Bil'in Conference: International Solidarity NETWORK

(Photo: Discussion of the solidarity network. Luisa Morgantini with blue scarf)

The highlight of the Bil’in Conference for the MPTer was the workshop on the international solidarity network. (This is a new organization, not be confused with ISM, International Solidarity Movement.)

Representatives from the various countries met to continue the work of the International Solidarity Network for Palestinian Popular Nonviolent Resistance, (www.internationalpopularstruggle.org) , a group formed at the 2009 Bil’in Conference and which met a second time in Europe in the past year. This network works in partnership with the Palestinian Popular Struggle Coordination Committee (PSCC) (http://www.popularstruggle.org), an organization of over 19 Palestinians local nonviolent popular committees. Both organizations choose to be nonviolent, to work with Israeli peace activist groups, and against the occupation.

Major goals of the network are:

- to send international peace teams to villages in Palestine

- to promote delegations of lawyers to Palestine , support legal actions

- to lobby the European Parliament with representatives from the network, PSCC, and Israeli activists beginning in September and continuing three months

There is very strong support for the network in France, Italy and other parts of Europe, but the driving force behind the network is Luisa Morgantini.

There were many ideas proposed during the network workshop with the conclusions of the workshop being presented for approval to the total conference. During the presentation of the conclusions to the total conference, there was a heated discussion about the lack of a statement supporting the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) Campaign. Finally a committee was formed to resolve the differences about BDS. All this information should be soon on the network website.

The following are some of the summarized statements of the directions/conclusions that were accepted by the total conference:

Advocacy Activities:

· Promote the network and its founding statement

· Propagate the stories of Palestinian nonviolent resistance and campaign for the freedom of Palestinian prisoners resulting from this resistance

International Presence:

· Rough plans - funding, guidelines, training - for the development of international peace teams in Palestine

Networking:

· Make clear links between www.popularstruggle.org and www.internationalpopularstruggle.org

· Coordinate with Israeli peace activists

Other:

· Support Canadian court cases (Canadian companies building settlements near Bil’in)

· Exchange of expertise