Archive for May, 2012

The Syrian Knot

by Editors on May 31, 2012 in Arab World with 1 Comment

lovestruck., Flickr

Bobby S. Gulshan - With the massacre in Houla, and the discovery of 13 people who had been apparently bound and executed near Deir az-Zour, the grim reality of the deteriorating situation in Syria has taken center stage across the globe. The diplomatic isolation induced by the expulsion of Syrian diplomats in numerous countries also seems to suggest a turning point in the conflict. Even the Russians couldn’t stay silent. Meanwhile, many commentators now openly speak of the failure of Special Envoy Annan’s Six-Point Plan. With the brutality coming to light – and diplomatic channels being closed – the question looms with a long and stark shadow, what is the way forward in Syria?

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Perspectives on Partition: Reza Aslan and Hussein Ibish on One-State versus Two-State

by Editors on May 23, 2012 in Politics with Comments Off

Israel vs. Palestine / Dust Mason, Flickr

Author and Aslan Media founder Reza Aslan and American Task Force on Palestine’s Hussein Ibish, both friends of Palestine Note, appeared at UCLA last week for a debate on the one-state versus two-state solution  sponsored by the Olive Tree Initiative.

The discussion was recorded and broken into four parts. Follow the cut to watch two of the most compelling intellectuals on the Middle East discuss the possibilities, and impossibilities, of a just and sustainable solution to the Israeli Palestinian conflict.

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Power of Poetry: Hope + Freedom

by Editors on May 10, 2012 in Society & Culture with Comments Off

Karen Jernigan - It was in a West Bank classroom in 2002, at the height of the Second Intifada, that I realized that the students and I were in the middle of another kind of war. I learned quickly that this war, one that I came in contact with for the first time through the eyes of my students, seeks to say anything and everything about what desires can be held hostage in the heart and in the mind when simply trying to survive. Youth in the West Bank know what matters most to them. These students have treasures in their hearts- Peace, an end to war. Justice…Freedom.

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May Photo Exhibit: Home

by Editors on May 8, 2012 in Photo Exhibits with Comments Off

It’s the first Tuesday in May, which means its time for our monthly digital photo exhibit curating the works of young Palestinian boys and girls with Tomorrow’s Youth Organization‘s  Triple Exposure program!

Our third exhibit, Home, features the works of young photographers from the Balata refugee camp and the Khallet al Amodd neighborhood of Nablus. Home is the place where we live, it is where our family is. It is a feeling deep within ourselves that tells us who we are. It is how we define ourselves.

It is the feeling of familiarity – the local stores, the daily routine, the never-changing skyline, the well-known streets and alleyways – that make a place a home.

Let us know in the comments which are your favorites and what subjects you’d like to see more of from these brilliant young minds!

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The Methodist conference: Let’s call this victory what it is

by Joe Catron on May 4, 2012 in The Territories with Comments Off

Congregants gather outside the Church of Saint Porphyrius, Gaza, Palestine (Photo: Joe Catron)

“Step by step the longest march can be won …”

A song I remember from my United Methodist Sunday school

 

It says a lot about Israel’s declining status, and the rising influence of Palestinian-led civil society efforts to demand accountability for its crimes, that a boycott measure like the one United Methodists adopted  at their General Conference 2012 this week could pass a major church body in the United States with minimal notice.

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