Road-Map to Peace or Armageddon?

The Revd. Dr. Stephen Sizer

You are welcome to the following meetings at which the Revd. Dr. Stephen Sizer will speak during his visit to Dundee from 14th – 17th October 2009. All meetings are free.

Stephen is the senior pastor of Christ Church, Virginia Water, Surrey. He also travels extensively in the US and Middle East teaching in churches, seminaries and universities on Christian Zionism and the Middle East conflict.

Wednesday 14th 18.00 for 18.30 at Borders Bookshop, DD1 3JS

Stephen will be discussing two of his books, Zion’s Christian Soldiers? The Bible, Israel and the Church (IVP) and Christian Zionism: Roadmap to Armageddon? (IVP)

Thursday 15th 19.00 at Dundee University Tower Extension Lecture Theatre

Muslim and Christian Perspectives: End Times. With Professor Saeed Bahmanpour, Principal of the Islamic College, London.

Friday 16th 18.45 for 19.00 at Dundee Central Mosque, 6 Milne Street, DD1 5BZ

A Christian Perspective on the Arab-Israeli Conflict.

Saturday 17th 10.00 at Dundee University Chaplaincy Centre, Cross Row, DD1 4HN

Israel and the Church: Who are God’s Chosen People? – Bible study and discussion.

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Britain’s unions commit to a mass boycott movement of Israeli goods

In a landmark decision, Britain ’s trade unions have voted overwhelmingly to commit to build a mass boycott movement, disinvestment and sanctions on Israel for a negotiated settlement based on justice for Palestinians.

The motion was passed at the 2009 TUC Annual Congress in Liverpool today (17 September), by unions representing 6.5 million workers across the UK .

Hugh Lanning, chair of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, said: ‘This motion is the culmination of a wave of motions passed at union conferences this year, following outrage at Israel’s brutal war on Gaza, and reflects the massive growth in support for Palestinian rights. We will be working with the TUC to develop a mass campaign to boycott Israeli goods, especially agricultural products that have been produced in illegal Israeli settlements in the Palestinian West Bank.’

The motion additionally called for the TUC General Council to put pressure on the British government to end all arms trading with Israel and support moves to suspend the EU-Israel trade agreement. Unions are also encouraged to disinvest from companies which profit from Israel ’s illegal 42-year occupation of Gaza and the West Bank .

The motion was tabled by the Fire Brigades Union. The biggest unions in the UK , including Unite, the public sector union, and UNISON, which represents health service workers, voted in favour of the motion.

The motion also condemned the Israeli trade union Histadrut’s statement supporting Israel ’s war on Gaza , which killed 1,450 Palestinians in three weeks, and called for a review of the TUC’s relationship with Histadrut.

Britain’s trade unions join those of South Africa and Ireland in voting to use a mass boycott campaign as a tool to bring Israel into line with international law, and pressure it to comply with UN resolutions that encourage justice and equality for the Palestinian people..

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Next meeting

This Thursday, 3rd Sept, 7.30 p.m.

DVA, Constitution Road, 7.30 p.m. (note change from 7.15 p.m.).

Monthly stall, Sat 5th, outside Marks&Spencers, 11.00 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Please try to attend.

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Appeal for support by activists on trial for ‘racism’!

From the Scottish Palestine Solidarity Ccampaign:

On trial for ‘racially aggravated conduct’ are five Scots who responded to the Palestinian appeal for boycott of Israel. We protested a visit by the Israeli state-sponsored Jerusalem Quartet to the 2008 Edinburgh International Festival. Next appearance in Edinburgh Sherriff Court is on Thursday October 1st, when our lawyers will argue to dismiss the case against us .

The Scottish legal authorities will attempt to prove that shouting ‘End the siege of Gaza’, and ‘Boycott Israel’ equals ‘racism’. We five will argue that boycott of Israel is a duty while that State violates every canon of international law.

This is a political show-trial, encouraged by the stated positions of the British Government, and is aimed at intimidating Palestine supporters. We shall certainly not be intimdated: last year we saw off some Zionist rascals from SCoJeC (Scottish Council of Jewish Communities) who were unwise enough to claim in print that Scottish PSC is anti-Semitic. They then had to pulp 6,000 copies of a book, Scotland’s Jews, in open admission that the claim was without foundation and libellous.

We will show in our defence/attack that

  • we are bound to oppose grave Israeli crimes and British Government complicity in those crimes, including political, diplomatic, economic and military support for Israeli Governments
  • the nearest domestic political equivalent in Britain to the factions in the Isaeli Government is the neo-Nazi British National Party (BNP)
  • Israel is an apartheid state as defined in international law
  • the Palestinian-inspired BDS campaign is a duty for consistent supporters of human rights, i.e. those who repudiate a racist attitude
  • that Palestinians, Iraqis, Afghans and others have a lesser entitlement than others
  • the Jerusalem Quartet are indeed, as we claim, institutionally linked to the Israeli Army and its State, and thus to be boycotted by human rights supporters

Expert witnesses – Palestinians, Israelis and others – will show that the growing support for the Palestinian BDS appeal is justified by

  • the history of ethnic cleansing carried out by the Zionist movement and its State from 1948 to the present
  • the conscious determination of the Israeli State to continue with further criminal acts of ethnic cleansing
  • the failure of the British Government to honour its international legal obligations to opppose Israeli apartheid, specifically the illegal Wall and settlement building

Witnesses who have agreed to give expert evidence or personal testimonies for the defence include:

Leila Khaled, Palestinian refugee and resistance fighter, Member of Palestinian National Council
Dr. Ghada Karmi, Palestinian writer and academic
Omar Barghouti PACBI (Palestinian Academic and Cultural Boycott)
Dr. Hisham Genayem, Palestinian refugee and surgeon
Dr. Moshe Machover, Israeli academic and anti-Zionist political activist
Dr. Michael Kearney, University of York (t.b.c)
Dr. Keith Hammond, University of Glasgow
Yael Kahn, Israeli human rights activist
Marion Woolfson, Hon. President of Scottish PSC
Liz Elkind, ex-President of the STUC, moved successful report and recommendation for BDS at STUC 2009 Perth Conference
Tony Greenstein, (JBIG) Jews for Boycotting Israeli Goods
Rt. Hon. Peter Hain MP, veteran anti-apartheid campaigner in the 70’s, Chair of Stop All Racist Tours (awaiting reply)
Members of the public who witnessed the protest during the performance
BBC sound technicians who recorded the entire event (awaiting reply)

We are asking supporters to

  • send letters of support to campaign@scottishpsc.org.uk
  • invite one of the accused to speak and explain the background and aims of the campaign to your trade union, political party branch, mosque, church or campaign group
  • turn up outside, and inside, the Court on October 1st and later sessions
  • make a donation to the campaign (Judge Horseburgh criticised the Legal Aid board severely for refusal to provide legal aid to one of the accused.)
  • boycott everything Israeli, except those Israelis supporting Palestinian human and national rights
  • join the Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign to help us build this campaign
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Next meeting

Thursday 20th August 7.15 at Friends Meeting Place.

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Hiroshima Day

Dundee/Tayside CND‘s annual Walk up The Law, Thursday, August 6th.

Assemble 8.15 p.m. march off 8.30 p.m.

Speakers: John McAllion (confirmed) others yet to confirm.

Bring candles, hand lights, banners, etc.

Also, to commemorate the bombing of Nagasaki, please join Erik Cramb on Sunday, 9th August, at 11.01 a.m. at top of Law.

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Israeli Military abducts crew on mercy mission to besieged Gaza

One Scot, Theresa McDermott, is among six British members of the crew of a small boat who have been kidnapped by the Israeli Military and forcibly taken to Israel this afternoon.

The Israeli Military recognises no limits to its criminal behaviour. Having imprisoned, massacred, and starved the people of Gaza, they have now kidnapped a group of people sailing with a small cargo of olive trees, medicine and children’s toys to Gaza. The small vessel was in international waters. This kind of piracy is routine for the Israeli Military dealing with Palestinian fishing boats. The Israeli Military threatened repeatedly to fire on the crew of the Spirit of Humanity, resorting to kidnap when the tiny vessel refused to turn back.

Part of a statement released today by the organisers of the relief mission reads:

According to an International Committee of the Red Cross report released yesterday, the Palestinians living in Gaza are “trapped in despair.” Thousands of Gazans whose homes were destroyed earlier during Israel’s December/January massacre are still without shelter despite pledges of almost $4.5 billion in aid, because Israel refuses to allow cement and other building material into the Gaza Strip.

The report also notes that hospitals are struggling to meet the needs of their patients due to Israel’s disruption of medical supplies.

More info: Hilary Smith tel: 07818 040 982

What you can do:

Immediately email / call your MP to demand they

  • Add their own voice, publicly and loudly, to Gerald Kaufmann’s protest in the House of Commons tomorrow (one of his constituents is among those kidnapped by Israel).
  • Make a public statement unreservedly condemning this example of Israel’s criminality and demand the crew’s immediate and unconditional release
  • Support the boycott campaign against this nuclear-armed rogue state
  • don’t buy anything Israeli and urge your friends and family to do likewise
  • find out what contracts your Council or workplace has with Israeli companies (Eden Springs, Veolia) and get them cancelled. SPSC can help here campaign@scottishpsc.org.uk
  • join your local active Palestine solidarity group and make a difference
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Two grand days out- Andree in Nablus

Report from Andree in Nablus.

Yestersay we went to Sabastia, a village 15min outside Nablus , yes, and it only took us 15 minutes to get there because the Beit Iba check point on the way there has been recently dismantled (is this Obama’s wand?) .

What a fantastic place! this village is in the middle of ruins of all ages: Roman, Byzantine, Crusaders and Ottoman, there are large Roman columnade areas still standing and a Church where St John the Baptist was beheaded (not sure by whom) his body is also buried in Sabastia and another church was built on top of him which then became a Mosque.

The village has 3,000 inhabitant and a 50% unemployment rate. Ali, the mayor, welcomed us, he is desperate to have some contact with the outside world and to have his village twinned (any taker?)

Sabastia is divided in two areas, an Area B (mixed Palestinian and Israeli control) and an area C (Full Israeli control, as per the Oslo agreements) wich means that all the ruins and the Roman amphitheatre which lie in area C cannot be renovated and developed, those in area B have been cleaned up and archaeologically dug with outside funding. they even opened a guest house in the middle of the ruins, it is worth while a visit. Unfortunately visitors have almost disappeared since the Intifadas. Now that i have seen the place and met the lovely people of Sebastia I will be willing to organise a Nablus and surround tour for whoever is interested.

We then drove back to Nablus and climbed (by car) to the top of Mount Jerizim to visit the smallest sect in the world: The Samaritans. 750 people in all, of which 350 live in Nablus, the rest live in Holon within Israel. These people have never left Nablus and have been here for 3,400 years. This is a Jewish sect who believes in One God, One prophet Moses, One Holy place Mt Jerizim (not Jerusalem) it is on Mount Jerizim, they say, that Abraham scarified his son Isaac and the stone is still there.

The Israelis have put a check point on the way to the community, thus isolating them from Nablus. We walked through, our passports being kept hostage by the soldiers, and were greeted by Jacques Cohen, one of their elders. I was expecting robes and turbans, but people dress normal and like all Palestinians. Special attire are kept for the Shabbat which is strictly observed and the 2 main feasts: Passover and Sukkot The village resembled any Palestinian village. 350 people live here and they intermarry. Recently they had to accept outsider wives as long as they become strict Samaritans.

The Samaritan of Nablus speak Arabic and ancient Hebrew for the prayers, this is very close to Arabic and modern Hebrew and was the root of these two Semitic languages. The children go to school and University in Nablus. Recently the younger people have set up an organisation called The Samaritan Legend . Its aim is to explain to the people of Nablus and the world what the Samaritans really are. They wish to become a bridge between Israel and Palestine.

We visited their historical museum which has their genealogical tree from Adam to today, astronomical charts, old pictures and maps, costumes etc…They also have the oldest Torah in the world written on animal skin.

Today we went to an Najah Universiy new campus to the school of fine Arts for the opening of a graphic exhibition organised by Project Hope. A Project Hope volunteer taught a dozen students how to draw comics strips and caricatures. we were well impressed with the result, each student drew a story from their personal experience. We hope Project Hope will put them all in a book that we could buy. Mike and me were very pleasantly surprise to see there a young women exhibitor called Sawsam which FONSA had supported in the past.

we then spent the evening with little Ala’a family which some of you know, Mum, dad and 4 sisters …great food, the best Tabbouleh ever. and we danced dabkeh in their front room joined by their neighbours.

