,%20wife%20of%20Byzantine%20Emperor%20Theodosius%20II,%20located%20at%20Alexander%20Nevsky%20Cathedral,%20Sofia,%20Bulgaria.%202.jpg) |
| Byzantine mosaic of Empress Aelia Eudocia Augusta (401-460 CE), wife of Byzantine Emperor Theodosius II, located at Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Sofia, Bulgaria. |
Dear America,
Many American movies & video games deploy fake violence to create
vivid happy endings- a gratifying WIN that makes one feel powerful. BUT
in real life real violence has endless haunting echoes with quite
negative ramifications: Violence hurts- violence harms human beings and
it ruins families and homes, it impoverishes communities and it pollutes
our precious planet earth.
Violence is NOT A WIN in real life. Violence is a devastating loss-
it is the loss of the rule of fair and just laws, and a loss of
civilization itself.
We should be scorning violence and hate- not arming it, and certainly not applauding it. Life is not a video game or a movie. Terrorism of any type only creates more problems- not solutions.
Entertainment is entertainment, it is not real life with real consequences.
Please support our troops, and respect our troops by keeping them out of harms way unless absolutely & totally necessary.
The vast majority of Americans are not wealthy and the taxes that We The People pay are being
diverted into funding religious bigotry and terror via Israel's
cruel war on the native non-Jewish men, women, and children of historic
Palestine.
HAMAS cruelty and stupidity echoes Zionist cruelty and stupidity and on and on it goes. Neither approach will build peace or security.
Many Americans have been primed by
years of persuasive propaganda to always believe the worst of
Palestinians and to dutifully trust Israeli PR and spin. Unless you have a connection to real people and
families in the Middle East it is far too easy to be led astray by
Israeli disinformation campaigns. Too easy to be clueless because America's mainstream media has
been a podium for Zionist propagandists for decades. Israel is Uber Alles.
FYI "80 killed isn’t a “fragile ceasefire,” it’s a series of violations." Assal Rad
Please do what you can to make this world a better place, a safer place, and a saner place for more people in every possible way.
Start by refusing to fund, arm, empower, and/or excuse bigotry & injustice- specifically Israel.
Sincerely,
Anne Selden Annab
NOTES https://anniesnewletters.blogspot.com/search/label/Notes
#BetterTogether: The United Nations... "Together, we promote peace & security, advance sustainable development & protect human rights. By uniting nations, we turn shared goals into collective action." LET UNRWA AID IN: "UNRWA has the reach, network, and trust to deliver lifesaving aid directly to people in need"
"80 killed isn’t a “fragile ceasefire,” it’s a series of violations." Assal Rad
What you need to know about the Gaza ceasefire agreement: A ceasefire is a critical step. But we must keep working to ensure the path toward justice and accountability.... The U.S. must end all arms sales and take action to end its complicity in occupation, apartheid, and genocide.
"What Comes After Starvation in Gaza? For the severely malnourished, simply starting to eat normal meals again can cause sickness—even death." Clayton Dalton in The New Yorker
"In September, 2023—just before October 7th—the United Nations published a report about a spike in Israeli ethnic cleansing of Palestinian communities in the West Bank. During the past two years, we’ve seen the situation in the West Bank get even worse. Tens of thousands of Palestinians have been pushed out of refugee camps. And dozens of Palestinian pastoral communities have been wiped off the map. Their inhabitants have been forced off their land by a combination of settlers and the Army, which are often indistinguishable from each other. So when we’re talking about ethnic cleansing, or an Israeli desire for ethnic cleansing, we shouldn’t talk about it purely in this future hypothetical way. It’s happening on a smaller scale every day." Isaac Chotiner
"There are now, as the historian Rashid Khalidi has put it, “two peoples in Palestine, irrespective of how they came into being”, and their “mutual acceptance can only be based on complete equality of rights”. If that sounds utopian, it is largely because of the decay of political leadership in both Israel and Palestine. Whatever happens with the Trump plan, no amount of bulldozer diplomacy or external governance will alter that." Kenan Malik
"Next Wednesday it is expected that the international court of justice (ICJ) in The Hague will find against Israel for ending all cooperation with UN aid agencies including the main Palestinian agency, Unrwa...."
Humanitarian principles & UNRWA
‘The loss of education is the loss of the future itself’: Gaza’s children and teachers on two years without school With 97% of schools destroyed or damaged, 600,000 children have just begun their third year out of formal education. Three students and a teacher share their stories – and their hopes
‘It’s like a nuclear bomb has hit’: shocked Palestinians return home to desolation. Families are going back to Gaza City and surrounds to find their neighbourhoods obliterated, with many forced to camp in the ruins.- By Seham Tantesh in Gaza and Julian Borger in The Guardian
UNRWA has the reach, network, and trust to deliver lifesaving aid directly to people in need across Gaza. To meet urgent needs, let UNRWA bring in its aid to Gaza at scale. Let them do their job.
