This Christmas, as the world celebrates with trees and gifts, we in
Palestine continue a second Christmas forgoing the usual celebrations,
instead facing occupation and settler colonial violence. Furthermore,
Gaza’s Christian community, one of the oldest Christian communities in
the world dating back to the time of Pentecost, continue to face an
existential threat as genocide continues. They face a Christmas amidst
endless massacres and death.
Emmanuel, you who were born in a stable and made your home
among the oppressed. May your light pierce the darkness of violence and
despair. Strengthen us to be bearers of that light, standing in
solidarity with all who yearn for liberation and hope. Grant us the
courage to proclaim, as Mary did, your promise to lift up the humble, to
fill the hungry with good things, and to bring down rulers from their
thrones.
Lord in your mercy…hear our prayer
Sabeelis an ecumenical grassroots liberation theology movement among
Palestinian Christians. Inspired by the life and teaching of Jesus
Christ, this liberation theology seeks to deepen the faith of
Palestinian Christians, to promote unity among them and lead them to act
for justice and peace.
Not only are Palestinians continuing to study under Israel's genocide, but they also hold Palestinian cultural activities in schools in displacement camps.
Good morning from central #Gaza, where I met these beautiful girls wearing their Palestinian thobe on their way to school
Maha Hussaini
@MahaGaza
Both a human rights activist and journalist, what's the difference anyway?!
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) contributes to the Gaza
Genocide and Zionist settler colonialism in Palestine in at least two distinct
ways. First, MIT laboratories on campus conduct weapons and surveillance
research directly sponsored by the Israeli military. Since at least 2015, MIT
laboratories have received millions of dollars from the Israeli Ministry of
Defense for projects to develop algorithms that help drone swarms to better
pursue escaping targets; to improve underwater surveillance technology;
and support military aircraft evade missiles. Two of these sponsorships were
renewed since October 7th, 2023, while one came up for renewal in
December 2024. Second, MIT maintains institutional collaborations through
the ILP, LGO, CSAIL, and MIT Energy Initiative programs with companies that
sell vast amounts of weapons to Israel. These include Elbit Systems, Israel’s
largest military contractor, as well as Maersk, Lockheed Martin, and
Caterpillar. These collaborations grant genocide profiteers privileged access
to MIT talent and expertise.
Acknowledgements MIT Alumni for Palestine (A4P) MIT Arab Student Organization (ASO) MIT Asian American Initiative (AAI) MIT Black Graduate Student Association (BGSA) MIT Black Students’ Union (BSU) MIT Disability Justice Collective (DJC) MIT Coalition Against Apartheid (CAA) MIT Divest MIT DUSP for Palestinian Liberation (D4PL) MIT Faculty and Staff for Palestine (FS4P)
The MIT Coalition for Palestine is an MIT movement of scientists opposed to colonialism, occupation, and apartheid in Palestine and beyond. We are guided by four principles of unity: 1) We are committed to the liberation of Palestine. 2) We support the right of oppressed and occupied people to resist their oppression. 3) We fight for Palestinian liberation within the broader struggle for liberation of all oppressed peoples. 4) We defend the right of every human to live a life of dignity.
Our Coalition The MIT Coalition for Palestine is composed of the following organizations: MIT Globally Indigenous Students for Justice (IS4J) MIT Grads for Palestine (G4P) MIT Jews for Collective Liberation (JCL) MIT Latino Cultural Center (LCC) MIT Muslims for Justice (M4J) MIT Reading for Revolution (R4R) MIT Taara Palestine@MIT (Pal@MIT) MIT Written Revolution Trans@MIT Authors This report was authored by concerned students and scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
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One the most iconic images of the Holy Land is the fish and loaves mosaic in the Church of the Multiplication at Tabgha on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. It can serve as a reminder that Advent is the season of anticipating miracles. Miracles can come in many forms. This mosaic commemorates feeding thousands with very little and this Advent we may be praying for other miracles. Maranatha! Come, Lord Jesus!
“‘We only have five loaves and two fish’, the disciples said. ‘Bring them to me’, Jesus replied.’” Matthew 14:17-18
"How denial sustains the liberal imagination of a progressive and democratic Israel.
The question that this book aims to answer might seem simple: how can a
violent project of dispossession and discrimination be imagined, felt,
and profoundly believed in as though it were the exact opposite––an
embodiment of sustainability, multicultural tolerance, and democratic
idealism? Despite well-documented evidence of racism and human rights
abuse, Israel has long been embraced by the most liberal sectors of
European and American society as a manifestation of the progressive
values of tolerance, plurality, inclusivity, and democracy, and hence a
project that can be passionately defended for its lofty ideals.
