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UPDATE on the $105 billion Supplemental for funding war in Iraq and Afghanistan: CALL NOW!

Voting on the FY2009 Supplemental could come as early as tomorrow, Tuesday, June 16. But the House leadership still does not have the votes to pass it. Republicans are refusing to vote for the bill because it includes funds for the IMF. Therefore, in order to pass the bill, the House leadership needs to hold all those Democrats who voted YES the first time around and to convince at least 38 antiwar Democrats to change their votes.

Because of the great work of all of you around the country, many of these Representatives are standing firm, despite immense pressure from the White House. All members of Congress, however, need to hear from their constituents again today! The message is simple: to those who voted NO the first time, stay firm. And for those who voted YES, urge them to change their vote.

The number for the Congressional Switchboard is 202-224-3121. Be sure to pass this Action Alert on to others in your organization.

 

AN APPEAL TO SAVE AN IMPORTANT PALESTINIAN HOME FROM DEMOLITION

Urgent action required: The Israeli Supreme Court has just ruled that the home of Salim and Arabiya Shawamreh in Anata, which has already been demolished by the Israeli authorities four times, can be demolished yet again. The Shawamreh home has become a symbol of resistance to Israel’s house demolition policies and deserves our support. Please forward this to your lists and raise this issue in your advocacy campaigns. Contact your political representatives and the Israeli embassies and consulates in your country. Tell them that the Shawamreh home (Beit Arabiya) cannot be demolished again. Indeed, tell them that NO Palestinian home should ever be demolished again!

For more information, contact the ICAHD office at <info@icahd.org> or +972-(0)2-624-5560.

 

Petition Calling for the Immediate Release of Euna Lee and Laura Ling

On March 17th, two American journalists - Euna Lee and Laura Ling - were taken into custody by the North Korean military.  The two women were reporting on the trafficking of women along the border with China.
This week, Euna and Laura were charged with "hostile acts" and illegally entering the country, then sentenced to 12 years of "reform through hard labor."
A petition calling for the immediate release of Euna Lee and Laura Ling is available at www.thepetitionsite.com/1/free-euna-and-laura

 

 

OSU Committee for Justice Palestine Launches Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Campaign

BDS, it is a form of non-violent resistance that focuses on isolating the target country, Israel, for its human rights record and turning it into a pariah state. Economic pressure as well as forms of boycott will be implemented until the Israeli government is pressured enough to make the policy changes necessary for any sort of viable peace to take place. Please note that the campaign is targeting the Israeli government and not its people. This was a tool used  in the 80's by both the South African community and the International community at large to end South Africa's apartheid regime. It worked!  www.bdsmovement.net will provide you with more information.
Why BDS?
Today Desmond Tutu and Nelson Mandela, as well as other prominent leaders in
South Africa's anti-apartheid movement, declare that Israeli policies and the conditions that which the Palestinian people are forced to exist in are remnants of South Africa's brutal apartheid regime. The Israeli governments policies of denying Palestinians their Right to Return and collective punishment and restricted movement of Palestinians is inherently racist, assuming every single Palestinian is a threat. The Israeli government can not justify its racist policies for national security reasons.  Israel can not justify its policies of house demolitions, building settlements on occupied land, and illegal water extraction from Palestinian villages into Jewish settlements for national security purposes.They can not justify Jewish only roadways and highways in occupied territory while simultaneously barring Palestinians from over 41 roadways and sections, even though they cut through occupied territory, for national security reasons. Unless olive tree's engage in armed resistance, the Israeli government can not justify its uprooting of hundreds of thousands of olive trees for national security purposes. These policies are not to ensure security for the Israeli people unless by security they mean crippling Palestinian economy, security, livelihood, and moral. No, it is to secure the security of the Zionist Doctrine. These racist policies are an expansion of that doctrine, whose goals will not be fulfilled until the indigenous Palestinian  population is fully removed from the land and replaced with an entirely Jewish population. I want to remind everyone who has read this far that what we are describing is not only apartheid but ethnic cleansing. This is exactly why we must engage in BDS.

Today Palestinian civil society has calls on the international community to once again engage in BDS and we are responding. Below is CJP's online version of our officially drafted petition to get the University to divest from 6 companies consistent with other universities that are engaging in this campaign. We encourage you to review and sign the petition and send it out to everyone you know. This is the first step in the campaign and one of the most crucial steps. Your involvement is vital. Once we have accumulated a mass of signatures, as well as Student Group endorsers, we will present it to the University and go from there.
Ways to get involved?
Take the initiative:

Sign the petition!

