-
“Remember the solidarity shown to Palestine here and everywhere… and remember also that there is a cause to which many people have committed themselves, difficulties and terrible obstacles notwithstanding. Why? Because it is a just cause, a noble ideal, a moral quest for equality and human rights.” – Edward Said, Palestinian/American historian/political commentator
SJP on the internet: www.ausjp.wordpress.com

(A) Take Action Against Super Fund Investments in Cluster Bombs.
(B) Situation in Gaza
(C) IMEMC: Israeli military attacks weekly Bil’in protest, 17 injured including 7 journalists

On Friday, 18 April, the day before the Global Day of Action to Ban Cluster Munitions (19 April), there will be protests at the Super Fund offices in Auckland and Wellington to call on the Fund to divest immediately from companies involved in cluster bomb production.

* Auckland: from 5pm to 6pm, outside the AMP Centre, corner Customs Street West and Albert Street, down by the Viaduct. Organised by Investment Watch, for more information contact email omarhamed123@gmail.com

* Wellington: from 5pm to 6pm, at the traffic lights at the intersection of Queen’s Wharf, Jervois Quay and Grey Street. Organised by the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom and Peace Movement Aotearoa, for more information contact email wilpf@xtra.co.nz

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In this update>>>>

(A) Stop the US NZ Partnership Forum -  Protest Monday September 10
(B) Paul Buchanan and Omar Hamed to speak at meeting on relations with the US
(C) JOHN PILGER; “The Greatest Moral Issue of our Age”
(D) ISM: Pulling Up Illegal Settlement From the Root

(A) >>>>>Stop the US NZ Partnership Forum -  Protest Monday September 10>>>>>
 This September in Auckland a high-profile meeting, the US-NZ Partnership Forum, will further talks on creating a free trade deal between the US and NZ. President George W Bush is said to be making an appearance.

A free trade agreement would allow US corporations to sue our government for threatening their profits. It puts all of Aotearoa up for sale to US corporations. Their free trade agreement will “remove barriers” to US corporate control. Changes could include;

• Privatisation of our water, schools and hospitals.
• Removal of our environmental and public health protections.
• End of local content funding for TV and Music.
• Banning labelling of genetically engineered food.
• End to government subsidies of medicines

This is your chance to tell our government to put people and planet before profits.

Tomorrow might be too late.

Rally & March to the US NZ Partnership Forum

MEET: Aotea Square, 12NOON, Monday September 10

MORE INFO: www.notforsale.org.nz

(B) >>>>>Paul Buchanan and Omar Hamed to speak at meeting on relations with the US>>>>>

GPJA FORUM MONDAY – US/NZ RELATIONSHIP,
Monday, September 3, 7.30pm, Trades Hall, 147 Great North Rd, Grey Lynn
Speakers: Paul Buchanan, Auckland academic, until recently teaching at Auckland University
Omar Hamed will also be speaking about the relationship and the plans of a coalition of groups to organise a protest in Auckland September 10 at the US-NZ Partnership Forum against Corporate control of Aotearoa and the Pacific.

(C) >>>>>Report: 30th Week of Protests Against Separation Fence>>>>>
This Friday we had the 127th demonstration in Bil’in. It was also the 30th week of persistent demonstrations and other actions in the south of Bethlehem (There are few villages that are involved in the struggle there and there are usually some actions and demonstrations each week.) As usual the activists of the anarchists against the wall participated this week in both Bil’in, south Bethlehem, Hebron, and within Israel (the single parents camp in Jerusalem, the resistance to expulsion of tenants in Tel Aviv, and the Darfur refugees.

The demonstration in Bil’in was much more interesting than the usual ones of the last two months or so. Before the demonstration was a short meeting as we had bigger than the usual contingent of international activist and a bigger contingent of Palestinians from Ramalla.
http://www.infoshop.org/inews/article.php?story=20070714091714977

(C) >>>>>JOHN PILGER; “The Greatest Moral Issue of our Age”>>>>>:

In a column for the New Statesman, John Pilger describes his first encounter with a Palestinian refugee camp and what Neldon Mandela has called “the greatest moral issue of our age” – justice for the Palestinians. ‘Something has changed’, he writes, referring to the world view of sanctions and a boycott against Israel.
http://www.johnpilger.com/page.asp?partid=451

(D) >>>>>ISM: Pulling Up Illegal Settlement From the Root>>>>>

August 22nd 2007

Approximately 60 Palestinian, Israeli and international activists joined together to protest and take non-violent direct action against
the illegal confiscation of Palestinian land from the village of Al Mazra al Qiblya. Israel has declared the land state land, despite
villagers’ claims to the contrary. Although Israel claims that the land was declared state land in the nineties, local Palestinians were
never informed of this.

