Thursday, June 9, 2011
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Palestnian non-violence activist, Bassem Tamimi, addresses Israeli military court
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=394300
Bassem Tamimi on trial at Israel's Ofer military court near Ramallah. The
non-violence activist is charged with inciting and organizing "unauthorized
processions" in the West Bank village of Nabi Saleh. Photo provided by Popular
Struggle Coordination Committee [MaanImages/PSCC]
Bassem Tamimi on trial at Israel's Ofer military court near Ramallah. Thenon-violence activist is charged with inciting and organizing "unauthorized
processions" in the West Bank village of Nabi Saleh. Photo provided by Popular
Struggle Coordination Committee [MaanImages/PSCC]
Non-violence activist addresses Israeli military court
Non-violence activist Bassem Tamimi's address to Israel's Ofer military court during his trial for organizing protests in the West Bank village of Nabi Saleh. A military judge refused to allow Tamimi to read his full statement in court.
Your Honor,
I hold this speech out of belief in peace, justice, freedom, the right to live in dignity, and out of respect for free thought in the absence of Just Laws.
Every time I am called to appear before your courts, I become nervous and afraid. Eighteen years ago, my sister was killed by in a courtroom such as this, by a staff member. In my lifetime, I have been nine times imprisoned for an overall of almost 3 years, though I was never charged or convicted. During my imprisonment, I was paralyzed as a result of torture by your investigators. My wife was detained, my children were wounded, my land was stolen by settlers, and now my house is slated for demolition.
I was born at the same time as the Occupation and have been living under its inherent inhumanity, inequality, racism and lack of freedom ever since. Yet, despite all this, my belief in human values and the need for peace in this land have never been shaken. Suffering and oppression did not fill my heart with hatred for anyone, nor did they kindle feelings of revenge. To the contrary, they reinforced my belief in peace and national standing as an adequate response to the inhumanity of Occupation.
International law guarantees the right of occupied people to resist Occupation. In practicing my right, I have called for and organized peaceful popular demonstrations against the Occupation, settler attacks and the theft of more than half of the land of my village, Nabi Saleh, where the graves of my ancestors have lain since time immemorial.
I organized these peaceful demonstrations in order to defend our land and our people. I do not know if my actions violate your Occupation laws. As far as I am concerned, these laws do not apply to me and are devoid of meaning. Having been enacted by Occupation authorities, I reject them and cannot recognize their validity.
Despite claiming to be the only democracy in the Middle East you are trying me under military laws which lack any legitimacy; laws that are enacted by authorities that I have not elected and do not represent me. I am accused of organizing peaceful civil demonstrations that have no military aspects and are legal under international law.
We have the right to express our rejection of Occupation in all of its forms; to defend our freedom and dignity as a people and to seek justice and peace in our land in order to protect our children and secure their future.
The civil nature of our actions is the light that will overcome the darkness of the Occupation, bringing a dawn of freedom that will warm the cold wrists in chains, sweep despair from the soul and end decades of oppression.
These actions are what will expose the true face of the Occupation, where soldiers point their guns at a woman walking to her fields or at checkpoints; at a child who wants to drink from the sweet water of his ancestors' fabled spring; against an old man who wants to sit in the shade of an olive tree, once mother to him, now burnt by settlers.
We have exhausted all possible actions to stop attacks by settlers, who refuse to adhere to your courts' decisions, which time and again have confirmed that we are the owners of the land, ordering the removal of the fence erected by them.
Each time we tried to approach our land, implementing these decisions, we were attacked by settlers, who prevented us from reaching it as if it were their own.
Our demonstrations are in protest of injustice. We work hand in hand with Israeli and international activists who believe, like us, that had it not been for the Occupation, we could all live in peace on this land. I do not know which laws are upheld by generals who are inhibited by fear and insecurity, nor do I know their thoughts on the civil resistance of women, children and old men who carry hope and olive branches.
But I know what justice and reason are. Land theft and tree-burning is unjust. Violent repression of our demonstrations and protests and your detention camps are not evidence of the illegality of our actions. It is unfair to be tried under a law forced upon us. I know that I have rights and my actions are just.
The military prosecutor accuses me of inciting the protesters to throw stones at the soldiers. This is not true. What incites protesters to throw stones is the sound of bullets, the Occupation’s bulldozers as they destroy the land, the smell of teargas and the smoke coming from burnt houses. I did not incite anyone to throw stones, but I am not responsible for the security of your soldiers who invade my village and attack my people with all the weapons of death and the equipment of terror.
