Unite against Apartheid! Tear down the walls in Palestine! Break the siege in Gaza!
THE SEVENTH WEEK AGAINST THE APARTHEID WALL, NOVEMBER 9 – 16 2009.
The Palestinian Grassroots Anti-Apartheid Wall Campaign, its popular committees and member organizations has called on activists to launch a week of global mobilization against the walls of apartheid in the West Bank and Gaza from November 9 to 16 2009.
Toronto Events: (for updated information visit http://www.caiaweb.org/event)
Wed November 11 - Students Against Israeli Apartheid - UT (SAIA-UT): Film Screening - Palestine Blues (time and location TBD)
Students Against Israeli Apartheid - York - Movie screening and panel discussion - details TBD
Thur November 12 - Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights - Ryerson (SPHR): Film Screening - The Iron Wall (time and location TBD)
Fri November 13 - 7:30pm - Public Forum "The Campus and Palestine Solidarity Organizing" - Ted Rogers School of Business, Room 2-166, 55 Dundas St. W, Ryerson University
The Week of Action Against the Wall:
On November 9 1989 – exactly 20 years ago – the Berlin Wall fell. The event was celebrated as a victory of the ‘Free World’. Today, however, the same powers back the construction of walls which are destroying Palestine.
Five years ago – the International Court of Justice ruled that the Wall is illegal and has required that it be torn down and all laws and orders related to it be reversed. The Court has reminded the international community of its obligation not to render any aid or assistance to the Wall and to ensure the implementation of international law. To date, the international community has not promoted any tangible move towards the ruling’s implementation.
The hypocrisy must end – justice has to prevail.
Gaza has been imprisoned by walls and razor wire for 15 years. The wall and its no-go zone confiscate almost 25% of the prime agricultural land of the starving Strip. About 15% of Gaza’s farmers are barred from working their farmlands, while tens of water wells and about 50% of livestock shelters and other related industry in the east part of the Gaza strip have been destroyed. Many farmers have been killed while tending to their land or have been displaced and forced into overcrowded urban centers.
In the West Bank, the Apartheid Wall carves out today’s Bantustans. It curves around settlements, which continue to grow despite disingenuous talks of a “settlement freeze.” So far its path has isolated 78 Palestinian villages, trapping them between walls, settlements and/or the Green Line while stealing land, water and other resources from hundreds more. Jerusalem remains isolated by the Wall and settlements, and an increasing number of Palestinians have found their homes demolished or taken over by settlers.
In response, the international community has put a veil of silence over these crimes – yet another Nakba for the Palestinian people.
In spite of this, Palestinian resistance to the Wall has grown. Protests have been a weekly undertaking in a number of West Bank villages. In an attempt to uproot what they have termed “a dangerous phenomenon”, Occupation forces have employed increasing violent means against protesting communities, targeting youth in particular. In barely more than a year, 6 have been shot and killed by soldiers, hundreds have been injured and dozens arrested in the villages struggling against the Wall.
Gaza has seen much worse. In response to their resilience under siege, the people of Gaza have faced an overwhelming military onslaught. More then 1,500 were killed as a result and thousands more injured this past winter when Occupation forces laid waste to the small coastal territory.
In their struggle, the Palestinian people shall not stand alone.
Unite against apartheid!
Monday, October 26, 2009
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Public Forum: The Campus and Palestine Solidarity
Friday, November 13 at 7:30 PM
Ted Rogers School of Business (Room 2-166)
55 Dundas Street West, Ryerson University, Toronto
Speakers:
John Greyson – Award-winning filmmaker, video artist and educator – York University; Yafa Jarrar – Students Against Israeli Apartheid (SAIA), Carleton University; Mary-Jo Nadeau – Faculty4Palestine, Wilfrid Laurier University; and Leah Katz – Not in Our Name (NION): Jewish Voices Opposing Zionism, York University
A public forum organized as part of the Week Against the Wall, by:
Faculty4Palestine; Not in Our Name (NION): Jewish Voices Opposing Zionism; Students Against Israeli Apartheid (SAIA)-York; SAIA-U of T (an action group of OPIRG-Toronto); and the CAW Sam Gindin Chair in Social Justice
Information: info@NION.ca or faculty@caiaweb.org
www.NION.ca www.caiaweb.org/faculty www.caiaweb.org/campuscommittee
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Teachers for Palestine: 'It's Time for Divestment' Panel Discussion
ATTENTION TEACHERS AND EDUCATION WORKERS: LET'S TALK ABOUT DIVESTMENT
The Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan has investments in:
Cement Roadstone Holdings
Lockheed Martin
Siemens
MDA
Finning International
Each of these companies play a role in Israeli apartheid, from partnering with a company that produces cement used in the construction of the Apartheid Wall, to distributing Caterpillar's D9 bulldozers used to demolish Palestinian homes.
It's time for divestment. Come learn more at a panel discussion hosted by Teachers for Palestine.
Wednesday October 28 at 7 p.m.
University of Toronto
Galbraith Building, 35 St. George
Room GB 119
The Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan has investments in:
Cement Roadstone Holdings
Lockheed Martin
Siemens
MDA
Finning International
Each of these companies play a role in Israeli apartheid, from partnering with a company that produces cement used in the construction of the Apartheid Wall, to distributing Caterpillar's D9 bulldozers used to demolish Palestinian homes.
It's time for divestment. Come learn more at a panel discussion hosted by Teachers for Palestine.
Wednesday October 28 at 7 p.m.
University of Toronto
Galbraith Building, 35 St. George
Room GB 119
Child Care Provided
For more info contact: tfp@tao.ca
****
Background:
DIVESTMENT
WE DID IT IN 1991 - IT’S TIME TO DO IT AGAIN
The Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan (OTPP) does not, as a matter of policy, consider investment on ethical or moral principles. There was one exception: in the 1990s the Plan, under public pressure, was allowed to divest from apartheid South Africa. For at least the past 40 years in Israel-Palestine another apartheid system very similar to that of the former South Africa has been put in place by Israel. Many prominent public figures, including Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, U.N. Special Rapporteurs John Dugard and Richard Falk, former Israeli education minister, Shulamit Aloni, and editor of the Israeli daily Haaretz, Danny Rubenstein, have drawn the parallels.
Over 170 Palestinian civil society organizations, including the Palestinian trade union movement, have called on the world to adopt a campaign of boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) against Israel, similar to that used against South Africa under apartheid. Israeli peace groups such as the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions and Canadian Jewish organizations such as Not In Our Name and the Independent Jewish Voices have spoken out against Israel’s apartheid policies and human rights abuses.
In 2009 the OSSTF passed a motion demanding that the OTPP adopt the UN's “Principles for Responsible Investment”. This would require the Plan to divest from companies that are in direct violation of UN and ICC resolutions condemning Israeli Apartheid, and complicit in the
violation of the human rights of Palestinians in the Occupied Territories.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
PALESTINE / ISRAEL: FREEDOM OF SPEECH, FREEDOM TO TEACH
A conference on elementary, secondary, and post-secondary education – rights
and repression
Friday, October 16, 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Saturday, October 17, 9:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Steelworkers Hall, 25 Cecil Street , Toronto
Friday Opening Panel:
Sharing Stories of Repression and Fightback
Panelists include Javier Davila, Adnan Husain, Golta Shahidi, and Palestinian educator, Saed Abu-Hijleh. Liisa Schofield will present a video short she made about Mohammad Othman from Stop the Wall who was arrested last month upon his return from Norway where he was campaigning for Palestinian rights.
Saturday: Keynote addresses: Yafa Jarrar and Sherene Razack
Also: Legal Context: Know Your Rights as Activists - Yutaka Dirks and Irina Ceric and
Sectoral Workshops: Post-Secondary Faculty - Academic Research, Conferences, Publication and Organizing * Post-Secondary Faculty -Teaching and the Curriculum * Elementary and Secondary Teachers – The Classroom, the Curriculum and Finding Spaces within the Union * Student Organizing * Community
Registration: $5–$30 sliding scale (includes lunch with vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options). Please register by Wednesday October 14th at Noon to receive the lunch.
