BostontoPalestine
Boston
support group for the International Solidarity Movement
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BostontoPalestine, or "B2P" is an all-volunteer organization
that has helped send more than forty local activists to the West
Bank since 2002 for solidarity delegations and to join in nonviolent
resistance to occupation.
We are seeking activists from the Boston area interested in building
the movement for justice in Palestine for a educational &
solidarity trip to the Palestinian West Bank. We usually organize
2-3 week trips that include moving around the West Bank as as
part of a delegation as well as an individual internship volunteering
in a particular community or two. We also support and train individual
activists who want to go to the West Bank and volunteer with
organizations such as ISM, IWPS, and others ( see below).
Our goal is to give participants a first hand sense of the crisis
and equip them to inform and activate their communities. Delegates
will visit Palestinian cities, villages, and refugee camps, and
meet with Palestinian and Israeli peace & justice activists,
organizations, community groups, and families. Delegates will
stay in Palestinian homes when possible. There will be
a special emphasis on conversations about how participants can
support Palestinian efforts through divestment or other solidarity
campaigns on US campuses.
Participant Requirements:
Fundraising: Participants are required to help fund their
trips prior to their departure and help fundraise for the trips
of others upon return. Fundraising support will be
offered and grants are available.
Meetings: Attendance at 4 meetings in the Boston area prior
to the trip, and successful completion of a two-day training
in the Boston area.
On return: It is our expectation that you will come back
to the US and build the movement for justice in Palestine. We
are looking for people who want to educate and activate others
in their campus communities.
if you are interested in visiting Palestine of just want to work with us to raise awareness locally, please contact us!!!
- The
International Solidarity Movement
The International Solidarity Movement is a Palestinian-led movement of Palestinian and International activists working to raise awareness of the struggle for Palestinian freedom and an end to Israeli occupation. - International Women's Peace Service (IWPS)
IWPS-Palestine is an international team of women based in Haris (a village in the Salfit Governorate of the West Bank) who provide international accompaniment to Palestinian civilians, document and nonviolently intervene in human rights abuses, support acts of nonviolent resistance to end the brutal and illegal military Occupation and oppose the Apartheid Wall.
Going to Palestine >> introduction
For some, the decision to go to Palestine is a relatively simple one. But even if you have been there before and know what to expect, or you're just a "roll with the punches" kind of person, going to Palestine to do direct action requires serious consideration and planning.
In this section, we attempt to highlight some of the issues you should take into account when planning your trip, and to provide field-tested advice. We will update this site as we learn more, but we strongly urge you to attend a meeting or other BostontoPalestine events in order to ask questions of delegates.
Going to Palestine >> who will be there
The number and diversity of activists who have and are planning to go to Palestine is impressive. However, due to the de-centralized nature of grassroots activism, newcomers are easily overwhelmed or confused by who is exactly doing what, where, and why.
The important thing to remember, is that there are several organizations within Palestine, Israel, the US, Europe, and possibly elsewhere in the world, that facilitate non-violent international civilian activists coming to the Palestine.
Some of these groups, including BostontoPalestine, identify themselves as part of a larger wave of non-violent Palestinian activism known as the International Solidarity Movement (ISM). Some ISM campaigns that BostontoPalestine have sent delegates to are Freedom Summer Campaign (Summer 2002) and the Olive Harvest Campaign (Fall 2002).
Ideally, BostontoPalestine would like to have several activists present in Palestine for all of ISM's campaigns. If you missed Freedom Summer and the Olive Harvest Campaigns, but would still like to to, contact us and we will try to put you in touch with others who will be in Palestine when you are planning to go.
Going to Palestine >> preparing ahead
Until we can put together something more substantial, here's some advice:
Get to know the issues and the history.
Check out this link for a quick history on the region: ZNet - The Origins of the Palestinian - Israeli Conflict by Jews for Justice
Books: Two good ones are Fateful Triangle (Noam Chomsky), Question of Palestine (Edward Said). There are many others.