"Almost all of Gaza’s farmland is destroyed or inaccessible. A kilo of tomatoes that once cost 60¢, now costs $15 - if found at all. Families who once lived from their land now have no income. People cannot afford the food reappearing in the markets. Until Gaza’s agricultural sector can be rebuilt, there must be an unrestricted flow of aid"... LET UNRWA IN !!!
"This is a UN vehicle entering Gaza today. It looks like a scene in a dystopian movie." Assal Rad
‘One of the oldest urban centres on the planet’: Gaza’s rich history in ruins. The territory’s ancient heritage has too often been ignored. As we mourn incalculable human losses, learning about its past can help us better understand the present- William Dalrymple in The Guardian
“After 2 years of heavy Israeli Forces bombardment with more than 67,000 people reported killed, the infamous death trap of the “Gaza Humanitarian Foundation” and finally the silent killing of famine, civilians are now confronted with shocking arbitrary summary killings by Hamas members. The ceasefire should bring respite and hope not more killings. No one should escape justice and accountability.” — UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini
"The Red Cross say it'll be a "massive challenge" to find the graves of the last Israeli captives under mountains of rubble from Israel's levelling of Gaza. Having created a near-impossible task for Hamas, Israel's using it to justify keeping up its genocidal starvation campaign" Jonathan Cook
"Not only is Israel still killing and starving Palestinians, Israeli officials are openly declaring their intention to occupy Gaza. But none of that is part of the dominant media narrative about the “ceasefire” at the moment." Assal Rad
Palestinian bodies returned by Israel show signs of torture and execution, say doctors. Almost all had been blindfolded and had gunshot wounds between the eyes, says medic at Nasser hospital in Gaza
‘My heart is broken’: Palestinians begin searching the Gaza rubble for their dead. Using manual tools and their bare hands, people start the immense task of trying to find their loved ones’ remains
"Racism & discrimination are a serious threat to life, dignity & human rights. Each of us can help #FightRacism to create more peaceful societies." United Nations
"There are two peoples here, and they will remain here. Only ending the occupation, and only recognizing the State of Palestine alongside Israel, will bring justice, peace, and security to all." איימן עודה أيمن عودة Ayman Odeh
The ongoing Israeli Forces operation in the West Bank must stop. Families must be able to return to their homes. Learn how #UNRWAworks... UNRWA stands ready to deliver life-saving aid as people return to their homes across Gaza following the #ceasefire... Allowing UNRWA to distribute supplies is essential to meet urgent needs and support recovery.
Today’s Mass at the Holy Family Catholic Church in Gaza — the first day of the ceasefire, 736 days of nonstop prayers and unshakable faith.
"UNRWA has food, medicines + other basic supplies ready to go to Gaza. We have enough to provide food for the entire population for the coming three months. Our teams in Gaza are crucial for the implementation of this agreement including to provide basic services like healthcare + education. There are over 660,000 children who are eagerly waiting to go back to school. UNRWA teachers stand ready to help them fulfill that. I call on all member states to support UNRWA to do its work to assist people in need in the coming critical period." Philippe Lazzarini
"This ceasefire is just the beginning of a long road ahead, a road toward a future free from both the occupation and Hamas. No more being dragged into wars or turned into pawns in the games of others. For too long, Palestinians have been caught between oppression and exploitation, crushed by occupation, silenced by militias, and spoken for by those who never cared to listen. That chapter must end here. The only path forward is rebuilding our nation and working toward a two-state solution where Palestinians and Israelis can live side by side, in freedom, dignity, and peace. What remains is the hard, honest work of building a real future, one shaped not by slogans or weapons, but by the will of a people who have suffered enough and still dare to hope." Ihab Hassan
The ruin of Gaza: how Israel’s two-year assault has devastated the territory- IDF’s bombs and ground offensive have killed tens of thousands of people and reduced entire cities to rubble
Gaza genocide: 2 years of Western media stenographing for Israel. Western media has spent 2 years denying Gaza’s genocide, platforming Israel’s lies, & enabling ongoing violence through silence & distortion, writes Assal Rad.
