I have just come back from a 7 day, 90 mile, (144
km) walk across Scotland, joining Caroline Poland for a stretch of her
Right to Roam, End to End walk for Palestine, raising funds for projects
in Gaza. I’ve pasted her leaflet below. Here is a little inspiration and a humble invitation for retrospective sponsorship.
Four of us set off from Peebles on May 13th,
walked over the Pentland hills to Edinburgh and then mostly via the tow
paths alongside the Union and Forth and Clyde canals, to Milgarvie,
just North of Glasgow. We walked about 13 miles a day, often against
strong head winds. I’ve calculated that is 184,320 foot steps. Memorable
sights along the way were the long vistas from the Pentland hills,
aqueducts on the canal, awe inspiring Kelpies and the superb engineering
of the Falkirk wheel. So thanks you walking companions, our friendly
hosts, and feet, legs and boots!
It
was a very good time to be in Scotland, after the election, meeting
friendly people delighted they were part of a society that had said NO
to austerity and the Tories. Carrying a Palestinian flag, with WALK FOR
GAZA inscribed, we did not meet any opposition but rather we were met
with interest and admiration for Caroline’s End to End walk and support
for the projects in Gaza.
Two
highlights for me are firstly a taxi driver in Falkirk (honest—at the
end of a long walk day, only way to get to see the Kelpies.) On hearing
what our walk was for he said, “don’t pay me the fare (£5), put it
towards the projects in Gaza”
My second highlight is learning about the Shministim,
Israeli school leavers refusing conscription to join the Israeli army.
We learnt about them through a friend in Protest in Harmony who hosted
an evening Palestine solidarity event in Edinburgh for and with us. I’ve
pasted their collective letter to Binyamin Netanyahu at the end of this email.
I
may be a bit foot sore but it’s been a very heart warming experience.
As a fellow traveller suggests, the Right to Roam walk brings out a
strong connection to our common humanity.
A link to the women’s education project here. http://www.sheffieldpsc.org.
If you would like to sponsor the walk and support education for women in Gaza you
can do so via
‘Sheffield Palestine Women’s Scholarship Fund’:
many thanks
Heather Hunt
‘RIGHT TO ROAM’ / ‘END TO END’ WALK FOR PALESTINE
Raising funds for projects in Gaza
In Britain, as in many other countries, people have had to struggle for the Right to Roam,
the right to walk, to wander across the land. We started out on our
Right to Roam walk in May 2013, following the 268 miles of the Pennine
Way from Edale, over Kinder Scout, the site of the historic Kinder
Trespass, to Kirk Yethom just over the Scottish borders. We continued
our walk last year, walking from Land’s End to Bristol, and then later
in the year, from Bristol to Edale to complete the ‘England’ stage of
our walk. Right to Roam / End2End walk for Palestine last year, walking
from Land’s End to Bristol, & then Bristol to Edale, to complete the
‘England’ section of our walk. The walk so far has covered around 800
miles – a stark contrast to harsh severe restrictions of movement for
all Palestinians to, from and within Palestine, and in particular the
harsh restrictions, attacks and siege of 1.8 m people within the narrow
26 mile Gaza Strip.
We are now on the first of the two stages of our Scottish section of our ‘End2End’ walk for Palestine, walking 287 miles from Kirk Yetholm to 50 miles north of Fort William, before returning to do the final section to John-o-Groats in 2016.
We are raising funds to support women’s education in Gaza
Please donate to the
‘Sheffield Palestine Women’s Scholarship Fund’:
Thank you.
Further information or enquiries: Poland.cf@gmail.com
Shministim
letter of conscientious objectors 2014
We, citizens of the state of Israel, are designated for army service.We appeal to the readers of this letter to set aside what has always been taken for granted and to reconsider the implications of military service.
We, the undersigned, intend to refuse to serve in the army and the main reason for this refusal is our opposition to the military occupation of Palestinian territories. Palestinians in the occupied territories live under Israeli rule though they did not choose to do so, and have no legal recourse to influence this regime or its decision-making processes. This is neither egalitarian nor just. In these territories, human rights are violated, and acts defined under international law as war-crimes are perpetuated on a daily basis. These include assassinations (extrajudicial killings), the construction of settlements on occupied lands, administrative detentions, torture, collective punishment and the unequal allocation of resources such as electricity and water. Any form of military service reinforces this status quo, and, therefore, in accordance with our conscience, we cannot take part in a system that perpetrates the above-mentioned acts.
The problem with the army does not begin or end with the damage it inflicts on Palestinian society. It infiltrates everyday life in Israeli society too: it shapes the educational system, our workforce opportunities, while fostering racism, violence and ethnic, national and gender-based discrimination.
We refuse to aid the military system in promoting and perpetuating male dominance. In our opinion, the army encourages a violent and militaristic masculine ideal whereby 'might is right'. This ideal is detrimental to everyone, especially those who do not fit it. Furthermore, we oppose the oppressive, discriminatory, and heavily gendered power structures within the army itself.
We refuse to forsake our principles as a condition to being accepted in our society. We have thought about our refusal deeply and we stand by our decisions.
We appeal to our peers, to those currently serving in the army and/or reserve duty, and to the Israeli public at large, to reconsider their stance on the occupation, the army, and the role of the military in civil society. We believe in the power and ability of civilians to change reality for the better by creating a more fair and just society. Our refusal expresses this belief.
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