These demonstrations that I organize have had a positive influence over my beliefs; they allowed me to see people from the other side who believe in peace and share my struggle for freedom. Those freedom fighters have rid their conscious from the Occupation and put their hands in ours in peaceful demonstrations against our common enemy, the Occupation. They have become friends, sisters and brothers. We fight together for a better future for our children and theirs.
If released by the judge will I be convinced thereby that justice still prevails in your courts? Regardless of how just or unjust this ruling will be, and despite all your racist and inhumane practices and Occupation, we will continue to believe in peace, justice and human values. We will still raise our children to love; love the land and the people without discrimination of race, religion or ethnicity; embodying thus the message of the Messenger of Peace, Jesus Christ, who urged us to "love our enemy." With love and justice, we make peace and build the future.
Non-violence activist Bassem Tamimi's address to Israel's Ofer military court during his trial for organizing protests in the West Bank village of Nabi Saleh. A military judge refused to allow Tamimi to read his full statement in court.
Your Honor,
I hold this speech out of belief in peace, justice, freedom, the right to live in dignity, and out of respect for free thought in the absence of Just Laws.
Every time I am called to appear before your courts, I become nervous and afraid. Eighteen years ago, my sister was killed by in a courtroom such as this, by a staff member. In my lifetime, I have been nine times imprisoned for an overall of almost 3 years, though I was never charged or convicted. During my imprisonment, I was paralyzed as a result of torture by your investigators. My wife was detained, my children were wounded, my land was stolen by settlers, and now my house is slated for demolition.
I was born at the same time as the Occupation and have been living under its inherent inhumanity, inequality, racism and lack of freedom ever since. Yet, despite all this, my belief in human values and the need for peace in this land have never been shaken. Suffering and oppression did not fill my heart with hatred for anyone, nor did they kindle feelings of revenge. To the contrary, they reinforced my belief in peace and national standing as an adequate response to the inhumanity of Occupation.
International law guarantees the right of occupied people to resist Occupation. In practicing my right, I have called for and organized peaceful popular demonstrations against the Occupation, settler attacks and the theft of more than half of the land of my village, Nabi Saleh, where the graves of my ancestors have lain since time immemorial.
I organized these peaceful demonstrations in order to defend our land and our people. I do not know if my actions violate your Occupation laws. As far as I am concerned, these laws do not apply to me and are devoid of meaning. Having been enacted by Occupation authorities, I reject them and cannot recognize their validity.
Despite claiming to be the only democracy in the Middle East you are trying me under military laws which lack any legitimacy; laws that are enacted by authorities that I have not elected and do not represent me. I am accused of organizing peaceful civil demonstrations that have no military aspects and are legal under international law.
We have the right to express our rejection of Occupation in all of its forms; to defend our freedom and dignity as a people and to seek justice and peace in our land in order to protect our children and secure their future.
The civil nature of our actions is the light that will overcome the darkness of the Occupation, bringing a dawn of freedom that will warm the cold wrists in chains, sweep despair from the soul and end decades of oppression.
These actions are what will expose the true face of the Occupation, where soldiers point their guns at a woman walking to her fields or at checkpoints; at a child who wants to drink from the sweet water of his ancestors' fabled spring; against an old man who wants to sit in the shade of an olive tree, once mother to him, now burnt by settlers.
We have exhausted all possible actions to stop attacks by settlers, who refuse to adhere to your courts' decisions, which time and again have confirmed that we are the owners of the land, ordering the removal of the fence erected by them.
Each time we tried to approach our land, implementing these decisions, we were attacked by settlers, who prevented us from reaching it as if it were their own.
Our demonstrations are in protest of injustice. We work hand in hand with Israeli and international activists who believe, like us, that had it not been for the Occupation, we could all live in peace on this land. I do not know which laws are upheld by generals who are inhibited by fear and insecurity, nor do I know their thoughts on the civil resistance of women, children and old men who carry hope and olive branches.
But I know what justice and reason are. Land theft and tree-burning is unjust. Violent repression of our demonstrations and protests and your detention camps are not evidence of the illegality of our actions. It is unfair to be tried under a law forced upon us. I know that I have rights and my actions are just.
