| "I've
been very distressed in my visit to the Holy Land; it reminded me so much
of what happened to us blacks in South Africa. I have seen the humiliation
of the Palestinians at checkpoints and roadblocks, suffering like us when
young white police officers prevented us from moving about...The current
divestment effort is the first, though certainly not the only, necessary
move in that direction." -Archbishop Desmond Tutu |
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| The
Palestine Solidarity Movement |
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT:
Washington, DC, February 1, 2006 – Quickly approaching the February 17 – 19 date of its Fifth Annual Student Conference at Georgetown University (GU), the Palestine Solidarity Movement (PSM) announced today that its 2006 convergence will focus primarily upon skills-training for emerging divestment activists and campaign development for existing Palestine solidarity organizations. The PSM is the largest North American coalition of students, professionals, as well as religious and community groups advocating the implementation of boycott and divestment strategies in order to peacefully oppose Israeli human rights violations of the Palestinian people. According to PSM Spokesperson Nadeem Muaddi, "The goal of divestment is to pressure the state of Israel to comply with international law so that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is resolved in such a way that justice is not compromised." Confirmed speakers include: Sue Blackwell, British academic who led the Association of University Teachers (AUT) boycott of Israeli academic institutions earlier this year; Ali Abunimah, esteemed writer, commentator on Middle East affairs, and co-founder of The Electronic Intifada news service; as well as Philip Farah, Senior Economist and former instructor at the Lutheran School of Ramallah and Birzeit University; and Mohammad Abed, lecturer in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and activist with UW Divest from Israel Campaign. Bayann Hamid, spokesperson for GU Students for Justice in Palestine – this year's PSM host group – stated that in addition to the aforementioned presenters, "we're also expecting a prominent activist from Palestine to address the attendees." Conference organizers made the decision not to release this activist's name for fear of any backlash or harassment that he/she may face from Israeli occupation forces that restrict the daily movement of Palestinians in the West Bank. "The Israeli government places a great deal of obstacles in the way of outspoken Palestinians wishing to leave or return to their homeland", added Hamid. The event is open to the public and all students and community activists are encouraged to attend. A minimum donation of $10.00 is required to register. For more information: www.palestinesolidaritymovement.org. * Media planning to attend must RSVP to both media@palestinesolidaritymovement.org AND gucomm@georgetown.edu (202-687-4328). All press will need to present valid ID to enter campus.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT:
“Bringing the annual conference to our nation’s capitol is a natural step for our movement, and one that expresses the fact that divestment from Israel has become an issue of national prominence”, said Nadeem Muaddi, a spokesperson for PSM. “Because Palestinians, like all people, are an equal component of international civil society, they deserve to live free of subjugation to a state sanctioned and institutionalized system of apartheid. Our aim is to realize this goal by calling attention to both Israel’s discriminate policies and the non-violent channels through which they may be overcome.” “I can think of no more fitting place for this conference than the city in which the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. led his historic 1963 march in support of the idea that all human beings deserve to be treated as equals”, said Bayann Hamid, speaking on behalf of GU-SJP. “Whether manifested in the form of a brutal military occupation or in the existence of more than twenty laws in Israel that discriminate against persons of non-Jewish descent, racism is and always has been at the heart of this conflict. Divestment, which helped bring about the end of the Apartheid regime in South Africa, represents our best hope for ending the cycle of violence and hatred and ushering in a new era of freedom and reconciliation between peoples.” The Washington, DC location is expected to facilitate the largest conference yet held by PSM, at which hundreds of activists, whether based in churches, universities, NGOs, or community groups, will come together to shape strategies and develop grassroots organizing skills. “This conference will serve as a forum for discussing the ways in which our movement can continue to build upon the tremendous momentum it has acquired as a result of the courageous steps recently taken by a number of prominent religious and civil organizations to consider divestment”, said Muaddi. “We believe strongly that justice and peace are attainable, and this conference is intended to lead us one small step closer to realizing that goal.
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