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CALL FOR INTERNATIONAL ACTION ON DECEMBER 28th |
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Dear Friends, Last spring we put out a call to our supporters all over the world to either join us on June 8 for a large demonstration against the Occupation or to hold demonstrations/vigils in your own locality. These events were a great success, locally and internationally. Some of you came to Israel, and all of you held events locally--in at least 150 cities throughout the world. The combined strength of this synergy increased our visibility everywhere and guaranteed that our voices were heard. Remembering the excitement, energy and power of the June 8 organizing, and recognizing that since then the situation has only deteriorated further under the leadership of this very right-wing Israeli government, we are calling upon ourselves and you once again to organize both locally and internationally. The Coalition of Women for Just Peace is organizing a major international event on Friday, December 28th. We hope you will either organize solidarity missions to join us in Jerusalem on that day or that you will once again organize a major event in your area in solidarity with us and in opposition to the Occupation and to the abhorrent practices of the Sharon government and the Israeli army in the Occupied Territories. We here will once again take responsibility for coordinating this event internationally and keeping us all in touch with one another. Why December 28? It was the last Friday in December of 1988 when Women in Black held its first international conference in Jerusalem, and since then that date has served us as a marker of our on-going commitment to struggle against the illegal and immoral Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands. Why organize internationally? Since the horrific events of September 11, the start of the American war in Afghanistan, and the spector of biological terrorism that is understandably terrorizing the United States and other Western countries, the attention of the world has been diverted from what is happening in our small corner of the world. Under this cover of inattention and preoccupation, the Israeli government has normalized the practice of devastating military incursions into Area A, the portion of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank that had been ceded to the Palestinians and placed under the complete authority of the Palestinian Authority under the Oslo agreements. As we put out this call coordinated international for action, the army has re-occupied six Palestinian cities and large towns in the West Bank. There has been very little and very disproportionate response from the United States and Europe, and though the army will withdraw within the next week or two, it has already been made clear that Israel now considers it a right and duty to invade whenever it deems necessary. In one week of destruction alone, at least 50 Palestinians have been killed and an unknown but large number have been injured. For more than a week, Palestinian life in the West Bank has been completely interrupted, as tanks and armored personnel carriers travel the narrow streets of croweded [crowded] population areas. The need for international protection for the Palestinian people is critical. We call on you to join us in calling for international intervention and a return to a political process that will lead to the establishment of a just peace and the creation of an independent and viable Palestinian state. We must stop Sharon! Our voices are too often and too easily silenced. But we have seen that together we can break the silence. Let us do just that on December 28th. As we hear from you, we will update the entire list about what is happening elsewhere. Once our plans for the Jerusalem event are firmed up, we will keep you informed. We are a powerful network of women and men who oppose war, violence and injustice. Let us make this power felt. For ongoing information about our activities, please visit our new web site, |
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