No. 19, 20, 21, 22 (152, 153, 154, 155)
North America
American Task Force on Palestine (ATFP) held a briefing on 7 November entitled “Prospects for Peace: The Pulse of Palestinian Streets” by Khalil Shikaki, Director of the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research and a Senior Fellow at the Crown Center for Middle East at Brandeis University. For further information, visit the web site: http://www.atfp.org
ATFP held its Second Annual Gala on 17 October 2007 entitled “Choosing Peace, Embracing Hope”, with the presence of 500 people. Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burn, the keynote speaker, delivered a letter from President Bush which stressed the President’s commitment to Palestinian statehood. More information about the event is available at ATFP’s web site.
ATFP held also a presentation on 30 October 2007 entitled “Palestinian and Israeli Narratives: A Path to Peace or to Perpetual Conflict?” by Ghait al-Omari, Director of Advocacy at ATFP, a Senior Fellow of the New America Foundation, and co-drafter of the Geneva Initiative; and Paul Scham, Adjunct Scholar at the Middle East Institute, and co-editor of “Shared Stories”, a book examining the historical narratives of both sides.
Arte East will screen on 13 November 2007 “The Nakba Archive Project - The Video Archive of the Testimonies of the 1948 Generation Palestinian Refugees in Lebanon”, at the IFC Center, New York City. The Nakba Archive, a grassroots oral history collective based in Lebanon, has recorded over 450 eyewitness testimonies that reconstruct, through personal memories, the social, cultural and political life of Palestinians before 1948 and the events that led to the Nakba. Arte East will also screen on 12 to 13 November 2007 “The Best of Palestinian Cinema” at the same location. Other films include: “The Roof”, “Make a Wish”, “All I Want for Christmas”, Everywhere Was the Same”. For further information, visit the web site: http://www.ifccenter.org or visit the web site: http://www.arteeast.org
Al Awda Toronto will hold on 14 November 2007 the screening of the film “Bilin My Love”, as part of the “Week against the Apartheid Wall”, by Shai Carmeli Pollack, who chronicled the moment in time when the Israelis and Palestinians came together to halt the wall’s construction. For further information, visit the web site: http://al-awda.org
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace issued the transcript of the presentation on 25 October 2007 entitled “Palestinian Perspectives on a Middle East Meeting” by Maen Areikat, Director General, PLO Negotiations Affairs Department; Khaled Elgindy, Policy Advisor, Negotiations Support Unit (NSU); and Gregory Khalil, Legal Advisor, Negotiations Support Unit. For further information, visit the web site: http://www.carnegieendowment.org
Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) will hold a conference from 20 to 22 April 2008 entitled “Calming the Storm: Middle East Peacemaking in a Turbulent Time”, in Washington D.C. At the conference, church leaders, issue analysts, policy experts and government officials will provide insights and updates and prepare for conference participants to meet with elected officials. For further information, visit the web site: http://www.cmep.org
The Foundation for Middle East Peace (FMEP) will hold a lecture on 13 November 2007 entitled “The Struggle for Peace and Human Rights in the Holy Land by Rabbi Arik Ascherman, Executive Director, Rabbis for Human Rights. For further information, contact E-Mail: info@fmep.org or visit the web site: http://www.fmep.org
The Institute for Palestine Studies published its new issue in October 2007. It contains the following articles: “Palestinian versus Palestinians” by Beshara Doumani, a critical reappraisal of the state-centered project of successive phases of the Palestinian national movement; “Arming David” by Ricky-Dale Calhoun, on the collusion of American Jewish businessmen in the arming of Zionist forces in mandate Palestine; “Garibaldi in Palestine” by Leila Parsons, on the Arab nationalist soldier Fawzi al-Awuqi who fought British and French colonialism in Palestine, Syria and Iraq; and “Post-Charisma” by Ali Jarbawi and Wendy Pearlman, on use of the concept of post-charisma transition – to analyse the post-Arafat era. For further information, contact E-Mail: palestinestudies@mail.democracyinaction.org
Israel Policy Forum will hold a presentation on 3 December 2007 entitled “Two States: A Global Imperative”, at the Grand Hyatt Hotel, New York City. Addresses by Chuck Hagel, US Senator; and Haim Ramon, Vice-Prime Minister of Israel. Speakers include: MK Efraim Sneh, former Deputy Defence Minister of Israel, and Afif Safieh, PLO Representative to the US; Robert Malley, Middle East and North Africa Programme Director, International Crisis Group, former Special Assistant to President Bill Clinton for Arab-Israeli Affairs; H.E. Prince Zeid Raad Zeid al Hussein, Ambassador of Jordan to he US; Ambassador Samuel Lewis, former US Ambassador to Israel; Terje Roed Larsen, President, International Peace Academy;and Frederic C.Hof, Principal Author of the Mitchell Report. For further information, contact E-Mail: afishbein@ipforum.org or visit the web site: http://www.ipforum.org
The Mosaic Foundation held a presentation on 24 October 2007 entitled “Heritage Preservation and Regeneration in the Old City of Jerusalem” by Shadia Touqan, the Director of the Welfare Association’s Old City Revitalization Plan, in Washington D.C. For further information, visit the web site: http://www.mosaicfound.org
