Mideast Just Peace

Monday June 29, 2009 at 7:30 PM at State Theater in Traverse City

Telling Strings is the very personal story of the Elias Jubran family who  remained on their land near the Galilee after the creation of the state of Israel. Swiss filmmaker Anne-Marie Haller’s 60-minute documentary provides a rare look into the profound workings of this Palestinian family of musicians. The film shows the intense interplay of music and politics in one of the world‘s most politically explosive regions and illustrates how powerful music can be in defining cultural identity.  The music of Kamilya Jubran, a member of Sabreen, a leading Jerusalem-based musical group will be featured.  http://www.kamilyajubran.com
Review: http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article10474.shtml

A scene from Telling Strings.

Also Easy, Easy, short film the same night………………

Set in rural Palestine in 1939 at the end of the Palestinian revolt against the British Mandate, Easy Easy follows a Palestinian farmer and his family whose traditional and stagnant lives get turned upside down when a Palestinian resistance fighter decides to hide out in their small farm home and brings revolutionary ideas into the family and challenges their traditional way of life.

US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation
Some Items from Occupation End Notes

 GAZA ACTION:
* Take Action

Take action to end the siege on the Gaza Strip.For action ideas and to find out more, visit our web section “Take Action to End Israel’s War and Siege on Gaza”. 

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* Delegations to Gaza

Delegations to Gaza are being organized by US Campaign member group CODEPINK and by the Free Gaza coalition. For more information on the CODEPINK delegation click here. You can click here to learn more about the Free Gaza “Hope Fleets.”

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* UN Rebukes Israel over Gaza Raids May 5 - A United Nations inquiry into attacks by Israeli forces on UN property during the Gaza conflict four months ago has heavily criticized Israel’s army. Click here to read more.

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* The Gaza Offensive and Ending Israel’s Legal ImpunityMay 7 - Click here to read a Palestine Center information brief on the UN delegation to Gaza and international law by Will Youmans. “In short, the United States is strong enough to block the international community but is too interested to construct a credible process rooted in international law. Strengthening the hand of the international community will ultimately best serve the interests of peace.”

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CHALLENGING U.S. POLICY:    * Help Influence the Obama Administration: Yes We Can…End Military Aid to Israel!  Find out how you can take steps to influence the Obama Administration to end weapons transfers to Israel. Learn more and take action by clicking here.

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* Obama Misses Opportunity for Accountability on Aid to IsraelMay 7 - President Obama missed an opportunity to demonstrate his professed commitment to budgetary accountability and human rights by proposing $2.775 billion in military aid to Israel in his FY2010 budget request. Click here to read more. 

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STANDING AGAINST APARTHEID UPDATE:   * Israel Review Conference: United Against Apartheid, Colonialism, and Occupation After being blocked from official UN proceedings, the Palestinian Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions National Committee sponsored a review conference in Geneva on April 18-19, two days before the UN Durban Review conference. The Israel Review Conference brought together internationally renowned experts and actors for social and political justice who examined how UN anti-racism instruments apply to Israel’s policies and practices regarding the Palestinian people and developed practical recommendations on how to make Israel accountable to international law and protect the rights of the Palestinian people.Click here for more information. Click here to read the position paper released by a coalition of Palestinian civil society organizations entitled “Dignity and Justice for the Palestinian People.”

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* South African Theologian Writes Letter to Palestinians on Apartheid WallApril 17 - The website Sendamessage.nl has commissioned a letter from South African Muslim theologian Farid Esack, which will be spray painted on the Apartheid Wall near Ramallah. The letter draws connections between life under Israeli occupation and life under South African apartheid. Click here or here to read more about this Palestinian and Dutch initiative, or here to read the full text of the letter.

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* Reflections on RacismApril 21 - US Campaign Advisory Board member Nadia Hijab reflects on the Obama administration’s decision to boycott the Durban Review conference, and the challenges this presents for ongoing efforts to deconstruct racism and colonialism. Click here to read the full article.

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* Fixing the Legacy of Apartheid
April 29 - Foreign Policy in Focus guest columnist Khadija Sharife reflects on the decision by U.S. courts to hear claims against companies that were complicit in the crimes of the apartheid regime in South Africa. “By finally laying to rest the ghosts of apartheid, the lawsuit may well usher in similar moves targeting the economic systems of global apartheid.” Click here to read more.

