Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Friday, November 11, 2011
JEWS AGAINST ZIONISM
TRUE TORAH JEWS AGAINST ZIONISM - OUR MISSION
The relatively new concept of Zionism began only about one hundred years ago and since that time Torah-true Jewry has steadfastly opposed the Zionist ideology. This struggle is rooted in two convictions:
Zionism, by advocating a political and military end to the Jewish exile, denies the very essence of our Diaspora existence. We are in exile by Divine Decree and may emerge from exile solely via Divine Redemption. All human efforts to alter a metaphysical reality are doomed to end in failure and bloodshed. History has clearly borne out this teaching.
Zionism has not only denied our fundamental belief in Heavenly Redemption it has also created a pseudo-Judaism which views the essence of our identity to be a secular nationalism. Accordingly, Zionism and the Israeli state have consistently endeavored, via persuasion and coercion, to replace a Divine and Torah centered understanding of our people hood with an armed materialism.
True Torah Jews is dedicated to informing the world and in particular the American public and politicians that all Jews do not support the ideology of the Zionist state called "Israel" which is diametrically opposite to the teachings of traditional Judaism.
We are concerned that the widespread misconception that all Jews support the zionist state and its actions endangers Jews worldwide.
We are NOT politically motivated. We are motivated by our concern for the peace and safety of all people throughout the world including those living in the Zionist state. We support and pray for peace for the people of the Zionist state but have no interest in and do not support the Zionist government.
We seek to disassociate Jews and traditional Judaism from the Zionist Ideology by:
Providing historical and supporting documentation that Zionism is totally contrary to the teachings of traditional Judaism through the words of our Rabbis, Sages, and Holy Scriptures which oppose the creation of a state called Israel.
Providing historical documentation on the ideaology and creation of Zionism, the supporters of Zionism and the negative impact of their actions on the Jewish people in the past hundred years, including their involvement in the holocaust up to the present day.
Publicizing the efforts of traditional Jews to demonstrate that all Jews do not support Zionism, which is being ignored by the mainstream media.
Convince the news media, politicians and the public to cease referring to the state of Israel as the "Jewish State" but to call it what it is: the "Zionist State".
It is our firm belief that when the state of "Israel" is recognized for what it is, a Zionist state which is not guided by the teachings of the traditional Jewish faith, Jews worldwide will be able to live in peace.
The relatively new concept of Zionism began only about one hundred years ago and since that time Torah-true Jewry has steadfastly opposed the Zionist ideology. This struggle is rooted in two convictions:
Zionism, by advocating a political and military end to the Jewish exile, denies the very essence of our Diaspora existence. We are in exile by Divine Decree and may emerge from exile solely via Divine Redemption. All human efforts to alter a metaphysical reality are doomed to end in failure and bloodshed. History has clearly borne out this teaching.
Zionism has not only denied our fundamental belief in Heavenly Redemption it has also created a pseudo-Judaism which views the essence of our identity to be a secular nationalism. Accordingly, Zionism and the Israeli state have consistently endeavored, via persuasion and coercion, to replace a Divine and Torah centered understanding of our people hood with an armed materialism.
True Torah Jews is dedicated to informing the world and in particular the American public and politicians that all Jews do not support the ideology of the Zionist state called "Israel" which is diametrically opposite to the teachings of traditional Judaism.
We are concerned that the widespread misconception that all Jews support the zionist state and its actions endangers Jews worldwide.
We are NOT politically motivated. We are motivated by our concern for the peace and safety of all people throughout the world including those living in the Zionist state. We support and pray for peace for the people of the Zionist state but have no interest in and do not support the Zionist government.
We seek to disassociate Jews and traditional Judaism from the Zionist Ideology by:
Providing historical and supporting documentation that Zionism is totally contrary to the teachings of traditional Judaism through the words of our Rabbis, Sages, and Holy Scriptures which oppose the creation of a state called Israel.
Providing historical documentation on the ideaology and creation of Zionism, the supporters of Zionism and the negative impact of their actions on the Jewish people in the past hundred years, including their involvement in the holocaust up to the present day.
Publicizing the efforts of traditional Jews to demonstrate that all Jews do not support Zionism, which is being ignored by the mainstream media.
Convince the news media, politicians and the public to cease referring to the state of Israel as the "Jewish State" but to call it what it is: the "Zionist State".
