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Northwestern University SJP gets Palestine-dressed Rock on school webpage

May 14, 2012 By 1 Comment

Palestine-themed art at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois made the university’s webpage today in preparation for Students for Justice in Palestine’s week-long commemoration of the Nakba.

Painting the Rock is a longstanding tradition at Northwestern, where students typically reserve the boulder and use it as “an accepted avenue of expression” to promote activities, events, campaigns, and causes, according to the Northwestern University website. Students took advantage of this opportunity to mark 64 years of displacement and exile in the occupied Palestinian territories. [Read more...]

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Breaking: Activists shut down UN building to raise awareness about Palestinian hunger strikers

May 9, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Update: The UN has released a statement in response to the demonstration. It can be found here. Details can be found below.

Demonstrators in Ramallah surrounded a United Nations building in Ramallah to demand attention to Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.

At 7:30 AM, about 25 youth activists reportedly blocked access into and out of the UN Ramallah Common Premises building. Later reports indicate upwards of 40 demonstrators involved in this morning’s action. A few minutes into the action, the hashtag #UNclosed began to trend worldwide on Twitter.

Palestinian Authority police officers arrived at the scene at about 7:50 AM. According to Ahmad Nimer, one of the demonstrators, the police officers outnumbered the activists and threatened to use force to move the demonstrators from the scene. The police have not yet made any moves.

The action transitioned into full-fledged sit-in outside of the UN building’s gates and doors. Eyewitness accounts say that UN employees were having difficulty getting inside the building but some are said to have found passage through doors that were not blocked.

Khader Adnan, who was recently released after going on a 66-day hunger strike, telephoned the demonstrators to express his support and to further demand an end to Israel’s illegal detention of Palestinians without charge.

An announcement from the upper management informed UN staff members that they will not be working from within the building today. It is unclear whether staff members were given the day off or if they were instructed to work from home. Meanwhile, demonstrators announced plans to remain at the UN building until 5:00 PM. Linah Alsaafin explains more about the purpose of the demonstration here:

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The attendance increased three hours into the demonstration as community members began to join in on the sit-in. Many of these individuals are reported to be relatives of imprisoned Palestinians.

The protesters delivered a letter to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon.

Activists in Amman, Jordan, also took part in a solidarity action at a local UN building, according to Ola Al-Tamimi.

At about 5:27 PM, the UN official Twitter account tweeted the following message:

The UN released an official statement just hours after the demonstration, stressing “the importance of averting any further deterioration in the condition of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli custody who are on hunger strike”. The full text can be found here.

Currently, between 2000 and 2500 Palestinian prisoners are on an open-ended hunger strike that has just entered into its 23nd day. Two individuals, Thaer Halahleh and Bilal Diab, have both entered day 72 of their hunger strikes.

The prisoners and their supporters have released a list of demands which can be found here: ‘A Situation Room on the Issue of the Mass Hunger Strike‘.

Here are some images from the scene:


(Source)


(Source)

[Read more...]

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In Israel, democracy sprays you

May 1, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Activist Rana Hamadeh raised a Palestinian flag on an Israeli “skunk tank” today during a demonstration in front of Israel’s Ofer Prison near Ramallah. Soldiers quickly moved to arrest her, severely cracking down on at least three other Palestinians in the process.

The following is footage that I found first on Mondoweiss. It shows Hamadeh climbing the military vehicle and then being chased by soldiers. Three other demonstrators formed a protective shield around her. At about this time, democracy—in the form of an orange, stinging mist—rained down on them.

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At 0:29, protesters shield Hamadeh from the impending attack.

At 0:32, one Israeli soldier grabs Hamadeh by the neck.

At 0:34, a tear gas canister is fired at the group. The soldiers are the only individuals protected from such a close high velocity impact. [Read more...]

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Mock apartheid wall at Loyola University Chicago successfully draws attention to the real apartheid wall

April 20, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Guest contribution by Jumana Qawasme

On Saturday, April 14, 2012, the weekend before Loyola University in Chicago’s Palestine Awareness Week, a group of students and I from the Middle Eastern Student Association (MESA) and Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) built a mock apartheid wall. The tradition started about three years ago. While the university has had no objections or resistance on its part, other pro-Israel groups on campus used the university as a kind of vehicle for its various concerns, excuses, and general nagging.

