Maine Voices for Palestinian Rights

Divest from Genocide Genocide is wrong. Profiting from genocide is wrong. Will you join the growing global movement to divest from corporations that recklessly — and knowingly — contribute to Israel's genocide of Palestinians? Please, take a moment to write a letter urging the Portland City Council to divest from a ...

Dear Friends—

This is a message I received from Dr Jehad this morning. Please continue to support his efforts to do what he can. It is so hard, but so important that we not forget and not give up. Every bit we provide works to allay the suffering that is pervasive in Gaza: www.healthylives-gaza.org

“Can you imagine this:
As a humanitarian trying to help my people—when I construct or build tents after months of preparing and raising funds and trying to find way to receive money and paying fees and finding materials, and helping the most needy of the families, etc ..
After all of this—
Military forces make families evacuate and leave everything, destroying all of this hard work in hours!!”

HOME

Dear Friends,

The IDF has just launched a large scale invasion of the occupied West Bank, expanding its ethnic cleansing campaign across all parts of occupied Palestine.

The attacks are the most extensive in more than twenty years, and have targeted the cities of Jenin, Tulkarm, and the al Fara'a refugee camp. Alongside IDF tanks and troops, the armed militias controlled by the extremist Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben-Gvir, in concert with violent settlers, are continuing their campaign of terror against Palestinian villagers.

The Israeli government's aim to forcibly expel or kill Palestinians, in service to the creation of a Jewish-only state "from the river to the sea", has never been more clear.

In the Orwellian-speak we have become numb to, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said that Israel would address "terror threats" in the West Bank "with the same determination used against terror infrastructures in Gaza." He added that this would include "temporary evacuations of Palestinian residents" and any "necessary measures."

We know the murderous devastation visited upon Gaza by "temporary evacuations" and "necessary measures." And all of this is being funded by our tax dollars, in military aid to Israel voted on by our Congressional representatives.

It is time, yet again, for us to call Maine's congressional delegation to say, "Enough".

Please call Senators Collins and King, and your District 1 or District 2 representative, and ask them to:

- Speak out publicly against Israel's attacks in the West Bank and its ongoing ethnic cleansing;

and

- End military aid to Israel unless it is in compliance with US laws that prohibit aid to human rights violators.

Senator SUSAN COLLINS
Washington, DC: 202-224-2523
Augusta, ME: 207-622-8414

Senator ANGUS KING
Washington, DC: 202-224-5344
Portland, ME: 207-245-1565

Rep JARED GOLDEN
Washington, DC: 202-225-6306
Lewiston, ME: 207-241-6767
------------------------------------------------------------

**
Rep CHELLIE PINGREE
Washington, DC: 202-225-6116
Portland, ME: 207-774-5019

If US complicity in the horrors in Gaza and the West Bank fill you with despair, remember that steadfast action by relatively small numbers of people has always been the source of change.

Thank you for taking action on behalf of the Palestinian people!

In solidarity,

MVPR

!! Please share widely !!

📢 Calling all aspiring journalists and Palestinian studies enthusiasts!

Are you interested in learning more about media and Palestine? We are glad to announce you can now register for LAU's course for Open, Online Learning on this topic. Our FREE online course "A Crash Course in Media and Palestine" targets students who are eager to know more about journalism and Palestinian studies. All learners will benefit from Media Literacy about Palestine.

“Media and Palestine” is a fully online, 30 hours, Free of cost Course, available to students all over the world above the age of 18, who are able to participate in the English Language.

Course Highlights:
📅 Duration: 14 weeks (30 hours)
📆 Starting: September 10th
🌐 Global Access: Open to students worldwide, 18 and above, proficient in English.

