Release prisoners of conscience now! Birzeit R2E campaign

Release prisoners of conscience now!

Right to Education Campaign, Birzeit University, 1 July 2008
http://right2edu.birzeit.edu/

On Sunday 25th November 2007, the president of Birzeit University's Student Council, Fadi Hamad, was arrested by Israeli military Special Forces while travelling on the road between the al-Jalazoon refugee camp and the city of Ramallah in the occupied Palestinian territories. Eyewitnesses reported that the car carrying Fadi was suddenly ambushed in what seemed like a premeditated operation.

As a student leader, Fadi represented the interests of some 7,000 students before the university administration, and was responsible for welfare programmes for students, providing them with sports and cultural activities as well as help with registration, paying fees, their studies.

Since 1967, the Israeli army has passed military orders outlawing all student societies which promote Palestinian nationalist ideas or parties, including Fatah, despite the fact that Israel officially negotiates with all such political parties at different moments in time. In this way, the army can 'legally' detain any student leader simply on the grounds of his or her political affiliation and in practice, persecute certain political opinions over others thus aggravating political tensions in Palestinian society at any given moment.

Read more here


PLEASE WRITE to your government representatives asking them to raise questions in Parliament or Congress, and to put pressure on the Israeli government to release student prisoners of conscience and to respect their rights to freedom of association, thought and liberty - ultimately, calling on Israel to respect the right to education of Palestinian students.


* Click here to read the UN definition of Human Rights Defenders, and here to view the General Assembly resolution A/RES/53/144 adopting the Declaration on Human Rights Defenders.

SOAS twins with Al-Quds - Postcards from Palestine

SOAS students visit Palestine, establish links with Birzeit and al-Quds and come back to set up a Right 2 Education society. This campaign has gone on to twin SOAS students Union with Al-Quds, has brought over delegations of students to our university and assisted in a speaking tour on campuses across the country... more info on campaign

See also CADFA

See below for full motion passed unanimously at the Union General Meeting (UGM)

Also, see post below Setting Sail on August 5th to Break the Siege of Gaza















Formerly the Golden quarter of the Hebron market, now the buffer zone between the illegal settlers...

Defending Right To Education of Palestinian Students

SOAS Students Union notes:
1. SOAS Students Union is affiliated to Bir Zeit University’s Right2Education Campaign

2. The construction, by the Israeli state, of a wall over 650 km in length and up to 25 feet in height, running on Palestinian land in the West Bank.

3. That this wall cuts off about 50% of the West Bank, running through towns and villages, separating people from their jobs and families, hospitals and schools.

4. The wall runs through Al Quds University campus

5. The ruling made in July 2004 by the International Court of Justice in The Hague that the wall is illegal and should be dismantled

6. That the wall runs through the town of Abu Dis, in east Jerusalem

7. That 'friendship links' have begun between the people of Abu Dis and people who live and work in Camden by the CADFA charity

SOAS Students Union believes:

1. That this wall is not a temporary security measure, but a permanent fixture that will lead to the expulsion of Palestinian people from their homes and permanent annexation of Palestinian land

2. That a campaign to twin Camden with Abu Dis can both help to highlight what the wall will mean for Palestinians, and can be a way to offer solidarity and support to those affected by and opposing the construction of the wall through their town

3. Every student should have the right to education

SOAS Students Union therefore resolves:

1. To join the campaign, initiated by Camden Abu Dis Friendship Association, to twin Camden with Abu Dis and send a membership fee of £100

2. To sponsor and publicise any events, such as public meetings, which are part of the twinning campaign, and organise a meeting this term with a CADFA speaker before the next UGM

3. For SOAS Students Union to reaffirm its affiliation to Bir Zeit’s Right2Education campaign

4. To sponsor an Al Quds student to visit SOAS

5. Write to Al Quds University expressing solidarity

6. To lobby SOAS to fund two scholarships for Al Quds students to come study at SOAS

7. To support the British-Palestine Twinning Network

Proposed by:

Sabah Shah 3^rd yr

Seconded by: James Loughran, MA Language Documentation and Description