Pointing out facts about Israeli Apartheid and Zionist brutality is not racism... my letter to my elected leaders

I Stand with Palestine billboard 2023- sponsored by If Americans Knew

 

Dear Elected Leaders,

Protesting against injustice, bigotry, violence and war is not racism. 

Pointing out facts about Israeli Apartheid and Zionist brutality is not racism.

Wearing a pin for Palestine or emblazoning a billboard with the words "I Stand With Palestine" is not racism. 

Palestine is a historic name for a historic place, and it is also the hope and dream that someday the native non-Jewish people of historic Palestine will be free and equal, with either one state or two states to end the Holy Land Hostilities.

"From The River to The Sea" endorses and empowers the idea of fair and just laws, security, equality, and true democracy for all people regardless of supposed race or religion, with either one state or two states to end the Holy Land Hostilities. 

That phrase "From The River to The Sea" took hold because for its entire 75 year long sovereign statehood Israel has been oppressing, imprisoning, impoverishing, and displacing Palestinian men, women, and children. 

Israel's own blatantly racist anti-Arab rhetoric and numerous big bombing campaigns as well as smaller scale violence wrought by Israeli soldiers and settlers is in fact the current basis of increasing antisemitism and also rising anti-American sentiments and scorn for democracy world wide.

Human beings come in all different shapes and sizes, colors and creeds. 

Please don't help others learn to hate:  Stop arming Israel and start arming a just and lasting peace. 

Sincerely,

Anne Selden Annab

We won’t stop speaking out about Gaza’s suffering – there is no climate justice without human rights - Greta Thunberg

U.S. and Israeli MILITARISM fuels GENOCIDE and ECOCIDE

Pray for Palestine

An Ongoing Displacement- The Forced Exile of the Palestinians since 1922

74 Palesinians Killed in Gaza by Israel were OLDER THAN THE STATE of ISRAEL #elders

109 total journalists killed by Israel 2000-2023

Invest Time & Money in American Ideals - NOT ISRAEL ... letter to my elected officials

Today's Nativity scene inspired by Israeli Bombing Campaigns 2023 #Gaza #Bethlehem, #Palestine #Christmas

GAZA UPDATE: More than 6,600 Palestinian children in Gaza have been killed by Israeli forces since October 7, according to the Governmental Media Office. Thousands more are still missing under the rubble.

The Universal Declaration is a roadmap, helping to end wars, heal divisions and promote lives of peace and dignity for all. Learn more & join the movement to help achieve a world of freedom, equality & justice for all

My letter to The Guardian RE The people of Gaza need a UN protection force

Israel (& America & the UK & Europe)'s cruel War on Gaza & the Children of Palestine 2023

The WEST BANK archipelago

ISRAEL SWALLOWING GAZA STRIP: Israel has no borders, neither by its own admission or by international law. That is why it is grabbing any land it can. - Salman Abu Sitta

The daily, grinding violence in the West Bank is worse than ever before. Why does it go unseen? ... in The Guardian

Symbols of #Palestine

O Little Town of Bethlehem, Palestine

"We collect, translate and publish texts from Palestinian writers confronting the genocide in Gaza, to lift up their words." @arablit : Hiba Abu Nada 1991-2023

Israeli settlers steal Palestinian farmers’ land in occupied West Bank: Emboldened by curfews and raids on Palestinians, illegal settlers have stepped up violence and property theft.

Dear Elected Leaders- Yes there are still some useful idiots willing to idolize Israel. But good leadership should not.

To quote a well known American hero...  "Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God's children."  I Have A Dream speech by Martin Luther King Jr.  in 1963

ADC Reminder "Tens of millions in the US are struggling, and will go through Thanksgiving with little to no food on the dinner table..."

Abed A. Ayoub

@aayoub

(Dad. Husband. National Executive Director of @ADC. Living in DC via the greatest American City, Detroit. RT =/= Endorsements. Views are my own. Washington, DC adc.org) 

 

"Reminder: Tens of millions in the US are struggling, and will go through Thanksgiving with little to no food on the dinner table. 

 

Thankfully our bought and paid for politicians in this country are doing their part to help by sending tens of billions of your tax dollars to Israel and the Ukraine. 

 

For those of you who are struggling, rest assured that the genocide happening in Gaza may not put food on your kids plates, but it does line the pockets of your elected officials and weapons producers.".