🌟 Why Enroll?
📌 Global Accessibility: Open to students Worldwide.
📌 Expert Insights: An experienced and caring faculty; Advance your knowledge on Media and Palestine with Dr. Gretchen King, Associate Professor of Multimedia Journalism and Communication.
📌 Flexibility in learning: A flexible, asynchronous format; Full-time and part-time flexibility
📌 Comprehensive Learning: At the completion of this course, participants will: 1. Recognize various theories and methods of study related to the analysis and production of media about Palestine. 2. Demonstrate the ability to think critically about the evolution of journalism and media activism about Palestine. 3. (optional) Demonstrate aptitude in researching and producing multimedia and campaign content about Palestine.
📌 Interactive Experience: The course is a mix of critical reading and viewing, plus activities using and to facilitate hashtag
📌 Certificate of Completion: Complete this short course successfully to receive a certificate from Lebanese American University.

For More Information and to register visit: https://online.lau.edu.lb/programs/media-palestine-short-course/

!! The deadline to register in this FREE course is Sept. 10, 2024 !!

Media and Palestine Certificate - Online Short Course - LAU Expand your knowledge with the Media and Palestine Certificate short course in just 14 weeks from Lebanese American University (LAU). Apply today.

Excerpt from 8/22/24 report in Al Jazeera:
Maram Humaid

“In these moments, I fully grasp what we all feel – every displaced person, every woman, man, elder and child. The fear, the oppression, the confusion, the horror, the ugliness. All of it awaits us at the last stop: Deir el-Balah.

And the world? It watches with curiosity, wondering what will happen next.

How will Israel do it this time? Will the sea swallow us? Or will we be sifted through the barriers or eliminated by air strikes?

To all the viewers:

Ladies and gentlemen, I assure you, the final scene is ready.

The last show, Deir el-Balah, is out soon to dazzle you with an exclusive, exciting display of crimes, massacres and displacement.

Our blood, our children, our lives, our bodies, our remaining homes – our last stand in Deir el-Balah – are on full display.

Prepare your shame and silent complicity, and watch!”

‘I’ve never felt so worthless’: The pain of Deir el-Balah’s obliteration As Israel’s latest evacuation order sows terror in hearts of residents, Maram Humaid reflects on the fear and despair.

What is wrong with this picture!!?

“The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office meanwhile insisted in a statement Sunday that Israel would not back down from its requirement that any ceasefire deal needs to allow it to continue its war on Gaza, despite repeated US statements that the deal would lead to an end to the conflict.”

Blinken visits Israel, but Hamas, Netanyahu far apart on Gaza truce US, Qatar, Egypt are mediating to secure ceasefire and captive swap as the death toll in Gaza rises to more than 40,000.

In Deir al-Balah, central Gaza, on Tuesday, newborn twins Ayssel and Asser Abu al-Qumsan were killed along with their mother, Jumana Arafa, a doctor, and their grandmother, Reem al-Batrawi.

At the time that their apartment building was hit, the twins’ now anguished father, Muhammad Abu al-Qusman, was out to collect the birth certificates for the babies, who were born a few days earlier.

“My wife is gone, my two babies and my mother-in-law. I was told it’s a tank shell on the apartment they were in, in a house we were displaced to,” he told media.

The young father carried the birth certificates to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, where his twins, wife and mother-in-law lay dead in the morgue.

The day before she was killed, the twins’ mother had sent a voice message to the US charity HEAL Palestine to thank them for supporting her during her pregnancy in which she struggled to access food and maternity care.

“There needs to be an immediate ceasefire to stop the daily killing of innocent women and children in Gaza,” said Steve Sosebee, the founder of HEAL Palestine, following the killing of Jumana Arafa and her family.

(📸 Saher Alghorra / ZUMA Press Wire)

Excerpt from "What will stop the genocide in Gaza?" by Maureen Clare Murphy. Read the full article at https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/maureen-clare-murphy/what-will-stop-genocide-gaza

I recorded this February 2023. My heart breaks into pieces as I watch once again this video. Never did I imagine, during the two decades of my human rights advocacy/activism on behalf of the Palestinian people, the level and duration of the violence that is occurring, the ways so many continue to justify the actions of Israel, and the extent to which there is disregard for humanity.

