Thursday, December 7, 2023

Who Shall Remember How? Palestinian Poets Respond- gems in The Los Angeles Review of Books December 4th 2023

Samia Halaby, Black Is Beautiful, 1969. Oil on canvas, 167.5 x 167.5 cm. Courtesy of the artist and Ayyam Gallery *

Who Shall Remember How? Palestinian Poets Respond

By Sara Abou Rashed, Lena Khalaf Tuffaha, Jessica Abughattas, Deema K. Shehabi, Elizabeth Metzger

December 4, 2023

"... These poems are in conversation with the work of people across Palestine and in the diaspora, and it is my hope as a reader and editor of poetry to bring you their voices, celebrate the beauty and power of their language, and acknowledge their pain and grief in the context of the genocide their people face. I stand with these poets in a call for a ceasefire, an end to the violence and oppression. I am honored to have curated these poems and encourage you to read more of their important work beyond this feature." —Elizabeth Metzger

Read the poems in full & see more art: https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/who-shall-remember-how-palestinian-poets-respond/

SARA ABOU RASHED

Against Content Warnings

LENA KHALAF TUFFAHA

The State of —

JESSICA ABUGHATTAS

Occupation

DEEMA K. SHEHABI

Palestine Sunbird

[AS ALWAYS PLEASE GO TO THE LINK TO READ GOOD ARTICLES or quotes IN FULL: HELP SHAPE ALGORITHMS (and conversations) THAT EMPOWER DECENCY, DIGNITY, JUSTICE & PEACE... and hopefully Palestine]

*Samia Halaby (b. 1936, Jerusalem) is a leading abstract painter and an influential scholar of Palestinian art. Although based in the United States since 1951, Halaby is recognized as a pioneer of contemporary abstraction in the Arab world. Halaby has been collected by international institutions since the 1970s, including the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum of Art (New York and Abu Dhabi); Yale University Art Gallery; National Gallery of Art, Washington DC; Art Institute of Chicago; Cleveland Museum of Art; Institut du Monde Arabe; and the British Museum.

Wednesday, December 6, 2023

The sacred between mother and child captured in two images across time... Palestine past & Palestine present.

Sacred Motherhood

The Little Prince and The Universal Declaration of Human Rights - both 75 years old & And both impart messages of hope and dignity that are available for all.

The Little Prince - ©Courtesy of the Antoine de Saint Exupéry - d'Agay Estate - 2023 — Illustration ©Courtesy of the Antoine de Saint Exupéry - d'Agay Estate - 2023

UN Human Rights has teamed up with The Antoine de Saint Exupéry Youth Foundation to create a version of the Universal Declaration featuring illustration from The Little Prince. The partnership is to celebrate their dual anniversaries, as not only is it 75 years since the ratification of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, but it is also 80 years since the first publication of Le Petit Prince (The Little Prince). The book and the UDHR have much in common: both are highly translated – with the Little Prince being translated into more than 550 languages and dialects while the UDHR’s translations reach more than 555. Both were born of a time of great global turmoil. And both impart messages of hope and dignity that are available for all. Above is an illustration of Article 20 of the Universal Declaration as interpreted by an illustration from the Little Prince.

Human Rights 75 Initiative

[AS ALWAYS PLEASE GO TO THE LINK TO READ GOOD ARTICLES or quotes IN FULL: HELP SHAPE ALGORITHMS (and conversations) THAT EMPOWER DECENCY, DIGNITY, JUSTICE & PEACE... and hopefully Palestine]

“It’s super dangerous. It sets a really, really bad precedent. It’s aiming to criminalise our liberation struggle and our call for justice and peace and equality,” Husam Marajda

‘Anti-Zionism is antisemitism,’ US House asserts in ‘dangerous’ resolution

Palestinian rights advocates denounce a Republican-led measure as a push to smear Israel’s critics amid the war in Gaza.

By Ali Harb

Washington, DC – Palestinian rights advocates are denouncing a congressional resolution that equates anti-Zionism with anti-Semitism, calling it a “dangerous” measure that aims to curb free speech and distract from the war in Gaza.

The Republican-controlled House of Representatives passed the measure on Tuesday in a 311-14 vote, with 92 Democratic members abstaining by voting “present”.