Get some training Before you go. When you get to Palestine there will likely be a day or two of intensive training and role-playing. However, ISM expects you to get at least some of the formal training described here:
Nonviolence Training: Philosophy, History, Strategy, Role-Playing (a peace organization in your community likely can provide this)
Media Training: Role-play thinking on your feet, powerful sound bites, how to negotiate with reporters and editors, how to write to get into press, etc...
Medical and Psychological Preparation: Going to a place where American F-16s and helicopters gun ships are used to attack civilians means being prepared to face such situations. There may be a doctor or EMT in your area that is familiar with street-medic training or basic emergency functions to know. Also, talking with a psychologist before and after you go could be helpful in processing difficult stresses and traumas.
Try to speak with someone who has been
there. BostontoPalestine can provide some help with this and
we can refer you to people possibly near you who have been there
as well.
There's an international email list for people that want to keep
abreast of the activities of the International Solidarity Movement.
You'll get about one post a day, at most. Send an email message
to:
Be sure you get adequate rest before going and try to be in the best health possible before leaving. When you're in Palestine, be sure you respect your personal boundaries and limitations --- eat regularly, sleep as much as you can and find time alone and with other internationals to discuss and listen.
This experience may (will) radically change you. Your experience may challenge your friends, families, and co-workers perceptions and beliefs about what our taxes are doing in the Middle East. Don't fret. Just don't forget that you're not alone. The ISM experience will teach you that.
Going to Palestine >> how much will it cost
A major issue for most people who want to go to Palestine is a lack of funds. Fundraising can be intimidating, especially for people not used to asking for money. However, BostontoPalestine plans a variety of fundraisers to defray costs. We will try to assist you with your personal fundraising efforts. A limited number of scholarships may be available for upcoming ISM campaigns. Please contact us to find out more.
So, how much will you need? Below is a sample budget prepared by a participant from a former delegation.
If you're planning to go for a 3 or 4 week trip, figure:
$850 for roundtrip airfare thru Tel Aviv or Amman
$600 for housing, some meals and transportation
$ 50 for internet fees
$200 for cell phone and calls (buy one there)
$100 for miscellaneous (postage for mailing, small gifts for families, etc..)
$400 for emergency$2200* Total
(*If you want to do video or other camera work, figure in those costs as well)
Some suggestions on how to raise the money:
Determine how much you can contribute.
Ask family and close friends for a generous donation. It is best
to tell them how much you need and ask for a specific amount.
If you still need more, write a letter addressing why you're going, how much you need, and what you plan to do when you return. Email and snail mail all your friends and comrades. Within a week CALL THEM UP and ask them for a specific amount. Most will give you something. You may find some will even give you more than you ask for.
If you still need more, tap into any network
or community group you have ties to.
Read the book by Kim Klein Fundraising for Social Change.
Get creative: hold a fundraiser, yard sale, bake sale, etc.
Consider having a send-off party with you as speaker, food, and
other SHORT speeches by friends.
Post-fundraising work:
Be sure to send or call thank-yous to everyone who donated. Also, to keep people involved, whether they've donated money or not, is to create an email listserve (with Riseup, Yahoo or Topica) that will keep all your supporters informed of your trip, before, during and after. If electricity is up and running and internet cafes are open in Palestine, you can post reports right from Palestine.
Going to Palestine >> what will we do there
At previous ISM gatherings, activists have participated, with Palestinian and Israeli activists, in a variety of non-violent direct actions aimed at resisting and protesting the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land.
Please be assured that BostontoPalestine does not encourage or pressure anyone to participate an action that is beyond their comfort level. Some actions are riskier than others, and you should use your own judgment.
Some actions which DAP has taken in the past include:
- Dismantling earthen roadblocks
- Observing and intervening at checkpoints
- Taking over a checkpoint
- Solidarity visits to Palestinian homes
- Wheat-pasting a tank
- Protesting the Israeli take-over of the Orient House, and more.
- Helping to record testimonies of survivors of the invasion in Jenin Refugee Camp and Nablus
- Providing ongoing medical assistance
- Helping rebuild homes and buildings bulldozed and blown up by the Israeli army
- Speaking to (live from Palestine) and writing about the situation
- Delivering food and medicine
- Escorting people to hospitals and relatives' homes