Tolerance Is a Wasteland
argues that the key to this miraculous act of political alchemy is a
very specific form of denial. Here the Palestinian presence in, and
claim to, Palestine is not simply refused or covered up, but negated in
such a way that the act of denial is itself denied. The effects of
destruction and repression are reframed, inverted into affirmations of
liberal virtues that can be passionately championed. In Tolerance Is a Wasteland,
Saree Makdisi explores many such acts of affirmation and denial in a
range of venues: from the haunted landscape of thickly planted forests
covering the ruins of Palestinian villages forcibly depopulated in 1948;
to the theater of "pinkwashing" as Israel presents itself to the world
as a gay-friendly haven of cultural inclusion; to the so-called Museum
of Tolerance being built on top of the ruins of a Muslim cemetery in
Jerusalem, which was methodically desecrated in order to clear the space
for this monument to "human dignity." Tolerance Is a Wasteland
reveals the system of emotional investments and curated perceptions
that makes this massive project of cognitive dissonance possible."
The Geneva Conventions and their Additional Protocols are at the core of international humanitarian law,
the body of international law that regulates the conduct of armed
conflict and seeks to limit its effects. They specifically protect
people who are not taking part in the hostilities, including civilians,
health workers and aid workers, and those who are no longer
participating, such as wounded, sick and shipwrecked soldiers and
prisoners of war. The Conventions and their Protocols call for measures
to be taken to prevent or put an end to all breaches. They contain
stringent rules to deal with what are known as "grave breaches". Those
who commit grave breaches must be pursued and tried or extradited,
whatever their nationality.
American human rights activist, Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, was shot in the head and killed by an Israeli soldier
on Sept. 6, 2024, while she was peacefully standing under an olive tree in the
occupied West Bank.
Why isn’t Israel being held accountable for killing my wife and other innocents?
by Hamid Ali, opinion contributor - 12/14/24
What do you do with the clothes your wife was wearing when she was
killed, now stained with her blood? How do you preserve them as evidence
for an investigation that may never happen? What else can you do when
your government has given no indication that it will hold her killer — a
soldier in the army of a close ally — accountable, despite three months
of daily efforts to get basic answers?
My wife, Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, was shot in the head and killed by an
Israeli soldier on Sept. 6, 2024, while peacefully standing under an
olive tree in the occupied West Bank. Although the Biden administration
has described her death as unprovoked and unjustified, it has yet to apply adequate pressure on Israel to seek justice for the killing of one of its citizens.... READ MORE https://thehill.com/opinion/international/5039207-aisenur-ezgi-eygi-killed-israel/
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There is something we can do right now TODAY to end the violence
and suffering in The Holy Land- STOP ARMING ISRAEL.
Israel freely violates all borders and international law and
human rights over and over and over.
Israel and its propagandists claim it is all about self-defense,
but Israel is and has been the aggressor and the rule breaker.
Please do not send Americans in to learn anything about security
or police work in Israel, for Israel wants our money but scorns
our ideals of real justice, freedom, equality, and democracy.
Do not trust Israel. Time and time again, for decades now,
Israel has cruelly persecuted and impoverished the native
non-Jewish men, women and children of historic Palestine.
Please stop funding, fueling and exasperating racist Israel's
cruel crimes against humanity.
St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Washington’s Capitol Hill neighborhood is
one of several churches across the country that have created crèches
called “Christ in the Rubble.” The name comes from a book by Palestinian
Christian pastor Munther Isaac. Featuring the baby Jesus wrapped in a
black-and-white checkered keffiyeh, the creche is intended to remind
Christians that if Jesus were born today, he would be born under the
rubble. (Photo courtesy Lindsey Jones-Renaud)
(RNS) — The scene representing the birth of Jesus is a common
December sight, artfully arranged on church lawns or entryways across
the country.
But in some churches this year, the nativity crèche is looking a bit different.
The manger has been replaced with a pile of rocks, and the baby Jesus
is swaddled not with a thin blanket but with a black-and-white
keffiyeh, the Middle Eastern-style scarf that has become a symbol of
Palestinians’ resistance to Israeli aggression.
This tableau, often called Christ in the Rubble, first appeared last
year in the town of Bethlehem outside the Evangelical Lutheran Christmas
Church, pastored by the prominent Palestinian minister and activist
Munther Issac. All Saints Episcopal Church in Pasadena, California,
quickly copied it and constructed one on its lawn.
This Advent season, leading to Christmas, they are becoming more
common. Even Pope Francis was presented a crèche Saturday (Dec. 7) by
two Bethlehem-based artists, featuring a baby Jesus nestled in a keffiyeh.
The pontiff declared “Enough wars, enough violence!” while receiving
the delegation of Palestinian groups that organized the project.
In Washington, D.C., less than half a mile from the U.S. Capitol,
another church assembled a Christ in the Rubble crèche last week.
The nativity scene outside St. Mark’s Episcopal Church features a
Black baby Jesus swaddled in a keffiyeh lying in a bed of broken bricks
and clumps of concrete and wire.
It is intended to bring awareness to Israel’s ongoing war that has
leveled the Gaza Strip and killed more than 44,000 Palestinians,
according to the Gaza Health Ministry, as well as to the plight of
Palestinians in Bethlehem, located in the occupied West Bank. While most
Palestinians are Muslim, there is a thriving Palestinian Christian
community in Bethlehem, the site of Jesus’ birth, according to the
gospels of Matthew and Luke.
