Tent of Nations

Just got this Email from Daoud. I was working with him on their land for around 9 month. Please spread it around!

Dear Friends of Tent of Nations all over the world,

Today (27.05.2010) at 2.00 pm in the afternoon, 2 officers form the Israeli Civil Administration guarded by Israeli soldiers came to our farm and gave us NINE demolishing orders for nine ( structures) we built in the last years without a building permit from the Israeli Military Authority. The demolishing orders are for: tents, animals shelters, metal roof in front of both old houses, the restrooms (Shelters) , a water cistern, a metal container and 2 underground renovated cave structures. One officer was writing the demolishing orders and the other was taking pictures with two cameras, Israeli soldiers were following them everywhere and pointing their guns on us.

The demolishing orders were written in Hebrew and I refused to sign receiving them. We have 3 days only to react against those demolishing orders. The timing for delivering the demolishing orders was plant properly and purposely on Thursday, in order to make it difficult for us to try to stop those orders by the Israeli court within 3 days, because of the Jewish weekend (Friday and Saturday). The idea is to make it impossible for us to act quickly. I contacted our Lawyer and he will write an opposition and send it to the military court on Sunday morning. We hope to get a paper from the court through our Lawyer on Sunday morning to stop the demolishing orders.

We would like to ask you to be prepared and alert for actions, if anything might happen. We will keep you updated and will guide you for actions but please forward this E-mail to your friends.
PLEASE be prepared for actions… Thank you for all your solidarity and support.

They are trying to destroy our spirit, but we are determined to resist and overcome the Evil with GOOD and justice will prevail.

Blessings and Salaam,

Daoud

Daoud Nassar
Director

Tent of Nations
-People Building Bridges-
P.O.Box 28
Bethlehem - Palestine
Tel: +972 (0)2-274 3071
Fax: +972(0)2-276 7446
Mobile: +972(0)522 975 985
info@tentofnations.org
www.tentofnations.org

Ya Old Jaffa

Where have you gone? All the tales being tolled about your oranges and lemons - where are they now? Buried under the rubble of old houses, under the walls of newly build real estates, under the foundation of new tourist apartments. Where did your old beauty go? It's vanishing during the years under the feeds of thousands of tourists which made believe that the streets they are walking are the old ones of the Crusaders, the Ottoman Empire or pre 1948 Palestinian build pathways towards the port.
Having been hear every now and than since a couple of years, you feel the atmosphere changing.
The main language you hear is Hebrew (not that I have anything against it) but its strange in a supposed Arab city. The way people look around changes, you often see old Arab man cleaning the streets. I am wondering where the young ones are. (Destroying there old houses and building the new shiny ones)
Old Palestinian houses aren't renovated or rebuild - I heard that already fall 2008 and seeing it with my own eyes. Palestinians setting on their broken bench in front of house, hold together with an improvised metal frame. Close by shines a sign


It reads "Luxurious and Unique Apartments & Penthouses" and in the back of the picture you see the wall holed together by a metal frame.

Oh Old Jaffa
where have you gone?
the see is endlessness rolling
and the wind strongly blowing
salt in the air
heat makes the flair
the clock is ringing
Muezzin singing
Rabbi whispering

time moves on
Oranges are gone
sun is down and night has come
stars and moon shine strong
people walk the quay
getting equal thereby
dreaming of the days gone
dreaming of the days to come

having Jaffa in mind
bagging it be (our) kind

I think Mahmoud Darwish found nicer words on Jaffa - cant find them - so used my own words ...

The moon above Jaffa - its not going to change!