Nyle Fort, Newark-based minister and activist & Fatin Jarara, Al-Awda NY: The Palestine Right to Return Coalition
In the wake of yet more police shootings of people of color in the U.S. and Israel’s recent massacres in Gaza, this panel event will discuss the commonalities between Black and Palestinian movements for freedom, equality, and justice — from the Movement for Black Lives in the U.S. to the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement against Israel (BDS).
As part of the struggle for racial justice in SOMA, please join us to explore how connecting these efforts makes us stronger together.
Co-hosted by: SOMA for Palestine, Al-Awda NY: The Palestine Right to Return Coalition, American Muslims for Palestine – NJ, Jews for Palestinian Right of Return, Palestinian American Community Center.
Note: The Maplewood Public Library does not advocate or endorse the viewpoints of meetings or meeting room users.
Samia Halaby is a renowned artist whose work is collected by the British Museum, the Guggenheim and other galleries around the world.
The 1956 Kafr Qasem massacre was carried out by the Israeli Border Police under cover of the tripartite attack on Egypt by England, France, and Israel. Two other massacres took place during the ensuing days in the cities of Rafah and Khan Younis, where over 400 Palestinian civilians were slaughtered by Israeli troops on their way to Egypt. In Kafr Qasem, an artifice was created to provide a fig-leaf excuse for the killing of innocent people — a curfew announced less than a half an hour before it was implemented. Workers returning home, tired and hungry, unaware of the curfew, were cold-bloodedly shot dead by members of the Israeli Border Police. Based on interviews with survivors, Samia Halaby created a set of documentary drawings on the subject. The emotions of anger and fear leap from every page of this book, enabling the reader to bear witness to the terrible suffering endured by the inhabitants of this small Palestinian village.
On the occasion of World Press Freedom Day (WPFD), the Journalist Support Committee is pleased to invite you to a discussion on
“THE PALESTINIAN JOURNALISTS CHALLENGES”
DATE: 3rd May 2018 (Thursday)
TIME: 7:00pm – 8:30pm
VENUE: SOAS University of London, Room S209, Paul Webley Wing (Senate House), Thornhaugh Street, Russell Square, London WC1H 0XG
Moderated by Muhammad Ali Carter
With speakers including:
Jehan Farra, Prominent Journalist and Writer
Daz Chandler, Award Wining Filmmaker and Multimedia Artist
Roshan Salih, Journalist at Press TV and editor of British Muslim news website 5Pillars
Daniel O’Brien, Media Analyst
Light refreshments will be served.
Schedule of the event:
7:00 – 7:10 Welcome and Opening Speech (Robert Carter)
7:10 – 7:16 Execution of Eyewitnesses (Short Film)
7:16 – 7:30 First speaker Jehan Farra
7:35 – 7:55 Second speaker Roushan Saleh
7: 55 – 8:00 Short Video summarizing the violations
8:00 – 8:20 Third speaker Daz Chandler
8: 25 – 8:45 Fourth speaker Daniel O’Brien
8:45 – 9:00 Closing session with a serving of light refreshments
An Israeli court in Nazareth convicted Palestinian poet Dareen Tatour of “incitement” and “support for terror” for posting on Facebook and creating a poetry video on Thursday, 3 May. The conclusion of the trial – in an Israeli civil court – came after years of a lengthy trial and years of house arrest and confinement for the 36-year-old Palestinian poet. According to Yoav Haifawi, reporting from the court, “The judge wrote that if Tatour mentioned Palestinian innocent victims in her poetry ‘any reasonable person can only understand this as incitement to violent revenge.'”
She was first arrested in October 2015 after posting several Facebook statuses, including news information on the rising popular movement and intifada, a photo of Israa Abed and the words, “I am the next martyr,” and her poem, “Resist, my people, resist them.” (Abed is a Palestinian woman, also from ’48 Palestine, who was shot by Israeli police at a bus station; allegations against her were later dismissed.) She is one of hundreds of Palestinians – mostly from the West Bank and Jerusalem, but also from Palestine ’48 – arrested and imprisoned for posting their political positions and, in this case, their art, on Facebook and other social media.
Dareen Tatour in court, 3 May. Photo: Yoav Haifawi
Of couse, Dareen Tatour is far from the first Palestinian poet – including a number of poets from ’48 Palestine – targeted by the Israeli occupation for arrest and imprisonment. The jailing and trial of Dareen Tatour is an echo of the arrests and imprisonment of Mahmoud Darwish, Samih al-Qasim, Tawfiq Zayyad and many others, not to mention the assassination of Ghassan Kanafani, Wael Zuaiter, Kamal Nasser and other Palestinian poets and writers.
Indeed, at times, the trial has been somewhat surreal, as the meaning of words like “intifada” (uprising), “shahid” (martyr) and “qawem” (resistance) are debated in the courtroom between translators. Palestinian existence, expression and experience has become a subject for judicial debate about its inherent “violence.” The very act of a Palestinian writing poetry about her experience and the collective experience of her people is blatantly criminalized and labeled “terror” before the world.
After her arrest in October 2015, Tatour was jailed for three months before entering house arrest. Under the conditions of her house arrest, she has been barred from using the internet and communicating electronically. For months, she was restricted to an apartment in Tel Aviv and her brother and sister-in-law had to leave work to “guard” her before she was allowed to return to her home village of Reineh. She was monitored using an electronic ankle bracelet and was denied even visits to her family’s home for months.
Her case has drawn attention to the suppression of Palestinian literary and artistic voices. Hundreds of internationally renowned writers and artists, including Edwidge Danticat, Ahdaf Soueif, Alice Walker, Eve Ensler, Ariel Dorfman, Russell Banks and Barbara Hammer, have called for Tatour’s release and the dropping of charges against her, a call endorsed by PEN, the international freedom of expression association.
PEN Center USA joined with PEN International to issue a call to action and petition in support of Tatour and demanding the dropping of all charges against her. “After reviewing the charge sheet and the evidence against her, PEN has concluded that Dareen Tatour has been targeted for her poetry and activism and is calling for her immediate and unconditional release.” Jennifer Clement, president of PEN International, said that “Dareen Tatour is on trial because she wrote a poem. Dareen Tatour is critical of Israeli policies, but governments that declare themselves as democracies do not curb dissent. Words like those of Dareen Tatour have been used by other revolutionary poets, during the Vietnam war, during other liberation wars, and they can be found in the works of Sufiya Kamal of Bangladesh, of Ernesto Cardenal of Nicaragua, and so on.”
In an interview at Mondoweiss the day before the verdict, Tatour discussed her involvement with the marches of return inside Occupied Palestine ’48, especially now as the Marches of Return in Gaza are facing brutal repression and building worldwide support. She noted that she had been involved in creating documentary footage tracing Palestinian history and remembering the Nakba as well as organizing events at the marches. “As the annual March of Return events evolved to draw tens of thousands participants, they now also include tents with special exhibitions. In the last marches before her arrest Tatour maintained her own tent, with an exhibition of more than 500 photos from the destroyed villages and towns, under the title’ tell me about my village.’ This was not a one time event–but an annual exhibition during the March of Return that ran for several years.”
Dareen Tatour participates in a Return March prior to her arrest
Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network denounces the unjust conviction of Dareen Tatour for her poetry and literary expression. The arrest, trial and conviction of Dareen Tatour once again exposes the nature of the Israeli court system and its role as a fig leaf at best for a systematic attack on Palestinian rights and existence. Whether facing the military courts that convict 99.74 percent of the Palestinians that come before them, the administrative detention hearings that send Palestinians to prison without charge or trial or the “civil” courts that criminalize poetry and impose extreme sentences on the children of Jerusalem, the entire Israeli system is based on the dispossession and denial of Palestinians and is fundamentally unjust and racist at its core.
The case also highlights the criminalization of Palestinian political expression as a shared experience of all Palestinians, including Palestinians in the West Bank, Gaza Strip, Jerusalem and occupied Palestine ’48, as well as Palestinians in exile and diaspora that face surveillance, visa denials, deportation and imprisonment for their own political expression – all too frequently labeled as “terror,” as in Tatour’s case. The targeting of Palestinian resistance includes the targeting of Palestinian creative and literary expressions of resistance – and so must its defense.