B'Tselem בצלם بتسيلم: The October 7 atrocities as a trigger for genocide: an escalation rooted in decades of apartheid and occupation. Read more in “Our Genocide” report
Interactive Map
"... On this solemn anniversary, let us honour the memory of all the victims by working for the only path forward: a just & lasting peace, in which Israelis, Palestinians & all the peoples of the region live side by side in security, dignity and mutual respect." António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations
“Grief, suffering, deep & immense pain: the reality for far too many people since 7 October 2023. And in Gaza for two long years, people have known nothing but destruction, displacement, bombardment, fear, death & hunger. As we mark two years on the beginning of this nightmare, I call once again for: - The release of all hostages and Palestinian detainees. - An immediate ceasefire: the guns must go silent everywhere. - The unfettered delivery of basic humanitarian supplies – at scale – to Gaza including through UNRWA. - Accountability & justice to hold all those accountable for atrocities committed on and after 7 October. There is no other way out of this abyss & mayhem.” #CeasefireNow — Philippe Lazzarini, of UNRWA ... #UNRWAworks.
"Palestinian armed groups must release all civilian hostages immediately and unconditionally. Without an immediate and sustained ceasefire by all parties there will be no end in sight to civilian suffering." Amnesty International: END ISRAEL'S GENOCIDE IN GAZA... RELEASE CIVILIAN HOSTAGES... CEASEFIRE NOW!!!!!!
The Incarnate Word priests and nuns in Holy Family Parish in Gaza have been awarded the Achille Silvestrini International Prize for Dialogue and Peace
#Gaza’s war: 2 years too long. 🔴 Over 66,100 people reported killed 🔴 Nearly all of Gaza’s residents have been displaced 🔴 Nearly 80 per cent of structures damaged or destroyed 🔴 Over 370 UNRWA workers killed 🔴 UNRWA continues to provide critical services.
"Today, when Israel talks about creating a "buffer zone," it's actually a buffer zone of the buffer zone, and so imperialism by the inch continues." Susan Abulhawa
United Nations Geneva: "The greatest danger to our future is apathy. You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you.” Let her words of love & faith inspire you every day. Together, let’s honour Jane Goodall’s legacy by working towards a better world. #ActNow
"The value of human life should not depend on nationality, religion, or political alliances...." On this week’s cover of The Lancet, a new letter: “Gaza’s healthocide: medical societies must not stay silent”.
NOT A TARGET: Babies are #NotATarget. Children are #NotATarget. Civilians are #NotATarget. Hospitals are #NotATarget. Health care workers are #NotATarget. Schools are #NotATarget. Humanitarians are #NotATarget.... & Poets are #NotATarget. Journalists are #NotATarget. Teachers are #NotATarget.
‘My poems are part of my flesh’: Palestinian poet Batool Abu Akleen on life in Gaza: At just 20, the poet is one of the most vivid witnesses to the conflict. She talks about dreams of Oxford, the deaths of friends and how tragedy has shaped the person she has become.
A ‘magic pill’ made Israeli violence invisible. We need to stop swallowing it- For years, I pressed Palestinian interests in peace talks. The response to Trump’s plan proves the international community hasn’t learned from catastrophe. [FACTS] by Diana Buttu in The Guardian
“I'm not scared of Israel. I’m scared of a world that has seemingly lost all sense of humanity" Greta Thunberg
Israel has kidnapped Mandla Mandela grandson of Nelson Mendala for standing against apartheid in Palestine
Palestine: Any peace plan must respect international law, beginning with self-determination and accountability, urge UN experts 03 October 2025
"Violence must never be normalized or glorified. It provides no solutions to social problems. Our path forward lies in unity and peace." Volker Türk- United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
Pope Leo XIV with young Palestinian Christians from the “Youth of Jesus’ Homeland” group.
Pope Leo XIV @Pontifex “I
express my deepest sympathy to the Palestinian people in Gaza, who
continue to live in fear and survive in unacceptable conditions,
forced—once again—from their lands.”
Justice for Palestinians Can’t Wait for a Peace Deal: Concrete Action by Governments Is Urgently Needed
"A ripple effect- They may not have reached Gaza's shores, but the crew still delievered... For the first time sine October 2023 Palestinain could fish without being shot at by the Israeli navy (they've been too busy chasing the flotillas)."
"It is a clear strategy: kill the witnesses, close Gaza, lock down the narrative. Preventing the international press from entering means silencing independent foreign observers to this conflict. And at a time when Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, is promising to recolonise Gaza, controlling the narrative is as crucial as controlling the territory itself. Colonising also means erasing the ruins, the dead, the survivors and those who tell their stories." Anthony Bellanger in The Guardian
My life in Gaza: ‘We burned our copy of Nineteen Eighty-Four to bake bread. What would Orwell think of us now?’
