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Toulouse solidarity with Ahmad Sa’adat with Palestine stand in the city center

This is adapted from the original French report at Collectif Palestine Vaincra.

Stand Palestine in solidarity with Ahmad Sa’adat and Palestinian prisoners, 18 January 2020. Photo: Collectif Palestine Vaincra

On Saturday, 18 January, activists and supporters of the Collectif Palestine Vaincra, an affiliate of Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network, gathered for a Palestine stand for over two hours near the entrance to Metro Capitole in Toulouse, France. The stand came as part of the international weeks of action to Free Ahmad Sa’adat and all Palestinian prisoners, taking place from 15 to 29 January 2020 and marking the anniversary of the imprisonment of the general secretary of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine in 2002 – first by the Palestinian Authority under U.S. and British guard, and now by the Israeli occupation.

Stand Palestine in solidarity with Ahmad Sa’adat and Palestinian prisoners, 18 January 2020. Photo: Collectif Palestine Vaincra

Collectif Palestine Vaincra has been hosting these outdoor stalls on a monthly basis and finding a warm reception among passersby in the city center. Participants distributed over 600 flyers and sold t-shirts, tote bags and calendars supporting Palestinian liberation.

Stand Palestine in solidarity with Ahmad Sa’adat and Palestinian prisoners, 18 January 2020. Photo: Collectif Palestine Vaincra

The event also came as part of the call for an international day of action on 19 January for Ahmad Sa’adat and Georges Abdallah, the Lebanese Arab Communist struggler for Palestine imprisoned in France for over 35 years.

Stand Palestine in solidarity with Ahmad Sa’adat and Palestinian prisoners, 18 January 2020. Photo: Collectif Palestine Vaincra

Participants in the stand launched dozens of discussions about the situation of Ahmad Sa’adat and took photos of solidarity with the imprisoned Palestinian leftists. Passersby also wrote about 30 cards and letters to Sa’adat and various Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.

Stand Palestine in solidarity with Ahmad Sa’adat and Palestinian prisoners, 18 January 2020. Photo: Collectif Palestine Vaincra

The organizers also set up a display with cards highlighting the situation of Palestinian prisoners, the escalating use of torture, the imprisonment of children, administrative detention (imprisonment without charge or trial) and the targeting of Palestinian political leaders by the Israeli occupation, including the detention of Khalida Jarrar and Marwan Barghouti.

Stand Palestine in solidarity with Ahmad Sa’adat and Palestinian prisoners, 18 January 2020. Photo: Collectif Palestine Vaincra

Many people stopped to read the explanatory panels and learn more about a situation that is still poorly understood and often distorted in France.

Stand Palestine in solidarity with Ahmad Sa’adat and Palestinian prisoners, 18 January 2020. Photo: Collectif Palestine Vaincra

The stall also displayed a large banner highlighting the history of Zionist colonization of Palestine over the years, attracting much attention from passers-by.

Stand Palestine in solidarity with Ahmad Sa’adat and Palestinian prisoners, 18 January 2020. Photo: Collectif Palestine Vaincra

Participants also live-painted graffiti images on large sheets of plastic stretched out in the area, highlighting the slogans: “Free Ahmad Sa’adat! Free Georges Abdallah! Freedom for all Palestinian prisoners!”

Further activities are being organized for the Week of Action, including events in Gothenburg, Brussels, Paris, Vancouver, Ann Arbor and more. To add your own event, use this form or email samidoun@samidoun.net. Let us know – whether you’re including this campaign in a larger action or organizing your own action, we want to make sure to spread the word!

Stand Palestine in solidarity with Ahmad Sa’adat and Palestinian prisoners, 18 January 2020. Photo: Collectif Palestine Vaincra

 

Stand Palestine in solidarity with Ahmad Sa’adat and Palestinian prisoners, 18 January 2020. Photo: Collectif Palestine Vaincra

26 January, Paris: Freedom for Ahmad Sa’adat and Georges Abdallah!

Sunday, 26 January
3:00 pm
Place de la Republique
Paris, France
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/319279442282196/

Gathering on Sunday, 26 January 2020 from 3 pm to 5 pm to demand the release of Ahmad Sa’adat, Georges Abdallah and all the Palestinian prisoners.

Rassemblement samedi dimanche 26 janvier 2020, de 15h à 17h, pour exiger la libération d’Ahmad Sa’adat, de Georges Abdallah et de tous les prisonniers palestiniens.

Appel à l’action du 15 au 29 janvier 2020 : liberté pour Ahmad Sa’adat et pour tous les prisonniers palestiniens !

Nous appelons tous les partisans de la Palestine et les défenseurs de la liberté du peuple palestinien à nous rejoindre entre le 15 et le 29 janvier 2020 dans des semaines d’actions pour la libération d’Ahmad Sa’adat et de tous les prisonniers palestiniens détenus dans les prisons israéliennes.

Ahmad Sa’adat est le secrétaire général emprisonné du Front Populaire pour la Libération de la Palestine, un leader du mouvement de libération nationale palestinien et un symbole de la gauche internationale et des mouvements révolutionnaires. Il a été condamné à 30 ans de prison israélienne le 25 décembre 2008, accusé de diriger une organisation interdite et « d’incitation ». Le FPLP, comme tous les partis politiques palestiniens et les organisations de résistance, est qualifié « d’organisation interdite » par les autorités d’occupation israéliennes.

Nous appelons à une action internationale pour la libération de Sa’adat, de ses camarades et de tous les prisonniers palestiniens, car leur emprisonnement est une affaire internationale. Dans le cas de Sa’adat et de ses camarades, cette année marque le 18e anniversaire de leur emprisonnement par l’Autorité Palestinienne (AP) dans le cadre de la « coordination sécuritaire » avec l’occupation israélienne, une pratique qui se poursuit à ce jour – au détriment des étudiants palestiniens et des organisateurs de la résistance, dont l’emprisonnement dans les prisons de l’AP marche main dans la main avec l’occupation israélienne.

Alors qu’ils étaient emprisonnés dans la prison de Jéricho de l’Autorité palestinienne, Sa’adat et ses camarades étaient détenus par des gardes américains et britanniques, ce qui montre clairement que cet emprisonnement était tout sauf un exercice de la souveraineté palestinienne. En effet, certains de ces mêmes gardes britanniques servaient auparavant à garder des prisonniers républicains irlandais dans le nord de l’Irlande occupée.

Le 13 mars 2006 – à la suite des élections au Conseil Législatif Palestinien au cours desquelles Sa’adat lui-même a été élu au CLP et les partisans de la « coordination sécuritaire » ont subi des pertes importantes, tandis que le bloc du Changement et de la Réforme s’est engagé à libérer les prisonniers politiques de l’AP – les forces d’occupation israéliennes ont violemment attaqué la prison de Jéricho. Les gardes américains et britanniques sont préalablement partis en accord avec les forces d’occupation – mais les forces d’occupation ont tué deux gardes palestiniens.

