End the Occupation

Occupation End Notes | December 27, 2007
Volume 5 Number 11

In this issue..

1. US Campaign Update: Get Your Free Copy of the DVD "The World Says NO! to Israeli Occupation!"; While Supplies Last, Get Your Palestinian Fair Trade Olive Oil; Apply for a Spring Internship with the US Campaign

2. Member Group Update: AUPHR Calendars for 2008

3. Resources & Events: Guardian Article on the AnnapolisSummit and the Siege on Gaza by Nadia Hijab and Victoria Brittain; Call to Action against Carmel Agrexco; Alternative Caroling Protest, Encore Performance in NYC, December 29

4. Opportunities to Visit Israel and Palestine: Interfaith Peace-Builders; Global Exchange; Middle East Children's Alliance; Christian Peacemaker Teams

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1. US CAMPAIGN UPDATE:

* Get Your Free Copy of the DVD "The World Says NO! to Israeli Occupation!"

Read our year-end newsletter to find out how to get your free copy of an inspiring 20-minute documentary of our June 10 protest against 40 years of Israel's military occupation of the Palestinian West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip.  Click here to read more.

* While Supplies Last, Get Your Palestinian Fair Trade Olive Oil

Enjoy Palestinian fair trade olive oil this holiday season. Help Palestinian farmers in the West Bank to non-violently resist Israeli military occupation by purchasing certified fair trade, organic olive oil. Purchase yours today for the New Year to give to family and friends. Or order a whole case at a discount and have your group sell it in your community. To order, click here. (Sorry, we can only ship to the 48 contiguous states.)Please allow 2-3 weeks for delivery.

The US Campaign is now selling four one-liter tins for the low price of just $80+$10 shipping and handling. Or order a whole case (twelve one-liter tins) and save even more.The price of a whole case is $200 with free shipping and handling. 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 US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation!

ABOUT THE US CAMPAIGN:  The US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation is a six year-old coalition of more than 250 member organizations.  The US Campaign is working to change U.S. policy toward Israel/Palestine to support peace, justice, human rights, and international law rather than military occupation.

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 Washington, DC office.

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 Israel's human rights abuses of Palestinians

ØOngoing legislative and policy work on Capitol Hill

All interns also will be responsible for a reasonable amount of administrative work, including database entry, filing, letter-writing, etc.

The ideal candidates for the position:

§       Will have experience with social justice movements and grassroots activism

§       Will have knowledge of U.S. foreign policy toward the Middle East in general and toward Palestine/Israel in particular

§       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

Interns are an integral part of the US Campaign—these positions offer substantive work experiences and hands-on opportunities for professional and personal development.  The US Campaign is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to a diversified workplace.** 

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 January 8, 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 US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to a diversified workplace.  Women, LGBTQ and people of color are strongly encouraged to apply.

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2. MEMBER GROUP UPDATE:

* Americans United for Palestinian Human Rights 2008 Calendar

AUPHR would like to inform member organizations that their new "Nakba 60" 2008 calendar is available for purchase.  The Nakba 60 calendar celebrates Palestinian cultural and natural heritage by combining images of ancient Palestinian olive trees with lines of poetry of some of Palestine's most well-known and most promising poets.  The calendars present a "teachable" moment for people who gift the calendars to friends, family, and coworkers because the calendar also contains an introduction about Palestinian dispossession and displacement along with a map and listing of all the Palestinian villages destroyed and depopulated between 1947 and 1949.  The calendar opens with the words of Mahmud Darwish:  "If the olive knew the hands that planted it, its oil would turn to tears."

Click here to read more about the calendar and make a purchase.

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3. RESOURCES AND EVENTS

* Struggle for equality by Nadia Hijab and Victoria Brittain

December 17, 2007 11:30 AM

In recent months a small group of Palestinian and Israeli academics, mainly in the diaspora, have prepared an intellectual bombshell to challenge the Palestinian leadership on the almost 40-year basic premise of an independent Palestinian state alongside the state of Israel. The division over the question of one state or two states is now as dramatic as the Hamas-Fatah fighting of the last year, which split the armed resistance.

