Meet Arwa Elrayess—the first Palestinian elected president of the Oxford Union in its 202-year history.

Husam Zomlot & Arwa Elrayess

Husam Zomlot

Ambassador of the State of Palestine to the UK. Former Ambassdor to the United States. 

@hzomlot

 

Meet Arwa Elrayess—the first Palestinian elected president of the Oxford Union in its 202-year history. 

 

I’ve known Arwa and her family since she was a teenager. 

 

She is from #Gaza, and now she’s making history at #Oxford, championing open debate on human rights, justice, and equality. 

 

Despite silencing campaigns against her, her election shows the power of young Palestinian talent and a growing global movement for justice. 

 

From Zohran Mamdani in New York to Arwa Elrayess at Oxford—it’s the same movement, the same demand. And it is unstoppable. 

 

 #ArwaElrayess #OxfordUnion #Palestine #FreePalestine #Justice #StudentMovement #PalestinianVoices.

 https://x.com/hzomlot/status/1997694456691122591

 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] 

"In Gaza, journalists are not just relaying the tragedies of displacement, loss, and starvation. They are experiencing it firsthand in all of its extremities, too. But when journalists are also targets, who reports on them? More than 270 Palestinian media personnel have been killed in 21 months. Who defended them? This was the duty of international journalists: to stand by their peers, to serve as their armour, to amplify their voices." Text Mariam Barghouti | Photography Ahmed Younes & Ali Jadall

The eyes of truth 

From Gaza comes the clearest record of our time, witnessed and told by journalists who risk their lives to preserve it. Their truth must guide us all. When they speak, we must listen; it is our utmost duty now.   September 4th, 2025

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https://www.dazed.me/feature/the-eyes-of-truth-gaza-journalists

Text Mariam Barghouti | Photography Ahmed Younes & Ali Jadallah 

[CLICK THE LINK TO SEE THE TELLING PHOTOS]

At the time of writing, at least eight journalists have been killed by Israel, adding to the over 270 Palestinian media personnel killed in Gaza during the last 21 months. Among them is photojournalist Mariam Riyad Abu Dagga, who was photographed and interviewed for this feature. She was murdered by Israel in a targeted attack on Nasser Hospital, alongside four other journalists: Ahmed Abu Aziz, Hussam al-Masri, Mohammad Salama, and Moaz Abu Taha. She was 33 years old and is survived by her son, Ghaith.

 International journalists choose calm scenes—they don’t want the scenes of blood, the screaming. But as local journalists, we live the moment in the field. It’s not just the event, it’s us in the event.” – Mariam Riyad Abu Dagga

On 10 August, shortly after my peer Anas Al-Sharif was savagely killed along with an entire Al Jazeera crew that included Mohammed Qraiqea, Mohamed Nofal, and Ibrahim Thaher as well as freelancers Moamen Aliwa and Mohammed al-Khalidi, Hind Khoudary took to X, addressing media outlets worldwide. 

“I will not speak to foreign media about the killing of Palestinian journalists,” wrote the award-winning Palestinian journalist. “I will not sit on your global channels to be part of a segment you’ll forget by tomorrow.” Capturing their hypocrisy and hollow coverage in a matter of words, she added: “To you, we are just a headline—a tragedy to consume, not colleagues to defend.”

In Gaza, journalists are not just relaying the tragedies of displacement, loss, and starvation. They are experiencing it firsthand in all of its extremities, too. But when journalists are also targets, who reports on them? More than 270 Palestinian media personnel have been killed in 21 months. Who defended them? This was the duty of international journalists: to stand by their peers, to serve as their armour, to amplify their voices.

Instead, western coverage of Palestinians is marred by a repeated pattern of contradiction, claiming to uphold objective, non-partisan reporting while framing Israel’s atrocity crimes as “self-defence”. Between what is said and what is actually happening are the Palestinian journalists on the ground, who continue to personify the essence of journalism by holding power accountable and preserving memory against systemic erasure.