 

 

 & then from a recent video- a doctor, a Palestinian with no name but a very clear voice speaking of Palestine's children:

 

 “They give us a piece of bread and a sandwich, and they give the Israelis tanks, rockets, and warfighters... He saw his father dying, he saw his uncle martyred, he saw his house stolen, he’s living in a tent. How can we remove hatred from the hearts of these children?”

The Same Basic Golden Rule as Expressed by "Different" People:

Ilhan Omar's refusal to 'pledge allegiance' to Israel does not make her antisemitic

Congresswoman Ilhan Omar defended herself in a series of tweets posted on Sunday night:

"Our democracy is built on debate, Congresswoman! I should not be expected to have allegiance/pledge support to a foreign country in order to serve my country in Congress or serve on committee," she said.

"I have not mischaracterized our relationship with Israel, I have questioned it and that has been clear from my end.

"I am told everyday that I am anti-American if I am not pro-Israel. I find that to be problematic and I am not alone.

"I just happen to be willing to speak up on it and open myself to attacks."

 

Ilhan Omar says her refusal to 'pledge allegiance' to Israel does not make her antisemitic 

 https://news.yahoo.com/ilhan-omar-says-her-refusal-085230217.html

MARCH 1st 2019

GOP's hatemongering anti-Muslim/ anti-Ilhan Omar meme that is now making the rounds on social media

GOP's anti-Muslim display likening Rep. Omar to a terrorist rocks W. Virginia capitol

"Omar tweeted about the incident later on Friday.

"No wonder why I am on the 'Hitlist' of a domestic terrorist and 'Assassinate Ilhan Omar' is written on my local gas stations," she wrote.

The display was set up as part of "WV GOP Day," which the party advertised on Facebook as a day when "Republicans Take the Rotunda."" https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/gop-s-anti-muslim-display-likening-rep-omar-terrorist-rocks-n978371

March 4th 2019

"House Democrats will vote Wednesday on a resolution condemning anti-Semitism in response to comments made last week by Representative Ilhan Omar (D., N.Y.) that were deemed anti-Semitic by a number of prominent fellow Democrats.

It remains unclear whether the resolution, which was first reported by the Washington Post, will condemn Omar by name or just anti-Semitism in general." https://news.yahoo.com/house-dems-introduce-anti-semitism-195915822.html

Merriam Webster Dictionary Definition of anti-Semitism

: hostility toward or discrimination against Jews as a religious, ethnic, or racial group

Definition of prejudice

  : an irrational attitude of hostility directed against an individual, a group, a race, or their supposed characteristics

 

Seems to me the nasty anti-Muslim hate mongering directed towards destroying Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar is what should be condemned by our Congress....

American Hero, Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar in the audience ahead of President's State of the Union address at the U.S. Capitol on Feb. 5, 2019

Preserved Online For All To See ... a poem by Anne Selden Annab

 in Growing Gardens for Palestine

“My Christian grandmother and my Muslim grandmother in Palestine” - Shared by a Palestinian man on Facebook

       
       The Holy Land

You have bullets, bully brigades,

biblical words & word smiths

all fundraising for more...

More injustice. More suffering.

More homes and gardens usurped,

more children tormented and

families destroyed in what was

(what always will be)

historic Palestine.

 

We have nothing much more

than personal stories,

beloved memories,

and old photographs

preserved online for all to see.

 

We are people, human beings.

Our ancestry reaches back

totally entwined with every

rock and stone, every tree,

every water well, every little flower,

no matter where we are now.

 

Our recipes are of the land

and trade routes, plus trial

and error.  We helped perfect bread

baked in clay ovens, in our own way.

 

Our Zaatar is a scrumptious blend

of herbs  & our olive oil is heavenly gold.

 

We keep keys.

 

Our embroideries are

by hand, with symbols

imagined and taught

mother to daughter for eons,

for longer than thread can last.

 

Our hope is that one day

justice and peace will prevail

for all good people willing to

actively empower fair and just laws

with full and equal rights, respect, 

dignity... and security for all.