Tomorrow we are off to Jenin to visit the Palestinian Fair Trade Association and our good friend Maysoon who came to Dundee Women Festival 3 years ago.

Bonne Nuit

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His name is Ezra Nawi

A letter from our friends Naomi Klein, Noam Chomsky, and Neve Gordon

Dear friends:

Every so often someone comes along who is so brave and so inspiring that you just can’t sit by and remain silent when you learn they need your help.

We’re writing to you today about one of these rare people.

His name is Ezra Nawi.

You’ve probably never heard of him, but because you may know our names, now you will know his name.

Ezra Nawi is one of Israel’s most courageous human rights activists and without your help, he will likely go to jail in less than 30 days.

His crime? He tried to stop a military bulldozer from destroying the homes of Palestinian Bedouins in the South Hebron region. These homes and the families who live in them have been under Israeli occupation for 42 years. They still live without electricity, running water and other basic services. They are continuously harassed by Jewish settlers and the military.

Nawi’s friends have launched a campaign to generate tens of thousands of letters to Israeli embassies all over the world before he is due to be sentenced in July. They’ve asked for your help.

His name is Ezra Nawi

We keep saying his name because we believe that the more people know him and know his name, the harder it will be for the Israeli military to send him quietly to jail.

And Ezra Nawi is anything but quiet.

He is a Jewish Israeli of Iraqi descent who speaks fluent Arabic.

He is a gay man in his fifties and a plumber by trade.

He has dedicated his life to helping those who are trampled on. He has stood by Jewish single mothers who pitched tents in front of the Knesset while struggling for a living wage, and by Palestinians threatened with expulsion from their homes.

He is loved by those with little power, to whom he dedicates his life, and hated by the Jewish settlers, military and police.

Now that you know Ezra, you have a chance to stand up for him, and for everything that he represents. Especially now, as Israel escalates its crackdown on human rights and pro-democracy activists.

He needs you. His friends need you. Those he helps every day need you. So please send a letter to the Consulate, to the media, to your family and friends.

Take just a moment to write your letter. Do it now. And then share his name with a friend. Do it for Ezra Nawi.

Noam Chomsky, Naomi Klein, and Neve Gordon

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10,000 Trees for Nablus

Plant their future!

Nablus and its surrounding villages are suffering from the Israeli military occupation. One way to support the people there is to help them use their land productively by planting trees.

Trees, especially, the olive tree, are the traditional livelihood of this area. Many families rely heavily on the harvest but lack the money to increase their yield.

By planting trees we will relieve poverty, ensure the future of the next generations and populate empty land that is often taken by the adjacent Israeli settlers.

Initially 12 villages, which have been identified as the most vulnerable, will receive olive trees and fruit trees of the almond family (almond, apricot and peach).

Palestinian, Israeli and International groups have joined the project to provide volunteers who will help to plant the trees. FONSA and DNTAwill help to raise the essential funds.

Planting costs:

  • 1 olive tree £4
  • 1 fruit tree £2

Please donate now! The target is 10,000 trees

Donate on line at www.fonsa.org.uk
Or send a cheque to us.

Contact us: email us at: info@fonsa.org.u or see: www.fonsa.org.uk

Friends of Nablus and Surrounding Areas (known as FONSA)

About FONSA

FONSA is a Charitable Trust created to help the people of Nablus and surrounding areas who are suffering the effects of occupation. This area used to be the commercial centre of Palestine but is now unable to trade because it is cut off from the rest of Palestine, from Israel and from the world.

About Dundee-Nablus Twining Association (DNTA)

Dundee has been twinned with Nablus for almost 30 years. The Association seeks to promote and foster friendship and understanding between the people of Dundee and those of Nablus.

About our Palestinian partners

This campaign has been initiated by three Nablus organisations:

  • The Committee Against Settlements in the Nablus Governorate
  • Al Hayat Centre for Development of the Civil Community
  • Nablus Dundee Twinning Association.

These are local groups working to support Palestinian people. The Nablus-Dundee Twinning Association (Dundee-Nablus Twining Association) is the sister toDundee-Nablus Twining Association and fosters friendship between the people of Nablus and Dundee.

What can you do?

It is your donations that make the difference.

Or send a cheque
(cheque payable to FONSA) to:

FONSA, 9 Broad Street, TAYPORT DD6 9AH

Download the leaflet here.

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