Occupation End Notes
October 2, 2008
Volume 6 Number 14
Please see below for a new edition of Occupation End Notes!
1. US Campaign Update: US Campaign is proud to host an Evening with Rev. Naim Ateek; Virtual Garage Sale: Everything MUST Go; October Book of the Month Club
2. Boycott & Divestment Update: Don't Buy Apartheid? Don't Buy Motorola Pledge
3. Standing Against Apartheid Update: Anti-Apartheid Speaking Tour Cities for November 9th - 23rd Organizing Tour
4. Challenging U.S. Policy Update: We've Been to the DNC & RNC; Now It's Your Turn to Bird-Dog the Candidates
5. Expressions of Nakba Update: Expressions of Nakba Exhibit Coming to a City Near You; Boston October 3rd - 12th
6. Membership Update: Rachel Corrie Foundation Peace Works Conference; Protest the 2008 AIPAC National Summit in Chicago; Global Exchange Reality Tour; 7th International Sabeel Conference; AAPER's Five for Palestine Campaign
7. Resources & Events: Boston Palestine Film Festival; Slingshot Hip-Hop in Washington, D.C., BPFNA Friendship Tour to the Holy Land; First Time Online for Just 3 Months: Articles on Mahmud Darwish from JPS Archives; Son of Nun Hits the Road
8. Opportunities to Visit Israel and Palestine: Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions; Interfaith Peace-Builders; Resource Center for Nonviolence; Global Exchange; Christian Peacemaker Teams; Middle East Fellowship; The Health and Human Rights Project (formerly Jewish American Medical Project)
| * An Evening with Rev. Naim Ateek, Friday, Oct. 3, 7:30PM The US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation invites all of its supporters to a lecture and discussion with The Rev. Canon Naim Ateek Palestinian Liberation Theology and Peace in the Middle East
|
*Fall Blow Out Sale: Virtual Garage Sale! Everything MUST Go
Support the US Campaign by purchasing pins, embroidery, olive oil, books, and posters
(Please note: For all international shipping, please contact the US Campaign office directly at 202-332-0994 or office@endtheoccupation.org before you make your purchase). Call us for bulk pricing on these items!
Click here to find out what's up for grabs!
| * October Book of the Month Club! The End of Spring In The End of Spring, Sahar Khalifeh, chronicles the struggle of the Palestinian people with a humane depiction of Palestinian resistance fighters during the 2002 siege of Yasir Arafat's official headquarters. Khalifeh's tender and moving portrayal of her protagonists delves into the inner consciences of the men and women and children who were involved in the actual resistance-or were simply caught in the middle. These characters come alive through Khalifeh's use of Palestinian colloquial diction, as does the setting, through her measured attention to the details of the natural surroundings in which the characters live, fight, and die. Click here to purchase this book!
|
2. BOYCOTT & DIVESTMENT UPDATE:
* Don't Buy Apartheid? Don't Buy Motorola!
After a year of research and corporate engagement with Motorola they still support Israeli apartheid. Now we're putting our money where our mouth is and boycotting Motorola. Motorola claims to be a good corporate citizen, but they can't explain why they support apartheid in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Click on the image to the right to sign our pledge not to buy Moto products until they respect international law and Palestinian human rights.
| 3. STANDING AGAINST APARTHEID UPDATE: * Separate Is Never Equal: Stories from South Africa and Palestine This national speaking tour will bring internationally recognized human rights advocates Rev. Eddie Makue and Diana Buttu to 11 U.S. cities between November 10th and 23rd, 2008. Faith communities, the African-American community, and students will be the heart of this tour, as we work to educate Americans about the similarities between life under South Africa's apartheid regime and life for Israelis and Palestinians living under the Israeli government's ethnic separation policies. Click here to read more!
|
4. CHALLENGING U.S. POLICY:
* We've Been to the DNC & RNC; Now It's Your Turn to Bird-Dog the Candidates
We've been to Denver for the Democratic National Convention (DNC) and St. Paul for the Republican National Convention (RNC) to protest, distribute information, get in the media, and talk to delegates and candidates about our issues.
Now it's your turn. Between now and Election Day, November 4, candidates for public office will attend thousands of town hall meetings, debates, and community events, and shake hands with and kiss the babies of millions of voters.
Click here to learn more about bird-dogging the candidates and sign up for a bird-dogging packet.
| 5. EXPRESSIONS OF NAKBA UPDATE: * Expressions of Nakba Exhibit Coming to a City Near You! The US Campaign will be offering member groups the opportunity to bring the exhibit directly to your city. If you wish to have the exhibit come to your town or city, please contact our National Organizer, Katherine Fuchs: organize@endtheoccupation.org for more details. If you have not done so already, check out the winning pieces available on the Expressions of Nakba online gallery. Please visit: http://expressionsofnakba.org/ Boston, October 3rd - 12th, 2008: Boston Palestine Film Festival The exhibit will have an Opening Reception at the Film Festival on Friday, October 3rd, 7:30 PM and a closing reception on Sunday, October 12th 4:30-7:00PM. Several filmmakers and artists will be present at both events to speak about how their work relates to the Nakba.
|
6. 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 all 254 coalition members represented by state:
If you don't see your state represented within the US Campaign: Join us!
| * September 12th - October 20th, 2008: Save Our Kindergarten Speaking Tour At the US Campaign's 7th Annual National Organizers' Conference, our membership voted to cosponsor the Rebuilding Alliance's speaking tour featuring the mayor of Al Aqabah village, focusing on Israel's program of illegal demolition in the occupied territories. The Kindergarten in the village of Al Aqabah is scheduled to be demolished along with the entire village including the mosque, the medical center, and almost all the homes. The Rebuilding Alliance Team will tell their story, ask your help to save the Kindergarten, and make the village thrive! From Washington DC, the team travels to New York City, Houston, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Seattle for their speaking tour, Rebuilding Hope: a Speaking Tour to Save a Kindergarten and Help a Palestinian Village Thrive.
|
* Rachel Corrie Foundation Peace Works Conference
"Dual Occupations: Sovereignty and Freedom from Iraq to Palestine"
A Week-end Conference, October 17-19th at
The Evergreen State College, Olympia, Washington.
Purchase Tickets | Read About the Exciting Speakers | Download Registration Form
This multi-generational conference will connect communities working to end occupation and war in the Middle East and assist those who work in this movement in sharing skills and fresh ideas to become more effective in organizing. Participants will educate each other and build skills to challenge injustice through political, media, and gender analysis, with new knowledge of our roles in the dynamics of the Middle East and US foreign policy. Through bridging communities and acknowledging differences, we intend to find new strategies to build a broader and more effective movement.
| * October 26 - 27, 2008: Protest the 2008 AIPAC National Summit in Chicago
For Justice & Peace in the Middle East Stop AIPAC! The AIPAC National Summit October 26-27 in Chicago Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers Chicagoans Against Apartheid in Palestine (CAAP) is issuing a public call to action against the AIPAC National Summit which will take place in Chicago on October 26-27. The AIPAC National Summit is exclusively for those who contribute a minimum of $3,600 annually to AIPAC. We are calling for protest actions that will include a diversity of tactics. Organizations willing to endorse and participate in the planning should contact us. For more information or to endorse contact Chicagoans Against Apartheid in Palestine, email caap_mail@yahoo.com
|
* Global Exchange - Fair Olive Harvest Tour Nov. 6-16, 2008
Contact Sanaz with any questions about this trip -
sanaz@globalexchange.org - or call toll-free 1-800-497-1994 ext. 251. On the Web: http://www.globalexchange.org/
| * Beyond Remembrance: Facing the Challenges of the Future, Sixty Years After The Nakba 7th International Sabeel Conference The conference will focus on the commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the Nakba, and the complex issues of memory, narrative, and identity raised by the events of 1948. Lectures, workshops, discussions, and cultural events focusing on the last 60 years and the future for Christians living in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories Mark your calendars, and spread the word! For more information, email: conf2008@sabeel.org or call: (972) 2-532-7136
|
* AAPER's Five for Palestine Campaign
If so, then you may be interested in a project that is being sponsored by the American Association for Palestinian Equal Rights Foundation (AAPER Foundation). AAPER Foundation is a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to inform the American public about the situation in Palestine, particularly the human and national rights of the Palestinian people. Their website can be found at www.americansforpalestine.org.
Click here to read more.
| * October 4th-12th, 2008: Boston Palestine Film Festival The Boston Palestine Film Festival (BPFF) was established to showcase the extraordinary narrative of Palestinians through the medium of cinema to audiences in the New England area. The festival is sponsored by Tawassul, an organization committed to sharing and celebrating Palestinian arts and culture. This year the festival will be held from October 4th - 12th, 2008. The new call for entries (CFE) for submissions by international filmmakers was announced on January 2nd, 2008. In 2008, the festival particularly encourages submissions related to the Palestinian refugee issue and themes of exile, to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Nakba. While, the primary cinematic program of the festival this year will occur in October 2008 over a 9-10 day period, this initiative is envisioned as an ongoing program of smaller cultural events, talks and screenings held throughout the year. In this way the festival seeks to engage local audiences and sustain Palestinian arts and culture in the city throughout the year as part of its linkage with Tawassul. BPFF is envisioned as an ongoing multi-year initiative. In the long run we seek to develop additional programs and events to increase the visibility of Palestinian films in the area, support emerging Palestinian filmmakers, and partner with other such festivals in the US and worldwide. For more information and schedule, click here.
|
* Slingshot Hip-Hop in Washington, D.C.
|
| |
| Time: | 5:00pm - 10:00pm |
| Location: | Hard Rock Cafe & Landmark's E Street Cinema |
| Street: | 999 E Street, N.W. |
| City/Town: | Washington, DC |
|
|
| Contact Info | |
| Phone: | 4023120418 |
| Email: | |
Landmark's E Street Cinema is located at 555 11th Street, NW, Washington, DC. Take Metro Red, Orange or Blue line to Metro Center. Theatre entrance on E Street between 10th and 11th Street)
| * BPFNA Friendship Tour to the Holy Land Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America is sponsoring a Friendship Tour to the Holy Land from February 15 to March 2, 2009. Plans are to visit Lebanon, Jordan, Israel and the West Bank, with transit through Syria. Included will be visits to refugee camps, historical and religious sites, as well as discussions with representatives of many groups active in the region. To learn more, visit www.bpfna.org or contact the tour leader, Barbara Taft, at beejayssite@yahoo.com.
|
* First Time Online for Just 3 Months: Articles on Mahmud Darwish from JPS Archives
To mark the 40th day of mourning for Mahmud Darwish, who passed away August 9, 2008, the Journal of Palestine Studies, with permission from its publisher University of California Press, is making two important pieces available online for just three months.
Darwish, long established as an international literary figure and the "poetic voice" of his people, was also an acute analyst of the political scene. He was one of the few voices to speak out against the Oslo agreement signed in 1993. As he explained in the interview he gave to Adam Shatz just after he was awarded the prestigious US-based Lannan Foundation Prize for Cultural Freedom in 2002,
"I thought [Oslo] wouldn't lead to real peace. It was too ambiguous. There was no clear link between the interim period and the final status, and there was no clear commitment to withdraw from the occupied territories. And the word "occupation" wasn't even in the text. I felt Oslo would pave the way for escalation. I hoped I was wrong. And now I'm very sad that I was right." Read the full interview here.
Some of Darwish's poetry offers a way to interpret and deal with the "escalation" that has befallen Palestinians because of Oslo, as is set out in Sinan Antoon's moving 2002 article "Mahmud Darwish's Allegorical Critique of Oslo." Read the full article here.
Arabic speakers can see a short video here of Darwish reciting his poetry at the 40th anniversary of the Institute for Palestine Studies. Darwish was a member of the Institute's board of trustees.
* Son of Nun Hitting the Road
Son of Nun, political hip hop artist & activist, is hitting the road on "The Art of Struggle Tour" to help mobilize movements fighting for change before AND after the elections. His music reflects the voices from the struggles he's been part of and the goal is for this tour to do the same. Known best for his song "Free Palestine" Son continues to stand unapologetically for equal rights and equal access for oppressed peoples everywhere "Divest! And let's lay Apartheid to rest!" Details at www.sonofnun.net
9. OPPORTUNITIES TO VISIT ISRAEL AND PALESTINE:
| * Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions Delegations to Israel/Palestine
|
* Interfaith Peace-Builders Delegations to Israel/Palestine
| * Fall 2007 Schedule: December 2nd - 12th: Global Exchange's Delegations to Palestine & Israel |
* NEW Christian Peacemaker Teams Delegations to PALESTINE/ISRAEL
| * NEW Middle East Fellowship Delegations to Israel/Palestine
|
* The Health and Human Rights Project (formerly Jewish American Medical
Project) Delegation to Israel/Palestine
Sincerely,
The US Campaign Staff
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.
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.
0 Have Your Say!:
Post a Comment