Category: Email Blast - Page 3 - International Solidarity Movement

Urgent Call out for Volunteers – Palestinians reject the ‘deal of the century’

Palestinians oppose the “deal of the century” at a protest in al-Khalil (Hebron)

At a time of heightened aggression against Palestinians by Israeli occupation forces suppressing “Deal of the Century” protests across the West Bank the International Solidarity Movement is issuing an urgent call out for volunteers.

What is the ‘Deal of the Century?’

On 28 January 2020 Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu announced their annexation plan for Palestine. Purportedly to bring an end to the 52 year occupation of Palestine by Israel, the ‘peace’ plan was put together without any Palestinian input and offers Israel a wish list of their long-held demands, at the expense of Palestinian rights and freedoms.

Although the US claim the plan offers the prospect of a future Palestinian ‘state,’ it does so at an unacceptable price with Israel unashamedly benefitting. Some of the most significant points include:

A proposed Palestinian ‘state’ with very limited sovereignty, for example it would not be permitted to have its own Army, and Israel would retain security control over vital areas such as the sea in Gaza
Establishing Jerusalem as Israel’s ‘undivided’ capital, stripping Palestinians of their current rights to their capital, East Jerusalem
Officially recognising illegal Israeli settlements constructed on stolen Palestinian land, bringing them under Israeli control
Annexing further swathes of Palestinian territory including the Jordan Valley
Stripping thousands of Arab-Israelis of their citizenship and forcibly transferring them to the West Bank
Finally refusing Palestinian refugees the ‘right of return’ to their homes lost in the Nakba

The plan has been resoundingly rejected by the Palestinian leadership and people living through daily oppression.

Why am I needed?

Protests have erupted across the West Bank in response to Trump’s legitimisation of Israel’s crimes against Palestinians. As usual the protests have been heavily suppressed by the Israeli army with lethal force. Five Palestinian teenagers have already been killed by Israeli soldiers since the deal was announced while dozens more have been injured. Israel’s violent crackdown on Palestinian’s protests against the Deal of the Century are expected to continue. This means we need more volunteers to ensure there is an international presence to document and raise awareness about human rights abuses by the occupation forces.

What would I be doing?

ISM volunteers support Palestinian resistance by providing protective presence at demonstrations, observing and documenting any human rights violations against Palestinians by Israeli settlers or soldiers. At this critical time of heightened political tension, we urgently need volunteers to join in solidarity with Palestinians fighting for their right to self-determination.

Aside from the need for practical solidarity, experiencing the situation for yourself is vital to adequately understand why the ‘deal of the century’ is such a threat to the future of Palestine, and your personal experiences will equip you to lobby and campaign more effectively in your home country.

Occupation forces at checkpoint 56, al Khalil (Hebron)

Will I receive training?

ISM will host mandatory two-day training sessions for prospective volunteers before they do any work on the ground.

How do I apply?

You can join ISM as a volunteer for as little as two weeks. However you are likely to gain more from your experience if you can commit to a longer period. We welcome volunteers for periods of up to three months.

Please send an email to ismtraining@riseup.net to register as a volunteer.

Call to action from Gaza نداء من غزة Un Llamado a la Acción desde Gaza

Español después de inglés y árabe بالعربية بعد الانجليزية

A Call to Action from Gaza!

Palestinian organisations in Gaza are calling upon all people of conscience around the world, to make posters of the fallen heroes of the recent Great March of Return and plaster these all over your cities and towns, especially opposite Israeli and American embassies. This is an action that will greatly benefit the visibility of our cause!

PDF files of the fallen demonstrators can be found here : https://tinyurl.com/y96mb76m
Please send pictures or videos of your action with statement of support for the Right of Return and the Great March of Return to: greatmarchsolidarity@gmail.com

Following the media coverage of the massacre that Israel carried out against us on the first day of our march, we have been receiving less and less media coverage.Yet more and more of us are being killed every day. Gaza has been bombarded night and day too. Since the start of the Great March of Return, over 135 unarmed protesters have been shot dead and more than 14,000 wounded by the occupation forces, including children, medical staff, journalists, and the disabled. Gaza’s health system has been pushed to the brink of collapse, as hospitals struggle to handle an influx of serious and life-threatening injuries.