On November 29, 2007 - the 60th anniversary of the UN plan to partition Palestine into an Arab and a Jewish state - the group issued a one state declaration <http://www.counterpunch.org/onestate.html> and are seeking co-signatories. It was a direct challenge to the Annapolis meeting three days earlier when almost the entire international community, including the Arab world, lined up - again - with the US, Israel and the Palestinian national authority behind the goal of two states (and excluding the elected political movement, Hamas).

But is that goal now an anachronism? How many of the officials from the many nations herded to Annapolis by the US have actually visited the West Bank recently - let alone penetrated the terrible siege around Gaza?

Click here to read more.

* Call to Action against Carmel Agrexco:This Valentines Day Show Them You Care!

The campaign against Carmel Agrexco, Israel's largest exporter of stolen fruit, vegetables and flowers from the West bank of Occupied Palestine will step up a gear in the days leading up to Valentines day, 14 February 2008. This is the busiest time of year for this company. Previous actions have included blockades, occupations and demonstrations.

Imported flowers have a limited shelf life and supermarkets demand fast and reliable suppliers. The longer we can keep these goods off supermarket shelves increases the chances of this company having to close down their operations.

This year saw a weekend of action at the company's UK headquarters in Hayes, Middlesex, with over 100 protestors from the BIG campaign, PSC and Jews for Boycotting Israeli Goods picketing the warehouse and causing deliveries to be rescheduled. The next day thirteen Palestine solidarity protesters shut down the depot by chaining themselves to the gates, preventing access to the premises for several hours.

In the UK Agrexco is known under the Carmel, Coral and Jaffa brands. The UK is the most important foreign market for Israeli fresh produce. Agrexco exports a wide range of produce to the UK including peppers, tomatoes, strawberries, herbs, spices, flowers and avocados

We are calling for decentralized international actions. Wherever you are, if there is a supplier of Carmel Agrexco's products near you, please form an affinity group and take action.he Palestinian people are experiencing their fortieth year of military occupation. The siege by the Israeli army an economic blockade has devastated their daily lives so that 'normal' life is impossible. 180 Palestinian organizations and unions, in response to Israeli onslaught, have called for a campaign of Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions against Apartheid Israel.

If you live outside the UK please contact Agrexco locally:

U.S.A New York
Tel: 1-718-481-8700 Fax: 1-718-481-8710

* Alternative Caroling Protest, Encore Performance in NYC, December 29

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4. OPPORTUNITIES TO VISIT ISRAEL AND PALESTINE

*Interfaith Peace-BuildersDelegations to Israel/Palestine

Interfaith Peace-Builders (IFPB) sends delegations to Israel and Palestine so that US citizens can see the conflict with their own eyes. Participants have the opportunity to learn directly from Israeli and Palestinian nonviolent peace/human-rights activists, to spend time in Palestinian and Israeli homes, and to experience the situation of Palestinians living under military occupation. For more information, contact the IFPB office directly by phone (202-244-0821) or email office@ifpbdel.org.

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 2^nd - 12^th: 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
December 02, 2007 - December 12, 2007
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 Israel, and the lives of children.

The group of eight to twelve people will stay at the guesthouse of MECA's long-time partner IbdaaCulturalCenter in Dheisheh Refugee Camp, near Bethlehem. Ibdaa is a lively place in the heart of the community with great food and comfortable accommodations.

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 Jerusalem and Bethlehem to gain perspective on the conflict.They will tour the "security wall" separating Israel from the West Bank.Then they will travel to the tensely divided city of Hebron, where CPT has been based since June 1995, and to the village of At-Tuwani in the South Hebron Hills, where CPT has had a team since 2004. They will visit Palestinian families whose homes and livelihoods are threatened by expanding Israeli settlements.They will experience firsthand CPT's work of violence deterrence and human rights documentation and challenge the structural violence of the Occupation through nonviolent public witness.Delegates raise $2100 US ($2500 Cdn) to cover costs.

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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.