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Maltese CSOs about Palestine and related articles in the Archives
Pitgħada
l-Ġimgħa, 12 ta’ Lulju, fis-6.30pm, f’Misraħ il-Ħelsien
il-Belt, se jsir forum pubbliku dwar il-kwistjoni ta' l-art fil-Palestina.
Se jitkellmu membri tal-komunità Palestinjana f'Malta u attivisti oħra
u se jinqara messaġġ mibgħut apposta mill-organizzazzjoni
paċifista Iżraeljana,
Gush
Shalom. Kulħadd huwa mistieden.
Il-forum se
jiftaħ b’video ta' tnax-il minuta
dwar il-kwistjoni fundamentali ta’ l-art u dwar inizjattiva mmexxija
minn għadd ta' bdiewa Palestinjani mseħbin f’organizzazzjoni
jisimha PARC, bi sħab, fost l-oħrajn, ma' CTM-Altromercato,
l-ikbar organizzazzjoni Taljana tal-kummerc gust.
PARC
(Palestinian Agricultural Relief Committee) hija organizzazzjoni li
tassisti lill-komunità rurali Palestinjana, kemm mil-lat ekonomiku kif
ukoll mil-lat soċjali. Dan tagħmlu b’mod prattiku ħafna
bil-ħolqien ta’ koperattivi żgħar u effiċjenti, u
permezz ta’ sistema ġusta ta’ self, assistenza teknika u
kontrolli fuq il-kwalità tal-prodotti.
Ħafna
minn dawn il-ħaddiema huma nisa li jidħlu għal programmi
ta’ taħriġ biex jagħmlu xogħol ta’ kwalità. Fost
il-prodotti ta’ l-ikel li jaħdmu nsibu l-għasel, iż-żebbuġ,
il-ġammijiet u l-cous cous. Il-cous cous, magħruf bħala Maftoul
fil-Palestina, il-Ġordan u l-Libanu, huwa prodott ta’ kwalità u
mfittex ħafna għaliex huwa differenti mill-cous cous komuni. Il-maftoul
jinħadem b’sengħa kbira u b’metodi naturali min-nisa
tal-koperattivi ta’ Birzeit u Deir Balout.
Omar
Shehade, ta’ 39 sena
Meta Iżrael
reġgħet invadiet l-artijiet tal-Palestinjani f’April li għadda,
il-forzi armati Iżraeljani arrestaw għadd ta’ nies fiċ-ċentru
tal-PARC f’Ramallah, ħadu taħt idejhom iċ-ċentru
ta’ Tulkarem, ibbumbardjaw iċ-ċentru ta’ Jenin, waqqfu għal
kollox ix-xogħol fl-għelieqi u xogħol ieħor, u qatlu
lil Omar Shehade, voluntier tal-PARC ta’ 39 sena, li kien qed jassisti
lil għadd ta’ feruti fil-Pjazza tan-Natività ġewwa Betlem.
Fil-messaġġ
tiegħu tat-8 ta’ Lulju mibgħut apposta għal dan il-forum
pubbliku, Adam Keller, f’isem Gush Shalom, kiteb hekk:
“Għeżież
ħbieb tagħna f’Malta: Dawn huma ġranet koroh ħafna
kemm għall-Iżraeljani u kemm għall-Palestinjani, iżda
l-martirju tal-Palestinjani
huwa bil-wisq akbar.
Aħna
ta’ Gush Shalom nirringrazzjawkom tas-solidarjetà tagħkom
mal-Palestinjani f’din it-taqbida iebsa għall-indipendenza. Bħala
Iżraeljani, aħna naraw li l-interess fit-tul taż-żewġ
popli huwa li tintemm l-okkupazzjoni u ngħixu maġenb xulxin bħala
ġirien tajba.”
F’Malta,
il-cous cous maħdum mill-bdiewa mseħbin f’dal-proġett
ta’ PARC jinbiegħ mill-ħanut tal-kummerċ ġust
L-Arka. Waqt il-forum, L-Arka se jkollhom stand b’għadd ta’
prodotti ġusti u min jixtieq se jkun jista’ jiffirma ittra ta’
solidarjetà mal-ħaddiema Palestinjani mseħbin fil-PARC.
F’dawn il-ġranet l-armata Iżraeljana reġgħet daħlet
fl-Artijiet Okkupati bil-qawwa kollha.
Din
l-attività qed tittella’ minn Inizjamed bi sħab mal-Koperattiva
Kummerċ Ġust li tmexxi l-ħanut tal-kummerċ ġust
L-Arka u l-Moviment Graffiti. Dan forum qed isir fi ħdan il-Festival
tal-Belt tal-YMCA.
Adrian
Grima
L-10
ta’ Lulju, 2002
Voluntiera
mseħbin fil-koperattiva soċjali li tmexxi l-ħanut L-Arka
qed jippreżentaw il-cous cous Palestinjan lill-E.T. il-President
ta’ Malta waqt attività pubblika li saret fis-16 ta’ Marzu li għadda.
L-Istqarrija
ta’ Gush Shalom:
08
July 2002 21:10
Dear friends in
Malta
In these terrible days both Israelis and Palestinians suffer, but the
Palestinians go through an incomparably bigger ordeal.
We, Gush Shalom, thank you for your solidarity with the Palestinians in
their exhausting struggle for independence. As Israelis we see that the
long-term interest of both peoples is that the occupation will end and
that we can live side by side as
good neighbors.
Adam Keller
Gush Shalom Spokesperson
Video Forum – It-12 ta’ Ġunju 2002
Il-Kwistjoni ta’ l-Art fil-Palestina
Insellmilkom u nirringrazzjakom talli ġejtu għal dan il-forum pubbliku. Din l-attività qed tittella’ minn Inizjamed bi sħab mal-Koperattiva Kummerċ Ġust li tmexxi l-ħanut tal-kummerċ ġust L-Arka u l-Moviment Graffiti. Dan forum qed isir fi ħdan il-Festival tal-Belt tal-YMCA.
Il-poplu
Palestinjan huwa wieħed viċin ħafna ta’ l-art tiegħu. Ilu snin kbar jaħdem
din l-art u llum il-ġurnata addotta sistemi li bihom qed jagħmel dan
ix-xogħol b’mod ġust u effettiv.
Illum ltqajna biex nitkellmu dwar dak li hu kemm ikrah, kif ukoll sabiħ u ta’ ġid. Però mhux se nitkellmu biss. Il-kliem jasal sa’ ċertu punt. Minn hawn Malta stess, aħna bħala Maltin nistgħu nagħżlu li nagħmlu differenza u nappoġġjaw ix-xogħol li jsir fil-Palestina. Dan billi nagħżlu l-prodotti tal-kummerċ ġust, mibjugħa hawnhekk warajja mill-Arka, l-aktar billi nagħżlu prodotti ġusti bħall-cous cous maħdum fi ħdan il-moviment tal-kummerċ ġust fil-Palestina.
Ftit minuti oħra se naraw video qasir, ta’ madwar 10 minuti, dwar dan ix-xogħol. Il-video, maħdum mill-Christian Aid, jiffoka fuq ix-xogħol tal-PARC, jew Palestinian Agricultural Relief Committee. Il-PARC hija organizzazzjoni li tappoġġja l-komunità rurali Palestinjana, kemm mil-lat ekonomiku kif ukoll minn dak soċjali. Dan tagħmlu b’mod prattiku ħafna, jiġifieri bil-ħolqien ta’ koperattivi żgħar u effiċjenti, sistema ġusta ta’ self, assistenza teknika u kontrolli ta’ kwalità.
Ħafna minn dawn il-ħaddiema huma nisa li jidħlu għal programmi ta’ taħriġ biex jagħmlu xogħol ta’ kwalità. Fost il-prodotti ta’ ikel li jaħdmu nsibu l-għasel, iż-żebbuġ, il-ġammijiet u l-cous cous. Il-cous cous, magħruf bħala Maftoul fil-Palestina, il-Ġordan u l-Libanu, huwa prodott ta’ kwalità u mfittex ħafna għaliex huwa differenti mill-cous cous iktar komuni. Dan għaliex jinħadem b’mod artiġjanali u naturali min-nisa tal-koperattivi ta’ Birzeit u Deir Balout.
Issa ngħaddu biex naraw il-video maħdum mill-Christian Aid dwar il-PARC. Wara se jkollna ħin għal diskussjoni dwar dak li se naraw fil-video, u dwar il-kwistjoni fundamentali ta’ l-art Palestinjana. Iktar ‘il quddiem ukoll se naqraw messaġġ li bagħtulna apposta għal dan il-forum il-ħbieb tagħna mill-organizzazzjoni paċifista Iżraeljana, Gush Shalom.
Karsten Xuereb
10.4.02
July 12, 2002
The forum will discuss the crucial
issue of land in the region and speakers will include members of the
Palestinian community in Malta and local activists.
In their
absence, Gush Shalom sent a message to be read out by the
organisers.
“In these terrible days both Israelis and
Palestinians suffer, but the Palestinians go through an incomparably
bigger ordeal,” Gush Shalom spokesman Adam Keller said in his
message.
