Emergency Protests from the International Action Center

Posted by uscsjp on July 1, 2009

EMERGENCY: Take Action Now – Demand the Release of Cynthia McKinney
and other aid workers kidnapped by Israeli Occupation Forces

Sign the Online Petition

PROTEST TODAY:

New York
Wed., July 1 from 4pm to 6 pm
at the Israeli Mission, 43rd St. & 2nd Avenue
for more information call (212) 633-6646

Los Angeles
Wed., July 1 from 4pm to 7 pm
at the Israeli Consulate, 6380 Wilshire Blvd
for more information call (323) 306-6240

http://www.iacenter.org/

We are NOT the “Story”, It’s Not Just Our 21 Kidnapped Passengers

Wednesday, 01 July 2009 13:22 Written by Free Gaza Team

On June 30th 2009 Israeli Occupation Forces forcibly boarded the Free Gaza boat, SPIRIT OF HUMANITY, and kidnapped 21 human rights workers and journalists who were on their way to deliver much needed humanitarian and reconstruction supplies to besieged Gaza. Those abducted by Israel include Nobel peace prize laureate Mairead Maguire and former U.S. Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney.

Since their kidnapping, tens-of-thousands of people around the world have mobilized to demand their immediate and unconditional release. The Free Gaza Movement would like to thank everyone who has made a phone call, sent a fax or email, written a letter, or organized a demonstration on behalf of our 21 imprisoned friends.

With respect, it is not enough. We are not the story. Since its founding in 1948 the State of Israel has regularly kidnapped and tortured Palestinians, throwing them into forgotten prisons where they can languish for years. Today, over 11,000 Palestinian political prisoners without benefit of due process, some never even charged – men, women, and children – endure torture and isolation in Israeli jails, outdoor prison camps, and secret black sites. They come from all walks of life: doctors, journalists, parliamentarians, workers, resistance fighters, homemakers, students and others. They are our sisters and brothers.

The 21 passengers aboard the Spirit of Humanity have been illegally incarcerated for their solidarity work with Palestine. 11,000 other members of our common human family are already imprisoned simply for being Palestinian.

The Siege of Palestine is not simply the physical blockade against Gaza. The Siege includes the hundreds of checkpoints throughout the West Bank that separate families and communities and shatter any prospect for a viable Palestinian state. The Siege includes the millions of Palestinians in Diaspora, many of them dumped in squalid refugee camps in Jordan, Lebanon and elsewhere. The Siege is ever-present throughout all aspects of Palestinian life.

This Siege is only strengthened when we pay more attention to the injustice done to 21 international solidarity workers than we do to the much greater injustices already being committed against millions of Palestinians.

We in the Free Gaza Movement implore all the good people around the world who have working so hard to secure the release of our friends to “adopt” a Palestinian prisoner. We ask you to learn about the crisis and take on the cause of an individual prisoner as your own.

Break the Siege! Reach out to Palestine!

For more information, please visit FreeGaza.org, as well as the following prisoner information websites:

And Finally:

Help Socialist Worker Send a Reporter to Gaza

SocialistWorker.org has the opportunity to send a reporter to Gaza as part of the Viva Palestina aid convoy–and we’re asking our readers to help, writes Eric Ruder.

http://socialistworker.org/2009/07/01/help-us-send-a-reporter-to-gaza

Posted in Activism/Divestment | Leave a Comment »

Free Gaza Aid Boat Attacked, Activists Kidnapped

Posted by uscsjp on June 30, 2009

From the US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation:

“Today the Israeli navy attacked and kidnapped the passengers and crew of the Free Gaza boat, The Spirit of Humanity, including US Campaign Advisory Board member Huwaida Arraf.

The Free Gaza Movement, which has organized several humanitarian deliveries to the Port of Gaza via their fleet of Cypriot boats, had one ship, the Dignity, rammed by the Israeli navy in December. Now, the Spirit of Humanity is being towed to Israel, where the crew and passengers expect to be handed over to the Israeli border patrol. Take action to have these humanitarian aid workers released.

The July 9th anniversaries are even more important in light of the capture of the Spirit of Humanity. The ICJ ruling makes clear that Palestinians do have rights to their land and to freedom from life in the sort of open-air prison that the Gaza strip has become. While Free Gaza boats represent a form of direct engagement to support human rights in Palestinian territory, boycott and divestment act as the other side of the coin, nonviolently pressuring Israel to live up to its responsibilities under international law.

Take Action

Click here to send an email to the Israeli Prime Minister’s office, the Israeli Defense Ministry, the Israeli Ambassador to the United States, and your Members of Congress demanding that The Spirit of Humanity’s passengers and crew are released!

