enormously from the open global order that international law has enabled. Trump’s return to a world of power politics would mean a more circumscribed and impoverished America.” What would happen if every state acted like Donald Trump’s America? by Kenneth Roth

In a might-makes-right world, US allies, not to mention the emerging powers of the global south, would begin to hedge their bets in dangerous ways

USA: International Withdrawals Are a Vindictive Effort to Tear Apart a Global System for Cooperation

As the Israeli bombs fell, my family committed an act of rebellion: we planted a garden in Gaza: Amid constant danger, each planted seed was a tiny act of resistance. As they grew, they offered us food – and a sense of achievement amid the devastation- Taqwa Ahmed al-Wawi of Palestine [In The Guardian]

Growing Gardens for Palestine

Dear America- Golden Rule Thinking IS GOOD

Dear America, Our land and resources are being gobbled up for AI data centers for what purpose? Is it for the greater good of tax paying citizens- or is it to feed the greed of corporations and companies that already use our data to charge us as much as they can at every turn.

Real freedom, justice, and democracy are being embezzled by corporate greed and political corruption to empower Israel and war.

"ISRAEL SAYS" is not God talking.

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