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Post by pieter on Dec 3, 2018 12:23:40 GMT -7
When the world talks about Palestinians living under occupation and in refugee camps, it is usually in terms of politics and numbers – specifically, how many killed, injured, homeless and/or dependent on aid.
But numbers are impersonal, and often numbing. What they don’t convey are the daily personal struggles and triumphs, the tears and the laughter, the aspirations that are so universal that if it weren’t for the context, they would immediately resonate with virtually everyone.
That’s why established and aspiring “word artists” from around the world have joined with youth in Gaza, and now, Lebanon, to create "WE ARE NOT NUMBERS." Through this platform, we share and celebrate their stories, with experienced authors mentoring the youth.
We Are Not Numbers was founded in early 2015, "conceived" by American journalist Pam Bailey and brought to fruition with the support of Ramy Abdu, president of the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor. The project launched under the umbrella of Euro-Med, which provided significant logistical support; today, its Gaza "home" is the El-Wedad Society for Community Rehabilitation. wearenotnumbers.org/
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Post by pieter on Dec 3, 2018 12:26:20 GMT -7
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Post by pieter on Dec 3, 2018 13:09:30 GMT -7
I post this not as Palestinian propaganda, as anti-Israeli thread or Pro-Palestinian message. I am Pro-Human, Pro-Palestinan, Pro-Israeli, Pro coexistence of Jews, Muslims and christians in Israël-Palestine. I am a christian humanistic holistic meritocratic person. And from that perspective I wish the best for all citizens, people, religious groups (majorities and minorities) of the Levant (Cyprus, Egypt, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria, and Turkey). I have sympathy for a 2 state resolution, but in a practical, rational, pragmatic and technocratic, realistic sense I think that only a one state solution is possible in the present situation of Israel with the occupied territories. I simply can't see how they could create a Palestinian state in the Westbank with all the Israeli settler Peninsula's, Islands in the Westbank and Gaza which is separated from the Westbank by Israeli territory? A taboo subject is the fact that there never has been a Palestinian state in history. How could you create a centralised Palestinian state on that pieces of Palestinian owned land? I don't even see how you could create a Federal state on that land? It can not function, because the Palestinian lands under the rule and control of the Palestinian Authority (Fatah) and Hamas aren't connected to each other, they aren't linked. So employers, employee's, business people, civil servants, administrators, farmers, construction workers and shop owners, can't visit family, friends or other colleagues on another piece of Palestinian land, because there are Israeli roadblocks, settlements, roads, highways, military territory and the wall (Israeli West Bank barrier) in between them.
Since the British Mandate, the term "Palestine" has been associated with the geographical area that currently covers the State of Israel, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. General use of the term "Palestine" or related terms to the area at the southeast corner of the Mediterranean Sea beside Syria has historically been taking place since the times of Ancient Greece, with Herodotus writing of a "district of Syria, called Palaistine" in which Phoenicians interacted with other maritime peoples in The Histories.
Some other terms that have been used to refer to all or part of the geographical region of "Palestine" include Canaan, Land of Israel (Eretz Yisrael or Ha'aretz),[30][v] Greater Syria, the Holy Land, Iudaea Province, Judea, Coele-Syria,[vi] "Israel HaShlema", Kingdom of Israel, Kingdom of Jerusalem, Zion, Retenu (Ancient Egyptian), Southern Syria, Southern Levant and Syria Palaestina.
I don't have the solution and I do believe that there is a Israeli Likud truth, a Fatah Palestinian truth, a Zionist Union truth, a Hamas Palestinian truth, a Meretz Israeli truth, a Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) Palestinian truth, a Hatnuah (The Movement, party of the Israeli politician and former Foreign Minister of Israel, Tzipi Livni) Israeli truth, a Palestinian National Initiative (PNI), (Palestinan) Third Way, Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) Palestian, Palestinian People's Party (PPP) truth, and a Yesh Atid (Israeli) truth, Ultra Orthodox (Israeli) Shas party truth, a Palestinian Islamic Jihad truth, a Yisrael Beiteinu (Avigdor Lieberman) Israeli truth.
I see a remarkable rapprochement between Israel on one side and Arab countries in the Gulf region on the other side.
I do believe that in the coming decades we might see a changing in the relationship between Israel and it's neighbourcountries, because Israel will become more Middle-eastern every decade. The influence of Orthodox judaism will grow. And Orthodox judaism in it's strict interpretarion of Monotheist religion is close to Sunny Islam. Hebraization and maybe the semitic influence of more Middle eastern Arab, North-African, Persian- and Kurd jews will bring Israel closer to the Middle east. Today the blond, blue eyed, European brunette and redhead Ashkenazi jews of Europe with Germanic, Slavic and Latin influences are seen as alien by the Palestinian arabs of the levant and the surrounding Arabs of Egypt (Sinai beduins), Lebanese, Syrian, Jordanian, Iraqi and Saoudi Arabian Arabs. Due to mixed marriages and maybe some darker looking Ashkenazi jews in time the Israeli jews will look more middle eastern and less different than Arabs.