The Palestine Center will hold a briefing on 15 November 2007 entitled “Building on Shaky Ground: A Critical Economic Assessment of the “West Bank First” Strategy” by Mohammed El-Samhouri, economist and Senior Fellow at the Crown Center for Middle East Studies, Brandeis University. For further information, contact E-Mail: info@palestinecenter.org or visit the web site: http://www.thejerusalemfund.org
Palestine House sent an open letter on 28 October 2007 to PA President Mahmoud Abbas, on behalf of the Palestinian Canadian Community Assembly, at the Palestinian National Voice Preparatory Conference, held on 27 and 28 October, in Hamilton, Canada, expressing concern regarding the November 2007 conference to be hosted by the US Government in Annapolis, Maryland. The letter was unanimously approved by 18 Palestinian Canadian communities in Toronto, Mississauga, Ottawa, Vancouver and Montreal. For further information, visit the web site: http://www.palestinehouse.com
The Palestinian American Congress will hold its annual convention from 30 November to 2 December 2007, at the Sheraton Hotel at Bradley International Airport, Hartford, CT. For further information, contact E-Mail: qumi001@yahoo.com
Resistance Art has posted the 2008 “Colors from Palestine” Calendar in its web site. The calendar focuses on the work of Naji Al-Ali and to mark the 60th anniversary of the Palestinian Nakba. For further information, contact E-Mail: info@resistanceart.com or visit the web site: http://www.resistenceart.com
US/Middle East Project, Inc., The International Crisis Group, and the New America Foundation/American Strategy Program issued a joint statement in November 2007 entitled “Failure Risks Devastating Consequences” sent by its signers to President George W. Bush and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice regarding the Middle East Peace conference in Annapolis, Maryland, on 26 November. The letter was signed by Zbigniew Brzezinski, former National Security Advisor to President Jimmy Carter; Lee H.Hamilton, former Congressman and Co-Chair of the Iraq Study Group; Carla Hills, former US Trade Representative under President George H.W.Bush; Nancy Kassebaum-Baker, former Senator; Thomas Pickering, former Under-Secretary of State under President Bill Clinton; Brent Scowcroft, former National Security Advisor to President Ford and President George H. W. Busm; Theodore Sorensen, former Special Counsel and Advisor to President John F.Kennedy; and Paul Volcker, former Chairman of the Board of Governors of the US Federal Reserve System. For further information, visit the web site: http://www.nybooks.com/articles/20750
US Campaign To End the Israeli Occupation will hold the “5th Annual International Week against the Apartheid Wall” from 9 to 16 November 2007. For further information, visit the web site: http://www.uscampaign.org
Asia
The Australian Friends of Palestine Association (AFOPA) hosted their annual dinner for some 360 people, in Adelaide. Proceeding from the auction will go for medical supplies for hospitals in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. For further information, contact E-mail: enquiries@womenforpalestine.com, or visit the web site: http://www.australiansforpalestine.com
Europe
Dutch Trade Union ABVAKABO will hold a conference on 29 November 2007, commemorating the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, in Rotterdam. For further information, contact E-Mail: w.lankamp@hccnet.nl or visit the web site: http://www.abvakabofnv.nl
Friends of Birzeit University (FoBZU) is raising funds for Palestinian students to continue their education at Birzeit University. The Hardship Fund has helped over 400 students continue their education. FoBZU has also established funds to provide scholarship for women, and has secured grants for the running of key development projects including a School Counselling Programme, Mental Health Programme and Adult Literacy Scheme. For further information, contact E-Mail: fobzu@fobzu.org or visit the web site: http://www.fobzu.org
School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) Palestine Society will hold a conference on 17 and 18 November 2007 entitled “Challenging the Boundaries: A Single State in Palestine/Israel”, in London. For further information, visit the web site: http://www.onestate.org
SOAS held a presentation on 31 October 2007 entitled “The Annapolis Conference – Will requirements for Israeli-Palestinian Peace be met? by Maen Areikat, Deputy Head of the Negotiations Affairs Department of the PLO; and Fouad Hallak, Policy Advisor on Jerusalem, Negotiations Support Unit. For further information, contact E-Mail: sh84@soas.ac.uk
Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) issued a press release in October 2007 informing about the Lobby of Parliament on 28 November 2007, on the occasion of the UN International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, entitled “End the Israeli Occupation” with the participation of over fifty organizations in the UK. For further information, contact E-Mail: info@palestinecampaign.org or wattg@caabu.org or visit the web sites: http://www.palestinecampaign.org or http://www.caabu.org
The PSC issued a press release on 1 November 2007 entitled “British Government must use all available pressure to end Israel’s attack on essential fuel supplies to the Gaza Strip”.
