Events

Duluth Israel Apartheid Week Activities – March 3 & 4

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A series of public events are planned next week at Duluth campuses to raise public awareness about human rights violations in historic Palestine and call for an end to U.S. support for Israel and for Boycotts, Divestment and Sanctions against Israel. This includes a call for the State of Minnesota to divest itself of Israel bonds.

The events are being held in conjunction with the sixth annual Israel Apartheid Week, which takes place worldwide March 1-7, 2010. The local events are:

  • Wednesday, March 3, 3 p.m., University of Wisconsin-Superior Old Main Room 310: Eyewitness Report from Egypt and Palestine: presentation by Sylvia Schwartz.
  • Wednesday, March 3, 5 p.m., University of Minnesota-Duluth Montague Room 70: Eyewitness Reports from Egypt and Palestine: presentations by Bret Thiele, Mayra Gomez and Sylvia Schwartz.
  • Thursday, March 4, 12:30 p.m., Lake Superior College Room E2046: Eyewitness Reports from Egypt and Palestine: presentations by Bret Thiele, Mayra Gomez and Sylvia Schwartz.
  • Thursday, March 4, 5 p.m., College of St. Scholastica Intercultural Center (Tower Hall First Floor): Short Film on the Israeli Occupation, followed by a Panel Discussion with Bret Thiele, Mayra Gomez, and Sylvia Schwartz. Palestinian food provided by CSS Amnesty International.

The events are sponsored by the Minnesota Break the Bonds Coalition Duluth Chapter, College of St. Scholastica Amnesty International, and UMD Students for Peace. For more information, contact Bob Kosuth, (218) 724-4800, rkosuth@hotmail.com.

Bios:
Bret Thiele is the Litigation Coordinator for the Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions, an international human-rights NGO based in Geneva, Switzerland. He has traveled to Palestine numerous times, and lives in Duluth.

Mayra Gomez the Coordinator of the Women and Housing Rights Programme with the Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions and board member of Amnesty International USA. She has traveled to Palestine numerous times, and lives in Duluth.

Sylvia Schwartz is a member of the International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network and recently participated in the Gaza Freedom March, an attempt to break the blockade of Gaza from the Egyptian border. She lives in St. Paul.

Background:
The September, 2009 United Nations report on the recent Gaza Conflict, commonly known as the Goldstone Report, accused both Hamas and Israel of war crimes during the three-week war, in which 1400 Palestinians and 13 Israelis were killed. Israel has been roundly condemned by human rights groups including Amnesty International for the disproportionate use of violence and repression against Palestinians and the continued Israeli blockade which denies food, medicine and rebuilding materials to the people of Gaza.

Life for Palestinians living both in Israel and the Occupied Territories has been likened to that of South African blacks under Apartheid. In response, Palestinian Civil Society groups and their supporters have called for an international campaign of Boycotts, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) against Israel, similar to the grassroots efforts that helped end South African Apartheid regime. The aim of Israel Apartheid Week is to educate people about the nature of Israel as an apartheid system and to build the growing global BDS movement.


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News from our Friends

CPT-Palestine endorses Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Movement

RELEASE
23 February 2010

CPT-Palestine has decided to endorse formally the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, as called for by Palestinian NGOs, because sixty years of negotiations and diplomacy have only enabled Israel to solidify its military occupation of Palestine. The international community has long called for Palestinian society to resist the violence of the Occupation nonviolently, so we, as members of an international peace organization, believe that when Palestinians mount nonviolent campaigns against the Occupation, we are morally obligated to support them.

We affirm the words of Palestinian Christian leaders in their Kairos Document: “These advocacy campaigns must be carried out with courage, openly and sincerely proclaiming that their object is not revenge but rather to put an end to the existing evil, liberating both the perpetrators and the victims of injustice. The aim is to free both peoples from extremist positions of the different Israeli governments, bringing both to justice and reconciliation. In this spirit and with this dedication we will eventually reach the longed-for resolution to our problems, as indeed happened in South Africa and with many other liberation movements in the world.”

We recommend that members of our constituency review the following resources, so they can better understand the context from which the BDS movement has arisen:

1) The Kairos Palestine Document, “A moment of truth: A word of faith, hope and love from the heart of Palestinian suffering.” The document is available as a PDF file in seven languages at http://www.kairospalestine.ps/?q=node/2 and at http://www.oikoumene.org/gr/resources/documents/other-ecumenical-bodies/kairos-palestine-document.html

2) “Palestinian Civil Society Calls for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions against Israel Until it Complies with International Law and Universal Principles of Human Rights 9 July 2005”: http://www.bdsmovement.net/?q=node/52

3) “Who Profits from the Occupation?” http://www.whoprofits.org/

4) A 2009 report by a fact-finding committee of South African social scientists, which notes that “three pillars of apartheid in South Africa” are all practiced by Israel in the Occupied Territories: demarcating people into racial groups and allotting superior rights, privileges and services to the dominant racial group; segregating people into different geographic areas and restricting their movements, and suppressing any opposition to the regime using administrative detention, torture, censorship, banning, and assassination.” http://www.hsrc.ac.za/Media_Release-378.phtml#

5) Dr. Neve Gordon’s reflection, “Boycott Israel: An Israeli comes to the painful conclusion that it’s the only way to save his country,” http://articles.latimes.com/2009/aug/20/opinion/oe-gordon20. See also “Palestinians, Jews, citizens of Israel, join the Palestinian call for a BDS campaign against Israel and video clip by Israeli-American rap artist, Invincible, in support of the BDS movement: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MepX0PcjzfA

After Gordon’s piece appeared in the Los Angeles Times, he nearly lost his job at Ben Gurion University. See the critique of Gordon’s position by famed peace and human rights activist Uri Avnery: http://zope.gush-shalom.org/home/en/channels/avnery/1251547904 (which contains Archbishop Tutu’s thoughts on the efficacy of boycotts) and subsequent critiques of Avnery’s position by South African Ran Greenstein (“I agree more with Gordon than Avnery”) http://gush-shalom.org.toibillboard.info/RanGreen.htm Abraham Simhony
http://zope.gush-shalom.org/home/en/channels/archive/1251974606/ and Alternative Information Center director, Michel Warschawsky “Yes to BDS!” http://www.internationalviewpoint.org/spip.php?article1733

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Articles, Events

Student groups host Gaza Week

Cali Owings, MNDaily, 26 January 2010

Al-Madinah Cultural Center and the Break the Bonds at the University of Minnesota student group s are hosting “Gaza Week” events this week to raise awareness of the Israeli occupation a year after the invasion of the northern Gaza Strip.

Beginning with a body count simulation and candlelight vigil Monday outside of Coffman Union, this week’s activities will include a Wednesday panel discussion and a screening of a documentary.

“We want a good dialogue,” said Fuad Hannon , a second-year finance major and Al-Madinah president. Hannon said he wants to bring to light a struggle he said many people only have a vague idea about.

Break the Bonds contacted Al-Madinah to organize these events. Hannon said the two groups shared a mutual interest educating students about a perspective they claim is not covered by mainstream media.

Minnesota Break the Bonds is a campaign against the Israeli occupation in Gaza. Rachel Orville , a graduate student at the Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs, said the goal is to educate students and Minnesota residents because their tax dollars support the occupation.

Orville said Break the Bonds is a group of “Americans from different religious bases who have a common understanding of the political conflict.”

Despite their intentions to educate and create an open dialogue, Hannon admits that controversy will probably arise.

“It’s bound to make certain people uncomfortable,” he said.

The project has certainly left an impression on junior applied economics major Max Dougherty .

After seeing the body count simulation, which claimed a 100-1 ratio of dead Palestinians to Israelis during the Gaza War of December 2008 and January 2009 , Dougherty said, “It puts things into perspective … it makes what you read here jump off the page.”

However, Samantha Bass , a University senior working with the Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America , is skeptical of a 100-1 body count being used by Break the Bonds.

Bass compared the conflict to the story of David and Goliath.

Americans see Israel as Goliath because it’s the stronger, wealthier power and the Palestinian people as David, Bass said.

“Israel is defending itself [from Palestinian missiles] and that’s sometimes lost in the media,” she said.

According to a U.N.-commissioned fact-finding mission, Palestinian groups estimated that more than 1,400 Palestinians were killed in the Gaza War, while the Israeli Army claimed a death toll of 1,166 Palestinians. The Israeli Foreign Ministry reported that 13 Israelis were killed during the conflict.

