Bethlehem, Ma’an. By Deema Dabis

Photo: number four prison | constitution hill | Johannesburg, South Africa

A South African anti-Apartheid leader and union official is in the West Bank this week to share ideas and create stronger links for solidarity work with Palestinians.

“In South Africa we are familiar with the struggle of the people of Palestine for freedom and self determination,” said Zeko Tamela, the Head of External Relations of the South African Transport and Communications Workers Union. “As a previously oppressed people ourselves we forged alliances with freedom fighters around the world.”

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Nablus, Palestine. Ma’an. April 22nd, 2009

Photo: Israeli apartheid wall in Palestine.

Israeli military bulldozers demolished eight Palestinian houses southwest of Nablus Wednesday morning, witnesses said.

The demolitions are the first following a wave of eviction and demolition notices handed out by Israeli authorities to Palestinians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem in March and April.

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Photo essay by Ion Etxebarria and Darren Ell.

Photo: Ion Etxebarria. Kaie Kellough, poet and author, performs.

Ground breaking musicians and artists from Montreal took the stage on Sunday, April 12th for the seventh edition of Artists Against Apartheid at La Sala Rossa, occurring within the international campaign for boycott, divestment and sanctions against Israeli apartheid and in solidarity with the Palestinian struggle for liberation.

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Al Jazeera, April 17 2009.

Photo: Active Stills. Palestinian hit by chemical gas from Israeli army, Bil’in, Palestine.

Three Palestinians have been killed in separate incidents in the West Bank, Israeli army and Palestinian sources have said.

Israeli troops shot dead a Palestinian man who allegedly threw petrol bombs towards the settlement of Beit El, close to Ramallah on Friday.

An Israeli military spokeswoman confirmed the incident.

Elsewhere, Israeli troops killed a man who had been protesting against Israel’s separation barrier, Palestinians said.

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A resident has been killed by Israeli forces during a demonstration. Basem Abu Rahme, 29 years of age, was shot in the chest with a high-velocity tear gas projectile. He was evacuated to Ramallah hospital in critical condition, where he died of his injury. According to eyewitnesses, Basem was on a hill with several journalists to the side of other demonstrators. Soldiers opened fire from 40 meters, aiming directly with the tear-gas projectiles.

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‘Where is the call for Israel to embrace non-violence?’ by Ramzy Baroud.

Photo: Palestinian children in the Gaza amidst buildings destroyed in Israeli air strikes.

When one speaks of or advocates non-violence, does he promote such an idea because he believes that historically it has been a more effective means of liberation, or is it purely because he thinks that it is a more self-respecting means of struggle?

In recent history, many advocates of non-violence have been celebrated as modern day icons. From Ghandi to King, songs are written in their honor, their life stories fill the pages of our children’s history volumes as noble examples of which everyone must aspire to emulate. Holidays are instituted in their honor and around the world; streets and boulevards carry their namesake.

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Erin Cunningham, Inter Press Service, 16 April 2009

Photo: Gaza City from the Mediterranean Sea.

Hundreds of thousands of tons of aid intended for the Gaza Strip is piling up in cities across Egypt’s North Sinai region, despite recent calls from the United Nations to ease aid flow restrictions to the embattled territory in the wake of Israel’s 22-day assault.

Food, medicine, blankets, infant food and other supplies for Gaza’s 1.5 million people, coming from governments and non-governmental agencies around the world, are being stored in warehouses, parking lots, stadiums and on airport runways across Egypt’s North Sinai governorate.

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the Case for Boycotting Israel.

THURSDAY APRIL 16, 7pm
A-M050, Pavillion Hubert-Aquin (A), UQAM
400 rue Sainte-Catherine Est
Montreal, Quebec

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evening featuring celebrated musicians from Montreal united against Israeli apartheid

SUNDAY APRIL 12th
20h00 $5-10
La Sala Rossa
4848 St. Laurent
Montreal, Quebec

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open letter from Malcolm Guy Director / Producer.

Montréal, March, 2009 — Les Rendez-vous du cinéma québécois (RVCQ), the annual festival honouring Quebec cinema, has just wrapped its 2009 edition with the awards evening. Special congratulations to Richard Brouillette, who won the Prix Pierre et Yolande Perrault / Meilleur espoir documentaire for his film Encirclement : Neo-Liberalism Ensnares Democracy and also to our friends at Péripheria, who won the short film award for Three mothers by Daniel Schachter.

You may not be aware, but one award was cut from the Rendez-vous this year.

I was involved in pushing for the festival to drop the prize for Tolerance through cinema (le prix de la Fondation Ruth et Alex Dworkin pour la promotion de la Tolérance à travers le cinéma). Please find below an open letter signed by almost 60 members of the Quebec film community supporting the decision by the RVCQ to no longer present this controversial award. This letter was sent to the Rendez-vous on January 19, 2009.

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