🍉 VanGran4Pal Community Newsletter
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**Neighbours and Friends, **
Join us this September in getting back into committed, sustainable advocacy to free Palestine. This edition of the newsletter shares key updates on the Arms Embargo demands, upcoming Day of Action to boycott Indigo, and meaningful events.
We will not cease in our demands for an end to genocide and freedom for the Palestinian people. We demand that our representatives have a moral backbone. In the words of June Jordan, poet and activist, “the issue of the Palestinian people is the issue of the value of human life.”
In hope and solidarity - Van Gran 4 Pal
Action Updates
Arms Embargo Update
We have seen the materialization of one of the anticipated actions that Taleeb had mentioned at previous meetings: the blocking of proposed arms sales to Israel via the US by General Dynamics. While a change in Canada’s public stance on weapons transfers is positive, there are still lots of unanswered questions** **about existing and future permits for weapons sales, and how exactly sales via the US will be halted.
Despite this step forward, Justin Trudeau’s recent comments** not only failed to condemn the genocide but continued to perpetuate the myth of children being used as human shields in Gaza, while failing to mention the literal use of Palestinians as human shields tied to trucks in the West Bank by the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF). He also continues to parrot that Israel has a right to defend itself within international law when in reality an occupying force has NO right to defend itself from those it is illegally occupying based on international law. **And he made no comments about the collective punishment of innocent civilians showing that Canada continues to be complicit in this genocide by giving political cover to Israel’s actions. Based on his comments, it appears that any positive actions are being done reluctantly as a result of public pressure rather than a moral decision on his part. This is one of the reasons the NDP has broken their coalition with Liberal party.
There is clearly a schism within the Liberal party regarding its stance on Palestine. Justin Trudeau’s popularity has plummeted and there is a possibility he could get replaced. We should continue to put pressure on MPs, work with those who have signed onto the Arms Embargo campaign and who support our position, and stress that the federal government needs to take a moral stand. We demand that permits be cancelled not just suspended, clear proof that the flow of weapons through the US has stopped, and stronger economic and political sanctions on Israel comparable to those placed on apartheid South Africa in the past.
‘Indigo Kills Kids’ National Day of Action on Sept 25
Reminder: Get involved with the ‘Indigo Kills Kids’ National Day of Action to encourage folks to boycott Indigo. Indigo’s CEO has funnelled over $185M into a “charity” that supports the Israeli military. Check out IndigoKillsKids.ca to learn more and sign up to adopt a local Indigo/Chapters location on the Day of Action!
Upcoming Events
Threading Hope: Tatreez & Tea for Gaza - Sep 14
Saturday, September 14
2:30-4:30 pm
Surrey Central Library (Room 401)
Minimum Donation $35
**Seats are limited. **Click here for details and registration instructions.
Join a special Tatreez (Palestinian embroidery) circle. Whether you’re a beginner or have experience, this is a chance to learn, connect, and make a difference. All proceeds will go directly to the GoFundMe for Khalid and his family, who desperately need evacuation support.
Palestine to Philippines: Release All Political Prisoners! - Sep 17
Tuesday, September 176-8 pm1022 Nelson St, #100, St. Andrew’s Wesley United Church
Click here for details.** RSVP by emailing cps.humanrights@gmail.com**
From Palestine, to Turtle Island, to the Philippines, political prisoners are the heart and conscience of all peoples’ movements struggling for human rights, self-determination, and just peace. Join Canada-Philippines Solidarity for Human Rights (CPSHR) for a primer on the situation of Filipino political prisoners. During the event we will cover:- Who are political prisoners and what is their current situation?- What are the legal frameworks and factors that breed political prisoners?- How do the Filipino people resist state terror?- What is the role of international solidarity and how can we support political prisoners from where we are?
Facing Canada’s Complicity: Palestine & the Arts - Sept 19
Thursday, September 196 pm271 Union St, Vancouver (outdoor location); Backup location in case of rain: 825 Pacific St, same day/time.
Admission by donation. Click here for details.** **
Screening, reading, discussion & solidarity gathering. 100% of the proceeds will be donated to Palestinian humanitarian aid.
How does so-called civilized society dismiss a genocide? The current explosion of anti-Palestinian racism, anti-Arab racism, and Islamophobia is symptomatic of an ongoing imperial project whose doctrines implicitly proliferate within our cultural and media landscapes. Focusing on historical precedents and collective resistance, artists, writers, journalists, and educators turn the lens upon the colonial state, naming our complicity in the ongoing attack on Gaza and the West Bank amidst the present rise of fascism and erosion of rights within civil society.
Pop Up Shop @ Sisters Sage - Sept 21/22
Saturday & Sunday, September 21 & 2210 am - 6 pm1312 Kingsway
Community Spotlight
A community member speaks with Fahed in Gaza
This is Fahed Abu Zaida, a Palestinian refugee who is currently displaced in the central Gaza strip, separated from his brother, niece and nephew in the North. His other beloved brother, Abdul Hay, was martyred at the beginning of the genocide, in a bombing by the occupation that destroyed his family home. Abdul was about to get married and move into a new apartment; he was full of life, love, and joy.
Fahed’s days are filled with grief and terror. He talks to me often about the psychological warfare of the occupation, telling me on August 8th: “I went alone to the sea to get some air and contemplating the sunset. Do you want [to know] what I see at long distances? Zionist warships. And a helicopter. And an F16 plane flying in our skies. This is the only place you can relax despite all the pressures. We don’t have another nice place.”
Along with the torturous presence of the occupation, Fahed describes the small ways in which the Israel entity keeps Palestinians dehumanized. They barely have any clothes, hygiene is lacking, diseases and pests are spread throughout the tents, water is dirty, and when aid does arrive, it is stolen and resold for high prices. Fahed states, “Problems have increased, theft and looting have increased, and there is no security here. This what Israel did to us. Because of the famine and people do not have money. Here they are like the mafia. And those who run charities, whether they are celebrities or ordinary people, there is a lot of fraud. The strong here exploit and steal, while the weak starve.”
Keeping in mind that the money changers take 30% of all donations, and that market prices are beyond affordable, staying alive in Gaza is a continuous daily struggle. Currently, Fahed is in Deir al-Balah, where a million refugees are awaiting a possible evacuation notice, but for those like Fahed who have been displaced their whole lives, where are they to go?
Today, Fahed and I shared our views of the Sea and the Ocean, and I’d like to share that with you: On the left/top is the Mediterranean Sea from the shores of Gaza, the right/bottom Wreck beach here in so called “Vancouver”.
Please consider following Fahed on Instagram @fahedabuzaida1** **and please consider donating to his Pay Pal by clicking here.
His brother niece and nephew were able to have eggs for the first time in 11 months, and it was a celebratory time for Fahed. He hopes to be able to send them enough money to one day afford chicken and vegetables.
And remember to keep Palestine and its people in your hearts. From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.
- Vanessa L.
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With gratitude and in solidarity,
Your Neighbours
Van Gran 4 Palestine
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