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Women Challenge US Policy in the Middle East
Email this pageWomen Challenge US Policy
WILPF's Middle East Action Committee will examine the role of U.S. policy in the dynamics of current conflicts. It will educate communities to policy dimensions seldom discussed regarding Palestine, Israel, Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere. What economic interests underlie the power struggles in the region? What U.S. policy changes will end violence and promote justice? The Action Committee will work to bridge gaps, engage diverse groups in developing a women's vision for U.S. foreign policy, and join with women in the region to claim U.N. Security Council Resolution 1325's promise that women's active participation can bring peaceful, democratic resolution to the conflicts.
New WILPF DVD Series Exposes Palestinian Situation:
Do you want to learn more about how the U.S. supports Israel? A new, original DVD series is available from the Western Asia Study and Action Group (part of WILPF's Cape Cod Branch.) Hear first-hand what life in occupied Palestine is really like, the real role of the U.S., learn about the plight of children in this region, listen to the words of Rachel Corrie and Howard Zinn, and much, much more. Begun as part of WILPF's "Women Challenge U.S. Policy: Building Peace on Justice in the Middle East" campaign, this study group researched the history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Members wanted to take what they'd learned to the wider community, and produced this excellent seven-DVD collection. Funding was provided by WILPF and the Social Justice Ministry of First Parish Brewster.
You can purchase each DVD separately for $10 or the entire collection for only $50. Checks should be made out to: "West Asia" and mailed to: Western Asia Study and Action Group, P.O. Box 668, N. Eastham MA 02651-0668.
Download series brochure in .pdf format here.
Download WILPF's Statement on Human Rights Responsibilities in Gaza here.
Feminist Action Guide To Challenging U.S. PolicyThe WCUSP Feminist Action Guide to Challenging US Policy in the Middle East is a 165 page tool for forming a study group or embarking on independent study as an individual, and is complete with original source material, articles, maps and steps to take action. The Feminist Action Guide will serve as a launchpad for future action to challenge U.S. Policy in the Middle East.
New documentary a family tale older than Israel itself
Jim Quilty, The Daily Star, 2 December 2005
from electronic intifada
Nizar Hassan's latest documentary is a hybrid. Part oral history project, part detective story, Karem Abou Khalil (Abou Khalil Grove) tells one Palestinian family's history from the Ottoman to the Israeli periods. It's also an amused study of misplaced premises and faulty representation. It's not a story of burning tires and bulldozed houses - a la Ijtiah, Hassan's 2002 documentary on the Jenin invasion. It's a family tale older than Israel, though its telling is fenced in by the tense courtesy of life under Israeli domination.
Nizar Hassan
Hamas demands Israel to stop it campaign against its candidates
Saed Bannoura-IMEMC & Agencies - Friday, 02 December 2005, 13:28
The issue of Jerusalem will never go away
By Jonathan Power
from dailytimes.com
For the present, the suggestion of a UN Security Council fiefdom only extends to the Temple Mount, but once that principle is accepted the possibilities for geographical extension to include some of the neighbourhoods around shouldn't be so difficult to swallow
European Activists support Palestinian call to "Tear Down This Wall" during week of Action
from stopthewall.org
Worldwide Activism, Grassroots Palestinian Anti-Apartheid Wall Campaign, December 1st, 2005
Barcelona protests Sharon visit as Spanish activists urge solidarity with the Palestinian people!
Activists took to the streets across Spain during the week against the Apartheid Wall and as War Criminal Sharon visited Barcelona. A number of awareness raising events called for effective solidarity with the Palestinian people against their ghettoization. Mobilizing in all the major cities ensured that representatives of the Occupation are no longer welcome in Spain.
Action Alert! Demand US Urge Israel Declare a Cease Fire!
WILPF MEMBERS! TAKE ACTION NOW!
DEMAND US URGE ISRAEL DECLARE A CEASE FIRE END THE ASSAULT ON GAZA AND LEBANON!
Take Action Now! The Women's International League for Peace and Freedom urges its members to take action now regarding the escalating violence in the Middle East. We demand an end to the violence and negotiations under U.N. auspices. The massive humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip and the war between Israel and Lebanon calls for our immediate attention.
Weak, Passive, Distracted: What Next for the American Antiwar Movement?
August 15, 2006
By TODD CHRETIEN
Boy bitten by Israeli army dog in Jenin
from pnn.ps
Ali Smoudi, Jenin 11:30 am 01.12.05
Twelve-year-old Mohammed Shiekh Qassem, 12 from the Jenin Refugee Camp was moderately wounded when a police dog attacked him during an Israeli army raid on his family’s home.
Al Najah University dean of Shariya department released
from pnn.ps
Mustapha Sabri, Qalqilya 12:00 pm 01.12.05
Understanding US Policy
Thoughts on Mearsheimer
WCUSP has followed the debate created by the publication of John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt's "The Israel Lobby" study. WCUSP leadership team member Libby Frank articulates four main problems with Mearsheimer and Walt's "The Israel Lobby" study in her response, "Confusing the Issue: Mearsheimer & Walt's 'The Israel Lobby.'" While Ms. Frank's paper should be viewed as her own work, it does reflect US WILPF's goal of exposing the root causes of oppression and our challenge to US policy on Israel / Palestine.
Myth and Reality: Jewish Influence on US Middle East Policy
In working for a just resolution of the Israel-Palestine conflict, we constantly bump into the fact that the powerful party is the state of one of history’s most oppressed groups. Some get frustrated by always having to address anti-Semitism while working toward a just resolution to the plight of the Palestinians. But we’re kidding ourselves if we believe for a moment that anti-Semitism is not an integral part of the problem. It is that history which creates the fear and anger that drive many Israeli policies. And if we fail to recognize the leg (pdf) itimate fear that history has instilled in the Jewish people, we fail before we start. When dealing with the question of US support for Israel’s occupation, this awareness is especially critical.
Bibliography of Books, Media, and Websites
Recommended by the Leadership Team of “Women Challenge US Policy” Campaign
Books: History of the Region
American Friends Service Committee. When the Rain Returns: Toward Justice and Reconciliation in Palestine and Israel. AFSC, 2004. Report of International Quaker Working Party on the region, peacemaking efforts, and recommendations for US policy.
Two Occupations, Same Goal, Similar Characteristics
August 11, 2005
Rachell Marshall
WILPF National Congress
A year ago last spring, during the same week that Israeli forces were attacking a Gaza refugee camp, bulldozing buildings, ripping up water pipes and power lines, and killing civilians, American forces were laying siege to Iraqi cities. The tanks and helicopter gun ships were identical. The rubble left by the bombs looked the same whether it was in Rafah or Karbala. The faces of Iraqis and Palestinians mourning their dead showed the same grief. Last may there was a front page article in the Times describing a U.S. bombing attack on an Iraqi village the day before that had killed 45 people while they were celebrating a wedding. Next to it was a picture of a man standing in the ruins of a house in Gaza holding his dead child in his arms. The child and several others were killed when an Israeli tank fired into a crowded street. The picture fit both news stories.
Women Challenge US Policy -Action Alerts
New documentary a family tale older than Israel itself
Jim Quilty, The Daily Star, 2 December 2005
from electronic intifada
Nizar Hassan's latest documentary is a hybrid. Part oral history project, part detective story, Karem Abou Khalil (Abou Khalil Grove) tells one Palestinian family's history from the Ottoman to the Israeli periods. It's also an amused study of misplaced premises and faulty representation. It's not a story of burning tires and bulldozed houses - a la Ijtiah, Hassan's 2002 documentary on the Jenin invasion. It's a family tale older than Israel, though its telling is fenced in by the tense courtesy of life under Israeli domination.