Help keep the freedom of Palestinians and the right to return in the spotlight!

Signed:
Great March of Return-Steering Committee
The Palestinian General Federation of Trade Unions (PGFTU)
University Teachers’ Association in Palestine
Palestinian Students’ Campaign for the Academic Boycott of Israel Al-Aqsa University
One Democratic State Group
Voices Against Israeli Apartheid

نداء من غزة
25.6.2018

غزة المحاصرة—فلسطين المحتلة

تناشد قطاعات المجتمع المدني الموقعة أدناه في غزة جميع أصحاب الضمائر الحيَة في جميع أنحاء العالم لطباعة صور شهداء مسيرة العودة الأبطال وتعليقها في جميع أنحاء المُدن والبلدان حول العالم وخاصة مقابل السفارات الإسرائيلية والأمريكية.

من الملاحظ أن التغطية الإعلامية لقضيتنا قد خفتت مقارنة بالأيام الأولى من مسيرة العودة على الرغم من قيام قوات الاحتلال الإسرائيلي بقتل أكثر من 135 متظاهرًا أعزلًا وإصابة أكثر من 14،000 من بينهم أطفال وطواقم طبية وصحفيون وذوو احتياجات خاصة، عجزت مستشفيات قطاع غزة عن استيعابهم بعد أن وصل النظام الصحي في غزة إلى حافة الانهيار، حيث تعاني المستشفيات الويلات في تعاملها مع فيضان الإصابات الخطيرة والقاتلة.

يمكنكم العثور على صور للشهداء على شكل ملفات PDFمن هنا: https://tinyurl.com/y96mb76m

يُرجى إرسال صور أو مقاطع فيديو لمساهماتكم في هذه الفعالية مع كتابة جملة توضيحية عن الفعالية لدعم حق العودة ومسيرة العودة الكبرى إلى العنوان التالي:

greatmarchsolidarity@gmail.com

شارك في تسليط الضوء على حق الشعب الفلسطيني في الحريةو العودة!

الموقعون:

اللجنة التوجيهية لمسيرة العودة الكبرى

الاتحاد العام لنقابات عمال فلسطين (PGFTU)

جمعية أساتذة الجامعات في فلسطين

حملة طلاب فلسطين للمقاطعة الأكاديمية لإسرائيل- فرع جامعة الأقصى

مجموعة الدولة الديمقراطية الواحدة

أصوات ضد الفصل العنصري الإسرائيلي

Un Llamado a la Acción desde Gaza:

Llena tu Ciudad con Posters de los Héroes de la Gran Marcha del Retorno
Organizaciones palestinas en Gaza están llamando a todas las personas de consciencia del mundo a para hacer posters de los héroes caídos en la reciente Gran Marcha del Retorno y pegarlos en todas las partes de sus ciudades, especialmente al frente de las embajadas de Israel y EEUU. ¡Esta es una acción que ayudará a visibilizar enormemente nuestra causa!
Los archivos PDF de los héroes caídos se encuentran acá : https://tinyurl.com/y96mb76m
Por favor manden fotos o videos de sus acciones con una declaración de apoyo al Derecho al Retorno y la Gran Marcha del Retorno acá: greatmarchsolidarity@gmail.com

Después de la cobertura en los medios de la masacre que Israel cometió contra nosotros durante el primer día de nuestra marcha, hemos estado recibiendo cada vez menos atención en los medios. Sin embargo, nos están matando cada día más. Gaza también ha sido bombardeada día y noche. Desde que comenzó la Gran Marcha del Retorno, más de 135 manifestantes desarmados han sido asesinados y más de 14.000 heridos por las fuerzas de la ocupación, incluyendo niños, médicos, periodistas y discapacitados. El sistema de salud de Gaza ha llegado al borde del colapso, a medida que los hospitales luchan para responder a la demanda de heridos graves y en peligro de muerte.
¡Ayuda a mantener la libertad de los palestinos y el derecho al retorno visible en el mundo!