Displaced, not defeated   Nour Swirki

Journalists are journalists, not superheroes   Shrouq Al Aila, Hind Khoudary

The sister, the daughter, the mother, the missing  Hind, Nour, Shrouq, and Mariam 

Murder as a passing note  Mariam Riyad Abu Dagga

Absent media, present youth   Renad Attallah

It doesn’t end    ... Say their names, cite their work, defend their lives.

Palestinian Christian woman of Lydda, Palestine 1923

Palestinian Christian woman of Lydda, Palestine1923

Minamanne- Church of the Nativity, Bethlehem, Palestine

 

minamanne

Church of the Nativity

Church of the Nativity, Bethlehem, Palestine (photo 1945) Image source: Library of Congress

This image of a Palestinian woman in her Malaka thobe, standing above the Church of the Nativity, is familiar to many Palestinians. When I see these pre-Nakba images I always think about the people in them. Who was she? What was her name, her story? I wonder how she lived through the Nakba just a few years later, how she carried the weight of memory and loss. Did she get to stay in Palestine, or was she displaced like so many of us?

A martyr is a person who is killed or made to suffer because of their religious or other beliefs ... Talented artist Deem Zurub [Dina Khaled Mohammed Zaarab] drew pictures of people who died in Gaza- MARTYRs who died in Israel's war against the indigenous people of Palestine. Deem Zurub, a Palestinian refugee living in a tent, was killed by Israeli airstrike April 14th, 2025

Deem holding a drawing she did of a child killed by Israeli forces

Deem Zurub, Palestinian artist - She didn’t just sketch martyrs — she became one

Dina Khaled Mohammed Zaarab was killed in an Israeli strike on Rafah southern Gaza Strip, April 14th 2025.

Dina Zaarab—only 22 years old. 

Dina—the talented painter whose brush captured the unspeakable pain of genocide.

 

Dina—the girl who brought color to children’s faces while the world around them was gray with ash and fear.

 

Dina—the dreamer who wanted nothing more than to help her people, to bring water, food, smiles… hope.  

Israel kills 22-year-old Palestinian artist Dina Zaurub in airstrike on her displaced tent

Israeli forces have killed Palestinian artist Dina Khaled Zaurub in an airstrike west of Khan Younis in southern Gaza. The strike hit the tent where she and her family had taken shelter near the Sand Beach resort, Quds News Network reported.

The 22-year-old gained recognition for painting portraits of victims killed by Israel, honoring the lives lost during the ongoing genocide... READ MORE  https://maktoobmedia.com/world/israel-kills-22-year-old-palestinian-artist-dina-zaurub-in-airstrike-on-her-displaced-tent/

Zaurub received several honors throughout her life. In 2015, she won the Al Mezan Center for Human Rights Award for the best drawing on children’s rights in armed conflict. She was later recognized by the Ministry of Education and UNRWA for her work. She specialized in portraiture and used her art to document and honor the martyrs of Gaza.

One of the 20 women still languishing in an Israeli prison is a 22 year old US citizen named Shaden Qous. Shaden is studying law at Birzeit University. She is an artist and a dancer. She was abducted by Israeli armed forces on January 6 and has been in an Israeli prison ever since. #FreeShaden #FreeThemAll

One of the 20 women still languishing in an Israeli prison is a 22 year old US citizen named Shaden Qous. Shaden is studying law at Birzeit University. She is an artist and a dancer. She was abducted by Israeli armed forces on January 6 and has been in an Israeli prison ever since. #FreeShaden #FreeThemAll  

Diana Buttu

@dianabuttu

Shaden was just two weeks away from graduation when she was taken from her home in Jerusalem.

 

more info-

 

“I am Palestinian first, of African origin. Afro-Dabke is the same thing: my dancing identity is that I am a dabeekeh [Dabke dancer] first,” explains Qous, who has been dancing Dabke since she was six years old.   https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2023/9/28/afro-dabke-where-palestine-and-cameroon-meet-to-dance

 

February 9, 2025

Ramallah, Palestine - The father of Palestinian female political prisoner Shaden Qous has unexpectedly passed away in a tragic accident. Shaden, a Jerusalemite, has been held behind bars for just over a month, since 6/1/2025. She was first detained at The Russian Compound detention center (al-Mascobiyeh) where she was interrogated before being transferred to the Damon central women’s prison. She has not yet been charged with any kind of offense under Israel’s oppressive military court system, which is run by occupation soldiers. Shaden is a student at Birzeit University and a professional dancer. https://cda.gov.ps/index.php/en/commission-activities/51-slider-en/19750-occupation-denies-temporary-release-of-palestinian-female-detainee-to-mourn-father-s-death

January 9, 2025

Artists at Risk Connection (ARC) is an international organization committed to promoting and advancing the right to artistic freedom worldwide. 

ARC Condemns the Arbitrary Arrest of Artist and Student Shaden Al-Qous by the Israeli Military in Occupied East Jerusalem

“Shaden is an outspoken artist and activist, known for using her art and her platforms to call for Palestinian freedom and justice,” said Julie Trébault, Executive Director of ARC. “Like her fellow artists and activists protesting the Israeli bombardment of Palestinians in Gaza and the systemic oppression of those in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, Shaden has been targeted by yet another wave of mass arrests. Young Palestinians who exercise their inherent right to freedom of expression are routinely targeted by the Israeli military in an attempt to instill fear and silence them. As an Afro-Palestinian artist and aspiring lawyer, her arrest exposes the Israeli authorities clamping down on diverse Palestinian voices, particularly when they challenge preconceived notions and simplistic narratives of identity. ARC strongly condemns the arrest and calls for Shaden’s immediate release.”

Shaden is a 27-year-old dancer with the El Funoun Palestinian Popular Dance Troupe, whose mission is to revive and disseminate Palestinian folk dance and songs in schools and community centers all over the world. Aside from traditional Palestinian dabke, Shaden is known for her Afro-Palestinian dance, a unique fusion that merges elements of West African and Levantine folk dance traditions. In February 2024, Shaden was interviewed on Al-Jazeera’s AJ Stream program, where she spoke about her Afro-Palestinian community, whose presence in the Old City of Jerusalem dates back to the British Mandate, and the routine “double-harassment” it faces at the intersection of Black and Palestinian identities. She highlighted the impact of Israeli occupation and the effect of social media censorship by Israeli authorities and social media platforms, with her arrest showing a clear example of non-violent resistance being targeted.   https://artistsatriskconnection.org/story/afro-palestinian-artist-and-activist-arrested-by-israeli-authorities

LOVE, DESPITE ALL DIFFICULTIES AND OPPRESSION: We reflected collectively on this theme from the context of our suffering as Palestinian Christian women. We hope to inspire other women around the world to bear with one another in love during troubled times. ...

Art by Halima Aziz created in honor of the World Day of Prayer 2024

 

“I Beg You… Bear With One Another in Love”

Ephesians 4:1-3
March 1, 2024 ​

This program calls us to bear with each other in love, despite all difficulties and oppression. The program was written by a group of ecumenical Christian Palestinian women in response to the passage from Ephesians 4:1-7. We reflected collectively on this theme from the context of our suffering as Palestinian Christian women. We hope to inspire other women around the world to bear with one another in love during troubled times. ​

 https://worlddayofprayer.net/palestine-2024.html

---

History & Culture

Who among you has not heard of this tiny spot in the Middle East, that for over 3000 years has been significant to three monotheistic religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

However, the region is much older and has had many names, depending on the many tribes that have settled at different times in the land. The land has been nourished by an unfolding series of civilizations and structures because of its strategic position as a crossroad to three continents: Asia, Africa and Europe. 

