http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/865963.html
Last update - 15:36 02/06/2007
Palestinians: Dozens of shops, homes damaged in IDF Nablus raid
By The Associated Press
Dozens of Palestinian shops and homes were damaged, and water, sewage and electrical lines were cut in the West Bank town of Nablus on Saturday by Israel Defense Forces blasting of concrete barriers blocking entrances to the crowded Old City, Nablus officials said.The predawn explosions left thousands without running water and electricity, though repair teams were out by mid-morning.Said Handiyeh, a Nablus city council member, estimated the damage at $100,000. He said a 60-year old woman was slightly hurt by shattering glass.
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The IDF, which conducts frequent arrest raids against militants in Nablus, said the concrete blocks impeded soldiers from operating within the city. Soldiers operating in Nablus regularly uncover explosives and munitions that are being readied for attacks on Israelis, the military said."The Palestinians had put up huge concrete blocks so Israeli soldiers would not have access to operate in Nablus, which is a hotbed of terrorist activity," the military said.Three Palestinian cabinet ministers later came to the city to survey the damage."Israel has been ruling the Palestinian people for 40 years, and what is happening to Nablus is out-and-out war," Information Minister Mustafa Barghouti said. "Israel...is choking the city with barriers."
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
Children at the Heart of a Conflict: Two Boys in Gaza Shot Dead by IDF.
http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSL0148284720070601
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6712485.stm
Gaza boys 'shot dead by Israelis'
The shooting took place near the Israel-Gaza border fenceTwo Palestinian boys have been shot dead by Israeli troops in the northern Gaza Strip, Palestinian sources say.
The children were estimated to be between eight and 13 years old. They have not yet been identified.
An Israeli army spokesman said the army had shot at several Palestinians near the Gaza-Israel border fence.
He said they were crawling towards the fence near Beit Lahiya, "did not heed repeated calls to stop and planted a suspicious device close to the fence".
A separate spokeswoman said: "We identified hitting three. One was lightly injured and was taken to hospital inside Israel."
The other two were evacuated by Palestinian ambulance workers, but died.
Medical staff at a Gaza hospital said they had been hit in the chest.
They said the children had reportedly been scouring the area near the border fence for scrap metal, Reuters reported.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6712485.stm
Gaza boys 'shot dead by Israelis'
The shooting took place near the Israel-Gaza border fenceTwo Palestinian boys have been shot dead by Israeli troops in the northern Gaza Strip, Palestinian sources say.
The children were estimated to be between eight and 13 years old. They have not yet been identified.
An Israeli army spokesman said the army had shot at several Palestinians near the Gaza-Israel border fence.
He said they were crawling towards the fence near Beit Lahiya, "did not heed repeated calls to stop and planted a suspicious device close to the fence".
A separate spokeswoman said: "We identified hitting three. One was lightly injured and was taken to hospital inside Israel."
The other two were evacuated by Palestinian ambulance workers, but died.
Medical staff at a Gaza hospital said they had been hit in the chest.
They said the children had reportedly been scouring the area near the border fence for scrap metal, Reuters reported.
Necessary Funding in The Occupied Territories
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/865985.html
Dutch planning to give each Palestinian policeman 360 euros
By Cnaan Liphshiz and The Associated Press
The Dutch Foreign Ministry is planning to give the Palestinian Police a special grant of 6.3 million euros ($8.4 million) in the following months, the Hague's foreign minister announced last week. The special funding is "also in Israel's best interests," he said.Foreign Minister Maxime Verhagen and Bert Koenders, Minister of Development Cooperation, announced the initiative last week. The money would be given to Palestinian police officers, they told the Dutch press.The Dutch government expects to give each officer 360 euros through the Temporary International Mechanism (TIM).
The Palestinian Authority is the largest employer in the West Bank and Gaza, and government salaries help provide for about one-third of the Palestinians.During the boycott, civil servants only received partial salary payments.Hamas and Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah party formed a coalition in March, with the goal of ending a foreign aid boycott imposed when Hamas first came to power more than a year ago. However, many countries have said they would not resume direct aid payments to the Palestinian government, because Hamas refuses to renounce violence and recognize Israel.Arab countries and several other donor nations, including Norway, have not joined the boycott. Fayyad established the PLO account to enable these donors to transfer funds. In recent weeks, Qatar send $44 million , Saudi Arabia transferred $50 million and Norway gave $10 million.Norway resumed direct aid to the Palestinian administration, after it became the first Western country to recognize the new Hamas-led coalition. "We hope our contribution will help ease the social crisis the Palestinians are now going through," said Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere.
Dutch planning to give each Palestinian policeman 360 euros
By Cnaan Liphshiz and The Associated Press
The Dutch Foreign Ministry is planning to give the Palestinian Police a special grant of 6.3 million euros ($8.4 million) in the following months, the Hague's foreign minister announced last week. The special funding is "also in Israel's best interests," he said.Foreign Minister Maxime Verhagen and Bert Koenders, Minister of Development Cooperation, announced the initiative last week. The money would be given to Palestinian police officers, they told the Dutch press.The Dutch government expects to give each officer 360 euros through the Temporary International Mechanism (TIM).
The Palestinian Authority is the largest employer in the West Bank and Gaza, and government salaries help provide for about one-third of the Palestinians.During the boycott, civil servants only received partial salary payments.Hamas and Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah party formed a coalition in March, with the goal of ending a foreign aid boycott imposed when Hamas first came to power more than a year ago. However, many countries have said they would not resume direct aid payments to the Palestinian government, because Hamas refuses to renounce violence and recognize Israel.Arab countries and several other donor nations, including Norway, have not joined the boycott. Fayyad established the PLO account to enable these donors to transfer funds. In recent weeks, Qatar send $44 million , Saudi Arabia transferred $50 million and Norway gave $10 million.Norway resumed direct aid to the Palestinian administration, after it became the first Western country to recognize the new Hamas-led coalition. "We hope our contribution will help ease the social crisis the Palestinians are now going through," said Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere.
Speaking Out: Nelson Mandela on Israeli Apartheid
Nelson Mandela's First Memo to Thomas Freidman
http://www.mediamonitors.net/arjan28.html
Thomas, if you follow the polls in Israel for the last 30 or 40 years, you clearly find a vulgar racism that includes a third of the population who openly declare themselves to be racist. This racism is of the nature of "I hate Arabs" and "I wish Arabs would be dead". If you also follow the judicial system in Israel you will see there is discrimination against Palestinians, and if you further consider the 1967 occupied territories you will find there are already two judicial systems in operation that represent two different approaches to human life: one for Palestinian life and the other for Jewish life. Additionally there are two different approaches to property and to land. Palestinian property is not recognized as private property because it can be confiscated.
As to the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza, there is an additional factor. The so-called "Palestinian autonomous areas" are bantustans. These are restricted entities within the power structure of the Israeli apartheid system.
The Palestinian state cannot be the by-product of the Jewish state, just in order to keep the Jewish purity of Israel. Israel's racial discrimination is daily life of most Palestinians. Since Israel is a Jewish state, Israeli Jews are able to accrue special rights which non-Jews cannot do. Palestinian Arabs have no place in a "Jewish" state.
