Two Great Documentary Films

Two Great Documentary Films

"A Palestinian Woman" - A Palestinian Woman: Terry Bulatta, mother, teacher and community activist, shows how the 27-foot wall surrounds her neighborhood in East Jerusalem, dividing it from the adjacent community of Abu Dis, severing the historical bonds of the two communities. (24 minutes)

"African Palestinian" - In the Moslem quarter of Jerusalem’s Old City very near one of the great doors to the Dome of the Rock compound is the African Palestinian. (24 minutes)

Tuesday, July 24 starting at 7 pm
Blackbird Theater
(across the street from the Rosendale Theatre in Rosendale)

A talk by filmmaker Andrew Courtney followed the films (Red Hill Films). Tickets were $5.00.

Kovel Talk and Book Signing

Dr. Joel Kovel, professor at Bard College and author of the recently published "Overcoming Zionism: Creating a Single Democratic State in Israel/Palestine,” gave a talk this Thursday at the Inquiring Mind Bookstore in Saugerties, New York.

Speaking to a full crowd, Dr. Kovel reviewed the history of Israel, the psychology of the early Zionists and how the current apartheid state is ultimately a threat to both the Israeli and Palestinian peoples. Deploring the confusion of Jews, Judaism, Zionism and the State of Israel, Dr. Kovel called for a one-state solution as an end to government supported racism.

The United States has used Israel to control the oil-rich Middle East, sending American tax dollars to pay for the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians from their land. Dr. Kovel urged a reassessment of Israel by all Americans who value human rights and democracy in the region.

The talk and the book signing that followed were sponsored by the Middle East Crisis Response .

First picture by David Bruner.

Trip to DC, June 10-11, 2007

A group of MECR members made the trip to DC for the Sunday rally and the lobbying on Monday. The trip was judged to be a great success, and the lobbying very interesting. Here is a press release about the event from UFPJ, as well as pictures of the event (thanks, David).

June 10-11 Mobilization a Huge Success

(Washington DC, June 11, 2007) The largest ever national demonstration against the Israeli occupation took place yesterday in Washington DC. More than 5,000 demonstrators from all over the country declared that “40 years of Israel’s occupation are enough.”

Today, hundreds of activists are meeting with their Congressional Representatives and Senators to call for a change in US foreign policy in the Middle East.


“An overwhelming number of Americans believe in peace, justice and human rights. We’re calling on our government to do the right thing and end its support for the Israeli occupation,” said Huwaida Arraf of the US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation.

“This day has global importance,” stated Phyllis Bennis, also of the US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation. “While we say no to US support for Israeli occupation, our counterparts from all around the world are saying the same message to their own governments. From South Africa to Brazil, from Australia to Canada, from Britain to Malaysia, Ramallah to Tel-Aviv.”

A broad diversity of speakers and participants came from almost every state, faith, and ethnic group.

“Our vision is one of a comprehensive just and lasting peace for everyone: Palestinians, Israelis, Christians, Muslims, and Jews, and all people,” said Judith LeBlanc of United for Peace and Justice.

The event marks the 40th Anniversary of the Israeli occupation of the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem. The occupation has created a desperate situation of collective punishment and suffering for almost 4 million Palestinians. Land seizures, curfews, checkpoints, and extra-judicial executions are part of everyday life and have been documented by human right organizations.

The rally took place in front of the Capitol and continued with a march to the White House – the two centers of US foreign policy. This demonstration was sponsored by the US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation and United for Peace and Justice, two major national coalitions. More than 300 organizations nationwide participated.

Remembrance of Nakba

Friday, May 18th on the Woodstock Village Green. Remembrance of Nakba: The Catastrophe that Continues for the Palestinian People.

In human terms, 1948 saw the mass deportation of a million Palestinians from their homes, massacres of civilians, and the razing to the ground of hundreds of Palestinian villages. The apartheid system that followed has destroyed any hope of peace for both Israelis and Palestinians. We grieve for these tragedies, while working for the day when Israelis and Palestinians can once again share the land of their ancestors.

Sponsored by the Middle East Crisis Response http://www.mideastcrisis.org

Impeachment Rally

On Monday, May 14, an important impeachment rally was held beginning at 12:00 at the West Steps of the Capital building in Albany. The rally entitled "A Trust Betrayed: Impeach Cheney/Bush" included speakers and musical performers who made the case for immediate action to save our democratic form of government.

Speakers at the rally included: Elliot Adams - National President of Veterans for Peace, Yonatan Shapira - former Israeli Air Force Blackhawk pilot, now a Combatant for Peace, Dr. Stephen Larsen - Director Stone Mountain Counseling, Professor Emeritus Suny, Ulster and biographer of Joseph Campbell, Nathen Alft - Lafond - student activist on the situation in New Orleans and Government complicity, Dr. Andor Skotnes - Professor of History at Sage Colleges and former Co-chair of Historians Against War, Jay Wenk - World War II veteran and peace activist hero, co-founder Veterans for Peace, Joan Walker - co founder, NO DU Coalition of the Hudson Valley, Sarvananda Bluestone - founder of Wisconsin Committee against Vietnam War, Dr. Michael Rice – founder of Bethlehem Neighbors for Peace.





The last picture is of our large group chanting the names of the war dead in Iraq. Hillary Clinton's Office was closed, but we were allowed to chant the names in the lobby. I will see if I can include a short mp3 file so that people can listen to a couple of minutes of this dramatic event.

Yonatan Shapira Speaks in Kingston

“What I am asking for is a new Jewish lobby in America, one that acts in the love of Israel.”

So spoke Yonatan Shapira at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the Catskills in Kingston on Sunday, April 29. Mr. Shapira, a former Black Hawk Helicopter pilot in the Israeli Defense Force, talked about his growing sense of unease about the Israeli occupation of Palestine. In the end, Mr. Shapira refused to serve in the West Bank and Gaza, and instead helped organize a group of like-minded veterans in Israel, Combatants for Peace combatantsforpeace.org.

Mr. Shapira described in detail the role of the American Israeli Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) in controlling the US Congress and stifling debate about the suffering of the Palestinians. “There is a joke in Israel,” Mr. Shapira said. “We were offered a chance to become the 51st state, but turned it down. That would give us only two US Senators.”

Describing himself as a lover of Israel, Mr. Shapira is traveling around the United States, trying to free the American people from the influences of the Israeli lobby, an impediment to genuine peace for the Israeli people. "As a Jew, as a lover of Israel, you must stand up and criticize the government of Israel. No one can call you an anti-Semite. It is your job to be a non-insane Jew."

Yonatan Shapira’s talk was sponsored by the Middle East Crisis Response http://www.mideastcrisis.org.

Permission granted to use text and photographs in any news article.

Kathy Kelly speaks in Woodstock

Kathy Kelly spoke to a large group of people this Thursday, March 29 at the Woodstock Community Center. The title of her talk was "Eyewitness to War, Witness to Peace: Reflections on the US war in Iraq and the ongoing Middle East conflict." Having visited Iraq 24 times in the past ten years, Ms. Kelly gave a uniquely personal face to the suffering of civilians in the war zone. Her stories were both harrowing and very moving, and several in the audience expressed a desire to do more to end the occupation of Iraq. The presentation concluded with a plan to stage a sit-in in Hillary Clinton's office in Albany.

The talk was sponsored by a new group, the Middle East Crisis Response (http://www.mideastcrisis.org). Donations were accepted for Kathy Kelly's work in the Middle East.