Rev. Dr. Lewis T. Tait, Jr. representing Faith Strategies was part of the delegation to Palestine and the Gaza Crossing

He and other people of faith went to Palestine and the Gaza crossing to stand in solidarity with the people of Palestine. Dr. Tait is also pastor of The Village in Washington, DC. He says,

“As an African American I can identify with the Palestinian people with their backs against the wall. Being pro-Palestinian is not antisemitic but walking in solidarity with a people who have experienced occupation since 1947. As a taxpaying American citizen I ask the Biden & Harris administration along with Congress to stop funding genocide.”

U.S. CHRISTIANS APPEAL FOR CEASEFIRE WITH 

DISRUPTIVE NONVIOLENT PROTEST AT GAZA BORDER

GAZA —On August 18th, U.S. Christians for Ceasefire engaged in a powerful, disruptive, and prayerful nonviolent action in a military zone near the crossing into Gaza today. The action disrupted the normalization of violence and dehumanization. The 12 U.S. and 3 Palestinian leaders appealing for a just peace through song, prayer, scripture, kneeling, and signs were confronted by Israeli authority at the Kerem Shalom crossing with the wall to Gaza in the background as trucks with tanks came in and out of the lot. Soldiers in jeeps drove in and around us as a show of intimidation.

Before the action, the delegation joined an Interfaith Prayer Service with Rabbis for Human Rights and a Muslim sheikh at the Ancient Maon Synagogue, 2428 Eshkol Regional Council near Gaza 1 km from Khan Younis. As they prayed with passion and tears, piercing bombs were heard in the background and an air siren went off. The participants laid flat on the ground with hands over their heads before finishing their prayer.

On August 19th, Christians for Ceasefire held a vigil in front of the building in Jerusalem where Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken will meet.

Previously, on August 16th, the delegation offered a nonviolent protective presence to a community in the West Bank facing Israeli settler violence. The Christian leaders visited Uum Jamal (20 miles south of Bet Shean), a Bedouin Community which decided to evacuate from the valley after facing sustained Israeli settler violence for a week. Even while trying to evacuate, the village still faced the settlers’ attacks. Children were frightened to the point of vomiting. The people were beaten physically and women sexually harassed. The settlers were young men bearing clubs, sticks, and other weapons who acted with impunity, given recent policy shifts in Israel granting settlers more control in the occupied territory. The Christian delegation stayed with the community for a period of time, experienced intimidation and harassment by Israeli soldiers, and then engaged in rapid advocacy with the U.S. State Department and U.S. Embassy to exert pressure on the Israeli government to stop the settler violence. The latest update is the settler violence at Uum Jamal subsided, though only enough that it has allowed them to be forced from their homes.

As the U.S. Democratic National Convention begins this week, we expect many disruptions and demonstrations for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza. We urge President Biden and Vice President Harris to not merely urge a permanent ceasefire, but also to withhold further arms shipments to Israel for the leverage to achieve such a ceasefire. 

Members of Christians for Ceasefire in the U.S. and Palestinian Christian partners, such as Sabeel, were participating in a just peace delegation in Palestine from August 13-20, 2024, in response to the mass atrocities taking place in Gaza and the West Bank. Sabeel is an Ecumenical Liberation Theology Center focused on justice, inclusivity, and nonviolence. There was a direct invitation from Christian leaders in Palestine to the delegation

Committed to the dignity of all people, the delegation seeks a just and lasting peace for everyone. This includes, at minimum, a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, the release of all political prisoners and hostages, and an end to the Israeli occupation.

This just peace delegation of solidarity and accompaniment has met with key religious leaders, families of Palestinian prisoners, and Palestinian communities under threat, as well as visiting the organization supporting families of the hostages and meeting with Israeli organizers. They also packed food for truck shipments into Gaza. They sought to offer some forms of nonviolent protective presence in the West Bank, in addition to their prayerful nonviolent witness action. The delegation seeks to help expose human rights violations, while strengthening and encouraging U.S. Christian advocacy for a just peace.

This effort is one in a series of religious delegations to Palestine, including Rabbis for Ceasefire, Christians for Ceasefire, and multi-faith delegations.

