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Al-Awda New York salutes Rev. Lucius Walker

Sept. 8, 2010

Al-Awda New York, the Palestine Right to Return Coalition, mourns the passing of the Rev. Lucius Walker on Tuesday, September 7, 2010 in New York City. Lucius Walker was a giant of all struggles for justice, a true revolutionary, who never hesitated to put himself on the line in the struggle for the liberation of the peoples of the world.

A leader in the Black community, in the progressive religious movement, a giant in the anti-racist movements in the United States, he was a consistent, staunch and solidly principled defender of self-determination, national liberation movements, and a force constantly standing against racism, national oppression and U.S. imperialism.

His role in the Latin America solidarity movement, and in particular the Cuba solidarity movement, is legendary. He founded and led IFCO, the Interreligious Foundation for Community Organization, which, among its many strong campaigns, pioneered the Pastors for Peace annual caravans to Cuba, dedicated to breaking the blockade.

Rev. Walker also strongly supported the liberation struggle of the Palestinian people, saluting the Viva Palestina caravan to Gaza and working with IFCO to support popular solidarity projects with Palestine. In fact, IFCO served as the fiscal sponsor of Viva Palestina USA - Lifeline to Gaza 2, making the project possible. We, as Al-Awda, were proud to share the stage, the streets and the struggle with Rev. Walker.

Rev. Lucius Walker is part of the constellation of heroes of the struggle of all of our people for liberation, whose work and legacy will continue to inspire us all as we march toward liberation and a just world.

Al-Awda New York, the Palestine Right to Return Coalition
http://www.al-awdany.org
info@al-awdany.org

Say No to Islamophobia! Sign on now

Please sign on to this important statement! Sign our online petition here or email info@al-awda.org!

To: all concerned people

Say No to Islamophobia!
Defend Mosques and Community Centers!
The Fight for Peace and Social Justice Requires Defense of All Under Attack!

Al-Awda NY mourns Abu Obeida Omran

Al-Awda NY the Palestine Right to Return Coalition mourns the loss of Abu Obeida Omran, a brother and a comrade who always stood on the front lines of organizing for the Palestinian people and the Palestinian cause, particularly the Right of Return. Many of our members traveled with him as part of the Viva Palestina caravan that aimed to break the siege of Gaza. He will remain forever in our hearts and our struggle.

We reprint below the statement from the US Palestinian Community Network:

abuobeid The US Palestinian Community Network expresses its feelings of great sadness and grief on the loss of the Palestinian community activist and leader Abu Obeida Abdel-Salam Omran, of the village of Burin, who lived in Houston, Texas. He died on Friday, August 13, 2010 of his injuries suffered as a victim of an attempted robbery at his business in Houston. Two thieves attempted to rob his business and then fatally injured Abu Obeida with their car as they fled. Abu Obeida died in the hospital later that night.

Abu Obeida Omran was always ready to serve his people, standing in the forefront of the defense of the Palestinian people’s rights, particularly the Right to Return. He was a leader in defending the civil and political rights of the Palestinian and Arab community in Texas. He was a leading organizer of the Viva Palestina convoy in 2009, which traveled to Gaza to break the siege and worked to support and welcome Palestinian refugees from Iraq arriving in the United States. He played an active role in building Palestinian community organizations, the right of return movement, solidarity movements with the Palestinian people, and cultural groups, including a popular debkeh troupe.

The Palestinian community has today lost a charismatic leader, and the children of Burin in the U.S., and all of the Palestinian community, mourn the loss of Abu Obeida. We pledge to him to continue upon the path of struggle, unity and return, and to fight for the full achievement of all of our national goals.

Today, we send greetings to the people of Burin village, to his wife, his children, his family and his comrades, in Palestine and in the diaspora. Abu Obeida Omran was born on November 13, 1967. He was 42 years old, married with two sons, Abu Obeida and Abu Ali Mustafa, and a daughter, Maryam.

* In the next 48 hours,friends and family of Abu Obieda will be receiving national and international messages of condolences, from people who are unable to attend the memorial from Individuals,Organizations, and Associations. Please send your condolences to: hamzehghazzawi@ymail.com.

Resolution on Palestine Passed by the United Antiwar Conference

The following resolution on Palestine was passed at the United Antiwar Conference in Albany, New York, convened by the National Assembly against U.S. Wars and Occupations and co-sponsored by 31 national organizations.Al-Awda NY participated actively in the conference, and presented in two workshops; Al-Awda's representatives joined many other organizations in the conference's Palestine Solidarity Caucus.

Al-Awda NY member Andrew Pollack wrote an article analyzing and discussing the conference that may be read at the Palestine Chronicle: Palestine Takes Center Stage in the Antiwar Movement by Andrew Pollack.

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Statement: The Way Forward for Palestine Solidarity - Please Endorse

The issues addressed in the statement below were discussed more fully at the Al Awda New York workshop at the U.S. Social Forum entitled, “Palestine: Evolution of the movement for Liberation”.

Endorsers include Labor for Palestine, the US Palestinian Community Network, and others (See list below.) To endorse this statement as an individual or organization, please email info@al-awdany.org.

The Way Forward for Palestine Solidarity

Al-Awda NY: The Palestine Right To Return Coalition

June 23, 2010

In the year and a half since Israel’s massacres in Gaza, the Palestine solidarity movement, for fifteen years weakened by the two-state “Peace Roadmap” of the 1993 Oslo Accords, has gone through what can only be described as a major political recalibration.

After years of meaningless “peace negotiations," the aim of Oslo — a “Jewish state" on 78 percent of historic Palestine and a rump “Palestinian state” on the remaining 22 percent — is rapidly losing whatever credibility it may have once had among Palestinians. Indeed, outside the Palestinian Authority, created by Oslo to serve Israeli interests, it is hard to find any Palestinian voices advocating for such a solution with conviction.

From the ruins of Oslo have emerged new campaigns with holistic goals. The most significant of these has been the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement, initiated and overwhelmingly supported by Palestinian civil society.
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