Nizar Hassan
Hamas demands Israel to stop it campaign against its candidates
Saed Bannoura-IMEMC & Agencies - Friday, 02 December 2005, 13:28
The issue of Jerusalem will never go away
By Jonathan Power
from dailytimes.com
For the present, the suggestion of a UN Security Council fiefdom only extends to the Temple Mount, but once that principle is accepted the possibilities for geographical extension to include some of the neighbourhoods around shouldn't be so difficult to swallow
European Activists support Palestinian call to "Tear Down This Wall" during week of Action
from stopthewall.org
Worldwide Activism, Grassroots Palestinian Anti-Apartheid Wall Campaign, December 1st, 2005
Barcelona protests Sharon visit as Spanish activists urge solidarity with the Palestinian people!
Activists took to the streets across Spain during the week against the Apartheid Wall and as War Criminal Sharon visited Barcelona. A number of awareness raising events called for effective solidarity with the Palestinian people against their ghettoization. Mobilizing in all the major cities ensured that representatives of the Occupation are no longer welcome in Spain.
Action Alert! Demand US Urge Israel Declare a Cease Fire!
WILPF MEMBERS! TAKE ACTION NOW!
DEMAND US URGE ISRAEL DECLARE A CEASE FIRE END THE ASSAULT ON GAZA AND LEBANON!
Take Action Now! The Women's International League for Peace and Freedom urges its members to take action now regarding the escalating violence in the Middle East. We demand an end to the violence and negotiations under U.N. auspices. The massive humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip and the war between Israel and Lebanon calls for our immediate attention.
Weak, Passive, Distracted: What Next for the American Antiwar Movement?
August 15, 2006
By TODD CHRETIEN
Boy bitten by Israeli army dog in Jenin
from pnn.ps
Ali Smoudi, Jenin 11:30 am 01.12.05
Twelve-year-old Mohammed Shiekh Qassem, 12 from the Jenin Refugee Camp was moderately wounded when a police dog attacked him during an Israeli army raid on his family’s home.
Al Najah University dean of Shariya department released
from pnn.ps
Mustapha Sabri, Qalqilya 12:00 pm 01.12.05
see all WCUSP Action Alerts ...
Get Involved with WCUSP
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WHAT'S A MEMBER TO DO?
1. Fill out and return enclosed questionnaire.
2. Have one branch member designated to receive emails on Middle East issues.
3. Have brown bag lunch discussion groups within your branch to learn what other branch members are thinking.
U.S. Hegemony in the Middle East
by Tura Campanella Cook
Hegemony can be defined as the domination of one state over another; it can also be defined as the domination of one state over its allies. U.S. hegemony in the Middle East, an example of both definitions, is primarily about oil. Since the end of World War II, U.S.
The Israel Lobby
by John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt
Originally published in The London Review of Books
For the past several decades, and especially since the Six-Day War in 1967, the centrepiece of US Middle Eastern policy has been its relationship with Israel. The combination of unwavering support for Israel and the related effort to spread 'democracy' throughout the region has inflamed Arab and Islamic opinion and jeopardised not only US security but that of much of the rest of the world. This situation has no equal in American political history. Why has the US been willing to set aside its own security and that of many of its allies in order to advance the interests of another state? One might assume that the bond between the two countries was based on shared strategic interests or compelling moral imperatives, but neither explanation can account for the remarkable level of material and diplomatic support that the US provides.
Study: AIPAC works against US interests
NATHAN GUTTMAN Jerusalem Post correspondent,
THE JERUSALEM POST Mar. 19, 2006
A new study, claiming that the pro-Israel lobby in America caused the United States to skew its Middle East policy in favor of Israel, is stirring controversy in the pro and anti-Israel communities in the US.
A silent, crippling fear
By Paul Woodward, The War in Context, March 21, 2006
The prospect of American ports being run by an Arab company ignited a firestorm in the blogosphere -- and the mainstream media and Congress. Now two of America's leading political scientists allege that U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East is being skewed away from U.S.
CONFUSING THE ISSUE: MEARSHEIMER & WALT'S "THE ISRAEL LOBBY"
(Printed in London Review of Books Vol. 28 No. 6 23 March 2006)* download pdf
by Libby Frank
Member, Leadership Team, Women Challenge U.S. Policy: Building Peace on Justice in the Middle East (Women's Int'l. League for Peace and Freedom)
