With this letter, we call for the disavowal of Atzmon by fellow Palestinian organizers, as well as Palestine solidarity activists, and allies of the Palestinian people, and note the dangers of supporting Atzmon’s political work and writings and providing any platforms for their dissemination. We do so as Palestinian organizers and activists, working across continents, campaigns, and ideological positions.

Atzmon’s politics rest on one main overriding assertion that serves as springboard for vicious attacks on anyone who disagrees with his obsession with “Jewishness”. He claims that all Jewish politics is “tribal,” and essentially, Zionist. Zionism, to Atzmon, is not a settler-colonial project, but a trans-historical “Jewish” one, part and parcel of defining one’s self as a Jew. Therefore, he claims, one cannot self-describe as a Jew and also do work in solidarity with Palestine, because to identify as a Jew is to be a Zionist. We could not disagree more. Indeed, we believe Atzmon’s argument is itself Zionist because it agrees with the ideology of Zionism and Israel that the only way to be a Jew is to be a Zionist.

Palestinians have faced two centuries of orientalist, colonialist and imperialist domination of our native lands. And so as Palestinians, we see such language as immoral and completely outside the core foundations of humanism, equality and justice, on which the struggle for Palestine and its national movement rests. As countless Palestinian activists and organizers, their parties, associations and campaigns, have attested throughout the last century, our struggle was never, and will never be, with Jews, or Judaism, no matter how much Zionism insists that our enemies are the Jews. Rather, our struggle is with Zionism, a modern European settler colonial movement, similar to movements in many other parts of the world that aim to displace indigenous people and build new European societies on their lands.

We reaffirm that there is no room in this historic and foundational analysis of our struggle for any attacks on our Jewish allies, Jews, or Judaism; nor denying the Holocaust; nor allying in any way shape or form with any conspiracy theories, far-right, orientalist, and racist arguments, associations and entities. Challenging Zionism, including the illegitimate power of institutions that support the oppression of Palestinians, and the illegitimate use of Jewish identities to protect and legitimize oppression, must never become an attack on Jewish identities, nor the demeaning and denial of Jewish histories in all their diversity.

Indeed, we regard any attempt to link and adopt antisemitic or racist language, even if it is within a self-described anti-imperialist and anti-Zionist politics, as reaffirming and legitimizing Zionism. In addition to its immorality, this language obscures the fundamental role of imperialism and colonialism in destroying our homeland, expelling its people, and sustaining the systems and ideologies of oppression, apartheid and occupation. It leaves one squarely outside true solidarity with Palestine and its people.

The goal of the Palestinian people has always been clear: self determination. And we can only exercise that inalienable right through liberation, the return of our refugees (the absolute majority of our people) and achieving equal rights to all through decolonization. As such, we stand with all and any movements that call for justice, human dignity, equality, and social, economic, cultural and political rights. We will never compromise the principles and spirit of our liberation struggle. We will not allow a false sense of expediency to drive us into alliance with those who attack, malign, or otherwise attempt to target our political fraternity with all liberation struggles and movements for justice.

As Palestinians, it is our collective responsibility, whether we are in Palestine or in exile, to assert our guidance of our grassroots liberation struggle. We must protect the integrity of our movement, and to do so we must continue to remain vigilant that those for whom we provide platforms actually speak to its principles.

When the Palestinian people call for self-determination and decolonization of our homeland, we do so in the promise and hope of a community founded on justice, where all are free, all are equal and all are welcome.

Until liberation and return.

Signed:

Ali Abunimah

Naseer Aruri, Professor Emeritus, University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth

Omar Barghouti, human rights activist

Hatem Bazian, Chair, American Muslims for Palestine

Andrew Dalack, National Coordinating Committee, US Palestinian Community Network

Haidar Eid, Gaza

Nada Elia, US Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel

Toufic Haddad

Kathryn Hamoudah

Adam Hanieh, Lecturer, School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), London

Mostafa Henaway, Tadamon! Canada

Monadel Herzallah, National Coordinating Committee, US Palestinian Community Network

Nadia Hijab, author and human rights advocate

Andrew Kadi

Hanna Kawas, Chair person, Canada Palestine Association and Co-Host Voice of Palestine

Abir Kobty, Palestinian blogger and activist

Joseph Massad, Professor, Columbia University, NY

Danya Mustafa, Israeli Apartheid Week US National Co-Coordinator & Students for Justice in Palestine- University of New Mexico

Dina Omar, Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine

Haitham Salawdeh, National Coordinating Committee, US Palestinian Community Network

Sobhi Samour, School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), London

Khaled Ziada, SOAS Palestine Society, London

Rafeef Ziadah, poet and human rights advocate

On International Women’s Day, March 8, the Palestinian Solidarity Group-Chicago and the U.S. Palestinian Community Network (USPCN)-Chicago encourage supporters of women’s rights to show support and solidarity with Palestinian women struggling for their freedom and for the national liberation of the Palestinian people.

We stand in support of and solidarity with Hana al-Shalabi, who went on hunger strike on February 16 to protest Israel detaining her without charge or trial. She has previously spent more than two years in detention without charge or trial — a practice known as “administrative detention.”

Israel currently holds approximately 300 Palestinians under administrative detention. (For more about Hana al-Shalabi and administrative detention, read here: http://addameer.org/etemplate.php?id=161)

Act today!

1. Show your solidarity with Hana al-Shalabi — send her a message of support to:

Hana al-Shalabi
HaSharon Prison
Even Yehuda
PO Box 7
40330 Israel

(Send copies to the prisoner rights group Addameer at info@addameer.ps to make sure Hana gets your message in case it is not delivered by Israel.)

