Thank you and your delightful wife for being at the helm of the ATFP, for all of your hard work and specifically for pulling together such a wonderful Gala for American supporters of Palestine this year.
The exquisite prints and artwork in the silent auction certainly were worth exploring too- although the main reception room was so totally crowded it was a tad hard to really get a good look at many of them.
My main regret of that night is that I did not bring a bigger handbag so that I could tuck away and take home some of those utterly delectable delicate cheese and spinach pastries- heavens those were soooo good!
Speaking of delectably good- Dean Obeidallah really was a perfect choice for MC for the 2011 Gala. He is so much more than merely a very personable and talented comedian with a very good sense of humor. He is also a very thoughtful and intelligent writer. I have very much admired the articles he has had published in mainstream American publications and media outlets such as CNN.
And what a delight to also be seated at Hussein Ibish's table for the dinner. He is one of the most brilliant - and hard working- people I know... All in all the diversity of the crowd, and the breadth of knowledge of the speakers (and guests) was fascinating and so very informative: Salam Fayyad has certainly done a heroic job of taking Palestine seriously and doing all he can to build the foundations of a real state, as well as gather up serious support for that state.
I very much hope that America continues to support and fund and believe in a real Palestinian state and that Palestine soon becomes a real nation state; a fully sovereign, economically viable, democratic, pluralistic, stable, secular state living in peace and prosperity alongside its neighbors including Israel.
"Everything we say or do, no matter how small or big, affects others. If we do not notice this, or enjoy it, or accept responsibility for it, that does not change the fact. All of us are that important !!"-- Ibtisam Barakat 2011
Ibtisam Barakat is the acclaimed author of the imbeccably beautiful best selling book Tasting The Sky
"The learned are at least willing to consider that which makes them feel uncomfortable, whereas the unlearned too often reject science and reason by taking shelter in ideological dogma.
As in class warfare, these same tensions have long been with us. They may even be healthy as long as dogmatists are willing to say, “I may be wrong, but this is what I believe.”" Walter Rodgers
Occupy Wall Street protesters point out a ballooning US wage gap. It shouldn't distract us from another great cleavage: the ignorance gap. That’s the difference between those willing to listen and consider and those who refuse to do either. And it plays out in politics with grave consequences.
"Democracy requires the ability to test public policies in reasoned discourse in a free marketplace of ideas. If a candidate claims that his or her sole source of justification for a policy is God, how can that assertion be tested and debated? Religious motivation is to be expected and commended, but candidates and legislators must be able to offer a civic or secular purpose for any public policy they propose." USA Today column by David Saperstein & Oliver Thomas
Some experts attending the World Economic Forum at the Dead Sea seem to have reached the conclusion that for the Arab world’s economies to be helped and to create the millions of jobs needed, a Marshall Plan may be the solution.
The idea is that rich Arab states could help low-income countries in the region achieve development, in a way reminiscent of the plan the US employed in 1948, after World War II, to aid the economies of the war-ravaged European countries.
Eventually, like in Europe, such plan might help remove trade barriers among Arab countries and introduce fiscal unity and regional plans for breathing new life into their economies.
The problem with this proposal is that under the conditions prevailing in the area, it seems more of a far-fetched vision than a realistic scheme - not that it wouldn’t be a good one.
Unlike Europe after the war, the Middle East and the Arab countries in North Africa have yet to enjoy the kind of peace and security European nations witnessed in 1948.
As His Majesty King Abdullah told the audience at the opening of the forum, there can be no solution to the Arab economic problems in the absence of regional peace, particularly on the Palestinian-Israeli front.
At the same time, it is essential to create conditions for good governance in the Arab countries, based on the rule of law and respect for fundamental human rights.
With many of the regional countries in turmoil or transition, that seems still a distant goal. Notwithstanding the positive results of the Arab Spring, reform in the Arab world has yet to happen.
While the proposed Marshall Plan is a good idea in theory, speaking of it before the right political environment is achieved in the Arab world is premature.
