J Halper on Time of Chaos; Stop Arming Israel Photo: ICAHD UK's Director being interviewed by Al-Jazeera on 30th March 2024 Jeff says that Israel’s invasion of Gaza has gone out of control, and he doubts that this time even the international donors will rush to rebuild it again for fear of yet more Israeli demolitions in the future. Israel won’t be able to destroy Hamas which is now more popular than Fatah within the West Bank because what Hamas did on 7^th October was to put the Palestinians back on the agenda after Netanyahu, Biden and western hegemony tried to erase them. This and much more is addressed in the essential information from ICAHD's Jeff Halper in this 20minute video March Demolition and Displacement Report Photo: Demolition of home in Jericho - 18 March. IMEMC. Twice during March, Israeli authorities targeted a waste disposal structure serving Palestinian communities. These demolitions happened in Qablan, near Nablus, and in Al Ram, near Jerusalem so this is the reason why thousands of people have been affected by Israel’s demolition policy during the month of March. In addition to demolishing Palestinian homes, Israeli authorities also destroy infrastructure which is vital for living. Israel targets things like agriculture buildings, cisterns, solar panels and now waste disposal structures have been added to the list. Since the current government under Benjamin Netanyahu came into power in January 2023, demolitions of homes and facilities in the West Bank have increased by 15 – 25% according to the Institute for Applied Research. Bezalel Smotrich, Israel’s Finance Minister, allocated more funds to shorten the procedure to enforce the demolition process while at the same time he fast-tracked the procedures to facilitate settlement expansion in the West Bank. No matter how much Palestinians contest the demolition orders that they receive, hire a lawyer for representation, fill petitions or even yelling at the army when the bulldozers arrive, nothing will stop the demolitions. Israel’s policy has always been to make life for Palestinians so difficult that they give up and leave. We are seeing that rapidly play out now, especially within Area C of the West Bank. View the March Demolitionand Displacement Report here Stop Arming Israel Photo: CAAT As Israel becomes increasingly isolated and both the Conservative and Labour parties are divided on arms sales, it is vital that we keep up the pressure for an immediate ceasefire and for the UK to stop selling weapons to Israel. Four Actions You Can Take 1. Join a demonstration on 13^th April ICAHD UK supporters continue to participate in the London demonstrations that have been happening since Israel’s war on Gaza began last October. You are most welcome to join with us as we raise our flags and hand out flyers to other demonstrators as our awareness-raising continues. Visit our website for a selection of photos from the London march on 30th March which also commemorated Palestinian Land Day. Also included are a couple of short video clips of Jeremy Corbyn speaking from the platform. Since May 2015, the UK has licensedover £472m worth of arms to Israel. This includes licences covering components for aircraft, helicopters, drones, bombs, missiles, military technology, armoured vehicles, tanks, ammunition, and small arms. One of the most significant UK arms exports to Israel in the context of the current violations against civilians, is Britain’s contribution to the US F-35 stealth combat aircraft which Israel is currently using to bombard Gaza. In an open letter , three former supreme court justices are among the now more than 1000 lawyers, academics and retired senior judges warning that the UK government is breaching international law by continuing to arm Israel. Upholding the rule of law should be fundamental to those who govern the UK. Demand accountability. Contact your MP here . For more information and to registerfollow this link Call the Archbishop of Canterbury to account for showing support for Israel while claiming neutrality. The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, is feeling the pressure that is coming at him from various angles and although he has expressed some remorse for his actions, there is far more he could do. According to Prof Gus John, a former member of the Church’s Committee for Minority Ethnic Anglican Concern, Welby has consistently carried a flag for Netanyahu, the Board of Deputies of British Jews and Keir Starmer. In September 2023, ICAHD UK’s Director confronted Welby by asking if he would re-examine his position on Israel’s apartheid policies over the Palestinian people and if he would meet with Jeff Halper. In both cases he refused to do so . Since then, ICAHD UK has collaborated on various initiatives with CAMPAIN, which campaigns against misrepresentation in public affairs, information and the news. Another activity is scheduled for Tuesday, 30th April, when a march is planned from Lambeth Palace to Church House near Westminster Abbey and flyers will be handed out along the way. To participate, meet at 4pm at the Garden Café, part of Lambeth Palace estate to the right of the entrance to the palace. The rally will begin with a couple of speeches at 4.30 before moving off towards Great Smith Street. Members of the Islamic Human Rights Commission plans to support this march and there will be representation from Jewish groups. The walk itself takes about 40 minutes and there will be a couple of short speeches at the end. For more background information, including the remorse that Welby has so far expressed, see PROTEST IS WORKING: JUSTIN WELBY EXPRESSES REMORSE (campain.org) . Dates for Your Diary Saturday, 13^th April – London and local days of action – Stop Arming Israel Wednesday, 24^th April – PSC Lobby of Parliament 2 – 5pm Saturday, 27^th April – National March for Palestine – central London Tuesday, 30^th April – CAMPAIN march from Lambeth Palace to Church House 3 – 11 May – We Are Not Numbers, Bringing Voices of Palestine to London. P21 Gallery, 21-27 Chalton St, London NW1 1JD. From all at ICAHD UK. https://www.facebook.com/pages/Israeli-Committee-Against-House-Demolitions-UK/366423593418140 Facebook https://www.twitter.com/ICAHDUK/ Twitter http://icahduk.org Website mailto:info@icahduk.org Email Actions Bulletin - April 2024 * Watch Jeff Halper’s April Update * Read the March Demolition & Displacement Report * Help Stop Arming Israel * Pressure the Archbishop * Dates for Your Diary Jeff Halper's April Update It’s a time of chaos; everything has turned over in the wake of the Gaza war; Israel can’t be “put back together again”. These are just some of the comments from Jeff Halper in his April update. 2. Write to your MP Our political representatives need to be reminded that they work for us. It is their duty to represent our voices, our concerns, and our demands for justice. Keep flooding them with letters that call for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and an end to the arms trade. 3. Attend the Lobby of Parliament on the arms trade The Palestine Solidarity Campaign is coordinating a national lobby of parliament for Palestine which will be held on Wednesday 24th April, from 2-5pm. Attendees will be guided through the whole process and provided with a full briefing pack with information about getting into parliament, where to go, and what to say to your MP. 4. Sign Petition on the Arms Trade Another way to keep pressure on the government is to add more signatures to this petition that calls for the government to commission a full inquiry into UK arms imports & exports with the state of Israel, to establish whether there is a risk of UK manufactured arms & components being used to commit or facilitate serious violations of international humanitarian law. Our government must demonstrate transparency regarding the guidance it states it is receiving regarding the arms trade. Sign the petition here Pressure the Archbishop Photo: World Council of Churches P21 Gallery - We Are Not Numbers 6 – 16 May – ICAHD Recommended Study Tour to Palestine/Israel Saturday 19 October – ICAHD UK Annual Conference - from 10.00am to 4.00pm (times TBC). Bloomsbury Central Baptist Church, 235 Shaftesbury Avenue, London WC2H 8EP. Details to be announced but note the date in your diary. 4 – 14 November – ICAHD Recommended Study Tour to Palestine/Israel Many thanks for your ongong support. If you're not already a member of ICAHD UK, please join us (https://icahd.org/join-us/) or make a donation (https://icahd.org/donate-now/) to enable our campaign to spread at this critical time in history. — ICAHD (icahd.org) /newsletter/j-halper-on-time-of-chaos-stop-arming-israel