FILM: Salt of this Sea at our November Meeting

November 10th, 2011 • Events, Film & Documentary, News
Tags: cannes, film, meeting, november, oscar, Salt of This Sea

As part of our November branch meeting we’ll be showing the award-winning film “Salt of this Sea” – a 2008 Official Selection at Cannes and Palestine’s OSCAR entry for Best Foreign Language Film.

When? 8pm Thursday 17th November 2011

Where? Room 3, RISC, London Street, Reading , RG1 4PS (above the Global Cafe)

Soraya, born in Brooklyn in a working class community of Palestinian refugees, discovers that her grandfather’s savings were frozen in a bank account in Jaffa when he was exiled in 1948. Stubborn, passionate and determined to reclaim what is hers, she fulfills her life-long dream of “returning” to Palestine. Once there, slowly she is taken apart by the reality around her and is forced to confront her own anger. She meets Emad, a young Palestinian whose ambition, contrary to hers, is to leave forever. Tired of the constraints that dictate their lives, they know in order to be free, they must take things into their own hands, even if it’s illegal.

Find out more at the Official Website…

RIF2011 Event: PALESTINE: A People in Resistance.

October 20th, 2011 • Events, News
Tags: 2011, Barnard-Boecker Foundation Centre, Events, festival, free, reading, Reading International Festival, risc, Steven Sizer, Theresa Wolfwood

Click to download the flyer

Monday 24th October 2011 @ 7.30pm

PALESTINE: A People in Resistance.

Don’t miss this powerful and moving presentation of a story of non violent resistance and the amazing resilience of a people who live daily under Israeli occupation by Theresa Wolfwood. Theresa is Director of the Barnard-Boecker Foundation Centre in Canada and a longstanding human rights activist. She has over the years built up deep contacts in all areas of Palestinian society, in the villages and cities of the West Bank to the refugee camps of Lebanon and Jordan. Often at the cutting edge of that resistance, she has been tear gassed and threatened by Israeli soldiers.

7.30pm Monday 24th October 2011 – Room 3, RISC (Above Global Cafe), 35- 39 London Street, RG1 4PS.

Free Entrance. A Joint RISC/Reading Palestine Solidarity Campaign Event.

Join us for the Reading International Festival 2011!

September 29th, 2011 • Events, News
Tags: 2011, Barnard-Boecker Foundation Centre, Events, festival, free, reading, Reading International Festival, risc, Steven Sizer, Theresa Wolfwood

We’re happy to announce two FREE events as part of the Reading International Festival 2011!

Click to download the flyer

Wednesday 19 October 2011 @ 7.45pm

THE MIDDLE EAST CONFLICT: A Christian Perspective

A free talk by the Reverend Dr Stephen Sizer, author and frequent visitor to the Middle East discussing the negative roll of the USA on the Israeli/Palestine peace process. He will discuss the negative and perverse way these beliefs distort the American political understanding of the Israeli/Palestine conflict. The Reverend Stephen Sizer is a leading expert on Christian Zionism especially in the USA.

7.45pm Wednesday 19th October 2011 – Large Hall, RISC (Above Global Cafe), 35 – 39 London Street, Reading, RG1 4PS

Refreshments, Palestinian Fairtrade Goods And Handicrafts Will Be Available.

&

Click to download the flyer

Monday 24th October 2011 @ 7.30pm

PALESTINE: A People in Resistance.

Don’t miss this powerful and moving presentation of a story of non violent resistance and the amazing resilience of a people who live daily under Israeli occupation by Theresa Wolfwood. Theresa is Director of the Barnard-Boecker Foundation Centre in Canada and a longstanding human rights activist. She has over the years built up deep contacts in all areas of Palestinian society, in the villages and cities of the West Bank to the refugee camps of Lebanon and Jordan. Often at the cutting edge of that resistance, she has been tear gassed and threatened by Israeli soldiers.

7.30pm Monday 24th October 2011 – Room 3, RISC (Above Global Cafe), 35- 39 London Street, RG1 4PS.

Free Entrance. A Joint RISC/Reading Palestine Solidarity Campaign Event.

FILM: Budrus at our September Meeting

September 9th, 2011 • Events, Film & Documentary, News
Tags: Budrus, documentary, meeting, september

“It takes a village to unite the
most divided people on earth.”

We’ll be showing the award-winning film Budrus, an inspiring film chronicling the peaceful protests of Palestinians in the West Bank, at our September meeting. Trailer:

When? 8pm Thursday 15th Sept 2011

Where? Room 3, RISC, London Street, Reading , RG1 4PS(above the Global Cafe)

Budrus is an award-winning feature documentary film about a Palestinian community organizer, Ayed Morrar, who unites local Fatah and Hamas members along with Israeli supporters in an unarmed movement to save his village of Budrus from destruction by Israel’s Separation Barrier. Success eludes them until his 15-year-old daughter, Iltezam, launches a women’s contingent that quickly moves to the front lines. Struggling side by side, father and daughter unleash an inspiring, yet little-known, movement in the Occupied Palestinian Territories that is still gaining ground today. In an action-filled documentary chronicling this movement from its infancy, Budrus shines a light on people who choose nonviolence to confront a threat.

