It honors the neighborhood of Black Bottom, whose inhabitants were steadily displaced.
The mural was sponsored by @albustanseeds
"I believe that all men, black & brown & white, are brothers,
varying through time & opportunity, in form & gift &
feature, but differing in no essential partcular, & alike in soul
& the possibility of infinite development."
"Beyond just Palestinians, many in the international community are deeply
alarmed by the Trump/Kushner plan. As a precedent, it threatens to do
away with the international legal system as we know it, including the
idea that countries should not be allowed to acquire territory by force,
replacing it with a system in which "might is right." The dangers
beyond Palestine/Israel are obvious, including legitimizing Russia's
illegal annexation of Crimea." Diana Buttu
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The American Human Rights
Council (AHRC-USA) expresses its serious concerns regarding the
so-called “Deal of the Century,” a false hope to resolve the
Arab-Israeli conflict.This effort to impose a surrender on the
Palestinians is a betrayal of international law, justice and American
values.
In recent years, mosques
and churches have been targeted by vandals in similar attacks. They are
always attributed to extremist Jews in West Bank settlements.
The
Galilee church where Jesus was believed to have performed miracle of
feeding 5,000 followers was set alight in arson attack carried out by
extremist Jewish settlers.
Hebrew graffiti was also scrawled across the walls of Church of the Multiplication of the Loaves and Fish.
An
adviser to the Catholic Church blamed Jewish extremists for the
“deplorable” attack after Israeli police said there is a “strong
possibility” the fire was started deliberately.
The
current structure was built on the remains of a fifth-century Byzantine
church at Tabgha on the shores of the Sea of Galilee, where many
Christians believe Jesus fed 5,000 followers with just five loaves and
two fish.
Police
confirmed there was extensive damage to both inside and outside the
building after the fire broke out in the middle of the night.
A monk and a church volunteer were hospitalised from smoke inhalation, but the incredibly, the prayer area was unaffected.
“It's
deplorable, absolutely deplorable,” Father Gregory Collins, head of the
Order of Saint Benedict in Israel, said. “I consider such an attack to
be not just an attack on a religious site, on a sanctuary, but also on
one of the most visited places in Israel.”
“It is also an attack on freedom of speech, democracy and the right to live here,” he added.
This
incident, which happened in June 2015, was not the first such attack to
be carried by the extremist Jewish settlers against Palestinian Muslim
and Christian holy sites.
In
recent years, mosques and churches have been targeted by vandals in
similar attacks. They are always attributed to extremist Jews in West
Bank settlements.
Such
attacks have been on the rise because the perpetrators, who are being
backed directly by the Israeli government, go unpunished.
Please always go to the original link to read the story in full. Each
click on a link helps tell a newspaper or website what people are interested in
reading.
A new Christmas-themed artwork dubbed the "Scar of Bethlehem" by
secretive British artist Banksy is displayed at his Walled-Off Hotel in
Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank AfpPublished:
A manger scene juxtaposed against concrete blocks seemingly pierced
by a mortar shell: with Christmas looming, the latest Bethlehem offering
by secretive artist Banksy appeared Saturday in the Israeli-occupied
West Bank.
Dubbed the "Scar of Bethlehem", the baby Jesus, Mary
and Joseph are backlit through damaged concrete, chiseled pockmarks
exploding out from a gaping hole in four directions to approximate the
Christmas Star.
The work is installed at Banksy's Walled-Off
Hotel, where all rooms overlook a concrete section of the barrier built
by Israel to cut off the occupied West Bank from Israeli territory.
"Love"
and "peace" are respectively graffiti tagged in English and French on
the artistic installation's concrete blocks, while three large wrapped
presents are at the forefront of the scene.
"It is a nativity,"
the hotel's manager Wissam Salsaa told AFP after the piece was
installed. "Banksy has his own contribution to Christmas."
"It is
a great way to bring up the story of Bethlehem, the Christmas story, in
a different way -- to make people think more" of how Palestinians live
in Bethlehem.
Banky’s latest piece — his take on a nativity scene — has been unveiled at his hotel in Bethlehem.
The
“Scar of Bethlehem” artwork features a nativity scene with Mary and
Joseph and the baby Jesus – but instead of a star hanging over the crib,
there is what appears to be a large bullet hole piercing an imposing
grey wall.
The piece has appeared in the Walled Off Hotel, Banksy’s property which overlooks the border wall in the divided city.
The Walled Off Hotel (Dusan Vranic/AP)
Opened two years ago, the hotel is billed as having “the worst view
of any hotel in the world” and is filled with original Banksy artwork.
The
highlight is room number three, known as “Banksy’s Room”, where guests
sleep in a king-size bed underneath Banksy’s artwork showing a
Palestinian and an Israeli having a pillow fight.
The artist is
known for making political statements with his graffiti, and has made
previous forays into the Palestinian territories.
In one secret
visit, he drew a girl being pulled upwards by balloons on the dividing
wall, and he is believed to have sneaked into Gaza to draw four street
murals, including one on a metal door that depicted the Greek goddess
Niobe cowering against the rubble of a destroyed house.
A Palestinian woman stands next to her home near the site of an Israeli
air strike the previous night in Gaza City on Thursday (AFP photo)
"THE HAGUE — The International Criminal
Court's (ICC) chief prosecutor said on Friday she wanted to open a full
investigation into alleged war crimes in the Palestinian territories,
sparking a furious reaction from Israel and condemnation from the United
States.
The
Palestinians welcomed the move by the ICC as a "long overdue step"
following a nearly five-year preliminary probe by the prosecutor into
the situation since the 2014 war in Gaza.
Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the decision made the Hague-based
court, which Israel has refused to sign up to since its creation in
2002, a "political tool" against Israel.
"I
am satisfied that there is a reasonable basis to proceed with an
investigation into the situation in Palestine," ICC Prosecutor Fatou
Bensouda said in a statement.
"In
brief, I am satisfied that war crimes have been or are being committed
in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip", she
added, without specifying the perpetrators of the alleged crimes.
She said that before opening a full
probe, she would ask the ICC to rule on the territory over which it has
jurisdiction because of the "unique and highly contested legal and
factual issues attaching to this situation.
"Specifically,
I have sought confirmation that the 'territory' over which the court
may exercise its jurisdiction, and which I may subject to investigation,
comprises the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and Gaza." "
Palestinian
Archbishop Atallah Hanna was hospitalized, December 2019, from poison gas, after
israeli occupation forces threw gas canisters into his church in
Jerusalem, he suffered temporary paralysis, but is now in stable
condition.
December 19, 2019"The outspoken Palestinian Christian leader has been a staunch critic of
Israel’s treatment of Palestinians and its acts of aggression in
neighboring Lebanon and Syria."
"“I would like to remind all Christians all around the world there is no
point in celebrating Christmas if you do not pay attention to what is
happening in Palestine as it is the birthplace of Christ and where
Christianity originated and spread its message throughout the world.” --Archbishop Atallah Hanna."
