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Subject: BS: Human Rights Resources From: CarolC Date: 10 Feb 09 - 11:09 PM I don't have time to post to the argument threads on the subject of the Palestinians right now, and I wanted to post some resources for people who want to get involved in helping the cause of human rights for Palestinians in occupied Palestine where they wouldn't get lost in all of the argument. Here's a start... The Fifth Annual Israeli Apartheid Week March 1 - 8, 2009 "Mark your calendars - the 5th Annual Israeli Apartheid Week will take place across the globe from March 1-8, 2009! First launched in Toronto in 2005, IAW has grown to become one of the most important global events in the Palestine solidarity calendar. Last year, more than 25 cities around the world participated in the week's activities, which also commemorated 60 years since the expulsion of the Palestinian people from their homes and land in 1947-1948. IAW 2008 was launched with a live broadcast from the South African township of Soweto by Palestinian leader and former member of the Israeli Knesset, Azmi Bishara. This year, IAW occurs in the wake of Israel's barbaric assault against the people of Gaza. Lectures, films, and actions will make the point that these latest massacres further confirm the true nature of Israeli Apartheid. IAW 2009 will continue to build and strengthen the growing Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement at a global level." After the war on Gaza- What next for the Palestinians? "And how can Jews here and in Israel help bring about a just peace? Speakers: Karma Nabulsi, Gerald Kaufman MP, Yishay Mor, David Rosenberg Karma Nabulsi is an Oxford-based academic who formerly worked as a PLO Representative at the UN and in Beirut, Tunis and Britain. Gerald Kaufman has been a Labour MP since 1970 and has been an outspoken supporter of a just peace in Israel/Palestine. Yishay Mor is an Israeli peace and social empowerment activist David Rosenberg is on the editorial committee of Jewish Socialist magazine Organised by the Jewish Socialists Group www.jewishsocialist.org.uk" Boycott Israel initiatives... http://www.bdsmovement.net/ http://www.mylinkspage.com/israel.html http://www.indymedia.ie/article/90665 |
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Subject: RE: BS: Human Rights Resources From: CarolC Date: 10 Feb 09 - 11:21 PM Solidarity campaigns... http://palsolidarity.org/ http://www.palestinecampaign.org/index2b.asp |
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Subject: RE: BS: Human Rights Resources From: CarolC Date: 10 Feb 09 - 11:24 PM Irish Congress of Trade Unions boycott |
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Subject: RE: BS: Human Rights Resources From: CarolC Date: 11 Feb 09 - 01:14 AM U.S. Campaign for the Academic & Cultural Boycott of Israel Student initiatives... University of Rochester Occupation Sussex Occupation University of Nottingham Occupation Manchester University Occupation Glasgow University Occupation Cambridge University Solidarity Campaign Strathclyde University Occupation Georgia Tech Solidarity Campaign Queen Mary Occupation Goldsmiths Student Union at the University of London Twinning Campaign |
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Subject: RE: BS: Human Rights Resources From: CarolC Date: 11 Feb 09 - 01:32 AM University of Leeds Occupation Oxford Occupation Newcastle Occupation Warwick Solidarity Sit-In Kings College Occupation Manchester Metropolitan Occupation Bradford University Occupation Dundee University Campaign Sheffield Hallam University Occupation |
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Subject: RE: BS: Human Rights Resources From: CarolC Date: 11 Feb 09 - 08:47 PM Edinburgh Occupation |
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Subject: RE: BS: Human Rights Resources From: CarolC Date: 13 Feb 09 - 02:47 AM Some background information about the Israeli election from the perspective of human rights activists... http://jewssansfrontieres.blogspot.com/2009/02/primer-on-israeli-elections.html http://jewssansfrontieres.blogspot.com/2009/02/israeli-left-illusion-of-illusion.html |
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Subject: RE: BS: Human Rights Resources From: CarolC Date: 13 Feb 09 - 03:00 AM More on the election from Gideon Levy (on the death of the Left in Israel)... http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1063597.html |
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Subject: RE: BS: Human Rights Resources From: CarolC Date: 13 Feb 09 - 03:15 AM Human rights activists might want to send a note or email of support to Congressman Gary Ackerman (D-N.Y.) for his outspoken stance on the subject of the occupation (from JTA)... Ackerman slams settlements, Israeli attitudes February 12, 2009 WASHINGTON (JTA) -- Settler "pogroms," settlement building and Israeli intransigence are joined with Palestinian terrorism in a "downward spiral," a top U.S. Jewish congressman said. Rep. Gary Ackerman (D-N.Y.), chairman of the House of Representatives Middle East subcommittee, made clear in a subcommittee hearing Thursday that he was not trying to draw a moral equivalence between Israeli hard-liners and Palestinian terrorists, "but they are all part of the same destructive dynamic." In his opening statement, Ackerman described "downward pressure" that "comes from terrorism and the march of settlements. It comes from the firing of rockets and the perpetration of settler pogroms. It comes in daily images of destruction and the constant reiteration that 'they only understand the language of force.' " The "settler pogroms" apparently are a reference to attacks by Hebron settlers on Arabs in December after Israel evacuated settlers from a building. Ackerman went on to say, "It comes from tunnels in Gaza and, yes, from digging in Jerusalem as well." Hamas uses tunnels beneath the Gaza Strip-Egypt border to smuggle in rockets it has fired on Israel. Palestinians have complained that a number of building projects in Jerusalem encroach on Arab neighborhoods. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Human Rights Resources From: CarolC Date: 13 Feb 09 - 03:22 AM This one's almost over, but it's worth posting anyway... http://www.beyondthepale.org/event/2009/02/12/jews-say-no-not-our-name Jews Say No: Not in Our Name Start: Feb 12 2009 - 9:00am End: Feb 13 2009 - 9:00am JEWS SAY NO: NOT IN OUR NAME WE MUST NOT BE SILENT! WE WILL NOT BE SILENT! In solidarity with the people of Gaza, who are being forced by the Israeli government to live in inhuman conditions under a brutal occupation, please join us for a 24-hour street protest in front of the offices of the World Zionist Organization and the Jewish Agency, which promote and defend Israeli policies. 633 Third Ave (40/41st Sts, east side of Third Ave) IT'S NOT THE ROCKETS, IT'S THE OCCUPATION! JEWS SAY NO TO THE MASSACRE JEWS SAY NO TO THE BLOCKADE JEWS SAY NO TO THE OCCUPATION JEWS SAY YES TO JUSTICE FOR THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE Please come for an hour, 2 hours, 4 hours, or more -- during the day or night! Allies are encouraged to join us. Signs and visuals will be available. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Human Rights Resources From: CarolC Date: 13 Feb 09 - 05:42 AM Hampshire College (Boston) Divestment Campaign Call for help from Hampshire College in the event that the college experiences financial hardship as a result of the campaign... http://www.hsjp.org/2009/02/12/allen-dershowitz/ Stanford University Divestment Campaign |
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Subject: RE: BS: Human Rights Resources From: CarolC Date: 13 Feb 09 - 07:36 AM Anna Baltzer: Witness in Palestine Some parts of this video may be missing... Life in Occupied Palestine - Part 1 Israel's "Colonies" Life in Occupied Palestine - Part 2 Life in Occupied Palestine - Part 3 Life in Occupied Palestine - Part 5 Life in Occupied Palestine - Part 6 Anna's blog... http://annainpalestine.blogspot.com/ Five for Palestine American Association for Palestinian Equal Rights American Association for Palestinian Equal Rights Facebook Page *Sign the public letter to President Obama* |
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Subject: RE: BS: Human Rights Resources From: CarolC Date: 13 Feb 09 - 06:04 PM Update on Dershowitz's threat against Hampshire College, and the students' response |
