There are signs I look for to show me whether someone is not worth the time and energy it would take to interact with them, which allows me to use that time and energy more productively. Here they are in no particular order.
Easiest ways to make me lose all interest in everything you have to say: …
You’re not at the bus stop, you’re on the bus. Get to work, angel.
A diplomacy of hope is also a diplomacy of forgiveness, capable, at a time full of open or latent conflicts, of mending relationships torn by hatred and violence, and thus caring for the broken hearts of their all too numerous victims. My wish for the year 2025 is that the entire international community will work above all to end the conflict that, for almost three years now, has caused so much bloodshed in war-torn Ukraine and has taken an enormous toll of lives, including those of many civilians. Some encouraging signs have appeared on the horizon, but much work must still be done to create the conditions for a just and lasting peace and to heal the wounds inflicted by the aggression.
Similarly, I renew my appeal for a ceasefire and the release of the Israeli hostages in Gaza, where there is a very serious and shameful humanitarian situation, and I ask that the Palestinian population receive all the aid it needs. My prayerful hope is that Israelis and Palestinians can rebuild the bridges of dialogue and mutual trust, starting with the smallest, so that future generations can live side by side in the two States, in peace and security, and that Jerusalem can be the “city of encounter”, where Christians, Jews and Muslims live together in harmony and respect. Just last June, in the Vatican gardens, we joined in commemorating the tenth anniversary of the Invocation for Peace in the Holy Land that, on 8 June 2014, saw the presence of the then President of the State of Israel, Shimon Peres, and the President of the State of Palestine, Mahmoud Abbas, along with Patriarch Bartholomew I. That meeting bore witness to the fact that dialogue is always possible and that we cannot give in to the idea that enmity and hatred between peoples will have the upper hand.
At the same time, it must also be pointed out that war is fuelled by the continued proliferation of ever more sophisticated and destructive weapons. This morning, I reiterate my appeal that “with the money spent on weapons and other military expenditures, let us establish a global fund that can finally put an end to hunger and favour development in the most impoverished countries, so that their citizens will not resort to violent or illusory solutions, or have to leave their countries in order to seek a more dignified life”. [3]
War is always a failure! The involvement of civilians, especially children, and the destruction of infrastructures is not only a disaster, but essentially means that between the two sides only evil emerges the winner. We cannot in any way accept the bombing of civilians or the attacking of infrastructures necessary for their survival. We cannot accept that children are freezing to death because hospitals have been destroyed or a country’s energy network has been hit.
The entire international community seems to agree on the need to respect international humanitarian law, yet its failure to implement that law fully and concretely raises questions. If we have forgotten what lies at the very foundation of our existence, the sacredness of life, the principles that move the world, how can we think that this right is effectively respected? We need to recover these values and to embody them in precepts of the public conscience, so that the principle of humanity will truly be the basis of our activity. I trust, then, that this Jubilee year will be a favourable moment in which the international community will take active steps to ensure that inviolable human rights are not sacrificed to military needs.
On Thursday, Pope Francis offered more criticism of the Israeli bombing campaign and siege on the Gaza Strip, calling it “shameful” and saying the bombing of civilians is unacceptable.
May the sound of arms be silenced in war-torn Ukraine! May there be the boldness needed to open the door to negotiation and to gestures of dialogue and encounter, in order to achieve a just and lasting peace.
May the sound of arms be silenced in the Middle East! In contemplating the Crib of Bethlehem, I think of the Christian communities in Palestine and in Israel, particularly the dear community in Gaza, where the humanitarian situation is extremely grave. May there be a ceasefire, may the hostages be released and aid be given to the people worn out by hunger and by war. I express my closeness to the Christian community in Lebanon, especially in the south, and to that of Syria, at this most delicate time. May the doors of dialogue and peace be flung open throughout the region, devastated by conflict. Here I also think of the Libyan people and encourage them to seek solutions that enable national reconciliation.
(June 27, 2024)
Wie das Statistische Bundesamt (Destatis) weiter mitteilt, gab es im Jahr 2023 rund 1 933 000 Zuzüge und 1 270 000 Fortzüge über die Grenzen Deutschlands (2022: 2 666 000 Zuzüge und 1 204 000 Fortzüge).
A group of approximately 50 Black Muslim leaders have signed a statement urging Black and Muslim American voters to shun Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris in her bid for the White House and instead back candidates who support a ceasefire in Gaza and an arms embargo on Israel.
The new statement, first reported by Middle East Eye, is the latest effort from Muslim community leaders – from imams to scholars, to activists to politicians – telling voters not to choose Vice President Harris in the upcoming November election over her unwillingness to commit to policy changes that would hold Israel accountable for its ongoing war on Gaza and now Lebanon, which has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians and Lebanese people.
(21 October, 2024)
The American Arab and Muslim Political Action Committee (AMPAC) announced last week it has endorsed Green Party candidate Dr. Jill Stein for President of the United States. This follows closely on the Oct. 7 endorsement of the Abandon Harris campaign and is reflective of the Stein campaign’s growing support in the Arab and Muslim communities.
