#Bethlehem produce market! #Palestine circa 1914...

A Palestinian girl, wearing a festive traditional embroidered thobe dress, sits in a field of wildflowers in Ramallah, 1926

 

21st September International DAY OF PEACE ... Peace Begins With (*fill in the blank)

United Nations- Universal Declaration of Human Rights Preamble: "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"

 

 Peace Begins With (*fill in the blank)

*me

*kindness

*compassion

*justice

*beauty

*grace

*courage

*hope

Dove of Peace, 1949 by Pablo Picasso

Al Majdal Palestine circa late1800s to early 1900s... On the shores of the Sea of Galilee with the Shrine of Muhammad Al-Ajami in the foreground

Palestine... circa 1920

 

Ismail Shammout- The Exodus and the Odyssey

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ismail Shammout Self Portrait 1985

Ismail Shammout (1931- 2006 )was a Palestinian artist and art historian. Born in Lydda, he and his family were expelled from the city on July 12, 1948 by Israeli forces. His family settled in a refugee camp in Gaza. Shammout enrolled in the College of Fine Arts Cairo in 1950, returning to Gaza in 1953. That year Shammout held, with his brother Jamil, the first exhibition by a contemporary Palestinian artist in Palestine.

Ismail Shammout's 1953 'Where to?"

The exhibition included Where to? (1953), a sobering oil-on-canvas depiction of a family in exodus. A year later, Shammout was part of the Palestine Exhibition of 1954 in Cairo, inaugurated by president Gamal Abdel Nasser. Shammout incorporated Palestinian traditions in his realist painting, which commented on the plight of Palestinians since 1948. In 1954, he enrolled at the Accademia di Belle Arti in Rome. 

Shammout moved to Beirut in 1956, where he married fellow artist Tamam al-Alkal. Shammout became the Director of Arts and National Culture for the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) in 1965. In 1983, following the Israeli attack against the PLO in Lebanon, Shammout moved from Beirut to Kuwait, then Germany, and finally to Jordan.

The Land and Love by Ismail Shammout

The Palestinian obi was made by a group of refugees- Kimono Project Olympics 2020/2021

Palestine kimono and obi on a model. Kimono Project

 "The majority of the pieces were made by Japanese designers using traditional methods, except for two. The Palestinian obi was made by a group of refugees, and the Indonesian kimono was decorated with batik, the country’s traditional method of wax-resistant dyeing.

“It was one of the interesting parts of our project," Shimizu says of Palestine’s obi, which was designed by Maki Yamamoto. "There are various techniques, locality or design patterns of dyeing and weaving in Japan. [Lead designer] Takakura thought deeply to fit the image of the country with the creator's art style when he assigned who was in charge.

“Regarding the Palestinian kimono, we knew Maki Yamamoto had a long experience of working with Palestinian embroiderers to make obis, so we assigned her as a designer.”

In a Facebook post, Yamamoto explained that the Palestinian obi took two years to make and she visited the country six times during the process, at her own expense. She collaborated with the Society of Inash al Usra, a higher education foundation that offers scholarships to university students in Palestine.

Yamamoto says she participated in the project because, although it would be a “challenge”, it would be a “great opportunity to showcase Palestinian embroidery to people all over the world”.

 https://www.thenationalnews.com/arts-culture/2021/08/03/kimono-project-213-kimonos-created-to-represent-countries-competing-in-tokyo-olympics/

Kimono Project: 213 kimonos created to represent countries competing in Tokyo Olympics

Each custom-made garment represents ‘harmony and unity’ and took six years to complete, costing almost $20,000 per piece

more from different countries can be found here https://soranews24.com/2021/07/30/country-kimono-project-completes-set-of-over-200-designs-for-every-nation-at-tokyo-olympics%e3%80%90pics%e3%80%91/

Country kimono! Project completes set of over 200 designs for every nation at Tokyo Olympics

 The U.S.A. kimono is particularly diverse, with the country’s flag fashioned out of flowers (including cherry blossoms subbing for stars), a majestic bald eagle, and a from-space view of the southern and eastern coastline. 

Heading over to Great Britain, we see such iconic sites as Elizabeth Tower and the Tower of London

Foreign Policy: TEST YOUR STUPIDITY ... Israel 101

5.6 million refugees continue to be cruelly denied their inalienable right to return to their ancestral villages, towns and cities cities in historic Palestine

 

Israel continues to cruelly and ruthlessly deny Palestine refugees their inalienable legal, moral, ethical Right of Return.

1948: The United Nations General Assembly adopted resolution 194 (III), resolving that “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 which, under principles of international law or equity, should be made good by the Governments or authorities responsible.”

 UNWRA

Following the 1948 Arab-Israeli conflict, UNRWA was established by United Nations General Assembly Resolution 302 (IV) of 8 December 1949 to carry out direct relief and works programmes for Palestine refugees. The Agency began operations on 1 May 1950.

In the absence of a solution to the Palestine refugee problem, the General Assembly has repeatedly renewed UNRWA's mandate, most recently extending it until 30 June 2023.

Palestine refugees

UNRWA is unique in terms of its long-standing commitment to one group of refugees. It has contributed to the welfare and human development of four generations of Palestine refugees, defined as “persons whose normal place of residence was Palestine during the period 1 June 1946 to 15 May 1948, and who lost both home and means of livelihood as a result of the 1948 conflict.” The descendants of Palestine refugee males, including legally adopted children, are also eligible for registration. 

UNRWA services are available to all those living in its areas of operations who meet this definition, who are registered with the Agency and who need assistance. When the Agency began operations in 1950, it was responding to the needs of about 750,000 Palestine refugees. Today, some 5.6 million Palestine refugees are eligible for UNRWA services.

Read more about Palestine Refugees

British backing for Israel helps to sustain the unbearable status quo by Rafeef Ziadah

 "The endless lip service to the two-state solution rings hollow as the US, UK and EU assist Israel in creating facts on the ground that have made it functionally impossible – including ongoing illegal settlement construction, land confiscation, displacement, restrictions on Palestinian movement and the incarceration of thousands of Palestinians. Hiding behind the smokescreen of “quiet diplomacy”, these states continuously undermine Palestinian attempts to hold Israel to account; Boris Johnson, for example, has opposed the international criminal court inquiry into atrocities committed in the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem."

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/jun/13/british-backing-israel-unbearable-status-quo-palestinians?fbclid=IwAR3czMMLf-pukv7n7ZQ9TWB07kvqEFFPhfMvMvoFbvm5yN2F1i9dH5OTJAA

British backing for Israel helps to sustain the unbearable status quo

Rafeef Ziadah

 Diplomatic and military support – and a thriving arms trade – make the UK complicit in the oppression of Palestinians

I often tell my first-year politics students that the study of politics is the study of power. And what we saw last month, above all, was the glaring disparity in power between Israel and the Palestinians.

When Palestinians in Gaza and around the world celebrated the news of a ceasefire, breathing a sigh of relief, many commentators hailed it as a return to calm. For Palestinians, however, “calm” means a status quo of occupation, blockade, and repression.

In fact, one can say the true nature of this conflict is what happens between the periodic escalations – the constant grind of life under apartheid. Israeli power over the Palestinians is not simply military, and it is not only maintained by force; it is sustained by international support. The significance of this support becomes obvious during Israeli military offensives – last month, the US wilfully obstructed a UN security council statement on Gaza to buy more time for Israel’s bombing campaign – but the key elements of this international support are consistent.... READ MORE 

AS ALWAYS PLEASE GO TO THE LINK TO READ THE ARTICLE IN FULL

Save Lifta, Save Sheikh Jarah, Save Yaffa, Save Silwan, SAVE PALESTINE !!!!

 

June 4 is officially observed as the International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression

 "The purpose of this day is to remember, acknowledge and address the violence committed against children worldwide through war, terrorism, abduction, sexual abuse, killing, assault on schools and denial of humanitarian aids

June 4 is officially observed as the International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression, each year by the United Nations (UN). The purpose of this day is to remember, acknowledge and address the violence committed against children worldwide through war, terrorism, abduction, sexual abuse, killing, assault on schools and denial of humanitarian aids. Below, we take a look at the history and significance of the event. 

History

On June 6, 1982, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) invaded southern Lebanon and initiated the Lebanon War against the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO), Syrians and Muslim forces in the region. Many Palestinian and Lebanese children were killed or injured in the war.

On August 19 of that year, the UN General Assembly held an emergency meeting and criticised the Israeli government for such acts of violence against Palestinians, which it termed “massacre.” The Assembly decided to henceforth observe June 4 as the International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression, on an annual basis. " https://www.news18.com/news/lifestyle/international-day-of-innocent-children-victims-of-aggression-2021-history-and-significance-3808295.html

 

 

UNITED NATIONS:

Stop attacks on children

It is a sad reality that in situations where armed conflict breaks out, it is the most vulnerable members of societies – namely children, who are most affected by the consequences of war. The six most common violations are recruitment and use of children in war, killing, sexual violence, abduction, attacks on schools and hospitals, and denial of humanitarian access.

On 19 August 1982, at its emergency special session on the question of Palestine, the General Assembly, “appalled at the great number of innocent Palestinian and Lebanese children victims of Israel’s acts of aggression”, decided to commemorate 4 June of each year as the International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression.

The purpose of the day is to acknowledge the pain suffered by children throughout the world who are the victims of physical, mental and emotional abuse. This day affirms the UN's commitment to protect the rights of children. Its work is guided by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the most rapidly and widely ratified international human rights treaty in history." https://www.un.org/en/observances/child-victim-day