[mobglob-discuss] Nov 4 Conference "The New Middle East"

[Harsha]

* please forward to your contacts *


The Coalition for Justice in the Middle East invites you to a day-long
conference with PANELS, WORKSHOPS, and FILMS...

“THE NEW MIDDLE EAST”

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DATE: SATURDAY NOVEMBER 4TH
TIME: 10:30 am - 7 pm
LOCATION: DOUGLAS COLLEGE - 700 Royal Avenue, Westminster
one block north of the New Westminster SkyTrain
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Updated information will be posted to http://cjme.blogspot.com

==> REGISTRATION:
* To register, email solidarity.lebpal at gmail.com or call 778-837-1232
(Arabic and English) or 778-885-0040 (English)
* Please inform us if childcare is needed.
* $5-10 sliding scale (lunch included).

On July 12th, 2006, already in the midst of a major military offensive
against Gaza, Israel launched a massive attack on Lebanon. In Vancouver,
the Lebanese and Palestine community, along with social justice activists,
organized several rallies, mobilizations, vigils, emergency actions,
petitions, letter writing campaigns, public forums, and outdoor
educational displays.

Despite the popular notion that with a U.N. brokered “ceasefire” has ended
the conflict, Israeli military & political leaders are not being brought
to justice for their war crimes, while frequent breaches of the ceasefire
have been recorded. Over one million Lebanese are now displaced in their
own land, and the infrastructure of Lebanon is completely destroyed. The
siege of the Gaza Strip continues, with nearly three hundred killed in the
last three months alone- a disproportionate number of whom are children-
and the bombing of vital infrastructure, creating a humanitarian disaster
for hundreds of thousands of Palestinian people, amidst the ongoing
occupation of their lands.

It is clear that the political aggression in the Lebanon and Palestine, as
part of the larger plans for the “New Middle East”, will continue. This
conference is aimed to educate and create greater public awareness about
the historic and current struggles in the Middle East while strategizing
ways of strengthening ongoing strategic action. We hope you will join us!

The Conference will take place on SATURDAY NOVEMBER 4 FROM 10:30 AM – 7 PM
with panels, workshops, and films on topics including:
* Historical context for the aggression in Lebanon
* Human and economic costs of the war
* History of Zionism
* Occupation of Palestine
* Palestinian right of return
* Canadian foreign policy in the Middle East
* US foreign policy in the Middle East
* Discussion of terrorism and resistance
* Future interference in Iran and Syria

The Coalition for Justice in the Middle East is a coalition of individuals
and organizations that came together to oppose the most recent Israeli
aggression on Lebanon and Palestine in July 2006. We stand in solidarity
with the Palestinian and Lebanese struggles against Israeli brutality and
occupation, while recognizing that these are only part of a larger
strategy by Zionist Israel, the US, Canada, and other Western countries to
pursue their economic, military, and strategic interests against the
rights, will, and self-determination of the majority of people in the
Middle East.