Tag: Action Alert - Page 24 - International Solidarity Movement

Join the 2011 Olive Harvest Campaign

11 October 2011 | International Solidarity Movement

At a time of increasing settler violence in the West Bank, the International Solidarity Movement is issuing an urgent call for volunteers to participate in the 2011 Olive Harvest Campaign at the invitation of Palestinian communities.

The olive harvest started across the West Bank last week. ISM is working with villages that are close to Israeli settlements to monitor and prevent attacks by settlers, which have been commonplace in previous harvests.

We are currently working in Burin and Qaryut villages. The villages of Qusra will start to pick olives this Friday. So far there have been few settler attacks, although some olive trees were burnt in Qusra this week. However, it is expected that attacks by settlers will escalate over the next few weeks as more villages begin to harvest olives. In previous years settlers have physically attacked Palestinian villagers during the harvest and have burnt and uprooted trees. The army is often reluctant to intervene to protect Palestinians from attacks and has also prevented access and denied permits to farmers to pick olives on their own land.

Olives are a vital part of the Palestinian economy and culture. Farmers should be free to pick olives on their own land without fear of attack by settlers or hindrance from the Israeli government.

International volunteers are needed to help monitor and document any problems in villages that are harvesting olives and are vulnerable to settler attacks. The harvest will continue in some villages until mid November.

The olive tree is a national symbol for Palestinians. As thousands of olive trees have been bulldozed, uprooted and burned by Israeli settlers and the military – (over half a million olive and fruit trees have been destroyed since September 2000) – harvesting has become more than a source of livelihood; it has become a form of resistance.

The olive harvest is an annual affirmation of Palestinians’ historical, spiritual and economic connection to their land, and a rejection of Israeli efforts to seize it. Despite efforts by Israeli settlers and soldiers to prevent them from accessing their land, Palestinian communities remain steadfast in refusing to give up their olive harvest

International and Israeli volunteers join Palestinians each year to harvest olives, and this makes a big difference. It has proven in the past to help limit and decrease the number and severity of attacks and harassment. The presence of activists can reduce the risk of extreme violence from Israeli settlers and the Israeli army and supports Palestinians’ assertion of their right to earn their livelihood. International solidarity activists engage in non-violent intervention and documentation and this practical support enables many families to pick their olives. In addition The Olive Harvest Campaign also provides a wonderful opportunity to spend time with Palestinian families in their olive groves and homes.

The campaign will begin early October and run for approximately 6-8 weeks, depending on the size of the harvest. We request a minimum 2 week commitment from volunteers.

Training

The ISM will be holding mandatory two day training sessions which will be run every week. Please contact palreports@gmail.com for further information.

Ongoing campaigns

In addition to the olive harvest, there will also be other opportunities to participate in grass-roots, non-violent resistance in Palestine.

Experiencing the situation for yourself is vital to adequately convey the reality of life in Palestine to your home communities and to re-frame the debate in a way that will expose Israel’s apartheid policies; creeping ethnic cleansing in the West Bank and occupied East Jerusalem as well as collective punishment and genocidal practices in Gaza.

Action Alert: We stand with Abdallah Abu Rahmah

Jewish Voice for Peace

4 October 2010

Seized in the night. Tortured. Held without trial, then tried in a military court where you have no rights; convicted on the coerced confessions of minors, you are facing a sentence of years in prison. All for organizing peaceful protests against the theft of your land and asserting your democratic rights.

Most of us who believe in human rights and democracy can never imagine being treated in such a way. Yet that is exactly what befell Abdallah Abu Rahmah, a democracy advocate from Bil’in in the Occupied West Bank. His town is known around the world for the determination of its residents – joined by Israelis and internationals in solidarity – to protest weekly against the theft of their land by Israeli authorities.

In Abdallah’s case, the charges were as bogus as the consequences were grave. He had collected spent tear gas canisters (see picture) to represent the harshness of the Israeli soldiers’ continuing violent response to unarmed demonstrators, and which had caused the death of Bassem Abu Rahme, Mr. Abu Rahmah’s cousin.

Israel charged, that Abdallah intended to use the no longer viable canisters as weapons. They arrested him, charging him as a security risk! This illustrates that the Israeli Defense Forces are far more afraid of unarmed protest than of armed resistance, and showing that they view Palestinians asserting their democratic rights as a crime. He was convicted on the ridiculous charges of “organizing illegal marches” and “incitement” after a unfair trial, and is now facing years in prison.

We who draw inspiration from his actions cannot let this happen. Now is the time to raise our voices and ensure Abdallah Abu Rahmah is free to organize and advocate for the rights of his community. We stand with Abdallah.

Israel needs to realize that leaders like Abdallah offer the best hope for a just peace for Israelis and Palestinains alike. We need to tell our governments to use their influence with Israel to free Abdallah Abu Rahmah.

PROTEST CALL: oppose the OECD’s Tourism Conference in Jerusalem October 20-22nd

The International Solidarity Movement is calling on activists to protest in Jerusalem in the third week of October against the annual tourism conference of the OECD (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development) which should not be held in the occupied capital of an apartheid state in violation of a plethora of international laws.

>>>>> ISRAEL IN THE OECD:

Despite Israel’s persistent violation of human rights as protected by the law, the OECD – whose member countries include most of the rich countries of the world – granted Israel membership on May 27th this year. This not only symbolized diplomatic approval of Israel’s policies on the part of the most powerful countries in the international community, but also brought many potential economic benefits to Israel.

>>>>> ABOUT THE CONFERENCE & JERUSALEM:

The conference consists of 2 parts, in total lasting three days (Oct 20th-22nd). According to the official website the war criminal Shimon Peres will be attending, along with representatives from each of the powerful OECD nations. Its stated aim is to discuss how to make the tourism industry ‘greener’.

Having disgracefully admitted Israel to the OECD, this conference represents a further instance of the international community deliberately turning a blind eye to the slow and insidious ongoing process of ethnic cleansing taking place in Jerusalem in which Israel is clearly working to ‘Judaize’ all areas of Jerusalem, employing numerous means to this end, including: evictions of Palestinians from their homes, house demolitions, residency permit revocation, settler takeovers of Palestinian houses, illegal settlement construction, land confiscation, discriminatory allocation of municipal resources, police persecution combined with impunity for settlers, restrictions on freedom of movement, permit systems and legal discrimination against Palestinians. This is occurring everywhere inside Israel but is perhaps most acutely felt in Palestinian East Jerusalem neighbourhoods such as Sheikh Jarrah and Silwan.

>>>>> OPPOSITION TO THE CONFERENCE:

Because it is unacceptable that Jerusalem plays host to the wealthiest and most influential members of the international community and allows them to ignore Israel’s crimes happening in plain sight, a letter of protest was issued jointly by the Alternative Tourism Group, Kairos Palestine and Ecumenical Coalition on Tourism.

The Boycott National Committee has also issued a letter, pointing out that “Rather than condemning such illegal practices under international law, the OECD conference will cement Israel’s hold on occupied Jerusalem, and will be perceived as a stamp of approval of Israel’s violations of international law in Jerusalem and elsewhere.”

The BNC ‘s statement also points out that “Internationally, tourism is overtly deployed by Israel to ‘rebrand’ the state as an attractive holiday destination, and to cover up its occupation, colonization and apartheid policies.” By turning a blind eye to war crimes and holding this conference in Israel, OECD members are sending a signal that they are willing to be complicit with Israel’s oppression of Palestinians and actively support Israel’s PR efforts to whitewash its illegal practices.

It concludes: “The OECD ought to respect its own obligations under international law and relocate this ill-conceived conference out of Israel. Failing to do so will further undermine the organization’s already dismal respect for human rights and the international rule of law.”

>>>>> PROTESTING THE CONFERENCE:

But sadly it seems unlikely that the rich nations of the world that make up the OECD membership will relocate this conference. So instead we must ensure that it is not carried out in the heart of Jerusalem without attention being drawn to the issues of real importance. No business as usual at the expense of justice!

No-one organising or participating in this conference can make a credible claim to be ignorant to Jerusalem’s ugly realities – occupation, racism, and the destruction of lives.

It’s clear they are trying to avoid the issue – just take a look at the sentence that’s been guiltily omitted from the description of Jerusalem used here on the OECD conference website compared to the otherwise identical description supplied here on a separate conference site. (The OECD description omits the sentence about Jerusalem’s Old City, in an attempt to avoid controversy). They also take pains to note in their expensive package tour offers for delegates that the Jerusalem tour covers the west of the city only.

But it’s not enough to try and skirt this issue this way. They are and rightly should be politically sensitive to this issue and must be embarrassed and shamed for choosing to hold the conference in Jerusalem despite Israel’s continual flouting of international law, violation of human rights and oppression of Palestinians inside Israel, in the occupied West Bank and in besieged Gaza.

Contact – palreports@gmail.com if you can come to Jerusalem to protest this event in October.

>>>>> OTHER EVENTS IN OCTOBER:

* Olive Harvest

If you’re coming to Jerusalem in October to protest the conference, you could also spend 2 or more weeks on the Olive Harvest campaign run annually in Palestine, where volunteers support farmers to harvest their crops. Approx Oct 8th – Nov 20th. More information here.

* Rachel Corrie Trial Dates and Commemoration Event

October will also be an important time for ISM and for the family, friends and supporters of Rachel Corrie. The last trial dates in the court case, which represents the most important hope for justice in the seven-year struggle, will be happening in late October (possibly one in early November). People are encouraged to attend the court in Haifa, Israel. See Rachel Corrie Foundation site for more info.

Although a verdict will likely not be announced until the spring, ISM in the West Bank are hoping to organize a commemoration event including a screening of the film ‘Rachel’ by Simone Bitton and hopefully Rachel’s parents, Craig and Cindy Corrie, will be able to attend. An exact date and venue will be confirmed nearer the time.

Join the 2010 Olive Harvest Campaign

At a time of increasing settler violence in the West Bank, the International Solidarity Movement is issuing an urgent call for volunteers to participate in the 2010 Olive Harvest Campaign at the invitation of Palestinian communities.

The campaign will begin on the 8th or 9th of October and run for approximately 6-8 weeks, depending on the size of the harvest. We request a minimum 2 week commitment from volunteers.

Training

The ISM will be holding mandatory two day training sessions which will be run every week. Please contact palreports@gmail.com for further information.

Ongoing campaigns

In addition to the olive harvest, there will also be other opportunities to participate in grass-roots, non-violent resistance in Palestine.

In occupied East Jerusalem, ISM activists have been staying in Sheikh Jarrah, where the Hanoun and Ghawe families, evicted from their houses by Israeli police and settlers, maintain a presence, and the Al-Kurd family endure constant harassment from settlers who have occupied part of their home . We will continue to support the initiatives of families who face evictions or demolitions in all Palestinian neighborhoods in order to resist the ongoing ethnic cleansing of occupied East Jerusalem.

ISM maintains a presence in Hebron and is making regular visits to the nearby village of Al Buwayra where settlers have terrorized villagers in recent weeks with regular attacks, including the unprovoked assault of two ISM activists. Lately the Israeli army has used brutal violence to suppress the regular demonstration for the opening of Shuhada street. They have shut down local shops and made numerous arrests of Palestinians and international activists in attempts to thwart the demo, sometimes also fabricating crimes and prosecuting activists leading to fines, bans and spells in jail.

We also have an apartment in Nablus from where we work on a number of projects including resisting demolitions in the village of Izbet Tabib, documenting the rioting and olive tree-burning of settlers and attending the weekly demonstration in Iraq Burin where the military have been illegally firing tear gas canisters directly at protesters.

