Category: Press Releases

A Tribute: “I am here because I care.” – Rachel Corrie

“I am here because I care.” – Rachel Corrie – A tribute!

Rachel Corrie served with ISM – International Solidarity Movement in Gaza in 2003 where she was crushed by an Israeli military bulldozer while protecting the home of a Palestinian doctor. She was 23 years old. Today is the 15th anniversary of her death.

Interview with Rachel in Gaza:

The young Rachel Corrie, “Because I care…”

See also live footage of Rachel’s death (content may disturb):

In the live footage the Caterpillar D-9 bulldozer driver’s radio transmission graphically illustrates the dehumanising reality of the military occupation of East Jerusalem, the West Bank and the siege of Gaza:

“I think the object got hit….”

“Yes, I saw him I think he is dead.”

Rachel’s death was tragic and brought the world’s attention to the suffering ad deaths of the thousands of Palestinians.

Please don’t think that the situation in the West Bank and Gaza are any different today. The ethnic cleansing of Palestine continues every day.

We should not allow this to become normailised in our thinking.

Palestine may not be the leading news story in Western media but random ID checks, body searches, delays, restrictions of movement, detentions, arrests, collective punishment, destruction of property including olive trees and agricultural crops, theft, home invasions, deprivations of infrastructure, bureaucratic and economic occupation, the siege of Gaza and aggressive military attacks continue constantly.

The challenge Rachel has brought to all our lives is to get out of our comfort zones and act on our convictions.

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.

Israeli soldiers lockdown checkpoints for jewish settler parade, Purim

Israeli soldiers close checkpoint 56 leading to the neighborhood of Tel Rumeida for an hour this morning, restricting the freedom of movement even further for Palestinian residents. Israeli settlers were celebrating the jewish holiday Purim as they paraded down Al Shuhada street and gathered outside Al Ibrahimi mosque playing loud music and drinking alcohol. Shop owners had to close due to the fear of violence from the settlers.

Palestinians wait as checkpoint remains closed, children sneak through the exit gate and play games.

Palestinians could not reach their own homes; checkpoint 56 stayed closed long after the parade had passed. A mother was separated from her child who had passed through the checkpoint on his own before its closure. Checkpoint 55 also closed today for 45 minutes just down the road for the same reason.

An Israeli soldier told us the checkpoints were on lockdown for ‘security reasons’. When questioned further the soldier stated, “Orders come from above I cannot do anything.” When pressed about the morality of stopping Palestinian adults and children from their homes the soldier stated, “I’m just following orders, if you ask me again in two years after my service is over I will tell you something else.”

This is the second time this week that Israeli forces have locked down checkpoints for prolonged periods of time in the immediate area. The last time this happened was thanks to a visit by the Israeli defense minister, Avigdor Lieberman, on his way to the illegal settlements in and around Al Khalil, Hebron. Checkpoint closures are common in H2, Palestinians are unfortunately used to the constant inconvenience of the oppressive Israeli occupation.

Shuhada Kindergarten Stands in Solidarity with Child Prisoners

Human Rights Defenders organised a solidarity campaign with Palestinian Child prisoners in the Shuhada St Kindergarten on Sunday February 4, 2018.

The Kindergarten is close to the Cordoba school in the H2 Israeli controlled area of al Khalil (Hebron). Both the school and the kindergarten have to access Shuhada St. down some stairs through a military checkpoint. Half way up the stairs there is a steel gate which is closed by a rope from the Cordoba Checkpoint on Shuhada St. Unnecessary delays and harassment often occur at the checkpoint on a daily basis.

Cordoba Checkpoint from the stairs accessing Cordoba School and the Shuhada St Kindergarten

The event was a beautiful show of solidarity by the Kindergarten children. 700 Palestinian children are detained, interrogated and tortured every year and currently 350 are imprisoned (Adameer). Various speakers described the plight of the children imprisoned as well as the terrible situation for the many Palestinians living in H2 and the determination of the Palestinians to stand strong. Badia Dwaik, from Human Rights Defenders called upon governments of the world to act against the illegal and immoral occupation of Palestine by Israel. (See the video) The event was run in conjunction with the Dismantle the Ghetto Campaign which aims to mobilize people to engage in nonviolence activities and calls for the removal of checkpoints and the eviction of settlers from al Khalil/Hebron.

Staff and teachers from the Kindergarten delayed at least 15 minutes

After the event, the children from nearby Cordoba School were allowed to leave through the Cordoba checkpoint. But then a settler ordered the army to stop the kindergarten children and staff from passing and the gate was shut. The staff and children were delayed for 15 minutes with no justification.

Activists from ISM and another organisation were then detained a further 15-20 minutes. During this time a Zionist settler was escorted by Israeli soldiers through the checkpoint to video the activists. Other radical settlers harassed the Press below on Shuhada St. while this was going on. After being released another settler made multiple attempts to cut off ISMers with her car as they walked to Checkpoint 56 towards the Palestinian controlled area of H1. She eventually got out of the car filming the activists and calling one of the a “Europa Nazi.” (see video)

Such restrictions of movement, suppression of free speech, intimidation and harassment are common occurrences in al Khalil/Hebron. Aggressive settlers and the Israeli army work together to make life increasingly difficult for Palestinians in H2. The Palestinians are under increasing pressure and some are forced to leave but others manage to hold on in a beautiful demonstration of Sumud (steadfastness).

Upcoming Settler Tour in Nablus Set to Spark Tensions

Shavei Shomron, an illegal Israeli settlement located to the west of Nablus in the West Bank has advertised a tour of Nablus old city, Tel Balata and Joseph’s Well on the coming Tuesday evening – the 30th of January. According to the advert, the event will start with a meeting in the illegal settlement, before the tour begins at 10.30pm.

Whilst the advert claims that the intention of the meeting and excursion is to learn about the impact of the 1927 earthquake on Nablus’ development, the reality is that these events are excuses to incite violence and increase tension in the community. According to international law all West Bank settlements are illegal and Palestinians face increasing violence at the hands of the settlers, yet their infractions are rarely punished.

 

 

A similar excursion took place in November, when around twenty settlers were walking by Qusra village and shot a Palestinian man, Mahmoud Odeh. There are differing accounts of what occurred – the settlers claim that it was in self defense as they were attacked by stone throwers. The Palestinians say that it was a result of Odeh’s refusal to move from his land, which the settlers desired to walk through. In reaction to the attack, the village was shut down by the IDF for a number of days, and twenty Palestinians were arrested, one named Muhammad Wadi, has been charged with attempted murder. Despite the escalation of violence and claiming that they feared for their lives, the settlers insisted on returning a week later to finish their ‘walk’, this time with a heightened IDF presence and members of the Israeli Knesset; Agriculture Minister Uri Ariel and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Tzipi Hotovely.

Unsurprisingly, there have been no repercussions for the settler who killed Mahmoud Odeh, the killer is is suspected of causing death by negligence, but settlers have rarely been prosecuted for their actions in the West Bank. Yesh Din found that just 85% of investigations into such cases (including violence, arson, damage to property, etc) ended without further action, and that the conviction of an Israeli civilian for their actions towards a Palestinian, were just 1.9%

The insistence of the settlers to return to Qusra, despite the bloodshed there, is sadly to be expected. Movements into Palestinian owned land are intended to anger and upset, intentionally causing fights and disagreements in order to collectively punish the Palestinian community and take land and destroy families. In the upcoming ‘tour’ of Nablus, we must be aware that the intention is to incite conflict and use it for political gain, as has been their tactic so frequently in the past.