It is our firm belief that when the state of "Israel" is recognized for what it is, a Zionist state which is not guided by the teachings of the traditional Jewish faith, Jews worldwide will be able to live in peace.
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Shalit is free: Lift the siege of Gaza now
Shalit is free: Lift the siege of Gaza now
Israel's blockade of Gaza constitutes a clear violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention, according to the Red Cross.
In the world of principle and international law, the ongoing Israeli blockade of Gaza - which until now blocks Gazans from traveling to the West Bank and East Jerusalem, and blocks Gazans from exporting, farming, fishing, and otherwise earning their living - is a clear violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention, which bars the use of "collective punishment" against a civilian population living under occupation.
The International Committee of the Red Cross - a key guardian of the Fourth Geneva Convention - has stated this clearly. As Voice of America reported:
"The International Committee of the Red Cross says Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip breaks international law. The humanitarian agency said Monday that the blockade violates the Geneva Convention, which bans 'collective punishment' of a civilian population."
Article 33 of the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949 - on the Red Cross website- says: "No protected person may be punished for an offence he or she has not personally committed. Collective penalties and likewise all measures of intimidation or of terrorism are prohibited ... Reprisals against protected persons and their property are prohibited."
"Protected persons" are defined in Article 4: "Persons protected by the Convention are those who, at a given moment and in any manner whatsoever, find themselves, in case of a conflict or occupation, in the hands of a Party to the conflict or Occupying Power of which they are not nationals."
But whether we like it or not, in the world of practical affairs, other things matter besides principle and law.
In practice, the issue of the Gaza blockade has been entangled with issue of the captivity of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit. As the Washington Post has noted, "The blockade was widely seen as a punitive measure driven in large part by the outrage that Shalit's abduction in 2006 generated in Israel."
Hamas officials have said that Israel pledged to lift the Gaza blockade as part of the prisoner exchange that freed Shalit. Egyptian officials have also indicated that lifting the blockade was part of the deal. But Israeli officials have said that Israel did not agree to lift the blockade.
Whether lifting the blockade was part of the deal or not, Shalit's release should cause the international community to urgently revisit the issue of the Gaza blockade.
Key justification
First, there is never a bad time to revisit a serious violation of international humanitarian law, and the ongoing denial of the basic human rights of 1.6 million people.
Second, although the captivity of Shalit was not a legitimate justification for the blockade, it was a key justification nonetheless. That key justification has been removed.
Third, as press reports have indicated, in achieving the prisoner exchange deal that had long eluded them, both Israel and Hamas were responding to changed dynamics in the region as a result of the Arab Spring. Both Israel and Hamas compromised longstanding positions to achieve the deal; both Israel and Hamas responded to pressure from Egypt and others to compromise to achieve the deal.
This development naturally begs the question: Given these changed dynamics, what else could be achieved as a result of new pressure on the parties to compromise? Could a lifting of the blockade be achieved? Is there any good reason why the international community should not try to achieve this?
Lynn Pascoe, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, has just made exactly this argument to the Security Council:
A senior United Nations official has called on the Israeli government to lift the siege that has been imposed on the Gaza Strip for five years. Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Lynn Pascoe told a Security Council meeting on the Middle East and the Palestine Issue that the prisoner exchange agreement should lead to further steps towards ending the closure of Gaza, where a significant portion of the population are food insecure and dependent on humanitarian assistance.
"We reiterate our call on Israel for more far-reaching steps to ease its land closures and facilitate the entry of construction materials into Gaza, free movement of people in both directions and exports from Gaza, with due consideration for Israel's legitimate security concerns," he said.
To his everlasting credit, when Gilad Shalit was released from captivity, he used his megaphone to press for the release of prisoners, peace and reconciliation. "I will be very happy if all these prisoners are freed so that they can go back to their families, loved ones, territories - it will give me great happiness if this happens," Shalit told Egyptian TV. "I hope this deal will help with the conclusion of a peace deal with the Israelis and Palestinians and I hope that cooperation links between the two sides will be consolidated."
The international community should follow Gilad Shalit's noble lead. Lift the siege of Gaza now.
Robert Naiman is Policy Director at Just Foreign Policy.