Freedom and justice for Dareen Tatour and all imprisoned and persecuted Palestinians!
TAKE ACTION!
Dareen Tatour has been involved for almost two decades in documentation and mobilizing to remember the Nakba and demand the right of return of Palestinian refugees expelled from their homes and lands. Today, the Great Return March in Gaza and the mobilization of tens of thousands of Palestinian refugees – and the brutal murder of 45 and the wounding of thousands while participating in these marches to the colonial “border” once again highlights the core demand of the Palestinian struggle.
You can take action at these events to highlight Dareen’s case specifically:
1. Read Dareen’s poem, “Resist, my people, Resist them.” A translation was created for ArabLit.com by poet Tariq al-Haydar, reproduced below. Stop the Israeli state from silencing and criminalizing Dareen’s poetry by reading it around the world over the microphone at Nakba rallies and Great Return March solidarity events.
2. Create a “return tent” like Dareen’s at your local Nakba event or memorial. Put up photos and images of destroyed Palestinian villages and accompany them with signs calling for the right of return for Palestinian refugees as well as a note honoring Dareen’s contribution to the struggle.
Dareen Tatour’s poem: “Resist, My People, Resist Them”
>On 15 May, we gather to commemorate 70 years since the Nakba, the great catastrophe, and to protest Israeli occupation and apartheid. We note that it is 70 years since over 750,000 Palestinians were expelled from their homes and over 400 Palestinian villages were destroyed in order to proclaim the state of Israel. Today, millions of Palestinians are refugees around the world despite UN Resolution 194 that secures the right of Palestinian refugees to return.
Den 15 maj samlas vi för att uppmärksamma att det är 70 år sedan början på al Nakba – den stora katastrofen – och för att protestera mot Israels ockupation och apartheid.
I år är det 70 år sedan fler än 750 000 palestinier fördrevs från sina hem, över 400 palestinska byar jämnades med marken och staten Israel utropades. Ännu i dag lever miljoner palestinier som flyktingar runt om i världen. Detta trots att FN:s resolution 194 ger flyktingarna rätt att återvända.
Al Nakba var inte en enskild händelse, utan är en pågående verklighet. Fördrivningen av palestinier pågår fortfarande. Skolor och bostadshus rivs, gamla olivlundar förstörs och mark konfiskeras. I Östra Jerusalem tar Israel över bit för bit och situationen för palestinierna är mycket kritisk.
Vi samlas för en lugn och värdig demonstration med tal och musik. Röda, svarta, gröna och vita ballonger kommer att släppas upp mot himlen. Vi samlas för att minnas al Nakba, men framför allt för att visa solidaritet och stödja den palestinska kampen mot ockupationen och för en rättvis fred.
Inga andra flaggor än palestinska är tillåtna, vare sig från partier eller andra länder. Vi ber alla att respektera detta.
Välkomna!
Palestinagrupperna i Sverige, Palestinagruppen i Stockholm och Palestinska organisationer i Stockholm.
May 15th 1948 marks the day that over 750,000 Palestinians were expelled from their homes and made refugees.
In 1948, the establishment of the Israeli state in Palestine through violent ethnic cleansing not only forced Palestinians from their homes, but also led to massacres of indigenous populations and the destruction of villages.
After 70 years this bloodshed has not been forgotten, nor the right of Palestinians to return to their homeland.
Join us to commemorate 70 years since the Nakba (catastrophe) and to protest against the ongoing occupation of Palestine, on Monday May 15th, 6:30PM Town Hall.
Cultural Event: Our Power, Our Resilience, Our Resistance Saturday, 12 May 2:00 pm Impact Hub 1885 Mission St. San Francisco, CA
Nakba 70: All Out for Palestine Tuesday, 15 May 4:00 pm Israeli Consulate – SF 456 Montgomery St San Francisco, CA
Colonizers Aren’t Welcome: Barak Out of SF! Wednesday, 16 May 6:00 pm 3200 California St San Francisco, CA
Nakba Art Exhibit Throughout May Eric Quezada Center 518 Valencia St San Francisco, CA
Nakba: May 15, 1948, which commemorates the forcible expulsion of 750,000 Palestinians from their lands to make way for the creation of the settler colonial state of Israel.