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Subject: RE: BS: Human Rights Resources From: CarolC Date: 14 Feb 09 - 02:18 PM Free Mohammad Abu Humus AIC staff member Mohammad Abu Humus was taken from his home at 3am today by masked members of the Israeli security forces, who stormed and searched his home with drawn weapons. Abu Humus was subsequently brought before a judge, who acquiesced to the police request and extended his detention for 11 days. All of the material and evidence concerning Abu Humus is classified. Abu Humus is accused of involvement in unruly protests against Israeli military actions in Gaza, which he categorically denies, and the classified nature of the evidence for such a minor accusation calls into question the true motives of the Israeli authorities in the detention and interrogation of Abu Humus. Abu Humus, 43 years old and a resident of the East Jerusalem village of Issawiya, is a long-time political and social activist in East Jerusalem. He is married to Wafa and has four small children, two daughters: Irfat (11) and Shahd (10) and two sons: Anas (8) and Majd (3). He has worked with the AIC since 2006 Attending the court hearing today were Abu Humus' wife Wafa, members of the Alternative Information Center and additional residents of Issawiya, who came in support and solidarity with Abu Humus. Wafa noted that "our children were terrified by the masked men with drawn weapons. I asked them how they expect us to live with them in love and respect, when they act like this? They don't leave us any room for love," added Wafa sadly. The detention of Abu Humus is part of Israel's wider campaign to repress the legitimate right of Palestinian residents and citizens of Israel to protest Israeli actions in Gaza and exercise their right to freedom of expression. Since the beginning of Israel's military attacks on Gaza, more than 300 Palestinian residents of East Jerusalem have been detained, arrested and taken for interrogation by the Israeli security services. For the past several days, Israeli forces have entered Issawiya every night, detaining prominent political activists. The Alternative Information Center requests that you: 1, Contact the Israeli Attorney General, Mani Mazuz, in addition to the nearest Israeli embassy or consulate, and demand that the right of all citizens and residents of Israel to express their opinions and opposition to Israeli policy be respected, including that of Mohammad Abu Humus, in accordance with international human rights law. Attorney General Mazuz: Fax: +972 (0)2 646 7001; find your nearest Israeli embassy or consulate: http://www.science.co.il/Embassy.asp. 2. Send a message of solidarity to Mohammad Abu Humus: freeabuhumus@gmail.com |
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Subject: RE: BS: Human Rights Resources From: CarolC Date: 14 Feb 09 - 02:34 PM Forgot to include the link to the last one... http://jewssansfrontieres.blogspot.com/2009/02/free-mohammad-abu-humus.html And also... http://www.philipweiss.org/mondoweiss/2009/02/what-can-you-do-to-support-courageous-hampshire-college-.html What can YOU do to support courageous Hampshire College? People can send words of support to: communications@hampshire.edu And what follows are two emails. One from Hampshire Students for Justice in Palestine. Another from a farflung supporter. 1. Dear Supporters, Over the last 24 hours, there has been a huge response from students, parents, journalists, activists, public figures, political organizations, and individuals such as yourselves from across the country and the world congratulating us for our historic achievement this week. We are impressed and heartened by your passion in supporting us in this exciting campaign. There have been many developments since SJP went public with the divestment, so it might be hard to keep track of the flurry of updates that have been published all over the internet. Please visit our website for the most recent statements.... Your support so far has been so helpful, especially since we've been working non-stop since we broke the news. There's so much more to be done, so we've come up with a few specific ways to demonstrate your solidarity with SJP and the movement. Here they are- 1) E-mail the administration and the President to voice your concern over their refusal to own up to the divestment decision. Express your disappointment that President Hexter has done nothing to condemn Alan Dershowitz's threatening phone calls to SJP's spokespeople (see update on website). Forward your letters of congratulations that you sent to us to them too. Make sure they know that divestment is not just a college-it's a movement! A script is attached to the end of this e-mail as a guide if you would like to use it. Contact: Ralph Hexter (President): rhexter@hampshire.edu President's Office: 413-559-5521 2) Hampshire's endowment is very small which means that most of the college's year-to-year operating budget comes from tuition fees. For those who have donated, your contributions are greatly appreciated and important as the school is already in a troubled financial state. What we would like you to do for now is e-mail us every time you make a donation with the amount and your name so we can keep track of the funds and the support network. 3) Contribute to our video series, "Voices of Divestment." We are trying to show the world that this isn't about a small group of activists, but a wide range of people from all different walks of life. We would like you to make short 30-second to 1-minute clips and send them to us by uploading the video to youtube and emailing us the link. Keep them informal, but stay passionate! Improvise. We want to hear why you support divestment in your own words. Check out existing videos here: http://www.hsjp.org/voices-of-divestment/ Or alternatively: http://voicesofdivestment.wordpress.com/ 4) Build momentum! This isn't just about us; we've been getting a lot of e-mails about help & advice for starting similar BDS campaigns at other schools, and this is one of the most important ways you can help. If the BDS movement spreads rapidly, it will become clear to the public & the media that this is not just a local administrative dispute, but that we have finally reached a critical threshold in the United States. Many groups and individuals have contacted us asking about going on speaking tours and giving trainings for campus divestment movements. We are very excited about the prospects of helping to spread divestment to many campuses and are investigating the logistics of how to make this happen. For now if you are interested in hosting us for a speaking tour in some capacity, please email us at HampshireSJP@gmail.com with the subject "SPEAKING". http://www.hsjp.org (The second email is in the Mondoweiss link.) |
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Subject: RE: BS: Human Rights Resources From: wysiwyg Date: 15 Feb 09 - 12:47 PM Great resource for resources, Carol. ~S~ |
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Subject: RE: BS: Human Rights Resources From: CarolC Date: 16 Feb 09 - 04:24 PM Letter from 120 members of Columbia University faculty to Columbia President Lee Bollinger chastising him for his silence on the subject of what the government of Israel has been doing to the Paletinians... http://www.academicfreedomcolumbia.org/ Dear President Bollinger, On a number of occasions since becoming president of Columbia University you have expressed your views in public on questions of academic freedom in the Middle East. Yet you have remained silent on the actions by Israel that deny that freedom to Palestinians. These actions include Israel's continuing blockade of Gaza, the imposing of barriers, checkpoints, and closures around and within the West Bank that make academic life unworkable, the denial of exit visas to Palestinian scholars offered fellowships abroad or invited to international conferences, including scholars invited to Columbia, and the recent three-week war against Gaza that included not only the bombing of Palestinian schools and colleges, with great loss of life, but the widespread destruction of the material and social fabric on which academic life depends. We, as Columbia and Barnard faculty, ask you now to make public your opposition to these actions and your support for the academic freedom of Palestinians. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Human Rights Resources From: CarolC Date: 18 Feb 09 - 01:14 AM This is a great video with a panel discussion with four human rights activists who are involved in the movement to free the Palestinians. It includes some great footage of the 24 hour Jews Say No protest at the World Zionist Organization and the Jewish Agency that I posted the notice about in my 13 Feb 09 - 03:22 AM post... http://lauraflanders.firedoglake.com/ Hannah Mermelstein, who was one of the participants on the panel is one of the co-founders of this incredibly beautiful organization... http://www.birthrightunplugged.org/ This organization takes people on trips to Palestine and Israel to show people what life is like for the Palestinians in the occupied areas and for Arab Israelis in Israel. They also take Palestinian children in the occupied areas to their home villages in Israel from which their parents and grandparents fled, so they can see for themselves where they come from. It is not possible for them to go with their parents because once they reach the age of 16, they are issued identity cards that prevent them from having access to Israel. Their parents, already having such cards, are unable to go to these villages themselves. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Human Rights Resources From: Barry Finn Date: 18 Feb 09 - 02:39 AM Thanks Carole Barry |
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Subject: RE: BS: Human Rights Resources From: CarolC Date: 18 Feb 09 - 03:55 AM :-) |
