08/03/14: The Fourth Women’s Conference, Beit Ummar

On International Women’s Day, 8 March 2014, it is an important day around the world, Palestine is no different. So on this the 103rd Women’s Day, we held the Fourth Women’s Conference: Resist for Change, in Beit Ummar.

Palestinians and women from many countries got together to discuss the situation in Palestine for women. As we know Palestinians suffer due to the illegal Israeli occupation. Israel took and continues to take our homes and land. They killed our husbands and children. And it must stop!

In Jordan Valley 95% of the land has been taken for so-called ‘military zones’ or illegal settlements, with most of the area controlled by the Israeli Army. Without land families of the Jordan valley cannot maintain their animals, so they can’t afford food. When there is no job, and with many children to take care of, women are forced to work in the illegal settlements that curtail their freedom and steal their land. The settlers pay only around 60NIS per day with no insurance or any kind of assistance for them or their family.

In Beit Ummar the situation is complicated. The agricultural land is in so-called under the failed Oslo Accords, Area C and the built up area in Area B. Palestinians face settler attacks and women see their children arrested by the illegal occupation. In 2010 a 17-year-old Palestinian, Yousef Ikhlayl, was murdered by a settler. For us as women is very hard to lead a normal life everyday with the fear we feel. We are afraid of our children and husbands being arrested or even killed by settlers.

Today, on a day for women, Palestinians women from Bethlehem, Beit Ummar, Hebron, Jordan Valley and other countries have discussed the issues facing us and made a resolution about what we should do to resist the Israeli occupation and fight for our existence. We will organise committees in the south, middle and north of Palestine to support the people, bringing Palestinians and internationals together to learn about and understand our resistance and history, document through film and receive volunteers from all of Palestine and the World to fight together. Thus, we invite all Palestinians and internationals to join us and support our people.

Sireen Khudairi – female activist and Steering Committee member for SFP and Jordan Valley Solidarity Campaign

 

Edited with BlogPad Pro

ANNOUNCEMENT: Israeli Apartheid Week events in the UK

As part of Israeli Apartheid Week, South African academic and anti-Apartheid activist Salim Vally will be touring UK universities in Liverpool, Manchester, London, Birmingham and Southampton.

During Apartheid, Salim was a prominent member of the South African Students Movement and then worked as a teacher and trade unionist. Salim is now an academic at the University of Johannesburg, where he helped to lead the campaign to persuade the university to endorse the academic boycott, and a prominent member of the Palestine solidarity movement.

Salim is an inspirational speaker and his tour is a great opportunity for people to discuss how the lessons from the struggle against Apartheid in South Africa can inform Palestine solidarity activism today and to understand Israeli Apartheid and its increasing isolation.

• Monday 24 Feb: Liverpool, La Casa Bar, 29 Hope Street, 6pm
• Tuesday 25 Feb: Manchester, UoM SU, Club Academy, 3:30pm (evening event TBC)
• Wednesday 26 Feb: London, UCL Darwin B40, Euston, 7pm
• Thursday 27 Feb: Birmingham, 6:30pm, University of Birmingham, Arch Building room 7
• Friday 28 Feb: Southampton, University of Southampton, Building 7 Lecture Theatre A (3009)

London event invitation

Israeli Apartheid Week central London panel

Wednesday 26 February – 7pm, University College London, Darwin B40, Gower Street, near Euston station. Map

As the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel gathers pace and European universities, banks and companies start to abandon links with Israeli apartheid, join London Palestine student societies for an unique panel event about resistance to Israeli apartheid and building effective solidarity with the Palestinian struggle for freedom and justice.

Hear from Salim Vally, an inspirational South African activist against apartheid in South African and now Palestine, Randa Wahbe from Addameer, the Palestinian prisoner organisation that has played a key role in supporting recent hunger strikes by Palestinian political prisoners and Rafeef Ziadah, a Palestinian spoken word artist and activist based in the UK.

Featuring:

Salim Vally: a Senior Researcher at the Centre for Education Rights and Transformation at the University of Johannesburg, Salim was a student leader and then a trade unionist in South Africa during apartheid and is now a leading figure in the South African Palestine solidarity movement.

Randa Wahbe: Advocacy Officer at Addameer, the leading Palestinian political prisoner support and human rights organisation that has played a key role in supporting recent hunger strikes by Palestinian political prisoners. Randa is touring the UK as part of the Palestinian lives, British profits: speaking tour organized by War on Want that is shining a spotlight on the fact that while 5,033 Palestinians remain detained by Israel, UK security company G4S continues to help Israel run its prison system.

Rafeef Ziadah: a Palestinian spoken word artist, activist, senior Campaigns Officer at War on Want and secretariat of Boycott Divestment and Sanctions National Committee.

For the full line up of events taking place in London during Israeli Apartheid Week next week, please click here and see the Facebook page here.

