Tag: Global Actions - Page 19 - International Solidarity Movement

Call to action: Rachel Corrie trial in Israel

8 March 2010

Friends,

Rachel nonviolently blocks Israeli bulldozers from destroying Palestinian homes along the Rafah/Egyptian boarder while volunteering with the International Solidarity Movement.

As many of you know, a civil lawsuit in the case of our daughter Rachel Corrie is scheduled for trial in the Haifa District Court beginning March 10, 2010. A human rights observer and activist, Rachel, 23, tried nonviolently to offer protection for a Palestinian family whose home was threatened with demolition by the Israeli military. On March 16, 2003, she was crushed to death by an Israel Defense Force (IDF) Caterpillar D9R bulldozer in Rafah, Gaza.

The lawsuit is one piece of our family’s seven-year effort to pursue justice for our daughter and sister. We hope this trial will illustrate the need for accountability for thousands of lives lost, or indelibly injured, by occupation—in a besieged and beleaguered Gaza and throughout Palestine/Israel; bring attention to the assault on nonviolent human rights activists (Palestinian, Israeli, and international); and underscore the fact that so many Palestinian families, harmed as deeply as ours, cannot access Israeli courts. In order to deliver these interconnected messages as effectively as possible, we are asking for large-scale participation in the trial itself as well as in the events surrounding it. We hope you will join us for all or some of the events listed below and help us to put the call out to others.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 10
9:00-16:00—Trial Begins in the Haifa District Court (12 Palyam St. Haifa)

A strong presence of human rights observers, legal observers, and others on the first day of the trial will send the message that this case is being closely monitored and that truth, accountability and justice matter to us all. Other trial dates are: March 14, 15, 17, 21, 22 and 24. Supportive presence at all court sessions is both welcome and needed!

FRIDAY, MARCH 12
13:00-15:00—Film Screening at the Tel Aviv Cinematheque (2 Shprinzak St. Tel Aviv)

Screening of the documentary film RACHEL followed by a Q&A with filmmaker Simone Bitton and the Corrie family. RACHEL is a cinematic inquiry into Rachel’s killing. It raises many of the questions that should be asked and addressed during the trial.

TUESDAY, MARCH 16
20:00-22:00—Memorial; Location TBA

March 16th marks the seven-year anniversary of Rachel’s killing. We hope to mark this day as a “Day of Conscience” with a large gathering that calls for truth, accountability and justice, in Rachel’s case and beyond. There will also be events in Gaza (at the Rachel Corrie Children and Youth Cultural Center in Rafah), possibly in the West Bank (TBA), and around the world. If you are not with us in Palestine/Israel, please think about how you and your group/community can be visible/audible on March 16.

We expect this to be a challenging time, but we know the friendship we have felt from so many of you over the years will help us navigate the weeks ahead. Though the course and outcome of the trial are unknown, we welcome the opportunity to raise and highlight many of the critical issues to which Rachel’s case is linked. Thank you for your continuing support.

In solidarity and with much appreciation,

Cindy & Craig Corrie

International call to action in solidarity with Sheikh Jarrah

Just Jerusalem
1 March 2010

WHAT: A global call to action in solidarity with the residents of Sheikh Jarrah
WHERE: Around the globe and into the streets
WHEN: 6 March 2010

WHY: Sheikh Jarrah is a unique community in occupied East Jerusalem. The plight of this community is emblematic of the larger Palestinian struggle for Justice. The families in Sheikh Jarrah have been evicted by a racist government and settlers now occupy their homes. The Palestinians of Sheikh Jarrah face daily harassment from both the settlers occupying their homes and the Israeli military.

This is a call for global direct actions.

The organizers of the weekly demonstrations in Sheikh Jarrah are asking for global solidarity as they plan for massive demonstrations in Jerusalem and greater Israel. They are calling for demonstrations and vigils at Israeli consulates and embassies abroad.