You can also use our website to find out how to get involved in July 9th activities in your area. Click here to take action for boycott and divestment online. Click here to learn more about how you can get the global boycott and divestment movement into the media. Click here to find out about July 9th events in your area or click here to find out how to join the US Campaign at our two Washington, D.C. anniversary events…”

–US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation, 30 June, 2009

http://www.endtheoccupation.org/article.php?id=2302

Ezra Nawi, a Jewish Israeli, helped Palestinians set up an outpost adorned with the Palestinian colors, above, to protest an illegal Israeli settlement (source: NY Times)

From The New York Times:

Unlikely Ally for Residents of West Bank

“SAFA, West Bank — Ezra Nawi was in his element. Behind the wheel of his well-worn jeep one recent Saturday morning, working two cellphones in Arabic as he bounded through the terraced hills and hardscrabble villages near Hebron, he was greeted warmly by Palestinians near and far.

Watching him call for an ambulance for a resident and check on the progress of a Palestinian school being built without an Israeli permit, you might have thought him a clan chief. Then noticing the two Israeli Army jeeps trailing him, you might have pegged him as an Israeli occupation official handling Palestinian matters.

But Mr. Nawi is neither. It is perhaps best to think of him as the Robin Hood of the South Hebron hills, an Israeli Jew helping poor locals who love him, and thwarting settlers and soldiers who view him with contempt. Those army jeeps were not watching over him. They were stalking him.

Since the Israeli left lost so much popular appeal after the violent Palestinian uprising of 2000 and the Hamas electoral victory three years ago, its activists tend to be a rarefied bunch — professors of Latin or Sanskrit, and translators of medieval poetry. Mr. Nawi, however, is a plumber. And unlike the intellectuals of European origin with whom he spends most Saturdays, he is from an Iraqi Jewish family…”

–Ethan Bronner, The New York Times, 28 June, 2009

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/28/world/middleeast/28westbank.html?_r=1&hpw

Posted in Activism/Divestment, News, Opinion/Editorial | Leave a Comment »

Iran and Palestine

Posted by uscsjp on June 24, 2009

CNN and other Western media outlets have aired "unverified material" obtained from websites like Facebook and YouTube in their non-stop coverage of demonstrations in Iran (image courtesy EI)

The Western media and Iran

“Protestors, anywhere in the world, are extremely brave individuals whose reasons for demonstrating openly should be listened to and respected. Protest is democracy at work. However, too often, US and other Western-based media pick and choose which protests to cover and which to ignore completely.

The US media often celebrate themselves as the ‘freest and fairest’ in the world, completely independent of a state unlike, for example, the media in Iran. Yet, an astute observer will notice that the US media generally choose stories and cover them in a way that play directly into the US’s global agenda.

Who decides whether or not a particular issue is ‘newsworthy?’ One would think that this is the role of the media, to cover issues like conflict or rights abuses as they happen around the world. Although, it seems this isn’t the case. Most Western media appear to follow their government’s lead when focusing on different issues and then cover them in a way fitting with the government’s position, hence the complete domination of events in Iran in nearly every single Western media outlet and the overwhelmingly positive portrayal of the protestors and the opposition as just. The current case of Iran makes it clear that it is governments who are directing the media’s coverage, instead of the actual news organizations themselves.

There was also a noticeable shift in the US media’s coverage of foreign affairs after the attacks of 11 September 2001…”

–Matthew Cassel, The Electronic Intifada, 23 June 2009

http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article10616.shtml

Check out the Latest News and Current Campaigns from Jewish Voice for Peace

“In the last 24 hours, we’ve learned that a dangerous pattern has emerged at YouTube. They have censored not just one, but at least two controversial but important videos that reveal the kind of hardcore racism, Islamophobia and Arab-hatred that exists in our Jewish community both among Americans and Israelis, hatred which must be unearthed in order to be countered…”

–Jewish Voice for Peace

http://www.jewishvoiceforpeace.org/

Fictions on the Ground

“I am old enough to remember when Israeli kibbutzim looked like settlements (’a small village or collection of houses’ or ‘the act of peopling or colonizing a new country,’ Oxford English Dictionary).

In the early 1960s, I spent time on Kibbutz Hakuk, a small community founded by the Palmah unit of the Haganah, the pre-state Jewish militia. Begun in 1945, Hakuk was just 18 years old when I first saw it, and was still raw at the edges. The few dozen families living there had built themselves a dining hall, farm sheds, homes and a ‘baby house’ where the children were cared for during the workday. But where the residential buildings ended there were nothing but rock-covered hillsides and half-cleared fields.

