My letter to the NYTimes RE Room for Debate: Should Nations Recognize a Palestinian State?

Pro-Palestinian supporters position a giant banner calling for a recognised Palestinian State, in Parliament Square, central London on October 13, 2014 (AFP Photo/Leon Neal)

RE: Recognition’s Diplomatic Leverage Could Strengthen Palestinian Rights
http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2014/10/16/should-nations-recognize-a-palestinian-state
http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2014/10/16/should-nations-recognize-a-palestinian-state/recognitions-diplomatic-leverage-could-strengthen-palestinian-rights

Dear Editor,

Delighted, and relieved, to see NYTimes Room for Debate asking if nations should recognize a Palestinian state, especially because crucial points were made such as pointing out that  "The Palestinian right to self determination, according to the United Nations, includes, aside from national sovereignty, “the inalienable right of the Palestinians to return to their homes and property from which they have been displaced and uprooted.”  " (Omar Barghouti - Recognition of a Palestinian State Without Full Rights Is Meaningless)

I agree with Nadia Hijab that you can't go wrong with rights!  But I think one can go wrong, very very wrong with one state activism.  One state is an empty promise with no real foundations, no workable plan, and no serious mainstream international support.   One state errs the same way Israel errs- by ignoring important UN Resolutions.

Day by day, year after year, decade after decade, as long as the Israel-Palestine conflict continues, Palestinian individuals are being further disenfranchised by Israeli antics, as well as by misguided  'pro-Palestine' activists (including agent provocateurs) who scorn diplomacy and sabotage support for Palestinian state building efforts...  Many 'pro-Palestine' activists like to dwell on generous U.S. aid to Israel, as if that is the only reason Israel is able to build and defend its Jews-only settlements in the illegally occupied territories, but these 'pro-Palestine' activists foolishly ignore massive U.S. aid to Palestinians, not only more recent state building efforts but also to UNWRA, The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees the relief and human development agency, established in 1948 which has helped keep Palestinian men, women and children from dying of hunger and thirst. 

Furthermore, many stateless Palestinians have been welcomed to America with full and equal rights and good job opportunities.  Diplomacy helps keep that door open for now, as well as for future generations.

Avital Leibovich, Israel's director of the Jerusalem office of the Jewish advocacy group AJC, has a good point that Only Negotiations Can Lead to Palestinian Statehood and she is right to point out that "A future Palestinian state will need to ensure the safety of its citizens and the security of its contiguous neighbors. A Palestinian government that cannot disarm Hamas, Islamic Jihad and other terrorist groups will not be able to provide that protection. " She is right to worry about Islamists (we all should be worried) and she is also right to conclude by asking if the Middle East needs another failed state.

Richard Ottaway states the obvious in realizing that a Vote to Recognize a Palestinian State Is a Wakeup Call for Israel ... I think it should also be a wakeup call for Palestinians and their supporters. Do you want Palestine to be a rally cry for Islamists and religious tyranny, or do you want Palestine to be a real nation state, a fully sovereign and free nation state of the people, for the people and by the people with fair and just laws and a future living alongside and with Israel in peace and security:  A fully secular two state solution firmly rooted in international law with full respect for universal human rights is the best way forward.

As American Task Force on Palestine's astute Ziad Asali (who was born in Jerusalem) says in his inspiring essay To honor a tragic history, we must work for peace : "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."

Sincerely,
Anne Selden Annab

NOTES
STAY CONNECTED... Given the U.S. commitment to religious freedom, and to the international covenants that guarantee it as the inalienable right of every human being, the United States seeks to: Promote freedom of religion and conscience throughout the world as a fundamental human right and as a source of stability for all countries

Our words have a way of echoing out into either war or peace.... My Published Letters 2014

Citizens of the Earth

Hussein Ibish: The three-way Israeli-Palestinian impasse- Israel, the PA and Hamas are all trapped in their own policies with no idea how to move forward.

In #Palestine #Olive Trees witnessed foreign invaders for thousands of years...

THIS WEEK IN PALESTINE: Ethnographic Habitat, Place Memories, and Cultural Identity

UK Parliament votes to recognize Palestinian state- a symbolic move intended to increase pressure for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Dorothy Shea: "Palestinians should be applauded for largely eliminating the gender gap in education. Unlike in some parts of the Middle East and North Africa, Palestinian girls and young women enjoy equal access to education as their male counterparts."

Islamic State Seeks to Justify Enslaving Yazidi Women and Girls in Iraq... The article on slavery confirms practices documented by Human Rights Watch, which says Yazidi women and girls were forced to marry Islamic State fighters and shipped out in busloads from Iraq to Syria to be sold off as prizes

UK MPs To Vote On Recognition Of Palestine... "Dr Hanan Ashrawi, executive committee member of the PLO, told Sky News the Palestinian cause must be "rescued" to prevent jihadists [from] using it to fuel radicalisation and further extremism in the region."

