From The Colorado Palestine Community Network & The Gaza Action Coalition:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Ga...
Please distribute widely.
Dear all,
Governor Ritter, Mayor Hickenlooper, the University of Denver, and the Joseph Korbel School of International Studies are hosting the Israeli mayor of Jerusalem in Denver on Tuesday, 11/3/2009. Nir Barkat is leading a campaign to ethnically cleanse Jerusalem of its Palestinian residents by declining building permits for Palestinians and launching a campaign of house demolitions that has displaced more than 150 people this year alone. The latest demolitions of five houses took place on Tuesday, 10/27/2009, just on the eve of his trip to the US and displaced 26 people, including 10 children. Hosting Barkat in Denver means that we endorse Israel’s sovereignty over Jerusalem in violation of international law and makes us party to the injustice being committed against the Palestinian people.
The Colorado Palestine Community Network is urging you to take the following actions:
1- Sign the online petition . This will be submitted to the Governor's office, the mayor's office, and the University of Denver on Monday. The petition is to urge them to rescind the invitation of Nir Barkat. The petition can be found by clicking here: http://www.petitiononline.com/Je...
2- Join us for a rally on Tuesday, 11/3/2009 at 6:00 PM in front of University of Denver Newman Center for Performing Arts located at 2344 E Iliff, Denver, CO 80208. The forecast is calling for good weather.
3- In addition to signing the petition above, The Colorado Palestine Community Network is urging you to contact the governor’s office, the mayor's office, and the University of Denver directly to let them know that Nir Barkat is persona non grata in Denver until his municipality and the government of Israel comply with international law. The contact info along with some talking points are below:
Governor Bill Ritter:
Phone: 303.866.2471
Electronically:
http://www.colorado.gov/apps/oit...
Mayor John Hickenlooper
Phone: 720.865.9000
Electronically: milehighmayor@denvergov.org
Provost Gregg Kvistad
Phone: 303.871.2966
Electronically: gkvistad@du.edu
TALKING POINTS:
Israel's sovereignty in Jerusalem is not recognized by the international community, which keep almost all embassies to Israel in Tel Aviv. In fact the whole of the city was sized by force by the Israelis, one half in 1948, the other in 1967. East Jerusalem was declared an occupied territory in U.N. Security Council Resolution 242, which specifically emphasized "the inadmissibility of the acquisition of territory by war." Thus Israel has no claim of sovereignty to East Jerusalem whatsoever.
Israel's claim of sovereignty over West Jerusalem is also called into serious question by international law, which is why Tel Aviv hosts the embassies. The European Union recently reiterated that all of Jerusalem, which U.N. Resolution 181 designated as an "international city," constitutes a "corpus seperatum" or distinct body from the State of Israel. The Vatican has also taken a strong stance against the Israeli seizure of Jerusalem, as has the entire Muslim world.
Nir Barkat’s policies in Jerusalem are discriminatory against the indigenous population of Jerusalem.
Colorado elected officials are doing a disservice to their constituents when they drag the state into Israel's public relations efforts, which are irrelevant to Colorado voters.
Hosting Barkat totally disregards the human and national rights of the Palestinians in Jerusalem. They fly in the face of international law, the consensus of the international community, including the US, the European Union and the Vatican.
Barkat's policies are an obstacle on the road to peace. Secretary Clinton described Barkat’s policies against Palestinians in Jerusalem as “unhelpful” and the European Union described them as “illegal under international law” and said they “fuel bitterness and extremism.”
The future of the holy city will need to be determined in negotiations between the Palestinian and Israeli leaderships according to the various UN resolutions and international law.
Hosting Barkat is like hosting Joe Smitherman, the mayor of Selma, AL in 1965.
If you have any questions or need more information, please email us at CPCN.denver@gmail.com
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Comments
what about free speech?
November 2, 2009 by Anonymous, 2 weeks 6 days ago
Comment id: 4235
I have no problem with protesting the event. But I will not sign the petition. I think they have a right to saw whatever. Perhaps, instead we should be arguing for a palestinian or two to be presented with equal weight by the school. Maybe even someone from hamas. I don't want to live in a world without free speech.
That's part of the point
November 3, 2009 by Anonymous, 2 weeks 5 days ago
Comment id: 4236
Hamas is considered a terrorist organization. A representative can not speak at DU, because they will be arrested. "Freedom of speech" is a liberal ideal, nothing more.
food not bombs is a terrorist
November 5, 2009 by Anonymous, 2 weeks 3 days ago
Comment id: 4240
food not bombs is a terrorist organization too. they don't arrest keith mchenry. but that was just as an example.
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