I write this not with racist or discriminatory intensions but with the situation as it is on my mind. In Europe we are political correct, afraid to mention ethnic, cultural, religious and social milieu differences in the political context. Fact is that in the Middle-east, Africa, Asia and Latin America that is less the case, because dictatorships, religious theocratic regimes (Iran/Sapudi Arabia) and ethnocentric, Religiocentrist, tribal, clan and ethno-nationalist thinking is more accepted and normal. I think about Pan-Arabism (Arabism), Pan-Islamism (Arabic: الوحدة الإسلامية), Arab socialism (Arabic: الاشتراكية العربية, translit. Al-Ishtirākīya Al-'Arabīya) and linked to that Ba'athism; the Arab nationalist ideology that promotes the development and creation of a unified Arab state through the leadership of a vanguard party over a progressive revolutionary government. Ba'athism calls for unification of the Arab world into a single state. Its motto, "Unity, Liberty, Socialism", refers to Arab unity, and freedom from non-Arab control and interference. Another form of Pan-Arabism is Nasserism (Arabic: التيار الناصري at-Tayyār an-Nāṣerī) ; a socialist Arab nationalist political ideology based on the thinking of Gamal Abdel Nasser, which combines elements of Arab socialism, republicanism, nationalism, anti-imperialism, developing world solidarity and international non-alignment.
Nasserism remains a political force throughout the Arab world, but in a markedly different manner than in its heyday. Whereas in the 1950s and 1960s Nasserism existed as a revolutionary and dynamic movement with definite political and social goals, by the 1980s it had become a much less pronounced and distinct ideology. Today, many more Arabs are informed by Nasserism in a general sense than actually espouse its specific ideals and objectives. In terms of political organisations within Egypt itself and during the presidency of former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, Nasserism's scope was confined generally to writers, intellectuals and minor opposition parties.
The main Nasserite movements that continued to be active until today on the Lebanese scene are mainly represented by the organization in Sidon of populist Nasserist partisans (al-Tanzim al-Sha'bi al-Nassiri) that are led by Oussama Saad and in Beirut as represented mainly by the Al-Mourabitoun movement. Both groups have been mainly active since the early 1950s among Sunni Muslims and they are currently associated politically with the March 8 coalitions in Lebanese politics.
Nasserism continues to have significant resonance throughout the Arab world to this day and informs much of the public dialogue on politics in Egypt and the wider region. Prominent Nasserist Hamdeen Sabahi competed in the first round of the 2012 Egyptian Presidential election and only narrowly avoided securing a position in the run-off against eventual winner Mohamed Morsi.
Ba'athism ofcourse today is the state ideology of Syria and the political ideology of president Hafez al-Assad, who is also Regional Secretary of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party's branch in Syria. You have also Ba'athist and Nasserist Palestinians with Pan-Arab ideals next to Palestinian Nationalist Hamas, Fatah and PFLP supporters.
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Post by pieter on Dec 3, 2018 14:47:45 GMT -7
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Post by pieter on Dec 3, 2018 14:49:32 GMT -7
2 sides in Israel
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Post by pieter on Dec 3, 2018 14:54:08 GMT -7
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Post by pieter on Dec 3, 2018 15:01:50 GMT -7
Palestinian National Initiative (Arabic: المبادرة الوطنية الفلسطينية) is a Palestinian political party led by Mustafa Barghouti. The Centre-left to left-wing Palestinian National Initiative has an ideology which consists of Palestinian nationalism, (center left) Social democracy, (leftwing) Democratic socialism, Pacifism, Secularism and Anti-corruption.
Its formation was formally announced on 17 June 2002 in Ramallah on the West Bank, part of the Palestinian Territories, by Haidar Abdel-Shafi, Dr Mustafa Barghouthi and Ibrahim Dakkak. The PNI views itself as a "democratic third force" in Palestinian politics and opposes the dichotomy between Fatah (which it views as corrupt and undemocratic) and Hamas (which it views as extremist and fundamentalist).
The PNI is dominated by secular intellectuals, some of them former members of the left-wing Palestinian People's Party. It is strongly based in civil society organizations and NGOs operating in the Palestinian Territories and has extensive connections with foreign aid and support groups. Its lack of a role within the PLO and in the PNA has greatly reduced its visibility to ordinary Palestinians.
The PNI has gained some support among Palestinian exiles, most notably the late Edward Said, but is extremely weak or non-existent in the main refugee communities in Jordan, Lebanon and Syria.
The Initiative is led by a General Secretary, with Mustafa Barghouti occupying that post since its founding.
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Post by karl on Dec 3, 2018 17:20:51 GMT -7
Pieter
An excellent humanitarian presentation of the state of affairs of the currant Palestinians. With this, I must agree with your presented material, for it is factual, real and present. These people that are named," Palestinians", are in fact, real people, human beings that want what the most of us want, and that is to live their lives in peace, raise their families with all that life has to offer.
But, as we know, this is not actually true, although our respective news media reports only what they know will sell well, and that is what is in their minds that is news worthy.
My self have never been in the occupied territories, only with closit friend ships we in past have discussed. In this manner, I do not have the right to say nay or ya, just simply an opinion and we both know that opinions are as common as butts.
But, what I do have the right to say though, is the matter of questions that only other Arab states may answer, and that is why no other Arab state other then next door Egypt has helped the Palestinians in any other shape or form? For Egypt had been aiding the Palestinians with shipping through several tunnels with such supplies as food, clothing, medicines and such. But as I understand, these avenues have long since been closed up.
One Arab state that could be of great assistance to the Palestinians would be the present close contact of Saudi Arabia with Israel, but their silence is at present, very deafening.
Karl
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