Archive for category Palestine
The UC Berkeley divestment debate was a 12-hour nail biter. At one point, the Associated Students of the University of California Berkeley (ASUC) cast their vote: 12 votes to overturn veto of divestment at UC Berkeley. 7 votes in favor of veto. 1 abstention.
1 vote short of the number need to overturn President Smelko’s veto and divest from two companies–General Electric and United Technologies–that directly profit of off and sustain Israel’s military occupation and violations of Palestinian human rights.
But the debate raged on, and after 12 hours of testimony, debate, lobbying, and cheers, the ASUC tabled the motion to vote on at another time.
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What happened last night and into this morning at UC Berkeley was amazing. A diverse coalition organized around human rights, made up of Israelis and Palestinians; Jews, Christians, and Muslims; students and members of the community; people of color and representatives of the LGBT-Q community; organized to challenge a status quo of silence and support for Israel’s violations of international law.
When divestment was first introduced at UC Berkeley 8 years ago, student activists couldn’t even get ASUC to consider a bill. Now, a majority of ASUC Senators support the bill, and only 1 abstention blocked divestment.
Even that 1 vote wasn’t enough to kill divestment–the motion has now been tabled, and will be taken up again by ASUC next week.
Regardless of the final vote, this night will go down in history. How often do we have 12 hour teach-ins, with Holocaust survivors and Nakba survivors speaking out about war crimes in the presence of representatives from the Israeli consulate? How often do student governments hear testimonies from refugees, from people who lost relatives in the assault on Gaza, from Israeli and Palestinian activists committed to human rights?
Cecilie Surasky, of US Campaign member group Jewish Voice for Peace, Tweeted live from the debate. At one point she wrote: “This experience will change the lives of every student here. This discussion has to happen on every campus.”
We couldn’t agree more. This is exactly the conversation and the coalition building that needs to happen on every campus–the conversation about U.S. government and institutional complicity in Israeli war crimes, the conversation about what can be done to end that complicity, and the building of a coalition to do just that. The status quo–in Congress, on U.S. campuses, and in our communities–is silence and implicit (if not explicit) support for human rights violations against Palestinians. The UC Berkeley divestment debate has shattered that silence. We urge all of you to find your voice.
The decision to table the vote on divestment means that you can still send a message supporting divestment to ASUC student senators. Seize this opportunity to join one of the most interesting debates of our time, send an email to UC Berkeley Student Senators.
Source: EndtheOccupation.org Blog
No Way Through
Nov 19
Jigsaw Love in Gaza
Oct 20
Jigsaw Love in Gaza
By Saifuddin Amath
The box claimed this puzzle is a life changer
A corny marketing scam but curiosity got the best of me
So I bought it
I ripped the plastic and opened the box
A 61 piece jigsaw puzzle
I was ready for the arduous challenge
I laid each piece picture side up
Immediately I spotted a pattern: two large human figures
I started piecing pieces together
I started with the right side of the puzzle
The image of a white dress was quickly pieced together
A wedding ceremony?
After 30 minutes, I finished the image of a soon-to-be-wed woman
She wore a simple beautiful white dress with a full veil complementing a beautiful sunset in the background
Half-complete I start with the other half of the puzzle
I sorted the jigsaw pieces looking for body parts of the second figure
Soon I discerned parts of a head, some clothing material, one leg, one half leg, one hand, a white cap
But for some reason I could not find the eyes, the other hand, and the other half of the leg
Befuddled, I started to piece the pieces together
The resulting image was a male figure with clean white clothes contrasted with the background of rubble
It was still incomplete as I needed three more pieces
I was still missing his eyes and half of his right leg and his left hand
I then noticed a plastic bag with a booklet in the jigsaw puzzle box
I picked up the bag and to my delight I found the three missing pieces
When I laid the pieces picture side up in preparation for the final insertions I was taken aback
Two of the pieces were just solid colors–white and grey–definitely not a visible body part
To my relief the last piece at least contained his missing left hand
I inserted the white puzzle piece where his eyes were supposed to be
I then placed the grey puzzle piece where his missing right leg half should be
Letting out a sigh the final piece was of the man’s left hand, resulting in the joining of the hands of the woman and man
The puzzle was complete
A wedding ceremony with a man and woman holding hands
The sun shone bright amidst the sea of rubble
But the image did not look right…
The man was missing his right leg and had white cloth covering his eyes
Perplexed I decided to read the booklet—initially I thought it was weird that a puzzle contained an instruction booklet…
I turned to the first page:
It looks like you are finished with the puzzle. The man’s name is Mahmoud, a Palestinian man of 21 years of age. On the ninth day of the 2008/2009 Gazan invasion by the Israelis, he was dining with his friends in his neighbor’s house. Suddenly an Israeli bomb left him without eyesight and a leg. To the shock of many, even with his crippling injuries, his fiancé, Rana of 26 years of age, still proceeded with the marriage preparations. She had this to say, “He lost his sight and his leg, but no bomb can ever take his heart, and he will never lose his sense of love. I can’t understand why some people see what we are doing as hard; no marriage is easy. This is a life-long commitment, for better or worse.” Mahmoud’s father added, “So I thank God every day for sending Rana. She not only made my son happy, but she made all of us smile when we thought we would never smile again.” Their wedding marks what most of us fail to see, flourishing love despite severe conditions. Enduring love is a state of mind rather than simply a state of being or owning.
I sat there with a smile and then stood up with watery eyes, the same stricken eyes that could seemingly eliminate any oppressive force with a glance. I then decided to take action.
I went back to the same store and picked up a puzzle that claims to show how to solve the conflict in Palestine. We’ll see how long this takes to assemble…Jigsaw Love in Gaza
The story described of Mahmoud and Rana is based on a true story:
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article10714.shtml
An Open Letter to Mahmud ‘Abbas on the Goldstone Report:
[To sign this letter or view all signatures, click here.]
We are a diverse group of Palestinians, solidarity activists, and supporters of human rights and international law. We write to join the Palestinian political parties, civil society groups, trade unions, and citizens that have condemned the recent decision at the UN Human Rights Council to withdraw Palestinian support for a resolution endorsing the report of the “UN Fact Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict,” led by Richard Goldstone.
We consider this decision a betrayal of the Palestinian struggle for self-determination and of broader efforts to promote human rights and a just international system.
Although we have no illusions that the Goldstone report would have guaranteed accountability for the atrocities committed in Gaza, we recognize it as an important tool in mobilizing the world community for the cause of peace and justice in the region. We also understand that Israel and its allies exerted pressure on you to bury the report. But by withdrawing support for a resolution in the Human Rights Council, you have done more to undermine these efforts than all of the sustained, high-level attacks by Israel and its allies combined. You have squandered the support of the world community for no good reason.
We understand that you have appointed a committee to investigate how and why the Goldstone report was shelved. Such an inquiry is not needed to tell us that the person ultimately responsible for this disastrous decision is you. We are outraged that the self-described leader of a national liberation movement would seek to evade responsibility for such a reckless and damaging error.
Furthermore, we believe this self-inflicted wound raises serious doubts about the soundness of your leadership and the authority of the diplomatic missions under your control worldwide to represent the interests of the Palestinian people.
As Palestinians and non-Palestinian supporters of universal rights, our solidarity is first and foremost with the Palestinian people. We stand together for all actions that strengthen the national liberation movement and a just international system. Your most recent decision so egregiously undermines these goals that it leaves us with no choice but to clarify the contours of our solidarity – to stand with the Palestinian people and against you.
We demand that you restore full Palestinian diplomatic support for advancing the Goldstone report through the United Nations system, including to the Security Council and the International Criminal Court.
Furthermore, we reiterate our support for efforts to restore the unity and legitimacy of the Palestinian national struggle. Until such unity is restored, any appeals for solidarity or support from you or your subordinates will carry no weight.
Meanwhile, we pledge ourselves to redoubling our efforts for a just peace in the region based on respect for human rights and international law, including the right to self-determination – with or without your help.
[Source: http://lettertoabbas.wordpress.com/]
Ramadan may have come to pass but please remember to keep your brothers and sisters in Palestine and AROUND the world in your du’as! Never underestimate the power of du’a!
Source: AlJazeera English
"Ushering a New Beginning"
Aug 10
“Ushering a New Beginning”
By Sarmad Bokhari
July 27, 2009
In a historic address from Cairo last month, President Obama promised a new beginning in relations between the United States and the Muslim world. In his speech President Obama acknowledged the Palestinian-Israeli conflict as a major source of tension, and affirmed America’s “unbreakable” bonds with Israel. More importantly, in a marked shift from the Bush administration, he acknowledged that, “the situation for the Palestinian people is intolerable.”
Unwilling to tolerate a continued siege on Gaza and to show that Americans stand for justice and human rights, a convoy of nearly 200 American citizens – Viva Palestina USA, under the leadership of British Member of Parliament George Galloway, former US Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney, and New York City Councilman Charles Barron – with more than $1 million of humanitarian aid, set off for Gaza on the American day of independence..
The two-week trip—12 days in Egypt and a mere 24 hours in Gaza—quickly opened my eyes to the brutal situation in Gaza and the lack of its coverage by the American media. Despite a commitment by the most powerful man on the planet, very little has changed on the ground in Gaza. In fact, the suffering of the Palestinians has only worsened.
(UKPA) – Friday, August 7
Four intrepid cyclists on an epic 6,000km fundraising trip to Gaza have been refused entry to the troubled state.
The students crossed 14 countries fighting off wild dogs in Turkey and near hypothermia in the French Alps to raise money for a neo-natal unit and medical resources for burn victims following the war with Israel. But despite an invitation from Irishman John Ging, head of United Nations Relief and Works Agency in Gaza, and other official documentation, they were refused entry.
The Egyptian authorities forced the cyclists to turn back and brought them in a military escort to Cairo, from where they will fly home. The cyclists, who travelled under the banner Pathways to Palestine, left Ireland on June 22, cycling more than 150km a day, resting only once a week.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ukpress/article/ALeqM5i6uGLxljpFt1xn0VsmGL3ivZouRw
“Thousands of Palestinian children have gathered in the Gaza Strip in an attempt to break the world record on the number of kites flown at the same time, in the same place.
Thursday’s event was part of a UN initiative organised to restore hope and normality to the war-torn territory.”
Cycling close to double the distance of the Tour de France, three Irish cyclists are now on the final stretch of their journey from Ireland to Gaza. The students, having just reached Israel-Palestine, arrived in Jerusalem yesterday and will attempt to cross into Gaza over the coming days.
Their 6,000 km cycle aims to raise money in support of an emergency appeal to provide for neo-natal care and medical resources for burn victims in Gaza. The initiative came from Eoghan Quinn (21), a type-1 diabetic, after he learned of the restrictions on medical supplies reaching Gaza. [1].