Friends Service Committee (AFSC) are sponsoring a US tour by 2 grassroots
Palestinian activists on the subject of the demolition of Palestinian
homes by Israeli occupation authorities as part of a Campaign to Stop Home
Demolitions.
BACKGROUND:
The destruction of Palestinian homes has been a major element of Israeli
policy in the Occupied Territories since the beginning of the occupation
in 1967. The systematic destruction of Palestinian homes, along with
other abusive policies such as the expulsion of civilians, settlement
activity, land expropriation, restrictions of movement, thwarting of
education and trade, and the prevention of Palestinian building
construction, is designed to undermine the foundations of Palestinian
society and tighten Israel's grip on the territories. Recent months have
seen a dramatic increase in the number of Palestinian homes being
demolished by the Israeli occupation authorities. In the first 6 months
of 1998 alone, over 100 Palestinian homes were demolished, which
constitutes a doubling of the pace under which homes were being demolished
during the previous 7 years. Last spring the Israeli occupation
authorities announced plans for the demolition of a further 700 homes in
the West Bank.
Much of this increased demolition has been focused in and around the
Jerusalem area, which Israel is particularly determined to control.
Through increased home demolitions, as well as other policies such as the
confiscation of Jerusalem identity cards from Palestinians, land and
building confiscations, the expansion of municipal boundaries, and
increased settlement, the Israeli authorities are attempting to obliterate
the demographic and cultural presence of Palestinians in Jerusalem. To
draw attention to these issues, and the behavior of the Israeli occupation
authorities in Jerusalem and the Occupied Territories in general, we are
focusing on the demolition of Palestinian homes in and around Jerusalem.
As part of the Campaign to Stop Home Demolitions, ADC and ASFC have
organized a speaking tour by two grassroots Palestinian activists - one
person, Salim Hassan al-Shawarmeh, whose home has been demolished by the
Israeli occupation authorities, and a human rights worker from the
Palestine Human Rights Information Center, Yacoub Odeh, who has been
following the issue of house demolitions in Jerusalem and works with
persons whose homes have been demolished. The two will speak in 16 cities
in the United States from October 20 to November 14, 1998.
GOALS OF THE CAMPAIGN:
1. To educate the US public and media about the plight of the Palestinian
people living under occupation through an expose of the abusive and
provocative practice of house demolitions, so that they can use their
influence to help construct a just US policy towards Israel and the
Palestinians.
2. To educate US policy makers about the increasing pace of the
demolition of Palestinian homes by the Israeli authorities and the number
of homes currently slated for demolition, so that they can use their
influence to stop this provocative, inhumane and illegal practice.
WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP:
The Tour is coming to 17 cities around the United States. Please help us
ensure a great attendance for every event. Please feel free to contact an
ADC or ASFC chapter near you or in any place where the tour will stop to
coordinate your efforts with them. Anything you can do to help publicize
the event or get the public and press to attend will be a great
contribution.
There are a number of elements to the Campaign to Stop House Demolitions
with which we need you all to get involved in order for it to be truly
successful. No matter where you are, you can at least help us in 2 ways:
1) The Petition: We will be circulating a petition to stop the demolition
of Palestinian homes by the Israeli occupation authorities both with the
speakers and separately around the country. Please help us get as many
signatures as possible - power is in numbers. There needs to be a
powerful outcry from people in this country about this appalling policy.
2) Postcards: We will be providing event participants with postcards
calling on the Secretary of State, Madeline Albright, to intervene to
prevent the further demolition of Palestinian homes. Please help us send
a direct message to the US government that you are aware of the Israeli
policy of home demolitions and demand that the US government does all it
can to put a halt to them at once.
Home Demolition Campaign: October 20 - November 15, 1998
October 21 Washington, DC
October 22 Boston
October 23 Hartford
October 25 Central PA
October 26 Detroit, MI
October 28 Chicago, IL
October 29 Portland, OR
October 31 Phoenix, AZ
November 1 Pasadena, CA
November 2 Sacramento
November 4 San Francisco, CA
November 5 Albuquerque, NM
November 7 New Orleans, LA
November 8 Austin, TX
November 9 Dallas
November 11 North Carolina
November 12 Washington, DC
November 13 Philadelphia
Locations and times for each of these events will be fixed and publicized
shortly. For further information or details, please call your local ADC
or ASFC chapter or call the ADC national office in Washington, DC at (202)
244-2990 or email to: adc@adc.org. Any help to defray the cost of this
campaign will be greatly appreciated.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee
4201 Connecticut Ave., N.W., Suite 300
Washington, D.C. 20008, U.S.A.
Tel: (202) 244-2990, Fax: (202) 244-3196
Email: adc@adc.org
Web: http://www.adc.org
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ADC is the largest Arab-American grassroots organization in the United
States. It was founded in 1980 by former Senator James Abourezk. To
receive membership information, please send us your name and mailing
address.
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