Monday night, the Gaza Week participants huddled around the simulation for the candlelight vigil in the snow and shared a moment of silence.

Amber Michel , a student from St. Cloud State University who first held the body count simulation, opened the vigil with words she attributed to the first Israeli Prime minister David Ben-Gurion , “The old will die, and the young will forget.”

“We are here because we do not forget,” Michel said.

Though the object of Gaza Week is to encourage discourse and different perspectives, Senna El Bakri , a second-year PSEO student and Al-Madinah secretary, said it’s also meant to stir controversy.

When asked about alienating Jewish students, Hannon and Orville reiterated that the occupation is a political conflict, not a religious one.

There was a frustrated mood at Hillel Jewish Student Center over Gaza Week.

Phil Meyer , a Jewish second-year and applied economics major who has visited Israel three times, stated the demonstration was “a little disheartening.”

“If America did not support Israel, it might not exist anymore,” he said.

Gaza Week will conclude with a lecture from Hatem Bazian, a University of California-Berkeley professor who many consider to be a highly controversial speaker.

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Articles

State Should Withdraw Financial Support from Israel

Rukhsana Ghouse, Woodbury Bulletin, 27 January 2010

As a resident of Minnesota, I have a moral obligation to ensure that our state doesn’t make investments that oppress others. Minnesota’s investment in Israel supports Israel’s apartheid system which has caused thousands of civilian deaths, including children, and widespread human rights violations.

This system defies rulings by the International Court of Justice, more than 65 UN Resolutions, and the Fourth Geneva Convention. Recently the Progressive Caucus of the DFL passed a resolution for the state of Minnesota to divest from Israel Bonds. This resolution is similar to past divestment campaigns targeting apartheid-era South Africa.

This resolution and the DFL’s Progressive Caucus have come under attack by numerous Zionist special-interest groups, who believe that the state of Israel is above scrutiny and international law. However, I believe that this stance by the DFL’s Progressive Caucus, based firmly on social and political justice, needs to be supported in full. I would like to highlight this publicly and ensure that this resolution is taken forward in the interests of peace and justice.

I would encourage all Minnesota residents to join me in supporting the DFL’s Progressive Caucus, and the larger campaign to divest from apartheid regimes like Israel in the interests of human rights.

Rukhsana Ghouse is a resident of Woodbury, MN., community activist, and stay-at-home mom.

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Articles

Minnesota Should Divest from Israel Bonds

By Sylvia Schwarz, MinnPost, 20 January 2010

The four Geneva conventions at the core of international humanitarian law were adopted in 1949 and ratified by 194 countries in the world. These conventions specify conduct that can be found criminally culpable if violated. The first three are specifically applicable to conduct against military personnel who are not combatants (i.e., prisoners of war, medical personnel, wounded soldiers, etc.), and the fourth applies to civilian noncombatants.

Despite Israel’s protestations to the contrary, and despite its ratification of the four Geneva Conventions in August of 1949 (with the reservation that Israel would use the Red Shield of David instead of the Red Cross), it has violated these conventions through its 62-year history and continues to violate them to this day.

Below are just a few examples: In 1967, during the Six-Day War, Israel attacked the USS Liberty, killing 34 American sailors and wounding nearly 200 (in violation of the second Geneva Convention). Israel claims that it was a mistake, but there is a plethora of evidence to the contrary; the reason for the attack was to keep the United States from finding out about an ongoing massacre of Egyptian prisoners of war (in violation of the third Geneva Convention).

The first Geneva Convention applies to conduct toward medical transports, medical units, and medical personnel, all of which were targeted and many destroyed during Operation Cast Lead from December 2008 to January 2009. Israel denies that it targeted any of the protected facilities or personnel, but numerous reports show deliberate targeting of them. Israel claims that all of the reports critical of Israel are biased and that it has a legitimate right to self-defense. However, the Geneva Conventions also discuss what legitimate self-defense is and what constitutes illegal and disproportionate force.

The settlements issue
Conduct of an occupation is the subject of the fourth Geneva Convention, in which an occupier may not transfer a civilian population into occupied territory. Some Israel defenders have claimed that settlements in the West Bank are perfectly legal, but the fourth Geneva Convention is clear on that issue. Every single settlement, from the settler “outposts” to the large cities, is illegal according to international law.

With these examples and many others in mind, an attempt to put a resolution in the DFL platform for Minnesota to divest from its Israel bonds to force it to comply with international law was proposed at the DFL Progressive Caucus. The resolution passed unanimously in that caucus.

The strong ties between Israel and the United States, and specifically between Israel and Minnesota, have been given as reasons to reject the resolution. On the contrary, these strong ties are exactly the reasons we should divest from Israel bonds. The money invested in Israel bonds goes directly to furthering the illegal occupation of Palestinian land, by helping to develop the civilian infrastructure in the settlements, by building the separation wall, and by building roads that only the settlers can use. In other words, as investors in an illegal colonization we are violating international law.

Israel is getting messages from all over the world that policies violating international law cannot continue without consequences. These messages are coming mainly in the form of boycott, divestment and sanctions. Specific products and manufacturers that benefit from illegal occupation are boycotted, and universities and institutions are divesting from investments in Israel. We, as Minnesotans, should lead the effort and withdraw our financial support from a regime that violates international laws.

Sylvia Schwarz, St. Paul, is a member of International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network — Twin Cities (IJAN-TC).

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Resources

Palestinian United Call for BDS against Israel

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In 2005, Palestinian civil society put out a call for boycott, divestment and sanctions, or BDS, as the most politically and morally sound civil resistance strategy for ending the Israeli occupation of Palestine until Israel complies with International Law and Universal Principles of Human Rights. In that initial call, over 170 Palestinian organizations in Palestine and the Diaspora signed. We are organizing this divestment campaign as an expression of solidarity with Palestinians and Israelis who have signed on in support of the Palestinian call. Our expression of solidarity comes in both word and action in this campaign.

Palestinian Civil Society

Calls for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions against IsraelUntil it Complies with International Law and Universal Principles of Human Rights
9 July 2005

One year after the historic Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) which found
Israel’s Wall built on occupied Palestinian territory to be illegal, Israel continues its construction of the
colonial Wall with total disregard to the Court’s decision. Thirty eight years into Israel’s occupation of
the Palestinian West Bank (including East Jerusalem), Gaza Strip and the Syrian Golan Heights, Israel
continues to expand Jewish colonies. It has unilaterally annexed occupied East Jerusalem and the
Golan Heights and is now de facto annexing large parts of the West Bank by means of the Wall.
Israel is also preparing – in the shadow of its planned redeployment from the Gaza Strip – to build and
expand colonies in the West Bank. Fifty seven years after the state of Israel was built mainly on land
ethnically cleansed of its Palestinian owners, a majority of Palestinians are refugees, most of whom
are stateless. Moreover, Israel’s entrenched system of racial discrimination against its own Arab-
Palestinian citizens remains intact.
In light of Israel’s persistent violations of international law, and
Given that, since 1948, hundreds of UN resolutions have condemned Israel’s colonial and
discriminatory policies as illegal and called for immediate, adequate and effective remedies, and
Given that all forms of international intervention and peace-making have until now failed to convince
or force Israel to comply with humanitarian law, to respect fundamental human rights and to end its
occupation and oppression of the people of Palestine, and
In view of the fact that people of conscience in the international community have historically
shouldered the moral responsibility to fight injustice, as exemplified in the struggle to abolish
apartheid in South Africa through diverse forms of boycott, divestment and sanctions;
Inspired by the struggle of South Africans against apartheid and in the spirit of international
solidarity, moral consistency and resistance to injustice and oppression,
We, representatives of Palestinian civil society, call upon international civil society
organizations and people of conscience all over the world to impose broad boycotts and
implement divestment initiatives against Israel similar to those applied to South Africa in
the apartheid era. We appeal to you to pressure your respective states to impose
embargoes and sanctions against Israel. We also invite conscientious Israelis to support
this Call, for the sake of justice and genuine peace.
These non-violent punitive measures should be maintained until Israel meets its obligation to
recognize the Palestinian people’s inalienable right to self-determination and fully complies with the
precepts of international law by:
1. Ending its occupation and colonization of all Arab lands and dismantling the Wall;
2. Recognizing the fundamental rights of the Arab-Palestinian citizens of Israel to full equality; and
3. Respecting, protecting and promoting the rights of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes
and properties as stipulated in UN resolution 194.

Source: http://www.bdsmovement.net/?q=node/52

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Resources

MN BBC Resources to share!

The Minnesota Break the Bonds Campaign: Divest for Justice In Palestine has produced a number of  resources to help answer questions you or others may have about the campaign.

The MN Break the Bonds Campaign Statement is a comprehensive document that we offer to new members and interested parties. It includes a general description of our membership and goals, as well as essential FAQ. The statement’s “Endnotes” (pages 5-7) also contain several excellent resources and links.

The MN BBC Template with Timeline lists the Campaign’s goals followed by its historical and ongoing timeline. The easy-to-follow bulletin points under each key date will help you to use the process of MN BBC’s formation and development as a model for your own campaign!

This MN BBC Talking Points PDF contains our responses to common questions such as ‘Why Divestment?’, ‘Why Focus on Israel?’, ‘Why not invest in Palestine rather than divest from Israel?’ and many more!

The Israel Bonds Fact Sheet provides answers to questions specifically about Israel Bonds, such as ‘What are state of Israel Bonds?’, ‘How are the Bonds used in Israel?’, and ‘What Bonds has Minnesota purchased?’.

These resources are meant to be shared, so print and distribute them freely! For additional questions or information, or to learn about how to be more involved in the campaign, please contact MN BBC using the form provided in the right column.

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Articles

‘Not in Our Name, Not with Our Money’: Minnesotans say Divest for Justice in Palestine

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On February 2, members and allies of MN Break the Bonds (MN BBC) brought forth political party caucus resolutions calling for the state of Minnesota to divest from Israel Bonds.

This resolution (see below), a response to the 2005 call from Palestinian civil society for campaigns of boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) against Israel until the Israeli government complies with International Law, had amazing results across Minnesota. So far, we know that the resolution was introduced in 37 precinct caucuses and passed in 32, but reports are still coming in! These results speak to the desire of the people of Minnesota to no longer fund and support the Israeli military occupation of Palestine. This is an amazing precedent for social justice, human rights and Palestine solidarity.

Thank you to everyone who brought forth a resolution and to everyone who supported this initiative. This is only the first step in a long road toward social justice and human rights. We look forward to traveling that road with you.

If you presented this resolution at your precinct caucus and we have not heard from you, please let us know how it went by e-mailing mn@breakthebonds.org!

The Resolution

WHEREAS, Israel has consistently defied rulings by the international court of justice, more than 65 UN Resolutions, and the Fourth Geneva Convention;

WHEREAS, the Israeli separation wall and Israeli-only roads and settlements in the occupied territory of Palestine racially divide populations, thus violating the International Convention on the Suppression and Punishment of the Crime of Apartheid (1973);

WHEREAS, Israel’s apartheid system has caused thousands of civilian deaths, including children, and widespread human rights violations;

WHEREAS, Palestinian Civil Society put out a unified call for Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions against the State of Israel until it complies with International Law and Universal Principles of Human Rights;

WHEREAS, Israel annually receives billions of U.S. taxpayer dollars in economic and military aid;

WHEREAS, the U.S has a history of divesting from countries that commit human rights abuses;

WHEREAS, Minnesota has divested from Iran and Sudan for their human rights abuses.

BE IT RESOLVED THAT, the State of Minnesota shall divest from all Israel Bonds investments.

(Note: The ‘Be it Resolved’ language was used consistently, while the ‘Whereas’ clauses were subject to change)

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Articles, Events, Past Events

Gaza Week at the University of Minnesota!

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Palestine to Minnesota: Gaza On Our Minds

(Open and free to the pubic; snacks/dinner provided)

Mon, Jan 25:
Jerusalem Art Exhibit
3-6pm @ Coffman Memorial Rm 303
Gaza Bodies Project and a candle-light vigil
6-7pm @ Lawn outside Coffman Memorial

Tue, Jan 26:
Gaza Freedom March Panel Discussion
5-7pm @ Coffman Rm 303

Wed, Jan 27:
Screening of “Occupation 101” followed by discussion
5-7pm @ Carlson Rm 2-219

Thur, Jan 28:
Talk by Dr. Hatem Bazian: “The Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the Palestinian Diaspora”
5-7pm @ Carlson Rm L-110 (Honeywell Auditorium)

