In 1936, when fascist Franco took arms against the young spanish republic, the government of surrounding countries shamely refused to move. But the people of their countries answered : “we, the people, we will fight”. They created the International Brigades, one of the brightest page of the solidarity spirit.
In front of today shameful desertion from Palestinian rights by most of the governments worldwide, this same spirit leads us to call again people to act. We will not take weapons, but we have a very efficient arm : to be shoulder to shoulder with Palestinian population, where and when they live and work facing the occupation forces, to claim the strenght of solidarity in front of the brutality of guns, and report to the world. It is why we call us again International Brigades.
Our tool : Unadikum human rights observatory
This project will create a permanent Human Rights Watch, as a civil service meant to international peace and involving nonviolent activists.
Our most important commitment, which will always be our priority, is our presence “on the ground” with those Palestinians directly confronted with occupation forces, wich means essentially the farmers whose fields are cut by the separation fence and the afferent no-go zone, and the fishermen harrassed for years by gun navies.
Our main objectives are as follows:
• Monitoring of violations of human rights to fishermen and farmers.
• Study and analysis of the situation in the refugee camps, producing reports that help initiate awareness campaigns and political pressure demanding the right of return.
• Assistance to the Palestinian political prisoners in Israeli jails, support to their families and campaigns for teir release and for the respect of their fundamental rights.
• Assistance to victims, and their families, from the various Israeli assaults on Palestinian territory as well as any of the refugee camps.
• Support for those displaced by the Zionist colonies, and combating illegal settlements.
Three brigades have already came to Gaza during spring 2013, demonstrating their efficience. We now want to organize a permanent rotation of volunteers to Gaza, as a frist step, to be enlarged later to West Bank.
Call to volunteers to Gaza
Beginning on August the 25th, rotations will be set up each 10 days. As soon as a group of at least 8 to 10 persons can gather, this brigade will enter Gaza at one of the dates displayed below. Volunteers may stay for 10 days, or any multiple of 10 days – means that possible long timers are also welcome. The only constraints is that leaving Gaza will also occurs at the defined dates.
This organisation will allow to take care of all aspects of the travels through collective arrangment from Cairo to the border, and then within Gaza – and return to Cairo. Volunteers must remind nevertheless to stay ready for any emergency at the border.
To enter Gaza from Egyptian Raffah border, people need a permission from Egyptian authority. The process will thus be the following : under acceptance of their application to join the brigades, the volunteers will receive an invitation, plus a letter they will have to send to the Egyptian Embassy of their country, which will return an authorization to leave Egypt through Raffah. Note that this process will demand in general one month : Volunteers must send application for the brigade at least one month before the planed date of coming.