highlight the issue of Israel's Occupation of Palestine. Be
part of the solution. The Seattle events are at the bottom
of this post. Linda
"The solutions are not too difficult to see. Segregation in America in the
South and in Apartheid South Africa was the etiology of the disease so why
do some still consider it a solution. The history of this issue and its
resolution based on International law is well recognized around the world
bud buried in America thanks to hijacking our institutions by those with
racist ideologies. This hijacking is to the detriment of all involved
(Americans, Israelis, Palestinians, Lebanese, Iraqis). At the core of this
is that Palestinian refugees and displaced people must be allowed to return
to their homes and lands according to their rights supported by
International law (530 villages and towns were completely depopulated, see
palestineremembered.com). For a real road map to peace, all we need is the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights and to implement all relevant UN
resolutions starting with UNGA 194 of 1949. Many churches, unions, and
student groups heeded the Palestinian civil society call that focuses on
non-violent actions including boycotts, divestments, and sanctions similar
to what was applied on South Africa. Most recently this included the large
Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) and University and College
Union in England (representing 120,000 academics in higher education). The
racist attacks on this growing movement proved its effectiveness.
America in the past and Israel more recently both shared visions of
“manifest destiny” to conquer untamed "wilderness" of which the natives were
the main obstacles. Vilifying the natives was thus a common feature in
America then and in Israel today. (Of course, the percentage of Native
Americans who remained alive is very small compared to the percentage of
Native Palestinians and the latter issue is dragging us to a World War.) It
is time to seek real reconciliation both in America and Israel. On June 10,
thousands will be in DC for a rally and march demanding an end to the
occupation (see endtheoccupation.org). We collectively work for peace so
that the 60-year anniversary of the beginning of the Palestinian
dispossession (November 1947) will be a new turning point for real peace
based on justice and equality.
FORTY YEARS TOO LONG:
A Weekend of Events to End the Israeli Occupation
JUNE 9th and 10th
Cal Anderson Park on Capitol Hill
(Capitol Hill, 11th Avenue and East Olive)
Also nearby locations & other places around the city.
A broad group of organizations concerned with peace and justice in the Middle East will mark forty years of the Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands. Weekend events will include theater, visual art, performances, discussions and films.
Please join us for these activities -- and help put a stop to the Occupation.
SATURDAY EVENTS:
THE "OCCUPATION GAME"
Cal Anderson Park
12:00 PM. to 6:00 PM
An outdoor, interactive, living game board: a self-guided all-directions-at-once journey through a military occupation. Over 80 different board squares and a set of rules which -- like the rules of a military occupation -- may work or may not.
ANTIGONE'S NATION
Cal Anderson Park
2:00 PM. to 3:00 PM
An outdoor theater performance adapted from Sophocles’ Antigone, exploring the conflict between security, stability, rebellion and freedom. Directed by Robert Leigh and featuring several local actors and movement artists.
ENDING THE OCCUPATION:
Cal Anderson Park
3:00 PM at Shelter House
A panel discussion featuring Tariq Abuhamdia, activist from Hebron, West Bank; Majd Bani Odeh, student from Nablus; West Bank, and Assaf Oron, Israeli military refuser, activist.
THE OCCUPATION ON FILM:
Seattle Central Community College
1701 Broadway Ave. (room tba)
7:30 PM -- 9:30 PM
Documentary films and discussion
Personal Narratives: Accounts of the Effects of Occupation
In the Spider's Web 2004. 47 min.
Produced by Al-Haq, Palestinian human rights organization. Directed by Hanna Musleh.
Dying to Live 2002. 10 minutes.
Producer/Director Amineh Ayyad, board member of Friends of Palestinian Medical Relief Society (PMRS)
Films will be preceded and followed by short presentations by Amineh Ayyad, and a facilitated discussion/Q&A together with Erin Wade of the Palestine Solidarity Committee.
SUNDAY EVENTS
THE OCCUPATION GAME
Cal Anderson Park
12:00 PM. to 6:00 PM
ISRAEL AND PALESTINE: PEACE NOT APARTHEID
Shoreline Library
345 NE 175th, Shoreline, WA 98155
3:00 PM to 5:00 PM
Presentation: Professor Steve Niva
A discussion led by Professor Steve Niva on the question of apartheid in occupied Palestine, addressing President Jimmy Carter's controversial book, Palestine: Peace not Apartheid.
Steve Niva teaches International Politics and Middle East Studies at the Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington. His primary areas of research and writing include the Israeli-Palestinian conflict; U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East; Islamist movements; political, economic and cultural globalization; and critical sovereignty studies. He has written for and served on the editorial board of Middle East Report magazine.
(See http://academic.evergreen.edu
FILM: THE COLOR OF OLIVES
Central Cinema 1411 21st Ave
7:00 PM and 9:30 PM
From Mexican director Carolina Rivas and cinematographer Daoud Sarhandi comes this elegant and visually breathtaking new film about the Palestinian experience. The Amer family lives surrounded by the infamous West Bank Wall, where their daily lives are dominated by electrified fences, locked gates and a constant swarm of armed soldiers. This unique and intimate documentary shares their private world, allowing a glimpse of the constant struggles and the small, endearing details that sustain them. The Color of Olives is an artistic and beautifully affecting reflection on the effects of racial segregation, the meaning of borders and the absurdity of war.
Color | 97 minutes | 2006 www.thecolourofolives.com
*
Sponsoring organizations:
Palestine Solidarity Committee, Jewish Voice for Peace, Voices of Palestine, Green Party Seattle, The Phoenix Group, The Palestine Concerns Task Force of the Church Council, Episcopal Peace Fellowship of Greater Seattle
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