2. Demand that the Israeli government immediately release Hana al-Shalabi:

Brigadier General Danny Efroni
Military Judge Advocate General
6 David Elazar Street
Harkiya, Tel Aviv
Israel
Fax: +972 3 608 0366; +972 3 569 4526
Email: arbel@mail.idf.il; avimn@idf.gov.il

Maj. Gen. Avi Mizrahi
OC Central Command Nehemia Base, Central Command
Neveh Yaacov, Jerusalam
Fax: +972 2 530 5741

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Ehud Barak
Ministry of Defense
37 Kaplan Street, Hakirya
Tel Aviv 61909, Israel
Fax: +972 3 691 6940 / 696 2757

Col. Eli Bar On
Legal Advisor of Judea and Samaria PO Box 5
Beth El 90631
Fax: +972 2 9977326

3. Write your elected representatives to urge them to have Israel release Hana al-Shalabi and put an end to administrative detention.

View this call on PSG’s website: http://psgchicago.org/?p=581

Share this call on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/156944934425779/

Khader Adnan has been on hunger strike for 63 days – one day for each year of the occupation of Palestine; one day, one year, of steadfastness, resilience, resistance, and dignity in the face of occupation and oppression. His courage and commitment must inspire us all to act to amplify his message, support his action, demand his freedom – and the freedom of Palestine.

““I hereby assert that I am confronting the occupiers not for my own sake as an individual, but for the sake of thousands of prisoners who are being deprived of their simplest human rights while the world and international community look on…It is time the international community and the UN support prisoners and force the State of Israel to respect international human rights and stop treating prisoners as if they were not humans.” – Khader Adnan, from his hospital bed


BACKGROUND

Khader Adnan was abducted by Israeli occupation soldiers on December 17, 2011 at 3:30 am. Addameer reports:

“Before entering his house, soldiers used the driver that takes Khader’s father to the vegetable market, Mohammad Mustafa, as a human shield by forcing him to knock on the door of the house and call out Khader’s name while blindfolded. A huge force of soldiers then entered the house shouting. Recognizing Khader immediately, they grabbed him violently in front of his two young daughters and ailing mother.”

He was then taken to interrogation, where interrogators forced him into stress positions, ripped out chunks of his beard and rubbed his face with dirt as they insulted his wife, sister, children and mother. Throughout this ordeal, he refused to say a word to his interrogators or take a bite of food. He was never charged with any crime, but instead placed in administrative detention, a mechanism in which Palestinian prisoners are held for months at a time, renewable again and again, without charge or trial, on the basis of secret evidence.

Since then, Khader Adnan has been on hunger strike for 63 days. Past 50 days, a hunger striker is in immediate danger of organ failure and death. He has lost eighty pounds, cannot walk, and remains shackled hand and foot to his hospital bed. And still he insists upon his strike, upon his humanity and dignity in the face of a system that would obliterate it. 

ACTION

While the Western media has been almost entirely silent about the case of Khader Adnan, he has become an international symbol of resistance to injustice through grassroots movements and social media. Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and the Carter Center have joined the call for his release.

Khader Adnan is demanding not only his release but the end of administrative detention. He is one of 307 administrative detainees and nearly 4500 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails. 40% of Palestinian men in the West Bank and Gaza have spent time in the occupation’s jails. Palestinian prisoners have long utilized the hunger strike as a mechanism of struggle, and Khader Adnan is the latest – and longest-term – inheritor of that great and heroic tradition of the Palestinian prisoners’ movement. The Palestinian prisoners have always been the conscience of the Palestinian national liberation movement, and Khader Adnan’s steadfastness is the emblematic example of that role.Khader’s struggle and sacrifice calls us home to the fundamentals of the struggle, to the freedom of our people and our land, the return of our refugees, to opening the gates of the occupier’s prisons, and must call us now to action. 

Protests have taken place in many cities in the past weeks and thousands of letters have been written. At this critical time, the next week – February 19-26, 2012 must be a week of action for Khader Adnan and all Palestinian prisoners. On Monday, February 20, join AMP, USPCN  and others in a national day of fasting for Khader Adnan. Hundreds have already joined a “Fasting for Freedom” campaign and protests are planned in New York, Oakland, Los Angeles and elsewhwere. We call on all USPCN chapters and members, the Palestinian community, and the supporters and friends of the Palestinian people to:

1. Join and organize such actions at Israeli embassies and consulates, in public squares, on campuses, and in communities. Join in the solidarity hunger strikes and Fasts for Freedom. Please email us at uspcn@uspcn.org or send us the Facebook link to your events.

2. Organize call-in centers and hunger strike events to bring together solidarity fasters and people calling the State Department. Please email us at uspcn@uspcn.org or send us the Facebook link and we will publicize your call-in centers.

3. Continue the Social Media and Twitter campaigns to publicize the case of #KhaderAdnan. The twitter hashtag #HungerStrike63Days trended worldwide today – when the mainstream media is silent, we must speak in our own voices.

4. Continue the phone-call and letter pressure. Call the office of Jeffrey Feltman, Assistant Secretary of State for Near East Affairs at 202.647.7209 and insist the US take a stand and demand that Israel release Khader Adnan and end the practice of administrative detention. Write letters to the occupation authority to make it clear that thousands around the world are with Khader Adnan: http://samidoun.ca/2012/02/take-action-for-hunger-striking-palestinian-prisoner-khader-adnan/ and sign the petition to the International Committee of the Red Cross: http://signon.org/sign/khader-adnans-life-at-1?source=c.fwd&r_by=2447156

USPCN is committed to working to build the movement in the US for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions. We look forward to participating in the continuing work coming from the PennBDS conference and working with Students for Justice in Palestine to build the campus movement. As we move towards Israeli Apartheid Week 2012, it is clear that Zionist lies and intimidation will do nothing to stop the Palestinian movement nor student activism, organizing and solidarity for Palestinian return and liberation.

The revolutions that swept the Arab world are far from over and 2012 brings new challenges for our community and our movement. Palestine’s freedom remains inextricably linked with the Arab world’s struggle to realize liberation, independence, and unfettered self-determination.

Despite recent attempts to marginalize the diaspora’s role in shaping Palestine’s future, Palestinians living in exile remain committed to Palestine’s freedom and will continue to seek unity over factionalism. From Ein al-Hilweh to Balata, Palestinian refugees anxiously anticipate the day when they can return to Palestine and enjoy her beauty without having to fear occupation and colonization.

