29 June, San Francisco: The Business of Backlash

29 June 2015

The Business of Backlash:
The Attack on the Palestinian Movement and Other Movements for Justice

Monday, June 29th
7pm
518 Valencia Street, San Francisco

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/1422430554748633/

Featuring a discussion with
Lara Kiswani
Arab Resource and Organizing Center
Liz Jackson
Palestine Legal
Nancy Hernandez
Precita Eyes Mural Arts
Sara Kershnar
International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network

As the Palestinian and Palestine solidarity movements build power on campuses and in communities across the U.S., we face increasing targeted attacks, including lawsuits, surveillance and criminalization. Who is funding these attacks on individuals and organizations standing up for justice and how can we respond in ways that strengthen our movements?

The Business of Backlash reveals that much of the funding behind this backlash stems from a small group of donors who fund a range of right-wing causes including Islamophobia, climate change denial, education privatization, and anti-labor legislation. The report also highlights cases where activists have turned the tables—leveraging their successful defense to advance movements for justice.

In Belgian first, municipality bars public contracts with corporations complicit with occupation of Palestine

29 June 2015

On 25 June, the municipal council in Molenbeek, Brussels, Belgium, approved the first municipal motion in Europe to prohibit the granting of public municipal contracts to corporations that are complicit in the occupation of Palestine, and all corporations flouting international law.

The measure was introduced by Dirk De Block of the Workers Party of Belgium and Jamal Ikazban of the Socialist Party, and was supported by sp.a (the Socialist Party of Anders), the GIC (Communal Interest Group) and Ecolo-Groen.

The measure was submitted after the discovery that G4S, the corporation subject to an international boycott campaign for its provision of security systems and hardware to Israeli prisons holding Palestinian political prisoners, had signed a contract with the municipality.

In October, an official rule will be promulgated for all public contracts issued by the munciipality in line with the motion. “A large majority of local councillors expressed their wish to not grant public tenders to corporations like G4S, who are directly involved in the occupation and colonization of Palestine,” said Ikazban.

Next month, a committee will be formed to create the official rule according to legal guidelines for public contracting. “After we discovered that G4S had signed a contract with the municipality we decided, with the PS, to file a motion to exclude this type of corporation,” said De Block. “We especially thank the peace and solidarity organizations that have worked for years on the case of G4S.”

Both Ikazban and De Block expressed their hopes that the decision of Molenbeek’s council, a first in Belgium and in the Brussels-Capital region will be replicated by other municipalities and at other levels of authority.

Original report: http://bruxelles.ptb.be/articles/molenbeek-premiere-commune-exclure-les-entreprises-impliquees-dans-l-occupation-des

Breaking News: Victory for Khader Adnan; to be released 12 July

28 June 2015

Khader Adnan, Palestinian political prisoner and long-term hunger striker, has achieved victory for the second time via hunger strike; in the early morning of 29 June, after 55 days of hunger strike in protest of his administrative detention without charge or trial, Adnan’s wife Randa announced that an agreement has been reached with his Israeli captors to release him on 12 July. She also stated that there is a commitment to end the use of administrative detention – under which Adnan has been held for over 6 years through multiple imprisonments – against Adnan.

Cartoon: Mohammed Sabaaneh

Khader Adnan, 37, a baker from Jenin and a political activist, was also released from Israeli administrative detention without charge or trial in 2012 after a 67-day hunger strike that sparked widespread international and Palestinian support and helped to revitalize the broad movement for Palestinian prisoners’ freedom. Released on 17 April 2012, he was re-arrested on 8 July 2014 and had been held since then without charge or trial. He launched his hunger strike on 5 May to protest the renewal of his administrative detention and had reached a critical health stage.

Randa and Adnan’s children and parents visited Adnan in Assaf Harofeh hospital, where he is being held, chained hand and foot to his hospital bed, following the announcement of the agreement. (Photos via @MalakaMohammed on Twitter.)

Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network expresses its warmest congratulations to Khader Adnan and his family, and to the Palestinian people. Khader Adnan is a true Palestinian – and international – hero of justice and steadfastness, who has put his body on the line on multiple occasions and defeated a powerful occupier through courage, commitment and the solid support of the Palestinian people. He is like his over 5,000 sisters and brothers remaining in Israeli jails, a prisoner of freedom who yearns and struggles unceasingly for justice – and reminds us all of the urgency of struggling to free every Palestinian prisoner held behind bars at the hands of Israeli settler colonialism.

Ahmad Sa’adat transferred to Nafha prison; demands release of “secret evidence”

28 June 2015

Ahmad Sa’adat, Palestinian leader, General Secretary of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, and political prisoner held in Israeli jails, has been transferred to Nafha prison; he has been transferred repeatedly during his imprisonment, the last time to Gilboa prison in early May.

In protest of his transfer, Palestinian prisoners at Gilboa prison rejected their meals for a day. In addition, on 23 June, an Israeli court in Nazareth is considering the petition filed on Sa’adat’s behalf, demanding the exclusion or disclosure of so-called “secret evidence” that has been used to ban Sa’adat from family visits with his wife and children.

Sa’adat announced that he is waiting 45 days for the court’s ruling and disclosure of the secret materials, stating that if this does not happen, Sa’adat will petition the Supreme Court and launch a hunger strike demanding an end to the denial of family visits. Sa’adat has been denied family visits by Israeli military order since 14 September 2014.

Palestinian writer and land defender Abdul Razeq Farraj’s administrative detention renewed

28 June 2015

The Israeli military occupation renewed the administrative detention without charge or trial of Palestinian writer and land defender Abdul Razeq Farraj, 53, for the fifth consecutive time on 24 June. The new 4-month administrative detention order without charge or trial extends Farraj’s imprisonment; he has been held since 25 February 2014, consistently without charge or trial, on the basis of secret evidence, one of over 400 Palestinians so held.

Farraj, a writer and journalist, is also the administrative and financial director of the Union of Agricultural Work Committees (UAWC), a Palestinian agricultural and land defense organization that won the United Nations’ 2014 Equator Prize for its work on food sustainability. The UAWC has been, for over 28 years, in the forefront of supporting Palestinian agricultural workers and connecting with other land defenders around the world; it is a member of Via Campesina and has worked with the Landless Workers’ Movement in Brazil. He was arrested for the first time in 1985 and spent six years in Israeli jails; arrested again in 1993 and held for 4 1/2 years, and has been held under administrative detention multiple times since 2002. A Palestinian refugee, his family lives in Jalazone refugee camp near Ramallah.

Farraj is married with two sons; his older son Basil, a graduate of Earlham College, has written on multiple occasions about his experiences being forcibly separated from his father by the Israeli occupation.

Farraj was part of last year’s open hunger strike of administrative detainees.

Lina Khattab released, changes study course from journalism to law

28 June 2015

Palestinian student activist and folkloric dancer Lina Khattab, 18, was released from Israeli military prison on 11 June, following six months imprisonment after her arrest at a march on 13 December 2014 organized by fellow Bir Zeit University students calling for the release of Palestinian political prisoners. Khattab was accused of “throwing stones” and sentenced to six months in Israeli prison; her case won international attention and solidarity from student organizations and activists around the world.

On 19 June, Khattab officially changed her major course of study at Bir Zeit from journalism to law, noting that she was planning to become a lawyer to defend Palestinian political prisoners and advocate for their freedom, having experienced and witnessed for herself the harsh conditions and relentless abuse visited upon Palestinian prisoners in violation of international law.