Translating the Obvious ... A poem for peace in Growing Gardens for Palestine by Anne Selden Annab

U.S. calls for renewed commitment to lasting Mideast peace: "... a renewed commitment from everybody to work for peace that meets the aspirations of all, for Israelis, for Palestinians for all people of this region"

In a common struggle for education and against extremism: "“If with my humble efforts the voice of tens of millions of children in the world who are living in servitude is being heard, congratulations to all,” Kailash Satyarthi on winning the Nobel Peace Prize 2014

Today is International Day of the Girl Child! To mark the day, Hina Jilani calls on the international community and civil society to work together to improve the lives of girls and women: Let's not be afraid to challenge the traditions that harm girls

New Ibish article: Hisham, Hope and Despair..."The crucial point is that the one thing that is certain is that the choices that we make individually and collectively will have a direct and profound impact on the short, medium and long-term outcomes. And, therefore, our choices must be carefully considered, deliberate and purposive, while apathy and inaction are not options."

To promote the values of dialogue, tolerance and mutual respect, among religions and cultures... Let’s teach our youth to build, not destroy

Ashrawi: The recognition of Palestine is Human, Moral, Legal, and Political Imperative

"Let’s not feed Islamophobic bigotry... The great divide is not between faiths, but one between intolerant zealots of any tradition and the large numbers of decent, peaceful believers likewise found in each tradition." Nicholas Kristof

Last Thursday, the United Nations released a report that could provide us with one of the keys to defeating ISIS. Unfortunately, it received almost zero media attention.

"We see martyrs, children as young as 7, being portrayed as resistance fighters after being slaughtered by Israeli forces. Although we would like to convince ourselves that they have died for “the cause”, they have in fact died because of the cause." Mariam Barg

Hussein Ibish: US has a responsibility to rein in Israeli settlements

Tala Haikal: "It may not be possible to immediately free all the kidnapped girls and women due to the scope of the conflict with ISIS and the geographical dispersal of the captives in various locations. Some of these women and girls can be freed only once ISIS is destroyed."

UN report spotlights 'staggering' Islamic State atrocities in Iraq... "The group, which is fighting in Iraq and Syria, has carried out a wide range of atrocities, including mass executions, abductions, rape and other forms of sexual and physical violence against women and children"

Vatican seeks Mideast Christians' right of return

US sharply criticizes new Israeli housing project

Non-violent resistance is Palestine’s most powerful weapon

Tala Haikal: Empathy Is Essential to Humanity

Normalizing Intelligent Conversations, Diplomatic Support, and Hope for Palestine... ATFP Panel Briefing: Israeli-Palestinian War in a New Regional Landscape.

ATFP... American Task Force on Palestine

ATFP Calls for De-Escalation between Israel and the Palestinians

International Year of Solidarity with the Palestinian People 2014

UNRWA photo and film archive for Palestine refugees

About UNWRA: ’The Long Journey of Palestine Refugee Women’ candidly portrays the lives and experiences of Palestine refugee women, this collection is a testament not only to their own strength and dignity, but also to the richness and resilience of their community.

Walking Palestine & The Abraham Path... a creative space for stories that highlight the unique culture, heritage and hospitality of the region

It's time for Palestinians and Israelis to share a just peace... It's time for freedom from occupation... It's time for equal rights.... It's time for the healing of wounded souls..... World Week for Peace in Palestine Israel: "Let my people go!"... 21 - 27 September 2014 An initiative of the Palestine Israel Ecumenical Forum (PIEF) of the World Council of Churches

Palestinian Refugees (1948-NOW) refused their right to return... and their right to live in peace free from religious bigotry and injustice.

1948

Time and time again I have watched the cycle of incitement and spin sabotage support for Palestine

Clarifying why Arab and Muslim Americans should be smart rather than stupid

Live by the Golden Rule

• “Forgiving is not forgetting; it’s actually remembering - remembering and not using your right to hit back.”

An Anne Frank Moment ... a poem by Anne Selden Annab

"Where, after all, do universal human rights begin?

1940s: The United Nations General Assembly adopts resolution 194 (III), resolving that “refugees wishing to return to their homes and live at peace with their neighbours should be permitted to do so at the earliest practicable date, and that compensation should be paid for the property of those choosing not to return and for loss of or damage to property which, under principles of international law or equity, should be made good by the Governments or authorities responsible.”

America/Israel/Palestine 1776

America/Israel/Palestine 1948: All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.