The military prosecutor accuses me of inciting the protesters to throw stones at the soldiers. This is not true. What incites protesters to throw stones is the sound of bullets, the Occupation’s bulldozers as they destroy the land, the smell of teargas and the smoke coming from burnt houses. I did not incite anyone to throw stones, but I am not responsible for the security of your soldiers who invade my village and attack my people with all the weapons of death and the equipment of terror.
These demonstrations that I organize have had a positive influence over my beliefs; they allowed me to see people from the other side who believe in peace and share my struggle for freedom. Those freedom fighters have rid their conscious from the Occupation and put their hands in ours in peaceful demonstrations against our common enemy, the Occupation. They have become friends, sisters and brothers. We fight together for a better future for our children and theirs.
If released by the judge will I be convinced thereby that justice still prevails in your courts? Regardless of how just or unjust this ruling will be, and despite all your racist and inhumane practices and Occupation, we will continue to believe in peace, justice and human values. We will still raise our children to love; love the land and the people without discrimination of race, religion or ethnicity; embodying thus the message of the Messenger of Peace, Jesus Christ, who urged us to "love our enemy." With love and justice, we make peace and build the future.
"Already we have limited access to grazing lands," he said, lamenting prospects for adequately feeding his flock.
Shepherd held for hours over grazing lands
HEBRON (Ma’an) -- Israeli police detained a Hebron shepherd for hours on Tuesday, saying he had allowed his heard of sheep and goats to illegally enter a "closed military zone."Bilal Hathaleen, 25 from the village of Um Al-Kheir in the south Hebron hills was grazing his flock not far from home when he was apprehended by police and told that he was in a zone too close to the nearby Karmel settlement.
After his release, the shepherd told Ma'an he had been detained for four hours, and had not been aware that the area was a closed zone.
"Already we have limited access to grazing lands," he said, lamenting prospects for adequately feeding his flock.
"Herders are regularly denied access to lands near Israeli settlements," Human rights activist Hisham Sharabati told Ma'an, saying he had received reports of settler violence and harassment from Karmel residents over the previous two days, that kept locals away from the area.
He said the issue was getting acute, since water wells for animals to drink from are located in the region south of the settlement.
Another Umm Al-Kheir resident, 40-year-old shepherd Yasser Hathaleen, told Ma'an that the day earlier, an Israeli soldier had kicked a she-goat, killing it.
Settlers throw stones repeatedly, he said, trying to usher shepherds out of their pasture land. "We make our living this way," he added, fearing "they want us to go so they can expand the settlement."
"The true intentions of Israeli governments, past and present, on peace with the Palestinians have been long known by everybody who cared to know...."
The true intentions of Israeli governments, past and present, on peace with the Palestinians have been long known by everybody who cared to know.
A recent poll conducted by the Dahaf Institute for the Jerusalem Centre for Public Affairs in Israel, however, is added proof of the official Israeli line. It shows conclusively how the Israeli public views the prospects of peace with the Palestinians, and it is not encouraging either!
The poll found that 77 per cent of Israelis of all shades of opinion are against the return to the pre-1967 borders, even in exchange for peace with the Palestinians.
Eighty-five per cent of those polled want to keep the whole city of Jerusalem united, a euphemism for keeping it under Israeli occupation.
And it doesn’t stop there. The poll reveals that 85 per cent of all Israelis insist on keeping the Jordan River border under full Israeli grip.
What these figures prove, besides showing worrisome lack of desire to even initiate talks that might lead to peace, is the prevalence of the fortress mentality among Israelis, the premium they put, as an overwhelming majority, on security rather than on peace agreements - bizarre as it is, for logic dictates that peace automatically ensures security, a notion Israelis seem to lack.
Frankly, these findings do not come as a big surprise, at least not for us, in the region. Israel has long behaved like a belligerent, not like a peace-loving country.
Under the circumstances, the Palestinians need to carefully navigate the murky waters of this reality, and act accordingly. There is little or no hope the official Israeli perspective on peace will change as long as the “popular” sentiment stands where it is today.
Since the Palestinians have no chance to arrive at a peaceful settlement with the Israelis, the only option they have is to go to the United Nations, as indeed planned.
Now that the international community has been clearly shown that Israel wishes to maintain its occupation of Palestinian land, it might find it easier to vote for an end to it.
8 June 2011
PLO leader slams US, German stance as 'counterproductive'
Hanan Ashrawi, a member of the Palestine Liberation Organization's Executive CommitteeRAMALLAH (Ma'an) -- "People do not negotiate their right to statehood. Rather, this is an inherent right," a PLO official lashed out Wednesday in the wake of US and German statements demanding Palestinian officials abort plans to seek UN recognition of statehood.
