Urgent: ISM volunteers in Gaza trapped in Beit Hanoun Hospital

PRESS RELEASE ISM

At 19:00 Beit Hanoun Hospital was hit by an Israeli tank shell. Inside the hospital are 61 medical staff, civilians, three patients and two ISM volunteers Charlie Andreasson and Fred Ekblad from Sweden, who are all trapped inside.

Israeli soldiers are in the area, approximately 150 meters behind the hospital. Gunfire can be heard in the area.

We need you to call your own representatives to demand that they fulfill their obligation to insure that Israel adheres to international law and immediately cease to target medical staff and facilities.

Some phone numbers are provided below.

Background: Medical teams under fire
international volunteers, including some from Sweden, the U.S., and the UK, went to Beit Hanoun in North Gaza to accompany ambulances fallowing the targeting of an ambulance in Beit Hanoun this afternoon by Israeli forces. The Israeli attack on the ambulance killed one paramedic and the critical injury of another

This is the second Israeli attack on Gazan medical facilities and personnel in the last 24 hours. The first resulted in the destruction of Al Durrah Children’s Hospital in Gaza City last night. A two year-old child in the Intensive Care Unit was killed, and 30 others injured.

Due to shelling nearby, Beit Hanoun hospital has evacuated most of its patients to al-Shifa Hospital. Three patients remain in the hospital.

Since Israel began its attack on Gaza, 13 ambulances have been completely destroyed and two paramedics have been killed. Throughout the massacre, medical staff and facilities have been repeatedly targeted.

“Israel’s attacks on Gaza hospitals are ongoing, with those in areas by the separation barrier forced to evacuate their patients, paramedics and other rescue workers are doing what they can under conditions of great risk.” Stated Joe Catron, U.S. International Solidarity Movement activist.

According to the Gazan Ministry of Health, six out of Gaza’s 13 hospitals have already been severely damaged. One, el-Wafa rehabilitation hospital, has been completely destroyed. Two medical clinics have been completely destroyed, seven other clinics have been damaged, 13 medical staff members have been injured, and five have been killed.

The Ministry of Health in Gaza has demanded, “the immediate cessation of Israeli occupation military attacks against medical facilities and personnel in Gaza, and demands that the international community soundly condemn this latest Israeli atrocity, and hold Israel accountable for these war crimes.”

For more information:

+972597406401 Ally Cohen (ISM media coordinator, based in the West Bank)

Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs
Carl Bildt
+46 8 405 10 00 [4]
(Plus a load more phone numbers on this page: www.government.se/sb/d/2085)
@carlbildt
@SweMFA

The German Foreign Office:
Federal Foreign Office
Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Minister

Tel. (24 hours service): +49 30 1817 0
Telefax: +49 30 1817 3402
German Embassy Tel Aviv emergency number / for German citizens only: +972-54-9944724 (mobile)

Twitter
Auswärtiges Amt @AuswaertigesAmt

UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office
MP Philip Hammond
+44 20 7008 1500
020 7219 4055
@foreignoffice

US Department of State
Israel Foreign Service Desk: 202-647-3672
@StateDept

Spain
José García-Margallo y Marfil
91 379 97 00
@MAECgob

New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade
Murray McCully
+64 4 439 8000
@NZNationalParty

French Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Laurent Fabius
@francediplo
@laurentfabius

Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
Julie Bishop
+61 2 6261 1111 (office)
1300 555 135 (24-hour Consular Emergency Centre)
@dfat
@JulieBishopMP

Venezuelan Ministry Foreign Affairs
Elías Jaua
+58 212 806.4400
+58 212 8061111
@ Vencancilleria

#GazaUnderAttack / Act now before it is too late!

Dear friends,

Civil society organisations in Gaza have made a call to the international community asking them to, "Join the growing international boycott, divestment and sanction campaign to hold this rogue state to account that is proving once again to be so violent and yet so unchallenged. Join the growing critical mass around the world with a commitment to the day when Palestinians do not have to grow up amidst this relentless murder and destruction by the Israeli regime." 

Please continue to organise and join the protests, and share the below statement with everyone you know. The international community must, "act now, before it is too late!"

The call out (http://palsolidarity.org/2014/07/urgent-call-from-gaza-civil-society-act-now/):

We, Palestinians trapped inside the bloodied and besieged Gaza Strip, call on conscientious people all over the world, to act, protest, and intensify the boycotts, divestments and sanctions against Israel until it ends this murderous attack on our people and is held to account.

With the world turning their backs on us once again, for the last four days we have in Gaza been left to face massacre after massacre.  As you read these words over 120 Palestinians are dead now, including 25 children. Over 1000 have been injured including countless horrifying injuries that will limit lives forever – more than two thirds of the injured are women and children. We know for a fact that many more will not make it through the next day. Which of us will be next, as we lie awake from the sound of the carnage in our beds tonight? Will we be the next photo left in an unrecognizable state from Israel’s state of the art flesh tearing, limb stripping machinery of destruction?

We call for a final end to the crimes and oppression against us. We call for:

- Arms embargos on Israel, sanctions that would cut off the supply of weapons and military aid from Europe and the United States on which Israel depends to commit such war crimes;

- Suspension of all free trade and bilateral agreements with Israel such as the EU-Israel Association agreement; 

- Boycott, divestment and sanctions, as called for by the overwhelming majority of Palestinian Civil Society in 2005

Without pressure and isolation, the Israeli regime has proven time and time again that it will continue such massacres as we see around us now, and continue the decades of systematic ethnic cleansing, military occupation and apartheid policies. 

