water cannons, flash grenades, and tear gas from Israeli government forces… On 8 March 2012, these items greeted women who walked for peace… Click here to watch the video.

These are the women who stand for peace and who live with the ugliness of Qalandiya Checkpoint that prevents free movement between Ramallah, the village of Qalandiya, and East Jerusalem. I remember this ugliness from my time there on early mornings between Dec. 2010 and March 2011.

As we enter this new year (from one International Women’s Day to the next), we can draw on the traditional movement song, “We shall not be moved”. Just like this poppy of resistance that appears in spring in the hills around Jerusalem.

"We shall be moved by flowers growing." - Nabi Samuel - 1 March 2011 - Photo: Sherry Ann (Quoting "We Shall Be Moved", Carolyn McDade, 2002)

And, I’d like to invite us…to be moved. We, we shall be moved…in love….

"Love is stronger than this wall." - Ar Ram, West-Bank side of Separation Wall, near Qalandiya Checkpoint - 6 Jan. 2011 - Photo: Sherry Ann

Choose a way…local, nearby, or afar…

For example, learn and participate:

1) The REDress Project –  “The REDress Project, focuses around the issue of missing or murdered Aboriginal women across Canada. It is an installation art project based on an aesthetic response to this critical national issue.” Click here and here (for Edmonton’s connection).

2) Subject: [womeninblack] Call For Action – Hana Shalabi and other female prisoners

“Dear all, The following is a letter to be sent to the israeli authority in order to make some pressure to releas Hana Shalabi and the other palestinian women detainees of freedom. You can either copy the letter or create your own letter and send it to the provided addresses, you also can send a letter to Hana and the other women detainees by contacting Addameer.  if you are not able to see the text bellow please follow this link: http://addameer.org/etemplate.php?id=450    ”