For further information and to pre-register, contact us at
freedomtoteach.registration@yahoo.ca
Organized by Educators for Peace and Justice, Faculty for Palestine , and
Students Against Israeli Apartheid
Also coming up this week:
Three important presentations to be delivered by visiting Palestinian scholar, Saed Abu-Hijleh.
Special thanks to Ottawa activists for coordinating the tour, and to the Departments and Palestinian Solidarity organizations providing venues for us to hear from Professor Abu-Hijleh..
* * * * * * * * * * **
#1 WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 14, 3:00 - 5:00 p.m
"The Political Geography of the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict"
Room 2125, Sidney Smith Hall, 100 St. George St., University of Toronto
Hosted by the University of Toronto Department of Geography. Providing an overview of the historical geography of Palestine from the beginning of the Zionist project till today, Professor Abu-Hijleh will explain how the political map has changed, and identify the main forces that worked to shape it on the local, regional, and international levels. The presentation will also provide an evaluation of the different proposed schemes for the resolution of the conflict, and what they entail geographically.
#2 FRIDAY, OCTOBER 16, 7:00 - 9:00 p.m.
Guest speaker on "Sharing Stories of Repression and Fightback" panel at Israel/Palestine: Freedom of Speech, Freedom to Teach Conference Steelworkers Hall, 25 Cecil Street (co-organized by Faculty4Palestine, Students Against Israeli Apartheid, and Educators for Peace and Justice) TO PRE-REGISTER FOR TWO-DAY CONFERENCE send an e-mail to
freedomtoteach.registration@yahoo.ca
#3 MONDAY, OCTOBER 19, 12:00 noon
"Education Under Military Occupation and Apartheid"
SESE Seminar Room, 12th Floor, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE), 252 Bloor St
Hosted by the OISE Graduate Students' Association Right to Education Committee. An overview of the different aspects of teaching and learning under the regimes set by the Israeli military occupation, identifying and classifying the different Israeli violations of the Palestinian Right to Education. The presentation explains how Palestinian students and academics are trying to
counter the effects of the Apartheid-like policies on the Palestinian educational system. Examples are given from the day-to-day life under occupation.
Saed J. Abu-Hijleh (2009)
Saed J. Abu-Hijleh is a Palestinian human geographer, poet, and radio show host, who is currently working as a lecturer of political and environmental geography at An-Najah National University in Nablus, Palestine. He is the founder & director of the Center for Global Consciousness (CGC), an independent media and cultural exchange institute dedicated to building bridges between Palestine and the world.
Mr. Abu-Hijleh holds a BS in International Development Studies from the University of Iowa and an MA in Political Geography from the University of Northern Iowa, USA. In the past fifteen years, Mr. Abu-Hijleh worked with key Palestinian public and private organizations in the fields of international development, public relations and protocol, and small and medium enterprises development projects. Mr. Abu-Hijleh is the former Director Public Relations Department of An-Najah University (2005-2007). Since 2004, Mr. Abu-Hijleh prepared and hosted a talk show on An-Najah University FM station called “Global Perspectives” in which he interviewed many
international personalities who visited Palestine on key contemporary political, economic, and cultural issues. Mr. Abu-Hijleh has conducted academic research on the political geography of Palestinian statehood and the multidimensional obstacles facing its realization. His current
research interests focus on the human geography of Palestinian identity & Diaspora, Israeli territoriality, Palestinian liberation theology, and the geography of the Palestinian environmental movement. He also conducted research on the new social media and the problems of media coverage in conflict zones. Mr. Abu-Hijleh is presently preparing to publish a poetry collection entitled “Words of a Palestinian Dinosaur!”
Like many other Palestinians who grew up under the Israeli military occupation, Mr. Abu-Hijleh started his political activism at an early stage in his life. He was only 10 years old when he joined student demonstrations against the occupation authorities. In April 1982, at the age of 15, he was seriously wounded by Israeli soldiers when they opened fire on a student demonstration in the city of Nablus. This did not stop him from continuing his activism for the realization of peace
and justice in Palestine and around the world.