"Far from acting unilaterally, Palestinians are bringing their case for statehood before the United Nations, the world’s preeminent multilateral body. Self-determination and respect for the sovereignty of nations are principles enshrined in the United Nations Charter, making the UN a natural forum to resolve this issue," Hanan Ashrawi, a member of the Palestine Liberation Organization's Executive Committee said in a statement.
The day before, US President Barack Obama and German Chancellor Angela Merkel spoke out at a news conference, saying they agreed that Palestinians should not seek recognition of a state at the UN in September, calling the move "unilateral."
Ashrawi's sharp statement appealed to the leaders, urging them to reflect on their position and "send a very different message" if they wanted to reinforce prospects for peace.
"For the last two years, we have built our state from the ground up. Our efforts have been internationally recognized and widely praised. We fulfill all the requirements of statehood as stipulated under Article 4 of the UN Charter and the Montevideo Convention. The sole obstacle that remains is Israel’s refusal to end its occupation," she said in a statement.
For peace to be realized, she continued, "You do not leave an occupied people at the mercy of those who occupy them and who act unilaterally in violation of international law by continuing to demolish homes, annex land, build settlements, erect apartheid walls and revoke IDs.
"On the contrary, come September, we expect President Obama and Chancellor Merkel to support the involvement of the United Nations as a positive step forward in efforts to secure regional peace and safeguard stability, and to recognize that the greatest threat to regional peace and security is Israel’s refusal to respect Palestinian rights and international law," Dr Ashrawi concluded.
Lawmaker Ashrawi Defends Palestinian Right to Seek UN Recognition
http://english.wafa.ps/index.php?action=detail&id=16397
Lawmaker Ashrawi Defends Palestinian Right to Seek UN Recognition
Lawmaker Ashrawi Defends Palestinian Right to Seek UN Recognition
RAMALLAH, June 8, 2011 (WAFA)- Palestinian lawmaker Hanan Ashrawi Wednesday defended Palestinian right to approach the United Nations in September to get full membership within the 1967 borders.
Ashrawi, who is also member of the PLO Executive Committee, was reacting to statements by US President Barack Obama and German Chancellor Angela Merkel calling on Palestinians to stop taking “unilateral steps” and avoid going to UN in September for recognition of the Palestinian state.
“Going to the UN in September for the recognition of the Palestinian state with
She emphasized the need to change the
The PLO is going the UN because it is the source of international legitimacy for gaining full membership of the Palestinian state, Ashrawi said.
Scholars celebrate centennial of landmark Palestinian paper
http://jordantimes.com/?news=38266
An issue of Falastin newspaper in the 1930s (Photo courtesy of www.minfo.ps)
An issue of Falastin newspaper in the 1930s (Photo courtesy of www.minfo.ps)By Rand Dalgamouni
AMMAN - The Palestinian press has played a crucial role in shaping a Palestinian national identity and consciousness, and the new media continues to play this role today, a researcher said Tuesday.
"In the Palestinian case, the press is more than a passive forge or mirror of a nation," Rashid Khalidi, who is Edward Said Professor of Arab Studies at Columbia University, said at a conference yesterday.
He noted that for a people to whom a state has been "tantalisingly out of reach", civil society institutions, notably the press, become the "propagators" of the nation, instead of the state.
"The press was much more than a mirror; in this case, the media was the message. The message was that 'this region belongs to us'," Khalidi added.
His observations were part of a paper he presented at a conference commemorating the centenary of Falastin, the longest running Palestinian newspaper.
Falastin newspaper was founded by journalist Issa Al Issa in Jaffa in 1911. Working under the censorship of the Ottoman rule and the British mandate, the paper, which developed from a weekly into a daily, was suspended from publication over 20 times.
Falastin moved to Jerusalem in 1950 after the 1948 war before closing permanently on March 21, 1967. Later in March, the newspaper was merged with another daily to form the Jordanian Ad Dustour.
Organised by the Columbia University Middle East Research Centre, the two-day conference, titled "A Hundred Years of Journalism", groups 24 local, regional and international researchers and academicians in Amman to examine the contribution of Falastin to the 20th-century Middle East.
At the conference, Khalidi argued that the new media, has managed to transcend borders and establish links between "like-minded people" from groups "inside and outside" the Palestinian territories, mobilising them to rally across borders in "what we have seen on May 15 and June 5".