As many of you may not have access to Israeli consulates and embassies, we ask you to occupy everything. If you’re a student, occupy your administrative offices and demand divestment from any company who profits from the occupation in conjunction with demanding justice for Sheikh Jarrah. If you’re not a student, occupy any and all halls of governance. Demand that they pass resolutions condemning the occupation of Palestine and promise to withdraw support for it, in conjunction with demanding justice for Sheikh Jarrah. If you are unable to occupy anything, get out of the sidewalks and into the streets.

Demand Justice for Palestine and Justice for Shiekh Jarrah.

Background:

In August 2009, the Ghawis were evicted from their home after the Israeli court accepted forged Ottoman-era land-claims from a right-wing Zionist settler organization. The land-claims cited that Jewish people owned the land in the late 19th century and therefore should legally be in possession of people with a Jewish heritage. This is an illegal, unilateral right of return!

Since the eviction, the Ghawis have lived on the street opposite their home. The family lives on a tent on the sidewalk, watching settlers enter and exit the house they called their home since 1956. The live in their tent in act of protest and are determined to stay there until they are allowed to return to their home.

The Al-Kurds have had the front partition of their home annexed by the settlers on the First of December 2009. The back partition of their home is at risk of settler occupation in the following weeks.

Despite this horrendous attempt to ethnically cleanse Sheikh Jarrah, there is resistance. Israeli activists commenced weekly demonstrations in the community and ISM volunteers are on-site 24/7. In the beginning they mood was jubilant; drums and chanting which called out the racism and injustice of the settlers actions. But these demonstrations were escalated by police violence. Over 100 people have been arrested demonstrating or participating in acts of nonviolent direct action and civil disobedience.

Help the Palestinian families of Sheikh Jarrah find justice! Join our global call to action 6 March 2010

Call for international day of action to re-open Shuhada street to Palestinians

Open Shuhada Street

29 January 2010

On 25 February 2010 activists and organizations from around the world will join together in solidarity with the Palestinian residents of Hebron, through local protests, and petitions to the Israeli Government. We will be calling to re-open Shuhada Street to all Palestinians, bring life back into the city of Hebron, and to end the Occupation.

Our demands:
• Open Shuhada Street to Palestinian movement and commerce
• Full civil and human rights for all Israelis and Palestinians
• End the occupation

Shuhada Street used to be the principal street for Palestinians residents, businesses and a very active market place in the Palestinian city of Hebron. Today, because Shuhada Street runs through the Jewish settlement of Hebron, the street is closed to Palestinian movement and looks like a virtual ghost street which only Israelis and tourists are allowed to access. Hate graffiti has been sprayed across the closed Palestinian shops and Palestinians living on the street have to enter and exit their houses through their back doors or, even sometimes by climbing over neighbor’s roofs.

DismantleTheOccupationDemo — Photo by Issa Amro

Shuhada Street was closed for the first time following the Baruch Goldstein massacre on February 25, 1994, in which a settler from nearby Kiryat Arba settlement murdered 29 Palestinians while praying in a mosque in Hebron. In order to raise awareness about the injustice of the closure of Shuhada Street, we will coordinate a joint solidarity campaign/action all over the world which will take place on February 25, 2010, as an effort to commemorate the Baruch Goldstein massacre which took place 16 years ago on this date.

We are calling on activist groups in cities around the world to participate in this action by gathering their forces together to symbolically shut down a major street in their cities and/or organize a protest/demonstration on February 25 in solidarity with Shuhada Street. We are focusing on Shuhada Street as a symbol of the settlement issue, the policy of separation in Hebron and the entire West Bank, the lack of freedom of movement, and the occupation at large. In addition to raising awareness about these issues, the campaign, if organized well, can be an important sign of the strength of global movement for human rights in Israel.

For more information about the campaign and to find out how to get involved please go to www.openshuhadastreet.org/campaigns, contact openshuhadastreet@gmail.com or join us on Facebook.

