Racism and complicity in ethnic cleansing are not charitable acts
Category Archives: Uncategorized
Sheffield students start anti-Israeli Apartheid week
Latest Scholarship Fund newsletter published
The annual newsletter from the Fund is online. It includes interviews with some of our students, including a nursing student Waed Barjat Abu Sweerih. She had a message for the Fund: ‘Thank you, Sheffield Women’s Scholarship Fund. You brought us out of our homes to learn and become stronger and you gave us hope, which is most needed in Gaza’. Read more here
Open Shuhada Street
This is Sundus Azza. She is from the campaign to open Shuhada Street. At a meeting in Sheffield on Tuesday she described the daily humiliations and provocations caused by a small group of Zionist settlers defended by 2,000 Israeli soldiers. Hebron is the most populous city in the West Bank, Shuhada Street was the main market area. In 1994, an American Zionist Goldstein murdered 29 Muslims at prayer. Palestinians demonstrated, Israeli military stepped in. The road has been closed to Palestinians ever since.
In a dignified calm voice she described how she was attacked by a settler Zionist, then arrested by the Israeli military for the incident. One Israeli settler killed a Palestinian, unusually he was found guilty and sentenced to 18 months in his house. The people of Hebron face rubber bullets, arrest, violence, and even bullets. See more here. Her powerpoint is here.
Activist on trial
Brother of Sheffield based activist Shahd Abuslama, Majed , and two other activists are facing a trial for disrupting a representative of the Israeli state and exposing her complicity in Israeli war crimes and crimes against humanity in #Palestine.
A great demonstration of solidarity from this magnificent crowd who joined this public court hearing at 8 am to make it loud and clear: Enough with silencing the Palestinians’ cries for justice!
The whole world should be concerned that anti-Racist activists are being put on trial for standing on the side of a people facing the only remaining colonial and apartheid regime in our modern history, not those racists maintaining this criminal colonial occupation and apartheid.
Israel cannot continue committing crimes against humanity in daylight with impunity. This cycle of impunity, ongoing since the ethnic cleansing of Palestine in 1948, needs to be broken. It’s long overdue but time to hold Israel accountable!
Why cannot they see they are putting the wrong people on trial?
Stop Arming Israeli Apartheid
Some of our most active supporters were away this weekend, at a Boycott Israel Network conference. So we were very pleased with the turnout at the protest at the HSBC Bank. HSBC makes money from the arms industry and helps arm Israel.
Stop the Jewish National Fund
Stop the Jewish National Fund (JNF) – campaign update 2019
Background:
In the Nakba of 1948, the wanton destruction of over 500 villages, seizure of land and property, not to mention massacres of inhabitants, were all war crimes committed to establish the new state of Israel. The JNF was, and still is, a direct beneficiary of these crimes, having received much of the land it now “owns” as a by-product of the ethnic cleansing. Indeed, the JNF has been described as “the principal tool for the Zionist colonization of Palestine.” (Ilan Pappe) The historic complicity of the JNF in the ethnic cleansing of Palestine during the Nakba has not ended – the JNF remains actively involved in the ongoing forced displacement of Palestinians from their land.
The JNF tries to give a veneer of legitimacy to stolen land. It has planted forests, created parkland and claims to be working to enhance the environment. One such venture is the park named British Park, funded by the JNF UK. This park has been created over the ruins of three Palestinian villages, ethnically cleansed in 1948. The park
Campaign to de-register the JNF UK:
As registered British charity, the JNF UK receives all the associated financial and reputational benefits of this status and it is this privileged position which the campaign challenges. The campaign to persuade the Charity Commission to withdraw the charitable status of the JNF UK began in 2013 and a new appeal was lodged in 2018.
This appeal highlights the case of a Palestinian family whose land in Ajjur was taken from them by force in 1948 and lies beneath British Park. A young Palestinian member of the family has produced a strong case, evidenced with title deeds and tax receipts related to the family land. Her family lands are open as a leisure facility for Israelis, but inaccessible to their rightful owners. Her case was supplemented by statements and evidence from UK supporters. The submission to the Charity Commission shows the unsuitability of the JNF UK to hold charitable status.
Despite all this the Charity Commission has rejected the case.
Tribunal appeal:
On appeal, the case has been granted an oral hearing by the First Tier Tribunal (Charity). This takes place in Manchester on April 2nd 2019. We see this as a step forward in advancing the argument against the JNF.
Speaking Tour:
After the Tribunal, there will be a speaking tour, featuring the Palestinian applicant, lasting 2 weeks. Dates and venues are being arranged. It is possible that a second such tour will be staged later in the year as the campaign unfolds. (Tour being arranged by Manchester and Sheffield PSC)
For further information re tour: enquiries.sheffieldpsc@gmail.com
Stop the JNF website: http://www.stopthejnf.org/
2103 complaint to the Charity Comission: http://www.stopthejnf.org/media-release-human-rights-campaigners-charity-commission-failing-to-follow-own-guidelines-to-end-abuse-of-charity-status/
Stop the JNF ebook, Volume 1: http://www.stopthejnf.org/documents/JNFeBookVol1ed2x.pdf
Stop the JNF ebook Volume 2: http://www.stopthejnf.org/documents/JNFeBookVol2.pdf
Stop the JNF ebook Volume 3: http://stopthejnf.org/documents/JNFeBookVol3.pdf
Stop the JNF ebook Volume 4: http://www.ijan.org/projects-campaigns/stopthejnf/e-book-v-4/
Report Back From Gaza
On Saturday 16 th February, Musheir El Farra gave a report back on his visit to Gaza. He reported back on Sheffield’s PSC supported children’s projects in Gaza and the most recent project the healing centre in Khuza’a. He also described how the great powers in the region and the USA were trying to undermine the basic rights of Palestinians including the right of return. We had booked the Choir Room but it was too small for the 40 plus audience. Musheir was well received.
Meeting- Report back from Gaza 16th February 2.30
A huge amount of effort went into the creation of a healing centre in Gaza. The Yemeni community, Sheffield PSC, Chesterfield PSC, Manchester PSC and many others. The land was acquired, and the building is now completed. This is a great achievement. Our chairman Musheir El Farra has just got back from this and our other projects in Gaza. He will give a report on these and the political situation at this important meeting.
Saturday – 16 February 2019 02:30 PM Choir Room – Victoria Hall Chapel Walk – Sheffield S1
Fundraiser Meal 8th December
Lizzie Skinner gave an interesting and moving report into life at Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon. The more people who visit the region to see for themselves the stronger the solidarity campaign will grow and the less isolated the Palestinians will feel.
The talk followed a lovely meal 
and an auction.
These events are good for the company, the food, and the cause.
We will give a report of the money raised when we have it.