MEPJAC Round Table at Congress

Published on September, 51 2021

By Odile Hugonot Haber 
Co-chair of MEPJAC

September 2021

Following an introduction to the committee's work, a video message from Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib was played, reflecting her hopes and dreams for peace and reconciliation between the peoples of Israel/Palestine. https://youtu.be/ccNJ1YSe00c

Then we proceeded to our panelists, who covered the topics of arms sales to the region, the role of oil, women prisoners (a poem), the importance of Black-Palestinian solidarity, the situation on the ground, and the need to remove Hamas from the U.S. terrorist list and re-start peace talks.  The speakers covered each of these subjects that our committee has been working on for some time.  We hope some audience members are intrigued by the content and will want to join with MEPJAC in our work on these issues.

Odile Hugonot Haber, committee Co-chair, presented the issue of arms sales to the Middle East.  This is a link to her paper: https://tinyurl.com/ujsrdcxd

Next Charlotte Dennett spoke about her book and the fact that the gasoline pipelines are a primary cause of why the United States is invested in the Middle East This is a link to her book: https://www.chelseagreen.com/writer/charlotte-dennett/

Marlena Santoyo read us a beautiful poem written by a Palestinian mother who was in an Israeli jails while her daughter died and she could not go to attend her burial. Here is a link to her poem: https://tinyurl.com/9nwn3r84

Desmera Gatewood told us about her recent travel to Palestine, and emphasized the similarities in the struggle of Black Americans and that of the Palestinian people.  Her talk brought the issue down to a personal level.

Barbara Taft spoke on Hamas at the Peace Table, you can find a link to our guide on our website. View booklet "Hamas at the Middle East Peace Table: Why?" 

Or View "Hamas Since 2015" 

Several speakers listed Action Items so that participants can choose which actions they would like to carry out.  The items are listed here, and can also be accessed online.

  1. Inform your representatives 
  2. Move the money invested in your retirement. 
  3. Divest from the corporations that are working on armament and invest in other corporations that sustain life.  
  4. Divest your town‘s funds like they did in Cambridge. 
  5. Follow Divest-Boycott and Sanctions (BDS)  
  6. Become pipeline trackers. Understand the role of oil in the Great Game in ME conflicts, which continues to this day. Make connections with pipeline warriors and climate activists in the US and around the world and emphasize the importance of divesting from oil, which is deadly to human life. 

We hope to be working towards a Weapons of Mass Destruction Free Zone, in the Middle East which means we would get rid in that region of nuclear, biological and chemical weapons. We would do that by supporting: 

  • the NPT (Nuclear Proliferation Treaty) and  
  • the new Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) 
  • the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) and  
  • the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BTWC.)  

Our presentations didn't end there.  On Sunday, Nada Farhat, who is a member of both the Lebanon section and the U.S. section, presented a brief film and discussion of the current situation in Lebanon, which included two members of the Lebanon section speaking to us from that beleaguered country.

In addition to our Roundtable discussion, one of our members, Jan Corderman, did a Sunday presentation on The Tent of Nations, including a discussion with Daoud Nassar, on whose farm the project takes place.  Daoud participated from the farm, which is located near Bethlehem. Tent of Nations – People Building Bridges. Share the website link: www.tentofnations.org 

There was also at Congress a presentation for the Bereaved Parents for Peace:  http://www.refusingtokill.net/Israel/BereavedParents.htm

Middle East Actions: ACT NOW!
Also find this list at here: https://wilpfus.org/our-work/middle-east-peace-justice-action

WILPF US Middle East Peace & Justice Action Committee
Barbara Taft, Co-Chair: beejayssite@yahoo.com; 480-380-6325
Odile Hugonot Haber: odilehh@gmail.com; 734-769-2971 

 

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Updates