#Palestinian women’s basketball

[girlactionfigure]

The 22-year-old MVP of the Palestinian women’s basketball team Mirna Sayeh has made history by being the first female Palestinian player to join the Israeli Premier League.

The Bethlehem native reported, “the bar is much higher in Israel, I really wanted to play here.”

It is incredible to see sports bridging the political divide in Israel.

Glasgow Friends of Israel

[urantisocialgay]

To all the supporters of Palestine 🙏

We still need less than 1350€ to reach our short term goal of 50% ‼️

Your donations are important for our survival

Please help me reach our goal as soon as possible 🙏

We appreciate your help ❤️🙏

https://gofund.me/e7c7528a

‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️

[cocosse]

“Work consists of whatever a body is obliged to do. Play consists of whatever a body is not obliged to do.” Mark Twain, 1835-1910

Palestinian women playing basketball in Araa village, 1965

[female-buckets]

Tash's ethical stance on humanity is probably what got her off the all star roster. Because honestly shes been vocal about certain topics that the league just don't wanna see. Her being left off the list was not based on her basketball skills or lack of popularity. And I think that's a major L on the league

The more I think about it, the more I think there's truth to this.

Because look!

But Cathy Engelbert says she's not an all star 🤔

The Mercury/Suns LOVE Tash. They promote the hell out of her. They helped get her in the NBA celebrity game right after signing her. And here's what the newly signed Mercury point guard wore to NBA all star.

A keffiyeh, a symbol of the secular Palestinian national movement. The SECULAR movement. How can anyone be mad at that? This is a perfectly acceptable thing to wear. It shouldn't be controversial at all. But in America, no one wants to hear the context or details. They want to make everything into a negative generalization.

Tash lived and worked in Jordan for a few years. She's done a lot for women's basketball in the middle east. Some of her teammates in Jordan are Palestinian. She has a personal connection to the region.

And the Mercury love that and love her just like they love when DT wears Che shirts.

But I don't think the WNBA front office loves all that. And that has hurt Tash's career.

[workersolidarity]

[video: Israeli tanks fire at innocent civilians at Salah al-Din Street near the city of Deir el-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.]

🇵🇸🇮🇱 🚨 💥ISRAELI AUTHORITIES BOMB PALESTINIAN CIVILIANS IN AREAS THEY ORDERED THEM TO EVACUATE TO REUTERS ADMITS💥

Israeli Occupation Authorities ordered Palestinian civilians to evacuate the southern Gaza city of Khan Yunis to the south and west towards the coast and Rafah before bombing them in those areas, according to a Reuters report.

The report says that the Israeli Occupation Forces posted a map on the social media platform X showing a quarter of the city of Khan Yunis marked off in yellow, indicating Israeli Forces would be launching strikes in the area.

Three arrows pointing west and south on the map told people to head towards the direction of the Mediterranean coast and Rafah, near the border with Egypt.

In a later post, the Occupation Forces' chief Arabic-language spokesperson told people in a post on X that the main road into and out of Khan Yunis to the north "constitutes a battlefield" and was now closed.

The post said that access would be permitted on the western outskirts of Khan Yunis, while a "short tactical suspension of military activities" would allow access to Rafah until the early afternoon.

Even according to Reuters, the results of overnight bombing raids sent "desperate residents fleeing even as it dropped bombs on areas where it told them to go."

According to Reuters:

In Rafah, bombing at one site overnight had torn a crater the size of a basketball court out of the earth. A dead toddler's bare feet and black trousers poked out from under a pile of rubble. Men struggled with their bare hands to move a chunk of the concrete that had crushed the child.

Later they chanted "God is Great" and wept as they marched through the ruins carrying the body in a bundle and that of another small child body wrapped in a blanket.

"We were asleep and safe, they told us it was a safe area, Rafah and all," said Salah al-Arja, owner of one of the houses destroyed at the site.

"There were children, women and martyrs," he said. "They tell you it is a safe area, but there is no safe area in all of the Gaza Strip, it is all lies and manipulations."

#source

@WorkerSolidarityNews

[libraryleopard]

Libraries are cool! Anyone want to hear about the books I have on hold at the library right now? Just kidding, you don't have a choice.

