The following has been announced by BBC News: ‘A ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas in the Gaza Strip has come into effect. It began early on Friday, bringing to an end 11 days of fighting in which more than 250 people were killed, most of them in Gaza. Palestinians poured on to the streets of Gaza soon after the truce began, while a Hamas official warned the group had not let down its guard. Both Israel and Hamas have claimed victory in the conflict.

Soon after it started at 02:00 on Friday (23:00 GMT on Thursday), large numbers of Palestinians took to the streets in cars and on foot to celebrate. In Gaza, drivers honked their horns, while loudspeakers from mosques pronounced ‘the victory of the resistance’.

Israel’s military said it was removing nearly all emergency restrictions on movement throughout the country.

US President Joe Biden said the ceasefire brought a ‘genuine opportunity for progress.’

We live in hope, but sadly we have heard much the same many times before.

*****

******

A MASTER FROM ISRAEL

Death is a master from Israel: he offers you
black milk to drink; he knows that desert sand
is excellent for blotting up blood: look, no trace.

He gives you freedom to roam far from home,
suggests you enjoy the cold night air but don’t
breathe too much; it no longer belongs to you.

Death is a master from Israel: his childcare is
rather rough, sudden, unconventional, frees
up extra places in kindergarten, regularly.

He cuts down people as easily as he cuts down
olive trees. Those stubborn boughs spoil his view
though they’ve been there for hundreds of years.

Death is a master from Israel: he can’t imagine
why you’re so ungrateful, after all the chances
he has created for you to discover other lands.

Why don’t you understand? He only wants peace;
you just have to stop being you, it should be easy
to do. He has prepared a grave for you in the air.

سيد من إسرائيل

الموت سيد من اسرائيل: يقدم لك
حليباً أسود للشرب؛ يعرف ان رمال الصحراء
ممتازة لتنشيف الدم: انظر ، لا أثر

يمنحك الحرية في التجول بعيدًا عن البيت ،
يقترح عليك الاستمتاع بهواء الليل البارد ولكن لا تتنفس
كثيرا؛ فهو لم يعد ملكًا لك

الموت سيد من إسرائيل: رعاية الاطفال لديه
خشنة ، مفاجئة ، غير تقليدية ، تحرر
أماكن إضافية في رياض الأطفال، بانتظام

إنه يقطع الناس بنفس السهولة التي يقطع بها
أشجار الزيتون. تلك الأغصان العنيدة تفسد عليه المنظر
على الرغم من وجودها هناك منذ مئات السنين

الموت سيد من إسرائيل: لا يستطيع أن يتخيل
لماذا أنت جاحد جدا ، بعد كل الفرص
التي اوجدها لك لاكتشاف أراضٍ أخرى

لماذا لا تفهم؟ هو فقط يريد السلام؛
عليك فقط أن تتوقف عن كونك أنت ، يجب أن يكون
ذلك سهلاً. لقد اعدّ لك قبراً في الهواء

17 أيار ٢٠٢١

Colin Pink has published three collections of poetry: Acrobats of Sound (Poetry Salzburg, 2016) and The Ventriloquist Dummy’s Lament (Against the Grain, 2019). Typicity, his most recent collection, has just been published by Dempsey and Windle.

Amjad Taha is Palestinian. He is based in the UK but currently works in healthcare in Qatar. Amjad loves poetry and has written a few poems.

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