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Call for audio messages to support Palestinian prisoners: Our Voice for the Palestinian Prisoners

Many different organizations involved in working for the freedom of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails, including Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network, are coming together in a joint campaign for audio messages expressing support and solidarity with Palestinian prisoners.

These messages will be broadcast on Asra Voice Radio (Voice of the Prisoners Radio) on Thursday, 7 May, so the prisoners may hear them. For those prisoners celebrating Ramadan, these messages will provide additional support during this time and express the solidarity of Palestinians, Arabs and internationals of conscience with Palestinians struggling for freedom inside Israeli jails.

To participate in the campaign:

  1. Send an audio message on WhatsApp for the prisoners expressing your support and solidarity.
  2. These messages will be broadcast on 7 May by Asra Voice Radio in Palestine, where the prisoners themselves, their families and loved ones may hear your voice of solidarity directly.

How to participate:

Send an audio message as soon as possible over WhatsApp to the following numbers:

+96171469152
+96170970454

Please include your name and your country in the beginning of the audio message. Messages should not exceed one minute in length. You may send your messages in Arabic, English or another language.

Freedom for the imprisoned strugglers – Our voice for the Palestinian prisoners!

 

🔶 شارك بصوتك
وفي شهرِ رمضان المبارك.

في الحملة التضامنية
“صوتنا لأسرى فلسطين”

👈🏼 أرسل/ي رسالةً صوتية إلى الأسرى في سجون الاحتلال لدعمهم وإسنادهم.
👈🏼 حيث ستبث إذاعة “صوت الأسرى” في فلسطين، رسائلكم في 14 رمضان المبارك الموافق (7 أيّار/مايو).

⭕️ آلية المشاركة
أرسلوا رسائلكم الصوتية في أقرب وقت عبر واتساب إلى الأرقام التالية:
0096171469152
0096170970454

♦️يرجى ذكر الاسم والبلد في بداية الرسالة الصوتية
♦️على ألا تتجاوز الرسالة الدقيقة الواحدة.

الحريّة لأسرى الحرية
صوتنا لأسرى فلسطين

Belgian organizations call for the urgent liberation of Georges Ibrahim Abdallah

42 associations and 229 individuals signed on to a Belgian statement calling for the immediate release of Georges Ibrahim Abdallah – Lebanese Communist and prisoner for Palestine held in French prisons – amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network is one of the signatories of this statement, released on 29 April 2020. The statement and the signatories follow below in English, French and Dutch, republished from the original post at Plate-Forme Charleroi-Palestine. 

COVID-19 crisis: Free Georges Abdallah Now!

English | French | Dutch

The coronavirus crisis accentuates the urgency of the immediate release of Georges Ibrahim Abdallah.

We, the undersigned Belgian organizations and citizens, join with the numerous calls for the immediate release of detainees in order to deal with the threat posed by COVID-19 inside prisons.

We launch an urgent appeal for the release of Georges Abdallah, Lebanese Communist and anti-imperialist activist, the longest-held political prisoner in Europe, detained in France for over 35 years.

Georges Abdallah saw his mandatory sentence completed in 1999. He has been eligible for release for over 20 years.

Already in 2012, he received a favorable decision for his release from the court. His country, Lebanon, has repeatedly affirmed its agreement for his return. The only thing missing for Georges’ release was the signature of the French Minister of the Interior on the order deporting him to Lebanon. The French minister refused to affix this signature, in direct collaboration with the United States and Israel!

We reject endless sentences for political prisoners who, like Georges Abdallah, have remained faithful to their principles.

We reject the establishment of an American model of imprisonment that executes inmates through detention until death and which only releases them when they are seriously ill and on the verge of eath.

In 2013, political prisoner Herman Wallace died at the age of 71, just three days after his release. He had spent four decades in prison. Another political prisoner, Marilyn Buck, died in 2012, aged 62, one month after her release from prison, where she spent 25 years.

Georges Abdallah is now 69 years old. He is one of those elderly prisoners for whom the United Nations has requested immediate release in the context of the coronavirus crisis.

France has freed thousands of prisoners as part of the pandemic: France must free Georges Abdallah NOW!

Organizational signatories:

ABP, Belgian-Palestinian Association
ABP, Belgian-Palestinian Association, Liège
Alhirak Cha3bi Brussels
Antwerp for Palestine
Attac Brussels
BACBI Coördinatiecomité / Coordination committee
Be.One
BRussells Tribunal
Brussels Panthères
Campaign Stop Repression
Arab Cultural Center in Pays de Liège
De-colonizer
CLAC – Collectif de luttes anti-carcérales
Coalition européenne de soutien aux prisonniers palestiniens
Comité de Vigilance pour la Démocratie en Tunisie
Comité Free.Assange.Belgium
Comité Verviers Palestine
Communauté palestinienne en Belgique
Forum démocratique palestinien en Europe
Gauche anticapitaliste
GAPP – Gents Actie-Platform Palestina
Investig’Action
JOC, Jeunes Organisés et Combattifs, Bruxelles
Käthe Kollwitz Vredesloop
MCP, Mouvement Citoyen Palestine
MOC, Mouvement Ouvrier Chrétien, Charleroi-Thuin
Muslims for Socialism
Nouvelle Voie Anticoloniale
Palestina Solidariteit
Palestina Solidariteit Herent
PCB – CPB, Parti Communiste de Belgique – Communistische Partij België
PJPO BW – Paix Juste au Proche Orient, Brabant wallon
Plate-forme Charleroi-Palestine
Plateforme Watermael-Boitsfort Palestine
Raj’een dabke dance group
Rebuild Christians for Socialism
Samidoun Palestinian Prisoners Network
Solidarity for All
UPJB – Union des Progressistes Juifs de Belgique
V-SB, Vlaams Socialistische Beweging
ViaVelo Palestina
Vrede vzw

Individual signatories:
Abou Jahjah Dyab, author
Aguidi Najat, author and BDS activist
Ahmed Bissan, Prof. of Pathology and Histology and Cancer Researcher in Pharmacology department, Arab international University
Al-Damiri Hamdan, Palestinian Community of Belgium
Alegre Gréta, retired producer and director of documentary films
Allouache Nadir, heating engineer
Amy Jean-Jacques, professor emeritus, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, VUB
Andersen René, trade unionist Charleroi region
Arnaut Karel, anthropologist, KU Leuven
Awad Mustafa, former political prisoner in Israel
Bantuelle Martine, citizen
Barnet Rudy, cultural activist
Barrea Dirk, social worker CSC-ACV
Baudson Adeline, federal secretary of the MOC Charleroi-Thuin
Beauthier Georges Henri, lawyer at the bar of Brussels and Paris
Béghin Juliette, criminologist
Benkhelifa Selma, lawyer
Berger Anne, retired
Blaze Véronique, doctor in the public hospitals of Charleroi
Blume Marianne, Association Belgo-Palestinienne
Bonfanti Eve, actress, writer and director La Fabrique Imaginaire
Boumazzoughe Nadia, employee, Brussels
Bounir Yamina, president Comité Verviers Palestine
Bovy Yannick, journalist and editor
Brion Fabienne, professor Faculty of Law and Criminology UCL
Bronstein Eitan, De-Colonizer
Bronstein Eléonore Merza , De-Colonizer
Bruneel Jean-Marc, citizen of the world
Cailloux Guy, retired
Catherine Lucas, author
Chakri Abdelhamid, retired
Chakri-Robert Annick, retired from the civil service
Challande Brigitte, cultural administrator and BDS activist
Chaquiri Najib, artist
Claes John, Palestina Committee, sympathizer PVDA
Claessens Carmen, Antwerp for Palestine, health activist
Coen Renée, psychologist
Colicchio Pasquale, trade unionist
Constantini Valeriana, pensioner
Cordemans Marie-Françoise, retired teacher, member of the committees Free Ali Aarrass and Free Julian Assange Belgium
Cottenier Jo, study service PTB
Couturiaux Marie-Claire, retired secretary
Creuwels Leni, Hannah Interculture Projecten, vzw
D’Hallewin Grégory, active in education and the voluntary sector
David Eric, Professor Emeritus of public international law at ULB
David Marc, emeritus professor, Universiteit Antwerpen, Dep. Wiskunde
De Brabander Ludo, Vrede vzw
De Buck Lieve, yoga teacher
De Cauter Lieven, philosopher, art historian, author and activist, KU Leuven
De Ley Herman, Em.Prof. UGent, member of the BACBI Coordinating Committee
De Ly Myriam, Plate-forme Charleroi-Palestine
De Maegd Frans, worker, Instituut voor Marxitische Studies (Imast-Inem) België
De Queecker Ida, feminist, actief in FURIA in BOEH!
De Walque Francis, unionized pensioner
De Witte Ludo, author
Defieuw Marij, volunteer for 11.11.11
Dekkers Daniel, engineer
Delporte Jean-Paul, member of PJPO-Walloon Brabant, ex-director ONE (French Community)
Delrez Marc, University of Liège
Delrue Jan Gabriel, Prof in the KU Leuven architecture department
Dembour Stany, former worker-priest
Den Hond Chris, video journalist
Deneckere Gita, dean of the Faculty of Arts and Philosophy UGent
Denis Baudouin, general practitioner
Depoorter Dounia, Artist and Choirmaster of Patshiva Cie
Depoortere Johan, retired journalist
Deprez -France, citizen
Deswaef Alexis, lawyer and vice-president of FIDH
Dethy André, retired hospital executive, active member of Amnesty International.
Devos Magda, UGent honorary professor.
Djebara Sarah, doctor
Doom Ruddy, Prof. Em. UGent
El Mahdi Madmad, computer scientist
Faraj Abdesslem, ULB teaching assistant
Ferrian Sandra, employee
Flémal Jean-Marie, translator
Flinker Jean, member of Attac-Bruxelles (1)
Franssen Lieve, member of BACBI
Frassini Ahmed, artist
Frères Geneviève, retired teacher
Fruchon Yves, retired
Gastaldi Eliane, retired
Germain Marc, Lecturer at the University of Lille
Gillis Pierre, honorary professor at UMONS
Ginsburg Victor, honorary professor at ULB
Goetelen Brunhilde, social worker
Goethuys Jean-Pierre, retired
Goldschmidt Tom, retired journalist
Goubeau Patrick, Professor Emeritus of UCLouvain
Graux Allain, writer-traveler
Gregoor Annick, supervisor / educator
Griez Jean-Pierre, director
Groffils Marie, retired clerk
Guzmàn Ringo, president asbl Arlac, Bruxelles
Haepers Chris, gepensioneerd paramedicus buitengewoon onderwijs
Helbo Marie, travel agent
Herlemont Louise, teacher at the School of Arts in Braine-l’Alleud
Hoyaux Anne, citizen
Hufkens Eric, doctor at MPLP
Hulsens Eric, honorary lecturer of the Provincial Higher Education Antwerp
Humblet Perrine, Honorary Professor, ULB
Hunstad Yves, author director La Fabrique Imaginaire
Hustache Serge, MP PS
Huyghens Suzanne, retired social worker
Ioannidis Fotoula, pensioner and pacifist
Iven Joris, poet – writer
Jabary Salamanca Omar, Ghent University, Department of Conflict and Development
Jamar David, sociologist UMONS
Jamar de Bolsée Albert, retired
Jaroszewski Julie, artist and activist
Jaumotte Anne-Marie, lawyer, member of Amnesty International and ABP
Kajoua Wafi, Alhirak Cha3bi Bruxelles
Karras Hafed, garden cultivator urban community organic; intal / viva salud
Kellens Dominique, secretary for secondary education
Kesenne Stefan, professor emeritus of economics, KULeuven
Khleifi Michel, director
La Meir Karin, marriage counselor
Laenens Leen, retired
Lalieu Gregory, journalist
Larnout Korneel, internationaal coördinator, Moslims voor het Socialism
Leburton Jean-Marie, union delegate FGTB, activist for the rights of the undocumented
Lepas Claude, retired surgeon
Leurin Marcel, honorary education inspector
Lothier Marie-Christine, member of the Plate-forme Charleroi-Palestine, former director of Entraide and Fraternité
Louckx Fred, professor emeritus, VUB
Lutjeharms Madeline, professor emeritus VUB
Mahy Jean-Luc, educ’actor
Malchaire Jacques, Emeritus Professor UCLouvain
Marage Pierre, Honorary Professor ULB, former Dean of Faculty. des Sciences
Marchetti Lino, citizen
May Xavier, researcher at ULB
Mayer Cathy, retired teacher
Merckx Kris, physician, founder of Medicine for the People (PTB/PVDA)
Mielants Herman, prof. Em. UGent
Mignolet Huguette, retired
Mommaerts Omer, retired
Mommerency Michel, activist PTB
Mondelaers Toon, retired, member of Christenen voor het socialisme in PVDA
Mooren José, retired docent
Morelli Anne, honorary professor at ULB
Mottart Anne, PJPO
Mottequin Agnes, retired
Mrani Mohamed employed
Neefs Inge, teacher
Neve Marc, Président – Voorzitter Conseil Central de Surveillance Pénitentiaire – Centrale Toezichtsraad voor het Gevangeniswezen
Nicaise Idesbald, professor KULeuven
Nysthoven Lieve, clerk in the health sector
Off-Nathan Josiane, retired
Offermans Jerome, educator and activist
Pagnoulle Christine, ULiège, member of the Board of ATTAC-Liège and CADTM
Passos Monica, singer
Pauwels Mia, retired teacher
Pena Miguel, coordinator of Coordinadora Latinoamericana de solidaridad en Bégica
Péromet Mireille, retired teacher
Piérard Christine, activist for Palestine and defense of human rights
Piolat Jérémie, anthropologist
Plasman Robert, University professor, ULB
Polet Mia, retired
Poncin Léon, Belgian citizen, retired from the civil service
Poncin Corinne, honorary lawyer
Provoost Veerle, Professor UGent
Qasem Maysan, student in Environmental Sciences at ULB
Quoizola Magali, computer scientist
Raeymaekers Geert, retired
Ragala Naima, member of PJPO-Walloon Brabant
Ramon Maria, retired teacher
Renoir Milady, poet engaged in the struggle of the undocumented
Roeck Bob, retired psychologist
Roland Michel, family doctor, retired teacher general medicine and social medicine ULB, past-president Médecins du Monde
Rosa-Rosso Nadine, teacher
Sabbagh Nagi, Center Culturel Arabe en Pays de Liège
Sabbe Isabelle, pharmaceutical employee
Saey Pieter, honorary professor, UGent
Saïdi Nordine, Decolonial activist and member of Brussels Panthères
Salmon Michèle, retired teacher
Samraye Marianne, retired professor, coordinator of ViaVelo Palestina
Saublains Raymond, photographer
Schillings Jacques, retired from the European civil service
Schomblond Christiane, Honorary lecturer at ULB
Scohier Claire, criminologist and urban activist
Scordia Manu, designer
Scrève Marie-Christine, retired citizen, activist
Smit Johan, retired nurse
Sottieau Charles, retired
Souissi Youssef, teacher and sworn translator / interpreter
Staszewski Michel, retired teacher
Stengers Isabelle, philosopher
Takahashi Nozomi, Staff scientist VIB-UGent Center for Inflammation Research, BACBI coordination committee member
Terryn Peter, coördinator Solidarity for All
Thielemans Lea, retired
Thirifays Fanny, project manager in a participative democracy asbl in Namur
Timmermans Marie-Henriette, Honorary Wallonia-Brussels Delegate
Tits Viviane, humanist
Umay Tulay, sociologist
Van de Wateringen Ilja, theater technical director, in opera
Van den Berghe Gie, ethicist and historian
Van den Broeck Mieke, advocate
Van den Broeck Stefan, author / teacher
Van Dijk Hélène, founder and trainer of the association “Questions de justice”
Van Doninck Maria, retired
Van Doninck Irena, homemaker
Van Doninck Wouter, retired railway worker
Van Dyck Barbara, researcher, Coventry University
Van Haeren Mark, retired director of primary education
Van Hauwe Yvette, retired
Van Herck Catherine, retired nurse
Van Hove Anita, retired citizen
Van Langendonck Geert, coördinator van Käthe Kollwitz Vredesloop
Van Loock Lieve, higher school teacher (retired)
Van Moorter Geert, emergency doctor
Van Riet Thomas, Prof. KULeuven
Van Vlierden Rob, PVDA activist, retired social worker
Vandepitte Marc, philosopher
Vanderlooy Raymond, ex-delegate BNP Paribas Fortis
Vanhove Daniel, MCP
Vannyvelseel Noé, retired
Vercheval Véronique, photographer
Vercruyssen Frank, actor
Verlaine André, président de la Coordination Namuroise Belgo-Palestinienne asbl
Verschuere Piet, retired educator
Vervaet Luk, Prisoners’ News
Viart Pierre, doctor
Waroquiez Dominique, retired teacher
Watrin Philip, nurse
Zine Abdellah, worker

