With much of the North American media controlled by or slanted in favour of the Zionist Israeli position, there surely can be no cause that has benefited more from the Internet than the Palestinian cause. 

How would we know what is truly happening in the West Bank and Gaza were it not for the internet? Certainly not from the watered down AP reports and the interviews with Israeli government officials on television. 

But the Internet is both a godsend and a curse to well intentioned supporters of justice for Palestine. How many precious hours do we spend at the keyboard simply reading about the latest IDF "incursion" or yet another analysis of the current peace proposal? 

In the past year I have tried to focus my attention on action, reading for information that I can act upon and trying to limit time spent on articles of a more theoretical nature. The list below are little things that even a busy working parent can do from home, and even if one’s internet time is limited to an hour or so a day.

Letters to the Editor
Letters to the Editor are an effective way of reaching a wide audience. They should be short - about 250 words. Letters can be written both for or against a particular issue. The activist can gain inspiration and talking points from:

•  a news article or particular dates and events (e.g. anniversaries)
•  a statement by Members of Parliament or pending legislation
•  another letter or opinion piece
•  missing coverage
•  events in the community (whether covered or not covered by the outlet in question)
•  any other subject you deem the public ought to hear your opinion about

Letters to the government

Click here for a list of MPs that will help you find the name and email address of your Member of Parliament.  In your browser's "Edit" menu, click on "Find on this Page", type in the name of your riding, and then click "Find Next".

Letters need not be long.  A report  from the International Solidarity Movement or the Israeli Peace Group Gush Shalom with a short introduction of 2 or 3 sentences. For example: 

“Silence is complicity;  the Canadian government must speak out against the human rights violations committed by Israel on a daily basis.  Included below is an article from the Israeli peace group Gush Shalom. Israelis as well as Palestinians need you to speak out against the abuses described below.“

OR

“The article below describes the acts of collective punishment, land expropriation, home demolitions and extra judicial killings of Palestinians by the state of Israel.   The Canadian government must act to uphold the provisions of the Fourth Geneva Convention regarding civilian population under military occupation.”

Join a mailing list
Reading newspapers daily is time consuming as is finding addresses for media outlets .  For frequent updates on Canadian government positions regarding Israel and Palestine as well as positive and offensive articles from Canadian newspapers, join the canpalnet-ottawa mailing list.

Send an email with "Subscribe to government and media mailing list" in the subject line to receive Action Alerts and appropriate contact addresses.  When possible, sample letters or talking points will be included. Your input of relevant articles is most welcome and will be circulated for action to other list members.

Make a book request  through your Public Library
Most public libraries will accept suggestions to purchase books. They will call you when the book arrives. This is an excellent way to save money and have the book remain in the library system to inform others once you are finished with it.

There is a great deal of demand in the Ottawa Library system for books regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the library has purchased several of my requests in the past year.  Some excellent, easy to read books that you could request, if they are not already in you municipal library system, are:

Paul Findley  - former American Congressman 
-  Deliberate Deceptions: Facing Facts about the U.S. - Israeli Relationship
-  They Dare to Speak Out

Norman Finkelstein 
-  The Rise and Fall of Palestine
-  The Holocaust Industry
-  Images and Reality of the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict

Tanya Reinhart
- Israel/Palestine: How to End the 1948 War

Francis Boyle
- Palestine, Palestinians and International Law

Deborah Campbell
- This Heated Place

Ghada Karmi
- In Search of Fatima: A Palestinian Story (Novel)
- A Little Piece of Ground (Children’s novel - for ages 10 to 85)

Choose Charities that support Palestinians
In a November 30th, 2003 article published in the Boston Globe, Kevin Murray states: While international giving actually increased during the recent economic downturn, donations to politically sensitive areas like Palestine have clearly fallen off. Citing financial limitations but privately expressing political concerns, many foundations are suddenly closing or dramatically curtailing funding programs in the Middle East. Individual donors continue to support progressive international work, but prefer that their resources go to projects in Brazil or Mexico so as to avoid accusations of "supporting terrorists" in Palestine.

UNRWA, the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees and the largest humanitarian agency in the region, does not have the funds to meet the needs caused by three years of curfew, closures and conflict which has plunged two thirds of the population into dire poverty.  It  has launched an emergency appeal to the international community for $193 million.

In November 2003 the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) ended its food aid to the West Bank, stating that Israel as the occupying power, must live up to its responsibilities under the Fourth Geneva Convention for the economic needs of the Palestinians.”

The ICRC’s position as elaborated in its official statement may at first seem reasonable. There are many areas of the world where hunger and disease affect more people more seriously than in the West Bank and Gaza. However, after a visit to the American Red Cross website one may have second thoughts about the reasons for the ICRC decision to reduce its food aid to the occupied territories.

The American Red Cross boasts in a press release that it has not paid its dues to the ICRC since 2000 “until such time as the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) recognizes and the Federation admits MDA as a full voting member". Since 2000, in protest of non-admission, the American Red Cross has withheld $20 million in dues to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and its voluntary headquarters contributions to the ICRC".

Canadian tax deductible charities that provide aid to Palestine:
World Vision Canada
This is one of the too few established charities with a particular focus on the Palestinian issue.  In addition to child sponsorship, World Vision does advocacy work on behalf of Palestinians. Their website states:
“World Vision Jerusalem also supports Palestinian and Israeli groups that are working for a just end to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Through cooperative work with other international organizations working in the region, WV Jerusalem also seeks to influence the United Nations and key international players to encourage a fair and just diplomatic solution to the conflict.

Sponsoring a child will enable WV Jerusalem to continue to help build sustainable futures for children and families in our ADPs.

Supporters may also wish to promote peace by encouraging the Canadian Government and the United Nations to do more to seek a just and peaceful resolution to the conflict.”

Medical Aid to Palestine
MAP is a registered Canadian Charity that focuses on Development and Humanitarian Aid and awareness building activities in Canada. MAP projects are funded in part by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and the provincial government of Québec, but public contributions are essential as amount of federal and provincial funding are determined by the funds MAPcan raise through public donations.

CEPAL - Canadian-Palestinian Education Exchange
CEPAL is a Canadian volunteer run charity that works to increase the access of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon to education and raise awareness in Canada about their quality of life, and the obstacles they face on a daily basis. 

Organize an event
Don’t let those who support Israel unconditionally silence justice. Help build awareness and show your community that you support justice for Palestinians.  Organize an event at religious or academic institutions or anywhere people gather. Shopping malls will allow groups to set up a table and collect funds for registered Canadian charities. Contact the charities mentioned above or canpalnet- Ottawa for suggested speakers and appropriate literature. 

Do a pamphlet drop
Download this flyer and drop it in mailboxes in your neighbourhood. Get together with a friend, bribe your kids with pizza.  You’ll have a great time, get some exercise and do something for Palestinians.
 

Questions / Comments