We remember those Palestinians that have been released from the shackles of Israeli apartheid, and salute all those that remain behind bars. You are the heartbeat of our movement.

May 2012 bring you and your families health, happiness, and prosperity.

Endorse the statement here.

In recent days, protesters demanding civilian rule in Egypt have again been murdered, maimed and tortured by the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) and the Interior Security Forces (ISF).

The conspiracy, being brutally implemented in Egypt, is part of a global conspiracy to suffocate mass movements for socio-economic justice and is being done with direct assistance of the American government and the private interests which direct that government. We have word from friends in Egypt that SCAF, ISF and their hired thugs — armed by ongoing shipments of $1.3 billion in weapons from the U.S. government — plan to execute one by one all the leaders of the revolution, and as many activists as they can.

Accordingly, we need to ensure that people and organizers in the US and internationally are involved in closely monitoring the events unraveling in Egypt. By keeping track of the atrocities committed by SCAF and ISF, keeping track of those detained, tortured or targeted, and continuously contacting officials in Egypt and the US to demand accountability, cessation of the atrocities and justice, we can add pressure on SCAF, ISF and the forces they represent. In this way we may be able to play a role in helping save the lives of our Egyptian brothers and sisters.

Evidence of the conspiracy to execute the leaders and participants of Egyptian freedom movement, includes in very small part the following:

• Sheikh Emad of Al Azhar was killed by a bullet entering his right side from short range. This was seen at first hand by witnesses known to members of our coalition. Sheikh Emad was one of a small number of Azhar Imams issuing decrees in support of the revolution. His murder was no accident.
• Sally Tooma, Mona Seif, Ahdaf Soueif, and Sanaa Seif, all female friends and relatives of imprisoned blogger and activist Alaa abd El Fattah, and all known internationally for their political and/or literary work, were detained, and beaten in the Cabinet building.
• A woman protesting against General Tantawi, head of SCAF, was detained and then tortured by having the letter “T” in English carved into her scalp with knives.
• Detainees are being tortured while in courtroom holding pens. Two men (Mohammad Muhiy Hussein is one of them) were killed in those pens.These are only a small number of the horror stories we are hearing. And we continue to receive reports from Cairo about a massive army presence in Tahrir Square and the constant sound of gunshots.These are only a small number of the horror stories we are hearing. And we continue to receive reports from Cairo about a massive army presence in Tahrir Square and the constant sound of gunshots.

In every way, Egypt’s fight is our fight. Just like us, Egyptians are the 99%, fighting for social, political and economic justice.

The same 1% that arms the Egyptian dictatorship commits systematic violence in this country against the Occupy movement; antiwar and solidarity activists; and Arabs, Muslims, and other communities of color.

As the US Palestinian Community Network recently observed, “the same US-made tear gas rains down on us in the streets of Oakland, Cairo and Bil`in.”

Because of Egypt’s key strategic location, the fate of its revolution echoes across the world. Its success will bring us all closer to achieving economic and social justice. But its defeat would be a major blow to social justice movements everywhere, including Occupy.

In short, Egypt is key to the continued success of the Arab Revolution, and movements she has inspired.

For all these reasons, we ask Occupy and all U.S. social justice activists to join us in mobilizing to defend our Egyptian brothers and sisters by immediately organizing mass convergences on Egyptian embassies, missions, consulates, and at U.S. government offices, to demand:

• Cancel all US aid and shipment of military and police materiel to Egypt!
• Stop the murders, tortures and detentions!
• Release all detainees and political prisoners!
• Immediate end to military rule in Egypt!

Issued by (list in formation):

Ad Hoc Coalition to Defend the Egyptian Revolution
Al-Awda NY: The Palestine Right to Return Coalition
Egyptian Association for Change- NY
Existence is Resistance
International Socialist Organization
Jan25 Solidarity for Democracy Network
New York City Labor Against the War
Labor for Palestine
Palestine Solidarity Network – Bay Area
Raha Iranian Feminist Collective
Siegebusters Working Group
6 of April Youth Movement America
Socialist Action
United National Antiwar Coalition
US Palestinian Community Network

Please endorse and circulate this appeal widely. Please send statements with these demands to the bodies listed below*

www.defendegyptianrevolution.org and defendegyptianrevolution@gmail.com

IMMEDIATE ACTIONS:

TUESDAY

Call/write-in to Egyptian government.

Ministry of Defense
Field Marshall Mohamed Hussein Tantawi Soliman
Phone: 01120222916227
Fax: +(20) 2 2 5748 822 (+20) 22 291 6227
E-mail: mod@idsc.gov.eg
Website: http://www.mmc.gov.eg

Dr.Kamal El Ganzory, Prime Minister
Phone: +202-2793-5000
Fax: +202-2795-8048
E-mail: pm@cabinet.gov.eg
Website: http://www.cabinet.gov.eg/Cabinet/Prime_Minister.aspx

WEDNESDAY

2:00pm until 7:00pm
Protest against SCAF in NYC
Egyptian consulate, 1110 2nd Ave # 201 New York, NY 10022-2093
https://www.facebook.com/events/260847190641653/

USPCN is an endorser of this statement, which was initiated by multiple organizations in Northern California and the Bay Area. To endorse, email: bay2egypt@gmail.com.

As 2011 gives way to 2012, people’s movements for justice are met with unprecedented global militarization. From Oakland to Egypt, people are demanding democracy and an equitable distribution of wealth while attacked with tear gas and pepper spray, rubber bullets and live ammunition. We have become all too familiar with the recent images of the words “Made in the USA” on tear gas canisters used against Egyptians, thousands of whom have been injured and scores killed. Others have experienced firsthand the brutality of these weapons used against the decolonize/occupy movements in the US. Tear gas, however, is but one manifestation of this assault.