On October 11, 2002, Israeli soldiers assassinated his mother Shaden Abu-Hijleh, a renowned Palestinian peace activist and philanthropist, and injured him and his father Dr. Jamal Abu-Hijleh. (www.remembershaden.org)
and repression
Friday, October 16, 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Saturday, October 17, 9:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Steelworkers Hall, 25 Cecil Street , Toronto
Friday Opening Panel:
Sharing Stories of Repression and Fightback
Panelists include Javier Davila, Adnan Husain, Golta Shahidi, and Palestinian educator, Saed Abu-Hijleh. Liisa Schofield will present a video short she made about Mohammad Othman from Stop the Wall who was arrested last month upon his return from Norway where he was campaigning for Palestinian rights.
Saturday: Keynote addresses: Yafa Jarrar and Sherene Razack
Also: Legal Context: Know Your Rights as Activists - Yutaka Dirks and Irina Ceric and
Sectoral Workshops: Post-Secondary Faculty - Academic Research, Conferences, Publication and Organizing * Post-Secondary Faculty -Teaching and the Curriculum * Elementary and Secondary Teachers – The Classroom, the Curriculum and Finding Spaces within the Union * Student Organizing * Community
Registration: $5–$30 sliding scale (includes lunch with vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options). Please register by Wednesday October 14th at Noon to receive the lunch.
For further information and to pre-register, contact us at
freedomtoteach.registration@
Organized by Educators for Peace and Justice, Faculty for Palestine , and
Students Against Israeli Apartheid
Also coming up this week:
Three important presentations to be delivered by visiting Palestinian scholar, Saed Abu-Hijleh.
Special thanks to Ottawa activists for coordinating the tour, and to the Departments and Palestinian Solidarity organizations providing venues for us to hear from Professor Abu-Hijleh..
* * * * * * * * * * **
#1 WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 14, 3:00 - 5:00 p.m
"The Political Geography of the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict"
Room 2125, Sidney Smith Hall, 100 St. George St., University of Toronto
Hosted by the University of Toronto Department of Geography. Providing an overview of the historical geography of Palestine from the beginning of the Zionist project till today, Professor Abu-Hijleh will explain how the political map has changed, and identify the main forces that worked to shape it on the local, regional, and international levels. The presentation will also provide an evaluation of the different proposed schemes for the resolution of the conflict, and what they entail geographically.
#2 FRIDAY, OCTOBER 16, 7:00 - 9:00 p.m.
Guest speaker on "Sharing Stories of Repression and Fightback" panel at Israel/Palestine: Freedom of Speech, Freedom to Teach Conference Steelworkers Hall, 25 Cecil Street (co-organized by Faculty4Palestine, Students Against Israeli Apartheid, and Educators for Peace and Justice) TO PRE-REGISTER FOR TWO-DAY CONFERENCE send an e-mail to
freedomtoteach.registration@
#3 MONDAY, OCTOBER 19, 12:00 noon
"Education Under Military Occupation and Apartheid"
SESE Seminar Room, 12th Floor, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE), 252 Bloor St
Hosted by the OISE Graduate Students' Association Right to Education Committee. An overview of the different aspects of teaching and learning under the regimes set by the Israeli military occupation, identifying and classifying the different Israeli violations of the Palestinian Right to Education. The presentation explains how Palestinian students and academics are trying to
counter the effects of the Apartheid-like policies on the Palestinian educational system. Examples are given from the day-to-day life under occupation.
Saed J. Abu-Hijleh (2009)
Saed J. Abu-Hijleh is a Palestinian human geographer, poet, and radio show host, who is currently working as a lecturer of political and environmental geography at An-Najah National University in Nablus, Palestine. He is the founder & director of the Center for Global Consciousness (CGC), an independent media and cultural exchange institute dedicated to building bridges between Palestine and the world.
