Public forum on Palestine, Surrey‏ BC, Oct 31/09

In 1942, some leading Zionists met in New York to formulate plans for a Jewish state, and until this most recent inhuman aggression by Israeli forces against innocent Palestinians in Gaza, the history has witnessed nothing but the brutal and severe war crimes by Zinoist forces in the land of Palestine. The dirty game plans of imperialism all over the world and particularly in occupied territories took thousands and thousands of lives of civilians including a vast majority of women and childern.

To review the situation in a better and closer prospective, Fraser Valley Peace Council is holding a public forum on Palestine.

Saturday, October 31st, 2:00pm

At the Newton Library, Surrey

Dr. Sunera Thobani will be the keynote speaker and will share her observations and views after her recent visit to Gaza and West Bank.

Our other Guest speakers will be Hanna Kawas, a renowned radio host of Voice of Palestine and chairperson of Canada Palestine Association.

And Derrick O' Keefe from StopWar Coalition, who is an eminent progressive writer, peace activist and the editor of www.rabble.ca.

Please join us and be a part of the world who is against all forms of imperialism and wants to live their lives in peace and prosperity.

In Solidarity, Shahzad Nazir Khan

604-613-0735

Organized by

Fraser Valley Peace Council

Member, Canadian Peace Congress & World Peace Council

...

Bring ALL the Troops Home Now!

March on the Pentagon - March 21

March on Wall Street - April 3 & 4

Bring ALL the Troops Home Now!

End War and Occupation - Iraq, Afghanistan & Palestine!

Money for Human Needs - NOT War!

The Troops Out Now Coalition condemns the announcement today that Washington plans to keep an occupying force of 50,000 troops in Iraq indefinitely.

In November, the people voted overwhelmingly for an end to war and occupation. The majority of the people of the U.S. - and the world are demanding an end to the war and occupation in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Palestine.

The war against the people of Iraq was launched based on lies about weapons of mass destruction, as a pretext to seize control of the vast oil reserves of the region for the benefit of Wall Street. The Cost of War website estimates that the Iraq war has cost $341.4 million every day - $4,681 per household. On Thursday, the White House announced that it will ask Congress for an additional $75.5 billion this year to pay for war and occupation in Afghanistan and Iraq. This would raise the budget for war for 2009 to $141 billion and increase the Pentagon's 2009 spending to $513.3 billion. This is in addition to the billions of dollars given to Israel every year to continue a brutal war against the Palestinian people.

Right now, more than ever the people need the billions of dollars that are being spent on the illegal occupation of Iraq to be spent on meeting human needs, like jobs, affordable housing, education, and health care. Each day brings news of tens of thousands of layoffs, foreclosures, and evictions. Working people are facing a crisis of historic proportions - we must organize to demand a real bail out for people, not bloated Pentagon budgets and trillion dollar handouts to corrupt CEO's.

Join the Troops Out Now Coalition and many other groups at the March on the Pentagon, Saturday March 21 and then...

National March on Wall Street!

Friday, April 3 - when Wall Street is open for business; continuing to Saturday, April 4 - at the Intersection of Wall & Broad Streets (The Stock Exchange).

Join us in the streets to demand:

* Bring ALL the Troops Home Now! * No new troops to Afghanistan! * Money for Human Needs Not War! * End Occupation - Iraq, Afghanistan & Palestine

For more information or to get involved, go to www.TroopsOutNow.org

Olives in Palestine...‏

In Palestine, the symbol of peace, life and fertility, olea europaea, or the Olive tree is prized for its historical presence, its beauty, its symbolism and most importantly its economic significance. Olive trees are a major commercial crop for Palestine, and many many families are dependent on it for their livelihood. Olives have been a significant part of the region since ancient times. This tree grows at a rate of 1-2 feet each year, reaching a height of 20 – 40 feet after about 40 years. They generally live for about 400 years, but many are known to be 700 or 1000 years old. The olive tree has great importance for the Palestinian culture and identity.

The Zionist aggression in Palestine encompasses more than human casualties, it has also created economical and environmental disasters. One of these tragedies is the uprooting of the historic olive trees. Palestinian sources estimate that over 1.2 million olive trees were uprooted by Israelis since 1967 to build settlements, expand roads and lay infrastructure. Israeli forces targeted many Palestinian villages in Gaza Strip & West Bank, completly destroyed their lands and in addition to the uprooting they have set these olive trees on fire so that the Palestinians may not even try to get its fruit afterwards. That was the agenda of Israeli occupation forces to destroy the back-bone of their only livelihood support.

Olives are now getting less in number every day and Zionist forces have now made it a routine to step up their attacks at the beginning of the olive harvest season to prevent poor Palestinian farmers in the West Bank and Gaza Strip from collecting the Olive fruits.

Sobhi al-Zobaidi is an independent filmmaker who is currently working on his doctorate at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver. He was born in Jerusalem, raised in a Jalazon refugee camp, and educated at Birzeit University in Palestine and New York University in the United States. His films address the complex realities of contemporary Palestinian life — the disruptions and humiliations of everyday existence under Israeli occupation, in refugee camps and in the troubled enclaves of the West Bank and Gaza, and the internal fragmentation and division that afflicts Palestinian society.

See this 11 minutes documentary about the systematic destruction of Olives in Palestine made by Sobhi al-zobaidi. sobhi/al-Zobaidi/olives.html

In Solidarity, Shahzad Nazir Khan

Seminar Invitation- "Liberation Struggle of Palestine"

To raise public awareness
On the terrible human crisis in Palestine
A seminar is being held by Fraser Valley Peace Council

On Saturday, 31st January
At 2.00 PM (sharp)
In Surrey Public Library, Newton Branch, 13795 - 70th Ave. BC V3W 0E1. Surrey, BC.

We cordially invite you to come and join hands
to express solidarity with the people of Palestine
and to show your deep concern over the latest human rights crimes in the region.

Looking forward to seeing you!
Fraser Valley Peace Council.
604-613-0735

Click the image on the left to view program details