In 1967, when Israel occupied the Palestinian territories, Western powers called the region the West Bank, because it was on the west bank of the Jordan River. After the Oslo Accords of 1993-1995, the West Bank was divided into Areas A, B and C. In order to travel between any of the areas in the West Bank, Palestinians must go through checkpoints. 

As of July 31, 2019, 138 of the 193 United Nations member states have recognized Palestine as a state, and the Palestinian flag now flies outside of the United Nations. 

There is a perception/belief around the world that women in the Middle East region are passive, silent, and non-influential. However, the role of women in Palestine (both historically and in modern times) is active and influential. They are steadfast, strong and courageous.

Although Palestinian women have played an influential role in society, there is still room for better conditions. Recently, some Protestant churches have progressed on gender issues, such as ordaining Sally Azar as the first Palestinian female pastor in Palestine.

About the Art & Artist

Halima Aziz (b.1999 in Hagen, Germany) is a passionate Palestinian visual artist and design student based in Germany. She spent her childhood in Palestine. Halima experienced the war in Gaza in 2008 and survived it. In 2009 she moved back to Germany. 

This artwork is made in honor of the World Day of Prayer. Through her artwork, Halima represents three Palestinian women praying together in nature in a peaceful place. In her work, she has different motives and symbols that indicate the origin of these women and their cohesion​.

Olive trees/ branches are a sign of everlasting and abundant life because they can live for thousands of years. 

The golden roots are underlining the fact that the Palestinians will always exist and as they exist, they will always resist for their rights and freedom. Poppy flowers are abundant and meaningful to Palestinians. They remind Palestinians of loved ones who have given their lives for their country. 

The women are wearing traditional Palestinian dresses like the tatreez (embroidery) thobe (dress) or the white scarf. And the keys are a symbol of the hope to return back to Palestine.

Mosab Abu Toha 's Ceasefire poem January 2025

'Where are our loved ones?': Palestinians in search of missing family members amid Gaza war

Amid the chaos of Israel's ongoing war in Gaza, Palestinian families share their struggles with locating missing loved ones.

The Al-Mansi family stands as a poignant testament to the agony of the missing amid the Israeli war.

Five months have passed since Hazam Al-Mansi, a father and grandfather of 13, vanished without a trace, leaving an incomprehensible void.

“Hazam was the pillar of our family, the father, the support; he was everything to us,” says Fatina Al-Mansi, Hazem’s wife, her voice breaking with tears.

“Every day, I weep for my daughters. We have four daughters and two sons, and each one bears the burden of their father's absence differently.”

For Hazam's daughters, the pain of his absence is profound, their tears a daily reminder of the void left by his disappearance.

“We long to hear his voice, to feel his comforting embrace once more, to hug him,” says his eldest daughter, her voice trembling with sorrow.

RELATED

Palestinians in Rafah struggle to figure out where to go

Hazem, 60, suffers from chronic diseases and nerve allergies, requiring ongoing treatment. However, due to the Israeli war in Gaza, medications have depleted in pharmacies, and many have closed. Additionally, UNRWA health clinics have been shut since October 7.

“We searched everywhere for treatment, but it was not available. Most medications were running out of pharmacies. Without his nerve treatment medication, Hazem’s nerves began to spasm,” explains Fatina.

“Hazem’s condition worsened over the next thirteen days after treatment was interrupted. One day, our neighbour told us there was a pharmacy open in the Al-Rimal neighbourhood. As soon as Hazem knew that, he quickly went there without waiting. I asked him to wait for one of our sons to go, but he refused,” she continues.

"I pray every night for his safe return, hoping for reassurance... We long to know his fate, whether he is alive or dead. At the very least, we wish to provide him with a proper burial"

Conditions in the Al-Rimal neighbourhood were exceedingly challenging and dangerous, compounded by the Israeli army's westward expansion of ground operations in Gaza City.

