20 Ways to Help
Palestine Monday, May 27 2002 @ 05:13 PM GMT
Rula Borelli
With the ongoing atrocities that are being committed daily in
Palestine,
there is a resounding voice of anger and desperation echoing
world-wide, as
people search for a way to provide any relief to those who are
centered in
the suffering. People are in search of ways to channel this anger.
With the emergence of the internet, and as technology makes our
world
smaller every day, new and creative ways to help and aid
Palestinians emerge
as well. The following is a list of things people can do to show
solidarity
and support. While many are quite simple, they have proven to be
very
effective.
1. Write letters everyday. If you have access to e-mail, you can
send
multiple newspapers the same letter and save time. The pro-Palestine
voice
needs to be heard and believe me; it makes a big difference to send
just one
letter a day expressing your thoughts about the media's role or an
article
that was recently published in the newspaper. Check out
http://www.pmwatch.org/pmw/main.html as a tool that has a
comprehensive list
of e-mail addresses and action items.
2. Boycott ALL Israeli products. Make sure that you read every label
of
every product you buy. Also, boycott all American made products or
services
whose companies support the economy of Israel. Two excellent
websites that
contain lists of companies and products to avoid are
http://www.boycottisraeligoods.org/index.php and
http://www.inminds.co.uk/index.html
3. Volunteer for Palestine no matter where you live. Volunteer your
time to
different groups in your area. This information can be obtained from
within
the Arab and Moslem communities. Websites such as Al-awda
http://al-awda.org/index.htm
, Palestine Solidarity Campaign
http://www.palestinecampaign.org/ , and
http://palestinechronicle.com/ have
lists of activities and a calendar of events
4. Donate money to Palestine. If you can not afford it, sell cookies
and
send the profit to a charitable organization. Palestine needs our
support
now more than ever and we can not let her down. Attend fundraisers,
sell
t-shirts, do something.
5. Learn the history of Palestine inside and out. Make sure there is
no
doubt in your mind about the truth so that you can respond to any
discussion
taking place. Also, if you have non-Arab friends, talk to them,
convince
them and show them how biased the American media and
governments are.
6. Join rallies in support of Palestine. Make signs, express
yourself.
Invite the media.
7. Let everyone know that Arabs are Semites too! We are not being
anti-Semitic but pro-justice.
8. Join ADC (American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee)
http://www.adc.org/ They are doing
a superb job being the voices of the
millions of Arabs and defending our rights. They also have excellent
resources on their website such as Debunking 6 common Israeli myths
.
9. Explain to people the difference between the American fight
against
terror and what the Israeli government is doing to the original
inhabitants
of Palestine. It is not the same fight and never will be as we all
know
Israel is an occupying force.
10. Sign every petition that comes your way that you agree with. The
internet has paved the road for our voices to be heard. Don't be
afraid to
join the fight and list your name for the fight for a free
Palestine.
11. Distinguish between those who are Jewish and those Israelis who
are
against Palestine. This is not a fight against the Jewish people. On
the
contrary, we need to thank those of the Jewish faith and those who
are
Israelis that have supported our cause and even fought our fight.
Gush
Shalom, B'Tselem,
Uri Avnery are such
groups and individuals that get a
special thank you from the people who want peace to come to our
land.
Special thanks to all the groups and individuals that are not
mentioned. We
will not forget your deeds.
12. Support the ISM (International Solidarity Movement) for they
have braved
the Israeli army and some members are currently incarcerated for the
Palestinian cause. Call your Congressmen and tell them to push for
the
release of these people. You can find more information on
http://www.ccmep.org/ . As for
government listings, go to
http://www.house.gov/ and
http://www.senate.gov/ Always
stay in touch with
your representatives and senators to inform them, of the Arab point
of view.
13. Be proud to be a supporter of Palestine. Wear pins that say Free
Palestine, fly the flag, and don't be intimidated. It's a chance to
educate
the public when you wear a shirt that expresses your views. Please
remember
that the American public often relies on the biased media and does
not have
a chance to get factual information. When Europeans learned the
truth, they
backed our cause and so will the American people. We should be proud
of our
achievements as the tide is changing!
14. E-mail President Bush and let him know your views
(president@whitehouse.gov).
The more people speak out, the further our cause
will go.
15. Do something for Palestine every day. It can be in the form of
donations, letter-writing, meeting your representatives, educating
others,
etc. Just one thing.to Free Palestine!
16. . If you were not around in Palestine in 1947 and 1948, call
your
relatives who were and ask them for information. Then write it down.
We will
never forget what happened and this way, we make sure it is
documented.
17. Remember the Palestinians' struggles throughout history. They
were
occupied for hundreds of years by the Romans, Crusaders, and Turks.
This is
just another part of history where they will come out victorious as
they
have for thousands of years. There will be a State of Palestine.
18. Remember those who are killed by Israel. Memories of the dead
will never
leave our minds, they are etched there forever.
19. Support Peace! Show the world that the Palestinian People are
not
terrorists but they are fighting for the right to survive in a State
of
their own. We should condemn suicide bombings as they take the
struggle to a
free Palestine back many steps. We understand that the Palestinian
People
have no Tanks, Apache helicopters, or F-16s and this is how they
defend
themselves and fight for their freedom but most of the world does
not. We
need the support of all humanity now so please join the peace
effort.
20. Keep your faith and pray for Palestine.
Please do not feel that you have to apply each activity, just take
some
action as we need all the voices available for our cause to be
heard.
Finally, I hope that you have found this information helpful and
that you
will apply some of the ideas included.
Free
Palestine |
