Total number of comments: 28 (since 2011-10-19 19:23:15)
Founder of Rebuilding Alliance, partner in helping Al Aqaba Village rebuild!
Website: http://www.RebuildingAlliance.org
-
-
- Video: Medea Benjamin interrupts Obama speech on US drone … 6
- Glenn Greenwald on the Woolwich attack and blowback from the … 16
- Church of Scotland accepts controversial report on Israel/Palestine 1
- Half of Israel’s eligible youth don’t enlist– and ranks of … 4
- Chelsea Clinton’s multifaith initiative 7
- More on the ‘creepy’ al-Dura report 7
- Exile and the Prophetic: Does John Kerry have the keys … 6
- Wolf Blitzer looks for a religious state 12
-
- Two friends meet for 5 minutes in Jerusalem 1699
- Palestinian-American Raed Zidan plants flag on top of Everest, dedicates … 1360
- Christians denounce Israel’s manhandling of worshipers at Holy Sepulcher on … 952
- Barbara Boxer’s visa bill for Israel comes under concerted attack 809
- In photos: Gaza marches and rallies mark 65 years of … 442
- Washington Post’s racism map omits Israel 438
- Israeli report on al-Dura case is vengeful and ‘surreal,’ says … 399
- International Criminal Court opens preliminary investigation into attack on Mavi … 355
-
- International Criminal Court opens preliminary investigation into attack on Mavi … 96
- Kennedy’s insistence on right of return prompted Ben-Gurion to rewrite … 93
- Barbara Boxer’s visa bill for Israel comes under concerted attack 93
- Abulhawa declines to ‘balance out’ several Israelis in ‘Al Jazeera’ … 87
- Washington Post’s racism map omits Israel 73
- Uncompromising hope inspired by Ghassan Kanafani 63
- Dershowitz should stop lying about Tutu’s record 56
- Two friends meet for 5 minutes in Jerusalem 48
-
- RT @alexbkane: Obama says expanded surveillance raises "difficult questions" , but his Justice Dept. has stalled on an inquiry into NYPD sp…, 7 hours ago
- RT @samknight1: Flashback: Israel helped train Guatemalan dictator Rios Montt, recently convicted of genocide. https://t.co/oYsxDokunE, 8 hours ago
- RT @samknight1: Israel to train Chiapas police? Well. Say goodnight to the Zapatistas and probably a whole lot of indigenous groups http://…, 8 hours ago
- RT @RodrigoEBR: Medea Benjamin also told Obama "I love my country. I love the rule of law. Abide by the rule of law. You're a constitutiona…, 8 hours ago
- RT @allisonkilkenny: I've never seen this level of outrage from journos levelled at the president for, say, droning people in secret. But f…, 8 hours ago
-
Recent Comments
click link to see last 100 comments- Glenn Greenwald on the Woolwich attack and blowback from the ‘war on terror’ (16)
- Annie Robbins: nice rant, but greenwald never justified the murder. your argument goes kurplunk, it’s a...
- RoHa: When were Jews last expelled from Australia? (But our country was founded as a place to dump convicts. Maybe...
- DICKERSON3870: Rightly or wrongly, I got the impression that the guy in the video with bloody meat cleaver might...
- Mohammed Assaf, singing sensation out of Gaza refugee camp, torches Arab Idol competition (25)
- Annie Robbins: rjl, get a life.this is a celebratory thread so i am not in any way shape of form addressing your...
- RJL: Annie, thanks for avoiding an answer. Not even a link to a previous discussion on the matter. So, with all your...
- Wolf Blitzer looks for a religious state (12)
- ToivoS: If she had been down on her knees pleading for help from baby Jebus, she probably would have lost her kid...
- Pamela Olson: Yup, fishing for his Okie soundbite. Guess what, dumbass? We’re not all the same. K? Even in my...
- Israel cracks down on American travel to West Bank by requiring tourists to obtain military permit (35)
- James Canning: Bravo, Rusty. What imbecility on part of the US, to oppose Palestine’s membership in UNESCO....
- James Canning: @Newclench – - Do we care? Virtually every country on earth in effect accepts the Green Line as...
- James Canning: @Rityl – - The security threat posed by the illegal Jewish settlers in WB is more of an...
- Glenn Greenwald on the Woolwich attack and blowback from the ‘war on terror’ (16)
Our Writers
- Philip Weiss
- Adam Horowitz
- Marc H. Ellis
- Alex Kane
- Annie Robbins
- Kate
- Today in Palestine
- Allison Deger
Blogroll
Annie,
Because he was a State Dept. Fellow, please call the Israel/Palestine desk at the State Department to ask if they are following this case and if they have expressed concern. In addition, ask your congressperson's staff to contact the State Department on your behalf as State is more likely to respond to a Congressional inquiry. Are you in Rep. Pelosi's district? Also ask her staff to express your concern, publicly or privately, to the Israeli Embassy — they have 3 floors set-up to respond to Congress.