From: RadicalDiscipleship.net

The Origins of Modern Zionism

This is Zachary Foster’s response to a tweet from Emily Schrader that said, “I’m not sure why this needs to be said, but we don’t need non-Jews to be lecturing Jews about what Zionism is or isn’t.” Foster is a Jewish-American historian of Palestine who received his PhD in Near Eastern Studies from Princeton in 2017

"Zionism was initially a Christian phenomenon before it was a Jewish phenomenon.

• Anthony Cooper (Lord Shaftesbury) (1801-1885) published a tract in 1838 claiming that Jewish “restoration” in Palestine would benefit Great Britain’s geopolitical position and would hasten the second coming of Jesus..."

The parents of prisoners held in Gaza spoke passionately to the Democratic Convention. However, delegates of the "uncommitted" demanded that the convention allow a Palestinian speaker to address the convention. Their request was denied. The Uncommitted delegates held a sit-in in response to the denial.

As DNC Kicks Off, Palestine Solidarity Activists Look to 1964 for Inspiration

60 years ago, the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party forced the Democrats to confront Jim Crow within their own party

"With mass protests occurring over Gaza at this year’s DNC — again, held in Chicago — the 1968 comparisons are apt. But there is another historical example also worth remembering.

This year marks the 60th anniversary of the 1964 DNC in Atlantic City where, famously, the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party (MFDP), a grassroots party fighting for racial justice, sent a delegation to demand that they, not the all-white “regular” delegation, be seated as Mississippi’s true representatives.

MFDP delegates demanded justice today, not tomorrow. They created a spectacle to force the Democratic Party to confront Jim Crow within its own house and support voting rights guaranteed by the Constitution. 

Scorned by Lyndon Johnson and betrayed by liberal leaders, (Editor's note: she was also abandoned by Rev. ML King, Jr.) they suffered a short-term defeat. But today, the MFDP effort at the 1964 DNC is considered part of the heroic lore of the civil rights movement, even though it was denounced at the time by the liberal establishment."

The daily battles to survive the Gaza genocide

Making tents out of aid parachutes, waiting days for a tin of beans, re-digging graves to bury more martyrs: here's what Palestinians have to overcome

"Soon after the onset of the war, Israel shut off the pipes supplying Gaza with water, and the cessation of aid entering through the Rafah Crossing since May means bottled water is increasingly hard to find. Water tanks connected to people’s homes have been largely destroyed by Israeli airstrikes. Tap water, drawn from Gaza’s aquifer, is polluted with sewage and seawater, yet people have no choice but to use it for drinking, bathing, and cooking, causing many residents to fall ill with gastroenteritis and hepatitis. Skin diseases are also spreading rapidly, and polio has been detected in wastewater."

Israel Is Holding Thousands of Palestinians Captive — Including Children

Under “administrative detention,” Palestinians held without trial face hunger, torture and even death

"Barghouti and her son are among the more than 10,000 Palestinian men, women and children who have been arrested by Israeli forces since October 7. Taken into custody in violent raids and held indefinitely without charge under conditions that include hunger, torture and even death, many Palestinian detainees are essentially held hostage by the Israeli prison system."

Israeli army invades ‘most crowded displacement camp in history,’ bombs Palestinians in shelters

Over the past week, the Israeli army has ordered a million civilians to evacuate central Gaza, and has bombed two schools sheltering displaced people in Gaza City mere minutes after issuing warnings

"Last week, evacuation orders were sent to areas in Khan Younis and Nuseirat to the south, causing a mass exodus to Deir al-Balah. Those same refugees now have to move yet again, but Khan Younis and parts of Nuseirat are still in critical danger due to the ongoing Israeli invasion. There is nowhere left to go.

In a press release last Sunday, the Deir al-Balah municipality said that the waves of evacuation reaching Deir al-Balah were causing an unprecedented number of displaced people to cram into a tiny zone. According to the statement, Deir al-Balah’s total area is 42 square kilometers, and almost a million displaced people are now distributed across 200 displacement centers there."

