On Sunday, September 23, the Chicago chapter of the International Solidarity Movement will hold their monthly potluck dinner meeting. Agenda items include: volunteering for the Olive Harvest Campaign in occupied Palestine, emergency response to a U.S. (or Israeli) attack on Iran and more. Contact ISM-Chicago for details*: ISMinChicago (at) aol.com or 773-267-5198. ISM-Chicago is a member organization of the Chicago Coalition Against War and Racism along with the Illinois Coalition for Peace and Justice. For more information on ISM in general please visit: www.palsolidarity.org

*The ISM-Chicago apartment is located conveniently near the Addison station of the Blue Line and the Irving Park Road bus. Our monthly potluck dinners begin at 5:00 PM and conclude at 7 PM.

The youngest member of the Chicago chapter of the International Solidarity Movement (www.palsolidarity.org ) is on-the-ground in Palestine. Many of you know him by his real name but we're using Michael Patterson as his name until he returns to Chicago. If any of you want to send a message to him please e-mail it to ISMinChicago (at) aol.com and we'll forward it on to him. Upon his return, he will be available for speaking engagements.


www.palsolidarity.org/main/2007/09/14/non-violent-protest-in-al-walaja-turns-ugly-as-israeli-army-rears-its-head/

www.palsolidarity.org/main/2007/09/15/urgent-media-alert-demonstrators-shot-and-arrested-in-qusin/

Funds are urgently needed to pay the bail of 2 Palestinians arrested for nonviolently protesting an illegal roadblock!


On Saturday, September 15th, a demonstration from the village of Quisin, a village west of Nablus, was organized to protest a roadblock that blocked Quisin's direct access to surrounding villages. This nonviolent demonstration was attacked by Israeli Occupation Forces, who shot rubber bullets and tear gas at the villagers who were returning home. Two Palestinians from Quisin were arrested and taken to jail at Ariel settlement in addition to several international and Israeli activists.

While the Israeli and international activists were released later that night, the Palestinian men are still in custody. These men remained completely nonviolent throughout the demonstration, but were arrested at random. One man was shot in the leg with a rubber bullet, tackled to the ground, and was arrested. Witnesses overhead the arresting soldiers making comments such as "his brother is a terrorist." Both men were handcuffed, blindfolded, and made to stand on the side of the road in the hot sun for almost two hours. This treatment was compounded by the fact that both men were extremely weak from fasting during Ramadan.


8,000 shekels (around 2,000 dollars) are urgently needed to pay for the bail and legal costs for both men. Under Israeli law, these Palestinians can be held for up to eight days before being brought before a judge, and if the money is not paid, the men could face greater fines or possible jail time. It is extremely important to support the villagers of Quisin who have only begun to wage nonviolent struggle against an illegal and brutal Israeli occupation.

Checks of any amount may be made out to “ISM-USA” and sent to:
ISM-USA
PO Box 5073
Berkeley, CA 94705

If you wish to make a tax-deductible donation, please make your checks of $50 or more payable to ISM-USA’s fiscal sponsor: A.J. Muste Memorial Institute, (with “ISM-USA” on the memo line of the check), and send to the same address above.
You may also use your credit or debit card and use our PayPal account through www.palsolidarity.org/main/donations/
Donations sent through PayPal are not tax-deductible.