January 10, 2013

New Year greetings from Scots Palestine Solidarity


Best wishes for a fulfilling 2013 to all who want to act in solidarity with Palestinians.
 
We mourn the loss of friends - Ron Deen, Stephen Maxwell, Marion Woolfson, Rev Hugh Drummond - whose stalwart defence of Palestinian rights inspires us to continue and intensify our own efforts.

2012 was an active year for Palestine solidarity in Scotland, against a background of escalating Israeli dispossession and massacre, with full UK government backing of the criminal and apartheid state.  The question is still open whether the worldwide movement of disgust at Israeli crimes and sympathy for the Palestinian cause can be turned into active solidarity of sufficient impact to force an end to Israeli crimes before the Zionist project is completed. 

SPSC is simply still too small as 2013 opens; we need your energy and your ideas to prevent the complete colonisation of all of Palestine with all Palestinians herded into walled and electronically controlled prisons.

Unsurprisingly, UK Foreign Secretary Hague supported the November surge in Israeli killing of Palestinians without reservation, and Tony Blair stills slouches around the Middle East, at huge public expense, as our official 'peace-bringer'.  We expect by now that Hague and Blair will rub salt in the open wounds of Palestinians, but many were surprised when the Scottish Government dropped the First Minister's previous rhetorical commitment to sanctions against Israel and opted for normalisation. 

2012 witnessed the development of Scottish-Israeli trade and technical cooperation, diplomatic relations unhampered by Israel's violations of international law, and Scottish Government defence of its financial aid to Israeli settler company, Eden Springs, to forward its business plan promoting the products of another Israeli settler company, Soda Stream.

2012 also saw ordinary citizens and civil society institutions take a stand against Israeli crimes, with the building of the BDS campaign, boycott, divestment and sanctions against Israel until it conforms to minimum standards of justice for Palestinians.

Seven Scottish PSC members participated in the World Social Forum - Free Palestine, in Brazil in November, which went ahead despite sustained Israeli and local Zionist efforts to prevent it. 

Observing South America, Palestinians can draw inspiration from current successes of indigenous peoples there to challenge colonial-settler systems based on racial domination by a white elite of mainly Spanish European decent. The current Bolivian President, Evo Morales, describes the Bolivian struggle as similar to that of South Africans. The inspiration is two-way; some talk of the indigenous people's intifada.

We appeal to you personally to help us build a stronger campaign in support of Palestinians and against UK and Scottish Governmental complicity. Please support SPSC.
  • Join - wherever you are. Even if you can't attend the AGM from Alaska, you'll know you're helping.
  • Donate - we are all volunteers and no-one makes a dime out of our activism. 
  • Network - ask your group, campaign or friends to join our mailing list and receive occasional updates.  Use Scottish PSC as a resource to put you in contact with groups/activists in your area or to get you started with a local solidarity group.
Alone you can do something, but if you organise with others of your ilk you can do much more.  Together we have a real chance to consign apartheid Israel to the dustbin of history with apartheid South Africa.
 
Mick Napier
On behalf of Scottish PSC
 
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