As people in the land now known as Canada celebrate the summer solstice and the most hours of daylight in the year, I am moved to ‘fan’ the candle-light energy that is lifting lanterns into the night sky near and above Gaza. Yesterday, the Israeli government began a new practice of reducing the amount of electricity entering Gaza, an act that contravenes international humanitarian law.

By learning more about this issue, we can add metaphorical oxygen to the candles that must stay lit in solidarity with Palestinians, amid the darkness of the Israeli government’s occupation of Palestine. Read the letter (click here) sent last week by Gisha, a coalition of 16 civil society organizations, to the Israeli attorney general. Read more (here) about the actual lanterns that were lit and sent up, into the night sky by Israeli activists, yesterday.