Mike Hanini Odetalla facebook/twitter post 2014: In #Palestine #Olive Trees witnessed foreign invaders for thousands of years...
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Wednesday, October 15, 2014
THIS WEEK IN PALESTINE: Ethnographic Habitat, Place Memories, and Cultural Identity
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| Byzantine, Crusader, and Ottoman traces. |
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"Sebastiya successfully combines the ideological framing of history and
identity. The exquisite rehabilitation of Sebastiya homesteads and
previously abused monuments addresses the relationship between time and
space, and points the way for the future development of Palestinian
cultural geography...."
Retrocog-nition in Sebastiya
Ethnographic Habitat, Place Memories, and Cultural Identity
Sebastiya is a “place memory” par excellence, wherein the visitor “remembers” events that have been experienced by others, and it is closely associated with retrocognition, which literally means “backward knowing.” In retrocognition, visitors and locals witness events as “a playback of a past scene.” Thus, place memory and retrocognition juxtapose present-day environmental place memory with alterations in time that might let you literally see the past (retrocognition). With retrocognition there is a dream-like state and an altered sense of time.
Each village has its own narrative, its own individuality, and its own unique character. Sebastiya brings together Biblical, Roman, Crusader, Ayyubid, Mamluk, and Ottoman archaeological architectural elements, not as cold relics but as an integral expression of Palestinian key symbols and signs within an ecological niche that the Palestinian genius has sculpted through the past five millennia.
In Sebastiya, history and its relationship with narratives constitutive of national identity weave a lyrical poem that celebrates the roots of Palestinian national identity in antiquity. By situating the cultural architectural narrative within the local spatial context and connecting it to wider regional cultural geography and history, the heritage attraction sites become signifiers that help advance the understanding of the highly diversified cultural expressions of Palestinian national identity.
In Sebastiya we find a venue that reveals the composite multi-layered historical and demographic levels of which our cultural identity is an expression. Sebastiya as an iconic heritage site has come to symbolise fundamental aspects of “Palestinianness,” and in so doing presents the nation as a family, a group of relations with shared history, values and beliefs, and common characteristics."
Dr. Ali Qleibo is an anthropologist, author, and artist. A specialist in the social history of Jerusalem and Palestinian peasant culture, he is the author of Before the Mountains Disappear, Jerusalem in the Heart, and Surviving the Wall, an ethnographic chronicle of contemporary Palestinians and their roots in ancient Semitic civilisations. Dr. Qleibo lectures at Al-Quds University. He can be reached at: aqleibo@yahoo.com.
******
Habitat
- The natural environment of an organism; a place that is natural for its life and growth. For example, a desert habitat and all the wildlife thriving there.
- A place where an organism is usually found. For example, Nablus is a major habitat for knafeh chefs and sweet shops in Palestine.
- A special environment in which organisms reside over an extended period. For example, the village habitat in Palestine is special for both humans and animals.
In the pages of this issue you will discover the unique floral aspects of Palestine, its rich wildlife, and just how little you know about it all. We hope that you will gain a greater appreciation of the village habitat, the way Jerusalem produced its own kind of habitat, and how all of it is endangered mainly because of the occupation but also because of other social and economic factors.
Habitat is not just a word in Palestine; it is a way to affirm and preserve
our identity and way of life!
our identity and way of life!
Ahmad Damen
Content Editor
THIS WEEK IN PALESTINE
 |
Highlights of Palestinian Habitats |
My letter to the NYTimes RE: EDITORIAL A British Message to Israel
 | |
| Bulbul One of the resident birds in Palestine that is mentioned in various folklore songs and cultural stories. Photo by: Anton Khalilieh This Week in Palestine: October 2014 Habitat in Palestine |
RE EDITORIAL A British Message to Israel
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/15/opinion/a-british-message-to-israel.html?ref=opinion
Dear Editor,
Israel's settlement project is institutionalized bigotry on steroids: Israel's Jews-only settlements in the illegally occupied territories are not merely shrinking the territory available for a Palestinian state. Israel's generously subsidized Jews-only settlements in the illegally occupied territories are connected to Israel proper by modern Israeli built highways enabling Israelis to blithely and easily violate international law at relatively high speeds. Furthermore these Israeli built modern highways are protected by Israeli checkpoints and punitive checkpoint polices which cut off traditional Palestinian roads and cripple Palestinian communities, cruelly impoverishing Palestinians in every way at every turn.
Israel's settlement expansion is harassment expansion: This week a large group of Israeli settlers "violently beat a young Palestinian woman while she was picking olives from trees in an orchard in the village of Yasuf in the Salfit district in the central West Bank"..."Attacks on the fall harvest are a key way that Palestinians are forced out of their homes and their lands confiscated for settlement construction, as the loss of a year's crop can signal destitution for farmers with no other way to support themselves." Settlers beat a Palestinian woman picking olives with her children near Salfit
Israel's settlement expansion is also an investment in religious extremism and religious war: Last night Israeli settlers set fire to a mosque in the Nablus-area village of Aqraba.
