Due to the creation of the Balfour Declaration, Britain has a special responsibility to mend the crimes of colonialism and which is why UK Jewish groups should also be speaking out about this. Calling for a “two-state solution” in Palestine/Israel, as done by MPs in parliament, is destructive as it will only perpetuate Israel’s apartheid policies over the Palestinian people. Palestinians are calling for equal rights as they seek to win over the peoples of this world. View the recording here (https://youtu.be/7P5g9N0BL4M ) ICAHD UK Webinar
Why can't we get the UK Government to support the Palestinian cause?
Sir Vincent Fean was a British diplomat for 39 years. His last assignment was as Consul-General, Jerusalem (2010-14). An Arabist, he engaged in policy advice and implementation in Whitehall, the Middle East and Europe. He is Vice-Chair of the Balfour Project charity, where he has taken a leading role. The charity sheds light on Britain’s role in Palestine before the creation of modern Israel, and advocates peace, justice and equal rights in Palestine/Israel.
Karla McLaren is a lobbyist for Amnesty International UK , managing its relations with government and parliament across several issues including on Israel and Palestine. Karla has worked in the non-profit sector for 13 years and specialises in human rights, women’s rights, and advocacy. In Feb 2022, Amnesty released its report Israel’s apartheid against Palestinians: a cruel system of domination and a crime against humanity. Register for this webinar here
Khallet Ad-Dabe’ is one of the villages within Masafer Yatta that Israeli authorities has sought to displace since the 1980’s when this area was classified as firing zone ‘918’ for use in military training thus the struggle of 1300 Palestinians to remain living on their land has been long. Earlier this year on 4^th May, the Israeli Supreme Court issued a decision confirming its plans to proceed with the demolitions and evictions.
During recent months the Israeli army has conducted military training inside Palestinian villages. It has confiscated cars and properties and arbitrarily detained Palestinian residents in addition to demolishing homes and structures vital for living. School children and teachers have been held up on their way to school and with schools also receiving demolition orders. In additional, illegal Israeli settlers have assaulted Palestinian residents, invaded villages, and uprooted trees.
For the full story on Hafez Huraini see here .
Never forget what Palestinians have been put through since the founding of Israel and what they are facing daily with the cruelty and pain in each of their fragmented places of existence.
Click here for information on writing to your MP .
3 – 5 October - Jeff Halper speaking tour in Italy - for information, see here .
7 – 23 October - Jeff Halper USA speaking tour - for information, see here .
Wednesday 19 October - ICAHD UK Webinar - 7pm (Jerusalem) / 5pm (UK) /12noon (US, Eastern) - Details to follow.
Wednesday 23 November - ICAHD UK Webinar - 7pm (Jerusalem) / 5pm (UK) /12noon (US, Eastern) - Exploring the Palestinian Issue with Andrew Feinstein in conversation with Jeff Halper - part 2. Registration details to follow. Many thanks for your ongong support. If you're not already a member of ICAHD UK, please join usor make a donation to enable our campaign to spread at this critical time in history.
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
September 2022 Newsletter
* Recording of London’s meeting on One Democratic State in Palestine * Reminder of September webinar on lobbying * Demolitions & cruelty continue in Masafer Yatta * Dates for your diary One State in Palestine: Back to the PLO solution A meeting in central London brought Jeff Halper’s UK recent speaking tour to a close. Joining him on the platform on 8^th September were Prof Haim Bresheeth from Jewish Network for Palestine and Palestinian Dr Ghada Karmi, from BRICUP. Each of the speakers are part of the Palestinian-led One Democratic State Campaign (ODSC), which has identified their vision of the end game to their political struggle – that of one democratic state from the river to the sea. A paradigm shift is needed as we stop referring to this being a “conflict” with two equal sides that must come together, each making compromises to reach a solution. Because this is a settler colonial reality, a brief over-view was presented on what Israel’s de-colonization would look like.
Wednesday 28th September
7pm (Jerusalem), 5pm (UK), 12 noon (US, Eastern) Is there any way that we can engage with our government or is this simply impossible? What can we learn from other NGOs who lobby MPs? What are the best ways for civil society to affect government policy with it being so pro-Israel? Are we now moving to another level with the new British prime minister, Liz Truss, announcing that she will review the location of the British embassy, moving it from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem which is in gross violation of international law and which is in opposition to all former UK positions?
Speakers include:
Clare Short was an MP for twenty-seven years and before that worked as a civil servant for five years. Amongst her many appointments, she served as the first Secretary of State for International Development of the United Kingdom. She is a patron of ICAHD UK and participated in one of ICAHD’s rebuilding camps. Clare Short (https://www.clareshort.org/) lists seeking a just solution in Palestine/Israel as one of her three major ongoing interests.
Demolitions & cruelty continue in Masafer Yatta
On ٍ9th September Israel’s Supreme Court upheld the demolition orders for most of Khallet Al- Dabe’, a village in Masafer Yatta, a region in the South Hebron Hills of the West Bank. The order includes all homes and most of the livelihood structures including sheep pens, agricultural buildings, and a school, which was previously demolished and then rebuilt. The demolition is set for Thursday, 29^th September. Only international pressure on the Israeli government will stop it from forcibly displacing the 90 residents of Khallet Al-Dabe’.
Sami Huraini’s father arrested
Earlier this month human rights defender Hafez Huraini, the 52-year-old father of Sami Huraini from At-Tuwani who has spoken at an ICAHD UK webinar and at our annual conference (https://youtu.be/dkGj2gJXpF0 ) in April, was arrested and held at Ofer prison for ten days. Hafez had been accused of attempted murder after defending himself against a settler attack while working on his land. Since the incident, the army has stepped up its crackdown on At-Tuwani. For three consecutive days, Israeli soldiers raided the village during the evening and at night, threw stun grenades into homes and detained residents.
Dates for Your Diary
Wednesday 28 September - ICAHD UK Webinar - 7pm (Jerusalem) / 5pm (UK) /12noon (US, Eastern) - Why can't we get governments to support the Palestinian cause? Register here (https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMlce2vqTMrGtelHsJUgihfYpno_9jR7H8Y) .
18 – 27 October – Study tour to Palestine/Israel for professionals from the fields of mental health and social work – See here for information
7 –17 November – Study tour to Palestine/Israel – For information see here (https://icahd.org/extended-study-tours/)
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