Our JCB Projection, Final Days Crowdfunder, Livnat Konopny Interview

ICAHD UK commissioned a specialist film unit to reveal the appalling images of destruction to draw attention to JCB’s complicity in war crimes in the occupied Palestinian territory where homes, farms, water infrastructure, animal shelters and orchards are routinely destroyed.

The project, which has taken months of preparation, was enabled by grants awarded to ICAHD UK. During the evening, the projection consisted of showing three slides and a three-minute film clip of a demolition in the Jordan Valley. They were repeated for 75-minutes, stimulating conversations with people walking by. Most had no knowledge of Israel’s demolition of Palestinian homes, nor of JCB’s involvement in violations of international law. The videographer condensed the event into a 60-second video which is acceptable for social media and appropriate for our press release which went out on Friday afternoon. See more news of this action and the projection here . Please share news far and wide as we hope you’ll agree that this is a terrific awareness-raising tool for the public and one that can add more pressure onto JCB as we call for it to comply with international law and UK government standards for ethical behaviour. Final days for our crowdfunding campaign The initial target has almost been met but we need your help to reach our goal! Firstly, we thank everyone who has supported our important crowdfunding project. We have entered our final push to get to our target sum so that we can begin work on the translation and publication into Arabic of Jeff Halper's Decolonizing Israel, Liberating Palestine: Zionism, Settler Colonialism and the Case for One Democratic State. Again, we believe that critical Israeli, Palestinian and wider Arab voices -- indeed, political allies and partners -- must be supported in making their views known over the obstacles of language.

We still have a few days left to achieve our publishing goal which must finish on 1st December. Any amount, large or small, will be highly appreciated. Please note that while the Crowdfunder page asks for your pledge in UK Pounds, in fact any donation made, though clicked as pounds, will be converted from the currency you make your pledge in. So don't let that deter you!

Rica Bird - Promoting the use of each person's first language is vital for inclusion, diversity, equality and human progress in combating oppression.

David Allan Grybowski -https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/user/david-allan-grybowski/profileI have met Jeff Halper and support his work toward a fair and just solution to the colonisers and the indigenous people of Palestine working out a permanent co-existence. Jackie Hilary - So important for books like Jeff's to be accessible to all communities in Israel and the OPT

1 Can you start by telling us about the Zionist ideology of your family and what life was like for you growing up?

I grew up in a very Zionist home. My father (may he rest in peace) worked for the Jewish Agency as a coordinator for groups of Jewish youth from the United States and Canada visiting Israel. My father believed Jews should live in Israel, not in exile. The negation of exile was a focal point in our family. My father's Zionist stance derived from his parents' story. In 1932, my grandfather, who was involved in the Zionist movement, left his orthodox family, and migrated to Palestine. Then, he was able to get certificates and bring my grandmother, his parents, and her parents to join him here. In contrast, my great grandparents were orthodox Jews, so opposed Zionism, and only came to die in and be buried in the Holy Land. During the Holocaust, most of my grandparent's family members were murdered, so that is a legacy that has a very strong presence in my heritage and in my family's memories.

My mother's family came from Yemen at the beginning of the 1930s. They came by themselves. After walking part of the way, they took a coal-boat to Jaffa. When they reached Palestine, they settled down in Jerusalem. They had very close ties with Muslims both in Yemen and in Mandatory Palestine. My grandfather was a jeweller and had a jewellery workshop in the Old City of Jerusalem, in East Jerusalem, with a Palestinian partner. He also collected antiquities, particularly old coins. He used to travel to Hebron (Al Khalil) and to Jordan to buy or sell coins and other antiquities. Following 1948, all of these amicable and business relationships were terminated and dissolved.

In many ways, those two family-histories shaped the way I understood the political reality in which I grew up. On the one hand I held the belief that Israel is the only place for Jews and our sole refuge on earth, that we are in perpetual danger of extinction and that Gentiles, and especially Arabs, are always against us and they only want us dead. But, on the other hand, I inherited a sensitivity towards the injustice done to the Palestinians, and the missed opportunity to a communal life with Arabs. Read the full interview here .

Over the years, ICAHD has used the Vimeo programme for our films, but we are keen to also have our own ICAHD YouTube channel. For this to happen, we need 100 people to “subscribe” to the YouTube facility we are currently using. You can start by going to this link where we have posted the video from our London wall projection about JCB – then click on “subscribe”. Thanks in advance for your help with this.

Wednesday, 1st December - Webinar Sponsored by ICAHD USA, Indiana Center for Middle East Peace and Good Shepherd Collective - Defund Racism: Responding to the National Call from Palestine - 1.00pm (Eastern) / 6.00pm (UK) / 8pm (Jerusalem). Register here

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