Sponsored by: Break the Bonds (visit http://mn.breakthebonds.org/ or email palestine.to.minnesota@gmail.com) and Al-Madinah Cultural Center

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News from our Friends

The Gaza Freedom March and the Cairo Declaration

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By Sylvia Schwarz, 14 January 2010

On December 27, 2009 1,400 international activists convened in Cairo for the Gaza Freedom March, an expression of solidarity with the people of Palestine, and an attempt to bring the story of the oppression and human rights abuses of Palestinians, a story that has been neglected and ignored for over 60 years, to the eyes of the world. We expected to meet in Cairo and the following day board buses to Gaza. 50,000 Gazans waited to join us in a non-violent march toward the Erez Crossing in the north.

I was one of seven Minnesotans who had signed up for the March, each with a different and fascinating personal story, who came together to express our intention to force Israel to follow international law. As we were preparing for our trip, unsettling news came from Code Pink, the organizers, that the Egyptian government would not allow us to get through the checkpoint into Gaza. Code Pink had led seven previous delegations to Gaza in the past year, and had always been allowed to enter, but this time Egypt was intent on frustrating our efforts. All our meeting permits were revoked; halls and schools where we had paid for meeting locations were forced to lock their doors; the buses hired to take us to Al Arish, the Egyptian town closest to the Rafah crossing, were not allowed to pick us up.

Understandably, communication was rendered difficult. It is against the law in Egypt to meet in groups of more than six. And although we met at the three hotels where many of us stayed, and tried to keep in communication through e-mail and cell phones, it was a major challenge. At each planning meeting, under difficult circumstances where each sentence had to be repeated three times so that people packed in the hallways and other rooms could hear, Egyptian police, sometimes in plain clothes (but why bother since they were so visible anyway), were there listening and reporting to their superiors.

Although we all wanted to get to Gaza – many groups had humanitarian aid to be brought in, items like school supplies, laptop computers, medicines, toys, all items which have been banned from the region during Israel’s brutal blockade begun after the wrong political party was elected in free and fair elections – we made good use of our time in Cairo. We had demonstrations in front of the UN/World Trade Center offices, several of our embassies, and tourist areas. This brought a lot of media attention all over the world. We were on the front page of all Egyptian newspapers and top news in Europe for more than a week, and though we had planned to be top news in those media from within Gaza, this media attention brought into sharp focus the collusion between Israel, Egypt, and the United States in enforcing this illegal and inhumane siege on a defenseless population. Despite the re-starting of the “peace process” so sanguinely reported by Hillary Clinton a few days ago, few people around the world take that seriously any more.

The Gaza Freedom March even made news in the US, in mainstream media from the Washington Post to the New York Times and Los Angeles Times. Given the difficulties of getting any media coverage for Palestine-related issues in mainstream media, this is no small feat.

The most important result of the Gaza Freedom March was the issuance of the “Cairo Declaration” (http://cairodeclaration.org/). This document was initiated by the South African delegation, inspiring and brilliant activists from the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU), and had input from delegates from all over the world, including Palestinian civil society. It sets out the demand that Israel comply with international law, and in order to encourage Israel to comply with international law, several proposals are made. The proposals are legal, economic, and cultural measures – all non-violent – that will exert pressure on Israel to end its apartheid policies. These measures are specific actions that each of us can take towards that goal.

In the next weeks and months the Minnesota Seven (there were actually eight of us, and not all were from Minnesota, but we can talk about math and geography some other time) plan to work on implementing the Cairo Declaration here in Minnesota. We will spend a lot of time on the Minnesota Break the Bonds campaign, and other Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions campaigns. We will attempt to bring South African and Palestinian trade union members on a speaking tour of Minnesota. We will organize events to coincide with Israel Apartheid Week in early March. We will become involved in politics, lobbying, and educational activities. We will make important connections with delegates from all over the world who have committed themselves to working on this issue. In all of these activities, we are asking for your help and energy. This movement is growing and gaining momentum and we are drawing inspiration from those we met in Cairo and those who supported us back home. Together, we will create the change that is needed for a just and lasting peace in Palestine/Israel.

Sylvia Schwarz, a resident of Saint Paul, is a member of the Coalition for Palestinian Rights (CPR) and the International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network, Twin Cities (IJAN-TC).

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Divest for Justice in Palestine!