Displacement of Palestinians 'a war crime' - Middle East - Al Jazeera English
Displacement of Palestinians 'a war crime' - Middle East - Al Jazeera English
Israel is forcing Palestinians out of East Jerusalem as part of a deliberate policy that might constitute a war crime, a prominent Israeli non-governmental organisation said, a charge rejected by Jerusalem's mayor.
The Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions (ICAHD) has presented the United Nations with its findings on Monday and demanded an inquiry, saying Israel targeted Palestinians by demolishing homes, revoking residency and eroding quality of life.
"We are witnessing a process of ethnic displacement," said Michael Sfard, a lawyer who helped draw up a 73-page report into the issue. "Israel is manifestly and seriously violating international law ... and the motivation is demographic."
Stephan Miller, a spokesman for Israel's mayor of Jerusalem, Nir Barkat, dismissed the report. He said in a statement it was based on "misleading facts, blatant lies and political spin about Jerusalem, so I'm sure the UN will enjoy it".
Israel seized East Jerusalem, including the Old City, in the 1967 Middle East war. It later annexed the area and surrounding West Bank villages into a Jerusalem municipality that it declared the united and eternal capital of Israel.
World powers have not recognised Israel's annexations - which, according to international law, are illegal. Moreover, Palestinians want E Jerusalem for the capital of their future state.
There are some 300,000 Palestinians residents in East Jerusalem, representing about 35 per cent of the city's total population, but ICAHD said that since Israel took control of largely Arab areas it had systematically prevented their development.
One third of land in East Jerusalem was taken for the construction of Jewish neighbourhoods, while only nine per cent of the remaining land is legally available for housing. This has all been built on, making expansion impossible.
ICAHD said it was virtually impossible for Palestinians to obtain building permits to house their growing families.
"They have no other option than to leave East Jerusalem, build illegally or live in appalling, cramped conditions," said Emily Schaeffer, who authored the report.
'War crime'
Those who leave lose residency rights if they are gone for seven or more years and cannot return.
Some 14,000 Palestinians lost their residency between 1967 and 2010, with half of those revocations taking place after 2006, ICAHD said.
Residency entitles you to Israeli health care and national insurance benefits.
Those who built houses illegally, lived in fear of having their property demolished and also faced hefty fines.
Israel demolished more than 2,000 homes in East Jerusalem since 1967, with 771 being pulled down between 2000-2011. A further 1,500 demolition orders are pending execution.
"Palestinians will de facto be deported from East Jerusalem, not by using guns or trucks, but by not allowing them to live a decent, normal life," Sfard said.
Because the annexation of East Jerusalem was not recognised, Palestinians living there should be considered as a people under occupation, ICAHD said. As such, Israel had no right to strip them of residency or demolish their homes.
"There is a suspicion that a war crime is taking place and that is why an investigation should take place," said Sfard.
Friday, October 28, 2011
Palestinian News
Israeli Troops storm into a civilian Refugee Camp
THURSDAY, 27 OCTOBER 2011 11:58 WAFA NEWS AGENCY
Palestine, (Pal Telegraph) - Israeli forces Thursday raided Balata refugee camp, east of Nablus in the northern West Bank, according to the camp services committee.
It said a number of Israeli military vehicles raided the eastern sections of the camp during the pre-dawn hours shooting in the air and throwing sound bombs around.
The soldiers raided 10 homes, searching them and destroying most of their contents.
An owner of one of the raided homes told WAFA that soldiers raided his house, searched it thoroughly destroying in the process electrical equipment.
The services committee said the Israeli forces left the camp following the search, but no one was reported hurt.
Israel Bombs Gaza again
THURSDAY, 27 OCTOBER 2011 11:50 WAFA NEWS AGENCY
Palestine, (Pal Telegraph) - Israeli warplanes fired several missiles at three different locations in Khan Younis, south of the Gaza Strip, early Thursday shattering a relative calm that has prevailed throughout the Gaza Strip for two months, according to witnesses.
No one was reported hurt in the raids.
The missiles, said the witnesses, hit open areas in Khan Younis and a container on the town's fishing pier destroying it. Another raid on Deir al-Balah, in the central Gaza Strip, targeted a Hamas training base, also without causing any injuries.
Israel claims that the strikes came after three Grad missiles fired from Gaza fell in areas in southern Israel Wednesday night, without causing any damage, but only panic.
No party took responsibility for the missiles, the first in over two months.
