Statement from organizers -

In response to the international consensus in opposition to the Israeli Apartheid wall, and the International Court of Justice's recent decision determining that the Israeli Apartheid wall violates:

The rights of the Palestinian people.

The U.S. administration and the majority of Congress joined Israel by defying the world and supporting this

racist and colonial Apartheid wall.

Recognizing that the upcoming period provides an

important window to address the US policy.



The Anti-Wall Taskforce (AWT) was formed to coordinate all efforts pertaining to the proposed protest actions and Solidarity Fasts to be carried out in various cities in the United States and Canada.



Eyewitness Report Back –

I’d like to share a brief report and a public thank you regarding last weekend’s "tent of peace and justice" in Santa Monica.



The event started on Friday afternoon, and continued throughout Saturday and until Sunday afternoon. during this entire time, 10 activists fasted in solidarity with our Palestinian brothers and sisters back home. the tent was set up in a prime spot near the Santa Monica pier and got great visibility by hundreds or thousands of passers-by. It included a mock wall with photos and information taped to it, an information table, and a projector and screen where documentary films were shown in the evening. Participants in this event held pro-Palestinian and anti-wall signs, and flyers were passed out. Various activists spoke on the p.a. system, and There was a candlelight procession in the evening.



The Zionists, as usual, arranged a counter-protest. They hired an airplane on all 3 days to carry anti-Palestinian signs in across the beach (a different message each day - one was something about arafat and terrorism, and others were about Palestinians teaching hate and sending their children on suicide bombings). On Sunday afternoon, they came out in full force, with many racist signs and many of their hardcore members. A lot of friction resulted, in many cases very heated exchanges, including insults, and at least in 3 cases that I saw it turned physical. we chanted pro-palestinian and anti-wall slogans; they chanted their racist slogans. (of course since we had the p.a. system, our voices were louder, although their numbers were comparable to ours).



I would like to thank all the organizers for a remarkable effort that they put in. the names that immediately come to my mind are those of xxx, xxx

xxx, xxx, the free Palestine alliance, and answer coalition. of course there were other individuals and groups involved too, but still the whole effort hinged on just a handful of individuals. They organized and implemented all of this, which entailed an enormous amount of physical

effort (I just showed up a couple of hours each day, and helped close down on 2 of the nights, without fasting, and found that quite tiring!). So I

think they deserve a huge acknowledgement from everyone who cares about Palestine but for one reason or another wasn't able to participate even partially.

Again, thank you to xxx, xxx, xxx, xxx and others for the AMAZING job you've done!!



Note: Individual names were removed, much of the information provided was obtained from the Women in Black list serve.

The belief that security can be provided by walls and physical barriers is as old as the most ancient walled city. But that city is Jericho and any Israeli schoolchild can tell you what happened to its defensive walls once the ancient Israelites emerged from their desert exodus. They came tumbling down. Walls and barriers meant to provide lasting security never ultimately work. They have a habit of cracking, falling, being breached, circumvented, written on or even ignored altogether. That's why Hadrian's Wall, The Great Wall of China, the Maginot Line and the Berlin Wall, among others, are now better remembered as monuments to failure than as monuments to lasting peace and security. Yet the illusion that walls and barriers will provide lasting security lives on today in modern Israel and in the U.S. Congress, where this archaic belief has been resurrected as the solution to the similarly archaic practice of human sacrifice utilized by Palestinian suicide bombers…



Published on Thursday, July 29, 2004 by the Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Israel Ignores the Lessons of History

by Steve Niva

and why?

“You must end the illegal occupation,”

– Kofi Annan

addressing Israel in a meeting of the UN Security Council March 11, 2002

and its staunchest supporters in Congress have ignored lessons of history by rejecting the International Court of Justice's ruling that Israel's barrier in the West Bank is illegal and that those portions located in the occupied territories must be dismantled. The House of Representatives wasted little time in passing House Resolution 713, which strongly condemns the court's ruling and supports Israel's right to build the barrier anywhere it chooses. To their credit, Washington Reps. Brian Baird, Jay Inslee and Jim McDermott opposed the resolution. A similar resolution in the Senate, Senate Resolution 408, cosponsored by Washington Sen. Patty Murray, is likely to win overwhelming support before the Senate summer recess. Those who profess concern for Israeli security are dangerously mistaken if they believe that building a combination of concrete walls and electrified fences around Palestinians in the West Bank will end suicide bombings and enhance Israel's overall security. In fact, as history has shown, it will likely lead to even more, not less, daring and devastating forms of violence.

Published on Thursday, July 29, 2004 by the Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Israel Ignores the Lessons of History

by Steve Niva

but, as BBC Washington correspondent Stephen Sackur reveals, Israel has found new support from American Christians.

Since 11 September, support among Americans for Israel has grown massively as many now see the Middle East conflict as the frontline in the US "War on Terror".

Joining well-established Jewish lobby groups in America is a new and powerful phenomenon - Christian Zionism.

There are an estimated 40 million Christian Conservatives in America and they may be in a position to wield unprecedented influence in support of Israel.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/1969542.stm



Israel expands West Bank settlements

Aerial photos reveal extent of land grab, say peace groups

The Guardian

Months after Ariel Sharon announced his dramatic plan to pull Jewish settlers out of Gaza, portraying it as a sacrifice for peace, the government is grabbing more land for West Bank settlements. Israeli peace groups and Palestinian officials say thousands of homes are under construction in the main settlements, in addition to an expansion of Jewish outposts that are illegal under Israeli law. Mr Sharon has promised

the US he will dismantle the outposts, which are usually clusters of containers or trailer homes serviced by government-built roads, but has failed to do so. One Israeli group, Settlement Watch, says in the three months to May, West Bank settlements expanded by 26 hectares (65 acres).The government has

approved construction of thousands more homes in the three main settlement

blocs on the West Bank, encouraged by an apparent endorsement by George Bush for their eventual annexation.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,3604,1269707,00.html

http://www.guardian.co.uk/letters/story/0,3604,1269622,00.html

http://www.guardian.co.uk/flash/0,5860,720353,00.html

Snapshots is a visual dedication to life in Palestine.

Through the struggle, the glory, to the inevitable freedom, we will capture life as it unfolds.

Our goals are to bring you what your eyes don't see, and tell you stories that your ears don't hear.

http://snapshots.palestinechronicle.com/snapshots.php



Amira Hass:

Life Under Israeli Occupation - By an Israeli

Jewish journalist Amira Hass doesn't merely report on the experiences of Palestinians on the West Bank - she shares their lives

by Robert Fisk

http://www.commondreams.org/views01/0826-04.htm