Natalie Hilder

The Other Rami

The Other Rami

Recent reports of peace activist Rami Aman’s arrest by Hamas transported me back to the story of another Rami—Rami Khader Ayyad—the operator of a Christian bookstore in Gaza (the only one in the area), who was brutally murdered by Hamas militants for his faith. On...

Flight to Freedom: Venezuelans in Exile

Flight to Freedom: Venezuelans in Exile

The heat and the humidity enveloped us like a tight embrace, even as dusk deepened. Strings of brightly colored Christmas lights shone hazily through the ocean fog that steadily rolled in from the nearby beach. A strong Caribbean wind whipped the tops of the stately...

Justice For Armenia Is Justice For All

Justice For Armenia Is Justice For All

Justice delayed is justice denied, but sometimes it is better late than never. The 105th anniversary of the inadequately acknowledged Armenian Genocide is a stark reminder of one of humanity’s most deplorable mass murders as well as the international community’s...

My Visit to the Ranch in the Sky

My Visit to the Ranch in the Sky

I recently visited the Reagan Ranch, hidden in the hills of Santa Barbara.  Also known as the Rancho del Cielo and “the Western White House”, this delightfully situated property was President Ronald Reagan and his wife Nancy’s sanctuary away from the noise of...

When the Arabs Were Zionists (And May Be Again)

When the Arabs Were Zionists (And May Be Again)

The Arab world has long been characterized (and caricatured) for its rejection of Jewish self-determination (as well as that of other minorities in the region that include but are not limited to the Kurds, Yazidis, Assyrians, and Armenians). While this understanding...

Venezuela: The Tide is Turning

While the world watches with bated breath, Venezuelans are taking their country back from the grip of tyranny. Or at least trying to. Just as the people of East Germany and other nations resisted and overthrew the despotic Soviet empire, thousands of Venezuelans have...

How BDS Hurts Palestinians and Hinders Peace

How BDS Hurts Palestinians and Hinders Peace

Believed by many to be a crusade that espouses human rights—particularly Palestinian rights—can the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement provide the solutions it promises, were its demands to be met? BDS claims to be working to better the lives of the...