U.S. Movement to Safeguard Palestinian Schools

What does it take to do a Contact Congress Campaign?  A focused, pressing need. A letter from their lawyer to forward through Congress. Expert speakers from Palestine, Israel, and the U.S. who can each speak in a 30 minute Zoom-briefing. Constituents who email and call Congress — and if one constituent is willing to send the scheduling request and host the briefing, that's especially effective.  Rebuilding Alliance’s Advocacy Team makes all this come together. 

As a result of the intervention by Congressional offices, a Palestinian school remains standing, a neighborhood is not destroyed, a family's case goes to the Supreme Court (or to the High Court, depending upon location). These very real, very tangible successes are especially this time of escalating crises. 

Ever since the Israeli military instituted 96-hour demolition orders, about 5 Palestinian famiies per week face time sensitive emergencies in the West Bank.  When 200 Congressional offices asked to meet with us in August, we knew we had to ramp up. Rebuilding Alliance took out a loan to hire three new people to extend our advocacy program. Please welcome them:

• Nisreen is a Palestinian-American Fulbright scholar who studied in Morocco and interned on the Hill. As RA's Nationwide Constituent Organizer, Nisreen connects with constituents to attend the briefings and make their voices heard to their representatives. Because she is also an AP Government teacher, we look forward to inviting student constituents to join in our Contact Congress briefings.
  
  
• Alex volunteered with RA for 1.5 years before joining us as an Intervention Case Manager to fact-check the emergencies and reach out to their lawyers. He is also scheduling expert speakers for the Zoom-briefings so they can speak directly to Congress about what’s happening on the ground. He is a PeaceCorps alum who studied Philosophy and the History of Science and Mathematics at St. John’s College in Santa Fe, and is currently an M.A. candidate studying nonviolence and conflict transformation at the University of Haifa.
  
  
• Matthew joins RA as an Intervention Case Manager and is also coordinating our upcoming speaking tour (virtual and in person). We’re honored to bring Gaza Architect Dr. Salem Al Qudwa, currently a Harvard Fellow in Cambridge, on tour to talk about how to build liveable homes for needy families in Gaza. Matthew’s background is in English Literature and International Affairs/Religious Studies. He worked at An Najah University in Nablus, was the Middle East Program Coordinator in Operation Groundswell, ran his own nonprofit, and has a wealth of good work experience.

After years of carefully laying a foundation, we’re seeing a significant response to our work.  This month, 90 Congressional offices requested Zoom briefings about the six Palestinian civil society organizations outlawed by the Government of Israel. We’re inviting constituents to join the line to each House and Senate office to forward a letter to the Israeli Embassy requesting that secret evidence be made available to the accused and the public.

We’re also asking Congress to return the confiscated classroom/clinic to Al Maleh School, and soon we will launch Contact Congress campaigns to recognize planning rights in Jerusalem neighborhoods and West Bank villages.

Thank you again for your continued support and participation in this Movement to Safeguard Palestinian Communities. It makes all the difference.

Links:

• UN OCHA Report on Protection of Civilians
• Take Action: Bring Back Al Maleh School/Clinic
• Take Action: Press Israel for Due Process