Israel/Occupied Palestinian Territory, including Jerusalem
Advocacy PCC issued a press release informing about a candle ligh vigil that was held at Damascus Gate in Jerusalem on 24 October 2007, to protest the killing of a Palestinian political prisoner and the harsh conditions endured by the political prisoners. For further information, visit the web site: http://pcc-jer.org
Al-Ma’an Foundation for Contemporary Art held the “Jerusalem Show” from 20 to 30 October 2007, in Jerusalem. The Show included a series of cultural activities that took place in different locations in the Old City, including a tour of locations of artworks, a photography workshop, the contemporary dance group “Sydost”, tours of the Old City organized by the Centre for Jerusalem Studies (CJS) and the Foundation, and the film screening of “Entry Denied” by Emily Jacir. For further information, contact E-Mail: info@almamalfoundation.org
Alternative Information Center (AIC) issued a paper on 7 November 2007 entitled “The Bitter Harvest: The Israeli Occupation’s Effects on Palestinian Olive Oil” by Ahmad Jaradat. For further information, visit the web site: http://alternativenews.org
AIC has produced a new documentary “The Garbage Cage” about Palestinians, many of them children, from the Hebron area who are trapped by the wall and forced to make a living by digging for metal in the Yatta dump yard. The documentary describes the lives of these people and their dreams. For further information on the film, contact E-Mail: connie@alt-info.org
B’Tselem – The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories issued the following press releases in October 2007: “Gazan cancer patient dies after being delayed into Israel for 14 Days”; “Severe water shortage in Hebron District”, informing about the situation of tens of thousand Palestinians in the district as a result of discrimination in water allocation, and refusal by the Israeli authorities to enforce the law; “Route 443 – West Bank Road for Israelis Only”, which used to be a major Palestinian traffic artery in the Ramallah district; and “Sharp rise in Israeli violence around the new settlement in Hebron”, a result of an increase in attacks by settlers and Israeli security forces on Palestinian residents. For further information, visit the web site: http://www.btselem.org
Council of Religious Institutions of the Holy Land issued a public statement on 7 November 2007 from Washington D.C. where Heads of Communities of the three monotheistic religious in Jerusalem met and adopted a statement. For further information, contact E-Mail: yusef66jrs@yahoo.com
Gisha – Legal Center for Freedom of Movement, Adalah – The Legal Center for Arab Minorities in Israel, HaMoked: Center for the Defence of the Individual, Physicians for Human Rights - Israel, The Palestinian Center for Human Rights, The Public Committee Against Torture in Israel, Gaza Community Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories, Al Haq, and Al-Mezan Center for Human Rights issued a petition in October demanding an injunction against disrupting the supply of electricity and fuel to he Gaza Strip. According to Gisha, Gaza residents purchase approximately 63% of their electricity from Israel, primarily through tax moneys collected by Israel on behalf of the Palestinian Authority. For further information, visit the website: http://www.gisha.org
Gisha issued press releases in October entitled “Israel is punishing the student population of the Gaza Strip”, preventing 670 students from the Gaza Strip to pursue higher education abroad; and “Palestinian Students Still Banned from Israeli Universities”. Gisha submitted the court petitions for both cases and issued a position paper entitled: Limitations on Access to Higher Education for Palestinian Students”.
