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In 2002, the International Solidarity Movement grabbed world attention by bringing volunteers from around the world to defend Palestine through nonviolent resistance. They stayed with resistance fighters in the Nativity Church in Bethlehem. They brought medical supplies to the besieged Palestinians in the ancient Nablus Casbah. They documented and filmed the destruction and mass killing of Palestinians in the Jenin refugee camp. In 2002 and 2003, thousands participated at their own expense. One was Rachel Corrie, who was killed trying to prevent demolition of a home in Gaza. Another was Tom Hurndall, killed by a shot to the head.
ISM has operated continuously since that time, serving at the request of the Palestinian community through participation in Palestinian nonviolent resistance. ISM has also spawned other organizations with similar aims.
But ISM is today unable to fill the demand from the Palestinian community, for lack of volunteers and funding. This crisis brought the international chapters of the ISM together for the first such meeting in more than a decade. We decided to bring Palestinian ISM leaders to the US for a speaking tour, to educate and recruit potential volunteers. We also reopened the Ramallah media office, which had been closed due to lack of funding. For the time being, the office has been opened with borrowed money.
Great plans, but we don’t have the money to do this.
How much do we need for the ISM media office? The requirements are for rent, utilities and support staff, totalling $16,800 for one year. We also have one-time equipment costs of $12,200 for cameras, telephoto and other lenses, recording equipment, two computers with editing software, and basic furniture. The total for 2018 is $29,000. Last year, donations totaled less than $10,000, so we need a lot more to make this happen.
How much do we need for the US Speaking Tour? Not much, really, because a lot of it will be covered by the speaking venues themselves. The main thing is two round trip airfares from Palestine and the cost of the visas, around $2000. We would like to start the tour in February, directed mainly at university students during the spring term.
Here’s how to donate:
If you are in the US or want a US tax exemption for your donation, you can send your donation by check or on line to the Northern California chapter by following the instructions here:
https://www.ism-norcal.org/
If you do not need a US tax exemption for your donation, you can donate to the ISM chapter in Sweden by following the instructions here:
https://palsolidarity.org/
Thank you for helping to defend Palestine