While Hamas does not allow missile firing from Gaza, Israeli press reports claimed Hamas was recently able to smuggle into Gaza advanced Russian missiles looted from Libyan military warehouses.
In another development, Israeli navy ships intercepted two fishermen on the Gaza shores, detained them and impounded their boat, said security sources in Gaza.
Palestinian Christians Hope for Statehood
Mahmoud Abbas Requests Sovereignty at the U.N.
Share by Michele Chabin, Middle East Correspondent Monday, Oct 17, 2011 9:47 AM Comments (2)
Read more: http://www.ncregister.com/site/article/palestinian-christians-hope-for-statehood/#ixzz1c31YmoNV
JERUSALEM — Salim Manarious, a retired former school headmaster, believes there will be a sovereign Palestinian state in his lifetime.
“I believe it because I’m a Palestinian,” the 72-year-old Orthodox Christian said Sept. 23, the day Palestinian National Authority President Mahmoud Abbas applied for full membership in the United Nations.
Palestinians currently have observer status at the U.N.
The United Nations Security Council was scheduled to hold preliminary talks on the Palestinian application. The United States has pledged to veto the proposal if it comes up for a vote in the Security Council. The U.S. has called for a return to Israeli-Palestinian negotiations as a way to resolve the issue.
Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, the Vatican’s No. 2 State Department official, called Sept. 27 for a two-state solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict in remarks delivered in New York, according to Catholic News Agency. He insisted that “if we want peace, courageous decisions have to be made.” Archbishop Mamberti, whose official title is secretary for relations with states, encouraged “the realization of the right of Palestinians to have their own independent and sovereign state and the right of Israelis to guarantee their security.” He also insisted that both states be “provided with internationally recognized borders.”
But Manarious, whose family fled Ramle, a town in what is now Israel, in 1948, isn’t overly optimistic his clan will be able to reclaim their home.
“The house is still there. I’ve visited it twice, but I don’t think I’ll get it back, even though it’s my right,” Manarious said in the shady garden of his home in the Old City of Jerusalem just prior to Abbas’ speech.
Now that the “Palestine” issue is front and center at the U.N., Palestinians, including Christians, are grappling with what a future Palestinian state might mean for them.
Hanni is the father of three grown children, and he lives in Beit Sahour, a largely Christian town next to Bethlehem. In his case, an independent Palestinian country could bring his oldest son, a physician who moved to France in 1993, back home.
“If there is peace and a job, I think he’ll come back and work in a Palestinian hospital,” Hanni said hopefully as he shopped in a Beit Sahour hardware store. The 63-year-old Greek Catholic did not want his last name published. “He left because he couldn’t find work in the West Bank, and the Israelis wouldn’t issue him a permit to work in Israel.”
Israel began severely limiting the number of work and visitor permits it issues at the start of the first intifada (Palestinian uprising) in 1988.
Bassam, a father of three who also requested anonymity (“I don’t want the Israelis to withhold a travel permit”), said Palestinian sovereignty is synonymous with freedom.
Chain-smoking during an interview at the modest housewares store he owns, Bassam said freedom means “we will have enough work and that we won’t have to go through checkpoints everywhere. It means being in control of our own water resources.”
Bassam, whose family has lived in the Bethlehem area for generations, blamed both the Israeli and Palestinian governments for the West Bank’s chronic water shortage.
“First, the Israelis give water to the settlers, and whatever’s left over goes to us,” he asserted. “And I suspect that the Palestinian Authority gives more water to ‘important’ people than to the rest of us.”
The Israeli government says it provides essential services to the best of its ability.
‘Times Have Changed’
Despite this criticism, Bassam is convinced that the Palestinian leadership is ready to run a country.
“The only reason our leaders aren’t leading a Palestinian state is because the Israelis don’t let them,” he said.
Angry though he is at the Israeli government, Bassam does not advocate armed struggle against the “occupation.”
“Twenty years ago I was a follower of George Habash,” founder of the militant Palestinian group Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. “Today I have a family and a future,” Bassam said.
Nizreen Manarious, Salim’s daughter-in-law, also believes violence will only hurt the Palestinian cause.
“Times have changed. I think as Palestinians we shouldn’t fight in a violent way. Violence only serves the Israelis’ needs,” said Nizreen, who is 34 and pregnant with her third child, as she watched her two young sons chasing each other around the olive tree in the family’s garden.