TomBishop, have you found ways that turn peoples away from the abyss of totalitarianism and genocide? The critical question for our time is this: what can we do to bring neighborhoods and nations back to good health, safety, and respect for human rights and environmental responsibility?
One thing we must do is to listen to the peacemakers, those working for justice in each country. On Thanksgiving Day, just after the ceasefire was announced, Rebuilding Alliance held our 2nd hour-long Stay Human Conference Call with
• Dr. Eyad El Sarraj, founder of the Gaza Community Mental Health Programme, calling from Gaza City, Palestine
• Dr. Ruchama Marton, founder of Physicians for Human Rights, calling from Tel Aviv, Israel
Remarkable call, please listen to the recording.
Our first call, last Tuesday included Mr. Husam El Nounou calling from Gaza City and Rabbi Arik Ascherman calling from Jerusalem.
Four years ago during Cast Lead, I created the Sweep Down the Walls Conference Call series, putting a peacemaker from Gaza and a peacemaker from Israel on the line every two days with dozens of people throughout the U.S. and the world to hear them. Such important voices... I couldn't find funding to keep it going. This time we must find a way.
The next Stay Human Conference Call will be Monday, Nov. 26th, speakers to be announced, register here by clicking "Count Me In"
Starting Tuesday, Morgan Bach and I will be in DC to walk the halls of congress and bring these conference calls — with their constituents on the line — to the senior staffers for Senators and Representatives. If you would like me to visit your Senators and Representative, please help me schedule the meeting. Sincerely,
Donna Baranski-Walker
The Haaretz article you cited is very important. Lieberman's draft plan would now formally take the 63% of the West Bank called 'Area C' in the Oslo accords while expanding Israeli settlements there:
<blockquote cite=" 1. Israel would immediately recognize a Palestinian state in provisional borders, based in Area A of the West Bank, where Palestinians would have control over security and civilian matters, and Area B, where Palestinians would have control over civilian issues alone; these areas would comprise some 40-50 percent of the territory in the West Bank."
Also of note is 'Austere Challenge 12', the US/Israeli joint military exercise still underway? It was scheduled to last 3 weeks, starting somewhere around Oct. 31st. If the joint military training is underway, what must the U.S. do, right now, to urge all parties to stand down and avoid the US being sucked into Israel's Gaza attack?
Re. Austere Challenge 12, from Lea Park:
Bloomberg:
“Austere Challenge 12 is the largest aerial defense exercise to take place between the two militaries,” the Israeli army said overnight in an e-mailed statement. The three-week drill, involving as many as 3,500 U.S. personnel in the region along with 1,000 members of the Israel Defense Forces, according to the Pentagon."
Global Post
Gen. Martin Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, landed in Tel Aviv on Sunday to launch "Austere Challenge 12," the largest-scale joint military exercise Israel and the United States have ever undertaken, at a cost of $38 million to the two nations.
al Jazeera
,,, with US covering $30 million of that.
IF 20 more people give, and maybe among them is an $8000 donor, we could put the families into their new homes before the rains come.
Just 2+ hours left in the competition. Please go to and give now:
link to globalgiving.org
Right now, Rebuilding to Remain is in 11th place. We need $14,576 to reach our goal and complete the first three homes in construction.
To give, just go to http://www.RebuildingAlliance.org and click GiveNow
This is our big chance to finish three homes and get families moved in before the rains. Please give to Rebuilding to Remain. GlobalGiving's Matching Day competition begins at:
— 9:01pm, Pacific Time, Tonight Oct. 16th
— 10:01pm Mountain Time, Tonight
— 11:01pm Central Time, Tonight
— Midnight:01 Eastern Time, Wednesday, Oct. 17th,
— 5:01 am GMT, Wednesday, Oct. 17th,
— 7:01 am Jerusalem Time, Wednesday, Oct. 17th
If you would like to join our Bonus Benefit Conference Call TONIGHT with Mayor Haj Sami, please RSVP to the Facebook event
Jonathan Cook published a long piece in The Link called "Welcome to Nazareth", detailing what this land confiscation in the Galilee has meant to its largest city, Nazareth.
Annie, Yes, I'll be happy to comment on Tuesday to remind everyone!
