Week 51: Syrian Golan Online Gathering

A replay of the gathering will be posted right here a day after the session!

Join us Tuesday, December 21st at 6pm Jerusalem time for an online gathering as we learn about the effects of Israeli occupation on the Syrian Golan. Our guests will be Nizar Ayoub, founder of Al-Marsad, and the Syrian artist and activist Wael Tarabieh.

Please register to join us. Here are the details:

Time: Tuesday, December 21, at 6:00pm East Jerusalem, Palestine time (UTC+2) That’s…

• Pacific (Seattle/Vancouver): 8am
• Central (Chicago): 10am
• Eastern (New York/Toronto): 11am
• Atlantic: 12pm
• Newfoundland: 12:30pm
• Greenwich (London): 4pm
• Central Europe (Paris/Stockholm): 5pm
• South Africa: 6pm
• Manila: 12am
• Sydney: 3am (+1 Day)
• Auckland: 5am (+1 Day)

Zoom Meeting: https://zoom.us/j/94679502800 (You might have to fill out a quick registration. Remember to put a reminder in your calendar!)

More about our guest:

Nizar Ayoubis is founder and director of Al-Marsad in the Golan Heights. You can read his recent article “Israel’s Occupation of the Golan Heights Is Illegal and Dangerous” in Foreign Policy: https://foreignpolicy.com/2019/02/05/israels-occupation-of-the-golan-heights-is-illegal-and-dangerous/

Wael Tarabieh is a Syrian artist. You can read a wonderful article about his art and activism here: https://www.thenationalnews.com/arts-culture/art/syrian-artist-wael-tarabieh-on-reclaiming-cultural-identity-through-art-in-golan-heights-1.778747

Karama Abu Saleh is a lawyer focusing on labor law. He works for Al-Marsad. You can read an interview with Wael and Karama in “Druze Arabs in the occupied Golan Heights discuss borders, identity, colonialism and war” for Mondoweiss: https://mondoweiss.net/2016/08/occupied-identity-colonialism/

Al-Marsad, the Arab Human Rights Centre in the Golan Heights, is an independent legal human rights organisation. The organisation was founded in 2003 by members of the remaining Syrian population and is the only human rights organisation operating in the occupied Syrian Golan. Its mission is “to protect and promote human rights and respect for the rule of law in the occupied Syrian Golan, with a commitment to the overall application of international law, in particular: international humanitarian law and international human rights law.”

You can find Al-Marsad on their website http://golan-marsad.org and follow them on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Al-Marsad-Arab-Human-Rights-Centre-in-Golan-Heights-1430895697124379/ and Twitter https://twitter.com/GolanMarsad.

Activism Time

Kumi Action is at:
https://kuminow.com/syriangolan/#kumiaction

Write to international travel companies such as Airbnb, Booking.com, eDreams, Expedia, and Lonely Planet that misrepresent the occupied Syrian Golan as part of Israel and promote accommodation and tourist activities in illegal Israeli settlements. Tell them that this misrepresentation is false advertising and violates consumers’ rights. Request that these companies comply with international human rights and humanitarian law standards and stop promoting accommodation and tourism in illegal Israeli settlements. 

Booking.com customer service email is customer.service@booking.com; and Booking.com’s press office email is lon-booking@ketchum.com 

Contact Lonely Planet by visiting this link: https://www.lonelyplanet.com/contact. It provides options to give feedback on guidebooks and email addresses to contact Lonely Planet.

You can find email addresses for Airbnb’s press offices around the world by visiting this link: https://press.atairbnb.com/contact/

Share your messages to the travel companies on social media along with the phrase “Don’t exploit the occupied Syrian Golan!” Include a link to this page of the Kumi Now website along with the hashtags #OccupiedGolan, #KumiNow, and #Kumi51.

From the Presentation/Chat

Coming after the session.