*Dr. Qumsiyeh has written several books including the highly acclaimed, Sharing the Land of Canaan: Human Rights and the Israeli/Palestinian Struggle and has served on the faculties of several universities. He has also served on the boards and steering committees of groups including the Peace Action Education Fund, the US Campaign to End Israeli Occupation, the Palestinian American Congress, the Association for One Democratic State in Israel/Palestine, and BoycottIsraeliGoods.org.
Professor Qumsiyeh published over 200 letters and 100 op-ed pieces and has been interviewed on several TV and radio programs.

Appearances in national media include the Washington Post, New York Times, Boston Globe, CNBC, C-Span, and ABC, among others. He also regularly lectures on issues of human rights and international law. He is currently working on a book on Palestinian civil resistance from the beginning of the Zionist project in the 19th century until today. His website is: http://qumsiyeh.org.

Sponsors include: Pittsburgh Palestine Solidarity Committee, U of Pitt Students for Justice in Palestine,

This book provides a sharp analysis of the struggle for Palestine—from the division of the Middle East by Western powers and the Zionist settler movement, to the founding of Israel and its role as a watchdog for U.S. interests, to present-day
conflicts and the prospects for a just resolution.

The narrative is firmly rooted in the politics of Palestinian liberation. Here is a necessary contribution to the heroic efforts of the Palestinian people to achieve justice in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds.

Join us for a presentation and discussion that will interest both long-term Palestinian rights activists and those who are new to understanding the issue.

“Becker gives us the most focused and penetrating
analysis we have of the real dynamics in the continuing
persecution of the Palestinian people.”
—Ramsey Clark, former U.S. attorney general

“This book is a clarion call to end the last vestiges of colonialism in the 21st century.”
—Imam Mahdi Bray, executive director, Muslim American Society Freedom

“A must-read for anyone seeking to understand the Palestinian cause.”
—Samera Sood, executive board, Palestinian American Women’s Association

“Becker foregrounds what others usually set aside: the integral role of U.S. imperialism, with the Zionist State as an essential partner.”
—Joel Kovel, author, “Overcoming Zionism”

RICHARD BECKER is a writer and commentator on Middle East
affairs. He has visited the Middle East on numerous occasions.
Becker has contributed to books and videos on Iraq and Middle
East affairs, and been a featured speaker across the country and
around the world. He is a regular contributor
to Liberation newspaper and PSLweb.org.

Paperback, 233 pages, illustrated, indexed. Price: $17.95
ISBN: 978-0-9841220-0-4
October 2009, PSL Publications
PalestineBook.com
also on Amazon!

Mon, March 1, 8:30pm
Posvar Hall, Room 1500 – University of Pittsburgh
Sponsored by ANSWER Coalition – Pittsburgh with Students for
Justice in Palestine. For more information: pittsburgh@answercoalition.org

1. Bil’in Habibti
Thursday Jan 21 8:30 PM
William Pitt Union Assembly Room

2. Jerusalem: East Side Story
Thursday February 18, 8:30 PM
William Pitt Union Kurtzman Room

3. Rachel
Thursday March 18, 8:30 PM
William Pitt Union Kurtzman Room

OCC credit available
Short discussion to follow

Info on Films:
1. Bil’in Habibti (Thursday Jan 21st 8:30 pm; Pitt Student Union Ballroom)

Directed by Shai Carmeli-Pollak : « I did not come to Bilin as a filmmaker, but as an activist, to take part in the protest against the land theft caused by the separation barrier.

For a year and a half, I used my camera to document the moments of despair and hope, danger and courage and the birth of true partnership between Palestinians and Israelis. During this period the village has become a symbol of the joint struggle against the barrier and the occupation.

2.Jerusalem: East Side Story (Thursday Feb 18th 8:30 pm; Pitt Student Union Kurtzman Room)

The latest shipment of history is the Israeli occupation. In 1948, the western part of the city fell under Israeli control; in 1967, the eastern part fell under Israeli occupation. Since then, Israel has pursued a policy of Judaizing the city, aiming to achieve “Jewish demographic superiority.” Part of this policy is to drive Palestinian Muslims and Christians out of the city; denying their presence, history, and ties to the land.

The documentary takes you on a journey exposing Israel’s policy to gain supremacy and hegemony over the city and its inhabitants. It also touches on the future of the city: Jerusalem is the key to peace; without Jerusalem, there is no peace for anyone.

The film includes interviews with Palestinian and Israeli leaders, human rights activists and political analysts.

3. Rachel (Thursday March 18th 8:30 pm, Pitt Student Union Kurtzman Room)

Directed by Simone Bitton “The Wall”. On March 16, 2003, in the almost uninterrupted tide of Middle Eastern current affairs and just before the war in Iraq, a small tragic event was reported by some press agencies, just a few lines in the newspaper, or a 45 -second report on television: A young American peace activist was killed in the Gaza Strip, crushed by an Israeli bulldozer while she was trying to prevent the destruction of a Palestinian house.

THURSDAY DECEMBER 31,      4 – 6 PM

FEDERAL BUILDING, DOWNTOWN, PITTSBURGH, PA

Sponsors include: Pittsburgh Palestine Solidarity Committee, Students for Justice in Palestine, Codepink, and many more to come…

One Year Anniversary of “Operation Cast Lead” Attacks on Gaza
On 27 December 2008, without warning, Israeli forces began a devastating bombing campaign on the Gaza Strip codenamed Operation “Cast Lead”. Its stated aim was to end rocket attacks into Israel by armed groups affiliated with Hamas and other Palestinian factions. However, the Israeli attack targeted civilians, school, universities, mosques, factories, and farms.

By 18 January 2009 some 1,400 Palestinians had been killed, a third of them children, and large areas of Gaza had been razed to the ground. To this date, and in spite of a massive world outcry against Israel’s murderous assault, not one Israeli government official or military personnel has been brought to justice.

Israel continues to receive full support from President Barak Obama, and the U. S. Congress, even though the UN Human Rights Commission, Amnesty International and other human rights organizations have demanded a full investigation into Israel’s conduct during its latest war.

Gaza remains devastated

On Thursday, December 31, the Pittsburgh Palestine Solidarity Committee and others will join hundreds of groups worldwide to memorialize Israel’s latest war victims with a reading of the names of the dead, along with a visual presentation of Gaza today.

We plan to vigil outside the Federal Building on First Night, between 4 and 6PM.

Your support is needed

Please consider organizational support to the vigil by having your organization endorse and encourage all to attend.

October 23-25, 2009
Friday, Saturday and Sunday

Hosted by:
Pitt Students for Justice in Palestine
In participation with:
US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation,
Hampshire Students for Justice in Palestine,
and Pittsburgh Palestine Solidarity Committee

REGISTRATION IS FREE. CLICK HERE

For more info, visit Students for Justice in Palestine HERE
Or email SJP at: sjp.pitt@gmail.com

What is BDS???

Boycott, divestment and sanctions are nonviolent tools that were successfully employed to bring justice to South Africans. Now a global movement of students, labor unions, and churches is using these same tools to bring equality to Palestinians and Israelis.

Almost daily, we hear about another successful campaign where a company or group has decided to divest from Israel. Recently, Britain’s unions committed to a mass boycott movement of Israeli goods, the Brazilian Parliament Called for the freeze of the Israel – Mercosur Free Trade Agreement, and the French company, Veolia, pulled out of the light rail project that would connect illegal Israeli settlements to Jerusalem.

Join us in strengthening the BDS movement in the region by attending this very important conference!

DIVEST FROM ISRAELI APARTHEID!

Agenda
for BDS Conference, University of Pittsburgh
October 23-25, 2009

Friday October 23rd

7 PM- 9 PM Opening Cultural Night
with Remi Kanazi — Palestinian-American poet and writer based in New York City. He is the editor of the recently released collection of poetry, spoken word, hip hop, and art, “Poets For Palestine.”

David Lawrence Hall Room 120

Saturday October 24

10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
BDS Skill-Building Workshops
(all workshops and plenary sessions will be in the University of Pittsburgh’s Cathedral of Learning, please register for further details)

10:00-10:30 AM – Welcome & Introductory Plenary (Cathedral of Learning 204)

10:45 AM -12:00 PM – Workshop A
The International Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Movement / Connecting with Palestinian Activists (Cathedral 204)
or
How to Research Corporations Involved in Israeli Occupation and Apartheid (Cathedral 206)

12:00-1:00 PM – Lunch Break, lunch will be provided to conference participants (Cathedral 236 and 237)

1:15-2:30 PM – Workshop B
How to Research Your University’s Investments (Cathedral 204)
or
Creative Arts in Activism (Cathedral 206)

2:45-4:00 PM – Workshop C
Media 101 (Cathedral 236)
or
Academic and Cultural Boycotts (Cathedral 237)

4:15-4:45 PM – Debrief & Announcements in Plenary (Cathedral 204)