Since November 6, Hazam Al-Mansi has been missing. He went out and did not return.

“We do not know where he is or what happened to him,” says his wife, her heart heavy with grief.

“We have searched every corner, every shelter, hoping to find even a shred of information,” she whispers, her hands trembling with emotion. “But all we are met with is silence.”

In their search for answers, the Al-Mansi family reached out to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), hoping for assistance in locating Hazam. Yet, their inquiries have yielded no response, leaving the family in uncertainty.

“I pray every night for his safe return, hoping for reassurance,” his wife expresses. “We long to know his fate, whether he is alive or dead. At the very least, we wish to provide him with a proper burial,” she says.

“Don't they say that honouring the dead is burying him? I want to bury him. I want him to have a grave so that we can remember him and that his children and grandchildren can visit him.”

Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor estimates that more than 13,000 Palestinians are missing, either buried under rubble, victims of indiscriminate mass graves, or forcibly hidden in Israeli prisons and detention centres. Some may have been killed within these facilities.

The Israeli army has not released any information regarding the circumstances of these deaths. Independent bodies have not been able to verify or ascertain the circumstances, and the bodies have not been recovered, identified, or returned to their families.

Uncertainty and fear for Nael Al-Yazji

In the heart-wrenching story of the Al-Mansi family, another plight unfolds. Nael Al-Yazji's wife describes bearing her anxieties like a mountain.

“We've endured every aspect of this Israeli genocide. We face hunger, fear, death, and anxiety daily. Living under constant bombardment has become our norm,” says Dana, Nael Al-Yazji's wife.

“We've witnessed the suffering and fear etched on our children's faces. Yet, nothing compares to the agony of not knowing Nael's fate,” she continues.

In late March, Israeli forces invaded Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, committing atrocities against civilians both inside and nearby.

Nael Al-Yazji, 32, had sought refuge in his family home nearby. However, Israeli forces violently raided their home, kidnapping men and forcibly relocating women southward.

"To this day, I know nothing about Nael, whether he was killed or captured"

Dana’s harrowing recollection paints a vivid picture of the night terror descended upon their home. “The army suddenly stormed in,” she recounts. “More than 20 soldiers, accompanied by dogs, unleashed a barrage of gunfire to instil fear. Then, they swiftly blindfolded and restrained us.

“At that moment, I was separated from my family — my husband and children — surrounded only by the cacophony of screams and cries,” she recalls.

“I was held captive for several hours in an unknown place. There were others screaming alongside me, but who they were and where we were, I don’t know,” she adds.... READ MORE      https://www.newarab.com/features/palestinians-search-missing-family-members-amid-gaza-war

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Once upon a time, not terribly long ago... ‏ Miss Palestine with her two Runners-Up: Beauty in a peaceful country (Palestine) before 1947

‏At that time: Miss Palestine with her two Runners-Up

‏Beauty in a peaceful country (Palestine) before 1947! Very fashionable and Unafraid!

الجمال في بلد مسالم (فلسطين) قبل عام 1947! الأزياء الأنيقة والجمال الطبيعي بعيدا عن الخوف والرعب

من أرشيف جريدة المهاجر .

‏" From the archives of Al-Mohajer newspaper.

Thanks lovely Rima Isam Anantawi

AP News: Israeli strikes on southern Gaza city of Rafah kill 18, mostly children, as US advances aid package

 By MOHAMMAD JAHJOUH and SAMY MAGDY

Updated 6:38 AM EDT, April 21, 2024

RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israeli strikes on the southern Gaza city of Rafah overnight killed 18 people, including 14 children, health officials said Sunday, as the United States was on track to approve billions of dollars of additional military aid to its close ally.

