Students for Justice in Palestine at University of Maryland

So most of you know that the wikileaks website is currently down. (even after Amazon hosted it!) A lot of the information listed below are Wikileak the Jerusalem Fund reposted. Please let me know if you have screen shots/links back etc. ------- Top 10 Wikileaks Palestine Nuggets By Yousef This post will focus on the most recent leaks as they relate to Palestine, and below are 10 of the more interesting passages relating to Palestine, the Palestinians and the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. Note that quotes in the text below are from the documents themselves, which may be paraphrased summaries of conversations and are not necessarily verbatim. There is very little here that should come as a surprise to those closely following the international relations of the Middle East and the politics around Palestine. These documents do, however, provide interesting context and color to these relations that were previously unavailable. Since this seems to be the first part of a large docume...

http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/fisk/robert-fisk-an-american-bribe-that-stinks-of-appeasement-2139101.html 3 billion to Israel to obey international law just for 90 days? That is 3 billion that can be used to help Americans climb out of the recession or to protect U.S. Troops overseas. More importantly, appeasement to a nation that has been wide ly condemned for its unlawful settlement into Palestinian land makes no sense. Paying someone 3 billion to follow the rules? Also, bowing down to the special interests of a foreign nation while condemning corruption in countries across the world seems a little hypocritical to me. How can you expect two nations to be at peace if you pay one with 3 billion in the form of military aid while 46 % of the other country's citizenry does not have enough food to eat. The money could be used a lot more wisely. Actions like these will prolong the road to peace for both Israelis and Palestinians.

We are accused of terrorism If we dare to write about the remains of a homeland That is scattered in pieces and in decay In decadence and disarray About a homeland that is searching for a place And about a nation that no longer has a face About a homeland that has nothing left of its great ancient verse But that of wailing and eulogy About a homeland that has nothing in its horizons Of freedoms of different types and ideology About a homeland that forbids us from buying a newspaper Or listen to anything About a homeland where all birds are always not allowed to sing About a homeland that out of horror, its writers are using invisible ink About a homeland that resembles poetry in our country Improvised, imported, loose and of no boundaries Of foreign tongue and soul Detached from Man and Land, ignoring their plight as a whole About a homeland to the negotiating table moves Without a dignity or shoes About a homeland That no more has steadfast men With only women therein Bitterness is in...

These past several weeks have elicited within me a feeling of pity for those who feel that they are forced to fabricate arguments defending the human rights violations associated with the illegal and immoral occupation of Palestine. This pity was extended to Israeli Ambassador, Dr. Michael Oren, as I listened to his speech at the Clarence Smith Performing Arts Center last Thursday. As I listened to easily-digestible facts about the State of Israel, I expected no less from a man who is paid to regurgitate the predictable talking points and rhetoric of the acting Israeli Government. I found his arguments to be pathetic, if not desperate to say the least. For instance, in his talk, Oren justified the US support for Israel’s occupation of Palestine through a combination of cute quotes by famous American historical figures, and the citing of job and technology creations from the $3.2 billion Israel receives in foreign US military aid, as if these were valid points. As a politician, O...

UMD Students for Justice in Palestine presents Palestinian Solidarity Week 2010 from Monday April 12 to Monday April 19. We are students, activists, advocates, sympathizers, fighter s, and humans and we are appalled a t the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Palestine and the illegal occupation of its p eople. PSW aims to raise awareness about the conflict at large, as well as highlight specific issues that are of utmost concern and need to be addressed NOW. Each day of the week will feature a different event or speaker: MONDAY, APRIL 12 at 6 pm: Prince George Room in the Stamp Student Union FILM SCREENING featuring Slingshot Hiphop Slingshot Hip Hop braids together the stories of young Palestinians living in Gaza, the West Bank and inside Israel as they discover Hip Hop and employ it as a tool to surmount divisions imposed by occupation and poverty. From internal checkpoints and Separation Walls to gender norms and generational differences, this is the story of young people crossing the b...

http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/mpapps/pagetools/print/news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8390717.stm?ad=1 Jerusalem residency losses rise Israel stripped a record number of Palestinians of their right to live in East Jerusalem last year, an Israeli rights group has said. Some 4,570 people had their residency rights removed, more than a third of the total number since Israel took control of East Jerusalem in 1967. Palestinians fear an attempt to reduce their presence in Jerusalem, which both they and Israel claim as their capital. Israel says most of those stripped of their rights were living abroad. Palestinians living in East Jerusalem were offered Israeli citizenship after Israel occupied the area in 1967 and later annexed it. Many refused, not wanting to recognise Israeli sovereignty, and were instead given residency. But, according to the Israeli rights organisation Hamoked, if these Palestinians live abroad for seven years, or gain citizenship or residency elsewhere, they lose their Israe...