Hastings and Rye Palestine Solidarity Campaign
Newsletter   23 February 2023
 
Information stalls

There will be no stall this Saturday 25 February.
Weekly stalls will resume 4th March. Our stalls are every Saturday 12.00 noon until 2 pm (weather permitting) in the town centre. Please pay us a visit. Apart from a range of leaflets, pamphlets and stickers, we have keffiyehs from Hirbawi in Hebron, a range of T-shirts and Palestinian flag umbrellas.
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Puma Day of Action

Our picket in Hastings last month was part of a global series of actions to highlight PUMA's sponsorship of the Israeli Football Association (IFA). The IFA includes teams in Israel's illegal settlements on stolen Palestinian land.

All of Israel's settlements in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and Syria's Golan Heights are illegal under international law and are considered a war crime.

Report on the global day of action - from Europe to Asia to Oceania: BDS Website.

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PSC Planning Meeting Monday 27 February 6pm
White Rock Hotel (opposite the pier) Hastings TN34 1JU

Taking part in our planning meetings is a good way to get involved in all the different aspects of Palestine solidarity work that we're engaged in.
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Film Show: 'Boycott'

Thanks to everyone who came to our filmshow. The film showed the attacks against the BDS/Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement in the US. Zeyn Mohammed of the Right To Boycott campaign spoke about the parallels between the US and the UK.

The UK government is planning an 'anti-boycott bill' that could dramatically affect our ability to boycott Israeli companies and foreign companies complicit in Israel's apartheid crimes. The bill is also directed against other campaigns concerned with the arms trade, climate justice, human rights, international law, and international solidarity movements.

The campaign against the 'anti-boycott bill' - is supported by 60 organisations, including 11 trades unions. For more information.
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Barclays - Don't Bank On Apartheid
Saturday 25 March 12 noon - 2pm
Barclays Bank, Queens Road, TN34 1QP


Demand the bank stop investing in arms companies supplying Israel with weapons used to assault and kill Palestinians.
Barclays has more than £1 billion invested in companies supplying weapons and military technology to Israel. This includes investments in Israeli drone manufacturer Elbit which makes the militarised drones that are used to target and kill civilians in Gaza. In addition to its investments, Barclays provides £3.9 billion in loans and underwriting to these companies.
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Israeli attacks continue, 11 murdered in Nablus

Yesterday the Israeli military murdered 11 Palestinians including a child and three elderly people, and wounded more than 100 others in the occupied city of Nablus. The Israeli forces blocked ambulance crews from reaching the wounded. The Israeli military has murdered 62 Palestinians this year, including 13 children. Article (Middle East Eye).

At least 150 Israeli soldiers stormed the area, joining undercover forces that hid in a mosque "dressed as religious Muslim men and veiled women." This article shows the sheer brutality of the attack "They were shooting left and right, at anyone" Article (Al Jazeera).
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BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) news

Barcelona breaks ties with Israel

Barcelona Mayor Ada Colau has announced her city is suspending all institutional ties with Israel and ending its 25-year-old "twin cities" relationship with Tel Aviv over the Israeli government's violent anti-Palestinian policies. This includes freezing a twinning agreement between the Catalonian city and Tel Aviv.

The Boycott Divestment and Sanctions National Committee (BNC) saluted Ada Colau along with "the grassroots groups who helped end institutional links with apartheid Israel." "We call on institutions worldwide to follow suit and end ties with apartheid Israel!" Article (Consortium News).

South African rugby union withdraws invitation to Israeli team after calls for boycott

"It is incredulous that a post-apartheid South African rugby organisation chooses to invite a team from a settler colonial state that continues to occupy Palestinian land, and uphold a brutal system of apartheid against Palestinians," the South African BDS Coalition said in a statement. Article (Middle East Eye).

"Netanyahu's Judicial Coup Is the BDS Movement's Dream"

Interesting result of Israel's pending legislation to allow the Knesset to overrule court rulings: "A key manager in one of the country's investment firms told me this week that the rate of money leaving his office and going overseas is currently 10 million shekels a day, and growing."
Gideon Levy writes: Article (Haaretz).

  • Leading artists oppose Barbican's partnership with apartheid Israeli embassy. Article here.
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    "The Disgraceful Death of Harun Abu Aram"

    Harun Abu Aram died last Tuesday. The Israeli military murdered him. They shot him in the neck at point blank range 2 years ago while they were stealing the generator owned by Harun's community. For two years he lay paralysed.

    "Harun died in terrible agony, he used to cry at night and during the day he'd close his eyes and pretend to be sleeping." Article (Haaretz).
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    Demolitions in occupied East Jerusalem

    The Israeli occupation authorities started to demolish 14 Palestinian homes in occupied East Jerusalem. More than 131,000 Palestinian homes have been demolished since 1947. Source: ICAHD.    Middle East Monitor aticle.
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    Cancer patient dies after Israel blocks treatment

    Mahmoud al-Kurd, from the Gaza Strip, died on 16 December, two days after he was granted an exit permit by the Israeli military to leave Gaza for treatment in the West Bank. "From July to December, we submitted five applications," Mahmoud's wife Amatulrahman said. "All were delayed or we didn't get any replies."

    According to the World Health Organization, since 2007 and the tightening of Israel's blockade of Gaza, about a third of Gaza's patients' exit permit applications have been either denied or delayed.

    According to Al Mezan, nine patients, including three children, died in Gaza after being denied exit permits in 2022. Article (Electronic Intifada).
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    Israelis are calling their leaders fascists - a forbidden word for Labour MPs

    When Labour's Kim Johnson mentioned the words 'fascist' and 'apartheid,' she was summoned to the office of her party's chief whip and ordered to apologize. Article (972 Mag).
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    EAPPI: Apply to be a human rights monitor

    EAs (Ecumenical Accompaniers) are human rights monitors. The EAPPI is now recruiting EAs to serve in 2024. More information.
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    Palestine's Baseball Team Wins Silver Medal in West Asia Cup

    The article describes the obstacles facing the team, which includes five Gazans. It took them five days to get to the event, and three days to get back to Gaza. Article (Haaretz).
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    Support Revd. Dr. Stephen Sizer

    The Church of England tribunal has banned Stephen Sizer from ministry 'on the grounds of alleged antisemitism.' This conclusion was made even though the Tribunal had identified no antisemitic statements made by him! JNP/IHRC statement. Petition to support Stephen Sizer.
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    Prevent Programme Survey

    As part of Amnesty International's research into the Prevent programme and its impact on free speech, activism and protest, particularly for racialised and Muslim communities, it is presently carrying out a survey. This can be found here.
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    More news:

    Under the Bridge, the murder of Ahmed Kahla: Article here.

    It Started With a Drone. It Ended With a Deadly Raid by a Gang of Armed Settlers: Article here.

    On armed struggle and nonviolence: Article here.

    10-day-long suffocating Israeli army blockade on Jericho city: Article here.

    'Our weapons are legitimate': the Aqbat Jabr Brigade emerges: Article here.

    'Collective punishment': Palestinians in Jerusalem's only refugee camp rise up against Israel: Article here.

    Antisemitic Zionists Aren't a Contradiction in Terms: Article here.

    UN official calls on EU to review definition of anti-Semitism: Article here.

    Kenneth Stern Drafter of the IHRA Definition of Antisemitism: Video: Is Free Speech on Israel Under Attack?

    Jewish National Fund: 120 years of colonial chutzpah: Article here.

    The Palestinians of Masafer Yatta Are Living a Nightmare: Article here.

    Palestine in Pictures: January 2023: Article here.

    Palestinian musician, Naseem Alatrash, from Beit Sahour, nominated for the Grammy award: Article here.

    Israeli soldier filmed assaulting Palestinian activist Issa Amro in Hebron: Article here.

    The effects of waste on Palestinians' health and environment: Article here.

    The team of Israeli contractors hacking and meddling in elections: Article here.

    American Bar Association removes IHRA definition from antisemitism resolution: Article here.
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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 and Rye PSC newsletters:

    24 January 2023
    20 January 2023
    30 December 2022

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