The community’s members still dressed in blue work shirts, khaki shorts and triangular hats, consciously cultivating a pioneering image and ethos already at odds with the hectic urban atmosphere of Tel Aviv. Ours, they seemed to say to bright-eyed visitors and volunteers, is the real Israel; come and help us clear the boulders and grow bananas — and tell your friends in Europe and America to do likewise…”

–Tony Judt, The New York Times, 22 June, 2009

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/22/opinion/22judt.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all

Finally, Don’t Miss this Upcoming Local Event:

Sunday, June 28, 2-4 PM
Peace Vigil to support President Obama’s efforts to freeze settlements and get a Palestinian state alongside Israel
Third Street Promenade at Santa Monica Blvd.
Sponsorede by Jews for Peace between Israelis and Palestinians (J-PIP)

Join Jews for Peace between Israelis and Palestinians (J- PIP) in a vigil to support President Obama’s goal of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

As American Jews, we recognize that 42 years of occupation and ruling over 4 million Palestinians against their will, Has not given Israelis peace and security, and never will.
Israel and its people’s desire for peace and security can only be achieved, when the Palestinians also have peace and security in their own sovereign and viable state alongside Israel.
We call upon President Obama to do all in his power to ensure that this peace vision will be implemented as soon as possible. First steps include:

Settlement expansion on the West Bank and in East Jerusalem halted.
Settlement outposts demolished.
Checkpoints and roadblocks that do not contribute to Israel’s security removed.
Gaza blockade lifted; and crossings open.
Harassment of Gaza fishermen ended
Rockets attack on Israeli civilians from Gaza stopped.

J PIP will supply pro-peace, nonviolent, non-defamatory signs
We welcome everyone who shares J-PIP’s vision of a sovereign and viable Palestinian state alongside Israel.

Support this important VIGIL.

Info: www.J-PIP.org
Sponsored: Jews for Peace between Israelis and Palestinians (J-PIP)

Posted in Analysis, Blogroll, History | Leave a Comment »

Obstructing Peace Netanyahu Style

Posted by uscsjp on June 16, 2009

Dave Brown, The Independent, The Daily Cartoon, Tuesday 16 June 2009

Democracy Now!: Netanyahu Outlines Vision for a Demilitarized Palestinian State with Israel Controlling the Borders and Airspace of Palestine

“Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered what was billed as a major policy speech on Sunday, accepting the creation of a Palestinian state on the condition that it would be completely demilitarized and have no control over its airspace. He also said that Israel would refuse to engage with Hamas. Palestinian officials condemned Netanyahu’s speech, saying it closed the door to permanent status negotiations…”

–Democracy Now!, 15 June, 2009

http://www.democracynow.org/2009/6/15/netanyahu_outlines_vision_for_a_demilitarized

Obama in Cairo: A Bush in sheep’s clothing?

US President Barack Obama speaking at Cairo University, 4 June 2009. (Chuck Kennedy/White House Photo--courtesy of The Electronic Intifada)

“Once you strip away the mujamalat — the courtesies exchanged between guest and host — the substance of President Obama’s speech in Cairo indicates there is likely to be little real change in US policy. It is not necessary to divine Obama’s intentions — he may be utterly sincere and I believe he is. It is his analysis and prescriptions that in most regards maintain flawed American policies intact.

Though he pledged to ’speak the truth as best I can,’ there was much the president left out. He spoke of tension between ‘America and Islam’ — the former a concrete specific place, the latter a vague construct subsuming peoples, practices, histories and countries more varied than similar.

Labeling America’s ‘other’ as a nebulous and all-encompassing ‘Islam’ (even while professing rapprochement and respect) is a way to avoid acknowledging what does in fact unite and mobilize people across many Muslim-majority countries: overwhelming popular opposition to increasingly intrusive and violent American military, political and economic interventions in many of those countries…”

–Ali Abunimah, The Electronic Intifada, 5 June 2009

http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article10576.shtml

And Finally, From CounterPunch:

The End of Free Speech?

Criminalizing Criticism of Israel

By PAUL CRAIG ROBERTS

“On October 16, 2004, President George W. Bush signed the Israel Lobby’s bill, the Global Anti-Semitism Review Act. This legislation requires the US Department of State to monitor anti-semitism world wide.

To monitor anti-semitism, it has to be defined. What is the definition? Basically, as defined by the Israel Lobby and Abe Foxman, it boils down to any criticism of Israel or Jews.