International signatories:

France

Organizations:
Campagne BDS France Montpellier
Groupe Non-Violent LOUIS LECOIN
Questions de Justice, association

Individuals:
Boumediene-Thiéry Alima, lawyer
Cabanne Valérie, UJFP 34
Cauvy Francis, physiotherapist and union activist CGT
Coudrais Geneviève, retired (lawyer), member of AFPS
Desbois Jean, activist for the Palestinian cause, member of the BDS Committee Montpellier
Franville Jean, France
Joseph Joëlle, member of PRCF Initiative Communiste
Moraguès José, BDS activist France Montpellier
Mousset Nelly, Montpellier 34
Nastasio Andro, Brest-France
Paumier François, co-founder of the association “Couserans Palestine” in Ariège
Sauty Philippe, France
Soursac Elisa, retired from national education (hygiene teacher: microbio and ecology)

Luxembourg

Organizations:
CPJPO (Committee for a Just Peace in the Middle East) -Luxembourg

Individuals:
Grégoire Claude, teacher
Kleinberg Martine, Committee for a Just Peace in the Middle East (Luxembourg)
Legrand Michel, CPJPO Luxembourg

Switzerland

Schöni Marc, pastor, Switzerland

Netherlands

Nieuwenhuijsen Gérard, Palestina Comité and Kifaia Rotterdam
Risseeuw Anita, chair, Palestina Komitee Rotterdam
Thieme Kees, church worker, Rotterdam
Verzijl Anne, Rotterdam 1 Mei Comitee

Crise COVID-19 : Libérez Georges Abdallah maintenant !

La crise du coronavirus accentue l’urgence de la libération immédiate de Georges Ibrahim Abdallah.

Nous, organisations et citoyen.ne.s belges soussignées, nous nous joignons aux nombreux appels à la libération immédiate des détenus pour pouvoir faire face au COVID-19 dans les prisons.

Nous lançons un appel urgent à la libération de Georges Abdallah, militant communiste et anti-impérialiste libanais, le plus vieux prisonnier politique en Europe, détenu en France depuis plus de 35 ans.

Georges Abdallah a vu sa peine de sûreté accomplie en 1999. Il est libérable depuis plus de 20 ans.

Déjà, en 2012, le tribunal a donné un avis favorable à sa libération et le Liban, son pays, a réaffirmé à maintes reprises son accord pour son retour. Il ne manque à la libération de Georges que la signature du ministre français de l’Intérieur sur l’arrêté d’expulsion vers le Liban. Signature que le ministre français refuse d’apposer, en collaboration directe avec les États-Unis et Israël.

Nous refusons les peines sans fin pour les prisonniers politiques qui, comme Georges Abdallah, sont restés fidèles à leurs convictions.

Nous refusons la mise en place d’un modèle carcéral américain qui exécute des détenus par la détention jusqu’à ce que mort s’ensuive et qui ne les libère que lorsqu’ils sont gravement malades et sur le point de mourir.

Ainsi, en 2013, le prisonnier politique Herman Wallace est mort à 71 ans, à peine trois jours après sa libération. Il avait passé quatre décennies en prison. Une autre prisonnière politique, Marilyn Buck, est morte en 2012, à 62 ans, un mois après sa libération de la prison où elle avait passé 25 ans.

Georges Abdallah est aujourd’hui âgé de 69 ans. Il fait partie de ces prisonniers âgés pour lesquels l’ONU demande la libération immédiate dans le cadre de la crise corona.

La France a libéré des milliers de prisonniers dans le cadre de la pandémie : qu’elle libère Georges Abdallah maintenant !
h3 class=”blue_color”>COVID-19-crisis: Georges Abdallah moet nu worden vrijgelaten

De coronacrisis vereist meer dan ooit de onmiddellijke vrijlating van Georges Ibrahim Abdallah.

Wij, ondergetekende Belgische organisaties en geëngageerde burgers, sluiten ons aan bij de talrijke oproepen voor de onmiddellijke vrijlating van gevangenen om zo het hoofd te kunnen bieden aan COVID-19 in de gevangenissen. Wij lanceren een dringende oproep voor de vrijlating van Georges Abdallah, de Libanese communist en anti-imperialistische activist, de oudste politieke gevangene in Europa, die al meer dan 35 jaar in een Franse gevangenis zit.

Georges Abdallah komt sinds meer dan twintig jaar in aanmerking voor een invrijheidsstelling. In 2012 gaf een Franse rechtbank daarvoor een positief advies. Libanon bevestigde meermaals zijn instemming met de terugkeer van Georges naar zijn vaderland. Het enige wat nog ontbrak, was de handtekening van de Franse minister van Binnenlandse Zaken, die het uitzettingsbevel naar Libanon moest bekrachtigen. Tot op vandaag weigert de minister echter zijn handtekening te zetten, in directe samenwerking met de Verenigde Staten en Israël.

Wij verzetten ons tegen de straffen-zonder-einde voor de politieke gevangenen die, zoals Georges Abdallah, hun overtuiging trouw zijn gebleven.

We verzetten ons tegen de invoering van een Amerikaans gevangenismodel in onze landen. Dat executeert gevangenen door hen in de gevangenis te houden tot de dood, en laat hen alleen nog vrij wanneer ze dodelijk ziek zijn. Zo stierf de politieke gevangene Herman Wallace in 2013, op 71-jarige leeftijd, drie dagen na zijn vrijlating. Hij had vier decennia in de gevangenis gezeten. Een andere politieke gevangene, Marilyn Buck, stierf in 2012, op 62-jarige leeftijd, een maand na haar vrijlating uit de gevangenis, waar ze 25 jaar had doorgebracht. Beiden waren dodelijk ziek.

Georges Abdallah is nu 69 jaar oud.

Hij behoort tot de categorie van de bejaarde gevangenen voor wie de Verenigde Naties de onmiddellijke vrijlating eisen in het kader van de strijd tegen de corona-crisis. Frankrijk heeft duizenden gevangenen vrijgelaten in het kader van de strijd tegen de pandemie.Frankrijk moet Georges Abdallah vrijlaten! NU!

Video: Webinar on Germany and the repression of Palestinian organizing

HIRAK, the Palestinian Youth Mobilization in Berlin, and Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network hosted a webinar on Thursday, 30 April, 2020, on the repression directed againat Palestinian communities and Palestine solidarity organizing in Germany. Palestinian human rights lawyer in Germany Nadija Samour spoke about the case of Khaled Barakat and the legal and political environment in Germany surrounding the attacks on freedom of expression.

Watch the video online:

The discussion included a focus on the racist repression directed against Palestinian communities and other communities of color, including targeting Palestinian leftist writer Khaled Barakat and Palestinian feminist, community organizer and former prisoner Rasmea Odeh. Samour provided a thorough overview of the legal and political context in which communities are struggling to organize.

In the discussion following her presentation, Barakat commented about the need to respond to the situation with greater political clarity and conviction, including on the right to resist and the right to organize. Mohammed Khatib, Europe coordinator of Samidoun, urged participants to get involved in organizing, especially Palestinians in exile and diaspora.

Yasmine of HIRAK noted that “There is a siege on the Palestinian people overall, and every Palestinian community and group is affected and targeted in its own way, from the devastating siege on Gaza to the attacks on our rights in Germany…We refuse to be pushed into silence. We will not accept the criminalization of Palestinian organizing.” Christoph of the BDS Initiative Oldenburg commented that the German public was actually increasingly aware of the reality in Palestine, despite the repressive efforts to silence organizing, ban events, impose political bans or pass anti-BDS resolutions.

Samour noted a number of organizations working to defend Palestinian rights in Germany, including Palästina Spricht (Palestine Speaks) and the European Legal Support Centre, which has played a role alongside organizations like the European Lawyers for Democracy and Human Rights, the Association of Democratic Jurists and the International League for Human Rights in defending Barakat’s rights and those of Palestinian and Palestine solidarity organizers in Germany. She also discussed the recent attacks on Achille Mbembe and the targeting of writers and cultural figures for their defense of Palestinian rights.

Samidoun invites all to join in upcoming webinars and events to continue to build our global solidarity and joint struggle. On Saturday, 16 May, join us for an English-language webinar with Khaled Barakat (Palestinian writer and activist, subjected to repression in Germany) on The Liberation of Palestine: From the River to the Sea. Register today: https://bit.ly/liberatepalestine The webinar will take place at 10 am Pacific, 1 pm Eastern, 7 pm Europe, 8 pm Palestine time.

The event concluded with the Redfish video on the Khaled Barakat case, which is shared below:

16 May, Online Event: Liberate Palestine: From the River to the Sea

Saturday, 16 May
10 am Pacific/1 pm Eastern/7 pm central Europe/8 pm Palestine
Register online: https://bit.ly/liberatepalestine
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/252840772507550/

Join Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network for the Week of Palestinian Struggle, 15-22 May 2020!

On Saturday, 16 May, join us for a webinar with Palestinian writer Khaled Barakat on the illegitimacy of Israel and the defense of Palestine, Liberate Palestine: From the River to the Sea.

Register online to join us on ZOOM: https://bit.ly/liberatepalestine Event will also be livestreamed on the Samidoun facebook page at https://facebook.com/SamidounPrisonerSolidarity

30 April, Webinar: Germany and the Repression of Palestinian Organizing

Thursday, 30 April
10:30 Pacific – 1:30 Eastern – 5:30 UTC – 7:30 Berlin/Europe – 8:30 Palestine
REGISTER ONLINE: http://bit.ly/germanypalestine
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/events/2746379965490249/

With Palestinian human rights lawyer Nadija Samour

Palestinian lawyer Nadija Samour speaks from Berlin at a special seminar on the issue of writer Khaled Barakat and official German policies towards freedom of opinion and expression in relation to the Palestinian issue, the seminar also discusses attempts to criminalize the international boycott movement and highlight many rights issues similar to Palestinians and Arabs in Germany. On Thursday at 7:30 pm (Germany), 8:30 pm (Palestine) – 10:30 am Pacific, 1:30 pm Eastern, 5:30 PM UTC

Die palästinensische Anwältin Nadia Samour spricht aus Berlin bei einem Sonderseminar zum Thema des Schriftstellers Khaled Barakat und der offiziellen deutschen Politik der Meinungs- und Meinungsfreiheit in Bezug auf die palästinensische Frage, das Seminar diskutiert auch Versuche, die internationale Boykottbewegung zu kriminalisieren und viele Rechtsfragen aufzuzeigen, die Palästinensern und Arabern in Deutschland ähneln. Am Donnerstag um 8:30 Jerusalem Zeit besetzt um 7:30 Berliner Zeit.

Hinweis: Seminar in englischer Sprache

المحامية الفلسطينية نادية سمّور تتحدث من برلين في ندوة خاصة حول قضية الكاتب خالد بركات و السياسات الالمانية الرسمية تجاه حرية الراي والتعبير بما يتصل بالقضية الفلسطينية ، تتناول الندوة كذلك محاولات تجريم حركة المقاطعة الدولية وتسليط الضوء على العديد من القضايا الحقوقية المشابهة للفلسطينين والعرب في المانيا. وذلك يوم الخميس الساعة ٨:٣٠ توقيت القدس المحتلة الساعة ٧:٣٠ توقيت برلين.
عبر الرابط الاتي:
https://bit.ly/germanypalestine
ملاحظة: الندوة باللغة الإنجليزية

Organized by HIRAK, the Palestinian Youth Mobilization in Berlin, and Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network

The Right to Health and Coronavirus Pandemic: Profit over Human Life by Ubai Aboudi

by Ubai Al-Aboudi

The following article was originally published at Bisan Center for Research and Development, where Ubai Aboudi serves as Executive Director. He has been imprisoned since November 2019 – sparking international protest and pressure, including among his colleagues in Scientists for Palestine  – and continues to be held inside Israeli jails. As the Bisan Center noted in their introduction to this piece, “Despite his arrest, Ubai is still a critical part of the productivity and the work of the Center.” We urge all readers of this article to join the actions to free Ubai Aboudi and his fellow Palestinian prisoners.

