[Antiracism] Crisis in the Middle East -- forum and action

[American Friends Service Committee]

Friends,

The following are two opportunities to help us all address this 
heartbreaking and enraging time: an action email compiled by community 
member David Ahlfeld and a Community Forum (this coming Wednesday).


*****************

Contact: Mike Sances, Palestine Action Coalition
Cell: 508-367-1644
Email: umassawc at gmail.com

Emergency Forum about the current crisis in the Middle East
Panel Discussion to be followed by Q&A
July 26, 2006
7:00 pm, Lyman Hall, First Churches
129 Main Street, Northampton

Panelists:
Carolyn Oppenheim (Freelance journalist), Vijay Prashad (Trinity College), 
Sayres Rudy (Amherst College),
& Mary Wilson (UMass, Amherst)

WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS  On Wednesday, July 26, 2006 Carolyn Oppenheim, Vijay 
Prashad, Sayres Rudy, and Mary Wilson will be speaking at the First 
Churches in Northampton. Organized by the Western Mass Palestine Action 
Coalition, the Northampton Committee to Stop the War, American Friends 
Service Committee and the UMass Anti-War Coalition, the event is free, 
accessible, and open to all.

The current crisis in the Middle East has led to the death of over 300 
people in Lebanon and 34 people in Israel.  And as the world's attention is 
focused on Lebanon and Israel, more than 100 people have been killed and 
more than 400 injured by Israeli forces in Gaza. The Israeli government 
continues destroying infrastructure in Lebanon and Gaza while Hezbullah is 
firing rockets into Israel.  "As Israel prepares for a full-scale land 
offensive in Lebanon, the US administration continues to block initiatives 
for an immediate ceasefire, including those at the UN security council, the 
G8 summit in St Petersburg and the European foreign ministers' meeting in 
Brussels," says Mike Sances, a member of the Palestine Action Coalition and 
the UMass Anti-war Coalition. "It's about time we start realizing the role 
that our own government is playing in this whole crisis."

About the speakers:
Carolyn Oppenheim, a former reporter for both the Chicago Tribune and 
Chicago Sun Times, has been a peace activist and freelance journalist for 
some 30 years. She advises and writes about Israeli/Palestinian peace 
movements and other conflict resolution initiatives. She founded the 
U.S.-based Friends of Open House, to publicize the work of a unique 
Jewish/Arab peace center in Ramle, Israel and has served on the boards of 
the Fellowship of Reconciliation and the Jewish Peace Fellowship.

Vijay Prashad is Professor of International Studies at Trinity College, 
Hartford, Ct and writes a regular column for ZNET, Counterpunch and 
Frontline (India). His most recent books are: The Darker Nations: A 
People's History of the Third World (New Press, 2006) and (with Teo Ballve) 
Dispatches from Latin America: Experiments Against Neoliberalism (South End 
Press, 2006). He is the author of ten other books and serves on the boards 
of Center for Third World Organizing, National Priorities Project and 
United for Fair Economy.

Sayres Rudy teaches political scienceat Amherst College. A specialist on 
Islamism and Middle East politics, he has researched in Lebanon, the 
Occupied Territories, Algeria, Sudan, Jordan, and elsewhere, and lectured 
critically on US Foreign Policy, the Middle East, international relations, 
human rights, and the ethics and morality of war, occupation, and terrorism 
for a decade.  He also served as the Director of Political and Economic 
Programs at the Middle East Institute (Washington, DC).

Mary C. Wilson is a professor of history at the University of 
Massachusetts, Amherst. She is the author of "King Abdullah, Britain, and 
the Making of Jordan" (Cambridge University Press, 1987 and 1993, 
translated into Arabic Cadmus Press, 2000) and co-editor, with Albert 
Hourani and Philip Khoury of "The Middle East" (Taurus Press 1993 and 2004, 
translated into Arabic Dar sl-Tlas, 1996). Presently she is writing a 
general history of Syria for Cambridge University Press. She spent academic 
year 2005-2006 at the American University of Beirut as a Visiting Professor.

For more information contact Mike Sances at umassawc at gmail.com or 508-367-1644.

***************

 From David:

>Friends,
>The horror in Lebanon continues.  Please take action.
>
>Several days ago the US House passed H. Res. 921 with John Olver and 
>Richard Neal voting in favor.  This bill condemned the actions of 
>Hezbollah but was silent on the Israeli attacks on civilians and civilian 
>infrastructure in Lebanon.
>
>Israel, with US assistance, is continuing its rain of destruction on the 
>civilians of Lebanon while Hezbollah continues its random missle attacks 
>on Israeli towns and cities.  There is much civilian suffering to come in 
>the weeks and months ahead.
>
>H. Res. 450 has been brought by Dennis Kucinich and calls for a ceasefire 
>and an international peacekeeping force.  More details are at:
>http://www.democracyinaction.org/dia/organizationsORG/jvfp/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=4691
>
>Please phone your congressperson and urge him to co-sponsor H.Res. 
>450.  (You might also go stand on a street corner with a sign if you feel 
>so moved).
>
>John Olver  - (202) 225-5335
>Richard Neal - (202) 225-5601
>
>Peace and hope,
>David Ahlfeld



"What would happen if one woman told the truth about her life?
         The world would split open"  ~ Muriel Rukeyser


Jo Comerford
American Friends Service Committee, Western Massachusetts
140 Pine Street, Room 10
Florence, Massachusetts 01062
413.584.8975 (W)
413.584.8987 (F)
413.695.6059 (C)
afsc at crocker.com
www.WesternMassAFSC.org

New Resource:
Ten Reasons Why the US Must Leave Iraq:
http://www.afsc.org/iraq/activism/10-reasons.pdf
http://www.afsc.org/iraq/activism/10-reasons.htm (Text)