Find out more at the Official Website…
Watch AJE’s Fabulous Picture Show on the Budrus

FILM: Death in Gaza – Free Screening

July 1st, 2011 • Events, Film & Documentary, News
Tags: Basingstoke Activist Film Group, Death in Gaza, free, QMC, screening

Our friends at Basingstoke Activist Film Group will be showing the “Death in Gaza” this Saturday. A harrowing, Emmy award-winning, documentary that portrays the horror of conflict.

The film opens in the West Bank, moving to Gaza and eventually Rafah. It concentrates on 3 children (Ahmed, Mohammed and Najla), concluding with the tragic death of its director, James Miller.

Admission is FREE + free cake & homemade lemonade! To be followed by Q&A and discussion with BAFG and PSC.

Saturday 2nd July @ 10.30am – 1.30pm

Queen Mary’s College, Cliddesden Road, Basingstoke, RG21 3HF

(look out for BAFG members at the QMC Reception)

*The film is rated 15, so may not be suitable for a young audience.

World Refugee Day: 1 in 3 Refugees is Palestinian

June 20th, 2011 • Awareness, Events, News
Tags: UNHCR, unrwa, World Refugee Day

On World Refugee Day, let us reaffirm the importance of solidarity and burden-sharing by the international community. Refugees have been deprived of their homes, but they must not be deprived of their futures – UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon

A Palestinian refugee is a person whose normal place of residence was Palestine during the period between 1 June 1946 and 15 May 1948 and those who both lost their homes and means of livelihood as a result of the 1948 conflict (as defined by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, UNRWA).

One in every three refugees in the world is Palestinian.

There are approximately 7 million Palestinian refugees in the world and they can be categorised as:

The original ‘Nakhba refugees’ and their descendants (4.5 million)
The 1967 Six Day War refugees and descendants (1 million)
‘Low intensity population transfer’ refugees and other refugees

All refugees have the right to return to their homes and/ or receive compensation for the loss or damage of their properties. Israel has been deliberately denying the right to return of the Palestinian refugees which is a clear violation of international law.

‘We should do whatever it takes to prevent the Palestinians from coming back to their homes. The old will die and the young will eventually forget’ – words of Israel’s first Prime Minister, David Ben-Gurion.

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Related:

UNHCR’s “Do 1 Thing” campaign
UNRWA’s “Peace Starts Here” project – stories from the camps

via Stephen Sizer and PSC Thailand

Ben White Talk: Israel – Democracy or Apartheid, 8pm Thu 21/4/2011

April 16th, 2011 • Events, News
Tags: ben white, event, Israel - Democracy or Apartheid, talk

8pm Thursday 21 April 2011 @ Room 3, RISC, Reading

We’ll be replaying a talk freelance journalist and author Ben White gave to West London PSC recently.

This clear, succinct and powerful talk on the Apartheid nature of Israel is presented with evidence for that analysis. Described by members of West London PSC as “one of the best talks” they had been to.

To be followed by discussion and our monthly branch meeting. Refreshments will be available.

We look forward to seeing you!

Call us on our new number 0118 307 0037, or by email if you have any questions.

The talk highlights many of the issues raised in Ben White’s new book Israeli Apartheid: A Beginner’s Guide

Book Launch: Afif Safieh’s “The Peace Process From Breakthrough to Breakdown” – 10 March

February 13th, 2011 • Events, News
Tags: Afif Safieh, book, launch, reading, risc, The Peace Process from Breakthrough to Breakdown, World Shop

Afif Safieh will be in Reading to launch his new book, “The Peace Process from Breakthrough to Breakdown”, on Thursday 10 March 2010 at 6pm. Reading PSC is supporting the event which will be held at the RISC World Shop.

This is a FREE event, but PLEASE book your place with Bente from RISC, by phone: 0118 958 6692 or email bente [at] risc.org.uk

Download flyer here…

Palestinian Oliver Farmers on Fairtrade Fortnight Tour with Zaytoun

February 13th, 2011 • Events, News
Tags: Fairtrade, Fairtrade Fortnight, Olives, Pakistani Community Centre, palestinian, PCC, PSC, risc, Za’atar, zaytoun

In a joint Pakistani Community Centre, Reading PSC & RISC event on 7pm Tuesday 1st March, as part of Fairtrade Fortnight, Palestinian olive farmers will be visiting Reading with Zaytoun. The event will be held at the Pakistani Community Centre (Park Hall, London Road, Reading, RG1 3PA). Download the flyer here…

Gaza Global Day of Action – 18 Jan 2011

January 18th, 2011 • Action, Events, News
Tags: amnesty, anniversary, gaza, Global Day of Action

From Amnesty UK:

Demand justice for all victims of the 2008-2009 conflict in Gaza and southern Israel

18 January 2011 marks the second anniversary of the end of the conflict in Gaza and southern Israel but the victims have yet to receive justice or reparations.

Between 27 December 2008 and 18 January 2009, a brutal conflict between Israel and Palestinian armed groups took place in Gaza and Israel.

Months later, the victims of this conflict are still being denied justice, truth and reparations due to the ongoing failure of the international community to effectively challenge impunity. Both Israel and Hamas have been allowed to fail in fulfilling the recommendations of the Goldstone report.

We need you to help us successfully challenge the attitudes and arguments that support the continuing impunity by lobbying for the UK Government to support an international justice solution such as a referral to the International Criminal Court.