Mr. Abu-Hijleh holds a BS in International Development Studies from the University of Iowa and an MA in Political Geography from the University of Northern Iowa, USA. In the past fifteen years, Mr. Abu-Hijleh worked with key Palestinian public and private organizations in the fields of international development, public relations and protocol, and small and medium enterprises development projects. Mr. Abu-Hijleh is the former Director Public Relations Department of An-Najah University (2005-2007). Since 2004, Mr. Abu-Hijleh prepared and hosted a talk show on An-Najah University FM station called “Global Perspectives” in which he interviewed many
international personalities who visited Palestine on key contemporary political, economic, and cultural issues. Mr. Abu-Hijleh has conducted academic research on the political geography of Palestinian statehood and the multidimensional obstacles facing its realization. His current
research interests focus on the human geography of Palestinian identity & Diaspora, Israeli territoriality, Palestinian liberation theology, and the geography of the Palestinian environmental movement. He also conducted research on the new social media and the problems of media coverage in conflict zones. Mr. Abu-Hijleh is presently preparing to publish a poetry collection entitled “Words of a Palestinian Dinosaur!”
Like many other Palestinians who grew up under the Israeli military occupation, Mr. Abu-Hijleh started his political activism at an early stage in his life. He was only 10 years old when he joined student demonstrations against the occupation authorities. In April 1982, at the age of 15, he was seriously wounded by Israeli soldiers when they opened fire on a student demonstration in the city of Nablus. This did not stop him from continuing his activism for the realization of peace
and justice in Palestine and around the world.
On October 11, 2002, Israeli soldiers assassinated his mother Shaden Abu-Hijleh, a renowned Palestinian peace activist and philanthropist, and injured him and his father Dr. Jamal Abu-Hijleh. (www.remembershaden.org)
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Poster Competition: Israeli Apartheid Week 2010
We are proud to announce the first international Israeli Apartheid Week poster competition. First launched in Toronto in 2005, Israeli Apartheid Week (IAW) has grown to become one of the most important global events in the Palestine solidarity calendar. Last year, more than 35 cities around the world participated in the week's activities.
The aim of IAW is to contribute to the international opposition to Israeli apartheid and to bolster support for the Boycott Divestment Sanctions (BDS) campaign in accordance with the demands outlined in the July 2005 call from Palestine (for full statement, including demands please see: http://www.bdsmovement.net/?q=node/52)
We are calling on all creative artists/designers to submit poster designs for IAW 2010. The poster will be used internationally to promote IAW and to raise awareness about the BDS campaign.
Criteria:
1. The concept has to reflect its use as a poster – clearly indicating Israeli Apartheid Week 2010 (dates to be added at later stage).
2. The poster must express the politics of IAW (information on the history and politics of IAW can be found at www.apartheidweek.org)
### The submissions deadline is December 1, 2009 ###
Please submit entries ONLY via email to poster@apartheidweek.org as JPEG or PDF files. In the email you send, please include
* your full name,
* country of residence, and
* phone number.
The winning design will be used in various Israeli Apartheid Weeks across the globe.*
All submitted entries will be posted on the website in an online gallery of all submissions.
Please send any questions or comments to poster@apartheidweek.org
We look forward to receiving your submission!**
Israeli Apartheid Week International Coordinating Committee
* some cities might elect to use other designs.
**The IAW-ICC reserves the right to modify the winning entry in coordination with the winning artist/designer.
The aim of IAW is to contribute to the international opposition to Israeli apartheid and to bolster support for the Boycott Divestment Sanctions (BDS) campaign in accordance with the demands outlined in the July 2005 call from Palestine (for full statement, including demands please see: http://www.bdsmovement.net/?q=node/52)
We are calling on all creative artists/designers to submit poster designs for IAW 2010. The poster will be used internationally to promote IAW and to raise awareness about the BDS campaign.
Criteria:
1. The concept has to reflect its use as a poster – clearly indicating Israeli Apartheid Week 2010 (dates to be added at later stage).
2. The poster must express the politics of IAW (information on the history and politics of IAW can be found at www.apartheidweek.org)
### The submissions deadline is December 1, 2009 ###
Please submit entries ONLY via email to poster@apartheidweek.org as JPEG or PDF files. In the email you send, please include
* your full name,
* country of residence, and
* phone number.
The winning design will be used in various Israeli Apartheid Weeks across the globe.*
All submitted entries will be posted on the website in an online gallery of all submissions.
Please send any questions or comments to poster@apartheidweek.org
We look forward to receiving your submission!**
Israeli Apartheid Week International Coordinating Committee
* some cities might elect to use other designs.