Israeli occupation antics and anti-Palestine pranks send a clear message to Islamists worldwide that international law needs to be scorned, and human rights, as well as borders, and the rule of fair and just laws, are all antiquated and irrelevant notions.
Kudos to Britain's House of Commons for endorsing diplomatic recognition of a Palestinian state, as well as Kudos to those who helped make that happen by shaping the conversation in mainstream ways, kudos to the media who cover as much as they can (including the NYTimes) and most importantly Kudos to all who are focused in on empowering negotiations to end the Israel-Palestine conflict with a just and lasting peace for everyone's sake.
Sincerely,
Anne Selden Annab
NOTES
UK Parliament votes to recognize Palestinian state- a symbolic move intended to increase pressure for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Dorothy Shea: "Palestinians should be applauded for largely eliminating the gender gap in education. Unlike in some parts of the Middle East and North Africa, Palestinian girls and young women enjoy equal access to education as their male counterparts."
Islamic State Seeks to Justify Enslaving Yazidi Women and Girls in Iraq... The article on slavery confirms practices documented by Human Rights Watch, which says Yazidi women and girls were forced to marry Islamic State fighters and shipped out in busloads from Iraq to Syria to be sold off as prizes
UK MPs To Vote On Recognition Of Palestine... "Dr Hanan Ashrawi, executive committee member of the PLO, told Sky News the Palestinian cause must be "rescued" to prevent jihadists [from] using it to fuel radicalisation and further extremism in the region."
Translating the Obvious ... A poem for peace in Growing Gardens for Palestine by Anne Selden Annab
U.S. calls for renewed commitment to lasting Mideast peace: "... a renewed commitment from everybody to work for peace that meets the aspirations of all, for Israelis, for Palestinians for all people of this region"
In a common struggle for education and against extremism: "“If with my humble efforts the voice of tens of millions of children in the world who are living in servitude is being heard, congratulations to all,” Kailash Satyarthi on winning the Nobel Peace Prize 2014
Today is International Day of the Girl Child! To mark the day, Hina Jilani calls on the international community and civil society to work together to improve the lives of girls and women: Let's not be afraid to challenge the traditions that harm girls
New Ibish article: Hisham, Hope and Despair..."The crucial point is that the one thing that is certain is that the choices that we make individually and collectively will have a direct and profound impact on the short, medium and long-term outcomes. And, therefore, our choices must be carefully considered, deliberate and purposive, while apathy and inaction are not options."
To promote the values of dialogue, tolerance and mutual respect, among religions and cultures... Let’s teach our youth to build, not destroy
Ashrawi: The recognition of Palestine is Human, Moral, Legal, and Political Imperative
"Let’s not feed Islamophobic bigotry... The great divide is not between faiths, but one between intolerant zealots of any tradition and the large numbers of decent, peaceful believers likewise found in each tradition." Nicholas Kristof
Last Thursday, the United Nations released a report that could provide us with one of the keys to defeating ISIS. Unfortunately, it received almost zero media attention.
"We see martyrs, children as young as 7, being portrayed as resistance fighters after being slaughtered by Israeli forces. Although we would like to convince ourselves that they have died for “the cause”, they have in fact died because of the cause." Mariam Barg
Hussein Ibish: US has a responsibility to rein in Israeli settlements
Tala Haikal: "It may not be possible to immediately free all the kidnapped girls and women due to the scope of the conflict with ISIS and the geographical dispersal of the captives in various locations. Some of these women and girls can be freed only once ISIS is destroyed."
STAY CONNECTED... Given the U.S. commitment to religious freedom, and to the international covenants that guarantee it as the inalienable right of every human being, the United States seeks to: Promote freedom of religion and conscience throughout the world as a fundamental human right and as a source of stability for all countries
UN report spotlights 'staggering' Islamic State atrocities in Iraq... "The group, which is fighting in Iraq and Syria, has carried out a wide range of atrocities, including mass executions, abductions, rape and other forms of sexual and physical violence against women and children"
Vatican seeks Mideast Christians' right of return
US sharply criticizes new Israeli housing project
Non-violent resistance is Palestine’s most powerful weapon
Tala Haikal: Empathy Is Essential to Humanity
Normalizing Intelligent Conversations, Diplomatic Support, and Hope for Palestine... ATFP Panel Briefing: Israeli-Palestinian War in a New Regional Landscape.
ATFP... American Task Force on Palestine
ATFP Calls for De-Escalation between Israel and the Palestinians
To honor a tragic history, we must work for peace : "The only way to honor our tragic histories is to create a future for our children free of man-made tragedy. This means making peace fully, completely and without reservation, between Israel and Palestine." Ziad Asali
International Year of Solidarity with the Palestinian People 2014
UNRWA photo and film archive for Palestine refugees
About UNWRA: ’The Long Journey of Palestine Refugee Women’ candidly portrays the lives and experiences of Palestine refugee women, this collection is a testament not only to their own strength and dignity, but also to the richness and resilience of their community.
Walking Palestine & The Abraham Path... a creative space for stories that highlight the unique culture, heritage and hospitality of the region
It's time for Palestinians and Israelis to share a just peace... It's time for freedom from occupation... It's time for equal rights.... It's time for the healing of wounded souls..... World Week for Peace in Palestine Israel: "Let my people go!"... 21 - 27 September 2014 An initiative of the Palestine Israel Ecumenical Forum (PIEF) of the World Council of Churches
Palestinian Refugees (1948-NOW) refused their right to return... and their right to live in peace free from religious bigotry and injustice.
1948
Time and time again I have watched the cycle of incitement and spin sabotage support for Palestine
Clarifying why Arab and Muslim Americans should be smart rather than stupid
Live by the Golden Rule
An Anne Frank Moment ... a poem by Anne Selden Annab
"Where, after all, do universal human rights begin?
America/Israel/Palestine 1776
America/Israel/Palestine 1948: All
human beings are born free and equal in
dignity and rights.They are endowed with reason and
conscience and should act towards one another in a
spirit of brotherhood.
The Golden Rule...
Do unto others as you would have them do unto you
Monday, October 13, 2014
UK Parliament votes to recognize Palestinian state
 |
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http://news.yahoo.com/uk-parliament-votes-recognize-palestinian-state-214234377.html
LONDON (AP) — British lawmakers
voted Monday in favor of recognizing Palestine as a state, a symbolic
move intended to increase pressure for a two-state solution to the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Legislators in
the House of Commons voted 274 to 12 to support a motion calling on the
British government to "recognize the state of Palestine alongside the
state of Israel."
Prime
Minister David Cameron and other government leaders abstained, and more
than half of the 650 Commons members did not participate in the vote.
But
the motion had support from both government and opposition lawmakers,
who said it could help kick-start the peace process following a summer
war in Gaza that claimed the lives of more than 2,100 Palestinians, the
majority civilians, and more than 70 Israelis, most of them soldiers.
Labour
Party legislator Grahame Morris said recognizing a Palestinian state
could help break the impasse in peace negotiations before it was too
late.
Otherwise, he said, "any hope of a two-state solution — the only viable solution — will have disappeared altogether."
Conservative
lawmaker Nicholas Soames — grandson of World War II Prime Minister
Winston Churchill — said that "to recognize Palestine is both morally
right and is in our national interest."
The
government said the vote would not change Britain's official diplomatic
stance. Middle East Minister Tobias Ellwood said the U.K. would
recognize Palestinian statehood when it would help bring about peace...READ MORE
Dorothy Shea: "Palestinians should be applauded for largely eliminating the gender gap in education. Unlike in some parts of the Middle East and North Africa, Palestinian girls and young women enjoy equal access to education as their male counterparts."
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.jpg) |
| Graduation ceremony at Bethlehem University, 2010. (MaanImages/file) |
|
Analysis: The marathon to close the gender gap in Palestine
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By Dorothy Shea
Dorothy Shea is the Deputy Principal Officer at the United States Jerusalem Consulate General.
Secretary John Kerry said that finding a solution to gender inequality is a marathon and not a sprint. I've only recently arrived in Jerusalem but I've already been impressed by how boldly Palestinians are running this marathon.
On Oct. 11, 2014, we celebrate the International Day of the Girl in recognition of girls' rights to education and the unique challenges girls and women continue to face around the world, including women and girls in the Palestinian Territories.
Empowering women throughout the world has been a long-term goal of Secretary Kerry as it was for former Secretary Clinton. Closing the gender gap will take time, but we must steadfastly move towards a more inclusive society if we want peace and prosperity.
Palestinians should be applauded for largely eliminating the gender gap in education. Unlike in some parts of the Middle East and North Africa, Palestinian girls and young women enjoy equal access to education as their male counterparts.
In 2012, girls accounted for half of all students enrolled at Palestinian schools, making up 50 percent of the primary school population and 54 percent of secondary school students. In fact, last year's statistics show an even stronger female presence in higher education, where 58 percent of students were young women. Among graduates, too, women form a clear majority -- around 60 percent in 2012. The literacy rate is 94 percent for women, one of the highest rates in the Middle East.
However, Palestinians still have a gender gap in the workplace, and this is where greater attention is needed.
In 2014, 72 percent of men were employed as opposed to just 19 percent of women, according to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics. Paradoxically in Palestinian society, employment opportunity among Palestinian women decreases as their level of education increases.
Palestinian women with 13 years of schooling or more suffer from the highest rate of unemployment, at over 53 percent. As a result, many more women than men with higher-education degrees are forced to accept jobs that are far below their qualifications. Female graduates from Gaza to Jenin to Jericho file away their diplomas and go to work in hair salons or tailor shops. They conclude they have no chance of working in their professional field, but they can contribute to their household income as low-skilled workers.
I've been fortunate in my role at the American Consulate General to witness first-hand the enormous energy, creativity and confidence that girls and young women bring to our public events. Recently, we sent two amazing young Palestinian women to Boston to participate in a leadership conference as part of the Women-2-Women exchange, and our TechGirls program is emboldening young girls to pursue professional and academic careers in science and technology.
Politically, the voice of Palestinian women is also incredibly significant and inspiring; some of the most articulate and compelling arguments regarding the Palestinian cause that I have heard come from women. Palestinians have done a commendable job in embarking on the marathon but as we acknowledge this important day we should also recognize that Palestinian women are ready for the next phase in achieving gender equality.
A whole host of data, from the World Bank and World Economic Forum to the OECD, indicates that when women are gainfully and fully employed, societies tend to function better, are more stable and prosperous. I am convinced that when Palestinian women are more fully integrated into business, journalism, and politics all Palestinians will reap the benefits. I think that the Palestinian leadership understands the transformative power of female employment and is committed to ending discrimination in the workplace and ensuring broader rights for women. Now is the time to realize this noble goal -- in the boardrooms, on the mastheads, at the summits.
Ultimately, Palestinians themselves must choose to invest in their society and better utilize the talents and education of women. Overcoming gender inequality will not come overnight, but we cannot stand still either and let time pass.
As we celebrate the International Day of the Girl, let us consider how far we have come and what is left to be done for a more inclusive society.
The views expressed in this article are the author's and do not necessarily reflect Ma'an News Agency's editorial policy.
Secretary John Kerry said that finding a solution to gender inequality is a marathon and not a sprint. I've only recently arrived in Jerusalem but I've already been impressed by how boldly Palestinians are running this marathon.
On Oct. 11, 2014, we celebrate the International Day of the Girl in recognition of girls' rights to education and the unique challenges girls and women continue to face around the world, including women and girls in the Palestinian Territories.
Empowering women throughout the world has been a long-term goal of Secretary Kerry as it was for former Secretary Clinton. Closing the gender gap will take time, but we must steadfastly move towards a more inclusive society if we want peace and prosperity.
Palestinians should be applauded for largely eliminating the gender gap in education. Unlike in some parts of the Middle East and North Africa, Palestinian girls and young women enjoy equal access to education as their male counterparts.
In 2012, girls accounted for half of all students enrolled at Palestinian schools, making up 50 percent of the primary school population and 54 percent of secondary school students. In fact, last year's statistics show an even stronger female presence in higher education, where 58 percent of students were young women. Among graduates, too, women form a clear majority -- around 60 percent in 2012. The literacy rate is 94 percent for women, one of the highest rates in the Middle East.
However, Palestinians still have a gender gap in the workplace, and this is where greater attention is needed.
In 2014, 72 percent of men were employed as opposed to just 19 percent of women, according to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics. Paradoxically in Palestinian society, employment opportunity among Palestinian women decreases as their level of education increases.
Palestinian women with 13 years of schooling or more suffer from the highest rate of unemployment, at over 53 percent. As a result, many more women than men with higher-education degrees are forced to accept jobs that are far below their qualifications. Female graduates from Gaza to Jenin to Jericho file away their diplomas and go to work in hair salons or tailor shops. They conclude they have no chance of working in their professional field, but they can contribute to their household income as low-skilled workers.
I've been fortunate in my role at the American Consulate General to witness first-hand the enormous energy, creativity and confidence that girls and young women bring to our public events. Recently, we sent two amazing young Palestinian women to Boston to participate in a leadership conference as part of the Women-2-Women exchange, and our TechGirls program is emboldening young girls to pursue professional and academic careers in science and technology.
Politically, the voice of Palestinian women is also incredibly significant and inspiring; some of the most articulate and compelling arguments regarding the Palestinian cause that I have heard come from women. Palestinians have done a commendable job in embarking on the marathon but as we acknowledge this important day we should also recognize that Palestinian women are ready for the next phase in achieving gender equality.
A whole host of data, from the World Bank and World Economic Forum to the OECD, indicates that when women are gainfully and fully employed, societies tend to function better, are more stable and prosperous. I am convinced that when Palestinian women are more fully integrated into business, journalism, and politics all Palestinians will reap the benefits. I think that the Palestinian leadership understands the transformative power of female employment and is committed to ending discrimination in the workplace and ensuring broader rights for women. Now is the time to realize this noble goal -- in the boardrooms, on the mastheads, at the summits.
Ultimately, Palestinians themselves must choose to invest in their society and better utilize the talents and education of women. Overcoming gender inequality will not come overnight, but we cannot stand still either and let time pass.
As we celebrate the International Day of the Girl, let us consider how far we have come and what is left to be done for a more inclusive society.
The views expressed in this article are the author's and do not necessarily reflect Ma'an News Agency's editorial policy.
Islamic State Seeks to Justify Enslaving Yazidi Women and Girls in Iraq... The article on slavery confirms practices documented by Human Rights Watch, which says Yazidi women and girls were forced to marry Islamic State fighters and shipped out in busloads from Iraq to Syria to be sold off as prizes
 |
A refugee woman from the minority Yazidi sect, who fled the violence
in the Iraqi town of Sinjar, sits with a child inside a tent at Nowruz
refugee camp in Qamishli, northeastern Syria August 17, 2014.
