[Israeli occupation forces finally delivered the body of our friendBasil Al-Araj after 10 days and we buried his yesterday evening asfireworks lit the sky and thousands pledged to carry on the work offreedom in his honor. His body was riddled with >10 bullets includingtwo to his head and on to his heart! It was the latter that killed himphysically but it was the injury to his heart by betrayal that made methink of the Mel Gibson's movie Braveheart. I cried many times duringthose three hours in Al-Walaja especially when I got a glimpse ofBasil's face and when his father saluted the body and when I saw ayoung girl (a mutual friend) crying in the corner just outside thedoor of the cemetery and I thought of consoling her and decided itmight make things worse for both of us. I only decided to redouble myown efforts and call her later and reconnect with the living activistsmore.]I will start this weekly message by saying we need your help. Dozensof volunteers work with us every week at the museum and botanicalgarden but the work is heavy especially in preparation for our openingceremony mid April. In the next three weeks, we are especiallyshort-handed in the following areas which you might be able to helpwith:-The botanical garden and agriculture area (this is manual labor butin a really beautiful setting with over 100 species of plants bloomingnow)-Carpentry and general handicraft work-Researching some items-Graphic design-Good drivers (valid licence)-Field work-Plant work (Herbarium)-Translation-Writing and copy-editing-Video-making (including production/editing)-Educational exhibit design-Grant writing or to help us with contacts among people who can helpIf you can help in any of these areas (or any others), please contactus at info@palestinenature.org or me personally at mazin@qumsiyeh.orgHelp discover ancient ruins — before it's too late: Citizen scienceplatform. passion is contagioushttp://www.ted.com/talks/sarah_parcak_help_discover_ancient_ruins_before_it_s_too_late#t-709830UN official resigns after pressure to withdraw Israel apartheid reporthttps://electronicintifada.net/blogs/ali-abunimah/un-official-resigns-after-pressure-withdraw-israel-apartheid-reportBDS National Committee response:https://bdsmovement.net/news/bnc-responds-un-heads-resignation-over-israel-apartheid-reportVija Prashad in the Hindu: Crimes of Apartheidhttp://www.thehindu.com/opinion/lead/crimes-of-apartheid/article17468143.ece[The UN may soon become totally irrelevant to world affairs]Trump budget slashes foreign aid, but not for Israelhttps://electronicintifada.net/blogs/ali-abunimah/trump-budget-slashes-foreign-aid-not-israelDonate: Defense for Children International - Palestine was recentlyselected by the GlobalGiving Foundation to participate in itsAccelerator program, a three-week long crowd-funding campaign for NGOsaround the world.  Could you help reach our goal to raise at least10,000 USD by 31 March by making a donation and helping us spread theword? In particular, we hope that people will make a donation on 22March, because it is a Bonus Day during which GlobalGiving will matcheach donation by 20%! that means your gift of, for example, 25 USDturns into 30 USD with the help of GlobalGiving.Here is a link to the campaign:https://www.globalgiving.org/projects/legal-aid-for-palestinian-kids/[DCI provides expert, child-friendly legal services we offerPalestinian children arrested, detained, and prosecuted in the Israelimilitary court system. As you know, these children face severeill-treatment and physical violence at the hands of Israeli forces.]Stay HumanMazin QumsiyehA bedouin in cyberspace, a villager at homeProfessor and (volunteer) DirectorPalestine Museum of Natural HistoryPalestine Institute of Biodiversity and SustainabilityBethlehem UniversityOccupied Palestinehttp://qumsiyeh.orghttp://palestinenature.orgJoin me on facebook https://www.facebook.com/mazin.qumsiyeh.9_______________________________________________HumanRights newsletterhttp://lists.qumsiyeh.org/listinfo/humanrights