January 2024
[T]he very existence of the Palestinian people in Gaza is at stake, which challenges the most elementary principles of humanity and morality.
Judge Xue, concurring with the decisions of the International Court of Justice and
requiring provisional action by the State of Israel to prevent genocide.
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) Rules on Provisional Measures in South Africa v. Israel, Regarding Prevention and Punishment of Genocide in the Gaza Strip.
On January 26, the ICJ issued an order for provisional measures in South Africa v. Israel. The Court noted that it did not need to find that the Genocide Convention had been violated, only that South Africa's claims are plausible and that without immediate provisional measures, irreparable harm to the rights claimed will result before the Court can reach a decision. The Court did not order Israel to suspend its military operations, but did order it to "take all measures within its power" to prevent violation of the Genocide Convention, including ensuring "with immediate effect" its military does not violate the Convention, and taking "all measures within its power to prevent and punish the direct and public incitement to commit genocide." Find a summary of the Order here. Find the full Order and separate opinions of judges here.
January 13, 2024: Over 400,000 Show Up For Gaza in DC
At the second national March 4 Gaza Rally in DC, waves of anti-apartheid protestors swarmed the capital city to demand a ceasefire and end to the occupation of Palestine. The weekend was packed full of demonstrations and actions surrounding the January 13 march. Upon hearing about the January 11 U.S. assaults on Yemen, CODEPINK volunteers already in town quickly organized a "Hands Off Yemen" protest in front of the Whitehouse. On the big day, over 400,000 people from all over the country mobilized to show solidarity in the nation's capital. Immediately following the march, another group of CODEPINK activists deployed a creative demonstration at the White House with over 500 bloody dolls on display to draw attention to the martyred children of Gaza. Find a full recap of the weekend's actions and more photos here.
A Moment of Historic Danger: It's Still 90 Seconds to Midnight!
On Jan. 23, the Doomsday Clock was reset at 90 seconds to midnight, still the closest the Clock has ever been to midnight. In their announcement, The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, stewards of the Doomsday Clock, emphasized that the Clock could be turned back, but governments and people need to take urgent action. A variety of global threats cast menacing shadows over the 2024 Clock deliberations, including: the Russia-Ukraine war and deterioration of nuclear arms reduction agreements; the Climate Crisis and 2023's official designation as the hottest year on record; the increased sophistication of genetic engineering; and the dramatic advance of generative AI which could magnify disinformation and corrupt the global information environment making it harder to solve the larger existential challenges. Watch the announcement; read more.
Save the Date: A Webinar on Gaza, Protest, and the Suppression of Free Speech -- The Situation in Germany and Here -- Sunday, February 18, 10-12 am PST /1-3 pm EST
The global wave of protest against Israel's conduct of the war in Gaza has drawn crackdowns on speech from the streets to university campuses. One place government repression aimed at individuals and groups supporting Palestine has been particularly notable has been Germany. On February 18, United for Peace and Justice will present a webinar featuring a variety of voices from Germany, and accounts of similar experiences in the United States. Learning about what is happening in Germany, a country with a history of official regulation of how the Holocaust can be discussed and how "anti-Semitism" should be defined, could provide new insights into the challenges we face in promoting a fair and open discussion of the Gaza crisis, and the history that has led us here. Watch your e-mail and the UFPJ website for registration information.
Guantanamo at 22: Continuing Violations of Human Rights and the Growing Challenges and Harms Experienced by Former Detainees
The Guantanamo Detention Facility had its 22nd anniversary on January 11. While the number of detainees has dwindled to 30, there is growing awareness of the enormity of the ongoing damages and human rights violations the 780 Muslim men and boys who were imprisoned face, after their release. Activism by released detainees forms the frontline of advocacy for their rights, as in the work of Mansoor Adayfi, Outreach Director of the No More Guantanamos Survivors Fund. Adayfi was joined by former UN Special Rapporteur on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms while Countering Terrorism, Fionnuala Ní Aoláin, Aliya Hussain, from the Center for Constitutional Rights, and Daphne Eviatar, from Amnesty International--USA, in a powerful webinar "Guantanamo, Where Do We Go From Here?" discussing how to account for the harm and violations of law that took place. READ MORE.
Suggestions for Talking about Gaza and Other Wars
Language influences our culture and the narratives that shape behavior and practices. Words about War Matter is an initiative to revise the way the media, those of us focused on ending war and deconstructing the military industrial complex, and our partners describe war so that the language we use does not promote conflict and militarism or diminish the consequences of State violence. A group of activists, scholars, and organizers wrote the "Words about War Matter" Language Guide for practitioners and the media to help people describe armed conflicts honestly and accurately. Recently the group working on this project generated a specific set of recommendations around Gaza. For some suggestions to keep in mind when speaking about Gaza, READ MORE.
Poor People's Campaign: Bishop Barber Delivers MLK Day Sermon; March 2 - Save the Date!
On Jan. 14, at Abyssinian Baptist Church in New York City, Bishop William J. Barber II, National Co-Chair of the Poor People's Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival, recalled how Dr. King rejected the "Great Man" epithet, and how he fell out of favor with many erstwhile allies after giving his "Beyond Vietnam" speech near the end of his life. "The sermon was never the end," Bishop Barber said. "The sermon was the announcement of the beginning." True to that message, Bishop Barber closed his sermon with some pointed prescriptions for this momentous year. "We need to shake things up... until an orange-hair would-be dictator puts on an orange suit and takes his jail time like a man!" Watch the sermon here. On March 2, the Poor People's Campaign will hold Mass Mobilizations at State Capitals across the country. Save the date!
