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The Palestine Solidarity Movement (PSM)
concluded its Fifth Annual Divestment Conference at Georgetown
University this weekend with the announcement of a National Day of
Divestment Action to take place on March 30, 2006 – otherwise known
to Palestinians as Yom al-Ard, or Land Day. On this date in 1976,
six unarmed Palestinian citizens of Israel were killed in the
villages of Arrabeh and Sakhnin while the Israeli government
expropriated their lands.
The conference, which took place on February 17 – 19, 2006,
attracted nearly 400 student and community activists representing 90
different university and regional organizations from across the
United States. Participants attended a series of skills-building
workshops designed to empower them with tools to successfully
advocate for their institutions to divest from Israel. Omar
Barghouti, Palestinian political analyst and doctoral student of
Philosophy at Tel Aviv University, was among the many prominent
speakers featured. Conference organizers did not disclose
Barghouti’s planned appearance prior to the conference in fear of
sparking reprisals against him by Israeli authorities. Barghouti, a
prominent figure in the call for Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions
(BDS) by Palestinian civil society, assisted the PSM in planning
this day of action.
While some resorted to smear campaigns to advance the false
accusation that this was an event promoting hate, the only hate
speech present during the event emanated from a group of roughly 25
members of the Jewish Defense League (JDL). These protesters shouted
ethnic and religious slurs, and even physically threatened
attendees. “Despite the harassment and intimidation, our Palestine
solidarity activists remain committed to pursuing nonviolent means
of social change”, said Bayann Hamid, President of GU Students for
Justice in Palestine.
According to PSM Spokesperson Nadeem Muaddi, “We are utilizing this
National Day of Divestment Action to call upon all university and
community activists, both here and abroad, to show their solidarity
with the Palestinian people’s struggle for equality.” All groups
planning to participate are asked to “organize any event within
their communities that calls public attention to the Israeli
government’s institutionalized system of ethnic discrimination
against non-Jews in both the West Bank and Gaza, as well as in
Israel”, added Muaddi.
All Palestine solidarity organizations are invited to participate in
the March 30th National Day of Divestment Action. To ensure
effective coordination, interested groups should email outreach@palestinesolidaritymovement.org
with information on their planned activities.
Source: Palestine Solidarity Movement
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