Meetings: 7:00 - 8:30 pm the second and fourth
Thursdays of the month at the Woodstock
Public Library. Contact:

Who We Are
In the News

The Middle East Crisis Response is a group of Hudson Valley residents joined in protest against policies of Israel and the United States ... (read more)

Our Blogs

Articles
published about
The Middle East.

Events
our group has
organized.

Links
to organizations
fighting apartheid.

Merchandise
that promotes
peace and justice.

Resources
for understanding
the Middle East.

Other Blogs

Witness Iran
My journey to Iran in the cause of world peace.

Raising Yousuf:
Unplugged - diary of a Palestinian mother.

A Doctor in Galilee
"a physician struggling to alleviate his people's lot"
Desmond Tutu

Don't Play Israel! - Join the Cultural Boycott.

Joan Nestle:
67 year old Jewish lesbian fem, writer, archivist.

Mondoweiss
Jewish writer for the American Conservative questioning Zionism.

Palestine blog:
an area student's first hand report. Her story was published in the Electronic Intifada.

Podcasts

Palcast: podcasting the occupation.

ClassWars podcast.

Background

Joel Kovel's book Overcoming Zionism: Creating a Single Democratic State in Israel Palestine was censored by the Israeli Lobby. Listen to his interview on "Democracy Now!"


Read about Rachel Corrie, the 23 year old American peace activist, who was crushed by an Israeli bulldozer as she knelt in front of a Palestinian home. A memorial as well as a tribute to Rachel Corrie were put in the Poughkeepsie Journal. Read more in Common Dreams.

Watch a video of Jim Page singing "I'd Rather Be Dancing."


Listen to Ilan Pappe, Israeli historian, talk about apartheid and the ethnic cleansing of Palestine.


Listen to: "They're Building a Wall" by David Rovics.


Songs For Mahmud


Watch a short clip from "A Palestinian Woman," a new release from Red Hill Films.


Watch the "Shame of Ertas" on YouTube.


Listen to Yonatan Shapira, an Israeli air force pilot who refused to serve in Palestine. He spoke at Bard and on Activist Radio.


Read the "Two-States or One State" public debate between Uri Avnery and Ilan Pappe.


What YOU can do for justice in Palestine.


"We’re the first ones in 41 years to enter Gaza freely - but we won't be the last. We welcome the world to join us and see what we’re seeing."
--Paul Larudee, Ph.D.


Dr. Terri Ginsberg is the latest college faculty member being targeted for making pro-Palestinian statements. The American Association of University Professors has condemned these attacks on Dr. Ginsberg's academic speech which culminated in her not being reappointed to her position at North Carolina State University.

  • Sign a petition from AcademicsForJustice.org to protect academic freedom on campus. You do not have to be a college faculty member to sign.

US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation has just learned that the House and Senate committees which have jurisdiction over foreign aid will be voting soon on military aid to Israel for FY2009.

The House and Senate Appropriations Subcommittees on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs will "mark-up" the foreign aid bill on July 16 and 17, respectively, which includes the President's request for $2.55 billion in Foreign Military Financing (FMF) for Israel.

  • Send a personal letter to each Member of Congress on these subcommittees opposing this aid. Aid to Israel should be ended because of the human rights abuses in Gaza and the West Bank.

Barack Obama's speech to AIPAC was a low point in American politics. Obama's unqualified support for occupation and the oppression of the Palestinian people left no "hope" for a peaceful settlement. He even promised all of Jerusalem to Israel, giving his blessing to ethnic cleansing, collective punishment, and the settlement of occupied territory, all war crimes under the Geneva Conventions.

  • Write Obama through his website, and tell him what you think about his pandering to the right wing, Zionist lobby. Select "Position on an issue" and then "Foreign relations" to let him know in writing how disappointed you are.

UPDATE: A phone number has been found for calling Obama's campaign about his speech to AIPAC (thanks, Jim). Call: 1-866-675-2008 and then press "6" to get the Policy Dept. There will be a person there to listen to your comments.

In addition, you can write the Obama Campaign at:

PO Box 8102
C/O of Policy Dept.
Chicago, IL 60680


Dunkin’ Donuts has capitulated and withdrawn an advertisement for its products following the allegation by a right-wing hack, Michelle Malkin, that the spokeswoman in the ad was pictured wearing a kaffiyeh, a scarf which is a staple of clothing traditionally worn by Palestinian men.

The scarf pictured in the ad is not actually a kaffiyeh. But the anti-Arab racism of the right-wing, pro-Bush ideologues like Malkin is so extreme that they launched their campaign because they “thought” the scarf was this traditional Arab garment. Dunkin’ Donuts pulled their ad apologizing that the scarf might even resemble a kaffiyeh. -ANSWER Coalition

  • Send a letter indicating you will boycott Dunkin' Donuts for yielding to anti-Arab racism.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States pressed Israel on Friday to let seven Palestinians who live in the Gaza Strip travel to the United States to study on coveted Fulbright fellowships and Israel said it was working on the issue...

The State Department this week told the seven that their Fulbright grants had been withdrawn.

UPDATE: Seven Palestinians will be traveling to the US to study on Fulbright fellowships! Thanks to all who participated in this action.


"Last Monday, they came in the night, confiscated most of the inventory, destroyed the commercial oven, smashed ventilation pipes and walls and went on their way. Where next? A couple days later, they reappeared at the girls' orphanage. No sledgehammers this time. Just an order demanding the closure of the sewing workshop in the orphanage by the 28th of April...We've slept at the boys' orphanage a number of nights now."

Paul is a Hudson Valley resident who has joined other other human rights workers in protecting two orphanages in Hebron run by the The Islamic Charitable Society. The Israeli Army wants to shut them down, despite the fact that the 240 young Palestinians have nowhere else to go. This is the face of apartheid in occupied Palestine.

  • E-mail Israeli Consul General Asaf Shariv in New York at consular@newyork.mfa.gov.il to express your deep disappointment that an ally and friend of the United States would be committing such human rights abuses aimed at children.

UPDATE: Paul has returned to the US and will be giving talks in the Hudson Valley. If you or your group is interested in having Paul speak at an event, please contact:


I've just sent a letter to Representative Dennis Kucinich thanking him for making an important statement in Congress recognizing the 60th anniversary of the Nakba, the dispossession and forced exile of Palestinians from their lands and properties in 1948 upon the creation of Israel. Please take a moment to thank him too.

  • Perhaps you too might sign? (thanks, Eldad)

Condoleezza Rice was sent a letter this week by eleven members of Congress. It began:

"We are writing to urge you to exert your influence to urge Israel to end its blockade of Gaza..."

It is exceedingly rare for Members of Congress to come out so unequivocally and forcefully in support of Palestinian human rights and for holding Israel accountable to the standards of international law. That is why it is extremely important for you to take a minute right now to send a letter of thanks to these Members of Congress (from End the Occupation).

  • They need to know that thousands of people in the United States appreciate their bold statement. Please take a minute to thank them.

United for Peace & Justice calls for an end to the siege on Gaza.

Israel is continuing to escalate its attacks on Gaza, killing more than 40 Palestinians just this past week and wounding scores more, and has placed the already besieged territory under complete lockdown. That is eliminating what little access the population had to food, fuel, clean water and ever-more-urgent medical services.

  • Call the White House at 202-456-1111 and the State Department's Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs at 202-647-7209. Demand: An immediate end to the assault on Gaza, and the opening of its border crossings to people and goods.
  • Sign a petition to oppose the $30 billion in US military aid to Israel (from The The US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation).