News of the blogosphere…

It's Laila el-Haddad‘s birthday! She spent a day full of surprises with her son Yousuf.

Sabbah is one of the finalists on Bloggies 2005 Weblog Awards.

Promises of Arabesque Rhapsody has suggested JordanPlanet‘s citizens form their own Book Club.
She's come up with another idea too, lets not buy the cockroaches shoes!

What we talk about…

On the elections

Laila el-Haddad of Raising Yousuf is reporting from Gaza on the approaching legislative Palestinian elections, in a series of posts for Guardian Unlimited, Laila described the situation in Gaza last week by being unusually quite.

This week, Laila said posters enveloped Gaza City as everyone has become a national hero while some marched down the streets shouting: “Thieves, thieves, you're all thieves” in reference to the ruling party.”Laila gave Fatah (Arabic) party a call to find some answers.

Three days ago, Laila updated saying that the situation is getting heated between Hamas and Fatah. She further talked about the recent bombing in Tel Aviv and its effect on the elections. She has estimated Hamas audience with no less than 50,000 whilst Fatah (Arabic) enjoyed only 20,000 Gazzan in the northern district.

While the 7,000 Palestinian prsioners forms a major group of interest to the different political parties, refugees who make up nearly two thirds of Gaza are being neglected, waiting for their 58-year-old problem to be solved and those who have rotten in camps outside of Israel can not vote. Laila‘s husband for instance, can not vote either because he holds a refugee permit. Palestinians with refugee permits are not allowed to enter Palestine in the first place.

On elections too, Daoud Kuttab wrote a very informative post describing the situation in Palestine.

Everything else

From umkahlil, Multi-millionaire owner of a chain of hair salons and founder of “Friends of the Israel Defense Forces” have raised 4 million dollars till the day to benefit the “IDF” (Isreali military forces). By the way, Israel's prime minister bureau chief Dov Weisglass plans to ask the US for a 10 billion dollars aid.

umkahlil has something to say to Zionists both the religious and secular of them, and tells the story of young beautiful Fatima who struggled with chemotherapy under occupation.

FADI blogger of KABOBfest sent a letter to Georgetown student newspaper the Hoya in response to the fabrications and lies of Bill Levinson in regard of the ISM and PSM being the same organization, claiming that the PSM is advocating violence and terrorism. FADI added that Levinson had previously written that “Israel should expel the two-legged locusts and annex all the occupied territory. To hell with these vermin.”

From KABOBfest aslo, an article about the economical boycott of Israel which has and continues to spread in Europe despite of the pressure and threats activists are getting from the United States administration and the possibility of being tried in the UK just like these protesters.

The little things that matter…

Here's Tomorrow is part one of a continuing documentary project which focuses on the issue of the Palestinian refugees living in the largest refugee camp in Jordan: Baqa’a Refugee Camp. The documentary is an introductory film which shows the life, hopes and views of those who fleed to Jordan in 1967 (the year of Naksa).

Abu Assad and Abu Sitta, two men with so much pain resorted to beauty in fighting the beast.

Last week Haitham Sabbah started a pledge to request some blog services add Palestine to their country list. Two blog services have responded positively until the day.

From KABOBfest, some cool PFLP (Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine) T-shirt are available here, get yours now.