We are writing this on Saturday night, again paralyzed in our homes as the bombs fall on us in Gaza. Who knows when the current attacks will end? For anyone over seven years old, permanently etched on our minds are the rivers of blood that ran through the Gaza streets when for over 3 weeks in 2009 over 1400 Palestinians were killed including over 330 children. White phosphorous and other chemical weapons were used in civilian areas and contaminating our land with a rise in cancers as a result. More recently 180 more were killed in the week-long attacks in late November 2012.

This time what? 200, 500, 5000? We ask: how many of our lives are dispensable enough until the world takes action? How much of our blood is sufficient? Before the Israeli bombings, a member of the Israeli Knesset Ayelet Shaked of the far-right Jewish Home party called for genocide of the Palestinian people. “They should go, as should the physical homes in which they raised the snakes.” she said. “Otherwise, more little snakes will be raised there.” Right now nothing is beyond the murderous nature of the Israeli State, for we, a population that is mostly children, are all mere snakes to them

As said Omar Ghraib in Gaza, “It was heart shattering to see the pictures of little boys and girls viciously killed. Also how an elderly woman was killed while she was having her iftar at Maghreb prayer by bombing her house. She died holding the spoon in her hand, an image that will need a lot of time to leave my head.”

Entire houses are being targeted and entire families are being murdered. Early Thursday morning the entire Al-Hajj family was wiped out – the father Mahmoud, mother Bassema and five children. No warning, a family targeted and removed from life. Thursday night, the same again, no warning, 5 more dead including four from the Ghannam family, a woman and a seven year old child amongst them. 

On Tuesday morning the Kaware family did get a phone call telling them their 3 storey house would be bombed. The family began to leave when a water tank was struck, but then returned with members of the community, who all came to the house to stand with them, people from all over the neighbourhood. The Israeli jets bombed the building with a roof full of people, knowing full well it was full of civilians. 7 people died immediately including 5 children under 13 years old. 25 more were injured, and 8 year old Seraj Abed al-Aal, succumbed to his injuries later that evening.  Perhaps the family was trying to appeal to the Israeli regime’s humanity, surely they wouldn’t bomb the roof full of people. But as we watch families being torn apart around us, it’s clear that Israel’s actions have nothing to do with humanity.

Other places hit include a clearly marked media vehicle killing the independent journalist Hamed Shehab, injuring 8 others, a hit on a Red Crescent rescue vehicle and attacks on hospitals which caused evacuations and more injuries.

This latest session of Israeli barbarity is placed firmly in the context of Israel’s inhuman seven-year blockade that has cut off the main life-line of goods and people coming in and out of Gaza, resulting in the severe medical and food shortages being reported by all our hospitals and clinics right now. Cement to rebuild the thousands of homes destroyed by Israeli attacks had been banned and many injured and ill people are still not being allowed to travel abroad to receive urgent medical treatment which has caused the deaths of over 600 sick patients.

As more news comes in, as Israeli leaders’ give promises of moving onto a next stage in brutality, we know there are more horrors yet to come. For this we call on you to not turn your backs on us. We call on you to stand up for justice and humanity and demonstrate and support the courageous men, women and children rooted in the Gaza Strip facing the darkest of times ahead. We insist on international action:

- Severance of diplomatic ties with Israel

- Trials for war crimes

- Immediate International protection of the civilians of Gaza

We call on you to join the growing international boycott, divestment and sanction campaign to hold this rogue state to account that is proving once again to be so violent and yet so unchallenged. Join the growing critical mass around the world with a commitment to the day when Palestinians do not have to grow up amidst this relentless murder and destruction by the Israeli regime.  When we can move freely, when the siege is lifted, the occupation is over and the world’s Palestinian refugees are finally granted justice.

ACT NOW, before it is too late!

Signed by

Palestinian General Federation of Trade Unions

University Teachers’ Association in Palestine

Palestinian Non-Governmental Organizations Network (Umbrella for 133 orgs)

General Union of Palestinian Women

Medical Democratic Assembly

General Union of Palestine Workers

General Union for Health Services Workers

General Union for Public Services Workers

General Union for Petrochemical and Gas Workers

General Union for Agricultural Workers

Union of Women’s Work Committees

Pal-Cinema (Palestine Cinema Forum)

Youth Herak Movement

Union of Women’s Struggle Committees

Union of Synergies—Women Unit

Union of Palestinian Women Committees

Women’s Studies Society

Working Woman’s Society

Press House

Palestinian Students’ Campaign for the Academic Boycott of Israel

Gaza BDS Working Group

One Democratic State Group

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В памет на Мустафа Тамими

История на Габриела, от 1-во лице..."Зехтин от сълзи"

Преди една година бях все още в Западния бряг, в Хеброн (ал-Халил). Преподавах английски като доброволка в местна НПО всяка свободна минута, докато мои приятели пишеха за ненасилвена съпротива срещу окупацията, ходеха по демоснтрации, бяха там. Аз бях в H1, или тази част от Хеброн, където, ако имаш достатъчно голямо въображение и стоиш далеч от H2 (окупираната от еврейски заселници част и следователно под контрола на израелската армия), може напълно да забравиш за съществуването на Окупацията. Така бяха избрали да направят много от младите момчета, които работеха с мен, учениците ми, приемното ми семесйтво. Привидната нормализация… Може би и аз щях да съм като тях, ако живеех там…

Един петък (ден за демонстрация) реших да утеша гузната си съвест. Свързах се с приятел от ISM и тръгнахме към Рамалла, от където трябваше да вземем сервиз (маршрутка) за Наби Салех. Знаех, че там демонстрациите протичат по особено агресивен начин, но реших, че вече имам достатъчно опит, за да отида. Докато седяхме в сервиза и го чакахме да потегли за Наби Салех, шофьорът получи обаждане и ни уведоми, че израелската армия е блокирала пътя и не може да преминем. Трябваше да се откажем.  Бяхме закъсняли. Армията редовно блокира пътя към точно тази демонстрация, за да не могат да стигнат там чужденците от организациите за солидарност. Налагаше се често последните да отидат в селцето предишния ден и да преспят в местни хора, за да успеят да присъстват на протеста на следващия ден. Имахме малко време да отидем до друга автогара в Рамалла и от там да вземем маршрутка към друга демонстрация, в Нилин. Така и направихме. На този ден в Нилин имаше сватба, което означаваше, че цялото селце бе там. Шепа хора и то най-вече деца бяха на протеста. Изливаха натрупалата се неприязън в хвърляне на камъни и в крещене в посока на няколкото израелски войника, които бяха от другата страна на апартейд Стената, и от време на време стреляха газ съм нас, може би от скука. Вероятно и те не искаха да са там в този момент. Но ежеседмичните любезности под формата на камъни и газ се размениха и през този петъчен ден.

По-късно същия ден, 9ти декември 2011, разбрах, че един палестинец е бил убит в Наби Салех по време на демонстрацията, до която не можах да стигн

Мустафа Тамими

а. Докато аз бях в Нилин, а в Израел – каква ирония –  празнуваха Международен ден на човешките права, израелски войник в Наби Салех отваря вратата на бронирания джип, изважда оръжието си и изстрелва канче сълзотворен газ директно в един от палестинските демонстранти, Мустафа ат-Тамими, след което напуска мястото на произшествието. По-късно същия ден Мустафа издъхва. Днес, година по-късно, все още никой не е подведен под отговорност за убийството му.

Мустафа Тамими (в бялата тениска) в момента на убийството му

Докато Израел всячески се опитва да потъпка съпротивата в Наби Салех, тя само става по-силна и непреклонима. Местните палестинци там и до днес протестират за правото да изпозлват собствения си  воден източник, иззет от еврейските заселници. Чудя се дали животът ми щеше да протече по същия начин, ако бях успяла да стигна до тази демонстрация и как щеше да ме афектира случилото се.

Почивай в мир. Мустафа Тамими!

#GazaUnderAttack | An urgent call for people of conscience | Human Rights Defenders Needed in #Gaza

ISM Palestine | Nov 20, 2012 

Due to the failures of the United Nations, governments and the International community to fulfill their obligation to protect the besieged civilians of Gaza, we urge people of conscience to come to Gaza to act as human rights defenders against the wanton lethal attacks unleashed by Israel against the civilian population.

In the last 7 days 116 people have been murdered, including 23 children. More are being murdered as you read this call. We call on all people of conscience to do what the UN and the international governments are failing to do–to enter Gaza in groups to act as human rights defenders. We will be entering Gaza as affinity groups. The groups will remain together for the duration of their stay. In Gaza, Palestinian human rights workers will coordinate our work.

We will collectively document and report on the war crimes committed by Israel in Gaza and be present to stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people. Through our efforts we will bring the reality of life in Gaza to our own communities. Activists have the option of forming groups or delegations in their home countries, or traveling to Egypt to join other human rights defenders there. Groups will enter Gaza via Rafah crossing.

To endorse this action and joining us, contact: gazasolidarity2012@gmail.com

14th November 2012 | Assault on Gaza - Letter from ISM activist

Dear All. I am calling on all your support for the besieged people of the Gaza Strip.
Here in Gaza, more than 10 people have been killed so far in the Israeli operation named “Pillar of Defense  within the last 7 hours, including countless children such as 7-year-old child Ranan Arafat and an 11 month old baby. We’ve seen charred bodies of dead and injured children  pouring in to Al Shifa hospital of Gaza City and the other depleted hospitals around the Gaza Strip. 50 airstrikes all over the Gaza Strip so far. Deafening explosions shook us all as bombs landed close to us in the streets near the Universities. Huge explosions are landing all around us in Gaza City now as I write, some entire families have been injured. We can also hear the shelling of Israeli Gunships. Announcement of possible Israeli land invasion very soon.

More than 330 children were killed in the last bloody operation like this in operation Cast Lead, killing over 1400 in total: the vast majority civilians. We are reporting from hospitals, streets and bombed areas. How many, terrified in there homes will have their lives shortened by tomorrow, or after the days of airstrikes, tank shellings and Gunship missiles Israel has announced. YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE. MOVE. ACT NOW TO STOP ANOTHER GAZA BLOODBATH. INACTION AROUND THE WORLD HAS LEAD US TO THIS POINT. ACT NOW.

Adie

For more information on how to contact International activists in Gaza now please email: palreports@gmail.com

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Israeli settlers and soldiers disrupt olive harvest, Hebron, West Bank, 22.10.2012

Israeli soldiers arrest an International Solidarity Movement volunteer for interfering in the attempted arrest of one of his colleagues who was filming confrontations between settlers, the Al Azzeh family which had just harvested their olives, and the military, October 22, 2012. The arrest followed the first time the Al Azzeh family was able to harvest their olives since 2007. Despite coordinating with the appropriate authorities, their harvest was disrupted by Israelis from the adjacent Tel Rumeida settlement, which like all settlements, is illegal under international law.
Photo by: Ryan Rodrick Beiler/http://activestills.org/

Help Bring Jalaal home

What would you do if 30 men armed with sticks and guns stormed into your home beat your little brothers and began beating your mother and ripping her clothes? 

On August 28 this happened to sixteen year old Jalaal Daraghmah. He did his best to protect his family. He grabbed a pick used for gardening, and stood at the door of his house and told the settlers he would not let anyone in. When one of them tried to enter by force Jalaal hit him with the pick. The Israeli police arrived on the scene, and they ignored the two little boys that were beaten so badly they needed to be hospitalized, the mothers bruises and torn dress, and the family’s car that had been completely destroyed by the settlers. They instead arrested Jalaal and his father Khalid. No settlers were sought for questioning or detained. The Israeli press treated what happened as a “terror attack” and dubbed It a“Axe Attack”. Jalaal has been in Israeli custody since.

Starting today until Thursday Jalaal can be released on a five thousand shekel bail ($1300) Jalal’s family can not afford to free him. With your help they can bring him home before the long holidays that will force him to remain in Israeli custody.

Please send what you can through the ism donate link make sure to send an email topalreports@gmail.com to say how much you have donated for Jalaal’s release.

For the past four years the Daraghmah family have faced regular attacks by Israeli settlers at their home in Khan al-Lubban, simply for attempting to remain on their land. Help Bring Jalaal home to his family.

For more information on the attacks click here.

The Ministry of Detainees’ and Ex-detainees’ Affairs sent out a press realese asking for international support for the prisonors and to pressure Israel to hold up their end of the 14.May agreement.

GAZA, PALESTINE, September 11

The families of Palestinians detained by Israel called for a week of urgent actions to support a mass hunger strike on 13 September, as well as ongoing hunger strikes by individual detainees.

Thousands of detainees will participate in a mass one-day hunger strike on Thursday, 13 September, beginning a “Saving the Strike” campaign to demand that Israel fully implement the agreement that ended the “Dignity” hunger strike on 14 May, 2012.

“The agreement was to allow all prisoners from Gaza to receive visits from family members,” said Sadeya Saftawi, the wife of detainee Emad El Deen Saftawi. “But four months later, I still haven’t been able to see my husband.”

Israel also continues to hold detainees in isolation, despite agreeing to release them into its prisons’ general population, and to renew administrative detention orders in violation of the 14 May deal. Two administrative detainees with extended orders, Samer Al-Barq and Hassan Safadi, remain on their 113^th and 83^rd days of extended hunger strikes.

“We ask supporters around the world to undertake more activities to pressure Israel to stop its daily violations against our sons, brothers, and husbands, and to help them get back their rights that are violated daily by Israel,” said Mona Abu Salah, the mother of two detainees, Fahmi and Salah Abu Salah.

The families asked supporters to demonstrate outside Israeli embassies, consulates, and missions, international organizations, Israeli prison contractors like G4S, and in other public places from Thursday, 13 September through Wednesday, 19 September.

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Join the olive harvest 2012

02.09.2012 | International Solidarity Movement

At a time of increasing settler violence in the West Bank, the International Solidarity Movement is issuing an urgent call for volunteers to participate in the 2012 Olive Harvest Campaign at the invitation of Palestinian communities.

The olive tree is a national symbol for Palestinians. As thousands of olive trees have been bulldozed, uprooted and burned by Israeli settlers and the military – (over half a million olive and fruit trees have been destroyed since September 2000) – harvesting has become more than a source of livelihood; it has become a form of resistance.

The olive harvest is an annual affirmation of Palestinians’ historical, spiritual, and economic connection to their land, and a rejection of Israeli efforts to seize it. Despite efforts by Israeli settlers and soldiers to prevent them from accessing their land, Palestinian communities have remained steadfast in refusing to give up their olive harvest.

Palestinian and ISM volunteers join Palestinian farming communities each year to harvest olives, in areas where Palestinians face settler and military violence when working their land. Your presence can make a big difference. It has been proven in the past to deter the number and severity of attacks and harassment. The presence of activists can reduce the risk of extreme violence from Israeli settlers and the Israeli army and supports Palestinians’ assertion of their right to earn their livelihoods and be present on their lands. International solidarity activists engage in non-violent intervention and documentation and this practical support enables many families to pick their olives. In addition, The Olive Harvest Campaign also provides a wonderful opportunity to spend time with Palestinian families in their olive groves and homes.

The campaign will begin on the 8th of October and run until the 15^th of November.  We request a minimum 2 week commitment from volunteers but stress that long-termers are needed as well.  We ask that volunteers start arriving in the first week of October, so that we will be prepared when the harvest begins.

Training

The ISM will be holding mandatory two day training sessions which will run weekly on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Please contact palreports@gmail.com for further information.

Ongoing campaigns

In addition to the olive harvest, there will also be other opportunities to participate in grass-roots, non-violent resistance in Palestine.

ISM maintains a constant presence in Hebron, where settler harassment and violence is a regular occurrence. Lately, Israeli army violence has escalated for Palestinians living in proximity to the illegal inner-city settlement. Israeli forces have used the Palestinian neighborhoods for military training and two videos surfaced lately of soldiers brutally assaulting a young man and a child. The annual demonstration for the opening of Shuhada street has also been brutally oppressed by Israeli military forces. Weekly, illegal Israeli settlers are brought on a tour of the Palestinian old city in Hebron, supported by the Israeli army. Every week, the Palestinians are put under curfew and shops are forced to close so that settlers can take a stroll. ISM maintains a presence on these tours for purposes of prevention and documentation, as Palestinians are often assaulted by the radical settlers.

ISM also has an apartment in Nablus from where we work on a number of projects including resisting demolitions in various villages, and supporting Palestinians resisting settler theft of their lands.  In addition to these activities, we participate in the weekly demonstration in Kafr Qaddum, where protesters face excessive force by the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF).

ISM activists have also been attending weekly demonstrations against the Apartheid Wall, the annexation of Palestinian land and the construction of illegal settlements in Al Ma’sara, Ni’lin, An Nabi Saleh.

Come! Bear witness to the suffering, courage and generosity of the Palestinian people under Israeli occupation.

Experiencing the situation for yourself is vital to adequately convey the reality of life in Palestine to your home communities and to re-frame the debate in a way that will expose Israel’s apartheid policies; creeping ethnic cleansing in the West Bank and occupied East Jerusalem as well as collective punishment and genocidal practices in Gaza.

In Solidarity,
ISM Palestine

Palestinian youth join boats set to challenge Israel’s siege of Gaza

2 November 2011

 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   

Palestinian youth join boats set to challenge Israel’s siege of Gaza

• Irish and Canadian boats in international waters on their way to challenge illegal siege policy
• Palestinian activists call for end to international complicity in Israel’s crimes
• Support actions taking place throughout the West Bank and inside Israel

[Ramallah] Two civilian boats, the Canadian Tahrir (Liberation), and the Irish Saoirse (Freedom), carrying 27 people from nine countries, are currently in international waters making their way to the beleaguered Gaza Strip to challenge Israel’s ongoing criminal blockade of the territory. A Palestinian youth activist from Haifa has joined this renewed international mission to challenge Israel’s unrelenting stranglehold on Gaza via the sea. The message they carry is one of unity, defiance, and hope, in spite of Israel’s policies that have physically separated Palestinians from each other. The “Freedom Waves to Gaza” organizers chose not to publicize the effort in advance given Israel’s efforts to block and sabotage Freedom Flotilla II last July. The boats, which set sail from Fethiye, Turkey, are expected to arrive in Gaza on Friday afternoon, sailing from international waters straight into Gaza’s territorial waters without entering Israel’s waters. The boats carry symbolic cargo - $30,000 in medicines, along with a diverse group of passengers, all committed to nonviolent defense of the flotilla and Palestinian human rights.

“Israel has caged Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank, prohibiting physical contact between us. We want to break the siege Israel has imposed on our people,” said Majd Kayyal, a Palestinian philosophy student from Haifa on board the Tahrir. Kayyal added, “The fact that we’re in international waters is already a victory for the movement. Israel’s siege of Gaza is untenable and it’s a moral responsibility to put an end to this injustice.”

Meanwhile, a statement signed by Palestinian youth urged the international community and the U.N. in particular “to take urgent action to protect this mission as well as to end its compliance with Israel’s criminal blockade of Gaza.” They condemned the U.N. Secretary General’s previous declarations calling for aid to Gaza to go through "legitimate crossings and established channels," despite the U.N.’s own admission that Israel’s failure to own up to its responsibilities has created an unprecedented crisis of human dignity.

Throughout the week Palestinian activists in the West Bank and inside Israel are organizing solidarity actions with the Freedom Waves mission, including a presence outside the UN compound (Tokyo Street, Ramallah) and rallies across West Bank towns.

This is the 11th attempt to break the siege of Gaza via the sea, with five missions arriving safely in Gaza between August and December 2008 and the remaining violently intercepted by Israel. On May 2010, Israel attacked passengers of the Freedom Flotilla in international waters, killing nine civilians and injuring over 50. Israel’s actions were widely condemned and led to protests around the world. Efforts to bring a second flotilla to Gaza were foiled by the government of Greece last July following pressure by Israel and Western governments, as well as by acts of Israeli sabotage.  

Israel has intensified in the past days its aerial bombardments on Gaza, underlining the need for international initiatives of deterrence similar to this one.

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For more information contact:

+970-592-346-895

FreedomWaves4PAL @ gmail.com

Note to editors:

For up to the minute information on the Freedom Waves flotilla: http://witnessgaza.com/

Twitter: @PalWaves #FreedomWaves

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DONATE @ http://palsolidarity.org/donate

WEBSITE: http://palsolidarity.org
YOUTUBE: http://youtube.com/user/ISMPalestine
TWITTER: http://twitter.com/ismpalestine
FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/pages/International-Solidarity-Movement/56674479144

Media Interns needed in Palestine

Media Interns Needed in Palestine
--Reporting the voice of Palestinian struggle from the root

Download for more information: ISM Call for Media Activists

About ISM: The International Solidarity Movement (ISM) is a Palestinian-led movement committed to resisting the Israeli occupation in Palestine by using nonviolent, direct-action methods and principles. Founded by a small group of primarily Palestinian and Israeli activists in August 2001, ISM aims to support and strengthen the Palestinian popular resistance by providing the Palestinian people with two resources, international solidarity and an international voice.
For detailed information on ISM please visit www.palsolidarity.org
Interning / volunteering with ISM: You will be based in the West Bank, experienced and interested activists may be placed in Gaza. Apart from gaining reporting and photography experience, you will also be networking with existing media outlets and develop skills during media meetings on reporting the occupation of Palestine. ISM is seeking a minimum 3 month commitment, and will provide accommodation during your stay.
ISM is a non-hierarchical solidarity movement. Consequently, you will not be treated as a classical intern but rather as a fellow voluntary member of the activist group.
Fields of work:

• Learn to humanize the voice of the struggle by reporting on events ranging from anti-occupation demonstrations to house raising demolitions.
• Establish contacts with local Palestinian and international media
• Help refining the ISM media strategy by developing and incorporating own ideas on information spreading techniques

Application documents: Please send in any relevant information about yourself and experience or background you may have in reporting and journalism. Express why you are applying for this voluntary internship and what you hope to gain from it. Send an example of your written work and an optional photo sample of your work.
Applications are accepted year round and should be sent to: palreports@gmail.com
                 The voice is the movement. Let it be heard.
                                          We wish you the best of luck and hope to see you reporting in Palestine.

