1 July 2003
PENGON, the Palestinian Environment NGO Network, a member of Habitat International Coalition - Housing & Land Rights Network and OMCT jointly call for immediate action against the wall’s construction. They ask you to take immediate action. Read more about Take Action against the Apartheid Wall
6 August 2003
The Palestinian Environment NGO Network (PENGON), member of Habitat International Coalition - Housing & Land Rights Network and OMCT jointly appeal for an immediate stop to the wall’s construction. They ask you to take urgent action. Read more about Take action against the Apartheid Wall in Palestine
6 August 2003
We had a great reception from the wonderful people of Yanoun, most of whose land has been confiscated for the nearby Jewish settlement of Itamar, and who endure frequent beatings and shootings from these same fanatical settlers who want to ‘redeem’ the rest of the land by driving out the remaining Palestinians. Yanoun shows the destructiveness of Zionism in a microcosm. Heavily-armed settlers march through the village regularly, usually on their Sabbath, intimidating and beating up villagers. Any villager who strays over invisible lines, perhaps to retrieve a stray sheep, risks a severe beating or worse. Mick Napier writes about his experiences during a visit to Yanoun on behalf of the Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign. Read more about The village of Yanoun: a microcosm of the destructiveness of Zionism
28 July 2003
Israeli forces opened fire on ISM members and wounded five activists who were taking part in a non-violent demonstration against Israel’s apartheid wall in the village of Anin, west of Jenin. Read more about Israeli forces open fire on Apartheid Wall protestors, wounding five
28 July 2003
Former Dutch Prime Minister Dries van Agt expressed regret of his defense of the Israeli army in front of the Dutch parliament after the massacre of Palestinian civilians in Sabra and Shatila. “At that time I couldn’t believe that under the eyes of the Israeli army such atrocities could have taken place as later was revealed,” Van Agt told a Dutch daily newspaper on Saturday. Read more about Former Dutch Prime Minister regrets his defense of Israel
26 July 2003
The University of Victoria and the School of Social Work should be places where we openly challenge, discuss and debate a wide range of ideas and perspectives. Moreover, the call to pay attention to issues of human rights and the imperative to voice demands for peace and social justice cannot be practices that are merely “reserved” for particular places or occasions. The responsibility to speak out against injustice, both locally and globally, is a responsibility incumbent upon all individuals, groups and institutions, at all moments, and in every domain of life — there are no “inappropriate” places or times for this sort of endeavour.” Fairn Herising, a Ph.D. candidate at the Univeristy of Victoria and a member of the University’s Anti-Racist Action Coalition, reflects on a recent act of censorship and the dangers of shutting out dissenting voices. Read more about Should a university silence voices calling for peace and justice?
25 July 2003
Rejecting the claims of the Israeli government prosecution, Judge Gabriel Kling ruled yesterday that three international peace activists do not represent a “security risk” to the state of Israel. Read more about ISM activists released on bail
24 July 2003
While Israeli and Palestinian negotiators discuss the road map to peace and while Palestinian groups maintain a ceasefire, a delegation of nine prominent Dutch women visited Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories (July 6 - 12, 2003). The delegation was shocked to observe that while presently attempts are made to have the road map implemented, Israel is bringing about an opposite reality on the ground. Read more about Imprisoned behind barbed wire: "Without European decisiveness no perspective on peace in the Middle East"
22 July 2003
Amman, Jordan, 17 July 2003 — The International Solidarity Movement’s second Freedom Summer has begun, and much has changed since our last: the war on Iraq, which focused all eyes on the region; the much-hyped road map; full-blown construction on what Palestinians have come to call the Apartheid Wall. Sadly, though, much remains the same: the continuing deterioration of the lives of Palestinians, with poverty and health crises in a crescendo. Adam Shapiro, an organizer with the International Solidarity Movement, writes in The Nation. Read more about Freedom Summer
21 July 2003
“I have been hiding out here in Tel Aviv the last few days, recovering from a really turbulent few weeks and of the bitter news that my friends are being deported from Israel now. Already 5 of the 8 detained internationals have been deported, following the Tel Aviv District Court decision upholding the Interior Ministry’s decision that these human rights activists pose a “security threat”. The judge seemed unsympathetic, ordering the immediate deportation of the activists, dismissing a request to allow for one more week to file an appeal.” Avi Zer-Aviv writes from Tel Aviv. Read more about "We are all Palestinians"