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Palestinian administrative detainees continue boycott of Israeli military courts

Over 450 Palestinians imprisoned without charge or trial under administrative detention orders by the Israeli occupation are continuing their boycott of the occupation courts for the 11th day as of Sunday, 25 February, as part of their ongoing protest to demand an end to imprisonment without charge or trial. The administrative detainees launched their collective boycott on 15 February, noting that the military courts of the occupation are a sham and a facade that serves only to implement the orders of the occupation and automatically approve administrative detention orders.

The prisoners’ statement urged Palestinian officials to provide all forms of political and legal support for the battle against administrative detention, including bringing the case to the International Criminal Court.

Many Palestinians have spent years at a time jailed under administrative detention with repeated renewals. The policy was first imposed in Palestine by the British colonial mandate and then continued by Zionist colonizers. Over the past two and one-half years, the Israeli occupation has issued over 3,500 administrative detention orders, including several dozen against children under the age of 18.

Numerous hunger strikes on an individual and collective level have been launched against the policy of administrative detention, which systematically targets leading activists, community organizers and other influential Palestinians in the freedom struggle. The 450 administrative detainees are among 6,200 total Palestinian political prisoners in Israeli jails.

Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network unreservedly supports the administrative detainees’ strike and urges international actions, protests and events in solidarity with the prisoners’ cause. Their struggle is helping to highlight and expose the policy of administrative detention and colonial imprisonment used as an arm of Zionist occupation and colonization in Palestine.

27 February, Amsterdam: Anti-Imperialism with Rasmea Odeh

Tuesday, 27 February
7:00 pm
Location TBA – Registration Required at: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScBU8DpAuo4BybkMJNzJX8aVjWP202gCcf4HknNllsZopHRog/viewform
 Amsterdam
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/147306645960614/

Revolutionaire Eenheid and Anakbayan-Europe are pleased to invite you to join us in conversation with Rasmea Odeh, champion of fighting for justice for Palestinians and oppressed peoples. (Full bio below)

The evening will focus on the anti-imperialism; the revolutionary women leading this struggle in their communities outside their home country and police targeting of activists in this line of work.

The clutch of the imperialist states in the West extends beyond countries currently or formerly colonized. From Palestine to the Philippines, imperialism is a deadly force that exerts economic, political and social control. It ties our struggles together and unites all oppressed peoples. The fight from inside the oppressor’s countries is crucial to the wider resistance. And governments are cracking down on activists, particularly organisers around Palestine. We see it happening increasingly with our work in the Netherlands, and Rasmea’s case has set the status quo of how the US views Palestinian organisers.

Bio:

Rasmea Odeh is a leading member of Chicago’s Palestinian, Arab, and Muslim communities, and her decade of service in Chicago has changed the lives of thousands of people, particularly disenfranchised Arab women and their families. She has been with the Arab American Action Network (AAAN) since 2004, and is responsible for the management of day-to-day operations and the coordination of its Arab Women’s Committee, which has a membership of nearly 600 and leads the organization’s work in the areas of defending civil liberties and immigrants’ rights. She is a mentor to hundreds of immigrant women, as well as many members of the AAAN’s staff and board, and is a well-known and respected organizer throughout Chicagoland, the U.S. and the world.

In 2013, Rasmea received the Outstanding Community Leader Award from the Chicago Cultural Alliance, which described her as a woman who has “dedicated over 40 years of her life to the empowerment of Arab women, first in her homes of Palestine, Jordan and Lebanon, where she was an activist and practicing attorney, and then the past 10 years in Chicago.”

As a college student, Rasmea was arrested in 1969 by the Israeli police, along with as many as 500 others, and accused of involvement in two bombings. She was horrifically tortured for 25 days (including electric shocks and sexual assault), as was her father in her presence; and then tried before a kangaroo Israeli military court. This tribunal has military officers, and not civilians, as prosecutors and judges, and convicts over 99% of its Palestinian prisoners. She was found guilty based on a confession coerced through torture, and then given a life sentence. In 1979, she was freed with other Palestinians in a prisoner exchange.