The Golden Rule... Do unto others as you would have them do unto you

To promote the values of dialogue, tolerance and mutual respect, among religions and cultures... Let’s teach our youth to build, not destroy

"We must protect our young from the vicious ISIS campaign that preys on innocent minds promising them paradise and a better life. We need to provide our young with the proper religious education and awareness to renounce violence and extremism and to promote the values of dialogue, tolerance and mutual respect, among religions and cultures." Khaled Almaeena

   Let’s teach our youth to build, not destroy

http://english.alarabiya.net/en/views/news/middle-east/2014/10/06/Let-s-teach-our-youth-to-build-not-to-destroy.html

[AS ALWAYS PLEASE GO TO THE LINK TO READ GOOD ARTICLES IN FULL: HELP SHAPE ALGORITHMS (and conversations) THAT EMPOWER DECENCY, DIGNITY, JUSTICE & PEACE... and hopefully Palestine]

  Anne Selden Annab retweeted

Ziad Asali @ZiadAsali  ·  24h 24 hours ago

Let’s teach our youth to build, not destroy - Al Arabiya News http://english.alarabiya.net/en/views/news/middle-east/2014/10/06/Let-s-teach-our-youth-to-build-not-to-destroy.html#.VDKk9jsT-ac.twitter … @KhaledAlmaeena

*** 

IMHO

The Marketplace of Ideas is (and always will be) an ongoing dialogue.

Listen, really listen and learn to look for the best, the most honest and honorable and intelligent. 

Empower decency, dignity, diplomacy, and civilization itself at every opportunity. 

 
START in small ways every day- find & promote good ideas and good role models. 

Take the time to click forward or "like" or retweet or recommend, highlighting the best and brightest and most helpful essays and comments.

Accept responsibility for your own part in making things better or worse. 

AND ALWAYS

REMEMBER

The Golden Rule

The Golden Rule... Do unto others as you would have them do unto you

&

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights because...

All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.

 

My letter to the Guardian regarding Israeli cargo ship heads toward LA after Oakland protest blocks unloading & Pro-Palestine protesters again thwart Israeli cargo ship in Oakland

The Knotted Gun, United Nations, NY | Creative Sculptures and Statues from around the world

RE Israeli cargo ship heads toward LA after Oakland protest blocks unloading & Pro-Palestine protesters again thwart Israeli cargo ship in Oakland

Dear Editor,

We seriously cripple Palestine and Palestinians when we use the word "pro-Palestine" interchangeably with "anti-Israel". Look at the big picture: Pro-Israel is more than sixty sovereign years of Israeli diplomacy and hasbara and state building efforts aimed at providing jobs and security to Israeli citizens.

Many of the most articulate anti-Israel activists are Jewish individuals fixated on and enraged by Israel. Anti-Israel activists tend to promote a one state agenda alongside Boycott Israel efforts, convincing their friends and associates to scorn negotiations and Palestinian state building efforts. They should be free to do that, but in doing that they most certainly should not be called pro-Palestine. 

Pro-Palestine is about Palestine, not Israel. Effective and helpful and fully honest pro-Palestine advocacy empowers Palestinians as fully accountable state building citizens, engaged in a modern global world and a crucially important conversation concerning negotiations to end the Israel-Palestine conflict with a just and lasting peace based on international law and full respect for universal human rights. 

The words we choose to use to understand and define the conflict have the power to either exasperate or end the conflict.  For instance, Hussein Ibish of the American Task Force on Palestine wisely points out in a recent op-ed Non-violent resistance is Palestine’s most powerful weapon that "Palestinians must redefine martyrdom".  Ibish mentions the fact that "The [Israeli] occupation is a system of discipline and control over a subjugated people by a powerful foreign army. Worse, one of the main tasks of those occupying troops is to facilitate and protect the settlement project, which basically means taking land from its [Palestinian] owners and illegally giving it to [Israeli] colonists." Ibish knows the facts, understands the very real plight of the Palestinians, but Ibish does not get distracted and he does not go galloping off into an anti-Israel rant. He keeps calm and he keeps our focus on empowering Palestinians with realistic options and good advice.

Sincerely,
Anne Selden Annab

NOTES
One state is a trap, and there will be no escape: One state is Israel, not Palestine, surviving the Israel-Palestine conflict. 

When the boring tasks of governance are not performed, infrastructures don't get built. Then, when epidemics strike, people die." David Brooks 2014

Palestinians Must Redefine Martyrdom for Nonviolent Resistance

Confronting ISIL: The Day and Decade After

Abbas' Conundrum is Also an American Problem

Jobless Palestinians brave death to migrate

President Barack Obama's address to the United Nations General Assembly (transcript)

The Day After #PeaceDay 2014 ... Change the World ... #PeaceDay ... PEACE DAY is GLOBAL #PeaceDay ... We all have a right to peace

Trust... A poem for peace in Growing Gardens for Palestine by Anne Selden Annab

  STAY CONNECTED... Given the U.S. commitment to religious freedom, and to the international covenants that guarantee it as the inalienable right of every human being, the United States seeks to: Promote freedom of religion and conscience throughout the world as a fundamental human right and as a source of stability for all countries

Arab states can't afford to be tepid in response to ISIL

Jordan stands firm against radicalism, terrorism: "The unequivocal support for the coalition of regional and international countries willing to fight IS did not obliterate, however, an issue that is often said to be the reason for many Middle Eastern problems: the Israeli-Palestinian conflict."