Ahmad Sa’adat est un symbole palestinien, arabe et international de la résistance au capitalisme, au racisme, à l’apartheid et à la colonisation. Ciblé pour son rôle politique et sa vision claire, il reste un leader du mouvement des prisonniers palestiniens et de la lutte de libération nationale derrière les barreaux, incapable de se taire malgré l’oppression qui lui a été imposée ainsi qu’aux 5 000 autres prisonniers politiques palestiniens. Il appelle les partisans de la justice pour la Palestine dans le monde à boycotter Israël.
Son cas met en évidence le rôle de l’impérialisme américain et britannique dans l’assujettissement du peuple palestinien et le vol de terres palestiniennes ainsi que le rôle subalterne de l’Autorité Palestinienne qui poursuit la « coordination sécuritaire » avec l’occupation israélienne qui vole des terres et des ressources palestiniennes quotidiennement. Nous notons également que les prisonniers du mouvement de libération palestinien continuent également d’être détenus dans des prisons internationales, en particulier Georges Ibrahim Abdallah, emprisonné en France depuis 35 ans alors qu’il est libérable depuis 1999, et nous nous joignons à l’appel pour leur libération.

L’attaque contre le peuple palestinien se poursuit et s’intensifie. Les Palestiniens de Gaza se battent pour briser le siège, les réfugiés palestiniens luttent pour leur droit au retour et tous les Palestiniens sont confrontés à la confiscation des terres, à la criminalisation, aux démolitions de maisons, à l’emprisonnement de masse et aux exécutions extrajudiciaires. L’impunité israélienne est annoncée par les politiciens impérialistes des États-Unis au Canada en passant par l’Allemagne, la France, l’Australie et au-delà.

Ahmad Sa’adat et les 5 000 prisonniers politiques palestiniens sont détenus en captivité dans les prisons israéliennes avec le plein soutien et la complicité de ces gouvernements. Nous savons qu’il est essentiel d’internationaliser la lutte pour leur libération : lutter pour libérer les prisonniers palestiniens, pour construire la campagne de Boycott, Désinvestissement et Sanctions d’Israël, et pour mettre fin à l’aide et au soutien en cours qui favorisent et dynamisent Israël dans ses crimes contre le peuple palestinien depuis plus de 70 ans.

Rejoignez-nous pour la semaine d’action ! Organisez un événement, une manifestation, une table d’information ou une discussion dans votre ville, campus, quartier ou communauté. Nous savons que l’État sioniste veut isoler ces prisonniers palestiniens et faire taire leurs voix – ensemble, nous pouvons aider à briser cet isolement.

Campagne pour la libération d’Ahmad Sa’adat

Samidoun – réseau de soutien aux prisonniers palestiniens

Le 25 décembre 2019 – Traduction : Collectif Palestine Vaincra

IL EST DE NOS LUTTES, NOUS SOMMES DE SON COMBAT !
LIBERTÉ POUR GEORGES ABDALLAH !

Georges Abdallah, militant communiste libanais, combattant pour la lutte de libération nationale de la Palestine, est incarcéré dans les geôles de l’État français depuis plus de 35 ans. Condamné à perpétuité pour complicité dans des actes de résistance revendiqués par les Fractions armées révolutionnaires libanaises, alors que son pays le Liban, était envahi par les troupes sionistes, il est libérable depuis 1999. Malgré deux libérations prononcées par le tribunal d’application des peines, Georges Abdallah est maintenu en prison : la justice française, aux ordres d’un gouvernement soucieux de préserver les intérêts impérialistes français au Moyen-Orient, maintient Georges Ibrahim Abdallah en prison. Le 24 octobre 2019, il est entré dans sa 36ème année de détention. Aujourd’hui, il est le plus ancien prisonnier politique en Europe.

Georges Ibrahim Abdallah est un prisonnier politique qui n’a ni regrets ni remords pour le combat qu’il a toujours mené et qu’il poursuit aujourd’hui pour la justice, la liberté et l’émancipation des peuples opprimés. Ce combat s’inscrit pleinement sur le terreau des luttes actuelles. C’est le combat des révoltes justes et légitimes de celles et ceux qui s’opposent à l’offensive capitaliste et à ses guerres impérialistes de pillage. C’est le combat de toutes celles et ceux qui font face à la violence répressive d’Etat, qui s’abat sur eux pour tenter de les bâillonner, que ce soit dans la rue, dans les quartiers populaires ou pour les militants politiques et syndicaux. Ce combat de toute une vie est aussi le nôtre !

Il est de nos luttes, nous sommes de son combat ! C’est pourquoi nous appelons toutes celles et ceux qui comme nous, sont aux côtés des peuples en lutte, au côté de la résistance Palestinienne, qui combattent le capitalisme, l’impérialisme, le sionisme, le colonialisme et les États réactionnaires arabes, à se joindre à nous pour constituer un rapport de force seul capable d’imposer la libération de Georges Abdallah.

Campagne unitaire pour la libération de Georges Abdallah

Campagne.unitaire.gabdallah@gmail.com

Solidarity with Tareq Matar, Palestinian youth organizer and scholar, victim of Israeli torture

Tareq Matar

We express our deepest solidarity with Tareq Matar, Palestinian youth leader, organizer and political prisoner held captive in Israeli prisons. He continues to inspire us with his unabating revolutionary spirit despite his experiences of torture and severe repression at the hands of Israeli occupation forces.

Tareq intended to pursue his academic career, prepared to enter the University of Geneva in Switzerland into a Ph.D. program for the first semester of 2019. However, the Israeli occupation forces ruined his plans by detaining him without charge or trial under administrative detention instead. Tareq did not lose hope despite his imprisonment. He kept writing from behind the prison bars and continued to resist.

Tareq was first held in administrative detention as a child in 2006, posing such a “threat to the security” of the Israeli apartheid state that he was jailed for two and a half years with no charges.

In 2010, he was again jailed for ten months, merely for his activism and involvement as a student at Bir Zeit University.

In 2012, Tareq was held under interrogation for 43 days at the sadistic Moskobiyeh interrogation center in Jerusalem, only to emerge victorious and stronger than ever, with his high spirit of resistance and his commitment to fighting for justice alive and well.

In 2017, Tareq was again held under administrative detention, spending a year and a half between Ofer and the Negev desert prison, while his students at school waited for him and write letters to him. He always saw in their eyes the hope of a better future and a good life for the people of the world. Tareq had a special relationship with his students, full of dialogue and love.

Tareq, with the beautiful soul and the bright, vibrant face, was once again imprisoned at the Moskobiyeh interrogation center after his most recent arrest by Israeli occupation forces in November 2019. He was held there for approximately 30 days, where he faced brutal, cruel interrrgation techniques. He was tortured by the Shin Bet’s method of the “banana position” or “back-bending,” allegedly made illegal since 1999 to use against Palestinian prisoners. As a result, he suffered intense pain in his back and joints, made worse by the brutal beatings he suffered at the hands of six security officers. From the moment of his arrest and torture until now, he has been banned from seeing his family members or his lawyers.

When Tareq was brought before the Israeli military court for the first time, he was pushed in, in a wheelchair. Tareq, the athlete, is unable to walk. When the news reached his family and friends, they were in disbelief that Tareq has now been forced to use a wheelchair due to Israeli brutality.

Tareq is passionate about life, ambitious, craving knowledge and spreading it with love and hope to everyone around him. He is loved by countless people inside and outside Palestine, including all of the international friends he has made, when he has traveled or when people have visited him inside Palestine. Those who know him continue to call him the “spirit of the revolution.”

Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network urges all friends of Palestine to stand with Tareq Matar and demand justice, accountability and freedom. Tareq is a committed internationalist whose vision of Palestinian freedom has connected him to many people around the world. We must not let him be isolated, alone in his suffering, by the Israeli occupation forces!

This statement is inspired by the original Arabic at قوة ثورية

Tareq Matar

Take action!