Palestinian film forum breaking the cultural siege on Gaza

Bianca Zammit & Rada Daniell | ISM Gaza

17 January 2010

The Palestinian Film Forum (the Forum) was established in 2004 as a branch of the Pal estinian Artists Union covering both Gaza and the West Bank. In the last couple of months it has intensified its activities aiming to achieve an ambitious list of tasks and ensure development of Palestinian cinematography and its networking with the other world cinematographies.

The Forum recently organised the first film festival in Gaza in many years. The International Al Quds Film Festival took place between 21 and 23 December ’09 and film makers from 11 Arab countries showed 52 documentary and feature films, two of which were made in cooperation with Spanish and Dutch filming associations. All films focused on Al Quds or Palestine and explored issues of life under siege and occupation and five of them were awarded Gold Olive prices.

Eager to find out more about their work and plans for the future, on 14 January 2010 we met up with the Forum’s founding members, Enas Altawil, Spokeswoman and PR Manager, Zahir Al Kashef, Film and Video Manager and Suad Mhanna, Forum’s President.

They told us that Gaza did not have a cinema and that Gazans were deprived of the art of film and opportunities to escape the grim reality of the life under the siege. When we asked if that was because Gazans were not interested in films, PFF founders told us that nothing could be further from the truth.

Gazans love of film has a long history and that there used to be many cinemas in the Gaza strip. One was located in the Beach (Shati’) Refugee Camp, two in Rafah, four in Gaza City and one in Khan Younis and one of those cinemas was opened 24 hours a day’, said Enas.

The number of cinemas gradually reduced from 1967 onwards and the last one closed in 1987 with the start of the First Intifada.

‘Our dream is to have a cinema in Gaza again. We want to either ‘revamp’ an existing closed one or to build a new one and for this we need to fundraise’, said Enas, ‘ Money is in short supply in Gaza and there are many competing funding priorities for the Gazan Government’.

Gazans’ love of film is illustrated by the enormous excitement surrounding a forthcoming showing of the British blockbuster ‘Slum Dog Millionaire’ which was arranged by the British Council. Enas said that Forum would love to establish a live satellite link with the Director Danny Boyle and to have the opportunity to have a discussion about the film.

‘The absence of cinema has an impact on the mentality of Gazans’, said Forum’s President Saud. He believes that cinema would play an important role in the development of the culture of dialoque. It would help explore many community issues which Gazans, and young people in particular, are grappling with.

Also, the war and siege have minimised opportunities for creative expression for many existing and potential film makers, professional and amateur. This includes Forum founders Suad Mhanna, who is a well known Palestinian film director, Zahir also a film director and Enas who previously worked for 15 years as a presenter in the Palestinian Broadcasting Corporation. And there are many others like them. There are also many budding film makers and media enthusiasts born out of the long siege and the destructive attacks by Israel a year ago, when the wold media were kept away by Israelis and when many Gazan’s became film makers, journalists and photographers in order to tell the wold what was happening to them.

One of the Forum’s main objectives are to bring together all Palestinian film and media personnel wherever they currently work and give them an opportunity to contribute to the development of Palestinian cinematography.

The Forum also wants to link creative energies of Palestinian film and media artists with those of their colleagues around the world and create opportunities sharing experiences and developing skills . This would include organising joint training and learning programs, collaborative film making and other media projects and bringing world cinema into Gaza.

Preservation of Palestinian heritage is another of the Forum’ important objective. This would be addressed by establishing a film archive and ensuring that Palestinian films, old and new, are made available to film lovers around the world.

The Forum is facing an enormous task of having to address the devastating impact of the siege and occupation and their strangling grip on Palestinian society, including film and media aspects of its culture. This includes: physical isolation, very limited freedom of movement of people and goods and a chronic lack of funding.

The Forum will shortly start to enroll members which shall be open for all those who want to work for the benefit of Palestinian cinematography.

