<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="yes"?><oembed><version><![CDATA[1.0]]></version><provider_name><![CDATA[Occupied Palestine | فلسطين]]></provider_name><provider_url><![CDATA[https://occupiedpalestine.wordpress.com]]></provider_url><author_name><![CDATA[occupiedpalestine]]></author_name><author_url><![CDATA[https://occupiedpalestine.wordpress.com/author/hajarhajar/]]></author_url><title><![CDATA[ANN WRIGHT : YOUTH RESISTANCE IN AFGHANISTAN AND GAZA | Veterans&nbsp;Today]]></title><type><![CDATA[link]]></type><html><![CDATA[<div class="date">
<p><span class="time">January 16, 2011</span> posted by Debbie Menon</p>
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<h1><span style="color:#800000;">You might ask yourself, what can you do? Wright recommends contacting  the Youth Peace groups directly. Get involved.</span></h1>
<h4><strong>By Barb Forsyth — </strong>The Hawaii Independent</h4>
<div id="attachment_73430" class="wp-caption alignright" style="width:238px;"><a rel="attachment wp-att-73430" href="http://www.veteranstoday.com/2011/01/16/ann-wright-youth-resistance-in-afghanistan-and-gaza/ann_wright-2/"><img loading="lazy" data-attachment-id="73430" data-permalink="https://occupiedpalestine.wordpress.com/2012/02/14/protecting-al-aqsa-is-every-muslims-responsibility-by-khalid-amayreh/images_news_2012_02_13_settlers-at-aqsa4_300_0/" data-orig-file="https://occupiedpalestine.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/images_news_2012_02_13_settlers-at-aqsa4_300_0.jpg" data-orig-size="300,215" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;}" data-image-title="images_News_2012_02_13_settlers-at-aqsa4_300_0" data-image-description="" data-medium-file="https://occupiedpalestine.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/images_news_2012_02_13_settlers-at-aqsa4_300_0.jpg?w=300" data-large-file="https://occupiedpalestine.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/images_news_2012_02_13_settlers-at-aqsa4_300_0.jpg?w=300" class="size-medium wp-image-73430" title="Ann_Wright" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.veteranstoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/Ann_Wright1-228x320.jpg" alt="" width="228" height="320" /></a></p>
<p class="wp-caption-text">Ann Wright, a former United States Army colonel and retired official of the State Department</p>
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<p>HONOLULU—One of Hawaii’s most outspoken peace activists  recently  made her return from abroad to bring a message of urgency and  action to  island residents.</p>
<p>Ann Wright, a former United States Army colonel and retired official   of the State Department, spoke about her recent work in Afghanistan   though <a rel="nofollow" href="http://vcnv.org/" target="_blank">Voices for Creative Nonviolence</a>, as well as her activism in Gaza, at the <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.pixi.com/%7Equakers/" target="_blank">Honolulu Friends Meeting House</a> on Monday January 10. The forum was free, and sponsored by the <a rel="nofollow" href="http://afsc.org/office/honolulu-hi" target="_blank">American Friends Service Committee Hawaii Peace and Justice</a>.</p>
<p>Wright, a Honolulu resident, is nationally known for her public   resignation from the State Department after over 35 years of government   service in direct protest of the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Today, she   continues her work as a diplomat, but as one who works in the interest   of peace and protecting the rights of civilians.</p>
<p>While at the State Department, Wright worked for the Foreign Service.   She served as Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. embassies in   Afghanistan, from which she helped open following the 2001 invasion.    Before that, she had a long career in the Army, where, ironically, she   drew up contingency plans for military invasions, such as that of Iraq.</p>
<p>Since her resignation, she has been involved with numerous peace initiatives. According to Wright’s book, <em><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.voicesofconscience.com/" target="_blank">Dissent: Voices of Conscience</a></em>,   these initiatives include fasting for a month in the name of peace,   picketing at Guantánamo Bay, serving as a juror in impeachment hearings,   traveling to Iran as a citizen diplomat, and getting arrested numerous   times for peaceful, nonviolent protest of Bush’s policies,  particularly  the war on Iraq.</p>
<div>If these youth can look past the bitterness and  bloodshed towards a  better future in their country, then we owe it to  them to listen.</div>
<p>Most recently, in May 2010, Wright was on the Gaza flotilla that was   attacked by the Israeli military. She also traveled to Afghanistan in   December 2010 to meet with the Afghan Youth Peace Volunteers. During   these recent tribulations, Wright has focused on the local youth of   these regions who are seeking alternatives to the norm, which has led   only to increased killing of civilians in their homelands.</p>
<p>At the Honolulu Friends Meeting House, the former colonel held a   commanding presence. An engaging and thoroughly knowledgeable   storyteller, Wright successfully weaved statistics with anecdotal   observations to make the grim reality of civilian life in these far away   and poorly understood regions come to life. Wright tells it straight,   not sparing the audience gruesome details of our government’s nefarious   activities and the bloodshed they cause.</p>
<p>Apart from the fact that civilians are suffering in both Gaza and   Afghanistan, the relationship between the two places may not be   immediately apparent. Again, Wright finds a connection, that being the   youth fighting for change.</p>
<p>The purpose behind Wright’s most recent trip to Afghanistan was to meet with with the <a rel="nofollow" href="http://ourjourneytosmile.com/blog/" target="_blank">Youth Peace Volunteers</a>.   The youths comprise a group of about 15 teenagers in Bamiyan, the site   of the Buddhas of Bamiyan, which was a UNESCO World Heritage Site   destroyed by the Taliban in 2001. The group hosted a <a rel="nofollow" href="http://ourjourneytosmile.com/blog/2010/12/1560/" target="_blank">Global Day of Listening to Afghans</a> on December 18, during which anyone in the world could call in by   telephone or Skype to hear stories told by the Afghan people in their   own voices, of what it is like to live now in Afghanistan.</p>
<p>The message behind this group boils down to one message: “Enough   already!” Youth Peace Volunteers are adamant in calling an end to the   killing.</p>
<p>We are now approaching 10 years of U.S. military involvement in   Afghanistan. The continued construction of military bases and other   financial indicators suggest an increased American presence over the   next several years. In fact, an accurate count of the current number of   bases there is impossible to find, but estimates are as high as 400. An   expansion of the U.S. embassy in Afghanistan (making it the largest in   the world) as well as two new consulates are coming soon with a price   tag of $500 million.</p>
<p>On December 2, the same group sent <a rel="nofollow" href="http://ourjourneytosmile.com/blog/2010/12/open-letter-from-afghan-youth-to-our-world-leaders-global-day-of-listening-to-afghans/" target="_blank">an open letter to “our world leaders”</a> and asked the world to listen.</p>
<p>In their words, the Afghan people have “nowhere to turn and nowhere   to hide.” Several of the teenagers in this group have lost loved ones in   the conflict. They too despise the violence of the Taliban, Wright   explained. But they have forgiven past wrongdoings and argue that the   road to peace is through love.</p>
<p>Upon reading their eloquent document, it is hard to believe it was   written by young people, many of whom had not left their hometown until   traveling to Kabul with Wright’s group last month. If these youth can   look past the bitterness and bloodshed towards a better future in their   country, then we owe it to them to listen.</p>
<p><strong><a rel="nofollow" href="http://ourjourneytosmile.com/blog/2010/12/open-letter-from-afghan-youth-to-our-world-leaders-global-day-of-listening-to-afghans/" target="_blank">To read Youth Peace Volunteers’ letter, click here</a></strong></p>
<p>The Youth Peace Volunteers have also reached out to the youth in   Gaza. The group made a film in Bamiyan where they flew kites in   solidarity with the Gaza youths, one group of oppressed reaching out to   another. The kites represent freedom, which can only be achieved by   ending the cycle of revenge. The youths remain in communication through   Skype.</p>
<p>And so Wright eloquently transitioned from Afghanistan to Gaza, where she is helping to organize a U.S. boat to Gaza, named <em>The Audacity of Hope</em>,   which plans to set sail this spring as part of the next Freedom   Flotilla—part of an international effort to break the blockade by   bringing humanitarian aid and supplies.</p>
<p><strong><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.culturesofresistance.org/gaza-freedom-flotilla" target="_blank">To see a short video about the Israeli attack on the Mavi Marmara, part of the 2010 Freedom Flotilla, click here</a></strong></p>
<p>The situation in Gaza, where civilians have literally been imprisoned   in the devastating quagmire of a conflict between Israel, Egypt, and   Hamas, has no real resolution in sight.</p>
<p>Regardless of one’s position with respect to this protracted   struggle, one needs to recognize this: For Gaza’s overwhelmingly young   population (more than half of the 1.5 million population is under 18   years of age), their daily lives have become a nightmare to a degree   that is nearly impossible for an American to fathom. And, as in   Afghanistan, they are starting to come forward and speak out about their   lives.</p>
<p>Last month, an anonymous group named Gaza Youth Breaks Out issued a manifesto (see it on <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.facebook.com/#%21/pages/Gaza-Youth-Breaks-Out-GYBO/118914244840679" target="_blank">their Facebook page in the “notes” section</a>)that was later published in the <em><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jan/02/free-gaza-youth-manifesto-palestinian" target="_blank">U.K. Guardian</a></em>, which called it “an extraordinary, impassioned cyberscream.”</p>
<p>The manifesto begins with a “F*** everyone,” goes on to detail the   innumerable miseries of the occupation, and ends with a seemingly basic   request:“We want to be free. We want to be able to live a normal life.   We want peace. Is that too much to ask?”</p>
<p>You might ask yourself, what can you do? Wright recommends contacting   these groups directly. Get involved. Show Hawaii is listening. Have   extra time or money? Help Wright fundraise for the <em>The Audacity of Hope</em> or sail to Gaza with them (applications due January 15).</p>
<p><em>For more information on the expedition to Gaza, visit <a rel="nofollow" href="http://ustogaza.org/" target="_blank">http://ustogaza.org/</a>.</em></p>
<p>Source:  Barb Forsyth, Kaimuki Editor, The Hawaii Independent<br />
<a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.thehawaiiindependent.com/" target="_blank">www.thehawaiiindependent.com</a>, mobile: 808-371-6904.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.veteranstoday.com/2011/01/16/ann-wright-youth-resistance-in-afghanistan-and-gaza/">ANN WRIGHT : YOUTH RESISTANCE IN AFGHANISTAN AND GAZA : Veterans Today</a>.</p>
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