Sunday October 25th
10 AM – 3 PM:  Campaign Planning and Action Steps (David Lawrence Hall 207)

10:00 AM -12:00 PM – Workshop report backs and ongoing workshops (David Lawrence 207)

12:00-1:00 PM – Lunch on your own

1:00-3:00 PM – Strategic planning session, come together to plan campaigns using skills from workshops (David Lawrence 209)

3:00-3:30 PM– Evaluation and closing (David Lawrence 209)

3:00-7:00 PM – Dinner on your own

7:00 – 9:00 PM
Theatrical production of My Name is Rachel Corrie
(Location TBA, likely to be in David Lawrence 120 or Grad School of Public Health G23)

- Join the Pittsburgh Palestine Solidarity Committee, Pitt Students for Justice in Palestine, and members of the community for our weekly “Stand for Palestine.”

- 1.5 million Palestinians in Gaza have been under a debilitating military siege for the past two years, creating a “surrealistic situation in the Gaza Strip” forcing the tiny piece of land back to the Middle Ages, according to Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) Karen Abu Zayd.

- On July 3, 2009, in an act of piracy, Israeli forces kidnapped 21 passengers on board a boat of the Free Gaza Movement–A human rights group that in August 2008 sent the first international boats to land in the port of Gaza in 41 years. Their mission is to break the siege of Gaza and to raise international awareness about the prison-like closure of the Gaza Strip. Former US Congreewoman Cynthia McKinney and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Mairead Maguire were on the boat and are still in an Israeli prison.

-Learn more about what President Jimmy Carter and Nelson Mandela have called “Worse than Apartheid South Africa” at Stand for Palestine

Thursday July 30, 2009
10pm-2am

With DJ James Gyre

Singer Songwriter Leslie Addis

Man in the Street

Live Art with Alberto J Almarza

Poetry

A Monster Raffle
Middle eastern food
and a lot more

$10-20
with no one turned away for lack’o funds

Shadow Lounge
5972 baum blvd
Pittsburgh, PA 15206

for more info contact, joeskillet@riseup.net

On Saturday, July 18 and 8pm, “Pittsburgh Presents Palestine: A Night of Poetry, Plays & Performances” will open to the public. This is a limited, one-night engagement at Pittsburgh Playwright’s Theatre in the Cultural District of Downtown Pittsburgh.

The evening will consist of poetry readings of Palestinian poet, Mahmoud Darwish, a premier performance of “Palindrome” by Pittsburgh playwright, Jonas Moffat, an encore performance of Caryl Churchill’s “Seven Jewish Children: A Play for Gaza,” and an eyewitness photo show set to live music by local musician and artist, Alberto Almarza, and more!

This evening of collected art forms serves as a benefit to help send local activists to Palestine to work with human rights groups. A reception will follow compliments of Allegro Hearth Bakery.

Pittsburgh Playwright’s Theatre is located at 540 Penn Ave Pittsburgh, PA 15222 in the Cultural District on Saturday, July 18th at 8pm. Tickets are $10 and seating is limited. Nobody will be turned away for lack of funds.

Join us! Take Action! Boycott/Divest/Sanctions!

]]> http://pittsburgh-psc.org/2009/06/boycott-of-israeli-products-at-trader-joes-pittsburgh/feed/ 0 http://pittsburgh-psc.org/2009/04/i-witness-gaza/ http://pittsburgh-psc.org/2009/04/i-witness-gaza/#comments Tue, 14 Apr 2009 12:38:20 +0000 ed1 http://pittsburgh-psc.org/?p=138 A night of arts and eyewitness accounts from Gaza
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
7:00pm – 9:00pm
First Unitarian Church, Shadyside
605 Morewood Ave at Ellsworth



-A book reading by Lora Gordon, a Jewish American who has spent over a year in the Gaza Strip

-Eyewitness accounts from Regina Birchem, past president of Women’s Interntional League for Peace and Freedom

-A reading of Seven Jewish Children, a 10-minute play written in response to the Gaza massacres

-Plus a Short film screening by Palestinian American video artist Edward Salem

Sponsored by: The Pittsburgh Palestine Solidarity Committee, Pitt Students for Justice in Palestine, Unitarian Universalists for Justice in the Middle East, Thomas Merton Center Antiwar Committee, Middle East Peace Forum, Codepink Piitsburgh, Coalition for Peace and Justice in the Middle East, Muslim Student Association, Women’s Interntional League for Peace and Freedom

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