  ---Disclaimer: If you have already signed the paper copy version of the petition do not sign the online version---

Send the petition to everyone you know

Encourage others to sign it

Talk to people! Talk to your co-workers, classmates, friends, and family members who do not know about whats going on or are misled by misinformation in the media.

Become directly involved, reply to this email.

Get your student organization on board! Aside from individual signatures, we need as many student organizations as possible to endorse our petition in order for the University to take  it seriously. Bring the campaign as an action plan for your group. What is happening to Palestinians is socially unjust, any student group can become an endorser. Do not fear controversy, remember that this campaign is targeting the Israeli government and not its people. If your group decides to become an endorser, let us know so we can add your student group our list. We would also be happy to come in and give a talk on BDS and answer any questions.

Student Group Endorsers:
The Committee For Justice In
Palestine

International Socialist Organization
 Free The Planet
 Somali Ambassadors

We really look forward to hearing from you soon and really look forward to the progress of this campaign. The students at Hampshire College in Massachusetts have successfully gotten their university to divest. Here is an article for reference: http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/2009/02/hamphire_colleg.html. If they were able to do it, there is no reason why we can't!
With Peace and in Solidarity,

Saba Maher, The
Ohio State University, Committee For Justice In Palestine, President
cjp.at.osu@gmail.com

Viva Palestina USA:  George Galloway is heading a second convoy to break the siege on Gaza - this time from the USA. The Vietnam War veteran, Ron Kovic, whose experiences in the war led him to become a life-long advocate of a more just US foreign policy, has readily agreed to be co-leader of the convoy. The convoy’s aim is to take hundreds of US citizens in 500 vehicles, bearing $10 million in medical aid from Cairo to Gaza. Convoy participants will leave from JFK airport on July 4, bearing the simple yet powerful message that Palestinian independence is as precious as US independence. The group will organize the convoy in Cairo and proceed to Gaza the following weekend, proudly waving US and Palestinian flags, as well as banners declaring thousands of supporting organizations and institutions. This is set to be the biggest single aid effort for Palestine ever to leave US shores. It will be a source of great strength and hope for the Palestinian people. It will also have a major impact here in the United States, helping to stir US public opinion about the conflict in the Middle East and to bring about a permanent shift in government policy.  The US has a chance right now to step into a more progressive role in the world. But Viva Palestina USA needs your help to make this venture successful and to get this aid through the siege that has been strangling the people of Gaza for three years.

What YOU can do to help:

1) Circulate this email to everyone you know through your listserv/contacts list, Facebook and any other means to which you have access, share the brilliant documentary detailing the UK Convoy with your friends, family and coworkers: Viva Palestina US » Media/Resources AND add our donation link to your website, blog, or email: Donate to Viva Palestina Now!

2) Donate towards the $10 million target! Every penny makes a difference! Donations are being handled by Viva Palestina's not-for-profit fiscal sponsor, the Interreligious Foundation for Community Organization (IFCO), and are tax deductible.  The funds will be used for medical aid and the entire convoy is within the restrictions and guidelines laid out by the US authorities governing such activities. You can donate on our webpage Viva Palestina US or, to link directly to our donation page, click here: Donate to Viva Palestina Now!

You can also make a check payable to Viva Palestina IFCO and send it to:

Viva Palestina USA

47 West Polk Street

Suite 100 - 403

Chicago, IL 60605-2085

3) Come as a delegate on the convoy! To register, visit: Viva Palestina US » Join the Convoy. You'll need to raise the funds to cover the costs of your flight to and accommodations in Egypt, and commit to raising aid towards our target goal. See our website Viva Palestina US for further details and answers to any questions you might have.

4) Endorse and/or Sponsor the convoy! Details can be found on our webpage, but generally: sponsorship for national organizations is $1,000; state, $500; local chapters and individuals, $100, and endorsements require you/your organization’s contact information and a written, publishable statement of endorsement.

5) Contact your local and state media to tell them why you support the Viva Palestina USA convoy. If you need help communicating with the media or if you have media contacts who would like to speak with a convoy leader, contact us at: usmedia@vivapalestina.org

6) Send us stories, pictures and videos of your efforts to support Viva Palestina USA. We’ve heard amazing stories of creative fundraising efforts and events from around the country and we encourage your unique participation in the movement for justice for Palestine!

Together, we WILL break the siege, we WILL deliver much-needed aid to the people of Gaza, and we WILL help free Palestine! VIVA, VIVA PALESTINA!

www.vivapalestina-us.org

usinformation@vivapalestina.org

773.226.2742