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BOYCOTT & DIVESTMENT UPDATE:  * Motorola Shareholders Met with Protests, Human Rights Resolutions

On May 4, 2009, Motorola shareholders gathering for their annual meeting in Chicago were met with protests calling for an end to Motorola’s role in the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land. US Campaign member groups and supporters organized demonstrations in Chicago, New York City, and in other cities across the country, while representatives of the United Methodist and Presbyterian churches inside the shareholder meeting proposed a resolution calling on Motorola to respect standards of international law and human rights in Israel and Palestine. Our goal was to send 2,000 emails to Motorola management in the lead-up to the meeting; thanks to all of you, we were able to send more than 3,700 emails to Motorola’s CEO and VP of Investor Relations!But the work doesn’t end now. Our shareholder allies are already strategizing on further shareholder action with Motorola. We need to keep up the pressure for accountability! Click here to send an email to Motorola’s CEO and VP of Investor Relations, and let them know that war profits equal lost profits!

You can also click here to sign up for a Hang Up on Motorola local campaign kit.

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* Hang Up On Motorola Resources Sign up to be a local organizer for our Motorola boycott. Get organizing tools such as postcards for the Hang Up On Motorola pledge, fact sheets about Motorola’s support for Israeli apartheid policies, and tips on how to involve retailers in the campaign. Or click here to make a tax-deductible donation to support the ongoing Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions work of the US Campaign.  Just $10 will pay for a campaign kit to be sent to a new Hang Up On Motorola organizer and $500 will sponsor a stop on our fall organizing tour. All donations are appreciated.  Supporters who give $30 will receive a print of the winning poster entry from our Expressions of Nakba art competition.  Supporters giving $50 will receive a DVD of Occupation 101.  Supporters giving >$100 will receive both gifts.

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* Support the Academic & Cultural Boycott of Israel The international academic boycott of institutions supporting Israel’s occupation has spread from Europe to Canada and now to the United States. Click here to get involved in the U.S. academic & cultural boycott movement.

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* Great BDS website The Israeli Coalition of Women for Peace exposes corporations profiting from the occupation of Palestinian territory and people. Click here to check out WhoProfits.org.

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* Morally Responsible Investment Resources for ChurchesFriends of Sabeel North America now has a website devoted to resources on morally responsible investment activism. View their resources by clicking here. The New England Conference of the United Methodist Church has a list of companies recommended for divestment. You can view the list by clicking here, and find out more about the United Methodist Church and divestment by clicking here. Presbyterian Church divestment information is available by clicking here. Statements of support for divestment organized by Jewish Voice for Peace can be found here.

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* Boycott this Israeli Settlement Builder April 28 - Abe Hayeem of The Guardian urges a boycott of Israeli settlement builder Lev Leviev. “The sanctions against Leviev should be the start of a wider boycott of all who profit from the enforced acquisition of Palestinian land.” Click here to read the full article.

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* The Israel Boycott is BitingApril 30 - Nadia Hijab on the Motorola boycott and the growing efficacy of the global boycott, divestment, and sanction movement. Click here to read the full article.

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* The Motorola Boycott and U.S. Aid to IsraelMay 2 - Hear US Campaign National Organizer Katherine Fuchs and National Advocacy Director Josh Ruebner interviewed on Chicago’s Radio Islam. Click here to listen.Order Palestinian Loss of Land Map Cards
Educate in your community using these postcard-sized maps, which show Palestinian loss of land from 1946 through the current day. Click here to order map cards.

US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation
Occupation End Notes is the US Campaign bi-monthly newsletter, designed as a tool for activists. For this newsletter to be successful, we need your participation. Use us to promote events, give feedback on recent actions, recommend resources, or just learn from other activists in the movement. If you or your organization are planning an event aimed at ending the occupation, or you have information for the Newsletter, please contact the US Campaign. Click here to access past editions of End Notes.  The US Campaign aims to change U.S. policies that sustain Israel’s 41-year occupation of the Palestinian West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem, and that deny equal rights for all.

Ramzy Baroud
Non-Violence in Palestine?

