Lifting our voices for peace and justice in the Holy Land
“Gaza has become the world’s moral compass”
“Today it’s Palestine. Tomorrow it’s somewhere else because it’s the same mentality. It’s the same ideology of segregation and supremacy.” - Palestinian Christian theologian, pastor, and academic, Rev. Munther Isaac, speaking on Palestine- Awakening the Conscience of the world (video)
“And let me say something about the silent church… the silent church is too loud. And of course they will show up after the genocide, maybe with apologies, maybe with charity… In a world grown numb to suffering, the credibility of our Christian witness is at stake.” - A communal call to Christian lament and repentance (video)
“…may I ask you to have mercy Mr. President on those… communities whose children fear…”.
National Cathedral’s Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde speaks truth to power on behalf of at-risk communities here in the United States, and around the world.
Journalist Jehad Abu Shamala raises the call to prayer Adhan amidst the destruction left behind in North Gaza.
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ABOUT US
NorCal Sabeel is a nonprofit, tax-exempt, San Francisco Bay Area-based group dedicated to organizing and participating in events that advance peace and justice for Palestinians. Our mission is to advocate for Palestinian human rights and amplify the voices of Palestinians. We are affiliated with Friends of Sabeel North America (FOSNA), a Christian ecumenical non-profit organization. We condemn all acts of violence against human life, whether committed by states, individuals, or groups.
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NEWS & UPDATES
View World Health Organization Statistics Dashboard showing current casualty & heath statistics in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Israel breaks truce, resumes assault on Gaza: 400 dead, 180 children, in first 24 hours (March 17-18,2025). ~700 hundred Palestinians reported killed to date (March 25)
Video : Bay Area Drs Perlmutter & Sidhwa report from Gaza: ” US Embassy says ‘not our role’ to protect from Israeli bombings.
'No Other Land' Co-director Freed From Israeli Custody After Settler, IDF Soldier Attacks
Ta Nehisi-Coates: “If Democrats can’t draw the line at Genocide, they can’t draw the line at Democracy”. Interview with Juan Cole (Feb 20 2025)
Pope Francis’ letter to American bishops, Feb 10, 2025: “Christians know very well that it is only by affirming the infinite dignity of all that our own identity as persons and as communities reaches its maturity. Christian love is not a concentric expansion of interests…”
View BBC documentary Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone (59 min). Read about why BBC pulled the film here.
Hear Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Palestine, deliver her latest report : “Gaza is now a wasteland of rubble, garbage, and human remains.” (10 min). Here’s her shorter explainer. (6 min). And here Albanese breaks down removing Israel from the UN. (3 min)
Listen to this compelling account of how our post- WWII system of international law works (or doesn't) and why it's still relevant. An interview with Aslı Ü. Bâli , professor of international law at Yale. (May, 2024)
Last month Norcal Sabeel’s Tea for Palestine raised over $60K for Medical Aid for Palestine. Read about MAP’s heroic work in Gaza, the West Bank, and Lebanon here. And here is the letter we just received from them describing their plans for the funds.
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TAKE ACTION
Demand the Immediate Release of Palestinian Student Activist Mahmoud Khalil from DHS detention. “I am a political prisoner.”
Israel breaks truce: Tell Congress to support an arms embargo on Israel and humanitarian access in Gaza now!
Join Christians Standing against Forced Displacement and False Doctrines. Click Here to READ the statement and ADD your voice.
MPower Change, launched in 2016, is now the largest digital Muslim advocacy organization in the United State. Read about their current campaigns here.
Go see No Other Land, 2025 Oscar nominee! Here’s a list of locations where it will be playing in the Bay Area and around the country over the next few weeks.
Oppose AB 1468, which would erase critical histories in California’s Ethnic Studies programs. Check its current legislative status here.
Join Taxpayers Against Genocide as the case goes international!
Read latest case news here.27 American denominations and religious groups, representing ~ 4 million people, have sued to block the federal plans to carry out immigration raids in houses of worship. Has your church joined?
Register to join AFSC’s Action Hour for Palestine each Friday at 9:00 a.m. (PT).
Will your group take the pledge? Learn more here from Rev. Dr. Allison Tanner, National Organizer of the Apartheid-Free Communities initiative. Then get involved!
Write to your elected officials demanding that Congress restore aid to UNRWA and protest Israel’s laws that would expel UNWRA from the West Bank and Gaza by February 1st. The U.S. is currently the ONLY holdout on restoring aid to UNRWA.
Check this calendar for upcoming SF Bay Area events advocating for Palestinian rights. Thanks to the Arab Resource and Organizing Center (AROC) for providing this tool!
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“We extend this heartfelt invitation, asking you to come to Palestine and witness firsthand the reality our communities face. Stand in solidarity with us, be a voice for the voiceless, and help us amplify the call for peace and justice.” - Omar Haramy, Director, Sabeel Ecumenical Liberation Theology Centre, Jerusalem.
Upcoming Fosna Witness Trips:
Scroll down page to view full Delegation CalendarMarch 2025: A Lenten Delegation w/Candler School of Theology Faculty + Friends
"Grassroots Partners in Justice: A Delegation for Organizational Leaders" — April 1-7, 2025
"Walking in Faith: A Palestinian Pilgrimage to the Empty Tomb" — April 12-21, 2025
Living Stones Solidarity Trip, May 4-16, 2025. Contact Dr Michael Spath, Indiana Center for MIddle East Peace, (IndianaCMEP) for more information and to register. Trip Flyer.
"Young Adult Delegation to the Holy Land" May 20-28, 2025
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RADIO SHOWS ABOUT PALESTINE:
SPEAKING OF PALESTINE, on KBBF 89.1 in Santa Rosa, CA, is a weekly radio show about Palestine. Mondays 4:00-5:00 p.m. (Shows usually include updates on Palestine, music, poetry, and more. It has been on air for over seven years and the Aug. 19 , 2024 show was its 100th!)
March 17, 2025. Update on Mahmoud Khalil, Seth Donnelly of Citizens Against Genocide interviews Mama Ganuush, Bay Area activist who lost family in Gaza.
And Poetry honoring the Irish and their support of Palestine, as it’s St. Patrick's Day!
March 3, 2025. An interview with local poet and long-time peace & social justice activist Buff Whitman Bradley,
Feb 17, 2025. An interview with Professor Stephen Zunes on the ceasefire in Gaza, a statement from a Refusenik.
Jan 6, 2025. Featuring a speech by Peter Beinart on the legacy of Secretary of State Blinken, with commentary by Cynthia,
Dec 2, 2024. Palestine Update featuring Your BDS Moment, and the International Criminal Court's (ICC) recent warrants against Netanyahu and Gallant, including a statement by Peter Beinart.
VOICES OF THE MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA on KPFA in Berkeley (91.7 FM). Thursdays at 11:00 a.m. (PT).
GAZA CORNER is at the beginning of the Tangents Show on KALW (91.7 FM, SF). Every Saturday in the 11:00 p.m. (PT) hour. Check the archive here.
“I wish I could keep quiet about the plight of the Palestinians. I can't! The God who was there and showed that we should become free is the God described in the Scriptures as the same yesterday, today and forever.”
— Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Patron of Sabeel