Other regular demonstrations ISM participate in include those in the village of Bil’in where rubber bullets have been used to disperse unarmed protestors and a campaign of legal persecution has been waged against key protest organizers in an attempt to repress the grassroots nonviolent resistance movement.

ISM activists have also been attending weekly demonstrations against the Apartheid Wall, the annexation of Palestinian land and the construction of illegal settlements in Al Ma’sara, Ni’lin, An Nabi Saleh, Al Walaja and Beit Ummar.

Come! Bear witness to the suffering, courage and generosity of the Palestinian people under Israeli occupation.

Criminalizing peaceful protest: Act up for Abdallah Abu Rahmah

25 August 2010 | Popular Struggle

UPDATE: Baroness Ashton condemns Bil’in leader’s conviction; Attorney: “International community must take a tough stand on human rights defenders.”

Abdallah Portrait.pageview — Picture credit: Oren Ziv/ActiveStills

Abdallah Abu Rahmah, the coordinator of the Bil’in Popular Committee, was yesterday convicted of incitement and organizing illegal marches by an Israeli military court. The conviction concluded an eight months long political show trial, during which he was kept behind bars. Help us work for his release

Persecuted for his key role in organizing the successful grassroots campaign against the wall and Jewish-only settlement on Bil’in’s land, Abdallah was convicted based only on the forced testimonies of minors who were arrested from their beds at the middle of the night. not a single material evidence was presented during the entire trial.

We are now waiting for Abdallah’s sentence, but he is facing years in jail. Now is the last moment act up on his case, and it is still not too late.

Last year, on the night of International Human Right Day, Thursday December 10th, at 2am, Abdallah Abu Rahmah was arrested from his home in the West Bank city of Ramallah. Seven military jeeps surrounded his house, and Israeli soldiers broke the door, took Abdallah from his bed and, after briefly allowing him to say goodbye to his wife Majida and their three children — seven year-old Luma, five year-old Lian and eight month-old baby Laith — they blindfolded him and took him into custody.

Help us send the message that Abdallah Abu Rahmah and the other prisoners of the popular struggle must be protected.

Abu Rahmah did not find himself behind bars because he is a dangerous man. Abdallah, who is amongst the leaders of the Palestinian village of Bil’in, is viewed as a threat for his work in the five-year unarmed struggle to save the village’s land from Israel’s wall and expanding settlements.

As a member of the Popular Committee and its coordinator since it was formed in 2004, Abdallah has represented the village of Bil’in around the world. In June 2009, he attended the village’s precedent-setting legal case in Montreal against two Canadian companies illegally building settlements on Bil’in’s land; in December of 2008, he participated in a speaking tour in France, and on 10 December 2008, exactly a year before his arrest, Abdallah received the Carl Von Ossietzky Medal for Outstanding Service in the Realization of Basic Human Rights, awarded by the International League for Human Rights in Berlin.

Last summer Abdallah was standing shoulder to shoulder with Nobel Peace laureates and internationally renowned human rights activists, discussing Bil’in’s grassroots campaign for justice when The Elders visited his village. This summer, he may be sent to years in prison, exactly for his involvement in this campaign.

Abdallah’s outrageous conviction today will be followed by a sentence in the coming weeks. The amount of pressure we will be able to generate in this time could influence Abdallah’s sentence, but will also make clear to Israeli authorities that the repression of the popular struggle does have a political price.

Please use the below template letters prepared by the Popular Struggle Coordination Committee to ask your Minister of Foreign Affairs to send an official inquiry to the Israeli government about Abdallah. Demand that your country apply pressure on Israeli officials to release Abdallah Abu Rahmah and stop targeting popular struggle.

USA

FRANCE

GERMANY

ITALY

PORTUGAL

SWEDEN

THE CZECH REPUBLIC

THE NETHERLANDS

SPAIN