Marc Ellis….

This is part of Marc H. Ellis’s “Exile and the Prophetic” feature for Mondoweiss. To read the entire series visit the archive page.

There, Gideon Levy has said it – Palestinians have the right to resist. In fact, it’s their duty.

His beginning is strong:

Imagine you’re the Palestinians. Perhaps residents of East Jerusalem. Forty-seven difficult years are behind you; a big, depressing darkness lies ahead. The Israeli tyranny that dooms your fate declares arrogantly that everything will stay like this forever. Your city will remain under occupation “for ever and ever.” The defense minister, second in importance in the government that subjugates you, says a Palestinian state will never be established.

mazin Qumsiyeh’s report on the Olive pickings this year and more

We just finished harvesting our olive trees.  It is hard work and in our
case produces a limited material since we only have five trees in our yard
(this year 45 kg of oil and we pickled some jars of olives). But many of
our friends and relatives can only dream of their olive trees which are now
on the other side of segregation and annexation wall. One of the volunteers
in our museum of Natural History (palestinenature.org) tells me that his
family had 150 olive trees and they were able to visit  through a special
permit four years ago and they had to walk through a special gate in the
apartheid wall many kilometers away from their land (no mechanized
transportation allowed on the land). Alas Israel then uses many rules to
steal Palestinian lands (they restrict or prevent access to the land and
then they confiscate it because it is “not tended”).  But this is one of
the 100+ ways to steal land. Zionists are sophisticated 20th and 21st
century land pirates. But still Palestinians who still have access to some
of their lands or some of their olive trees keep trying and keep
persisting. It is what we call sumud.

John Dear’s book: A Perfect Preparation to Promote Peace at this Christmas Time

Explore together the questions:   When did you begin to move out of the culture of violence and war into the new life of nonviolence and peace?  Where are you on the road to peace, as we turn around from the path of violence and war onto the way of peace and nonviolence?  How can you become more and more nonviolent?  The group will meet on the Mondays of December 10:00 am and 6:30 pm in the Convent basement dining room.  Books are available for $12.00 from sr. Paulette 419.447.0435 ext. 136.  Please consider this your personal preparation for the Prince of Peace’s celebration among us.

Iraq War Veteran Paul Chappell to speak in Tiffin

Join us as we hear veteran Paul Chappell on the topic, Why Peace is Possible: Exploring the Anatomy of Violence and War.  Paul  has reflected on  his experience as an army captain in the Iraq War to develop ideas about waging peace in his work at the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation.  He will speak at St. Francis Convent on Monday, Oct. 6, 7:00 pm.  He will also appear earlier in the day at Tiffin University Chisolm Hall at 11:00 am and the following day at Heidelberg University Campus Center at 7:00 pm.  All events are free and open to the public.  Learn more about Paul at www.paulkchappell.com.

Netanayhu before the UN with his efforts to soften–boomerang– the blows against Israel

http://mondoweiss.net/2014/09/netanyahu-cheering-israelis?utm_source=Mondoweiss+List&utm_campaign=6e3a496919-RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_b86bace129-6e3a496919-398481365