Hamoked – Center for the Defence of the Individual and B’Tselem – The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories issued a report entitled “Absolute Prohibition – The Torture and Ill-Treatment of Palestinian Detainees”. For further information, visit the web site: http://www.hamoked.org
Israeli Palestinian Research and Information Center (IPCRI) will hold a presentation on 13 November 2007 entitled “Rotting in the Fields: The Gaza Agricultural Exports Problem” by Hille Adiri, freelance agro-business consultant; Ismail D’aiq, Director of the Palestinian Agricultural Relief Committee (PARC). The event will take place at the Notre Dame Hotel, Jerusalem. For further information, contact E-Mail: riman@ipcri.org
Lajee Center has been running photography projects with the children of Aida Refugee Camp, as well as exhibits in the Occupied Territory and abroad. The Center has recently published two photography books to show this work: “Dreams for Hope”, a project looking for connections between the memories and history of survivors of the Nakba based on interviews, and the contemporary realities in the depopulated villages today, including stories and texts by project participants aged 11 to 15 years old; and “Our Eyes”, a black and white photographic book creatively documenting life in a refugee camp by artists aged 11 to 20 years-old. Photography exhibitions are also available to be shown from both the children’s two new photography projects produced in 2007. For further information, contact E-Mail: richimages02@hotmail.com
Machsom Watch has organized a variety of photo exhibitions, accompanied by slide shows and short films documenting the reality at the checkpoints and the wall. A list of the exhibition resources can be found at the web site: http://www.machsomwatch.org For further information, contact E-Mail: inathan@netvision.net.il
Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) issued a press release on 23 October 2007 entitled “After Killing a Palestinian Prisoner by Excessive Force in the Israeli Negev Detention Center: PCHR Calls for an Impartial International Commission and for Ensuring Israel’s Respect of Prisoners’Rights”. For further information, contact E-Mail: pchr@pchrgaza.org or visit the web site: http://www.pchrgaza.org
The Palestinian NGO Network (PNGO) issued a press release in October 2007 informing that on the occasion of the UN International Day for Eradication of Poverty, the organization prepared several activities in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. The activities included: a popular demonstration, a dance performance at Ramallah Cultural Palace, and other activities in several schools and protests at universities and towns in the West Bank In the Gaza Strip, a popular conference on the Right to Work and to Social Protection took place. Also, a stand up took place in in all public and UNRWA schools in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. For further information, contact E-Mail: pngonet@pngo.net or visit the web site: http://www.dwrc.org
Palestinian International Campaign to End the Siege in Gaza issued a press release on 8 November 2007 informing about the situation in the Gaza Strip and planned activities of the Campaign. One of the activities is the organization of an international symposium entitled “Breaking the Siege on Gaza: Together for a United Front for Peace, in Gaza. The campaign is an initiative of the Gaza Community Mental Health Programme and managed by 30 representatives of civil society, business community, intellectuals, academics, and human rights advocates from the West Bank and Gaza. The aim of this campaign is to raise awareness of the international community and Governments to stop the boycott of Gaza For further information, contact E-Mail: end.gaza.siege@gmail.com
Peace Now issued a report on 7 November 2007 entitled “Construction in the Settlements Continues”, covering the period from May to October 2007. It states that the construction of settlements in the West Bank has accelerated, with construction underway in 88 settlements and settlers having built permanent structures in 34 outposts. The report also states that the annual growth of settlers in the West Bank is of 5.8%, versus 1.8 % growth inside Israel. For further information, visit the web site: http://www.peacenow.org.il
Physicians for Human Rights Israel (PHR) issued two appeals in October 2007: “Erez Crossing Closed to Patients”, which states that at least 87 patients in need of care unavailable in the Gaza Strip have been denied passage; and “Erez Crossing – What the Eye Doesn’t See”, where is states that “barely two weeks since extensive media attention successfully compelled Israel to allow access to lifesaving care for patients through Erez Crossing, Israeli policies lead to a repetition of a similar crisis”. For further information, contact E-Mail: miri@phr.org.il or visit the web site: http://www.phr.org.il
Ta’ayush issued a press release in October 2007 entitled “The Iminent Threat of Expulsion: The Palestinians from the South Hebron Hills Need Your Help”. The press release states that “while all eyes are on the crisis in the Gaza Strip, the Palestinians who live in Susya, in the hills to the south of Hebron, are in danger of being expelled from their homes”. The families live from their herds of goats and sheep and by farming the few fields that have been left to them. The organization is seeking aid to finance legal expenses to prevent the threat of expulsion. For further information, contact E-Mail: cathrott@gmail.com
Stop the Wall Campaign issued a press release announcing the Popular Resistance Conference from 10 to 14 November 2007 in Jenin; and posted the final statement of the Palestinian Civil Society Conference held from 16 to 18 October 2207 in Cyprus. Forty-four participants representing civil society networks, coalitions, and association in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and Kuwait, in addition of international partner organizations attended the event. For further information, visit the web site: http://www.stopthewall.org
Yahar’s Center for Social Concern in cooperation with the Palestine-Israel Journal will hold a presentation on 13 November 2007 to mark the English publication “Lords of the Land” by Akiva Eldar, Chief Political Columnist of Ha’aretz; Talia Sasson, former Head of Special Tasks Division in State Attorney’s Office and author of “Outpost Report”; and Suhail Khalilyah, Head, Monitoring Settlements Unit, Applied Research Institute. For further information, contact E-Mail: heidi.pij@gmail.com or visit the web sites: http://www.yakar.org or http://www.pij.org
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The NGO Action News is a bi-weekly newsletter issued by the Division for Palestinian Rights of the United Nations Secretariat and intended to provide information on worldwide NGO activities relevant to the question of Palestine. Organizations interested in sharing information about their activities through this newsletter may contact the Division for Palestinian Rights at:
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Please be advised that the final decision with regard to selecting material for inclusion in the newsletter rests with the Division for Palestinian Rights. The Division cannot take responsibility for the accuracy of the information provided to it by contributing organizations.