Militarization is not new. Police brutality is not a recent phenomenon. Communities of color and poor communities have long faced the violence of systems of power. Police brutality, racial profiling, surveillance of communities, control of media and communication, and attacks on immigrants in the US are all connected to the global militarization we are seeing in Egypt and other places where people are fighting for their freedom. What we are witnessing today is an illumination of these acts of violence as thousands stand together in defiance of such assaults.

We echo this resolve. We will not allow corporations to profit off the brutality against our people in the US or abroad! Egyptian revolutionaries have asked for the movements in the US to shutdown the manufacturing and shipment of weapons and we heed their call in solidarity. We are calling for a targeted campaign against the corporations that profit off the use of these chemical weapons. These corporations have paved the way for a systemic attack against movements for justice.

We must also hold our government accountable for their hand in repression abroad and demand they stop military aid to Egypt. We will not allow our tax dollars to be used in supporting corporations and dictators that profit from and facilitate state violence against our people in the US and abroad!

Endorsed By:

•  Al-Awda, SF – Palestine Right of Return Coalition
• ANSWER – Act Now to Stop the War and End Racism
• AROC – Arab Resource and Organizing Center
• ISO – International Socialist Organization
• Labor for Palestine
• New York City Labor Against War
• SJP – Students for Justice in Palestine at UC Davis
• Syrian American Council, Bay Area
• USPCN – US Palestinian Community Network
• War Resisters League, New York

On this International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, the US Palestinian Community Network marks 64 years since the partition of Palestine – 64 years of ongoing resistance, steadfastness and continuing commitment to free our land and our people. Today, we are in a time of revolution, and increasing global solidarity with our cause.  We are nearing the end of what has been a momentous year for the Palestinian people and the Arab nation. 2011 is almost over, but revolution continues throughout the Arab world. From Tunisia and Egypt to Bahrain and Yemen, the Arab revolutions are evolving in their own ways, demonstrating that the Arab people’s resolve against political despotism remains strong.

The Arab people recognize that the strategic enemies of justice and peace include puppet Arab regimes alongside Israel and its continued colonization and occupation of Palestine. The treachery of the puppet Arab regimes that are all too willing to suppress their own people while at times feigning support for Palestine is glaringly obvious. It is equally clear that the United States cares nothing for the freedom and self-determination of Arabs, as is apparent in its massive military, economic and political support for Israel, threats of war and assassination throughout Arab countries, and its complete disregard for the movements of the Bahraini, Yemeni and Saudi people against their dictatorial regimes. U.S. intervention, threats, and military and political maneuvers are a threat to Arab freedom and liberation – not a support. Despite attempts to co-opt the Arab revolutions and protect the status quo, however, there is no doubt that the Arab peoples will continue to demand freedom, equality, and unfettered self-determination until the last dictator is deposed and the Arab people can stand united against occupation, Zionism and all forms of globalization and exploitation.

Among all people in the region, Palestinians understand this historical moment to indicate that the Arab street rejects the status quo and seeks to create a future that is filled with hope and opportunity rather than despair and repression. Having in many ways inspired the 99% Movement in the United States, the proverbial Arab Spring is an unequivocal rejection of the puppet Arab regimes that are physical manifestations of the power abused by the world’s imperial powers. The 99% Movement must recognize its ongoing connection to and draw inspiration from the continuing Arab revolutions. The same corporate greed against which the 99% has mobilized has worked to sustain Arab dictators that prioritize money over their people’s dignity and freedom. Furthermore, Palestine is part of the 99% of the world, and the 99% Movement should also stand together with Palestinians to confront unfettered empire,settler colonialism, military and war profiteering. On the occasion of the International Day of Solidarity, we encourage all cities and “occupations” in the 99% Movement to hold rallies, teach-ins, film screenings, and discussions about Palestine – and how to build our mutual solidarity as part of a global resistance to corporate power and imperial domination. We salute our comrades in the 99% Movement who have held Kuffiyeh Days, built Intifada Tents, and occupied the occupiers of Birthright Israel and the Boston Israeli Consulate – such examples hold brilliant promise for future solidarity as the same US-made tear gas rains down on us in the streets of Oakland, Cairo and Bil`in.

As Egypt continues its revolution in the face of increased repression, we are reminded that the revolution is not comprised of a single action or a series of protests. Rather, revolution is a mindset, an ongoing quest to disturb the status quo and promote freedom, equality, and self-determination through fair and representative self-government. Throughout this year, the Arab masses have demonstrated that they are the only genuine force that can bring justice, peace, and stability. We stand with the people of Egypt in their struggle to continue the revolution, confront military rule, and build a liberated Egypt that can reclaim its rightful role as a true leader of the Arab people.

At this critical juncture, we must also be wary about those forces that wish to divide us and use Arab or Palestinian institutions or official bodies to undermine and co-opt the Arab revolutions. However, we have strong faith in the Arab masses who are fully aware of their capacity to affect change without foreign intervention or interference. We also recognize and renounce attempts by the United States to treat Palestine as if it is a separate issue, totally disconnected from the popular uprisings that have gripped the Arab world. On the contrary, the Palestinian revolution is now – as it has always been – central to the Arab revolution and the achievement of true liberation. On this day of solidarity, USPCN reiterates that we will realize Palestine’s liberation through mass mobilization, revolution, political unity, and institution building, not through “peace processes” that prioritize colonial expansion over indigenous people’s rights.

As the forces in solidarity with the Palestinians continue to increase in size and strength, we remember those – Palestinian and others – who have given their lives for Palestine’s sake, and hold close to our hearts those that remain imprisoned behind the bars of settler-colonialism and apartheid. In this time of revolution, we call on all Palestinians, Arabs, and solidarity activists alike to renew their spirit and continue to struggle for Palestine’s liberation.

US Palestinian Community Network

Throughout the holiday season, we encourage everyone to pause and reflect on our collective struggle for liberation and return, and the sacrifices that must be made to realize a free Palestine. As hundreds of thousands across the Arab world and the United States continue to protest against corporate greed, political elitism, despotism, we are reminded that revolution and social change belong to the people, and that power will acquiesce nothing without a demand.

May each year bring you and your family health, happiness, and strength.

US Palestinian Community Network’s response to the Palestinian Authority September statehood bid

Andrew Dalack
Email: ajdalack@gmail.com
Telephone: 734-645-6860

August 27, 2011

In recent months, the Palestinian Authority has been intensifying diplomatic efforts to declare statehood at the United Nations. Wasting no avenue, the PA has been seeking to mobilize popular forces in Palestine and in the shatat (diaspora) behind this initiative.  Students, community associations, solidarity campaigns, and organizers, across the US, have all been called upon to “make Palestine the 194^th state.”

We call on all Palestinian and Arab community associations, societies and committees, student organizations, solidarity campaigns, to reject fully and unequivocally the Statehood initiative as a distraction that unjustifiably and irresponsibly endangers Palestinian rights and institutions.

Any diplomatic initiatives, including the initiative at the United Nations this September, must preserve the status of the PLO as the sole representative of the Palestinian people at the United Nations and protect and advance our inalienable rights. The current Statehood initiative does neither, and is therefore an unacceptable threat to the Palestinian national movement.

We call on all Palestinians across the United States to participate in strengthening the campaign for direct elections to the Palestinian National Council by participating in Palestinian Movement Assemblies and Community Meetings for Democratic National Representation. Held throughout the summer, these meetings will continue through the fall and throughout the country.  They will grow as the campaign grows, building a critical mass for our demand for democratic representation. You can find more information and when a PMA will be taking place near you here.

Let us all join the rally at the United Nations on September 15 (more info). The march will take place on Thursday, September 15 in New York City, with a 4:30 gathering in Times Square followed by a 5:30 march to Grand Central and the United Nations.  Coordinated by a broad coalition of organizations and campaigns, the Palestine UN Coalition demands the United Nations hear our voice. We are the people of Palestine, we are the allies of Palestine, and we will be heard by the General Assembly.

USPCN’s Coordinating Committee has attached a comprehensive statement titled, “Liberation and Return are the Demands of the Palestinian People: A note of caution to our people and our allies,” to this press release, which further clarifies USPCN’s position, articulates an alternative to the Palestinian Authority’s subversive maneuvering, and explains the current statehood bid within the context of the broader Palestine liberation movement and its goals.

uspcn.org

### 

Liberation and Return are the Demands of the Palestinian People:

A note of caution to our people and our allies

In recent months, the Palestinian Authority has intensified diplomatic efforts to declare statehood at the United Nations. Wasting no avenue, the PA has been seeking to mobilize popular forces in Palestineand in the shatat (diaspora) behind this initiative.  Students, community associations, solidarity campaigns, and organizers, across the US, have all been called upon to “make Palestine the 194^th state.”

While the call sounds attractive, many community members wonder what to make of it. Will this initiative bring Palestine closer to liberation? Will it help Palestinians achieve their right to return?  Some have remarked that, if nothing else, it will not hurt.

The US Palestinian Community Network, a grassroots community-led network of democratically elected chapters across the US, asserts that such initiatives, in fact, do hurt. They are not benign exercises, but can cause great damage to achievements made through the hard, brutal, struggle of generations of Palestinians.

As has been recently revealed, this initiative in no way protects nor advances our inalienable, and internationally recognized, rights—fundamental of which are our right to return to the homes and properties from which we were forcibly expelled, our right to self-determination, and our right to resist the settler colonial regime that has occupied our land for more than 63 years. The Palestinian people, wherever they are, hold these rights. They are non-negotiable. No one can barter them away for false promises of “peace” and “stability.” The cynical irony of turning a UN resolution enshrining our right to return under international law (UNGA Res. 194) into a rhetorical ploy should give anyone pause.  That it is being advanced at a time when the PA does not even have the political mandate of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza through Palestinian Legislative Council elections must also give us pause.

Our inalienable rights give us the foundational principles with which we seek liberation and return. When these two things are achieved, it is then that we will achieve independence. Not before, and not without the mandate of the entirety of the Palestinian people. Indeed, it is in struggle and the emboldening of our emancipatory spirit that we free ourselves. Resistance is our first independence.

But, the question remains. Who protects our inalienable rights? Who speaks in the name of the Palestinian people?

In our long Palestinian revolutionary struggle, no matter where we lived, we fought for our right to determine our own destiny; pave a path to freedom that would be of our own design, our own democratic will. In 1968, we rescued the Palestinian Liberation Organization from Arab regimes, and through a generation of struggle and sacrifice, transformed it into the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people, recognized by the Arab League and by the United Nations.

Through the PLO, and its countless popular committees, associations, unions, and camp formations, many (though not all) Palestinians had a voice within their movement.  Indeed, it is that popular democratic mobilization that gave the PLO its legitimacy. And in its continued role as legitimate representative, the PLO, and only the PLO, has the legal mandate to advance the political will of the Palestinian people.

Any diplomatic initiatives, including the initiative at the United Nations this September, must therefore preserve the status of the PLO as the sole representative of the Palestinian people at the United Nations and protect and advance our inalienable rights. The current Statehood initiative does neither, and is therefore an unacceptable threat to the Palestinian national movement.

We say this knowing full well that, in the last few decades, the PLO has been decimated by corruption, ineptitude, collaboration, and betrayal. It must be reclaimed, cleaned, revived and rebuilt. It is we, the Palestinian people, across the shatat and in the homeland, who will do it.  It is ours. We will not allow it to be stolen from us. The PLO must expand to truly represent all Palestinians, inside Israel, in the West Bank and Gaza, in the camps, and across the shatat.  It is we who give it legitimacy; it is we who give political mandate to our leadership; it is we who will breathe new life into our long too dormant national institutions through popular democratic mobilization.

In the mean time, we hold the current occupants of PLO positions ultimately responsible for protecting the PLO’s role as the representative of the Palestinian people. A failure to do so must have consequences.

We call on all Palestinian and Arab community associations, societies and committees, student organizations, solidarity campaigns, to reject fully and unequivocally the Statehood initiative as a distraction that unjustifiably and irresponsibly endangers Palestinian rights and institutions.

