Occupation End Notes | May 8, 2009 Volume 7 Number 7
Occupation End Notes
May 7, 2009
Volume 7 Number 7
1. US Campaign Update: Apply Now for Summer Delegation!; National Organizers' Conference; Huge Spring Sale; New Merchandise; and more!
2. Gaza Action: Take Action to End the Siege; Go to Gaza; UN Rebukes Israel on Gaza Attacks; and more!
3. Challenging U.S. Policy Update: Obama's First 100 Days; Help End Military Aid to Israel; Obama Budget a Missed Opportunity for Holding Israel Accountable
4. Standing Against Apartheid Update: Durban Review Conference; Writing on the Apartheid Wall; Reflections on Racism; and more!
5. Boycott & Divestment Update: Motorola Shareholder Meeting; BDS Resources; Hear the US Campaign on Independent Radio; and more!
6. Expressions of Nakba Update: Last Chance to see Expressions of Nakba this spring!
7. Membership Update: Help Us Reach 300!; New Member Organizations; Member Groups Make Some Noise at AIPAC; Member Group Events
8. Resources & Events:
World Council of Churches Week for Peace in Palestine Israel; Huwaida
Arraf on Palestinian Nonviolence; Educational Resources Available; and
more!
9. Opportunities to Visit Israel and Palestine: Global Exchange, Interfaith Peace-Builders and Friends of Sabeel - North America
Top of Page
1. US CAMPAIGN UPDATE:
* Apply Now for US Campaign and Interfaith Peace-Builders' Summer Delegation!
This
summer, the US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation and Interfaith
Peace-Builders are cosponsoring a delegation to Israel-Palestine
focusing on the role of the United States in the Israeli-Palestinian
conflict. The delegation will examine the role of the U.S. government
and civil society actors in bringing peace and fomenting conflict
between Palestinians and Israelis. The delegation lasts from July 25th
- August 7th. To read more about this delegation, click here or send an email to Interfaith Peace-builders. To read about last year's co-sponsored delegation, click here.
View video testimonials from past participants, here.
* Save The Date! 8th Annual National Organizers' Conference in Chicago, IL, September 12-13, 2009
Our
8th Annual National Organizers' Conference will be held during the
weekend of September 12th - 13th, 2009. We will be sending out all
necessary information for you to plan and book your flights in the
upcoming months.
For more information, or to read reports from previous annual conference and regional meeting, click here.
* How You Can Sustain the US Campaign
Support our ongoing work by donating online, donating office supplies and services, or joining the Olive Branch Club.
Click here for more information.
* New Media Section on Website
We've added a "Media" section
to our website to facilitate media contact with the US Campaign as well
as laying out tools for member groups that want to take action with
their local media outlets. Use this web section to read press releases, media coverage of the US Campaign and our programmatic work, and access media action tools.
We've also added a Share This link to our main page, so that you can share articles from the US Campaign website on Facebook, Twitter, email, blogs, and more.
* Huge Blowout Sale on US Campaign Merchandise!
It's
time for spring cleaning here at the US Campaign, and that's good news
for you. We're having a huge blowout sale on books and pins!
Everything must go!
Check out the great prices of our merchandise by clicking here.
* New Merchandise Available--Canaan Fair Trade Gift Basket!
Exciting new merchandise is available from Canaan Fair Trade: a Fair
Trade Gift Basket! The basket is a Qirtalla, a traditional hand woven
basket made of olive twigs, filled with Canaan's certified organic and
fair trade products: olive oil, green olives, black olives, tahini,
almonds, couscous, and Za'atar. Just add bread and you've got yourself a fair trade party! And add a stew for the couscous, and you've got a fair trade dinner! Click here to view this and other exciting merchandise from the US Campaign!
2. GAZA ACTION:
* Take Action
Take action to end the siege on the Gaza Strip.
For action ideas and to find out more, visit our web section "Take Action to End Israel's War and Siege on Gaza".
* Delegations to Gaza
Delegations to Gaza are being organized by US Campaign member group
CODEPINK and by the Free Gaza coalition. For more information on the
CODEPINK delegation click here. You can click here to learn more about the Free Gaza "Hope Fleets."
* UN Rebukes Israel over Gaza Raids
May
5 - A United Nations inquiry into attacks by Israeli forces on UN
property during the Gaza conflict four months ago has heavily
criticized Israel's army.
Click here to read more.
* The Gaza Offensive and Ending Israel's Legal Impunity
May 7 - Click here to read a Palestine Center information brief on the UN delegation to Gaza and international law by Will Youmans. "In
short, the United States is strong enough to block the international
community but is too interested to construct a credible process rooted
in international law. Strengthening the hand of the international
community will ultimately best serve the interests of peace."
3. CHALLENGING U.S. POLICY:
* Obama's First 100 Days
Read our analysis of the positives and negatives of the Obama
Administration's policies and statements in the first 100 days,
followed by action steps that you can take over the course of the next
100 days and beyond to influence U.S. policy. Click here to read more.
* Help Influence the Obama Administration: Yes We Can…End Military Aid to Israel!
Find out how you can take steps to influence the Obama Administration to end weapons transfers to Israel.
Learn more and take action by clicking here.
* Obama Misses Opportunity for Accountability on Aid to Israel
May 7 - President
Obama missed an opportunity to demonstrate his professed commitment to
budgetary accountability and human rights by proposing $2.775 billion
in military aid to Israel in his FY2010 budget request. Click here to read more.
4. STANDING AGAINST APARTHEID UPDATE:
* Israel Review Conference: United Against Apartheid, Colonialism, and Occupation
After
being blocked from official UN proceedings, the Palestinian Boycott,
Divestment, and Sanctions National Committee sponsored a review conference in Geneva on April 18-19, two days before the UN Durban Review conference.
The Israel Review Conference brought together internationally renowned
experts and actors for social and political justice who examined how UN
anti-racism instruments apply to Israel's policies and practices
regarding the Palestinian people and developed practical
recommendations on how to make Israel accountable to international law
and protect the rights of the Palestinian people.
Click here for more information. Click here
to read the position paper released by a coalition of Palestinian civil
society organizations entitled "Dignity and Justice for the Palestinian
People."
* South African Theologian Writes Letter to Palestinians on Apartheid Wall
April
17 - The website Sendamessage.nl has commissioned a letter from South
African Muslim theologian Farid Esack, which will be spray painted on
the Apartheid Wall near Ramallah. The letter draws connections between
life under Israeli occupation and life under South African apartheid.
Click here or here to read more about this Palestinian and Dutch initiative, or here to read the full text of the letter.
* Reflections on Racism
April 21 - US Campaign Advisory Board member Nadia Hijab reflects on
the Obama administration's decision to boycott the Durban Review
conference, and the challenges this presents for ongoing efforts to
deconstruct racism and colonialism. Click here to read the full article.
* Fixing the Legacy of Apartheid
April 29 - Foreign Policy in Focus guest columnist Khadija Sharife reflects on the decision by U.S. courts to hear
claims against companies that were complicit in the crimes of the
apartheid regime in South Africa. "By finally laying to rest the ghosts
of apartheid, the lawsuit may well usher in similar moves targeting the
economic systems of global apartheid." Click here to read more.
* Stand Up to Israeli Apartheid: An Open Letter to Barack Obama from a Nobel Peace Prize Laureate
May 3 - Click here to read an open letter from Nobel Peace
Prize winner Mairead Maguire to President Barack Obama on the need for
an anti-apartheid movement against the Israeli occupation similar to
the anti-apartheid movement that President Obama himself participated in during his college years.
* AIPAC Executive Director on the Apartheid Framework
May 7 - It looks like AIPAC is taking our work seriously. AIPAC's
Executive Director Howard Kohr spoke on the anti-apartheid framework
and the growing movement for boycott, divestment, and sanctions at
AIPAC's annual convention in Washington, DC this past week. Read an
analysis of his talk by US Campaign Steering Committee member Adam
Horowitz by clicking here.
5. BOYCOTT & DIVESTMENT UPDATE:
* Motorola Shareholders Met with Protests, Human Rights Resolutions
On
May 4, 2009, Motorola shareholders gathering for their annual meeting
in Chicago were met with protests calling for an end to Motorola's role
in the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land. US Campaign member
groups and supporters organized demonstrations in Chicago, New York City,
and in other cities across the country, while representatives of the
United Methodist and Presbyterian churches inside the shareholder
meeting proposed a resolution calling on Motorola to respect standards
of international law and human rights in Israel and Palestine. Our goal
was to send 2,000 emails to Motorola management in the lead-up to the
meeting; thanks to all of you, we were able to send more than 3,700
emails to Motorola's CEO and VP of Investor Relations!
But
the work doesn't end now. Our shareholder allies are already
strategizing on further shareholder action with Motorola. We need to
keep up the pressure for accountability! Click here to send an email to Motorola's CEO and VP of Investor Relations, and let them know that war profits equal lost profits!
You can also click here to sign up for a Hang Up on Motorola local campaign kit.
* Hang Up On Motorola Resources
Sign up to be a local organizer for our Motorola boycott. Get organizing tools
such as postcards for the Hang Up On Motorola pledge, fact sheets about
Motorola's support for Israeli apartheid policies, and tips on how to
involve retailers in the campaign.
Or click here to make a tax-deductible donation to support the ongoing Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions work of the US Campaign. Just $10 will pay for a campaign kit to be sent to a new Hang Up On Motorola organizer and $500 will sponsor a stop on our fall organizing tour. All donations are appreciated. Supporters who give $30 will receive a print of the winning poster entry from our Expressions of Nakba art competition. Supporters giving $50 will receive a DVD of Occupation 101. Supporters giving >$100 will receive both gifts.
* Support the Academic & Cultural Boycott of Israel
The international academic boycott of institutions supporting Israel's occupation has spread from Europe to Canada and now to the United States. Click here to get involved in the U.S. academic & cultural boycott movement.
* Great BDS website
The
Israeli Coalition of Women for Peace exposes corporations profiting
from the occupation of Palestinian territory and people.
Click here to check out WhoProfits.org.
* Morally Responsible Investment Resources for Churches
Friends of Sabeel North America now has a website devoted to resources on morally responsible investment activism. View their resources by clicking here. The New England Conference of the United Methodist Church has a list of companies recommended for divestment. You can view the list by clicking here, and find out more about the United Methodist Church and divestment by clicking here. Presbyterian Church divestment information is available by clicking here. Statements of support for divestment organized by Jewish Voice for Peace can be found here.
* Boycott this Israeli Settlement Builder
April 28 - Abe Hayeem of The Guardian urges a boycott of Israeli settlement builder Lev Leviev. "The sanctions against Leviev should be the start of a wider boycott of all who profit from the enforced acquisition of Palestinian land." Click here to read the full article.
* The Israel Boycott is Biting
April 30 - Nadia Hijab on the Motorola boycott and the growing efficacy
of the global boycott, divestment, and sanction movement. Click here to read the full article.
* The Motorola Boycott and U.S. Aid to Israel
May 2 - Hear US Campaign National Organizer Katherine Fuchs and
National Advocacy Director Josh Ruebner interviewed on Chicago's Radio
Islam. Click here to listen.
6. EXPRESSIONS OF NAKBA UPDATE:
* Last Chance to See Expressions of Nakba in Your City this Spring:
May 1-15, 2009: United States Palestine Community Network-Chicago (Chicago, IL)
For more information email Nader at USPCN for more information.
You can also check out Expressions of Nakba on Facebook.
7. MEMBERSHIP UPDATE:
In an effort to better help our coalition members network and for us to
better gauge the coalition's regional diversity, we have put together a
map with our more than 280 coalition members represented by state:
* Help Us Reach 300!
Help us reach our goal of 300 member organizations! We currently have
284 member groups in our national coalition-just 16 groups short of our
goal. Click here to see if your organization is a member group of the US Campaign, and if not, click here
to join. If you feel that there are organizations that are not part of
the coalition, but should be, please put us in touch with them by
clicking here.
Please welcome the following organizations to our coalition:
Peace Action Montgomery - Maryland
Campus Antiwar Network Ole Miss - Mississippi
South Bay Mobilization - California
* Jewish Voice for Peace, CODEPINK make their voices heard at AIPAC
Member groups and allies of the US Campaign were present to make their voices heard at the annual AIPAC convention held in Washington, DC, May 3-5. Jewish Voice for Peace sponsored a roving billboard
outside of the AIPAC conference, calling for an investigation into how
U.S. tax dollars were used to harm civilians in Gaza. JVP volunteers
were also present to pass out flyers and talk to conference
participants.
Meanwhile, inside the convention, CODEPINK made sure to let Israeli President Shimon Peres and AIPAC conference participants know that the world hasn't forgotten about Gaza. For a firsthand account from CODEPINK member Rae Abileah, click here .
The folks over at Mondoweiss provided coverage and analysis of the convention: click here to read more. And click here for a video summary of the convention from Jewish Telegraph Agency.
* Book Signing: Nawar Shora's new book, The Arab American Handboook
May 11 - Washington, DC
ADC Legal Director Nawar Shora discusses and signs his new book, The
Arab American Handbook, at Busboys and Poets, 2021 14th St. NW,
Washington, DC. The event will take place Monday, May 11, from 6:30 -
8:30 pm. RSVP by clicking here. For more information on the new book, click here.
* The Land Speaks Arabic film and speaker
May 13 - Eugene, Oregon
Al-Nakba Awareness Project presents the film The Land Speaks Arabic as
well as guest speaker Chris Barghout at Harris Hall on 8th and Oak in
Eugene, Oregon. The event will take place on Wednesday, May 13 at 7 PM.
Click here for more information.
* Huda Asfour and Friends
May 15 - Washington, DC
Join the Palestine Center for a fun evening of live music with musicians Huda Asfour, Nadim Khoury, and Brian
Falkowski. The group will be performing original compositions from
Huda's upcoming album, Mars, in addition to a number of classical and
traditional tunes. The performance will take place May 15 at the
Jerusalem Fund Gallery, 2425 Virginia Ave NW, Washington DC 20037, from
7:30 pm - 8:45 pm. Tickets are $10. Click here for more information.
* The Eighth Annual Walk for a Just Peace in Israel and Palestine
May 17 - Oak Park, Illinois
Join the Eighth Annual Walk for a Just Peace in Israel and Palestine in
Oak Park, Illinois to "Break the Silence and Break the Blockade." The
walk will begin with a program at 1:00 pm in the sanctuary of First
United Church of Oak Park, 848 Lake Street. Featured speakers include
Bill Ayers, Reem Salahi, Cecile Surasky and Rev. Jeremiah Wright. The
Walk for a Just Peace is cosponsored by the US Campaign and by many US Campaign member organizations. Click here for more information.
* Stand Up: An Evening of Comedy for Palestine
May 21 - Washington, DC
The
Jerusalem Fund presents an evening of stand up comedy and live music to
support Palestinian charities. The event will take place Thursday, May
21, at 7 pm, at the Shawarma King at 1654 Columbia Rd, NW, Washington,
DC. Suggested donation is $20. Please RSVP by calling 202-338-1958.
Click here for more information.
* Peace Luncheon to Benefit Gaza Children
May 30 - Rockville, Maryland
Peace Action Montgomery, Pax Christi, and the Social Justice Council of
the Unitarian Universalist Church of Rockville are cosponsoring a peace
luncheon featuring a presentation on the U.S. military budget by Frida
Berrigan and a slideshow of Code Pink's recent Gaza delegation
presented by Pam Rasmussen, the coordinator of the Code Pink
Palestine/Israel campaign. The luncheon will be held Saturday, May 30
at 11:30 am in the Fellowship Hall of the Unitarian Universalist Church
of Rockville, 100 Welsh Park Dr., Rockville, MD. Suggested donation of
$20 with proceeds to support a playground in Gaza. RSVP at info[at]peaceactionMC[dot] org, and click here for an event flyer.
* ADC National Convention June 12-14, 2009
June 12-14 - Washington, DC
"ADC: From the Grassroots to Our Nation's Capita: Change for Our
Future" is the theme of the 2009 American-Arab Anti-Discrimination
Committee (ADC) National Convention, to take place in Washington DC
from June 12-14. Be sure to stop by the US Campaign's table while
you're there. More information is available here.
8. RESOURCES AND EVENTS:
* World Council of Churches Announces World Week for Peace in Palestine Israel
The World Council of Churches is inviting member churches and related
organizations to join a week of advocacy and action for a just peace in
Palestine and Israel from June 4-10, 2009. Click here to learn more about the World Week for Peace and how you can get involved through prayer, education, and advocacy.
If you are in the Washington, DC area and would like to request a speaker for your World Week of Peace event, click here.
* Huwaida Arraf Op-Ed: Heed Voices Calling for Justice for Palestinians
April 24 - US Campaign Advisory Board member Huwaida Arraf discusses
Palestinian nonviolence and the recent National Lawyer's Guild
delegation to Gaza. She argues that "if President Obama is serious
about true peace in the Middle East, he must…break the American silence
and heed the voices of those calling for justice." Click here to read the article.
* Order Palestinian Loss of Land Map Cards
Educate in your community using these postcard-sized maps, which show Palestinian loss of land from 1946 through the current day.
Click here to order map cards.
* Call for Proposals: Split This Rock Poetry Festival 2010
Split This Rock Poetry Festival: Poems of Provocation & Witness
invites poets, writers, activists, and all concerned citizens to
Washington, DC, March 10-13, 2010 for four days of poetry, community
building, and creative transformation as our country continues to
grapple with two wars, a crippling economic crisis, and other social
and environmental ills. We invite you to send proposals for panel
discussions, group readings, roundtable discussions, workshops, and
small-scale performances on a range of topics at the intersection of
poetry and social change. Possibilities are endless. Challenge us. The
deadline is May 30, 2009.
Details and guidelines are online here. More information on Split This Rock 2010 can be found here.
9. DELEGATIONS TO ISRAEL/PALESTINE:
* Global Exchange's Delegations to Palestine & Israel
July 25th-August 4th, 2009
October 30-November 9, 2009
December 5th-15th, 2009
* Interfaith Peace-Builders Delegations to Israel/Palestine
July 25th-August 7th, 2009 (Delegation cosponsored by US Campaign)
October 24th - November 6th, 2009
Click here for video testimonies from past participants in Interfaith Peace-Builders delegations.
* Sabeel/Friends of Sabeel North America Delegations to Israel/Palestine
For upcoming Friends of Sabeel North America events and trips, click here. For information on Sabeel's summer Young Adult Conference and fall Witness Trip to Palestine and Israel, click here.
* Delegations to Gaza
Delegations
to Gaza are being organized by US Campaign member group CODEPINK and by
the Free Gaza coalition. For more information on the CODEPINK
delegation click here. You can click here to learn more about the Free Gaza "Hope Fleets."
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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. Click here to access past editions of End Notes.
The US Campaign aims to change U.S. policies that sustain Israel's
41-year occupation of the Palestinian West Bank, Gaza Strip and East
Jerusalem, and that deny equal rights for all.
US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation
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