Dearborn, Michigan, October 17, 2024: The American Arab and Muslim Political Action Committee (AMPAC) proudly announces its endorsement of Dr. Jill Stein for the 2024 presidential election.
This election cycle presents unique challenges, prompting AMPAC to reassess its traditional support for candidates from the two major parties. After extensive dialogue with both the Harris and Trump campaigns, we found no commitment to addressing the urgent concerns of our community, particularly the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza, the West Bank, and Lebanon.
(21 October, 2024)
The Abandon Harris campaign, which is “dedicated to ensuring that the American people, especially the Muslim-American community, recognize the responsibility we share in standing up against oppression and using all our power to stop genocide wherever it may arise,” announced today it is endorsing the Green Party’s Dr. Jill Stein for president, along with running mate Dr. Butch Ware.
“We are not choosing between a greater evil and a lesser evil,” the group wrote in a statement. “We are confronting two destructive forces: one currently overseeing a genocide and another equally committed to continuing it. Both are determined to see it through. We call on Muslim-Americans and all those who stand firmly against genocide to vote for the Green Party in 2024.”
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Harris pursues a policy of death in Gaza, and she expects we will vote for her.
We need to work hard to make sure that she will not be elected to the presidency. Not only will this punish Harris, but it will also send a signal to all politicians that you won’t be rewarded with our votes when you engage in genocide. This movement will transform American politics and bring civil rights into US foreign policy.
(September 18, 2024)
“Customary international humanitarian law prohibits the use of booby traps – objects that civilians are likely to be attracted to or are associated with normal civilian daily use – precisely to avoid putting civilians at grave risk and produce the devastating scenes that continue to unfold across Lebanon today. The use of an explosive device whose exact location could not be reliably known would be unlawfully indiscriminate, using a means of attack that could not be directed at a specific military target and as a result would strike military targets and civilians without distinction. A prompt and impartial investigation into the attacks should be urgently conducted.”
Geneva, 18 September 2024
Widespread simultaneous explosions across Lebanon and in Syria yesterday, where detonating pagers killed at least 12 people – including two children – and left thousands of people injured, are shocking, and their impact on civilians unacceptable. The fear and terror unleashed is profound.
At this extremely volatile time, I appeal to all States with influence in the region and beyond to take immediate measures to avert further widening of the current conflicts – enough of the daily horrors, enough of the suffering. It is high time leaders stepped up in defence of the rights of all people to live in peace and security. The protection of civilians must be the paramount priority. De-escalation is today more crucial than ever.
Simultaneous targeting of thousands of individuals, whether civilians or members of armed groups, without knowledge as to who was in possession of the targeted devices, their location and their surroundings at the time of the attack, violates international human rights law and, to the extent applicable, international humanitarian law.
There must be an independent, thorough and transparent investigation as to the circumstances of these mass explosions, and those who ordered and carried out such an attack must be held to account.
The experts, led by University of Sydney law professor Ben Saul, the UN’s special rapporteur on human rights and counter-terrorism, labelled the exploding pagers “a terrifying violation of international law”.
“These attacks violate the human right to life, absent any indication that the victims posed an imminent lethal threat to anyone else at the time,” the experts said in a joint statement issued from Geneva late on Thursday night.
“Such attacks require prompt, independent investigation to establish the truth and enable accountability for the crime of murder.”
Allies and adversaries alike have denounced the massacre at the Crocus City Hall concert venue
Norway is a major donor to UNRWA. Currently, some countries have paused their aid to the Palestinian people through UNRWA in this situation. Norway has decided to continue its funding. While I share the concern over the very serious allegations against some UNRWA staff, I urge other donors to reflect on the wider consequences of cutting funding to UNRWA in this time of extreme humanitarian distress. We should not collectively punish millions of people.
We must distinguish between what individuals may have done and what UNRWA stands for. UNRWA has 30,000 staff across Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, the West Bank including East Jerusalem, and Gaza. 13,000 of these work in Gaza to distribute aid, save lives and ensure the population’s essential needs and rights. The people of Gaza urgently need humanitarian assistance and must not pay the price for the actions of others.
There is a larger and far more important point. Hamas can be demobilized through diplomacy, and only through diplomacy. Israel and the United States need finally to abide by international law, accept a sovereign state of Palestine alongside Israel, and welcome Palestine as the 194th member state of the UN. The US needs to stop arming the Israeli operation of ethnic cleansing in Gaza and stop protecting Israel’s rampant violations of basic human rights in the West Bank. Fifty-six years after its illegal occupation of Palestinian lands, and after decades of illegal settlements in the occupied territories, Israel needs finally to withdraw from the occupied Palestinian lands.