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Subject: RE: BS: Human Rights Resources From: CarolC Date: 19 Feb 09 - 06:19 PM This is a wonderful organization that is working to bring this history of the Palestinians, including the Nakba and the hundreds of destroyed Palestinian villages, into the light where everyone, especially Israelis, can see it and remember... Zochrot ["Remembering"] The top of the page says, "To commemorate, witness, acknowledge, and repair". This organization, called, Committee for Open Discussion of Zionism, has two stated purposes. The first is to help make it possible for people to openly discuss Zionism without having to worry about losing their livelihoods and being blacklisted. They also promote a one-state solution for Israel/Palestine. There isn't unanimity of thought among people working for Palestinian rights on the subject of whether a one-state or two-state solution is the best, but I think everyone with an interest in Palestinian human rights can agree on the importance of the work they do towards accomplishing the first purpose... http://www.codz.org/ |
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Subject: RE: BS: Human Rights Resources From: CarolC Date: 19 Feb 09 - 06:26 PM New York University occupation in support of the Palestinians... http://takebacknyu.com/2009/02/19/nyu-occupied/ http://takebacknyu.com/ Here's their live web cam (they take it off air while they're having meetings)... http://www.ustream.tv/channel/take-back-nyu |
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Subject: RE: BS: Human Rights Resources From: CarolC Date: 20 Feb 09 - 01:27 PM Americans for Middle East Understanding "There is a Jewish organization that records the names and deeds of non-Jews who helped save Jews during their Holocaust. We couldn't find a similar organization for Jews who dare to speak out on behalf of Palestinians, but, were there one, our current issue of The Link proposes several whose deeds, we think, merit recording. Because we are confined to 16 pages in the printed Link, we could not do justice to the many other Jewish voices raised against occupation and the use of overwhelming military force against a largely defenseless civilian population. We are compiling a more comprehensive list to post at a later time on this website and invite hard-copy Link readers and website visitors to suggest names to include. Send suggestions to ameu@ameu.org." Righteous |
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Subject: RE: BS: Human Rights Resources From: CarolC Date: 01 Mar 09 - 01:05 AM The city of Worcester in the UK to become twinned with Gaza City... http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/4808673/Worcester-on-verge-of-being-twinned-with-Gaza.html Support solidarity with Palestinians in Canada Cardiff University occupation for divestment (successful) |
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Subject: RE: BS: Human Rights Resources From: CarolC Date: 02 Mar 09 - 05:41 PM The Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement is starting to have an impact... http://www.alternativenews.org/content/view/1605/381/ |
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Subject: RE: BS: Human Rights Resources From: CarolC Date: 04 Mar 09 - 12:18 AM Another development in the BDS campaign... http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1068545.html U.K. boycots Lev Leviev over West Bank construction By Barak Ravid Tags: East Jerusalem, africa-Israel The British embassy in Tel Aviv has stopped negotiations to lease a floor in Africa-Israel's Kirya Tower because of the company's role in West Bank settlement construction. The British embassy had been expected to move from its current Hayarkon Street location into the office tower on the corner of Kaplan and Begin. The lease would have cost $162,000 a year, the British press reported. Africa-Israel is owned by Lev Leviev, a tycoon who recently left Israel and settled in Britain. After the planned move was publicized in the daily Globes about a year ago, British pro-Palestinian groups began protesting. The press ran several pieces detailing the activities of Africa-Israel and its subsidiary Danya Cebus, and its role in three West Bank construction projects: Matityahu East, Har Homa in Jerusalem, and in Ma'aleh Adumim. The British press also published several petitions calling on the Foreign Office not to move its embassy to Africa-Israel's building. One such petition, which appeared in the Guardian several months ago, was signed by Palestinian Authority parliamentarians including Hanan Ashrawi and Mustafa Barghouti. The petition said that moving the embassy into a building owned by a company that builds in the settlements would send a message contravening British policy, and would be tantamount to criminal complicity. The petitioners also argued that choosing this location would enable Israel to continue violating Palestinian human rights in the West Bank. Due to the public pressure, a special debate was held in the British parliament several months ago. Kim Howells, then minister of state at the Foreign Office charged with Middle East affairs, was asked to explain plans to move to the embassy into the building. Ambassador Tom Phillips requested details from Africa-Israel about the nature of its activities in the settlements, and a week ago, the British embassy in Tel Aviv received the information. As a result, plans to move into the tower were frozen. The embassy in Tel Aviv confirmed the details of the story and explained that its decision stemmed from the fact that Africa-Israel's response regarding its involvement in settlement activity failed to assuage Britain's concerns. In a letter to Leviev, ambassador Phillips said that the decision was made even though 51 percent of the building no longer belongs to Africa-Israel. An embassy spokesmen said that the search for a new location in Tel Aviv will continue. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Human Rights Resources From: CarolC Date: 09 Mar 09 - 12:42 AM Code Pink is in Gaza, accompanied by Alice Walker... http://www.codepink4peace.org/article.php?id=4675 This website has a lot of information about the status of humanitarian aid efforts in Gaza... Gisha: Legal Center for Freedom of Movement |
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Subject: RE: BS: Human Rights Resources From: CarolC Date: 09 Mar 09 - 01:21 AM Rashid Khalidi to speak on April 5 at 7:30pm, at Congregation Beth Elohim, Brooklyn, NY |
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Subject: RE: BS: Human Rights Resources From: CarolC Date: 10 Mar 09 - 11:02 AM This is very cool... "More inspiration. A three-week-long, mile-long convoy of trucks and vans from Britain has entered Gaza with relief goods, clothes, food, you name it. Where governments have dithered and failed to act, this populist solidarity movement succeeded. From Viva Palestina's website on the end of the journey in Gaza a day back: Along the way, thousands of Palestinians, the other heroes of this beautiful story of resistance, defiance and hope approached every vehicle kissing, touching, hugging the bravest of Britain. They handed their babies, their young children, to the convoy members so that they could be embraced, as if the angels were in town. Drenched in flowers, tears were flowing on both sides." http://www.philipweiss.org/mondoweiss/2009/03/convoy-organized-by-everyday-brits-enters-gaza-.html http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DoGRWkZFCMs&NR=1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPNCNLDdGNs&feature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tyszA7K8gCQ&feature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CtHRv4s4W1A&feature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z2yxSrMaA24&feature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUP3L4Fmt0w&feature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_R51Bgg3hE&feature=related |
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Subject: RE: BS: Human Rights Resources From: CarolC Date: 14 Mar 09 - 08:59 AM A human rights solidarity worker from the US has been shot in the head with a high velocity tear gas canister by the Israeli military, leaving a large hole in his forehead. He is in critical condition and his injury is characterized as "life threatening". http://palsolidarity.org/2009/03/5324 |
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Subject: RE: BS: Human Rights Resources From: CarolC Date: 15 Mar 09 - 07:05 AM Medea Benjamin of Code Pink talks about her first trip to Gaza, and about the delegation that she is currently in Gaza with and about what is needed by the international community at this time... http://www.commondreams.org/view/2009/02/17-10 This is a blog for testimonies about peoples' experiences at checkpoints in occupied Palestine... http://draykcab.wordpress.com/ |
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Subject: RE: BS: Human Rights Resources From: CarolC Date: 16 Mar 09 - 09:54 AM Here's some information about the village that Tristan Anderson was trying to help save when he was shot in the head by Israeli occupation forces... http://stopthewall.org/enginefileuploads/ni_linfs.pdf "Friends of a Bay Area activist who was critically injured while demonstrating in a village on the West Bank have organized their own demonstration in downtown San Francisco on Monday as a show of solidarity. Friends of Tristan Anderson, former tree-sitter at the University of California at Berkeley, and supporters of Palestine will gather at 4 p.m. Monday outside the Israeli Consulate at 456 Montgomery St. in San Francisco, said Kate Raphael, a fellow activist and friend of Anderson's. 'Our intent is to give people a chance to talk about Tristan, to focus on the people who have been killed from that village and honor the resistance that continues,' Raphael said." http://www.mercurynews.com/breakingnews/ci_11921074 |