I will not start my article with a big speech on the right to health or even the right to enjoy suitable healthcare; nor will I remind you that they are both fundamental rights guaranteed by the Universal Declaration on Human Rights. This is indisputable and does not require renewal of a social contract that includes this essential term in human existence, which emanates from the right to life and is a natural extension of it. Thankfully, science has made great advancements in the field of medicine, as human life can be easily prolonged and its quality improved despite old age. Now that we are in the twenty-first century, and after all the medical advancements we have made, we cannot abandon this elixir of life and accept sudden death due to the lack of treatment or suitable healthcare.

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is no different from other pandemics in the history of human life. Each pandemic is unclear and concerning in its early stages. It casts its shadow over a certain region paralyzing it, and then it victoriously spreads to other regions, turning people’s everyday lives to nightmares. The atrocity of such a pandemic increases when it takes the life of a person whose body has already been anguished by a handful of chronic diseases, as such completing the circle of life. Although the virus is devious, it is not irremediable. It can be tamed if suitable healthcare is provided to those afflicted by it until a vaccine to defeat and control the spread of the virus is found.

Normally at this stage and as a result of this pandemic, people will lose their lives due to the lack of healthcare provided to them. Such a death does not only take the lives of millions of impoverished people in developing countries, but also takes the lives of citizens of wealthy countries as well who are either excluded from the healthcare system in their countries or found that the healthcare system in their countries is not qualified for such medical emergencies. Palestinian prisoners at Israeli prisons possibly know best the meaning of lack of healthcare when needed, as many of them fell martyrs due to medical neglect by the Israeli occupation authorities.

The coronavirus pandemic has revealed the weakness of the globalized neoliberal system, or as Samir Amin calls it, “unbridled neoliberalism.” This system became dominant in the world after the collapse of socialism in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The system is based on absolute or semi-absolute free international trade. Capitalism has transcended the traditional borders of countries and opened markets on a globalized scale. Internet, social media and transportation developments mean that globalized industries depend in their production on relatively long value chains that extend across countries or continents, from the provision of raw materials to providing consumption markets. At this time, there is talk about freeing the service sectors to international trade as a new stage of global free trade.

The reality is, this pandemic and the resulting need for the health sector has revealed the reality of the globalized neoliberal system. The weak investment in the public health sector has also been revealed, even in wealthy countries such as France, Italy and the United States, since a number of services provided by the public sector have been transferred to the private sector under the premise of restructuring and realizing economic efficiency. Nevertheless, the story is different in developing countries, as their health sector suffers from weak capacities to provide services, and from poor services overall, which makes it unqualified to meet citizens’ needs in normal times let alone in an emergency.

One may see the worst point to which humanity has arrived when you track the international map of the division of work and production. You will see that the production of pharmaceutical and medical supplies were also included in such a division. China and Turkey specialized in the production of masks and medical protection tools, while India specialized in the production of basic materials used in pharmaceutical production. As the coronavirus has become a global crisis, the demand for medical supplies, ventilators and resuscitators has increased. As such, many countries have found themselves short on medical supplies in general, while the quantities that can be exported to the world have been limited or prevented altogether. This global shortage has resulted in the exacerbation of the health crisis in countries struck hard by the virus, and has led to the increase in the number of infections and deaths around the world.

With the increase in the bidding war and piracy over medical supplies, while turning their back on countries most in need, we can clearly see the hideousness and ethical degradation that the current global system has reached in facing this pandemic. Other phenomena that accompanied free trade in medicine and medical supplies, restructuring and reducing public expenses were provided the international monetary institutions, such as the World Bank and International Monetary Fund. Such institutions have provided advice and put pressure on countries to change their spending patterns on social sectors, including the health sector, in order to reduce the deficiency in state budgets and realize higher growth rates.

Such recipes were adopted by both wealthy and poor countries, we can even say that the neoliberal theory has become a religious belief for the elite ruling most developing and advanced countries. For example, the US President Donald Trump has worked to cancel even the mild approaches to a comprehensive healthcare system adopted by his predecessor Obama, leaving millions of US citizens without medical coverage during crisis. In the last three decades, France and Italy have lose one hundred thousand and ninety thousand hospital beds respectively as a result of reduced government spending on the health sector based on the recommendations of neoliberal economists. It is worth noting that an entirely new branch of economy has emerged, which is the economy of health, that made the health sector subject to profit and loss calculations in accordance with the neoliberal theory in economy. This means that the supply and demand equilibrium is taken into account in deciding prices, without even considering that human life is more precious and important than any economic calculations.

It is worth noting that monopoly practices by major pharmaceutical companies during the spread of AIDS in Africa is the closest example. The said companies refused to reduce their prices or allow African companies to produce alternative medicines that prevent the transfer of the virus from mothers to their fetuses during pregnancy. They refused to do so under the premise that they need to protect their intellectual property and economic returns. The cries of French doctors on allowing them to use hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin – two cheap and widely available medicines that have shown efficiency in treating COVID-19 according to many specialists – to treat patients with coronavirus serves as proof of the extent to which French pharmaceutical companies intervene in the health system to attempt to market that expensive antiviral medications.

The situation is much direr in developing countries, as many of them have a weak health sector and are unable to meet the daily needs of citizens. Such countries do not have sufficient medical beds or medicines, nor do they have sufficient medical staff to handle emergencies.

We can study the conditions of the Palestinian Authority in terms of our current reality, as its health sector’s inability to face challenges and crises is evident. According to a report by the Coalition for Accountability and Integrity-AMAN on developmental spending in social sectors issued in 2019, the Palestinian health sector suffers an annual funding gap estimated at 1,400 million ILS, which has negatively reflected on its ability to respond to the people’s medical needs. To meet such needs, a system of medical transfers to Israeli and regional hospitals was created. This system is mainly based on purchasing medical services from abroad instead of building capacities in the Palestinian healthcare system and nationalizing services. The PA has spent an average of 700 million ILS annually in the last two decades on this transfer system. The funding gap in the health sector could have been covered by rechanneling funds from the governance sector, which consumes 43% of the PA’s annual budget, particularly reforming the security sector that consumes an annual budget of 5.8 billion ILS. Different analyses show that this budget can be cut by half through restructuring the security sector, merging different security apparatus and terminating the overlap between the activities of security services. This would meet the sectoral needs in the right to health and provide an excess of funds to realize economic development.

The current crisis poses the end of the global neoliberal system that we have seen throughout the past three decades. This system has resulted in an annual global economy of $85 trillion and a global debt of $250 trillion without solving poverty, unemployment or climate change. Moreover, this system has realized a complete failure in facing the first globalized health crisis seen by modern humanity. This promises an end to “privatized development”, which is the development that is controlled by the private sector without any central plan, leadership or guidance, as opposed to the state’s role in leading and guiding the development process in the country. “Privatized development” is limited to economic development without considering the essence of the development process, which is people. It attempts, through the terminology it uses, to present partnership between the public sector, private sector and civil society, to limit the state’s role and give way to the concepts of profit and investment. As such, the state’s role has become complementary to the private sector and citizens have abandoned the concepts of the right to health, food, education and life. The state is no longer required to provide such rights, but rather the market provides them in accordance with the concepts of profit and loss. As long as the private sector directs development, its investments that are governed by the principles of profit and competition in the context of free international trade will not be directed towards improving the conditions of humanity, but rather to increase the capital of its holders.

