On Sept. 28, 2004, the day after the fourth
anniversary of the intifada (uprising of Palestinians against Israeli
occupation), Annaliza Younan read a report of casualties and losses
suffered by Palestinians:
• Dead: 3,334; 621 of them children.
• Wounded by gunfire: 53,000; 10,000 of them children.
• Civilians disabled as a result of their wounds: 25,000.
The
list seemed endless: homes demolished; schools, businesses and
hospitals destroyed; trees ruined; orchards and farmlands confiscated
....
"I couldn't stop crying," she said. "Every day we hear
about people who were killed or suffered from the occupation. But when
I read the report and saw the real numbers, it was shocking. 'Jesus,' I
prayed, 'this is so unfair.' "
Worldwide, people committed to
peace and justice react similarly to the suffering of Palestinians and
Israelis. What sets Younan apart is that she's a native Palestinian and
her father, Munib, is bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in
Jordan (and Palestine). For the Younan family, these statistics are
real people — families, neighbors, co-workers and former schoolmates.
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