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Voices of Peace
Vol.VI
" I know virtually all of the individuals listed below, and they are people
of the highest integrity and creativity. Also, these are all nonviolent actions."--
Bill Thomsons' Middle East Daily Newsletter
"The single most important factor in providing protection to Palestinians during
the recent invasions was the performance of the
international protection forces."
Dr. Mustafa Barghouthi--
President of the Union of Palestinian Medical Relief Committees
Date: Fri, 3 May 2002
International Solidarity Movement
by George Qassis
Friends,
Thank you so much for your statement of support for the International Solidarity
Movement and the Palestinian struggle for freedom. Many of you have asked how you
can help from where you are, and many more have inquired into joining us here in
the besieged and occupied Palestinian territories. The following is some information
that we hope you will find helpful:
Coming To Palestine
We still need your presence and support in Palestine. The International Solidarity
Movement (ISM) will work with the Grassroots International Protection for Palestinians
(GIPP) to receive and place internationals in Palestinian communities throughout
the month of May. We welcome you to be a witness to, and a voice against, the horrors
of occupation. Please continue to contact George Rishmawi at abusalib@p-ol.com for
registration and logistical arrangements or you can register online at www.rapprochement.org
.
Before coming, please make contact with your local media and government representatives.
One of the most important things you can do to help here is to be an eyewitness and
to help with the dissemination of information from the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
In that sense you can be a resource for your local media and perhaps even a human
interest story. You can let your representatives know that you will be traveling
here and request a meeting with them upon your return. Documentation: It is strongly
recommended that campaigners bring along their own cameras; digital video and digital
still cameras are preferred for immediate availability of the footage. Additionally,
please do not forget to bring any software and cables that will be needed to download
your footage to a locally-based computer.
The Summer
We've had hundreds of people inquire into spending the summer in Palestine. The
International Solidarity Movement is working on planning a powerful summer campaign
of nonviolent, direct-action against the Israeli Occupation. All freedom-loving people
will be invited to join us in Palestine for Freedom Summer 2002 starting in late
June. More details will follow soon. Those that have asked us about internship opportunities
in Palestine, please note that ISM is not in a position to place interns. This summer
we are calling for all who are willing to commit to the nonviolent, direct-action
resistance. If you are interested in internships, please contact individual Palestinian
organizations or the Palestinian Network of NGOs at pngonet@p-ol.com
What To Do Now
Please make plans to join us this summer and use the preparation time to inform
and educate those around you. Get to know your local media sources and gather names
and contact information. It's also important to do this with your representatives
and members of parliament (as mentioned above). (See below for sample letters to
be followed up with visits). Try to meet with your representatives and local journalists
to inform them of your upcoming trip.
We need you to keep up the pressure on your media and government officials. We've
been noticing the powerful demonstrations in support of Palestine taking place all
over the world. You're making a difference. Please don't tire.
Fundraising & Donations
Whereas the International Solidarity Movement does not have the funds to assist
individuals with the costs associated with traveling to Palestine, fundraisers can
be a good way to educate in addition to raiise money for activists to come to Palestine.
If you are interested in fundraising or making a donation to the International Solidarity
Movement, please send us an email at info@palsolidarity.org
andpcr@p-ol.com
We will continue to post updates on Indymedia
Palestine and soon have our website updated with this and more information on
how you can get more involved - http://www.palsolidarity.org
and www.rapprochement.org
Other good sites for news & information on Palestine: http://www.electronicintifada.org
http://www.palestinemonitor.org http://www.palestinechronicle.com http://www.rapprochement.org
If you are getting this message forwarded and would otherwise like to be on our palsolidarity
email list, please send a message to info@palsolidarity.org
Hope to see you in Palestine soon.
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