"Humanitarian-aid flotilla stopped... but weapons keep flowing #peace #gaza #palestine" Yusuf / Cat Stevens
"Those who remain in Gaza will be considered terrorists and terror supporters" Israeli Minister for Defence, Israel Kantz
 |
| Altar boys at the Holy Family Catholic Church in Gaza City today, some of the people Israel is labeling as "terrorists" |
"Israel has written one of the darkest pages of human history and the world is still holding the pen." Francesca Albanese
On #OlderPersonsDay, we honour older #Palestine Refugees. Having lived through decades of conflict and displacement, many continue to face hardship and suffering. UNRWA provides healthcare, education, and social services to support them in their daily lives.
"Everyone
benefits from the wisdom of older people. They have much to teach about
navigating uncertainty, resolving conflict & building solidarity
across generations.
On #OlderPersonsDay, let’s build a world where people of every age can live with respect, security & opportunity." António Guterres
In Growing Gardens for Palestine... The United Nations: International TRANSLATION Day- Translation is more than words; it is a connection. It bridges cultures, carries histories, and gives voice to those unheard. Today, September 30th on Translation Day, we celebrate those who make dialogue possible, the quiet architects of unity in every language.
Jordanian King Abdullah speaks at 2025 United Nations General Assembly... FOR Peace & Palestine
"The movement restrictions imposed by these checkpoints and gates severely disrupt the access of nearly 90,000 people to their lands, healthcare, education, and livelihoods." Between olive groves and gates: A Palestinian’s struggle for land and livelihood September 27, 2025 by Fareed Taamallah
United Nations Geneva REMINDER: Humanitarians are #NotATarget. Civilians are #NotATarget. Hospitals are #NotATarget. Schools are #NotATarget. Children are #NotATarget. Journalists are #NotATarget.
Israel is waging a taxation assault on Jerusalem’s Christian presence, endangering its very survival: Patriarchs and Heads of The Churches in Jerusalem renew their condemnation of unjust foreclosure hearing against Armenian Patriarchate, urging immediate intervention.
Israel’s ecocide in Gaza sends this message: even if we stopped dropping bombs, you couldn’t live here... Consider the annihilation of agricultural land alongside the genocide – and grasp the chilling totality of this attempt to eliminate all life.
US marketing companies are helping to rebrand the genocide in Gaza: Reports say PR teams are busy rewriting history in real time – not that the American media needs the help.
World must deny Israel ‘tools of genocide’, says growing alliance of activist states: New York meeting of Hague Group warns of shared responsibility to prevent genocide and proposes steps to isolate Israel
"No single country should have a veto in UN. A Security Council member should also lose its voting rights for a fixed period if it violates the UN Charter." Finnish President Alexander Stubb calls for reforms to UN in his speech
In famine-struck Gaza, another burden: An exhausting search for water & In Gaza, military offensive and civilian chaos hinder food aid - CSM Christian Science Monitor
At U.N., amid jeers and cheers, Netanyahu says Israel 'must finish the job' in Gaza
HISTORY: 1949 Israel's empty promises upon joining the UN- "In joining the U.N., Israel vowed that it would pursue "no policies on any question which were inconsistent with...the resolutions of the Assembly and the Security Council." There had been five major points of concern about Israel's admission: its position toward internationalization of Jerusalem, its position on refugees, its stand on borders, its willingness to observe U.N. resolutions, and its failure to apprehend the assassins of Count Folke Bernadotte... "
Count Folke Bernadotte- On Friday 17 September 1948, four members of the Zionist paramilitary militant organization Lehi, sometimes referred to in the West as the Stern Gang, dressed in the uniforms of IDF soldiers and attacked Bernadotte's UN convoy as it drove through West Jerusalem, killing him as well as the French officer riding next to him, Colonel André Serot.
‘Tunnel vision’: how Israel is using archaeology to win US support for goals- Scientists say Netanyahu government and its US backers are trying to construct a history shorn of all complexity
Is Trump’s new Palestine plan a breakthrough or diplomatic mirage? Washington’s roadmap aligns surprisingly closely with a UN-backed plan – but key differences could prove unworkable
Civilian injuries in Gaza similar to those of soldiers in war zones, study finds. Wounds such as burns or leg injuries more common in Gaza than among US soldiers who fought in Iraq and Afghanistan
From Gaza to Lebanon, Syria to Yemen, Israel is slaughtering civilians and calling it self-defense...
Russia's illegal seizure of the Crimean Peninsula in March 2014 and Russia's current war on Ukraine is clearly following in the footsteps of Israel: The Zionist Project has been usurping land, rights, and peace from the indigenous people of historic Palestine since 1948.
Dear America- The weapons industry and a global war machine- AND INJUSTICE- burgeon with American tax payer funds.
Violence is a problem- not the answer.
STOP THE SIEGE- stop funding crazy cruel Israeli schemes & the forced displacement, imprisonment, starvation, torture, and killing of human beings in Gaza and Palestine
"Whereas recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world..." https://www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights
