(English with a bit of Italiano and Français)
On Friday, we had a day of lectures and discussions on the
situation of Christians in Palestine and in Diaspora. This coincided with the launch of three books
by Diyar.ps on Palestinian Christians in the West Bank, Palestinian Christians
in Israel, and Latin Americans with Palestinian roots. Over 100 Christians (and
many Muslims) attended this event. Also last
week was full of events to attend including two baptisms, weddings etc. On
Sunday, we attended the wedding of a cousin at our church and then went to an
Iftar (breaking the fast) with camp children at Al-Rowwad Center in Aida
Refugee Camp. Christians and Muslims
here celebrate with each other in spirit of camaraderie because Palestine
provides an umbrella for all. This is in
contrast to the continued repression by the Jewish state of non-Jewish natives
(Christians and Muslims). Over 1.5
million Palestinians (2/3rds of whom are refugees) remains under a brutal siege
in the arid strip of Gaza and we in the "West Bank" suffer the
continuation of colonial activities in our land with over 600,000 Jewish
settlers who have taken over our best land and natural resources. Millions of Palestinian refugees (Muslim and
Christian) are still denied their internationally recognized right to return to
their homes and lands. Over 60,000 Palestinian
civilians were killed by the Israeli army over the past six decades and yet, the
Zionists want us to forget all of that and focus instead on 11 Israelis who
served in that army and were killed in a botched attempt to rescue them in
Munich 40 years ago. But the world is
not stupid and injustice cannot be hidden and more and more people are heeding
the call to Stay Human (Restiamo umani as our late friend Vittorio Arrigoni
used to implore us). Thus, we have activists coming in the Welcome to Palestine
third campaign and a Scandinavian ship sailing to break the siege on Gaza, and
many more actions and writings for truth (see selections below).
Next 'flytilla' to arrive through Jordan: Welcome to
Palestine campaign organizers say fewer activists expected during next fly-in;
will arrive in Amman airport and attempt to cross over to Palestinian Authority
by land
Official website (Français) http://bienvenuepalestine.com/
and the call in several languages http://bienvenuepalestine.com/?page_id=748
Scandinavian ship sails to challenge Gaza blockade: The SV
Estelle, a 53-metre vessel backed mainly by Swedish and Norwegian groups, sets
sail from Oslo as organizers hope other ships will join it during its journey
to the Gaza Strip
Take action: Rachel Corrie trial verdict August 28
Musica come resistenza: l'orchestra palestinese (A short
video about the Palestine Youth Orchestra in Italy)
Il n’y a pas de
jolies guerres
Book review: how Israeli school textbooks teach kids to hate
http://electronicintifada.net/content/book-review-how-israeli-school-textbooks-teach-kids-hate/11571
Action: Sign petition to protect hundreds of thousands of Muslims
from persecution in Myanmar (Burma). We are collecting 50,000 signatures for
petition to be delivered to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, asking for an
immediate resolution to protect the Rohingya Muslims. Join us.
Why are we in Gaza being punished for Egypt border guard
killings?
Download a great presentation on the situation of Israel and
Palestine (from Association Swiss-Palestine, branch Ticino) http://www.homolaicus.com/storia/israele-palestina/israele-palestina.htm
Stay human/Restiamo umani
Mazin Qumsiyeh, PhD
Palestinian Center for Rapprochement Between People-Beit
Sahour
Al-Rowwad Children Theater Center-Aida Refugee Camp
http://qumsiyeh.org
FYI:
ReplyDeleteAvaaz: Empire Propaganda Mill Masquerading as Grassroots Activism
http://alethonews.wordpress.com/2012/06/09/avaaz-empire-propaganda-mill-masquerading-as-grassroots-activism/