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Archives: Endorsements

Tell Congress: Demand that Israel provide the COVID-19 vaccine to Palestinians

Like all people, Palestinians have the right to live in health and safety. But while the Israeli government rolls out the COVID-19 vaccine to millions of Israeli citizens, Israel is denying the lifesaving vaccine to Palestinians living under its military occupation.

On February 15, Israel delayed the transfer of vaccines for medical staff in Gaza [1]. And in another clear example of Israel’s racist policies, the Israeli government planned to vaccinate only Israeli citizens held in their prisons, leaving Palestinians illegally held in Israeli prisons [2] vulnerable to disease and death. Only after massive international outcry, this plan changed.

Let’s be clear: the Israeli government is obligated under international law to provide the vaccine to Palestinians living under its military occupation [3] and is actively neglecting their obligation to do so. This endangers Palestinians who are already at risk because of Israel’s systematic destruction of the Palestinian health-care system [4]. For instance, in Gaza, the worsening public health situation is compounded by living under an almost 14 year blockade, facing crushing poverty and ongoing, systematic violence.

COVID-19 is revealing Israel’s brutal decades-old system of separate-and-unequal control over the Palestinian people. This is apartheid, and the U.S. is paying for it with $3.8 billion in unconditional military funding every single year.

Congress has the power to hold Israel accountable, or continue enabling Israel’s abuses. It’s up to us to make our demands clear and ensure they choose justice. Tell your representatives that healthcare for all has no borders: Congress must demand Israel provide the COVID-19 vaccine to Palestinians now.

Sources:

1. Israel blocked Covid vaccines from entering Gaza, say Palestinians, The Guardian, Feb 16 2021

2. Israel ‘declined WHO request’ to provide Covid-19 vaccine for Palestinian medics, Middle East Eye, Jan 11 2021

3. Israel: Provide Vaccines to Occupied Palestinians, Human Rights Watch, Jan 17 2021

4. COVID-19 in the West Bank and Gaza: A second wave under military occupation and siege, MEI, July 29 2020

ADD YOUR VOICE HERE.

Take action now: On his 100th day of hunger strike, it’s time to #Rage4Maher

 

Join the twitterstorm and social media campaign for Palestinian prisoner Maher al-Akhras now, on his 100th day of hunger strike. Take action NOW – at 10 am Pacific, 1 pm Eastern, 6 pm British and Irish time, 7 pm central Europe time, 8 pm in Palestine.

Post on Twitter and your other social media accounts – including Instagram and Facebook, and use the hashtag #Rage4Maher!

Use this handy Tweet Sheet for prepared tweets that you can paste and use: http://bit.ly/mahertweets

TAKE ACTION:

1. Join the social media campaign on Tuesday, 3 November at 10 am Pacific time, 1 pm Eastern time, 8 pm Palestine. We will launch a new hashtag for maximum impact. Follow @SamidounPP on Twitter for the hashtag, sample tweets and more. Let us flood social media with demands for Maher al-Akhras’ freedom on his 100th day of hunger strike!

2. Join the picture and solidarity campaigns. Send your photos to Within Our Lifetime – United for Palestine, CAPJPO-EuroPalestine and more.Join WOL’s Instagram campaign today!

3. Sign the petition. Join over 3,000 people who have already raised their voices to international human rights groups Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, the International Committee of the Red Cross and the UN High Commissioner on Human Rights to take action for Maher al-Akhras. The ICRC in particular has failed to live up to its responsibilities to protect Palestinian prisoners, calling on the political prisoner jailed without charge or trial to “find a solution” with the occupying power violating his rights.

Sign the petition here: https://www.change.org/p/amnesty-hrw-icrc-un-ohchr-act-now-to-free-maher-al-akhras

4. Organize creative actions. Ad hacks, postering and other outdoor actions can draw a significant amount of attention to Maher al-Akhras and the Palestinian cause at this critical time.

4. Build the boycott of Israel! Join the movement for boycott, divestment and sanctions against Israel. Highlight the complicity of corporations like Hewlett-Packard and the continuing involvement of G4S in Israeli policing and prisons. Build a campaign to boycott Israeli goods, impose a military embargo on Israel, or organize around the academic and cultural boycott of Israel.

Please share your actions and posts with us at Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network on Facebook, @SamidounPP on Twitter, and at samidoun@samidoun.net.

 

https://samidoun.net/2020/11/take-action-now-on-his-100th-day-of-hunger-strike-its-time-to-rage4maher/

 

MEDIA STATEMENT FROM MALAYSIAN NGOS AND PROMINENT INDIVIDUALS ON NORMALISATION OF UAE-ISRAEL RELATIONS

We condemn in the strongest possible terms the decision by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) government to normalize relations with Israel. It is thoroughly ill-advised and treacherous to the struggle of their Palestinian brethren for justice and freedom.

When the momentum is gaining the world over for the continuous and enhanced isolation of the one remaining apartheid state in the world, the UAE’s decision to break ranks is utterly shameful, deplorable and fully deserving of the criticisms and condemnations it is receiving.

The UAE foreign minister’s attempt to cloak the decision as being motivated by a desire to stop Israeli annexation of Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT) is truly pathetic. One only needs to see the angry reactions of the Palestinian Authority (PA), the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO), and the Hamas government to know what a hollow and self-serving excuse the minister’s statement was. Even as he spoke, the Zionist regime has made it clear that annexation is only on a temporary halt. So, the claim of a quid pro quo by the UAE foreign minister fools no one but himself.

It is high time that the UAE and other similar regimes in the Gulf which are in continuous power without universal suffrage realized that they are being manipulated by the Zionists and their propaganda machinery. The Iranian specter is being used to capitalize on the fears and anxieties of these unelected regimes. What states such as the UAE appear to forget is that taking decisions such as normalizing relations with Israel without genuine consultations with their own populations may be counter-productive and self-defeating to their objective of making their unelected regimes more secure.

We call on the international community and all organizations which are desirous for a genuine peace in the Middle East and justice and freedom for the Palestinian people to redouble all efforts and campaigns to isolate the Zionist regime.

14 August 2020

NGO:
1. BDS Malaysia
2. Palestine Scholars Association Abroad in Southeast Asia
3. Malaysian Women Coalitiin for Al Quds and Palestine (MWCQP)
4. SEJAGAT Malaysia
5. National Union of Malaysian Muslim Students (PKPIM)
6. Malaysian Consultative Council Islamic Organizations
7. Pertubuhan Mawaddah Malaysia
8. Pertubuhan IKRAM Malaysia
9. Angkatan Belia Islam Malaysia/Muslim Youth Movement Malaysia (ABIM)
10. Al Quds Foundation Malaysia (QFM)
11. Muslim Care Malaysia
12. Viva Palestina Malaysia
13. Asia WE
14. International Movement for a Just World (JUST)
15. Muslim Youth Movement of Malaysia (ABIM)
16. Global Peace Mission (GPM) Malaysia
17. MediCOM Malaysia
18. HARMONI
19. Majlis Perwakilan Pelajar Kebangsaan (MPPK)
20. Palestinian Cultural Organization of Malaysia (PCOM)
21. Citizens International
22. Palestinian Progressive Association Malaysia (PPAM)
23. Movement for Monetary Justice – Malaysia
24.  Ummatic Mission Relief of Malaysia (UMRM)
25.  SALIMAH (Persatuan Persaudaraan Muslimah Malaysia)
26. HUMANE (UniSZA Society for Humanity)

POLITICIANS

1. Syed Ibrahim Syed Noh, MP Ledang, Malaysia
2. Mukhriz Mahathir, MP Jerlun, Malaysia
3. Mohd Azis Jamman, MP Sepanggar, Malaysia
4. Fahmi Fadzil, MP Lembah Pantai, Malaysia
5. Azman Ismail, MP Kuala Kedah, Malaysia
6. Steven Sim, MP for Bukit Mertajam, Malaysia
7. Ahmad Hj Hassan , MP for Papar

Take Action Against Sanctions and Economic War

Sanctions Kill!
Sanctions are War!
End Sanctions Now!

The global COVID-19 pandemic and global economic crash challenge all humanity. Only scientific and technological cooperation and global solidarity can avert disaster. Instead Washington escalates sanctions and threatens war. U.S. economic sanctions block essential medicines and food killing tens of thousands of people. Sanctions on one-third of the world’s population impacts the entire world. We must renew our efforts to END all U.S. imposed sanctions.

Sanctions are imposed by the United States and its junior partners against countries that resist their agendas. They are a weapon of Economic War, resulting in chronic shortages of basic necessities, economic dislocation, chaotic hyperinflation, artificial famines, disease, and poverty. In every country, the poorest and the weakest – infants, children, the chronically ill and the elderly – suffer the worst impact of sanctions.

US imposed sanctions, violate international law and are a tool of regime change. They impact a third of humanity in 39 countries. They are a crime against humanity used, like military intervention, to topple popular governments and movements. They provide economic and military support to pro-US right-wing forces.

The US economic dominance and its +800 military bases worldwide demands all other countries participate in acts of economic strangulation. They must end all normal trade relations, otherwise they risk having Wall Street’s guns pointed at them. The banks and financial institutions that are responsible for the devastation of our communities at home drive the plunder of countries abroad.

As an initial step for this campaign we encouraged mobilizations and educational efforts to be organized prior to, during, and after the International Days of Action against US imposed Sanctions and Economic War on March 13-15, 2020. NOW is an opportunity to further combine efforts to raise consciousness on this crucial issue.

Sanctions Kill.org will sponsor webinars, education and other efforts and actions on sanctions during the COVID-19 crisis and build toward an International Week of Actions Against US-Imposed Sanctions and Economic War from May 25-31, 2020. A conference held in Cuba first called this action, which coincides with African Liberation Day, May 25. (The largest number of sanctioned countries are in Africa.)

We urge activists to develop creative actions to overcome the physical separation needed to prevent virus spread. We will continue sharing ideas through Sanctions Kill! Send your ideas to info@sanctionskill.org.

Sign here.

The Days of Resistance are growing – join over 100 organizations in the call to action, August 7-9

Over 100 organizations have joined Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network in the call for the Days of Resistance for Palestine, 7-9 August 2020, including National Students for Justice in Palestine in the United States, Within Our Lifetime – United for Palestine, the Palestinian Youth Movement, and Al-Awda, the Palestine Right to Return Coalition. Events are planned in New York, Vancouver, Charleroi, Manchester and Copenhagen, with more action announcements forthcoming. (See upcoming events below)

Today, the program of Israeli annexation continues to threaten Palestinians in the West Bank, including the most fertile agricultural land of the Jordan Valley, which is still slated for Israel’s latest land grab. Of course, this is simply the continuation of over 72 years of land theft, dispossession, apartheid and genocide – but it requires continued mobilization and action to confront, alongside the siege on Gaza, the mass imprisonment of Palestinians, the demolition of homes, the denial of Palestinian refugees’ right to return and further war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Annexation is a continuing threat – especially if the Israeli state thinks that it can pass unnoticed without continued resistance. The struggle is not over; in many ways, it has just begun. We urge you to continue mobilizing to defend the land and people of Palestine and join us in the Days of Resistance, August 7-9.

Endorse the statement here

United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres proposed this global ceasefire

Our world faces a common enemy: COVID-19.

The virus does not care about nationality or ethnicity, faction or faith. It attacks all, relentlessly.

Meanwhile, armed conflict rages on around the world.

The most vulnerable — women and children, people with disabilities, the marginalized and the displaced — pay the highest price.

They are also at the highest risk of suffering devastating losses from COVID-19.

Let’s not forget that in war-ravaged countries, health systems have collapsed.

Health professionals, already few in number, have often been targeted.

Refugees and others displaced by violent conflict are doubly vulnerable.

The fury of the virus illustrates the folly of war.

That is why today, I am calling for an immediate global ceasefire in all corners of the world.

It is time to put armed conflict on lockdown and focus together on the true fight of our lives.

To warring parties, I say:

Pull back from hostilities.

Put aside mistrust and animosity.

Silence the guns; stop the artillery; end the airstrikes.

This is crucial…

To help create corridors for life-saving aid.

To open precious windows for diplomacy.

To bring hope to places among the most vulnerable to COVID-19.

Let us take inspiration from coalitions and dialogue slowly taking shape among rival parties in some parts to enable joint approaches to COVID-19. But we need much more.

End the sickness of war and fight the disease that is ravaging our world.

It starts by stopping the fighting everywhere. Now.

That is what our human family needs, now more than ever.

Sign the petition for a global ceasefire.

BIG PHARMA: MAKE ALL COVID TREATMENTS & VACCINES FREE AND FAIR

Access to COVID-19 treatments and vaccines will determine who lives and who dies. Who gets these life-saving goods — and when — will also determine how long this global health and economic crisis will continue to uproot our lives.

Many drug companies like Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer, and Gilead are getting millions of taxpayer dollars and making sky-high profits but have so far refused to forgo monopoly control over their treatments and vaccines. While companies have committed to the idea of affordable access to all, they continue to use their political might to protect massive profits at the expense of public health. This is wrong and could have devastating consequences.

COVID-19 anywhere means COVID-19 everywhere. Treatments and vaccines will be useless if the people most affected can’t get them.

In this unprecedented crisis, we must ensure ALL drug companies put people over profits, and hold human rights above property rights.

ALL US pharmaceutical companies should make COVID treatments and vaccines a global public good by:
Committing not to profit from the COVID-19 pandemic, and cooperating with governments to make all treatments and vaccines free to all who need them here and around the world
Forgoing monopoly control over all COVID-19 treatments and vaccines to allow for worldwide, low-cost production to meet the unprecedented demand
Committing to support fair global distribution based on need, not price or nationality
Becoming fully transparent about all public subsidies and tax incentives received, the true costs of producing treatments and vaccines, and all lobbying activities here and around the world
Add your name to stand with Oxfam America to demand Big Pharma make all COVID-19 vaccines free and fair!

 

 

Sign here: https://www.dailykos.com/campaigns/forms/big-pharma-make-all-covid-treatments-vaccines-free-and-fair?detail=emailaction&link_id=1&can_id=a4f488f42ad134d4357acc4bfa4bb613&source=email-urgent-demand-big-pharma-put-people-before-profits-sign&email_referrer=email_812130&email_subject=firstname-default-friend-sign-if-you-agree-big-pharma-should-not-have-monopoly-control-over-covid-19-treatments

Petition against illegal blockade of countries and for solidarity among peoples

Dear Ladies,
Dear Sirs,

  1. We are experiencing an alarming health situation worldwide with the SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 pandemic.
  2. Today April 6, almost one million people are infected, with thousands of deaths in several countries. Nobody had prepared for a situation on that scale! Health systems in general were not prepared and few countries were able to minimally contain the initial number of infections and thus prevent the collapse of their own system.
  3. The general reaction was to order quarantines and isolations to reduce the spread of the virus, measures that have catastrophic consequences for economies, which are not yet fully defined.
  4. There is also an increase in xenophobic positions, blaming a culture or country for the emergence and spread of the virus.
  5. In response to these positions, the Chinese government’s attitude was exemplary in cooperating with Italy and other European countries to help them contain the epidemic locally.
  6. In the midst of these problems, some nations that have already been the victims of unilateral coercive measures have unsuccessfully requested the lifting of sanctions in order to purchase supplies, medical equipment and medicines for their health system.
  7. Nicaragua has suffered these sanctions for years and now it does not even have the right to obtain humanitarian aid.
  8. In Venezuela, the government was willing to buy supplies, but international companies refused to sell it for fear of suffering some kind of penalty or fine.
  9. Cuba remains subject to the economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by the United States, exacerbated by the current aggressive escalation of that country’s government, which constitutes the main obstacle to its development. In its constant example of humanity and solidarity, Cuba once again offered cooperation in the area of health to face the pandemic and, upon request, sent Medical Brigades to more than a dozen countries.
  10. In view of the above, we, the undersigned, request that the blockade, the unilateral coercive measures and the sanctions applied against the countries be completely lifted.
  11. We hope that our voices can represent that of millions of people who suffer unfairly in their daily lives the political persecution against their countries promoted by some governments.

To sign it you can go to the link below:

https://www.change.org/p/bloqueonosolidaridadsi-los-pueblos-en-contra-bloqueo-econ%C3%B3mico-en-medio-de-la-pandemia?recruiter=1071148203&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=copylink&utm_campaign=share_petition

Call to Action for International Days of Action Against Sanctions and Economic War – March 13 – 15, 2020

Sanctions Kill!
Sanctions are War!
End Sanctions Now!

Sanctions are imposed by the United States and its junior partners against countries that resist their agendas. They are a weapon of Economic War, resulting in chronic shortages of basic necessities, economic dislocation, chaotic hyperinflation, artificial famines, disease, and poverty. In every country, the poorest and the weakest – infants, children, the chronically ill and the elderly – suffer the worst impact of sanctions.

US imposed sanctions, violate international law and are a tool of regime change. They impact a third of humanity in 39 countries. They are a crime against humanity used, like military intervention, to topple popular governments and movements. They provide economic and military support to pro-US right-wing forces.

The US economic dominance and its +800 military bases worldwide demands all other countries participate in acts of economic strangulation. They must end all normal trade relations, otherwise they risk having Wall Street’s guns pointed at them. The banks and financial institutions that are responsible for the devastation of our communities at home drive the plunder of countries abroad.

Many organizations have been fighting Sanctions and Economic War for some time. NOW is an opportunity to combine efforts to raise consciousness on this crucial issue.
This broad campaign will include protests and demonstrations, lobbying, petition drives and all forms of educational efforts.

As an initial step for this campaign we encourage mobilizations and educational efforts to be organized for the International Days of Action against US imposed Sanctions and Economic War on March 13-15.

Please add your endorsement and help spread the word here.

 

Boycott Myanmar Campaign urge you to stand with the country’s oppressed national minorities.

We (Free Rohingya Coalition and allied networks) are writing you to seek your solidarity with and participation in our grassroots activism campaign to bear economic, cultural and popular pressure on Myanmar so that the coalition government of Aung San Suu Kyi and the military may end the country’s persecution, discrimination and violence against the country’s ethnic and religious minorities.
As you may be aware Myanmar is being taken to the International Court of Justice, the world court, by the Gambia for allegedly violating the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, which the country ratified in 1956.
This 9 December, the International Genocide Day, we human rights activists worldwide are standing up for Myanmar’s oppressed communities: we are initiating an international “Boycott Myanmar Campaign”.
Our campaign is inspired by and modelled after S. Africa’s anti-apartheid boycott movement which helped trigger the end of the apartheid regime, helped free Nelson Mandela and anti-apartheid leaders, and ushered in a new era of racial equality for the majority S. African blacks.
UN and other credible investigations have documented Myanmar’s racist exclusion and discrimination against its Muslims, its national policies of violent and systematic persecution of Rohingya people, and state-directed military repression against its other national minorities such as Shan, Kachin, Ta’ang, Karen, Chin, Mon and Kayar (Kayah) communities.
The United Nations Independent International Fact-Finding Mission and the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights situation in Myanmar Yanghee Lee have officially called for accountability and justice for Myanmar’s minority victims of ‘gravest crimes in international law’ including genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes in Rakhine and Kachin states.
But the international community – from the permanently-divided Security Council to regional blocs such as the Association of South East Asian Nations and liberal democratic governments of the West – have failed the wretched of Myanmar. Besides, international corporations and foreign investors with commercial interests in and ties with the resource-rich Myanmar, from Singapore to Japan and S. Korea to India and China, as well as other investors, have shown utter indifference to the cries of Myanmar’s oppressed communities, languishing in internment camps and war zones inside the country, and vast refugee camps across Bangladesh and Thai borders.
We urge you to use your power as citizens and consumers, both individually and as representatives/members of activist networks, religious communities, educational institutions, or professional or parliamentary associations.
Join hands with us. Boycott businesses whose dollars fuel genocide and other crimes. Cut institutional ties with Myanmar that has commissioned genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity against its own peoples.
Last, will you add your name to a growing coalition of organisations when we launch the Boycott Myanmar Campaign on December 9? You can reply “yes” to this email if you agree.
On or after December 9, you can also register at our website, BoycottMyanmar.org, in order to receive updates on events and how you can take action.”
Please email us at info@freerohingyacoalition.org if your organization would like to support our Boycott Myanmar Campaign and if you and your colleagues would like to act in solidarity with Rohingya people.