Rahm Israel Emanuel hasn’t been mopping floors at the White House.
As soon as he gets the Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2009 passed, it will become a crime for any American to tell the truth about Israel’s treatment of Palestinians and theft of their lands.

It will be a crime for Christians to acknowledge the New Testament’s account of Jews demanding the crucifixion of Jesus.

It will be a crime to report the extraordinary influence of the Israel Lobby on the White House and Congress, such as the AIPAC-written resolutions praising Israel for its war crimes against the Palestinians in Gaza that were endorsed by 100 per cent of the US Senate and 99 per cent of the House of Representatives, while the rest of the world condemned Israel for its barbarity.

It will be a crime to doubt the Holocaust.

It will become a crime to note the disproportionate representation of Jews in the media, finance, and foreign policy.

In other words, it means the end of free speech, free inquiry, and the First Amendment to the Constitution. Any facts or truths that cast aspersion upon Israel will simply be banned…”

–CounterPunch, 7 May, 2009

http://www.counterpunch.org/roberts05072009.html

Posted in Activism/Divestment, Blogroll, News, Opinion/Editorial | Leave a Comment »

Democracy Now!: Despite No Links to Violence, Founders of Muslim Charity Sentenced to Lengthy Terms for Donations to Needy Palestinians in Occupied Territories

Posted by uscsjp on June 1, 2009

“Five founders of a Muslim charity have been sentenced to lengthy prison terms in a controversial case that began nearly ten years ago. The Holy Land Foundation, based in a Dallas suburb, was the biggest Muslim charity in the United States before the Bush administration shut it down in 2001. Its five founders were convicted last November on charges of funneling money to the Palestinian group Hamas. The US government declared Hamas a terrorist organization in 1995.

It was the second trial against the Holy Land Foundation’s five leaders after the first ended in a mistrial. The government’s case relied on Israeli intelligence as well as disputed documents and electronic surveillance gathered by the FBI over a span of fifteen years…”

–Democracy Now!, 29 May, 2009

http://www.democracynow.org/2009/5/29/holy_land

UN war investigators arrive in Gaza

“A United Nations team has arrived in the Gaza Strip to investigate possible war crimes and other violations of international law during Israel’s assault on the territory earlier this year.

The 15-member team, headed by Richard Goldstone, a South African judge, entered the Gaza Strip through the Rafah crossing on Monday.

The team entered from Egypt after being denied visas to cross from Israel, despite multiple requests by the UN.

‘We have come here to see, to learn, to talk to people in all walks of life; ordinary people, governmental people, administrative people,’ Goldstone said.

The team plans to complete its fact-finding mission in a week, but Goldstone said they were likely to return within a month, before presenting a report in August…”

–Al Jazeera, 1 June, 2009

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2009/06/20096195239754821.html

Mr. Abbas goes to Washington

If the Oval Office guest list is an indicator, US President Barack Obama is making good on his commitment to try to revive the long-dead Arab-Israeli peace process. On 18 May President Obama received Israel’s new prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu; on 28 May he met with Mahmoud Abbas, leader of the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah.

As this process gets under way, the United States — Israel’s main arms supplier, financier and international apologist — faces huge hurdles. It is deeply mistrusted by Palestinians and Arabs generally, and the new administration has not done much to rebuild trust. Obama has, like former US President George W. Bush, expressed support for Palestinian statehood, but he has made no criticisms of Israel’s bombardment of the Gaza Strip — which killed more than 1,400 people last winter, mostly civilians — despite evidence from Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and UN investigators of egregious Israeli war crimes. Nor has he pressured Israel to lift the blockade of Gaza, where 1.5 million Palestinians, the vast majority of whom are refugees, are effectively imprisoned and deprived of basic necessities.

Obama has told Netanyahu firmly that Israel must stop building settlements on expropriated Palestinian land in the West Bank, but such words have been uttered by the president’s predecessors. Unless these statements are followed by decisive action — perhaps to limit American subsidies to Israel — there’s no reason to believe the lip service that failed in the past will suddenly be more effective.

On the Palestinian side, Obama is talking to the wrong man: more than half of residents in the Occupied Palestinian Territories do not consider Abbas the ‘legitimate’ president of the Palestinians, according to a March survey by Fafo, a Norwegian research organization. Eighty-seven percent want the Fatah faction, which Abbas heads, to have new leaders.