The Ballad of Jacquotte Delahaye by Briony Cameron. Adult historical fiction about a Haitian-French, queer woman who becomes a pirate in the 17th-century Caribbean. As a Black Sails fan, I have high hopes for this one.

The Tower by Flora Carr. Adult historical fiction novel about the imprisonment of Mary, Queen of Scots, prior to her execution–supposed to be very character-driven and claustrophobic, also queer I think?

Experienced by Kate Young. Adult romantic comedy about a newly-out lesbian in her thirties whose first serious girlfriend tells her she should go out and explore the queer dating scene she missed out on in her twenties; I've heard it's both funny and heartfelt.

Here For the Wrong Reasons by Annabel Paulsen and Lydia Wang: Adult romantic comedy about two women on a Bachelor-type dating show for fall for each other instead of the male star. I don't watch dating shows, but this is a great premise for a rom com.

A Little Kissing Between Friends by Chencia C. Higgins. Black sapphic romance about a music producer and a dancer at a strip club. I like queer friends-to-lovers and the cover for this is cute (fat Black masc lesbian on the cover, also!)

How You Get the Girl by Anita Kelly. I have grown to love Anita Kelly this year so I'm excited to read their F/F romance! There's basketball and a sort of fake-dating/relationship lessons scheme between the leads.

Housemates by Emma Copley Eisenberg. Adult lit fic about two queer roommates and artists from Philadelphia who go on a roadtrip to photograph rural Pennsylvania. Reviews promise messy yet loveable characters and an exploration of the power of art.

The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley. Adult science fiction novel about a British civil servant offered a job to monitor people plucked from history and brought to the modern times to see how they adjust to the present–specifically Arctic explorer Graham Gore. And falls in love with him? This is a really wild premise for a book but I've seen some very positive reviews and apparently the novel has an interesting exploration of history and colonialism, so I've decided to give it a whirl.

The Hundred Years' War on Palestine by Rashid Khalidi. Nonfiction about Palestinian history.

[dragoneyes618]

Ireland’s relationship with Israel is simply incomprehensible.

While both Dublin and Jerusalem are democracies and share common historical experiences with British colonialism—the British Mandate in Palestine and the Irish struggle for independence—Ireland today is the most viciously anti-Israel and pro-Palestinian member of the European Union. Ireland leads the European nations in anti-Israel, pro-BDS campaigns. 

Sinn Féin, the political arm of the former terrorist Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA), is now Dublin’s leading political party. The IRA received training supported by the Soviet Union in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley together with the Palestinian terrorists in the 1960s and 1970s. There exists a counterbalance to Dublin’s intensely pro-Palestinian sympathies; the Ulster Protestants in Northern Ireland, who are the most pro-Israel members of the British Parliament. Brian Kingston, a member of the Legislative Assembly of Northern Ireland and a Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) politician, remarked in a recent interview: “The unionist community in Northern Ireland has a long-standing affinity and affiliation to the cause of Israel.”

The IRA played a role during World War II in supporting German Nazis. Although the government of Ireland was officially neutral, the IRA collaborated with the Nazi military intelligence. Adolf Hitler sent money, transmitters and spies to Ireland. Moreover, the IRA provided the Nazis with targeting information on British installations in Belfast. After Hitler committed suicide in April 1945, Ireland’s wartime leaders—President Douglas Hyde and Prime Minister Éamon de Valera—offered official condolences to the Nazi envoy in Dublin.

More recently, the Hezbollah terror group’s unprovoked attacks on Israeli communities in northern Israel, which began on Oct. 8, 2023—one day after the Hamas terrorist attacks in southern Israel—did not stir Ireland’s peacekeepers in the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) to try and stop the shelling attacks nor did they call to impose the U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701. Passage of that resolution came in the wake of the summer 2006 war between Hezbollah and Israel, and called for the disarmament of all armed groups in Lebanon—in particular, Hezbollah’s disarmament. Resolution 1701 established that no armed forces, other than UNIFIL and the Lebanese Armed Forces, could be south of the Litani River in Lebanon. Yet Hezbollah remained.

The Israel Defense Forces, in response to Hezbollah’s attacks during the last year, have moved from an aerial campaign to ground operations in Southern Lebanon to clear out Hezbollah forces. Israel has requested that the Irish contingent and all of UNIFIL move out of harm’s way. Ireland’s deputy premier and minister for defense and foreign affairs, Micheál Martin, responded by saying that he “strongly condemns” the IDF targeting and firing on the UNIFIL positions. Israel has repeatedly stated that it has no quarrel with the Lebanese people and certainly not with any of the UNIFIL peacekeepers.

This new dispute regarding the Irish peacekeepers comes after Ireland, Norway and Spain unilaterally recognized Palestinian statehood in May, essentially rewarding the Palestinians for the massacre of 1,200 Israelis by Hamas and the kidnapping of 250 others as hostages on Oct. 7, 2023.

The tensions aren’t just in the political arena. Members of an Irish women’s basketball team refused to shake hands with their Israeli counterparts during a pregame meeting in February’s FIBA EuroLeague Women’s tournament. The Israeli team ended up defeating the Irish team, 87-57. The behavior of the Irish national team was the same as the Islamic Republic of Iran’s team and teams from Israel’s Arab enemies in other tournaments.

Ireland was the first member of the European Economic Community (EEC)—the precursor of the European Union—to declare in 1980 their support for Palestinian statehood. Additionally, Ireland didn’t establish diplomatic relations with Israel until 1975 and first opened its embassy in Tel Aviv in 1996, long after other Western European nations.

When Israel retaliated against missile attacks launched from Gaza by Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad in May 2021 during an 11-day conflict, the Irish government was the first E.U. state to condemn Israel, alleging the de facto “annexation of Palestinian land.” The issue propelling this condemnation was the decision by the Israeli Supreme Court affirming Jewish ownership of homes in the eastern Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah. It was an example of brazen Irish interference in an Israeli legal matter that had nothing to do with annexation.

Ireland has transformed from being an intensely Catholic state to an equally intense secular one. While the young Irish have moved away from their church, they are eagerly accommodating Islamists who seek to undermine and destroy the Judeo-Christian way of life. Ultimately, they will learn that Islamists seek to destroy their Irish culture as well.

The Catholic Church in Ireland had an antisemitic past but with Ireland becoming increasingly secular, the antisemitism of today is no longer of the religious variety. It has the marking of a leftist, ideologically driven hatred dressed as anti-colonialism. Dublin has adopted the Palestinian narrative without questioning or searching for the truth. Arab-Islamic colonialism is rarely if ever discussed, and Palestinian terrorism is largely excused. The fact that the Palestinians have rejected every opportunity for self-determination and statehood does not bother the Irish government. What the Palestinians want is the disappearance of Israel and the Jews. It seems that Dublin is OK with that.

Relations between Ireland and Israel have been strained for years and with Sinn Féin growing power in Dublin, the relationship isn’t likely to improve and may only get worse.

[zephirite]

Nice work! It's subtle, effective design choices like that that make a great uniform...

Speaking of great designs, this year had some stunners:

For example, Haiti's uniforms, designed by Haitian-Italian designer Stella Jean and featuring printed paintings by notorious Haitian artist Philippe Dodard. Jean wanted to showcase the beauty of Haiti despite its political turmoil, with traditionally-woven jackets for the women, and a traditional shirt ("karabela") for the men. "Creativity is not subordinate to GDP," Jean writes. "Creativity is not limited by latitude, nor by wounds."

Mongolia's uniforms, designed by sisters Michel & Amazonka. The rich embroidery on the vests evokes imagery that ties Mongolia's national Naadam festival to the lighting of the Olympic torch, with the mountains evoking the country's terrain while symbolizing the challenges the athletes overcame to participate.

Uniforms from the Philippines, designed by Francis Libirian. In addition to mimicking the shape and colors of the nation's flag, the iconic and genderless sarongs are worn over simple white shirt and slacks in a simple, stylish, manner.

Sri Lankan uniforms, designed by LOVI Ceylon (a brand founded by Asanka De Mel to create a globally-recognized and proudly Sri Lankan look). A modern take on the 1800s Nilame and Manike (Prince and Princess) attire, these uniforms are painstakingly hand-embroidered with tens of thousands of beads, showcasing superb craftsmanship and pride.