Organizaciones firmantes:
Great March of Return-Steering Committee
The Palestinian General Federation of Trade Unions (PGFTU)
University Teachers’ Association in Palestine
Palestinian Students’ Campaign for the Academic Boycott of Israel Al-Aqsa University
One Democratic State Group
Voices Against Israeli Apartheid
Fuente: http://mondoweiss.net/2018/06/posters-return-heroes/

ISM Tours USA : Bring the Palestinian resistance to speak to your community

Are you ready to take your activism for Palestine to the next level?

In 2002, the International Solidarity Movement grabbed world attention by bringing volunteers from around the world to defend Palestine through nonviolent resistance. They stayed with resistance fighters in the Nativity Church in Bethlehem. They brought medical supplies to the besieged Palestinians in the ancient Nablus Casbah. They documented and filmed the destruction and mass killing of Palestinians in the Jenin refugee camp. In 2002 and 2003, thousands participated at their own expense.

One was Rachel Corrie, who was killed trying to prevent demolition of a home in Gaza. Another was Tom Hurndall, killed by a shot to the head. ISM has operated continuously since then, serving at the request of the Palestinian community through participation in Palestinian nonviolent resistance. In 2009, 2012 and 2014, ISM volunteers were with the Palestinian people in Gaza, reporting the Israeli invasion and helping in the hospitals, clinics and schools that were attacked even as they served the refugees.

But ISM is today unable to fill the demand from the Palestinian popular movement. We need to recruit more volunteers, so we have brought the ISM to North America to talk to interested groups. The speaking team consists of one of our Palestinian coordinators and an experienced international volunteer.

The presentation includes a screening of an abridged version of Radiance of Resistance, a film produced by three ISM volunteers serving in Nabi Salih and featuring Ahed Tamimi and her cousin, Janna Jihad.

The first of two Palestinian ISM coordinators to join the tour, Rana Nazzal has trained and provided orientation to ISM volunteers in Palestine. In 2013, she and the Nariman Tamimi, the mother of Ahed were arrested in Nabi Saleh. We have chosen to withhold the identity of the second Palestinian ISM coordinator until later, so as not to prejudice that person’s ability to come. Both are heroes with compelling stories that they would like to share with you.

The ISM volunteer for part of the tour will be Katie Miranda , who served as an ISM activist, coordinator and trainer in the West Bank. Katie Miranda is a jewelry and apparel designer, calligrapher, and contributing cartoonist to Mondoweiss and Middle East Eye. She is the founder of Palbox, a quarterly subscription box featuring products from Palestine and Arabic calligraphy.

As an ISM volunteer, Joe Catron reported from Gaza during several major Israeli attacks, especially from al-Shifa Hospital, as the Israelis threatened to bombard it. He is now an independent reporter on Palestine and the Middle East, and an organizer of many public actions in New York, as well as a widely followed commentator on social media.

The total length of the presentation, including the film and the two speakers, is 50-60 minutes not including Q&A. In order to make the tour affordable to student groups, we are asking only for $250 per event plus local meals, lodging and transportation. Homestays with local families in the community are an inexpensive and welcome way to meet the lodging and meal requirements. The actual cost to ISM is around $1000 per event, including international and domestic airfares as well as speaker compensation for otherwise lost income. A small group of donors has already pledged to match your donations in order to raise the estimated $25,000 to cover the rest of the costs. Please be as generous as you can.

Schedule of events (subject to change):

Mar 1-4 Attending conference & Al-Awda rally & march in DC
March 5 Alabama U, Birmingham, AL
March 6 Emory University, Atlanta, GA
March 7 Decatur, GA
March 8 U of Georgia, Athens, GA
March 12 Chattanooga, TN
March 16 New Orleans, LA
March 19 Brooklyn, NY
March 20 Albany, NY
March 21 Syracuse, NY
Mar 22-24 Available
March 25 Boston, MA
Mar 26-30 Available esp. Canada
Mar 26-Apr 6 2 teams available for US & Canada
April 3 OPIRG Carleston, Ottawa, Canada
April 4 Montreal
April 5 Available for Toronto area
April 6-7 Available US only
April 8-10 Madison, WI
April 12 Northfield, MN
Apr 13-15 Available US only
April 16 Poughkeepsie, NY
Apr 17-25 Available US only

To reserve a date for your event:

Reply to this email or call 510-236-4250.