**The IAW-ICC reserves the right to modify the winning entry in coordination with the winning artist/designer.
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Free Mohammad Othman, Palestinian prisoner of conscience
On September 22, Mohammad Othman was arrested by soldiers on the Allenby Bridge Crossing, at the Jordan-Palestine border. He is being held in administrative detention as a prisoner of conscience, arrested solely for his human rights advocacy work. Even after his first trial yesterday, the charges against him have not been made clear.
Mohammad, 33 years old, is from Jayyous, a village devastated by the Apartheid Wall and the Zufim settlement. He has dedicated the last ten years of his life to the defense of Palestinian human rights, working primarily with Palestinian youth and with the Anti-Apartheid Wall Campaign.
Mohammad was arrested upon his return from Norway, where he met with senior officials, including Norwegian Finance Minister Kristen Halvorsen. Norway’s national Pension Fund recently announced its divestment from Elbit, an Israeli company that designs and manufactures military technology for the Occupation forces, including Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and security systems for the Wall and settlements.
Post-travel arrest is a common Israeli repression tactic, intended to deter Palestinians from international human rights advocacy. Recently, Muhammad Srour, an eye witness for the UN Fact Finding Mission on Gaza, was arrested on his way home from Geneva. In June 2009, Mohammad Khatib traveled to Canada to attend the preliminary hearings of an historic lawsuit launched by the Palestinian village of Bil’in against two Quebec-based companies building illegal Israeli settlements on Bil’in's land. Shortly after his return, Khatib was arrested during a raid on the village. There are many similar cases.
Mohammad Othman is one of 11,000 Palestinians being held in Israeli prisons. More than 800 of these prisoners are in “administrative detention”, held indefinitely without criminal charge. Mass imprisonment is a key component of Israel’s policy of isolating the Palestinian people and silencing their struggle for justice.
What you can do to help:
• Contact the Canadian in Tel Aviv to demand the immediate release of Mohammad Othman (sample letter below):
Canadian Embassy in Tel Aviv
Email: taviv@international.gc.ca
Phone: (011 972 3) 636 3300
Fax: (011 972 3) 636 3383
• Contact your Member of Parliament to demand that they advocate for the release of Mohammad Othman (sample letter below):
To find contact info for your MP, go to the link below:
http://www2.parl.gc.ca/Parlinfo/Compilations/HouseOfCommons/MemberByPostalCode.aspx?Menu=HOC
• Sign the online petition for Mohammad:
http://www.petitiononline.com/stopwall/petition.html
• Follow the blog and facebook to free Mohammad Othman to see the
latest updates and action alerts.
Blog: http://freemohammadothman.wordpress.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=36429272741&ref=ts
Detailed information about his detention and trial:
www.stopthewall.org or http://addameer.info/
---------------------------
Sample letter to the Canadian Embassy and MPs:
Dear x,
I am writing to you to express my deepest concern about the detainment of Mohammad Othman on, September 22, at the border between Jordan and the West Bank. He was returning home after a visit in Norway.
I fear that the detainment of Mohammad Othman is a result of his peaceful criticism of violations of international law by Israeli authorities. The charges against him have not been made clear even after his first court appearance, but there is reason to believe that he is a prisoner of conscience, arrested solely for his human rights work through legal organizations.
I ask you to take all appropriate measures, including official inquiries and protests, to ensure Mohammad’s immediate and unconditional release. Furthermore, whilst being held, he should be protected from any form of torture or ill-treatment, and the conditions of his detention should fulfill the requirements of international law.
Thank you for your prompt attention to this urgent matter.
Sincerely,
Mohammad, 33 years old, is from Jayyous, a village devastated by the Apartheid Wall and the Zufim settlement. He has dedicated the last ten years of his life to the defense of Palestinian human rights, working primarily with Palestinian youth and with the Anti-Apartheid Wall Campaign.
Mohammad was arrested upon his return from Norway, where he met with senior officials, including Norwegian Finance Minister Kristen Halvorsen. Norway’s national Pension Fund recently announced its divestment from Elbit, an Israeli company that designs and manufactures military technology for the Occupation forces, including Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and security systems for the Wall and settlements.
