A summary of the links and items that follow: There are indeed horrible things that happen especially in the Gaza strip where starvation and bombing continues. Over one million people also are suffering from the spreading (and curable) diseases associated with the Israeli blockade. However, there are also people doing good work, lobbying, acting, speaking, engaging in civil disobedience etc. Our planet's future is at stake because a regional war is unfolding to save colonial Zionism which would lead to a global war.
ITEM 1: This Week In Palestine February Issue is titled "The Day After: Open Issue on Gaza" and has a number of important articles ( sweekinpalestine.com/310-february-2024/ ) It also includes our article on destroyed ecosystems: sweekinpalestine.com/destroyed-ecosystems/
ITEM 2: History will record that Israel committed a holocaust click here
ITEM 3: US/France/Jordan doing air drops is a sick propaganda stunt. One airdrop Cargo is equivalent to one Truck. Gaza needs minimum 800 trucks of food and medical supplies a day now to avoid full genocide. Over 2000 trucks are at the borders aiting for weeks. At best 10 to 30 trucks are allowed by the occupation army to get through daily. Genocide is happening now by both bombing of civilian areas and starvation (and death by curable disease related to the blockade of medical aid and destruction of and collapse of medical services in Gaza strip). More on US hypocrisy of dropping miniscule amount of symbolic aid to gaza while funding and arming the genocide click here
ITEM 4: succinct summary of Palestinian rights at the ICJ tu.be/fRn4qYAORAE
ITEM 5: "Today I am going to tell the story of this child," said a medical student at a hospital in Gaza. om/QudsNen/status/1764215719208665220?s=20
On a positive side:
ITEM 6: We hold almost weekly workshops on various topics and produce educational videos related to the Palestinian environment. Here are examples
- Environment Workshop #40 Dead Sea area tu.be/b-EsTIUQg44
- Environment Workshop #41 Bee Viruses tu.be/5J-LiST95KI
- Rare and endangered plants conservation via the work of the Palestine Institute for Biodiversity and sustainability tu.be/nNhJRBQLsfQ
- Protected area workshop held 5 March 2024 where Professor Qumsiyeh discusses how Palestinian "protected areas network" is important and relations to political situation tu.be/7BWUf-xENhE
- Our regular meetings on Gaza continue. This is reflection half an hour and discussion half an hour for the last one 3 March 2024 click here
ITEM 7: Upcoming event 17 March: Voices from the Holy Land Online Film Salon: "Israeli Apartheid in Action: Water Control": VFHL offers three short videos describing the "hydropolitics" and structural water apartheid in the Holy Land. Our panel discussion will explore designed inequalities in water distribution; the physical, economic and regulatory controls; as well as the ecological problems of pollution and over-extraction. Register below and join us on March 17 at 3:00 PM Eastern for a discussion of the water crisis throughout Palestine, with:
- Nancy Murray, Co-founder of Alliance for Water Justice in Palestine;
- Mazin Qumsiyeh, Director of the Palestine Institute for Biodiversity and Sustainability;
- Eyal Hareuveni, Author of "Parched: Israel's Policy of Water Deprivation in the West Bank";
- Moderator Jeff Halper, Israeli-American anthropologist, author, lecturer, and political activist; founder of Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions (ICAHD) and a co-founder of The One Democratic State Campaign (ODSC)(invited).
Register here for this event 17 March 2024 3 PM EST 10 PM Palestine time yurl.com/VFHL-March2024
ITEM 8: How do a group of blind children learn about Palestinian nature and draw a Palestinian flag at our natural history muserum? See for yourself yurl.com/blindchildren
ITEM 9: Our dear friend Johan Galtung died at age 93. Visit his website transcend.org to learn more about him and his movement to transform". making peace by peaceful means. This is just one of his messages to me:
Dear Friend,
Thanks for very wise words and analysis. Deep solidarity with you and the Palestinian people, for a free Palestine with its own foreign policy and dialogues with all parts of the world, including Israel. We in Transcend International try to counteract all these damaging practices through positive peace action showing by examples what can be done, with some visions about what we do, why and how.
Peace and Love,
Johan Galtung,
Director, Transcend International, for Peace By Peaceful Means
Stay Human and keep Palestine alive
Mazin Qumsiyeh
A bedouin in cyberspace, a villager at home
Professor, Founder, and (volunteer) Director Palestine Museum of Natural History Palestine Institute of Biodiversity and Sustainability
Bethlehem University Occupied Palestine siyeh.org estinenature.org
facebook pages: Personal .facebook.com/mazin.qumsiyeh.9 Institute .facebook.com/PIBS.PMNH
