Our Statement on Israel’s Operation “Pillar of Defense”

Posted on November 16, 2012

The Rachel Corrie Foundation for Peace and Justice (RCF) is deeply saddened by Israel’s “Pillar of Defense” attacks on Gaza. We are calling for an immediate cessation of the air strikes and naval bombardment into Gaza and an end to the ongoing siege of Gaza. We also call for cessation of the rocket attacks from Gaza aimed into communities in Israel, which only derail efforts towards a ceasefire and peace to the area.

We oppose all acts of violence and urge President Obama to take a stand against these attacks and to use the power of the United States to insist that Israel as well as the de facto government of Gaza pursue all diplomatic measures possible for the sake of life, safety and security on all sides.

After a very recent visit to Gaza, Craig Corrie stated, “We have just returned to Washington DC from five days in Gaza (November 5-11) and from time in Israel where we visited a kibbutz near the Gaza border threatened with rocket fire. We are appalled by the decision of the Israeli Government (apparently supported by the U.S.) to ignore the truce that was developing. This decision unleashes more violence on those who year after year continue to suffer under the illegal siege in Gaza, and further threatens the safety and well-being of the Israeli people, as well.”

How you can help:

Join us in Olympia!
Join us at 3:30 PM today, Friday, November 16th, as we protest and march in downtown Olympia. Meet us at the corner of 4th Ave and Washington at 3:30 to collect posters and dip your hands in red paint to signify the blood we have on our hands due to our U.S tax dollars that support the Israeli military. Shortly thereafter, we will march down 4th Ave towards The Olympian to express concern about the newspaper’s coverage of the recent events in Gaza and Israel.

Contact the U.S. Department of State, White House, Senate offices, and Israeli Embassy.
Call or write the White House. Tell our U.S. officials that Americans do not support this violence against the people of Gaza, and that we do not support the support our country gives to the Israeli military for these purposes.

To contact President Obama, click here.

To contact Secretary of State Hilary Clinton call (202) 647-4000.

To contact the Israeli Consulate in San Francisco, click here.

To contact the Palestine Israel Desk at the State Department, call (202) 647-3672.

To contact your local Congress Representative, click here.

Thank you for all you do.

With prayers for peace with justice and an immediate cessation of violence in Palestine and Israel,
The Staff and Board of Directors
Rachel Corrie Foundation for Peace and Justice
Olympia, Washington

CCR and End the Occupation Action Alert: Urge US Investigation of Corrie’s Death

Posted on September 22, 2012

In Response to Corrie Verdict: Sign the Center for Constitutional Rights’ (CCR) and End the Occupation’s petition to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton urging the U.S. government to conduct thorough, credible, and transparent investigations into the death of Rachel Corrie and into each case involving the death or serious injury of an American citizen by the Israeli military since 2001.

Help CCR and End the Occupation reach their goal of delivering 10,000 signatures to the State Department.

See “Call to Action” and sign the petition at both the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) and End the Occupation websites.

Take Action!

Posted on August 10, 2012

We call on our friends, as individuals and as organizations, to mark the week of the Corrie trial verdict with the following actions in support of all whose rights have been violated by the Israeli Government:

(See the full Call to Action for history and goals leading up to this call. Click here for Palestine/Israel, US, and International specific information.)

Register Your Action	Poster of Rachel	Participate in the Conference Call
Sign the Petition	RCF Tumblr blog	Home Demolition Posters
List of TIAA-CREF Offices	Sample TIAA-CREF Letter	List of Israeli Consulates
We Divest TIAA-CREF Info

For those in Palestine/Israel:
We are inspired by the incredible work Israeli and Palestinian activists do to challenge home demolitions and confiscations. We encourage any actions organized the week of the verdict to include Rachel’s memory and spirit. You can include Rachel’s image by printing this poster of her in front of a bulldozer in Rafah, Gaza Strip. Register your planned action here so we can post it to our website. Send photos or videos of your action to [email protected]. For information about further actions planned, contact Jen at [email protected]