Rodi Said/Reuters
|
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http://www.newsweek.com/islamic-state-seeks-justify-enslaving-yazidi-women-and-girls-iraq-277100
The Islamic State group said it
enslaved families from the minority Yazidi sect after overrunning their
villages in northwestern Iraq, in what it praised as the revival of an
ancient custom of using women and children as spoils of war.
In an article in its English-language online magazine
Dabiq, the group provides what it says is religious justification for
the enslavement of defeated "idolators".
The ancient custom of enslavement had fallen out of use
because of deviation from true Islam, but was revived when fighters
overran Yazidi villages in Iraq's Sinjar region.
"After capture, the Yazidi women and children were then
divided according to the Shariah amongst the fighters of the Islamic
State who participated in the Sinjar operations, after one fifth of the
slaves were transferred to the Islamic State's authority to be divided
as khums," it said. Khums is a traditional tax on the spoils of war.
"This large-scale enslavement of mushrik (idolator)
families is probably the first since the abandonment of Shariah law," it
said.
Dabiq, distributed in a slickly-produced online format, is
described by the group SITE that monitors militant publications as
Islamic State's English-language magazine.
The cover shows a picture of St Peter's Basilica in Rome,
with an Islamic State black flag superimposed in place of the cross atop
its obelisk. Inside it features photos of the group's arsenal of heavy
weaponry and what it says is the final letter to his mother from an
American journalist the group beheaded.
The article on slavery confirms practices documented by
Human Rights Watch, which says Yazidi women and girls were forced to
marry Islamic State fighters and shipped out in busloads from Iraq to
Syria to be sold off as prizes...READ MORE
UK MPs To Vote On Recognition Of Palestine... "Dr Hanan Ashrawi, executive committee member of the PLO, told Sky News the Palestinian cause must be "rescued" to prevent jihadists [from] using it to fuel radicalisation and further extremism in the region."
 |
UK MPs To Vote On Recognition Of Palestine |
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https://uk.news.yahoo.com/british-mps-urged-recognise-palestine-001441519.html#STbzRqG
A leading Palestinian politician has urged British MPs
to vote in favour of recognising a Palestinian state when the issue is
debated in Westminster later today.
In reference to the growing influence of groups like Islamic State, she said: "The Palestinian question has always been appropriated by others, and I've always said we need to rescue it from being 'up for grabs' by those looking for a cause, or who are trying to borrow our constituency or our legitimacy.
"It is imperative we remove one core issue from the region that has constantly fed… and send a clear message to the whole region and the rest of the world that justice can prevail and that we can make peace."
The debate in the House of Commons has been tabled by MP Grahame Morris, chair of the Labour Friends of Palestine.
"Not only is statehood the inalienable right of the Palestinian people, but recognising Palestine will breathe new life into a peace process that is at an impasse," Mr Morris told Reuters.
The Westminster vote will not be binding on the UK Government and is unlikely to change official policy, which states recognition of a Palestinian state must follow a bilateral negotiated process with Israel.
However, Dr Ashrawi said it was nonetheless "a very significant moment".
She said: "It is the beginning of a process of genuine consideration of the historical responsibility of the British towards Palestine, dating back to 1917, and we believe this process of rectification has to start.
"It is about time … not just as a way of doing justice to Palestine and respecting international law, but as a way of trying to rescue the chances of peace, which are disappearing rapidly."
The debate comes after Sweden's new government said it intended to officially recognise Palestine, a move that has...READ MORE
Translating the Obvious ... A poem for peace in Growing Gardens for Palestine by Anne Selden Annab
"... a renewed
commitment from everybody to work for peace that meets the aspirations
of all, for Israelis, for Palestinians for all people of this region"
John Kerry's call for a lasting Mideast peace
A
(singular- a united push
in and for peace)
RENEWED
(start now convinced peace
is decidedly better than war)
COMMITMENT FROM EVERYONE
(no matter who you are weigh in
for a just and lasting peace)
TO WORK
(resist distractions- focus,
put in all your best efforts)
FOR PEACE
(for a better future
for all our children)
THAT MEETS THE ASPIRATIONS OF ALL,
(freedom, freedom from fear & freedom
from want & freedom from bigotry &
freedom from one-state cynics and thieves
who thrive on the continuation of the conflict)
FOR ISRAELIS
(a fully secular Israel
fully respecting universal human rights
& the rule of fair and just laws)
FOR PALESTINIANS
(a fully secular Palestine
fully respecting universal human rights
& the rule of fair and just laws)
FOR ALL PEOPLE
(human beings- all equally part
of the human family,
and all equally responsible
for what is said, what is heard,
what will be... Invest all the goodness
and decency, all the honor and dignity,
all the compassion and hope and clarity
you can muster into conscientiously
ending the Israel-Palestine conflict)
FOR ALL PEOPLE
OF THIS REGION
(and beyond)
U.S. calls for renewed commitment to lasting Mideast peace: "... a renewed commitment from everybody to work for peace that meets the aspirations of all, for Israelis, for Palestinians for all people of this region"
 |
| U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry attends the Gaza international donors conference in Cairo October 12, 2014. Kerry announced on Sunday an additional $212 million in aid to the Palestinian people at a Cairo conference on rebuilding Gaza following a war earlier this year. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany |
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http://news.yahoo.com/u-calls-renewed-commitment-lasting-mideast-peace-101544372.html
CAIRO (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary
of State John Kerry called on Sunday for a renewed commitment to
achieving Middle East peace, saying a lasting deal between Israel, the
Palestinians and all their neighbors could be achieved.
"Out of this conference must come not just money but a
renewed commitment from everybody to work for peace that meets the
aspirations of all, for Israelis, for Palestinians for all people of
this region. And I promise you the full commitment of president Obama,
myself and the United States to try to do that," Kerry told a Gaza
reconstruction conference in Cairo.
"Everything else will be a band aid fix, not a long-term
solution... Everything else will be the prisoner of impatience and that
has brought us to this unacceptable and unstable status quo."
The latest round of U.S.-brokered peace talks foundered in
April over Israeli objections to a Palestinian political unity pact
including the Islamist Hamas movement and Palestinian objections to
unremitting Israeli settlement growth.
(Reporting by Stephen Kalin and Lin Noueihed, editing by John Stonestreet)
Saturday, October 11, 2014
In a common struggle for education and against extremism: "“If with my humble efforts the voice of tens of millions of children in the world who are living in servitude is being heard, congratulations to all,” Kailash Satyarthi on winning the Nobel Peace Prize 2014
 |
| Malala Yousafzai, with her father, Ziauddin, spoke in Birmingham, England, after learning she had won the Nobel prize. Darren Staples/REUTERS |
The
award joined You-safzai, a Pakistani teen who attained worldwide fame
when she was shot by the Taliban in 2012 for promoting girls’ education,
with Satyarthi, a veteran of campaigns to fight child labor and
trafficking...READ MORE
***
 |
| Malala Yousafzai speaks in Britain about winning the Nobel Peace Prize with Indian activist Kailash Satyarthi, who speaks with journalists at this home in New Delhi after the announcement. |
“I’m thankful to my father for not clipping my wings and for letting me to fly.”
Malala Yousafzai
Today is International Day of the Girl Child! To mark the day, Hina Jilani calls on the international community and civil society to work together to improve the lives of girls and women.
“Have the courage to take action. Society is ready to change.”
Today is International Day of the Girl Child! To mark the day, Hina Jilani calls on the international community and civil society to work together to improve the lives of girls and women.
Read her blog: http://theelders.org/article/lets-not-be-afraid-challenge-traditions-harm-girls
Opinion
Today is International Day of the Girl Child! To mark the day, Hina Jilani calls on the international community and civil society to work together to improve the lives of girls and women.
Read her blog: http://theelders.org/article/lets-not-be-afraid-challenge-traditions-harm-girls
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Opinion
Let's not be afraid to challenge the traditions that harm girls
“Have the courage to take action. Society is ready to change.”
Marking the International Day of the Girl Child, Hina Jilani calls on the international community and civil society to work together to improve the lives of girls and women.
In the international community we talk about the family as being the basic unit of society. Today we see that the family has become the biggest locus of violence, especially against women and children.
If we do not address issues like child marriage, we will never expect the family – or allow it – to become a unit which is able to give dignity and equality to all its members.
Challenging culture and tradition
We need to correct the perception that any harmful practice is a part of what we call culture and tradition, which people can be proud of. Harmful practices should not be equated with culture and tradition.
Even if some parts of the world consider harmful practices a part of culture or tradition, we must remember that those who are harmed by these cultural and traditional practices are women.
Are women not a part of that society? Are they only subjects of culture, with no hand in making culture?
Culture and tradition in themselves evolve out of historical changes. They should not be allowed to become obstructions to change.
International community: have the courage to act
Local and international actors need to understand that child marriage is an issue that has gone from the local to the international. It is not an issue that the international community is using or is imposing on national and local communities.
There are political movements in these countries. I come from such a movement. We don't deal with figures; we leave that to UNICEF and the United Nations. We deal with actual lives, so we are not talking about child marriage and its effects on society, and on girls and women in the abstract. We have faces to show you; we have victims to put before you; and our society has seen those faces.
The international community needs to know that any initiative to eliminate and curb child marriage will receive the weight of those movements behind it.
Have the courage to take action. Society is ready to change – and accept change.
In Pakistan – my country – about two decades ago, there were a significant number of people, myself included who were trying to resist state-sponsored trends, trends which would have decimated women’s and girls’ rights. Instead, there have been legal reforms on child marriage, progressively making it better for women and girls. It’s still inadequate, but when these positive reforms were implemented, there was no resistance from the broader society.
We must work together
Governments should make sure that they have courage to take the step, to ensure that they are not being overcautious. They must not submit to the influence of interest groups, of religious lobbies, of conservative lobbies. This is not the time to either become an apologist or be defensive, or over-romanticise what is certainly something which has proved to be – figures have proved it, data has proved it, research has proved it – definitely harmful for the world’s population, whether they are girls or women.
It is time that local and national movements – and international initiatives – become mutually reinforcing and strengthening. We need to work together to ensure that local initiatives and movements do have an impact. Because local pressure as well as international pressure can force governments to change. To make sure that state social policy and the weight of state social policy is put behind laws – so that these laws have impact.
The work for the defence of human rights must prioritise the welfare and the protection of the girl child.
Governments have the duty to protect. At the same time, civil society also has the duty to promote and defend human rights.
Marking the International Day of the Girl Child, Hina Jilani calls on the international community and civil society to work together to improve the lives of girls and women.
In the international community we talk about the family as being the basic unit of society. Today we see that the family has become the biggest locus of violence, especially against women and children.
If we do not address issues like child marriage, we will never expect the family – or allow it – to become a unit which is able to give dignity and equality to all its members.
Challenging culture and tradition
We need to correct the perception that any harmful practice is a part of what we call culture and tradition, which people can be proud of. Harmful practices should not be equated with culture and tradition.
Even if some parts of the world consider harmful practices a part of culture or tradition, we must remember that those who are harmed by these cultural and traditional practices are women.
Are women not a part of that society? Are they only subjects of culture, with no hand in making culture?
Culture and tradition in themselves evolve out of historical changes. They should not be allowed to become obstructions to change.
International community: have the courage to act
Local and international actors need to understand that child marriage is an issue that has gone from the local to the international. It is not an issue that the international community is using or is imposing on national and local communities.
There are political movements in these countries. I come from such a movement. We don't deal with figures; we leave that to UNICEF and the United Nations. We deal with actual lives, so we are not talking about child marriage and its effects on society, and on girls and women in the abstract. We have faces to show you; we have victims to put before you; and our society has seen those faces.
The international community needs to know that any initiative to eliminate and curb child marriage will receive the weight of those movements behind it.
Have the courage to take action. Society is ready to change – and accept change.
In Pakistan – my country – about two decades ago, there were a significant number of people, myself included who were trying to resist state-sponsored trends, trends which would have decimated women’s and girls’ rights. Instead, there have been legal reforms on child marriage, progressively making it better for women and girls. It’s still inadequate, but when these positive reforms were implemented, there was no resistance from the broader society.
We must work together
Governments should make sure that they have courage to take the step, to ensure that they are not being overcautious. They must not submit to the influence of interest groups, of religious lobbies, of conservative lobbies. This is not the time to either become an apologist or be defensive, or over-romanticise what is certainly something which has proved to be – figures have proved it, data has proved it, research has proved it – definitely harmful for the world’s population, whether they are girls or women.
It is time that local and national movements – and international initiatives – become mutually reinforcing and strengthening. We need to work together to ensure that local initiatives and movements do have an impact. Because local pressure as well as international pressure can force governments to change. To make sure that state social policy and the weight of state social policy is put behind laws – so that these laws have impact.
The work for the defence of human rights must prioritise the welfare and the protection of the girl child.
Governments have the duty to protect. At the same time, civil society also has the duty to promote and defend human rights.
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| The Elders were impressed that men in nearby Ambo Meske village were willing to discuss gender equality. Many men have taken part in courses that raise issues such as family care, non-violence, alcohol abuse and sharing domestic duties. |
My letter to the NYTimes RE Editorial Having to Rebuild Gaza, Again
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| In 2013, there were 399 incidents of Israeli settler violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs... Israeli attacks on the fall harvest are a key way that Palestinians are forced out of their homes and their lands confiscated for settlement construction, as the loss of a year's crop can signal destitution for many. |
RE Having to Rebuild Gaza, Again
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/11/opinion/having-to-rebuild-gaza-again.html?ref=opinion
Dear Editor,
Your editorial on rebuilding Gaza again correctly concludes "It is little wonder, absent a credible peace process, that so many donor nations are reluctant to pour money into what many see as a black hole."
Obviously the plight of the Palestinians is dire and as things are right now it is bound to get worse.
In rebuilding Gaza, everyone but Israel is expected to pay Alan Philps points out that: "Aid agencies, big and small, are keenly aware that the vital work they do in Gaza and the West Bank can be seen as reducing the burden of occupation on Israel. Since Israel primarily controls access to Gaza by land, air and sea, it should be responsible for the welfare of the Gazans. Yet this burden is borne by US and European taxpayers and other international donors."
Meanwhile in the West Bank "Dozens of Israeli settlers protected by soldiers burned and damaged olive trees on Palestinian lands in the Yasuf village near Salfit in the northern West Bank on Friday" Settlers attack Palestinian olive farmers for 2nd time in 2 days
I think Hamas should step down for Palestine's sake, and all Islamists in Gaza should surrender or destroy their lethal weaponry... Ending the Israel-Palestine conflict ASAP with a fully secular two state solution based on full respect for international law and universal human rights- creating a fully sovereign free Palestine to live alongside and with Israel in peace and security, is the best way forward.