Video (in Arabic) of Lina’s release:

Take Action: Khalida Jarrar’s trial postponed indefinitely

28 June 2015

On 22 June, Palestinian leftist parliamentarian and political prisoners’ advocate Khalida Jarrar faced an Israeli military court, which postponed her next hearing indefinitely; her lawyers, with Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association – of which Jarrar is board Vice President – expect the next hearing in her case to be held in July. Take action – demand Khalida Jarrar’s release from administrative detention.

The hearing was attended by Jarrar’s daughters, Yafa and Suha, visiting their family from Canada, Ha’aretz reported, calling Jarrar “the most famous Palestinian prisoner in the world today.”

Jarrar, arrested on 2 April from her Ramallah home in a pre-dawn invasion by dozens of Israeli occupation soldiers, was initially held under administrative detention without charge or trial, and after the cancellation of that order on 4 May, currently faces an Israeli military court on 12 entirely political charges related to her advocacy for Palestinian political prisoners and activities as a member of the Palestinian Legislative Council. The charges against Jarrar include membership and leadership in the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, the left wing Palestinian party Jarrar represents through the Abu Ali Mustafa bloc in the Palestinian Legislative Council. Other of the charges include advocating for the release of Palestinian political prisoners and speaking at public events.

Israeli military officials have already stated their intention to continue to imprison Jarrar while she is tried on these political charges by an Israeli military court. Israeli military courts convict 99.74% of the Palestinians who appear before them and in no way meet international standards for a fair trial. Palestinians can be charged for violating any Israeli military order, including for membership in or “services to” “prohibited organizations,” which include all major Palestinian political parties. “Services” can include attendance at public events or calling for freedom for imprisoned Palestinians.

On 21 May, a military judge ordered her release on bail, which was reversed on 28 May by another military judge. Instead, Jarrar remains detained indefinitely until the completion of her trial.

Khalida Jarrar is 52-years old and has been a Palestinian Legislative Council member since 2006. She also heads the subject of prisoner’s issues in the Palestinian Legislative Council, and is also deputy chairperson of the Board of Directors of Addameer.

Take Action to support Khalida Jarrar:

1. Click here: Send a message to the Israeli Occupation Forces and demand the immediate release of Khalida Jarrar.It is important that the occupation learns that Khalida has supporters around the world who will not be silent in the face of this injustice.

2. Sign the petition! Sign and share this petition, demanding freedom for Khalida Jarrar immediately.

3. Contact your Member of Parliament, Representative, or Member of European Parliament. The attack on Khalida is an attack on Palestinian parliamentary legitimacy and political expression. Parliamentarians have a responsibility to pressure Israel to cancel this order.

4. Send a letter to Khalida Jarrar – help support her and show her jailers that the world is with her!

5. Use the Campaign Resources to inform your community, parliamentarians and others about Khalida’s case.

6. Protest at the Israeli consulate or embassy for Khalida Jarrar. Bring posters and flyers about Khalida’s case and hold a protest, or join a protest with this important information. Hold a community event or discussion, or include Khalida’s case in your next event about Palestine and social justice.

7. Boycott, Divest and Sanction. Hold Israel accountable for its violations of international law. Don’t buy Israeli goods, and campaign to end investments in corporations that profit from the occupation. Learn more at bdsmovement.net.

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Take Action: Khader Adnan at risk of death on 54th day of hunger strike

28 June 2015

NOTE AND UPDATE – 29 June: Khader Adnan has reached an agreement to end his hunger strike and secure his release on 12 July 2015. Congratulations to Khader Adnan and the Palestinian people on this victory!

Palestinian political prisoner and long-term hunger striker Khader Adnan is facing severe threats to his health and life on his 54th day of hunger strike, reported Palestinian lawyers. Adnan, 37, is being held in Israeli administrative detention without charge or trial and launched his hunger strike on May 5 to protest the third renewal of this detention. Click here to take action and demand the release of Khader Adnan.

Adnan previously engaged in a 67-day hunger strike in 2012, winning his release from a previous administrative detention in a campaign that garnered widespread support and action from the Palestinian masses as well as broad international solidarity.