The symbolic resolution was framed as an effort to reject the “drastic rise of anti-Semitism in the United States and around the world”.

But it contained language saying that the House “clearly and firmly states that anti-Zionism is antisemitism”. It also condemned the slogan “From the River to the Sea”, which rights advocates understand to be an aspirational call for equality in historic Palestine.

Instead, the resolution described it as a “rallying cry for the eradication of the State of Israel and the Jewish people”. It also characterised demonstrators who gathered in Washington, DC, last month to demand a ceasefire as “rioters”. They “spewed hateful and vile language amplifying antisemitic themes”, the resolution alleges.

Husam Marajda, an organiser with the US Palestinian Community Network (USPCN), said the resolution is an effort to “cancel” Palestinian rights advocates by accusing them of bigotry and labelling their criticism of Israeli policies as hate speech.

“It’s super dangerous. It sets a really, really bad precedent. It’s aiming to criminalise our liberation struggle and our call for justice and peace and equality,” Marajda told Al Jazeera... READ MORE

[AS ALWAYS PLEASE GO TO THE LINK TO READ GOOD ARTICLES or quotes IN FULL: HELP SHAPE ALGORITHMS (and conversations) THAT EMPOWER DECENCY, DIGNITY, JUSTICE & PEACE... and hopefully Palestine]

https://www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/AP23334017297644-1701824735.jpg?resize=770%2C513&quality=80

'Opposing the policies of the government of Israel and Netanyahu’s extremism is not antisemitic,' Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib said on social media [File: Nathan Howard/AP Photo]

Pointing out facts about Israeli Apartheid and Zionist brutality is not racism... my letter to my elected leaders

I Stand with Palestine billboard 2023- sponsored by If Americans Knew

Dear Elected Leaders,

Protesting against injustice, bigotry, violence and war is not racism.

Pointing out facts about Israeli Apartheid and Zionist brutality is not racism.

Wearing a pin for Palestine or emblazoning a billboard with the words "I Stand With Palestine" is not racism.

Palestine is a historic name for a historic place, and it is also the hope and dream that someday the native non-Jewish people of historic Palestine will be free and equal, with either one state or two states to end the Holy Land Hostilities.

"From The River to The Sea" endorses and empowers the idea of fair and just laws, security, equality, and true democracy for all people regardless of supposed race or religion, with either one state or two states to end the Holy Land Hostilities.

That phrase "From The River to The Sea" took hold because for its entire 75 year long sovereign statehood Israel has been oppressing, imprisoning, impoverishing, and displacing Palestinian men, women, and children.

Israel's own blatantly racist anti-Arab rhetoric and numerous big bombing campaigns as well as smaller scale violence wrought by Israeli soldiers and settlers is in fact the current basis of increasing antisemitism and also rising anti-American sentiments and scorn for democracy world wide.

Human beings come in all different shapes and sizes, colors and creeds.

Please don't help others learn to hate: Stop arming Israel and start arming a just and lasting peace.

Sincerely,

Anne Selden Annab

We won’t stop speaking out about Gaza’s suffering – there is no climate justice without human rights - Greta Thunberg

U.S. and Israeli MILITARISM fuels GENOCIDE and ECOCIDE

Pray for Palestine

An Ongoing Displacement- The Forced Exile of the Palestinians since 1922

74 Palesinians Killed in Gaza by Israel were OLDER THAN THE STATE of ISRAEL #elders

109 total journalists killed by Israel 2000-2023

Invest Time & Money in American Ideals - NOT ISRAEL ... letter to my elected officials

Today's Nativity scene inspired by Israeli Bombing Campaigns 2023 #Gaza #Bethlehem, #Palestine #Christmas

GAZA UPDATE: More than 6,600 Palestinian children in Gaza have been killed by Israeli forces since October 7, according to the Governmental Media Office. Thousands more are still missing under the rubble.

The Universal Declaration is a roadmap, helping to end wars, heal divisions and promote lives of peace and dignity for all. Learn more & join the movement to help achieve a world of freedom, equality & justice for all

My letter to The Guardian RE The people of Gaza need a UN protection force

Israel (& America & the UK & Europe)'s cruel War on Gaza & the Children of Palestine 2023

The WEST BANK archipelago

ISRAEL SWALLOWING GAZA STRIP: Israel has no borders, neither by its own admission or by international law. That is why it is grabbing any land it can. - Salman Abu Sitta

The daily, grinding violence in the West Bank is worse than ever before. Why does it go unseen? ... in The Guardian

Symbols of #Palestine

O Little Town of Bethlehem, Palestine

"We collect, translate and publish texts from Palestinian writers confronting the genocide in Gaza, to lift up their words." @arablit : Hiba Abu Nada 1991-2023

Israeli settlers steal Palestinian farmers’ land in occupied West Bank: Emboldened by curfews and raids on Palestinians, illegal settlers have stepped up violence and property theft.

Dear Elected Leaders- Yes there are still some useful idiots willing to idolize Israel. But good leadership should not.

To quote a well known American hero... "Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God's children." I Have A Dream speech by Martin Luther King Jr. in 1963

We won’t stop speaking out about Gaza’s suffering – there is no climate justice without human rights - Greta Thunberg

Greta Thunberg

@GretaThunberg

The death rate in Gaza is at a historic high, with thousands of children killed in just a few weeks. Demanding an end to this inexcusable violence is a question of basic humanity. Silence is complicity. You cannot be silent in an unfolding genocide.

We won’t stop speaking out about Gaza’s suffering – there is no climate justice without human rights

Greta Thunberg and Fridays for Future Sweden

Young climate activists haven’t ‘been radicalised’ – solidarity with marginalised people has always been at the heart of our message

More than 15,000 people, of whom at least 6,000 were children. That’s how many people Israel has reportedly killed in the Gaza Strip in a matter of weeks – and those numbers are still rising. Israel has bombed basic societal infrastructure and civilian targets such as hospitals, schools, shelters and refugee camps. Israel has imposed a siege, preventing food, medicine, water and fuel from reaching the 2.3 million Palestinians trapped in the occupied Gaza Strip, leading Oxfam to accuse Israel of employing “starvation as a weapon of war”.

Dozens of United Nations experts have described the situation as “a genocide in the making”, hundreds of international scholars have warned of an unfolding genocide and prominent Israeli genocide expert Raz Segal has called it “a textbook case of genocide”. But most of the world, particularly the so-called global north, is looking the other way..... READ MORE

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/dec/05/gaza-climate-justice-human-rights-greta-thunberg

[AS ALWAYS PLEASE GO TO THE LINK TO READ GOOD ARTICLES or quotes IN FULL: HELP SHAPE ALGORITHMS (and conversations) THAT EMPOWER DECENCY, DIGNITY, JUSTICE & PEACE... and hopefully Palestine]

U.S. and Israeli MILITARISM fuels GENOCIDE and ECOCIDE

https://visualizingpalestine.org/visuals/no-war-no-warming-2023

Pray for Palestine

Our community has been asking us how to take action at this critical moment in history. Below, we are outlining some of the ways in which you can do so. It is our responsibility to do whatever is in our power to put a stop to this genocide.

Talking points:

Talking points and messaging for Palestinians and allies- Palestine Institute for Public Diplomacy (PIPD)
10 things to remember when reporting on Palestine- Palestine Institute for Public Diplomacy (PIPD)
5 things you need to know about what’s happening in Israel and Gaza-American Friends Service Committee

General actions you can take:

SHUT IT DOWN FOR PALESTINE- Media Demands
Organize and join demonstrations in your cities and on your campuses. The best way to learn about planned protests is to research local Palestine solidarity and anti-militarism groups active in your area and ensure that you are following them on social media.
Raise awareness on social media. Share posts from the BDS movement, Visualizing Palestine, Makan, and Rabet by PIPD.
Follow the social media accounts of the following organizations: AJP, JVP, USCPR, IMEU, PYM
Stop hate and incitement: the rise in hate and incitement against Palestinians, Arabs, and Muslims in the West has reached shocking new heights! You can do something to stop this and hold people accountable!