Join us as we commemorate 70 years of NAKBA, and as we stand in solidarity with the people of Gaza who are marching for their right of return!
In 1948, Zionist forces expelled 750,000 Palestinians from their homes to create the state of Israel. Palestinians commemorate this tragedy as the Nakba – the Palestinian Catastrophe.
The ethnic cleansing campaign left hundreds of Palestinian towns and villages destroyed in its wake, and turned two-thirds of the Palestinian people into refugees still struggling for their inalienable right to return—a right enshrined in international law and stipulated in UN General Assembly resolution 194.
On March 30, 2018, on the annual Palestinian Land Day, thousands of Palestinians in Gaza marched to the militarized boundary fence to demand their right to return and an end to Israel’s illegal blockade. They were met with violence as Israeli snipers took position behind the fence and above the hills to shoot at the protesters. So far, at least 30 Palestinians have been killed and hundreds injured.
Palestinian civil society has reiterated its call for a global arms embargo on Israel. It’s time for Canada to comply.
This demonstration is proudly organized as the launching event of the Association of Progressive Palestinian Canadians.
Coordination of Palestinian Communities in Italy
Palestinian Arab Democratic Union (UDAP)
call on all to join the rally for self-determination of the Palestinian people and the Right of Return, and against the transfer of the US embassy to Jerusalem. Demand an end to the siege on the Gaza Strip and urge freedom for all Palestinian political prisoners.
Manifestazione Nazionale a Roma GERUSALEMME CAPITALE ETERNA DELLA PALESTINA
Coordinamento delle Comunità Palestinesi Unione Democratica Arabo Palestinese (UDAP)
Invitano a PARTECIPARE ALLA MANIFESTAZIONE NAZIONALE A ROMA – PIAZZA DELL’ESQUILINO, SABATO 12 MAGGIO 2018, ORE 15.00
Chiediamo a tutte le forze democratiche, partiti, sindacati, associazioni, donne e uomini amanti della libertà, solidali con la lotta del popolo palestinese, di manifestare la propria indignazione verso le politiche criminali e di pulizia etnica del governo di occupazione israeliana contro il popolo palestinese.
Bastano 70 anni di occupazione, aggressione e guerra, di genocidi e massacri, di violenze, violazioni e negazione del diritto internazionale.
Nel 70° anniversario della Nakba manifestiamo per:
– Il diritto all’autodeterminazione, e la fine dell’occupazione sionista della Palestina.
– Per dire no al trasferimento dell’ambasciata Usa da Tel Aviv a Gerusalemme.
– Per la fine dell’assedio di Gaza.
– Per lo smantellamento delle colonie israeliane nei territori palestinese.
– Per il diritto e l’attuazione del ritorno dei profughi palestinesi come previsto dalla risoluzione 194 dell’Onu.
– Per la libertà di tutti i prigionieri palestinesi nelle carceri israeliane.
– Per il rispetto della legalità internazionale e tutte le risoluzione che riguardano la Palestina.
– Per uno Stato libero, democratico e laico in Palestina con Gerusalemme capitale.
– Contro l’aggressione e la guerra imperialista e per la pace in Medioriente.
– Chiediamo a tutte le forze democratiche e progressiste di far sentire la loro voce, contro ogni forma di accordi militari con Israele.
– Chiediamo al Governo italiano di adoperarsi per il riconoscimento europeo dei legittimi diritti del popolo palestinese, per mettere fine alle politiche di aggressione di Israele, utilizzando anche la pressione economica e commerciale su Israele e perché si rispettino le risoluzioni ONU e quindi non vengano trasferite le ambasciate a Gerusalemme.
PER ADESIONI:
udap48@gmail.com
COORDINAMENTO DELLE COMUNITA’ PALESTINESI IN ITALIA UNIONE DEMOCRATICA ARABO PALESTINESE (UDAP)
Panelists (Q & A to follow):
On the occasion of World Press Freedom Day (WPFD), the Journalist Support Committee is pleased to invite you to a discussion on
May 15th 1948 marks the day that over 750,000 Palestinians were expelled from their homes and made refugees.