Hamas, by contrast, emerged from Israel’s attack on Gaza with enhanced legitimacy and popularity. That attack was only the latest of numerous efforts to topple the movement following its decisive victory in the 2006 legislative elections. In addition to the Israeli siege, these efforts have included a failed insurgency by Contra-style anti-Hamas militias nominally loyal to Abbas and funded and trained by the United States under the supervision of Lieut. Gen. Keith Dayton. If Obama were serious about making real progress, one of the first things he would do is ditch the Bush-era policy of backing Palestinian puppets and lift the American veto on reconciliation efforts aimed at creating a unified, representative and credible Palestinian leadership.

None of these problems is entirely new, though the challenges, having festered for years, may be tougher to deal with now. Netanyahu did add one obstacle, however, when he came to Washington. In accord with his anticipated strategy of delay, he insisted that Palestinians recognize Israel’s right to exist as a ‘Jewish state’ as a condition of any peace agreement. Obama seemingly endorsed this demand when he said, ‘It is in US national security interests to assure that Israel’s security as an independent Jewish state is maintained’…”

–Ali Abunimah, The Electronic Intifada, 29 May, 2009

http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article10563.shtml

Posted in Analysis, Blogroll, News, Opinion/Editorial | Leave a Comment »

Abbas Meets With Obama; UpComing Events

Posted by uscsjp on May 31, 2009

Latest News from Democracy Now!

“Obama Renews Call for Israeli Settlement Freeze

President Obama hosted Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at the White House Thursday for their first formal talks. Obama criticized the Israeli government for rejecting his call to stop expanding settlements in the occupied West Bank, but also expressed tacit support for the Palestinian Authority’s repression of opposition groups in the West Bank through its US-trained security forces.

President Obama: ‘On the Israeli side, those obligations include stopping settlements. They include making sure that there is a viable potential Palestinian state. On the Palestinian side, it’s going to be important and necessary to continue to take the security steps on the West Bank that President Abbas has already begun to take, working with General Dayton. We’ve seen great progress in terms of security in the West Bank.’

The Israeli government has put itself at odds with Obama over its refusal to end settlement growth and accept the principle of Palestinian statehood. Abbas said the key to peace lies in Israeli withdrawal from occupied Arab lands.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas: ‘Mr. President, I believe that the entire Arab world and the Islamic world, they are all committed to peace. We’ve seen that through the Arab League Peace Initiative, that simply talks about land for peace as a principle. I believe that if the Israelis would withdraw from all occupied Palestinian, Syrian and Lebanese land, the Arab world will be ready to have normal relationships with the state of Israel’…”

–Democracy Now!, 29 May, 2009

http://www.democracynow.org/2009/5/29/headlines#

See Also:

Netanyahu Goes to Washington

“…THE WORLD wanted, of course, to know what went on between the two when they met alone.

Coming home, Netanyahu strenuously tried to present the meeting as a great success. But after the spotlights turned off and the red carpet rolled up, we can examine what we have really seen and heard.

Among his great achievements, Netanyahu emphasized the Iranian issue. ‘We have reached complete agreement,’ he proudly announced time and again.

Agreement on what? On the need to prevent Iran from getting a ‘military nuclear capability’.

Just a moment. What is that we hear, ‘military’? Where did this word creep up from? Until now, all Israeli governments have insisted that Iran must be prevented from acquiring any nuclear capability at all. The new formula means that the Netanyahu government now accepts Iran having a ‘non-military’– which is never very far from a ‘military’ – nuclear capability.

This is not Netanyahu’s only defeat on the Iranian issue. Before his trip, he demanded that Obama give Iran just three months, ‘until October’, and that after this ‘all the options would be on the table’. An ultimatum that included a military threat.

Nothing of this remains. Obama said that he would conduct a dialogue with Iran until the end of the year, and that he would then assess what had been achieved and consider what to do next. If he came to the conclusion that there had been no progress, he would take further steps, including the imposition of more stringent sanctions. The military option has disappeared. True, before the meeting Obama told a newspaper that ‘all the options are on the table’, but the fact that he did not repeat this in Netanyahu’s presence speaks volumes…”

–CounterPunch, 25 May, 2009

http://www.counterpunch.org/avnery05252009.html

Finally, UpComing Events From A Recent Jewish Voices For Peace Email:

” Sunday afternoon., June 7; 2-4 PM,
Peace Vigil for a Palestinian State Alongside Israel
Third St. Promenade at Santa Monica Blvd.
Join Jews for Peace between Israelis and Palestinians (J- PIP) in a vigil to support President Obama’s goal of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

We call upon President Obama to do all in his power to ensure that this peace vision will be implemented as soon as possible. First steps include:

Settlement expansion on the West bank and in East Jerusalem halted.
Settlement outposts demolished.
Checkpoints and roadblocks that do not contribute to Israel’s security removed.
Gaza blockade lifted; and crossings open.
Harassment of Gaza fishermen ended
Rockets attack on Israeli civilians from Gaza stopped.

J PIP will supply pro-peace, nonviolent, non-defamatory signs
We welcome everyone who shares J-PIP’s vision of a sovereign and viable Palestinian state alongside Israel.

Support this important VIGIL.

Info: www.J-PIP.org

ACTION – Write to President Obama in support of his pressure on Israel for a full settlement construction freeze with no exceptions.
Use the J-Street website http://salsa.wiredforchange.com/o/2747/t/3251/petition.jsp?petition_KEY=593
and/or the Brit Tzedek website http://ga3.org/campaign/weve_got_your_back_pledge?qp_source=gamessage20090521

ARTICLE 1 Link to Gideon Levy article in Ha’aretz saying that the moderate Israeli are not acting, and the opportunity presented by Obama’s activism will be missed. http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1087741.html

ARTICLE 2 Link to a Ha’aretz article reporting on the Israeli government resistance to Obama’s call to end settlement expansion.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1087368.html

ARTICLE 3 Link to Gershorn Baskin article in the Jerusalem Post explaining why 2-states for 2-people is the only resolutuion of the I-P conflict, and for their own good the Isareli people and government should help make it happen.
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1243259515612&pagename=JPArticle%2FShowFull

ARTICLE 4 Link to Yacov Ben Efrat piece arguing that Obama is trapped by a stratigec need to partner with Israel, and no real change will happen.
http://www.challenge-mag.com/en/article__246

ARTICLE 5 Link to 30-minute interview with Sherna Berger Gluck about the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel.
http://indigenouspolitics.mypodcast.com/2009/05/Part_II_Palestinian_Sovereignty_and_the_BDS_Campaign_Against_Israeli_Apartheid-210275.html

— Sun., June 14, 5 PM

CAN PALESTINIANS HANDLE SELF-DETERMINATION NOW?
Presentation by Nora Murad, PhD, Executive Director Dalia Association;
Food and beverages will be served
St. Anselm’s Episcopal Church, 13091 Galway Street, Garden Grove, CA 92844
For info, call Vicki Tamoush (714) 368-5100; vtamoush@gmail.com
or Fr. Wilfredo Benitez (714) 537-0604; Tears4Gaza@aol.com

Thursday, June 18, 6-9 PM
Israel & Palestine: Is Peace a Dream?
Speakers: Mehnaz Afridi, Professor of Judaism and Islam, Antioch University, Los Angeles.

David Weisberg, Executive Director of Friends of the Arava Institut
Anton Khalilieh, Palestinian graduate Arava Institute
Liza Shtromberg, Israeli graduate of the Arava Institute
Woodbury Community Center, 130 Sanctuary, Irvine, CA 92620
RSVP: prior to June 9^th to Sunny.Zia@gmail.com or 949.933.0343; space is limited so guest list will be strictly enforced.”

Posted in Analysis, Blogroll, News, Opinion/Editorial | Leave a Comment »

Bibi and Obama, Al Awda 2009, Al Nakba 61 Years on

Posted by uscsjp on May 18, 2009

The following is the tentative program of the Freedom For Palestine 7th Int’l Al-Awda Convention. This program may be subject to change:

“Friday May 22, 2009

6:00 pm – 7:00 pm – Meet and Greet – New friends, old friends and all attendees
Appetizers/Arabic food provided courtesy of Anaheim’s Victory’s Bakery and Restaurant, Alsanabel Restaurant and Bakery, and Sahara Falafel

7:00 pm – 7: 15 pm – Convention Opening and Welcome

7:20 pm – 8:20 pm – Solidarity organizational reps: Richard Becker, John Parker, Michael Prysner, Todd Chretien

8:20 pm – 9:05 pm – Special guest solidarity voices: Cindy Sheehan, Fernando Suarez Del Solar and Marta Rodriguez

9:15 pm – 10:45 pm – ‘Salt of This Sea” – Fu’l-feature film by Annemarie Jacir starring Suheir Hammad and Saleh Bakri

10:45 pm – 11:00 pm – Closing

Saturday May 23, 2009

8:00 am – 10:00 am Embassy Suites Breakfast Cart (items available for purchase outside main hall)

9:00 am – 9:10 am – Introductory Welcome

9:10 am to 9:25 am – Palestinian Refugees – Background and Current Status, plus Al-Awda Refugee Support programs – by Dr. Jess Ghannam