We need not be concerned that to do so would be to stand with the interests of the US or Israel.  Lack of US and Israeli support for the statehood initiative is a red herring, meant to distract us from the continued support that both have provided for an Authority and “peace process” that daily cost the Palestinian people their liberty, self-determination and lives.

However, such an initiative nonetheless has potential to positively impact our struggle.  It clarifies for us that we must return to a framework we once had, but one that has been thwarted by decades of endless and cynical negotiations, diplomatic stunts, and “peace deals.” We must return to a framework of genuine struggle and a cohesive and coherent strategy built upon our inalienable rights.

The first step in such a strategy must be an escalated focus on Palestinian mobilization for direct elections to the Palestinian National Council (PNC), the legislative body of the PLO.  It is the PNC that holds the mechanism by which Palestinians can collectively determine the strategy the PLO must execute in our name. Its democratization is key to cohering us, bringing back to us our collective force. Indeed, democratization of our movement must reach into all aspects of our political work, in each of our community associations, as well as all our student, labor and popular formations.

We therefore call on all Palestinians across the United States to participate in strengthening the campaign for direct elections to the Palestinian National Council by participating in Palestinian Movement Assemblies and Community Meetings for Democratic National Representation. Held throughout the summer, these meetings will continue through the fall and throughout the country.  They will grow as the campaign grows, building a critical mass for our demand for democratic representation. You can find more information and when a PMA will be taking place near you here.

Organize an assembly, community meeting, or town hall in your area. USPCN will be with you every step of the way, with support, guidance and coordination.  We can only demand of our struggle what we put into it. We are indivisible from the Palestinian people. We must activate and elevate our role in the shatat for our common liberation and return.

To students, solidarity campaigns and allies, we caution you against this distraction of resources, time, and energy. The path for solidarity and mutual struggle is clear. We must continue the work of building our common struggles for all forms of emancipation and liberation. We must continue to isolate Zionism, and strengthen the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement in the United States by getting involved in the growing campaigns across the country. We must return to international institutions with our inalienable rights intact, and utilize all legal instruments, vigorously, to challenge Israel’s impunity for its continued and unceasing crimes in Gaza. We must support the legal campaigns against Israeli war criminals, shame them, hound them, and try them at the International Criminal Court for their continued crimes against our humanity.

And we must also take to the streets. Let us all rally at the United Nations on September 15 (more info). The march will take place on Thursday, September 15 in New York City, with a 4:30 gathering in Times Square followed by a 5:30 march to Grand Central and the United Nations.   We demand the United Nations hear our voice. We are the people of Palestine, we are the allies of Palestine, and we will be heard by the General Assembly.

To our beautiful brave Arab people, from Tripoli to Cairo to Homs to Sana’a to Amman to Manama, we salute you and stand with you. In devoting ourselves to our liberation, we honor your sacrifices and struggle for our Palestine and for our Arab future. Stand with us, open the gates and crossings that besiege us, and rest assured: we will not stop until the banner of freedom flutters above the skies of our Jerusalem.

Until liberation and return.

US Palestinian Community Network
August 27, 2011
http://www.uspcn.org
uspcn@uspcn.org

التحرير والعودة هي مطالب الشعب الفلسطيني

بيان صادر عن شبكة الجالية الفلسطينية في الولايات المتحدة

حول طرح عضوية فلسطين في الامم المتحدة

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خلال الشهور القليلة الماضية، ضاعفت السلطة الفلسطينية من جهودها الدبلوماسية من أجل الاعلان عن الدولة في الأمم المتحدة. وبدون إضاعة أي فرصة فقد طالبت السلطه الفلسطينيه (على غير ما إعتدنا عليه) بدعوة  القوى الشعبية في فلسطين والشتات لانجاح هذه المبادرة. ووجهت دعوات إلى الطلبة، ومنظمات المجتمع المدني، والحملات المنظمة، والمؤسسات، في مختلف أنحاء الولايات المتحدة للاعلان عن فلسطين الدولة رقم 194 في الأمم المتحدة.

وبينما تبدو الدعوة جذابة، إلا أن هناك العديد من أعضاءالجاليه ومن خلال تجمعاتهم  ونشاطاتهم المختافه بدأوا يتساءلون عمّا سيؤدي تحقيق مثل هذه المبادرة. هل ستجعل فلسطين أقرب إلى دحر الإحتلال ؟ هل ستساعد الفلسطينيين على نيل  حقهم بالعودة؟ وقد أشار البعض بالقول أن هذه المبادرة إن لم تحقق شيئا، فلنها لن  تضر.

إن شبكة الجالية الفلسطينية في الولايات المتحدة ، (والتي  تمثل شبكة مجتمعية واسعه الإنتشار  والتي تضم ناشطات وناشطيين  تم انتخابهم  بالطرق الديمقراطية في الفروع  المختلفه في  أنحاء الولايات المتحدة الأمريكية)، تؤكد أن مثل هذه المبادرات القاصره  قد تضر أكثر مماقد تنفع   فإنها  ليست مجرد مناوره بريئه ، بل قد تؤدي إلى ضرر كبير على صعيد الانجازات التي تحققت من خلال الجهود الشاقة والمضنية، والتضحيات، وكفاح أجيال من أبناء الشعب الفلسطيني.

وكما أشير مؤخرا فإن هذه المبادرة لن تحمي ولن تطور حقوقنا الشرعية والدولية الأساسية والتي تمثل حقنا في العودة إلى وطننا وممتلكاتنا والتي طردنا منها بالقوة، وحقنا في تقرير المصير، وحقنا في مقاومة النظام الاستيطاني العنصري الذي احتل أرضنا منذ أكثر من 63 سنة. إن الشعب الفلسطيني، وأينما كانوا، يمتلكون هذه الحقوق. إنها غير قابلة للتفاوض. ولا أحد يستطيع إقناعهم بالوعود الزائفة بـ (السلام) و (الاستقرار). إن القرارالذي يشرع ويثبت حق الفلسطينيين في   العودة الذي أصدرته الأمم المتحدة بموجب القوانين الدولية (القرار رقم 194) يستحق التوقف عنده وقفة تأمل. لقد  تم اتخاذ هذا القرار عندما لم تكن منظمة التحرير الفلسطينية تمتلك قوة سياسية لتمثيل الفلسطينيين فقط في الضفة الغربية، ولا سلطه يتم  انتخابها عن طريق انتخابات مجلس تشريعي فلسطيني، إذ أن هذه السلطه محدوده الصلاحيات ليست مخوله في التحدث بإسم الفلسطينيين أينما كانوا وهذه أيضا تستحق وقفة تأمل.

إن حقوقنا المشروعة تزودنا بمباديء أساسية والتي من خلالها نحصل على التحرر والعودة. وعند إنجاز هذين العنصرين، فعندها فقط سوف نستطيع تحقيق الاستقلال. وليس قبل، وليس بدون موافقة كاملة لجميع أبناء الشعب الفلسطيني. وفي الحقيقة، فإن ذلك يتم من خلال النضال وتجسيد روحنا النضالية وهي التي تحقق لنا التحرير. والنضال هو أول عناصر استقلالنا. ولكن، يبقى السؤال، من الذي يحمي هذه الحقوق المشروعة؟ من الذي يتحدث باسم الشعب الفلسطيني؟

وخلال نضالنا الفلسطينيالوطني الطويل، وبغض النظر عن مكان عيشنا، فقد ساهم كل من تجمعات شعبنا في النضال كل بموقعه للحصول على حقنا لتقرير مصيرنا، ومهدنا الطريق إلى الحرية التي صممناها بأنفسنا، وعملنا على تحقيق إرادتنا الديمقراطية. وفي العام 1965، فقد قام شعبنا بإلتفافه حول  منظمة التحرير الفلسطينية  بإنقاذها من سيطره وإحتواء الأنظمة العربية، ومن خلال تواصل أجيال من النضال والتضحية، قام شعبنا بمؤوسساته وتنظيماته الوطنيه المكافحه بتحويلها إلى ممثل شرعي وحيد للشعب الفلسطيني، واعترفت بها جامعة الدول العربية والأمم المتحدة.

ومن خلال منظمة التحرير الفلسطينية، فقد كان لآليات العمل الجماهيري العديدة، والمؤسسات، والنقابات، واللجان الشعبيه للمخيمات، والعديد من الهيئات الفلسطينية التي كان لها صوت مسموع في هذه الحركة. وحقيقة، إن الحركة الديمقراطية الشعبية هي التي أعطت لمنظمة التحرير الفلسطينية شرعيتها. ومن خلال دورها المستمر كممثل شرعي، فقد تمكنت منظمة التحرير الفلسطينية، وفقط منظمة التحرير الفلسطينية، من تطوير الارادة السياسية للشعب الفلسطيني. إن منظمة التحرير الفلسطينية بمحتواها الكفاحي وحدها، هي القادرة على الحماية والدفاع عن حقوقنا وإنجازاتنا.

إن أي مبادرات دبلوماسية، بما فيها المبادرة المقدمة إلى الأمم المتحدة خلال شهر سبتمبر الحالي، يجب أن تحافظ على وضع منظمة التحرير الفلسطينية كممثل شرعي وحيد للشعب الفلسطيني في الأمم المتحدة وتحافظ وتطور من حقوقنا المشروعة. وإذا بانت هذه  المبادرة الحالية لاقامة الدولة الفلسطينية لا تحقق ذلك ، فهي بالتالي تمثل تهديدا غير مقبول للحركة الوطنية الفلسطينية.

إننا نقول هذا ونحن نعلم علم اليقين بأنه و خلال العقود القليلة الماضية، تعرضت منظمة التحرير الفلسطينية للضعف بسبب تفريغها المدروس من محتواها الكفاحي و فساد معظم ما تبقى من رموزها ، وسوء السلوك، والتعاون، والغدر.دون حسيب أو رقيب أومرجعيه لمؤوسساتها التي  يجب أن يعاد إصلاحها، وتنظيفها، وإحياؤها وإعادة بناؤها.

 إننا نحن –تجمعات الشعب الفلسطيني – في مختلف مناطق الشتات والوطن، هم الأجدر والأحق بالمساهمه  المباشره وبالقيام بهذه المهام إنها لناولن نسمح بأن يتم سرقتها منا. وعلى منظمة التحرير الفلسطينية التوسع لتمثيل كافة الفلسطينيين، داخل اسرائيل، والضفة الغربية وغزة، وفي المخيمات، وفي مناطق الشتات. إننا نحن من يعطيها الشرعية، ونحن الذين نعطي الشرعية السياسية لقيادتنا؛ ونحن الذين نتنفس حياة جديدة في مؤسساتنا الوطنية من خلال التحرك الديمقراطي الشعبي.

وفي الوقت نفسه، فإننا  نحمل كل من يشغل مواقع قياديه اليوم  في منظمة التحرير الفلسطينية  كامل المسؤولية في حماية دور منظمة التحرير الفلسطينية كممثل للشعب الفلسطيني. وأن الفشل في القيام بهذا الدور، سيؤدي إلى الكثير السلبيات والتي قد لايحمد عقباها .

إننا ندعو جميع الفلسطينيين ومنظمات المجتمع العربيه المختلفه  الحريصه على قضاياها والقلب منها قضية فلسطين، و كافة النقابات والجمعيات، واتحادات الطلبة، وقادة الحملات التوعوية، إلى الرفض الكامل بدون شروط لمبادرة االسلطه الفلسطينية حيث أنها تزيد من المخاطر وتضعف من الحقوق الشرعية للفلسطينيين ومؤسساتهم وإن هذه المناوره ماهي إلا قول حق يراد به باطل.

