[antiwar-van] Delegation to Palestine - Defending Palestine

[Reem Alnuweiri]

Canadian & American Delegation to Palestine: A Delegation Sponsored By:
Palestine Solidarity Group – North America
And
Popular Defense for Palestine - NY

A Delegation of 11-14 North American activists, poets, writers, artists and
students are joining the delegation of INTERNATINAL POPULAR DEFENDORS FOR
PALESTINE (IPDP),  June 2002, in active solidarity with the Palestinian
people, to witness, monitor, document, publicize human rights abuses and war
crimes committed by the Israeli Army, settlers and government, and to
intervene in an attempt to stop human rights abuses whenever possible.

Purpose of Delegation:
1. Creating a nearly permanent presence of International solidarity in
Palestine
2. Promoting active solidarity from the International community in
Palestine, to witness, monitor, document and publicize human rights abuses
and war crimes committed by the Israeli Army, settlers and government;
including (but not limited to): testimonies, documents, photos, and films.
3. Intervening via non-violent resistance means to try and stop human rights
abuses from occurring
4. Focusing on the demands of the Palestinian people, for
self-determination, end of occupation, right of return for Palestinian
Refugees and ending Israeli institutional and non-institutional Apartheid.
5. Building the human bridge between the Palestinians living under siege to
the outside world, and providing moral and physical support to them.
6. Providing popular alternative to the United Nations Monitors, which will
constantly vetoed by US or refused by Israel.
7. To assist Palestinians in their daily living, in relief efforts at the
barricades and refugee camps.
8. Providing a working model and a foundation for the development of a much
wider International Popular Defenders for Palestine program.


In Focus:
 The focal points that are of a high concern at this point for Palestinians
are as follow:
i. The Massacres:  Such as the massacres in Jenin and Nablus, as well as the
daily atrocities in the rest of West Bank and Gaza
ii. Right of return: Looking at the destroyed villages in the 1948 areas, as
well as the refugee camps in West Bank and Gaza.
iii. Political Prisoners:  In Israeli & Palestinian Authority Jails,
including: Palestinians with Israeli citizenship & Palestinians living in
West Bank and Gaza
iv. Confiscation of Lands: for by-pass roads and settlements, as well as
within Jerusalem in an attempt to push Palestinians out of Jerusalem.
v. Barricades: and the economic, social, emotional and mental implication of
the humiliation and delays faced at the thousands of barricades
vi. The Buffer Zone: The implementation of the apartheid Buffer Zone has
already started
vii. The uprooting and burning of Palestinian crops: The health, hunger and
economic hardships, as well as environmental damage for years to come.
viii. Israel as an Apartheid System: Focusing on Israel institutional racism
an the policy of apartheid against the Palestinian people. *

Reports will be provided periodically from the group and will be
communicated to the various listing as well.

How Can you help:
1- Send out the received reports to the maximum number of individuals,
listing and organizations to expose Israeli War Crimes
2- Get the delegations on Coop Radio Shows, local newsletters and newsgroups
3- Forward Summaries of these reports to your MPs & Representatives
4- Join future delegations
5- Attend and promote events related to the matter
6- Organize public events for the delegation members upon their return.
The most important of all, get the word out to the maximum number of people.

For More information, please contact Reem Alnuweiri, IPDP Delegation
Coordinator at write2reem at yahoo.com.

In Solidarity
Reem Alnuweiri