Letter from Bethlehem: Mazin Qumsiyeh

 Jessie and I are honored to be recognized as “War abolisher couple” among other good groups given war abolisher awards. See https://worldbeyondwar.org/war-abolisher-awards/ You can attend the award ceremony 24 July online by registering on the same link

The horrors facing our people and all of humanity are beyond description. Every day we see he ongoing genocide and etnic cleansing, the ecocide, the culturicide and much more. But we also get inspiration from so many people working hard for peace for justice (including environmental justice) for people and for our shared planet. For example the team is working with students attending our latest summer camp  - this one focused on cultural heritage for youth ages 12-16. To see this and our other activities, visit https://www.facebook.com/PIBS.PMNH

Please see this very short (6.5 minutes) video about our work https://youtu.be/qt8OTGoS198 and support by volunteering remotely or in person (palertinenature.org/volunteer) and/or donating (palestinenature.org/donations)
(and we need the support for the new museum of natural history and exhibits).

New publication citing us by Diane Kurzman: The Ecology of Dispossession: Israel’s nature reserves in the West Bank use the language of conservation to restrict Palestinian life while facilitating settlement expansion. Jewish Currents July 2026. https://jewishcurrents.org/the-ecology-of-dispossession

Fearing Cultural Erasure, a Palestinian Literary Movement Takes Root
https://publishingperspectives.com/2026/06/fearing-cultural-erasure-a-palestinian-literary-movement-takes-root/

Listen: how genocide was planned long time ago
https://jonathancook.substack.com/p/listen-how-israel-planned-the-gaza\

(thanks to collective effort): Dramatic shift in US public opinion: Half of democrats and 30% of all voters npw say Israel committed genocide (20% only say it did not and the rest are unsure/don't have enough information)

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/israel-hamas-gaza-poll-democrats-b3010328.html

War crimes and genocide archive. 65000 videos, 18000 photos, and lots of documents https://archivegenocide.com/ (don't say you did not know)

You can at least do armchair activism by emailing your government officials. For example in the UK, you can email the PM via https://contact.no10.gov.uk/

Stay Humane, act, and keep hope and Palestine alive

Mazin Qumsiyeh
A bedouin in cyberspace, a villager at home
Professor, Founder, and (volunteer) Director
Palestine Museum of Natural History
Palestine Institute of Biodiversity and Sustainability
Bethlehem University
Occupied Palestine