By the time I first arrived at the apartment where we were painting the wall, the MESA board had already painted the Palestinian flag onto the four panels as a sort of background. It was absolutely beautiful but not in some convoluted, ultra-patriotic way. Rather, it was striking in its bold statement of existence. I was struck by the fact that the Palestinian flag would be an undeniable presence on the Loyola campus, a normally politically-neutral (provided that is even possible) place. This excited me—and the others—beyond belief. [Read more...]

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Enormous mock wall challenges Israeli apartheid on U of Illinois campus

April 20, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Guest contribution by Yarah Kudaimi

In light of Israeli Apartheid Week, Students for Justice in Palestine at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign constructed a ninety-foot wide, seventeen-foot tall wall mirroring the barrier wall built by Israel enclosing the West Bank. Construction of the original wall  in the West Bank began in 2002 under the guise of Israeli security. In actuality though, it is yet another expression of illegal colonial expansionism.

The 470-mile wall cutting through parts of the West Bank has annexed Palestinian land and separated Palestinians from each other and from access to land, schools, and health care. In addition, it winds in such a way to annex the most fertile soils and gives Israel optimum use of the majority of Palestinian water resources. According to international law, building this wall on Palestinian territory is illegal.

SJP-UIUC intended to raise awareness about this barrier wall by erecting a mock version of the wall on the University’s main quadrangle, the heart of student life. The wall has been up since Monday, April 16 and will be taken down on Friday, April 20. During this time, it has attracted the attention of thousands of students, faculty, and campus staff.  The wall blocked the view of the building directly behind it and towered over students, reflecting the confinement and intimidation Palestinian civilians regularly experience under the wall’s presence. Similar to the actual wall in the West Bank, SJP members used the wall as a canvas of expression. They painted the panels with pictures, quotations, and statistics. Information about refugees, Palestinian detention, and the historical context surrounding the occupation of Palestine was printed directly on the wall for the campus community to see. [Read more...]

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Breaking: Video released showing Israeli officer attacking multiple activists, contradicting his claims

April 20, 2012 By 3 Comments

Lt. Col. Shalom Eisner was filmed striking a Danish activist in the face with his M-16 weapon on Saturday during a pro-Palestine bicycle rally in the Jordan Valley. Eisner argued that he was provoked into attacking the international solidarity activist, but new footage released by B’Tselem reveals that Eisner attacked five different individuals, none of whom threatened Eisner or provoked the brutal force used on them.

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In statements made after the original clip went viral, Eisner regretted beating the activist in front of cameras. He also claimed that the Danish activist, identified as Andreas Ias, had been hostile towards the senior officer and had physically provoked the attack.

But footage just released by Israeli human rights group B’Tselem shows that no such physical provocation occurred before Eisner attacked Ias and other activists.

Eisner was dismissed from his post following the incident.

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An intifada stirring from within Israel’s prison walls

April 17, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Today is a day of power for Palestinians living under Israel’s occupation. It was recently confirmed that hunger striker Khader Adnan returned safely to his friends and family. And as tens of thousands of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank commemorate this year’s Prisoners’ Day, upwards of 1,600 Palestinian prisoners began an open-ended hunger strike while another 2,300 refused meals.

This is the year of the prisoner, a year that has already seen and accomplished much more than any year of “negotiations”. The Palestinian people have chosen to work against the system of occupation and apartheid, not with it. As the Palestinian Authority just moments ago submitted yet another series of ‘delegatory demands’ to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office, Khader Adnan addressed a crowd in his hometown of Jenin, pledging his full support to the 4,700 Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails and specifically to the thousands starving themselves for the rest to remain.

Adnan recently went on a 66-day hunger strike to protest his incarceration without charge by Israel. As word spread of his hunger strike, the world took notice of Israel’s administrative detention policies. Investigative journalists with The Guardian released a special report about children illegally imprisoned in Cell 36 of Israel’s Al Jamale jail. Hana Al-Shalabi began her hunger strike weeks later in protest of her incarceration for unspecified reasons. After her action attracted international media attention, Israel was pressured into releasing her. Since then, at least five more Palestinians embarked on hunger strikes including Thaer Halahlah who, according to reports on Sunday, began coughing up blood as his health declined. [Read more...]

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Israel to pro-Palestine deportees: ‘There are other worthy choices to protest’

April 14, 2012 By 10 Comments

Like this Swedish tourist, “Flytilla” activists flying into Israel will be forced to sign a contract requiring them not to be affiliated in any way with “pro-Palestinian organizations”, “members”, or “activities”. Any breach of the contract will lead to instant deportation. Meanwhile, those deported will receive a letter from the Prime Minister’s office, urging activists to turn their attention to “other worthy choices”, like Syria, Iran, and Hamas. (The text for both documents can be found at the bottom.)

For a country that calls itself the “Middle East’s sole democracy”, political thought and expression means nothing unless it conforms exactly to the government’s idea of things. The contract, first published by +972 Magazine, is explicit in saying that pro-Palestinian sentiments are not welcome. In fact, they are cause for deportation.

What is worse, however, is Israel’s insistence that the public turn a blind eye to its human rights violations and focus on other avenues of concern. The letter given to deported activists urges them to “first solve the real problems of the region” before protesting Israel’s actions. It is as if six and a half decades worth of occupation, exploitation, and force-heavy discrimination does not qualify as a “real” problem.

Ultimately, Israel has criminalized being pro-Palestine by pressing “all possible legal actions” against those who are associated in some way with the movement against the occupation. This fringes on blatant censorship and political repression where even certain Israeli nationals are pressured into downplaying their dissent with the Israeli government.

But not only is dissent contractually forbidden, it is simply not morally righteous enough. So long as other humanitarian concerns exist, Israel demands a free pass. It is this flawed mentality, coupled with the ramifications of supporting Palestinian rights, that really forces one to question Israel’s idea of freedom and democracy.

Sami Kishawi

[Read more...]

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Remembering Tom Hurndall, a true hero for Palestine

April 11, 2012 By 3 Comments

Solidarity activists around the world understand the meaning of sacrifice, but few experience its ultimate reality the way Tom Hurndall did exactly eight years ago.

Thomas “Tom” Hurndall was an aspiring photojournalist who put himself at the service of the world. In 2002, he traveled through Europe, eventually making his way to Jordan and Egypt where he felt intrigued by the mix of cultures. In early 2003, he joined the anti-war movement against the invasion of Iraq and physically moved there. But as the invasion became more and more likely, he moved to Jordan to help provide medical services to Iraqi refugees. There, he discovered the International Solidarity Movement (ISM) and moved to Rafah in the Gaza Strip not long after. The date was April 6, 2003. [Read more...]

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Reflections on a Finkelstein who once claimed to ‘Israel-bash’

April 5, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Norman Finkelstein has spoken again after remaining noticeably silent since the day his remarks about BDS went viral. In an exclusive Haaretz interview, Finkelstein addresses each of his audiences—his fans, his enemies—as one and announces that he will no longer “be an Israel-basher”. Instead, he says, he will resort to diplomacy, making it a priority to find a viable solution as soon as humanly possible.

Because I like to be honest with readers, I will admit that I’m not quite sure how the rest of this piece will turn out. It isn’t that I’m at a loss for words, but Finkelstein’s interview strikes close to home for a number of reasons. Addressing each point with a fair and critical eye will not necessarily be a challenge but it might turn out a bit disorganized. Forgive me for this, but please do expect unadulterated honesty.

In the beginning

The name “Norman Finkelstein” evoked awe when I was a freshman in college just two years ago. I had heard his name mentioned a few times before but it wasn’t until months after the invasion of Gaza that I actually had the opportunity to see him in person. What inspired me the most about him wasn’t his uncanny ability to properly deliver a speech in a voice at least two octaves higher than mine, but rather his synthesis of the very facts I had been searching for. The Amnesty International quotes, the statistics from international observers, the responses from governments overseas—he consolidated it all into a package that was easy to digest and, more importantly, capable of motivating me to become more active and even more critical.

That was what he was all about: well-founded criticism, not bashing. After all, he was one of the greatest professors DePaul University ever had. [Read more...]

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