Ruth: The Big Day
The idea was to go into the office early for 2 radio interviews, and come back to Patricia’s to rest and to get ready for the evening. At 11 am, after 3 radio interviews, we were speeding off to the Al Jazeera offices for a television interview in Arabic. Nira and I watched from the [...]
Ruth: Tuesday
On our way into the office, Patricia bumped into a friend who had heard her this morning on NPR’s Morning Edition, following the interview yesterday for « Tell Me More ». More interviews today: Voice of America TV and Pacifica Public Radio. Again the women got rave reviews.
At lunch time, we had [...]
Ruth: Monday
Piled into Patricia’s car just in time to hit rush hour traffic into the city. We chatted happily on the George Washington Memorial Parkway, which winds through a real forest, and discussed everything and nothing: our favourite childhood television series — Bewitched (Louise) and Dick van Dyck (me) — and our favorite [...]
Galia Golan
Commentator, author, professor, and co-founder of Peace Now
People aren’t afraid to use the word occupation today. I think people who don’t use the word are blind or unjust. I can’t understand them. There are, of course, people on the far Right who believe we liberated these territories in 1967—that the West Bank, Golan Heights, maybe even the Gaza Strip are God-given territories promised to Abraham. They would reject the word occupation. [...]
Wejdan Jaber
Board member of Filastiniyat and advocate for the disabled
The Palestinian people have their own history, culture, and traditions. We are normal people; we don’t cook bombs in our kitchens. Palestine is beautiful. We have wonderful oranges, a beautiful beach, great food like hummus and tabbouleh. I want people to dream of visiting Palestine not only as a holy place but to enjoy the beautiful culture, language, and music. [...]
Nira Lamay
Deputy Commissioner of Knesset Commission for Future Generations
A few weeks ago I was stopped at a barrier on my way to work. I asked the policeman, “If I were blonde with blue eyes, would you have stopped me?” He was very embarrassed. My intuition says that, when there is trouble on this road, his intuition tells him that stopping someone who is dark, who might be Arab, is a natural thing to do. This is how it is. This is my existence in Israel. [...]
Ruth: Sunday
Woke up early to a clear, crisp sunny autumn day in Patricia’s beautiful home overlooking the Potomac. There’s something about a North American fall day that is so exhilharating and tranquil at the same time. I miss that in Paris.
Patricia has invited 2 of the Israeli and 2 of the Palestinian [...]
Rula: Saturday
Today is a National Holiday in Palestine: Palestine Independence Day. On November 15, 1988 the independent state of Palestine was proclaimed by the Palestine National Council (PNC) meeting in Algiers.
I left to the Dead Sea (the Jordanian side) to participate in a retreat for the staff of the Jerusalem Center for Women. I arrived [...]
Rula: Friday
Friday, My day off and Memo’s day off, I was thinking I will stay in bed until 9:00 am or even 10:00. . . but unfortunately Memo decided he would participate in the Open Day at his school and he needs to be at his school around 8 00 am, so I have to prepare [...]
Khuloud J. Khayyat Dajani
Professor and Chair of Al Quds Child Institute
The Palestinian nation has one of the highest fertility rates and a median age of 18. Large numbers of children need special care. It is obvious nobody looks out for them by the results in the streets of Gaza and the camps of Beirut and the West Bank. There’s little investment in refugee children by Palestinian leaders or Israelis, so they don’t know how to be proper citizens of the world. They suffer from a toxic environment—if you feel your country move towards civil war, it tells what kind of atmosphere the children live in. [...]