To honor a tragic history, we must work for peace : "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." Ziad Asali

Because We Know How to Make Dreams Come True! This Week in Palestine

For My Identity, I Sing! Al Mada

"The chaplets of coins are thought by some to have inspired the halo in sacred art."... Color photos of Palestine from the December 1926 issue of National Geographic magazine (Vol L, VI), "In the Birthplace of Christianity,"

For all its empty boasting, Hamas’s strategy of armed struggle has once again been exposed as not merely a dead-end for securing Palestinian rights, but a disaster.

US urges Israel to reverse appropriation of land for West Bank settlement: Israel has claimed almost 1,000 acres near Bethlehem, in a move Palestinians say will only increase tension

The Real Middle East Crisis Is Economic "While Western observers focus on political issues in the Middle East, people in the region are themselves preoccupied with economic matters"

RECRUIT ... a poem

Vatican Urges Muslim Leaders To Condemn The Islamic State Formerly Known As ISIS

NYTimes: Resisting Nazis, He Saw Need for Israel. Now He Is Its Critic.

Dean Obeidallah in The Daily Beast: Searching for a Palestinian Dr. King

There Are Clues

Where is the Palestinian Gandhi?

Zogby:  What we found was that there has been a continued erosion in the favorable ratings Americans have of both Arabs and Muslims, posing a threat to the civil rights and political inclusion of both Arab Americans and American Muslims.

"This is a time of national crisis, I will be honest with you, that does require commitment to non-violence of the kind that would give everyone the time needed to rebuild, to unify, but at the same time to agree with Israel and the world on a date certain for ending the occupation." Palestine's Salam Fayyad

ATFP Calls for De-Escalation between Israel and the Palestinians - See more at: http://www.americantaskforce.org/in_media/pr/2014/07/08/1404792000#sthash.591SYEYV.dpuf

ATFP Calls for De-Escalation between Israel and the Palestinians - See more at: http://www.americantaskforce.org/in_media/pr/2014/07/08/1404792000#sthash.591SYEYV.dpuf

ATFP Calls for De-Escalation between Israel and the Palestinians - See more at: http://www.americantaskforce.org/in_media/pr/2014/07/08/1404792000#sthash.591SYEYV.dpuf

ATFP Calls for De-Escalation between Israel and the Palestinians - See more at: http://www.americantaskforce.org/in_media/pr/2014/07/08/1404792000#sthash.591SYEYV.dpuf

ATFP Calls for De-Escalation between Israel and the Palestinians

UPDATE: American Task Force on Palestine Advocacy Efforts During the Ongoing Tragic Hostilities : As tragic and appalling hostilities erupted again between Israelis and Palestinians, the American Task Force on Palestine (ATFP) engaged in intensive advocacy efforts to call for an immediate cease-fire to save lives and spare the innocent. On July 8th, ATFP issued a formal press release calling for de-escalation between Israel and the Palestinians...READ MORE

UNITED NATIONS: International Year of Solidarity with the Palestinian People 2014 

Normalizing Intelligent Conversations, Diplomatic Support, and Hope for Palestine: American Task Force on Palestine (ATFP) Panel on Israeli-Palestinian War in a New Regional Landscape... & a firm call for an immediate ceasefire

In Growing Gardens for Palestine... A poem Dedicated to Abu Yusuf

THE Arab Peace Initiative

Emanating from the conviction of the Arab countries that a military solution to the conflict will not achieve peace or provide security for the parties, the council:

1. Requests Israel to reconsider its policies and declare that a just peace is its strategic option as well.

2. Further calls upon Israel to affirm:

I- Full Israeli withdrawal from all the territories occupied since 1967, including the Syrian Golan Heights, to the June 4, 1967 lines as well as the remaining occupied Lebanese territories in the south of Lebanon.

II- Achievement of a just solution to the Palestinian refugee problem to be agreed upon in accordance with U.N. General Assembly Resolution 194.

III- The acceptance of the establishment of a sovereign independent Palestinian state on the Palestinian territories occupied since June 4, 1967 in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

3. Consequently, the Arab countries affirm the following:

I- Consider the Arab-Israeli conflict ended, and enter into a peace agreement with Israel, and provide security for all the states of the region.

II- Establish normal relations with Israel in the context of this comprehensive peace.

Side by Side: Parallel Histories of Israel-Palestine... "An eye-opening—and inspiring—new approach to thinking about one of the world’s most deeply entrenched conflicts"

"I have yet to meet a refugee who wanted to be a refugee and even less so, who wished to remain a refugee. Palestine refugees are no different. Their call for a just and lasting solution to their plight must be heard." UNWRA's Pierre Krähenbühl on World Refugee Day

America/Israel/Palestine 1776

America/Israel/Palestine 1948: All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.

The Golden Rule... Do unto others as you would have them do unto you

"When the boring tasks of governance are not performed, infrastructures don't get built. Then, when epidemics strike, people die." David Brooks 2014

"A few generations ago, people grew up in and were comfortable with big organizations - the army, corporations and agencies.

