1. Palestinian health going backwards
2. Reconstruction aid has political strings attached.
3. Students mobilize for Palestine
4. British government boycotts Leviev’s building!
5. Avigdor Lieberman – Israel’s next Foreign Minister
6. Destroying Palestinian lives in the West Bank
7. Focus on Gaza: UN OCHA Report
8. Emergency Lobby on Gaza – tell your MP to act now!
9. PSC Activists Days- Campaigning to change government policy and build a mass solidarity movement: 14 March Bristol / 21 March London
10. Upcoming Events

1. Palestinian health going backwards says Lancet
Lancet’s report, released on 5 March, lists in devastating detail the impact of occupation and war on the Palestinian people. It uses a number of measures to assess health, including the infant mortality rate, which stalled between 2000 and 2006 at 27 per 1000 live births, compared to 3.9 per 1000 in Israel.

Lancet’s editor, Richard Horton, introduced the report: “Since 2000, the occupied Palestinian territory has experienced increasing human insecurity, with the erosion and reversal of many health gains made in earlier years…These setbacks, together with the latest Israeli air and ground attacks on Gaza, have plunged the region into a humanitarian crisis.”

The report argues that ‘hope for improving the health and quality of life of Palestinians will exist only once people recognize that the structural and political conditions that they endure in the Occupied Palestinian Territory are the key determinants of population health’.

The report can be read online at
www.thelancet.com/series/health-in
-the-occupied-palestinian-territory

2. Donors’ conference pledges billions for Gaza – but aid has political strings attached.
An interesting article on the Time website argues against the insistence at the donors’ conference, discussing the reconstruction of Gaza, to exclude Hamas. Its author, Scott McCleod, who is Time’s Cairo correspondent, concludes that  ‘the road to peace, and even the path to rebuilding Gaza, which was left in utter devastation during the last war with Israel, will be a long and difficult one. But if peace is truly the goal, it’s going to require a seat for all parties at the table’. 
mideast.blogs.time.com/2009/03/04/gaza-aid-con-ignoring-hamas/

Please also see the letter in the Guardian from Betty Hunter, PSC General Secretary– End the empty gestures and recognise Palestinian rights
www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/mar/04/
gaza-aid-israel-siege-palestine

3. Students mobilize for Palestine
Occupations have now taken place at over 30 universities, with students coming out in force to support the Palestinian people. PSC has provided resources and local and national speakers around the country.

British government boycotts Leviev’s building!
Another victory in the boycott campaign, the British embassy in Tel Aviv will not be moved to a building partially owned by a company, Africa-Israel, which is linked to settlements, and owned by Lev Leviev.

According to Haaretz on 4 March, ‘Due to the public pressure, a special debate was held in the British parliament several months ago. Kim Howells, then minister of state at the Foreign Office charged with Middle East affairs, was asked to explain plans to move to the embassy into the building.

‘Ambassador Tom Phillips requested details from Africa-Israel about the nature of its activities in the settlements, and a week ago, the British embassy in Tel Aviv received the information. As a result, plans to move into the tower were frozen.

‘The embassy in Tel Aviv confirmed the details of the story and explained that its decision stemmed from the fact that Africa-Israel’s response regarding its involvement in settlement activity failed to assuage Britain’s concerns’

4. Avigdor Lieberman – Israel’s next Foreign Minister
Palestine Monitor have published an article on their website exposing Avigdor Lieberman’s views – a must-read. The weblink is below these two paragraphs:

‘In July 2003 Ariel Sharon made a commitment to the US that 350 Palestinian prisoners in Israel should be given amnesty. Lieberman, being the Minister of Transportation at the time, reacted by refusing to participate in the related committee and said, “It would be better to drown these prisoners in the Dead Sea if possible, since that’s the lowest point in the world,” and added that he willingly would transport them there himself.

In January 2009, during Israel’s massacre in Gaza, Lieberman said “the soldiers succeeded, but the politicians failed. They didn’t let the army complete the operation.”’
www.palestinemonitor.org/spip/spip.php?article852
It also has a brief summary of Netanyahu: ‘Understanding Bibi’ www.palestinemonitor.org/spip/spip.php?article848

5. Destroying Palestinian lives in the West Bank
Israeli authorities ordered on Monday, February 23rd, the demolition of 88 Palestinian homes in East Jerusalem , which will displace some 1500 residents.

