Boycott israHell!
Бойкот на израел и печелещите от окупацията! Boycott israHell and those who profit from occupation!
Showing posts with label Viva Palestina. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Viva Palestina. Show all posts
Monday, July 28, 2014
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Is Israel guilty of piracy?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpqnMrLv1bQ
Watch the video and decide for yourself how many international and maritime laws Israel has broken. The Israeli navy hijacked the Spirit of Humanity in international waters. The Israeli government hijacks Palestinian fishing boats, in Palestinian territorial waters, kidnaps the fishermen, and sends its military out to shoot to wound and kill them as they struggle to make a living. After watching this video, you will be convinced that Israel has committed acts of piracy against Palestinians and against internationals. No other country would be allowed to do what Israel does on a daily basis.
The International Solidarity Movement (ISM) volunteers were accompanying fishermen to document attacks on them by the Israeli Navy, and to provide a deterrence to these attacks. (www.palsolidarity.org) For more information and current reports about Gaza fishermen: fishinunderfire.blogspot.com
Please distribute this video to all of your lists. Thank you.
Free Gaza Movement
Watch the video and decide for yourself how many international and maritime laws Israel has broken. The Israeli navy hijacked the Spirit of Humanity in international waters. The Israeli government hijacks Palestinian fishing boats, in Palestinian territorial waters, kidnaps the fishermen, and sends its military out to shoot to wound and kill them as they struggle to make a living. After watching this video, you will be convinced that Israel has committed acts of piracy against Palestinians and against internationals. No other country would be allowed to do what Israel does on a daily basis.
The International Solidarity Movement (ISM) volunteers were accompanying fishermen to document attacks on them by the Israeli Navy, and to provide a deterrence to these attacks. (www.palsolidarity.org) For more information and current reports about Gaza fishermen: fishinunderfire.blogspot.com
Please distribute this video to all of your lists. Thank you.
Free Gaza Movement
Homeward bound: Gaza in 24 hours
Dr. Mona El-Farra writing from the occupied Gaza Strip, Live from Palestine, 28 July 2009
International activists from the Viva Palestina US delegation arrive into the Gaza Strip from Egypt, 15 July 2009. (Hatem Omar/MaanImages)
As soon as I arrived home I felt a great relief, if that is the right word. I have been unable to return to Gaza before because of Israel's winter invasion and the ongoing siege. I am not sure that the word relief summarizes my intense and conflicting emotions. Mixed feelings of relief, happiness, but also disorientation continued to overwhelm me. Gaza my beautiful home, yes my beautiful home, my beautiful people, who are trying so hard to live. To continue from one day to another. Despite the odds, the hardships, the deaf ears of the world.
The same day I arrived home, 9 July, I could see from my balcony the rubble of what at one time was Yasser Arafat's headquarters. The whole building was completely demolished, leveled to the ground, blowing out the windows on one side of my apartment building. It is the same place where one of my cousins was killed the first day of Israel's assault in December.
I now see a different Gaza, and it is not the Gaza I have known, it is like a city after an earthquake.
Many of the historically important buildings were leveled to the ground. I decided to postpone my field visits to the different areas where the assaults were the most savage and brutal. I thought it might be a good idea to wait for the arrival of the delegation of US citizens who were due to cross the border.
In the meantime, I met some dear friends and coworkers who came to say hello. All of them were loaded with war stories and the panic they faced during the attacks against Gaza. One friend who was a political prisoner, who spent 15 years in the Israeli jails said to me, "I never felt afraid of anything there like the fear I felt this time." I find it strange to even write this sentence, but while we Palestinians are determined to continue our struggle, the reality is that this assault against Gaza was severe and fierce, and cannot be forgotten -- we will feel its effects as a people for a long time.
Our friends from the US were only granted visas from Egypt to visit Gaza for 24 hours. As I waited I pondered, "How can we condense or begin to understand what children, women and men went through during 23 days of the assault in a 24 hours visit?"
Upon the arrival of the Viva Palestina US delegation, I sat at the borders to receive the delegation with some colleagues from PNGO (Palestinian Non-Governmental Organizations' Network). It was a touching and affectionate moment for me, to see American, British, and French activists of different ages and ethnicities united under one goal and voicing to the world: "Gaza you are not alone, you are not forgotten, despite the shameful stand of the governments of the world, we stand with you, the people of Gaza!"
We had to get to work immediately, and were fortunate to have a solid team of colleagues. I was accompanied by Barbara Lubin, Director of the Middle East Children's Alliance (MECA), Reem Salhi, an activist lawyer and human rights advocate, Danny Muller, a MECA colleague, Travis Wilkerson, a filmmaker and professor, Jaiel Kayed, a Palestinian-American computer expert, Talal Abu Shaweesh, Director of New Horizons, and Mohammed Magdalawi, a student from Gaza and MECA volunteer.
In the Nuseirat refugee camp, we were invited by New Horizons to see the activities of their project loosely translated as "Let them Play and Heal," a program treating childhood trauma sponsored by MECA. The project involves activities for mothers and their children to help the children recover after the war trauma. There were around 500 kids, 6-12 years old boys and girls with their mothers attending. We had the chance to see the little faces of hundreds of happy children, singing along with a traditional debka dance performance.
We then visited the al-Bureeg School, where MECA has implemented water purification and desalinization systems to provide clean drinking water for schoolchildren. This is one of three water treatment projects MECA has recently implemented in the refugee camps, and we aim to build many more with the help of our friends and allies. We then moved to the north and while the van was going on, we could clearly see many demolished homes everywhere, and tent cities around the homes where families now lived.
We could not miss the Zaytoun area, where one of the many tragic events of the war occurred at the home of the Samouni family. The van went through neighborhood after neighborhood, through areas of vast destruction. How can I convey to you what I have seen in the little faces, eyes of sadness mixed with hope and excitement? On top of that some of the kids who had broken or missing arms and legs, post-operative scars, who are living in the rubble of their former homes, and with their little voices they tried to tell us their stories.
I listened to their stories. I stopped writing about the rest of our activities, the rest of our day, the rest of my return home. At that moment I felt, and still feel, "I don't want to hear or listen, I just want to cuddle these children and help them to forget." But I want the world to remember what was done here in Gaza, and that those of who are picking up the pieces, as hard as we try, we cannot forget.
Mona El-Farra is a physician by training and a human rights and women's rights activist in practice in the occupied Gaza Strip. Her blog is From Gaza, with Love.
International activists from the Viva Palestina US delegation arrive into the Gaza Strip from Egypt, 15 July 2009. (Hatem Omar/MaanImages)
As soon as I arrived home I felt a great relief, if that is the right word. I have been unable to return to Gaza before because of Israel's winter invasion and the ongoing siege. I am not sure that the word relief summarizes my intense and conflicting emotions. Mixed feelings of relief, happiness, but also disorientation continued to overwhelm me. Gaza my beautiful home, yes my beautiful home, my beautiful people, who are trying so hard to live. To continue from one day to another. Despite the odds, the hardships, the deaf ears of the world.
The same day I arrived home, 9 July, I could see from my balcony the rubble of what at one time was Yasser Arafat's headquarters. The whole building was completely demolished, leveled to the ground, blowing out the windows on one side of my apartment building. It is the same place where one of my cousins was killed the first day of Israel's assault in December.
I now see a different Gaza, and it is not the Gaza I have known, it is like a city after an earthquake.
Many of the historically important buildings were leveled to the ground. I decided to postpone my field visits to the different areas where the assaults were the most savage and brutal. I thought it might be a good idea to wait for the arrival of the delegation of US citizens who were due to cross the border.
In the meantime, I met some dear friends and coworkers who came to say hello. All of them were loaded with war stories and the panic they faced during the attacks against Gaza. One friend who was a political prisoner, who spent 15 years in the Israeli jails said to me, "I never felt afraid of anything there like the fear I felt this time." I find it strange to even write this sentence, but while we Palestinians are determined to continue our struggle, the reality is that this assault against Gaza was severe and fierce, and cannot be forgotten -- we will feel its effects as a people for a long time.
Our friends from the US were only granted visas from Egypt to visit Gaza for 24 hours. As I waited I pondered, "How can we condense or begin to understand what children, women and men went through during 23 days of the assault in a 24 hours visit?"
Upon the arrival of the Viva Palestina US delegation, I sat at the borders to receive the delegation with some colleagues from PNGO (Palestinian Non-Governmental Organizations' Network). It was a touching and affectionate moment for me, to see American, British, and French activists of different ages and ethnicities united under one goal and voicing to the world: "Gaza you are not alone, you are not forgotten, despite the shameful stand of the governments of the world, we stand with you, the people of Gaza!"
We had to get to work immediately, and were fortunate to have a solid team of colleagues. I was accompanied by Barbara Lubin, Director of the Middle East Children's Alliance (MECA), Reem Salhi, an activist lawyer and human rights advocate, Danny Muller, a MECA colleague, Travis Wilkerson, a filmmaker and professor, Jaiel Kayed, a Palestinian-American computer expert, Talal Abu Shaweesh, Director of New Horizons, and Mohammed Magdalawi, a student from Gaza and MECA volunteer.
In the Nuseirat refugee camp, we were invited by New Horizons to see the activities of their project loosely translated as "Let them Play and Heal," a program treating childhood trauma sponsored by MECA. The project involves activities for mothers and their children to help the children recover after the war trauma. There were around 500 kids, 6-12 years old boys and girls with their mothers attending. We had the chance to see the little faces of hundreds of happy children, singing along with a traditional debka dance performance.
We then visited the al-Bureeg School, where MECA has implemented water purification and desalinization systems to provide clean drinking water for schoolchildren. This is one of three water treatment projects MECA has recently implemented in the refugee camps, and we aim to build many more with the help of our friends and allies. We then moved to the north and while the van was going on, we could clearly see many demolished homes everywhere, and tent cities around the homes where families now lived.
We could not miss the Zaytoun area, where one of the many tragic events of the war occurred at the home of the Samouni family. The van went through neighborhood after neighborhood, through areas of vast destruction. How can I convey to you what I have seen in the little faces, eyes of sadness mixed with hope and excitement? On top of that some of the kids who had broken or missing arms and legs, post-operative scars, who are living in the rubble of their former homes, and with their little voices they tried to tell us their stories.
I listened to their stories. I stopped writing about the rest of our activities, the rest of our day, the rest of my return home. At that moment I felt, and still feel, "I don't want to hear or listen, I just want to cuddle these children and help them to forget." But I want the world to remember what was done here in Gaza, and that those of who are picking up the pieces, as hard as we try, we cannot forget.
Mona El-Farra is a physician by training and a human rights and women's rights activist in practice in the occupied Gaza Strip. Her blog is From Gaza, with Love.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Viva Palestina UK Convoy Update
14th June 2009
Viva Palestina UK Convoy Update
Hello everyone,
Convoy route
One of the most common questions we're being asked is how long the convoy will take.
The trip this time – via Europe, Syria, and Jordan before crossing over to Egypt – will definitely be shorter than last time. Did you know that Gaza is actually only 2225 miles in a straight line from London? Of course, roads and ferries mean that the actual distance we drive will be different — more like 300 miles. This is still less than the last convoy.
How Long will it take?
The convoy will take approximately 3 weeks from start to finish. This will include time in Gaza
A very accurate idea of how many miles we will be realistically able to cover each day, and where we will have the option to fuel and to stop, will be possible this time, because we have two convoyers – John Hurson from Ireland and Reza Yunis from Birmingham – who are going to drive the route as a trial later this month.
Convoy application form
We will shortly be launching the application form for the convoy! In the same way that the US convoy has done, we will make it available as an online form on the website. This will be very much more straightforward for us to process than the jumble of written forms that were all we had time for last time. It is absolutely essential that everybody coming on the convoy fills in this form, and agrees to the code of conduct, which includes a promise to attend a training session before the convoy. These will be around the UK, and spread over several dates before the convoy so there should be enough opportunities for everyone to get to one.
We will be asking everyone for a small fee to help us make this work smoothly, and to make it clear that the application form is a serious commitment to take part. If for any reason we are unable to accommodate you on the convoy relating to visas, safety, or inability to attend a training session, for example), this fee will be considered a donation to the convoy.
Your details will be passed to the closest regional group which will then be in touch with you regarding the training sessions once they become available.
Vehicles and Aid
It is likely that we will, once again, be told that only medical equipment is to be allowed through the border. We will be pushing to change this to allow other things such as toys, computers, and construction equipment to get through, but medical and sanitary equipment remain the priority and we would ask you to focus on collecting these.
To this end, the most useful vehicles remain ambulances – including if possible some four-wheel drive ones – and also minibuses suitable for use as light-casualty ambulances and/or school buses for example.
We would also like to have some refrigerated vehicles (preferably van- size) to enable the transportation of some of the medical supplies that need to be kept chilled.
Another novel suggestion is that we could take one or two fish-and- chip vans (or similar): not only would this help to attract publicity, but they could be used to cook for us on the journey! More practically, they would be useable as a business in Gaza.
Twinning
We hope to have our website revamped very soon and you will be able to find a list of organisations that could be twinned with. These aren't limited to schools and hospitals — it would also be wonderful to see small businesses twinned. For example, simply a photograph of a British kebab shop inside a Gazan one is a reminder to all their customers that people care. And of course in the UK it's another way to catch the attention of more and more members of the public.
Niamh Moloughney
Irish Free Gaza Coordinator
niamh@freegaza.org
091 472279/085 7747257
Viva Palestina UK Convoy Update
Hello everyone,
Convoy route
One of the most common questions we're being asked is how long the convoy will take.
The trip this time – via Europe, Syria, and Jordan before crossing over to Egypt – will definitely be shorter than last time. Did you know that Gaza is actually only 2225 miles in a straight line from London? Of course, roads and ferries mean that the actual distance we drive will be different — more like 300 miles. This is still less than the last convoy.
How Long will it take?
The convoy will take approximately 3 weeks from start to finish. This will include time in Gaza
A very accurate idea of how many miles we will be realistically able to cover each day, and where we will have the option to fuel and to stop, will be possible this time, because we have two convoyers – John Hurson from Ireland and Reza Yunis from Birmingham – who are going to drive the route as a trial later this month.
Convoy application form
We will shortly be launching the application form for the convoy! In the same way that the US convoy has done, we will make it available as an online form on the website. This will be very much more straightforward for us to process than the jumble of written forms that were all we had time for last time. It is absolutely essential that everybody coming on the convoy fills in this form, and agrees to the code of conduct, which includes a promise to attend a training session before the convoy. These will be around the UK, and spread over several dates before the convoy so there should be enough opportunities for everyone to get to one.
We will be asking everyone for a small fee to help us make this work smoothly, and to make it clear that the application form is a serious commitment to take part. If for any reason we are unable to accommodate you on the convoy relating to visas, safety, or inability to attend a training session, for example), this fee will be considered a donation to the convoy.
Your details will be passed to the closest regional group which will then be in touch with you regarding the training sessions once they become available.
Vehicles and Aid
It is likely that we will, once again, be told that only medical equipment is to be allowed through the border. We will be pushing to change this to allow other things such as toys, computers, and construction equipment to get through, but medical and sanitary equipment remain the priority and we would ask you to focus on collecting these.
To this end, the most useful vehicles remain ambulances – including if possible some four-wheel drive ones – and also minibuses suitable for use as light-casualty ambulances and/or school buses for example.
We would also like to have some refrigerated vehicles (preferably van- size) to enable the transportation of some of the medical supplies that need to be kept chilled.
Another novel suggestion is that we could take one or two fish-and- chip vans (or similar): not only would this help to attract publicity, but they could be used to cook for us on the journey! More practically, they would be useable as a business in Gaza.
Twinning
We hope to have our website revamped very soon and you will be able to find a list of organisations that could be twinned with. These aren't limited to schools and hospitals — it would also be wonderful to see small businesses twinned. For example, simply a photograph of a British kebab shop inside a Gazan one is a reminder to all their customers that people care. And of course in the UK it's another way to catch the attention of more and more members of the public.
Niamh Moloughney
Irish Free Gaza Coordinator
niamh@freegaza.org
091 472279/085 7747257
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