How to remember twenty years—9/11/21… My final draft of An American in Palestine is in the hands of Saqib Arshad, my best-in-the-world formatting pro. If everything goes according to plan, I will self-publish on Amazon and Kindle on September 11. “Why 9/11?” My friend Nikki asked me a couple days ago. “I don’t get theContinue reading “9/11/2021”
Tag Archives: Palestine
Prologue to An American in Palestine
This evening I have been “followed” on Instagram by Said Khatib, the photographer from Gaza, Palestine. One photograph by Khatib will be the cover of my second book, An American in Palestine. I am honored to share correspondence with a man, whose photo journalism is bringing the struggle of Palestine to the headlines. I aimContinue reading “Prologue to An American in Palestine”
Only “Us”
“We act in Gaza according to our interests.” “There is no ‘them; there is only ‘us.’” Two quotes I heard on public radio this morning while driving to my Honolulu Write Team workshop. It’s hard for me to imagine two more contradictory quotes, uttered about two minutes apart and sending my eardrums (and heart) intoContinue reading “Only “Us””
Israel for Whom???
Last week I heard another statement from Israel that curdled my blood. Some politician (I don’t think it was the new right-wing Prime Minister, Naftali Bennett.) decreed that God chose the Jewish people as His chosen and gave them the land of Israel. Israel is meant for Jews and no one else. Such a statementContinue reading “Israel for Whom???”
A Gay in Palestine
On July 14, 2021, I was meeting with my psychologist, Kevin Moran. We were discussing my first task of editing my second book, working title An American in Palestine. I was sharing with Kevin that this second work was so completely different than my first book. I realized that such a different work might notContinue reading “A Gay in Palestine”
Arabic 101
Sometime during the second month of my Palestinian stay, I tackled the challenge of learning the Arabic language. I was joining the Al Jaabari family every Friday for an afternoon and evening of sharing food and conversation. But I was definitely on the sidelines with the conversation. I determined to change that. I purchased aContinue reading “Arabic 101”
A Long Pause
This morning I wrote a memoir segment about visiting Nablus in northern Palestine. The last segment I wrote was about driving from Bethlehem to Nablus. That memoir piece is dated 05/30/21. It has been twenty-four days since I have written. I didn’t begin my pause with any intention. On the first day, I simply didn’tContinue reading “A Long Pause”
Hummus from an American
“You need to be ready and waiting outside at 11:00 on Friday. Bring a jacket. We’re going to a park for a family picnic.” Farouk called me early in May to prepare me for the week’s deviation from established routine. Oh, this would be fun. By May, it was definitely warming up. When I hadContinue reading “Hummus from an American”
Herodium
King Herod’s Palace. Yes, that same King Herod. He built a palace. In fact, several palaces. A great builder of his time, Herod constructed his primary residence in Jerusalem. It was a massive structure, second in importance only to the Temple. Nothing remains today of that palace. Herod was an ambitious king who constructed numerousContinue reading “Herodium”
An American Visitor
My first visit to Palestine was a three-week vacation in September 2013. Through online interaction, I had met and conversed with a Palestinian man from West Bank. Arrangements were made so that this person would be my host and guide during a short vacation. Excited about my exotic travel plans (I had never left USContinue reading “An American Visitor”