------------------------------------------------------------------------ ICAHD UK Quarterly Newsletter – October 2013 Highlights from our busy summer: For our ongoing campaigning see below.
ICAHD UK's participation in theGreenbelt Festival: - We feel that the Greenbelt Festival is leading the church and faith communities in UK on the Israel/Palestine issue. - A strong team of ICAHD UK members ran our stall where we gained many new members and fundraised. - During the festival the Kairos Britain document was simultaneously launched, helping to raise our profile and generate discussion.
ICAHD’s 2013 Rebuilding Camp : - We had a cross-section of internationals join us (from the Netherlands, Czech Republic, Finland, US, Norway, Italy, Ecuador and Australia) and included were Anne Jones and Terry Meade from the UK. - Beit Arabiya in Anata was dedicated as a site commemorating the 28,000 Palestinian homes demolished by Israeli authorities. You can find our detailed blog from the rebuilding camp on our website . - For the second year, I was asked to coordinate ICAHD’s Rebuilding Camp which also included an extensive educational programme. Following the camp meetings were held with the other leaders of ICAHD’s support groups abroad. - The entire Rebuilding Camp summer 2013 group.
EU diplomats manhandled whilst delivering aid: On September 20^th in the West bank community of Makhul, Israeli soldiers manhandled European diplomats attempting to deliver emergency tents and aid to Palestinians whose homes were demolished by the army. Included in the delegation was a representative from DfID who witnessed the incident and the aid being confiscated. The outcome of this scuffle initially resulted in Israel’s retaliation by blocking the EU from aiding tens of thousands of Palestinians in the West Bank. Then on Sept 24^th, after a public outcry, Israel’s High Court of Justice indicated the army went too far in stopping relief aid and issued a temporary injunction specifying that the military cannot evict residents during the following two weeks.
- Picture from the scene by Hugh Naylor.
ICAHD UK has sent letters to our FCO and to Catherine Ashton at the EU about this and we urge you to continue contacting your MP’s and MEP’s to ensure this proposal does not get delayed. The European Coordinating Committee on Palestine (ECCP) has just prepared a letter which can be accessed online which will then be forwarded to your MEP. Please click on this link At the end of August, the Jerusalem municipality decided to support 1,500 new settlement units whilst Palestinians are repeatedly not granted building permits and hold demolition orders. In the huge backlash to the two Israeli soldiers regrettably killed in Hebron during September, there is virtual silence about these attacks on, and violations against, Palestinian people, property and land.
ICAHD has known this family since 1998 when their home was first demolished and subsequently rebuilt by ICAHD; there have now been two demolitions and two rebuildings. In July we reported on a series of weekly visits to the family from Israel’s Civil Administration and extreme religious settlers who harass and terrorize the family as they claim that “God gave them the land”. To learn more of the family’s history of “terrorism” inflicted by the Israelis, see here . Please see our Facebookpage for updates and newsflashes on these extreme issues, including film footage, radio interviews and related articles. - Atta Jaber.
From September, Ruby Kvalheim has taken over as part-time Administrator for ICAHD UK, and can be contacted at the info@icahduk.org email address should you need anything. As a brief introduction, please see below. “Hello ICAHD UK members and friends, I am really excited to be joining you! As a bit of background to me, I grew up with a strong interest in human rights as my father was a human rights lawyer for asylum seekers and refugees. For the last three and a half years I have been Operational Manager at The HUB King’s Cross (a co-working space for social entrepreneurs, activists and NGO’s). Alongside this work I’m studying a part-time MSc in Architecture and Environmental Studies at the Centre for Alternative Technology so no doubt will find lots of interesting crossovers with ICAHD UK’s rebuilding work. I am really looking forward to getting more involved with the varied facets of ICAHD UK campaign work in future, including a visit to Israel / Palestine with an upcoming study tour. I hope to see you there if not at one of our events before!” - our new administrator Ruby.
Our sponsored walk this week is vital as we raise crucial funds to support ICAHD UK in our continued advocacy, education and lobbying as we offer grassroots support of Palestinian families and communities on the ground, as urgent now as ever. We are delighted that Frank Barat, one of the coordinators of the Russell Tribunal on Palestine will be joining the walk this year. If you would be happy to sponsor me or one of our others walkers, we would be very grateful. As many of you will have seen, there is a simultaneous action planned for the weekend of 11^th – 13^th Oct where one of our newest executive committee members, Richard Barnes, will be completing a 100 mile fundraising cycle ride around the Lake District. We will keep you updated with this on our website and facebook page and Richard would welcome any donations or support even if to wave him on and have a chat along the way!
We are also attaching the flyer here for further info and for you to spread the word. If you do intend to join us, please email info@icahduk.org so we know to expect you.
Many thanks for your continued support of ICAHD UK! With best wishes,
Linda Ramsden Ruby Kvalheim Director Administrator
PS We would appreciate your feedback on the new format of our newsletter. Also please note our address because some of our supporters send post to our previous address. Thanks!
