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Women Challenge US Policy in the Middle East
Email this pageWomen Challenge US Policy
WILPF's Middle East Action Committee will examine the role of U.S. policy in the dynamics of current conflicts. It will educate communities to policy dimensions seldom discussed regarding Palestine, Israel, Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere. What economic interests underlie the power struggles in the region? What U.S. policy changes will end violence and promote justice? The Action Committee will work to bridge gaps, engage diverse groups in developing a women's vision for U.S. foreign policy, and join with women in the region to claim U.N. Security Council Resolution 1325's promise that women's active participation can bring peaceful, democratic resolution to the conflicts.
New WILPF DVD Series Exposes Palestinian Situation:
Do you want to learn more about how the U.S. supports Israel? A new, original DVD series is available from the Western Asia Study and Action Group (part of WILPF's Cape Cod Branch.) Hear first-hand what life in occupied Palestine is really like, the real role of the U.S., learn about the plight of children in this region, listen to the words of Rachel Corrie and Howard Zinn, and much, much more. Begun as part of WILPF's "Women Challenge U.S. Policy: Building Peace on Justice in the Middle East" campaign, this study group researched the history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Members wanted to take what they'd learned to the wider community, and produced this excellent seven-DVD collection. Funding was provided by WILPF and the Social Justice Ministry of First Parish Brewster.
You can purchase each DVD separately for $10 or the entire collection for only $50. Checks should be made out to: "West Asia" and mailed to: Western Asia Study and Action Group, P.O. Box 668, N. Eastham MA 02651-0668.
Download series brochure in .pdf format here.
Download WILPF's Statement on Human Rights Responsibilities in Gaza here.
Feminist Action Guide To Challenging U.S. PolicyThe WCUSP Feminist Action Guide to Challenging US Policy in the Middle East is a 165 page tool for forming a study group or embarking on independent study as an individual, and is complete with original source material, articles, maps and steps to take action. The Feminist Action Guide will serve as a launchpad for future action to challenge U.S. Policy in the Middle East.
Free Dr. Sami al-Arian
Note: Jury deliberations for this case began on November 15. His family and friends are praying for a just outcome. Please continue to support Dr. Sami Al-Arian.
Dr. Sami Al-Arian, a son of Palestinian refugees who came to the U.S. in 1975 and has been a Professor teaching computer science since 1986 at the University of South Florida, has found himself defending against "secret evidence" on charges of racketeering and fund-raising. The difficulty of refuting charges based on "secret evidence" provided by "unindicted co-conspirators" is generally deemed an insurmountable obstacle to a defense.
STOP Ariel Settlement Construction!
WILPF Asks Members to Write to President Bush
WILPF calls its members to write to President Bush supporting his opposition to new settlement construction in the Ariel Settlement in the West Bank. However, he must act on his statement by stopping military and economic aid that supports Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands.
Peretz pledges 'relentless fight' against terror
Attila Somfalvi
Labor chairman says during gathering of party activists, MKs, ‘We are no less capable of safeguarding Israel’s security than Sharon; we will be relentless in our fight against terror’
from ynetnews
Bil’in protests against the Wall, calls for the release of CPM abductees in Iraq
from imemc.org
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Israeli soldiers attacked a peaceful procession against the Separation Wall in Bil’in village, near the West Bank city of Ramallah. Six residents were injured, dozens of residents, especially women and children, suffocated after inhaling gas fired by the army.
The protestors also called for releasing the members of the Christian Peacemaker, who were abducted in Iraq.
Moving into East Jerusalem
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STAKES: Maale Adumim is one of an increasing number of Jewish enclaves in and around East Jerusalem, where Palestinians hope to build the capital o
Army to deport an international peace activist
Former covert Israeli forces 'training Kurds in Iraq'Conal Urquhart in Tel Aviv and Michael Howard in Sulaymaniyah Likud forecasts Sharon victoryfrom ynetnews.com Survey polling Likud members published in Yedioth Ahronoth shows 53 percent believe Ariel Sharon will win the elections; only 23 percent think Likud’s candidate will be the next prime minister Sima Kadmon Forgetting Palestine: Howard Dean's Blunt MessageBy JOSHUA FRANK Democratic National Committee Chair Howard Dean has a fickle stance on virtually every foreign policy issue thrown his way. None, however, are more telling of his party's incompetence than his posture on the Israeli/Palestinian issue, which is virtually identical to that of the neocons. New documentary a family tale older than Israel itselfJim Quilty, The Daily Star, 2 December 2005 from electronic intifada Nizar Hassan's latest documentary is a hybrid. Part oral history project, part detective story, Karem Abou Khalil (Abou Khalil Grove) tells one Palestinian family's history from the Ottoman to the Israeli periods. It's also an amused study of misplaced premises and faulty representation. It's not a story of burning tires and bulldozed houses - a la Ijtiah, Hassan's 2002 documentary on the Jenin invasion. It's a family tale older than Israel, though its telling is fenced in by the tense courtesy of life under Israeli domination. Understanding US PolicyThoughts on MearsheimerWCUSP has followed the debate created by the publication of John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt's "The Israel Lobby" study. WCUSP leadership team member Libby Frank articulates four main problems with Mearsheimer and Walt's "The Israel Lobby" study in her response, "Confusing the Issue: Mearsheimer & Walt's 'The Israel Lobby.'" While Ms. Frank's paper should be viewed as her own work, it does reflect US WILPF's goal of exposing the root causes of oppression and our challenge to US policy on Israel / Palestine. Myth and Reality: Jewish Influence on US Middle East PolicyIn working for a just resolution of the Israel-Palestine conflict, we constantly bump into the fact that the powerful party is the state of one of history’s most oppressed groups. Some get frustrated by always having to address anti-Semitism while working toward a just resolution to the plight of the Palestinians. But we’re kidding ourselves if we believe for a moment that anti-Semitism is not an integral part of the problem. It is that history which creates the fear and anger that drive many Israeli policies. And if we fail to recognize the leg (pdf) itimate fear that history has instilled in the Jewish people, we fail before we start. When dealing with the question of US support for Israel’s occupation, this awareness is especially critical. Bibliography of Books, Media, and WebsitesRecommended by the Leadership Team of “Women Challenge US Policy” Campaign Books: History of the Region American Friends Service Committee. When the Rain Returns: Toward Justice and Reconciliation in Palestine and Israel. AFSC, 2004. Report of International Quaker Working Party on the region, peacemaking efforts, and recommendations for US policy. Two Occupations, Same Goal, Similar Characteristics August 11, 2005 A year ago last spring, during the same week that Israeli forces were attacking a Gaza refugee camp, bulldozing buildings, ripping up water pipes and power lines, and killing civilians, American forces were laying siege to Iraqi cities. The tanks and helicopter gun ships were identical. The rubble left by the bombs looked the same whether it was in Rafah or Karbala. The faces of Iraqis and Palestinians mourning their dead showed the same grief. Last may there was a front page article in the Times describing a U.S. bombing attack on an Iraqi village the day before that had killed 45 people while they were celebrating a wedding. Next to it was a picture of a man standing in the ruins of a house in Gaza holding his dead child in his arms. The child and several others were killed when an Israeli tank fired into a crowded street. The picture fit both news stories. Women Challenge US Policy -Action AlertsFree Dr. Sami al-Arian
Dr. Sami Al-Arian, a son of Palestinian refugees who came to the U.S. in 1975 and has been a Professor teaching computer science since 1986 at the University of South Florida, has found himself defending against "secret evidence" on charges of racketeering and fund-raising. The difficulty of refuting charges based on "secret evidence" provided by "unindicted co-conspirators" is generally deemed an insurmountable obstacle to a defense. STOP Ariel Settlement Construction!WILPF Asks Members to Write to President Bush WILPF calls its members to write to President Bush supporting his opposition to new settlement construction in the Ariel Settlement in the West Bank. However, he must act on his statement by stopping military and economic aid that supports Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands. Peretz pledges 'relentless fight' against terrorAttila Somfalvi Labor chairman says during gathering of party activists, MKs, ‘We are no less capable of safeguarding Israel’s security than Sharon; we will be relentless in our fight against terror’ from ynetnews Bil’in protests against the Wall, calls for the release of CPM abductees in Iraqfrom imemc.org
Israeli soldiers attacked a peaceful procession against the Separation Wall in Bil’in village, near the West Bank city of Ramallah. Six residents were injured, dozens of residents, especially women and children, suffocated after inhaling gas fired by the army. The protestors also called for releasing the members of the Christian Peacemaker, who were abducted in Iraq. Moving into East Jerusalem
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