All out July 6th -- donate and show your support!

July 6: Support the growing movement
to end the siege of Gaza!
Demonstrations to take place as Netanyahu meets with Obama

The movement to end the siege of Gaza is growing. On July 6 there will be demonstrations at the White House, and in San Francisco, Los Angeles and Syracuse, which are scheduled to coincide with the Israeli Prime Minister’s meeting with President Obama.

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A truly historic victory was won on June 20, 2010 at the Port of Oakland. For the first time ever, an Israeli ship was prevented from loading/unloading cargo in a U.S. port. The full-day shut down of work on a Zim Navigations (the national shipping line of the Israel) ship was the result of powerful picket lines at all four gates at the SSA terminal.

More than 1,000 people – many of whom may be reading this letter – joined either or both the 5:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. picket lines. The workers of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU), Local 10 – which has a long and proud history of supporting progressive causes – refused to cross the picket lines. Norwegian, Swedish and South African dock workers are refusing to handle Israeli cargo or will do so soon, and similar actions are anticipated in other countries.

We believe that we could well be at a turning point in bringing an end the inhuman blockade of Gaza which has been going on for more than four years -- and more. Now is a critical moment of opportunity to push the struggle forward. But to do so we urgently need your support.

The June 20 mass picket was organized by the recently formed Labor/Community Committee in Solidarity with the Palestinian People. The A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition played a key role in the formation of the Labor/Community Committee, which many organizations have joined.

Next step: On July 6, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu will be in Washington meeting with President Obama. The meeting was originally scheduled for June 1, the day after the deadly and piratical Israeli attack on the Gaza Freedom Flotilla. That brutal assault has triggered a wave of international outrage and protest, of which the June 20 port shutdown was the latest manifestation. Nine people died and dozens were wounded in the attack. Every day, Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza continue to be killed, wounded and imprisoned by the Israeli occupation forces – all in blatant violation of international law.

The A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition and the Muslim American Society Freedom have called a demonstration on July 6 at 12 noon at the White House in Washington, D.C. Coinciding actions has been initiated by the A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition in San Francisco at the (Israeli Consulate, 456 Montgomery St, at 4:30pm) and in Los Angeles. In Los Angeles, the A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition, along with Free Palestine Alliance, Palestinian-American Women's Association and Al-Awda have called for a demonstration at 5pm at the Westwood Federal Building (11000 Wilshire Blvd). In Syracuse, demonstrators will gather at the Federal Building (corner of Washington and Clinton) at 12 noon. We urge everyone who can to join these important and very timely protests, or to initiate similar protests in your local area.

The worldwide BDS movement (Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions) against Israeli apartheid is rapidly gaining momentum. Just last week, the largest British public workers union, UNISOM, which has more than 1.4 million members passed a motion at it’s national conference reading, in part: “Conference reaffirms the support for an economic, cultural and sporting boycott of Israel and call on Unison to join the scores of unions around the world who have endorsed the Palestinian call for boycott, divestment and sanctions against Israel. Further to that as an immediate sanction for the illegal attack on the flotilla, we call on the government to expel the Israeli ambassador.”

Your support is needed now to make the July 6 demonstrations and the other activities that will follow as successful as possible. Please click here to send an online donation or to send a check.

Yours for justice,