As Taliban attack survivor Malala Yousafzai (the young girl who recently won the Nobel Peace Prize) said in her inspiring address to the United Nations last year "Let us wage a glorious struggle against illiteracy, poverty and terrorism. Let us pick up our books and pens - they are the most important weapons".
Sincerely,
Anne Selden Annab
NOTES
"There is a vicious circle of mutual self-reinforcement between state and society failure on the one hand and the rise of extremist non-state actors on the other." Ziad Asali: Confronting ISIL: The Day and Decade "After"
Malala Yousafzai of Pakistan and Kailash Satyarthi of India jointly won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for risking their lives to fight for children's rights... "widening the concept of peace work to include efforts to improve human rights, fight poverty and clean up the environment."
New Ibish article: Hisham, Hope and Despair..."The crucial point is that the one thing that is certain is that the choices that we make individually and collectively will have a direct and profound impact on the short, medium and long-term outcomes. And, therefore, our choices must be carefully considered, deliberate and purposive, while apathy and inaction are not options."
To promote the values of dialogue, tolerance and mutual respect, among religions and cultures... Let’s teach our youth to build, not destroy
Ashrawi: The recognition of Palestine is Human, Moral, Legal, and Political Imperative
"Let’s not feed Islamophobic bigotry... The great divide is not between faiths, but one between intolerant zealots of any tradition and the large numbers of decent, peaceful believers likewise found in each tradition." Nicholas Kristof
Last Thursday, the United Nations released a report that could provide us with one of the keys to defeating ISIS. Unfortunately, it received almost zero media attention.
"We see martyrs, children as young as 7, being portrayed as resistance fighters after being slaughtered by Israeli forces. Although we would like to convince ourselves that they have died for “the cause”, they have in fact died because of the cause." Mariam Barg
Hussein Ibish: US has a responsibility to rein in Israeli settlements
Tala Haikal: "It may not be possible to immediately free all the kidnapped girls and women due to the scope of the conflict with ISIS and the geographical dispersal of the captives in various locations. Some of these women and girls can be freed only once ISIS is destroyed."
STAY CONNECTED... Given the U.S. commitment to religious freedom, and to the international covenants that guarantee it as the inalienable right of every human being, the United States seeks to: Promote freedom of religion and conscience throughout the world as a fundamental human right and as a source of stability for all countries
UN report spotlights 'staggering' Islamic State atrocities in Iraq... "The group, which is fighting in Iraq and Syria, has carried out a wide range of atrocities, including mass executions, abductions, rape and other forms of sexual and physical violence against women and children"
USA Today... Sweden PM says nation will recognize Palestinian state: "It doesn't change a thing on the ground," Ibish said. "It changes the number of countries that have recognized the Palestinian state. It changes the Western commitment to a two-state solution, (and) it does put more pressure on Israel to make concessions."
Vatican seeks Mideast Christians' right of return
Salam Fayyad: How To Fix the Israeli-Palestinian Peace Process
Excellent letter in the Guardian by Chris Doyle: Trouble and shock in the West Bank
US sharply criticizes new Israeli housing project
Non-violent resistance is Palestine’s most powerful weapon
Tala Haikal: Empathy Is Essential to Humanity
Normalizing Intelligent Conversations, Diplomatic Support, and Hope for Palestine... ATFP Panel Briefing: Israeli-Palestinian War in a New Regional Landscape.
ATFP... American Task Force on Palestine
ATFP Calls for De-Escalation between Israel and the Palestinians
To honor a tragic history, we must work for peace : "The only way to honor our tragic histories is to create a future for our children free of man-made tragedy. This means making peace fully, completely and without reservation, between Israel and Palestine." Ziad Asali
International Year of Solidarity with the Palestinian People 2014
UNRWA photo and film archive for Palestine refugees
About UNWRA: ’The Long Journey of Palestine Refugee Women’ candidly portrays the lives and experiences of Palestine refugee women, this collection is a testament not only to their own strength and dignity, but also to the richness and resilience of their community.
Walking Palestine & The Abraham Path... a creative space for stories that highlight the unique culture, heritage and hospitality of the region
It's time for Palestinians and Israelis to share a just peace... It's time for freedom from occupation... It's time for equal rights.... It's time for the healing of wounded souls..... World Week for Peace in Palestine Israel: "Let my people go!"... 21 - 27 September 2014 An initiative of the Palestine Israel Ecumenical Forum (PIEF) of the World Council of Churches
Palestinian Refugees (1948-NOW) refused their right to return... and their right to live in peace free from religious bigotry and injustice.
1948
Time and time again I have watched the cycle of incitement and spin sabotage support for Palestine
Clarifying why Arab and Muslim Americans should be smart rather than stupid
Live by the Golden Rule
An Anne Frank Moment ... a poem by Anne Selden Annab
"Where, after all, do universal human rights begin?
America/Israel/Palestine 1776
America/Israel/Palestine
1948: All
human beings are born free and equal in
dignity and rights.They are endowed with reason and
conscience and should act towards one another in a
spirit of brotherhood.
The Golden Rule... Do unto others
as you would have them do unto you
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