Nizreen said she has experienced violence throughout her life. She was born and raised in the West Bank town of Beit Jala near Bethlehem. During the Palestinian uprisings, Israeli soldiers and Palestinian militants waged many battles.
“In 1988, Israeli soldiers shot my father dead during a peaceful demonstration in Beit Jala at the beginning of the first intifada,” Nizreen recalled. “He was a peaceful activist. We saw someone being shot but didn’t know it was him until later.”
“We tried armed resistance against the Israelis, and it didn’t work,” agreed George Manarious, Nizreen’s husband, the resource manager of the Latin Patriarchate in Jerusalem.
Lubnah Shomali, an officer for the Beit Sahur Municipality, was 5 years old when her parents moved the family from the West Bank to the United States.
Shomali, a Catholic with three children, moved back to the West Bank with her Palestinian husband and their children three years ago “to give my children their cultural identity.”
The young couple also wanted their children “to see what is really going on, as opposed to what others say. I wanted them to see that Palestine really does exist.”
Like other Palestinians, Shomali doesn’t expect a Palestinian state to be born overnight.
“We are growing as a government and as a nation, reaching closer to independence every day,” Shomali said. “I think we’re heading down the right path.”
Michele Chabin writes from Jerusalem.
Read more: http://www.ncregister.com/site/article/palestinian-christians-hope-for-statehood/#ixzz1c31oWFXC
THURSDAY, 27 OCTOBER 2011 11:58 WAFA NEWS AGENCY
Palestine, (Pal Telegraph) - Israeli forces Thursday raided Balata refugee camp, east of Nablus in the northern West Bank, according to the camp services committee.
It said a number of Israeli military vehicles raided the eastern sections of the camp during the pre-dawn hours shooting in the air and throwing sound bombs around.
The soldiers raided 10 homes, searching them and destroying most of their contents.
An owner of one of the raided homes told WAFA that soldiers raided his house, searched it thoroughly destroying in the process electrical equipment.
The services committee said the Israeli forces left the camp following the search, but no one was reported hurt.
Israel Bombs Gaza again
THURSDAY, 27 OCTOBER 2011 11:50 WAFA NEWS AGENCY
Palestine, (Pal Telegraph) - Israeli warplanes fired several missiles at three different locations in Khan Younis, south of the Gaza Strip, early Thursday shattering a relative calm that has prevailed throughout the Gaza Strip for two months, according to witnesses.
No one was reported hurt in the raids.
The missiles, said the witnesses, hit open areas in Khan Younis and a container on the town's fishing pier destroying it. Another raid on Deir al-Balah, in the central Gaza Strip, targeted a Hamas training base, also without causing any injuries.
Israel claims that the strikes came after three Grad missiles fired from Gaza fell in areas in southern Israel Wednesday night, without causing any damage, but only panic.
No party took responsibility for the missiles, the first in over two months.
While Hamas does not allow missile firing from Gaza, Israeli press reports claimed Hamas was recently able to smuggle into Gaza advanced Russian missiles looted from Libyan military warehouses.
In another development, Israeli navy ships intercepted two fishermen on the Gaza shores, detained them and impounded their boat, said security sources in Gaza.
Palestinian Christians Hope for Statehood
Mahmoud Abbas Requests Sovereignty at the U.N.
Share by Michele Chabin, Middle East Correspondent Monday, Oct 17, 2011 9:47 AM Comments (2)
Read more: http://www.ncregister.com/site/article/palestinian-christians-hope-for-statehood/#ixzz1c31YmoNV
JERUSALEM — Salim Manarious, a retired former school headmaster, believes there will be a sovereign Palestinian state in his lifetime.
“I believe it because I’m a Palestinian,” the 72-year-old Orthodox Christian said Sept. 23, the day Palestinian National Authority President Mahmoud Abbas applied for full membership in the United Nations.
Palestinians currently have observer status at the U.N.
The United Nations Security Council was scheduled to hold preliminary talks on the Palestinian application. The United States has pledged to veto the proposal if it comes up for a vote in the Security Council. The U.S. has called for a return to Israeli-Palestinian negotiations as a way to resolve the issue.
Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, the Vatican’s No. 2 State Department official, called Sept. 27 for a two-state solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict in remarks delivered in New York, according to Catholic News Agency. He insisted that “if we want peace, courageous decisions have to be made.” Archbishop Mamberti, whose official title is secretary for relations with states, encouraged “the realization of the right of Palestinians to have their own independent and sovereign state and the right of Israelis to guarantee their security.” He also insisted that both states be “provided with internationally recognized borders.”
But Manarious, whose family fled Ramle, a town in what is now Israel, in 1948, isn’t overly optimistic his clan will be able to reclaim their home.
“The house is still there. I’ve visited it twice, but I don’t think I’ll get it back, even though it’s my right,” Manarious said in the shady garden of his home in the Old City of Jerusalem just prior to Abbas’ speech.
Now that the “Palestine” issue is front and center at the U.N., Palestinians, including Christians, are grappling with what a future Palestinian state might mean for them.
Hanni is the father of three grown children, and he lives in Beit Sahour, a largely Christian town next to Bethlehem. In his case, an independent Palestinian country could bring his oldest son, a physician who moved to France in 1993, back home.
“If there is peace and a job, I think he’ll come back and work in a Palestinian hospital,” Hanni said hopefully as he shopped in a Beit Sahour hardware store. The 63-year-old Greek Catholic did not want his last name published. “He left because he couldn’t find work in the West Bank, and the Israelis wouldn’t issue him a permit to work in Israel.”
Israel began severely limiting the number of work and visitor permits it issues at the start of the first intifada (Palestinian uprising) in 1988.
Bassam, a father of three who also requested anonymity (“I don’t want the Israelis to withhold a travel permit”), said Palestinian sovereignty is synonymous with freedom.
Chain-smoking during an interview at the modest housewares store he owns, Bassam said freedom means “we will have enough work and that we won’t have to go through checkpoints everywhere. It means being in control of our own water resources.”
Bassam, whose family has lived in the Bethlehem area for generations, blamed both the Israeli and Palestinian governments for the West Bank’s chronic water shortage.
“First, the Israelis give water to the settlers, and whatever’s left over goes to us,” he asserted. “And I suspect that the Palestinian Authority gives more water to ‘important’ people than to the rest of us.”
The Israeli government says it provides essential services to the best of its ability.
‘Times Have Changed’
Despite this criticism, Bassam is convinced that the Palestinian leadership is ready to run a country.
“The only reason our leaders aren’t leading a Palestinian state is because the Israelis don’t let them,” he said.
Angry though he is at the Israeli government, Bassam does not advocate armed struggle against the “occupation.”
“Twenty years ago I was a follower of George Habash,” founder of the militant Palestinian group Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. “Today I have a family and a future,” Bassam said.
Nizreen Manarious, Salim’s daughter-in-law, also believes violence will only hurt the Palestinian cause.
“Times have changed. I think as Palestinians we shouldn’t fight in a violent way. Violence only serves the Israelis’ needs,” said Nizreen, who is 34 and pregnant with her third child, as she watched her two young sons chasing each other around the olive tree in the family’s garden.
Nizreen said she has experienced violence throughout her life. She was born and raised in the West Bank town of Beit Jala near Bethlehem. During the Palestinian uprisings, Israeli soldiers and Palestinian militants waged many battles.
“In 1988, Israeli soldiers shot my father dead during a peaceful demonstration in Beit Jala at the beginning of the first intifada,” Nizreen recalled. “He was a peaceful activist. We saw someone being shot but didn’t know it was him until later.”
“We tried armed resistance against the Israelis, and it didn’t work,” agreed George Manarious, Nizreen’s husband, the resource manager of the Latin Patriarchate in Jerusalem.
Lubnah Shomali, an officer for the Beit Sahur Municipality, was 5 years old when her parents moved the family from the West Bank to the United States.
Shomali, a Catholic with three children, moved back to the West Bank with her Palestinian husband and their children three years ago “to give my children their cultural identity.”
The young couple also wanted their children “to see what is really going on, as opposed to what others say. I wanted them to see that Palestine really does exist.”
Like other Palestinians, Shomali doesn’t expect a Palestinian state to be born overnight.
“We are growing as a government and as a nation, reaching closer to independence every day,” Shomali said. “I think we’re heading down the right path.”
Michele Chabin writes from Jerusalem.
Read more: http://www.ncregister.com/site/article/palestinian-christians-hope-for-statehood/#ixzz1c31oWFXC
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
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