After living in the US for over 20 years, Rasmea was charged in 2013 with an immigration violation that was always just a pretext for a broader attempt to criminalize the Palestine liberation movement. She spent the last few years leading a powerful battle to resist this attack, joined by hundreds of supporters for every court appearance, and thousands of supporters across the country and the world. The possibility of a fair trail never flowered. Facing judges with direct financial links to Israel; prohibited from submitting information about her PTSD (due to Israeli torture) and denied reading out her full court statement. Rasmea accepted a plea agreement with no prison time. Her citizenship was revoked and she was forced to leave the country.

This is not new to Rasmea, persecuted in 1948 from her village of Lifta, and again exiled in 1967. Rasmea’s life has also been one of resistance and resilience. Her story has touched and inspired individuals, communities and movements globally.

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Revolutionaire Eenheid en Anakbayan-Europe nodigen jullie van harte uit om ons te vergezellen in een discussie met Rasmea Odeh, een groot activiste in de strijd voor rechtvaardigheid voor de Palestijnen en alle onderdrukte volkeren.
(Volledige bio volgt)

De avond draait om het thema anti-imperialisme: de revolutionaire vrouwen in de voorhoede van deze strijd in hun gemeenschappen buiten hun geboorteland, en de politierepressie van activisten.

De klauwen van de imperialistische staten in het Westen reiken vaak verder dan de vroeger of tegenwoordig gekoloniseerde landen.
Van Palestina tot aan de Filipijnen is imperialisme een dodelijke macht die zowel economische, politieke als sociale controle uitoefent. Het verbind onze strijd en verenigd alle onderdrukte volkeren. Het gevecht tegen imperialisme van binnenuit de onderdrukker’s landen is cruciaal voor de bredere strijd. En regeringen treden hardhandig op tegen zulke activisten, voornamelijk organisatoren rondom Palestina. We zien het vaker gebeuren in ons werk in Nederland, en Rasmea’s zaak heeft de maatstaaf vastgesteld waarlangs de VS Palestijnse organisatoren legt.

26 February, Manchester: Tales from the Prison Cell | IAW 2018

Monday, 26 February
6:30 pm
University of Manchester Students Union
Oxford Road, Manchester
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/1912746549040728/

As part of our series of talks for Israeli Apartheid Week (IAW) 2018, the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement at the University of Manchester is excited to present Sahar Francis and Mohammed Othman, two activists who have flown in from Palestine to give a talk for us.

Sahar Francis is the current director at Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association; a non-governmental, civil institution that works to support Palestinian political prisoners. As a former political prisoner herself, Sahar’s talk will discuss the important work that Addameer is doing to protect the rights of Palestinian political prisoners that are all too often infringed upon in Israel’s brutal military detention system.

Mohammed Othman is a Palestinian activist and co-founder of SkateQilya; a youth empowerment program that uses skateboarding and art as tools to teach community building and leadership skills to Palestinian girls and boys in the West Bank. Mohammad is a former political prisoner who will draw upon his own experiences of torture and detention is this powerful and moving talk.

As of January 2018, there were 6,119 Palestinian prisoners, 330 of which were children, three quarters of whom will face physical violence that infringe on their human rights during their incarceration. This impassioned talk discusses these experiences as well as the great work done by groups like Addameer in protecting the human rights of prisoners.

Join us in Council Chambers on the top floor of the Students Union for this powerful talk as part of our series of speakers for IAW 2018.
Our other events can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/events/1511375515645913/

25 February, Calgary: Marching for Ahed Tamimi

Sunday, 25 February
1:00 pm
Calgary City Hall
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/159162224865782/

Calgarians, you are invited to a protest march for Ahed Tamimi on February 25th at 1pm at City Hall…

Ahed Tamimi recently arrested at the age of 16 is currently behind bars in an Israeli prison. She will soon be facing a military court that convicts Palestinians 99.8% of the time and is facing a 10 year prison sentence.

This march is to show our solidarity to Ahed, all other underage prisoners and Palestine as whole. It is a peaceful march to call on our government officials to intervene for the release of Ahed and all Palestinian child prisoners and to finally take a stand against the injustices Israel has brought upon the Palestinian people.

