Category Archives: Past events

Campaign News, Past events

Join Day of Action 22 August

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SIX YEARS ON FROM 2014: END ALL COMPLICITY, STOP ARMING ISRAEL!
11am SATURDAY 22nd AUGUST 2020
At HSBC Princes Street Edinburgh (foot of Castle Street)
6 years ago Israel concluded its aerial bombardment and ground invasion of besieged Gaza. The assault killed over 2,200 Palestinians, nearly a quarter of them children. Israel attacked densely populated civilian areas, destroying 18,000 residential units, and leaving over 100,000 Palestinians homeless.
Despite widespread condemnation of Israel’s deliberate and systematic targeting of the civilian population of Gaza, including by the United Nations, Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, Britain continues to arm Israel. According to Campaign against Arms Trade (CAAT) between 2014 and 2018, the UK issued individual licenses for £364 million worth of military equipment and technology for export to Israel, as well as 20 open licenses, allowing unlimited deliveries over a 3-5 year period. In addition, the UK continues to purchase high-tech weaponry from Israel, advertised as battle-tested on the Palestinian people. As Israel continues to murder Palestinians with impunity, Palestinian civil society has called for effective action to hold Israel to account, including for a two-way arms embargo now.
But the chain of complicity runs deeper than the government. As revealed by our research both UK universities and local government pension funds invest in companies complicit in Israel’s war crimes, including companies that supply weapons to Israel.
In addition, financial institutions such as HSBC invest and provide financial services worth millions to companies that supply Israel with weapons. Including BAE Systems and Raytheon. Weapons with both BAE and Raytheon components were used in 2014.
All institutions have a moral duty to end their complicity now. They must all #StopArmingIsrael


The Palestine Solidarity campaign is organising a Day Of Action on 22 August with these instructions on how to participate
1. Print out the relevant graphics (below) depending on the size of your group
2. Stand outside HSBC, or at another relevant location while adhering to social distancing regulations
3. Take a picture, post across social media and use hashtag #StopArmingIsrael

EA4P will be outside HSBC in Princes Street 11am Sat 22 August

Past events

STAND UP FOR PALESTINE – A PSC Fundraiser – 23 July

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Thursday 23 July 8pm (BST)

Tickets are available here: https://bit.ly/2VF6fgb

The Palestine Solidarity campaign are thrilled to announce this exciting online solidarity comedy fundraiser taking place live online on Thursday 23 July.

Hosted by the brilliant Jen Brister, our fantastic line-up for this stand-up event features acclaimed comedian Mark Thomas, alongside Dana Alexander, Esther Manito, Jenan Younis, US based Palestinian Amer Zahr, and music by Efa Supertramp. Make sure to book now for this event featuring an exceptional line up for a great cause!

Proceeds will fund the work of Palestine Solidarity Campaign, the fastest growing campaign for Palestinian human rights and justice, in the UK and beyond.

Tickets and details: https://bit.ly/2VF6fgb

Palestine Background, Past events

Women In Hebron, 12 March

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Public meeting on Thursday 12 March at 6:30pm at 59 Lauriston Place, Edinburgh, EH3 9ES.

Speaker Laila Hasan from the Women in Hebron cooperative.

Founded in 2005, Women in Hebron is a Palestinian non-profit fair-trade cooperative that was established as part of the Idna Cooperative Association for Embroidery and Handicrafts’ efforts to supply women in Hebron district with the resources necessary for the women and their families to provide for themselves through the production and sales of Palestinian handicraft items. Having grown from a small table along the main thoroughfare of the market to a permanent fixture in the Old City, the ICA has been able to open a small community center in the village of Idna, where members can gather together for educational and recreational purposes.

Travelling from Hebron specially to speak to the British public, Laila has made an arduous journey traversing Israel’s occupation barriers to be here with us and tell us her story: one of suffering and oppression, but equally rich in hope and vitality. An opportunity to hear about settler violence in the world’s most segregated city and resistance through craft, while helping to support the livelihoods of Palestinian women by browsing their handmade embroidery – this is a talk not to be missed.

Voices of Palestine is PCF’s national campaign to amplify the voices of Palestinians in the UK. We seek to re-centre Palestinians at the heart of their struggle for liberation, giving a platform to Palestinians to champion their own story, articulate their own discourse and reclaim the narrative through a series of events and videos. EUJPS is extremely excited to collaborate with PCF for this event! Click the ticket link to save yourself a spot at the event! We hope to see you on March 12 at the Muslim Welfare House.

Check #VoicesOfPalestine to follow the campaign. www.palestinefoundation.org.uk/campaigns/voices-of-palestine <http://palestinefoundation.org.uk/campaigns/voices-of-palestine%22%20%5Ct%20%22_blank>

Palestine Background, Past events

Massacre in Palestine, 1948 – commemoration 27 Oct

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Commemoration of Al Dawayima massacre Palestine, October 1948

1-1:30 pm Sunday 27 October 2019 

Memorial stone – Regent Road Park, EH1 3DG
Regent Rd is a continuation of Princes St at the east end. From Waverley Station the road curves round to the right along the base of Calton Hill. The Park is to be found on your right.