Apartheid is a crime against humanity. Israel has deprived millions of Palestinians of their liberty and property. It has perpetuated a system of gross racial discrimination and inequality. It has systematically incarcerated and tortured thousands of Palestinians, contrary to the rules of international law. It has, in particular, waged a war against a civilian population, in particular children.
http://www.mediamonitors.net/arjan28.html
Thomas, if you follow the polls in Israel for the last 30 or 40 years, you clearly find a vulgar racism that includes a third of the population who openly declare themselves to be racist. This racism is of the nature of "I hate Arabs" and "I wish Arabs would be dead". If you also follow the judicial system in Israel you will see there is discrimination against Palestinians, and if you further consider the 1967 occupied territories you will find there are already two judicial systems in operation that represent two different approaches to human life: one for Palestinian life and the other for Jewish life. Additionally there are two different approaches to property and to land. Palestinian property is not recognized as private property because it can be confiscated.
As to the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza, there is an additional factor. The so-called "Palestinian autonomous areas" are bantustans. These are restricted entities within the power structure of the Israeli apartheid system.
The Palestinian state cannot be the by-product of the Jewish state, just in order to keep the Jewish purity of Israel. Israel's racial discrimination is daily life of most Palestinians. Since Israel is a Jewish state, Israeli Jews are able to accrue special rights which non-Jews cannot do. Palestinian Arabs have no place in a "Jewish" state.
Apartheid is a crime against humanity. Israel has deprived millions of Palestinians of their liberty and property. It has perpetuated a system of gross racial discrimination and inequality. It has systematically incarcerated and tortured thousands of Palestinians, contrary to the rules of international law. It has, in particular, waged a war against a civilian population, in particular children.
World Recognition of an Occupied Territory
EU, US say they will snub invitation to Jerusalem Day
By israelinsider staff May 13, 2007
Ambassadors from both the US and the EU have declined Israel's invitation to its celebrations this week commemorating the 40th anniversary of the reunification of Jerusalem. The German ambassador to Israel, Dr. Harald Kindermann, spoke for all EU countries when he declined the invitation, citing the controversial status of Jerusalem as Israel's Capital. "We believe that Jerusalem's future should be part of the negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians," German Embassy sources told Ynetnews Sunday. "Our point of view is not new and Germany must take this stance in accordance with the rest of the countries." "We cannot force other European Union countries to accept our opinion, but we can definitely decide for ourselves. Germany cannot take part in an official event of the Israeli government, if this implies that we recognize these borders of Jerusalem," the sources stated. Shortly after Germany's rejection, it was reported by Israel Radio that the US ambassador to Israel, Richard Jones, would follow suit.
EU boycotts 'provocative' Israeli anniversary party
By Eric Silver in Jerusalem
Published: 14 May 2007
Ambassadors from European Union states are to boycott celebrations of the 40th anniversary of Israel's conquest of Arab East Jerusalem this week - in the opening shot of what promises to be a challenging summer for Israeli diplomacy.
The United States ambassador, Richard Jones, is also expected to join the Europeans in snubbing the celebrations .
What Israelis commemorate as the "reunification" of their historic Jewish capital is seen by most of the international community, not to mention the Palestinians, as a unilateral attempt to pre-empt a key issue in any peaceful solution. One-third of the city's 725,000 residents are Palestinians, who have opted to reject offers of Israeli citizenship. Along with most other countries, the Europeans keep their embassies in Tel Aviv.
Hanan Ashrawi, a member of the Palestinian parliament, yesterday welcomed the European boycott as a blow for international law and peace. "The Israelis," she said, "cannot get away with creating facts on the ground and then forcing everybody to fall in line".
Foreign diplomats are likely to be equally wary of celebrating the anniversary of the 1967 June war. Most Israelis cherish it as a glorious victory, but left-wing demonstrators reminded them last week that it heralded 40 years of occupation of Palestinian and Syrian lands.
On the Europeans' behalf, Germany, which holds the rotating presidency of the 27-member union, rejected invitations to a Jerusalem Day event at Israel's parliament on Wednesday.
A spokesman for the European Commission said: "... we do not recognise the Israeli annexation of East Jerusalem. We believe that the future of Jerusalem should be settled by negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians".
The British embassy confirmed that Tom Phillips, the ambassador, would not attend the event. "We think it is not appropriate," a spokeswoman explained, "because Jerusalem is one of the unsettled final-status issues."
The Israeli reaction was calculatedly low-key. It is not spoiling for a fight over Jerusalem at this stage. Mark Regev, the Foreign Ministry spokesman, said: "We are disappointed and unhappy that not all governments will be sending representatives."
He reiterated Israel's long-standing policy: "We have agreed that the issue of Jerusalem is part of final-status talks. We will bring our position to the table. The Palestinians will bring [theirs]. But our position is that Jerusalem will remain the united capital of the Jewish state."
The Israeli cabinet, which met yesterday in the Menachem Begin Heritage Centre overlooking the Old City, approved a 5.75 billion-shekel (£7m) package designed to strengthen Israel's hold on Jerusalem over the next five years. It includes tax relief for charities, hospitals and educational institutions; and transferring more government offices to the city.
Ehud Olmert, the Prime Minister, said the measures would "advance and encourage Jerusalem". But Mohammed Baradeh, an Arab member of the Israeli parliament, protested: "Holding the government meeting across from the walls of the Old City, celebrating the occupation, is a provocation. There will be no peace without two capital cities in Jerusalem."
By israelinsider staff May 13, 2007
Ambassadors from both the US and the EU have declined Israel's invitation to its celebrations this week commemorating the 40th anniversary of the reunification of Jerusalem. The German ambassador to Israel, Dr. Harald Kindermann, spoke for all EU countries when he declined the invitation, citing the controversial status of Jerusalem as Israel's Capital. "We believe that Jerusalem's future should be part of the negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians," German Embassy sources told Ynetnews Sunday. "Our point of view is not new and Germany must take this stance in accordance with the rest of the countries." "We cannot force other European Union countries to accept our opinion, but we can definitely decide for ourselves. Germany cannot take part in an official event of the Israeli government, if this implies that we recognize these borders of Jerusalem," the sources stated. Shortly after Germany's rejection, it was reported by Israel Radio that the US ambassador to Israel, Richard Jones, would follow suit.
EU boycotts 'provocative' Israeli anniversary party
By Eric Silver in Jerusalem
Published: 14 May 2007
Ambassadors from European Union states are to boycott celebrations of the 40th anniversary of Israel's conquest of Arab East Jerusalem this week - in the opening shot of what promises to be a challenging summer for Israeli diplomacy.
The United States ambassador, Richard Jones, is also expected to join the Europeans in snubbing the celebrations .
What Israelis commemorate as the "reunification" of their historic Jewish capital is seen by most of the international community, not to mention the Palestinians, as a unilateral attempt to pre-empt a key issue in any peaceful solution. One-third of the city's 725,000 residents are Palestinians, who have opted to reject offers of Israeli citizenship. Along with most other countries, the Europeans keep their embassies in Tel Aviv.
