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| After 15 months, the body of 8-year-old Ola Saleh Farwana was recovered, tragically buried under the rubble of her home in Gaza, destroyed in an Israeli airstrike. |
Showing posts with label 2023. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2023. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 5, 2025
After 15 months, the body of 8-year-old Ola Saleh Farwana was recovered, tragically buried under the rubble of her home in Gaza, destroyed in an Israeli airstrike on the night of October 13, 2023
Thursday, December 28, 2023
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
Sunday, December 24, 2023
In solidarity with the people of Gaza, Bethlehem cancels its annual Christmas festivities. #Palestine #Christians
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| Church of Nativity photo by Isam Telhami |
Shibley Telhami
In solidarity with the people of Gaza, Bethlehem cancels its annual Christmas festivities.
Monday, December 11, 2023
It’s sadly reported that one of Gaza’s most prominent poets, Saleem Al-Naffar, has been buried since last Thursday with his family under the rubble of the house where he sought refuge in Gaza City. The bodies can’t be retrieved. No one can check whether any person can be rescued.
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Palestinian Poet Saleem Al Naffar |
Knives might eat
what remains of my ribs,
machines might smash
what remains of stones,
but life is coming,
for that is its way,
creating life even for us.
Born in 1963 into the crude conditions of a refugee camp near Gaza City, Saleem was hardly of walking-age when the aftermath of the 1967 war with Israel forced his family to migrate to another camp of desperation, called Al Raml, near Latakia in Syria.
His word for that boyhood is “melancholy,” and it ended at age ten when his father passed away there, making Saleem the family-man most responsible for his mother, brother and sisters.
Literature and poetry were his solace: he began writing lyrics in high school, and then studied Arabic literature at Tishreen University. After first seeking out any available stage for reciting his poems, Naffar soon began placing them in Arabic journals and newspapers.
As he began a family of his own, his literary reputation grew, and after the 1994 founding of the Palestinian Authority, Naffar returned with his family to live in Gaza. He still lives and writes there, publishing new critically-recognized volumes of poems, novels (for example, Nights of Latakia), and an autobiography (Little Memory on Happiness)—working also as an editor for a range of Arabic journals and magazines.
“Generations of my family have endured the needless poverty of apartheid,” Naffar has said. “From that, I sometimes sing of our despair. But maybe people like my work because, even so, it never gives in to hatred or calls for violence.”
https://jackdempseywriter.wordpress.com/2021/11/21/visions-of-justice/
[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]
It’s sadly reported that one of Gaza’s most prominent poets, Saleem Al-Naffar, has been buried since last Thursday with his family under the rubble of the house where he sought refuge in Gaza City. The bodies can’t be retrieved. No one can check whether any person can be rescued.
Palestinians cancel Christmas celebrations amid Gaza devastation: 'No celebrations during genocide'
Decorations, parades and usual shows of festivities will not go ahead this year as Christians mourn those killed in Gaza
Pastor
Munther Isaac adds dirt to an installation that shows a figure
symbolising baby Jesus lying amidst the rubble in a grotto ahead of
Christmas at the Evangelical Lutheran Church (Reuters)
Published date: 10 December 2023
In Gaza, the occupied West Bank and Israel, the typically festive season is instead sombre.
This year, there will be no Christmas lights in Bethlehem, no festive parades in Jerusalem or elaborate decorations in Israel.
In Gaza, Palestinians are mourning the loss of over 17,000 killed in Israeli bombings. Bodies are being pulled out from under the rubble, while people continue to search for their missing loved ones amidst wide-scale destruction.
The war, which started on 7 October, has come at a time when Christians would usually be preparing for the festive season.
However, for the first time since the start of modern celebrations of Christmas, Jesus's birthplace and the Manger Square tree in Bethlehem will not be decorated.
Christian leaders and municipal authorities have decided to cancel all public festivities, stating it was "not appropriate".
The patriarchs and heads of the churches in Jerusalem have asked Christians to refrain from "unnecessarily festive" Christmas activities. Catholic churches in Galilee have made a similar request.
The president of the Council of Local Evangelical Churches in the Holy Land, Munir Kakish, said the decision came due to "the thousands killed - and in prayer for peace". He added that "we will only hold traditional services and devotionals on the meaning of Christmas".
'No celebrations during genocide' ...READ MORE
[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]
Sunday, December 10, 2023
Joe Biden and other Western leaders will say all the right words. But what they’re allowing Israel to do in Gaza just makes human rights work harder in the Middle East.
NO CELEBRATION
It’s International Human Rights Day. Try Telling That to the People of Gaza.
Belal Khaled/Anadolu/Getty Images
Today, December 10, is International Human Rights Day, marking the seventy-fifth anniversary
of the landmark Universal Declaration of Human Rights. I am sure that President
Biden and other world leaders will all deliver grave speeches paying tribute to
the declaration and proclaiming their commitment to it.
I wonder how all this will look to the people of Gaza. The refusal by the Biden administration and most European countries to condemn the killing of Palestinian children and civilians by the thousands constitutes a horrific blow to those working in the field of human rights. This apathy toward civilian Palestinian lives has been a devastating earthquake that has destroyed people’s faith in human rights conventions and international norms.
Over the years, major Western development agencies have spent hundreds of millions of dollars and euros in the Middle East and North Africa to help raise awareness and strengthen human rights, peace, good governance, and transparency. But since the start of the Israeli war on Gaza, those resources and efforts have gone to waste as concepts and principles that have long formed the core focus of these international organizations have been ignored by their governments.