Please do not be silent about what is happening to the people of G*z*, the people in the West Bank, and all the people in the region and throughout the world affected by the ongoing horror. Please share with others.

Buddhist Alliance for NonViolence & Human Rights in Israel-Palestine, Founder, Sally Bowden-Schaible www.banvahr.org After seeing with my own eyes and experiencing day-to-day life alongside Palestinian people, many of whom have become friends, I could not a...

During the DNC next week, show up in Portland!

https://www.healthylives-gaza.org/blog/imagine-this

3.5 BILLION DOLLARS is what’s on my mind. Imagine what that kind of money could be used for to make life so much better for so many people.

INSTEAD— we send this amount of ADDITIONAL money to Israel to kill and injure and traumatize the ENTIRE population of G@ZA. WHEN…WILL…IT…END?!!

This week, three 18-year-old conscientious objectors reported to the Israeli army’s Tel Hashomer recruitment center, near Tel Aviv, and declared their refusal to enlist in mandatory military service in protest of the occupation and the current war on Gaza. Yuval Moav, Oryan Mueller, and Itamar Greenberg were each tried and sentenced to an initial 30 days in military prison, which is likely to be extended.

The only other refuseniks to have publicly opposed the draft for political reasons since October 7 — Tal Mitnick, Ben Arad, and Sophia Orr — were recently released after serving prison sentences totaling 185 days, 95 days, and 85 days respectively.

Before entering prison, the three teenagers spoke to +972 Magazine and Local Call שיחה מקומית about the reasons for their refusal, the reactions of those around them, and the prospects of convincing more Israelis of their position.

Read Oren Ziv's interview with the refuseniks through this link on our website:
https://www.972mag.com/israeli-army-refuseniks-moav-mueller-greenberg/
📸: Oren Ziv

The Israeli army’s first published report about the events of 7 October 2023 praises the general who led Israeli forces in battle at Kibbutz Be’eri on that day for ordering tank fire at a home killing up to 10 civilian captives.

The shelling killed almost everyone in and around the house, including dozens of Palestinian resistance fighters.

The report amounts to a shoddy cover-up, inconsistent with known facts, and an intentional rewriting of what happened to exonerate Israeli forces of killing their own citizens that day.

(📸 Israeli army video via Facebook)

Excerpt from “Israeli army probe covered up "friendly fire" killings on 7 October.” by David Sheen and Ali Abunimah. Read the full article at https://electronicintifada.net/content/israeli-army-probe-covered-friendly-fire-killings-7-october/48046

Iyad Awad was adamant that he must look after his mother.

In May, Israel dropped leaflets on Jabaliya refugee camp, northern Gaza, demanding that its residents leave.

Iyad helped members of his family to evacuate. But he remained at home with his mother, who had Alzheimer’s disease.

“When the [Israeli] army entered the house, they asked me why I did not leave,” he said. “I told them that I was with my sick mother and we could not go anywhere.”

An Israeli soldier then instructed Iyad to accompany him as the invading troops conducted a search of the multi-story building where Iyad lived.

The troops handcuffed Iyad.

(📸 Fedaa al-Qedra)

Excerpt from “Israeli army probe covered up Man caring for mother with Alzheimer's sent to torture camp.” by Fedaa al-Qedra. Read the full article at https://electronicintifada.net/content/man-caring-mother-alzheimers-sent-torture-camp/48051

[7/30/24, 6:47:58 PM] Dr. Jehad Hasanain: (edited for clarification)

“IMAGINE THIS:
Like any parents in this world, we are trying to protect our kids, watching their growth day by day, step by step. We [with]hold things from our mouths (refrain from eating) [to be able to provide them what] they want as much as is possible—a dress, shoes, etc. [We] teach them, [help them imagine] their futures, and can’t bear anything [that can] hurt them.

