[The following press release was issued by The U.S. Prisoner, Labor and Academic Solidarity Delegation to Palestine in April 2016]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE—April 16, 2016
On Palestinian Prisoners’ Day, Anti-Prison, Labor, Academic Delegation Takes Stand against Israeli State Violence, Affirms Solidarity with Palestinian People
Press Contact:
Rabab Abdulhadi: 914 882-3180
Johanna Fernandez: 917 930-0804
Claude Marks: 415 652-8444
Laura Whitehorn: 646 469-7329
Or respond to: palestine.prison.delegation16@gmail.com
Recently returned from a ten-day trip to the Israeli-colonized Palestine, a US delegation of anti-prison, labor, and scholar-activists has issued the following statement to mark Palestinian Prisoners Day 2016. The delegation included three former US-held political prisoners, and a formerly incarcerated activist, two former Black Panther Party members, university professors, prison abolition organizers, and trade unionists. This was the first US delegation to Palestine to focus specifically on political imprisonment and solidarity between Palestinian and US prisoners. The delegation also paid special attention to the recent labor organizing in the West Bank and the efforts of Palestinian scholars and activists to reclaim the history, political identity and culture of the Palestinian people.
In recognition of International Day of Solidarity with Palestinian Prisoners, the US Anti-Prison, Labor, and Academic Delegation is demanding freedom for the 7,000 Palestinian political prisoners currently held in Israeli jails and all those fighting for justice everywhere, including political prisoners in U.S. prisons.
Reflecting information, analysis, and testimony gathered from meetings with close to 100 Palestinian activists, advocates, organizers, and former political prisoners from many social justice, human rights, labor, education, and political organizations and institutions, the US delegation’s statement concluded:
We feel an urgent sense of responsibility to pressure the United States to stop funding Israeli crimes against humanity. We express our support for the struggle for a free Palestine as a central struggle in the worldwide movement against U.S. imperialism. We are committed to employing a variety of tactics in solidarity with Palestine, including Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions, and we condemn Israeli and Zionist attacks against advocates for justice for/in Palestine in our communities and on our campuses. We connect prisoner and labor movements across the borders; and apply the spirit of sumud to all our struggles for liberation within the United States.
To read the statement in its entirety, visit:
http://www.freedomarchives.org/Pal/Delegation.We.Stand.docx
http://www.freedomarchives.org/Pal/Delegation.We.Stand.pdf
In Arabic: http://www.freedomarchives.org/Pal/Delegation.We.Stand.ARABIC.pdf
In Spanish: http://www.freedomarchives.org/Pal/Delegation.We.Stand.SPANISH.pdf
Arabic Press Release: http://www.freedomarchives.org/Pal/Pal.Press.ARABIC.doc
Interviews and further information from delegation participants available upon request.
Images are available here: http://www.freedomarchives.org/Pal/Images/