Israel is the only country in the world to regularly arrest children and put them through military court. There are currently over 300 Palestinian children in Israel prisons and another 700 Palestinian children in military detention awaiting trial.

Ahed Tamimi’s Story….

Ahed Tamimi lived in a small village called Nabi Saleh near Ramallah in Palestine. This town acts as a great leader for Palestine in peaceful marches resisting their Israeli occupiers and is under constant danger of military raids. Numerous members of Ahed’s family have been arrested or killed solely for their commitment to preserving and protecting their villages land, which is under the constant threat of ongoing illegal Israeli settlement construction, land confiscation, mass arrests and other attacks in their village. All of the Tamimi family is aware that they could be woken up in the middle of any night, and be facing bulldozers demolishing their homes to make way for new Israel settlers and be left with absolutely no where to go.

Ahed was arrested on December 19, 2017 just an hour after her cousin was shot in the face by a rubber coated metal bullet resulting in part of his skull having to be removed, leaving him in a coma for 10 days and with permanent brain damage for the rest of his life. When these soldiers later entered Ahed’s property standing on her front lawn she asked them leave, the soldiers did not leave and one of them pushed Ahed away, pushing from both sides than proceed and an understandably frustrated 16 year old girl slapped these soldiers in the face. Please keep in mind that these soldiers were armed and had full military gear, Ahed had no weapons and even if the soldiers were wearing normal street clothes Ahed would be of no real physical threat to them.

Ahed’s mother (Nariman Tamimi) filmed this event and posted it to the internet, the video than proceeded to go viral and was watched all over the world. The next night the Israeli military raided Ahed’s house and was violently arrested, also the next day her mom was arrested just for filming the event. Ahed is currently in military detention awaiting trial and facing 10 years in military prison.

These events and the great bravery shown by Ahed Tamimi has made her the face of Palestinian resistance. There have been demonstrations all over the planet calling for her release and to show support for Ahed Tamimi along with all of Palestine in their fight for freedom!

https://youtu.be/EjcQYyQXCvw

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Please march with us on Sunday February 25th at 1PM in front of Calgary’s City Hall to march for Ahed Tamimi and the release of all children prisoners being held by Israel.

25 February, Antwerp: Activity and film screening: “Save Ahed Tamimi and Palestine”

Sunday, 25 February
2:00 pm
Gemeentestraat 6
Antwerp, Belgium
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/999572490180683/

This event, organized by RedFox Antwerp, will include a discussion and film screening on the case of Ahed Tamimi, the Palestinian girl who is imprisoned for resisting Israeli soldiers. Come to learn more about her and the Palestinian situation today.

25 February, Abu Dis: The captive movement – The prisoners’ struggle in Zionist prisons

Sunday, 25 February
12:30 pm
Al-Quds University Abu Dis
Faculty of Engineering (Martyr Diaa Talahmeh)
Abu Dis, Palestine
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/1984179325181233/

The Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails are engaged in a constant battle with the Israeli prison administration. They are united by their steadfastness and confrontation of this oppression. They have sacrificed their lives to achieve freedom for their people and their land. As Palestinians under occupation, we must always raise the issue of the prisoners in all areas.

Accordingly, the Samidoun Network – Palestine, together with the Student Action Front, invite you to attend a cultural symposium on “The Status of Palestinian Prisoners in Israeli Jails,” with Dr. Rasim Obeidat, who will discuss the prisoners’ movement in occupation prisons as well as Mina Jaabis, the sister of the prisoner Israa Jaabis, on the situation of women prisoners in Israeli jails.

24 February, NYC: Framed in America – the Making of Political Prisoners

Saturday, 24 February
4:00 pm
The National Black Theatre: Institute for Action Arts
2031-2033 National Black Theatre Way (Fifth Ave between 125-126 Sts)
NYC
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/1533917916707087/

Join The MOVE Organization on Saturday February 24th as we will be in Harlem NYC holding a public rally to advocate for parole for The Move 9 . In 2018 Janet , Janine , Debbie , and Eddie Africa all will be going before The Pennsylvania Parole Board . Your help and support is needed on this historic evening . Chairman Fred Hampton Jr will be our keynote speaker he will be joined by Ramona Africa , Pam Africa , Ralph Poynter, Johanna Fernandez , Roger Wareham , and Betty Davis .

24 February, Brussels: Rasmea Odeh at Le Space

Saturday, 24 February
6:00 pm
Le Space
Rue de la Cle 26
Brussels
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/550562678647845/

(FR ci-dessous, NL beneden)

ENG

Eye On Palestine Arts and Film Festival in collaboration with Association Belgo-Palestinienne, Palestina Solidariteit and Le Space are proud to host Rasmea Odeh for an evening discussion on anti-colonialism, women struggles and carceral politics in Palestine and beyond. Come and join us!

Rasmea Odeh is a leading member of Chicago’s Palestinian, Arab, and Muslim communities, and her decade of service in Chicago has changed the lives of thousands of people, particularly disenfranchised Arab women and their families. She has been with the Arab American Action Network (AAAN) since 2004, and was responsible for the management of day-to-day operations and the coordination of its Arab Women’s Committee, which has a membership of nearly 600 and leads the organization’s work in the areas of defending civil liberties and immigrants’ rights. She has been a mentor to hundreds of immigrant women, as well as many members of the AAAN’s staff and board, and is a well-known and respected organizer throughout Chicagoland, the U.S. and the world. In 2013, Rasmea received the Outstanding Community Leader Award from the Chicago Cultural Alliance, which described her as a woman who has “dedicated over 40 years of her life to the empowerment of Arab women, first in her homes of Palestine, Jordan and Lebanon, where she was an activist and practicing attorney, and then the past 10 years in Chicago.” Rasmea is a community icon who overcame vicious torture by Israeli authorities while imprisoned in Palestine in the 1970s, and an example for the millions of Palestinians who have not given up organizing for their rights of liberation, equality, and return.

Date: Saturday 24 February
Time: 18-20:00H
Venue: Le Space, Rue de la Clé 26, Brussels.

Entrance: free contribution

More details on www.eyeonpalestine.be

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FR

Le Festival d’arts et du film « Eye on Palestine » en collaboration avec l’Association belgo-palestinienne, Palestina Solidariteit et Le Space ont l’honneur d’accueillir Rasmea Odeh à l’occasion d’une soirée-débat sur les thématiques de l’anti-colonialisme, des luttes féminines et de la politique carcérale en Palestine et ailleurs.

Rasmeah Odeh est une figure éminente des communautés palestiniennes, arabes et musulmanes à Chicago. Depuis une dizaine d’années, son investissement à Chicago a changé la vie de milliers de personnes, en particulier celle des femmes arabes et de leurs familles privées de leurs droits. Depuis 2004, elle travaille avec le Arab American Action (AAAN) (« réseau d’action arabe américain »). Elle était responsable de la gestion des opérations journalières et de la coordination de son Comité des Femmes Arabes qui compte près de 600 membres et dirige les activités de l’organisation relatives aux libertés civiles et des droits des immigrants. Elle a été et reste toujours un mentor pour des centaines de femmes immigrées, tout comme beaucoup de membres du personnel et des cadres de l’AAAN et elle est reconnue et respectée, en tant qu’organisatrice, à Chicago, aux Etats-Unis et dans le monde entier. En 2013, Rasmea a reçu le Outstanding Community Leader Award (« le prix de leader communautaire exceptionnel ») de l’Alliance Culturelle de Chicago, qui l’a décrite comme une femme ayant « dédié 40 ans de sa vie à l’émancipation des femmes arabes, d’abord dans leurs maisons en Palestine, en Jordanie et au Liban, où elle agissait en tant qu’activiste et avocate, et ensuite ces dix dernières années à Chicago ». Rasmea est une icône communautaire qui a surmonté les tortures qui lui ont été infligées par les autorités israéliennes lorsqu’elle était emprisonnée en Palestine dans les années 1970, elle est un exemple pour les millions de palestiniens qui n’ont cessé de s’organiser pour leurs droits à la libération, à l’égalité et au retour.