 

                                  poem copyright ©2015 Anne Selden Annab     

Children of Palestine, Jerusalem, 1920

Children of Palestine, Jerusalem, 1920 Photo de Lehnert & Landrock

Please stop putting Israeli interests before American interests and ideals -letters I sent to my Senators regarding BDS

United Nations Dove of Peace, presented by Pope John Paul II, on the occasion of his visit to the United Nations, 2 October 1979

Dear Senator Toomey

Please stop putting Israeli interests before American interests.... Go visit Israel as often as you like- on your own dime, please.

Go idolize and worship what ever you want to idolize and worship in Israel, but please do not force all Americans to fund and applaud your personal religious preferences and investments.

Violence is very very wrong.  BDS is a NONVIOLENT movement and American leaders seeking to make BDS illegal only make matters worse here, there and everywhere...  If America only allowed Christians full freedom and rights here in America, and if America had an official religion and religious scholars funded by taxpayers I would hope that people would be able to boycott that blatant injustice and discrimination.

Substitute the word "Israel" for "America" in the following sentence to better understand the situation:  It does not mean destroying America, it means making America more just and fair for all people, regardless of religion.

Thank you for your time & trouble

&

Dear Senator Casey


Please stop putting Israeli interests before American interests.  BDS is a nonviolent movement and American leaders seeking to make BDS illegal only make matters worse here, there and everywhere...  If America only allowed Christians full freedom and rights here in America, and if America had an official religion and religious scholars funded by taxpayers I would hope that people would be able to boycott that blatant injustice and discrimination.

Substitute the word "Israel" for "America" in the following sentence to better understand the situation:  It does not mean destroying America, it means making America more just and fair for all people, regardless of religion.

Thank you for your time & trouble

Sincerely,
Anne Selden Annab

Fruit and vegetable market in Al Naassra ( #Nazareth ) #Palestine Circa 1920...

Thanks Mike!

Rashida Tlaib wears a Palestinian dress to be sworn into Congress and inspires #TweetYourThobe

Rashida Tlaib with Mayaar, the daughter of filmmaker Adam Shapiro and human rights attorney Huwaida Arraf. (Photo: Twitter)

"Writing in Elle today, Tlaib explained why she opted against business attire to pay homage to her mother and her Palestinian heritage with the dress:

“Throughout my career in public service, the residents I have had the privilege of fighting for have embraced who I am, especially my Palestinian roots. This is what I want to bring to the United States Congress, an unapologetic display of the fabric of the people in this country. This is why I decided to wear a thobe when I am sworn into the 116th Congress.

My Yama (mother in Arabic) came to the United States at age of 20, and just like any immigrant parent, she wants all of her children to succeed, but without giving up on our roots and culture.

As a young girl, I watched my mother hand stitch thobes while sitting on the floor with a lamp at her side. She would make the small designs of flowers and different shapes. Just thinking about it brings up so many memories of my mother and how proud she was of being Palestinian.” "  Rashida Tlaib wears a Palestinian dress to be sworn into Congress and inspires #TweetYourThobe

Noura Erakat:

"Thank you for inspiring *several* generations @RashidaTlaib. #TweetYourThobe"

Huwaida Arraf

In Growing Gardens for Palestine, inspired by Susan Muaddi Darraj, creator of the marvelous #TweetYourThrobe" pro-heritage campaign

Amman-based artist Nasser Jafari: #TweetYourThobe !

"Look at this beautiful image by Amman-based artist Nasser Jafari!!! I LOVE THIS!!! It says "Gharidi biThowbek," or TweetYourThobe in Arabic." Susan Muaddi Darraj , creator of the marvelous #TweetYourThrobe" pro-heritage campaign

2019 #TweetYourThobe creator Susan Muaddi Darraj

2019 #TweetYourThobe creator Susan Muaddi Darraj

Author of A Curious Land

Winner of the Grace Paley Prize in Short Fiction

 

> & The Inheritance of Exile

AMAZON.COM "Susan Muaddi Darraj won the 2016 American Book Award for her second short story collection, A Curious Land: Stories from Home. She is also the author of The Inheritance of Exile, as well as numerous young adult biographies, articles, book reviews, and essays. She also has been awarded the Grace Paley Award for Short Fiction and the Arab American Book Award, and A Curious Land was also shortlisted for the Palestine Book Award. You can visit her at www.SusanMuaddiDarraj.com or via Twitter at @SusanDarraj. She has been recognized twice by a literary grant by the Maryland State Arts Council, and the Greater Baltimore Cultural Alliance recently named her one of its 2016 Ruby's Literary Arts grant awardees. She lives in Baltimore, MD."