Palestinian lawyer Jawad Boulos said on Sunday, 28 June that Adnan is facing a critical health situation and “is on the verge of death.” The Mohja Jerusalem Association reported on Saturday that he was vomiting blood. Ha’aretz reported that Adnan is being held in Assaf Harofeh hospital, chained hand and foot to the bed with three guards in the room around the clock as his hunger strike continues. He has spent over 6 years in administrative detention without charge or trial.

“(Israel) is seeking to end Adnan’s hunger strike in a way that avoids them a feeling of crushing defeat,” Boulos said, at a press conference in Ramallah, on Saturday.

“On the other hand,” he added, “what Adnan seeks is very clear: either to be released or tried. Khader is a gift for humanity since he is willing to sacrifice his life, and all he asks Israel for is to treat him as a human.”

Growing protests across Palestine and around the world have demanded Adnan’s release, including a mass rally at Al-Aqsa Mosque on Friday, 26 June. A day of demonstrations is planned for 29 June.

Take Action!

1. Send a letter/petition immediately to Israeli officials demanding the release of Khader Adnan. Make sure the international voice is heard demanding his freedom!

2. Protest at the Israeli consulate or embassy for Khader Adnan and all Palestinian prisoners. Bring posters and flyers about administrative detention and Palestinian hunger strikers and hold a protest, or join a protest with this important information. Hold a community event or discussion, or include this case in your next event about Palestine and social justice.

3. Boycott, Divest and Sanction. Hold Israel accountable for its violations of international law. Don’t buy Israeli goods, and campaign to end investments in corporations that profit from the occupation. Learn more at bdsmovement.net.

*Thank you for taking action! Khader Adnan is now free. Thousands of people around the world took action to support his struggle.

Shireen Issawi support campaign: Photos demand freedom for Shireen

21 June 2015

An organization, Roots To Resistance is currently engaged in a Grassroots Global Sign Campaign to Demand Justice for jailed Palestinian Human Rights Lawyer Shireen Issawi. The group is working with the Alkarama Foundation and the Issawi Family and partnering with Truthout to bring this photo montage of signs and voices to the social media airwaves and the powers that be here in the US. We need more faces, signs and voices from across the globe.

The sign can be one of two things: It can “Demand Justice for Shireen Issawi”
Or it can state a reason why We should Demand Justice For Shireen Issawi. We are sending out special edition thank you ARTcards to all who send pictures so please include your address! Please send images via email to [email protected].

Roots To Resistance paints large 8 foot high portraits of women activists and creates global postcard campaigns to support their work. In this case we portray Shireen to support her and her work and demand freedom for her and an end to occupation for all Palestinians.

We hope you can find a moment of time today to snap a quick picture. The sign can be scribbled in pen or marker, it does not have to be a work of art, just a message that will connect all of us to each other and to Shireen. Please do join us and send the pictures via email to [email protected].

Video about Shireen by the Alkarama Foundation:

28 June, Chicago: Angela Davis and Rasmea Odeh – Freedom Beyond Occupation and Incarceration

21 June 2015

Freedom Beyond Occupation & Incarceration
An Afternoon with Angela Davis & Rasmea Odeh

Sunday, June 28th, 2:30pm

University of Il. Chicago (UIC)
750 S. Halsted St, Student Center East
Illinois Room, 3rd Floor

Facebook Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/500741273406478/

NOTE: YOU MUST RSVP TO GUARANTEE A SEAT
http://justice4rasmea.bpt.me/

Organized by:
The Rasmea Defense Committee
Black Lives Matter Chicago
Black on Both Sides
Black Youth Project 100
Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression
Coalition to Protect People’s Rights
Committe Against Political Repression
Committee to Stop FBI Repression
Southside Together Organizing for Power/Fearless Leading by the Youth
U.S. Palestinian Community Network
We Charge Genocide

#Justice4Rasmea
#BlackLivesMatter

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