There's got to be a way to help Palestinian families hold on. It is important for everyone to know that 'Rebuilding to Remain' is the only mortgage loan program in Area C. Despite a new and vibrant mortgage loan program in Areas A and B, no Palestinian banks offer mortgage loans to families in Area C because the U.S. Overseas Private Investment Corporation is not providing Palestinian mortgage loan guarantees in Area C.
I struggle to find words to express my sadness over the decision issued by Judge Oded Gershon in Israel's Haifa District Court in response to the civil suit brought by the Corrie family. With Rachel Corrie's case he could have bridged the divide, he could have pressed for accountability and so safeguarded the lives of civilians and strengthened Israel's rule of law. Instead the world became yet again more dangerous today.
In 2009, when we testified in Abir Aramin's case before the State Department, Israeli Human Rights attorney Michael Sfard said, "Some may think it will all go away if one does nothing in response to a violation of human rights. But instead, when doing nothing, it gets worse."
Rachel Corrie's bravery brought us together in ways we could not have imagined: Rebulding Alliance responded with heart when Rachel was killed. I lived with the remarkable family she sought to protect, and they became part of all our families as they blogged with us through many years. With your help, we brought them to the U.S. to join the Corries, speaking in seven states and telling Rachel's and their own stories — and that U.S. visa approval confirmed their integrity.
So many of you donated to raise funds to rebuild a home for the Nasrallah family. We built that home — despite the early blockade — as we dreamed and planned the rebuilding of hundreds of Palestinian homes in the Rachel Corrie Rebuilding Campaign in Gaza. When we could no longer open the blockade to rebuild the 2200 demolished homes in Rafah, Rebuilding Alliance tested the waters and International maritime law by sending school supplies and cement on the Irish ship that bore Rachel Corrie's name in the Free Gaza Flotilla — only to see the Israeli Navy attack and kill passengers on the Mavi Marmara. When Israel invaded Gaza in Operation Cast Lead, Rebuilding Alliance held worldwide Free Conference Call briefings with direct lines to Palestinian and Israel Peace-makers as we mobilized policy makers and humanitarian aid. President Carter personally thanked us for linking him with Gaza's Non-Governmental community. And when we could not end the siege, we learned how to help as best we could to simply level soccer fields to bring children and neighborhoods together for Ramadan Soccer Tournaments in Rachel Corrie's name.
In an article today by Leehee Rothschild on Mondoweiss, the last question that Rachel's family was asked before the conference concluded was how they feel about the fact that the judge in one out of many victim-blaming phrases in his ruling said that Rachel should have moved out of the bulldozer's way. To that Cindy Corrie replied "I don't think that Rachel should have moved. I think we should all have been standing there with her."
We stand with the Corrie family. As gently, compassionately, and courageously as we can, we stand with Rachel Corrie.
Sincerely,
Donna Baranski-Walker
Founder of Rebuilding Alliance
We are all awaiting word of the High Court's decision. The Jaber family's youngest child is in the hospital in Nablus with possibly heat stroke, and his mother is there too. Matt wrote, "The little boy should be coming home today or tomorrow, inshallah."
The lawyers with call Mayor Haj Sami when they hear.
Two Americans, a Swede, and an Australian are staying in the village now. They plan to call their respective consulates to request they come on a "welfare visit" to Al Aqaba, especially today if possible.
Donna here.
I completely disagree. Israeli opinions are as disparate as those of Americans. People everywhere know what justice means and when we speak up, those who are overlooked or marginalized, find their voice.
When I was first learning how to walk the halls of Congress and scheduled a first visit to State Department, I asked Craig Corrie how to think about this. He said, “Always give officials the opportunity to do the right thing.” Later Ghassan Abdullah added, “Too bad they need so many opportunities.”
Thanks for the heads-up. Here's a link directly to Antony Loewenstein's important article:
Israel to begin recording settler land claims, deny Palestinians' right of appeal
Documents obtained by Haaretz indicate that new land registry process, which would bypass regular tabu listings, is official policy, with repercussions reviewed by top officials.
Please don't view this as a done deal, as there's still a window open to keep this from happening. Am I the only one who takes hope from Israel's High Court's decision to recognize the rights of Palestinian landowners in the Migron and Beit El Ulpana decision?
The first step with the proposed land theft registration process is to block it from becoming law. Today's Haaretz editorial urges refusal to cooperate:
Let's hope this proposal dies on the vine -- and consider with care what actions Americans can take in support of those Israelis who will be working against this, and what role there is for diplomacy and law.
Actually, you've found your way to Aqqaba, which is indeed in Area A, not Al Aqaba Village. The coordinates for Al Aqaba Village are 32°20'10.90"N, 35°25'6.28"E, just East of Tajaseer.
