Description: Mazin Qumsiyeh, the Palestinian activist and academic, is under attack. Build a network of solidarity to defend him from Israeli repression!

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*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,

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.

- 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.