Inside the Push to Get Palestinian Speakers on the DNC Main Stage

“Uncommitted” Democratic delegates are trying to convince the DNC to allow Palestinian Americans onto the convention’s main stage

"As the convention kicked off Monday, there was a panel discussion on Palestinian human rights. The panel was a first-of-its-kind gathering for convention-goers, but it was little consolation for those seeking a main-stage speaker.



“The Uncommitted folks and I don’t see [the panel] as an alternative to somebody on the main stage,” said James Zogby, founder and director of the Arab American Institute, who was a panelist in the Palestinian human rights session."

I’m an evangelical against Trump … and genocide

Like many Christians, I find myself conflicted this election season

"When Jesus commanded me to love my enemies, I’m pretty sure he meant that we shouldn’t kill them. The New Testament teaches: “Do not repay evil for evil. … If your enemy is hungry, feed them. If your enemy is thirsty, give them something to drink.” That doesn’t leave much room for the forced starvation that’s happening in Gaza. No Christian can defend the evil being done by the state of Israel."

Rev. Dr. Munther Isaac, Palestinian Christian and Theologian Calls on the Western Church to Break Its Silence on Gaza's Genocide

He spoke at the famed Riverside Church in New York on August 14, 2024. Rev. Dr. ML King, Jr. spoke there 57 years prior appealing to the US to end its silence over the Vietnam War.

Haiti

Haitian police tear-gas peaceful protesters as they demand help in stopping gangs

"Protesters like 24-year-old phone repairman Marclin Jean-Pierre said he took to the streets “to express my anger towards the government, who isn’t listening.”

“We’re vulnerable to the bullets being fired day and night. Everyone is scared to walk outside because we’ll be the next victims,” he said. “We’re asking them for help and they’re not coming.”

Jean-Pierre lives in the hillside neighborhood of Solino, which since last year has become a battleground for gangs seeking to take over the area."

Kenya

Martha Karua Accuses Ruto of Abetting Human Rights Violations, Vows to Mobilise Kenyans Against Him

NARC-Kenya leader Martha Karua on Thursday vowed to take action against President William Ruto over the human rights violations meted on Kenyans during anti-government protests.

The Sudan

The world can’t keep ignoring the resurging genocide in Darfur

"On Aug. 1, famine was officially declared in Zamzam, Darfur’s largest internally displaced persons camp, with over half a million people. More than 100 people, primarily young children, are dying daily of hunger in Zamzam alone. Over 8 million Sudanese face emergency levels of hunger; famine may have already arrived at two other camps near Zamzam. The camps are near El-Fasher, North Darfur’s capital. 

All told the famine could extinguish up to 2.5 million lives. It comes amid Sudan’s civil war, where the Sudanese military and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary organization it is battling both use food as a weapon of war."

The Democratic Republic of the Congo

Mpox declared global health emergency: What to know

• WHO says the latest outbreak of mpox is more serious than the 2022 outbreak
• Immunocompromised are at a higher risk of contracting mpox
• The Democratic Republic of Congo is the epicenter of the outbreak

"There have been more than 14,000 cases and 524 deaths in Africa this year, which already exceeds last year’s figures, according to the WHO. More than 96% of all cases and deaths are in a single country: the Democratic Republic of the Congo"

Yemen

Ship hit by suspected Houthi missiles in Red Sea, leaving vessel "not under command," U.K. military says

"A commercial ship traveling through the Red Sea came under repeated attack Wednesday, leaving the vessel "not under command" in an assault suspected to have been carried out by Yemen's Houthi rebels, the British military said. There were few details about the attack, but it appeared to be the latest in the Houthis' monthslong campaign targeting commercial and military ships in what the group has said is a response to the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip."

Lebanon

Israel launches reprisal strikes against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon

The attacks came after US president Joe Biden pressed Benjamin Netanyahu on the urgency of sealing a ceasefire deal

"Israel’s response to the Lebanese militant group came hours after US president Joe Biden used a phone call to press Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the urgency of sealing a deal for a truce in Gaza and the release of hostages, according to a White House report.

The call between the leaders, in which Vice-President Kamala Harris also took part, saw Biden stress to Netanyahu “the urgency of bringing the ceasefire and hostage release deal to closure and discussed upcoming talks in Cairo to remove any remaining obstacles,” a White House statement said."

