Students for Justice in Palestine at University of Maryland

Why is Israel scared of accusations of apartheid? By: Nathan Feldman               Recently, the UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) released a human rights report on Israeli practices that concluded, from Reuters, that “Israel has established an apartheid regime that dominates the Palestinian people as a whole”. This report, published by Richard Falk, is the first of its kind originating from the UN. Soon after, the Israeli government, the Trump administration, and the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres pressured Rima Khalaf, the head of ESCWA, to rescind the report. She refused and instead resigned in protest through a series of actions thoroughly outlined by Glenn Greenwald of The Intercept (article linked at bottom).               Now, my personal view is that this report is both accurate and long overdue, and it was a pleasant surprise that a UN age...

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...

Gaza's cars barely running Eva Bartlett, The Electronic Intifada, 3 August 2009 Even though six months have passed since Israel's brutal three-week bombardment of Gaza, Saleh, like many other Palestinians, has not been able to repair the damage. "I can't replace the windows and doors in my house; they were broken during the war. For the most part you can't find them in Gaza, and if they've been brought in through the tunnels then they're far too expensive."Facing the debt of an unpaid car part, needed insurance, and daily expenses, the driver is considering other ways of making money. "Maybe I'll have to sell my wife's only jewelry to pay the bills. Maybe I'll have to sell our refrigerator and television. That might bring 700 shekels [less than $200]." From Electronic Intifada - - - so who exactly suffers the most from this occupation? is it hamas? no. fatah? no. it is all the innocent Palestinian civilians who have limited acces...

Gazans have limited access to proper medical supplies because of an Israel-led blockade on the Hamas-controlled region, and equipment now in use is often broken or outdated, the World Health Organization said Thursday. While some medicines are allowed in for humanitarian reasons, importing spare parts or new medical devices into Gaza is limited, a WHO official said. Also, the UN agency said, well-meant donations are not helping. "The main issue here about the blockade is that it undermines the supply system as a whole," Mahmoud Daher, the head of WHO's office in Gaza, told a news conference in Jerusalem. During Israel's punishing three-week offensive in Gaza in December and January, aimed at stopping daily rocket attacks, two health care facilities were destroyed and others damaged, but the WHO said health care has since returned to prewar levels. More than 1,100 Palestinians were killed and thousands wounded during the Israeli operation. From Haaretz - - How does pre...

Last March, poet, novelist and feminist Alice Walker joined a delegation organized by Code Pink, to travel to the Gaza Strip just weeks after the 22-day Israeli bombardment and invasion. Walker, globally acclaimed for her Pulitzer Prize winning novel, The Color Purple, had also traveled to Rwanda, Eastern Congo and other places where she witnessed cruel and barbaric behavior that left her speechless. "Rolling into Gaza I had a feeling of homecoming. There is a flavor to the ghetto. To the Bantustan. To the "rez." To the "colored section." In some ways it is surprisingly comforting. Because consciousness is comforting . Everyone you see has an awareness of struggle, of resistance, just as you do. The man driving the donkey cart. The woman selling vegetables. The young person arranging rugs on the sidewalk or flowers in a vase." We pass a hospital, bombed and gutted by fire. If one is not safe in a hospital, when one is already sick and afraid, wh...

Taken from Davey D's Hip Hop Corner : "Why should Black people in America be concerned about political happenings in far off places like Iran or Palestine when we have problems here at home? M-1 gave us a history lesson and reminded us that the Black struggle has always been international from the days of Paul Robeson to Malcolm X wanting to take our case before the United Nations to Martin Luther King dealing with Vietnam on up to the foreign aid that came to help us when we went through Katrina. M-1 goes into detail about why Black folks had better be concerned about international struggles. He lets us know that our struggle at home would’ve been seriously hindered if we weren’t internationally connected . He also encouraged us to see our selves as part of a larger movement without borders." Videos links here and here

The Israeli extremism the American media never chooses to highlight: Israel settlers burn olive trees The arrests followed the removal of a structure at an outpost "Ten people have been arrested during a series of disturbances caused by Jewish settlers in the West Bank after Israeli authorities removed an illegal caravan. Two Palestinians were taken to hospital after settlers threw stones at cars and tried to block a road near Nablus in the northern West Bank on Monday night. Settlers also set fire to a Palestinian olive grove in the area. The caravan was part of an "outpost", a settlement illegal under Israeli law, which Israel has agreed to remove. Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank are illegal under international law." - - Why is it that something like this would never be featured on CNN/MSNBC/FOX news? When we talk about extremism in the Middle East it is almost always in the context of Palestinians being portrayed as evil, corrupt, crazy people. Wh...