Hanan Ashrawi, a member of the Palestinian parliament, yesterday welcomed the European boycott as a blow for international law and peace. "The Israelis," she said, "cannot get away with creating facts on the ground and then forcing everybody to fall in line".
Foreign diplomats are likely to be equally wary of celebrating the anniversary of the 1967 June war. Most Israelis cherish it as a glorious victory, but left-wing demonstrators reminded them last week that it heralded 40 years of occupation of Palestinian and Syrian lands.
On the Europeans' behalf, Germany, which holds the rotating presidency of the 27-member union, rejected invitations to a Jerusalem Day event at Israel's parliament on Wednesday.
A spokesman for the European Commission said: "... we do not recognise the Israeli annexation of East Jerusalem. We believe that the future of Jerusalem should be settled by negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians".
The British embassy confirmed that Tom Phillips, the ambassador, would not attend the event. "We think it is not appropriate," a spokeswoman explained, "because Jerusalem is one of the unsettled final-status issues."
The Israeli reaction was calculatedly low-key. It is not spoiling for a fight over Jerusalem at this stage. Mark Regev, the Foreign Ministry spokesman, said: "We are disappointed and unhappy that not all governments will be sending representatives."
He reiterated Israel's long-standing policy: "We have agreed that the issue of Jerusalem is part of final-status talks. We will bring our position to the table. The Palestinians will bring [theirs]. But our position is that Jerusalem will remain the united capital of the Jewish state."
The Israeli cabinet, which met yesterday in the Menachem Begin Heritage Centre overlooking the Old City, approved a 5.75 billion-shekel (£7m) package designed to strengthen Israel's hold on Jerusalem over the next five years. It includes tax relief for charities, hospitals and educational institutions; and transferring more government offices to the city.
Ehud Olmert, the Prime Minister, said the measures would "advance and encourage Jerusalem". But Mohammed Baradeh, an Arab member of the Israeli parliament, protested: "Holding the government meeting across from the walls of the Old City, celebrating the occupation, is a provocation. There will be no peace without two capital cities in Jerusalem."
The Palestinians Don't Even Have Weather.
Tanya Reinhart.
The Palestinians don't even have weather
Yediot Aharonot, March 9, 2003
To the extent that the recent military acts in the territories are debated in Israel at all, the debate almost solely revolves around the question whether or not it is possible to end the Palestinian terror this way. The Palestinians, as human beings, simply do not exist.A few days ago it snowed in Jerusalem. On Tuesday, Ferbruary 25th, the cold wave featured in all Israeli papers as the main news. Even in my heated home in Tel Aviv it was cold. My thoughts wandered to my Palestinian friends - colleagues from Bir Zeit University. How does the snow fare with a family that still has a home, but not that much money to heat it? And what's with those who no longer have a home? It snowed in Jenin as well. How did the Jenin refugees survive the cold, and those who were recently made to flee from Hebron? And what about the old people, for whom the cold is particularly dangerous? Where did the new homeless of Gaza spend the night - those whose homes were destroyed that same day? Is UNRWA still able to provide them with blankets and tents? At the beginning of February, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinians in the Near East (UNRWA), renewed its emergency appeal to the international community for urgent contributions for the first half of 2003. They stated that without these contributions, which have decreased lately, their budget would end in March(1). The heart seeks answers, but the papers tell you nothing about that. Across the fence, outside the media, outside of consciousness, the Palestinians don't even have weather.That same day, however, Ha'aretz reported a new campaign, launched by the Israeli security echelons, to confiscate funds that are transmitted to the Palestinians through Israeli banks - "tens of millions of dollars a year…mainly from charity organizations in the Arab countries and in Europe". (Amos Har'el, Hebrew edition only). While UNRWA is on the verge of collapse, the Palestinians should be deprived also of the charity funds that help them survive. This is not an isolated incident, but one more step in a systematic Israeli policy of economic strangulation. Already in June 2002,"internal conclusions of the security echelons, following operation 'Defensive Shield', assessed that… the financial reserves of the Palestinian authority are reaching the bottom... In a future not far off, the majority of Palestinians will only be able to maintain a reasonable life through the help of international aid." (Amos Har'el, Ha'aretz, Hebrew edition, June 23, 2002). At the same time, Israel, aided by the Jewish Lobby in the US congress, opened a campaign to restrict international aid, and demanded a "reconsideration" of UNRWA's operations in the occupied territories:
"Israel has begun a campaign in the United States and the United Nations to urge a reconsideration of the way the UN Relief and Works Agency, which runs the Palestinian refugee camps in the West Bank and Gaza, operates. Israel charges that UNRWA workers simply ignored the fact that Palestinian organizations were turning the camps into terrorist bases and it is demanding the agency start reporting all military or terrorist actions within the camps to the UN.... Meanwhile, Jewish and pro-Israeli lobbyists in the U.S. are waging a parallel campaign ... American Jewish lobbyists are basing their efforts on the fact that the U.S. currently contributes some 30 percent of UNRWA's $400 million a year budget, and is therefore in a position to influence the agency: A congressional refusal to approve UNRWA's funding could seriously disrupt its operations." (Nathan Guttman, Ha'aretz, June 29, 2002).
Malnutrition of Palestinian children in the occupied territories already equals that of Congo and Zimbabwe (2), but Israel "launches a campaign" to prevent even the little left to keep them nourished. Genocide is associated in our minds with mass graves, or convoys of population transfer. The slow death inflicted on the Palestinian people has, perhaps, no name yet, but still, how does it happen that the Israeli society seals its heart and its eyes from seeing it? Part of the answer is that evil is wrapped in words about "war against terror". The security sources announce that UNRWA "ignores" terrorist activities (as if UNRWA is a police force), or that the charity funds to the Palestinians are "millions of dollars to terror" and the media just circulates their prophecy. No further proof is ever needed. Following the confiscation of charity funds, which started in East Jerusalem banks, "the region commander, Levi, refused to disclose precise details concerning the terrorist activities in Jerusalem that were funded with these [confiscated] funds" (Arnon Regular and Amos Har'el, Ha'aretz, February 28, 2003). The primal Israeli instinct to believe that the IDF (army) never lies, will do the rest.Israel's persecution of the Palestinian people is not war against terror. The Palestinian suicidal terror has a simple solution - get out of the territories and give the Palestinians reasons to live. The war against the Palestinians is over the 'Promised Land' of Sharon, the army and the settlers. In this kind of war, one needs to lie constantly, because (according to the polls) most Israelis don't care about the territories and they are willing to get out of there tomorrow. Left to themselves, people won't seek out ways to starve, torture and abandon in the cold millions of other people. To get them to accept that, one has to cultivate their fears. In the same way, the half of the American people that supports the war on Iraq believes that if they don't immediately eliminate the Iraqi people, Saddam Hussein will eliminate the US. (1) The text of the UNRWA Emergency Appeal for 2003 can be found at http://www.un.org/unrwa/emergency/pdf/5th-appeal.pdf(2) Chris McGreal, The Guardian Feb 11, 2003.