The Arab studies professor was referring to the marches over the Israeli borders with Syria, Lebanon and Jordan that took place recently to mark the creation of Israel on Palestinian land, in what is known to Arabs as Nakbeh or catastrophe, and those marking the 1967 war, known as Naksa or set back.
He explained that in this function, the new media does not achieve something unprecedented, but becomes an extension of the old media.
Also during a session in yesterday's conference, Ilan Pappe, fellow and director of the European Centre for Palestine Studies at Exeter University, said a close reading of Falastin shows "how very early on, writers in the paper recognised Zionism beyond its actual reality".
He noted that for the paper "to write before 1949 that this group [of Jewish immigrants] poses existential dangers" is a sign of foresight, adding that the paper, at the same time, did not demonise the settlers, highlighting the positive aspects they may bring to Palestine.
Such writings prove wrong "anyone who says that educated Palestinians ignored the danger of Zionism", Pappe said.
He argued that the problem, however, was that the educated Palestinian elite focused on the purchase of Palestinian lands by Zionists as the main threat; "they could not decipher the main threat as being beyond a colonialist force" and more of a plan for "racial cleansing".
Pappe warned that the same view is currently being adopted towards settlements.
"The settlements are not the illness; they are a symptom of an ideology that a people must be removed."
8 June 2011
"Israel’s “refugee problem” as they refer to it, must be reckoned with..."
Date posted: 08/06/2011
It is Sunday in Palestine, a regular work day for most, but today is different. There is a certain feeling in the air. It is a feeling of anticipation, excitement, anxiety—or maybe that is just how I am feeling as I prepare to head toward the protests at the Qalandiya checkpoint, the Israeli military crossing separating Ramallah and Jerusalem, neighbors from neighbors.
Perhaps the reason why I am nervous is because I know what to expect, the potential consequences, and I choose to go regardless. I want to show solidarity with the Palestinian people who are demanding their freedom, yet I know that once I stand among that crowd, my American passport ceases to mean anything. I am the same as a Palestinian in the eyes of the Israeli soldiers manning it. I become the enemy. The tear gas canisters and the rubber bullets do not discriminate, nor the live ammunition which was used in similar protests just weeks ago on May 15. Fourteen nonviolent protestors were shot and killed and many more were injured that day.
Israel explains that it is simply protecting its sovereignty, as any state would do. There are some issues with this statement, however. Pulling the sovereignty card presumes that there are established borders, which Israel has thus far avoided establishing in order to continue its occupation, annexation, and colonization of Palestine. The bloodiest site of the protests, the Syrian Golan Heights, in which at least 20 were killed on June 5, is occupied by Israel. East Jerusalem is also occupied by Israel, both captured in the 1967 war. On these recent bloody Sundays, May 15 and June 5, Palestinians marked the dates in both 1948 and 1967 respectively, in which hundreds of thousands were displaced and barred from returning. In reality, the protesters attempting to return on these days were not threatening Israeli sovereignty-- they were simply attempting to comply with previous UN resolutions that mandate their right to return.
The Israeli army and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu were quick to paint the protestors as threats to the citizens of Israel. Netanyahu claimed that “extremists around us [were] trying to breach our borders, and threaten our towns and citizens”; a familiar tactic of playing off of the existential fears of the public while also trying to paint a picture much different than the ones we have seen during the Arab Spring of peaceful Arab protesters shaking off the yoke of oppressive regimes. Israel must take these steps in order to stifle international sympathy and to make sure that people see the Palestinians in a different light—as violent and extreme, trying to “threaten” the citizens of Israel. The Palestinians’ demand for freedom must be discredited because such a result would topple the current status quo, which Israel is desperately trying to preserve. In some regards, their tactics have worked since mainstream media reports deem Palestinian nonviolence as a new concept, when in reality, Palestinians have been protesting non-violently for years.
At midday, my friend and I hailed a cab to head for the demonstration. Our driver was Adeeb Abu Rahmah, a man recently released from Ofer military prison after 18 months for organizing nonviolent demonstrations in his village of Biilin. This tiny village has garnered some international attention due to its weekly protests against the separation barrier’s route, which cuts the residents off from their own farmland. Nonviolent leaders are often arrested on bogus charges in an attempt by Israel to contain the movement. Abu Rahmah pulled out pictures from his glove box, one of him holding a victory sign upon release and another of him lying wounded, having been shot four times by the Israeli army. It was only fitting that such a man was the one to drop us off among the swirling crowd of protestors-- further proof that the resistance is everywhere in this land. We stood among the people-- Palestinians, internationals, journalists, and we observed the situation beneath the backdrop of the grotesque and towering separation barrier. I caught a glimpse of some protestors’ signs that read “To Jerusalem we go” and “Freedom is a human right”. Another group of protestors marched toward us, chanting and preparing to converge with our group. It was then that I noticed a team of soldiers descending quickly towards us.
