Gaza fundraiser organizers announce guest speakers

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:

Matt Quinn, 816-729-9102

Fadi Banyalmarjeh, 816-213-3022

“Viva Palestina” fundraiser will provide a lively and timely update on Gaza humanitarian relief efforts

In December 2008, Israel began a military campaign that caused over 5300 Palestinian deaths or injuries, nearly half of the casualties were women and children. Thirteen Israelis were killed, including three civilians. 35,000 Palestinians were forced to flee their homes. 4000 Palestinian homes were destroyed in the 22 days of attacks. Mona El-Farra, a Palestinian physician and human rights/women’s rights activist, wrote one week after the attacks that “medical staff and people still shell-shocked although cars and people on the streets again but all people have the memories of the events of 20 days bombardment, charred bodies and probably no family is intact.”

The Israeli blockade of Gaza continues today. The stranglehold of Gaza threatens the lives, livelihood, and human dignity of 1.4 million people by severely limiting basic goods and supplies from being transported to Gaza. Human Rights Watch calls the blockade “collective punishment of the civilian population.”

In March, in a bold move, Viva Palestina, a British grassroots organization along with George Galloway led a convoy of 100 vehicles to donate $2 million worth of humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza.

Since that time, UK and EU lawmakers, as well as former US president Jimmy Carter have met with Hamas leaders in Gaza. "I don't believe there is any possibility to have peace between Palestinians and Israel unless Hamas is involved directly, with Fatah,” Carter said.

International partners may eventually alleviate the human catastrophe through aid programs by providing basic food and medical supplies in severe shortage due to the blockade. However, Viva Palestina USA will shortcut this blockade by delivering medical supplies to health professionals, charities and grassroots non-governmental organizations working in Gaza.

Several Kansas City community organizations will host a fundraising event on Thursday, July 2, 2009 at 6:30 pm at the Overland Park Marriott hotel in Grand Ballroom E located at 10800 Metcalf Avenue in Overland Park, Kansas.

Guest Speakers at Viva Palestina Fundraiser in Overland Park, Kansas -

The following speakers will be part of the event, providing first-hand reports on conditions in Gaza, sharing activities for ending the siege, and, most importantly, raising funds for humanitarian relief.

• George Galloway is a British Member of Parliament for the London constituency. He was first elected to Parliament for the City of Glasgow in Scotland in 1987.  He has been elected five times to the House of Commons and is now one of the more senior members.  For fourteen out of fifteen years he was the elected Senior Vice Chairman of the Parliamentary Labour Party's Foreign Affairs Committee.  The exception was the year 1991 during the Gulf War when he was narrowly defeated.
  
  He is a founder of the Stop the War Coalition UK and is currently its Vice-President. The Stop The War Coalition mobilized two million people to protest against the war on Iraq (the largest demonstration of people in British history).
  
  In response to the Israeli attacks on Gaza, Galloway organized the Viva Palestina aid convoy to the Gaza Strip. Raising over $2 million-worth of humanitarian aid in four weeks, Galloway and hundreds of volunteers launched the convoy comprising approximately 120 vehicles intended for use in the Strip, including a fire engine, 12 ambulances, a boat and trucks full of medicines, tools, clothes, blankets and gifts for children. The 5,000-mile route passed through Belgium, France, Spain, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and Egypt.[Wikipedia]
• Imam Mahdi Bray is a long time civil and human rights activist currently serving as the Executive Director of MAS Freedom (MASF), the Washington, D.C.-based civic and human rights advocacy entity of the Muslim American Society (MAS).
• Dr. Mohamed Odah is a principal professional engineer and founder of a highly respected environmental engineering firm, based in Overland Park, Kansas.  Dr. Odah developed and patented engineering technologies that are implemented worldwide and is a frequent speaker at major national and international engineering conferences.   Dr. Odah earned his Ph.D. at UMKC and his M.S. and B.S. in engineering at the University of Kansas.
  
  Dr. Odah grew up in Gaza and arrived at KU after finishing high school and has been a resident of the Kansas City area for almost 30 years. His family, including his 89 years old mother whom he has not been able to visit in 6 years despite several attempts, continues to reside in Gaza. 
• Mohammed Atwa is a Kansas City resident with Palestinian family members in Gaza. He spoke about his family recently on KKFI-FM 90.1 radio. Mr. Atwa’s mother lives in Gaza, while his brother is a journalist for Ramattan, the only news organization reporting live on events in the Gaza Strip during the Israeli attacks. Mr. Atwa grew up and studied in Gaza, and works with Arava Institute, an environmental education school in Israel. Mr. Atwa spoke at the CJME Gaza fundraiser in January 2009.

Event sponsors are challenging Kansas City area residents is to make financial donations to humanitarian relief through organizations like Viva Palestina USA.

 ###

About the sponsor organizations: