Statement by Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu on US Efforts to Curb Freedom of Speech

Details

Written by Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu

Published: 03 April 2014 03 April 2014

I am writing today to express grave concern about a wave of legislative measures in the United States aimed at punishing and intimidating those who speak their conscience and challenge the human rights violations endured by the Palestinian people. In legislatures in Maryland, New York, Illinois, Florida, and even the United States Congress, bills have been proposed that would either bar funding to academic associations or seek to malign those who have taken a stand against the Israeli Occupation of Palestine.

These legislative efforts are in response to a growing international initiative, the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement, of which I have long been a supporter. The BDS movement emanates from a call for justice put out by the Palestinian people themselves. It is a Palestinian-led, international non-violent movement that seeks to force theIsraeli government to comply with international law in respect to its treatment of the Palestinian people.

I have supported this movement because it exerts pressure without violence on the State of Israel to create lasting peace for the citizens of Israel and Palestine, peace which most citizens crave. I have witnessed the systematic violence against and humiliation of Palestinian men, women and children by members of the Israeli security forces. Their humiliation and pain is all too familiar to us South Africans.

In South Africa, we could not have achieved our democracy without the help of people around the world, who through the use of non-violent means, such as boycotts and divestment, encouraged their governments and other corporate actors to reverse decades-long support for the Apartheid regime. My conscience compels me to stand with the Palestinians as they seek to use the same tactics of non-violence to further their efforts to end the oppression associated with the Israeli Occupation.

The legislations being proposed in the United States would have made participation in a movement like the one that ended Apartheid in South Africa extremely difficult.

I am also deeply troubled by the rhetoric associated with the promulgation of these bills which I understand, in the instance of Maryland, included testimony comparing the boycott to the actions of the Nazis in Germany. The Nazi Holocaust which resulted in the extermination of millions of Jews is a crime of monstrous proportions. To imply that it is in any way comparable to a nonviolent initiative diminishes the horrific nature of that genocidal and tragic era in our world history.

Whether used in South Africa, the US South, or India, boycotts have resulted in a transformative change that not only brought freedom and justice to the victims but also peace and reconciliation for the oppressors. I strongly oppose any piece of legislation meant to punish or deter individuals from pursuing this transformative aspiration. And I remain forever hopeful that, like the nonviolent efforts that have preceded it, the BDS movement will ultimately become a catalyst for honest peace and reconciliation for all our brothers and sisters, both Palestinian and Israeli, in the Holy Land.

Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu

This statement was issued by Oryx Media.

Help the Augusta Victory Hospital in East Jerusalem!

Details

Written by Arnie Voigt Arnie Voigt

Published: 27 March 2014 27 March 2014

To all our Sabeel-Colorado trip friends:
 
On most of our Sabeel-Colorado trips we have visited Augusta Victoria Hospital on the Mount of Olives in East Jerusalem.  Usually Mark Brown, the Lutheran World Federation representative in Jerusalem, or his assistant -- has explained how an institution of mercy has to function under conditions of occupation. 
 
Caught under the grinding political realties, Augusta Victoria has not received payment for medical services she has performed.  Help is needed to restore this funding lest the services be curtailed and greater suffering ensue.
 
So, now I am asking you to write/phone your elected officials in Washington and ask them to make this request of USAID. The situation at Augusta Victoria is explained below.  Please google your senators and congresspersons to obtain the needed contact information.
 
The facts:

• The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) has run Augusta Victoria Hospital (AVH) for over 65 years. AVH provides life-saving care (specifically, providing oncology care not available elsewhere in Gaza or the West Bank). AVH is part of a consortium of East Jerusalem hospitals.
• A large percentage of AVH patients are referred to AVH by the Palestinian Authority (PA). The PA has not paid their bills to AVH in 14 months. The debt is now 25 million USD for AVH and nearly 40 million USD in total for the East Jerusalem and some West Bank hospitals. The debt is increasing 1.5 million USD each month for AVH. AVH bears the largest burden of this debt because of the expensive nature of the care.
• The PA has been unable to pay because some of the funding they receive from the Oslo agreement has been withheld to pressure them in the current peace negotiations.
• 200 million USD already has been appropriated by Congress to the PA and is now available for disbursement by the US Agency for International Development (USAID). We wish to request that 40-50 million USD of that amount be designated for humanitarian health care in East Jerusalem. This would help to cover the 25 million USD debt that AVH is now bearing.
• Our request is that elected officials make phone calls to USAID urging them to designate a portion of the 200 million USD for bills the PA has already incurred related to health care.
• In addition to the life-saving care provided by AVH, it also plays an important role in building Palestinian institutions and capacity for health care. The Hospital’s life-saving work also can help maintain a favorable atmosphere amongst Palestinians for a final status agreement between them and the Israelis.

Your follow up to what we experienced on our Sabeel trips is deeply appreciated.
 
Thank you, and blessings,
 
Arnie Voigt, arnievoigt  AT  msn   DOT  com

For more see: http://www.lutheranworld.org/news/critical-financial-situation-augusta-victoria-hospital-east-jerusalem

Sundown Towns and Anti-Miscegenation Crusades: The Peculiar Institutions of Israel

Details

Written by Friends of Sabeel Friends of Sabeel

Published: 22 March 2014 22 March 2014

What: New York TImes bestselling author MAX BLUMENTHAL to speak at Portland, OR conference.
When: April 4th and 5th, 2014
Where:  First United Methodist Church, 1838 SW Jefferson St., Portland, OR
Who: Award-winning journalist, filmmaker, blogger and national bestselling author Max Blumenthal will speak at SEEDS OF JUSTICE AND HOPE FOR PALESTINIANS AND ISRAELIS: What is required of US conference.
 
   Award-winning journalist, filmmaker, blogger and national bestselling author Max Blumenthal will speak on "Sundown Towns and Anti-Miscegenation Crusades: The Peculiar Institutions of Israel"  on Friday, April 4 at First United Methodist Church, 1838 SW Jefferson St. Blumenthal's lecture will be presented at a thought-provoking call to action, the SEEDS OFJUSTICE AND HOPE FOR PALESTINIANS AND ISRAELIS: WHAT IS REQUIRED OF US conference to be hosted by the Portland action group of Friends of Sabeel - North America. Sabeel is an international peace movement initiated by Palestinian Christians..

     Blumenthal's talk will focus on themes from his recently published book Goliath: Life and Loathing in Greater Israel. The bold and controversial book is a product of four years of research on Israel-Palestine at a transitional phase. Beginning with the national elections carried out during Israel's war on Gaza in 2008-2009, which brought into power what he calls "Israel's most right-wing government to date," Blumenthal tells the story of Israel-Palestine in the wake of the collapse of the Oslo peace process.
 

Read more: Sundown Towns and Anti-Miscegenation Crusades: The Peculiar Institutions of Israel

Loyola University Chicago student union passes resolution to divest from Israeli occupation

Details

Written by Adam Horowitz Adam Horowitz

Published: 20 March 2014 20 March 2014

The following press release was sent out by Loyola University Chicago Students for Justice in Palestine:

On Tuesday March 18, 2014, Loyola University Chicago became the first Jesuit University in the United States to pass a student government resolution to divest from companies complicit in aiding the Israeli Occupation of Palestine. The Senate legislation calls upon Loyola University Chicago to remove its holdings from eight specific companies that play active roles in the human rights abuses committed by the Israeli Government.

The first corporation listed, Caterpillar, sustains the occupation by providing tools and bulldozers to destroy Palestinian infrastructure such as homes, neighborhoods, and agricultural fields. Caterpillar tools also aid in the expansion of illegal settlements as declared by the United Nations. The second corporation, General Electric (GE), manufactures engines used for the same helicopters that violate human rights violations by attacking Palestinian civilians. Hewlitt-Packard Company (HP), similar to the aforementioned companies, also aids in the systemic oppression of Palestine. HP provides discriminatory identification systems used by the Israeli militarycheckpoints and profits from mass incarceration. Group 4 Securicor (G4S), Raytheon, Elbit Systems, SodaStream, and Veolia are the remaining companies that complete the list.

By passing this piece of legislation, the student body at Loyola University Chicago is asking for further and constant examination of Loyola’s assets for future investments. In the policy statement on Socially Responsible Investing (SRI), the Board of Trustees claims to commit to a social mission with the promotion of social justice. Divesting from these companies remains true to this statement and ensures that Loyola is not profiting from companies that contradict Jesuit traditions and values.Senator Nashiha Alam supports this in her speech of affirmation by saying, “…the university has a responsibility to filter our investments and have an investment screen. We [the students] are responsible for making these ethical investments.”

Students for Justice in Palestine at Loyola University Chicago (SJP) has been working on a divestment campaign since 2012. After gathering over 800 undergraduate student signatures in support of divestment, SJP introduced the legislation to the Unified Student Government Association (USGA) for deliberation. The Senate meeting was full of outside community supporters as well as current students passionate about the cause. USGA Senator Melinda Bunnage speaks in favor of the Divestment legislation “I think this piece of legislation has potential to be really effective. USGA worries about the community and student support but it’s clear that passing this is very important to our student body.”

SJP LUC hopes that this success signals the beginning of future successes for other universities and Jesuit institutions across the United States. It is the students’ responsibility as crucial members of society to draw attention to these immoral acts against an entire population and by passing divestment, Loyola University Chicago is making an influential difference.