Protesters carried signs in Hebrew, Arabic and English calling for an end to the war, with slogans reading “In Gaza and in Sderot girls want to live,” “No to occupation and siege, yes to peace,” “Peace solution – not war,” “War has no winners,” “An eye for an eye and we are all blind.” The police forbade the waving of some anti-war signs among them: “Massacre does not justify massacre,” “Peace solution,” “Bibi [PM Benjamin Netanyahu] should be imprisoned,” “No to Apartheid,” “Food instead of bombs,” and “Return the captives, stop the revenge.” Cops also tried to prevent people with t-shirts with the phrase “Looking at the occupation in the eyes” from entering, claiming that even using the word “occupation” constituted incitement, but after a long argument, they let them in. The police censorship was not hermetic, and all the signs were later seen in the demonstration.
Residents of the Gaza Strip live in a humanitarian disaster zone. This entirely man-made disaster is a direct result of a policy employed by Israel, which, to this day, continues to dictate what daily life in Gaza looks like. This callous, unjustifiable policy sentences the nearly two million residents of the Gaza Strip to a life of abject poverty in near inhuman conditions no longer seen in the Western world. In testimonies collected by B‘Tselem‘s field researchers, residents of the Gaza Strip describe their lives, the dreams they will not get to realize, the medical conditions they have no way of treating, the ongoing separation from family members and friends outside the Strip, and the unbearable suffering caused by their confinement to the Strip, with no hope for change.
(20.10.2023)
He is the only ultra-Orthodox journalist in the country who considers non-Jews to be human, hence he must be silenced
TASS: The Black Sea grain deal will expire today. Russia is yet to announce its final decision on the deal. Meanwhile, Russia has repeatedly expressed dissatisfaction with how the Russia-part of the deal is being implemented. What is your comment?
Mao Ning: China hopes that the deal will continue to be implemented in a balanced, full and effective manner. China put forward the cooperation initiative on global food security, and would like to have more communication and cooperation with parties on this to help build more international consensus and contribute to global food security.
Beijing hopes that the Black Sea grain agreement will be extended, according to remarks by Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning on Monday, cited by TASS news agency.
“China hopes that the grain transportation initiative will continue to be fully implemented and is ready to work more closely with all parties to reach agreements on ensuring world food security,” she said.
– Likud lawmaker David Bitan becomes first gov‘t MK to call to freeze judicial coup legislation, launch negotiations
– Dozens of protesters block coastal highway in central Israel
– Students erect barbed wire fence at Tel Aviv University: ‚Barrier defending freedom of expression and academic opinion‘
– Hundreds of reservists block an intersection in ultra-Orthodox city of Bnei Brak, shouting ‚go to the army‘
– Protesters paint road leading to Supreme Court in Jerusalem, police arrested five suspects
– Israeli navy veterans block transit route to Haifa port with boats
– Protests against judicial overhaul set to begin nationwide
(…)
4,298,345 views Nov 15, 2018
Tamer Nafar – Salam Ya Sahbi
(27.10.2022)
The plea comes three weeks before the Government unveils its Autumn Statement mini-Budget, with six in 10 voters who backed the Tories last election calling for higher taxes on the wealthy
The Hadash and Ta’al list led by Knesset members Ayman Odeh and Ahmed Tibi, released a new election campaign video urging the Arab public to vote in the elections in order to stop the right-wing parties’ intention to carry out a new Nakba.
Die berechtigte Empörung über den Angriffskrieg Russlands gegen die Ukraine darf uns nicht vergessen lassen, dass wir alle Menschen sind, auch Russen, die in Deutschland leben oder arbeiten. Ihr Akzent, ihr Aussehen oder ein Eintrag in ihrem Pass machen sie nicht zu Sympathisanten oder gar Mittätern oft ist sogar das Gegenteil der Fall. Sie deswegen zu schikanieren ist eine unmenschliche Form von Nationalismus
Ukrainian President Zelensky addressed the citizens of his country following the beginning of a Russian invasion.
Freedom Convoy Leadership Update – Address to the Nation 7:00pm February 6, 2020. Ottawa Mayor declared a state of emergency. How Ottawa Police taking the convoy fuel and occupying the convoy tents does not impact the Freedom Convoy logistics. #irnieracingnews #freedomconvoyupdate #freedomconvoyaddresstothenation
In The Lucifer Effect: Understanding How Good People Turn Evil, Philip Zimbardo theorizes that people discount situational influences when judging the actions of others. In particular, he recounts in detail the events of the 1971 Stanford Prison Experiment (SPE), which he designed and directed: He replicated a prison block in a Stanford building and assigned male undergraduate volunteers to act the part of guards and prisoners.
The experiment, which was originally planned for two weeks, grew so dangerously out of control that Zimbardo was forced to shut it down after less than a week.
Drawing on his experience as an expert witness for the court-martial hearings on Abu Ghraib, Zimbardo presents a body of research evidence to suggest that the military as well as the Bush administration fostered a situation that turned ordinary soldiers into torturers and abusers. Zimbardo also suggests, however, that the power of situations can be used to promote good behavior and turn ordinary people into heroes. The Lucifer Effect is at times unbalanced and disjointed but well worth reading to remind us that where we are may affect us as much as who we are.