Many of you commented that I have not posted much about the positive things happening here and our own work and how you can help. With a ceasefire, this seems like a good opportunity to balance more on that front:
- The return of hundreds of thousands of ethnically cleansed Palestinian to North Gaza (even though most of their homes there were destroyed) was truly inspiring. Truly we Palestinians are unbeatable and will never give up our homeland. We must all redouble our efforts. Reject the colonial plans and instead insist on rights of Palestinian refugees to return to all their lands they were removed from (in what became "Israel" in 1948). Only then can we (Jews, Christians, Muslims, others) can live together in equality and justice and peace in one country which is the ONLY solution (see my 2004 book )
- A person who returned to north Gaza and found his home demolished also found this Daffodil growing in his garden. He wrote that we will grow back!!
- More than 15,000 people signed a petition about the incarceration of Ali Abunima in Switzerland. While they deported him, we ALL must speak out vociferously about suppression of free speech in western (allegedly democratic) countries like Europe and the USA.
- Our research paper on remote sensing in Gaza was accepted for publication. It involved a team of researchers from five countries (Palestine, Sweden, England, US, Canada). We document the damage to plant cover and greenhouses. Now we (at palestinenature.org) are moving in a stronger way to projects of restoration and reclamation
- New Job for Arabic speakers at our institute available (6 months, potential for extention)
- Can you help financially towards our vision of sustainable human and natural communities in Palestine? We have many needs and in each of the coming few emails, we will highlight a need. In this email, I ask you to support us to have an actual animal rehabilitation center built/supported. Whie we did receive and rehabilitate over 25 animals in the past 5 years, this is a miniscule number compared to what we could do if we can make the needed facilities. A two-page proposal can be found in annex 2 of this document Every donation helps small or large. To donate.
- Also in the next few emails, I highlight different areas you can volunteer with us. Here are two areas we need help with: a) if you are a taxidermist or can search a taxidermist to help us with a freezer full of dead animals to make mounts for our new museum, b) If you have any cultural or natural artifacts or books to donate to us, please contact us at PIBS@bethlehem.edu
- If you are not on our institute's email list and do not get notices of monthly important virtual meeting, please email us PIBS@bethlehem.edu for details/link (our next monthly online meeting is this Saturday). You can also follow our activities on facebook. This morning we had people with special needs come to the museum and the garden (although we have areas that are not handicap accessible and we need support to remedy that). Life goes on unabated. Sumud.
- 500 drawings by gaza children to the world (unfortunately many of these young artists are dead now).
- Also donations to UNRWA USA
Please share, act, stay humane and keep hope 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
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