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PLEASE FORWARD THIS UPDATE WIDELY

DONATE @ http://palsolidarity.org/donate

WEBSITE: http://palsolidarity.org
YOUTUBE: http://youtube.com/user/ISMPalestine
TWITTER: http://twitter.com/ismpalestine
FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/pages/International-Solidarity-Movement/56674479144

PRESS RELEASE: ISM COMMITTED TO STAYING IN GAZA

ISM GAZA

Following the murder of our comrade and friend Vittorio, we, activists of the International Solidarity Movement, reiterate our commitment to remaining in Gaza.  We will continue to work with and live among the
Palestinian population as we continue the work to which Vik was so committed.

In these days of mourning, Palestinians have organized numerous memorials for Vik; they constantly remind us how sorry they are to have lost him, of how they loved him, his closeness, his affection, and his indignation at what is happening here in Gaza.  We know that the group that perpetrated this horrible crime does not in any way represent Palestinian society.  The Palestinians of Gaza are our friends, our colleagues, and our reason for being here; we will continue to stand by their side.

As we had done when Vittorio was with us, we will continue to stand alongside the Palestinian people, we will continue to struggle against the occupation, we will continue to accompany farmers to their lands along the border, we will continue to participate in demonstrations, and we will continue to tell the world what happens here in the Gaza Strip, Palestine.  We think that Vik would agree with Che Guevara when he said, “Don’t cry for me if I die, do what I was doing and I will live on in you.”  The best way to honor Vik is to continue the work that he was doing.  In particular we will soon begin crewing a boat whose mission is to monitor the violation of human rights in Palestinian waters.  This boat will have its maiden voyage on April 20: Vik had strongly backed this project and he had enthusiastically participated in its realization.

Vik has been an inspiration to all of us, we all hope to live up to his example.  In a documentary about him, Vik said he would have liked to be remembered by Nelson Mandela’s quote; “A victor is merely a
dreamer who never stops dreaming.”  Your dreams are our dreams; we will never forget you, Vik.

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PLEASE FORWARD THIS UPDATE WIDELY

DONATE @ http://palsolidarity.org/donate

WEBSITE: http://palsolidarity.org
YOUTUBE: http://youtube.com/user/ISMPalestine
TWITTER: http://twitter.com/ismpalestine
FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/pages/International-Solidarity-Movement/56674479144
 

Pro-Palestine Jewish Activist subjected to Anti-Semitic Abuse by Ahava Shopkeeper

Throughout this week and in the run up to Christmas a group of activists, inclusive of ISM-ers have been staging a small evening picket outside the  Ahava store in central London's Covent Garden. The Israeli store sell cosmetic items which are sourced illegally from the Dead Sea and processed in the illegal settlement of Mitzpe Shalem.

 

One picketer, a Jewish activist, was subjected to anti-semitic abuse, with the claim that the Jews killed Jesus.

 

Check out the report and video footage of the incident here http://www.ism-london.org.uk/2521
ISM condemns the racists abuse, and is shocked that an Israeli shop would employ someone who is anti-semitic to sell their products.

 

Protests at the shop by human rights activists have always been non-violent and non-aggressive and this kind of racist abuse is unnacceptable under all circumstances.

Urgent: Act Now to Preserve British Law on Arrest of War Criminals

For those that dont know there is currently a very urgent threat to the
UKs system of Universal Jurisdiction, contained in the Police Reform and
Social Responsibility Bill 2010-11 currently going through parliament. ISM
London have written a document containing an explanation of the situation
and lobbying advice over, which can be accessed here;

http://www.ism-london.org.uk/2481

The key section on what to do is;


'The most effective way to defeat this move to politicise the UK judiciary
is to challenge this one clause in this bill that is important to the UK
government. If enough MPs and/or Lords oppose this clause, the government
may drop it just to ensure the safe passage of the rest of the bill into
legislation. If a member (MP or Lord) refuses to back down over this
clause the government will be forced to a vote.

The Lords are the most vulnerable targets here as they are very sensitive
to attacks on the sovereignty of the UK judiciary. Please lobby MPs but
ESPECIALLY sympathetic Lords. Show that this is a politicisation of the
judiciary, violating the key democratic principal of the separation of the
executive and judicial branch of government.

Known sympathisers in the House of Lords include:

Lord Andrew Phillips, andrew_w_phillips@yahoo.com, 01787 370 856

Rt Hon Lord Whitty, whittyl@parliament.uk, 020 7219 3118

Baroness Ashton of Upholland, 020 7219 5353

Rt Hon Lord Woolf, stevensonmm@parliament.uk, 020 7219 3156, Fax: 020 7219
0785

Lords’ contact details can be found here:

http://www.dodonline.co.uk/engine.asp?engine.asp?lev1=0&lev2=0&menu=1&ShowPage=body&Body=20418

The Middle East Journals of Tom Hurndall – Online Panel Talk to Launch Crowdfunding Campaign

Sorry for the late notice on this one but a big web based panel talk is coming up this afternoon to launch the fundraising drive to publish Tom Hurndall's journals when he was in Palestine and the wider Middle East.