And a report by the Israeli left-wing NGO Peace Now released on Monday 2 March says that the Israeli government is planning to build more than 73,300 new housing units in the West Bank. Peace Now estimates that if all of the units are built, it would mean a 100-percent increase in the total number of Israeli settlers. The report says that some settlements, including the two largest Ariel and Ma’aleh Adumim, would double in size.
See also the PCHR report on the continuing attacks at:
www.pchrgaza.org/files/W_report/English/2008/05-03-2009.htm

6. Interpal cleared by Charities Commission
Ibrahim Hewitt, Chair of Interpal, the British charity which provides humanitarian assistance to Palestinians, has stated that “Interpal has been vindicated” by the report of the Charity Commission inquiry, published on 27 February.

The inquiry found that “there has been nothing brought to the inquiry’s attention that suggests that the charity’s funding has been siphoned off for inappropriate or non-charitable purposes. The report goes on to say that “Interpal did maintain clear financial audit trails in their delivery of aid for humanitarian purposes”. It also said “allegations of bias in the distribution of aid were unfounded”.
More details: www.interpal.info/archives/2245#more-2245

7. Focus on Gaza: UN OCHA Report
The latest UN OCHA report details Israel’s continued siege on Gaza, pointing out that ‘A range of essential goods, including supplies and equipment needed for rebuilding, are not being allowed into the territory. In the past week, 50 Early Childhood Development Kits and 57 boxes of children’s toys from UNICEF were prevented from being transported to Gaza by the Israeli authorities. According to COGAT, the Israeli civil-military liaison body, the toys were not a humanitarian priority.’
www.ochaopt.org/documents/ocha_opt_gaza_
humanitarian_situation_report_2009_03_02_english.pdf

And Al-Jazeera are running a weekly show, Focus on Gaza, which can be watched on satellite or on their website: english.aljazeera.net/programmes/general
/2009/02/2009220135633240902.html

8. Emergency Lobby on Gaza – tell your MP to act now!
If you haven’t already done so, make sure you are coming down to the lobby on Gaza next Wednesday 11 March. We have to ensure that MPs and our government are in no doubt about the pressure from constituents. Lobbying does make a difference – so help us turn the pressure up!
We will have a number of experts on hand at the lobby in the afternoon to answer any questions you have, and to speak to MPs. Thanks to everyone who has already told us about their meetings with their MPs – please do carry on letting the office know.

9. PSC Activists Days- Campaigning to change government policy and build a mass solidarity movement
14 March Bristol 12-4pm: Broadmead Baptist Church, Union Street: BS1 3HY

POSTPONED  Sheffield –

21 March  London 12- 4 pm   University of London Union, Malet Street

These activists days aim to involve new and recent members with local branches in building the campaign and extending the reach of PSC.   More activists days will be set up over the next few months and we would like to hear from branches which would like to host them.

We will focus on discussion on the current situation and dealing with difficult political issues. We will be looking at how to build support including; working locally, acting globally; getting the message out; liaising with local media; lobbying MPs and MEPs; and involving all sections of the community.

Local activists, members of the EC and a media expert will be present at each day to explore how best to achieve our aims

10. Upcoming events
Ahava picket this Saturday in Covent Garden
7 March 2009 12:00 to 15:00
Location: 39 Monmouth Street, Covent Garden, London, WC2H 9DD
www.bigcampaign.org/

Killing is a crime – Dying is not : Defend the right to speak out for Palestine Join our protest
2 p.m. Thursday March 12 at the City of London Magistrates Court
1 Queen Victoria Street, London, EC4N 4XY
www.palestinecampaign.org/index9b.asp?m_id=
1&l1_id=3&l2_id=62&Content_ID=469

Please visit the PSC website for more events, actions and protests around the UK: www.palestinecampaign.org

The Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) aims to raise public awareness about the occupation of Palestine and the struggle of the Palestinian people. PSC seek to bring pressure on both the British and Israeli government to bring their policies in line with international law. PSC is an independent, non-governmental and non-party political organisation with members from communities across the UK. Join PSC today!

Palestine Solidarity Campaign
Box BM PSA
London
WC1N 3XX
Tel:   020 7700 6192
Fax:  020 7609 7779
Email: info@palestinecampaign.org
Web: www.palestinecampaign.org