Before we had time to react, the firing started. Tear gas canisters shot into the crowd, into the air, up the street, everywhere. They exploded in front of shops, on the backs of trucks stuck in traffic, near the elementary school. We started running but there was nothing we could do to escape because the canisters were exploding in front of us and behind us simultaneously, the irony of our American tax dollars exploding in our faces.
A Palestinian girl my age grabbed onto me, choking, and then collapsed to the ground. There was nothing I could do, for I could not breathe either.
Dozens suffered from inhalation throughout the day and I witnessed tear gas canisters being fired directly at ambulances that were gathering the injured. Not surprisingly, reports of such behavior from the Israeli army are not uncommon, and all fear-evoking tactics imaginable are employed. The protests, however, were not over. They carried on throughout the day as did the excessive use of force—rubber-coated steel bullets, skunk water, pepper spray, more rounds of tear gas. Soldiers infiltrated the area and occupied houses and rooftops. Yet, the protests still continued. It should be noted that the soldiers’ violent dispersal of the peaceful demonstration began before there were any attempts of Palestinians to breach the checkpoint. After my unhealthy dose of tear gas, I watched from afar, not wanting to experience it again.
I watched in admiration as the Palestinians kept going back, demanding their freedom through their courageous presence in front of the soldiers. The Palestinians are up against a powerful machine, not only of a military power bolstered by US support, but of propaganda in the media as well. History shows, however, that the strategies of the oppressor can only work for so long.
May 15 and June 5 were reminders that Israel’s “refugee problem” as they refer to it, must be reckoned with. The past, which Israel thought could be erased or contained, is ascending quickly upon the present-- a present that is unsustainable and volatile. Nevertheless, the Palestinians will keep pushing, amassing an intense pressure on Israel until the uncomfortable facts are faced. Unlike the other pressing issues, the refugees and their descendants are living, breathing human beings who do not forget, and whose rights cannot be negotiated away as part of any peace deal. They will keep confronting the bullets, the gas, the hatred, until such a concept is realized: their humanity.
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Monday, June 6, 2011
For the Right To Return
For the Right To Return
People diedfor the right to return
died then... died now
Through the decades
year after year people-Palestinians- refugees
risked their lives
for the right to return
risked all for the right to remember Palestine
Historic Palestine...The right to remember
homes and land usurped...
People died for the right to be free
and equal- for the right to have a home
and family (and a garden) and a future
respected by the powers that be
The right to expect fair and just laws...
But our newspapers only talk of protest
no context- no clue... framing the story
to exclude the real reasons
for the Palestinian refugees.
Even our churches drop the ball
calling the Palestinian refugees right of return "controversial"
Why is it "controversial" to object to being constantly
discriminated against- and impoverished
pushed into forced exile- trapped by racist laws and walls
harassed, insulted & played by Zionists left right and center worldwide.
Why exactly is it controversial to want to return
to your own actual home & heritage
and the living loving memory of life
in the Holy Land.
Anne Selden Annab
poem copyright ©2011 Anne Selden Annab
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Israeli Troops Fire at [Unarmed Palestinian] Protesters, At Least 14 Killed
"We want to prove to the whole world who is using violence. It is obvious. You know who is using violence right now. Look at me. Do I have anything on me? No. We are trained on methods like (those of) Ghandi, like Martin Luther King, Mandela. We believe in that and we are going to stay using our nonviolent methods until the world sees who is the real oppressor," said Sari, a [Palestinian] student from Ramalla VOA News
Palestinians are people, too - The Hill's Congress Blog
- 06/03/11 04:19 PM ET
Every June 5 for the past 44 years of my life has brought back memories of being a 13-year-old facing life under Israeli occupation. Forty-four years ago I saw Israelis for the first time. It took my generation a very long and difficult time to come to terms with accepting the need for peace and compromise with our occupier. That compromise was the two-state solution. Our goal was to end occupation and achieve freedom, dignity, and self-determination... READ MORE
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