Date : le samedi 24 février
Heure : 18 – 20h
Adresse : Le Space, Rue de la Clé, 26, Bruxelles

Entrée : contribution libre

Plus d’informations sur www.eyeonpalestine.be

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NL

Eye On Palestine en Film Festival in samenwerking met Association Belgo-Palestinienne, Palestina Solidariteit en Le Space presenteren u met trots een discussie avond met Rasmae Odeh over anti-kolonialisme, de strijd voor vrouwenrechten en verstikkende politiek.

Rasmea Odeh is een leidend figuur binnen Chicago’s Palestijns, Arabische en Moslim gemeenschap. Haar toewijding en werk heeft de levens van duizenden mensen, vooral Arabische vrouwen en hun families, doorheen de jaren verbeterd. Ze werkt samen met het Arabisch Amerikaans Actie Netwerk (AAAN) sinds 2004. Ze was verantwoordelijk voor het management en de dagelijkse werking samen met de coördinatie van het Arabisch Vrouwen Comité. Het Arabisch Vrouwen Comité met haar 600 leden verdedigt de burgerrechten en rechten van immigranten. Rasmae is een mentor voor honderen immigrant vrouwen, alsook voor de vele AAAN leden. In 2013 kreeg Rasmea de Outstanding Community Leader Award van het Chicago Cultural Alliancedie haar beschreef als een vrouw die “al 40 jaar werkt aan de empowerment van Arabische vrouwen, eerst in Palestina, Jordaan en Libanon, waar ze zich onpopte als activist en pleitbezorger om dan het zelfde werk te doen in Chicago.” Rasmea is een gemeenschaps icoon die de martelingen van Israëlische soldaten overwon tijdens haar gevangenschap in de jaren ’70 en een voorbeeld voor miljoenen Palestijnen die zich blijven organiseren om hun rechten te verdedigen en hun strijd voor vrijheid.

Datum: zaterdag 24 februari
Uur: 18 uur tot 20 uur
Plaats: Le Space, Rue de la Clé 26, Brussel.
Prijs: vrije bijdrage

24 February, Lyon: Protest to support the Palestinian people

Saturday, 24 February
3:00 pm
Place Bellecour
Lyon, France
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/1882407915116641/

For many years, the State of Israel has been colonizing Palestinian land in Jerusalem and the West Bank, unceasingly, committing crimes and killing innocent people.

Israel rejects any action that calls for peace. Indeed, it refused once again to respect the resolution of the Security Council calling for an end to colonization and settlement building in the occupied Palestinian territories adopted on December 20, 2016.

We do not accept that the President of the Republic, Emmanuel Macron, welcomes war criminals! How can he welcome the butcher of Palestine, Benyamin Netanyahu?

By killing the children of Jerusalem and Palestine, it is the whole humanity that is being murdered! Gather together on Saturday, February 24, 2018 at 3 pm on Place Bellecour to say loud and clear: Stop the massacres and colonization in Palestine!

This demonstration of support to the Palestinian people welcomes with pleasure all collectives and associations to demonstrate with us, because we all fight for the same cause and we all share human objectives.

Sara and Khaoula ,collectif d’une paix juste en Palestine.
AbdelAziz,Mouvement pour une Solidarité Internationale.

23 February, Barcelona: The Case of Ahed Tamimi + Concert for Palestinian Resistance

Friday, 23 February
6:30 pm
Avinguda de Barbera 142
08203 Sabadell (Barcelona)
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/1617632768324703/
Concert Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/2110551612537077

The event at L’Obrera Sabadell will feature a screening of the documentary, “Radiance of Resistance.” Ibrahim Beisani, president of the Palestinian Community of Catalonia, will speak at the event. (Unfortunately, due to personal obligations, Manu Pineda will be unable to attend.)

The film presents the resistance of Janna Ayyad, 9, and Ahed Tamimi, 14, at the time of filming, against the Zionist military occupation in Nabi Saleh, Palestine.

Ahed Tamimi, 17, a young Palestinian activist, was detained on 19 December 2017 by occupation forces and has been imprisoned for two months. There are 350 Palestinian children in Israeli prisons among 6100 total Palestinian political prisoners.

Following the film presentation, Rallat will perform a concert in support of Palestinian resistance with drinks and food at popular prices.