Occupation End Notes | June 12, 2009 Volume 7 Number 9
Occupation End Notes
June 12, 2009
1. US Campaign Update: 42 Years and Counting, New Content on US Campaign Blog, Register Now for National Organizers' Conference, and more!
2. Gaza Action: Take Action on Letter from Attorneys General; Delegations to Gaza; UN Gaza Investigation Faces Obstacles, and more!
3. Challenging U.S. Policy Update: Signs
of Hope in President Obama's Speech?; Help the U.S. Stop Israeli
Settlements; Palestinian Demonstrator Killed-Your Tax Dollars at Work
4. Standing Against Apartheid Update: New Study on Apartheid and Occupation in International Law
5. Boycott & Divestment Update: Caterpillar Shareholder Meeting; Boycott and Divestment Victories; Corporate Accountability Suits; Motorola Victory; and more!
6. Membership Update: Help Us Reach 300!; Stop $30 Billion Coalition Billboards Censored; Member Group Campaigns and Events
7. Resources & Events: World Council of Churches Week for Peace in Palestine Israel; Educational Resources Available
8. Opportunities to Visit Israel and Palestine:
ICAHD, Olive Harvest Delegation, Indigenous Youth Delegation, Global
Exchange, Interfaith Peace-Builders and Friends of Sabeel - North
America
Top of Page
1. US CAMPAIGN UPDATE:
* 42 Years and Counting...
Two years ago today, the US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation held an historic protest on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol to mark 40 years of Israel's illegal military occupation of the Palestinian West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza Strip. On the 42nd anniversary of this occupation, we find ourselves closer than ever to our goal of changing U.S. policy toward Israel/Palestine to support human rights, international law, and equality, while realizing that we still have a lot of work to do to get us to that goal. Click here to learn more about what we've done over the past six months, and how you can support this important work.
You can help us reach our goal by making a tax-deductible contribution of $42
(that's $1 for each year of occupation) right now. As a thank you,
we'll send you your choice of a copy of the award-winning documentary Occupation 101, a film by Sufyan and Abdallah Omeish, or Occupied Voices: Stories of Everyday Life from the Second Intifada, a book by Wendy Pearlman. Click here to learn more and to donate.
* Obama's Cairo Speech, Corporate Accountability Victories, and More on the US Campaign Blog
The
US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation now has a blog! View
exclusive content, news, updates, analysis, video, and more by clicking
here.
Read analysis of Obama's Cairo speech; learn about victories in the effort to hold corporations accountable for violations of human rights and international law; catch updates from our member groups; and more. Click here to view exclusive content on the US Campaign blog.
* 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 will travel from July
25th - August 7th. To read more about this delegation, click here or send an email to Interfaith Peace-Builders. Click here to apply. To read about last year's co-sponsored delegation, click here. View video testimonials from past participants here. Click here to read on-the-ground reports from IFPB's latest delegation.
* Only 3 Months until 8th Annual National Organizers' Conference in Chicago, IL--Register Now!
Our 8th Annual National Organizers' Conference will be held during the weekend of September 12th - 13th, 2009. That's only three months away! Register today by clicking here.
To learn more details about the conference and make sure that your
organization is in good standing with the US Campaign, click here.
* New Member Group Section on Website
We've
updated the Membership section of our website to increase networking
and resource sharing between our member groups. Check it out here. Check out resources from our member groups here, and check here to make sure that your member group is in good standing with the US Campaign.
If your group has more resources or videos that you would like to share
via our member group webpages, please email it to our National
Membership and Outreach Coordinator by clicking here.
* News Feed, Media Releases, and Media Inquiries on the US Campaign Website
The US Campaign website is constantly growing and evolving to better provide you with the information and action ideas you need to advocate for international law and human rights. Recently we've added a Twitter feed to the sidebar of our site so that you can get instant updates about action alerts, new blog entries, media releases, and relevant news items. We've also added a form for media inquiries and updated our media releases section. Check out all of our media resources by clicking 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.
2. GAZA ACTION:
* Action Alert: 10 State Attorneys General Send Letter to State Department Supporting Israeli War Crimes in Gaza
On
March 31st, Attorneys General from ten states sent a letter to
Secretary of State Clinton expressing support of the State of Israel's
actions in Gaza and condemning Hamas.
In the
letter to Secretary Clinton, all mention of the occupation and
attendant human rights violations against Palestinian civilians are
omitted. The letter condemns Hamas's actions while completely
exonerating Israel of any war crimes --even justifying a disproportionate military response.