They organized huge construction projects in the 1930s, gigantic industrial mobilization during World War II, highway construction and corporate growth during the 1950s. Institutional stewardship, the care and reform of big organizations, was more prestigious.

Now nobody wants to be an Organization Man. We like startups, disrupters and rebels. Creativity is honored more than the administrative execution.

Post-Internet, many people assume that big problems can be solved by swarms of small, loosely networked nonprofits and social entrepreneurs. Big hierarchical organizations are dinosaurs.

The Ebola crisis is another example that shows that this is misguided.

The big, stolid agencies - the health ministries, the infrastructure builders, the procurement agencies - are the bulwarks of the civil and global order. Public and nonprofit management, the stuff that gets derided as "overhead," really matters. It's as important to attract talent to health ministries as it is to spend money on specific medicines...."

When the boring tasks of governance are not performed, infrastructures don't get built. Then, when epidemics strike, people die. 

Because We Know How to Make Dreams Come True! This Week in Palestine

September 2014, Issue 197 An Eye on Science

  [AS ALWAYS PLEASE GO TO THE LINK TO READ GOOD ARTICLES IN FULL: HELP SHAPE ALGORITHMS (and conversations) THAT EMPOWER DECENCY, DIGNITY, JUSTICE & PEACE... and hopefully Palestine]

http://thisweekinpalestine.com/because-we-know-how-to-make-dreams-come-true/ 

Because We Know How to Make Dreams Come True!

By: Aref F. Husseini

Abandon your fears, listen to your passion, explore
the depths of science.

Reach the sky with innovation.

One day I asked my mother the question I ask every year: “What do you want for Mother’s Day?” 

And she gave her usual answer: “I only want you to be happy.” This answer meant that I had to make an effort to think about what gift to give her. After a few moments of silence following the ritual answer, however, and in a timid, kind, and humble voice, she spoke. Aha! She started to talk about computers, software, Skype, Viber, WhatsApp, and free-of-charge long-distance communication; I realised that she wanted a smartphone!

My mother, in her seventies, has never wanted to have anything to do with science and technology, but somehow she has now discovered that she needs a smartphone. So when I asked whether she wanted an iPhone or an Android, she inquired about the difference between the two but ultimately left the choice up to me.

Young researchers. courtesy of Al Nayzak.

This change in my mother’s attitude toward technology reminded me of her astonishment when I made a major shift in my career to establish Al Nayzak Organization for Scientific Innovation. Back then she wondered: “Why?” My answer: “To build a generation that produces rather than consumes science and technology.” Ten years ago, when this project took its first steps in Jerusalem before spreading all over Palestine, my mother only laughed. But now, she asked for a smartphone and made a conscious effort to passionately investigate the different types and specifications in an attempt to understand the various technical details. I reminded her of that funny incident ten years ago when I had said – with complete optimism – “Let’s hope that ten years from now you will have a new smartphone whose label says ‘Made in Palestine’!”

This anecdote made me extremely happy and proud to have established Al Nayzak, which is a unique initiative that looks for young talents in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM), and plants an ambitious vision in the hearts of our community: “To develop, root, and reinforce a new culture that embraces science, and to announce this culture among Palestinian youth so that their competence in productive applied sciences would provide them with better economic opportunities that would lead to their future prosperity.”

♦ Al Nayzak is a non-profit, non-partisan Palestinian organisation that was established in 2003 by a group of Palestinian scientific innovators. It specialises in supportive education, entrepreneurship, scientific innovation, and research and development. Al Nayzak’s five branches are located in Jerusalem, Ramallah, Nablus, Hebron, and Gaza, in addition to its Science and Technology House (museum) in Birzeit’s old city.

Al Nayzak’s approach is to make scientific-thinking skills become an inherent part of the lives of Palestinian people. In order to do this, it applies empirical tools to help individuals acquire thinking skills and relate them to genuine savoir-faire and technology. In this way they become capable not only of facing challenges in their journey to achieve excellence but also of helping to develop their environment and build a modern Palestinian society.

A scientific exhibition. courtesy of Al Nayzak.

We have adopted a number of annual programmes that target various age groups, including Talented Students Incubators for kids and adolescents from 10 to 14; Young Researchers for those from 14 to 17; Scientific and Technological Entrepreneurship (STEP) for school students from 14 to 17; Made in Palestine (MIP) for those who are 18 and above; and Tafkeer, thinking technology for schoolteachers. There are also a number of complementary projects to convey a message of science and knowledge to all segments of the society.

