‘Her book dares to do … what has been deemed undo-able.’ Dr Jeff Halper.
Pre-publication launch by
Dr Maurice Manning, President, Irish Human Rights Commission
6pm, May 2, 2007. At: Oscar Wilde House, 1, Merrion Square, Dublin 2.
No occupation in modern history can be compared to that which the Palestinian people have been subjected to since the Six Days War of 1967. Yet, the international community stands idly by & negotiations have largely come to a halt. Injustice and the high levels of impunity prevail; no action is taken against those who flagrantly violate international human rights laws and conventions.
This book is based on the conflict in the occupied villages and towns of the West Bank and in a form inspired by the Sufi poem ‘The Conference of the Birds’ by the 12th century Persian philosopher, ud-Din Attar.
At a conference of birds (rather like a UN assembly), the Hoopoe Bird, and birds from all over the region, tell of the anguish, violence and injustice witnessed at Jerusalem’s fabled Mount of Olives. These are harrowing tales of human anguish & endurance ignored by the world at large. Individual lives are observed from olive groves & hill tops, desert dunes & seashores, and their tales of helplessness are echoed in the birdsong.
Hoopoe Bird’s cry is wake-up call to all of us ‘who believe in human dignity and freedom but do nothing… We have to break this silence.’
The Resting Place of the Moon reveals the true horror of what is sadly unfolding before our very eyes…
Author.
Felicity Heathcote, psychologist and writer, has worked in Jerusalem for the past few years with the UN and with NGOs assisting local people to overcome the traumas of daily life in the Occupied Territories of the West Bank and Gaza. She has been inspired to write this book by the daily abuses and humiliations suffered by the Palestinian population as well as by the horrors caused by the many suicide bombings aimed at innocent Israeli civilians. She has also worked as a clinical psychologist in Japan, Iran and the USA.
All profits and royalties go to peace and humanitarian groups in Palestine & Israel.