Just International

Jerusalem must remain the capital of Palestine

Donald Trump is expected to declare Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

The move will break long-time US policy and potentially stir unrest, not only in the Middle East but around the world.
Israel’s annexation of East Jerusalem in 1967 and subsequent occupation of the area is still considered illegal by the United Nations.

This announcement could spark controversy and provoke violence across the world and fan flames of militancy. It will also break decades of diplomacy and disrupt the Arab-Israeli peace talks.

Help us stop this declaration. 1967 borders must be respected and Jerusalem must remain the capital of Palestine.

من المتوقع ان يعلن دونالد ترامب القدس عاصمة لاسرائيل.

هذه الخطوة ستكسر سياسة الولايات المتحدة وتزيد من الاضطراب، ليس فقط في الشرق الأوسط ولكن في جميع أنحاء العالم.
لا يزال يعتبر ضم إسرائيل للقدس الشرقية في عام 1967 والاحتلال اللاحق للمنطقة غير قانوني من جانب الأمم المتحدة.
هذا الإعلان قد يثير الجدل ويثير العنف في جميع أنحاء العالم ويشعل نيران من التطرف. كما انه سيكسر عقود من الدبلوماسية ويعرقل محادثات السلام العربية الاسرائيلية.
ساعدنا في إيقاف هذا الإعلان.

القدس يجب أن تبقى عاصمة فلسطين

 

Sign petition here.

Petitioning Naheed Nenshi and 89 others (Free Ahed Tamimi)

My name is Nasri Akil from Toronto, Canada. I started this campaign to support” Ahed Tamimi”, her mother “Mariam”, her cousin “Nur” and the other kids detained by the evil hands of the Zionists of the fake state of Israel. In a desperate hope to get enough signature to put pressure on decision makers to do something about the constant twisted detention of Palestinian kids. In turn this will expose the evil of the zionists and pressure the international community.

I would like to mention here that this petition has nothing to do with race or religion or ethnicity. It’s pure right against wrong. Zionism is not Judaism. Judaism is a religion not a race. Many Jews are not Zionists. Most Zionists are not Jews. Many Zionists hate Jews. Opposition to Israel is NOT anti-Semitism.

Ahed Tamimi, 16, was arrested ( kidnapped actually ) by Israeli forces in the middle of the night. Since she was a young child, she has been active in weekly demonstrations against Israel’s theft of her family’s land in occupied Nabi Saleh. But as Tamimi stands against Israeli occupation, she underscores: whenever a people face oppression, we must show solidarity. Israeli soldiers shot Ahed Tamimi’s relative in the head, leaving the teenage boy in a coma, and then invaded her family home. She demanded that the occupying Israeli soldiers leave her property immediately, shouting “don’t touch me” and “leave!” Now she’s in Israeli military detention, where 75% of Palestinian children report assault.

Ahed is a child, and like thousands of Palestinian children she could be humiliated and abused if we don’t get her out fast.

She has become another child statistic of the countless other children detained illegally in Israel. Her court date is December 25th, 2017. She was taken into question at the Moscobiyeh prison, notorious for it’s dungeon cell, torture tactics fully utilized on children, and extensive harassment. She was put in isolation, left in an icy cell, without proper food. In fives days she was moved three times. Why? To exhaust and break her. When her mother arrived to be there with her, she too was arrested.

We demand that Ahed and all Palestinian children are released from Israeli prisons now.

The international community must put an end to the ill-treatment and detention of Palestinian children. Enough is enough.

Ahed Tamimi represent all the innocent kids in the Isareli detention and represent the Palestinians struggle against the illegal occupation of Palestine.

Since 1967, Palestinian children in the Occupied Palestinian Territory have been living under Israeli military law and prosecuted in military courts.

Israeli military law, which fails to ensure and denies basic and fundamental rights, is applied to the whole Palestinian population.

Israel is the only country in the world that automatically prosecutes children in military courts that lack basic and fundamental fair trial guarantees. Since 2000, at least 8,000 Palestinian children have been arrested and prosecuted in an Israeli military detention system notorious for the systematic ill-treatment and torture of Palestinian children.