UFPJ Gaza War Resources: A Pitiless and Unremitting War
The war in Gaza is in its fourth month, with tens of thousands of human beings now dead, and the communities that once supported over two million people devastated. UFPJ continues to maintain its Gaza war resource page, adding new statements from peace groups and items on human rights and humanitarian law, news and commentary, and the political and historical background of the conflict. Recent additions include Richard Falk's Why International Law Matters even if Israel Refuses to Comply with ICJ Provisional Measures Ruling and other commentaries on South Africa's Genocide Convention case in the International Court of Justice, and several commentaries on the suppression of free speech concerning the Gaza War from Cambridge to Tel Aviv. Image: Rousseau Diderot, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
UFPJ Ukraine War Resources: Two Years on, What will Change?
The war in Ukraine grinds on; "Western" anti-war activists, despite being newly energized by the horrors of the Gaza War, mostly avert their gaze. United for Peace and Justice continues to maintain our Ukraine Resources Page. Recently added items suggest that in Russia, despite repression, there are growing signs of anti-war sentiment. War opponent Boris Kagarlitsky, just released from a Russian prison, discusses the emergence of Presidential candidate Boris Nadezhdin as a sign of growing unrest. Meanwhile, divisions about the war among antiwar activists and in the broader "Left" persist, not only in "the West" but among anarchists in Russia, Belarus, and Eastern Europe and on the Left in Ukraine itself. For more, visit The Ukraine crisis: commentary, responses, and background.
Past UFPJ National Co-Chair is honored in His Legacy Project
George Martin was influenced by Faith to work for Peace and Justice, serving as an altar boy at St. Boniface Church for Father James Groppi, who became well-known as a leader of civil rights protests in Milwaukee. Martin Luther King, Jr. was another major influence on George. When he was 16 and had been involved in the Civil Rights Movement locally, George went to the 1963 March on Washington and made his way to the stage to stand 10 feet away from Dr. King as he delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech. In 2001 George began organizing the annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Justice Program with Julie Enslow and Brian Verdin in Milwaukee. Every year elders who knew, met or worked with Dr. King and local organizations working for justice in the spirit of Dr. King are honored. George passed away in August 2023. This year's program was dedicated to him.
Tell Your Senators and Representative to Advocate for the Elimination of ICBMs
In 2022, UFPJ was among more than 60 organizations that issued a joint statement warning: "Intercontinental ballistic missiles [ICBMS] are uniquely dangerous, greatly increasing the chances that a false alarm or miscalculation will result in nuclear war. There is no more important step the United States could take to reduce the chances of a global nuclear holocaust than to eliminate its ICBMs." Instead, the U.S. is making plans to replace its Minuteman III missiles with a new "Ground Based Strategic Deterrent." But the program is at risk of exceeding its initial $96 billion cost, which could trigger provisions of a law designed to warn Congress of troubled projects and force the Pentagon to formally reaffirm the program's rationale or face its termination. Tell Your Senators and Representative to advocate for the elimination of ICBMs.
U.S. Hands Off Yemen
In the latest escalation of the Genocide in Gaza, on January 12 the United States launched a new round of attacks on Yemen. One of the most poverty-stricken countries in the world after years of war and terror fueled by the U.S., Yemen is under fire by Israeli allies for taking a direct approach to solidarity with Palestinians under siege. In the eyes of the U.S. which values capital and commerce over Palestinian lives, Yemen's Red Sea activities poses a great threat to Israeli capital and business as usual. Yet the world stands with both Palestine and Yemen, and solidarity demonstrations for both have increased, thanks to formations like the International Coalition to Stop Genocide in Palestine. View CODEPINK's latest press release here.
Webinar Recording: The Gaza War and Its Implication for the Middle East and Geopolitics
With an ever-mounting civilian death toll in Gaza, three Middle East experts addressed the question: What must be done to end the war in Gaza and prevent escalation to a still more catastrophic regional war? Assaf Kfoury (Lebanese American political activist), Irene Gendzier (professor emeritus of political science at Boston University), and Richard Falk (professor emeritus of international law at Princeton University) focused on the diplomacy required to ensure the rights and security of both the Palestinian and Israeli peoples, and the monumental task of rebuilding in Gaza where 85% of the people are displaced and more than a third of all homes have been destroyed. They examined U.S. policies that could defuse rather than exacerbate militarism, divisions, and tensions across the Middle East. Watch the recording here.
Webinar Recording: Divest from Militarism, Invest in Life! A Conversation About War and Climate Change
Sprawling militaries, including the United States' massive network of bases around the globe, are enormous sources of fossil fuel emissions. In addition, while war rages, it limits the international community's cooperation to tackle the climate crisis and takes resources away from investments needed to address the impacts of climate change as countries double down on military spending. Despite its enormous impact, militarism is too often left out of the conversation and organizing within the climate movement. On January 10, 350.org hosted a critical online conversation moderated by journalist Dharna Noor, featuring Dr. Neta Crawford (Costs of War Project), Ramón Mejia (About Face and Grassroots Global Justice Alliance), Ashley LaMont (Honor the Earth), and Zaki Mamdoo (350.org). You can watch the recording here using the password: ^DCJ3xQy
The Power of the Pen
On the 22nd anniversary of Guantánamo, UFPJ joined nearly 100 other U.S. and international NGOs in a letter to President Biden urging him to close the facility. On Jan. 11, a coalition of more than 70 national organizations, including UFPJ, sent a letter to members of Congress urging them to cosponsor and vote in favor of S.Res.504, Sen. Bernie Sanders' resolution that would have required a State Department report on Israel's human rights practices and U.S. military aid to Israel. Also this month, UFPJ was among more than 2,000 signatory organizations in 100 countries on a letter commending South Africa on its Application to the International Court of Justice invoking the Genocide Convention against Israel and urging other countries to reinforce this action by immediately filing Declarations of Intervention with the Court.
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