Prayers from Palestine
September 11, 2001 - 11:50 PM (Zababdeh Time)

Dear Friends,

We are in Zababdeh, safe and sound. We have been watching the television with disbelief and horror for the past several hours.  During that time, many of our friends and neighbors here have expressed their concern and grief for the enormous tragedies today in the United States.  Like us, they are stunned by the unfathomable loss, and we all wait in trepidation for the final tallies and for the outpouring of anger that will surely follow.  We - and they - are also deeply saddened by the reports of Palestinians celebrating - not only because of the ugliness and wrongness of that response, but also because it runs so counter to the character of the people here whom we have come to know and love.

Despite our many differences (cultural, linguistic, religious, political...), we are held together by a common humanity that today shares a broken heart.  Please know that the thoughts and prayers of many Palestinians are with those touched by the horror of today.  As are ours.

Grace and Peace,
Elizabeth and Marthame