“We, Gush Shalom, thank you for your solidarity
with the Palestinians in their exhausting struggle for independence.
As Israelis, we see that the long-term interest of both peoples is
that the occupation will end and that we can live side by side as
good neighbours.”
Tonight’s forum will be held in Freedom
Square, Valletta, at 6.30pm, as part of the YMCA Valletta Festival.
It will start with a 12-minute documentary about Palestinian land
and an initiative taken by a Palestinian organisation of farmers in
collaboration with European non-profit organisations.
The
Palestinian Agricultural Relief Committee (PARC) supports the rural
community by helping workers set up small cooperatives and by
providing fair credit terms, technical assistance and quality
control.
Many of these workers are women who are trained to
produce quality agricultural products, such as honey, olives, jams
and couscous, known as maftoul. This type of couscous is a popular,
high-quality product produced with great care and skill by women
using natural methods in the cooperatives of Birzeit and Deir
Balout.
When Israel re-occupied many Palestinian centres in
April, the armed forces arrested Palestinians in the Ramallah Centre
of PARC, they occupied the Tulkarem centre, bombarded the PARC
centre in Jenin and they stopped all work in the fields promoted by
the committee.
In another tragic incident, Israeli defence
forces killed a PARC volunteer, 39-year-old Omar Shehade, who was
assisting the wounded in the Nativity Square in
Bethlehem.
L-Arka, a fair trade shop in Malta, will have a
stand displaying a selection of products, including the Palestinian
couscous, during tonight’s forum. The shop will also be circulating
a letter of solidarity that will be sent to the Palestinian farmers
of PARC and which can be signed by
visitors.
Solidarity with PARC and
the Palestinian People
We, the undersigned, representatives of Maltese civil society, express our
solidarity with the Palestinian Agricultural Relief Committee which is
working hard to ensure a better life for many Palestinian families in
various parts of Palestine.
We would like to reiterate our support by continuing to promote products
made by PARC.
We will also continue to support peaceful initiatives in favour of the
setting up of an independent Palestinian state so that both the Palestinians
and the Israelis may live in peace as equals.
Valletta, Malta
12 July 2002
Video Forum discusses Peace in Palestine
On Friday 12 July, a public forum featuring a video about the agricultural use of Palestinian land was held in Freedom Square, Valletta, as part of the YMCA Valletta Festival. The forum was organised by the cultural ngo Inizjamed together with Koperattiva Kummerċ Ġust, L-Arka, the only fair trade shop in Malta, and Moviment Graffiti.
As is clear to all people and all workers in any country in the world, one needs a safe, peaceful environment in order to lead one’s life and work free from fear and frustration. The current situation in the Middle East is terrible and dangerous to all civilians and workers, both Palesinian and Israeli, and a path to peace that will allow civilians to pursue their work and lives in a safe environment in urgently needed.
The public forum focused on the situation in Palestine, and discussed the plight of Palestinian farmers who are being impeded from carrying on with their work by Israeli military manouvers and attacks. A 12-minute video shot by Christian Aid documenting the work of the the non-profit organisation Palestinian Agricultural Relief Committee was shown during the forum. When allowed to operate, PARC assists the local rural community in Palestine with economic and socially-oriented work. PARC has helped the farmers, many of whom are women, to set up small and efficient cooperatives, ethical systems of credit and high quality control. As Maltese we can show solidarity with PARC by purchasing their products, such as fairly traded cous cous, which is available in Malta at L-Arka, of 306, St Paul’s Street, Valletta.
In April, PARC’s headquarters in Ramallah were occupied by the Israeli armed forces and all those present were arrested. Fortunately, they were later freed. At the same time, their offices in Tulkarem was also occupied, while those in Jenin were bombarded. Omar Shehade, a 39-year-old voluntary worker for PARC was killed while assisting injured people in the Nativity Square in Betlehem. Most of the work in the fields and other activities have had to stop.
The event was also marked by a message sent to the organisers by Adam Keller, spokesperson of Gush Shalom, an Israeli peace organisation:
“Dear friends in Malta, In these terrible days both Israelis and Palestinians suffer, but the Palestinians go through an incomparably bigger ordeal.
We, Gush Shalom, thank you for your solidarity with the Palestinians in their exhausting struggle for independence. As Israelis we see that the long-term interest of both peoples is that the occupation will end and that we can live side by side as good neighbours.”
During the forum, Palestinians living in Malta and a number of Maltese
people with different views on the issue of land in Palestine, discussed the
rights of the Israelis and the Palestinians and the role of Malta and NGOs
in general in this issue.
Karsten Xuereb
13.7.02