9: 30 am – 10:10 am – ‘Present Absentees In Galilee Clinging to their Land – a Testimony’ – Dr. Hatim Kanaaneh, Galilee Society and Ittijah founder and author of ‘A Doctor in Galilee’

10:20 am – 10:30 am – Palestinian Refugees in Iraq – Alan Santistevan

10:35 – 11:10 pm – Boycotts Divestment and Sanctions with Lubna Hamad (Adalah New York)

11:20 am – 12:00 pm – Academic Freedom with Professor William Robinson, UCSB Sociology Professor

12:10 pm – 12:50 pm – Recent Media Coverage of Palestine – Al Jazeera correspondent Khaled Dawoud

1:00 pm – 2:40 pm Lunch with Keynote address “ The Palestinian Struggle in the Aftermath of the Gaza Attack” by Dr. Jamal Nassar, Dean of the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences at CSUSB; “The Daily Struggle in Jerusalem” by Yacoub Odeh, former political prisoner, human rights worker, and national coordinator for the Palestinian Popular Committees against Zionist house demolitions.

2:45 pm – 4:05 pm – Forum: Palestinian Political Affairs and Structures with Ghassan Elias, Dr. Masad Arbid and Muna Coobtee

4:15 pm – 5:30 pm – Viva Palestina US Forum with George Galloway MP, Ron Kovic and Kevin Ovenden

7:30 pm – midnight – Banquet with Former US Attorney General Ramsey Clark ‘War Crimes in Gaza’ – and ‘Growing our Global Movement – Freedom For Palestine’ with George Galloway; Fundraising and National Dabke Contest…”

–Al Awda Palestinian Right to Return Coalition

http://www.al-awda.org/convention7/program.html

Netanyahu in the US: See The Following Commentary From Jeff Warner, LA Jews for Peace

“Commentary on Monday’s Obama – Netanyahu meeting

In my view, there are two key issues, both indicating good news:

This suggests to me that there was serious disagreement in the meeting, which in turn suggests that Obama did not cave-in to Netanyahu.

In the post-meeting press conference, Obama said that resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict will help diplomatic negotiations with Iran, and Netanyahu said Iran diplomacy and I-P peace should be pursued in parallel.

Obama did not give a timetable for diplomacy to end Iran’s nuclear program, although he did say the diplomacy will be evaluated at the end of the year.

On the bad news side:

Netanyahu called for Palestinian self-government and for peace talks to resume promptly, but not a Palestinian state.

We will learn more about what actually happened over the next weeks from leaks to the press and as we watch how the parties act. Look to this service for links to key articles.

Link to video of press conference

http://www.cspan.org/Watch/Media/2009/05/18/HP/R/18680/Pres+Obama+Israeli+PM+Netanyahu+Meet+on+Peace+Plan.aspx“

–Jeff Warner, LA Jews for Peace Email, 18 May, 2009
http://www.lajewsforpeace.org/

Also, from The Electronic Intifada

EU OBLIGATED TO PROSECUTE WAR CRIME SUSPECTS

By Daniel Machover and Adri Nieuwhof, The Electronic Intifada, 14 May 2009

Fair criminal trials in EU member states, especially if
they result in convictions, could provide genuine
deterrence and begin to provide justice for Palestinian
victims of Israeli actions. The EU has a massive role in
that regard. Instead of paying lip service to injustices
inflicted upon the Palestinian people by issuing
statements “deploring the loss of life” and promises to
“follow closely investigations into alleged violations of
international humanitarian law,” EU countries would
achieve much more by applying the rule of law to Israel,
starting with making their laws match their obligations
under the 1949 Geneva Conventions. Daniel Machover and
Adri Nieuwhof comment for The Electronic Intifada.

http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article10525.shtml

PALESTINIAN REFUGEE FAMILY DEMANDS TO RETURN HOME

By Rami Almeghari, Live from Palestine, 18 May 2009

“Only if we return to our homeland, can there be peace.
But as long as [Israel] keeps us refugees, we have no
choice to resist them now and for generations to come,
until we are back in Beir al-Saba,” said 75-year-old
Suleiman Abu Jazzar in his home in the Brazil refugee camp
in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip. Rami Almeghari reports for
The Electronic Intifada.

http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article10536.shtml

UN WATCHDOG DEMANDS ACCESS TO ISRAEL’S SECRET PRISONS
By Jonathan Cook, The Electronic Intifada, 18 May 2009

