"In a world of so much suffering we need often pause to acknowledge & honor what it is about human beings that is so glorious--despite what seems evidence to the contrary. This photo is from the West Bank Palestinian village of Bilin (near Ramallah) featured in the Oscar-nominated film “Five Broken Cameras. Bilin is a flashpoint & symbol of Palestinian resistance to Israeli policies & occupation by its weekly protests against the apartheid barrier wall (which Zionists refer to as a “fence”) which cuts through Palestinian lands--amounting to an expropriation. During the weekly protests, Israeli soldiers fire tear gas canisters, stun grenades, rubber bullets, & live ammo against Palestinian rock throwers. In 2009, a 29-year-old Palestinian protestor, Bassem Abu Rahmeh, died when struck in the chest by a tear gas canister; his 36-year-old, sister Jawaher, died nearly two years later from inhaling Israeli tear gas. Over the years, residents of Bilin have gathered the spent tear gas canisters & planted flowers in them in a garden to commemorate those who have died & according to village resident, Mohammed Khatib, to show that life can spring from death. In this photo, a resident tends to the plants. If Palestinians on the front lines of such a barbarous conflict & in the face of wrenching loss can sustain such hope after 65 years, who are we to disagree? Support peace & justice in Palestine by boycotting all Israeli products (barcode beginning 729), supporting the cultural boycott of Israel, & demanding “No US aid to Israel.” (Photo by Majdi Mohammed/AP)
Posted on: Mon, 07 Oct 2013 21:37:54 +0000
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