Occupation End Notes | February 7, 2008
Volume 5 Number 14
Occupation End Notes, February 7, 2008
Volume 5 Number 14
In this issue...
1. US Campaign Update: Come
out to support Israeli Apartheid Week 2008 in your cities; US Campaign
Launches Expressions of Nakba Competition; US Campaign's February Book
Club Selection; While Supplies Last, Get Your Palestinian Fair Trade
Olive Oil; Apply for a Spring Internship with the US Campaign
2. Legislative Update: Thank YOU for sending over 2,200 Thank You's to Each Representative thanking them for Demanding End against Gaza Blockade
3. Boycott & Divestment News: United Methodists Explore Divestment Proposals;
4. Resources & Events: Reclaiming Equality and the Possibility of Political Action, with Todd May; Anna Baltzer presents: Life in Occupied Palestine: Eyewitness Stories & Photos; Boston Palestine Film Festival (BPFF) now accepting entries for its 2nd annual festival
5. Opportunities to Visit Israel and Palestine: Interfaith Peace-Builders; Global Exchange; Middle East Children's Alliance; Christian Peacemaker Teams; NEW Delegations from Middle East Fellowship
1. US CAMPAIGN UPDATE:
* Israeli Apartheid Week February 3-10, 2008:
The US Campaign has endorsed Israeli Apartheid Week, February 3-10, 2008. In the
To find out more and how to get involved, click here.
* US Campaign Launches Expressions of Nakba Competition:
The
year 2008 marks the 60th anniversary of the Nakba ("the catastrophe"):
the expulsion and dispossession of hundreds of thousands of
Palestinians from their homes and land in 1948.
The
US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation is soliciting entries for a
commemoration of the Nakba through personal expressions in the form of
visual arts, essays, poetry, music, video, and digital media.
Learn more about the competition and how you can participate by clicking here!
* US Campaign's February Book of the Month Club Selection: The War on Lebanon: A Reader
|
|
Our book selection for February is "The War on
|
You can order this book today from the US Campaign for $20 (plus $3 shipping and handling) by clicking here.
|
Enjoy Palestinian fair trade olive oil. Help Palestinian farmers in the |
|
|
Order your olive oil today by clicking here or call 202-332-0994 to place your order by credit card. |
* Apply for a Spring Internship with the
ABOUT THE
ABOUT THE INTERNSHIP:
The US Campaign is currently looking to fill two intern positions for
the spring 2008 semester. Interns will be expected to work 10-15 hours
per week under supervision of the US Campaign staff in its
Interns will be expected to help implement the US Campaign's main programmatic priorities in 2008, including:
ØA high-profile "anti-apartheid" speaking and organizing tour
ØEducational resources and days of action to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Nakba (Palestinian dispossession)
ØCorporate accountability campaigns against Motorola and Caterpillar for profiting from
ØOngoing legislative and policy work on Capitol Hill
The ideal candidates for the position:
§ Will have experience with social justice movements and grassroots activism
§ Will have knowledge of
§ Will have strong interpersonal and writing skills
§ Will be self-started and motivated individuals
§ Will be able to juggle multiple projects at the same time
§ Will have working ability to use Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, and other Microsoft Applications
Please
note that this is an unpaid internship. The US Campaign is able to
work with colleges and universities so that interns can credit for the
internship.
TO APPLY: Please send a resume and a one-page statement outlining:
a) Your goals and motivations for working with the US Campaign
b) What makes you an ideal candidate for the spring intern position?
Send your resume and statement to office@endtheoccupation.org
no later than February 21, 2008. The US Campaign will respond to your
application within one week after the deadline. For questions, please
call Omar Masri at 202-332-0994.
**The
2. LEGISLATIVE UPDATE:
Thank YOU for sending over 2,200 Thank You's to Each Representative thanking them for Demanding End against Gaza Blockade!
Last week, thousands of people responded to calls to end
Your solidarity with the people of
In
a sharply-worded letter initiated by Rep. Dennis Kucinich and sent to
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on January 23, eleven Members of
Congress called on the
Click here to read more about how you can thank the representatives!