The Palestinians don't even have weather
Yediot Aharonot, March 9, 2003
To the extent that the recent military acts in the territories are debated in Israel at all, the debate almost solely revolves around the question whether or not it is possible to end the Palestinian terror this way. The Palestinians, as human beings, simply do not exist.A few days ago it snowed in Jerusalem. On Tuesday, Ferbruary 25th, the cold wave featured in all Israeli papers as the main news. Even in my heated home in Tel Aviv it was cold. My thoughts wandered to my Palestinian friends - colleagues from Bir Zeit University. How does the snow fare with a family that still has a home, but not that much money to heat it? And what's with those who no longer have a home? It snowed in Jenin as well. How did the Jenin refugees survive the cold, and those who were recently made to flee from Hebron? And what about the old people, for whom the cold is particularly dangerous? Where did the new homeless of Gaza spend the night - those whose homes were destroyed that same day? Is UNRWA still able to provide them with blankets and tents? At the beginning of February, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinians in the Near East (UNRWA), renewed its emergency appeal to the international community for urgent contributions for the first half of 2003. They stated that without these contributions, which have decreased lately, their budget would end in March(1). The heart seeks answers, but the papers tell you nothing about that. Across the fence, outside the media, outside of consciousness, the Palestinians don't even have weather.That same day, however, Ha'aretz reported a new campaign, launched by the Israeli security echelons, to confiscate funds that are transmitted to the Palestinians through Israeli banks - "tens of millions of dollars a year…mainly from charity organizations in the Arab countries and in Europe". (Amos Har'el, Hebrew edition only). While UNRWA is on the verge of collapse, the Palestinians should be deprived also of the charity funds that help them survive. This is not an isolated incident, but one more step in a systematic Israeli policy of economic strangulation. Already in June 2002,"internal conclusions of the security echelons, following operation 'Defensive Shield', assessed that… the financial reserves of the Palestinian authority are reaching the bottom... In a future not far off, the majority of Palestinians will only be able to maintain a reasonable life through the help of international aid." (Amos Har'el, Ha'aretz, Hebrew edition, June 23, 2002). At the same time, Israel, aided by the Jewish Lobby in the US congress, opened a campaign to restrict international aid, and demanded a "reconsideration" of UNRWA's operations in the occupied territories:
"Israel has begun a campaign in the United States and the United Nations to urge a reconsideration of the way the UN Relief and Works Agency, which runs the Palestinian refugee camps in the West Bank and Gaza, operates. Israel charges that UNRWA workers simply ignored the fact that Palestinian organizations were turning the camps into terrorist bases and it is demanding the agency start reporting all military or terrorist actions within the camps to the UN.... Meanwhile, Jewish and pro-Israeli lobbyists in the U.S. are waging a parallel campaign ... American Jewish lobbyists are basing their efforts on the fact that the U.S. currently contributes some 30 percent of UNRWA's $400 million a year budget, and is therefore in a position to influence the agency: A congressional refusal to approve UNRWA's funding could seriously disrupt its operations." (Nathan Guttman, Ha'aretz, June 29, 2002).
Malnutrition of Palestinian children in the occupied territories already equals that of Congo and Zimbabwe (2), but Israel "launches a campaign" to prevent even the little left to keep them nourished. Genocide is associated in our minds with mass graves, or convoys of population transfer. The slow death inflicted on the Palestinian people has, perhaps, no name yet, but still, how does it happen that the Israeli society seals its heart and its eyes from seeing it? Part of the answer is that evil is wrapped in words about "war against terror". The security sources announce that UNRWA "ignores" terrorist activities (as if UNRWA is a police force), or that the charity funds to the Palestinians are "millions of dollars to terror" and the media just circulates their prophecy. No further proof is ever needed. Following the confiscation of charity funds, which started in East Jerusalem banks, "the region commander, Levi, refused to disclose precise details concerning the terrorist activities in Jerusalem that were funded with these [confiscated] funds" (Arnon Regular and Amos Har'el, Ha'aretz, February 28, 2003). The primal Israeli instinct to believe that the IDF (army) never lies, will do the rest.Israel's persecution of the Palestinian people is not war against terror. The Palestinian suicidal terror has a simple solution - get out of the territories and give the Palestinians reasons to live. The war against the Palestinians is over the 'Promised Land' of Sharon, the army and the settlers. In this kind of war, one needs to lie constantly, because (according to the polls) most Israelis don't care about the territories and they are willing to get out of there tomorrow. Left to themselves, people won't seek out ways to starve, torture and abandon in the cold millions of other people. To get them to accept that, one has to cultivate their fears. In the same way, the half of the American people that supports the war on Iraq believes that if they don't immediately eliminate the Iraqi people, Saddam Hussein will eliminate the US. (1) The text of the UNRWA Emergency Appeal for 2003 can be found at http://www.un.org/unrwa/emergency/pdf/5th-appeal.pdf(2) Chris McGreal, The Guardian Feb 11, 2003.
Thursday, May 10, 2007
Keep Jerusalem Jewish
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/857769.html
I thought this article would apply to our class and what the Al-Quds students were implying yesterday in the video conference. They often stated that Israel wants to ensure that its population is mainly comprised of a Jewish majority. This is one of the possible reasons for the wall, and why the walls are built in certain areas, dividing families and villages. According to this article, there is a concern that Jerusalem will lose its Jewish majority in Jerusalem by the year 2035.
Excerpts:
"People used to believe that the Jewish majority in Jerusalem could be maintained by the massive construction of neighborhoods around the city's edges; now what is being advocated is the removal of Arab neighborhoods on the fringes of the city, which would reduce the number of Arab residents in an artificial, bureaucratic way. "
"The loss of the Jewish majority is a scarecrow that serves as an excuse to constrict the Palestinian population, as well as being a convenient slogan for internal Israeli goading."
I thought this article would apply to our class and what the Al-Quds students were implying yesterday in the video conference. They often stated that Israel wants to ensure that its population is mainly comprised of a Jewish majority. This is one of the possible reasons for the wall, and why the walls are built in certain areas, dividing families and villages. According to this article, there is a concern that Jerusalem will lose its Jewish majority in Jerusalem by the year 2035.
Excerpts:
"People used to believe that the Jewish majority in Jerusalem could be maintained by the massive construction of neighborhoods around the city's edges; now what is being advocated is the removal of Arab neighborhoods on the fringes of the city, which would reduce the number of Arab residents in an artificial, bureaucratic way. "
"The loss of the Jewish majority is a scarecrow that serves as an excuse to constrict the Palestinian population, as well as being a convenient slogan for internal Israeli goading."
Tuesday, May 8, 2007
History Must Be Addressed, Rather Than Repressed
Distorting Palestinians’ history
5/4/2007 1:09:00 PM GMT
An estimated 900,000 Palestinians fled their country during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war.
By Emma Sabry
A Middle East map in a typical Israeli school text book doesn’t show the Green Line which until 1967 separated Israel from Palestinian territories now occupied by the Jewish state.
