Friends International Center in Ramallah
July-August 2007 Newsletter
Vol. I. No. 6

Background
The summer is almost over.  We are combining our July and August newsletters in this issue.   This abbreviated publication schedule is made necessary by the program coordinator’s continued medical leave for major surgery.  Kathy returned to Ramallah at the end of August.  
Since I left Ramallah, many dramatic shifts have taken place in Palestine on many levels.  The negotiated Palestinian Unity government has collapsed, Fatah was forced to leave Gaza, Hamas is in control of Gaza, and the US and Israel are doubling their efforts to support Abu Mazen.  However, until now, they have not given him anything that convinces anyone that they want to negotiate for a just and lasting peace.  In essence, the Palestinians have not been offered anything by the US or by Israel that can lead to a just and lasting peace between the two peoples.  From all accounts I have read and heard, it has been a  very confusing and difficult time in Palestine.  

From the Friends International Center in Ramallah
Activities in the Friends Center have been at a minimum during the months of July and August due to the fact that the program coordinator was advised by the doctor to remain in the US for additional treatment.  However, Max and Jane Carter, members of the FICR Steering Committee, spent time at FICR.  Max, who teaches at Guilford College and Jane, who teaches in the public school system, bring a work-study group to Palestine and Israel every summer.  The group spent a day doing a through cleaning of the Meetinghouse and the Annex.  We thank them for their work and for their support of the Ramallah Friends Meeting and the Friends Center.  

MEMBERS OF GUILDFORD WORK-STUDY GROUP WORKING AT FICR

  
From the Ramallah Friends Meeting
For the past three months, Jean Zaru, the clerk of Ramallah Friends Meeting has been in the US and Ireland.  In June Jean came to the US to attend the high school graduation of her grandson, Fuad, and MBA graduation of her son, Waleed.

Jean had many invitations to speak at major conferences such as the Friends of Sabeel conference in San Francisco and the FWCC Triennial in Ireland, just to name a few.  She will be returning to Ramallah in September.  

In the meantime, Joyce Ajlouni, the director of the Friends Schools in Ramalllah will be spending a year working for the Friends Schools from a US base.  He husband, Ziad Khalaf, has a sabbatical from the Kattan Center in Ramallah and their oldest son, Tareq will be attending Westtown Friends School.  The two younger sons of Joyce and Ziad will be in the Washington DC area with them attending public schools.  Nabeel Ajlouni continues to travel between Ramallah and his family in the US.  

Jean Zaru with Joyce Ajlouni, director of Friends Schools

We are so pleased that Waleed and Rana Zaru and their two daughters, Mai and Yara will again to living in Ramallah.  We look forward to them being part of the Meeting again.  

Jean Zaur with grandaughter Mai in Meetinghouse

From the Occupation
Given the current continuing deterioration of the political situation in Palestine, the issue of visas remains a large and relevant one.

For current information on this topic, please go to www.righttoenter.ps
Many in the US would like to help with this issue on the US side.  What we are in most need of right now, is for Palestinian families and individuals to come forward if they have been refused entry into Palestine via one of the ports Israel controls – the Ben Gurion airport or one of the bridges from Jordan.  Please contact us if you know of someone or if you have been refused entry by the Israeli authorities.  

An excellent DVD by Landrum Boling is now available for your use called Searching for Peace in the Middle East.  Landrum Boling, a well known and respected Quaker, is known for his tireless efforts at Middle East peacemaking.  He is President Emeritus of Earlham College, had had a distinguished career as an informal advisor to world leaders and as a peace advocate.  A former Director of the Tantur Ecumenical Institute in Jerusalem, he has deep ties to the Middle East.  In 2000 he and Senator George Mitchell won the Peacemaker/Peace Building Award from the National Peace Foundation.  He is a Senior Advisor at Mercy Corps (www.MercyCorps.org)  and is a Director of the Foundation for Middle East Peace (www.fmep.org) .  The film in DVD form is available from Foundation for Middle East Peace.  

Jean Zaru & Landrum Boling at FICR

PLEASE NOTE:  I am aware that some of you have not been receiving the FICR Newsletter.  I apologize for this.  It is not evident what the problem is, but I am working with the technical team who manages the FICR website and sends out the newsletter to our entire list, to solve this problem.  I am told that some service providers have very strict rules about what is allowed into the mailbox of their clients and designated words such as Hamas, PLO, etc., may send e-mails to the “Junk mail” box or to “Spam”.  However, you can read all the newsletters if you go to the FICR website which is:  www.ramallahquakers.org  and then go to the “Newsletters” page.