OMNI
UN INTERNATIONAL DAY IN SOLIDARITY WITH THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE
NOVEMBER 29, 2021.
https://jamesrichardbennett.blogspot.com/2021/11/un-international-day-in-solidarity-with.html
Compiled by Dick Bennett for a Culture of Peace, Justice, and Ecology.
https://omnicenter.org/donate/
CONTENTS UN International Day in Solidarity with the Palestinian People, Nov. 29, 2021
AFSC, SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2021. Weekend Reading.
“Detained Bodies” Friends of Sabeel North
America friends@fosna.org. 9-1-21.
George Paulson: Abby Martin, BDS, Miko Peled, doc. film “Gaza
Fights for Freedom”
“Our Effort, or Our Apathy?” Noura Erakat for Eyewitness
Palestine info@eyewitnesspalestine.org 5-9-19.
Free Palestine Movement?
TEXTS
UN International Day in Solidarity with the Palestinian People, Nov. 29, 2021
| AFSC. U.N. Day in Solidarity with the Palestinian People (Nov. 29, 9 a.m. PT/12 p.m. ET/7 p.m. Palestine): Last month, Israel declared key Palestinian human rights and civil society groups “terrorist organizations.” AFSC’s partner in the No Way to Treat a Child campaign, Defense for Children International-Palestine, is one of the groups criminalized by this effort to silence critical work. AFSC and partners will discuss recent developments in a special Facebook Live event. Join us here on Nov. 29 to learn more. |
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2021. AFSC, Weekend Reading.
“Detained Bodies.” Friends of Sabeel North America friends@fosna.org. 9-1-21
| Dear Dick, I watched, with many Americans on our TV screens the “dignified transfer” of the bodies of the 13 soldiers who died in the airport attack in Kabul. Regardless of what one believes about the US policies in Afghanistan, and where one stands on the political issues surrounding the US involvement there for 20 years, or the decision and manner of the withdrawal, this was a difficult moment. It was a sobering sight, reminding everyone of the horrors of war, and the pain inflicted on families of loved ones who are killed, and their need for sympathy, empathy and closure. As I watched, I could not help but remember the families of Palestinian men and women, killed by Israeli forces, whose bodies are kept for days and months, exacerbating the pain of the families, and denying them the closure of a dignified burial. I am a pacifist, and a firm believer in nonviolence, but regardless of anything these martyrs allegedly did, the practice of withholding their bodies from a decent burial by their families is painful and cruel. According to the Jerusalem Center for Legal Aid and Human Rights, Israel currently holds the bodies of 335 Palestinians killed while allegedly being involved in attacking Israeli soldiers or settlers. Some are buried in secret army cemetery, but 81 are kept in freezers at a morgue, while their families beg and plead for the bodies to be released to them for decent burial. The Israeli High Court recently approved this practice. The latest of these are the bodies of two youth from Jenin, Noureddin Jarar, and Amjad Husseinieh, killed on August 16 this year. The longest held is the body of Abdel Hamid Abu Srouh, held since 4/8/2016. They include the bodies of 6 minors, and two ladies, including the body of Mai Affaneh, who was killed on the 16th of June this year while allegedly trying to stab a soldier. This practice is clearly against international law, and patently inhuman. Israel is the only country in the world, to my knowledge, that permits this practice It was allegedly started to create “bargaining chips” to negotiate with Hamas in Gaza but after a Cabinet Decision in 2015, has now become a standard practice. Maybe the justification is that it creates an additional deterrence by increasing the pain on the families, as in house demolitions, another patently illegal form of collective punishment. The real basis for it however is the racist attempt to rob Palestinians of their humanity. At its root, this practice treats Palestinians as less than human, devoid of the most basic traits we associate with families and relatives of those who die, regardless of the circumstances of their death, and unworthy of basic sympathy and humanity. As Christians, we firmly assert the humanity, worth, and dignity of all humans regardless of race, ethnicity, or religion. It is a firm extension of our faith in God, and in the value of humans he created in His Own image. It is for this reason that we affirm equality, and oppose racism, Islamophobia, antisemitism, and discrimination. That is a core value we insist on defending. It goes beyond politics and partisanship, and we call on everyone, including those who disagree with us politically to defend these values. FOSNA will be soon launching a campaign for religious leaders to speak out against this inhuman practice, and we will update you about it. God Bless you, Jonathan Kuttab, Executive Director DONATE Thank you for being a part of Revolutionary Palestinian Liberation Theology! Friends of Sabeel – North America 503.653.6625 Visit our website |
Letter from George Paulson, 5-27-21
And for some more really good news—a judge just overturned the state of Georgia’s anti-BDS law. Georgia, like a disappointingly large number of other states, enacted a law that required you, if you want to work for that state in any capacity or to have a business contract with that state, to sign on to not boycott Israel. In other words, good bye free speech, hello a loyalty oath to a foreign power (and Democrats worry about Russia!). The lawsuit was brought by the fantastic journalist Abby Martin. If you’re not familiar with her, you are in for a real treat. She is a brave, even fierce critic of the American Empire (her show is called “Empire Files”) and its two Middle East Proxies.
Here is a link to an interview she just did with Miko Peled from Jerusalem. Miko, if you’re not familiar with him, is an Israeli, the son of a famous general, who, after his niece was killed in a suicide bus bombing in Jerusalem, rejected Zionism and became a vocal advocate for Palestinian human rights. One of the most informative interviews I’ve heard on this subject.
Here is his interview with Abby Martin:
Also, Abby is the one who made the great documentary film, “Gaza Fights for Freedom.” We’ve watched it, gut wrenching, but jaw dropping. It’s a couple of years old, which is truly stunning, because all the death and destruction we’ve witnessed in Gaza in recent days is ON TOP of what is shown in this film.
Ok, be well my friends, please share, I look forward to seeing you live soon!
Peace,
George
| re “Our Effort, or Our Apathy?” Noura Erakat for Eyewitness Palestine <info@eyewitnesspalestine.org> 5-9-19 (formerly Interfaith Peace-Builders) nutes ago) Dear Dick, We are at a crossroads. While it seems as though the situation for Palestinians is dire, the possibilities for change have never been so encouraging. Now is the time to invest in hope. The US government is working with Israel to isolate Palestinians and to force them to accept a permanent arrangement of subjugation in exchange for some economic incentives and slightly greater mobility. Eyewitness Palestine is directly challenging these policies by connecting the next generation of activists to Palestinians. Donate today and your gift – up to $15,000 – will be matched dollar-for-dollar. I support Eyewitness Palestine because as a Palestinian, I know that change is possible. And as an American, I know that our efforts – as well as our apathy – in the United States have a direct impact on Palestinian lives. Your donation today is one of the most important investments you can make for Palestinian rights and freedom. MATCH IT! Legal Scholar and Eyewitness Palestine Delegation Leader PS: The most transformative change I have seen is that which comes through delegations to Palestine. Your generous gift provides hope. Thank you |
| “Support a Free Democratic Palestine.” FREE PALESTINE MOVEMENT (FPM) [fpm.news] https://solidaritymovementsfp.wordpress.com/contact-us-4/ The 1st Anniversary of the ‘Great March of Return‘ is March 30. This is also the commemoration known as Land Day to Palestinians. Land Day commemorates a massacre of 6 Palestinian ‘citizens’ of Israel who were protesting the Israeli government’s appropriation of thousands of donums of Palestinian land in 1976. Today, more than 40 years later, Israel is murdering Palestinian protesters in the Great March of Return on a daily basis. While claiming that others threaten the state of Israel, the Israeli occupation of the ancient land of Palestine (and parts of Lebanon and Syria as well) is increasingly genocidal. What follows is a statement by the One State Assembly in support of One Democratic State of Palestine. Please sign and endorse the statement to support the Palestinian right of return and a future for an open democratic state in historic Palestine rather than an ethno-religious encampment. Sign before March 30th and stand with the Palestinian people and Palestine on Land Day. Call for A Palestine Liberation Movement and One Democratic State of Palestine [I could find no contact more recent than 2019. –D] [Message clipped] View entire message SEE UN INTERNATIONAL DAY OF SOLIDARITY WITH THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE NOVEMBER 29, 2015. http://jamesrichardbennett.blogspot.com/2015/11/un-international-day-of-solidarity-with.html Compiled by Dick Bennett for a Culture of Peace and Justice. https://omnicenter.org/donate/ |
END UN INTERNATIONAL DAY OF SOLIDARITY WITH THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE, NOVEMBER 29, 2021
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