“At Christmas, we sing about Bethlehem and we put up our manger scenes
and talk about this story of Jesus being born in this town of Bethlehem
with its themes of peace, love, joy and hope,” said Lindsey
Jones-Renaud, a lay member of St. Mark’s who was part of the team that
assembled the crèche last week. “But there’s such a disconnect between
all that and what is actually happening in Bethlehem right now and in
the surrounding lands.” ... READ MORE https://religionnews.com/2024/12/09/this-advent-christ-in-the-rubble-creches-feature-a-baby-jesus-in-a-keffiyeh/
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"Congress
is about to vote to send nearly $1,000,000,000,000 for weapons and war
when the Pentagon just failed its 7th audit in a row.
But what's even more disturbing is that many of my colleagues own stock
in defense contractors and benefit financially." Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib
"A horrific genocide is happening right now and it should be documented in the Congressional Record. The silence and indifference in Congress is disturbing.
I submitted @Amnesty’s 296-page report concluding that the Israeli government is committing genocide against Palestinians." Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib
Al Jazeera’s Gaza correspondent, Anas Al-Sharif, has been awarded Amnesty International’s 2024 Human Rights Defender Award.
The ongoing genocide in Gaza has exacted a devastating toll on
journalists, those who risk their lives to report the truth. Among the
44,000 killed in Gaza, 138 journalists and media workers have been
killed in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, while carrying out their
critical role of bearing witness, truth-telling and documenting
atrocities.
The deliberate targeting and killing of journalists and press by
Israeli forces constitutes war crimes under international humanitarian
law. Despite these clear violations, no perpetrators have been held
accountable to date and have continued to target journalists will full
impunity.
To
honour the extraordinary resilience, bravery and courage of journalists
working in the most perilous conditions, Amnesty International
Australia is proud to announce the inaugural Human Rights Defender Awards.
In a global context increasingly plagued by misinformation and
disinformation, where journalism has spread across new platforms, and
biases have been ingrained in the reporting of major media outlets, the
need to uphold freedom of expression and opinion has never been more
critical. The Awards honour those who have risked their lives to ensure
and uphold the integrity of journalism, in protecting freedom of
independent information.
The Human Rights Defender Awards celebrate excellence in
human rights journalism and the remarkable courage and determination of
journalists dedicated to documenting the realities of the Gaza crisis.
This year’s awards recognise individuals based on the significant
impact of their fearless reporting on the genocide in Gaza, their
innovative use of social media and citizen journalism to challenge
traditional narratives and their ability to inspire action for justice.
Mohamed Duar, Amnesty International Australia’s Occupied Palestinian Territory Spokesperson says:
“Freedom of the press is essential to enable democratic and free
societies. Freedom of information is a fundamental human right.
Journalists and the media are crucial to ensure transparency and
accountability. Yet media freedom and the safety of journalists are
under threat around the globe. Each attack on journalists is an attack
on press, freedom and truth. Journalists are not and should never be a
target.
“It is in this context that the Amnesty International Australia
Human Rights Defender Awards honour excellence in human rights
journalism and applaud the courage and determination of journalists who
put their lives on the line to tell important human rights stories from
within or on Gaza. The Awards honour those who have risked their lives
to ensure and uphold the integrity of journalism, in protecting freedom
of independent information.”
The 2024 recipients of the Human Rights Defender Awards are:
Bisan Owda, Palestinian Journalist, Activist, and Filmmaker
“Thank you, for the work, for the recognition and all the efforts
you do to shed light upon this genocide. It’s an honor to accept this
award.
“I’m here, in front of you, surviving more than 420 days.
Surviving being killed by bombing, while I am helping my people by
spreading truth and documenting the genocide. I don’t find anything more
honorable on earth than defending the rights of defenseless people, the
oppressed people.
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“If I must die, let it bring hope, let it be a tale.”
This
rich, elegiac compilation of work from the late Palestinian poet and
professor, Refaat Alareer, brings together his marvelous poetry and
deeply human writing about literature, teaching, politics, and family.
The
renowned poet and literature professor Refaat Alareer was killed by an
Israeli airstrike in Gaza City alongside his brother, sister, and
nephews in December 2023. He was just forty-four years old, but had
already established a worldwide reputation that was further enhanced
when, in the wake of his death, the poem that gives this book its title
became a global sensation. “If I Must Die” is included here, alongside
Refaat’s other poetry.
Refaat wrote extensively about
a range of topics: teaching Shakespeare and the way Shylock could be
appreciated by young Palestinian students; the horrors of living under
repeated brutal assaults in Gaza, one of which, in 2014, killed another
of his brothers; and the generosity of Palestinians to each other,
fighting, in the face of it all, to be the one paying at the supermarket
checkout.
Such pieces, some never before published,
have been curated here by one of Refaat’s closest friends and
collaborators. This collection forms a fitting testament to a remarkable
writer, educator, and activist, one whose voice will not be silenced by
death but will continue to assert the power of learning and humanism in
the face of barbarity.