Israeli law requires that a formal declaration be made, which would have given Palestinians the opportunity to contest the confiscation.
Although Palestinians are contesting this in court and plan to challenge this decision legally, settlers have nonetheless begun
planting grape seedlings there for cultivation. Cultivating land is often the first step in absorbing Palestinian land into a settlement.
After the land has been worked on, settlers can claim more easily that it was previously Israeli owned and even if it was not, that
Palestinians chose not to work it and that the land would have been left fallow had they not cultivated it.

At approximately 11am, the demonstrators walked across a rocky hillside to gather on the confiscated land. Upon seeing the way the
settlers illegally cultivated the land, planting young grape vines,they began to pull up the plants. Palestinian, Israeli and international activists pulled up hundreds of plants in order to demonstrate that this land is not for settlers to use and that arbitrary confiscation will not go unchallenged. After approximately twenty minutes, a small group of soldiers arrived. One of the soldiers approached some of the Palestinians to talk. Media gathered to witness the discussion. Witnesses say that the discussion related to the legitimacy of the land’s ownership and the destruction of the crops on the land. Although the discussion lasted maybe twenty minutes, there was no aggression and no one was arrested.

As the demonstrators began to leave, an armed settler suddenly appeared brandishing a camera and carrying what appeared to be an
automatic rifle. The armed settler began shouting at the Palestinians in Hebrew and filming the people present. He threatened the community and shouted curse words in Arabic. A few Palestinians tried to engage him in discussion, however he was mostly ignored as demonstrators refused to allow him to disturb them. As activists left the land they chanted in protest against the occupation and the land theft and made their way back to their cars.

www.palsolidarity.org 

–
“Remember the solidarity shown to Palestine here and everywhere… and remember also that there is a cause to which many people have committed themselves, difficulties and terrible obstacles notwithstanding. Why? Because it is a just cause, a noble ideal, a moral quest for equality and human rights.” – Edward Said, Palestinian/American historian/political commentator
SJP on the internet: www.ausjp.wordpress.com

In this update>>>>

(A) Protest: Stop the hostage detentions at Mt Eden prison!
(B) News, Views and Analysis from the Web
(A) >>>>>Protest: Stop the hostage detentions at Mt Eden prison!>>>>>

Global Peace and Justice Auckland (www.gpja.org.nz) have organised a protest this Saturday which we urge you all to attend.
Protest: Mt Eden Prison, Boston Road, Mt Eden. Saturday 19th May 1pm – 2pm

Five Iranians are being held in Auckland’s Mt Eden prison without charge or trial. Ali Reza Panah (detained 18 months) and Amir Mohebbi (detained now for more than three years despite having 3 young kiwi children) are two of the five. Thomas Yadegary was in a similar situation but was released after a public campaign. The five remaining Iranians must also be released. Let’s make this a protest that can’t be ignored. Please make a big effort to be there. We can’t protest outside Guantanemo Bay but we can at Mt Eden!
(B) >>>>>News, Views and Analysis from the Web>>>>>

Israeli government demolishes village of Twail Abu-Jarwal
http://www.palsolidarity.org/main/2007/05/13/twail-abu-jarwal-demolished/

Excessive force in Bil’in leaves Palestinian in hospital with two operations

http://www.palsolidarity.org/main/2007/05/11/two-operations/

Village near Bethlehem protests against the Wall
http://www.palsolidarity.org/main/2007/05/11/wadi-neiss-may-11/

Setting Sail to Break the Siege of Gaza from Free Gaza- Break the Siege (http://www.freegaza.org)
This summer – forty years after the Israeli seizure and occupation of
the West Bank and Gaza Strip – international, Palestinian and Israeli
civilians will sail to Gaza to challenge Israeli control and isolation
of the 1.4 million Palestinians who live there. The project is
intended to awaken the conscience of the nations of the world, who
have turned their backs on a people whose human rights, welfare and
very existence are being sacrificed to political expediency.

Pushed into the Sea? Try pushed out of your neighborhood instead..
by Yifat Appelbaum, May 13
See photos and map here: http://www.palsolidarity.org/main/2007/05/13/pushed-out-of-your-hood/

Protest action in al Khas and al-Numan villages dazes Israeli forces
http://www.palsolidarity.org/main/2007/05/05/al-numan-dazed/

Settlers attack Palestinians with stones, assault four human rights
workers
http://www.palsolidarity.org/main/2007/05/05/stones-and-pipe/

–
“Remember the solidarity shown to Palestine here and everywhere… and remember also that there is a cause to which many people have committed themselves, difficulties and terrible obstacles notwithstanding. Why? Because it is a just cause, a noble ideal, a moral quest for equality and human rights.” – Edward Said, Palestinian/American historian/political commentator
SJP on the internet: www.ausjp.wordpress.com
—————————————————–
Thank you for your continued interest and support for Students for Justice in Palestine.

To support our work please forward this message  or parts of it, to people you think may be interested in working for justice in Palestine.

Another way to support us is to send us the email addresses of people you think would support justice in Palestine.

To be removed from this email list just reply to this message and tell us to unsubscribe you.

In this update>>>>

(A) Film screenings next week || Jenin, Jenin || Road to Guantanamo || Is Reels: Short films by Indymedia Israel

(B) SJP on Myspace

(C) News, Views and Analysis from the Web

(A) >>>>>Film screenings next week || Jenin, Jenin || Road to Guantanamo || Is Reels: Short films by Indymedia Israel >>>>>

What:

Monday (5th March): Jenin, Jenin – A documentary about the 2002 Israeli invasion on the Jenin refugee camp.

Wednesday(7th March): Road to Guantanamo – A film about the US’s internationally condemned and globally infamous Guantanamo Bay detention centre

Friday(9th March): Is Reels: Short films by Indymedia Israel – Six very short films about the Israel’s illegal annexation wall, its effects on Palestinian lives, and the Israeli, Palestinian and international non-violent resistance to it’s construction.

When: 12noon

Where: AV Library Screening Room. On the second floor of the UofA Arts Building on corner of Symonds Street and Grafton Road

Contact: 021 150 3597 if you get lost and cannot find the room.

(B) >>>>>SJP on Myspace>>>>>

SJP has now got a myspace page, and we want you all to be our friends. : ) www.myspace.com/ausjp

(C) >>>>>News, Views and Analysis from the Web>>>>>

Six activists arrested for blocking work on Wall

http://www.palsolidarity.org/main/2007/02/28/umsal-bulldozer-arrests/

Nablus Old City siege by IOF: Turkish bath invaded, human shield updates, hospital restriction, man in coma from tear gas

http://www.palsolidarity.org/main/2007/02/27/iwps-nablus-invasion/

IOF attack South Bethlehem farmers, 3 arrested

http://www.palsolidarity.org/main/2007/02/27/pr-umsal-27-02-07/

How to Live with Hunger

http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article6597.shtml

Apartheid looks like this

http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article6588.shtml

My birthday in Jabalya refugee camp
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article6568.shtml

“500 Year Seige” – An essay by David Rovics

http://www.songwritersnotebook.blogspot.com.

1 March: Nuclear Free and Independent Pacific Day

http://www.converge.org.nz/pma/nfip07.htm

–
“Remember the solidarity shown to Palestine here and everywhere… and remember also that there is a cause to which many people have committed themselves, difficulties and terrible obstacles notwithstanding. Why? Because it is a just cause, a noble ideal, a moral quest for equality and human rights.” – Edward Said, Palestinian/American historian/political commentator
SJP on the internet: www.ausjp.wordpress.com
—————————————————–

Auckland University Students for Justice in Palestine, an autonomous chapter of Students for a Democratic Society, is calling for all students, youth and citizens to attend a rally and march from the Auckland University Quad, at 12pm on Tuesday, March 20, to call for the New Zealand Superannuation Fund to divest from 12 companies that are either producing nuclear weapons, producing cluster bombs, causing massive ecological destruction or committing systematic human rights and labour violations.

The superannuation fund currently holds NZ$64 million worth of shares in these 12 companies.

Three of the twelve companies are involved in the manufacture of Cluster bombs: Communications Holdings Inc., Raytheon Company, Lockeed Martin Corporation.

Another four are involved in the production of nuclear weapons. They are BAE Systems Plc, Finmeccanica Sp.A, EADS (European Aeronautic Defence & Space Company), Northrop Grumman Corp., and United Technologies Corp.

Two companies, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and Wal-Mart de Mexico SA, consistently and systematically violate labour and human rights in developing nations.

Thye final company, Freeport McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc. owns and operates one of the world’s largest copper mines in Papua, Indonesia where it uses a natural river system for tailings disposal. Freeport disposes close to 230,000 tonnes of tailings each day, releasing large amounts of sediments and heavy metals such as copper, cadmium and mercury into the watercourse.

We as students and youth believe that not only is it unethical for the government to invest in these 12 companies but also that we have a responsibility to take direct action against staking our future in nuclear war, cluster bombs, child labour and ecological catstrophe until the government divests from these threats to civilisation. March 20 is our chance to show the world that youth and students in Aotearoa/New Zealand are in solidarity with all those who struggle against the US Empire. We send greetings of love and solidarity to the students in West Papua who continue to resist the Freeport mine; to the students in the United States who are organising resistance to the brutal occupation of Iraq; to the workers in Wal-Mart’s suppliers who fight against their exploitation; and to the people of Iraq, Lebanon and Afghanistan who deal with the consequences of the Cluster bombs which our government invests in.

Our future is not in war, repression and ecological destruction. Our future is in justice, liberation and democracy.

Students for Justice in Palestine
(SDS AUCKLAND)

(A) >>>>>Join an eCorrespondance Program with Bethlehem University Students>>>>>

The Bethlehem/Santa Fe (and now Bethlehem/Auckland!) Correspondence Program is an email correspondence program based in Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA, intended to create a dialogue with students at Bethlehem University in Palestine.

This is an opportunity to learn about the nature of peaceful nonviolent resistance from young men and women who struggle daily against overwhelming odds in an effort to continue to educate themselves in the face of military occupation and oppression of civil rights.

Students who attend Bethlehem University live under very stringent conditions in Bethlehem and the surrounding area. Many of them risk arbitrary arrest and detention attempting to travel short distances to the campus to attend classes. They negotiate many check points as well as the new security terminal that Israel has set up at the entrance to Bethlehem. Their city is now essentially an apartheid ghetto surrounded by a twenty-eight-foot wall and a series of military check points and fences.

By reaching out to students at Bethlehem University you will help to sustain their sense of dignity and provide them with the spiritual and emotional support they need to maintain peaceful and productive lives.

I understand that you are on your summer break (It’s snowing here!). But you can jump in on this at any time. I don’t limit the program to students. Anyone you know who is willing to make the commitment is welcome to join. Though most of the correspondents in Bethlehem are students at BU, we have several correspondents here in Santa Fe who are older, non-students.

If you are interested in participating in the program, please send a brief biography to SJP, at studentsforjusticeinpalestine@gmail.com stating your name, age, area of study and any interests you might wish to share as an introduction to a correspondence partner.

Thanks!

Joe Mowrey

Santa Fe, NM, USA

(B) >>>>>SJP Meeting Wednesday 14/2/07>>>>>

Students for Justice in Palestine are having the first meeting of the year on Wednesday the 14th of February at 2pm in Meeting Room 2 on the second floor of AUSA House, 4 Alfred Street, Auckland (opposite the Library).

Come along to help come up with, organise and plan our activities and outreach during Orientation week. All welcome.

(C)>>>>>News, views and analysis from the web>>>>>
Gaza City: The war enters the classrooms

http://auto_sol.tao.ca/node/view/2519

Israeli tanks kill women during protest march

http://www.fromoccupiedpalestine.org/node/1693

Ma’an: “Israeli military disrupt non-violent action in Al Khadr and attack Palestinian children”

http://www.palsolidarity.org/main/2007/02/05/maan-khadr-planting/

Israeli Anarchists blockade downtown Tel Aviv for the second time in a month

http://www.awalls.org/anarchists_blockade_downtown_tel_aviv_for_the_second_time_in_a_month_0

THE PLIGHT OF THE WOMEN OF AFGHANISTAN – “I BLAME GEORGE BUSH”

http://www.infoshop.org/inews/article.php?story=20070207172116730

–
“Remember the solidarity shown to Palestine here and everywhere… and remember also that there is a cause to which many people have committed themselves, difficulties and terrible obstacles notwithstanding. Why? Because it is a just cause, a noble ideal, a moral quest for equality and human rights.” – Edward Said, Palestinian/American historian/political commentator
SJP on the internet: www.ausjp.wordpress.com