Kathleen and Bill Christison
Solving Palestine While Israel Destroys It

Sean McMahon
Globalizing Politicide: Israel’s Strikes on Sudan

Sheera Frenkel
Israel Stands Ready to Bomb
Iran’s Nuclear Sites

Check out this site: Rethink Afghanistan is a ground-breaking, full-length documentary focusing on the key issues surrounding this war. By releasing this film in parts for free online, we are able to stay on top of news of the war as it continues to unfold. We hope to raise critical questions regarding Afghanistan that Congress must address in oversight hearings, which inform the public and challenge policymakers. We strive for more discussion among experts on Afghanistan, like the debates seen below released in conjunction with our documentary campaign.  Link to continually updated site   http://rethinkafghanistan.com/videos.php 

שטח סגור | Closed Zone | منطقة مغلقة
http://www.closedzone.com/

Despite declarations that it has “disengaged” from the Gaza Strip, Israel maintains control of the Strip’s overland border crossings, territorial waters, and air space. This includes substantial, albeit indirect, control of the Rafah Crossing.

During the past 18 months, Israel tightened its closure of Gaza, almost completely restricting the passage of goods and people both to and from the Strip.

These policies punish innocent civilians with the goal of exerting pressure on the Hamas government, violating the rights of 1.5 million people who seek only to live ordinary lives – to be reunited with family, to pursue higher education, to receive quality medical treatment, and to earn a living.

The effects of the closure were particularly harsh during the military operation of Dec. 2008 - Jan. 2009. For three weeks, Gaza residents had nowhere to flee to escape the bombing.

Gisha - Legal Center for Freedom of Movement calls on the State of Israel to fully open Gaza’s crossings and to allow the real victims of the closure - 1.5 million human beings - the freedom of movement necessary to realize their dreams and aspirations.

The Making of “Closed Zone”

Yoni Goodman, director of animation for the Academy Award-nominated film, “Waltz with Bashir”, talks about the process of making his new animated film on the closure of Gaza together with the human rights group Gisha.   Click here to watch »

March Is Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Action Month

Join activists for Justice around the world - take action supporting BDS campaigns this month!  Support Divestment at Hampshire College, participate in Israeli Apartheid Week March 1st-8th, celebrate Rachel Corrie’s life & work on March 16th, and join us in observing Global BDS Action Day on March 30th.
Read More »

Video Example of a wonderful boycott action in France (don’t worry if you don’t understand French, you will know what is going on)
http://www.europalestine.com/spip.php?article3908

This Series on the health status of 3·8 million people living in the occupied Palestinian territory details one of the most important flashpoints not only in Middle East politics, but for global security. The Lancet report examines aspects of the Palestinian health predicament: health services; maternal and child health; cardiovascular diseases; diabetes and cancer; health and human security; and the future of the healthcare system. The report has been written by a team of health scientists in the occupied Palestinian territory, together with international colleagues from WHO, associated UN agencies, and academic institutions in the USA, UK, Norway, and France.   Here
http://www.thelancet.com/series/health-in-the-occupied-palestinian-territory

No Discrimination Against Palestinian Refugees in Gaza

On March 6, 2009, Senator Kyl (R-WI) introduced an amendment to the Omnibus bill that would deny Palestinian refugees from Gaza resettlement protection. The US is not likely to resettle this population in 2009, and therefore, the amendment is not only discriminatory but also unnecessary. The Kyl amendment seeks to discriminate against an entire group based on nationality alone. Tell your Senator that this discriminatory amendment must be defeated..

» Take action
Download the action in PDF | RTF format

BOYCOTT & DIVESTMENT UPDATE FROM THE U.S. CAMPAIGN TO END THE ISRAELI OCCUPATION www.endtheoccupation.org

* March is Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions Month

Learn about opportunities for action on boycott, divestment, and sanctions this month, including supporting Hampshire College divestment, Israeli Apartheid Week, Rachel Corrie Day, and the Global BDS Day of Action, by clicking here.

John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt

For the past several decades, and especially since the Six-Day War in 1967, the centrepiece of US Middle Eastern policy has been its relationship with Israel. The combination of unwavering support for Israel and the related effort to spread ‘democracy’ throughout the region has inflamed Arab and Islamic opinion and jeopardised not only US security but that of much of the rest of the world. This situation has no equal in American political history. Why has the US been willing to set aside its own security and that of many of its allies in order to advance the interests of another state? One might assume that the bond between the two countries was based on shared strategic interests or compelling moral imperatives, but neither explanation can account for the remarkable level of material and diplomatic support that the US provides.

http://www.lrb.co.uk/v28/n06/mear01_.html