Why would people leave their country? What are the difficulties in obtaining asylum? What obstacles do refugees face in settling in the United States?

Immigration lawyer John Gibson will discuss his work experience with his clients and the U.S. government’s legal treatment of refugees. Palestinian local Radwan Dalu will talk about his personal experience as a refugee seeking asylum in the United States, and Refugee Services of Texas Immigration Director Trish Niswander will speak about her work experience with refugee families in Austin,

The event will be followed by a Q&A and donations will be collected for the Refugee Services of Austin.

Attached is the trial brief for the Ibrahim family’s asylum case. Please read this interesting document.Ibrahim Family Asylum Trial Brief

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 24
7PM FAC 21
UT CAMPUS
MAP

Eyewitness of Israel’s attack on the May 31 Gaza Freedom Flotilla
Chairperson of the Gaza Freedom Flotilla Steering Committee
Co-Founder of the International Solidarity Movement

BIOGRAPHY

Huwaida Arraf is a Palestinian with American and Israeli citizenship.
She received her Bachelors degrees from the University of Michigan,
and her Juris Doctor from the American University Washington College
of Law, where she focused her studies on international human rights
and humanitarian law. In 2001 Huwaida co-founded the International
Solidarity Movement (ISM), which has twice been nominated for the
Nobel Peace Prize. Huwaida is co-author of the book “Peace Under Fire:
Israel, Palestine, and the International Solidarity Movement.”

From 2007 – 2008 Huwaida taught in a human rights law clinic at
Al-Quds University in Jerusalem, the first legal clinic in the Arab
World. Huwaida was one of the initiators and organizers of a
delegation of American lawyers to Gaza in February 2009, and
co-authored the report on their findings, “Onslaught: Israel’s Attack
on Gaza and the Rule of Law.”Huwaida is currently the Chairperson of
the Free Gaza Movement. Since August 2008, she has led 5 successful
sea voyages to the Gaza Strip. Huwaida was traveling with the Gaza
Freedom Flotilla when it was lethally attacked by Israeli forces on 31
May 2010.

VIDEOS

Famous video of Huwaida Arraf confronting Israeli soldiers

Huwaida Arraf debating Israeli spokesman Ranaan Gissin (idiot who spoke at UT once, sponsored by University Democrats and College Republicans)

CO-SPONSORED BY
Palestine Solidarity Committee
Austin Interfaith Community for Palestinian Rights

Israeli activist Gal Lugassi speaking about the struggle against apartheid

TUESDAY DECEMBER 7
7PM
MONKEYWRENCH BOOKS
110 E North Loop Blvd
Austin, TX

Israeli activist Gal Lugassi will be speaking at Monkeywrench Books (110 E North Loop Blvd) and raising money for the Israeli activist group Anarchists Against the Wall.

Gal Lugassi is an Israeli conscientious objector, a member of the Shiministim, an activist with the Anarchist Against the Wall action group, and the Boycott! from Within group. She also volunteers at the Coalition of Women for Peace and with the Who Profits proj…ect.

Anarchists Against the Wall (AATW) is a direct action group that was established in 2003 in response to the construction of the wall Israel is building on Palestinian land in the Occupied West Bank. The group works in cooperation with Palestinians in a joint popular struggle against the occupation.

Since its formation, the group has participated in hundreds of demonstrations and direct actions against the wall specifically, and the occupation generally, all over the West Bank. All of AATW’s work in Palestine is coordinated through villages’ local popular committees and is essentially Palestinian led.

This event is sponsored by Monkeywrench Books and the Palestine Solidarity Committee.
monkeywrenchbooks.org/
utpalestine.org
awalls.org

Wednesday, November 17, 2010
7 p.m.
The University of Texas at Austin
Thompson Conference Center auditorium (TCC 1.110)
http://www.utexas.edu/maps/main/buildings/tcc.html

TCC is next to the LBJ School at Red River and Dean Keeton.

There is free convenient parking for motorists in the large lots along Red River. http://www.utexas.edu/cee/tcc/img/maps/TCCparkingmMap.pdf

This event, which is free and open to the public, is sponsored by the Palestine Solidarity Committee, International Socialist Organization, Third Coast Activists, the Department of Government, and the School of Journalism.

Nir Rosen is recently back from a six week trip to seven of Iraq’s provinces. He will discuss post civil war Iraq and also his experiences reporting on Sunni-Shiite strife in Lebanon and on the situation in Afghanistan.

BIOGRAPHY:
Born in New York in 1977, Nir Rosen has been reporting from Iraq since April of 2003 and has spent most of the last seven and a half years in Iraq. He recently returned from a trip to seven provinces in the country. He has also reported from Afghanistan, Pakistan, the former Yugoslavia, Somalia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, Kenya, Mexico, Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Yemen, Turkey and Egypt. He has written for magazines such as The New Yorker, Rolling Stone and most major American publications. He has filmed documentaries. He is a Fellow at the New York University Center on Law and Security. His new book, “Aftermath: Following the Bloodshed of America’s Wars in the Muslim World,” is about occupation, resistance, sectarianism and civil war from Iraq to Lebanon to Afghanistan.
http://www.lawandsecurity.org/about_fellows.cfm

AFTERMATH:

http://aftermathbook.com/

INTERVIEWS, ARTICLES, AND EXCERPTS FROM THE NEW BOOK:
http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/2010/08/19/nr.rosen.future.iraq.cnn?iref=allsearch
http://harpers.org/archive/2010/10/hbc-90007749
http://motherjones.com/politics/2010/09/nir-rosen-aftermath-afghanistan
http://www.bostonreview.net/BR35.6/rosen.php
http://www.jadaliyya.com/pages/index/267/aftermath-.-.-.-americas-wars-in-the-middle-east-
http://www.jadaliyya.com/pages/index/271/aftermath-.-.-.-americas-wars-in-the-middle-east-

Date: November 4th 2010
Time: 7:00 PM
Location: University of Texas at Austin | Building: CAL 100

Order a t-shirt for $20!  The shirts are American Apparel sweat-shop free shirts with sizes from Women’s Medium, Women’s Large, Adult Small, Adult Medium, Adult Large, and Adult Extra Large.

The price that is set on the Paypal website includes $7.00 shipping and handling fee.  Please include in the specific instructions your address and shirt preference, type and size.  

Please specify your t-shirt type and size.

Or you can make your payment by check (made out to Palestine Solidarity Committee) and mail your check to our mailbox at:

Palestine Solidarity Committee
Student Services Building 4.400 #294
100 W Dean Keeton St
Austin, TX 78712-1534

We will be holding a candlelight vigil in remembrance of those killed in Israel’s attack on the flotilla trying to reach Gaza with humanitarian aid. Israel attacked the ships in international waters on unarmed civilians from around the world. At least 9 people have been killed in the attack and dozens of others have been wounded.

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2010/05/201053113252437484.html

Stand with us as we remember those who have acted with courage and love for the Palestinian people and in solidarity as the Gaza Flotilla continues in defending itself from Israeli attacks.

If you have a poem or a few words for those on the Flotilla or those in Gaza, feel free to share it with us tonight.

We will meet in front of the Texas Capital building on 11th Street at 8:00pm, June 1st.