Students for Justice in Palestine at University of Maryland

Come out next Monday 10/26 for a special screening of the compelling documentary : : OCCUPATION101! Where: University of Maryland - Art Sociology - Room 2230 When: MONDAY 10/26 @ 6 p.m. Here is more information about the documentary : A thought-provoking and powerful documentary film on the current and historical root causes of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Unlike any other film ever produced on the conflict -- 'Occupation 101' presents a comprehensive analysis of the facts and hidden truths surrounding the never ending controversy and dispels many of its long-perceived myths and misconceptions. The film also details life under Israeli military rule, the role of the United States in the conflict, and the major obstacles that stand in the way of a lasting and viable peace. The roots of the conflict are explained through first-hand on-the-ground experiences from leading Middle East scholars, peace activists, journalists, religious leaders and humanitarian workers whose voic...

Finally! A step in the right direction! From AlJazeera - Rights council adopts Gaza report At least 1,400 Palestinians and 13 Israelis were killed during Israel's three-week war on Gaza [EPA] The UN human rights council has endorsed the Goldstone report on Israel's war on Gaza, which accuses the military of using disproportionate force as well as laying charges of war crimes on Israeli occupation forces and Hamas. The council's resolution adopting the report was passed in Geneva by 25 votes to six with 11 countries abstaining and five declining to vote. The inquiry, lead by Justice Richard Goldstone, calls on Ban Ki-moon, the UN secretary-general, to monitor whether Israel and Hamas conduct credible investigations into the conflict which took place last winter. Should the two sides fail to do so, it calls on the UN Security Council to refer the allegations to the International Criminal Court. Hamas 'thankful' The Palestinian Authority had initially agreed to defer a...

A horrifying story from Gaza. From Haaretz - Family who lost 29 members in Gaza war: We envy the dead By Amira Hass Tags: Amira Hass Richard Goldstone visited the Gaza City neighborhood of Zaytoun in late June to tour the compound of the extended Samouni family, the subject of coverage here in recent weeks ("'I fed him like a baby bird,'" September 17; "Death in the Samouni compound," September 25). Twenty-nine members of the family, all of them civilians, were killed in the Israel Defense Force's winter assault - 21 during the shelling of a house where IDF soldiers had gathered some 100 members of the family a day earlier. Salah Samouni and the owner of the house that was shelled - Wael Samouni - took Goldstone around the farming neighborhood, showing him its devastated homes and uprooted orchards. In a telephone conversation this week, Salah described how he had shown Goldstone a picture of his father, Talal, among the 21 killed in the house. He told t...

This is a really interesting article on how Jewish opinions are developing on Israel and its actions. from The Nation - American Jews Rethink Israel By Adam Horowitz & Philip Weiss This article appeared in the November 2, 2009 edition of The Nation. October 14, 2009 This year has seen a dramatic shift in American Jews' attitudes toward Israel. In January many liberal Jews were shocked by the Gaza war, in which Israel used overwhelming force against a mostly defenseless civilian population unable to flee. Then came the rise to power of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, whose explicitly anti-Arab platform was at odds with an American Jewish electorate that had just voted 4 to 1 for a minority president. Throw in angry Israelis writing about the "rot in the Diaspora," and it's little wonder young American Jews feel increasingly indifferent about a country that has been at the center of Jewish identity for four decades. ...

From CNN Israel out of NATO event because of Gaza, Turkish official says ANKARA, Turkey (CNN) -- Turkey excluded Israel from a planned NATO military exercise partly because of Turkey's criticism of Israel's Gaza offensive nearly a year ago, Turkey's foreign minister told CNN on Sunday. The Turkish government decided to change the list of participating countries and exclude Israel, according to the Israel Defense Forces. As a result, the NATO exercise was effectively scrapped, although a U.S. embassy representative said it was only postponed. Asked why Turkey excluded Israel from the exercise, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said, "We hope that the situation in Gaza will be improved, that the situation will be back to the diplomatic track. And that will create a new atmosphere in Turkish-Israeli relations as well. But in the existing situation, of course, we are criticizing this approach, [the] Israeli approach." Earlier, the Turkish foreign ministry said "a...

From BBC Goldstone fall-out plagues Abbas By Heather Sharp BBC News, Jerusalem Palestinians sometimes joke about the fact that, when written in Arabic, "Palestinian National Authority" looks the same as "Palestinian National Salad". Some Gazans threw shoes at posters branding Abbas a traitor And to many here, the PA's handling of Richard Goldstone's UN report on the conflict in Gaza has been mixed up and limp. What began as the publication of a damning report on Israel's military conduct -...

If you haven't heard already Students for Justice in Palestine @ UMD will be having an absolutely fascinating event tomorrow! Here are more details and we hope to see you all there!! Jewish Voices For Peace : Israelis and Jews Striving for Justice in Palestine Jimenez Building Room 0220 University of Maryland @ 6 p.m. Featuring speakers: Jesse Hochheiser, a member of Ta'ayush (Life in Common) a Jewish-Arab partnership, and Shelley Fudge of Jewish Voices for Peace and CodePink will be coming to UMD to share their experiences and reflections as Jews who are taking action against the occupation and the injustice the Palestinian people face. This event is sponsored by: UMD Students for Justice in Palestine, Jewish Voice for Peace, CODEPINK Women for Peace, Organization of Arab Students, Muslim Students Association, Muslim Women of Maryland, Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=146293649800&index=1

Here is a statement below from the Jewish Anti-Zionist Network outlining their support for the Palestinian general strike, which you can read more about here. International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network-LaborOctober 1, 2009 In the proud tradition of Jewish working class support for liberation struggles, IJAN-Labor stands in solidarity with the High Follow-up Committee for the Arab Citizens of Israel, the National Committee of Local Authorities, and all parties, movements and institutions of civil society of the Palestinian people in Israel, who have called a general strike for today, October 1, 2009. This strike marks the ninth anniversary of the Jerusalem and Al Aqsa Day in October 2000 when Israeli authorities massacred 13 Palestinian protesters. The killers have never been brought to justice. IJAN-Labor also welcomes the Trades Union Congress (U.K.) resolution of 17 September, which endorses the growing movement for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) against Israeli apartheid, an...