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PPRC�s Friday Rally and March Returns to the Israel/Palestine Conflict,
Calling for Pressure on Congress to Cut Funding for Settlements and the
Apartheid Wall
Event: PPRC Friday Rally and March Protests Israeli�s Apartheid Wall
Land
Grab
Date: Friday, October 3rd, 2003
Time: 5:00 p.m.
Place: Pioneer Courthouse Square
The Portland Peaceful Response Coalition 5:00 p.m. Friday rally and
march
for peace at Pioneer Courthouse Square returns to the conflict in
Israel/Palestine, calling for and end to US funding of Israel�s illegal
occupation of the West Bank and Gaza. "The Israeli Cabinet has just
voted
to continue to build this Apartheid Wall, a move that is nothing more
than
the latest scheme for stealing more Palestinian land and making life
more
miserable for the people living under this brutal Israeli military
occupation,"1 said Will Seaman, a PPRC volunteer and member of Jews for
Global Justice. "And if the US wanted it to stop, it would stop
tomorrow,
because we�re paying for that latest crime against the Palestinians,
just
like we�re paying for the illegal settlements, the settler-only by-pass
roads and of course for the illegal Israeli military presence
throughout the
West Bank and Gaza." Seaman said that groups opposed to the Israeli
occupation are now calling on Congress to cut funding to Israel in an
amount
equivalent to the cost of building the wall and maintaining the
settlements.
"The US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation2 is gearing up for an
International Day of Action Against Israel�s Apartheid Wall on Sunday,
November 9th," said Seaman. "Our Friday rally is a part of local
efforts to
build support for the campaign to bring down this illegal wall, and to
support the struggle for Palestinian human and national rights."
The Friday rally will also be addressing the debate in Congress over
funding
for Bush�s war and occupation in Iraq. �Congressman DeFazio has just
announced an "American Parity Amendment" to the $87 billion Iraq War
Supplemental Appropriations bill, which would add $20.3 billion for
improvements in health care, education and infrastructure in America,"
said
Seaman. "That would match the $20.3 billion that�s been asked for to
rebuild Iraq." Seaman said that DeFazio�s ammendment deserves support
but
does not go far enough. "We should be demanding an end to the US
occupation, and an end to the Bush cronyism that has fattened the
military
industries and awarded no-bid contracts to Halliburton and Bechtel,"
said
Seaman. "Those steps would save US taxpayers many times the amount
DeFazio
is asking for, and could finance both rebuilding Iraq as well as
restoring
decent healthcare, education and infrastructure for folks here in the
US."
1. "Fenced in, locked out: a people in the shadow of fortress Israel",
By
Justin Huggler in Abu Dis, West Bank, 02 October 2003 - Independent
(UK)
2. www.endtheoccupation.org
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