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*Worldwide action alert - Speak up now!
Source: WAMM (Women Against Military Madness)
Minnesotans detained in and deported from Israel return home and speak out.
Israeli security forces refused entry to three U.S. solidarity activists for attempting to participate in a human rights delegation. They were treated as criminals, while their only goal was to learn about the reality of life for the Palestinian people. Sarah Martin, member of Women Against Military Madness, and Katrina Plotz, of the Anti-War Committee, refused voluntary deportation, and the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv informed us that they were forcibly deported Sunday evening. The third traveler, Karen Sullivan also of the Anti-War Committee, was already deported and returned home to Minneapolis on Sunday.
Sarah and Katrina are expected to return home on a flight arriving at 12:37 p.m. on Monday, August 3. A press conference with them, their families and supporters, will happen at 1:00 p.m. in the baggage claim area of the Minneapolis/ St. Paul airport (Lindbergh Terminal).
Minneapolis women jailed in Israel | Twin Cities Daily Planet | Minneapolis - St. Paul:
"By Mary Turck , TC Daily Planet
August 02, 2009
UPDATE: Katrina Plotz and Sarah Martin are on a plane, en route to MSP, scheduled to arrive early afternoon.
Two Minneapolis women, Katrina Plotz and Sarah Martin, are in jail in Israel after being refused entry to the country. A third, Karen Sullivan, was deported August 1 and was en route back to the Twin Cities on Sunday. They were deported after Israeli officials, checking the internet for information about passengers arriving in Israel, discovered that they intended to visit the Palestinian territories, according to Jess Sundin of the Anti-War Committee.
Martin, age 69, lives in Minneapolis and is affiliated with Women Against Military Madness. She is a retired nurse and a mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. Plotz, age 40, also lives in the Twin Cities, and is a teacher. (FULL DISCLOSURE: Katrina Plotz has written for the TC Daily Planet.)" Read more
*Solidarity Delegation to Palestine - Summer 2009
Source: Anti-War Committee
ABOUT THE DELEGATION
Extending solidarity to the Palestinian people is now more important than ever. Since 1948, Palestinians have faced land confiscation, home demolitions, arbitrary detention and harassment, and a daily threat of violence from Israeli soldiers. In December 2008, Israel began a 3-week assault on Gaza that killed 1400 people including at least 900 civilians. The attack also destroyed homes and infrastructure that people in Gaza depend on for survival.
American citizens have a responsibility to speak out against these atrocities because the U.S. supports the Israeli occupation with $3.1 billion in military aid every year. Recently President Obama called for a two-state solution and an end to the expansion of Israeli settlements on Palestinian land. This is a good sign, but now is the time to demand real justice for Palestinians including the right of return for refugees and an end to Zionist policies of war and aggression. In practice, it would require an end to U.S. military aid for Israel – something the Anti-War Committee has been fighting for since our group began in 1998.
This is why two members of the Anti-War Committee will participate in a solidarity delegation to Palestine in August 2009. Hosted by the Palestinian Women's Committee in Ramallah, they will travel to various cities including Jenin, Bethlehem, and Jerusalem. The group will meet with human rights groups, union members, prisoners’ rights advocates, and refugees. Delegates will witness living conditions under military occupation and extend our solidarity to Palestinian activists, organizers and community leaders.
When they return, they are excited to share the stories of Palestinians who struggle for justice every day in the face of tremendous repression.
Palestine Video - A Palestine Vlog
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