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Friends International Center in Ramallah
August 2008 Newsletter
(Vol. II No. 6)
From the Program Coordinator:
The work of the Friends Center does not take place in a vacuum. The changing political context that affects Palestinian society in general affects our work in many ways.
The attempts in Annapolis last year to work towards a negotiated settlement between Palestinians and Israelis, has proven to be fruitless as were the suspicions of many. The resignation of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert last week was one more sign that this “peace process” cannot and will not produce peace.
(Click here to read what Uri Avnery says about the resignation)
Tensions have again escalated between Fatah and Hamas, resulting in deaths and injures, especially in Gaza. However, we must not lose sight of the fact that the Israeli military occupation continues and the situation will not improve much for Palestinians until this occupation ends.
(Click here to read more about the effects of the continuing Israeli military occupation )
From the Friends International Center in Ramallah:
We have had the opportunity to welcome several groups and many individuals to the Friends Center:
The Guilford Work-Study Group, lead by Max and Jane Carter, visited the Friends Center several times. Max, a professor at Guilford and Jane, a teacher in Greensboro, are members of the Ramallah Friends International Center Steering Committee. On July 23 the group cleaned the Meetinghouse, the Annex, and the garden. Removing and washing all the windows was no small task. The stone floor of the Meetinghouse also received a thorough washing. The entire place not only looks clean, but smells clean as well. We are thankful to the group for their efforts as well as the spirit in which they carried out their work. At the end of the workday, we all shared lunch together.
Below are pictures of the group.
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Members of the Guilford Work-Study Group cleaning the Ramallah Friends Meetinghouse and the Annex. The youngest member of the group, Graham, adds delight and fun to the group. Graham is the son of Maia Carter Hallward and the grandson of Max and Jane Carter, who are also members of the FICR Steering Committee. |
On July 18 the Friends Center together with Sabeel (Palestinian Liberation Theology Center based in Jerusalem) organized a book launch at the Friends Center for several books that have been published by Sabeel during the past months. Jean Zaru, Presiding Clerk of the Ramallah Friends Meeting and one of the founders and one of the current Vice-Presidents of Sabeel welcomed the group. Reverend Dr. Naim Ateek, founder and director of Sabeel gave a general introduction to Sabeel and the launching of the books. Cedar Duaibis, founding member of Sabeel and a board member introduced one of the books and Dr. Bernard Sabella, Professor of Sociology at Bethlehem University spoke about the study he and his team conducted about the situation of Palestinian Christians in the Holy Land. If you would like to know more about the work of Sabeel, including the international conference in November, please go to their website at: www.sabeel.org
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Dr. Naim Ateek introduces the book launch |
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Dr. Bernard Sabella speaks about the Survey |
( Click here to know more about the books that were launched) From the Ramallah Friends Meeting:
We were pleased to have the Guilford Work-Study Group worship with us two Sundays as well as many other F/friends from abroad. The Ramallah Friends Meeting is a grateful recipient of a beautiful quilt, which is now hanging in the front of the Ramallah Friends Meetinghouse. The quilt was made in Boston. The March 14, 2008 Pluralism Project Newsletter gives the following background information about the quilt: Former Pluralism Project Research Associate Emily Ronald, who is now a doctoral student at Boston University, organized a ‘Middle East Dialogue Quilt‘ project just a little over a year ago. Cosponsored by the Pluralism Project, the Public Conversations Project, and the Dialogue Forum, the mission of the project is ‘to use the art form of collaborative quilting to design and build a quilt around the issue of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.‘ Over the last few months, the Pluralism Project conference room has been a place where Emily has welcomed other quilters to join her in putting the finishing touches on the quilt. Now complete, the quilt masterfully portrays a vision of coexistence and peace in the Middle East, and arguably here in Boston as well. The quilt is a donation to Jean Zaru and the Friends Meeting House in Ramallah, and it will hang in the entryway there as ‘a visual expression of hope and a message from people of many diverse communities.‘ If you will be traveling to Ramallah, and would be willing to deliver the quilt, please contact us at staff@pluralism.org
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The Quilt | (Click here to read about the background of how the quilt came into being and the meaning of the symbols used in the quilt ) On August 29 the Friends Center will organize and host the book launch for Jean Zaru’s book: Occupied by Nonviolence: A Palestinian Woman Speaks
(Click here if you would like to order the book directly from the publisher)From the Occupation: Monthly Action Focus:
The Right to Enter (RTE) Campaign is focusing its work on third states. We have been meeting with ambassadors from embassies in Tel Aviv and heads of Representative Offices to the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah to make them aware of the importance of third parties’ role in enforcing human rights and international law in a situation of occupation.
(Click here to read the revised policy statement of the RTE Campaign and the Background paper)
The RTE Campaign is still collecting 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
For more information on "Right to Enter/Re-enter" go to www.righttoenter.ps
NOTE: Some of you have not been receiving the FICR Newsletter in your mailbox. However, you can read all the back issues in the “Newsletter Archives”.
Kathy Bergen
Program Coordinator
www.ramallahquakers.org Check out the new FICR website
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