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Subject: RE: BS: Human Rights Resources From: CarolC Date: 16 Mar 09 - 11:29 AM http://brechtforum.org/ Monday, March 16 8:00 pm IN COMMEMORATION OF RACHEL CORRIE ON THE ANNIVERSARY OF HER DEATH Theaters Against War & Rachel's Words present Seven Jewish Children Kathleen Chalfant, Brian Jones, Daren Kelly, Ellen McLaughlin, Una Aya Osato & Brian Pickett "Caryl Churchill's 10-minute play was written in response to the recent tragic events in Gaza. It confirms theatre's ability to react more rapidly than any other art form to global politics.... [and] suggests that Israeli children are subject to a barrage of contradictory information about past and present... What she captures, in remarkably condensed poetic form, is the transition that has overtaken Israel, to the point where security has become the pretext for indiscriminate slaughter. Avoiding overt didacticism, her play becomes a heartfelt lamentation for the future generations who will themselves become victims of the attempted military suppression of Hamas." -- Michael Billington, The Guardian (February 11, 2009) The evening is free of charge, a collection for Medical Aid to Palestine will be taken up at the end of the evening. As a world, we utterly failed the Palestinians of Gaza. We stood and watched them die and justified our own inaction' --Account by Rose Mishaan of the National Lawyer's Guild delegation to Gaza of her experiences in Gaza. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Human Rights Resources From: CarolC Date: 28 Mar 09 - 12:39 PM The 10th London Palestine Film Festival April 24th - May 8th, Barbican Cinema & SOAS The 2009 Festival runs alongside an exclusive photographic exhibition by award-winning photojournalist Ryuichi Hirokawa. The exhibition runs from April 24th to May 8th in the Barbican Centre. More information here. The PFF, with English PEN, The London Middle East Institute (SOAS), and The Poetry Translation Centre, is also organising an evening of poetry readings by Gaza-based Palestinian writers: "Refuge in Words: Voices From Gaza" 2009 Exhibition: Ryuichi Hirokawa - Images of Palestine: 1982 to 2009 The PFF organises annual exhibitions of photography alongside the London Palestine Film Festival. Information on previous and forthcoming exhibitions will be posted on this page. 2009 EXHIBITION: RYUICHI HIROKAWA Images of Palestine: 1982 to 2009 The PFF is delighted to host this exclusive collection of photographs from multi award winning photojournalist Ryuichi Hirokawa. The exhibition runs alongside the 10th London Palestine Film Festival, on the Mezzanine level of the Barbican Centre from April 24th to May 8th. Ryuichi Hirokawa will also be premiering his remarkable documentary NAKBA: Palestine 1948 during the Festival and will participate in a panel discussion following that screening. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Human Rights Resources From: CarolC Date: 28 Mar 09 - 12:45 PM Here's some of last year's PFF photo exhibit... http://www.palestinefilm.org/media/homeland_lost_brief.pdf |
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Subject: RE: BS: Human Rights Resources From: CarolC Date: 30 Mar 09 - 10:30 AM This is a thoughtful essay about the challenges that some people face when they follow their consciences on the subject of Israel/Palestine... http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/mar/04/israelandthepalestinians.bookextracts |
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Subject: RE: BS: Human Rights Resources From: CarolC Date: 30 Mar 09 - 02:11 PM For those in Canada who believe that George Galloway should be allowed into the country to speak, here are some links through which they can take action, and also get information about how they can hear the talks (which will be conducted via video conference if he's not allowed in)... http://defendfreespeech.ca/home.htm http://www.canadiandimension.com/blog/2009/03/end-the-ban-endorse-george-galloway-canada-tour/ http://ottawapeace.blogspot.com/ http://sphr.org/v3/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=371:george-galloway-resisting-war-from-gaza-to-kandahar&catid=63:sphr-current-events-and-activities&Itemid=106 http://www.nowar.ca/ |
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Subject: RE: BS: Human Rights Resources From: CarolC Date: 31 Mar 09 - 10:22 AM The boycott appears to be having an effect. From the Alternative Information Center... "21% of Israeli exporters have been directly affected by the boycott movement since the beginning of 2009. So reports today (29 March) The Marker, a Hebrew-language economic newspaper. This number is based on a poll of 90 Israeli exporters in fields such as high tech, metals, construction materials, chemistry, textile and foods. The poll was conducted in January-February 2009 by the Israeli Union of Industrialists. The AIC is working to receive a copy of this poll, and will translated and distribute relevant sections of it in service of the global boycott movement." http://www.alternativenews.org/content/view/1665/104/ The international isolation of Hamas appears to be coming to an end... http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/0330/p09s01-coop.html |
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Subject: RE: BS: Human Rights Resources From: CarolC Date: 01 Apr 09 - 02:05 AM Here's a flyer people can download and print out to hang in public places or hand out to people (or spread around in whatever other ways they can think of) to help spread the word about the BDS movement... http://www.philipweiss.org/files/economic-peace-is-easy-final.pdf |
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Subject: RE: BS: Human Rights Resources From: CarolC Date: 07 Apr 09 - 06:06 PM Passover Seder in Philadelphia to commemorate the massacre at Deir Yassin... http://www.philly.com/dailynews/opinion/20090407_Letters__Passover_vigil_for_peace.html THROUGH the ritual of the Seder, Passover tells the story of the Pharaoh's oppression of the Jews in ancient Egypt and their eventual emancipation from slavery. It's a time of reflection, and after the recent war in Gaza, many Jews are asking: Who are the slaves and who is the Pharaoh? The war saw more than 1,417 Palestinians killed, more than 900 of them civilians, as opposed to 13 Israelis. The war was not only a devastating event for Palestinians but also the moral challenge of our time to the American Jewish community whose communal leadership supported the onslaught publicly and loudly. This year, Passover gives us a chance to reflect on this war, our history and our responsibility. This year, by coincidence, the start of Passover also falls near an important anniversary, Deir Yassin Day. Deir Yassin was a Palestinian village destroyed by Zionist militias on April 9, 1948. More than 100 men, women and children were killed. As word of the massacre, and others like it, spread through Palestine, many residents fled, expecting they'd be able to return after the fighting subsided. Within a year, Deir Yassin, emptied of Palestinians, was repopulated with Jewish immigrants and its name was erased from the map. The Passover Seder is about learning and teaching - using the stories of the past to understand our place in the world today. The story of Egypt is told and remembered through ritual, questioning and storytelling. This year, a group of Jewish activists in Philadelphia are using the Seder ritual to wrestle with the Jewish history of being both slave and Pharaoh. Today and tomorrow, Philadelphia Jews for a Just Peace are holding "From Deir Yassin to Gaza: an 18-hour Passover Vigil" outside the Israeli Consulate. This event will combine a memorial to Deir Yassin, a Passover ritual remembering the past as well as a teach-in and discussion. We are holding this event to understand the past and take responsibility for its legacies in the present. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Human Rights Resources From: CarolC Date: 07 Apr 09 - 06:39 PM Here's the American Friends Service Committee's page on their efforts in Israel/Palestine... http://www.afsc.org/israel-palestine/ht/d/Home/pid/13376 |
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Subject: RE: BS: Human Rights Resources From: CarolC Date: 08 Apr 09 - 01:42 AM For Passover, from Jewish Voice for Peace... Every year we sit down by the Seder Table with friends and family and ask ourselves, Why is this night different from all other nights? We ask this as we follow ancient rituals and create new ones, designed to remind us of the bitterness of slavery and the sweetness of freedom, and we consider how all of this might be relevant in our world today. Download the Passover insert for your Seder. Ask the questions--and listen. Some make the connection to the Israeli occupation; others hold it in their hearts, but do not bring it up for fear of the response they might get. This year should be different. This year all of us should ask and listen as well. Why is this year different from all other years? Because there is a new government in Washington that opens the door, ever so slightly, to a diplomatic agreement. Because there is a new government in Israel, with a hardened heart, that intends to close that door shut. Because so many Palestinians have lost their lives or their homes in the last year in Gaza. This year is different. It will be different if we make it so. We have asked Rabbi Lynn Gottlieb, co-founder of Shomer Shalom and a member of JVP's Advisory Board, to reconsider the 4 questions in light of the struggle for a just peace in Israeli and Palestinian. The result is this powerful one-page Haggadah insert that you can download, print out and read at your Seder. We can't imagine a more powerful place to start asking questions. On behalf of all of us at Jewish Voice for Peace, we wish you a Chag Sameach! Happy Holiday! |
