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Hastings and Rye Palestine Solidarity Campaign
Newsletter   25 March 2020
 
Suspension of activities

Because of the Covid-19 outbreak we have postponed our forthcoming benefit for Gaza and our meeting with Ghada Karmi. There won't be any information stalls for a while. We will be stepping up our online and social media presence.
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Palestine and Covid-19

Cases of Covid-19 have been reported throughout Palestine. A big concern is the situation in Gaza. The first 2 cases have been reported. This year, 2020, is the year in which the United Nations predicted that Gaza would become uninhabitable. After 13 years of Israeli siege, Gaza's health system is on the verge of collapse. Along with the fact that Gaza has one of the highest population densities in the world, "it is no exaggeration to say that the prospect of Covid-19 spreading in the Gaza Strip is terrifying," as this article shows: Israel's caging of Gaza is a recipe for coronavirus disaster.

Gaza: End the Siege

Over the next few days we'll be sending out links to petitions, letters to MPs and other campaigning material - something we can take part in while we're all stuck at home! To start with, here's an online letter to the Foreign Office calling for the UK government to insist that Israel ends its illegal blockade of Gaza: Gaza: End the Siege.

Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP)

We were due to hold a benefit for Gaza this Sunday with funds going to MAP. It's been postponed. So we hope that local members and supporters can still donate to MAP. At the moment the situation in Gaza is desperate; if the virus breaks out throughout Gaza it will be disastrous. The link for donations: Medical Aid for Palestinians.
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Palestinian women speaking out in Hastings

Thanks to everyone who came to our meeting with Fadwa Allabadi and Rudayna Hamdan from Abu Dis. They spoke about how the illegal Separation Wall negatively affects women's lives, from denying them their health and reproductive rights to their right to a family life. Our report here.
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International Women's Day in Hastings

Following this year's rally, we ran a stall at the following event in Central Hall - the theme "women and the environment." We put together several fact sheets which included the Israeli occupation's impact on the Palestinian environment. More information.
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Israeli military shoots 17-year old boy in head, injures 112 near Nablus

Israeli military shot dead 17-year old Muhammad Hamayel while villagers were defending their land against illegal Israeli settlers: Nablus: Child Killed, 112 Injured By Israeli Forces.
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Controversial IHRA 'definition of anti-semitism' thrown out in Canada and New Zealand cities

The IHRA 'definition' has been used to stop criticism of Israel and to stop support for Palestinian rights under the cover of fighting anti-Semitism. Activists in New Zealand pointed out that Kenneth Stern, the main author of the IHRA definition, "has condemned efforts to legislate the definition and use it to police speech supportive of Palestinian rights."
Activists block Israel lobby censorship effort in New Zealand.
Jewish Group Applauds Montreal City Council for Abandoning Controversial Definition of Antisemitism.
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Malek - the eleventh child from Issawiya to lose an eye from an Israeli rubber-tipped bullet

9-year-old Malek Issa is the latest child in occupied Issawiya to lose an eye from a rubber bullet as Israeli police intensify repression of Palestinian residents.
Israel is trying to 'break' this East Jerusalem village - with brutal results
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Israeli attacks on the Christian community

Crowds of Israeli settlers invaded church land without permission - while the Israeli military looked on: Patriarchate of Jerusalem condemns Israel settlers for vandalising church land.
Archbishop Theodosios of Sebastia of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem was taken to the hospital after being attacked inside the church with an unknown type of gas: Gas attack on Palestinian Archbishop of Sebastia.
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Puma Says the Boycott Puma Campaign Is "Making Their Lives Miserable"

Puma is the main sponsor of the Israel Football Association (IFA), which includes teams in illegal Israeli settlements. The boycott to put pressure on Puma to stop its sponsorship is clearly becoming effective. A Palestinian rights supporter recently had a chance encounter with a Puma attorney, who said, "You're making our lives miserable."

Puma: stop supporting illegal Israeli settlements.
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Israeli snipers open up about shooting Gaza protesters

During 2 years of the Great Return March - a series of peaceful demonstrations reaffirming the Palestinians' right of return to their homes - the Israeli military killed over 200 Palestinians and injured nearly 8,000. IDF snipers talk in a matter of fact (i.e. callous) way about shooting Gaza protesters. (this is the version for printing as behind a paywall): '42 knees in one day': Israeli snipers open up about shooting Gaza protesters.
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Israel - one of the top arms exporters in the world

Palestine, an occupied, colonised territory, has become Israel's personal laboratory for weapons testing.
Video with Rania Khalek: How did Palestine become Israel's weapons testing lab?
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UN's release of the list of companies that work in Israel's illegal settlements

Of the 112 companies that the UN has listed that operate in illegal West Bank settlements, 3 are based in the UK - JC Bamford Excavators (JCB), Greenkote and Opodo. Write to JCB and your MP.
Board of Deputies slammed for defending companies on UN list linked to illegal Israeli settlements.
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Miko Peled: Speaking Out for Palestine

For those that missed our meeting with Miko last October, this is a talk he gave in Arizona in February. Video: Miko Peled at the Arizona State University.
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News from and about the occupation:

Israel, US Air Force sign military contract worth $472m.

New settler-only road will allow Israel to annex West Bank settlement.

USA: Pro-Israel censorship takes a hit - pro-Palestine voices won't be silenced.

'Precise' Strikes: Fractured Bodies, Fractured Lives - An update on Israel's drone wars.

Israel closes 60-year-old Jerusalem bakery for distributing bread to Muslim worshippers.
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Saturday information stalls - in Hastings and Rye.

We won't be running our information stalls until the Covid-19 outbreak has been cleared up. When they re-start, these are the details:

Hastings
Our weekly information stalls are in the Hastings town centre (weather permitting).
Saturday 12.00 - 14.00

Rye
We run stalls on the cobbles at the top of Conduit Hill, where it meets the High Street. 11 - 1 pm. For information about our next stall (or for anyone in the Rye area who wants to help out), please email.
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Hastings and Rye PSC online membership and donations

Becoming a member of Hastings and Rye PSC is an important way of supporting our work.The annual subscription is £10 waged, £5 unwaged. We now have an online membership payment form. It can also be used to renew membership. The work of Hastings & Rye Palestine Solidarity could not continue without the generous donations from members of the public. If you would like to support our work without becoming a member please visit our shop page here and see the right hand column: Donate to Hastings & Rye PSC.
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Recent Hastings PSC newsletters:

28 February 2020
25 January 2020
27 December 2019

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