That is not to suggest that the leaders of the Arab countries should shun the thought. It is worth mulling, for the welfare and stability of one nation could mean the well-being for all in the Arab world.
King Abdullah II of Jordan speaks at the opening of the World Economic Forum at the Dead Sea, 34 Miles, (55 Kilometers) southeast of Amman, Jordan, Saturday Oct. 22, 2011. Jordan's king has urged Israel and the Palestinians to look to the Arab Spring uprisings for inspiration and to restart their peace talks. (AP Photo/Mohammad Hannon)
SOUTHERN SHUNEH, Jordan (AP) — Jordan's King Abdullah on Saturday urged Israel and the Palestinians to look to the Arab Spring uprisings for inspiration and to restart their stalled peace talks.
"The future for the Middle East and beyond is with the normalcy of peace," Abdullah told the opening of a two-day special meeting of the Davos-based World Economic Forum, held on the shores of the Dead Sea, the lowest point on earth.
He said "shortsighted leaders may think they can shut" the door to peace — a rebuke believed directed at Israel's right-wing government. He added that a Palestinian-Israeli deal must consider Israel's "security and acceptance" and allow for the creation of an independent Palestinian state.
Around 1,000 participants from 50 countries, including the United States, are attending the meeting which will discuss ways for economic development and creating jobs in the Arab world following the revolts that unseated three longtime Arab leaders.
Abdullah said one of the main factors to be considered is creating 85,000 jobs across the region soon to help alleviate poverty and improve living conditions for the youth who are leading the effort for change.
"Our region stands today at the gates to the future," Abdullah said, referring to the Arab uprisings. One of those gates, he said, leads "to peace and justice, opening the way out of regional crisis, especially (for the issue) at the heart of the region, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict."...READ MORE
Friday, October 21, 2011 - 1:36 PM By Jennifer Faerber Courtenay
A Palestinian family of five have been granted refugee status in Canada and they're being placed in the Comox Valley.
Ali and Laila Abo-Nofal fled Iraq when their lives were threatened and family members were killed. They and their children, six year old Reem, 10 year old Mariam and 16 year old Rana have been living in a United Nations refugee camp for the past four years.
"They've been sitting in a tent up in the north-east corner of Syria, but now Syria's undergoing some political turmoil of it's own so the camp is probably going to be closed," says Dave Talbot from the Comox Valley Refugee Support Committee.
The Candian Government has given permisison for a number of these families to come to Canada: Two to Nanaimo, five to Vancouver, three to Victoria and one to the Comox Valley.
The Abo-Nofal's were expeted to arrive in mid-November, but now they'll be touching down in Comox on October 31, 2011.
"Our committment to them is for a year and theyr'e going to be learning English and the girls are going to go to school," says Talbot. "We have a lovely little house for them close to Courtenay Elementary and we almost have it furnished."
In total, the CVRSC is trying to raise $30,000.
"We've almost got 13,000 in the bank right now so we're doing pretty well but we really need the support of the valley," Talbot says.
A major fundraiser is going ahead on Saturday, 29 October at the Lower Elks Hall, called Decadent Desserts and Dancing.
"There will be a silent auction, there'll be a bar and a lot of fun," says Talbot. "Lots of decadent desserts from lots of the restaurants and bakeries in town, so please come along. We are making a difference."
Local band Flying Debris will be playing. Tickets are $25 available from Blue Heron Books (1775 Comox Ave) or in Courtenay at Laughing Oyster Book Shop (286 5th St).
Keeping his promise to responsibly end the war in Iraq, President Obama announces that our troops will be home from Iraq by the holidays. White House Speeches and Remarks "....Because after a decade of war, the nation that we need to build -- and the nation that we will build -- is our own; an America that sees its economic strength restored just as we’ve restored our leadership around the globe." Barack Obama
IPS: Information is an agent of change. Since its inception, back in 1964, IPS has believed in the role of information as a precondition for lifting communities out of poverty and marginalization. This belief is reflected in our historic mission: “giving a voice to the voiceless” – acting as a communication channel that privileges the voices and the concerns of the poorest and creates a climate of understanding, accountability and participation...