It is easy to be confused by the names. When I first set-out to visit Al Aqaba in 2003, I asked the UN for help to get me there (everyone who had tried was turned back at the checkpoints). We too got confused and went to Aqqaba, a municipality in Area A, instead.
Here's a better way to follow the ups and downs of Palestinian villages: Lea Park has been volunteering with our mapping team. She developed a Palestine Crisis Map using Ushahidi technology from Kenya. Click on the Get Alerts tab to be notified when a place you care about is in the news.
If you would like to see Rebuilding to Remain's standing on the GlobalGIving Leader Board, click here
"Rebuilding to Remain" has just made it to the top 10 in the GlobalGiving.org competition with $9928 in donations. If 70 more people give in the next 2 hours, we could reach FIRST in the "Most Unique Donors" category... we're 5th right now. Your support, large or small, is a tangible endorsement that will open doors =)
How can I show you the amazing energy of Mayor Haj Sami's village? Let me try ...
Imagine you are staying in the "Al Aqaba Guest House for English Teachers and Visitors." Welcome! Will you recognize the Mayor's voice in the pre-dawn call to prayer? You may drift back to sleep only to be awakened by the sounds of birds and a tinkling, clanking sound like wind chimes, only moving from here to somewhere ... the bells on the goats herded out to the hills.
The sun rising over the hillside is my favorite time to walk, explore, say hello. Walk down the ramp of the guesthouse, and up, up the stairs to the third floor of the Kindergarten building to visit the early-rising Al Aqaba Sewing Company. Then out the door, past the new sports pavilion (!), up the street along the new mural outside the mosque with the double minaret (like a peace sign, or a victory sign ... or a sign of victory through peace!).
Keep going past the new building for the Rural Women's Association. Two professional designers from Australia were just here, Hana Hakim and Kathrin Wheib, to help the Rural Women design their Cheese Factory, professional kitchen (to feed the international delegations now visiting every other day), and future roof-top cafe with ice cream machine!
If we head right, the Jordan Valley beckons to the east, with the twinkling lights of Jordan in the distance. Quickly you'll reach the trenches scarring Peace Street, making this road to the kindergarten impassable once again. Thankfully the road funded by the Norwegians is still open, a splendid hike or jog up and down the hills.
Turn left instead. A new shelter is up for a villager's black and white cows. And just down the street is the brick-making factory with new machines churning out the very first cement blocks that will build this town. Turn left by the big pine tree and you'll see a "Rebuilding to Remain" home. What a light-filled and welcoming design Architect Hani Hassan created! (When he gave his speech at the Global Donors Forum in Malaysia, he said he was surprised how assertive the women of Al Aqaba were in the design process!)
Now look around. Three "Rebuilding to Remain" homes are in construction and some six other families are also building too! An unexpected vote of confidence.
Neighbors beckon and invite us to join them for sweet tea with Nana (mint). This is where school bus driver, Othman, waves to join him, driving over to do chores at his future home. He hooks up the hose from the cistern pump (each lot in Al Aqaba already has a cistern installed for their future homes), and heads up to the roof. The cement, still drying on his Rebuilding to Remain home, must be watered each day to prevent cracking.
Othman's English is now better than my Arabic. He smiled as he told us that daughter Shahad and her brother Shadi insist upon playing at their new house every day, without fail.
Dreams made real.
Thank you so very much,
Donna Baranski=Walker
Founder & Executive Director of Rebuilding Alliance
P.S. To learn more and give, just click link to globalgiving.org
Perhaps you may wonder if or how this matters. This just in from Amos Gvirtz. Bardalah is very near Al Aqaba.
Today is another GlobalGivingMatching Grant Competition Day! Today, March 14th, GlobalGiving will match 30% for each donation to help Al Aqaba Village build 3 new homes -- this is the first Palestinian Village in Area C to issue its own building permits. Please share the risk with them because nearly the whole village is under demolition orders.
To give, please go to link to globalgiving.org
This looks like an important law for torture victims but not a clear path to assure the village its right to exist. Interesting to see Cooley Goddard Kronish offering pro bono counsel – the Virginia offices of the same Cooley Goddard Kronish that is here in Palo Alto.
An important earlier note in this discussion is that “genocide” is now defined broadly enough to include the demolition of homes and villages. What would it take to extend the term, "gross violation of human rights" to include home demolitions as well?
That inclusion would mean that the Leahy Laws must respond by investigating, reporting, then cutting off U.S. aid and training from the Israeli military unit that carries out demolitions of Palestinian homes, schools, and shops. With 12,500 demolition orders outstanding in the 62% of the West Bank governed solely by Israel, a Leahy investigation could be a useful diplomatic requirement, though insufficient to guarantee the village its right in the near-term.