Israeli children don’t learn that the Israeli side of the Green Line encompasses 78% of what was Palestine in 1947.
Moreover, if you watch the introductory video at Tel Aviv's Independence Hall Museum, you will not hear or see anything related to the Arabs who lived in Palestine before Israel seized the territory and became a state in 1948.
It is as if the Palestinians do not exist!
Every country is guilty of telling its own version of history, and of trying to show itself as the hero of its own story, says Dr Ruth Firer, a historian at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. "But every narrative has to be flexible enough to let others live by it. If one's own history is written in a way that doesn't let others live by it then we have a problem,” she adds.
In the 1980s, some Israeli historians sought to debunk what they call a distorted "Zionist narrative” by writing about the more brutal aspects of their country’s origins, including the expulsions and violence against Arabs.
But their version of Israel’s true history never made it into the mainstream narrative.
The Israelis don’t even know the word "Nakba", or the "disaster", which took place after Israel’s creation. The word refers to all the tragic circumstances surrounding the creation of Israel which forced an estimated 900,000 Palestinians to flee their country during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war.
“If you ask people in Israel about the Nakba the majority don't know what it is,” according to Eyal Danon who works on a project with Israeli Arabs documenting the Arab and Jewish history of Jaffa.
The right of return of Palestinian refugees and the legal status of Jerusalem are among the key obstacles hampering the resumption of peace talks between Israeli and Palestinian leaders.
For example, Israel immediately rejected the Saudi-drafted peace plan -- initially introduced in 2002 and revived by the Arab League in March -- simply because it doesn’t want the refugees to return to their homeland, arguing that their return could result in the demographic elimination of Israel as a “Jewish state”.
Moreover, the Israelis believe that the Palestinians were not forced to leave their lands in the late 1940s, and thus do not have a right to return and do not deserve any kind of compensation. On the other hand, the Palestinians justify their right of return to what is now Israel because they were expelled as a result of Israeli aggression.
This clearly indicates that the Israelis must study the Nakba and the Palestinian exodus because it was their responsibility, says Eyal Danon.
Only after Israel has dealt with this, can there be dialogue with the Palestinians, she adds.
copied from: http://www.aljazeera.com/cgi-bin/review/article_full_story.asp?service_id=13334
5/4/2007 1:09:00 PM GMT
An estimated 900,000 Palestinians fled their country during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war.
By Emma Sabry
A Middle East map in a typical Israeli school text book doesn’t show the Green Line which until 1967 separated Israel from Palestinian territories now occupied by the Jewish state.
Israeli children don’t learn that the Israeli side of the Green Line encompasses 78% of what was Palestine in 1947.
Moreover, if you watch the introductory video at Tel Aviv's Independence Hall Museum, you will not hear or see anything related to the Arabs who lived in Palestine before Israel seized the territory and became a state in 1948.
It is as if the Palestinians do not exist!
Every country is guilty of telling its own version of history, and of trying to show itself as the hero of its own story, says Dr Ruth Firer, a historian at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. "But every narrative has to be flexible enough to let others live by it. If one's own history is written in a way that doesn't let others live by it then we have a problem,” she adds.
In the 1980s, some Israeli historians sought to debunk what they call a distorted "Zionist narrative” by writing about the more brutal aspects of their country’s origins, including the expulsions and violence against Arabs.
But their version of Israel’s true history never made it into the mainstream narrative.
The Israelis don’t even know the word "Nakba", or the "disaster", which took place after Israel’s creation. The word refers to all the tragic circumstances surrounding the creation of Israel which forced an estimated 900,000 Palestinians to flee their country during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war.
“If you ask people in Israel about the Nakba the majority don't know what it is,” according to Eyal Danon who works on a project with Israeli Arabs documenting the Arab and Jewish history of Jaffa.
The right of return of Palestinian refugees and the legal status of Jerusalem are among the key obstacles hampering the resumption of peace talks between Israeli and Palestinian leaders.
For example, Israel immediately rejected the Saudi-drafted peace plan -- initially introduced in 2002 and revived by the Arab League in March -- simply because it doesn’t want the refugees to return to their homeland, arguing that their return could result in the demographic elimination of Israel as a “Jewish state”.
Moreover, the Israelis believe that the Palestinians were not forced to leave their lands in the late 1940s, and thus do not have a right to return and do not deserve any kind of compensation. On the other hand, the Palestinians justify their right of return to what is now Israel because they were expelled as a result of Israeli aggression.
This clearly indicates that the Israelis must study the Nakba and the Palestinian exodus because it was their responsibility, says Eyal Danon.
Only after Israel has dealt with this, can there be dialogue with the Palestinians, she adds.
copied from: http://www.aljazeera.com/cgi-bin/review/article_full_story.asp?service_id=13334
Saturday, April 21, 2007
Jerusalem Sunday
I have to research Arab women authors and do a presentation for my Arabic class. I chose to research the life and work of Suheir Hammad. She is of Palestinian descent and was raised in Brooklyn. Suheir is a political activist as well as a talented author. Her work is quite popular today. This poem is titled Jerusalem Sunday. Enjoy:)
Jeru
salem
sun
day
three muezzins call idan
where one's allah begins another's
akbar ends inviting the last
to witness mohammad's prophecies
church bells ring the sky
an ocean shade of blue above
christ's tomb and the stones
of this city witness man's weakness
boys run by the torah
strapped to their third eye
ready to rock their prayers
the roofs of this city busy as the streets
the gods of this city crowded and proud
two blind and graying
arab men lead each other through
the old city surer of step than sight
tourists pick olives from the cracks
in the faces of young and graying
women selling mint onions and this
year's oil slicking the ground
this city is wind
breathe it
sharp
this history is blood
swallow it
warm
this sunday is holy
be it
god
Jeru
salem
sun
day
three muezzins call idan
where one's allah begins another's
akbar ends inviting the last
to witness mohammad's prophecies
church bells ring the sky
an ocean shade of blue above
christ's tomb and the stones
of this city witness man's weakness
boys run by the torah
strapped to their third eye
ready to rock their prayers
the roofs of this city busy as the streets
the gods of this city crowded and proud
two blind and graying
arab men lead each other through
the old city surer of step than sight
tourists pick olives from the cracks
in the faces of young and graying
women selling mint onions and this
year's oil slicking the ground
this city is wind
breathe it
sharp
this history is blood
swallow it
warm
this sunday is holy
be it
god
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Karen Armstrong Chapters 1-2
I absolutely loved reading Karen's history of Jerusalem. She thinks critically, which is essential when dealing with Jerusalem's many 'versions' of history. Karen attempted to answer the question why a city or area is considered 'holy.' She correctly stated when a place is deemed 'sacred,' it is not based on intellectual investigation. The 'holiness' of a city is determined by it's general inhabitants. It is a place where people's sets of beliefs, feelings, and memories are deeply intertwined within that area. A sacred place is still sacred to a religion or people, even if they are miles away from it. This idea is critical to Jerusalem and the 'conflict.' Different people 'claim' different sites, and the city itself, yet many times it cannot be truly 'proven.' It exists because of the people. It is mythological in a sense, as she further describes.
