Palestine Justice Network - PJN

Press Release #1:  Hundreds of Internationals and Hundreds of Palestinians Gear-up for July  8-16 activities

Bethlehem (3 July 2011)- Some 40 Palestinian civil society organizations, popular resistance committees, and political factions announce the launching of the “Welcome to Palestine” initiative July 8-16 where hundreds of Internationals will work with hundreds of Palestinians for Peace.  The hundreds of men, women, and children will arrive July 8 at the Lod (Ben Gurion) Airport. The international community must recognize the basic human right to receive visitors from abroad and support the right of their own citizens to travel to Palestine without harassment. Where Israel works to isolate us, we invite all to join with us openly and proudly. We do not accept the attempts to keep us apart or to force us to speak less than with full honesty.

This July initiative comes in a planned series of events and follows similar events carried out in December under the slogan of "ending apartheid and ethnic cleansing." The week of activities starts on July 9 because that is the anniversary of the International Court of Justice ruling about the illegality of the Settlements and the apartheid wall in the occupied Palestinian Territories and the anniversary of the Palestinian Civil Society Call to Action: July 9 Ramallah area, July 10 Bethlehem area, July 11 North, July 12 Hebron and Jordan Valley, July 13 Neqab, July 14-15 Jerusalem.

We are going to Palestine

Lubna Masarwa, a Palestinian from Israel, is an activist and board member of the "Free Gaza" organization.  These past days she was in Berlin to present a new initiative, "Welcome to Palestine," a call by 15 Palestinian civil society organizations to travel en masse to Palestine on July 8th.  Elsa Rassbach spoke with Lubna Masarwa for Neues Deutschland.

Ms. Masarwa, you traveled five times on the Freedom Flotilla ships, most recently on the "Mavi Marmara," to break the Gaza blockade by sea.  You were on the steering committee of Gaza Freedom March, which brought 1400 activists from 42 countries to Cairo to break the blockade at the Egyptian border.  Now there will be an attempt via the airport in Tel Aviv.  How will this work?

Israel controls all the borders and all access to Palestine, also by air.  When you arrive at Ben Gurion airport, if you say you want to go to the West Bank, you will quite probably be denied entry.  That's why many claim that they are only going to visit holy places and the like.  On the 8th of July, everyone will say openly, "We are going to Palestine."