1 - Take a screenshot of the post

2 - Submit to this website: http://www.cjpme.org/accountability

If you are in the U.S., Canada, or Europe:

Write to your officials to call for an immediate stop to this genocide. See sample letter by the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement
In the UK, call on your MPs to take urgent action - EAPPI UK & Ireland
In Ireland, email your elected representatives using this template - EAPPI UK & Ireland
In Canada, use this form to send an email to Prime Minister Trudeau, your local MP or other federal political leaders - Canadians for Peace and Justice in the Middle East
In the U.S., use any of the following resources from our partners to call on the U.S. government to put an immediate stop to the genocide:

Tell Congress: Stop Fueling the Gaza Genocide - Adalah Justice Project
Tell Congress: Open humanitarian access to Gaza now! American Friends Service Committee
Call Congress: Stop the Gaza Genocide - US Campaign for Palestinian Rights
Email Congress: Stop Funding the Gaza Genocide - US Campaign for Palestinian Rights
Call on Congress to demand an immediate ceasefire in Gaza - Americans for Justice in Palestine Action
Call Now: Stop Genocide Against Palestinians in Gaza - Jewish Voice for Peace

If your rights are violated:

Report racism, incitement to violence, hate speech, and censorship to 7amleh at 7or.
Seek legal support and report violations to Palestine Legal in the US, The Legal Center For Palestine in Canada, and the ELSC in Europe.

Liberatory Giving

Local Palestinian Organizations Responding to the Humanitarian Crisis in Gaza
Beyond Humanitarian Aid: Supporting Palestinian Organizations Working to Dismantle the Occupation and Shift the Narrative
Transforming BuildPalestine Summit: A New Webinar Series on Reclaiming Funding in Times of Crisis
Liberatory Giving for Palestine, Besan Abu Joudeh with Nora Lester-Murad-Podcast

Other Toolkits and Resources

U.S. Campaign for Palestinian Rights-Stop Gaza Genocide Action Toolkit
Palestinian Youth Movement- All the Walls Will Fall: 2023 Palestine Liberation Resource List
A Growing Culture- Free Palestine Resource Toolkit
Palestinian Feminist Collective- All Out for Palestine
Makan Rights- Gaza a Genocidal Assault
Al-Shabaka: The Palestinian Policy Network- Grounding the Current Moment: An Al-Shabaka Syllabus
Gaza is Palestine-Resources
This Week In Palestine- November Issue

COP 28 Global Day of Action-Via Campesina

https://climatejustice.uk/9-december-day-of-action-for-climate-justice

To Download Visualizing Palestine’s visuals:

https://visualizingpalestine.org/visuals/use

Monday, December 4, 2023

Invest Time & Money in American Ideals - NOT ISRAEL ... letter to my elected officials

Dear President Biden & some of my other Elected Officials,

Federal law requires people doing the political bidding of a foreign government or entity inside the U.S. to register with the Justice Department.... so why the heck are you and most all of our other elected leaders (as well as way too much of our mainstream media) not registered and classified as agents for Israel?

Israel is a very foreign country that has wasted 75 years of sovereign possibility to cruelly persecute, impoverish, and displace the native non-Jewish men, women and children of historic Palestine.

We should be funding and empowering real freedom, equality, justice, and security for all people, regardless of supposed race or religion right here in America! Our inner cities, our rural areas, our schools, our health care system, social security, plus our roads and basic infrastructures- all need shoring up. Invest in America- not Israel!

Giving Israel money plus weapons of war (plus U.N. Security Council vetoes) as Israel cruelly imprisons, displaces, and bombs Palestinian men, women and children should be recognized as a crime against humanity, as well as a totally counterproductive investment.

Do we want reason and the rule of fair and just laws and investments to survive, or not!

PLEASE step away from shaping an increasingly brutal future where pollution is rampant, corruption is the only way to get ahead, and race or religion is a requirement for citizenship and respect.

To paraphrase American hero Martin Luther King Jr., I believe that the content of character should count more than alleged race or religion.

Furthermore, on the topic of agents for a foreign country, why the heck are American citizens so easily able to serve in Israel's military, actively targeting and murdering the Palestinian men, women and children, and why are so many Americans so easily able to invest in Israel's illegal settlement projects through out the West Bank?!

Sincerely,

Anne Selden Annab

Notes