Students for Justice in Palestine at University of Maryland

From Al Jazeera Arab officials condemn Aqsa raid Israeli forces fired rubber bullets and stun grenades, wounding many Palestinian worshippers [AFP] Jordanian and Palestinian officials have condemned the Israeli security forces for storming Jerusalem's al-Aqsa mosque on Sunday during clashes that left many Palestinian worshippers wounded. Deploring the Israeli action, the officials said it amounted to a "violation of the mosque's sanctity". Trouble had broken out after a group of about 150 Israelis turned up and entered the mosque compound, reportedly under the guard of local authorities, on the occasion of Yom Kippur, the Jewish holy day. Speaking to the JNA state news agency on Monday, Nabil al-Sharif, the Jordanian media affairs minister, said Amman viewed the Israeli action as a "provocative act". "Both international law and relevant conventions and resolutions call for protection of places of worship against any violations", he said. "We ...

Radical Rush Week: Faces of Occupation Looking at the Human Impact of the Conflicts in Israel/Palestine, Afghanistan, and Iraq Host: UMD Students for Justice in Palestine Type: Education - Workshop Network: Global Date: Wednesday, September 23, 2009 Time: 7:00pm - 9:00pm Location: Jimenez 0105 Description How many Palestinian civilians were killed in the recent Israeli offensive, Operation Cast Lead, against Gaza in January? How many Iraqi civilians have been killed since the Iraq War started in 2003? What types of roles, if any, does civilian suffering and humanitarian suffering play in these types of conflicts? Is this imperialism? Is this colonialism? Come out for an event with Students for Justice in Palestine and Students for a Democratic Society that will look at how civilian populations, especially women and children, suffer the greatest from these brutal conflicts. Ongoing offensives in countries like Israel, Palestine, Afghanistan, and Iraq will be presented a...

From BBc Israel 'understated' Gaza deaths A new report says more civilians were killed in Gaza than Israel admits An Israeli human rights group says many more Palestinian civilians were killed in the Israeli military's campaign in Gaza than the army admits. B'Tselem said detailed research with careful cross-checking showed 1,387 Palestinians died, over half of them civilians and 252 of them children. This contradicts an Israeli army report stating fewer than 300 civilians died in fighting in December and January. Israel launched the assault to halt rocket attacks from Hamas-run Gaza. The overall B'Tselem total broadly tallies with the official Palestinian death toll and the findings of other non-governmental organisations, although the proportion of civilians it identifies is lower. ...

Hey Everyone, Here is a heads up about an event that seems pretty interesting! - Uri Gordan speaking at St. Stephen's Church in Washington DC Timezone: America/New York Uri Gordon speaking about Anarchists against the Wall, and the joint struggle in Israel/Palestine Come hear Israeli anarchist Uri Gordon talk about Anarchist Against the Wall and the practice of anarchist organizing in Israel. Plus, his new book Anarchy Alive! will be available for %20 off the cover price! http://anarchyalive.com Tuesday, September 8 @7 pmSt. Stephen's Church1525 Newton NW Washington, DC Free admission (donations appreciated to cover tour costs) From IAS

what a great project! - From Haaretz Fourteen-year-old Jum’a Ismail lives 50 km from the Mediterranean but had never seen the sea. The Palestinian youth had never set eyes on an Israeli civilian or an airport. Juma’a’s horizons expanded this summer, when he left Jalazoun refugee camp in the West Bank with “Birthright Replugged” on a trip taking Palestinian children to Israel to visit the villages of their ancestors. “It’s an attempt to get out, while they still can,” said the program’s creator, Dunya Alwan. Once Palestinian children turn 15, they must carry Israeli-issued West Bank identity cards and are no longer able to travel through Israeli checkpoints without special permits. “Birthright Replugged” is partially funded by the Carter Center’s Peace Program, founded by former U.S. president Jimmy Carter. It takes groups of 20 Palestinian children into Israel twice yearly. Alwan, an Iraqi-American from a Jewish-Muslim family, calls her work a counterweight to “Birthright”, the pr...

Absolutely beautiful story! From ElectronicIntifada - - Eman Mohammed writing from the occupied Gaza Strip, Live from Palestine, 17 August 2009 Newlyweds Rana and Mahmoud al-Zourby at their home in the Gaza Strip. (Eman Mohammed) They say that all is fair in love and war. In Gaza, love and war have come together in a bittersweet union. Rana, 26, like many women around the world, dreamed of walking down the aisle in a white dress and veil. But her marriage to Mahmoud is extraordinary in many ways as life is these days in Gaza. On the rehearsal morning about a week before their planned wedding, Mahmoud, 21, got dressed with the help of his younger brother, then sat smiling in the corner as he waited for Rana to come visit to write out invitation cards. Before Israel's winter invasion of Gaza, it was easy for Mahmoud to recognize Rana from the mere...

Great News!! from PACBI - - PALESTINIAN CAMPAIGN FOR THE ACADEMIC AND CULTURAL BOYCOTT OF ISRAEL (PACBI) & NEW YORK CAMPAIGN FOR THE BOYCOTT OF ISRAEL (NYCBI) Amnesty International Withdraws from Leonard Cohen’s Israel Concert Fund Media Contacts: pacbi@pacbi.org , inf o@boycottisraelnyc.org New York , NY , August 18 – Amnesty International has announced today that it will abstain from any involvement in the Leonard Cohen concert in Tel Aviv and will not be party to any fund that benefits from the concert‘s proceeds. A number of media accounts had reported that Amnesty International was to manage or otherwise partner in a fund created from the proceeds of Cohen’s concert in Israel that would be used to benefit Israeli and Palestinian groups. Amnesty International’s announcement today followed an international outcry over the human rights organization’s reported involvement in the Leonard Cohen concert fund, and an earlier international call for Cohen to boyc...