The letter rationalizes Israel's recent offensive against the
incarcerated population of the Gaza Strip by citing
"continuous...attacks on Israel's civilians..." without mentioning the
eighteen-month siege of Gaza or that Hamas observed last year's truce
with Israel until Israel violated it.
To read the Attorneys General letter, an open letter composed by international lawyers and legal scholars,
including George Bisharat of the University of California Hastings
College of Law, in response to the AGs letter, and to take action,
visit the website of US Campaign member group Seattle Palestine
Solidarity Committee by clicking here.
* Take Action
For action ideas on what you can do end the siege on Gaza and hold Israel accountable, visit our web section "Take Action to End Israel's War and Siege on Gaza." The destruction of the Gaza Strip at the hands of the Israeli military would have been impossible without weapons provided by U.S. military aid, Motorola communications and weapons equipment, and weaponized Caterpillar bulldozers. Make sure to keep up with the ongoing work of the US Campaign
to hold Israel accountable for violations of international law and
human rights in the occupied West Bank, Gaza Strip, and East Jerusalem.
* Delegations to Gaza with CODEPINK, Free Gaza Movement
Delegations to Gaza are being organized by US Campaign member group CODEPINK and our allies in 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." And click here to learn about the Free Gaza Movement's "Right to Read" campaign.
* Israeli Journalist Amira Hass Discusses UN Investigation, Calls for End to U.S. Military Aid to Israel
June 2 - Amy Goodman of Democracy Now! interviewed Israeli journalist Amira Hass about conditions on the ground in the Gaza Strip, the UN investigation, and her impressions of the Obama Administration. Hass calls for an end to arm sales to Israel unless it stops constructing settlements. Click here for more.
* UN's Gaza war crimes investigation faces obstacles
June
9 - After interviewing dozens of survivors of "Operation Cast Lead" and
poring through the files of human rights groups, a veteran UN war
crimes investigator acknowledged that his probe into possible crimes by
Israel and Hamas is unlikely to lead to prosecutions. Israel has
refused to cooperate, depriving his team of access to military sources
and victims of Hamas rockets.
Click here to read more.
3. CHALLENGING U.S. POLICY:
* Signs of Hope in President Obama's Cairo Speech?
On
June 4, President Obama delivered his much-anticipated speech to the
Muslim world in Cairo, Egypt. He devoted a considerable portion of his
speech to Palestine/Israel. Click here
to read our analysis of the President's remarks, followed by action
steps that you can take to help translate this speech into tangible
change on U.S. policy toward Israel/Palestine. Check out analysis of
the Cairo speech by US Campaign Steering Committee member Phyllis
Bennis by clicking here and read US Campaign Advisory Board member Nadia Hijab's post-Cairo analysis here.
* How You Can Help the United States Stop Israeli Settlements
In
meetings with Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Ali Aboul Gheit and
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, the Obama Administration
again made its position on Israeli settlements crystal clear. While the
Obama Administration's tough words are certainly welcome, words by
themselves are unlikely to produce a change in Israel's behavior
without corresponding action on the part of the United States.
If the United States wants to see Israel stop the expansion of
settlements, then it should cut off or, at the very minimum, condition
its military aid to Israel until this and other policy goals are met.
Click here to take action to help the United States stop Israeli settlements. Click here to read more about U.S. policy and Israeli settlements.
* Palestinian Demonstrator Killed--Your Tax Dollars at Work
Last Friday, the Israeli army shot and killed 36 year-old Yousef Akil Srour while he was nonviolently demonstrating against the Apartheid Wall in the West Bank village of Ni'lin. Srour is the fifth Palestinian demonstrator that the Israeli army has killed in Ni'lin during demonstrations against the Wall. The army fired on demonstrators with live .22 caliber ammunition. Another four Palestinians were shot with live ammunition during the same demonstration, included 15 year-old Mohammad Mousa Mouslah.
Click here
to read more and learn about the connections between U.S. military aid
and the Israeli army's repression of unarmed demonstrators.
4. STANDING AGAINST APARTHEID UPDATE:
* New Study Focuses on Apartheid, Colonialism, International Law in Occupied Palestinian Territories
The
Human Sciences Research Council of South Africa (HSRC) has released a
study indicating that Israel is practicing both colonialism and
apartheid in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT). The HSRC
commissioned an international team of scholars and practitioners of
international public law from South Africa, the United Kingdom, Israel
and the West Bank to conduct the study. The resulting 300-page report,
titled "Occupation, Colonialism, Apartheid?: A re-assessment of
Israel's practices in the occupied Palestinian territories under
international law", represents 15 months of research and constitutes an
exhaustive review of Israel's practices in the OPT according to
definitions of colonialism and apartheid provided by international law.
To find out more and read the report, click here.
* Anti-Apartheid Framework Grows in Mainstream Discourse
Learn about recent developments in the anti-apartheid framework by clicking here to read the US Campaign blog. And make use of the US Campaign's anti-apartheid resources by clicking here.
5. BOYCOTT & DIVESTMENT UPDATE:
* Caterpillar Shareholder Meeting Draws Protests, Shareholder Resolutions for Sixth Year in a Row
With help from our member groups and individual supporters, the
US Campaign organized protests around the country, a national email
campaign, and a presence inside Caterpillar's annual shareholder meeting.
For the sixth year in a row, Christian, Jewish, and human rights
organizations gathered at Caterpillar's annual shareholder meeting in
Chicago to demand that CAT stop its sales to the Israeli military. CAT
sells the Israeli military armor-ready bulldozers, which are then used
to destroy Palestinian homes, agricultural land and build the apartheid
wall. The Israeli military has crushed several dozen people to death,
including Washington state native Rachel Corrie, using Caterpillar
bulldozers.
This
year's shareholder resolution, calling on Caterpillar to make its
military sales transparent to shareholders, garnered more votes than
last year's resolution, although it's unlikely that the resolution
received enough votes to be presented again next year. Of course, we
are not giving up, and we're already planning a different resolution
for next year. In addition to voting on the resolutions, supporters
present inside the meeting had the chance to ask Caterpillar CEO Jim
Owens questions on topics ranging from possible alien torts claims to
the effects of Church of England, Hampshire College, and other possible
divestment from Caterpillar. At least one individual who was not
previously a supporter stood to question Owens about future losses due
to lawsuits and divestment related to sales to Israel! When CEO Owens
did not satisfactorily address the investor's concerns, the investor
committed to sell his CAT shares.
The protests drew media attention from sources as wide ranging as Reuters, Chicago's Radio Islam, the Wall Street Journal, the Faith In Action blog, and Common Dreams. With
help from our supporters we also contracted to run an adverstisement
about our campaign and CAT's involvement in Israel/Palestine in the Chicago Tribune (which you can see above). Unfortunately, after several days of negotiations, the Tribune rejected our ad. We are still investigating the Tribune's motivations for rejecting our ad, and will keep you updated if we determine that the Tribune is censoring us due to the message of the ad.
This
year's Caterpillar shareholder meeting comes in the midst of a series
of major victories for corporate accountability, including a historic
"alien tort claims" settlement in a case against Shell that was
supported by the Center for Constitutional Rights, the same
organization which supported the Corrie family in its suit against Caterpillar. Click here to read more at the US Campaign blog.
Don't wait until next year's shareholder meeting to take action against CAT, click here to order a Stop Caterkiller campaign kit to start organizing in your community.
* Corporate Accountability Suits: Bad News for Companies, Good News for BDS Movement
The
global movement for boycott of and divestment from companies complicit
in Israel's illegal occupation of the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, and
East Jerusalem has been getting a boost lately from a growing number of
corporate accountability lawsuits that are being heard in U.S. and
international courts. Two of these cases that build precedent for legal
action against U.S. corporations who support human rights violations
abroad include a case against Shell for abuse and murder in Nigeria,
and a case against several multinational corporations that provided
support for South Africa's apartheid regime. Both of these cases are
supported by the Center for Constitutional Rights, the organization
that helped the Corrie family sue Caterpillar for wrongful death, war
crimes, and a number of other charges related to CAT's activities in
Israel/Palestine. Read more on the US Campaign blog and watch Al
Jazeera's report on courtroom strategies for Palestinian rights by
clicking here.
* A Week of Boycott and Divestment Victories!
This
past week we've seen an unprecedented set of victories for the global
boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) movement! It started Monday,
June 8 with Veolia's announcement that it would pull out of the East Jerusalem light rail project
that would connect illegal Israeli settlements in East Jerusalem with
Israel. Veolia has lost some $7 billion in contracts due to sustained
boycott and divestment efforts in Europe, including campaigns and law
suits against Veolia contracts in France; Dutch and Swedish divestment
efforts, which included the participation of the Church of Sweden; and
by British solidarity groups, all taking the lead of the Palestinian
BDS National Committee from its Derail Veolia campaign.
Next came the announcement that the Belgian-French financial group Dexia will no longer finance Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories through its Israeli branch Dexia Israel. This decision follows a months-long Belgian campaign to expose the company's connections to the settlement 'enterprise.'
In other BDS news, the Toronto Conference of the United Church of Canada passed a resolution calling for all churches affiliated with the United Church to support the Palestinian civil society call for international BDS campaigns. The resolution will be discussed and voted on by the United Church General Council in August. And a Canadian court is set to rule on whether companies can be sued for constructing settlements in a suit brought against two Canadian companies by the Palestinian village of Bil'in, one of the sites of weekly protests against the Apartheid Wall. To watch Al Jazeera's report on this case, click here.
* Hang Up On Motorola Victory & Resources
The US Campaign's boycott efforts against Motorola are paying off for the second time in two months! Motorola is planning to sell its MIRS cell phone division, which provides service to Israeli settlements and the Israeli military. This decision comes after our April victory in which Motorola sold off its bomb fuse department, one of the primary demands of our boycott.While this victory is encouraging, it still doesn't satisfy all of our demands. Motorola still provides the Israeli military with some communications devices and several surveillance systems. Let's push even harder to force Motorola to meet all of our demands, 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.
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, $500 will sponsor a stop on our fall organizing tour. All donations are appreciated.
* Great BDS website
The
Israeli Coalition of Women for Peace exposes corporations profiting
from the occupation of Palestinian territory and people.
Check
out their online database WhoProfits.org, which you can search by
company, country of company origin, or country of company operation, by
clicking here.
* Keep Up with the Global BDS Movement
Here
at the US Campaign we are proud to be part of a global movement for
boycott, divestment, and sanctions against Israeli occupation and
apartheid policies directed at the Palestinians.
Keep up with this global movement of solidarity with Palestinian civil society by clicking here.
* 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.
* US Campaign, Allies Discuss Apartheid and BDS on WESU's Indigenous Politics Radio
US Campaign National Organizer Katherine Fuchs appeared on the May 26 episode of Indigenous Politics, hosted by Dr. J. Kehaulani Kauanui, to discuss Palestinian sovereignty and the BDS campaign against Israeli apartheid. The show also featured Sherna Berger Gluck of U.S. Committee for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel and Stanley Heller of the Middle East Crisis Committee. You can listen to the full show online by clicking here. The show is the second part of a two-part exploration of BDS and Palestinian rights. Listen to the first show, featuring Omar Barghouti and Steven Salaita, by clicking here.
* Academic Boycott Debate Heats Up in United Kingdom
May
27 - The British University and College Union voted on a proposal to
enact an academic boycott of Israeli institutions in response to the
complicity of the Israeli academy in the Israeli occupation. Although
lecturers overwhelmingly voted in favor of boycott, the union
leadership overturned the vote in response to legal concerns. To read
more about the vote click here.
Dr. Amjad Barham, the president of the Palestinian Federation of Unions
of University Professors and Employees, wrote an article in defense of
the academic boycott, which you can read here. Find out more about the academic and cultural boycott in the United States by clicking here.
* Supermarkets May Face Action on Israeli Labels, Say Lawyers
June 7 - Retailers including UK supermarkets may be at risk of prosecution for misleading consumers by selling goods from Israeli settlements under the label "West Bank", lawyers have warned. Click here to read the full article.
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
286 member groups in our national coalition-just 14 groups short of our
summer 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
emailing us here. If your organization is already part of our coalition, click here to make sure that you are in good standing!
Please welcome the following organizations to our coalition:
Students Allied for Freedom and Equality - Michigan
* Lamar Advertising Refuses to Reinstall Stop $30 Billion to Israel Coalition Billboards
On June 5 Lamar Outdoor Advertising rejected a compromise offered by the Coalition to Stop $30 Billion
to Israel to reinstall billboards calling for an end to $30 billion in
U.S. taxpayer-funded military aid to Israel. Previously, on April 28,
after three weeks of an eight week contract and under pressure from
individuals and groups that support Israel's continued occupation of
Palestinian territory, Lamar pulled down all of the billboards that its
graphics department had designed in cooperation with the Coalition. To
read more and take action, click here.
* Jewish Voice for Peace Launches Free Ezra Nawi Campaign
Israeli human rights activist Ezra Nawi was arrested while trying to
stop the demolition of Palestinian Bedouin homes in the South Hebron
Hills. The Israeli government is threatening to jail Nawi, a Jewish
Israeli of Iraqi descent and long time human rights activist. Now US
Campaign member group Jewish Voice for Peace has launched a campaign to
support Nawi, with the help of Naomi Klein, Neve Gordon, Noam Chomsky,
and thousands of others. Join the campaign to Free Ezra by clicking here.
* Art Exhibit - Gaza Conversations
Washington, DC
The
tragedy of Gaza has left the headlines but forever remains in the
hearts of these three artists. Their work for this exhibition enables
the Gaza conversation to continue. Join the Jerusalem Fund and the Palestine Center for this exhibition.
A percentage of the artists' proceeds will be donated to a Gaza charity
of their choice. Registration is not required to attend.
Gallery hours: M - F, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m., or by appointment.
* ADC National Convention June 12-14, 2009
June 12-14 - Washington, DC
"ADC: From the Grassroots to Our Nation's Capital: 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. More information is available here.
Come by and check out the US Campaign's table and a workshop on
grassroots organizing by the US Campaign's National Advocacy Director,
Josh Ruebner.
* Action Alert: Western Governor's Conference
June 14-16 - Park City, UT
The
annual Western Governors Conference, meeting this year in Park City,
Utah (June 14-16), has invited Israeli Professor Eilon Adar to speak on
"Managing Water in a Changing World", including water practices in
Israel. Given Israel's long history of unilateral confiscation of
Palestinian and regional water resources and discriminatory allocation
of those resources, we believe an Israeli speaker so closely tied with
Israeli governmental policies will not present the whole picture when
talking about Israeli water policies. Such a speaker is a poor choice
to inform our state governors about water management in a changing
world.
Join Utahns for a Just Peace in the Holy Land in letting the conference
organizers and our Western Governors know how we feel about this issue
by clicking here.
* Christian Peacemaker Teams Tenth Christian Peacemaker Congress
September 17-20 - Denver, CO
Christian Peacemaker Teams
announces that its tenth Christian Peacemaker Congress will take place
in Denver, Colorado on 17-29 September 2009, on the theme of "Restoring
Balance: Peace Through Right Relationships." Speakers include George
"Tink" Tinker, Harvey Eagle, Elizabeth Garcia, as well as updates from
CPT's work around the world. For more information, click here.
* Palestine Center Policy Brief: Obama Won Hearts, Now It's Time to Win Minds
Click here to read a policy brief Samar Assad, Executive Director of the Palestine Center, which focuses on President Obama's policy speech and the need to transfer strong words into strong policy on Israeli settlements.
8. RESOURCES AND EVENTS:
* Change is in the Air, as Churches Observe Week of Peace for Palestine and Israel
Member churches and related organizations of the World Council of
Churches (WCC) joined in 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. For ideas on
promoting justice and human rights during the WCC Week of Action, email
us here. Click here to read the latest news on the WCC Week of Action.
* 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.
9. DELEGATIONS TO ISRAEL/PALESTINE:
* ICAHD Summer Rebuilding Experience
July 14-27
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 2009, ICAHD will once again rebuild a Palestinian home during our
two-week summer rebuilding experience. 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 2009
Summer Rebuilding Experience, takes place from July 14-27, 2009. 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 click here or email Richard Wark here.
* Global Exchange's Delegations to Palestine & Israel
June 4-June 15, 2009 (Gaza CODEPINK Children's Delegation from Israel)
July 25th-August 4th, 2009 (Prospects for Peace with Justice)
October 30-November 9, 2009 (Olive Harvest)
December 5th-15th, 2009 (Prospects for Peace with Justice)
* 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.
* Indigenous Youth Delegation to Palestine
August 2-17, 2009
The Indigenous Youth Delegation to Palestine
is a project of a collective of grassroots youth groups in the U.S. and
Palestine. We have been committed to connecting Native and immigrant
youth in the U.S with youth in Palestine by creating remote forums for
us to reflect together and bridge our struggles. This first-ever
cross-continental exchange is an opportunity for youth to learn first
hand from each other by sharing tools of empowerment and education. Our
journey to Palestine is part of an on-going process of connecting the
shared experiences of Indigenous peoples across the world for the
ultimate goal of land rights, justice and peace. Our trip is planned
for August 2-17, 2009. Click here for more information.
* Joint Advocacy Initiative Olive Harvest Delegation
October 17-26, 2009
The Joint Advocacy Initiative of the East Jerusalem YMCA and YWCA of
Palestine (JAI) and the Alternative Tourism Group (ATG) are organizing
the sixth Olive Picking Program 2009 in Palestine from October 17-26.
This agricultural event is of special significance to the Palestinian
economy when all energies and efforts are mobilized. Click here for more information.
* Sabeel/Friends of Sabeel North America Delegations
Friends of Sabeel North America maintains a list of alternative travel
opportunities to Israel/Palestine. To view the list, click here. Click here for more information on Sabeel's summer Young Adult Conference and Fall Witness Trip.
Back to top
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 by emailing us here.
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.