<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1"> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.2800.1264" name=GENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=#ffffff> <DIV>cross-posted from PAR-L (a Canadian feminist listserve) -- apologies for cross-posting.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- <DIV style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; font-color: black">From: <A title=mode@unb.ca href="mailto:mode@unb.ca">PAR-L Moderators</A> </DIV> <DIV>Sent: Wednesday, October 29, 2003 6:32 AM</DIV> <DIV>Subject: International March for Women's Human Rights in Israel & Palestine</DIV></DIV> <DIV> </DIV>From: Nicole Nepton <<A href="mailto:nnepton@videotron.ca">nnepton@videotron.ca</A>> Dear Friends, Please think seriously about joining our women's human rights march in Israel and Palestine this winter. What - you haven't yet heard about it? Here's a capsule summary: A group of enterprising women from Oslo (who have to their credit some impressive human rights marches in Central America, Russia, and elsewhere) have decided to bring their skills to bear on the Middle East conflict.  Women's organizations in Israel and Palestine have mobilized to support and organize this project on the ground.  After several postponements due to the fluid situation in this region, we now all agree to the following final dates: December 20, 2003 to January 11, 2004. During this 3-week period, we have planned an itinerary that will include daily: a march (walk) to advocate peace and human rights, discussions with individuals and organizations that are part of civil society, cultural and musical exchange (bring instruments and voices), and of course me basic sightseeing.  And we will be walking through both Israel and Palestine, splitting the days about evenly between them. We are calling this The International Human Rights March in Palestine and Israel.  Hundreds of women from all over the world have already begun to register and join.  The more who come, the better, in terms of conveying our message. Please see the website <A href="http://www.humanrightsmarch.org">www.humanrightsmarch.org</A> for important basic information about the march.  Don't miss the FAQs section on that site, which contains the heart of the matter.  If you still have questions, write to the Organizing Committee in your own country - which you will also find on the website. Meanwhile, the Israeli Committee has prepared the following replies to questions that have been directed to us. Who are the Israelis sponsoring the March? The Coalition of Women for Peace, which represents 9 women's peace organizations in Israel.  To learn more about us, see our website <A href="http://www.coalitionofwomen4peace.org/">http://www.coalitionofwomen4peace.org/</A> Who are the Palestinians sponsoring the March? The General Union of Palestinian Women, a large organization, which you can learn about at <A href="http://www.gupw.net">http://www.gupw.net</A>, together with the Jerusalem Center for Women (the Palestinian side of The Jerusalem Link), which you can learn about at <A href="http://www.jcw.org">http://www.jcw.org</A>. What are the goals of the March from the Israeli perspective? On the Israeli side, we have set our goals as follows:  To inform international women about the realities of the political conflict in this region, to introduce you to the (amazing) women's peace movements in Israel and Palestine and our feminist vision for peace, and to mobilize your international support for this vision. Can I come for only part of the March? Definitely.  We would be delighted to welcome you whenever you come and for whatever length of time during the March period. The full March period begins on December 21 in Tel Aviv and ends on January 10 in Jerusalem.  To come for the entire period, plan to fly into Tel Aviv on December 20th and depart on January 11th. If you want to come in the middle, however, let us know when you will be arriving, and we will either meet your plane or give you detailed instructions about how to meet up with the group. What is the itinerary? We start in Tel Aviv and spend the first 4 days in Israel, marching and sightseeing in Tel Aviv, Jaffa, Beersheba, and Bedouin areas in the south.  From there, the group will proceed to Bethlehem, Nablus, Ramallah, Hebron, and other sites in the West Bank for about 10 days.  Then the group will return to Israel for Nazareth, Tiberias, the Galilee, Haifa, and end in Jerusalem on January 10. This itinerary is subject to change, depending on the circumstances, but we shall try to adhere to the set schedule. Will it be safe? We are doing everything possible to ensure the safety of the participants in all areas visited.  Of course we cannot guarantee that the situation will be calm during this period, and therefore we may have to change plans as the need arises to ensure maximum safety, given the circumstances. Will we be able to enter Israel and the territories? We have every reason to believe that you will be able to enter Israel and the territories.  This is the Christmas season, and many visitors and pilgrims come to this region to see religious sites.  If this is true for you, you may want to mention this upon entry, if you are asked why you are visiting Israel. More information? Please see the international website: <A href="http://humanrightsmarch.org">http://humanrightsmarch.org</A> Especially important: Click into the website FAQs page at: <A href="http://humanrightsmarch.org/en/index.php?page=contents/faq.html">http://humanrightsmarch.org/en/index.php?page=contents/faq.html</A> You will find here important information for planning your trip. The website also contains contact information for Committees in many countries, who are organizing groups exactly where you live. In Israel, we are very excited about this March, and hope to meet and welcome as many of you as possible this December. The Organizing Committee in Israel: Omaima abu-Ras, Taibe Nicole Cohen-Addad, Tel-Aviv Rachel Amram, Jerusalem Yvonne Deutsch, Jerusalem Pnina Firestone, Jerusalem Yana Knopova, Haifa Gili Pliskin, Tel-Aviv Taghrid Shbeita, Tira Aliyah Strauss, Jaffa Gila Svirsky, Jerusalem Alix Weizmann, Tel-Aviv for the Coalition of Women for Peace <A href="http://www.coalitionofwomen4peace.org">www.coalitionofwomen4peace.org</A> <A href="mailto:mail@coalitionofwomen4peace.org">mail@coalitionofwomen4peace.org</A> P.S. Please feel free to share this mailing with your friends! --------------- Nicole Nepton <A href="mailto:nnepton@cybersolidaires.org">nnepton@cybersolidaires.org</A> <A href="http://www.cybersolidaires.org">http://www.cybersolidaires.org</A> Pour une information libre et indépendante : le portail des médias alternatifs du Québec <A href="http://www.reseaumedia.info">http://www.reseaumedia.info</A> </BODY></HTML>