War on Want summer 2009 Palestine event
15 July 2009
Against this backdrop, War on Want held a Palestine event on 9 July as part of the global day of action against the Separation Wall. Around one hundred people attended the event, which also launched journalist Ben White's new book Israel Apartheid: A Beginners Guide. Held at Toynbee Hall, East London, the author spoke about the book's findings in conversation with War on Want's Executive Director John Hilary.
War on Want staff reported back from their recent trip to Palestine and the human rights situation they witnessed in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. These included powerful stories of visits to Aida Refugee Camp in Bethlehem, meeting with olive farmers in Anin, visiting the village of Bi'lin, which is being threatened by the building of the Separation Wall, and meeting with Israeli and Palestinian activists trying resist the occupation. A lively and passionate Q&A with the audience followed.
The meeting ended with a call to action from War on Want's Senior Global Justice campaigner Yasmin Khan, who described the work of War on Want's partners in Palestine and encouraged the audience to take up Palestinian civil society's call for a boycott, divestment and sanctions movement in order to put pressure on Israel to end its human rights violations and comply with international law.
Comment:
