Farewell, Geraldine Ferraro (August 26, 1935 – March 26, 2011)

With shouts of acclamation

God, my God, why...

Which do you think more likely?
God= An unconditionally loving parent who sometimes disciplines his child when he does something that is bad for it.

or

God= An amorphous blob oozing love.

Remembrance-Dennis Lowe

Remembrance defined: To make present.

Anglican Bishop Has Jerusalem Residency Visa Revoked

The Anglican Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem, the Rt. Reverend Suheil Dawani, was informed last August by the Israeli Ministry of the Interior that residency permits for himself, his wife and daughter would not be renewed because he “… acted with the Palestinian Authority in transferring lands owned by Jewish people to the Palestinians and also helped to register lands of Jewish people in the name of the Church," according to a statement issued by the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem this week. There were further allegations that documents were forged by the Bishop. The letter also stated that Bishop Dawani and his family should leave the country immediately.

The Bishop has denied all accusations and asked to see the evidence against him. The Interior Ministry has yet to respond in terms of discovering the source of the allegations or restoring residency rights for the Bishop and his family which are crucial to his leadership of the Diocese. .

After months of trying to resolve the dispute privately, including high-level appeals on his behalf, Bishop Dawani is seeking redress through the Israeli legal system. Bishop Dawani now awaits a court date to be assigned for his case. “This is placing huge pressure on my role as Anglican Bishop in Jerusalem as I now have no right to live in the city of which I am the Anglican representative. It directly affects my ministry here as the future of my position remains uncertain,” Dawani told the Episcopal News Service.

A native of the West Bank, Bishop Dawani is not an Israeli citizen and thus needs a permit to continue living in Jerusalem and serving in his post. The Bishop's case is emblematic of the plight faced by many Palestinians living in East Jerusalem.

It is not uncommon for Palestinians to lose their residency status. According to B’Tselem, for instance, more than 4,500 Palestinians lost their residency permits in 2008 alone. With the loss of a residency permit, Palestinians lose the right to live or work in either Israel or the Palestinian territories.

There are a number of restrictions placed on Palestinian residents of East Jerusalem. Persons who leave East Jerusalem for a period of time, for example to study abroad, can lose their Jerusalem residency permits. Palestinian East Jerusalemites who marry persons from the West Bank cannot live legally with their spouse in East Jerusalem. Permission is usually not given to expand existing Palestinian housing in East Jerusalem, while Israeli settler groups are given government protection and subsidies to expand into Palestinian neighborhoods.