Palestinian Refugees Consider a Model for Return By Jillian Kestler-D’Amours TEL AVIV, Oct 16, 2011 (IPS) - In a new project that has tackled one of the most divisive issues plaguing the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, a diverse group of academics, architects, urban planners and Palestinian and Israeli human rights groups are examining how the right of return of Palestinian refugees can be implemented on the ground.
"Based on the right of return, we developed since 2008 a project of thinking practically about return. It’s not so much about the right itself, but more about the possibilities, once there will be the right, of how it could be implemented," Eitan Bronstein, founder and spokesperson of Israeli organisation Zochrot told IPS.
Working to raise awareness among Israelis about the Palestinian Nakba, the forced expulsion of 750,000 Palestinians before and during the foundation of the state of Israel in 1947-48, Zochrot has launched an exhibit titled ‘Towards Return of Palestinian refugees’ in Tel Aviv.
From the re-imagined layout and step-by-step return processes for the Palestinian villages of Kufr Bir’im and Miska, to video testimonials from Palestinian refugees themselves, a handful of detailed models, simulations and other projects were put on display.
"We believe that if people would be exposed to such projects this would show Israelis that there are possibilities of return. None of the projects talk about expelling anyone. We’re talking about how to return, but based on the rights of people who are living here to live here, and all the refugees and their descendants to return," Bronstein told IPS.
"We are kind of inventing a new language that hasn’t existed until now, of thinking about the return itself and not continuing to say no, it’s not possible."
Palestinians constitute the largest refugee population in the world, with approximately six million refugees and their descendants scattered throughout the Middle East and around the world.
Akhram Salhab is the communications officer at Badil, the Resource Centre for Palestinian Residency and Refugee Rights, which organised workshops with Zochrot to develop the practicalities of return project. He stressed that any discussion about the Palestinian right of return must involve the input of the refugees themselves.
"For the past 62 years, most international initiatives related to the refugees have taken place against the will of the refugees. In all respects, the refugees have been left out of planning their own lives. For the project to be successful, it must be viewed as legitimate by them. Our key objective is to include refugees themselves in the planning process," Salhab told IPS.
"The project is still at the fairly early stage. I think one of the reasons for this is that the project is so unique, and we are trying to work with Palestinians and Israelis to discuss these issues. No such work has been done before."
Salhab explained that the next step in the project would be to look at how refugee return was achieved in a city in South Africa, and then build a comparative model for the Tel Aviv-Jaffa area.
He added that creating a new framework whereby both Palestinian refugees and Jewish Israelis will have equal rights, and making sure that both groups have a realistic picture of what return will actually mean, is crucial.
"There’s sometimes an extent to which Palestinians may view return in an idealised manner, and obviously this is taking place as a result of struggling for rights for so many years. For Israelis of course, it’s important to realise that any return of refugees will affect their privileges and the benefits they enjoy in the apartheid system in Israel. We are trying to bring forward a new reality based on equality," Salhab said.
UN resolution 194, issued in December 1948, states that Palestinian 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."
While the right of return of Palestinian refugees is also enshrined in international law, Israel has to date refused to allow the refugees to come back, and discourse within the country largely paints their return as something that would destroy the state.
According to Eitan Bronstein, the practicalities of return project will hopefully break through this wall of fear and misinformation surrounding the Palestinian right of return, and open up a much-needed debate within Israeli society.
"People say that return is extermination of the state of Israel or extermination of the Jews themselves. We try to say that no, it’s not like that," Bronstein said.
"If we do more and more projects like this, perhaps the discourse will change soon. I hope there will be at least some space to open discussion on these issues, which is very important."
