Thank you for writing this. Bearing witness to the sacrifice of Palestinian prisoners, and generally what people in Palestine and Lebanon particularly in the South and beyond, bearing witness as in to really sit with it, is so difficult for me. I think that's why walking meditation has become such an important practice for me- movement helps with the distress.
My mind also grasps towards solidity in reading facts, knowledge, deeper understanding which maybe is a form of bypassing the bearing witness, but defenses, particularly wholesome ones I think are sometimes ok and necessary.
I've been doing some very brief googling the role of the death penalty as a tool of apartheid in the Deep South of the US where I reside as well as in apartheid South Africa..
The death penalty law recently passed for Palestinians is unique in comparison to the US and S Africa in how blatant of an apartheid law it is- ONLY for Palestinians, and ONLY if they are accused of killing an Israeli (not sure if they mean Israeli citizen (which could include Palestinians/migrants?) or just Jewish Israelis). This feels like a point of opening to talk about Israel today with others outside our spheres as well as very important within our own borders as the US has increased the executions on a wild, cruel, horrific level the past few years.
I'm sharing some of the links from my brief googles in case anyone is interested.
I also feel compelled to say that I found the energy and spirit to unfreeze myself to say something, even if its just this small/lengthy substack comment after reading political prisoner Marwan Bargouthi's lawyers FB post about his recent visit where they shouted to each other through glass bc the phones didn't work...him still discussing and wanting to know whats going on despite solitary confinement, despite the horrific conditions and attacks by dogs, despite everything then I can push myself to say something too...
Thank you so much, dear Ereeni, for all you’ve shared here. It’s immensely difficult and I also appreciate you taking care of yourself at this moment, dear Ereeni. Life endures and so we must too. With much love ❤️
Gratitude for your ongoing witness Thanissara
Thank you for this upsetting but necessary piece, translated in French with a huge pleasure here : https://zanzibar.substack.com/p/genocide-derriere-les-murs
Thank you Thanissara. Big respect and appreciation for your work. I can't join you Friday but feel so grateful for this meeting happening.
Hi dear Thanissara,
Thank you for writing this. Bearing witness to the sacrifice of Palestinian prisoners, and generally what people in Palestine and Lebanon particularly in the South and beyond, bearing witness as in to really sit with it, is so difficult for me. I think that's why walking meditation has become such an important practice for me- movement helps with the distress.
My mind also grasps towards solidity in reading facts, knowledge, deeper understanding which maybe is a form of bypassing the bearing witness, but defenses, particularly wholesome ones I think are sometimes ok and necessary.
I've been doing some very brief googling the role of the death penalty as a tool of apartheid in the Deep South of the US where I reside as well as in apartheid South Africa..
The death penalty law recently passed for Palestinians is unique in comparison to the US and S Africa in how blatant of an apartheid law it is- ONLY for Palestinians, and ONLY if they are accused of killing an Israeli (not sure if they mean Israeli citizen (which could include Palestinians/migrants?) or just Jewish Israelis). This feels like a point of opening to talk about Israel today with others outside our spheres as well as very important within our own borders as the US has increased the executions on a wild, cruel, horrific level the past few years.
I'm sharing some of the links from my brief googles in case anyone is interested.
https://racistroots.org/section-2/
https://vc.bridgew.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1223&context=undergrad_rev
https://www.saha.org.za/youth_on_death_row.htm
https://www.justice.gov.za/trc/media/1997/9707/s970722b.htm
https://www.scielo.org.za/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0259-01902018000100008
I also feel compelled to say that I found the energy and spirit to unfreeze myself to say something, even if its just this small/lengthy substack comment after reading political prisoner Marwan Bargouthi's lawyers FB post about his recent visit where they shouted to each other through glass bc the phones didn't work...him still discussing and wanting to know whats going on despite solitary confinement, despite the horrific conditions and attacks by dogs, despite everything then I can push myself to say something too...
https://www.facebook.com/ben.marmara.3/posts/pfbid09heX3NxkC69P3BzHM6oVaHB8gC8QPKsB5MraBitUYoPJYD2womJ23ujejaDJdg8ul
Thank you so much, dear Ereeni, for all you’ve shared here. It’s immensely difficult and I also appreciate you taking care of yourself at this moment, dear Ereeni. Life endures and so we must too. With much love ❤️
Thank you for all you do Thanissara <3