Uniforms for South Sudan's basketball team, designed by Rwandan company Moshions.

As the single outdoor basketball court in Southern Sudan was dirt and not measured to regulation, the team had to fly 500 miles to Rwanda on basketball federation president Luol Deng's dime to practice, making their defeat to Serbia all the more heartbreaking. Despite this, the country and coaches were proud of their athletes for their progress, and promised to return in 2028.

Palestinian uniforms (unknown designer):

The only design-related information I could find regarded the approval of flag-bearer Waseem Abu Sal's shirt, depicting bombs dropped on children playing soccer:

Love it

[alexbkrieger13]

Is this making the news in Ireland?

https://x.com/stsager/status/1756030957868437623?s=46&t=vBLDXsQ0JiysAaTNZSI39Q

Not a good look for the Irish team. Is there some sense of false equivalency going on? They think that they were occupied by England at one point so they have to protest Israel existing and side with Hamas? If the Palestinian people wanted an Ireland of their own they could have one by now. Ireland got their country and are happy. They aren’t shooting missiles at England and demand all of Great Britain should be England and that England should go out of existance. Nor do they claim to be under apartheid because there’s a border between England and Ireland. So false equivalency. Bad reason to sell yourself to Hamas and be racist towards a young group of women playing basketball.

Not really the mainstream new. A big thing to note in Ireland is that within nationalist circles there's always been a very sympathetic cause with the Palestinians just because they compare it similarly to being under British rule Ireland was (not exactly historically the same thing but you know symbolism).

[brookstonalmanac]

Events 1.15 (before 1940)

69 – Otho seizes power in Rome, proclaiming himself Emperor of Rome, beginning a reign of only three months. 1541 – King Francis I of France gives Jean-François Roberval a commission to settle the province of New France (Canada) and provide for the spread of the "Holy Catholic faith". 1559 – Elizabeth I is crowned Queen of England and Ireland in Westminster Abbey, London. 1582 – Truce of Yam-Zapolsky: Russia cedes Livonia to the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. 1759 – The British Museum opens to the public. 1777 – American Revolutionary War: New Connecticut (present-day Vermont) declares its independence. 1782 – Superintendent of Finance Robert Morris addresses the U.S. Congress to recommend establishment of a national mint and decimal coinage. 1815 – War of 1812: American frigate USS President, commanded by Commodore Stephen Decatur, is captured by a squadron of four British frigates. 1818 – A paper by David Brewster is read to the Royal Society, belatedly announcing his discovery of what we now call the biaxial class of doubly-refracting crystals. On the same day, Augustin-Jean Fresnel signs a "supplement" (submitted four days later) on reflection of polarized light. 1822 – Greek War of Independence: Demetrios Ypsilantis is elected president of the legislative assembly. 1865 – American Civil War: Fort Fisher in North Carolina falls to the Union, thus cutting off the last major seaport of the Confederacy. 1867 – Forty people die when ice covering the boating lake at Regent's Park, London, collapses. 1870 – A political cartoon for the first time symbolizes the Democratic Party with a donkey ("A Live Jackass Kicking a Dead Lion" by Thomas Nast for Harper's Weekly). 1876 – The first newspaper in Afrikaans, Die Afrikaanse Patriot, is published in Paarl. 1889 – The Coca-Cola Company, then known as the Pemberton Medicine Company, is incorporated in Atlanta. 1892 – James Naismith publishes the rules of basketball. 1908 – The Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority becomes the first Greek-letter organization founded and established by African American college women. 1910 – Construction ends on the Buffalo Bill Dam in Wyoming, United States, which was the highest dam in the world at the time, at 99 m (325 ft). 1911 – Palestinian Arabic-language Falastin newspaper founded. 1919 – Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht, two of the most prominent communists in Germany, are clubbed and then shot to death by members of the Freikorps at the end of the Spartacist uprising. 1919 – Great Molasses Flood: A wave of molasses released from an exploding storage tank sweeps through Boston, Massachusetts, killing 21 and injuring 150. 1934 – The 8.0 Mw  Nepal–Bihar earthquake strikes Nepal and Bihar with a maximum Mercalli intensity of XI (Extreme), killing an estimated 6,000–10,700 people. 1936 – The first building to be completely covered in glass, built for the Owens-Illinois Glass Company, is completed in Toledo, Ohio. 1937 – Spanish Civil War: Nationalists and Republicans both withdraw after suffering heavy losses, ending the Second Battle of the Corunna Road.