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Subject: RE: BS: Human Rights Resources From: CarolC Date: 16 Apr 09 - 01:39 AM I was born Palestinian |
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Subject: RE: BS: Human Rights Resources From: CarolC Date: 16 Apr 09 - 03:10 PM Dr. Mads Gilbert gives talks on his experiences working in a hospital in Gaza during Israel's bombardment there in December and January.. By Rie Graham I was a bit nervous ten minutes before the program was to start and only 20 people were seated in the cavernous Rockefeller Chapel at the University of Chicago. Perhaps people really have forgotten Gaza. Maybe they don�t want to be reminded that for 23 days, Israel carried out a planned, brutal assault that flattened buildings and shattered lives. Maybe they don�t want to hear from someone who spent two weeks in Gaza elbow deep in blood, repairing small bodies and comforting weeping relatives. Maybe people have moved on � eager for a new diplomatic initiative or perhaps onto the next tragedy � Afghanistan and Pakistan where the blood seems more fresh. Maybe they are more interested in the work of pirates rather than those who use governmental power to attack civilians and then continue to hold them under siege so reconstruction efforts are hampered. Gaza-krig I was wrong about the interest. Within the next half hour, the chapel slowly filled with people, perhaps reaching 200. Lots of college students, women in headscarves, and Arab families � young children in tow � sat spellbound as Mads Gilbert (pictured right in al-Shifa Hospital , photo from the Lancet), a Norwegian doctor who has spent several decades working with Palestinians, shared with the audience his most recent experience working at al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza at the end of December when the timed Israeli assault began. I was struck by Dr. Gilbert�s tone and manner. He spoke to the audience by walking up and down the aisle, looking at people directly and inviting them into his story. He was upfront about his politics and sympathies � against all killing of civilians, in solidarity with the oppressed (the Palestinians) and sympathetic to all who resist military occupation (be they Israeli or Palestinian). Occupation is the disease, said the doctor, and until it is ended, the patients (Palestinian and Israeli) will not achieve a healthy life. Dr. Gilbert warned of the graphic nature of some of his photos, but explained that to understand the crisis in Gaza one must look at the realities. The most graphic, he explained were not necessarily the bloody stumps and ripped apart bodies (although I had a hard time looking at those), but the sorrowful, vacant look in some of the eyes of the children, the utter grief in the eyes of a mother, the look of submission in the eyes of an old man. One photo of a Palestinian farmer who lost a hand in an explosion from a missile, was upsetting, not because he lost his hand (which thankfully wasn�t shown in the photo) but because of his look of utter loss. �What will become of my life now,� said the farmer to Dr. Gilbert. �All I ever wanted was to farm my land. I am not political, nor care about the different factions. I just wanted to provide for my family. How can I do that now?� Dr. Gilbert wove facts and figures into his narratives about patients� lives and experiences during the three week assault. At one point in his presentation he stopped speaking and played a soundtrack he recorded of the night sounds of Gaza. For five minutes we in the audience listened quietly to the sound of the humming drones, distant explosions, rocket and machine gunfire. Imagine these sounds 24 hours a day, every day of the week, said Dr. Gilbert as he moved onto the next group of slides. Photos of Shifa hospital, the epicenter of trauma treatment in the heart of Gaza City. Windows shattered and covered with paper. Cold hallways where relatives huddled outside operation rooms. Operating rooms that were used simultaneously for multiple operations so that supplies and electricity could be shared. A chest operation alongside a leg amputation on two patients. Doctors working on 3 hours of sleep a day. Female volunteer nurse helpers who showed up to lend a hand and stayed for weeks. All functioning with the constant sounds of sirens, shelling, explosions. Dr. Gilbert�s stories began to merge into one overwhelming picture of unending horror. But also, his photographs conveyed an amazing story of Palestinian resilience in face of so much death and destruction. Dr. Gilbert gave the audience a reprieve from his stories by playing a lullaby, sung by a Palestinian singer to her children. Again, the audience sat still, some with tears rolling down their cheeks, as the photos of Palestinians in Gaza continued on the screen. When he finally finished speaking (he spoke for two hours), the audience clapped and a few asked questions. I felt as if the audience was shell shocked. As if we were for the first time understanding a bit of the horror that is life in Gaza. The images, the sounds, the stories all bringing to life what we had witnessed (and protested) from afar a few months ago. I watched as after the talk, person after person (most of them Arab) went up to Dr. Gilbert to shake his hand, to thank him for his service, to tell him how good it feels to hear the truth from an eyewitness. One Palestinian-American girl, perhaps eight years old, stood in front of me and told the doctor, �You have given me hope, Dr. Gilbert. Because now I know we can make a difference. I don�t have to just sit at home and cry and be sad about what is happening in my country. I can go there and help the people, be a doctor like you who saves lives.� Dr. Gilbert gave her a pin that had two flags � Norwegian and Palestinian flags intertwined � and told her he hopes to see her in a free Palestine some day. You can still catch Dr. Gilbert on his US tour in New York and Baltimore - Health, Human Rights, and the War on Gaza: Evidence from the Frontlines NEW YORK Friday, April 17, 1:00pm NYU Kimmel Center, Rm 912 60 Washington Square South Friday, April 17, 6:30pm Columbia University Held Auditorium, Bernard Hall 3009 Broadway, NY, NY BALTIMORE Thursday, April 16, 5:15pm Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine Tilghman Auditorium (Ground Floor of Turner Bldg) 720 Rutland Avenue http://www.philipweiss.org/mondoweiss/2009/04/chicago-audience-shell-shocked-by-doctors-presentation-of-gaza-under-attack.html |
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Subject: RE: BS: Human Rights Resources From: CarolC Date: 16 Apr 09 - 03:14 PM Sorry about the weird symbols. It looks like they're supposed to be hyphens. Clicking on the link and reading the text in there will allow readers to read it with the correct symbols. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Human Rights Resources From: CarolC Date: 18 Apr 09 - 07:32 PM Hundreds protest in Tel Aviv over killing of Palestinian in Bil'in Some background information on the killing... http://www.philipweiss.org/mondoweiss/2009/04/new-york-times-quotes-israeli-militarys-false-account-of-bilin-killing-even-though-video-evidence-sh.html http://www.philipweiss.org/mondoweiss/2009/04/after-shooting-one-palestinian-demonstrator-israeli-soldiers-call-out-do-you-want-more-gas-.html |
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Subject: RE: BS: Human Rights Resources From: number 6 Date: 18 Apr 09 - 10:17 PM U.S. boycotts racism conference, says it 'singles out' Israel |
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Subject: RE: BS: Human Rights Resources From: CarolC Date: 18 Apr 09 - 10:30 PM From my own perspective, I don't really consider defending a country's "right" to deny the human rights of others to be a human rights resource, but there you go. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Human Rights Resources From: CarolC Date: 30 Apr 09 - 02:02 PM For people who want to give financial help directly to Palestinians in Gaza who need it... http://ingaza.wordpress.com/please-consider-helping/ Here's the front page of that blog... http://ingaza.wordpress.com/ "Queers for Palestine"... http://www.advocate.com/letters_detail_ektid80712.asp |