1) Organize or join an event or protest for the Palestinian prisoners. You can organize an info table, rally, solidarity hunger strike, protest or action to support the prisoners. Join the actions to Free Ahmad Sa’adat and support the Great Return March – and mention Tareq at your actions. If you are already holding an event about Palestine or social justice, include solidarity with the prisoners as part of your action. Send your events and reports to samidoun@samidoun.net.

2) Write letters and make phone calls to protest the violation of Palestinian prisoners’ rights. Demand your government take action to stop supporting Israeli occupation or to pressure the Israeli state to end the policies of repression of Palestinian political prisoners. In particular, demand that your political officials put pressure on Israel to end the policy of administrative detention, the imprisonment of Palestinians without charge or trial.

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) Boycott, Divest and Sanction. 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. Learn more about the BDS campaign at bdsmovement.net.

#FreeMays – Israel is torturing my friend for being an outspoken Palestinian woman

by Kristian Davis Bailey, Black4Palestine

Mays Abu Ghosh

On New Year’s Eve, as we approached the end of the year and the start of a new decade, one person weighed heavily on my mind: my friend Mays Abu Ghosh, a 21-year old journalism student from Palestine, who was spending her new year incarcerated without charge or trial in an Israeli military prison. 

I had only met Mays once briefly, but the encounter and our subsequent online friendship left a deep impact on me. 

Mays has been imprisoned by the Israeli military since August, when she was kidnapped from her home at 4 in the morning while studying for exams. Mays spent more than four months being held without charge and subject to ever-moving court dates that kept postponing the announcement her charges and subjecting her to psychological warfare about when she would get out of jail. 

In December, her parents reported that Israeli soldiers had tortured her so badly they could not recognize her during a prison visit. These acts are cowardly and representative of Zionist abuse of Palestinians since before 1948.

This week, Israel finally made charges against Mays, which include speaking at a conference in Lebanon in support of Palestinians’ right to return to their homelands inside what is now ‘Israel,’ organizing a summer camp for progressive youth in Palestine, and allegedly being in possession of materials that could have made a molotov cocktail. 

It is worth noting that Mays comes from a family that has been involved in – and punished for – resistance to the zionist occupation of Palestine. Mays’s 17 year old brother was killed in 2016 defending Palestinian land from Israeli settlement. Her family’s home was demolished by the Israeli military after her brother was killed. Her 19 year old cousin was killed exactly a year after her brother. The Israeli military is currently imprisoning another brother of Mays’s – also 17 years old – without charge or trial. 

Whatever logic Israel claims for imprisoning Mays is invalid. I know this because I was similarly arrested by Israel under false pretenses after visiting Lebanon in solidarity with Palestinian refugees. In my case, they falsely accused me of smuggling drugs and supporting Al Qaeda and ISIS. Israel knowingly made up these accusations and charges to punish and intimidate me for speaking out for Palestinian freedom. 

Mays is a political prisoner and her family members are martyrs of a revolutionary struggle against colonialism and racism. Mays, her family, and Palestinians are in the same vein as Black, Indigenous, and Puerto Rican revolutionaries who have been imprisoned by the US for decades due to their resistance to the indignities of racism and colonization. 

Mays and her loved ones are part of the global family of those killed with impunity by police and soldiers—which are two sides of the same coin. Israel’s retribution against Mays and her family are similar to the attacks US police make on the family and friends of police murder victims – from stalking and intimidation, to frivolous arrests, to imprisonment in the case of Ramsey Orta who filmed the police choking Eric Garner to death and was subsequently sentenced to four years in prison on made up charges, and even death in the case of Joshua Brown – the witness who testified to the police murder of Botham Jean and who was later killed under mysterious circumstances. 

It is around these connections of shared struggle that I connected with Mays. When I met Mays, she was giving a speech about her brother who had been killed by the Israeli military. She spoke through tears in the memory of her brother, the violence of Israel’s execution of him, and the violence of living under Israel’s brutal occupation of Palestine. Despite the pain and the tears, there was also pride: pride in knowing that she comes from a revolutionary lineage and a revolutionary struggle, so unwilling to live under oppression that they died fighting for freedom. 

I was with other African-Americans who shared with Mays news of our own martyrs gunned down by the civilian wing of the US military (the police). Her empathy and solidarity with the Black struggle for freedom was immediate and deep. And she understood why developing solidarity between the Black and Palestinian freedom movements was so important.

Though we have not seen each other since then, Mays became a surprisingly consistent friend – commenting on things as heavy as news of oppression in the US to thing as light as an effusive note of love for my mother (whom she’s never met) on her birthday. 

Knowing that Israel is caging and torturing someone so young and full of love, light, and thirst for freedom is infuriating. And while Mays is the only Palestinian political prisoner I know personally, I feel the same fury for the thousands of other students, women, and people that Israel is holding in captivity to maintain its exploitation of Palestine. 

There are plenty of statistics about Palestinian prisoners – you can read them here if numbers and data help humanize Palestinians to you. For me, it is enough to say that no person resisting occupation or colonization should be imprisoned, whether they are a young woman like Mays, or an older man. 

I call for the freedom of Mays and all Palestinian political prisoners from racist and illegitimate Israeli jails, just as I call for the freedom of all prisoners from racist and illegitimate US jails. 

I wish we were organized enough to make abolition and liberation a reality, but until that day, all love, strength, and solidarity to Mays and her family. Their hatred and oppression can never cage or crush our love and struggle for justice.

Stay strong comrade.

Sign the petition against Mays’s torture and captivity here.

22 January, Vienna: Boycotting Apartheid is a Democratic Right!

Wednesday, 22 January
4:30 pm
Stephansplatz
Vienna, Austria
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/3073423182691843/

Rally on the occasion of the session of parliament (National Council) in Austria

Speakers:

• Stefan Grass Gruber Guy, development political activist and Section Chairman SPÖ
• Christl Meyer, Women in Black Vienna
• Imad Garbaya, Anti-imperialist (AIK)
• Franz Sölkner, Styrian peace platform
• Boris Lechthaler, Solidarwerkstatt Austria
• Rula Al Harbi, Palestinian Physicians and Pharmacists Association Austria (PAAV), Handala
• Fritz Weber, Evangelical Antizionist
• Iman Elghonemi, BDS Austria
• Dar al Janub
• Coordinating Forum to Support Palestine
• Antifascist Action Vienna

Criticism of displacement and colonialism must remain allowed!
Boycott of apartheid is a democratic right!

Something outrageous is going on. A motion for a resolution supported by all parliamentary parties aims to criminalize criticism of colonialism, apartheid and ethnic cleansing as “anti-Semitic”! [141 / A (E) 11.12.2019 (XXVII GP)]

It seems like a relapse into the times of dictatorship, fascism and imperialism – but it is the clear reality. In fact, critics have been denied public spaces for a long time. Now the active suppression of freedom of expression and fundamental democratic rights is also being initiated.

Here is the hard core of the argument, which comes directly from Netanyahu-Trump-Kurz:

“The […]” Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions “(BDS) group uses this anti-Semitic pattern: […] by calling for the right of return of Palestinian refugees and all their descendants to question the right to exist of the Jewish state . ”

With this statement, the National Council is setting itself as diametrically opposed to international law and the UN, which not only condemns colonial land grabs, ethnic cleansing and apartheid in countless resolutions, but also legitimizes resistance to it and calls for its reversal. The most well-known UN resolution in this regard is No. 194. Article 11 reads: “The General Assembly, after further discussion of the situation in Palestine, decides that as early as possible those refugees who want to return to their homes and live in peace with their neighbors time should be allowed. ”

The National Council therefore rejects international law and thus tramples underfoot all of the accomplishments of decolonization and the struggle against apartheid globally.