In an irrational global system where billionaires exist alongside starving people, where the wealth of the eight wealthiest people in the world is equal to the wealth of the poorer half of the population; changing the system to a more humanitarian system becomes an urgent necessity. Finding a system that redistributes wealth produced by humankind in accordance with our needs as people and based on the notion that we are part of a greater ecological system. I am reminded here of Barry Commoner’s statement: “Here we can learn a basic lesson from nature: that nothing can survive on the planet unless it is a cooperative part of a larger global whole.”

Detained Palestinian student tests positive for coronavirus while under interrogation at Moskobiyeh detention center

Mohammed Hassan

Detained Palestinian student Mohammed Hassan, 21, reportedly tested positive for COVID-19 on Friday, 24 April after being seized by Israeli occupation forces from his family home in the village of Deir Sudan only two days before, on Wednesday, 22 April. Mohammed, 21, is the Secretary of the Finance Committee of the Bir Zeit University student council; he was seized along with fellow Bir Zeit University student Abdel-Rahman Misbah, the coordinator of the Islamic Bloc on campus.

Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network emphasizes the complete responsibility of the Israeli state and the Israel Prison Service for the lives and health of Mohammed Hassan and his fellow Palestinian prisoners and demands his immediate release, and the release of all imprisoned Palestinians.

He is also the brother of fellow detained Bir Zeit University student Shatha Hassan, the president of the Student Council Convention at the university. She is jailed without charge or trial under administrative detention; these detention orders are indefinitely renewable, and Palestinians have spent years at a time imprisoned without ever being charged or tried.

Mohammed Hassan and his family with a poster of his detained sister, Shatha Hassan.

The coronavirus diagnosis came after the detained student was held at the notorious Moskobiyeh detention center under interrogation for two days. His detention had just been extended for eight days to further interrogate him; upon the announcement of his diagnosis, he was transferred to the Ramle Prison Clinic, according to Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association, which informed his family of his condition and began advocating for his immediate release.

The Moskobiyeh interrogation center is notorious as a site for severe torture and abuse against Palestinians detained by Israeli occupation forces, including and particularly Palestinian student prisoners. In addition, the arrest of Mohammed Hassan and his fellow students highlights once again the systematic Israeli policy of targeting active Palestinian students for detention and imprisonment.

There are currently approximately 250 Palestinian students held in Israeli jails, including approximately 80 from Bir Zeit University alone, like Mohammed and Shatha Hassan. Over the years, thousands of Palestinian university students have been targeted for arrest and persecution. Palestinian universities have been frequently raided by Israeli occupation forces; student organizations’ offices have been ransacked, their belongings confiscated and destroyed. Student organizations and blocs are targeted under the same military orders that target Palestinian political parties and other social and cultural association.

Even when student associations are not officially labeled “prohibited organizations” by the Israeli occupation, detained students are routinely accused in military courts on the basis of alleged “connections” or political and ideological affinities with Palestinian political parties. Students have been imprisoned and sentenced for holding cultural activities, book fairs, film screenings and rallies or for participating in annual campus elections.

This policy of repression and criminalization also presents a threat to students’ lives and health, as illustrated in the case of Mohammed Hassan. Palestinian prisoners have not only been blocked from in-person family visits or legal visits under restrictions imposed by the Israel Prison Service under the pretext of COVID-19, but are also denied phone calls with their family members or even their lawyers in most circumstances. Over 140 different items were removed from the “canteen” or prison store, including necessary sanitation products, and prisoners have been repeatedly denied testing, even after documented exposure to Israeli interrogators and prison guards confirmed to be infected with the novel coronavirus.

The conditions inside any prison pose a high risk of the immediate and deadly spread of the virus, but this is severely accentuated by systematic Israeli medical neglect and mistreatment. Prisoners who have been quarantined for potential coronavirus exposure have been thrown into solitary confinement cells, and violent arrest raids and interrogations have continued, despite the fact that Israeli interrogators and soldiers continue to move about normally in society and put Palestinian prisoners and their families at great risk of exposure. At least 67 Palestinian prisoners have lost their lives since 1967 due to Israeli medical neglect and mistreatment.

Just three days ago, on 21 April, Nour Barghouthi, 23, lost his life after he fainted in the toilet and the Israeli prison authorities delayed at least 30 minutes in obtaining medical assistance or attempting to revive him; they only provided medical assistance after a loud clamor by his fellow detained Palestinians persisted for a long period of time.

The Ramle prison clinic, where Mohammed Hassan is now being held – rather than being released to his family and a hospital for treatment – is notorious among Palestinian prisoners for its poor conditions and treatment; they have called it a “slaughterhouse” and labeled it a location for “slow death.”

Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network emphasizes that the case of Mohammed Hassan underlines the urgent necessity of his release and that of his fellow Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails. The situation is not simply a humanitarian concern for the health of the prisoners, but it instead reflects a systematic and racist Israeli policy of targeting Palestinian prisoners with complete disregard for their lives and health. Medical neglect and insufficient health care pose a constant threat to the prisoners, especially those who are also most vulnerable for COVID-19.

**

Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network emphasizes the urgency of a global response to COVID-19 that focuses on solidarity, mutual aid and public health, rather than capitalist values of exploitation, oppression and marginalization of the must vulnerable. We reiterate our long-standing call for the immediate release of all Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails, at severe risk in this time of pandemic, and especially administrative detainees, sick and elderly prisoners, and child prisoners. Defending public health must mean freedom for Palestinian prisoners, freedom for Palestine, and freedom for all oppressed peoples and nations.

Take Action:

  1. Demand the Red Cross act. Call on the International Committee of the Red Cross to uphold its responsibility and urge the immediate release of all Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails. Sign the online petition initiated by War on Want: https://secure.waronwant.org/page/58733/
  2. Call in for action. Governments around the world, specifically imperialist powers and reactionary regimes, are fully complicit in Israeli crimes against humanity, including the mass imprisonment of Palestinians. Even if you have to leave a message, call your government officials and demand they pressure Israel to free Palestinian prisoners. Express your disgust at these governments’ ongoing support for Israeli colonialism: Call during your country’s regular office hours:
    • Australian Minister of Foreign Affairs Marise Payne: + 61 2 6277 7500
    • Canadian Foreign Minister François-Philippe Champagne: +1-613-995-4895
    • European Union Commissioner Josep Borrell Fontelles: +32(0) 470 18 24 05
    • New Zealand Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters: +64 4 439 8000
    • United Kingdom Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab: +44 20 7008 1500
    • United States President Donald Trump: 1-202-456-1111
  3. Support the prisoners with an online action or event! Host a webinar or online meeting about Palestine and the prisoners’ struggle over Zoom, Facebook live or a platform of your choice. Send your event details – in any language – to Samidoun at samidoun@samidoun.net.
  4. Boycott, Divest and Sanction. It’s just as important to boycott Israel when buying online! Join the BDS campaign to highlight the complicity of corporations like Hewlett-Packard and the continuing involvement of G4S in Israeli policing and prisons. Build a campaign to boycott Israeli goods, impose a military embargo on Israel, or organize around the academic and cultural boycott of Israel.

Webinar highlights case of Ubai Aboudi, struggle of Palestinian prisoners

On Sunday, 19 April, the NY4Palestine Coalition hosted an online webinar highlighting the case of imprisoned Palestinian-American researcher Ubai Aboudi and the overall struggle of Palestinian prisoners for justice and liberation. Speakers at the webinar, which reached maximum capacity on Zoom and was also livestreamed on Facebook, included Hind Shraydeh, Palestinian human rights defender and the wife of Ubai Aboudi; Dr. Haynes Miller, professor of mathematics at MIT and an organizer of the Scientists for Palestine conference; and Hadeel Shatara, an organizer with Samidoun Network in occupied Palestine.

Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network in NY is a member of the coalition along with Al-Awda New York, the Palestine Right to Return Coalition; Within Our Lifetime – United for Palestine; American Muslims for Palestine – NJ Chapter; the Muslim American Society – New York; and multiple chapters of Students for Justice in Palestine at New York City campuses.

Watch the video of the webinar here:

Wassim Kanaan of American Muslims for Palestine and Nerdeen Kiswani of Within Our Lifetime moderated the event, introducing the speakers and highlighting the importance of international solidarity and mobilization, especially around Palestinian Prisoners’ Day.

Hind Shraydeh, taking time on the holiest day of the Orthodox calendar on Easter, joined the webinar to discuss the case of her husband, Ubai Aboudi, and the injustices faced by Palestinian prisoners. She highlighted the fact that Ubai is a U.S. citizen yet received little to no support from the U.S. State Department, even when he was jailed without charge or trial under administrative detention. After a global outcry from scientists and researchers who have worked with the Bisan Center he directs, he was then transferred to the military court with trumped-up charges based entirely on political and social work and association. She emphasized that the struggle was not Ubai’s alone, and focused on the need to achieve justice and freedom for all Palestinian prisoners inside Israeli jails.

Haynes Miller spoke about the organizing of the Scientists for Palestine conference at MIT, noting that he had long been appalled by the violations of international law and human rights taking place in occupied Palestine. He discussed Ubai Aboudi’s work with Bisan Center to bring the conference together, working with Palestinian scientists and building connections, and organizing a parallel event to provide a video link to the Cambridge conference. “The conference was haunted by the specter of our colleague Ubai in prison,” he noted, emphasizing the ongoing work to support science in Palestine – and to free Ubai and his fellow imprisoned Palestinians.

Hadeel Shatara followed, highlighting the work of Samidoun Network in occupied Palestine and the threat posed by COVID-19 to Palestinian prisoners. She discussed ongoing and systematic Israeli medical neglect against the prisoners as well as the denial of access to their families and lawyers, imposing another kind of psychological torture on the detainees’ families. She also noted that the prisoners are placed at particularly severe risk of COVID-19, denied access to sanitary products in the “canteen” (prison store) and repeatedly exposed to potentially infected Israeli interrogators, repressive units and jailers. She emphasized that violent night raids, arrests and home demolitions continue to target the prisoners and their families amid the pandemic.

Lamis Deek of Al-Awda, a Palestinian human rights attorney, provided further insight into the Ubai Aboudi case, highlighting the key role of international pressure, particularly from scientists, in protecting him from extreme torture and abuse and emphasizing the need for continued advocacy to raise the profile of his case.

A discussion followed with questions from attendees and responses from participants about connections between imprisonment and racialized repression in the United States and Palestine, increasing settler violence amid the pandemic and the possibilities to struggle together. Charlotte Kates of Samidoun wrapped up the discussion with action items, including writing to members of Congress and the State Department to demand action and accountability on the case of Ubai Aboudi; contacting members of Congress to support H.R. 2407, the bill that aims to prevent U.S. funding of the military detention of Palestinian children; and getting involved with the movement for justice in Palestine, especially the NY4Palestine coalition members.

Here are some of the ways that you can take action on these important issues:

1. First, help support freedom for Ubai Aboudi! You heard Hind tell the story of herself and her family – and take time away amid the Easter celebrations to share with all of us.  Call and email the Department of State at (202) 647-4000 and EMAIL to OFM-Info@state.gov , OFMNYCustomerService@state.gov , OFMCGCustomerService@state.gov , OFMMICustomerService@state.gov

Contact your member of Congress. Find your Representatives: https://www.house.gov/representatives

Here is a sample message:
Hi, my name is ____ and I am calling to demand that the Department of State act to secure the release of US Citizen, Palestinian Civilian, Father and Educator, Ubai Aboudi from Israeli Military custody where he has languished since November 13, 2019.  Scholars and activists from all over the world have been calling for his release.

I am shocked that the Department of State would allow any US Citizen- a civilian no less- to be held by a foreign government-let alone a foreign military without due process. Not only is the Israeli military detention of a civilian illegal under international law-and considered a war crime- it also compromises the safety of all US Citizens as they travel and reside abroad. It especially compromises the rights and protections of Palestinians as they return to or visit their homes and families. How can I feel safe traveling or residing anywhere outside the US, when I know that my own government would sit idly by if I were kidnapped by a foreign military through illegal means, such as “administrative detention” and held without due process by an illegal military occupation force.

Worse over, the UN has found Israeli military courts violate international law and has recently found that Israel practices systematic torture of Palestinians with impunity-  the ICC is now investigating Israel for war crimes.

It is absolutely terrifying to think your department would allow a US Citizen to be held by a government that has been found to violate rules against torture and racism and is being investigated for war crimes.

I want to know what your office will be doing to protect Mr. Aboudi’s rights and what you will be doing to secure his release. I want to see Ubai Aboudi reunited with his family and I will follow up to see what your office has done to further ensure his safety.

I am also appalled that during a health and financial crisis in the US and here in (this state) that you would continue to approve the diversion of US taxpayers money to this same illegal military that is also the only military in the world which kidnaps and tortures children. It is anathema that you would approve funding of such a government and its military- it is all the more outrageous that you would deprive the hungry and needing children of the US to send money to a military that tortures children overseas.

I demand that you take immediate action to stop funding and bring our tax dollars home!

And don’t forget to tweet about the case – you can share a link to the video of this event! Use the hashtag #Freedom4Ubai.

2. Contact your Representative and ask them to support H.R. 2407, the important bill to help protect Palestinian children from Israeli military detention. There is an easy online action provided by American Muslims for Palestine – just follow this link to take part: https://salsa3.salsalabs.com/o/51044/p/dia/action4/common/public/?action_KEY=22466

3. Get involved with NY4Palestine and Palestine activism in your area!

This event was organized by the NY4Palestine Coalition. Find us on Facebook here: https://facebook.com/NY4Palestine/
We are comprised of several groups in the NY area – please check out our member organizations!

Global COVID-19 Crisis: Donate to support Palestinian refugees in Lebanon

Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network supports this important campaign, being organized by Al-Awda:The Palestine Right of Return Coalition and the Palestinian Youth Movement in partnership with Al-Naqab Center in Burj Al-Barajneh Refugee Camp and the Palestinian Cultural Club in Al-Baddawi and Mar Elias Refugee Camps in Lebanon. Supporting the steadfastness of Palestinian refugees – particularly at this challenging time – is critical to sustaining the struggle for the right to return and the liberation of Palestine. Visit the Al-Awda site to donate: https://al-awda.org/donations/support-palestinian-refugees/

Donations to this campaign are zakat-eligible.

All donations to this campaign are U.S. tax deductible. Your contributions are handled by Al-Awda, the Palestine Right to Return Coalition (PRRC), a U.S.-based, registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

This global pandemic caused by COVID-19 poses a detrimental threat to refugee camps in Lebanon. The refugees in these Palestinian camps, who already face overcrowding, poverty, mass unemployment, and insufficient infrastructure, are not able to withstand the economic impact of this public health crisis with the camps shutting down and refugees losing their jobs. If we don’t act now, we might face a total human disaster.

