Friends International Center in Ramallah
March 2009 Newsletter
(Vol. III No. 2)

From the Program Coordinator

The struggle for Gaza continues.  Talks between Hamas and Israel via the Egyptians have broken down.  
At an international conference in February in Sharm el-Sheikh, many countries pledged money for humanitarian aid and the rebuilding of Gaza.  However, the Israeli authorities have allowed very little of this aid to enter Gaza.  

Amira Hass, an Israeli journalist, talks about the international humanitarian aid conference that took place in Sharm el-Sheikh. 

Click here to read more about the current situation in Gaza.

Click here to read the article written by Amira Hass about this conference.

Since the War on Gaza, The Israeli authorities have not allowed many internationals to enter Gaza.  A few journalists and humanitarian aid workers have been given permission by the Israeli authorities to enter.    
Two congresspersons, Keith Ellison (MN) and Brian Baird (WA) visited Gaza over the Presidents Day recess.  They became the first U.S. officials to visit the Gaza Strip since the Hamas takeover in June 2007. The two members of Congress said they visited to view firsthand the destruction from the Israeli attacks and to meet international and local relief workers.

"The amount of physical destruction and the depth of human suffering here is staggering," Baird said in a joint press release ( http://www.baird.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=890&Itemid=99 )with Ellison. "Entire neighborhoods have been destroyed, schools completely leveled, fundamental water, sewer, and electricity facilities hit and relief agencies heavily damaged. The personal stories of children being killed in their homes or schools, entire families wiped out, and relief workers prevented from evacuating the wounded are heart wrenching - what went on here, and what is continuing to go on, is shocking and troubling beyond words."

"The stories about the children affected me the most," Ellison said. "No parent, or anyone who cares for kids, can remain unmoved by what Brian and I saw here."

The two concluded, "If this had happened in our own country, there would be national outrage and an appeal for urgent assistance. We are glad that the Obama administration acted quickly to send much needed funding for this effort but the arbitrary and unreasonable Israeli limitations on food and repair essentials is unacceptable and indefensible."  Ellison and Baird also visited the Israeli town of Sderot and called for an end to Hamas rocket fire on Israel as well as the lifting of the Gaza blockade.
Since the War on Gaza, many have called for an inquiry into the war. 

  
Click here to read of one such effort.

From the Friends International Center in Ramallah

Faten Khoury is from Nazareth.  She is an actress and has chosen to live and work in Ramallah, which is not easy for a Palestinian with an Israeli passport.  She was born and raised in Nazareth, which today is part of Israel.  It is very difficult for her to cross Israeli checkpoints in the West Bank with an Israeli passport.  She works with Ashtar Theater in Ramallah, a socially and politically progressive theatre company.  As someone who believes in nonviolence as a way of life and struggle, she is very concerned about violence in her society – personal, interpersonal, societal, and political emanating from the Israeli military occupation.  A year ago she had the idea of using theatre and drama to encourage Palestinian youth to think about alternative ways of responding to violence in their lives.  She tested her idea with us at the Friends International Center in Ramallah.  Her idea was to organize a series of theatre workshops for young adults to find alternative ways of responding to violence in their lives, calling the theatre workshop: “Toward a Culture of Nonviolence through Theatre”.  
We raised money so Faten could do two workshops – one in Ramallah and one in Nazareth, each consisting of 10 sessions.  The workshop in Ramallah has been completed and the participants said they benefitted a lot from this experience.  All felt challenged to reconsider their responses to violence in their lives and all wanted to continue to meet as a group in order to continue the discussions and theatre they started during the workshop.  We are now trying to find ways for them to continue to meet with Faten, perhaps once or twice a month.  

Click here if you would like to read more about the theatre workshop in Ramallah.

Click here to see a 20 minute DVD of the workshop in Ramallah

Faten is currently organizing a workshop in Nazareth, which will begin in April.  This workshop will focus on the theme: How do we respond to violence in our lives as Palestinians living in a Jewish state?”  
At the end of the workshop in Nazareth, we hope to bring the workshop participants from Nazareth together with the workshop participants in Ramallah for a joint two or three-day workshop in Ramallah.  We believe this is very important.  With the building of the Wall, the Palestinian people have become more fragmented than ever.  Today we find Palestinians divided into four groups: Palestinians living in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt) – West Bank and Gaza; Palestinians living in occupied Jerusalem; Palestinians living in Israel; and Palestinians living in the Diaspora around the world.  It has become more difficult than ever, if not impossible, for Palestinians from the various geographical locations to meet, given the political realities.  Through the theatre project, we would like to bring together Palestinians from the oPt, from occupied Jerusalem, and from inside Israel, and use theatre to find alternative responses to violence in their lives.      

From the Ramallah Friends Meeting

We continue to welcome the many visitors to Meeting for Worship on Sunday mornings and feel supported when Quakers and others from around the world worship with us.  It is always nice to know ahead of time if you are planning to visit, however, please come to Meeting even if you have not called or e-mailed us ahead of time.  Meeting for Worship begins at 10:30 a.m. every Sunday morning.  
Every day we hear of tragedies happening here such as injuries and killings.  On March 13, Tristan Anderson participated with Palestinians, Israelis, and other internationals in a demonstration protesting the building of The Wall in Ni’lin, near Ramallah.  He was wounded by the Israeli soldiers and taken to the Israeli hospital, Tel Hashomar.    
Thursday afternoon (March 19) two friends and I went to the Tel Hashomar  
Hospital (outside of Tel Aviv) to visit the family of Tristan Anderson.  Tristan’s parents, Mike and Nancy, had just arrived in Tel Aviv two days prior.  We did not see Tristan; only family members are allowed into his room.  We met Gaby, Tristan‘s partner, briefly and spoke with Mike and Nancy.  They were extremely appreciative of our visit and of all the support they have been receiving from people here – Palestinians, Israelis, and internationals.  Everyone was feeling a bit optimistic regarding Tristan’s condition, but things can change quickly.  Everyone recognizes that the road to recovery for Tristan will be long and difficult one.        
Friends of Gaby and Tristan are very well organized.  They are organizing visits to the hospital, bringing in food for the family, and keeping people generally informed of Tristan’s condition.  
Mike and Nancy are from Grass Valley Friends Meeting in California.  
Please keep Tristan, Gaby, Henry, and Nancy and all of Tristan‘s family in you hearts and
prayers.

Click here for more information about Tristan’s condition.

  
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 past weeks we have seen an increase in Internationals being refused entry to the oPt via one of the Israeli controlled entry points.  
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


ON ANOTHER NOTE:  Please click on the FICR Newsletter Archive below to read previous newsletters.  


Kathy Bergen
Program Coordinator
www.ramallahquakers.org