Around 500-700 Palestinian children are arrested, detained and prosecuted in the Israeli military court system each year.

The majority of Palestinian child detainees are charged with throwing stones, and three out of four experience physical violence during arrest, transfer or interrogation.

Unlike Israeli children living in illegal settlements in the West Bank, Palestinian children are not accompanied by a parent and are generally interrogated without the benefit of legal advice, or being informed of their right. They are overwhelmingly accused of throwing stones, an offense that can lead to a potential maximum sentence of 10 to 20 years depending on a child’s age.

AHED TAMIMI will go to trial on Christmas Day for slapping an Israeli soldier, illegally trespassing on her property, the day after her 15-year-old cousin was shot in the face. In December 2011, Mustafa Tamimi was killed during a protest in the village when an Israeli soldier shot him in the face with a tear gas canister. One year later, Israeli soldiers shot and killed Rashadi Tamimi in the village. One wonders why the “slap” is the Crime?

I decided to do something about it and start with what I can. So that’s why I am here asking you to help me help Ahed, her family and all the other kids. I also started a fund raising campaign on “GoFundMe” hoping to raise enough money to hire as many legal advisors to support Ahed and the others legaly in the court and get some justice. I mean enough is enough…I can’t sleep I can’t eat and these kids are experiencing all of that twist. Someone must do something.

This is not right. This is not humanity. We cannot make this acceptable by doing nothing.

I earnestly ask that at the very least, we make some noise in support of Ahed Tamimi and the other children that are held prisoners with no charge, no defense, all in violation of international laws.

She is one, but we are many. It takes a united front to add pressure, to induce accountability and hopefully give freedom to the oppressed, weak and innocent.

To Ahed and all the children in Israeli jails: We stand by your side, and are holding you in our hearts. We will not give up until you are free. You are not alone.

As a wise man ounce said: “Start by doing what’s necessary; then do what’s possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible”

Sign. Support. Make Noise. Add Pressure. Be Human.

what if Ahed was your daughter, sister or just a friend? What would you do?

Sign petition here.

NC4P MEDIA RELEASE AND CALL TO ACTION November is #PalestineMonth, marking the 40th UN Day for Palestine

01 November 2017

INTRODUCTION: The 29th of November 2017 marks the 40th anniversary of the United Nations International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People – passed in 1977 by the UN General Assembly, Resolution 32/40B.

BACKGROUND: During the 1980s, the UN, through its General Assembly as well as its agencies, commissions and committees, passed various resolutions in support of the struggle against Apartheid including several motions supporting forms of boycott and sanctions. For example, in October 1983 the United Nations Special Committee Against Apartheid produced a database “blacklisting” artists who were involved or who had performed in Apartheid SA.

TODAY: Likewise, the UN is playing an increasing role against Israel’s occupation, oppression and apartheid policies. In December 2016, the UN security Council officially expressed its strong disapproval of the Israeli settlement project that effectively makes Israel an apartheid state. In March 2017 a UN report found “beyond a reasonable doubt that Israel is guilty of policies and practices that constitute the crimes of apartheid” as defined in international law. The UN report further called for the backing of the Palestinian-led boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) campaign (click here). In addition, the UN Human Rights Council is currently producing a database “blacklisting” companies involved in or profiteering from Israel’s illegal settlements (click here).

JOIN US: As we dedicate the month of November to the struggle of the Palestinians against Israeli occupation, oppression and Apartheid, get involved by organizing events, actions and other activities during this month. Events you could organize include rallies, protests, lectures, cultural performances, concerts, films and workshops in your city, community, work place or campus. Let us know of what events or activities you are hosting by sending an email to info@nc4psouthafrica.comand your event will be listed on www.nc4psouthafrica.com/palestinemonth. Also contact us for movies, flyers and other info.

ENDORSE: If your organization would like to endorse this “Palestine Month” campaign send an email to info@nc4psouthafrica.com and your organization’s name will be listed online at www.nc4psouthafrica.com/palestinemonth

DID YOU KNOW: Nelson Mandela, exactly 20 years ago, marking the 1997 UN International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian people, famously said: “we know too well that would freedom is incomplete without the freedom of the Palestinians.”

