Call: Activists and Attorneys to Palestine

This is an open call to apply for participation in a delegation to Palestine organized by Al-Awda-NY, The Palestine Right to Return Coalition and the Palestine Solidarity Group (PSG) of Chicago. If you are currently active or wish to become active in organizing for justice for Palestine and participating in Palestine solidarity work, please consider taking part in a trip to Palestine to witness Israeli military occupation and colonization first-hand.

The delegation will be made up of people from various national, racial, religious, and class backgrounds; will travel throughout the West Bank and Jerusalem to experience how the occupation affects different cities and villages, and the people who live there; and will also meet with people and groups inside 1948 Palestine (“Israel”) fighting against the institutionalized racism against Palestinians there, with a focus on Political Prisoners.

The delegation will also include a number of attorneys who will document Palestinian conditions throughout Palestine, the “application” of racist “Israeli” laws, and the treatment of Political Prisoners from a legal persepctive.

*Mission Statement*

Al-Awda-NY and the PSG-Chicago are organizing an international solidarity delegation to Palestine for this coming summer. Delegates will spend time with various Palestinian organizations working to build an infrastructure of resistance through organizing and advocacy in Palestine and abroad. We want to make it clear that we will not be engaged in any form of direct action in Palestine, but rather we seek to build an organizing trategy for work in the United States based on the first-hand experience gained by participating in the delegation.

We encourage all people who are serious about learning more about the conditions of the Palestinian people and who will be committed to being part of the Palestine solidarity movement upon their return to the U.S. to join us. We expect the delegates to give reports in their communities, write stories for their local papers, organize local solidarity committees, and undertake any other form of activism that builds from their experiences in Palestine. We also intend on maintaining connections with delegates and forming a large network of activists devoted to justice in Palestine. We understand that people’s time and resources are limited, but we are convinced that anyone spending time in Palestine will feel a strong connection to the people and their struggle and return to the U.S. with renewed dedication to do whatever they can to bring about justice for the Palestinian people.

Potential delegates must fill out an application and undergo an interview/screening process. We see fundraising as a collective responsibility of both the Awda-PSG and all delegates, so everyone is expected to participate in fundraising efforts. Al-Awda and The Palestine Solidarity Group is committed to supporting five basic principles:

1. the Right to Return, compensation, and restitution for all Palestinian refugees and their descendants;
2. the end of the illegal occupation and colonization of Palestinian lands;
3. the right of Palestinians to defend themselves against Israeli aggression;
4. self-determination and national liberation for Palestinians;
5. the release of all Palestinian political prisoners in Israeli and Palestinian Authority (PA) jails.

Please log onto https://al-awdany.org and http://www.psgchicago.org for additional information about the group, our campaigns.