 إن قلة دعم الولايات المتحدة واسرائيل لمبادرة الدوله   يعني تشتيتنا عن الدعم المستمر الذي وفر سلطة و (عملية سلام) والتي باتت تكلفنا  يوميا الكثير من الضحايا الفلسطينيين وحرمانهم من حقهم في النضال  لتقرير مصيرهم.

على الرغم من كل ذلك   من المهم الإشاره  أن مثل هذه المبادرة  تحمل في طياتها أثرا ايجابيا على نضالنا.فهي توضح لنا بأن علينا العودة إلى الاطارالدولي  الذي كنا نستندعليه سابقا، ولكنها ضعفت بسبب المفاوضات المباشره الفاشله و المستمرة والصفقات الأمنيه. وعلينا العودة إلى إطار النضال الحقيقي والاستراتيجية الشاملة والمتكاملة التي بنيت  أساساعلى حقوقنا الشرعية.

وتتمثل الخطوة الأولى في مثل هذه الاستراتيجية في تصعيد التركيز على الحركة الفلسطينية لاجراء انتخابات مباشرة للمجلس الوطني الفلسطيني، والسلطة التشريعية لمنظمة التحرير الفلسطينية. إن هذا المجلس هو الذي يجب أن يعمل نيابة عنا. وأن  ديمقراطية هذا المجلس تشكل عنصرا رئيسيا لتماسكنا، وإعادتنا إلى قوتنا الجماعية. وفي واقع الأمر، فإن دمقرطة حركتنا يجب أن تصل إلى كافة عناصر العمل السياسي، وفي كل منظمة مجتمعية، إضافة إلى طلبتنا، والمؤسسات الشعبية أجمع.

وبناء عليه، فإننا نطالب كافة الفلسطينيين في مختلف أنحاء الولايات المتحدة الأمريكية للمشاركة في تعزيز حملة لاجراء انتخابات مباشرة للمجلس الوطني الفلسطيني عن طريق المشاركة في حركات التجمع الفلسطينية ولقاءات المجتمعات لتحقيق تمثيل ديمقراطي وطني. وعند عقدها خلال فصل الصيف، فإن هذه اللقاءات سوف تستمر حتى الخريف وفي كافة أنحاء الولايات المتحدة الأمريكية. وسوف تنمو وتكبر مع نمو الحملة، وتبنى لتحقيق التمثيل الديمقراطي لشعبنا. ويمكن الاطلاع على مزيد من المعلومات وعند حدوث اللقاءات في منطقتك المجاورة.

قم بتنظيم تجمع، لقاء مجتمعي، أو لقاء في إحدى قاعات البلدة في منطقتك. وسوف تكون  USPCN معكم خطوة خطوة، وتقدم المساندة، والتوجيه والتنسيق. وعندها، يمكننا فقط المطالبة بالنضال الذي نريد. إننا جزء لا يتجزأ من الشعب الفلسطيني. وعلينا تفعيل وزيادة دورنا في الشتات لتحقيق التحرر والعودة لجميع أبناء الشعب الفلسطيني.

إلى الطلبة، قادة الحملات والنخبة، إننا نهيب بكم الحيطه والحذر من هذا التشتيت في الجهود، وإهدار الوقت، والطاقة. إن مسار الوحدة والنضال المشترك واضح. وعلينا الاستمرار في العمل لبناء نضالنا المشترك لكافة أشكال التحرر. وعلينا الاستمرار في عزل الصهيونية، وتعزيز المقاطعة، وفرض العقوبات عليها. كما أن علينا العودة إلى المؤسسات الدولية للحصول على حقوقنا المشروعة، واستغلال كافة الوسائل القانونية، لمعاقبة اسرائيل، وتحدي قوتها واستمرارها في ارتكاب الجرائم في غزة. ويجب أن نساند الحملات القانونية ضد مجرمي الحرب الاسرائيليين،وأن نلاحقهم أينما كانوا ونطالب بمحاكمتهم لدى محكمة الجنايات الدولية على جرائمهم المستمرة ضد شعبنا.

وإضافة لذلك، فعلينا تنظيم المظاهرات في الشوارع، لنتحد في الأمم المتحدة في الخامس عشر من سبتمبر. ونطالب الأمم المتحدة بسماع صوتنا. إننا شعب فلسطين، ونحن حلفاء فلسطين، وسوف يتم سماع صوتنا من الهيئة العامة للأمم المتحدة.

إلى أهلنا الشجعان، إلى جماهيرنا العربيه في كل مكان  من طرابلس إلى القاهرة إلى حمص إلى صنعاء إلى عمان والمنامة، إننا نحييكم ونقف إلى جانبكم. وبتكريس أنفسنا للتحرر، فإننا نقدر تضحياتكم ونضالكم لتحرير فلسطين ومستقبل الأمة العربية. قفوا معنا، افتحوا الأبواب والمعابر  ، وتأكدوا؛ إننا لن نتوقف إلى عند رفع راية الحرية خفاقة في أجواء مدينة القدس.

حتى التحرير والعودة

شبكة الجالية الفلسطينية في الولايات المتحدة

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شبكة الجالية الفلسطينية في الولايات المتحدة الامريكية هي شبكة أهلية لها اكثر من 20 فرعا بالانتخاب الديموقراطي. تؤكد الشبكة على حق الفلسطينيين في الشتات  للمشاركة في تحديد خيارنا ومصيرنا وهي تسعى لتحقيق الاهداف التالية:

 حق تقرير المصير والمساواة للشعب الفلسطيني.

حق جميع اللاجئين الفلسطينيين في العودة الى ديارهم الاصلية وارضهم واملاكهم وقراهم  - حقٌ غير قابل للتصرف ومدعوم من القانون الدولي

انهاء الاحتلال الصهيوني والاستعمار لفلسطين. 

ان شبكة الجالية الفلسطينية هي ساحة ومنبرا لتجميع الجالية الفلسطينية والتنسيق ورسم الاستراتيجيات المشتركة ، تسعى الشبكة الى تشبيك الجهود وتنظيم الانشطة الموحدة وتبادل المعلومات حول الجهوده المبذولة من اجل قضية فلسطين