 

Reverend Edwin Arrison, Chairperson of the National Coalition 4 Palestine (NC4P)
For Comment: 0847351835 / 0740543826

EMAIL: info@nc4psouthafrica.com
WEBSITE: www.nc4psouthafrica.com
TWITTER: www.twitter.com/NC4Psouthafrica
FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/nc4psouthafrica
WEBPAGE FOR #PALESTINEMONTH: www.nc4psouthafrica.com/palestinemonth

The NC4P is a coalition of various South African human rights organizations, trade unions, faith based groups and other associations.

Letter to Colombian President re Afro-Colombian and Indigenous Solidarity

Friends,

Your and your organizations’ support is urgently needed for a letter that will be sent to Colombian President Santos and the Commission to Monitor, Promote, and Verify Implementation of Colombia’s Peace Accord (CSIVI) offices, as well as released to the public. The letter will be sent at the end of the day on October 2, 2017.
 
This letter is a call demanding that Afro-Colombian and indigenous groups be included in, and made an integral part of, the ongoing peace process in Colombia. While this process continues, the Colombian state and ruling class seeks to once again make invisible the demands and concerns of these communities who continue to suffer from political, economic, and social/cultural violence.
 
We are hoping to make a very public statement that no peace process can be considered inclusive or truly progressive if it does not explicitly address the needs of Afro-Colombian and indigenous communities, and if it is not infused with the necessary anti-colonial political discourse.
 
Please consider signing on to the letter by responding to sign-on@madre.org.
Your organizations’ endorsements will further build momentum in this continuing anti-colonial process of peace and progress.
In Solidarity,
Eric Draitser

Peace Now and Forever Campaign Between India and Pakistan

NOTE: This Resolution has over 1000 endorsements obtained on a personal basis, listed alphabetically at this link. It is online here as part of the Peace Now and Forever Campaign Between India and Pakistan.

PEACEMONGERS’ JOINT RESOLUTION FOR PEACE

In the 70 years since independence and Partition, the people of India and Pakistan have seen too many conflicts and the loss of many valuable lives. Enough of the distrust and tensions. Those who suffer particularly are ordinary people denied visas and those in the conflict zones, especially women and children as well as fishermen who get routinely rounded up and arrested for violating the maritime boundary.
We condemn all forms of violence regardless of its objectives.
Deeply concerned at the current rise in animosity and antagonism between India and Pakistan, we urge both governments and their security establishments to take all steps possible towards improving relations.
We note that whenever it seems that relations might improve, some form of disruption takes place ranging from jingoistic statements to militant attacks. The traditional response to such disruptions only strengthens those who want continued tensions between our two countries.
We, citizens of India and Pakistan, and concerned citizens around the world, move this joint resolution towards a peaceful subcontinent and make the following demands to the governments of India and Pakistan, urging them to:
Develop an institutionalised framework to ensure that continuous and uninterrupted talks between India and Pakistan take place regularly no matter what. Make dialogue uninterrupted and uninterruptible.
Ensure that political leaders, diplomats and civil servants from both countries conduct talks on the sidelines of all international and multilateral forums.
Recognise that the Kashmir dispute above all concerns the lives and aspirations of the Kashmiri people, and work to resolve it through uninterrupted dialogue between all parties concerned.
Implement the 2003 ceasefire agreement between India and Pakistan.
Renounce all forms of proxy wars, state-sponsored terrorism, human rights violations, cross-border terrorism, and subversive activities against each other, including through non-state actors or support of separatist movements in each other’s state.
Support and encourage all forms of people-to-people contact, and remove visa restrictions and discrimination faced by citizens of both countries. This must be further taken forward to allow visa-free travel between India and Pakistan.
Increase trade and economic linkages, sports and cultural exchanges between India and Pakistan.
Further, we pledge to uphold the principles of impartial reporting and urge media houses on either side to prevent the growing militarisation of debate. We must act responsibly and stop broadcasting hate speech and creating public hysteria aimed at the other country and/or vulnerable communities.
UPDATE: This resolution is endorsed by over 1000 prominent peacemongers in India, Pakistan and around the world – singers, actors, artists, writers, journalists, retired armed forces personnel, parliamentarians, filmmakers, lawyers, historians, physicians, businesspeople, economists, students and rights workers. They include Gulzar, Noam Chomsky, Shubha Mudgal, Aruna Roy, Ashraf Jehangir Qazi, Asma Jahangir, Mubarak Ali, Romila Thapar, Ayesha Jalal, Admiral L. Ramdas, General Talat Masood, General Mahmud Durrani, Jean Dreze, Nayantara Sahgal, Mahesh Bhat, Nandita Das, Naseeruddin Shah, Salima Hashmi and Amin Hashwani to name a few. See some of the names in the list online, alphabetically ordered. This resolution is also endorsed by the Sarhad song of Aisi Taisi Democracy.

Hundreds of organisations in India, Pakistan and other countries partnering for The Peace Now Campaign are also obtaining endorsements for this resolution through an on-the-ground signature campaign. Scores of programmes in different cities and towns are providing platforms to people of both countries to assert their desire to resolve all issues amicably and reclaim an atmosphere of peace for the sub-continent.
NOTE: Endorsements collected online and on the ground until 15 August 2017 will be delivered to the Prime Ministers of India and Pakistan by the end of August 2017.
This petition will be delivered to:
India, Pakistan
Prime Ministers of India and Pakistan

Please sign here.

Support the Nuclear Ban Treaty

We have exciting news! On June 15, more than 130 nations will re-convene at the United Nations for the final session of negotiations on a treaty to ban nuclear weapons. Sign this petition today to tell the President of the UN conference, Ambassador Elayne Whyte Gomez of Costa Rica, that you support this essential step in the worldwide abolition of nuclear weapons.

Our Director of Programs, Rick Wayman, will meet with Ambassador Whyte in New York during the week of June 19. He will personally deliver your signature and comments to her at that time.

While the U.S. and other nuclear-armed and nuclear-allied nations are boycotting this process, the clear majority of the world’s nations are ready to definitively prohibit nuclear weapons – the only weapon of mass destruction not currently banned. We must support their courageous leadership in banning these weapons that threaten the future of civilization and most complex life on the planet.

Sign the petition as soon as possible to ensure that your signature and comments are included in our submission to the President of the nuclear ban treaty negotiations.

 

Madame President,

We the undersigned strongly applaud your leadership in the negotiations on a legally binding instrument to prohibit nuclear weapons. We are hopeful for a positive outcome in July.

We consider this to be a very positive step toward a world free of nuclear weapons, and appreciate your efforts to craft a strong, meaningful treaty.

We look forward to working with you, and all nations participating in good faith in this process, to achieve swift entry into force of this treaty, and on future steps toward the total elimination of nuclear weapons.

 

Please sign up here.

 

No U.S. war planes over Syria

There is no legal or moral basis for the United States to be waging war in Syria, risking conflict with Russia and nuclear apocalypse for us all.

Sign this petition to the U.S. Congress and Secretary of Defense James Mattis:

We urge you to immediately remove all U.S. military planes from Syrian skies and keep them out of that country’s airspace.

Please sign up here.

By taking action you agree that you may be emailed by one or more of the partner organizations. Partners are RootsAction.org, World Beyond War, DailyKos, Veterans For Peace, The Nation, and Watchdog.net. We consider your contact information to be private and confidential. We will NOT disclose it to any other entity unless you specifically authorize us to do so. You can unsubscribe at the bottom of any email you receive from us.

Tell Trump and Putin: Negotiate, Don’t Escalate

What happens during the announced meeting between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin in a few days, at the G-20 summit in Germany, could determine the fate of the Earth.

The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists continues to warn the world that the hands of the risk-estimate “Doomsday Clock” have moved even closer to catastrophic midnight. The dangers of global nuclear holocaust are increasing — and a major factor is the rise of tensions between the United States and Russia.

So, profoundly, this is not about Trump or Putin. This is about whether relations between the two nuclear-weapons superpowers will continue to spin out, worsening the risks of military confrontation. This is about whether the young people we love — and so many others around the world — will have a future. And whether subsequent generations will even exist.

If you want to express support for seeking détente instead of boosting U.S.-Russian tensions, please click here to sign a petition with a vital message for Trump and Putin.

To: President Vladimir Putin and President Donald Trump
We vehemently urge you to take a constructive approach to your planned meeting at the G-20 summit. Whatever our differences, we must reduce rather than increase the risks of nuclear war. The future of humanity is at stake.

To read about the “Doomsday Clock,” please click on a Background link at the bottom of this email.

After signing the petition, please use the tools on the next webpage to share it with your friends.

— The RootsAction.org Team

P.S. RootsAction is an independent online force endorsed by Jim Hightower, Barbara Ehrenreich, Cornel West, Daniel Ellsberg, Glenn Greenwald, Naomi Klein, Bill Fletcher Jr., Laura Flanders, former U.S. Senator James Abourezk, Frances Fox Piven, Lila Garrett, Phil Donahue, Sonali Kolhatkar, and many others.

Sign up here.

REPORT ON THE INAUGURATION CEREMONY OF THE MALAYSIAN CHAPTER OF THE NETWORK IN DEFENCE OF HUMANITY

The Inauguration Ceremony of the Malaysian Chapter of the Network of Artists and Intellectuals in Defence of Humanity, was held on the 25th May 2017, 11.00am at the Embassy of Cuba in Kuala Lumpur. A humble group of Intellectuals, diplomatic officials, and members of civil society were invited to attend the ceremony.

The Ceremony was opened by the Ambassador of Cuba to Malaysia, Ambassador Ibete, who gave an overview of what the Defence of Humanity is all about and its role. Dr. Chandra Muzaffar highlighted in his speech the significance of a network of this sort at this juncture of history in addressing global injustices and the importance of courage and dedication in making the Network grow. A screening of Fidel Castro’s 1979 address to the UN with its emphasis upon the challenges facing humankind was shown and was well received by everyone.

Lunch was served by the Cuban Embassy. With the event coming to a close, the Malaysian Chapter of the Network of Artists and Intellectuals in Defence of Humanity was officially established.

The Network in Defence of Humanity is a movement of thought and action against all forms of domination. It responds to the need to comply with the mandate of the Plenary Assembly of the World Meeting of Intellectuals and Artists in Defence of Humanity held in Caracas on December 6, 2004, attended by representatives of fifty- two countries and diverse cultures.

The Network main topics are as follows:

• in defense of our planet for everyone
• in defense of peoples’ integration
• in defense of an economy of emancipation and solidarity
• in defense of sovereignty and international legality
• in defense of unity in diversity and culture for all
• in defense of knowledge for all
• in defense of popular participation
• in defense of the truth and plurality information
• in defense of memory
• in defense of peace
Report prepared by JUST’s Programme Coordinator, Hassanal Noor Rashid.

27 May 2017

Stop U.S. from Selling More Weapons to Saudi Arabia

Millions of people in Yemen are on the edge of starvation. Cholera is spreading. Bitter and violent resentment of those responsible: the Saudi and U.S. governments is boiling up. Yet Donald Trump proposes to go right on selling Saudi Arabia the weapons with which to continue the war that has created and is maintaining the crisis.

Yes, the United States is slaughtering civilians by the thousands in Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, and elsewhere, and there is something ridiculously hypocritical about professing standards that prevent selling weapons to a government that uses them to kill civilians. No, there is no proper moral way to conduct the campaigns of mass-murder known as wars, so that worthy recipients of war weapons can be distinguished from Saudi Arabia and other unworthy ones. But when we have a chance to alleviate great suffering, we must act on it immediately.

We have that chance. After May 26, U.S. Congress Members and Senators will be home for a week, where they should hear from their constituents in person. In June they will have to vote one way or the other on whether to go on selling war weapons to Saudi Arabia. We will deliver this petition to them.

Please sign it.

Please also, if you are from the U.S., phone your Representative and your two Senators at 1-(202) 224-3121.