In order to help the refugees practicing social distancing, we are calling on you to help provide food packages, each containing essential food items and sanitizing supplies to last about a month. Each package costs approximately $50. Please donate today to support Palestinian refugees in Lebanon during this global pandemic.

In light of the novel COVID-19, Al-Awda:The Palestine Right of Return Coalition and the Palestinian Youth Movement are organizing this emergency relief fundraiser in partnership with Al-Naqab Center in Burj Al-Barajneh Refugee Camp and the Palestinian Cultural Club in Al-Baddawi and Mar Elias Refugee Camps to support the refugee camps of Lebanon. The purpose of this campaign is to raise $50,000 that will be used to buy food packages for families that reside in Beddawi, Burj Al-Barajneh, and Mar Elias refugee camps.

Each package is $50 (75,000 Lebanese Lira), and 1,000 families in the camps will be reached by this campaign. Your contribution will both provide basic essentials that are not supplied by aid organizations and alleviate the need to leave home for these necessities.

Donate here: https://al-awda.org/donations/support-palestinian-refugees/

Learn more (in Arabic):

The Call from Palestinians in Lebanon: 

Disease and poverty have riddled Lebanon for many years, hitting the refugee camps the hardest, placing all our Syrian and Palestinian people in the same fate. Discrimination by the Lebanese government coupled with overcrowding, mass unemployment, and insufficient infrastructure, COVID-19 poses a detrimental threat to such vulnerable communities. We are calling on you to help provide food packages, each lasting about a month, to 1,000 families especially experiencing economic hardship. Each package costs approximately $50 and contains essential food items: rice, sugar, oil, noodles, pasta, lentils, bulgur, beans, hummus, mortadella, pandora, molasses, cheese, and tea, all of which will be purchased from businesses within the camps to support the community’s economy.

The Palestinian refugees in Lebanon suffer from a difficult economic situation. This situation is not new, but the declining UNRWA services and budget cuts have worsened the economic stress in the camps, directly affecting the livelihood of the refugees. In June 2019, the situation was greatly exacerbated when the Lebanese Minister of Labor implemented strict measures against the foreign workforce in Lebanon, which includes the Palestinian refugees, leading to mass layoffs of Palestinian workers and closures of Palestinian-owned businesses. These efforts were a culmination of years of labor discrimination against Palestinian refugees, which had amounted to pressure on international associations to set quotas for Palestinian employment.

All these restrictions, along with a lack of coherent legal channels to deal with the plight of the Palestinian refugees, pushed the camps to rise up against these racist practices by the Lebanese state. The camps went on strike and demonstrations spread to all Palestinian communities, which directly impacted economic activity inside the camps, yet no response came from the Lebanese state.

Palestinians did not leave the protests inside the camps until the Lebanese uprising erupted widely, which led the country to a complete halt, affecting Palestinian and Lebanese workers alike. A declining economy and collapsing banks with liquidity shortages also led to strikes by the middle class in the camps that had some money in the banks or who were still employed by international organizations.

These rapid developments exhausted any savings of the Palestinian refugees and impoverished the working class of the camps even further. As a result, this continued depletion of resources did not allow for those inside the camps to be ready to withstand the Coronavirus crisis, leaving thousands of families with no support after more than a year of economic crises.

These difficult circumstances should warrant the intervention of UNRWA and other international organizations, as they warranted the creation of internal and external links of solidarity to save what is left to be saved.

Consequently, many Palestinian institutions and volunteer teams have fought with great courage to fill the deficit and alleviate the dire effects of the economic crisis in the camps. Some of these organizations are the Palestinian Cultural Club and the Alnaqab Center for Youth Activities, which have been working hard to contribute as much as they can to the communities within which they operate (Beddawi Camp, Mar Elias Camp, and Burj Al-Barajneh Camp).

Throughout the crisis, the Palestinian Cultural Club and Alnqab Center have focused their energies on distributing food rations, hot meals, and some medical supplies. While the Palestinian Cultural Club’s work has been focused on the Beddawi and Mar Elias camps, the Alnaqab Center volunteers have been involved since November 2019 in a youth initiative (“Tabkhet al-Khair”) within the Burj Al-Barajneh camp seeking to support our people with food supplies. However, this type of work, in addition to the hundreds of male and female volunteers on the ground, needs constant support.

Therefore, we at the Palestinian Alnaqab Center and the Palestinian Cultural Club, invite you to contribute with in-kind and material donations so that we or the many other groups working on the ground are able to continue our efforts in support of our people.

Campaign organizers

This campaign is initiated by Al-Awda, the Palestine Right to Return Coalition, the Palestinian Youth Movement, Al-Naqab Center in Burj Al-Barajneh Refugee Camp and the Palestinian Cultural Club in Al-Baddawi and Mar Elias Refugee Camps. These organizations direct the campaign and raise the funds to go to the camps.

    

 

Organizational Supporters

Current organizational supporters include Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network, American Muslims for Palestine and Collectif Palestine Vaincra. These organizations commit to promote the campaign and its goals through their websites, lists an social media outlets. If your organization would also like to become an organizational supporter, use this form to contact Al-Awda.

    

 

Ahmad Sa’adat’s book “Echoes of the Chains” released in new Italian edition

A new Italian-language translation of “Echoes of the Chains,” the book written by imprisoned Palestinian leader Ahmad Sa’adat, the General Secretary of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, inside Israeli jails has been released by publishing house Edizioni Clandestine. The book features a foreword by fellow imprisoned Palestinian leftist leader and feminist Khalida Jarrar.

The Italian translation of the book was prepared by UDAP, the Arab Palestinian Democratic Union in Italy, and journalist Stefano Mauro. The 176-page book is available for sale for 11.40 EUR and the launch was planned to coincide with the week of action for Palestinian prisoners. A Kindle edition is also available for online download for 5 EUR.

In a statement, UDAP expressed its thanks to Al-Farabi publishing house in Beirut, the original publishers of the Arabic edition of the book, as well as progressive cartoonist Carlos Latuff, who created the cover image as part of the Campaign to Free Ahmad Sa’adat. UDAP noted that the proceeds from the book will be used to support the prisoners’ steadfastness and campaigns for their freedom.

The Arab Palestinian Democratic Union in Italy is a political and cultural association that works to promote leftist and progressive thought on Arab and international issues, particularly the Palestinian cause. Stefano Mauro is a journalist on issues in the Arab world and the surrounding region, incuding Morocco. He has published several books, including a 2018 work on the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.

Sa’adat is well-known as a leader of the Palestinian revolutionary left and the Palestinian national liberation movement as a whole. Sa’adat’s case epitomizes the colonial nature of Israeli imprisonment that aims to target the legitimate leadership of the Palestinian people, and his boycott of the Zionist military courts reflects his principled commitment to reject colonization in all forms.

His case also reflects the role of imperialist powers like the United States and Britain and the collusion of the Palestinian Authority and its “security coordination” regime in the oppression of the Palestinian people and the Palestinian resistance. Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network released the following video to highlight Sa’adat’s case as part of the weeks of action for Palestinian Prisoners’ Day:

To read more details about Ahmad Sa’adat and his role in the Palestinian prisoners’ movement, see the Samidoun summary: https://samidoun.net/2020/04/free-ahmad-saadat-imprisoned-leader-of-the-palestinian-liberation-movement/ and the Campaign to Free Ahmad Sa’adat: https://freeahmadsaadat.org/

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