Israeli Apartheid Week (IAW) is an international series of events that seeks to raise awareness about Israel’s apartheid policies towards the Palestinians and to build support for the growing Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) campaign. Events will be happening around the world and more details can be found here.

Action Alert: Announcing the 10th Annual Israeli Apartheid Week: February – March 2014

Tenth Annual Israeli Apartheid Week – #apartheidweek

• UK and US: February 24-March 2
• Europe: March 1-8
• South Africa: March 10-16
• Brazil: March 24-28
• Palestine, Arab world and Asia: TBA

Israeli Apartheid Week (IAW) seeks to raise awareness about Israel’s apartheid policies towards the Palestinians and to build support for the growing Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) campaign. Reflecting the global grassroots rejection of Israel’s military and political aggression, IAW was held in more than 200 locations in 2012 and more than 150 cities in 2013.

IAW is an annual international series of events including rallies, lectures, cultural performances, film screenings, multimedia displays and boycott of Israel actions held in cities and on university campuses across the globe.

If you would like to organize and be part of Israeli Apartheid Week on your campus or in your city please get in touch with us at iawinfo@apartheidweek.org. Also find us on Facebook and Twitter.

Being part of Israeli Apartheid Week is easy – here are five things you can do:

1. Organise a film screening: Consider hosting a film. For more info or for suggestions contact us at iawinfo@apartheidweek.org
2. Arrange a lecture, workshop, rally or protest: There are many speakers ranging from academics, politicians, trade unionists and cultural activists that we can suggest for you to host. Be in touch with us and we can put you in contact.
3. Organise a BDS action: Organise with others a practical boycott of Israel action or have a boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) motion tabled at your relevant student council, trade union branch or municipality. If you are already working on a BDS campaign, Israeli Apartheid Week can be a great opportunity to build that campaign and bring it to a wider audience.
4. Join us online – #apartheidweek : Help us spread the word online about Israeli Apartheid Week. Follow Israeli Apartheid Week on Twitter and Facebook, including using the hashtag #apartheidweek.
5. Be creative: Be creative! Draw attention to Israeli apartheid by erecting a mock Israeli Apartheid Wall or Checkpoint, organising a flash mob or creative demonstration or by holding a concert or poetry reading.

Click here to read a round-up of BDS successes in 2013

“We can not fight for our rights and our history as well as future until we are armed with weapons of criticism and dedicated consciousness.” – Edward Said

22/01/14: Memory of a Cactus: The tale of Three Palestinian Villages – Film showing

On Wednesday evening the Tanweer Centre in Nablus held a viewing of the short film, “Memory of a Cactus: A Tale of Three Palestinian Villages”. The film by Hanna Musleh, and produced by the Al-Haq Palestinian human rights organisation, focussed on the destruction and murder by the Israeli Army, or Naksa as it is known, of three Palestinian villages after the 1967 war: Yalu, Emmaus and Beit Nuba.

The film told the story of Um Najeh, who was a victim of the Naksa after being expelled by the invading Israeli Army from her home in Emmaus. With tears in her eyes she spoke to the audience through the camera, of how her husband was murdered by the Army, and how her small children kept asking for their father. The film returned the audience to present day Emmaus, now the site of Canada Park, an attempt by Apartheid Israel to wipe out its Palestinian origins.

She went on to describe her suffering after she was forced from her home, with the film following her as she returned to Qalandia refugee camp, where she had settled for sometime with her young children. Um Najeh poignantly spoke to the camera about her desire to die back in her village.

The film ended with the news that Um Najeh died shortly after the filming, never able to return to her village for her last moments. But as the title of the film suggested, the memories of Um Najeh that she shared with the audience through the film mean, like the cactus tree which resolutely refuses to die despite the Israelis attempts to erase it and the Palestinian villages it grew in, her memory and rights continue.

The film showing was followed by a question and answer session with Samer Abdo Aqrouq. The audience spoke of their commitment to the right of return, and for the need to ensure refugees rights such as Um Najeh are not given away as part of the American brokered ‘peace’ negotiations.

TODAY (22/01/14): Film showing at the Tanweer Centre, Nablus – Memory of a Cactus: The Story of 3 Palestinian Villages

TODAY (22/01/14): Film showing at the Tanweer Centre, Nablus – Memory of a Cactus: The Story of 3 Palestinian Villages

The Tanweer Centre on Hittin Street, Nablus is today (Wednesday 22 January 2014) at 15:30 showing Hanna Musleh’s film, “Memory of a Cactus: The Story of Three Palestinian Villages”. The film has English subtitles.

The 42 minute film (produced by Al-Haq) looks at the second Nakba of the Palestinian people after the 1967 war and illegal occupation of the rest of historical Palestine (the West Bank) by Israel.

The film showing will be followed by a question and answer session. All are welcome but we suggest early attendance to ensure you have a seat.