PEACE AND
JUSTICE FOR PALESTINE
FREE ORIENT HOUSE
On Thursday August 23, '01 at
4:30pm throughout the West Bank and Gaza, thousands of RED, BLACK,
WHITE and GREEN balloons, the colours of the Palestinian flag, were
released to the skies in a peaceful demonstration against the occupation
of Orient House, and Palestinian land.
On Sunday, August 26 '01
HUMANSERVE members and supporters
handed out RED, BLACK, WHITE and GREEN balloons with a brief
statement attached to passers-by in a busy part of Edmonton.
This local action was mounted in solidarity with Friends
of East Jerusalem Hospitals
and Friends
of Orient House. In all, about 100 balloons and leaflets
were handed out in this public engagement effort to raise
awareness in our corner of the world
Background:
In the early hours of Friday
the 10th of August, 2001 hundreds of Israeli policemen and special forces
attacked and occupied Orient House using helicopters, armored vehicles and
heavy machine guns, only to find no more than seven unarmed people
guarding the offices.
Orient House is a venue for
political, diplomatic and peace-seeking dialogue and acts as an
information center for international agencies located in East Jerusalem.
Orient House initiates and maintains important channels of dialogue
between Israeli and Palestinian peace groups in an attempt to bridge the
divide between the two peoples and arrive at innovative scenarios on how
to keep Jerusalem an open and undivided city, while at the same time
establish and maintain legitimate Palestinian sovereignty over East
Jerusalem.
Orient House staff are on
hand to support international NGOs in fulfilling their objectives and
activities in Jerusalem. They provide information about Palestinian
possessions and property, including the Israeli demolition and
confiscation of Arab Christian and Muslim land and houses inside the Old
City and outside its walls.
For more information or to
express your support please contact FreeOrientHouse@hotmail.com
Access information
concerning developments at Orient House by clicking on this link: Friends
of Orient House or go to the Friends of East Jerusalem Hospitals web
site: www.fejh.org