‘The occupation and siege have prevented development of Palestinian film and media inspite of the enormous talent and strong motivation and commitment present. Lots of catching up needs to be done’, said Enas. Zahir added that on the technical side they were starting from zero. ‘We are currently showing films by DVD and we need literally everything including HD cameras, projection, editing, lighting, sound, transmission equipment etc.’, said Zahir adding that they are not after cash but would gratefully receive any of these mentioned essential items.

Enas told us that in the long term they would like to have a building where all resources needed for film making and training would be provided under one roof.

All Forum members stress that it is not only their desire but a duty to their country to ensure that Palestinians have cinematography and to share it with the world. They are well aware of the obstacles they face. ‘Nothing is easy in Gaza’ they all agree and gave us examples of the recent problems they have had to face. Gaza’s borders are almost hermetically sealed and when Forum wanted to invite an innovative Egyptian film director to do a presentation, yet inspite of their best efforts he could not get a travel permit . Also, all film making equipment is banned by Israeli Authorities from reaching Gaza even if there was money to purchase it.

Against all odds, the Forum continues to deliver as best as it could. The Forum has recently held an event called ‘Cinema and War’ where is showed three locally produced films; Beautiful by Hikmet Al Maswi, Little Pieces of Destruction by Abdel Rahman Al Humra and Shadows in the Darkness by Jihad Sharkawi.

Even though “nothing is easy in Gaza’ many Gazans seem to be able to achieve the impossible on a daily basis.

All those who want to be a part of this project to give film back to Gazans and Palestinian film to the world, please email Enas Atawwil on enastawil@hotmail.com

Rada Daniell and Bianca Zammit are human rights activists with the International Solidarity Movement in Gaza.

Free Wa’el Al-Faqeeh

15 January 2010

On the night of December 9th 2009, over 200 Israeli soldiers entered the northern West Bank city of Nablus. Their mission: to round up local grassroots activists, whose promotion of popular struggle Israel had no answer for. Amongst those taken was 45 year old Wa’el Al-Faqeeh. Fifty soldiers stormed his home, pointing their weapons at him and his family as though the man they had come to arrest embodied a formidable threat. But those who know Al Faqeeh know that he worked tirelessly – and on a largely voluntary basis – in defense of human rights and the promotion of the strategies and philosophy of Palestinian non-violent resistance.

Political prisoner Wa’el Al-Faqeeh has been detained without charge by Israeli authorities for over a month, and is now facing trial in a military court scheduled to begin on the 19th of January. The abduction of Al-Faqeeh from his home, along with 4 other activists in the Nablus region, marked the beginning of the recent surge in Israel’s targeting of leaders of Palestinian popular resistance.

We call on you to take effective and public action to end the arrest, detention and mistreatment of Palestinian human rights activists such as Wa’el Al-Faqeeh. Deprived of his liberty and his voice, we ask you to join us in exercising our freedom of speech where he can not by calling for the release of Wa’el Al-Faqeeh and all political prisoners inside Israel’s jails.

What you can do to help:

* Contact your representatives asking them to exert pressure on Israeli officials to release Wa’el Al-Faqeeh and to end the unlawful imprisonment of human rights defenders. Click here to send a letter to Catherine Ashton, High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy of the European Union. Click here to send a letter to the American consulate in Jerusalem, or use the sample letter here to send to your respective representative. You can find a list of embassies and their contact information here.

* Host an event, or hold a demonstration or action in your area to raise awareness, support – and even funds – for Al-Faqeeh and all political prisoners. You could organise a film night, street projection, “Free the Prisoners” party, or a demonstration outside an Israeli embassy or consulate in your country. Organisers can contact palreports@gmail.com for media support.

* Wa’el Al-Faqeeh faces military court on the January 19. His legal defence comes at a high price and contributions to his legal fund support both Al-Faqeeh and his family. You can make a donation to the Free Wa’el fund here.

You can follow updates on Al-Faqeeh’s case and get in touch with his supporters by joining the Free Wa’el Facebook group here.