This attack on basic democratic principles would not work without reinterpreting, or even misusing, the term anti-Semitism: according to the National Council, those who advocate equal rights for all residents are depriving the “right of the Jewish people to self-determination”. This “Israel’s non-negotiable right to exist” is so tacitly associated with the exclusive Jewish character of Israel, something that establishes separation of people based on their identity, commonly called apartheid. “Equal rights for all residents” is therefore the “anti-Semitic pattern” that BDS would use – even though it only offers peaceful resistance against displacement and oppression through political boycotts based on the South African model.

Then there is an anti-Muslim attack, taken from the “study” commissioned by National Council President Sobotka: “The percentages [for anti-Semitic resentment] are alarmingly higher among the Turkish and Arabic-speaking people who were born in Austria or have been there for more than ten years with us.” The authors of the “study” had to admit that this statement was not scientifically substantiated.

To then go to the “crowning”, the preparation for the persecution of all who stand for equal rights for all citizens: “Finally, an anti-Semitism resolution was passed in the plenary session of the European Parliament by a large majority in June 2017, including a request that all EU member states adopt the definition of anti-Semitism developed by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) [an Israeli lobby group] and train their police and judicial authorities to prosecute anti-Semitism” – which has been redefined to mean democratic criticism of Israeli colonialism.

No to the redefinition of anti-Semitism for the purpose of criminalizing the criticism of colonialism!

No restriction of freedom of expression by the National Council!

KUNDGEBUNG ANLÄSSLICH NATIONALRATSSESSION

Rednerinnen und Redner:

• Stefan Grasgruber-Kerl, entwicklungspolitischer Aktivist und Sektionsvorsitzender SPÖ
• Christl Meyer, Frauen in Schwarz Wien
• Imad Garbaya, Antiimperialistische Koordination (AIK)
• Franz Sölkner, Steirische Friedensplattform
• Boris Lechthaler, Solidarwerkstatt Österreich
• Rula Al Harbi, Palästinensische Ärzte und Apotheker Vereinigung Österreich (PAAV), Handala
• Fritz Weber, evangelikaler Antizionist
• Iman Elghonemi, BDS Österreich
• Dar al Janub
• Koordinationsforum zur Unterstützung Palästinas
• Antifaschistische Aktion Wien

Kritik an Vertreibung und Kolonialismus muss erlaubt bleiben!
Boykott von Apartheid ist ein demokratisches Recht

Etwas Ungeheuerliches ist im Gange. Ein von allen Parlamentsparteien unterstützter Entschließungsantrag will Kritik am Kolonialismus, an Apartheid und an ethnischer Säuberung als „antisemitisch“ kriminalisieren! [141/A(E) vom 11.12.2019 (XXVII. GP)]

Es scheint wie ein Rückfall in die Zeiten von Diktatur, Faschismus und Imperialismus – doch es ist die nackte Realität. De facto erhalten Kritiker seit längerem bereits keine öffentlichen Räume mehr. Nun soll auch die aktive Verfolgung der freien Meinungsäußerung für demokratische Grundrechte auf den Weg gebracht werden.

Hier der harte Kern der Argumentation, die direkt von Netanjahu-Trump-Kurz stammt:

„Die […] „Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions“ (BDS) Gruppierung bedient sich hierbei dieser antisemitischen Muster: […] sie stellt durch die Forderung des Rückkehr¬rechts palästinensischer Flüchtlinge und all ihrer Nach¬fahren das Existenzrecht des jüdischen Staates in Frage.“

Der Nationalrat stellt sich mit dieser Aussage diametral gegen das Völkerrecht und die UNO, die in unzähligen Resolutionen kolonialen Landraub, ethnische Säuberungen und Apartheid nicht nur verurteilt, sondern den Widerstand dagegen legitimiert und die Rückgängigmachung fordert. Die bekannteste diesbezügliche UN-Resolution ist Nr. 194. Artikel 11 lautet: „Die Generalversammlung, nach weiterer Erörterung der Lage in Palästina, beschließt, dass denjenigen Flüchtlingen, die zu ihren Wohnstätten zurückkehren und in Frieden mit ihren Nachbarn leben wollen, dies zum frühestmöglichen Zeitpunkt gestattet werden soll.“

Der Nationalrat tritt also das Völkerrecht und damit die gesamte Entkolonisierung sowie die Errungenschaften des Kampfes gegen die Apartheid mit Füßen.

Diese Attacke auf demokratische Grundprinzipien würde ohne die Umdeutung des Antisemitismusbegriffs, ja dessen Missbrauch, nicht funktionieren: Wer für gleiche Rechte für alle Bewohner eintritt, aberkennt laut Nationalrat das „Recht des jüdischen Volkes auf Selbstbestimmung“. Dieses „für Österreich unverhandelbare Existenzrecht Israels“ wird so stillschweigend mit dem exklusiv-jüdischen Charakter Israels verbunden, etwas, was Menschen unterschiedlicher Wertigkeit etabliert, allgemein Apartheid genannt. „Gleiche Rechte für alle Einwohner“ ist demnach das „antisemitische Muster“, dessen sich BDS bedienen würde – obwohl sie lediglich friedlichen Widerstand gegen Vertreibung und Unterdrückung durch politischen Boykott nach südafrikanischem Vorbild leistet.

Dann kommt noch eine antimuslimische Attacke, der von NR-Präsident Sobotka in Auftrag gegebenen „Studie“ entnommen: „Bedenklich höher liegen die Prozentsätze [für antisemitische Ressentiments] bei den türkisch und arabisch sprechenden Menschen, die in Österreich geboren sind oder seit mehr als zehn Jahren bei uns leben.“ Die Autoren der „Studie“ mussten bezüglich dieser Aussage einräumen, dass sie nicht wissenschaftlich untermauert sei.

Um dann zur „Krönung“ überzuleiten, der Vorbereitung der Verfolgung von Allen, die für gleiche Rechte für alle Bürger eintreten: „Schließlich wurde im Juni 2017 eine Antisemitismus-Resolution mit großer Mehrheit im Plenum des Europäischen Parlaments verabschiedet, u.a. mit der Forderung, dass alle EU-Mitgliedstaaten die von der International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) [eine israelische Lobby-Gruppe] erarbeitete Definition von Antisemitismus übernehmen und ihre Polizei- und Justizbehörden dahingehend schulen, Antisemitismus strafrechtlich zu verfolgen.“ – gemeint ist mittels der Umdeutung als „antisemitisch“ punzierte demokratische Kritik am israelischen Kolonialismus.

Nein zur Umdeutung des Antisemitismus zum Zweck der Kriminalisierung der Kolonialismuskritik!

Keine Einschränkung der Meinungsfreiheit durch den Nationalrat!

