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Friends International Center in Ramallah
May 2009 Newsletter
(Vol. III No. 4)
From the Program Coordinator
We are between the commemoration of the continuing Nakba of 1948 and the continuing Israeli military occupation of Gaza, West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Golan Heights. Life for Palestinians under occupation continues to be difficult and Palestinians living inside Israel continue to experience discrimination as second-class citizens.
How can we move through the current impasse? Some are placing their hopes in the new U.S. president, Barack Obama. Others say that the solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict must come from within and it is only Israelis and Palestinians who can resolve this 61-year old conflict.
Below are three articles that analyze the openings and challenges the Barack Obama administration pose in moving forward towards a negotiated solution between Palestinians and Israelis.
Click here to read “Obama Demands that Israel Stop Settlements” by Joshua Mitnick
Click here to read “No Hope or change from Obama-Netanyahu Meeting” by Ali Abunimah (www.electronicintifada.net)
Click here to read “Buying Brand Obama” by Chris Hedges
Click here to see a picture of Jim Fine, who works with FCNL and is the Clerk of FICR Steering Committee, and Jimmy Carter.) www.fcnl.org
http://action.fcnl.org/list/iraq/conflicting_views_on_obama_middle_east_policy_war_funding_passes/
From the Friends International Center in Ramallah
At the Friends Center we marked the 100th day of Barack Obama’s presidency by inviting Kathy and Bill Christeson to give their analysis of what is possible and what the challenges may be in Middle East peacemaking as the result of a new administration in Washington. .
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Kathy and Bill Christeson speak on the 100th day of the Barack Obama administration in office. |
Click here to hear their talk on DVD.
On May 3, a Council in the National Interest (CNI) delegation from Washington, DC, organized by the Carter Center, gave their analysis of what they thought could be possible given the new administration in Washington.
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Amabassador Stephen Buch addresses the audience at FICR. |
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Richard Bliss talks about working in Washington, DC as a lobbyist |
Click here to read a summary of their talks.
Click here to read the bios of the delegation.
From the Ramallah Friends Meeting
We have had many visitors worshipping with us. On Sunday, May 17, Sylvia Graves, the General Secretary of Friends United Meeting and Rich Liversidge, Clerk of Finance Committee of Sandy Spring Monthly Meeting, joined us for worship. After Meeting, members of the Meeting and Attenders shared a meal with Sylvia and Rich and staff working in Quaker institutions. The staff from the various Quaker institutions also talked about their work. This gave all of us a better sense of the breadth and depth of Quaker work in the West Bank.
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A potluck lunch with Sylvia Graves and Rich Liversidge after Meeting for Worship. |
Joyce Ajlouny, the Director of the Friends Schools talked about the recent developments at the schools. A lot of new building is going on and inspite of that the Friends Schools are turning away many, many students. Sylvia and Rich were here to find ways to make the schools more self-reliant. (www.palfriends.org/)
Brian Phelps, the counselor at the Friends Boys School (Upper School) talked about new developments in the counseling department. He noted that out of the 92 students graduating from the Friends Schools, 80 % have been accepted into universities in the US.
Stephen Lassiter, a teacher at the school talked about some of the innovative and creative things he has been doing with the students this year, including bringing students from three of his “Quakerism” classes to Meeting for Worship. By attending Meeting for Worship, the students had a better idea of what Quaker Worship is about.
Muna Khleifi, the director of the Amary Play Center, talked about the importance of the Play Center for 40 children of Amary Refugee Camp. She also put the Amary Play Center and its importance into the context of the situation at the Amary Refugee Camp, where the center is located.
Thuqan Qishawi, Coordinator of the AFSC Youth Program talked about the “Public Achievement” program that chooses 25 university aged youth from various villages in the West Bank and trains them in leadership skills. These 25 youth then go back to their communities and choose 15 high school aged youth and together they decide on a community project that they can do together. This allows the leader of each group to use his/her leadership skills they learned in the Public Achievement program. (www.afsc.org)
Sylvia Graves talked about the work of Friends Yearly Meeting and its far-reaching ministry. (www.fum.org/)
Rich Liversidge talked about his purpose in coming to Ramallah -- in order to find ways to make the Friends Schools more self-reliant.
Kathy Bergen, Program Coordinator of the Friends International Center in Ramallah, talked about the work of the Friends Center. (www.ramallahquakers.org)
Update on Tristan Anderson: The last two FICR Newsletters had information about the situation of Tristan Anderson, who was shot by the Israeli soldiers while participating in a peaceful, nonviolent demonstration against the Wall.
On April 9 I visited with the parents of Tristan, Mike and Nancy Anderson. They are still staying in the apartment at the Tel HaShomer Hospital in Tel Aviv, where Tristan has been since he was shot. Tristan has had a few setbacks, but is improving again.
Nancy and Mike are amazing people. They are positive and hopeful. When asked what people outside could do, they replied: "Please urge the US State Department and the American Ambassador to Israel to pressure the Israeli government to publically take full responsibility for the shooting of Tristan Anderson". For the Israeli government to take full responsibility would include paying for Tristan‘s medical care, conduct an independent investigation, and offer an apology. Nancy and Mike also suggested that people write to President Obama and to the U.S. Ambassador to Israel:
Ambassador James Cunningham
US Embassy
71 Hayarkon Street
Tel Aviv, Israel 63903
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The Fourth International Conference in Bil‘in on popular resistance. |
From the Occupation: Monthly Action Focus:
The Right to Enter (RTE) Campaign continues it’s focus on the responsibility of third states concerning the matter of Right to Enter/Re-Enter the oPt (occupied Palestinian territory) via one of the entry ports Israel controls. The Campaign is calling third states to assume their responsibility in enforcing human rights and international law in a situation of military occupation.
The Campaign continues to collect the names of persons - Palestinians and Internationals who have been denied entry at one of the ports Israel controls (Ben Gurion airport or one of the bridges across the Jordan River from Amman). If you are a person who has been denied entry or know of someone who has been denied entry, please contact Anita Abdullah at anita_abdullah@hotmail.com
Due to the fact that there is no clear policy for denial of entry, a person is allowed to enter via one of the ports controlled by Israel at the discretion of the Israeli immigration official. The denial of entry is random. People continue to be given a one-week visa, a new trend and alternative to being denied entry completely.
For more information on "Right to Enter/Re-enter" go to www.righttoenter.ps
NOTE: Please click on the FICR Newsletter Archive below to read previous newsletters.
Kathy Bergen
Program Coordinator
www.ramallahquakers.org
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