…And then suddenly you remember this:
[At any moment], you may lose them by one rocket, or bullets, or by airstrikes. Like thousands of kids who have been killed in this war, all of them had parents who did everything to protect their children, but [ultimately], they couldn’t!”

Photo of an assistant of Dr Jehad Hasanain’s with children holding juice containers given to them after a morning activity.

Top VP contender....who served in the Israeli military, too.

CAIR-Philadelphia Calls on Gov. Shapiro to Apologize for Newly-Revealed Racist, Anti-Palestinian Remarks - Muslim civil rights and advocacy group also calls on Shapiro to detail what he did while serving in Israeli military during time of rampant war crimes (PHILADELPHIA, PA, 8/2/24) – The Philadelphia chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Philadelphia) today called on Pennsylvani...

7/29/24— From Dr Jehad:

Today is a very sad day in Gaza

Always on this day

Gaza and the West Bank are waiting for the results of the high school exams that qualify students to enter universities

Today, West Bank students celebrate their results and families celebrate the success of their children

As for Gaza, its 39,000 students have been deprived of studying and exams

10,000 of them have been martyred

Our students have become busy filling water, lighting fires, cooking, working, and providing the simplest things for their families

https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/not-another-bomb-sign-on-letter/

Not Another Bomb! Kamala Harris, Pledge to Enact an Arms Embargo This is a joint effort led by Uncommitted and national and state-based progressive organizations focused on winning a permanent ceasefire through an immediate arms embargo.

Sonya Massey was executed by a police officer in Illinois a few days ago - she was unarmed and in her own home. Please show up and support young people and black and brown folks.

[7/22/24, 10:36:53 AM] Jehad Hasanain: You are fleeing while you are tired, hungry, sleepy, exhausted, sad, and oppressed. You carry all your basic belongings on your back, and you may have a child, two, or more, or an injured person, or your elderly and sick father or mother. You carry your life and run in it under the blazing sun, on roads full of destruction, rubble, and dust, and you struggle as you run so that a tank shell, a plane missile, or a drone bullet does not hit you. Displacement from tent to tent in the twenty-first century and in full view of the whole world, is injustice and [there is] contempt for everyone who watches this tragedy silently like the devil.

Webinar: Paola Caridi, "Hamas and the Question of Palestine"
Sunday, June 28, 12:00 pm

Middle East Forum of Falmouth

Register here: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Fku0dfgTRRiNA5iqkrH7kQ #/registration

In its 40 years of existence, Hamas has been driven through different phases, but always within a single context: the question of Palestine. From the su***de attacks of the 1990s to the participation in the 2006 elections inside the Palestinian Authority, the entire history of the Islamic Resistance Movement moves solely within a single territory. It is the demonstration of a national and nationalist imprint that goes beyond the Islamist character of Hamas. The national dimension also makes it possible to analyze the choices, policies, and acts carried out by Hamas to preserve, and even broaden its national consensus among the Palestinians.

Paola Caridi is a journalist, commentator, author, and founding member of the news agency ‘Lettera22’ where she was the Jerusalem correspondent for 10 years. She is the author of the 2023 book “Hamas: From Resistance to Regime.” She is also a lecturer at the University of Palermo. She is a PhD in History of International Relations and specializes in the Middle East and Northern Africa region.
In

Welcome! You are invited to join a webinar: MEFF Paola Caridi Lecture. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the webinar. Hamas and the Question of Palestine

Join us to protest the christening of the newest "destroyer" warship built at Bath Iron Works. Maine's congressional delegation will be there: let's tell them to stop arming genocide.

Great food, and it's owned by our wonderful Palestinian friend Deen Haleem.

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/ojhtzAMTS1nWBmCQ/

TIQA, popular Mediterranean spot in Portland, reopens with fresh menu TIQA, the Mediterranean restaurant on Congress Street, is reopening its doors again after temporarily closing in 2023.