تدعوكم المؤسسات الفلسطينية في النمسا للمشاركة في الوقفة التضامنية ضد قرار تجريم الانتقادات ضد الاحتلال الاسرائيلي ووصفها كشكل من أشكال معادات السامية و قرار منع BDS
ستقام وقفة احتجاج في يوم الاربعاء الموافق 22 يناير في تمام الساعة الرابعة والنصف مساءاً في ساحة شتيفانز بلاتس في فيينا

الحضور واجب علي كل غيور ومدافع عن حقوق فلسطين والفلسطينيين
حضوركم هو وقوفكم ضد هذا القرار حتي اسقاطه واسماع صوتكم

19 January, Brussels: Demonstration for Lebanon and Palestine

Sunday, 19 January
6:00 pm
Franklin Rooseveltlaan 101
Brussels, Belgium
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/1467621210028698/

Brussels component of this day of action: a rally will take place in front of the Lebanese Embassy, Avenue Franklin Roosevelt 101, in 1050 Brussels, on 1/19 at 6 p.m.

The uprising of the Lebanese people against corruption and the economic policies which aim to make people pay for the crisis in the system is part of a vast movement of struggles which crosses the continents.

Among the means used by the elites to divide peoples: confessionalism and communitarianism. This practice of “divide and rule” is deeply rooted in Lebanon: instituted by the French, it has been taken up by all the dominant forces: semi-feudal, comprador and bourgeois.

And it is one of the great qualities of the uprising in these recent weeks to unite workers, intellectuals, agricultural workers, students, and members of the petty bourgeoisie regardless of their respective confessions and communities. The violence of the reaction of the communitarian parties, which launch their militiamen against the demonstrators with the complicity of the security forces, shows the importance of the stake.

Also important is the presence in the movement of the demand for the release of Georges Abdallah. Georges Abdallah is an international figure who embodies anti-imperialist and anti-Zionist resistance. It also embodies this revolutionary heritage which, turning its back on communitarianism, has put forward revolutionary internationalism as a central element of liberation between peoples.

The figure of Georges Abdallah also recalls the importance of the struggle for a free, secular and democratic Palestine. The capitulations of Oslo, the prospects of an “Arab-Muslim state” alongside a “Jewish state” can only satisfy those elites who collaborate with imperialism and who make their fortune on the backs of their people. Should we remind that Ahmad Sa’adat, secretary general of the PFLP, the main force opposing the Oslo Accords, was imprisoned by the Palestinian Authority before being imprisoned by Israel?

To support the struggle of the Lebanese people and to call for the release of Georges Abdallah,
To support the struggle of the Palestinian people and to call for the release of Ahmad Sa’adat,
The International Red Help, the “Lebanon’s Uprising”, Arab Red Help, and Samidoun are calling for an International Day of Action on Sunday January 19.

 

Le soulèvement du peuple libanais contre la corruption et les politiques économiques qui visent à faire payer au peuple la crise du système s’inscrit dans un vaste mouvement de luttes qui traverse les continents.

Parmi les moyens utilisés par les élites pour diviser les peuples : le confessionnalisme et le communautarisme. Cette pratique du « diviser pour régner » est profondément ancrée au Liban : instituée par les Français, elle a été reprise par toutes les forces dominantes : semi-féodales, compradores et bourgeoises.

Et c’est une des grandes qualités du soulèvement de ces dernières semaines d’unir les ouvriers, intellectuels, travailleurs agricoles, étudiants, et membres de la petite-bourgeoisie indépendamment de leurs confessions et communautés respectives. La violence de la réaction des partis communautaristes, qui lancent leurs miliciens contre les manifestants avec la complicité des forces de sécurité, montre l’importance de l’enjeu.

Important aussi est la présence, dans le mouvement, de la revendication de la libération de Georges Abdallah. Georges Abdallah est une figure internationale qui incarne la résistance anti-impérialiste et anti-sioniste. Il incarne aussi cet héritage révolutionnaire qui, tournant le dos au communautarisme, a mis en avant l’internationalisme révolutionnaire comme élément central de la libération entre les peuples.

La figure de Georges Abdallah rappelle aussi l’importance de la lutte pour une Palestine libre, laïque et démocratique. Les capitulation d’Oslo, les perspectives d’un « État arabo-musulman » à côté d’un « État juif » ne peuvent satisfaire que ces élites qui collaborent avec l’impérialisme et qui font leur fortune sur le dos de leur peuple. Faut-il rappeler qu’Ahmad Sa’adat, secrétaire général du FPLP, la principale force s’opposant aux accord d’Oslo, a été emprisonné par l’Autorité Palestinienne avant de l’être par Israël ?

Pour soutenir la lutte du peuple libanais et pour appeler à la libération de Georges Abdallah, pour soutenir la lutte du peuple palestinien et pour appeler à la libération d’Ahmad Sa’adat, le Secours Rouge International, le « Liban se soulève », le Secours Rouge Arabe, et Samidoun appellent à une Journée internationale d’action dimanche 19 janvier.

Volet bruxellois de cette journée d’action : un rassemblement aura lieu devant l’ambassade libanaise, Avenue Franklin Roosevelt 101, à 1050 Bruxelles, le 19/1 à 18h.

Video: Khaled Barakat calls for participation in action call to free Sa’adat, Palestinian prisoners

15 January marks the launch of two weeks of action, called by the Campaign to Free Ahmad Sa’adat and Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network, to organize events around the world in solidarity with imprisoned Palestinians struggling for freedom.

In this video, Khaled Barakat, Palestinian writer and the international coordinator of the Campaign to Free Ahmad Sa’adat, speaks about why it is so important for people to join the actions to demand freedom for all Palestinian prisoners.

Watch the video:

Barakat notes the important struggles taking place inside Israeli jails, including the fight to end administrative detention – Israeli imprisonment without charge or trial – stop torture and free imprisoned Palestinian children.

“It is very important for us to reflect the real image of our prisoners: Our leaders, our student movement leaders, our feminist movement leaders, our labor movement leaders. These are the Palestinian prisoners confronting the occupation on a daily basis…When we stand in solidarity with Palestinian prisoners, we stand in solidarity with Palestinian resistance,” Barakat says.

He highlighted the ongoing attacks against Palestinian prisoners, noting that right-wing, racist Israeli politicians like Gilad Erdan were escalating the repression against the prisoners in Israeli jails at the same time that they are attempting to criminalize the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) campaign and Palestine solidarity around the world. (Erdan holds both the Ministry of Public Security – over the Israel Prison Service – and the Ministry of Strategic Affairs, the so-called anti-BDS ministry, in the Netanyahu regime.)

Barakat also noted that the struggle of Palestinian prisoners is not separate from the struggle of fellow prisoners in imperialist and reactionary jails around the world, emphasizing the experience of Georges Abdallah, jailed for 35 years in French prison, U.S. political prisoners – including Palestinians like the Holy Land Five – and political prisoners held in Turkey, the Philippines, Colombia and by reactionary Arab regimes.

In conclusion, he expressed his conviction that the struggle of the Palestinian people will continue until victory and liberation of Palestine, from the river to the sea.

Call to action and schedule of events: https://samidoun.net/2020/01/schedule-of-actions-and-events-15-29-january-free-ahmad-saadat-and-all-palestinian-prisoners/

Campaign to Free Ahmad Sa’adat statement: http://freeahmadsaadat.org/2020/01/14/on-the-anniversary-of-ahmad-saadats-abduction-by-the-palestinian-authority-security-services/

Schedule of Actions and Events: 15-29 January – Free Ahmad Sa’adat and all Palestinian Prisoners

The Campaign to Free Ahmad Sa’adat and Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network have called for weeks of action between 15 and 29 January 2020 to free Ahmad Sa’adat and all Palestinian prisoners. We have been joined by a call for a day of action for the liberation of Georges Abdallah on 19 January.