To help with your donation:

Send your donation by check or on line to the Northern California ISM chapter by following the instructions here:

http://www.ism-norcal.org/donate/

Thank you for helping to defend Palestine.

CALL TO ACTION: Salfit under brutal settlement expansion

ISM/Charlie Donnelly — Bil’in weekly demonstration, 17th Feb. 2017

11th April 2017 | International Solidarity Movement | Occupied Palestine

Since the beginning of the year, the Salfit municipality in the occupied West Bank (Palestine) has become a target not only for illegal settlement expansion and growth but also for the imposition of serious restrictions to the daily lives of Palestinians.

For a long time the Salfit area has been subjected to land theft, the uprooting of olive trees and the pollution of the area’s water supplies, as a result of Israeli-led excavations and the dumping of untreated wastewater coming from illegal settlements. These actions produce severe damage to Palestinian crops and to water sources essential for the livestock, and restrict Palestinians’ access to their lands and means of livelihood, by constraining agricultural activity or transforming agricultural land into natural reserves.

Since 2017 started, the Salfit area has received 30 orders to stop construction work and 3 notifications for land evacuation. On March 23, in Wadi Qana, a village west of Deir Istiya and surrounded by illegal settlements, Palestinian farmers were prohibited to access their lands by the Israeli forces, who justified it with the need to create a “comfortable atmosphere” for the settlers. Two weeks later, on the same area, with no prior notice, 135 olive trees were uprooted, after being described as “damaging to the view and values” of the nature reserve. In total, 165 trees have been uprooted in the Salfit area since the beginning of the year.

Furthermore, in two cases (both in Salfit municipality and Bruqin), municipality crews’ work that would allow Palestinians access to their agricultural lands was stopped by Israeli forces, and 100 dunums of Palestinian land were confiscated in order to expand an industrial zone around illegal Israeli settlements or to build new roads connecting these illegal settlements to Jerusalem and Israel.

As the lives of the Palestinians living in this area continue to be deeply affected by the intensifying attacks against their mobility and access to their lands, they still challenge them by organizing popular demonstrations, solidarity vigils and working with human rights organisations.

Support by the international community, both abroad and in occupied Palestine is still necessary. ISM urges you to denounce the situation by:

Exposing the practices of the occupation in international forums;
Contacting your state authorities and pressuring them to halt relations and cooperation with the occupying state as per BDS guidelines;
To share the stories of Palestinians affected by the reality of the occupation and the violation of their basic human rights;
To visit Palestine in a demonstration of solidarity;
To support the right of the Palestinian people to nonviolently resist occupation, as a right enshrined in international law.

If you wish to join the International Solidarity Movement please contact your nearest support group for a briefing (see our website, bottom-right corner). If you are currently in the UK, please note that a training session will be held in Manchester on the 22nd and 23rd of April.

ISM Statement on Israel’s attempt at silencing Omar Barghouti

Omar Barghouti is one of the founders of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement (Photo by The Electronic Intifada)

On March 19th Israeli authorities barged into the house of Omar Barghouti, co-founder of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement; in an attempt to tarnish his image and reputation by claiming an alleged income outside of Israel. Omar and his wife Safa endured a first round of interrogation lasting 16 hours, Omar was subsequently jailed for five days and although he has already been released he is under a gag order.

This last attempt to silence and tarnish the reputation of Omar Barghouti is a desperate move by Israeli authorities that recently considered the BDS movement as a “strategic threat”. In fact, in 2016, at least one Israeli minister went as far as suggesting “targeted civil eliminations” (meaning murder) of BDS leaders with the help of Israeli intelligence.

Inflammatory fabrications were published against Omar Barghouti just a day before his arrest was made effective, signalling an attempt to silence and tarnish his reputation. Furthermore, the current investigation includes a travel ban which may stop Omar from receiving the Gandhi Peace Award jointly with Ralph Nader, scheduled in a few weeks time in the USA.

The International Solidarity Movement stands in solidarity with Omar Barghouti in the light of this new attempt at silencing the voices of those who stand for freedom, justice and equality against a brutal military occupation; and we ask our friends and comrades to intensify their solidarity work with Palestine, including BDS chapters throughout the world.