Our science home is managed by a team of specialists who possess unique scientific experiences in applied sciences and engineering, in addition to a group of psychosocial and pedagogic counselling experts. It serves all Palestinian areas through its offices in Jerusalem, Ramallah, Gaza, and Nablus, as well as in the House of Science and Technology in the Old City of Birzeit. It benefits from a widespread network of coordinators all over the country. Al Nayzak has opted for an approach of annual programmes rather than projects of limited duration and embraces the scientific talents of people 10 years old or above. Its core programmes include the following:

1. Talented Students Incubators

The Incubator is an interactive annual programme designed to host talented students and others with exceptional intellectual abilities. At the beginning of the programme students in the third grade are assessed through specialised psychological and technical exams. Successful students then become eligible to embark on a four-year journey to develop their talents and acquire leadership skills to become pioneers within their society. The tools are tailored to the specific abilities and needs of the students.

2.Young Researchers – Badir (Initiate)

Adolescents: Agents of Positive Change

The Young Researcher programme enables adolescents to discover knowledge and explore social phenomena using a number of scientific applications that are of interest to them. They are encouraged to think outside the box and have their own vision of their community’s issues.

The programme is structured to combine scientific research and practical application. Results of the research are published to help implement initiatives in the community and respond to certain topics.

Adolescents are first oriented to the basics of scientific research and critical observation for the purpose of problem solving in their communities. They learn to apply logical analysis and subjective criticism in choosing their research topics using scientific methods until they can formulate their conclusions/recommendations. They then use their research results to raise public awareness through the “Advocacy through Innovation” campaign. They share their observations through social media, workshops, and field visits. Some of the proposed solutions have been broadcast on video spots and local TV channels. Afterwards, the adolescents start to lead community-based initiatives and volunteer work to help solve the problems which they discussed in their research and which affect their daily lives as adolescents. As such, they use their acquired skills to work for positive change.

Upon their graduation from the programme, the young researchers become members of Al Nayzak Volunteer Unit, which represents a “national taskforce” that provides a role model for other projects in the community.

3. Palestinian Science and Technology
Program – STEP

Launched in 2013, STEP supports Palestinian students with innovative projects and research ideas in various fields of applied science, engineering, and technology. The programme disseminates a culture of science and technology research and innovation by empowering the students with the necessary capacities to implement unique and original projects to help their communities to develop in order to keep up with the latest advancements in science and technology.

Applicants to STEP receive an intensive, specialised training in various topics, including scientific research methodologies and professional scientific writing. Furthermore, applicants receive technical and professional support and specialised counselling by Al Nayzak professionals. The first and second round marked a milestone with the submission of over 950 projects by 1,780 students from various schools in the West Bank and Jerusalem. Eighty-two projects prepared by 167 students were shortlisted and made it to the nation-wide closing exhibition and ceremony that were attended by 5,000 visitors. The 15 winning projects provided implementers with the opportunity to participate in a scientific trip to the United States to enrol in an intensive training programme at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum and NASA in the areas of engineering, sciences, and physics. Furthermore, the winning projects were displayed at the Air and Space Museum to be seen by thousands of visitors.

4. MIP- Made in Palestine incubator for
entrepreneurismand scientific innovation

Made in Palestine/Made in Jerusalem is one of Al Nayzak’s annual programmes. It aims to support innovative ideas in science, engineering, and technology; and it links the academic experience gained at university level with the technical skills needed to enter into the world of business, in an effort to provide solutions to the technological, scientific, and industrial problems encountered by the local community.

The core focus of the programme is to afford Palestinian innovators both inside and outside universities with genuine opportunities to achieve their hopes and aspirations. They would be able to use their capacities to develop new products or solve technical problems using creative methods and mechanisms. The programme has been a phenomenal success in preparing the ground for a culture of innovation and celebrating creativity in Palestine. Moreover, the participants have achieved the highest scores in local and international competitions such as “Made in the Arab World” and “Stars of Science.”

5. “Tafkeer” Thinking Technology – integrating
technologyin education

At the Science House, Birzeit. courtesy of Al Nayzak.

Thinking Technology is a distinguished educational technology programme that aims to develop an effective Palestinian model for the integration and use of technology in the educational process in schools. It targets dozens of schools of various governmental, private, and UNRWA systems, focusing on four main areas: advancing the teaching-learning physical environment at schools; developing students’ skills in critical thinking and technological production; on-the-job teacher training, and creating Arabic innovative e-content that is made available in the Apple store and the Google play store.

6. House of Science – Pilot National Science and
TechnologyMuseum (NaSM

Crowning its series of achievements and a 10-year journey of innovation, the organisation inaugurated in 2013 the first Science and Technology House in Palestine, where visitors enjoy hands-on activities, all dedicated to creating a culture of scientific thinking. This constitutes a pilot project prior to the establishment of the National Science and Technology Museum in Palestine. For this purpose, Al Nayzak has invested all of its efforts in its first ten years of operation to building local Palestinian technical capacities, with the vision of designing and building high-quality, scientific hands-on exhibitions and exhibits, and developing interactive activities for visitors around each exhibit.

The Science House received approximately ten thousand visitors during its first year of operation.

