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For Immediate Release
Contact:
Josie Shields-Stromsness: Josie@mecaforpeace.org, 510-759-8844, @mecaforpeace.org.
BERKELEY
Children and families in Silwan, East Jerusalem, are facing constant violence, both physical and psychological. Illegal armed settlers are taking over Palestinian homes and land, often viciously attacking Palestinians on the street. Meanwhile bulldozers carry out "administrative demolitions" which leave many homeless and threaten thousands more. Hundreds of people each year - including children as young as six, and many teenagers - are arrested, beaten, and tortured by Israeli police.
One 15-year-old prisoner writes: "They left me in the room for 5 hours with my hands tied behind my back and legs tied to each other. When I refused to confess, they slapped me and tightened my hand ties even more."
In her first US tour, Palestinian activist Sahar Abbasi Baidson will speak nationally about the Israeli arrests of Palestinian children. The tour is called "Room Number 4," because Room Number 4 is the name of the Israeli interrogation room at the Russian Compound Detention Center in Jerusalem.
WHO: SAHAR ABBASI BAIDON is Deputy Director of Madaa Silwan Creative Center in Silwan, East Jerusalem, where she works with children who have been arrested; she also runs the women's program. Sahar is the mother of four.
WHAT: The "Room Number Four" tour includes a stunning photo exhibit about the violations of Palestinian children's rights, accompanied by written testimonies from the children themselves.
WHEN: The tour is from October 21 - November 5, 2015, and includes stops in Oakland, San Francisco and Sacramento, CA; Albuquerque, NM; Milwaukee & Madison, WI; Greenville, DE; and Philadelphia, PA.
The Middle East Children's Alliance is a nonprofit organization working for the rights and the well-being of children in the Middle East. MECA supports dozens of community projects for Palestinian children and refugees from Syria. Since 1988 we have delivered $27 million in food and medical aid to Palestine, Iraq, and Lebanon. MECA welcomes the support of all people who care about children and their future.
LATEST NEWS
'We Will Not Stop,' Says Gaza Sumud Flotilla After Second Drone Attack
Footage taken from a security camera aboard the vessel shows the moment just before the strike occurs with a member of the crew nearly struck as a ball of fire hurls down on the deck:
- YouTube www.youtube.com
Following the attack, crew members of the Alma say they found the charred charred remains of an electronic device on the deck of their ship and posted a picture of it online:
In a statement, the international group behind the GSF effort, said in a social media post that while "a full investigation is ongoing, the presence of such a device provides further indication that the boat was deliberately targeted."
Following the attack, members of the GSF steering committee, issued a video explaining the nature of the attack and why it would not deter them from continuing their journey to bring life-saving supplies to Gaza and draw international attention to the carnage happening there on the ground with no end in sight.
"We know it's outrageous," said one member, Thiago Ávila, of the attack, "but it's nothing compared to what they are doing to the Palestinians in Gaza every single day. That's why we need to continue going. That's why we are prepared and we will set sail, because we know its in the hearts and the minds of the majority of the people on this planet. They cannot stand children being starved to death, hospitals being bombed, schools being bombed. And that's why we will continue to sail. We will not stop."
These repeat attacks, the group said in a separate statement, "come during intensified Israeli aggression on Palestinians in Gaza, and are an orchestrated attempt to distract and derail our mission."
"The Global Sumud Flotilla continues undeterred," the statement continued. "Our peaceful voyage to break Israel's illegal siege on Gaza and stand in unwavering solidarity with its people presses forward with determination and resolve."
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