FRIENDS MEETING HOUSE, MOUNT ST, MANCHESTER.

7PM, THURSDAY 21st  MARCH 2013

Internationals in Palestine: Help or Hindrance?

Tanzil Chowdhury

Are Internationals inherently regressive in their roles, despite good intentions, or are there ways of navigating around the problems of soft-colonialism often levelled at non-domestic organisations?

Do they risk usurping the role of Palestinians in determining their future?

Tanzil Chowdhury is a Ph.D. Candidate at the School of Law, University of Manchester. He has recently returned from three months volunteering in Abu Dis, East Jerusalem, with Camden-Abu Dis Friendship Association (http://camdenabudis.net/), working in schools, universities and the Dar Assadaqa Community Centre.                 He is also Commissioning Editor of e-International Relations (www.e-ir.info) “the world’s leading website for students of international politics”.

For more information, contact Linda on 07985624968

EDUCATION IN PALESTINE – THE RIGHT OF EVERY CHILD

ANNIE O’GARA AND PAUL WIMPENEY

FEBRUARY 21st 7pm

ANNIE O’GARA AND PAUL WIMPENEY

Annie and Paul are retired teachers and members of Halifax Friends of Palestine. They have visited Palestine a number of times investigating the provision of education for Palestinian children as well as the difficulties experienced by the children and their families in accessing education. They will also talk about the innovative ways the Palestinians overcome the problems in order to learn and develop their full potential.

FRIENDS MEETING HOUSE, MOUNT ST, MANCHESTER.

Public Meeting & Book Launch

GAZA: When The Sky Rained White Fire

by

Musheir El-Farra

Wednesday 30^th January 2013 at 7.00pm

in

Friends Meeting House (behind Central Library) Manchester

“This is a moving and careful account of the effects of the Israeli treatment of the people of Gaza. The stories are of families, in their own words, who have lost children, relatives, land and property, by deliberate Israeli attacks on civilians. It is a human story, told with deep integrity by a son of Gaza. It is a story that cries out for justice. All who think there is a case to defend Israeli actions should read it.” Clare Short (Former Secretary of State for International Development in the Blair Government who resigned over Iraq)

 Leaflet for Book Launch

Speaker: Victoria Brittain

According to Defence of Children International about 300 children between the aged 12-17 are held in detention by the Israeli Prison Service (IPS) and IDF temporary detention facilities.

Palestinian child prisoners are routinely:
. Shackled, blindfolded, beaten and arrested at night
. Humiliated, strip searched,threatened until they ‘confess’
. Held in Israel up to 90 days without access to a lawyer
. Judged in military courts and held in adult prisons
. Some are held in solitary confinement for months and threatened by dogs

Israel has been condemned by Israeli human rights organisations such as B’tselem and Breaking the Silence for its treatment of child prisoners. In July 2012 the UN Special Committee on Israeli Practices in Occupied Territories noted “the proliferation of cases of detainment, mistreatment – even torture – of Palestinian children by Israeli authorities”.

In July 2012 the UK Foreign Office agreed that “imprisoning Palestinian children inside Israel violates international law “

Victoria Brittain is a former associate foreign editor of the Guardian and a tireless campaigner for human rights throughout the developing world. She speaks and writes regularly to publicise the truth about Palestine.

17 Jan 2013 19:00 – 21:00

Friends Meeting House , 6 Mount Street, behind Central Library , Manchester

Rally for Gaza this Friday from 5pm – Picc Gds (Manchester Palestine Square)

Show Solidarity with the People of Gaza! Speak out for Palestine!
http://tinyurl.com/cmwbp4j

From 5pm Friday 23rd Nov : Rally in Piccadilly Gds in Central Manchester

Called jointly from the recent meeting organised by Stop the War, PSC, and Mab

Donate at this rally towards the collection to help pay for the mobilisation to London on Saturday for the national demonstration.

See short 3 min video of our last meeting here http://tinyurl.com/d2ysm2p