"This is where things get tricky: I’m not sure what I’m allowed to say about Palestine Action in this column without getting chucked in jail myself. Last July, you see, the British government took the extraordinary, and hugely criticized, step of terming the group a terrorist organization on the same level as the Islamic State militant group. This is despite the fact that Palestine Action has killed nobody; its efforts are focused on trying to shut down weapons manufacturers enabling the ongoing genocide in Gaza. Even the government’s own intelligence assessment, a declassified version of which was obtained by the New York Times, undercut its condemnations of the group, finding that most of their activities “would not be classified as terrorism” under Britain’s legal definition. Still, the British government has been very busy arresting thousands – many of whom are elderly activists – for the “crime” of peacefully holding up a sign saying: “I support Palestine Action.” "

 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.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/jan/06/greta-thunberg-palestine-action-arrest 

Greta Thunberg came to stay – and my kid may have inadvertently helped her get arrested

Arwa Mahdawi

 

The activist had held a sign written with my daughter’s crayon. Try explaining that to a four-year-old 

 

Tue 6 Jan 2026 05.00 EST

 

‘I’m back in the US now and I can’t quite fathom what Britain, under the leadership of a former human rights lawyer, has become.’  Photograph: Prisoners for Palestine/AP

 

It was 6am. London. A few days before Christmas. My four-year-old is singing at the top of her lungs and charging around my parents’ house on a hunt for the perfect crayon. There is nothing particularly unusual about this scene except for the fact that the crayon in question was for Greta Thunberg. The world’s most well-known activist needed a writing tool and my daughter, O, was on the case. (Remember this crayon: it’s going to be important later on.)

O, I should note, had absolutely no idea who Greta was. We’re not longtime chums or anything like that. Rather Greta was in London to support the Palestine Action-linked hunger strikers. She needed somewhere to stay and my dad, who is a Palestinian refugee, and appreciative of anyone speaking up about the place where he was born but can’t return to live in, keeps an open house for activists who need a bed or a meal. When the visit had been hastily arranged by a friend of a friend of my sister a couple days earlier, we’d tried to explain to O that Greta was a famous activist who tried to help people and the environment.

“Does famous mean beautiful?” my princess-obsessed child asked. Oh dear, I thought, I have failed as a parent and a feminist.

“No, it doesn’t. And remember being beautiful is not important – what’s important is being kind,” I said, trying to redeem some feminist points.

“How dare you!” O replied. This has been her favourite catchphrase for a while now. I have no idea where she picked it up; probably from a kid’s show. I had thought nothing of it until the surprise Greta visit.

“Please don’t say that while Greta is here,” I told O. I didn’t want her to think we were making fun of her memorable rebuke. But once again, I failed at parenting: everyone knows that the best way to get a kid to keep doing something is to suggest they stop doing it.

While Greta may be famous, the hunger strikers she was coming to support are definitely not; they have had very little mainstream media attention. Indeed, if you are reading this in the US, you may not have heard about them at all. So, in brief, eight activists awaiting trials for alleged offences relating to Palestine Action have been on hunger strike since 2 November, the anniversary of the Balfour declaration.

This is where things get tricky...  READ MORE  https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/jan/06/greta-thunberg-palestine-action-arrest

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]

"Admirers from UNICEF leaders to Hollywood actors have praised her for saying what many politicians won’t. Critics, meanwhile, accuse her of politicizing childhood. She doesn’t flinch. “I have to just remind myself that kids’ lives are more important than my reputation,”" Ms Rachel, Glamour magazine's Women of the Year

Women of the Year

The Meaning of Ms. Rachel

She redefined children’s media—and built her empire—by centering empathy. Now she’s channeling that same ethos into activism.

By Samantha Barry  Photography by Caroline Tompkins and OK McCausland

October 27, 2025

"...Today she presides over a global media empire—13 billion YouTube views, more than 17 million subscribers, nine books, a line of toys that sells out within hours, and a Netflix series with four episodes in its first season that pulled in more than 53 million views, making it the platform’s seventh most watched series in the first half of 2025 and the most watched kids program of the same period. Oh, and she just had her second child.

And then there’s the other side of Ms. Rachel: the advocate. She’s spoken openly about postpartum depression. She’s brushed off conservative backlash for posting a Pride Month message to her followers. And most recently, she’s become one of the loudest American voices for the children in Gaza. Fundraising, posting, and bringing Rahaf, a three-year-old double amputee, onto her show. Admirers from UNICEF leaders to Hollywood actors have praised her for saying what many politicians won’t. Critics, meanwhile, accuse her of politicizing childhood. She doesn’t flinch. “I have to just remind myself that kids’ lives are more important than my reputation,” she tells me..."

https://www.glamour.com/story/ms-rachel-women-of-the-year-2025?utm_source=firefox-newtab-en-us 

 AS ALWAYS PLEASE GO TO THE LINK TO READ GOOD ARTICLES & 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] 

We Are Not Numbers- Palestinian youth tell their human stories behind the numbers in the news

 

get involved https://wearenotnumbers.org/get-involved/

You too can help the youth of Gaza share their stories by:

• Donating money to help pay a monthly stipend to the three Gaza youth on our project team, transportation expenses for the participating writers (many of whom could not otherwise afford to travel to workshops), rent office space, rent video equipment, etc. Even a donation of $5 helps!
• Publicizing our website by sharing the link with friends and family via social media and email.
• Finding other media willing to re-publish our participants’ stories, such as relevant websites and university or hometown newspapers. If you have a suggestion and/or can introduce us to an appropriate contact, email Pam Bailey (pam@wearenotnumbers.org).