We need a solid outreach and advocacy plan, and we'll need it soon. Al Aqaba village plans to start new home construction in a few weeks time.
I understand what you are saying about the immense value of the expanded (expanding) ability to prosecute crimes against humanity. Judge Richard Goldstone at "Civilians in War" forum at Stanford University, January 20, 2011, said, " Efficient justice is one of the only effective deterrents to human rights abuse." He went on to say the first step toward justice consists of an independent investigation with all parties participating. My frustration is that prosecution takes so long and comes too late to stop the atrocity.
I seek models where safety was successfully negotiated, where bad policy was changed, where the very pursuit of justice prevented further injustice. I take heart from Raoul Wallenberg's negotiation strategies including his issuance of ribboned Swedish passports and from a contemporary U.S. human rights law called the Leahy Law.
In one of our other Rebuilding Alliance projects, Abir's Garden: a Safe Place to Grow, we are working with Combatants for Peace to help them build playgrounds in memory of a child killed by a soldier's rubber bullet. To make those playgrounds safe (also part of our mission), Rebuilding Alliance has worked to invoke the Leahy Laws on her family's behalf. Because her case was recently dismissed by the Israeli High Court of Justice even as the Israeli Civil Court awarded damages to the family, this has become an important test case to invoke the U.S. Leahy Law. I believe the investigative process of invoking this law can be a way to strengthen moderate voices and threaten punishment of those who would join in criminal behavior.
In 2009, with the help of the Carter Center, I arranged for Attorney Michael Sfard to meet with the State Department to present the status of the criminal case appeals on behalf of Abir Aramin's family. Michael Sfard told them, "One may think that if one does nothing, human rights abuse will stop. Instead if one does nothing, it gets worse."
What steps can we take, right now, to assure Al Aqaba Village their right to exist? What arguments will engage Congress and assure their intervention (privately or publically) on behalf of constituents who care? I hope the Rebuilding to Remain building projects will be a catalyst for all, and so engage policy change for positive impact on all 149 Palestinian villages in Area C.
I am surprised that I've never hear of Raphael Lemkin. In all my travels, I've certainly heard of Germany's plan of "total disenfranchisement of the Polish population, further, even elimination by murder or displacement of many of them, to make way for their colonial project."
I want to learn more about this man.
That night, more people donated and our project total morphed to over $13,000. Yesterday, a generous donor pledged $15,000, the amount needed to fund the affordable revolving mortgage loan for one family in Al Aqaba! As of right now, Al Aqaba's Rebuilding to Remain Campaign is at $31,013! We are nearly halfway to our goal.
Thanks everyone! Al Aqaba's project came in 8th in the competition and we raised $8490 today! You rock!
There are four human rights groups advising. The PA Minister of Local Government will be attending the meeting with Haj Sami. The Brig. General's office is expected to reply after the holidays.
One of the human rights groups is reporting a possible opening re. water for the village and also for initiation of the building process. We'll keep you posted. Here is our overview following our meeting with the man who delivers demolition orders, Mr. Asher Rosalit of the Israeli Civil Administration:
link to rebuildingalliance.org
Annie, that's great! Thank you! Al Aqaba has moved into 8th place with just under 15 more minutes to go! Whew.
There's follow-up to this. The Mayor's letter did reach the Brig. General --- word is that a meeting is to be scheduled.
With 4 hours left in the competition, the "Rebuilding to Remain" in Al Aqaba program is now in 13th place on the GlobalGiving Leader Board!
By total number of donors we're in 5th place.
Take a look: link to globalgiving.org
-----------------
You may wonder if this stuff matters -- it does. We helped Al Aqaba build that kindergarten where teacher Morgan Bach is teaching then the Japanese, Belgians, and Norwegians built the 2nd floor. We helped Haj Sami build the housing for visiting teachers and used the Spring Global Giving Matching grant to set-up the visiting teachers program. And in the June Global Giving Matching Grant Competition we came in 2nd with our Architectural Design Charrette project. A month later we were there with the villagers for 10 days designing these remarkable affordable homes. Now the villagers are ready to build. This competition is a good way to get started!
Rebuilding to Remain
link to youtube.com
You are right -- this village is not getting the U.S. media attention it deserves. An Op-ed by Award-winning Palestinian Architect Hani Hassan about his work with Al Aqaba was turned down by all the major newspapers. It went live in Arabic this morning: link to wafa.ps
Mondoweiss, would you publish it in English?