Friday, June 29, 2012

[ePalestine] AFP: UNESCO lists Church of Nativity as heritage site

UNESCO lists Church of Nativity as heritage site

29 Jun 2012 

SAINT PETERSBURG (AFP) 


The power of secret ballot, in action,
Sam



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Tuesday, June 26, 2012

[ePalestine] Update on my friend Walid's kangaroo court hearing...

Walid with daughters Malak, 4, and Mays, 13
Dear friends,

First, I pass my deep and sincere gratitude to each and every one of you who acted on my last Urgent Action Appeal: http://bit.ly/My_friend_is_still_in_jail. For those of you who still have not acted on this, it's not too late.

Walid was brought before an Israeli military court yesterday. This was a hearing for the state (Israel) to confirm upon him an extension of his Administrative Detention Order for 3 more months. The court REDUCED (AGAIN!!!) one month from the expected three and, thus, extended his Administrative Detention for 2 more months.

This is literally playing with a person's life!

Walid will appeal this extension in court. The only chance Walid has is if the courts and Israeli officials around the globe get flooded with inquires into why are they destroying this person's life and that of his family's as well.

We each have a role to play. I wish a button could be pushed and all political prisoners be released, but there is no button. Therefore, I will remain focused on this single case given I personally know Walid and can personally attest to the fact that Israel is wrong in detaining him.

I speak to many groups about the politics of the conflict. Many get excited about the academic discussion of the final solution, one state, two states, etc.  Those serious about wanting to contribute to ending this Israeli-made nightmare understand that those academic discussions are not a priority today. What is a priority is that we safeguard our existence as human beings who have the non-negotiable right to live in freedom and dignity. I urge you if you have not already done so, to come down to reality and pick an issue to make a difference on. For me, Walid is my issue until he is back into the arms of his wife and two charming daughters.

Shame on you Israel,
Sam

P.S. In any action always reference his name, Walid (Hanatsheh) Abu Rass, and his ID # 9-9702819-6


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Sunday, June 24, 2012

[ePalestine] URGENT ACTION APPEAL: My friend is still in jail ! ! !

Dear friends,

I could not make up the below update even if I were a world-class fiction writer.

Walid Abu Rass
You will recall my friend Walid Abu Rass who was taken in the middle of the night on November 22, 2011 when Israeli occupation soldiers arrived at his home at 1:30 A.M. His wife, Bayan, and two daughters, Mays, 13 years old, and Malak, 4 years old, were all frighteningly awakened with soldiers in their bedrooms as Walid was blindfolded and taken away. At the time, I wrote this: http://bit.ly/walidaburass

Then, I shared with you all a letter that his daughter Mays wrote following an attempt to deliver him a blanket in prison: http://bit.ly/zQUUAF

After that, I gave an update and advised that his release date was to be July 22, 2012: http://bit.ly/A5HReu

Then, Amnesty International highlighted Walid's case in their latest report titled, Starved of justice: Palestinians detained without trial by Israel’   (pg 26).

Something else happened after my last update that I was not aware of until a few days ago. Two weeks ago, during a case Walid brought forward to request to be released, the Israeli military "judge" REDUCED his administrative detention sentence by a month, making his new date of release June 22, this past Friday. His wife was relieved, again, finally! His daughters were in their glories. Dad was coming home, again, finally!

Then, on Thur, June 21, Walid was orally informed that his administrative detention order was being EXTENDED for 3 more months! Tomorrow, 25/6 , he will be brought in front of an Israeli military "judge" to formally have his detention extended. 

Remember, an Administrative Detention Order means you are being held for no reason that you or your lawyer know of. This practice was one reason behind all the prisoner hunger strikes that partially ended by Israel stating they would not renew detention orders. So much for that!  

Walid is being held in Israel's Ofer Military Detention Center , literally a 5 minute drive from his home, where his amazing wife and beautiful two daughter's await him. He has now been out of his work for 7 months. His position was Finance and Administration Director at the Health Work Committees.

URGENT ACTION APPEAL

There is no reason for Walid to be imprisoned by Israel. His interrogators basically told him that much, saying he is there for "precautionary measures," whatever that means.

WE WANT THE COURT TO RELEASE WALID TOMORROW!