For those in the U.S.:
We in the U.S. can impact home demolitions by removing support from companies that profit from Israel’s occupation and home demolition policies. The We Divest campaign to pressure investment firm TIAA-CREF to divest from such companies is a promising effort to end U.S. complicity in the occupation. Caterpillar Inc. is one of these companies. It profits from destruction wreaked upon Palestinian families, farms, and their economy using CAT equipment. Rachel was killed beneath a Caterpillar D9 weaponized bulldozer as she tried to protect the home of a Palestinian family. While TIAA-CREF recently removed CAT in its Social Choice accounts, it still holds over a billion dollars of CAT stock.

Please take the following actions:

From Sunday, August 26th until Sunday, September 2nd, deliver a letter to TIAA-CREF offices, and remember Rachel as you do. Combine this with a larger event, or designate a few people to deliver the letter. Register your planned action here so we can post it on our website. Download a copy of our sample TIAA-Cref letter and we will e-mail you a poster of a Palestinian family impacted by demolitions using CAT equipment. Our goal is to deliver letters to half of the 60 TIAA-CREF offices. Can you help us exceed our goal? With photos and videos from your actions we will launch a nationwide social media campaign with images that show the level of support for TIAA-CREF divestment.
Print this image of Rachel. Photograph yourself with it, and post it on our new Tumblr blog. Deliver the photo to the nearest Israeli Consulate demanding accountability and an end to home demolitions. We will gather images worldwide and also send them to the U.S. Department of State.
Take part in a live conference call with the Corrie family, Wednesday, August 29th, 6:30 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time/ 9:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. To participate in the call, RSVP to [email protected]. Host a house party or community gathering for those who want to join the call.
Sign this petition in support of the campaign to pressure TIAA-CREF to divest.

For those in other parts of the world:
We encourage you to use your creativity to take a stand against home demolitions. Register your planned action here so we can post it on our website. Please send photos and videos of your action to [email protected].

We invite all our friends and allies to share reflections on Rachel’s stand on twitter with the hashtag #RememberRachel.

Together, we can seize the moment. We can tell Rachel’s story. Most of all, we can cry out with Rachel’s message of equality and human rights and for her call to end home demolitions and the Israeli occupation!

Register Your Action

Posted on August 8, 2012

UPDATE: Action registration has closed. Thank you everyone who took the time to notify us about your activities!

» Look at images from the events…

Register your Planned Actions here! We will post them on our Remember Rachel Corrie – End Demolitions and Bring Justice Action Map. (We only list your location, organization, and organization e-mail publicly.)

For your actions:

When you register, we will send by email a printable poster of a Palestinian family affected by demolitions in which Caterpillar equipment was used.
Download this poster of Rachel in Rafah, Gaza, in front of a Caterpillar D9 bulldozer.

Please send photos and video from your action to [email protected]. We will launch a social media campaign from actions worldwide to illustrate the level of support for TIAA-CREF to divest from Caterpillar and other corporations profiting from the occupation, for an end to home demolitions and land confiscation, and for accountability for nonviolent activists harmed by the Israeli military.

Support Presbyterian Divestment!

Posted on June 25, 2012

From June 30th through July 7th, Presbyterians from all over the United States will gather in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, for the 220th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church U.S.A. During this gathering, commissioners elected from local Presbyterian communities will vote on many important matters, including a recommendation to divest from specified companies that profit from the Israeli abuse of Palestinian human rights. Among them are Caterpillar, Hewlett Packard, and Motorola.

The Presbyterian Church is known for its strong and consistent stance in support of Palestinian human rights. If it were to divest from these companies, it would be a massive victory for justice in Palestine. To this end, we encourage everyone who is able to get involved. The U.S. Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation provides a petition in support of divestment and excellent information about ways to support the Presbyterian activists who have made the issue of divestment so prominent in the Church. If you live in or near Olympia, and are interested in working on this issue within the church community, contact us to find out how to get involved in supporting these efforts.

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