I found this quote very intriguing. "Eventually, Jerusalem would become central to the religion of Israel, but the first time the city is mentioned unequivocally in the Bible it appears as enemy territory." She stated that there are still scholars, particularly in the U.S. and Israel who adhere to the view that Israelites did conquer the land of Canaan, even though others are concluding that Israel came from within Canaan's society. Is this a coincidence, or are there political reasons behind the scholars' consensus?
Armstrong does a commendable job of organizing information that is often vague to say the least, and attempting to recreate the history of Jerusalem, one that is still debated upon. Her book is "admirably dispassionate," as one of her critics writes. I too, find this extremely refreshing as well. I look forward to reading more chapters from Armstrong's book.
I found this quote very intriguing. "Eventually, Jerusalem would become central to the religion of Israel, but the first time the city is mentioned unequivocally in the Bible it appears as enemy territory." She stated that there are still scholars, particularly in the U.S. and Israel who adhere to the view that Israelites did conquer the land of Canaan, even though others are concluding that Israel came from within Canaan's society. Is this a coincidence, or are there political reasons behind the scholars' consensus?
Armstrong does a commendable job of organizing information that is often vague to say the least, and attempting to recreate the history of Jerusalem, one that is still debated upon. Her book is "admirably dispassionate," as one of her critics writes. I too, find this extremely refreshing as well. I look forward to reading more chapters from Armstrong's book.
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Weblog Assignment #3: Living Folklore
Before I read this, I was a bit confused on what the concept "folklore" actually meant. These chapters helped me to better understand what folklore was, and what it was not. Sims and Stevens offer their definition:"Folklore is informally learned, unofficial knowledge about the world, ourselves, our communities, our beliefs, our cultures and our traditions, that is expressed through music, customs, actions, behaviors and materials." From what I understood, folklore basically is the story behind each tradition, and the tradition itself.
According to Sims and Stevens, folklore can be catagorized as verbal, material, and customary. Verbal folklore includes all oral traditions, including stories and tales, music, and phrases. I was suprised to know that material folklore can include architecture. I have always placed architecture in a solely historical persepective, never really tying in the ideas and stories behind the architecture itself. Other objects in material folklore included dreidels, and how they were used by different ethnic groups. As they go on to describe it, the term "folklore" becomes clearer, and also more abstract. It can inculde many different objects and stories, yet excludes objects that are part of "pop" culture that are often temporary. Customary lore, is a consistent way of doing something, that indicates involved membership. They give the example of one that encompasses the definition completely, a fraternity's secret handshake.
I have often overlooked many of these materials and stories; I never gave much thought to how they would be categorized, or the meanings behind them. I now see the value in studying and researching folklore, as it is something that brings and holds communities together. After reading the article, I believe it is even more essential to study folklore in places such as Jerusalem, where people are divided by walls and checkpoints, yet many of their traditions and ancient histories are similar. I found it interesting when Professor Horowitz mentioned that after researching the three different types of music found in each religion, all three monotheistic faiths had the same melody in which they prayed. *I hope I am remembering this correctly; it was something to this extent.* I hope the study of folklore in Jerusalem will be a way to connect the different people that live there, rather than separate them further.
According to Sims and Stevens, folklore can be catagorized as verbal, material, and customary. Verbal folklore includes all oral traditions, including stories and tales, music, and phrases. I was suprised to know that material folklore can include architecture. I have always placed architecture in a solely historical persepective, never really tying in the ideas and stories behind the architecture itself. Other objects in material folklore included dreidels, and how they were used by different ethnic groups. As they go on to describe it, the term "folklore" becomes clearer, and also more abstract. It can inculde many different objects and stories, yet excludes objects that are part of "pop" culture that are often temporary. Customary lore, is a consistent way of doing something, that indicates involved membership. They give the example of one that encompasses the definition completely, a fraternity's secret handshake.
I have often overlooked many of these materials and stories; I never gave much thought to how they would be categorized, or the meanings behind them. I now see the value in studying and researching folklore, as it is something that brings and holds communities together. After reading the article, I believe it is even more essential to study folklore in places such as Jerusalem, where people are divided by walls and checkpoints, yet many of their traditions and ancient histories are similar. I found it interesting when Professor Horowitz mentioned that after researching the three different types of music found in each religion, all three monotheistic faiths had the same melody in which they prayed. *I hope I am remembering this correctly; it was something to this extent.* I hope the study of folklore in Jerusalem will be a way to connect the different people that live there, rather than separate them further.
Friday, April 6, 2007
Thoughts on the First Few Weeks of class
It pleases me to know that not only will we be able to discuss topics on Jerusalem in class, but also with students actually experiencing and living in the conflict day after day. I too, like some of you, was a bit disappointed to see that the students from the Hebrew University were study abroad students. I would have liked to hear from Israeli students, as they grew up there, and have much more insight into the situation. However, videoconferencing is still an excellent way to communicate and share our thoughts. I had previously done a videoconference with students from the Dubai in my "Economy Development of the Middle East" course. That was interesting as well, although some of them couldn't answer political questions due to their positions held in the government.
I am very interested in culture, and history of each individual; I think it is important that this aspect of Jerusalem is not overlooked. However, because of the dire political and economic situations that people are now facing, I find it hard to look at just someone's story about how they make bread, without really looking into the political situation. I feel at times it can gloss over the despair, and injustices being committed daily, and paint a picture that is a bit idealistic. I truly want to be optimistic about Jerusalem, that it will one day be an international city, as stated in the UN resolution 242, yet there are people who do not even have their basic necessities. It is difficult to focus on just Jerusalem (for me), when a short distance away from it, people are starving. People cannot get to school because they are stopped at checkpoints. People don't have clean water.......and I say people, but I specifically mean the Palestinians. It is they who suffer the most. I wish I could say it was equal. that both sides suffer equal amounts, but they do not. The Israelis make the rules for the Palestinians as well. It is the Israelis' checkpoints, it is the Israelis' wall..... The Israelis dictate much of what can and cannot go on, who can go where, and who cannot. As of 2006, the CIA World Fact Book on GDP places Israel at number 55, at 166 billion dollars, and the Gaza Strip and West Bank at 158, and 159, together equaling 11 billion dollars . The Palestinians are now desperately looking for jobs and a way to feed their family. I know not every Palestinian is poor and suffering like this, but the majority do.
My greatest frustration is that whenever a Palestinian commits a crime or fires a rocket, they are seen as " Muslim fundamentalists" and "terrorists." Let us not forget, that Israel is based on the Balfour Declaration: "a homeland for the Jews." It is a state that is founded on religion, and carries out operations and makes laws that are heavily based on the fact that God has given them that land, and it is theirs. The ideology is identical in both instances. The Israeli army is constantly punishing Palestinians in the occupied territories, trying to make the state of Israel more secure. They arrest citizens, have air raids, and often times kill civilians to prevent the Palestinian militia from furthering any plans they might have. Yet, who is there to stop the Israeli army, when they have thousands of Palestinian women, children, and men in their prisons? When they go into Nablus and raid their cities? When they killed around 60 people, thirty of them children, in the Lebanon war who were in a building escaping from the air strikes? The Israeli government's response: "sorry it was a mistake." They launched a three-week war over two captured soldiers. Israel has thousands of Palestinian prisoners. When are the Palestinians going to be allowed to resist the Israeli military without being considered "Anti-Semites" or terrorists? When will Israel realize that their actions and behavior are very similar to the German occupation of Europe in World War II? You cannot condemn one side, without condemning the other.
