Occupation End Notes | March 20, 2008
Volume 6 Number 2

In this issue of the Occupation End Notes,

1. US Campaign Update: Expressions of Nakba Competition; While Supplies Last, Get Your Palestinian Fair Trade Olive Oil; Intern with the US Campaign

2. Legislative Update: Tax Day Is Coming: Offset Your Tax Dollars to Israel

3. Boycott & Divestment Update: Moving ahead with Our "Hang Up on Motorola" Consumer Boycott Campaign

4. Standing Against Apartheid Update: Come to Israel/Palestine on the US Campaign/IFPB Delegation; Dianna Buttu and Eddie Makue confirmed as speakers for November Speaking Tour

5. Membership Update: Coalition for Justice and Accountability Die-In at Caterpillar; ADC and AAI Deliver Letter to Secretary Rice Regarding American Entry Into Palestinian Territories; AFSC's Badil/Zochrot Speaking Tour; Carolina Peace Resource Center and Friends of Sabeel present "Peace in the Holy Land Justice for Israelis & Palestinians" Conference

6. Resources & Events: Israel and Palestine at 60: Is there a solution? Ghada Karmi's US Tour; Let Me Stand Alone: The Journey of Rachel Corrie Release and Book Tour; Anna Baltzer Presents: Life in Occupied Palestine: Eyewitness Stories & Photos; Boston Palestine Film Festival (BPFF) now accepting entries for its 2nd annual festival

7. Opportunities to Visit Israel and Palestine: New Birthright Unplugged trips; Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions; Interfaith Peace-Builders; Global Exchange; Middle East Children's Alliance; Christian Peacemaker Teams; NEW Delegations from Middle East Fellowship

* 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.

Read More »

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

* Internship Opportunities with the US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation

The US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation is looking for Spring Interns.

For more information, click here.

2. LEGISLATIVE UPDATE:

* Tax Day Is Coming: Offset Your Tax Dollars to Israel

In 2007, the United States gave Israel $2.34 billion in military aid to enforce its illegal military occupation and siege of the Palestinian West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip.  As Tax Day nears, the US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation wants to give you an opportunity to offset the tax dollars you give to Israel.

Read More »

3. BOYCOTT & DIVESTMENT UPDATE:

* "Hang Up on Motorola" Campaign Update

Last week, Motorola responded to the US Campaign allegation of human rights violations and sustaining Israel's illegal military occupation.

Yet, as expected their response was insufficient as it failed to address any of our concerns outlined in our letter to CEO, Greg Brown.

Our friends at the London-based Business and Human Rights Resource Centre highlighted our concerns directly to Motorola here is a link to Motorola's

response:

http://www.business-humanrights.org/Search/SearchResults?SearchableText=motorola&x=0&y=0

Recently, Motorola announced their shareholder meeting will take place in Rosemont, Illinois on May 5th. If your group would like to get involved in activities for this meeting, please contact us at organize@endtheoccupation.org

We are still encouraging groups to send letters to Motorola, click here.

Stay tuned for a campaign update and new webpage to be launched next week.

4. STANDING AGAINST APARTHEID UPDATE:

* Join US Campaign and IFPB in Investing in Peace: Models for Addressing an Ongoing Occupation Delegation!

July 27 - August 10, 2008

Co-sponsored by the US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation

Delegation Leaders: Felicia Eaves and Jacob Pace

Join Interfaith Peace-Builders and the US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation for a unique opportunity to learn about the current situation in Israel/Palestine and the effects of the Israeli occupation.  Your on-the-ground experience will enrich your understanding of the conflict as you meet courageous Israelis and Palestinians working for peace and justice, and witness the current realities of life in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories.  You will return to North America energized and transformed!

World leaders and Civil Society Groups have increasingly termed Israel's domination of the Palestinian territories as a form of Apartheid. In addition to standard programming, this delegation will focus on the structural segregation of Israeli and Palestinian space and the physical separation of the two peoples.

Delegation participants will also explore methods proposed by Israeli, Palestinian and international peacemakers to challenge the Israeli occupation. Meetings will address the ongoing debate surrounding boycott and divestment from companies which support the occupation. Additional meetings will address opportunities for investment in projects which promote peace and cooperation between Israelis and Palestinians.

DEADLINE TO APPLY: Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until June 9, 2008. Apply early to reserve and lock in lower airfares.

Interfaith Peace-Builders and the US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation would like to provide financial support for low-income activists who cannot afford the full cost of the delegation. 

If you cannot attend, please consider making a tax-deductible donation to the costs of a low-income delegate at www.ifpbdel.org/donation (please mark "scholarship fund" in the comment box)

Click Below to Download Applications:
Application as Word file
Application as PDF file

* Dianna Buttu & Eddie Makue Confirmed as Speakers! National Anti-Apartheid Speaker's Tour, Fall 2008

Updates:

The confirmed speakers are Diana Buttu, a Palestinian attorney and activist and Eddie Makue, General Secretary of the South African Council of Churches and long-time anti-apartheid activist.

As the Israeli "matrix of control" tightened its grip on the occupied Palestinian territories, with peoples and land separated by the separation wall barriers, settler-only roads, and tunnels it became impossible to ignore the apartheid nature of Israel's occupation.  

In our efforts to bring attention to Israel's apartheid practices, we are organizing a high-profile speaking tour this November.  The purpose of the speaking and organizing tour is to bring prominent Palestinian and South African figures to various U.S. cities where the US Campaign has a strong membership base and capacity to fundraise and hold events with several hundred in attendance.

We are asking our coalition member groups to apply to have the anti-apartheid organizing and speaking tour come to your city. This is a competitive process and we will select proposals that are developed and have the capacity to substantially reach hundreds of activists, community members and academics.  

The tour is tentatively set for November 9 and will last approximately two weeks.

Go to the link below for more details.

http://www.endtheoccupation.org/form.php?modin=117

The deadline to apply is Monday, June 2, 2008. 

5. MEMBERSHIP UPDATE:

* March 19: Coalition for Justice and Accountability (CJA)'s Die-In at Caterpillar

At about 1 pm on March 19, members of CJA remembered the more than 50 civilians killed by Israel in the past month, including 33 children. This killing is largely funded by U.S. taxes.

As part of the events commemorating the 5^th Anniversary of the Iraq War held in Washington, DC, CJA partook in a non-violent civil disobedience in front of the CAT office on K Street.

At about 12:30 p.m., and again at 1:00 p.m., roughly 20 people fell down on the sidewalk as the names of Gazan civilians who were killed within the last month were read. Each person had the name of a Gazan victim on his or her arm, and the word "Gaza" on the other arm.

Black-clad, masked mourners hovered over them, while other protesters distributed flyers. The action was outside of a Caterpillar office on K Street near 15th, NW. Caterpillar is a construction company, which provides Israel with specially designed military bulldozers that are used to destroy Palestinians homes and to uproot their olive trees. Palestinian civilians and an American, Rachel Corrie, have been killed by Israeli forces operating the bulldozers.

Click here to read more.

* ADC and AAI Deliver Letter to Secretary Rice Regarding American Entry Into Palestinian Territories

Washington, DC | March 17, 2008 | www.adc.org | The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) in coalition with the Arab-American Institute (AAI) and 29 Arab American organizations have sent a letter to US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice expressing continued concern over the treatment of Americans attempting to legally enter the Occupied Palestinian Territories by the Government of Israel. The letter states the signatories' concern regarding the ongoing burdensome bureaucratic requirements, harassment, and humiliation that Americans of Arab (and particularly Palestinian) descent often face when trying to enter Israel or the Occupied Territories. Many Americans of Palestinian descent have deep ties and family connections to the region, ties that are in jeopardy because of these procedures.

Click here to read more!

* AFSC's Badil/Zochrot Speaking Tour: Acknowledging the Past: Imagining the Future:

Israelis and Palestinians on 1948 and the Right of Return

March 27 - April 6, 2008

Speakers: Muhammad Jaradat of BADIL and Eitan Bronstein of Zochrot.

This speaking tour explores Israeli and Palestinian experiences of 1948, the creation of the Palestinian refugee crisis and the role of the right of return in any just solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

It has been organized by the American Friends Service Committee's Middle East Peace building Program. For more information about the Acknowledging the Past, Imagining the Future speaking tour, contact Adam Horowitz at ahorowitz@afsc.org.

Click here to find an event near you!

* Carolina Peace Resource Center and Friends of Sabeel present "Peace in the Holy Land Justice for Israelis & Palestinians" Conference

Sabeel Conference
FRI-SAT APRIL 11-12
Shandon Presbyterian Church
607 Woodrow St., Columbia, South Carolina

Featuring internationally & nationally known academics and activists, including:

Dr.Jeff Halper, Sami Awad, Dr. Don Wagner, Cedar Duaybis, Phyllis Bennis, Dr. Mazin Qumsiyeh, Ellen O'Grady and more!

Cost: $55 for both FRI & SAT, $35 FRI only, $40 SAT only. Scholarships available, all are welcome to attend
Program begins: 1pm, Friday Apr. 11 and 8am, Saturday Apr. 12

For More Information contact: David Matos Phone: 803-215-3263
Email: conference@carolinapeace.orgWeb: www.carolinapeace.org

Registration: Register online at www.fosna.org/conferences_and_trips or register by phone by calling (503) 653-6625

6. RESOURCES AND EVENTS

* Israel and Palestine at 60: Is there a solution? Ghada Karmi's US Tour

Palestinian writer and academic Dr. Ghada Karmi will be visiting the United States in April 2008. Karmi, whose memoir "In Search of Fatima" was internationally praised, is giving a number of public lectures on the theme: ISRAEL AND PALESTINE AT 60: IS THERE A SOLUTION? Her answers to the question go well beyond conventional thinking.

You can hear Ghada Karmi speak on the following dates:

9th April, 4pm: Yale University
9th April, 8pm: Wesleyan University
14th April, 4.30pm: University of Wisconsin
21st April, 12.30pm: Columbia University
23rd April, 7.30pm: Brecht Forum, NYC

Please contact Simon Libesny at Pluto Press, simon@plutobooks.com for more information and if you would like to set up more dates of her tour to Washington, DC, New York, and Boston!

* Let Me Stand Alone: The Journey of Rachel Corrie Release and Book Tour

Contact: Joshua Walsh
communications@wrmea.com

Rachel Corrie was killed on March 16, 2003 while defending Palestinian homes from an Israeli Defense Force bulldozer in the Gaza Strip. This month marks the fifth anniversary of her death and another chapter in her story with the release of Let Me Stand Alone: The Journals of Rachel Corrie.

Let Me Stand Alone spans her earliest writings at age 10 to the final email to her father four days before her death at age 23. In these 13 years we see her come to terms with what she wanted life to be as she wrote down her thoughts in letters, journals, and even on old napkins. Rachel poignantly and poetically examines the failings and successes of humanity that affect us all, while never losing the hope for a peaceful tomorrow that came to be her legacy. As she wrote, "We have got to understand that they dream our dreams and we dream theirs."

Rachel's parents, Craig and Cindy Corrie, are conducting a book tour to accompany the release of Let Me Stand Alone. They will visit seven cities across the country with book readings and signings, complete with question and answer sessions.

Tour Schedule

* Anna Baltzer Presents: Life in Occupied Palestine: Eyewitness Stories & Photos

Anna Baltzer, a Jewish American Columbia graduate, Fulbright scholar, author, and acclaimed presenter, is touring the United States with a presentation and book describing her experiences documenting human rights abuses and supporting Palestinian-led nonviolent resistance to the Israeli Occupation with the International Women's Peace Service.

The purpose of the tour is to provide critical information and documentation that can be difficult to obtain through mainstream US media sources, and to encourage taking action on the issue. The presentation and book offer a thoughtful perspective from the granddaughter of Holocaust refugees. Baltzer sees it as her responsibility to "expose the injustices of today in light of those of the past."

Indiana:Apr 6-12
Chicago or North Carolina (TBA):Mid-April
Yuma, AZ:Apr 30
Southern California:May 1-17
Columbus, OH:Late May

Baltzer will also be selling and signing copies of her newly updated book, Witness in Palestine: A Jewish American Woman in the Occupied Territories.

For more information about Baltzer's book, DVD, and tour details, visit www.AnnaInTheMiddleEast.com

* The Boston Palestine Film Festival (BPFF) is now accepting entries for its 2nd annual festival to be held in October 2008

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.pdfPlease direct all questions to: submissions@bostonpalestinefilmfest.org

7. OPPORTUNITIES TO VISIT ISRAEL AND PALESTINE

* Two Exciting Birthright Unplugged Trips

June 2 - 7, 2008: Birthright Unplugged trip:

Join us for a 6-day trip through the West Bank to visit Palestinian cities, villages, and refugee camps.  The trip is designed to put you in conversation with people who you may not otherwise have the opportunity to meet and equip you to return to your community and work for justice.

Application deadline: APRIL 4, 2008

Cost: Sliding scale $350-$500 covers all food, lodging, and transportation for the 6-day trip. It does not include airfare.

While most Birthright Unplugged participants are Jewish people from North America, we welcome people of all backgrounds on our trips.  We also welcome individuals of all ages, and have traveled with people ages 9-70. 

June 23 - July 3, 2008: Birthright Unplugged trip plus Boycott/Divestment/Sanctions against Israel and Investment in Palestine Institute:

Birthright Unplugged announces its first Boycott/Divestment/Sanction (BDS) + Investment Institute!

Application deadline: April 4, 2008

Travel component (June 23-28):

In six days, we will visit Palestinian cities, villages and refugee camps in the West Bank and spend time with internally displaced Palestinian people living inside Israel.  Throughout the journey, we will help participants develop an understanding of daily life under occupation and the history of the region from people profoundly affected by and under-represented in Western discourses about the occupation. 

Institute (June 30-July 3):

The following week, we will have a series of workshops, presentations, and meetings designed to support organizers and activists to be better able to apply their knowledge to campaign work.  We will invite colleagues who are activists in the movement and experts in campaign planning, and we also expect participants to take an active role in preparing presentations and conducting research that will help with the launching or continuation of their own campaigns.

The Institute's focus is to support the 2005 Palestinian civil society call for BDS as a nonviolent strategy that has been critical in bringing about the end of other systems of oppression, most notably apartheid in South Africa.  Our effort to encourage investment in the Palestinian economy comes from the concern that Israeli imposed barriers to Palestinian work opportunities, production and trade are turning a historically self-sufficient economy into an economy based on international aid and exploitative labor practices by Israeli companies.  We feel that the international community can and should help to thwart this development.

It is our hope that institute participants can learn from past examples, invigorate current efforts and bring their ingenuity to bear in their own communities. 

For more information, please click here.

* Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions Delegations to Israel/Palestine

Every year hundreds of Palestinians are forced from their homes, homes built on land they own. They watch helplessly as Israeli bulldozers and pneumatic drills destroy in minutes both the physical structure called home and all that a home provides to a family. The Israeli government claims that these houses are illegal because they have been constructed without building permits; however, the Israeli authorities refuse to grant building permits to Palestinians. In reality the destruction of these homes facilitates Israeli territorial expansion and construction of the Wall, both illegal under international law.

Annually since 2003, ICAHD has made it possible for internationals and Israelis to join together with Palestinians in Anata, East Jerusalem, to resist the Occupation and rebuild the demolished home of a Palestinian family. In the summer of 2008, ICAHD will once again rebuild a Palestinian home during our two-week camp. We invite you to participate in the incredible opportunity to learn first-hand about life under Occupation. "Creating Alternative Facts on the Ground," ICAHD's 2008 Summer Rebuilding Experience, takes place from July 14-29, 2008. In addition to construction, there is a full program including field trips, cultural events, films and much more. For more information and an application form, please visit: http://icahdusa.org/projects/summer-camp or contact Richard Wark -- summercamp@icahdusa.org.

*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: Legacies of 1948" 60 Years of Searching for Justice (Co-Sponsored with AFSC)
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
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 Ibdaa Cultural Center 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:
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.

For more information or to apply, contact CPT, (PO Box 6508, Chicago, IL 60680; phone 773-277-0253; fax 773-277-0291; e-mail delegations@cpt.org <mailto:delegations@cpt.org> ) or see CPT's website at: http://www.cpt.org/.

* NEW Middle East Fellowship Delegations to Israel/Palestine

DISCOVERY DELEGATIONS IN 2008:

June 2-12, 2008: open delegation to the Holy Land

[Other options available throughout 2008, including Northwest Churches trip October 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.

PALESTINE SUMMER ENCOUNTER - 5th year!

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.

The US Campaign aims to change U.S. policies that sustain Israel's 40-year occupation of the Palestinian West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem, and that deny equal rights for all