7. The first Innovation Park and STEM
School … in Jerusalem

Al Nayzak has implemented an initiative to establish the first Innovation Park and Talented Students School in Palestine to be located in Jerusalem. This school aims to educate students who believe in excellence. We desperately need a national Jerusalemite educational system that is not based on rote learning but rather aims to motivate creative and critical thinking and analysis. As a result of communication technology, all the information we search for has become available online. However, the important question is: How should we deal with this mass of information? And how can we use this accumulated information to promote analytical capacities that enable us to use our understanding to innovate and create and build knowledge-based capital?

The Innovation Park comprises an elementary and secondary school that specialise in science, technology, engineering, and math. It provides diversified facilities, including a gym, a swimming pool, playgrounds, traditional and digital libraries, and indoor and outdoor theatres. It also hosts a scientific garden that is open to the public round the clock.

8. Art of Science – Art in Science

At the Science House, Birzeit. courtesy of Al Nayzak.

Science is an essential art that impacts our daily activities and constitutes a vital component of human culture. We have therefore worked on several programmes that merge art and drama with science to explain concepts that would be hard to clarify using traditional methods.

The Scientific Theatre is a live interactive stage performance that presents scientific methodology, igniting the audience’s imagination regarding research and facilitating the discovery of real answers to serious problems that they encounter in their lives.

“Why can’t we connect the refrigerator to lightning if lightning is electricity? Why does hair stand when it is charged with electricity?”

This is what the Scientific Theater play character (main actor) asks on stage.

There you have a summary of Al Nayzak, ten years after its establishment. A simple idea; tons of patience, passion, and daily effort have brought about remarkable success. Over the next ten years we will continue our programmes and transform them into national programmes that are accessible to all Palestinians who are interested in science, engineering, and technology. Together with our partners, we look forward to inaugurating the National Science and Technology Museum. And we will set up the Innovation Park’s network to start in Jerusalem, connecting other governorates nationwide; it will reflect Al Nayzak’s path with a first step in Jerusalem and steady steps to every other town in Palestine.

And we hope that, ten years from now, this Jerusalem-based national institution will be able to offer my mother a smartphone that is “made in Palestine”!

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Alnayzak

Birzeit, Old City

+97022819523

+97022819522

Jerusalem office:

9 Ali Ben Abi Taleb St.

+9726285387

+97226263086

Gaza office:

Al Rimal,Omar Muhkhtar St.

Al Rashiden Bldg., 4 Floor

+97082825282

Hebron office:

Al Manara Square

Al Rashiden Bldg.,4 floor

+97022223752

Homepage: www.alnayzak.org

The Science and Technology House
Birzeit-Old Town…Palestine
Note: The House’s activities are for Children ages 6-100 years.

In 2013, Al Nayzak Organization celebrates its ten year anniversary with the opening of the Saadeh Science and Technology House. The organization hopes for it to be the destination for all those seeking knowledge in an interactive and nontraditional manner, as well as it hopes for it to bring out the ties between science and technology and our everyday life.

For My Identity, I Sing! Al Mada

For My Identity, I Sing!
Across Palestine, spring flowers are filling the landscape with their vibrant red, yellow and purple colors, welcoming in the new season and the transformative renewal that comes with it.
On Friday, April 18, 2014, in the National Theater of Palestine, East Jerusalem, a different type of blossoming took place as boys and girls aged 14 to 17 from East Jerusalem took to the stage for an hour-long public performance of original songs. This event was the first in a series of concerts for the Al-Mada project “For My Identity, I Sing!,” an 18-month long cultural and arts education initiative, that is being completed with funding from Welfare Association. This project gives Jerusalem area youth the chance to explore their identity and issues of importance through musical and artistic expression.

Al Mada

Our Vision

Al Mada believes in the dignity and worth of every individual and the communities we serve. Our vision is a Palestine where music and the arts are at the heart of a culturally vibrant and healthy community life. We work on the basis that everyone contributes towards making social changes and that the power of art can be used to achieve truly sustainable development if individuals are enabled to contribute to the shaping of their societies.  Communication, integrity, innovation, respect and diversity are the core values, which inform every aspect of our work.

Our Mission

Specializing in music, art and music therapy, Al Mada Association for Arts based development affirms the importance of the arts in promoting individual and collective wellbeing. Bringing musical and art therapies to advance self expression, inclusion, therapy, social justice and advocacy is at the core of its inception and the focus which drives the organization to work with Palestine’s most vulnerable communities. Al Mada’s art therapists do direct interventions with a number of vulnerable groups; train teachers, community and health workers, so all programs are sustainable and work with care givers who receive no counseling themselves. Through partnerships with the Palestinian Authority institutions, international, local and civil society organizations, Al Mada is able to pool resources and extend program reach in areas including gender, education, culture, poverty reduction and mental health.

Across Palestine, spring flowers are filling the landscape with their vibrant red, yellow and purple colors, welcoming in the new season and the transformative renewal that comes with it.