Upcoming Actions and Events

Registration Now Open for ArabCon!

September 12-15 in Dearborn, MI 

The National Arab American Convention of ADC

We are proud to announce that registration is now open for ArabCon - the National Arab American Convention hosted by ADC this September in Dearborn, MI. The agenda for the weekend and initial release of speakers has been made. We are excited to gather together as a community. 

Registration is now open and can be accessed by clicking here!

Visit ArabCon.org and check out the program!

Confirmed Speakers and Participants include: 

Dearborn, MI Mayor Abdullah Hammoud

Michigan State Rep. Alahas Farahat 

Michigan State Rep. Abraham Aiyash

Georgia State Representative Ruwa Romman

Colorado State Representative Iman Jodeh

Virginia Delegate Sam Rasoul

Green Party Presidential Candidate Dr. Jill Stein

Independent Presidential Candidate Dr. Cornel West

Fmr. British MP George Galloway

Aaward-winning journalist and foreign policy analyst Rula Jebreal

Rapper and activist Immortal Technique

Activist and Advocate Linda Sarsour

Uncommitted Movement leader Lexis Dena Zeidan

American political scientist and activist, Dr. Norman Finkelstein

With more announcements coming soon!

We are proud to host this gathering in Dearborn, a hub of Arab American community and empowerment. We look forward to bringing together Arab Americans from across the nation. 

“All roads to the White House pass through Michigan, and never has the Arab American vote been as important as it is today, particularly in key swing states. ArabCon will gather Arab Americans from across the nation to discuss the challenges we face in this increasingly hostile environment, particularly since the events of October 7th,” said Abed A. Ayoub, ADC National Executive Director.

We’re inviting voices from all sectors and industries to join us so we can have the necessary conversations to chart a path forward toward a united, equal, and representative democracy for all. 

If you are interested in being a sponsor or vendor please email ArabCon@adc.org. 

For Those Justice and Freedom Seekers in Albany, New York Join Our Fellow Justice Seeker, Eyad Alkurabi in Action against Watervliet Arsenal

Weapons manufactured in Watervliet are used to massacre Palestinians in the ongoing genocide in Gaza. And we are here to demand that Watervliet Arsenal stop arming Israel! No more genocide in our name or with our money! Local Palestinian activists ask that you join us to rally at:

Watervliet Arsenal 

Saturday, September 14 @ 2: PM.

(Gather at the Eerie Canal park across the street)

TOGETHER WE SAY NOT IN OUR NAME

STOP ARMING ISRAEL

END THE GENOCIDE IN GAZA

As many of you already know, Israel has escalated its genocide in Gaza and the occupied West Bank over the past 300 days, resulting in a confirmed death toll of at least 40,000 men ( which has been heavily under reported the correct number is closer to 200,000) of women, and children. Israel’s stranglehold on access to food, water, medical treatment, and shelter has caused loss of life and limbs, starvation, bacterial infections, unsanitary conditions, and unimaginable suffering for the displaced Palestinian refugees since before this started.

The United States has been an unwavering ally in the genocide, supplying Israel with funding and weapons manufactured here in our own neighborhood. Many Americans are now familiar with loathsome corporations like Elbit, Teledyne, Ametek, and General Dynamics, who manufacture guidance systems, hardware, and ordnance for bombs sent to Israel.

What you may not know is that the Watervliet Arsenal, a $2.1 Billion facility established in 1813, is relied upon by U.S. and foreign militaries to produce the most advanced, high-tech, high-powered weaponry for tank, howitzer and mortar systems. As recently as 2017, Watervliet Arsenal was the designated manufacturer for Elbit’s $103 Million direct contract with the IDF for mortar weapons systems. 

In solidarity

Eyad Alkurabi

If your organization or community of faith would like to endorse this Summit please let us know. Endorsement simply means that you will circulate this announcement and recruit attendance from your networks.

Consider Joining The Fellowship of Reconciliation USA.

I am The Senior Advisor, and Ms. Ariel Gold is our Executive Director. FOR-USA is the oldest Peace and Justice, Interfaith Organization in the country founded in 1915.