The United Nation’s watchdog on torture has criticized
Israel for refusing to allow inspections at a secret
prison, dubbed by critics as “Israel’s Guantanamo Bay,”
and demanded to know if more such clandestine detention
camps are operating. In a report published on Friday, the
Committee Against Torture requested that Israel identify
the location of the camp, officially referred to as
“Facility 1391,” and allow access to the International
Committee of the Red Cross. Jonathan Cook reports.

http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article10534.shtml

ISRAEL TREATS WEST BANK AS ITS GARBAGE DUMP
By Mel Frykberg, The Electronic Intifada, 18 May 2009

RAMALLAH, occupied West Bank (IPS) – Israel has found a
cheap and easy way to get rid of its waste, much of it
hazardous: dump it into the West Bank. “Israel has been
dumping waste, including hazardous and toxic waste, into
the West Bank for years as a cheaper and easier
alternative to processing it properly in Israel at
appropriate hazardous waste management sites,” Palestinian
Environmental Authority deputy director Jamil Mtoor told
IPS.

http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article10532.shtml

POPE TAKES ARMOR-PLATED ROUTE INTO NAZARETH
By Jonathan Cook, The Electronic Intifada, 17 May 2009

Pope Benedict XVI urged the Christian and Muslim
communities of Nazareth, the largest Palestinian city in
Israel, to “reject the destructive power of hatred and
prejudice” as he addressed 40,000 followers on 14 May at
his final public Mass in the Holy Land. His message of
peace and reconciliation for Nazareth, renowned as the
town where Jesus grew up, was delivered amid a heavy
Israeli security operation that angered many residents.

http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article10531.shtml

And Finally, See the US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation’s 2009 Remember Al Nakba Page:

http://www.endtheoccupation.org/article.php?list=type&type=278

Posted in Activism/Divestment, Analysis, Blogroll | 2 Comments »

Al Jazeera: UN pressures Israel on peace policy

Posted by uscsjp on May 11, 2009

“Ban Ki-moon, the UN secretary-general, has urged Israel to ‘fundamentally change’ its policies towards settlements and commit to a two-state solution to the Middle East conflict.

Ban told a ministerial level meeting of the Security Council that Palestinians faced ‘unacceptable unilateral actions’ by Israel, such as settlement activity, violence, house demolitions and restriction of movement.

‘Action on the ground, together with a genuine readiness to negotiate on all core issues, including Jerusalem, borders and refugees, based on Israel’s existing commitments, will be the true tests of Israel’s commitment to the two-state solution,’ he said on Monday.

Ban also said Palestinian rocket attacks on Israel must end and that the Palestinian Authority must develop an effective security structure and state institutions.

In a statement issued by the council following the meeting, all 15 members said that ‘vigorous diplomatic action’ was needed to achieve peace and a two-state solution.

It also urged the Quartet of Middle East negotiators – the UN, the US, Russia and the European Union, to continue such efforts…”

Al Jazeera, 11 May, 2009
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/americas/2009/05/200951117413869218.html

Also, from Democracy Now!

“Israel Has Secret Plan to Thwart Division of Jerusalem

The Israeli government and settler organizations are secretly working to surround East Jerusalem with nine national parks, pathways and sites, drastically altering the geography of the city and to strengthen Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Israel captured East Jerusalem in 1967 and later annexed it, a move not recognized by the international community. The Guardian newspaper reports, under an eight-year plan, a series of nine national parks, trails and tourist sites based on apparent Jewish historical spots would be established, most under the control of settler groups working together with the Israeli government. The sites would also create a link to Jewish settlements in East Jerusalem and the West Bank. Both Israelis and Palestinians claim Jerusalem as their capital. The Israeli organization Peace Now says the secret plan for East Jerusalem might prevent the ability to reach a two-state solution.

Obama Renews Sanctions Against Syria

In other news from the Middle East, President Obama has renewed economic and diplomatic sanctions against Syria. The sanctions were first put in place by President Bush four years ago…”

Democracy Now!, 11 May, 2009
http://www.democracynow.org/2009/5/11/headlines#1

Israeli anniversary

“’SC Students for Israel’s event, Israel Palooza, which celebrated Israel’s 61st anniversary of its independence was met with opposition Wednesday afternoon, as demonstrators from Students for Justice in Palestine gathered to protest…”

–Daily Trojan, 30 April, 2009
http://www.dailytrojan.com/news/israeli-anniversary-1.1740243

Also:

http://www.dailytrojan.com/news/boxed-in-1.1720099
http://www.dailytrojan.com/news/pro-palestinian-students-present-demands-to-usc-1.1596893
http://www.dailytrojan.com/news/student-groups-meet-to-discuss-u-s-policy-with-israel-1.1648453