On Friday, April 18, 2014, in the National Theater of Palestine, East Jerusalem, a different type of blossoming took place as boys and girls aged 14 to 17 from East Jerusalem took to the stage for an hour-long public performance of original songs. This event was the first in a series of concerts for the Al-Mada project “For My Identity, I Sing!,” an 18-month long cultural and arts education initiative, that is being completed with funding from Welfare Association. This project gives Jerusalem area youth the chance to explore their identity and issues of importance through musical and artistic expression.

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In 2012, John came to Palestine with Remember Shakti for the first solidarity concert by major international artists. In 2010, John donated his entire cash prize award from the Jazzahead Festival in Germany to support Al-Mada’s music therapy center in Ramallah, the first of its kind in Palestine.

A letter from John McLaughlin 

Dear Friends: I would like to make a short statement.

I will be making a second solidarity concert in Ramallah soon, and I’ve been asked a number of times why I do this. 

It is my personal conviction that the Palestinian people need much more international support. 

The situation has been bad for many people in Palestine for too long, and it is not getting any better, to the contrary, it keeps getting worse. 

My wife and I have been working alongside a very dedicated Arts-Based Community Development NGO in Ramallah known as Al Mada. 

There is a simple reason for our desire to support our friends in Al Mada, it is because they are helping to cure traumatized children and adults through the use of music and music therapy. 

We feel that in a world full, of conflict, this is the right cause. 

Al Mada’s work is non-political and so is our support for them. 

They work with  justice, equality and dignity in mind, and so do we. 

It is our personal responsibility to show support and encouragement to the people who every day are helping children and adults to conquer their trauma, and give them another opportunity to live more free and creative lives.

Our Approach

We seek to bring a sense of joy and relief from what is often a very stressful life in Palestine. Through our programs, we are able to help individuals to connect both with themselves and with others in their immediate community.

Community development requires a collaborative, holistic approach. We support change that comes from within communities, through their own members, resources, capacities and diversities and believe that individuals and groups can be empowered to be thriving community members through artistic creative processes. The arts provide a space and a platform where individuals can express, create and heal and are a powerful tool to advocate for concerns and rights, thus advocacy represents another important component of our work.

Our objectives

• To introduce the arts as a developmental tool with considerable potential to empower individuals.
• To strengthen the role of the arts in Palestinian society at a time when the arts are overlooked and underfunded.
• To introduce and develop a Palestinian specific approach to music and expressive art therapy.
• To establish that development should not be limited to infrastructure or economic growth and is not strictly measurable by the GDP of a country, but is more accurately reflected in terms of quality of life.
• To provide a non-threatening platform through which to advocate for causes which impact Palestinian society as a whole.
• To compliment and support the work of the public sector which delivers critical services under challenging conditions.

A hands-on approach is emphasized during training, as participants are introduced to theory and different concepts, while going through a process of practical exercises and “living the experience”. In addition, trainees have the opportunity to put into practice the acquired tools and knowledge by working in communities at the grassroots level before their training ends.

 In 2013, Al Mada developed and completed an arts-based child protection and educational project with generous support from the Qattan Foundation and in partnership with UNICEF. This innovative project resulted with the production of our first CD for children called I Love Life.

This family-friendly CD introduces pre-school and primary school children to new educational concepts in a stimulating and thought-provoking way through 8 original songs. The album’s songs were composed by the Palestinian musician and composer Odeh Turjman, the founder and artistic director of Al-Mada, and the lyrics were written by Khaled Juma’, a Palestinian poet from Gaza who has written lyrics for numerous songs for children and adults. The songs are about children’s rights and touch on the themes of equality, the right to life, protection from child labor, and safety from conflict.

The album was recorded and edited in Al-Mada’s state-of-the-art recording studio by a team of professional musicians and technicians and a group of eight Palestinian children aged 8-12.  2000 copies of the CD were printed and 1000 of them were distributed to kindergartens and schools across the occupied Palestinian Territories in partnership with the Ministry of Education, UNRWA and ANERA. Our goal is to increase the number of children who have access to this CD in Palestine and to make it available regionally and in the diaspora, as well.

The idea for I Love Life came from the shortage of local/Palestinian musical resources that are directed at children. Educators, especially, lack creative and educational supplies and have been forced to rely on outdated materials and to use educational resources from countries that have little cultural relevance to children living in Palestinian society.

Al-Mada believes that art and creativity are essential to healthy child development and committed to strengthen the role of music in the educational process for Palestinian children.

We are thrilled to have created a culturally- and linguistically- sensitive product that is specific to the Palestinian context, while also spreading awareness about universal topics, such as human rights, peace, the environment and respect for oneself and community.  Even adults highly enjoy this unique CD and we hope you will, too!
Contact Al-Mada to purchase a copy of I Love Life

Al-Mada: The power of music is universal, eliminating barriers. It reaches us, no matter who or where we are. Whether it makes us dance or sing along, or evokes tears or laughter, music always touches us in ways nothing else can.