Breaking the Siege of Gaza and Challenging the Israeli Lobby’s Stranglehold on U.S. Policy!

Second Freedom Flotilla begins its voyage to Gaza with two Massachusetts peace activists on board!

Hear from Ridgely Fuller and Paki Wieland about their imminent voyage on the “Audacity of Hope” to break the siege of Gaza. And Daniela Loffreda from Italy, a good friend of Vic Arrigoni, the longtime Italian human rights activist recently murdered in Gaza and in whose spirit “stay human” the Flotilla sails.

In addition, we will have a report of the tumultuous events in DC during the recent Move Over AIPAC Conference: Marty Federman, Rick Colbath-Hess, Ellen Graves, Priscilla Lynch and Sarah Roche-Mahdi will share their highlights or lowlights.

This eye-opening two-part evening will be moderated by Heike Schotten, Asst. Professor of Political Science at UMASS, Boston.

Wednesday, June 15, 7-9pm
Cambridge Friends Meeting Hall
5 Longfellow Park
Cambridge

Sponsors: AFSC, American Jews for A Just Peace, Boston Coalition for Palestinian Rights, Greater Boston Codepink, Jewish Voice for Peace, United for Justice with Peace, Sabeel New England, Boston WILPF, Boston United National Antiwar Committee

Organization:  Massachusetts Residents for International Human Rights

Voters in the 34^th Middlesex district of South Medford – West Somerville, the 23^rd Middlesex district of Arlington, the 15^th Suffolk district of Boston (Jamaica Plain), and the 29th Middlesex of Watertown voted “Yes” on a Question that asked: “Shall the state representative from this district be instructed to vote in favor of a non-binding resolution calling on the federal government to support the right of all people, including non-Jewish Palestinian citizens of Israel, to live free from laws that give more rights to people of one religion than another?”

The winning percentages were 55%, 54%, 66%, 61% respectively.  In total 30,778 people voted Yes (57%) and 22,813 voted No.

Voters in one district, the 2^nd Suffolk district of Charlestown – Chelsea voted 48 % in favor but came up just short in passing the ballot question.

The victories in 4 of 5 districts came even though only 1 municipal elected supported the ballot question.   Nearly 5 dozen elected officials were contacted and all except one, supported the ballot question.

In 2008, 73% of voters in the 25th Middlesex district (Central Cambridge) and 62% of Somerville voters in 27^th Middleses District (Central Somerville) voted Yes on the same question.  The ballot question has carried in 7 of 8 cities in the last two years.

John Spritzler, a Brighton resident of the Massachusetts Residents for International Human Rights (MRIHR) says “We’re ecstatic.  Voters showed that they support the principle of equality and don’t support Isreali laws that discriminate.  When given a chance to choose between the principle of equality versus the Zionist principle of inequality (i.e. that Israel must be a Jewish state in which the sovereign authority is “the Jewish people” and not all citizens equally) then Americans chose equality, even when few if any politicians will support openly equality.

Kathy Felgran, a Watertown resident of MRIHR, stated “the road to lasting peace is equality for all, and the recognition of the oneness of all humanity.  It’s heartening that the majority of residents agreed”.

Sprtilzer believes that MRIHR can help Americans throughout the nation understand this: the principles of equality and democracy that they overwhelmingly support, are the opposite of the principles of inequality and top-down control that our politicians and mass media defend, by telling us lies about Israel and about Palestinians.

Massachusetts Residents for International Human Rights

P.O. Box 441259

Somerville, MA 02144

Phone: 617 230-2835

Contact: John Spritzler <spritzler@comcast.net> for more info ]]> http://www.bostonfreepalestine.org/2010/11/10/fever-chart-three-visions-of-the-middle-east-naomi-wallace/feed/ 0 http://www.bostonfreepalestine.org/2010/10/13/fundraiser-for-the-us-boat-to-gaza-with-noam-chomsky-saturday-oct-16-400-pm/ http://www.bostonfreepalestine.org/2010/10/13/fundraiser-for-the-us-boat-to-gaza-with-noam-chomsky-saturday-oct-16-400-pm/#comments Wed, 13 Oct 2010 14:38:27 +0000 admin http://www.bostonfreepalestine.org/?p=182 Boston Fundraiser For The U.S. Boat To Gaza: Featuring Noam Chomsky!

When

Saturday, October 16 · 4:00pm – 9:00pm

Where

The Boston area Students For Justice in Palestine groups will be holding a fundraiser for the U.S. ship that will be leaving from New York this fall to take part in an international effort to break the siege on Gaza. Despite fund raising efforts from across the nation, funding for the U.S. ship has still fallen short, making this fundraiser all the more urgent.

The fundraiser will be Saturday, October 16 at the Palestinian Cultural Center For Peace.

Agenda

4:00 : Appetizers / social w/ live music

6:00 : Dinner

7:00 : Guest speakers featuring Noam Chomsky, Diane Buttu, and Nancy Murray

MCed by Eva from Northeastern U SJP

Co-Sponsors: Code Pink, ItIsApartheid.org, United for Justice with Peace, Boston Coalition For Palestinian Rights, Dorchester People For Peace, Greater Boston Stop The Wars Coalition, Veterans for Peace (Chapter 9, Smedly Butler Brigade), ANSWER (Boston), American Jews For a Just Peace (Boston), Solidarity

June 18^th Friday 7 PM: Essex, MA

First Universalist Church of Essex — 57 Main Street, Essex,MA

June 19^th Saturday 6 PM: Allston, MA

Palestinian Cultural Center for Peace – 41 Quint Avenue, Allston,MA

$10 Suggested donation; Community dinner included

June 20th Sunday 6:30 pm: Worcester, MA

Blessed Sacrament Church, Phelan Center — 551 Pleasant Street, Worcester MA

Ann Wright, a retired US Army colonel, spent twenty-nine years in the military and later served as a high-ranking diplomat in the US State Department. In 2001, she helped oversee the opening of the US mission in Afghanistan. In 2003, she resigned her post at the State Department to protest the war in Iraq. Ms. Wright was a passenger on the Challenger 1, one of the six boats in the Gaza flotilla that was raided by Israeli commandos on May 31.   She was deported to Turkey.

Source: www.bdsmovement.net

Check out full story and photos here: http://blog.dennisfox.net/index.php/archives/2010/06/01/die-in-at-israeli-consulate-boston-2/

Israel’s savage attack on Gaza in December and January shocked the world.  It also, as an unintended consequence, brought people around the world together in solidarity with the people of Gaza.  We were heartened and proud to be part of the greatest outpouring of solidarity with Palestinians in Boston in recent memory.  We met together, marched together, organized together, and raised our voices together.

Building solidarity with Palestine, of course, predates the most recent assault on Gaza, and it continues after the bombing.  One of the most inspiring and urgent efforts in that vein is the Viva Palestina U.S. relief mission to Gaza.  The delegation of hundreds of people from the U.S., led by British Member of Parliament George Galloway, leaves on July 4 bringing urgently needed humanitarian aid.  We are excited and humbled to have been invited on the mission.

We would like to invite you to join us in a dinner on Wednesday at 9pm at Andala Cafe in Cambridge (address/link below) following Mazin Quimsyeh’s talk at the Senior Center to celebrate and discuss the convoy, and how it can be connected to the movement in Boston.  We are also asking for your help–in supporting the convoy and our ability to participate in it–financially. The dinner will act as a fundraiser for which all contributions are deeply appreciated.
Your contributions are vital to the success of the Viva Palestina convoy, and our ability to bring this aid directly to the hands of the people of Gaza, an experience which we would then proactively use to help build the movement here with writing and speaking.  We will not be able to join this historic effort without your help.  Please read the attached letter by George Galloway, which explains the purpose of Viva Palestina, and appeals for your support.  We are trying to raise $10,000.  With everyone’s help this is entirely possible.  If you can’t join us on Wednesday, please contact us directly as soon as possible and we can arrange a means to collect your contribution from you.  We hope to see you Wednesday and we look forward to drawing upon our experience in Gaza to contribute to all of our work in Boston.

in gratitude and solidarity,
Tom Arabia and Khury Petersen-Smith

http://www.vivapalestina-us.org/

Tom: 617-970-2701
398 Centre Street #3
Jamaica Plain, MA 02130

Khury: 617-910-6604

Andala Coffee House www.andalacafe.com 286 Franklin Street Cambridge, MA 02139 (617) 945-2212 Get directions