For that to happen we ask every person of conscience who sees this message to act.

You can do any or all of the following to make your voice heard:

Reference his name, Walid (Hanatsheh) Abu Rass, and his ID # 9-9702819-6

1. Call/fax/email your nearest Israeli embassy/consulate. Here is a list to find one nearest you: Web Sites of Israeli Missions Abroad

2. Call/fax/email the following Israeli occupation officials:

    Brigadier General Avihai Mandelblit
    Military Judge Advocate General
    6 David Elazar Street
    Harkiya, Tel Aviv
    Israel
    Fax: +972 3 608 0366; +972 3 569 4526
    Email: arbel@mail.idf.il; avimn@idf.gov.il

    Maj. Gen. Avi Mizrahi
    OC Central Command Nehemia Base, Central Command
    Neveh Yaacov, Jerusalam
    Fax: +972 2 530 5741
    Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Ehud Barak

    Ehud Barak
    Ministry of Defense
    37 Kaplan Street, Hakirya
    Tel Aviv 61909, Israel
    Fax: +972 3 691 6940 / +972-3-696-2757

    Col. Eli Bar On
    Legal Advisor of Judea and Samaria PO Box 5
    Beth El 90631
    Fax: +972 2 9977326

3. Call/fax the Public Ombudsman at The Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories Unit (COGAT), the Israeli military unit responsible for implementing the Israeli occupation: Telephone: +972-3-697-7957,   Fax: +972-3-697-5177

4. Call/fax the jailer himself, Col. Ganish Menashe, Commander, Ofer Prison:
24-hour number: Telephone: +972-2-541-5610 or +972-2-541-5611, Fax: +972-8-919-3360

5. Call/fax/email your own country's foreign affairs department (e.g. U.S. State Department, Palestine/Israel Desk) and put this issue on their radar.

6. Lastly, I have a personal appeal to Jews in Israel and around the world who are reading this. These kind of arbitrary detentions are being made in your name. This practice is merely breeding a generation of children who will hate more than they already do. Please act.

Walid's wife, Bayan, was spot on when she told me at the start of this saga that "Administrative detention has a beginning, but doesn't have an end."

Does Walid have to go on a hunger strike and die before his girls can hug him again?

RELEASE WALID NOW!!!



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Saturday, June 23, 2012

[ePalestine] NYT: The Third Intifada Is Inevitable (By NATHAN THRALL)

...but its shape, form, and targets may surprise everyone.


"Equality or nothing," internally as well as externally,
Sam



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Tuesday, June 19, 2012

[ePalestine] Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) under attack from Israel Lobby

Dear friends, 

The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) is under attack from the Israel Lobby for bringing to vote in their upcoming General Assembly later this month the issue of divesting from three U.S. firms that are profiting from the Israeli military occupation. The firms are Caterpillar Inc., Hewlett-Packard, and Motorola Solutions. 

See: The Israel Palestine Mission Network of the Presbyterian Church (USA), http://www.theIPMN.org  .

The time is now to make your voice heard. Enough of the Israel Lobby, and its proxies, threatening the Church. Sign this petition today: http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/divestfromcat/

I wrote a letter to all 800 Presbyterian Commissioners and it may be found at: http://israelpalestinemissionnetwork.org/main/  (middle column) or a PDF copy may be downloaded directly from: http://bit.ly/PCUSA-DIVEST  .

Invest in Palestine today, and
Divest from Israel to give your investment a fighting chance,
Sam



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[ePalestine] SAD beyond words!

YNET

Tourists venture to West Bank to 'shoot terrorists' 

Thrill-seeking tourists of all ages brave West Bank shooting range to be taught by settlers how to shoot terrorists 

By Akiva Novick 

Published: 06.18.12, 13:31 / Israel News 




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Monday, June 18, 2012

Message to Our 2012 High School Graduates

By Sam Bahour

At the outset, I extend my respect and thanks to the teaching staff and administration staff of Palestine’s school system. Teachers and their support staff are the wheels and gears that produce a society’s human capacity to face today’s challenges. We should hold our educators in much higher regard than we hold up the superficial role models being force fed to us by today’s mass media.

Also, congratulations to all the parents of our graduates, especially the mothers who are our society’s unsung heroines.