Don’t forget to sign up to receive via email each new story posted to the website!

Meanwhile, other sites that are useful for up-to-date Palestinian news are Palestine Chronicle,  Mondoweiss, AlJazeera, Middle East Eye, The New Arab and Ma’an News. Educate yourself, then:

• Write letters to the editor when you read media coverage that is incorrect or incomplete.
  

.... We Are Not Numbers (WANN) is a youth-led Palestinian nonprofit project in the Gaza Strip. It tells the stories behind the numbers of Palestinians in the news and advocates for their human rights. WANN was founded and conceived in early 2015 by the American journalist Pam Bailey. The project was brought to fruition by Dr Ramy Abdu, chairman of the board of directors at Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor (Euro-Med Monitor). WANN is registered under the umbrella of Euro-Med and its fiscal sponsor is Nonviolence International, a U.S. organization.

Our Story During the Israeli military attack against Palestinians in the summer of 2014, Ahmed Alnaouq’s 23-year-old brother, Ayman, was killed by an Israeli missile while simply walking on the street near his home in Dir-Al-Balah. Ahmed sunk into depression from which he thought he would never return to normal life again. During this time, he met Pam Bailey, who encouraged him to write his story.

The story resonated with and attracted a great deal of attention from people in the West. As a result, established and aspiring “word artists” from around the world joined with youth in Gaza, and now, West Bank and the diaspora, to create We Are Not Numbers. Through this platform, we share and celebrate the stories, daily personal struggles and triumphs, the tears and the laughter, and the aspirations of Palestinians that are so universal that if it were not for the context, they would immediately resonate with virtually everyone.

 

Statement of solidarity with Palestine from Kenyan artists to WANN writers... 

"... We are outraged by the mainstream media’s continuous complicity in dehumanizing Palestinians and silencing their narrative.

We denounce antisemitism, Islamophobia, racism, and all acts of violence and terrorism in all forms. We believe every human life matters and every human being deserves to live a life of dignity.

We are moved by the Palestinian people’s resilience, strength, and spirit and the fearlessness of the Jewish people who are speaking up against what the state of the Israel is committing in their name.

We call on all people of conscience to demand an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and the safe release of all hostages. We firmly believe lasting peace and security can only be attained through political solutions that bring an end to Israeli military occupation and state violence against Palestinians.... "

Re: Proposed Amendments to Cut Palestinian Funding Discarded

 Hi Anne

Thanks for your message. We too are happy our efforts made a difference. To your specific suggestion, we do have a standing action for people of faith to contact their congresspeople to express their concerns for peace in the Middle East.

Feel free to forward the link to others you know. Thanks for your support!

http://org2.democracyinaction.org/o/5575/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=11644

Dear Rev. Doris Warrell,

I am delighted to hear that all our letters helped persuade our Senate not to add the proposed anti- Palestine amendments this week... but I am worried about next week, next month, next year and the ongoing Zionist pressure to convince our elected leaders to undermine state building efforts for Palestine.

Keeping the focus on support for two state solution to actually end the Israel-Palestine conflict will become increasingly hard as intellectuals, arm chair experts, activists and followers fed up with the lack of peace and progress can not help but be lured into insisting that one state is the only option, which in turn convinces people not to invest in Palestine.

One state with Israel already so firmly established and staunchly defended by a large population of loyal citizens will not bring peace, justice, or progress to the native non-Jewish men, women and children of Palestine. Palestinians will not be automatically granted respect and a chance to be true equals. Even if the state of Israel shifts its official investments away from Jewish projects, worldwide Zionist charities and private money will be able to continue countless Jews-preferred projects though out the land.... Religious extremism on both sides will thrive rather than the rule of fair and just laws. 

Born in Jerusalem, Palestinian American Ziad Asali of the America Task Force on Palestine wisely points out that " The only way to honor our tragic histories is to create a future for our children free of man-made tragedy. This means making peace fully, completely and without reservation, between Israel and Palestine."

Justice can prevail, and peace IS possible... but it won't happen by magic. Palestine needs our support now more than ever. 

I think you should keep a general alert up so that people can easily write their elected leaders on the topic.

Sincerely,
Anne Selden Annab



On 12/5/12 2:12 PM, Churches for Middle East Peace wrote:

Dear Anne Selden, You Said "No" to Palestinian Aid Cuts. And They Listened. Yesterday the Senate decided not to add three proposed amendments to a defense spending bill that would have reduced or eliminated funding for the Palestinian Authority including funding for hospitals, schools, water, and electricity. This was a response to UN action last Thursday to upgrade the PA's status in the General Assembly.  Thank you for acting so quickly to make your voice heard. The funding in question included $370 million for budget support for the Palestinian Authority. This funding is essential to humanitarian programs such as the Augusta Victoria Hospital (a project of Lutheran World Federation) in East Jerusalem. In addtion, $70 million would have been cut in aid for security programs that have been essential to enabling the PA to police the West Bank and cooperate with Israel to reduce terrror attacks. Absent this funding, conditions could have quickly deteriorate and further complicated the Obama Administration's efforts to bring the two parties together.  Your efforts prove again that working together, justice can prevail, and peace IS possible!! Rev. Doris Warrell Field Director

Formed in 1984, Churches for Middle East Peace is a coalition of 24 national Church denominations and organizations, including Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant traditions. It works to encourage U.S. government policies that actively promote a just, lasting and comprehensive resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, ensuring security, human rights and religious freedom for all people of the region. info@cmep.org | 202-543-1222 110 Maryland Avenue NE | Suite 311 | Washington, DC 20002