Post-travel arrest is a common Israeli repression tactic, intended to deter Palestinians from international human rights advocacy. Recently, Muhammad Srour, an eye witness for the UN Fact Finding Mission on Gaza, was arrested on his way home from Geneva. In June 2009, Mohammad Khatib traveled to Canada to attend the preliminary hearings of an historic lawsuit launched by the Palestinian village of Bil’in against two Quebec-based companies building illegal Israeli settlements on Bil’in's land. Shortly after his return, Khatib was arrested during a raid on the village. There are many similar cases.
Mohammad Othman is one of 11,000 Palestinians being held in Israeli prisons. More than 800 of these prisoners are in “administrative detention”, held indefinitely without criminal charge. Mass imprisonment is a key component of Israel’s policy of isolating the Palestinian people and silencing their struggle for justice.
What you can do to help:
• Contact the Canadian in Tel Aviv to demand the immediate release of Mohammad Othman (sample letter below):
Canadian Embassy in Tel Aviv
Email: taviv@international.gc.ca
Phone: (011 972 3) 636 3300
Fax: (011 972 3) 636 3383
• Contact your Member of Parliament to demand that they advocate for the release of Mohammad Othman (sample letter below):
To find contact info for your MP, go to the link below:
http://www2.parl.gc.ca/Parlinfo/Compilations/HouseOfCommons/MemberByPostalCode.aspx?Menu=HOC
• Sign the online petition for Mohammad:
http://www.petitiononline.com/stopwall/petition.html
• Follow the blog and facebook to free Mohammad Othman to see the
latest updates and action alerts.
Blog: http://freemohammadothman.wordpress.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=36429272741&ref=ts
Detailed information about his detention and trial:
www.stopthewall.org or http://addameer.info/
---------------------------
Sample letter to the Canadian Embassy and MPs:
Dear x,
I am writing to you to express my deepest concern about the detainment of Mohammad Othman on, September 22, at the border between Jordan and the West Bank. He was returning home after a visit in Norway.
I fear that the detainment of Mohammad Othman is a result of his peaceful criticism of violations of international law by Israeli authorities. The charges against him have not been made clear even after his first court appearance, but there is reason to believe that he is a prisoner of conscience, arrested solely for his human rights work through legal organizations.
I ask you to take all appropriate measures, including official inquiries and protests, to ensure Mohammad’s immediate and unconditional release. Furthermore, whilst being held, he should be protected from any form of torture or ill-treatment, and the conditions of his detention should fulfill the requirements of international law.
Thank you for your prompt attention to this urgent matter.
Sincerely,
York Faculty Members Rally to Pay Costly Fines Imposed on Students Against Israeli Apartheid
For Immediate Release
October 1st, 2009
STUDENTS AND FACULTY TAKE UNITED STANCE IN DEFENCE OF FREE SPEECH ON CAMPUS: York Faculty Members Rally to Pay Costly Fines Imposed on Students Against Israeli Apartheid
We are a concerned group of York faculty members -- concerned for the rights of free speech at York, concerned for the right to dissent, concerned for Palestinian human rights.
During the Spring of this year, 40 of us agreed to make personal contributions to help Students Against Israeli Apartheid-York (SAIA-York) defray the cost of a $1000 fine imposed upon the club by the York administration following a February 12th demonstration in Vari Hall. We did so because we see these fines as part of a larger pattern of repression on those who speak out at York in defence of Palestinian human rights on our campus.
In recent years, York administrators have attempted to expel a student and to discipline a faculty member for speaking out on campus in support of Palestinian human rights. In addition, they have on numerous occasions disciplined and fined SAIA and its members. Such actions bring discredit to the university, and they create a climate hostile to free speech and legitimate dissent.
For this reason, we have chosen to support SAIA with our wallets. And we will do so again, should it be necessary. In the coming weeks and months, we will be informing the York community about further actions in defence of free speech and Palestinian human rights.