Anyways, I've rambled on again..... I guess my point was that I hope we do not forget the political aspects as to WHY situations are the way they are. Many circumstances are due to laws that have repeatedly been broken and illegal activities.
Both the Palestinians and the Jewish people have beautiful cultures and traditions. I just wish that people could focus more on their art and truly be able to enjoy their gorgeous land, rather than worry about how they will survive on a daily basis.
I am very interested in culture, and history of each individual; I think it is important that this aspect of Jerusalem is not overlooked. However, because of the dire political and economic situations that people are now facing, I find it hard to look at just someone's story about how they make bread, without really looking into the political situation. I feel at times it can gloss over the despair, and injustices being committed daily, and paint a picture that is a bit idealistic. I truly want to be optimistic about Jerusalem, that it will one day be an international city, as stated in the UN resolution 242, yet there are people who do not even have their basic necessities. It is difficult to focus on just Jerusalem (for me), when a short distance away from it, people are starving. People cannot get to school because they are stopped at checkpoints. People don't have clean water.......and I say people, but I specifically mean the Palestinians. It is they who suffer the most. I wish I could say it was equal. that both sides suffer equal amounts, but they do not. The Israelis make the rules for the Palestinians as well. It is the Israelis' checkpoints, it is the Israelis' wall..... The Israelis dictate much of what can and cannot go on, who can go where, and who cannot. As of 2006, the CIA World Fact Book on GDP places Israel at number 55, at 166 billion dollars, and the Gaza Strip and West Bank at 158, and 159, together equaling 11 billion dollars . The Palestinians are now desperately looking for jobs and a way to feed their family. I know not every Palestinian is poor and suffering like this, but the majority do.
My greatest frustration is that whenever a Palestinian commits a crime or fires a rocket, they are seen as " Muslim fundamentalists" and "terrorists." Let us not forget, that Israel is based on the Balfour Declaration: "a homeland for the Jews." It is a state that is founded on religion, and carries out operations and makes laws that are heavily based on the fact that God has given them that land, and it is theirs. The ideology is identical in both instances. The Israeli army is constantly punishing Palestinians in the occupied territories, trying to make the state of Israel more secure. They arrest citizens, have air raids, and often times kill civilians to prevent the Palestinian militia from furthering any plans they might have. Yet, who is there to stop the Israeli army, when they have thousands of Palestinian women, children, and men in their prisons? When they go into Nablus and raid their cities? When they killed around 60 people, thirty of them children, in the Lebanon war who were in a building escaping from the air strikes? The Israeli government's response: "sorry it was a mistake." They launched a three-week war over two captured soldiers. Israel has thousands of Palestinian prisoners. When are the Palestinians going to be allowed to resist the Israeli military without being considered "Anti-Semites" or terrorists? When will Israel realize that their actions and behavior are very similar to the German occupation of Europe in World War II? You cannot condemn one side, without condemning the other.
Anyways, I've rambled on again..... I guess my point was that I hope we do not forget the political aspects as to WHY situations are the way they are. Many circumstances are due to laws that have repeatedly been broken and illegal activities.
Both the Palestinians and the Jewish people have beautiful cultures and traditions. I just wish that people could focus more on their art and truly be able to enjoy their gorgeous land, rather than worry about how they will survive on a daily basis.
Occupation: What does it entail?
In the last few days the European Union has persuaded the Quartet (comprising the US, EU, Russian Federation and UN) to provide limited support to the Palestinian people. While this relief will ameliorate the humanitarian situation it will not alleviate the suffering of the Palestinian people. Attempts to persuade the Israeli Government to pay tax revenues due to the Palestinian Authority seem doomed to fail.Palestinians understandably find it difficult to comprehend the response of the Quartet and many Western States to the Palestinian elections. They argue that Israel is in violation of major Security Council and General Assembly resolutions dealing with unlawful territorial change and the violation of human rights, has failed to implement the 2004 Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice and should accordingly be subjected to international sanctions. Instead the Palestinian people have been subjected to possibly the most rigorous form of international sanctions imposed in modern times.I find it difficult not to support the above arguments. As a South African I recall the refusal of Western States to impose meaningful economic sanctions on South Africa to compel it to abandon apartheid on the grounds that this would harm the people of South Africa. No such sympathy is extended to the Palestinian people or their human rights. Moreover, I recall that the limited sanctions that were applied failed to produce regime change. Indeed history teaches us that the siege and humiliation of a people tend to strengthen rather than weaken support for the government. - Professor John Dugard of South Africa, Special Rapporteur for the United Nations Commission on Human Rights
It is extremely difficult to come to terms with the word “occupation.” I am amazed and disgusted that this term is still applicable to countries in 2007!!! It infuriates me. I want to shout and say, “NO!!! This isn’t right by ANY means!!! Occupation is forcing innocent people to suffer in their own land!!! Why is the international community letting this happen?!” Whenever this term was used to describe situations in countries, i.e. the British in Ireland, or the Europeans in our present day America, the history and the results are always quite devastating to read about, especially for the natives of the land that is being occupied. Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary defines the word “occupy” as follows: to take or enter upon possession of, as a place by settling in it or conquering it.” However, the “how” is left out of this definition.
Professor Horowitz said in class that the Israeli government itself even refers to territories acquired after the 1967 war as “occupied territories.” How were Jewish settlements often built in Palestine? How does Israel ultimately occupy the state of Palestine? Israeli settlements are partly responsible for creating the Palestinian diaspora; the number of Palestinian refugees is among the largest in the world, along with the refugees from Afghanistan. The Jewish Diasporas were frequently written about, and it was a sad story to tell. Now, we must deal with the diaspora of the Palestinians created by Israel. Now the Palestinians suffer the same fate the Jewish people once did. Palestinians’ land deeds are just pieces of paper now, papers that often mean, “Here is land that you own, but you cannot return to it. You can no longer raise a family there, or cook food there, and reunite with family there.” “Now there will be a wall that cuts through your cities, and from your holy place as well, Jerusalem.” “Now I will tell you how I have suffered through pogroms, diasporas, and a holocaust, but I am sorry, my freedom is more important than yours. You will have to suffer for my happiness. Now, this is my land.” This is how I have interpreted the occupation, as do many Palestinians. In the same way I cannot deny the tragic past of the Jewish people, I cannot deny the human rights violations and injustices done to the Palestinian people by the government and military of Israel. This occupation means a suffocated and stifled existence for the Palestinians without the correct permits, for the Palestinians living in refugee camps, for the Palestinians in Gaza, living in poverty, getting by day by day.