[cocosse]

“Work consists of whatever a body is obliged to do. Play consists of whatever a body is not obliged to do.”

Mark Twain, 1835-1910

Palestinian women playing basketball in Araa village, 1965

[crippleprophet]

[Image description: four screenshots of text and image excerpts from the article linked above. the text reads:

Heba Abu Jazar cannot hear the sound of the bombs exploding, but she can feel their intensity deeply.

Jazar and her two brothers were born deaf, but the magnitude of the blasts can be seen and felt in the vibrations of the doors and windows in their home in the southern city of Rafah.

“I thank God that my parents are not deaf, so they can tell us whether we are safe or in danger and save us from death,” Jazar told Al Jazeera.

Read more here.

this is followed by a photojournalism image with the description: A child walks at the site of an Israeli air strike on a house, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, [Mohammed Salem / Reuters]. the child walks next to a bicycle and is otherwise surrounded by rubble.

in the next photo, an older Palestinian using a motorized wheelchair passes by ruins of buildings destroyed in Israeli attacks, in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, October 9, 2023. there’s a pile of rubble taller than the wheelchair user behind them, but the ground they drive over has been scraped clear.

the next screenshot reads: ‘Without wars, Gaza is a beautiful place’

In 2019, the first beach for people with disabilities was inaugurated to the west of Gaza City. Called Muwa’imah Beach, the place holds special memories for Suha Maqat, who has a mobility impairment and uses crutches to get around.

“Each week, I’d meet my friends and teammates at the sports club and train for two hours, playing basketball in wheelchairs,” the 34-year-old from Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood said.

this is followed by a photo of disabled Palestinian women playing basketball in active manual wheelchairs in a covered gymnasium in Gaza City on August 16, 2023. all but one players are wearing hijab, and the two teams are in different long-sleeved uniform shirts. some of the players are leg amputees. end image description.]

Reminder that disabled people exist everywhere, including active warzones

Read the full article here:

[ardor-mohr]

Palestinian women at the Women’s Activity Centre in Qalandiya village playing basketball, 1950. (Credit: UNRWA Photo)

[hussainshiyam]

Speaking Out Against Israel is Celebrity Kryptonite.

It is not that difficult to understand why the vast majority of celebrities, athletes and public figures are silent on the Israeli atrocities and war crimes. They are keenly aware of the consequences to their public image and to their livelihood should they in any way support the Palestinian cause or stand in solidarity with the Palestinians.

These people can criticise the American government, accuse them of war crimes and systemic racism, and still survive the campaign to “cancel” them.

However, if anyone dares to even ask a question regarding Israeli policy or show solidarity with the Palestinians, the progenitors of cancel culture will come for them. The media attacks on them and their associates will be relentless, sustained and exhausting.

For those who are brave enough, they will be;

- Immediately accused of antisemitism whether it is true or not.

- Endorsements and sponsorships deals will either be rescinded or not renewed.

- Left out of Business deals and investment opportunities

- Deplatformed.

- Blackballed by all the industries that they’ve had plans on being a part of.

But still, it is very disappointing to see that hardly any high profile celebrity has spoken up for the Palestinians. Even the uncancellable Dave Chappelle (who happens to be a muslim) has had nothing to say about the Israel - Palestine issue.

As far as high profile celebrities go, the Hadid sisters are the ones leading the pack in showing solidarity with the Palestinian’s. After all, they are the children of a Palestinian father. Yet, they are being attacked by the official and verified social media accounts of the Israeli state accusing the sisters of calling for the genocide of Jews and accusing them of antisemitism.

The fact that these sisters are being attacked directly by the Israeli state goes to show how influential these sisters are. And how seriously the Israeli government takes the influence these sisters have on the young. That is why, regardless of how you may feel about them, the Hadid sisters need to be protected, supported, and encouraged.