Sincerely,
Concerned Faculty For Palestinian Human Rights
-30-
Please join us in demanding that York University President Mamdouh Shoukri denounce the use of prohibitory fines and sanctions against student clubs like SAIA-York as an instrument to silence Palestine solidarity activism and free speech on campus. Direct your letters to mshoukri@yorku.ca and CC SAIA-York as well saiayork@riseup.net. Feel free to use the sample letter provided below, however you are strongly encouraged to write your own.
SAMPLE LETTER:
President Shoukri,
I am writing to you today to strongly denounce the punitive measures taken against Students Against Israeli Apartheid-York (SAIA-York), in which the club was suspended for a total of 30 days and fined $1000 (alongside an additional $250 charged directly to the student acount of one of its members). I find it both shameful and morally reprehensible to sanction SAIA-York so severely simply for organizing a Palestine solidarity rally at a time when the people of Gaza were being indiscriminately bombed by the Israeli military for 22 consecutive days without reprieve, culminating in the deaths of over 1,400 people - most of which were innocent civilians.
If York is truly 'open to the world', as its own mission statement proudly claims, the fundamental right of students to legitimate dissent and peaceful assembly on campus must remain paramount. Vari Hall is at the core of student life and activism on campus and its rightful claim as 'student space' must never be compromised or outlawed. As President of York, it is your responsibility to protect free speech on campus, not to sanction and police those who refuse to stay silent on issues of moral consequence. Should such repressive administrative measures as those levied against SAIA-York continue in the future, you will no doubt be hearing from me again!
Sincerely,
YOUR NAME
October 1st, 2009
STUDENTS AND FACULTY TAKE UNITED STANCE IN DEFENCE OF FREE SPEECH ON CAMPUS: York Faculty Members Rally to Pay Costly Fines Imposed on Students Against Israeli Apartheid
We are a concerned group of York faculty members -- concerned for the rights of free speech at York, concerned for the right to dissent, concerned for Palestinian human rights.
During the Spring of this year, 40 of us agreed to make personal contributions to help Students Against Israeli Apartheid-York (SAIA-York) defray the cost of a $1000 fine imposed upon the club by the York administration following a February 12th demonstration in Vari Hall. We did so because we see these fines as part of a larger pattern of repression on those who speak out at York in defence of Palestinian human rights on our campus.
In recent years, York administrators have attempted to expel a student and to discipline a faculty member for speaking out on campus in support of Palestinian human rights. In addition, they have on numerous occasions disciplined and fined SAIA and its members. Such actions bring discredit to the university, and they create a climate hostile to free speech and legitimate dissent.
For this reason, we have chosen to support SAIA with our wallets. And we will do so again, should it be necessary. In the coming weeks and months, we will be informing the York community about further actions in defence of free speech and Palestinian human rights.
Sincerely,
Concerned Faculty For Palestinian Human Rights
-30-
Please join us in demanding that York University President Mamdouh Shoukri denounce the use of prohibitory fines and sanctions against student clubs like SAIA-York as an instrument to silence Palestine solidarity activism and free speech on campus. Direct your letters to mshoukri@yorku.ca
SAMPLE LETTER:
President Shoukri,
I am writing to you today to strongly denounce the punitive measures taken against Students Against Israeli Apartheid-York (SAIA-York), in which the club was suspended for a total of 30 days and fined $1000 (alongside an additional $250 charged directly to the student acount of one of its members). I find it both shameful and morally reprehensible to sanction SAIA-York so severely simply for organizing a Palestine solidarity rally at a time when the people of Gaza were being indiscriminately bombed by the Israeli military for 22 consecutive days without reprieve, culminating in the deaths of over 1,400 people - most of which were innocent civilians.
If York is truly 'open to the world', as its own mission statement proudly claims, the fundamental right of students to legitimate dissent and peaceful assembly on campus must remain paramount. Vari Hall is at the core of student life and activism on campus and its rightful claim as 'student space' must never be compromised or outlawed. As President of York, it is your responsibility to protect free speech on campus, not to sanction and police those who refuse to stay silent on issues of moral consequence. Should such repressive administrative measures as those levied against SAIA-York continue in the future, you will no doubt be hearing from me again!
Sincerely,
YOUR NAME
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