ICAHD UK Webinar Resisting Israel's Demolitions from Outside Palestine
Saturday 26 September 10.45am (UK time) / 12.45pm (Jerusalem time)
As Palestinians in the West Bank face the guns of the Israeli military, they have little power to resist the demolition of their homes. But there are actions that international solidarity movements can take against the companies that manufacture the bulldozers.
Attend this webinar that will focus on demolitions carried out by British company JCB and Caterpillar and the collective punishment inflicted on Palestinians. Hear case studies about JCB machines that rolled into the Bedouin village of Khan al-Ahmar in 2018 and Wadi al Hummus in 2019. JCB manufactures both civil and military bulldozers, which are used by the Israeli police, military, and Civil Administration to demolish Palestinian property. They are also used in the construction of checkpoints, roadblocks, Israel’s illegal settlements and to expand Israel’s apartheid wall in the West Bank. JCB is listed by the United Nations as one of the international companies involved in Israel’s illegal settlements in the Occupied Palestine Territory.
Caterpillar has been supplying the Israeli military with one of its key weapons the D-9 bulldozers as well as other machines that have been responsible for demolishing Palestinian homes, multi-storied apartment blocks, agricultural farms, greenhouses, ancient olive groves and ripping up streets and roads.
In August, this year alone, there were 88 demolitions within the West Bank and East Jerusalem and at least two more in Israel. Two hundred and five people were displaced, and an additional 446 people were affected by the demolitions.
We will discuss the UK campaigns against both companies, actions people can take and the need to build an international coalition of BDS campaigners against the companies complicit in Israel's demolition of Palestinian homes.
Register for this Webinar here BBC Investigation reveals link between Abramovitch, Elad, the JNF and the Sumarin Family
Photo: BBC
On Monday, 21^st September, the BBC exposed Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich, owner of Chelsea Football Club, as giving millions to Elad, the extreme right-wing settler group connected to the Jewish National Fund and its subsidiary Himanuta which is attempting to evict the Sumarin family from their home in Silwan, East Jerusalem. According to Rabbi Arik Aschermann, the news has hit Israel like a bombshell, and it has provided more evidence of the relationship between Elad, the Jewish National Fund and Himanuta for the Sumarin Coalition, of which ICAHD UK is a part, in our campaign ‘JNF, Do Not Evict the Sumarin Family’.
See the BBC films here:
With this information, our case highlighting Israel’s intention to Judaise Jerusalem by illegally displacing Palestinians from their homes is even stronger. Write to your MP using our sample letter asking that Early Day Motion 529 is signed - details here .
Many thanks for your ongoing support. If you're not already a member of ICAHD UK, please consider joining us 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
Two Urgent Items
Saturday's Webinar & the BBC's Revealing Report Is it time to engage in more direct action for Palestine? With Israel again setting records for the number of monthly demolitions and with establishment organisations complicit in Israel’s violation of international law, should ICAHD UK be doing more to challenge what is happening in the UK? Don’t miss joining Saturday’s webinar and stepping up your support of the Sumarin family in light of the BBC revelation.
Tom Anderson and Hilary Smith, Stop the Demolitions Campaign
Dr Monica Wusteman, ICAHD UK
- 10-minutes with the Sumarin family’s story
- The full 30 minute report (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=my2Udh7xmAI&feature=youtu.be)
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