As the Weeks of Action begin today, we note that this day also marks the 18th anniversary of Sa’adat’s abduction by the Palestinian Authority security forces, the first step of his imprisonment. Today, he and his comrades are held in Israeli jails, continuing their struggle for freedom and for the liberation of Palestine. The Campaign to Free Ahmad Sa’adat released a statement on this important anniversary as the Weeks of Action begin, noting:

“1) This crime constitutes an open wound that will not heal, will not be forgotten and will remain an eternal disgrace for the perpetrators. We can only achieve justice by holding all of those responsible accountable and bringing them before a trial of the people for what they have done against a great national resistance leader.

2) This unforgivable crime requires us to strike the walls of the tank again and again on the necessity of bringing an end to the policy of security coordination, which is a treacherous stab in the side of our resistance and our people.

3) On the anniversary of this crime, we value and highly appreciate all of the events and activities that will be organized in support of Ahmad Sa’adat and the prisoners’ movement during the next two weeks between 15 and 30 January, which the Campaign, the Samidoun Network and a number of friendly forces have called for. We remind all of the urgent need to raise your voices loudly for the prisoners’ movement which is being subjected to a massive Zionist assault.”

Our initial list of events is posted below, with actions in Toulouse, Brussels, Gothenburg, Paris, Vancouver and more. We know events and actions are being organized now, and we urge all to participate on the 25 January Day of Action against U.S. war and imperialism in Iraq and Iran

Please let us know about your events! Use this form or email samidoun@samidoun.net. Let us know – whether you’re including this campaign in a larger action or organizing your own action, we want to make sure to spread the word! 

List of Actions | Call to Organize | Take Action | Sa’adat Writings | Posters | Distribution Materials

Languages: English | Arabic | French | Dutch | Swedish | German | Turkish | Greek | Italian | Spanish | Danish

Actions for the 15-22 January Call to Free Ahmad Sa’adat and all Palestinian Prisoners

Please let us know about your events! Use this form or email samidoun@samidoun.net. Let us know – whether you’re including this campaign in a larger action or organizing your own action, we want to make sure to spread the word! 

We urge all supporters of Palestine and defenders of freedom for the Palestinian people to join us between 15 and 29 January 2020 in weeks of action to free Ahmad Sa’adat and all Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails. 

Ahmad Sa’adat is the imprisoned General Secretary of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, a Palestinian national liberation movement leader and a symbol of the international left and revolutionary movements. He was sentenced to 30 years in Israeli prison on 25 December 2008, accused of leading a prohibited organization and “incitement.” The PFLP, like all Palestinian political parties and resistance organizations, is labeled a “prohibited organization” by the Israeli occupation authorities.

We urge international action for the freedom of Sa’adat, his comrades, and all Palestinian prisoners, because their imprisonment is an international affair. In the case of Sa’adat and his comrades, this year marks the 18th anniversary of their imprisonment by the Palestinian Authority under “security coordination” with the Israeli occupation, a practice that continues to this day – to the detriment of Palestinian students and resistance organizers, who are imprisoned in PA jails in a “revolving door” with the Israeli occupation. 

While held in the PA’s Jericho Prison, Sa’adat and his comrades were held under U.S. and British guards, making clear that this imprisonment was anything but an exercise of Palestinian sovereignty. Indeed, some of those same British guards previously served to guard Irish Republican prisoners in the occupied North of Ireland. 

On 13 March 2006 –following the Palestinian Legislative Council elections in which Sa’adat himself was elected to the PLC and supporters of “security coordination” sustained significant losses, while the winning Change and Reform bloc pledged to free PA political prisoners –Israeli occupation forces violently attacked Jericho prison. The U.S. and British guards cleared out in advance in a prearranged agreement with the occupation forces –but the occupation forces killed two Palestinian guards. 

Ahmad Sa’adat is a Palestinian, Arab and international symbol of resistance to capitalism, racism, apartheid and colonization. Targeted for his political role and clarity of vision, he remains a leader of the Palestinian prisoners’ movement and the national liberation struggle behind bars, unable to be silenced despite the oppression imposed upon him and his 5,000 fellow Palestinian political prisoners. He urges supporters of justice for Palestine around the world to boycott Israel.

His case highlights the role of U.S. and British imperialism in the subjugation of the Palestinian people and the theft of Palestinian land as well as the subservient role of the Palestinian Authority that continues “security coordination” with the very Israeli occupation that steals Palestinian land, resources and lives on a daily basis.

We also note that prisoners of the Palestinian liberation movement continue to be held in international jails as well, especially Georges Ibrahim Abdallah, jailed in France for 35 years despite being eligible for release since 1999, and we join the call for their liberation. 

The attack on the Palestinian people is continuing and intensifying. Palestinians in Gaza are fighting to break the siege, Palestinian refugees struggle for their right to return and all Palestinians confront land confiscation, criminalization, home demolitions, mass imprisonment and extrajudicial execution. Israeli impunity is trumpeted by imperialist politicians from the U.S. to Canada to Germany to France to Australia and beyond.

Ahmad Sa’adat and 5,000 Palestinian political prisoners are held captive in Israeli jails with the full support and complicity of these governments. We know that it is critical that we internationalize the struggle for their liberation: struggling to free Palestinian prisoners, to build the campaign to boycott Israel and the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement, and to end the ongoing aid and support that enables and empowers Israel’s crimes against the Palestinian people for over 70 years. 

Join us for the Week of Action! Organize an event, a protest, a table or a discussion in your city, campus, town or community. We know that the Zionist state wants to isolate these Palestinian prisoners and silence their voices –together, we can help to break that isolation.  Campaign to Free Ahmad Sa’adat Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network 25 December 2019

TAKE ACTION:

  1. Organize events, actions and protests at Israeli embassies and consulates around the world to urge freedom for Ahmad Sa’adat. Protest in public squares and other open community spaces. Note that these dates are also the anniversary of Israel’s bloody “Cast Lead” attack on Gaza in 2008-2009 –we urge you to include both in your events! Send us your events! Use this form or email samidoun@samidoun.net (Read about past years’ events here.)
  2. Distribute this call to action and take media actions, like posting photos with posters calling for freedom for Ahmad Sa’adat and other Palestinian prisoners. Download the posters below and send us your photos! Email us at samidoun@samidoun.net or send us a message on Facebook.
  3. Include Ahmad Sa’adat and the Palestinian prisoners in your Palestine solidarity, anti-racism, anti-imperialist and social justice events. Bring flyers and posters or share a statement from Sa’adat as part of your program. Let us know what you’re doing: Email us at samidoun@samidoun.net or send us a message on Facebook.

Important recent writings and interviews by Sa’adat (English):

POSTERS

Languages: English | Arabic | French | Dutch | Swedish | German | Turkish | Greek | Italian | Spanish | Danish

ENGLISH

Freedom for Ahmad Sa’adat

The General Secretary of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, Sa’adat was arrested by the Palestinian Authority on 15 January 2002 and jailed under US and British guard. After a violent attack in 2006, he was kidnapped by occupation forces; he is now serving a 30-year sentence in Israeli prison.