 “As we got up on the roofs … we saw a vast plain stretching eastward … covered by thousands of fleeing Arabs … The machineguns began to chatter & the flight turned into a rout.”
Account from an Israeli soldier present at massacre, quoted by Israeli historian Benny Morris in ‘The Birth of the Palestinian Refugee Problem Revisited’ (Cambridge University Press 2004) 

Flight

 

Palestine Background, Past events

Ethnic Cleansing / access to Water

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The event has now taken place but the organisers of the Edinburgh World Justice Festival filmed the talk – https://youtu.be/a_O-tEjMdXw.

 

Water as a tool of ethnic cleansing in Palestine

Dr Eurig Scandrett
Senior Lecturer in Public Sociology at Queen Margaret University Edinburgh, previously Head of Community Action at Friends of the Earth Scotland

Thursday 3 October 2019 – 7pm to 9pm

The Dome, Potterrow (5/2 Bristo Place, EH8 9AL)

Dr Eurig Scandrett will argue that Zionist settler colonialism in Palestine has used access to water as a mechanism for the expulsion of the Palestinian population.

“180,000 – 200,000 Palestinians living in rural communities have no access to running water … [they] have no choice but to purchase additional supplies from mobile water tankers at a much higher price.”
Amnesty International, Troubled Waters: Palestinians denied fair access to water.

Part of Edinburgh World Justice Festival

 

 

Palestine News, Past events

Concert tour by Palestinian musicians

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This concert tour in Scotland is produced by Palmusic UK in partnership with the Scottish Friends of Palestine and Dundee-Nablus Twinning Association. It has also been generously supported by The City of Glasgow, which is officially twinned with Bethlehem since 2007.

Our ensemble of exceptionally talented young musicians from Palestine continue their summer tour in Scotland this year over the first weekend of July.

Concert details 

Friday 5 July 1pm Stevenson Hall, Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, 100 Renfrew Street, Glasgow G2 3DB

Saturday 6 July 3pm St Andrew’s and St George’s West Church, 13 George Street, Edinburgh EH2 2PA

Sunday 7 July 7.30pm St Paul’s Episcopal Cathedral, 1 High Street, Dundee DD1 1TD

Concert entry is free, with donations welcomed.

The musicians

Guest artist and rising star Iyad Sughayer, pianist, will join Omar Saad on viola, Tibah Saad on cello, and Lourdina Baboun on violin for an uplifting programme of Mozart and Mahler piano quartets, and Arabic folk music arranged by the ensemble. Speaking of the programme, Omar says,

“These are celebrated works that we have all wanted to perform for a long time. The folk music is a reflection of our roots that we believe complement the western classical repertoire… With every group you have a different storytelling of the same piece and that is what makes these works great.”

Palmusic is supporting Omar, Tibah and Lourdina with scholarships to study at top British conservatoires. Omar has just completed his master’s degree in music performance at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, (RCS), in Glasgow. His sister, Tibah Saad, is also studying at the RCS with two more years to complete her bachelor of music degree. Lourdina is also a bachelor student of music performance at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. Omar, Tibah and Lourdina have all performed with the Palestine Youth Orchestra at prestigious venues internationally.

Iyad Sughayer is a Jordanian-Palestinian pianist who is regarded as one of the Middle East’s most promising young artists. He completed his Master’s degree at the Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester, in 2018, and returned there in September on the International Artist Diploma course to study with Murray McLachlan, Martino Tirimo and Graham Scott.

Iyad has received numerous awards including the prestigious Gold Medal Award at Trinity Laban. Winter 2020 will see the release of his debut disc under the BIS Label, featuring the solo works of Aram Khachaturian.

Past events

Occupied Hebron: Stories from the Ground

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Speaker: Sundus Azza.

Venue: The Melting Pot 5 Rose St, Edinburgh EH2 2PR

Time: 18:30

Date: Sunday 10 March 2019

Sundus Azza, 25, is an activist from Hebron, Palestine. She lives a few metres away from an illegal Israeli settlement and faces regular harassment from extremist Israeli settlers. Her house has been vandalized and her and her family violently assaulted by settlers as well as soldiers. She has been a volunteer with Youth Against Settlements since 2008, documenting human rights violations as a media and activity organizer. She has a degree in English from Al-Quds Open University in English Language Teaching Methodology. She currently works in the Hebron Governor’s office to attend to the needs of the Old City – the primary target of the Israeli occupation in Hebron. In 2015, her brother was arrested and falsely accused of possessing a knife – he was subsequently released after a DNA test proved him innocent.

Youth Against Settlements is a Palestinian grassroots initiative to promote non-violent community resistance against the Israeli occupation. The Open Shuhada Street campaign is an annual call to end the closures, restrictions, human rights violations, and occupation in the city of Hebron and all of Palestine.

Palestine Background, Past events

From Balfour to Banksy: Divisions and Visions in Palestine

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Film event: From Balfour to Banksy: Divisions and Visions in Palestine

7pm, Sat, 16 March 2019 at The Quaker Meeting House, 7 Victoria Terrace, Edinburgh, EH1 2JL

100 years ago Britain’s Foreign Secretary Arthur Balfour set in motion the vision of Israel……..

His ‘Balfour Declaration’ had another, disastrous impact: the dispossession of the Palestinian people.

This film looks at other visions — including a wide range of views from occupied Palestine today, ranging from anger to attempts at envisioning a future. It also shows the vision of another Englishman: the contemporary artist Banksy, who has created in Palestine a hotel that is also a remarkable satirical art installation.

How do today’s Palestinians live behind the ‘security wall’? What change must come?