Israel has carried out near-daily air raids on Rafah, where more than half of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million has sought refuge from fighting elsewhere. It has also vowed to expand its ground offensive to the city on the border with Egypt despite international calls for restraint, including from the U.S.... READ MORE   https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-news-04-21-2024-8c027f2587c2c433d0fde41b63a0e0c3

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At least 469 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli soldiers and settlers in the West Bank since the start of the war in Gaza, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry

The war has killed at least 34,049 Palestinians and wounded another 76,901, according to the Gaza Health Ministry... at least two-thirds have been children and women. It also says the real toll is likely higher as many bodies are stuck beneath the rubble left by airstrikes or are in areas that are unreachable for medics.

CSM: Snapshots from Gaza: By sheer will, Palestinian women eke out a life

By Ghada Abdulfattah Special contributor

April 10, 2024 | Rafah and Deir Al-Balah, Gaza Strip

Wafaa Abu Irjilia never dreamed she would become a single mother.

Six months ago, she was a housewife, happy to nurture her growing family with her husband, Ahmed – her rock and “strength” – by her side.

Now she is a widow raising four children between the ages of 2 and 7 in a tent alongside her own two sisters and six other young relatives. “If I need to leave the tent,” she says, “I have to tread carefully so as not to disturb the others.”

Why We Wrote This

A story focused on

Resilience

In any war, women carry an outsize burden. The Israel-Hamas war is no exception. In these snapshots from the Gaza Strip, Palestinian women are holding families and communities together.

There is little time to grieve for her husband, “the kindest and most generous person I knew,” Ms. Abu Irjilia says. Instead, focus is on daily necessities: food, water, and the safety of her children.

“It is a huge responsibility on my shoulders,” she says.

Across the Gaza Strip, Palestinian women say they have been caught in a war of survival and adaptation ever since Israel began...

READ MORE     https://www.csmonitor.com/World/Middle-East/2024/0410/palestinian-women-gaza-war

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Palestinian artist: Rawan Anani “Women and Olive Trees- Jerusalem” (2024)

Palestinian artist: Rawan Anani

Instagram: rawan_anani_artgallery

“Women and Olive Trees- Jerusalem” (2024)

Land Day Palestine is not a commemoration of a past tragedy, it is a commemoration of something ongoing and present tense.

hoist_thecolors

The Land Day is not a commemoration of a past tragedy, rather a commemoration of something ongoing and present tense. Out of all the loot, the land remains indisputably, the most valuable.

#landday #land_day #culture #traditionalart #digitalart #digitaldrawing #digitalartist #paintings #thobe #roots

#رمضان #رمضان_كريم #رمضان_يجمعنا #رمضانيات#poet #poetry ##ramadan #ramadankareem #ramadanmubarak #ramadandecorations #illustration #procreate #art #artist

 

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Land Day
Land Day poster
Observed by	Palestinians in Israel and the Occupied Territories
Date	March 30
Next time	March 30, 2024
Frequency	Annual

Land Day (Arabic: يوم الأرض, Yawm al-ʾArḍ; Hebrew: יוֹם הַאֲדָמָה, Yom HaAdama), March 30, is a day of commemoration for Arab citizens of Israel and Palestinians of the events of that date in 1976 in Israel.

In 1976, in response to the Israeli government's announcement of a plan to expropriate thousands of dunams of land for state purposes, a general strike and marches were organized in Arab towns from the Galilee to the Negev.^[1][2] In the ensuing confrontations with the Israeli army and police, six unarmed^[3] Arab citizens were killed, about one hundred were wounded, and hundreds of others arrested.^[2][4][5][6]

Scholarship on the Israeli–Palestinian conflict recognizes Land Day as a pivotal event in the struggle over land and in the relationship of Arab citizens to the Israeli state and body politic. It is significant in that it was the first time since 1948 that Arabs in Israel organized a response to Israeli policies as a Palestinian national collective.^[1] An important annual day of commemoration in the Palestinian national political calendar ever since, it is marked not only by Arab citizens of Israel, but also by Palestinians all over the world.^[7]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Land_Day