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Subject: RE: BS: Human Rights Resources From: CarolC Date: 30 Apr 09 - 02:50 PM Human rights group, New Profile An excerpt from their charter... "We, a group of feminist women and men, are convinced that we need not live in a soldiers' state. Today, Israel is capable of a determined peace politics. It need not be a militarized society. We are convinced that we ourselves, our children, our partners, need not go on being endlessly mobilized, need not go on living as warriors. We understand that the state of war in Israel is maintained by decisions made by our politicians - not by external forces to which we are passively subject. While taught to believe that the country is faced by threats beyond its control, we now realize that the words 'national security' have often masked calculated decisions to choose military action for the achievement of political goals. We are no longer willing to take part in such choices.We will not go on enabling them by obediently, uncritically supplying soldiers to the military which implements them. We will not go on being mobilized, raising children for mobilization, supporting mobilized partners, brothers, fathers, while those in charge of the country go on deploying the army easily, rather than building other solutions. It is hard to express this type of opinion in Israel today. In a soldiers' state there are equal and less equal citizens: the social ladder is topped by those who fight. And those are unfailingly men. In addition, in Israel, they are Jewish men. As warriors, they are held to have privileged knowledge, giving them precedence in decision making. Attitudes casting doubts on 'security' related decisions, questioning the state's enormous military budgets, or its ongoing policies of military confrontation, are branded 'naive,' 'hysterical', 'ignorant'. An attitude that dares question the fundamental principle of willing enlistment, is almost incomprehensible in a soldiers' state. It is rejected as illegitimate. Our position - the 'ignorant' one - is free of the mindsets responsible for perpetuating war in Israel for decades. It is a position prioritizing life and the protection of life. It condones painful compromises in the interests of preserving life. The hegemonic culture in Israel nurtures admiration for might and physical prowess, an aggrandizement of Jewish nationals, and a devaluation of the lives of Arab nationals. The militarized consciousness imbued with this message sees opting for war as reasonable. Young people enlist putting their trust in the wisdom and honesty of those who bid them to serve. Each of us is accountable to them and to ourselves. Every parent takes an active part in educating sons or daughters to become soldiers. And yet, there are many women and men, parents and youngsters, who object profoundly, morally to Israel's continued wars-of-choice. We oppose the use of military means to enforce Israeli sovereignty beyond the Green Line." Human rights groups like the one above are being targeted by the Israeli government. The following page from Jewish Voice for Peace has a form for sending a message to the attorney general in Israel to call for an end to harassment of human rights groups in Israel... http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/301/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=27127 |
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Subject: RE: BS: Human Rights Resources From: CarolC Date: 02 May 09 - 05:15 PM Jewish Voice for Peace has a blog called MuzzleWatch, which they describe as "Tracking efforts to stifle open debate about US-Israeli foreign policy." |
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Subject: RE: BS: Human Rights Resources From: CarolC Date: 02 May 09 - 10:48 PM This page is also from Jewish Voice for Peace. It's a form people in the US can fill out and send to their elected representatives to tell them that the tax dollars we give to the government of Israel come with strings attached... http://withstringsattached.org/ Here's their frequently asked questions page... http://withstringsattached.org/frequently-asked-questions/#more-47 What is the size of the US military aid to Israel? Israel is the largest recipient of U.S. military aid. In August 2007, the United States and Israel signed an agreement to increase arms transfers to Israel to $30 billion over the next decade. In the proposed 2010 budget almost $3 billion in completely unrestricted military aid. The money seems to come with no strings attached, and without any thorough and open investigation about how our money has been used to cause horrendous injuries and death on the captive civilian population in Gaza. Are there any restrictions on this money? All U.S. aid programs, whether military or economic, have built-in mechanisms to prevent that aid from being used by countries to commit human rights abuses. The money should come with strings attached. And yet, military aid to Israel is given unconditionally. What do US laws say? The Arms Export Control Act restricts the use of U.S. weapons and services to foreign countries for legitimate self-defense, internal security, development projects, and/or United Nations peacekeeping efforts. According to the Foreign Assistance Act "No assistance may be provided under this part [of the law] to the government of any country which engages in a consistent pattern of gross violations of internationally recognized human rights." Does our military aid to Israel comply with these laws? No. Recent human rights reports document how in its recent offensive against Gaza, Israel's military used such weapons for purposes other than those defined in the Arms Export Control Act. You can find copies of the reports here: Armed and Dangerous: Weapons Transfers to Israel during the Bush Administration Fuelling conflict: Foreign arms supplies to Israel/Gaza Onslaught: Israel's Attack on Gaza & the Rule of Law (pdf) Operation Cast Lead and the Distortion of International Law (pdf) Rain of Fire: Israel's Unlawful Use of White Phosphorus in Gaza Remote Control Death Report of Independent Fact Finding Mission Into Violations of Human Rights in the Gaza Strip (pdf) But wasn't Israel forced to attack Hamas? No. Israel and Hamas had a ceasefire that was remarkably effective: after it began in June 2008, the rate of rocket and mortar fire from Gaza dropped to almost zero, and stayed there for four straight months. The ceasefire unraveled on November 4th, when Israel killed a Palestinian, an event that was followed by a volley of mortars fired from Gaza. Immediately after that, an Israeli air strike killed six more Palestinians. Then a massive barrage of rockets was unleashed, leading to the end of the ceasefire. Doesn't Israel have the right to defend itself? Israel, like every other country in the world, has the right to use military force to defend itself and its population. However, that right does not permit Israel to violate U.S. laws that govern the use of U.S. military assistance as well as well-established international laws that regulate the conduct of warfare and protect civilians. And various legal and human rights investigative reports have concluded that Israel did, in fact, contravene those laws in its offensive against Gaza. Didn't Hamas violate the laws of war during Israel's offensive against Gaza? Based on its investigation, Amnesty International concluded that Hamas committed violations of the laws of war during Israel's recent offensive against Gaza by firing crude, mostly locally- produced and largely inaccurate rockets in the direction of Southern Israel. However, unlike Israel, Hamas does not receive military assistance from the United States; as such, U.S. weapons were not used in Hamas' possible violations. Moreover, Hamas' possible violations do not exempt Israel from adhering to U.S. laws governing the use of U.S. military assistance as well as well-established international laws that regulate the conduct of warfare. What would the United States do if Canada had fired rockets into the United States? The United States has neither occupied Canada for more than 40 years nor has it prevented Canadians from entering and exiting Canada by land, water and air, maintaining and developing their own economy, engaging with other Canadians, pursuing their educational pursuits and exercising their basic rights. As a result, the analogy does not hold. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Human Rights Resources From: CarolC Date: 15 May 09 - 01:57 PM In commemoration of the Nakba on Nakba Day... The Pope speaking in the shadow of the apartheid wall Led by a rabbi, Jews and Palestinian-Americans mark Nakba in Passover-derived ceremony On the eve of Nakba remembrance day, a young rabbi led an observance of the catastrophe "that cannot be denied, ignored, or wished away" in Union Square in New York last night before a largely-Jewish group. She said that four rabbis in four other American cities were also marking the event. Alissa Wise, who is about to graduate from rabbinical school, told the Jews who had gathered that they had made a "courageous choice," to face the truth that "Israel's founding is inextricably bound up with the dispossession of hundreds of thousands." She seemed charged with an awareness of Jewish history when she said that four other rabbis were leading similar remembrances in the Bay Area, Chicago, Boston, and Philadelphia. She then led the group of about 60 people in a ceremony that echoed the Passover seder, or liberation festival of Jewish tradition, including the ritual reading of the names of Arab villages that were removed from the Israeli map in the early days of the Nakba, May 9-16, 1948. "These are 63 of the 531 villages that were destroyed," Wise said, "the violence that began in 1948 continues to this day," As the names were read aloud, to the bang of a drum, you could hear New York Jewish voices struggling with Arabic, and Arab-Americans pronouncing the names with authority. Several Palestinian-Americans were on hand, including a young woman and her father, who was born in Jerusalem. At 10, in 1967, he said, he had seen American-made napalm containers in the street after the Six Day War. He and his two brothers later made it out to the States, where he has avoided the issue all his adult life, largely out of fear. Then the recent Gaza war broke something in him, he said, leading him to seek out progressive Jews-- "my cousins." That sentiment was echoed by Remi Kanazi, a Palestinian-American poet who performed alongside Wise. "It's an honor to be a Palestinian ethnically because it's one of the great fights against injustice in the world," he said, before chanting a poem that included the names of Steven Biko and Bobby Sands, and lines addressed to Israelis: "I'm the best solution you have.. One man one vote.. Look at the sea.. I'll never drive you into it... We may not be brothers, but this neighborhood has made us cousins..." After that, Wise led a reading of the Jewish litany, Dayeinu, or "Enough," which is chanted at Passover, but these "Enough"s marked signal events of the Nakba, like the massacre at Deir Yassin and the expulsions of Palestinians from the cities of Haifa, Lydda, and Jaffa. The observance was organized by three groups: Women in Black, who gather at Union Square every Thursday, Jews Say No, and the ad hoc rabbis' group, Rabbis remembering the Nakba. Post-Gaza, Palestinian issue has finally entered the American progressive bloodstream Last night I went to a Gaza fundraiser in New York City (hosted by Helen Schiff in the Village) and came away with the impression that the Gaza war has brought the Israel/Palestine issue deeply into progressive American political life as never before. Gaza is destroying the old orthodoxy we call PEP: Progressive Except for Palestine. PEP was based largely on a Jewish cultural resistance to discussing the treatment of the Palestinians, out of generational Holocaust fear or the fear of stoking anti-Semitism. And of course Jews were central to American liberal activity. That resistance is what I say is breaking down. Dorothy Zellner, of Jews Say No, a post-Gaza group, urged others in the room to join her group's activities, saying boldly, "This is Jewish resistance to the state of Israel's policies." In the bedroom of the apartment, a video played of Code Pink's recent trip to Gaza, featuring Iraq war activist Medea Benjamin, who is Jewish woman and who has, I am told, largely stayed away from the Israel/Palestine issue until recently. Yesterday I spoke with both a Jew and a Palestinian-American who told me that Gaza had politicized them. And Alissa Wise, the rabbi who led the Nakba remembrance in Union Square, told me that Gaza had "radicalized" another of the rabbis in her Nakba group. This is important because in previous years the organized Jewish community was successful in labelling harsh criticism of Israel as being anti-Semitic. The American Jewish Committee did it in a famous report 3 years back; Larry Summers, then of Harvard, did it; and left leaders like Mark Green of Air America enforced a Dershowitzian line among their adherents; and such warnings scared people off the issue. The Palestinian-American I met last night is a Manhattan professional; and he said that he was loath to speak about Palestine because Americans saw Palestinians as suicide bombers, nothing more. That's changed; now he's reading Norman Finkelstein. What struck me last night was the fact that the Palestinian experience has at last fully entered the progressive movement's space. A young man played the oud, beautifully. The Palestinian-American poet Fareed Bitar read poetry. "One day Goliath will end. Long live Palestine!" Vinie Burrows read the play "Seven Jewish Children," with its specific condemnation of Jewish attitudes towards Palestinians; and no one flinched. On the video, a Palestinian boy described the murder of his mother and siblings in the Samouni family massacre in Gaza City, and then the Martin Luther King "I had a dream speech" played over the Gaza imagery. Two questions: how powerful is this movement? Well, we are part of Obama's base, by and large. And what is the agenda? Rage at the occupation and America's involvement in it, and fairness to the Palestinians, no matter the terms, one state or two. Second Annual Blog About Palestine Day |
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Subject: RE: BS: Human Rights Resources From: CarolC Date: 15 May 09 - 09:20 PM Demonstration for Palestine Saturday 16th May 2009 That's tomorrow if you're reading this today which is 15th May 2009. Here's the notice of the demo on the Stop the War website: • 1,400 dead • 5000 homes destroyed • Remember Gaza 16 May Follow Stop the War on Twitter... National Demonstration Saturday 16 May Assemble 12noon Malet St London WC1E 7HY March to Trafalgar Square Free Palestine • End the Occupation • End the Arms Trade • Commemorate the 1948 Palestinian Nakba Called by Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Stop the War Coalition, British Muslim Initiative, Palestinian Forum in Britain and CND and supported by... Download leaflet here... Coaches to protest... Speakers from Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem will be joined by: Lowkey MC, Mecca 2 Medina, Jeremy Hardy, Jeremy Corbyn MP, Martin Linton MP, George Galloway MP, Daud Abdullah - Deputy Gen Sec Muslim Council of Britain, Jean Lambert MEP, Jenny Tonge MEP, Manuel Hassassian - Palestinian General Delegate to the UK and speakers from PSC, Stop the War Coalition, British Muslim Initiative, CND, Palestinian Forum in Britain, Viva Palestina, Jews for Justice for Palestine, Lawyers for Palestinian Human Rights. No war crimes in Gaza says Israel The Israel Defense Force IDF) responsible for the barbaric invasion of Gaza looked at reports of attacks on civilians, infrastructure, medical personnel, hospitals, United Nations buildings, and at the use of white phosphorous. The IDF concluded that the IDF had "adhered to international law and maintained a high level of professionalism and morality." Why then refuse to cooperate with the United Nations' investigation into Gaza war crimes? And why drop the probe into reports by its own soldiers that the IDF was guilty of war crimes? The truth about Gaza Every day from 27 December to 19 January this year Israel bombarded the Gaza Strip, home to 1.5 million Palestinians, from the land, sea and air. Nearly 1400 people were killed, 314 of them children, and thousands were wounded. Israel is seeking to justify its actions by broadcasting massive misinformation about the history of Gaza, its inhabitants and its leaders. Most of the media in the UK are either too ignorant or too intimidated to question these modern myths. Read the truth, based on reports by the UN and other NGOs on the ground, including Israeli human rights groups... Is talk about Israel's war crimes in Gaza no more than talk... Gaza still waiting for pledged Aid Palestine is the world's largest open air prison. All access and exits are closed. Israel is blocking $4.5 billion aid for Gaza. Meanwhile Israel gets $3bn aid annually (a third of all US foreign aid) to finance illegal settlements on Palestinian land and for armaments. None of a $4.5 billion package of reconstruction aid pledged for the Gaza Strip after the three-week Israeli military onslaught has got through because of border restrictions, the UN reports. Gaza had still not benefited from any of the aid because of restrictions on the flow of goods into the territory by both Israel and Egypt. "There is no prospect of recovery or reconstruction until we can get access for construction materials," says the UN, "Billions of dollars were pledged but none of that can actually connect with those whose lives were destroyed. The people of Gaza continue to subsist in the rubble of their former lives and the attention of the world has sadly moved on, which compounds the despair that people feel." The Remember Gaza demonstration on 16 May is supported by: Action Palestine, Amos Trust, Arab Media Watch, Arab Women's Association, Association of Palestinian Communities UK, Britain-Palestine Twinning Network, The Council for Arab-British Understanding, Campaign Against the Arms Trade, Christian Peacemaker Teams UK, Fire Brigades Union, Friends of Al-Aqsa, Friends of Lebanon, Friends of Birzeit University, Friends of Sabeel UK, The Green Party, Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions UK, Jewish Socialists' Group, Jews for Justice for Palestinians, Labour Friends of Palestine, Liberation, Midlands Palestinian Community Association, Muslim Association of Britain, Muslim Council for Britain, NUS Black Students Campaign, Palestinian Forum in Britain, Respect, Pax Christi, Public and Commercial Services Union, Rail Maritime and Transport Union, UNISON, UNITE, Viva Palestina, War on Want, Zaytoun Ltd I know of no other meeting place for the various groups so if you want to march with a banner, a union, a group, whatever, just look for it on Malet Street around noon tomorrow. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Human Rights Resources From: CarolC Date: 15 May 09 - 09:29 PM Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign ACTION ALERT: The Edinburgh International Film Festival has again accepted funding from the Israeli Embassy DEAR SUPPORTER OF PALESTINIAN RIGHTS The Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF) has again accepted funding from the Israeli Embassy, while people in Gaza are still living in the rubble of their homes, and Gaza victims of Israel's white phosphorous attacks are still in critical care. In 2006, a public outcry forced the EIFF to return Israel's tainted money. On that occasion the EIFF stated publicly that its action was due to popular outrage at the massacres Israel had recently committed in Lebanon: "This funding was secured some three months ago, well before the commencement of current hostilities in Lebanon. Of course we acknowledge that the situation has altered dramatically since then, and with this in mind, took the decision early yesterday to decline any funding from the Israelis." The Director's decision to again associate the Israeli Government with the EIFF comes after the massacres of over 1400 people in Gaza, during which: - The United Nations said the IDF intentionally burned its food stores in Gaza - Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International accused the army of illegally using phosphorous bombs in densely populated areas - The International Red Cross described the injured being denied medical attention and strikes on medical crews - Israeli journalist Amira Hass wrote of the killing of people flying white flags and the annihilation of entire families - British MP Gerald Kaufmann described Israel's mass killing as 'Nazi' - The UN General Assembly President called for a world-wide boycott of 'apartheid Israel' Only a few days ago, on May 1st, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in Palestine condemned 'the recent wave of eviction orders and demolitions of Palestinian houses'. Israel's ongoing crimes include the murder of unarmed protesters, the burning of olive groves and other farmland, the continued imposition of a brutal siege of Gaza, and the extension of its apartheid Wall, declared illegal by the International Court. It is unbearable that EIFF should accept sponsorship from such a Government. Faced with such awful crimes, Israeli poet Aharon Shabtai had no choice: 'I do not believe that a State that maintains an occupation, committing on a daily basis crimes against civilians, deserves to be invited to any kind of cultural week. That is, it is anti-cultural; it is a barbarian act masked as culture in the most cynical way. It manifests support for Israel.' We hope the EIFF will follow the example the Bloomsbury Theatre which recently cancelled a performance involving Israeli military personnel. Failing this, we will: - organise pickets at EIFF events - publicise the Festival's links with the Israeli Embassy locally and internationally - call for a boycott of the 2009 events to protest Israel's massacres of the Palestinian people Please protest to the EIFF personally, stating that - you view the link with the Israeli Embassy as collusion in Israel's recent and ongoing crimes - such a link brings discredit on the Festival, the City and Scotland - you will not participate in any of the events unless the Israeli Government money is returned - you support the planned protest and calls for a boycott if the link with the Israeli Embassy is maintained - you are not taking issue with any films being shown; it is opposition to accepting funding from a murderous regime SPSC would appreciate being cc'd on any correspondence - please send to secretary@scottishpsc.org.uk This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it CONTACT THE EIFF: Edinburgh International Film Festival 88 Lothian Road Edinburgh EH3 9BZ Tel: 00 44 (0)131 228 4051 Fax: 00 44 (0)131 229 5501 info@edfilmfest.org.uk |
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Subject: RE: BS: Human Rights Resources From: CarolC Date: 22 May 09 - 11:47 PM This is very important, I think. Some of my heroes are headed for Gaza to try to bring some humanitarian aid. They don't know if they will be allowed in. There is also a group of doctors who had been treating people in Gaza and who have tried to return to follow up on their patients there, but are being prevented from entering. They are waging a hunger strike at the border. Here's some more about this... http://www.philipweiss.org/mondoweiss/2009/05/to-cairo-and-then-to-gaza-i-hope-.html#more I'm off to Cairo later today, and then on to Gaza, I hope. Thanks to the generous support of readers of this site. I'll be in Cairo when my president gets there, next month. Whether my group of 14 humanitarians/journalists gets into Gaza depends on the Egyptian government and the United States, too, which has the ability to urge the Egyptians to let us in. My congressman, John Hall, is a big progressive. He knocked off a longtime Republican incumbent in '06 over the Iraq war. John, I've called your office a couple of times and am still hoping that you will call the State Department on behalf of my group. This site, Mondoweiss, is a newssite that typically gets 10,000 hits a day. The plight of the Gazan people is also a progressive issue, central to the U.S. problem in the Middle East. And below is the appeal by Dorothy Zellner on my group's behalf. Anyone who can lend their voice--we appreciate it. I'm writing you on behalf of Felice Gelman, who is now in Cairo. She is leading a group of 14 people who will try to get into Gaza. The group will arrive in Cairo on Sunday and then, hopefully, will get to the border of Egypt and Gaza at Al Arish on Monday. Code Pink, as you may have heard, is also organizing delegations, and there is one also from Canada. This is part of a large organizing drive to break the siege on Gaza. All told, there are about 160 people, most of them U.S. citizens, who will try to get through to Gaza in the next few days. They have received an umbrella invitation from UNRWA, the UN agency that provides assistance to Gazans, and will be bringing humanitarian aid, particularly items needed for the children of Gaza. Independent of these is a group of medical doctors who are stuck at the Rafah entrance after being refused admittance into Gaza; these doctors already treated people in Gaza and were going back to do follow-up visits with patients. Amazingly enough, they are staging a HUNGER STRIKE at the border. Felice reports that the Egyptians seem quite nervous about this venture and apparently have informed bus companies not to take people to Al Arish. Felice and other leaders of the delegations are working to get alternative transportation, but they feel that the most important thing that can be done today is to call elected representatives and Senator Gillibrand to request assistance for constituents and urge the Egyptians to let them through. (Cindy Albert is Sen. Gillibrand's assistant but if she is not available, leave a message with anyone.) I hope you can send this out widely ASAP to catch people before they leave for the holiday weekend. All calls will be helpful and may make the difference between sitting in Cairo or delivering desperately needed humanitarian goods to the Gazans. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Human Rights Resources From: CarolC Date: 28 May 09 - 01:13 AM The Palestine Festival of Literature (Michael Palin, of Monty Python fame is one of the participants in this festival.) Welcome to the Palestine Festival of Literature: a traveling cultural roadshow touring across the West Bank from the 23rd to the 28th of May 2009. Because of the difficulties Palestinians face under military occupation in traveling around their own country, the Festival will travel to its audiences. It will tour to Ramallah, to Jenin, to al-Khalil/Hebron and to Bethlehem. To celebrate its year as Cultural Capital of the Arab World, the festival will begin and end in Jerusalem. And for those audiences that we can't reach, we're running several ways to connect with the festival: from author blogs to videos to twitter updates you can check them all out on our Connect page. Here's some information about the government of Israel's attempt to shut the festival down on its first night... http://www.philipweiss.org/mondoweiss/2009/05/israel-tries-to-shut-down-palestinian-literary-festival-but-the-word-about-occuption-still-gets-out.html Here's the blog some of the authors participating in the festival are keeping about their experiences of the festival... http://www.palfest.org/authorsblog.html Update on the groups of people trying to get into Gaza to break the siege and bring humanitarian aid and to report on the conditions there... http://www.philipweiss.org/mondoweiss/2009/05/most-volunteers-allowed-into-gaza-just-not-those-trying-to-return-home.html Most volunteers allowed into Gaza, just not those trying to return home Update from Phil (sent by phone): Looks like were getting in. At egypt emigration. Police let us thru checkpoints. Feeling good, though who of all our number didn't get okd? A Palestinian trying to go home, papers out of order. Who doesn't feel rage at such a scene. |