Of course, my sincere congratulations to each and every one of our Class of 2012 graduates. You are the reason this message was written. Each of you is a shining star. As you pick-up your diploma you are formally entering a new threshold of life.

Many may believe that today marks the key milestone in your life’s journey. They are wrong. There is no one key milestone; today merely marks one important day of many.

Your life is like a train and it has already left the station long ago. This train does not stop for anything, it simply changes tracks.

Your train will shift tracks much more often after you leave this hall. With each shift of tracks your focus will readjust.

As you come to the end of the track of your secondary education and enter onto the track of higher education or vocational training you may feel a bump, but the train does not stop.

You will need to choose a discipline to guide your career. I know that this is a hard choice, especially since our education system does not give you the full ability to make your own choice, but do not worry. Education is not locked up behind the walls of your university. Formal education teaches you how to learn, but learning is an action you can do wherever you are. The world is literally at your fingertips; never let anyone limit your ability to learn to a classroom.

To date, you have been spoon-fed knowledge, at times, more willingly than others. From this day onward it is totally your choice if you decide to continue to acquire knowledge or not. Regardless, your train will keep moving.

As your train enters onto the tracks of employment or family life you will feel more bumps. These are the real bumps, like the speed bumps and potholes in our streets; they come with little warning and no signs. If you are prepared, these bumps will be manageable. Prepared or not, one thing is for sure, your train will keep on moving.

More important than your train’s inevitable movement is who and what you will take for the ride.

Allow me to stretch the train analogy one step further. For trains to stay on the tracks they have four wheels, each made of steel.

Wheel #1 is your family – Today you are in the limelight. Today is your day, but you would not have reached this point if it were not for the love and care of your family. Someone registered you to attend school, someone paid for your education, someone made you sandwiches for lunch every day, someone did your laundry, someone made sure you did your homework, and that someone made sure you look your best today. Give back to your family; you owe them more than you will ever be able to pay back.

Wheel #2 is your community – The best of families do not exist in a vacuum. An old African proverb says: it takes a village to raise a child. The second you entered this world the community around you molded your character. You can chose to be on the receiving end of your community’s influence, or, you can choose to be one of the active community members that define the community you live in. As Palestinians, community is key; it is what has held us together until today. Our sense of community has allowed us to uphold our just struggle for freedom. Without community we become dull human beings, rolling along in our empty train.

Wheel #3 is your health – Without health all else means very little. Health comes in many packages, first is your physical health. Stay fit, move, and be active. For those of you who think spending hours-on-end at the coffee shop smoking an arghela is cool, call me one day and I’ll walk with you through the cemetery to show you where all the other cool smokers are resting. In addition to your physical health is your mental and spiritual health. Keep your mind and heart stimulated. Don’t become numb smart phone dummies or satellite TV couch potatoes. Instead, read, interact on the human level, not only in chat rooms, and then, read some more. If you are not reading a new book every month, your train is being passed up.

Wheel #4 is your set of values – You, and only you, will decide what your set of values will be. Remember, if you don’t stand for something, you will fall for anything. As you enter this new stage of your life, define what you stand for. Don’t accept mediocre, mashy al hal, when you know you can do better, does not create excellence, ma’alaesh, when you see something that is wrong, does not promote continued improvement, Inshallah, when you have no intention to act, is better not said. Set your values high, make them known, and continuously adjust them as you learn more of the challenges of living in the 21st century.

Finally, never, never, never allow your train to derail. Oil each and every wheel, each and every day.

Again, I salute each of you and thank you for giving me the chance to participate with you on this joyous day.

Mabrouk.

This was given as the keynote speech at the American School of Palestine 2012 Graduation Ceremony, May 26, 2012, Best Eastern Hotel

Wednesday, June 06, 2012

[ePalestine] AI: Israel/OPT: Starved of Justice: Palestinians detained without trial by Israel

New Amnesty International Report (6 June 2012) at: http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/MDE15/026/2012/en

My friend Walid (see: http://bit.ly/zQUUAF ) featured on pg 26.

Remembering the forgotten living dead,
Sam



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Tuesday, June 05, 2012

[ePalestine] AP: Israel asks Arab visitors to open emails to search

AP 

Israel asks Arab visitors to open emails to search 

By DIAA HADID, Associated Press 




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