Very rarely is occupation of any sort carried out in a peaceful and “fair” manner. This applies to Israel as well. For the Palestinians, occupation has now evolved into the bulldozing of houses to build often times illegal settlements, the withholding of taxes, the closing of roads, over 500 checkpoints in Gaza, increased Israeli settlements, resulting in an ultimate oppression and humanitarian crisis, as declared by the United Nations.
There needs to be an end to the occupation, one that truly has no Israeli-interference at all. Palestinians are not allowed to have a say in Israel’s government and policies, so why can’t the Palestinians have their freedom as well? Oppression and occupation by way of “protecting” the state of Israel is not the answer to a peaceful land, where people can live side by side.
http://www.unhchr.ch/huricane/huricane.nsf/view01/0478C20910151B14C12571940058247A?opendocument
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5240424.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6387843.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6181119.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6270331.stm
Monday, April 2, 2007
About Me
Majors: Middle Eastern Studies, Arabic
Minor: International Economic Development
Future dreams/ambitions: To work with refugees in
Palestine or Afghanistan, and try to make some sort
of a difference in people's lives. It is my greatest hope
that we will see peace in the entire region of the Middle
East; after all, it is the cradle of civilization, and their
history should never be forgotten.
About me...
I was born in Colombo, Sri Lanka, but only lived there for a month before my family came to the United States. It is a bit peculiar; I have two other sisters, and we were each born in different countries: Sri Lanka, England, and the U.S. My mother and father met and studied in England. At that time my father worked for the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), working as a technolgy expert in the Middle East. He always speaks fondly of the "Middle East," and I think my immense love and curiosity for the region's people and culture was instilled by my father. One of my dearest childhood memories was listening to my parents and their friends debate over politics; my father chooses to obtain most of his knowledge from foreign newspapers and his friends abroad. As a staunch supporter of Palestine and the Palestinian right to return to their land, my father still encourages me to read about the Israelis' outlook and beliefs, and how they justify their actions. Through my fifteen years or so of schooling, no one has taught me more than my parents, and I am forever indebted to them.
Interests:
I absolutely love to travel. I believe it broaden's people's perceptions of the world surrounding them, and I am fortunate I have been given the chances to travel to many places abroad. The first time I have been outside of the country was when I was in 8th grade or so; I spent two months in Australia visiting my family. In 11th grade I traveled with my father on his business trips to China, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Malaysia. I have also been to Mexico, and last summer I had the best time of my life in Damascus, Syria, studying Arabic. I made a weekend trip with friends to Lebanon, four days before the Israeli-Lebanon war erupted. Unfortunately after that, we were told to return ASAP, and there were very few flights out of Syria at that time. I took a bus to Istanbul, Turkey, (which is a BEAUTIFUL city) spent a day there, and flew back to the U.S. I desperately wanted to visit Jerusalem and the occupied territories, but as some of you might know, if you attempt to enter Syria with an Israeli stamp on your passport, you will not be allowed in. That summer Gaza City was also bombed by Israel, so it wouldn't have been possible regardless. This summer I hope to teach English in Bosnia...:)
On a small sidenote: I truly wish everyone had the money/time to travel these days, so I wouldn't have to hear comments such as, "Do they have roads in Sri Lanka? What color are the skies there?" "I was watching the news....and I'm not sure if it happened in Iraq, or Baghdad."
I'm speechless.
Anyways, I am extremely excited to work with the students in our class and with Amy. I know everyone will have a lot of insight to bring as we touch upon sensitive issues. I would just like to issue a disclaimer: the plight of the Palestinians is a topic that is extremely close to my heart. I have no familial ties to Palestine, or the "Middle East" for that matter, but to see the injustices they face makes me extremely emotional. In class, there is much I would like to say, but I get overwhelmed and the words don't seem to come out right at times. So I apologize for this; speaking CLEARLY without getting emotional is something I definitely need to improve upon. I hope I don't come across as "crazy." I just feel (as I am sure most of you do) very strongly about these situations. Please bear this in mind; I am trying work on this:)
Minor: International Economic Development
Future dreams/ambitions: To work with refugees in
Palestine or Afghanistan, and try to make some sort
of a difference in people's lives. It is my greatest hope
that we will see peace in the entire region of the Middle
East; after all, it is the cradle of civilization, and their
history should never be forgotten.
About me...
I was born in Colombo, Sri Lanka, but only lived there for a month before my family came to the United States. It is a bit peculiar; I have two other sisters, and we were each born in different countries: Sri Lanka, England, and the U.S. My mother and father met and studied in England. At that time my father worked for the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), working as a technolgy expert in the Middle East. He always speaks fondly of the "Middle East," and I think my immense love and curiosity for the region's people and culture was instilled by my father. One of my dearest childhood memories was listening to my parents and their friends debate over politics; my father chooses to obtain most of his knowledge from foreign newspapers and his friends abroad. As a staunch supporter of Palestine and the Palestinian right to return to their land, my father still encourages me to read about the Israelis' outlook and beliefs, and how they justify their actions. Through my fifteen years or so of schooling, no one has taught me more than my parents, and I am forever indebted to them.
Interests:
I absolutely love to travel. I believe it broaden's people's perceptions of the world surrounding them, and I am fortunate I have been given the chances to travel to many places abroad. The first time I have been outside of the country was when I was in 8th grade or so; I spent two months in Australia visiting my family. In 11th grade I traveled with my father on his business trips to China, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Malaysia. I have also been to Mexico, and last summer I had the best time of my life in Damascus, Syria, studying Arabic. I made a weekend trip with friends to Lebanon, four days before the Israeli-Lebanon war erupted. Unfortunately after that, we were told to return ASAP, and there were very few flights out of Syria at that time. I took a bus to Istanbul, Turkey, (which is a BEAUTIFUL city) spent a day there, and flew back to the U.S. I desperately wanted to visit Jerusalem and the occupied territories, but as some of you might know, if you attempt to enter Syria with an Israeli stamp on your passport, you will not be allowed in. That summer Gaza City was also bombed by Israel, so it wouldn't have been possible regardless. This summer I hope to teach English in Bosnia...:)
On a small sidenote: I truly wish everyone had the money/time to travel these days, so I wouldn't have to hear comments such as, "Do they have roads in Sri Lanka? What color are the skies there?" "I was watching the news....and I'm not sure if it happened in Iraq, or Baghdad."
I'm speechless.
Anyways, I am extremely excited to work with the students in our class and with Amy. I know everyone will have a lot of insight to bring as we touch upon sensitive issues. I would just like to issue a disclaimer: the plight of the Palestinians is a topic that is extremely close to my heart. I have no familial ties to Palestine, or the "Middle East" for that matter, but to see the injustices they face makes me extremely emotional. In class, there is much I would like to say, but I get overwhelmed and the words don't seem to come out right at times. So I apologize for this; speaking CLEARLY without getting emotional is something I definitely need to improve upon. I hope I don't come across as "crazy." I just feel (as I am sure most of you do) very strongly about these situations. Please bear this in mind; I am trying work on this:)
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