Invitation for a solidarity action with Gaza & Nablus (Saturday, January 2, 2010) دعوة للمشاركة في نشاط تضامني مع غزة ونابلس

The First Anniversary of the Israeli War on Gaza

Honoring the souls of our Martyrs

in the Gaza Strip and Nablus

We invite you on this occasion to join us in lighting candles to express our solidarity and our demand to break the siege and end of the suffering of our people in Gaza

and to solidify our popular struggle against the oppressive practices of the Israeli Occupation in the West Bank and to condemn the recent horrific crime of the cold-blooded assassination of three Palestinian activists in Nablus

Martyrs

(Ghassan Abu Sharekh, Raed Surakji, Anan Suboh)

On the evening of Saturday, January 2, 2010

5:00 pm

Martyrs' Circle – Nablus

Kindly bring candles and signs in both Arabic and English and invite all friends and international solidarity activists located in the Nablus region

Palestinian Political Parties’ Coordinating Committee & the organizations, groups, powers, and personalities of the Nablus District

بمناسبة الذكرى السنويه الأولى للحرب الإسرائيليه على غزة

وإكراما وإجلالا لأرواح شهدائنا الأبرار

في قطاع غزة وفي نابلس جبل النار

ندعوكم للتجمع
لإشعال الشموع إحياء لذكرى شهداء العدوان الصهيوني الغاشم

وللتعبير عن تضامننا ومطالبتنا برفع الحصار وإنهاء معاناة شعبنا الصامد في غزة

وتعزيزا لمقاومتنا الشعبية ضد ممارسات الإحتلال الإسرائيلي في الضفة الغربية

وإستنكارا لجريمة الإغتيال البشعة

التي إقترفتها قوات الإحتلال الصهيوني في نابلس

بحق مناضلينا الأبطال

الشهداء

(غسان أبو شرخ ، رائد السركجي ، عنان صبح)

وذلك مساء يوم السبت الموافق 2-1-2010

الساعة 5:00

في ميدان الشهداء (الدوار) – نابلس

الرجاء من جميع المشاركين

إحضار الشموع وأيضا كتابة شعارات تضامنية باللغتين العربية والإنجليزية

ودعوة جميع الأصدقاء والنشطاء

والمتضامنين الدوليين المتواجدين في محافظة نابلس

لجنة التنسيق الفصائلي
و مؤسسات وفعاليات وقوى

وشخصيات محافظة نابلس

27-12-2009

The Messenger of Peace 2010 !

By Saed J. Abu-Hijleh

He was born to tell
that Earth mustn’t be hell.
Jesus The messenger of Peace
walked the thorny path
to end oppression
and impede human attrition…

2010 years later
oppression is still the norm
and the lost Children of “Canaan”
cannot go home
prevented by a fascist terrorist state
that calls itself “Israel”.

“Israel” is a hijacked name
and smearing it with injustice is a shame.
Israel is the title Allah gave to Jacob,
a revered prophet and father of many prophets.
But today “Israel” means bullets and rockets,
blood and tears,
and lives full of agony and fears.

“Israel” is indeed a hijacked name
and to stain it with genocide is a shame.
Yet historical fallacy is accredited by Western diplomacy
and the blessed name of a good prophet
is now an Apartheid state
and we have to accept this bloody fate
and silently be ethnically cleansed
and see our flesh with earth blend
torn apart by bombs made
in the USA
called DIME
while Europe pays
in many ways
for the continuation
of this crime.

2010 years ago
The Messenger of Peace was born
to tell
that Earth mustn’t be hell
that love conquers all…

Today the birthplace of Jesus is surrounded by hate:
Walls behind walls and gate after gate;
To reach the city of nativity
you must pass
through humiliation
turnstile
and injure your soul
mile after mile…
Ugly soldiers will “look you with a scorn”
and your whole being is torn;
You are your ID
A number
A security threat
Or benign existence
But keep your distance
From the barrel of the gun
Any wrong move and you are gone…

The messenger of Peace 2010
People of Palestine
Women and men
Young and old
The story must be told
Truth we cannot bend:
“Israel” is a lie
On earth and in sky
No more should die
Apartheid must end.

DIME is the "Dense Inert Metal Explosives" that were used heavily by Israel in its war on Gaza 2008-2009 resulting in the horrific deaths and injuries among Palestinian civilians.

Long Live Palestine by Lowkey (Official Video)

Long Live Palestine by Lowkey
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4p1CJwTNC9M

While we listen to tunes, made by ignorant fools,
Israel blocked the UN from delivering food,
They'll bring in the troops and you won't even glimpse at the news,
They make money of the products that we are quick to consume,
It's not simply a question of differing views,
Forget emotions, this is fact, what I spit is the truth,
Makes no difference if you're a Christian or if you're a Jew,
They are just people living in different conditions to you,
They still die when you bomb their schools, mosques and hospitals,
It is not because of rockets, please god can you stop it all,
I'm not related to the strangers on the TV,
But I relate because those faces could have been me,
Words can never ever explain the raw tragedy,
It's not a war they're just murdering more rapidly,
We are automatically supporting pure savagery,
Imagine how you'd feel if it was your family,

This is for Palestine, Ramallah, West Bank, Gaza,

This is for the child that is searching for an answer,
I wish I could take your tears and replace them with laughter,

Long live Palestine, Long live Gaza,


Palestine remains in my heart forever,
We stand for peace, in times of war we shan't surrender,
Remember, it didn't start in that dark December,
Every coin is a bullet, if you're Mark's and Spencer,
And when your sipping Coca-Cola,
That's another pistol in the holster of a soulless soldier,
You say you know about the Zionist lobby,
But you put money in their pocket when you're buying their coffee,
Talking about revolution, sitting in Starbucks,
The fact is that's the type of thinking I can't trust,
Let alone even start to respect,
Before you talk learn the meaning of that scarf on your neck,
Forget Nestle,
Obama promised Israel 30 billion over the next decade,
They're trigger happy and they're crazy,
Think about that when you're putting Huggies nappies on your baby,

This is for Palestine, Ramallah, West Bank, Gaza,
This is for the child that is searching for an answer,
I wish I could take your tears and replace them with laughter,
Long live Palestine, Long live Gaza,

This is not just a war over stolen land,
Why do you think little boys are throwing stones at tanks?
We will never really know how many people are dead,
They drop bombs on little girls while they sleep in their beds,
Don't get offended by facts, just try and listen,
Nothing is more anti-Semitic than Zionism,
So please don't bring bad vibes when you speak to me,
I know there's plenty of Rabbi's that agree with me,
It's your choice what you do with this message,
Don't get it confused; I view this from a truly human perspective,
How many more resolutions have to be violated,
How many more children have to be annihilated
Israel is a terror state, there terrorists that terrorise,
I testify, my television televised them telling lies,
This is not a war, it is systematic genocide,
But whatever they try, Palestine will never die!!!

A radio program by BBC Alan Johnston on his return to Nablus after six years (I am interviewed in this program)

A radio program by BBC Alan Johnston on his return to Nablus after six years. Alan interviewed me in 2003 after my Mother Shaden Abu-Hijleh was assassinated by Israeli soldiers. Excerpts of this interview are included in this program. In it I recount the tragic moments of the crime. You can listen to the radio show by visiting the following link:


http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0057d1s

When you reach to the page hit Listen Now (and if you could not hear, hit the Lower Bandwidth Version).

I have to say that I do not agree with several things in this program and we all have to listen to it critically. Actually, I gave the BBC a long and in-depth interview on Nov. 11, 2009 about my analysis of the current situation, and the fake "economic peace" of Netanyahu in light of the continued Israeli Military Occupation and Apartheid (the siege of Gaza, the ethnic cleansing in Jerusalem, the Apartheid wall, the expansion of Israeli colonies, settler violence, and the continued killing and imprisonment of Palestinians, etc.) but it was not included in this program for editorial considerations.

However, Alan Johnston does say clearly that without ending the Israeli occupation the current calm will collapse as was the case in the first and second intifadas, and he should be commended and thanked for the good effort he put in this program.

All the best,

Saed J. Abu-Hijleh

Call for Action: Oppose Portuguese Water Deal with Mekorot! Defend Palestinian Water Rights! Uphold International Law!

Israel's national water carrier Mekorot signed a "co-operative" venture with EPAL, the Portuguese water company that serves 2.5 million consumers in the country's capital and the south. The agreement claims to safeguard the Portuguese water system against "terrorist threats", building on Mekorot's alleged "expertise" in the area.

The Portuguese deal is in a reality a thinly veiled attempt for Mekorot to profit from its many years of experience as an agent of Israel's illegal and immoral occupation of Palestine. The deal with Portugal serves as a launch pad for the company to sell its services to the rest of Europe, pumping millions of dollars back to Israel's military apparatus. This money will inevitably be used to consolidate Israel's criminal appropriation of Palestinian water aquifers.

An Amnesty International report published last October accuses Israel of denying Palestinians access to water. "Swimming pools, well-watered lawns and large irrigated farms in Israeli settlements ... stand in stark contrast next to Palestinian villages whose inhabitants struggle even to meet their domestic water needs," reads the report. Israel's daily water consumption per capita is four times higher than the 70 litre per person consumed in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, a number well below the recommended World Health Organization guidelines.

Israel reroutes more than 80 percent of water retrieved from the Mountain Aquifer. This aquifer is the only supply of drinking water for Palestinians, while Israel draws water from other sources, including the Jordan River. Somewhere between 180,000 and 200,000 Palestinians in rural communities of the West Bank have no access to running water. About 90 to 95 percent of Gaza’s drinking water supply has been contaminated with sewage and seawater and is now undrinkable.

The Palestine Solidarity Committee (CSP) in Portugal wrote a letter to EPAL protesting the agreement. The company defended the deal by shirking its responsibility for the faith of the Palestinians. Adding insult to injury, EPAL sacked an employee that expressed dissent, an attempt to curtail freedom of expression inside the organization. Nevertheless, in light of European Union directives in the award of public contracts (2004/18/EC), the company is walking on thin ice and the deal can fall if the right public pressure is applied. Already the Portuguese media has expressed interest in the case. This is an international appeal to activists worldwide to help us curtail Mekorot's expansion into Europe at an early stage.

Demand that EPAL end its agreement with Mekorot NOW!

1 - Write a letter to EPAL, to the Portuguese Ministry of Environment and to the Portuguese media exposing this shameless deal and demanding that EPAL breaks its agreement with Mekorot.

Please copy us on all correspondence: stopmekorotcampaign@gmail.com

Model letter (in Portuguese): http://bit.ly/12zuWF (you can also write in English)

EPAL board of directors: jose.zenha@epal.pt , jose.zenha@epal.pt , jose.figueira@epal.pt , anita.ferreira@epal.pt , blopes@epal.pt , mario.maria@epal.pt , joaquim.sereno@epal.pt , luis.branco@epal.pt , conceicao.almeida@epal.pt , francisco.serranito@epal.pt , daniela.santos@epal.pt , carlos.saraiva@epal.pt , paulo.rodrigues@epal.pt , barnabe.pisco@epal.pt , maria.benoliel@epal.pt , nilopes@epal.pt , ldurao@epal.pt , mario.cruz@epal.pt , ana.pile@epal.pt , margarida.santos@epal.pt

Minister for the Environment Dulce Pássaro: gmaotdr@maotdr.gov.pt

Learn more!

Portuguese water company's immoral collaboration with Israel: http://bit.ly/uYXc0
Video explaining the contract with Mekorot: http://bit.ly/7ecUvK
Amnesty International report "Troubled Waters" (October, 2009): http://bit.ly/1rNuiN
Video: Al-Jazeera report (October 27, 2009): http://bit.ly/3XK4Xv
Video: Al-Jazeera report (November 14, 2009): http://bit.ly/4Bv6ZZ

...towards thee...

By Saed J. Abu-Hijleh

Swimming towards thee…
In thy music…
My heart is shattered…
My soul is aching…
I long for that smile
For the soft caress on my head
For the heart that housed me
in most difficult of times
in the intensive care unit
when I was late at night
when in the distance gunfire was heard…
Swimming towards thee
To the wrinkles in thy face
To tears falling after the fall of a rose…

Lord of my heart
Lord of my soul
Lord of all...
What’s my mission before the great fall?
Please tell me… fight death with death?
Fight death with life?
Find my wife?
Bring more life to life, despite agony and strife?

Hold my hand… let us go for a walk, away from the noise,
Maybe I can show you the sacred rock, where I used to sit,
For an eternity that was a little bit…!

Swimming towards thee
Through the Sacred Ney
Till my thoughts are your thoughts
And my tears your tears….
Till our breath is one
And there are no more fears…

Thursday, December 10, 2009
Nablus, Occupied Palestine