Action alert

Pressure University of Chicago to drop Olmert speech

Action alert

WHEN: Thursday, October 15th, at 3:30 PM
WHERE: University of Chicago's Mandel Hall, 1131 E. 57th Street, Chicago (Hyde Park)

Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert will be speaking at the University of Chicago next Thursday, Oct. 15th.  He has been invited by the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy, which is using grant money supplied by King Abdullah II of Jordan to pay for the program.

A coalition of Palestinian, Muslim. and human rights groups is outraged the University of Chicago would invite Olmert, who was prime minister during Operation Cast Lead, in which Israel Defense Forces killed more than 1,400 Palestinians and wounded more than 5,300. Olmert is also responsible for implementing the siege on Gaza, now well into its third year. The siege has plunged more than 80 percent of the population into abject poverty. More than 400,000 people have no access to clean drinking water, according to the United Nations. Israel is violating international law and the Fourth Geneva Convention in denying basic human and civil rights to the occupied people of Palestine. In light of the Goldstone Report, which found Israel guilty of war crimes and possible crimes against humanity during Operation Cast Lead in December 2008 and January 2009, the coalition denounces the Harris School for its completely unacceptable and reprehensible invitation to Olmert.

In addition to the protest, please take the following actions:

  1. Call Colleen Peterson, director of external relations of the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy, and demand she cancels the event because Olmert has been implicated in war crimes in Operation Cast Lead. Call her at 773.702.5641. E-mail her at [email protected] .
  2. E-mail His Royal Highness King Abdullah II of Jordan and ask him to pressure the university to cancel the program, which is being paid for with his donation at www.kingabdullah.jo/main.php?main_page=0&lang_hmka1=1 and click on ‘feedback.'

    Contact HRH Prince Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein, Jordanian ambassador to the United States at [email protected] and politely ask him to ask King Abdullah to pressure the university to cancel this program. Call him at 202.966.2664, ext, 2.

Please blind copy (bcc) Kristin Szremski, AMP director of media and communications, with each e-mail you send at [email protected] Contact: Awad Hamdan Chairman, American Muslims for Palestine-Chicago 773.951.2020

The American Muslims for Palestine is a national grassroots organization whose mission is to educate the American public and media about issues relating to Palestine and its rich cultural heritage. For more information or to make a donation, call 888.404.4AMP.

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