3. BOYCOTT & DIVESTMENT NEWS:
* United Methodists explore divestment proposals
By Linda Bloom
Jan. 29, 2008 |
Would divestment from companies connected to the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land help bring about change in the
Four United Methodist speakers explored that question during a Jan. 25
panel discussion on "Divestment, the Middle East and
|
|
General
Conference, which meets every four years, is the denomination's top
legislative body. The 2008 assembly will be April 23-May 2 in
The Rev. Steve Sprecher, a director of the United Methodist Board of
Church and Society, called divestment "a time-honored policy" within
The United Methodist Church.
Sprecher was part of the committee of the Board of Church and Society
that led the social action agency to send a petition to General
Conference recommending divestment from Caterpillar Inc., the heavy
equipment manufacturer based in
Click here to read more.
*
By Nathan Guttman
The Jewish Daily Forward
January 30, 2008
Tensions
are re-emerging between Jewish organizations and some mainline
Protestant churches in the wake of a renewed drive for churches to
divest from companies doing business with
The
divestment campaign, thought by many in the Jewish community to be
dormant, is still active among mainline Protestant churches and is
re-emerging as a main issue on the agenda of Jewish groups. Attempts to
block the divestment drive, which began four years ago, have proved
only partially successful. Interreligious dialogue efforts and public
pressure managed to mute some church-wide calls for divestment, but
other initiatives are still gaining support.
The Methodist meeting, held on January 25 in
Click here to read more from this article.
Click here to read more about Divestment work within the
Saturday, Feb. 9th ~ 7:30pm
New Community Church, 614 S St. NW Washington, DC
(directly across from the Howard Univ. exit of the Shaw/Howard Metro)
It's been a real trial getting this set up, but the Institute for Anarchist Studies and the National Conference on Organized Resistance are (indeed!) celebrating a second year of collaboration on our Radical Theory Track; as a teaser, we're hosting Todd May
at the New Community Church in Shaw, this Saturday at 7:30pm. Bring
your friends, lovers, family, fellow workers to support the work of the
IAS and NCOR, and get your learn on while you're at it.
How might we think about politics and political action in this period
of political despair? One way is to consider political action--at least
democratic political action--as collective action out of the
presupposition of equality. We'll discuss what this means, how it
works, and where we find it in our world.
For those unfamiliar, Todd is probably best known (in our circles) for
his text The Political Philosophy of Poststructuralist Anarchism, but
is also widely known for works on the philosophy of Michel Foucault,
Gilles Deleuze, and more recently Jaques Ranciere. This weekend's
discussion will be focused on what Ranciere offers in the way of
reclaiming equality from the liberal tradition; in favor of a more
radical application in collective political action, and what that might
look like on the ground, in ongoing social movements.
Email: joshua@anarchiststudies.org for more info.
* Anna Baltzer presents: Life in Occupied
Anna Baltzer, a Jewish American Columbia graduate, Fulbright scholar, author, and acclaimed presenter, is touring the
The purpose of the tour is to provide critical information and documentation that can be difficult to obtain through mainstream
For more information about Baltzer's book, DVD, and tour details, visit www.AnnaInTheMiddleEast.com
* The
BPFF
seeks to present the extraordinary narrative of a dispossessed people
living in exile or under Israeli occupation. Palestinian cinema
represents a powerful means for visually interpreting the collective
identity, historic struggle and emotional expression of Palestinians
today.
The
festival will showcase the diverse and creative work of all filmmakers
(any nationality) exploring both historic and contemporary themes
related to Palestinian culture, experience, and narrative.
BPFF accepts films, videos and digital media in the following categories:
ØFeature Films
ØDocumentaries
ØShorts (including animated or experimental works)
ØYouth Work (created by filmmakers under the age of 18)
This
year the festival particularly encourages submissions related to the
Palestinian refugee issue and themes of exile, to commemorate the 60th
anniversary of the Nakba in 2008.
The
early submission deadline is February 15, 2008, with an extended
submission deadline of March 20, 2008. There is no entry fee for
International Submissions or Youth Work.
Festival Website: http://www.bostonpalestinefilmfest.org
BPFF Submission Form: http://bostonpalestinefilmfest.org/cfe2008/BPFF-CFE2008.pdf
Please direct all questions to: submissions@bostonpalestinefilmfest.org
3. OPPORTUNITIES TO VISIT
*Interfaith Peace-BuildersDelegations to Israel/Palestine
Interfaith Peace-Builders (IFPB) sends delegations to
Upcoming Delegations in 2008:
March 29 - April 12
May 24 - June 7
July 26 - August 9
November 8 - November 22
Apply Today: http://www.ifpbdel.org/upcoming.html
* Fall 2007 Schedule: December 2nd - 12th: Global Exchange's Delegations to Palestine & Israel
As
the Israeli military continues to place Palestinian towns, villages and
refugee camps under siege, Palestinians continue to resist the 40 year
Occupation of their land. GX's delegations to Palestine/Israel strive
to further the US public's understanding of the region's history and
realities by giving participants first-hand exposure to the aspirations
and frustrations of Palestinians living under Occupation, the
dimensions of the human rights crisis under Israeli rule, as well as
the perspectives of Palestinians and Israelis who are working for a
just peace and end to the occupation.
For additional information, review our Palestine resources.
For a selection of recent news items compiled by Global Exchange, review our Palestine News Updates.
Prospects for Peace with Justice
April 05, 2008 - April 15, 2008
December 06, 2008 - December 16, 2008
For more information you can contact Global Exchange (800-497-1994 x. 251) or email palestine@globalexchange.org.
* July 1-12, 2008: Middle East Children's Alliance Delegation to Palestine/Israel
On
MECA's twelve-day delegation you will be taken on a geographic,
political, historical and cultural tour of Palestine/Israel by two MECA
staff people, and Yacoub Odeh, refugee, former political prisoner, and
human rights worker. We will travel by van to witness the impact of the
Israeli occupation and visit organizations working for justice and
equality. You will learn about refugees, land confiscation, political
prisoners, women's initiatives, mental and physical health issues,
civil rights in
The group of eight to twelve people will stay at the guesthouse of MECA's long-time partner
Cost: $1,800 not including airfare.
More info: www.mecaforpeace.org/delegation
Contact: Deborah Agre at 510-548-0542 or Deborah@mecaforpeace.org
* NEW Christian Peacemaker Teams Delegations to PALESTINE/ISRAEL:
Upcoming 2008 Delegations:
March 4-17
May 27-June 9
July 22-August 4
October 14-27
November 19-December 2
During
the first several days, delegates will meet with representatives of
Israeli and Palestinian peace and human rights groups in
For more information or to apply, contact CPT, (
* NEW
DISCOVERY DELEGATIONS IN 2008:
June 2-12, 2008: open delegation to the
[Other options available throughout 2008, including Northwest Churches tripOctober 3-18]
Meet
the indigenous churches of the Holy Land, tour all the key sights in
Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Hebron, Jericho, Nazareth, Jaffa, etc; enjoy home
stays with local families in Bethlehem; learn from Palestinian and
Israel peace, justice and nonviolence practioners; and much much more!Cost: $1800 plus airfare.
Now
entering its 5th year, PSE offers three sequential 1-month sessions
that can be combined for one, two or three month stays. Session One:
May 22-June 19; Session Two: June 19-July 17; Session Three: July
17-August 14.PSE includes Home Stays, Arabic
Study, volunteer Service-Learning and meeting with a wide variety of
Palestinian and Israeli nonviolence, peace-with-justice and
reconciliation groups.
PSE WESBSITE: www.palestinesummer.org
Occupation
End Notes is the US Campaign bi-monthly newsletter, designed as a tool
for activists. For this newsletter to be successful, we need your
participation. Use us to promote events, give feedback on recent
actions, recommend resources, or just learn from other activists in the
movement. If you or your organization are planning an event aimed at
ending the occupation, or you have information for the Newsletter,
please contact the US Campaign at office@endtheoccupation.org.