ARABIC

الحُرّية للقائد الوطني الأسير أحمد سعدات

أحمد سعدات : الأمين العام للجبهة الشعبية لتحرير فلسطين. إعتقلته الأجهزة الأمنية الفلسطينية في مدينة رام الله يوم 15 يناير 2002 وجرى وضعه تحت حراسة أمريكية ـ بريطانية في سجن أريحا . في 14 أذار / مارس 2006 هاجمت قوات الإحتلال الإسرائيلي سجن اريحا واختطفته مع عدد من رفاقه الأسرى. وفي 25 ديسيمبر 2008 أصدرت محكمة صهيونية غير شرعية حُكمًا بالسجن ضد لمدة 30 عامًا .

FRENCHhttps://palestinevaincra.com/2019/12/appel-a-laction-du-15-au-29-janvier-2020-liberte-pour-ahmad-saadat-et-pour-tous-les-prisonniers-palestiniens/

Liberté pour Ahmad Sa’adat

Sa’adat, secrétaire général du Front Populaire de Libération de la Palestine, a été arrêté par l’Autorité Palestinienne le 15 janvier 2002 et emprisonné sous surveillance américaine et britannique. Après une violente attaque en 2006, il a été kidnappé par les forces d’occupation. Il purge actuellement une peine de 30 ans dans une prison israélienne.  

DUTCH: http://samidoun.nl/2019/12/25/kom-in-actie-bevrijd-ahmad-saadat-en-alle-palestijnse-gevangenen-15-29-januari-2020/

Vrijheid voor Ahmad Sa’adat

De Generaal-Secretaris van het Volksfront voor de Bevrijding van Palestina (PFLP), Sa’adat werd door de Palestijnse Autoriteit gearresteerd op 15 januari 2002. Vervolgens werd hij bewaakt door Britse en Amerikaanse troepen. Maar na een Israëlische aanval in 2006 werd Sa’dat gekidnapt; hij zit nu een 30-jarige celstraf uit.  

SWEDISH 

Frihet åt Ahmad Sa’adat

Den 15:e januari 2002 arresterade Palestinska myndigheten Ahmad Sa’adat, generalsekreterare för Folkfronten för Palestinas befrielse. Sa’adat sattes därefter i fångenskap under USA:s och Storbritanniens regi. Under ett våldsamt angrepp 2006 kidnappades han av Israels ockupationsstyrkor och nu avtjänar han ett 30-årigt straff på israeliskt fängelse.

Aktionsupprop: Frihet åt Ahmad Sa’adat och alla palestinska fångar! 15-29 januari 2020

Vi uppmanar alla palestinavänner och alla som försvarar det palestinska folkets frihet att tillsammans med oss ansluta sig till aktionsveckorna mellan den 15:e och den 29:e januari för frihet åt Ahmad Sa’adat och alla palestinska fångar som hålls i israeliska fängelser.

Ahmad Sa’adat är den fängslade generalsekreteraren för Folkfronten för Palestinas befrielse (PFLP) och är en palestinsk nationell befrielseledare och en symbol för den internationella vänstern och för internationella revolutionära rörelser. Han dömdes till 30 år i israeliskt fängelse den 25:e december 2008, anklagad för att leda en förbjuden organisation och för ”uppvigling”. PFLP, likt alla palestinska politiska partier och motståndsorganisationer, har stämplats som en ”förbjuden organisation” av de israeliska ockupationsmyndigheterna.

För Sa’adats och hans kamrater markerar detta år 18 år sedan Palestinska myndighetens fängslade dem som del av dess ”säkerhetssamordning” med den israeliska ockupationsmakten, ett förehavande som fortsätter än idag – till nackdel för palestinska studenter och motståndsorganisatörer som fängslas i Palestinska myndighetens fängelsen i ”svängdörr” med den israeliska ockupationen. Vi manar till internationella aktioner för frihet åt Sa’adat, hans kamrater och alla palestinska fångar, eftersom deras fångenskap är en internationell fråga.

Medan Sa’adat och hans kamrater hölls i Palestinska myndighetens fängelse i Jericho bevakades de av US-amerikanska och brittiska vakter, vilket tydligt visar att hans fängsling var långt ifrån något utövande av palestinsk suveränitet. Faktum är att vissa av de brittiska vakterna hade tidigare vaktat irländska republikanska fångar i fängelser i det ockuperade Nordirland.

Den 13:e mars 2006 – efter valet till Palestinska lagstiftande rådet, i vilket Sa’adat själv blev invald och anhängare till ”säkerhetssamordningen” led avsevärda förluster, medan det segrande ”Förändrings- och reformblocket” lovade att frige alla politiska fångar som hölls av Palestinska myndigheten – utförde angrisraeliska ockupationsstyrkor Jericho-fängelset ett våldsamt angrepp.

De US-amerikanska och brittiska vakterna lämnade Jericho i förväg som del av en uppgörelse med ockupationsstyrkorna – men ockupationsstyrkorna mördade två palestinska vakter. Ahmad Sa’adat är en palestinsk, arabisk och internationell symbol för motstånd mot kapitalism, rasism, apartheid och kolonialism. Han angrips för sin politiska roll och klarsynthet och han fortsätter vara en ledare i den palestinska fångrörelsen och den nationella befrielserörelsen bakom galler, oförmögen att bli tystad trots förtrycket han och hans 5000 palestinska politiska medfångar utsätts för.

Han manar alla världen över som stödjer rättvisa för Palestina att bojkotta Israel. Hans fall belyser den US-amerikanska och brittiska imperialismens roll i det palestinska folkets underkuvande och stölden av palestinsk mark såväl som i den Palestinska myndighetens underordning i ”säkerhetssamordningen” med samma israeliska ockupation som stjäl palestiniers mark, resurser och liv på daglig basis.

Vi uppmärksammar också att den palestinska befrielserörelsens fångar fortsätter att hållas även i internationella fängelser, i synnerhet Georges Ibrahim Abdallah, fängslad i Frankrike sedan 35 år tillbaka trots att han haft rätt till frigivning sedan 1999, och vi ansluter oss till uppropet för deras befrielse.

Angreppet på det palestinska folket fortsätter och intensifieras. Palestinier i Gaza kämpar för att bryta belägringen, palestinska flyktingar kämpar för sin rätt till återvändo och alla palestinier konfronterar landkonfiskering, kriminalisering, demolering av hem, massfängsling och utomrättsliga avrättningar. Israels straffrihet basuneras ut av imperialistiska politiker från USA till Kanada, Tyskland, Frankrike, Australien och vidare. 

Ahmad Sa’adat och 5000 palestinska politiska fångar hålls fångna i israeliska fängelser med dessa regeringars fulla stöd och medbrottslighet. Vi vet att det är avgörande att vi internationaliserar kampen för befrielse: kampen för att alla palestinska fångar ska friges, att bygga kampanjen för att bojkotta Israel och hela bojkott-, avinvesterings- och sanktionsrörelsen, och för att få ett slut på alla former av stöd som möjliggjort och understött Israels brott mot det palestinska folket i över 70 år.

Anslut dig med oss till aktionsveckorna! Organisera arrangemang, protester, informationsbord eller samtal i din stad, på din skola eller i ditt community. Vi vet att den sionistiska staten vill isolera dessa palestinska fångar och tysta deras röster – tillsammans kan vi bryta deras isolering.  

GERMAN

Freiheit für Ahmad Sa’adat

Der Generalsekretär der Volksfront für die Befreiung Palästinas, Sa’adat, wurde am 15. Januar 2002 von der Palästinensischen Autonomiebehörde verhaftet. Das Gefängnis, in dem Sa’adat inhaftiert war, wurde von US-amerikanischen und britischen Soldaten bewacht. Nach einem gewaltsamen Angriff im Jahr 2006 wurde er von Besatzungstruppen entführt. Er verbüßt jetzt eine 30-jährige Haftstrafe in einem israelischen Gefängnis.  

