ISM ACTION ALERT: Rafah - TAKE ACTION

Rafah - TAKE ACTION

Tuesday May 18, 2004

The ISM today is joining Israeli peace activists in protesting at the Sufa Crossing -- southern entrance into Gaza. Less than 10 kilometers from the Rafah refugee camp where the Israeli military has and continues to carry out horrendous war crimes against Palestinian civilians, Israeli and international peace activists, if not allowed into Gaza, are camping out demanding an immediate end to the carnage. For over a year now, the Israeli military has had Gaza completely sealed off while it continues to besiege, bomb, demolish and completely devestate over one million Palestinian civilians struggling to survive under military occupation.

The Israeli military has managed to keep this illegal, inhumane siege in place because the UN and world governments are not holding Israel responsible for Palestinian lives. The international community continues to fail to live up to its obligations to the Palestinian people, as protected persons under the Fourth Geneva Conventions - fails to mobilize to uphold the most basic of human rights.

We need you to act where the formal bodies are failing. Please try to join us in Palestine! Also, below are two simple actions you can take to send a message to the Palestinian people that they are not alone.

In solidarity & struggle,

ISM

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1) A Call for National Action from the US

2) Urgent Appeal for Donations to Help Refugees in Rafah

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1) A Call for a National Action Against Massacre and Home Demolitions in Rafah

[Lets make this international!]

Please circulate and distribute the following message as wide as possible!

SIT-IN TO DEMONSTRATE AGAINST KILLING AND HOUSE DEMOLITIONS

The Israeli Supreme Court, on Sunday, the 16th of May, ruled to allow the Israeli Defense Forces to demolish Palestinian houses in the Rafah refugee camp. Israeli Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Moshe Yaalon told an Israeli cabinet meeting that hundreds of Palestinian houses had been targeted for demolition.

In view of this clear ethnic cleansing policy of the Israeli government, We should be calling for a sit-in in all congressional district offices in whatever city we may reside and demand that the U.S. Government pressure Israel to stop the destruction and ethnic cleansing and that the US government adhere to Secretary of State Colin Powell's remarks and take concrete steps to deter Israel from carrying out this crime against humanity.

The Sit-in will take place this Friday, the 21st of May. We urge each city to organize for the sit in and inform each other of your action.

Contact: Sharon - swallace@igc.org

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2) [Please read, respond and forward]

For Immediate Release

15 May 2004

Urgent Appeal for Donations to Help Palestinian Refugees in Rafah

http://www.al-awda.org/urgentrafahappeal/

A massive operation by Zionist Israeli occupation forces to destroy hundreds of Palestinian homes in Rafah refugee camp in the Gaza strip is currently ongoing. The operation's main goal is to create a so-called "buffer zone" near the border with Egypt, a plan which the Israeli occupation army formulated in 2001. Parts of this plan have already been carried out in piecemeal fashion over the past three years. According to UNRWA, more than 12,000 Palestinian residents of Rafah refugee camp have so far been made homeless by the occupation forces.

The recent escalation against the Palestinian refugees of Rafah camp coincides with the 56th anniversary of the Nakba (Catastrophe), when over 800,000 thousand Palestinians were expelled from homes and lands by Zionist colonial forces. Today, the people of Rafah camp, all of whom are refugees from parts of Palestine occupied in 1948, find themselves scurrying for refuge once more as Israeli bulldozers demolish their homes away from home. These acts, the ongoing ethnic cleansing, represent grave breaches of the Fourth Geneva Convention, humanitarian international law, and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

ACTION REQUESTED

Al-Awda, The Palestine Right to Return Coalition has set up an Emergency Rafah Relief Fund. We call on all people of conscience to help the refugees of Rafah by donating to this fund. Any amount you donate is important, will be directed to UNRWA for distribution to the victims who need all help to get through the coming months, homeless again.

Please make your checks or money orders payable to "PRRC"; write "Emergency Rafah Relief Fund" in the memo section; and send your donation to:

Al-Awda, Palestine Right to Return Coalition PO Box 1172 Orange, CT 06477

You may also use your credit card to donate. Please go to

http://al-awda.org/donatenow/

PRRC is a non-profit tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization. Under IRS guidelines, your donations to PRRC are fully tax-deductible.

PHOTOS OF DEVASTATION

For some photos of the devastation, go to:

http://www.al-awda.org/urgentrafahappeal/

Al-Awda, The Palestine Right to Return Coalition is one of the largest networks of grassroots activists dedicated to Palestinian human rights.

Al-Awda, The Palestine Right to Return Coalition
PO Box 1172
Orange, CT 06477
E-mail: info@alawda.org
WWW: http://www.al-awda.org
Fax: 1-802-609-9284

INTERNATIONAL SOLIDARITY MOVEMENT

www.palsolidarity.org

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