The eight week campaign will launch at 4pm with a panel discussion between;

• Tom’s parents Anthony and Jocelyn Hurndall

• John Sweeney – BBC Panorama journalist who made 2003 documentary ‘When Killing is Easy’ and Independent article Silenced Witnesses

• Rowan Joffe and Simon Block – Director and Screenwriter of Channel 4 BAFTA-nominated film documentary The Shooting of Thomas Hurndall

• Mohammed Qeshta – who was with Tom when we was shot and worked for the International Solidarity Movement

It will be an hour long panel discussion of people who know Tom’s story and will be filmed and streamed live online to launch the fundraising campaign. The aim of this talk will be to engage the audience with Tom’s work and the concept of the book, whilst encouraging people to donate
money towards it.

http://tomhurndalltrolleybooks.eventbrite.com/

http://www.ism-london.org.uk/2472

Thanks

ISM London

AHAVA DEMONSTRATION: Saturday, 6 November. *11:00am

Come along to the next Ahava demonstration on Saturday 6th November. There's been a slight change in the timing of it to enable people to go onto other important demonstrations that day.

Hope to see you all there!

For more information on forthcoming events check www.ism-london.org.uk

NEXT AHAVA DEMONSTRATION: Saturday, 6 November. *11:00am - 1:00pm* 

PLEASE  NOTE EARLIER TIME

39 Monmouth Street, off Seven Dials (nr Covent Garden), WC2H 9DD

http://freepalestinefortnightlydemo.wordpress.com/

Leaving 1pm to join :- March & Carnival “No to racism, fascism and Islamophobia”


http://uaf.org.uk/

Saturday 23rd of october: Join the Boycott Ahava and Veolia Demonstrations

Dear Friends,

This saturday 23rd of october in London, we are carrying on with our efforts to bring those who profit from the illegal occupation of Palestine down:
  Join the fortnightly demonstration outside Ahava, which sells stolen goods manufactured in the illegal settlement of Mitzpe Shalem from 12pm to 2pm, 39 Monmouth Street Covent Garden. bring banners, leaflets and friends!

more info on the campaign against Ahava: http://freepalestinefortnightlydemo.wordpress.com/ or www.ism-london.org.uk
 

 Action against Veolia, complicit in maintaining and expanding illegal settlements in East Jerusalem and in the West Bank: 'Veolia The Alternative Exhibition" outside the Natural History Museum in South Kensington from 2pm to 5pm

(some of us present at the demonstration against Ahava will be going together)

more information on the Veolia action:
 

"Veolia is the chief corporate sponsor of the Wildlife Photography Exhibition at the Natural History Museum in London.

For Veolia such sponsorship - with the corporate name and logo liberally sprinkled on publicity material at the museum- is a key part of projecting a caring, green and progressive image.

The reality is completely different: Veolia is actively complicit in helping Israeli maintain and expand the Illegal Settlements in East Jerusalem and the West Bank. For this reason Veolia is one of the key targets of the international Boycott Divestment and Sanctions movement.

This year (like last year) a protest is being planned outside the Natural History Museum to publicise Veolia's direct connection to Israel's illegal occupation. There are a few thousand people who go to the Natural History Museum on a Saturday and so this gives us a ready-made target audience.

We are organising 'Veolia-The Alternative Exhibition' outside the Museum.  We will have large long sheets of hardboard and are asking everyone who comes to the protest to bring along pictures (cut from a newspaper / magazine or pictures printed off from the internet etc ) and to stick their pictures on the hardboard to create a montage of images of Israel's Occupation. The pictures do not need to relate directly to Veolia and can be any size.  The idea is to create a visual association in the public's mind between Veolia and the Occupation.   We will also have blank sheets for people to write comments.

The 'Alternative Exhibition' should give us a backdrop/talking point to engage with the public/passers-by. There will of course be the usual leafleting etc.

Hardboard sheets plus blutack for sticking up pictures will be provided. Please bring your pictures, banners and placards as well as yourself and other supporters. We will start at 2pm and aim to finish by 5pm; it is the same day as the fortnightly boycott Ahava demo, so the timing is designed to allow people to attend both if they want. Come along even if you can't make it for all of the time.

A number of London PSC branches and other solidarity activists have already said they are going to support this event - so please help us to build further on this. The more people we have the bigger the impact.

Attached to this e-mail is a short flyer on Veolia; could we ask you to circulate it to friends, supporters, post up on facebook etc

You can find out more info about Veolia's activities in Occupied Palestine by going to http://www.bigcampaign.org/index.php?page=veolia"

Hope to see you on saturday!!

In solidarity,

fellow campaigners for justice

Join the GLOBAL INTIFADA

Popular Struggle – Steadfastness – Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions



Popular resistance to Israel's apartheid is growing globally! In Palestine, non-violent resistance to land confiscation and settlement expansion is gathering momentum.

Weekly non-violent demonstrations in the West Bank and Gaza have tripled since January, and continue to increase in size and number. The tents are standing strong in Jerusalem's threatened communities of Sheikh Jarrah and Silwan, and resistance to settler attacks and land grabs in the Jordan Valley is also building.

The International Solidarity Movement is committed to supporting these communities in their struggle for justice and freedom. We stand alongside Palestinians in demonstrations, stay in the tents and homes of threatened areas, and walk with farmers to their land. By documenting and helping to resist the evils of apartheid, ISM projects the Palestinian struggle to a global audience, and shows Israel that the world is against its actions.