Donate to ICAHD UK here
MOST RECENT NEWS:
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UN denouncement of demolitions:
Israel has continued violating International Humanitarian Laws (especially considering “their obligation to respect, protect and fulfill the rights of Palestinians to adequate housing and freedom from arbitrary or unlawful interference with privacy, family and home” – Rupert Colville OHCHR) and has been called upon by the UN to reconsider their demolition proposals. Mass demolitions of 35 Bedouin villages started in August and so far this year 527 structures have been demolished and 862 people displaced. I worked with Jeff Halper in preparing ICAHD’s report to the UN which will be considered during Israel’s Universal Periodic Review on 29 October.
EU settlement guidelines:
The EU announced guidelines to take effect on 1 January 2014 that forbid any EU grants being awarded to Israeli projects in occupied Palestinian territory and prevent loans or prizes being given to Israeli entities with operations in the West Bank, Golan Heights or East Jerusalem. However Israel and the US insist that the guidelines be watered down and the implementation delayed. Former senior European officials have been urging the EU to stand firm on their settlement guidelines that will prevent our taxpayer funds from going to the settlements.
Atta Jaber family suffers further violations:
Israeli authorities decided that another 11 – 12 dunams of the Jaber family’s rich agricultural land will be confiscated to construct four apartment blocks, each of four stories, as the Kiryat Arba settlement near Hebron continues to expand. Also in September, settlers entered a Jaber family field and harvested five tonne of grapes therefore this year Atta is left with only two tonne to take to market as he struggles even more to provide for his family.
Should the UK Methodist Church support the Boycott Divestment Sanctions (BDS) Movement?
Our member and former conference speaker, Stephen Leah, has alerted us about an online survey that has been launched in response to a motion passed during the July 2013 Methodist Conference. The motion requests the production of a briefing on the arguments for and against the BDS movement. We belivee that ICAHD UK members are able to make an informed response to the questions included in the survey therefore we encourage you to please participate. You may remember that in January 2005 ICAHD called for BDS until the Occupation ends because nothing else has worked and BDS is a powerful non-violent way to call Israel to account for it's ongoing violation of international law. The survey ends on 4th November so we encourage you to please respond before then and please alert others to this important petition (http://www.methodist.org.uk/BDSBriefing) .
Proposal for Regional Actions:
Ahead of our AGM and 10^th anniversary event next April (where we will be joined by Jeff Halper, Ilan Pappé, and John McCarthy among others), we are also planning a number of ongoing regional events throughout the year. Of course we would like to encourage collaboration on campaigns as much as possible, and if you are interested in perhaps being a local contact or event organiser for ICAHD UK please get in touch with us to discuss how this might be possible and how we could help mobilise support in your area. Events could mean a talk, house-group, film-show, panel discussion, and exhibition, etc and new resources are being prepared for your use. Write to Ruby at info@icahduk.org (mailto:info@icahduk.org) .
And Finally... Introducing our new administrator:
As you all know, this last month has seen us wave goodbye to our well-loved administrator Karen Chalk. Nevertheless, Karen will continue involvement with ICAHD UK and Kairos (http://www.kairosbritain.org.uk/) Britain (http://www.kairosbritain.org.uk/) on a voluntary basis.
Dates for Your Diary:
11th - 13th Oct | Shropshire Sponsored Walk
13th - 19th Oct | National Ethical Investment Week
From the 13^th – 19^th October it is National Ethical Investment Week (http://neiw.org) , which provides another opportunity to lobby your MP about boycotting of Israeli goods until the Occupation ends and with a just peace for all. For a great resource on the Top 10 Brands to boycott please see here (http://youthanormalization.blogspot.co.uk/2010/11/bds-all-i-want-for-christmas-is-end-to.html) . Although the current companies being targeted are Sodastream (http://www.palestinecampaign.org/pscupdate20130904/) , G4S (http://www.bdsmovement.net/activecamps/g4s) , and Veolia (http://www.boycottisraelnetwork.net/?page_id=48) and a quick reference suggestion is to look for any barcode goods starting with . You can also find guidance for lobbying your political representative on our website (http://uk.icahd.org/documents/campaigns/InteractingwithMEPs-2012.htm) .
November | Study Tours
Coming up in November we have our next Study Tours across Palestine and Israel, exploring and the political realities affecting civilians on both sides of the divide. You can choose to come along for a seven or an eleven day tour, where we travel extensively meeting local people, key leaders and ICAHD staff. This is a chance to learn more about a wide range of topics including house demolitions, displacement, education under occupation, refugees, water, women’s issues and more. To register, or for more info please contact us here: tours@icahduk.org
Weds 27th Nov | Palestine Lobby Day
On Weds 27^th Nov 2013 between 2 – 6pm, we invite you to join ICAHD UK for the National Lobby of Parliament for Palestine. At least two of our executive committee members (David Turner and Richard Barnes) will be there on the day to help brief you in advance of your meeting with your MP and material, with information about demolitions and Palestinian displacement, will be available to hand to your MP.
Sat 5th April 2014 | ICAHD UK AGM
Mark your diaries now for the next ICAHD UK AGM & Spring Conference on Saturday, 5^th April 2014, at Amnesty International’s Human Rights Action Centre in London. Featured speakers will include Jeff Halper, Ilan Pappe and John McCarthy. A special event for our members will be held on Friday evening, 4 April. Further information about this special weekend that will launch the commemoration of ten years of ICAHD UK will be sent to you in due course.