TURKISH

Ahmad Sa’adat’a özgürlük!

Filistin Halk Kurtuluş Cephesi genel sekreteri Sa’adat 15 ocak 2002 tarihinde Filistin otoriteleri tarafından göz altına alındı ve ABD ve Ingiliz denetiminde tutuklandı. 2006 yılındaki şiddetli bir saldırı sonrasında işgal gücleri tarafından kaçırıldı; şu an onaylanan 30 yıllık hapis cezasından dolayı Israil hapishanesinde yatıyor.

GREEK

Λευτεριά στον Άχμαντ Σααντάτ!

Ο Γενικός γραμματέας του Λαϊκού Μετώπου για την απελευθέρωση της Παλαιστίνης, Άχμαντ Σααντάτ συνελήφθη από την Παλαιστινιακή Αρχή στις 15 Ιανουαρίου 2002 και φυλακίστηκε υπό την προστασία της Αμερικής και της Βρετανίας. Μετά από μια βίαιη επίθεση το 2006 απήχθη από τις δυνάμεις Κατοχής και εκτίει ποινή φυλάκισης για 30 χρόνια.

ITALIAN

Libertà per Ahmad Sa’adat

Sa’adat, segretario generale del Fronte Popolare di Liberazione della Palestina, è stato arrestato dall’autorità Palestinese il 15 gennaio 2002 e imprigionato e sorvegliato dalle autorità americane e britanniche. Dopo un violento attacco nel 2006, è stato rapito dalle forze d’occupazione. Sconta attualmente una pena di 30 anni in una prigione Israeliana.

SPANISH

Libertad para Ahmad Sa’adat

Sa’adat, secretario general del Frente Popular de Liberación de Palestina, arrestado por la autoridad palestina el 15 de enero de 2002 y encarcelado bajo vigilancia americana y británica. Después de un ataque violento en 2006, fue secuestrado por las fuerzas de ocupación. Cumple actualmente una pena de 30 años en una prisión israelí.

DANISH

Frihed for Ahmad Sa’adat 

Generalsekretæren for PFLP (Folkefronten til Palæstinas Befrielse), Ahmad Sa’adat, blev arresteret af det palæstinensiske selvstyre (PA) den 15. Januar 2002 og fængslet under US-amerikansk og britisk overvågning. Under et voldsomt angreb i 2006 blev han kidnappet af besættelsesstyrker og har siden været indespærret i israelske fængsler, idømt 30 års fængsel.

MATERIALS AND RESOURCES

English-language poster to Free Ahmad Sa’adat Download PDF
Case of Ahmad Sa’adat – Free Palestinian Prisoners Leaflet (PDF, English)
Resource Guide on the Ahmad Sa’adat Case Download 32-page PDF
Protest Placard for International Week of Action – Boycott HP, Free Ahmad Sa’adat. Download as PDF
Protest Placard for International Week of Action – Free Ahmad Sa’adat and all Palestinian Prisoners. Download as PDF

24 January, La Roche-sur-Yon: Screening of “Mafak” and Discussion with Salah Hamouri

Friday, 24 January
8:30 pm
Cinema Le Concorde
8 rue Gouvion
85000 La Roche-sur-Yon, France
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/1505989399576913/

Screening of the film “Mafak” and discussion with Salah Hamouri, Palestinian lawyer and former political prisoner, on the situation of Palestinian prisoners detained by the Israeli occupation.

Projection du film “Mafak” et rencontre avec Salah Hamouri avocat et ancien prisonnier politique palestinien.

Le vendredi 24 janvier 2019 au cinéma Concorde à la Roche sur Yon à 20h30, projection du film “Mafak” (le tournevis) avec la présence de Salah Hamouri. L’avocat franco-palestinien, ancien prisonnier politique palestinien, témoignera des conditions de détention en Israël.

Victory for Ahmad Zahran! Hunger strike ends after 114 days of struggle

Poster of Ahmad Zahran at a support protest. Photo: Quds News

On Monday, 13 January, Palestinian prisoner Ahmad Zahran announced a victory in his hunger strike, as he was just about to enter his 114th day on strike against his Israeli administrative detention, imprisonment without charge or trial. Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network expresses its warmest congratulations to Ahmad Zahran at this moment of victory. His steadfastness and commitment to struggle stand as an inspiration to all those around the world who support the Palestinian people and their just cause of return and liberation.

On Monday evening, Zahran, 42, from the village of Deir Abu Mishaal near Ramallah, called his family – after family visits and calls had been denied him throughout his nearly four months of hunger strike – from the Kaplan hospital where he has been held due to the severe deterioration of his health. He informed them that he had reached an agreement with the Israeli occupation prison administration that his administrative detention would not be renewed and would come to an end on 25 February 2020.

Ahmad Zahran’s wife, Karima, at a demonstration urging his freedom, Ramallah. Photo: Wattan News

This is the second hunger strike that Zahran has carried out during his detention without charge or trial by the Israeli occupation. He has been jailed under an administrative detention order since March 2019. Previously, he conducted a hunger strike for 39 days that ended with a pledge to release him – instead, however, his administrative detention was renewed. In the past, he has spent almost 15 years in Israeli prisons over multiple arrests. He is married and the father of four children, ranging in age from seven to 15.

During his imprisonment, multiple fellow Palestinian prisoners struggled alongside him to achieve this victory, including Jamil Ankoush, who carried out a 16-day hunger strike in solidarity with Zahran. Former prisoner Sumoud Karajeh carried out a 5-day hunger strike outside prison to support his demands. Dozens of prisoners of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine carried out a rotating series of hunger strikes and protests in multiple prisons, facing isolation and repression to demand Zahran’s freedom. PFLP prison branch leader Wael Jaghoub was isolated and banned from family visits following the announcement of activities inside the prisons in support of Zahran’s strike.

Demonstration in Gaza urges freedom for Ahmad Zahran, 13 January 2020. Photo: Hadf News

Earlier in the day, Palestinians in Gaza organized a protest in front of the Grand Mosque in Khan Younis in support of Zahran and his fellow Palestinian prisoners. Ali al-Shanna of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine emphasized the need for action to support the Palestinian prisoners, noting that “the program of struggle must rise to the level of the sacrifices made by the prisoners.”

Zahran is one of approximately 450 Palestinians held in administrative detention, of around 5,000 total Palestinian political prisoners held in Israeli jails. These detention orders, introduced to Palestine by the British colonial mandate and then adopted by the Zionist project, are issued for up to six months at a time but are indefinitely renewable on the basis of “secret evidence.” Palestinians may be jailed for years at a time due to indefinitely renewable detention orders.

Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network sends its strongest congratulations and salutes to Ahmad Zahran, his comrades, his family and the Palestinian people on the occasion of his victory. On this occasion, we urge all who support the Palestinian people to join in the campaign to support Palestinian prisoners, struggling behind prison walls on the front lines for freedom. All freedom-loving people in the world look forward to celebrating the day that Ahmad Zahran steps out from behind the prison walls – and the day in which all prisoners – and all Palestinians – are free in a liberated land. The struggle and steadfastness of the Palestinian prisoners and the Palestinian people will lead not only to Zahran’s freedom, but to the liberation of Palestine, from the river to the sea.