Tatreez & Tea & Rashida Tlaib & #TweetYourThobe : "Today... she was all of us"

Wafa Ghnaim: "I was interviewed by the New York Times today to discuss the significance in the first Palestinian-American congresswoman @rashidatlaib wearing a traditional Palestinian thobe to her swearing in ceremony today. Palestinian women and their artistry have long been invisible in history and today our maternal ancestors were seen in the halls of Western power. Rashida’s decision to wear her thobe to a significant moment in her life is one Palestinian women naturally think to do for any momentous achievements in career, life and family. Today, Rashida’s thobe stood for all Palestinian women. She was all of us."

Author of

Tatreez & Tea

Grandma says! #TWEETYOURTHOBE God bless #Palestine & #America & all the World!!!

Palestinian Village Embroidery Designs

By artist Maya Amer

KEEP CALM and TWEET YOUR THOBE !!!

Susan Muaddi Darraj Thank you, Kay Tarapolsi at A Crafty Arab!!!

Codebreaker! From the initiator of the marvelous #TweetYourThobe Twitter/Facebook campaign, Susan Muaddi Darraj:

Susan Muaddi Darraj,  "Wondering what all the symbols mean on Palestinian thobes? The 2nd half of Leila ElKhalidi's book has a "dictionary"!..."

Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib on the significance of wearing a Palestinian thobe:

"As a young girl, I watched my mother hand stitch thobes while sitting on the floor with a lamp at her side. She would make the small designs of flowers and different shapes. Just thinking about it brings up so many memories of my mother and how proud she was of being Palestinian."   

NPR: Congresswoman Tlaib Inspires Palestinian-Americans With A Dress And A Hashtag

Institute for Middle East Understanding ( IMEU )

"The world will never be broken, because we will always stitch it back together & make it beautiful." Susan Muaddi Darraj: #tweetyourthobe #rashidatlaib #congress

Susan Muaddi Darraj, author of A Curious Land & The Inheritance of Exile

"Every thobe is a dress embroidered with the stories, the loves, the tragedies of Palestinian women. The world will never be broken, because we will always stitch it back together & make it beautiful."

#TweetYourThobe. "I was raised in a Palestinian-American family that celebrated the strength of women," Darraj told the Institute of Middle Eastern Understanding. "Seeing Rashida Tlaib wear her thobe today is a powerful affirmation of that strength. I started #TweetYourThobe to celebrate her achievement and educate our fellow Americans about our culture." 

USA TEACH PEACE: "I'm neither Israeli or Palestinian. I am just a military veteran fed up with $10.5 million dollars of taxpayer money each day going to Israel to fund an apartheid regime."

 

"I'm neither Israeli or Palestinian. I am just a military veteran fed up with $10.5 million dollars of taxpayer money each day going to Israel to fund an apartheid regime. Further, I am disturbed by the fact that nearly every death of a US service member during the last 30 years is usually tied to an Israeli agenda (Google: The Greater Israel Project) and nothing to do with our national security and those deaths fly in the face of the oath we took when we swore in." 
Jeff Bellamar 
on facebook

THANK YOU Jeff Bellamar!!!!!!

Think of Others poem by Mahmoud Darwish of Palestine

Palestinian embroidery. Photo credit Project Prospera Crafting Cultures:Palestinian Embroidery Workshop

                    Think of Others
 
As you prepare your breakfast, think of others
(do not forget the pigeon’s food).
 
As you wage your wars, think of others
(do not forget those who seek peace).
 
As you pay your water bill, think of others
(those who are nursed by clouds).
 
As you return home, to your home, think of others
(do not forget the people of the camps).
 
As you sleep and count the stars, think of others
(those who have nowhere to sleep).
 
As you express yourself in metaphor, think of others
(those who have lost the right to speak).
 
As you think of others far away, think of yourself
(say: If only I were a candle in the dark). 

- Mahmoud Darwish

 "About Darwish’s work, the poet Naomi Shihab Nye has said, “Mahmoud Darwish is the Essential Breath of the Palestinian people, the eloquent witness of exile and belonging, exquisitely tuned singer of images that invoke, link, and shine a brilliant light into the world’s whole heart. What he speaks has been embraced by readers around the world—his in an utterly necessary voice, unforgettable once discovered.”" poets.org