Civil society organizations in Palestine, Jordan, and other countries in the region have canceled activities and events related to human rights, including events for International Human Rights Day. Organizations have also rescheduled the activities to include references to the rights of Gazans because they are embarrassed to talk about human rights conventions.
Talking about human rights has become disconnected from reality, according to many. The mere appearance of the logo of the U.S. Agency for International Cooperation, the European Union, GIZ (the German development agency), and so forth, on platforms or publications has become toxic as perceived by the majority of human rights activists and civil society representatives. It threatens the reputation of anyone who receives funding or participates in activities supported by these entities.
Many human rights defenders in the region feel let down, disappointed, and even guilty about their belief in and cooperation with these agencies during past periods. They cannot find a convincing explanation regarding the hypocritical scenes that prevailed at the Security Council sessions and other forums... READ MORE
https://newrepublic.com/article/177407/international-human-rights-day-gaza
[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]
Thursday, December 7, 2023
Who Shall Remember How? Palestinian Poets Respond- gems in The Los Angeles Review of Books December 4th 2023
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| Samia Halaby, Black Is Beautiful, 1969. Oil on canvas, 167.5 x 167.5 cm. Courtesy of the artist and Ayyam Gallery * |
Who Shall Remember How? Palestinian Poets Respond
By Sara Abou Rashed, Lena Khalaf Tuffaha, Jessica Abughattas, Deema K. Shehabi, Elizabeth Metzger
December 4, 2023
"... These poems are in conversation with the work of people across Palestine and in the diaspora, and it is my hope as a reader and editor of poetry to bring you their voices, celebrate the beauty and power of their language, and acknowledge their pain and grief in the context of the genocide their people face. I stand with these poets in a call for a ceasefire, an end to the violence and oppression. I am honored to have curated these poems and encourage you to read more of their important work beyond this feature." —Elizabeth Metzger
Read the poems in full & see more art: https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/who-shall-remember-how-palestinian-poets-respond/
SARA ABOU RASHED
LENA KHALAF TUFFAHA
JESSICA ABUGHATTAS
DEEMA K. SHEHABI
[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]
*Samia Halaby (b. 1936, Jerusalem) is a leading abstract painter and an influential scholar of Palestinian art. Although based in the United States since 1951, Halaby is recognized as a pioneer of contemporary abstraction in the Arab world. Halaby has been collected by international institutions since the 1970s, including the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum of Art (New York and Abu Dhabi); Yale University Art Gallery; National Gallery of Art, Washington DC; Art Institute of Chicago; Cleveland Museum of Art; Institut du Monde Arabe; and the British Museum.
Sunday, December 3, 2023
Today's Nativity scene inspired by Israeli Bombing Campaigns 2023 #Gaza #Bethlehem, #Palestine #Christmas #Christ
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Photos: Lutheran Christ Church in #Bethlehem, #Palestine
This is the nativity scene at the Christmas Lutheran Church in Bethlehem this year. It is based off pastor Munther Isaac’s sermon, “God is Under the Rubble.” Please read if you have not yet:
Thousands more are still missing under the rubble.
Wednesday, November 29, 2023
Friday, October 20, 2023
Update on Gaza October 20th, 2023
- As of Thursday night, midnight Gaza time, the number of Palestinians killed in the Gaza Strip had risen to 3,785, including at least 1,524 children. By this morning, it may well be over 4,000
- There are many hundreds, even thousands, of people that remain under the rubble and are not included in this casualty count.
- 12,500 people have been injured
- last night, a building next to one of the oldest churches in the world was shelled, collapsing onto the church and partially damaging it. 16 [updated] people sheltering in and around the church were killed. This number is expected to go up.
- a staggering "at least" 30% of all housing units in the Gaza Strip have been either destroyed (12,845), rendered uninhabitable (9,055) or moderately/lightly damaged (121,000)
- 1 million of the 2.2 million Palestinians living in Gaza have been displaced; Israel ordered Palestinians to the south, but has continued to bomb in the south
- there is no water, no fuel, at least 4 hospitals—that was yesterday—have closed because they have no fuel to function. Several days ago, hospitals started operating without anesthetics, and medicines are critically low
- Today there are supposed to be 20 trucks entering but already there are hold-ups. Gaza needs 500 trucks a day to provide for its massive needs (source: former UNRWA spox Chris Guinnes). There are 3,000 tons of assistance waiting at Egypt's airport. Some people have started advocating for other crossings to be opened since Rafah is small and has been bombed numerous times by Israel.
- A pause in hostilities is required for any meaningful relief distribution, but Israel is refusing to stop its bombardment.
Friday, June 2, 2023
PALESTINE WRITES 2023 Literature Festival September 22-24 University of Pennsylvania Lenni-Lenape Homeland, Turtle Island*
The first-ever Palestine Writes festival, in 2020, was digital, while the upcoming 2023 iteration will be a primarily in-person event.
According to organizers, the festival is set to include “panel discussions, presentations, book readings, workshops, music, dance, food, oral storytelling, an art exhibit, photography, and continuous children’s programming.”
The festival, the only North American literature festival dedicated to celebrating and promoting cultural productions of Palestinian writers and artists, was “born from the pervasive exclusion from or tokenization of Palestinian voices in mainstream literary institutions,” and aims to bring “Palestinian cultural workers from all parts of Historic Palestine and our exiled Diaspora together with peers from other marginalized groups in the United States.”
A program is forthcoming at the Palestine Writes website. You can also follow them on Twitter at @PalestineWrites.
*Turtle Island is a First Peoples' name for Earth or North America. The name is based on a creation story common to several early ancestors & indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands of North America.
Wednesday, April 26, 2023
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