The prolonged occupation of Palestinian territories presented extraordinary problems for the protection of the human rights and required stronger protection measures, particularly for the welfare of children, a United Nations expert told correspondents at Headquarters this afternoon....READ MORE
Dr. Asali was describing the keynote speaker Salam Fayyad with those words, but I think his words describe everyone attending and supporting the ATFP Gala.
It takes real courage to work towards actually building a real Palestinian state in today's world... AND the Gala was TOTALLY crowded with people, with quiet heroes who have been doing what they can each in their own way to help do exactly that.
There was much to celebrate and enjoy at this year's ATFP Gala.
A good summary of the event itself can be found on ATFP 's website
My favorite speech was by Hanan Karaman Munayyer's daughter Maha Munayyer Kabbash who spoke of her mother's work to collect and preserve Palestinian embroidery.
There was a breathtakingly beautiful display of those traditional Palestinian dresses and Hanan Karaman Munayyer's most recent book was on display too- it is huge!
Thankfully there are visionaries like Hanan Karaman Munayyer who have carefully collected and preserved the beauty of Palestine for Palestine, to share with all the world.
Thankfully there are also gifted musicians who help lift our spirits with their enchanting music....
Special Performance by Simon Shaheen and Ensemble- A concert of Arab vocal and instrumental music
Thankfully there are also people with delightful senses of humor, to help lighten the mood as we struggle against all odds to do what we can for Palestine in these very difficult times.
The crowd at ATFP's Gala was full of talented and highly competent people. Far too many to mention all of them. A very impressive crowd indeed. My husband Jaffar and I enjoyed sitting at table #33 with Hussein Ibish. Ibish is a brilliant thinker and speaker. Dean Obeidallah, a charismatic comic, and Omar Baddar, a talented young writer, were also at our table... I was in awe!
The warmth, wisdom, generosity, good character, true dignity and decency of Dr. Ziad Asali and his charming wife Naila help set the tone for The American Task Force on Palestine's Gala. It becomes easier and easier to believe that Palestine will actually emerge as a free and sovereign and successful nation state with friends and advisers like this.
The American Task Force on Palestine "is strictly opposed to all acts of violence against civilians no matter the cause and no matter who the victims or perpetrators may be. The Task Force advocates the development of a Palestinian state that is democratic, pluralistic, non-militarized and neutral in armed conflicts..."
The American Task Force on Palestine is convinced that diplomacy matters and that Palestine is worth discussing seriously AND worth investing in. The politicians and people of Palestine do not have to listen to ATFP if they don't want to- they are not forced to follow any one's advice. No one has to. But in my opinion it is a darn good idea to follow ATFP's lead as they are talented and well informed experts in the right place at the right time.
I also believe that Palestine is worth getting all dressed up for- and celebrating. No one knows what will be, but at least we can do what we can to try to help Palestine become a real nation state each in our own way.
Annie all dressed up in a green silk gown for the American Task Force on Palestine's Gala 2011. My jewelry was a gift long ago from my beloved father in law ( hand crafted in the Arab world and given to me on a visit to his home in Amman Jordan many years ago), and my handbag was embroidered by my American grandmother who used to live in Washington DC.
This morning I have been exchanging emails with a charming stranger who asked me several weeks ago if her local garden club could use one of my poems for a bookmark to give to her garden club members as a favor. For me, as a poet, this unexpected compliment is a higher honor than any formal prize or award I can think of. It is also a pertinent reminder to me of what building a state really means. It is not about rally cries or protest slogans or grandiose gestures, nor is it about headlines and newspaper articles. It is about slowly but surely building a community and belonging: It is about the individual efforts and good intentions and creativity and the admirable persistence of real people working together to make connections on a local level to improve our world and our collective future- to help make our world nicer... more safe, more beautiful, more pleasant and more welcoming for more people-for ALL people, citizens or not. A world where every child is welcome and free to grow up knowing what ever might be worth knowing.
On my own Granny's lap, in her garden Washington DC (Eleanor Standish Gamble James with Anne Selden Yellott Annab)
Dear Ziad,