It boggles the mind to think that the Israeli government expects the children of a Palestinian to keep quiet in the face of the inhumane treatment of their people and the indiscriminate bombings of residential buildings in Gaza killing women and children all in the guise of Hamas is in the building.

Here is a link to the celebrities who have shown support for the Palestinian’s. It is disappointingly limited and not at all surprising.

https://www.aa.com.tr/en/americas/celebrities-show-solidarity-with-palestine/2247224

Israel, through its obscenely wealthy and powerful supporters in the United States, have bought the silence of these celebrities through multimillion dollar endorsement deals and sponsorships. It is hard to give up that kind of money in a culture where success is seen as who has the most money. (China has figured this out too and is doing the same thing. But, that is a topic for another day).

What we are seeing right now is that there are a lot less Mohamed Ali’s than there are Michael Jordan’s or LeBron James’. Where as Mohamed Ali was willing to give up everything for a cause he believed in, Michael Jordan refused to take a side by infamously saying, “Republicans buy sneakers too.” And, who can forget how LeBron reacted to a NBA owner who criticised China’s handling of the Hong Kong democracy protests.

LeBron James being one of the most outspoken superstars of this generation said of the NBA owner “I believe he wasn’t educated on the situation at hand and he spoke."

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-50054195

The message is loud and clear. Be very careful of what you say about Israel or China unless you want your money to be messed with.

As Lee Kwan Yew of Singapore showed, if you want to change behaviour hit their wallets and see how fast the behaviour changes. But I digress.

Kevin Hart, on one of his visits to the Joe Rogan podcast, spoke of the difficulty in being free and how limiting it is on what he wants to say or do when having corporate relationships. Because any misstep from him will have dire consequences on not only him but also those around him.

Though it is incredibly disappointing and disheartening to see that so many have chosen to keep quiet because speaking up may mean the loss of a substantial portion of their income, it is difficult to be mad at them.

I hope to see a day where the vast majority of influential people aren’t afraid to criticise Israeli atrocities, the ethnic displacement of Palestinians, and the war crimes it commits because of what may happen to their careers and to their earning potential.

As for now, lets just stand in solidarity with Palestine and do what little we can do to help alleviate the dire situation Palestine is in.

May Palestine be free one day.

#FreePalestine #FreeGaza #LongLivePalestine #LongLiveGaza

[brickdykehouse]

The infrastructure thing is a valid criticism, so I won't fight you on that but...

you know how depraved it makes you sound when you call it "Embedding themselves amongst civilians" when Hamas fighters go home to see their families?

As for the helicopter thing, Israel themselves admitted there was a "possibility" their chopper caused some damage to their own, and considering how much shit Israel lies about, is it really that much of a stretch to think they did more than they say they did?

If I'm honest, it's wild that I still have to argue with zionists about oct7. October 7th is just kinda not relevant anymore. Hamas took one excursion last year, and yes it was horrible and I condemn it and think that they should be brought before the courts of the UN on the war crime charges, but the response has been using anti tank missiles on thousands of Palestinians women and children, concentration camps, air strikes, violations of dignity, war crimes galore and just general depravity from the IOF. How are you still able to care about october 7th when there's an ongoing genocide as we speak, unless you've lost all empathy?

Even if Hamas used a dead woman's head as a basketball, which for the record they did not, after so much of this genocide, I don't think I could even say that was relevant. The IOF comes up with new, inventive and evil ways to slaughter Palestinian civilians every week and I know for a fact that nothing that occurred on october 7th holds a single candle to it anymore. It can matter again once the genocide ends and the madness stops, but until then its just background noise to the fresh hells we witness daily.

how much of this wave of antisemitic assholry is the western left attempting to make some weird amends for the virulent Islamophobia post 9/11? like Jews are just collateral damage to the sloppy bj hamasniks are attempting to give the terrorists?

[versuchtrial100]

(z139)

jimjoplinphotography: Agata Balbina Hofman by Jim Joplin; thepalestineyoudontknow: Palestinian women playing basketball in Araa village,1965; Posted by theteenagehead

(via triptychon64)

Uncensored: triptych193.wordpress