Come and join the Global Intifada in Palestine! Committed volunteers are needed in the West Bank this summer. This new wave of unarmed resistance is exciting and powerful, and it needs your support. Whether for 2 weeks or for 3 months, your contribution is needed. See www.palsolidarity.org for more information, or email us at palreports@gmail.com.

From abroad: Under the banner of "Global Intifada", solidarity actions are needed worldwide. Please consider organizing an action in your hometown.

The growing Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement is crucial, and is a great way for you to get involved in your own country. Similar tactics were used in ending South African apartheid. For more information, go to bdsmovement.net

Please join the Global Intifada. We look forward to seeing you here.


ISM Palestine

FRIDAY: Support the London Gaza Protesters - Demo outside next court hearing

The next hearing is scheduled for the 26th March, at 9.30 at Isleworth Crown Court. It is important that as many people as possible come out to show that they support the young people and recognise the unfairness of these convictions and will not stand for it.

Facebook event here:
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=103732792994069&ref=mf

For more background, see the campaign website:
http://nomoreisolation.wordpress.com/

and Facebook group:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?v=wall&gid=10150115231980147

Our present aim should be to campaign for reduced sentences, release of prisoners, and dropping of charges. This is the very least that these brave and conscious young people deserve.

Many thousands of us came out to demonstrate against Israeli war crimes committed against the people of Gaza in January 2009. Motivated by images of violent death and destruction, and a desire to express solidarity with the people of Gaza, adults and children spontaneously gathered at the Israeli Embassy in London to demand justice.

Following these protests 119 young people were arrested. They were predominantly Muslim and aged between 16-19 years, the youngest was 12. So far 78 people have been charged with offences, the vast majority of these are public order offences which hold a maximum of 5 years imprisonment.

22 young people have already been sent to prison. Their sentences have ranged from 8 months to 2 years.

Judge Denniss has clearly stated that many of the sentences he has passed have been deterrence sentences, intended to deter future protesters, and that he will continue to do so. These are political sentences, intended to criminalise the right to protest and which unfairly target the Muslim community.


ISM London
http://www.ism-london.org.uk/1003

ISM Palestine needs help!

The email from Hisham below is an emergency appeal for funds from ISM Palestine. Almost all of the ISM's media equipment was stolen in the recent Israeli army raids. We urgently need to raise money so we can continue our work.

The easiest way for you to send money to Palestine if you are in the UK is to transfer it to our Coop bank account. The account number is here: http://www.ism-london.org.uk/support.php

Please email us at info@ism-london.org.uk to let us know how much you sent, so we can thank you!

Path of the Wall in Bil’in to Be Moved

From the International Solidarity Movement in Occupied Palestine.

Popular Struggle Co-ordination Committee
11 February 2010

Two and a half years after an Israeli Supreme Court decision deeming the path of the Wall on the lands of Bil’in illegal, preliminary infrastructure work to reroute the barrier in accordance with the ruling has finally began. Since the ruling, the state has twice been found in contempt of the court, for not implementing the decision.

Mohammed Khatib, the coordinator of the West Bank-wide Popular Struggle Coordination Committee and a member of the the Bil’in Popular Committee, said today that “The Supreme Court had already ruled this should happen almost three years ago and it should not have taken so long. There should be no doubt in anyone’s mind that the only reason that this is finally happening now are the five years of persistent struggle and the scarifies the people of my village have made. While we are happy for the lands that do return, we do not forget the lands and crops that remain isolated behind the Wall. Our struggle will continue until all of our lands are returned and the Occupation is over.”

Following initial construction of Israel’s wall on Bil’in’s lands in February 2005, residents organized almost daily direct actions and demonstrations against the theft of their lands. Garnering the attention of the international community with their creativity and perseverance, Bil’in has become a symbol for Palestinian popular resistance. Almost five years later, Bil’in continues to hold weekly Friday protests.

In addition to grassroots demonstrations and nonviolent direct actions, Bil’in has held annual conferences on popular resistance since 2006; providing a forum for villagers, activists and academics to discuss strategies for the unarmed struggle against the Occupation.

Realizing the limitations of the appealing to Israeli court and the legal remedies possible to achieve through them, the village of Bil’in commenced legal proceedings before the Superior Court of Quebec In July 2008. The appeal was filed against two Canadian companies, Green Park International Inc. and Green Mount International Inc., for their involvement in constructing, marketing and selling residential units in the Mattityahu East section of Modi’in Illit.

As part of a recent campaign to quash grassroots resistance to the Occupation, 37 residents of Bil’in have been arrested in connection to anti-Wall protest since June last year. Among those arrested are also five members of the village’s Popular Committee, which organizes the demonstrations. They have all been arrested on suspicions of incitement – a blanket charge for organizing demonstrations. Similar arrest campaigns are carried by Israel across the West Bank, targeting grassroots organizers.




Recent Headlines
-----------------------------------
1) Despite increased repression, a victory

2) Haaretz: IDF twice raids Ramallah office of pro-Palestinian group

3) Israel raids ISM media office for the second time

4) Israeli forces fire upon a demonstration in Gaza

5) Deported international activist appeals against her illegal arrest



Donate Today
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The International Solidarity Movement has been supporting Palestinian nonviolent resistance since 2001. Since its creation, thousands of international citizens have volunteered with the ISM and communities across the West Bank and Gaza. The ISM is entirely funded by individuals around the world.

Please consider making a financial contribution to allow us to continue this important work!