What you can do/Resources
This award-winning short film, No Way Through, comes from Cntrl.Alt.Shift and imagines West Bank conditions transferred to the UK.
We invite you to take action! You will find the Defend the Rescuers Factsheet, a two page referenced summary of attacks on Palestinian Rescuers from 2000 to 2009, a helpful resource.
Distribute this image
…everywhere you can: Defend the Rescuers flier
Join the Defend the Rescuers Facebook Group
…click here to follow the link
Lobby your politicians
Find out what your local guys say about Palestine (in the UK, visit http://www.theyworkforyou.com/) and then decide if you need to educate them with some letters or meetings. Once you get them informed, they may be willing to challenge Israel’s breaches of international law.
Hold events to fundraise for emergency equipment
Since the Viva Palestina Convoys and Free Gaza Boats have not recently been able to reach Gaza we have no good route for large donations so are currently dependent on individuals offering to take in an extra bag. However a surprising amount of useful medical kit can be fitted in a bag! We would also like to send good quality headtorches and long life batteries (neither readily available in Gaza) as these will be of great use to rescuers – during Operation Cast Lead, some medics had to resort to using the light from their mobiles to look for the injured. See more about donations here
Twin your rescue/medical organisation with one in Palestine
You can start by putting up a noticeboard that documents what Gaza rescuers had to deal with in the Operation Cast Lead (2009-10) attacks, there’s a range of photos and stories available online. Maybe we could get some penpal arrangements happening, we’re hoping to be able to put Gaza rescuers in direct contact with their colleagues all over the world.
Ask your organisation to endorse the Statement of Solidarity
You can find it here, online or in downloadable PDF form so you can print out copies to put up on noticeboards or put in your organisation’s newsletter. You can also sign it as an individual.
Host a talk or event about Palestine in general or emergency work in particular
We’ll do our best to find someone to send along to you. Please get in touch!
Offer trauma support or training to Palestinian emergency workers
…whether from a distance, or on the ground like the Mobile International Surgical Team are doing.
Travel to Palestine yourself to document and/or resist violence against emergency workers
If you are a clinician, you may be interested in going on the Clinicians’ Study Tour run regularly by Experience Travel Tours
If you are a soldiarity volunteer, see more here
…or any other nonviolent action that takes your fancy.
You can also help expand, manage, and update this blog. We would love someone to translate and maintain it in Arabic, for example. For that and more easy but helpful tasks, have a look at Tasks Seeking People!
And of course you can participate in the broader resistance to the Israeli occupation of Palestine, including the Boycott/Divestment/Sanctions movement.
Resources:
