In this issue...

1. US Campaign Update: Report-Back on September 24-26 Mass Mobilization in Washington, DC; California Grassroots Organizing Tour

2. Resources and Education: Join ISM’s New Listserv; Somerville Divestment Project Needs Your Help!

3. Events: Conference: Wheels of Justice Tour; October Sabeel Conferences; Jerusalem Women Speak Tour; Refuser Solidarity Network Tour; Pittsburgh Palestine Solidarity Committee Film Series; A Call for Morally Responsible Investment Conference

1. US Campaign Update

* An estimated 200,000 to 300,000 protestors converged on Washington, DC over the weekend of September 24-26, 2005 to demand an end to the war in Iraq.The US Campaign was represented well with Steering Committee member Mohammed Abed representing the Palestinian struggle from the main rally stage.  Additionally, staff member Kymberlie Quong Charles MC-ed the evening portion of Operation Ceasefire: A Concert to Stop the War in Iraq and Josh Ruebner delivered a financial pitch and that was so good that he ended up on Jon Stewart’s “The Daily Show”!  To view the clip, click hereand go to the video called “March of the Peaceniks.”To read a report of the weekend, including Mohammed Abed’s speech click here

*From October 1 -9 the US Campaign’s Grassroots Advocacy Coordinator, Josh Ruebner, will be conducting an organizing/speaking tour throughout California.Only a few days remain to catch Josh on tour.See below for details:

Saturday, October 8
Community Strategizing/Organizing Meeting in Los Angeles
Special Hip-Hop Appearance by RagtOp of the Philistines

WHERE: Los Angeles Peace Center, 8124 W. Third St., #201
WHEN: 1:00PM-4:30 PM

Meet with the US Campaign to strategize and organize in the Los Angeles area.Don’t miss the special appearance by RagtOp of the Palestinian hip-hop sensation the Philistines.

Sunday, October 9
Movie Screening and Discussion in Long Beach

WHERE: 1^st Congregational Church, 462 Cedar Ave. at Third, Long Beach
WHEN: 3:00PM

See a screening of the second half of “Tragedy in the Holy Land: The Second Uprising” and stay for a discussion with the US Campaign and learn how to get involved.

2. Resources and Education

*The International Solidarity Movement’s (ISM) listserv was recently erased by an unauthorized person.ISM needs help re-subscribing its users and finding new subscribers.If you would like to (re)join ISM’s listserv send an email topalsolidarity-subscribe@googlegroups.com

*The Somerville Divestment Project needs your help!The Somerville Divestment Project is a Somerville, Massachusetts based organization that is attempting to get a petition on the local ballot to have the City of Somerville's retirement board divest from its Israeli bond holdings and any war manufacturing company that profits from Israel's occupation of Palestine.The petition will be on the ballot, and in the two months leading up to the election the Divestment Project will need the help of hundreds of volunteers in order for the campaign to be a success.The folks in Somerville can help to provide lodging, food, and transportation to and from the Boston bus and train stations.If you would like to learn more or to volunteer please contact the Somerville Divestment Project at 1-800-571-6175 or email at info@divestmentproject.org

3.  Events

*Ongoing

Members of Voices in the Wilderness, the Palestine Right to Return Coalition, the Middle East Children's Alliance, and affiliates of the International Solidarity Movement take to the road in a colorfully decorated full-size school bus for nonviolent education and action against war and occupation in Iraq and Palestine and for justice and universal human rights.  For more information and to view the Wheels of Justice itinerary click here

*October: Chicago, IL; Cedar Rapids, IA; Denver, CO; Toronto, Canada

Friends of Sabeel- North America will be presenting a series of conferences during the month of October in various cities around the United States and Canada.For more information and to find a conference in your area click here

*October 14-29: Iowa, Texas, Colorado, Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Washington, DC

Partners for Peace presents the elevenths "Jerusalem Women Speak: Three Women, Three Faiths, One Shared Vision" tour.The tours were designed from the very beginning to bring the voices of women from the Jerusalem area and from the two national communities and three religious groups directly to Americans in their own home towns.For more information about the tour participants and the itinerary click here

*October 17-November 8: Various Locations

The Refuser Solidarity Network (RSN) will be hosting a US tour of Diana Dolev, a member of the Israeli organization New Profile, Movement for the Civilization of Israeli Society.Diana’s talks will introduce U.S. audiences to the feminist, anti-militarist work of New Profile in Israel/Palestine, highlighting crucial links between U.S. militarization and militarization in Israel/Palestine, clarifying connections between Israel's occupation of the West Bank and Gaza (the latter still under Israeli control) and the U.S.-led occupation of Iraq. For more information on Diana and the tour itinerary click here

*October 21-December 2: Pittsburgh

For the first time, Pittsburgh hosts a film series featuring documentaries, shorts and feature films narrating the Palestinian story. Ten works will screen between October 21 and December 2, 2005, coordinated by the Pittsburgh Palestine Solidarity Committee and
the Students for Justice in Palestine.Visit Pittsburgh Palestine Solidarity Committee for complete listing of guest speakers, moderators, film descriptions, maps to film venues, and links to informative websites.Donations of $3.00 will be accepted during all showings.

*October 26-29: Toronto, Canada

4. Opportunities to Visit Israel and Palestine

*October
The Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions is pleased to announce that it will again be working in conjunction with an English company in arranging a study tour to Israel and Palestine that will take place over nine days in October 2005.  Participants will be based in hotels in Jerusalem and Bethlehem and will have unique opportunities to hear analysis from key leaders on both sides of the divide.  Visit people from villages divided by the Wall and others that are under threat. Travel south to Hebron and north to Baca in what is known as the Triangle area in the Galilee. See the Judean Desert and the Mediterranean Sea.  For information email tours@icahduk.org

*October 21-30: Olive Picking – 2005, A program for Civil International Solidarity with Palestinians
This year, the Joint Advocacy Initiative of The East Jerusalem YMCA and the YWCA of Palestine, in coordination with the Alternative Tourism Group and the Environmental Education Center, has planned a program for civil international solidarity with Palestinian people and farmers. The objective of this program is to mobilize as many people as possible for olive picking, especially in areas that are situated in proximity of Israeli settlements, and by-pass roads in order to help Palestinian farmers harvest their olive trees that they might be unable to harvest without international support. We are calling for an international mobilization of activists that support Palestinians and their legitimate rights. This program is designed to break the isolation of Palestinian villages and to bring about an effective help to the Palestinian farmers through international solidarity. For more information contact Rami Bahbah, the Joint Advocacy Initiative of the East Jerusalem YMCA and the YWCA of Palestine campaigns officer via email at: olivetree@jai-pal.org or by phone at (+972) 2 6282593.

*October 29-November 12: Fellowship of Reconciliation’s (FOR) Delegation to Palestine and Israel
FOR’s last delegation of the year will be lead by Allan Solomonow, director of the Middle East Peace Program of the American Friends Service Committee regional office in San Francisco. A Jewish pacifist, he has worked on Middle East issues for many years frequently traveling around the region. The cost of $1,695 includes: 15 days, hotel and home stay accommodations, breakfasts and dinners, local transportation, guides, speaker/event fees, basic tips and gratuities. The cost does not include domestic and international airfares. Scholarships are available for students and low-income activists. . .Inquire today. For information and an application form please contact: FOR Interfaith Peace-Builders, (202) 244-0821, middleeast@forusa.org.

*December 4-14: Global Exchange Israel/Palestine Reality Tour

Global Exchange’s fact-finding delegations to Palestine & Israel strive to further the U.S. public's understanding of the conflict and the region's realities by giving people first-hand exposure to the human rights abuses occurring in the Occupied Territories. Participants have the opportunity to hear a diverse spectrum of Palestinian and Israeli voices and learn about their understanding of the conflict and hopes for a solution.For more information click here or contact Ceanna at 1-800-497-1994 ext. 261.

*December 27-30: Celebrating Nonviolent Resistance Conference, Bethlehem University
Organized by Nonviolence International and hosted by Holy Land Trust, this international conference will give participants the opportunity to meet nonviolence activists from around the world, dialogue about cutting edge nonviolent theory and practice, support Palestinian and other nonviolent movements and more. For more information and to register click here

The US Campaign aims to change US policies that sustain Israel’s 38-year occupation of the Palestinian West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem, and that deny equal rights for all.

To donate to the US Campaign click here