End the Suffering: Global Days of Remembrance and Action

October 6, 7, and 8

#EveryLifeAUniverse

Nonviolence International invites you—communities, congregations, institutions, and individuals throughout the world—to commemorate the one-year mark of October 7th in a way that renews our resolve for justice and peace. Let us remember and honor the sacredness of every life, grief for those lost over decades of violence and oppression, and acknowledge those who are in pain today: those who have lost loved ones, are injured, abducted, displaced, whose homes have been destroyed, and who suffer from hunger and illness.

Through our grief and remembrance, let us renew our commitment to never give up on justice and peace between Palestinians and Israelis

We invite you for three days of remembrance and action by doing the following:   

1. Wear a black ribbon or armband during these days. We want to see people all around the world, in our cities and towns, workplaces, and educational institutions, wear black ribbons or armbands in order to create the collective consciousness of grief for lives that haven been lost. You are also welcomed to write "Every life, a Universe" on your ribbons or armbands. 

2. Organizing community vigils, sit-ins, sharing circles, walks, events, fundraisers, days of fasting, and humanitarian efforts for each of the days;

   On October 6th, you are invited to remember the decades of the past and decry the mistreatment and suffering of Palestinians caused by Israeli policies of expulsion, imprisonment, apartheid, siege, and occupation.

   On October 7th, you are invited to remember and decry the violent attacks by Hamas and others, including the hostage-taking, and the death of over 1,000 Israelis in a single day.

   On October 8th, you are invited to remember and decry the launch and continuation of Israeli attacks on Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank, the killing of over 40,000 individuals, the injury of over 80,000, the displacement of hundreds of thousands of civilians and the abduction of thousands from their homes and families. 

    

   Here is the registration link for 3 global online events: REGISTER HERE FOR ALL 3!
   
   

        Nonviolence International. Oct 6. 9pm. JT
   

                                  
   
   Parents Circle Families Forum/American Friends of Parents Circle Families Forum Oct. 7. 9pm JT.
   

   

   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   Combatants for Peace/American Friends
   of Combatants for Peace. Oct 8. 9pm JT.
   
   

3. Use the hashtag: #EveryLifeAUniverse on your social media, change your profile picture to the our event's black ribbon attached below , and share your activities on the following Facebook page so others can join you and for all of us to know what you are doing Facebook Event Page. 

Join us in your own way to say that violence, whether in defense or for liberation, is not the answer. Only nonviolence, which dismantles systems of oppression and violence and calls for collective justice and equality, will ensure that Israelis and Palestinians can live together in safety, peace, and justice.

Goals:

• To create global momentum that transcends the dichotomy of right versus wrong and unites us in a collective call to end all suffering. Our aim is to move forward toward achieving peace and justice for everyone.
• We seek to establish a unified ritual space where we can come together to acknowledge and process the past. This includes confronting grief, grievances, and the structures and systems of oppression that have perpetuated suffering across decades.
• Our objective is to reframe the Israeli-Palestinian crisis in a way that fosters a shared vision of equality, justice, and reconciliation. By doing so, we hope to encourage and mobilize collective actions to end the suffering.
• We want to remind everyone that we are the change-makers we have been waiting for. If we don't act now, the suffering will continue and intensify.

You can  join our facebook event page and add your event there

Explore our Tool Kit on how to participate in the Global Days of Remembrance and Action, filled with actionable steps and resources: Tool Kit

If you would like to cosponsor and have your event promoted through our network, please register using the following link: Google form

We are not alone in our commitment to honoring Every Life, A Universe. Others Every Life A Universe share our vision, working toward the same goal of celebrating human dignity and fostering peace. We encourage you to learn more about their efforts as we continue to grow our collective impact.

As of October 4, 2024, here are the campaign co-sponsors:

• Friends of Sabeel North America (FOSNA)                                    
• Prayers for Peace Alliance
• Jefferson County Palestine Solidarity (Washington State)
• Epigenetic Alchemy
• Center for Jewish Nonviolence
• Sisterhood of Salaam Shalom (SOSS)
• Lindsay Stanek
• Combatants for Peace
• Euphrates Institute
• Peace Catalyst International

"Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and right doing, there is a field. I'll meet you there." —Rumi 

Watch the recording of the Q&A Panel Discussion on
In Conversation: "Humanity in Gaza" Revisited

Recording

To create a more nonviolent planet, national leaders at the UN Summit of the Future on Sept 22., adopted a ground-breaking Pact for the Future that also includes a Global Digital Compact and a Declaration on Future Generations (See UN adopts ground-breaking Pact for the Future to transform global governance, UN press release, September 22).

Following an unsuccessful effort by Russia and its allies yesterday morning to render the PACT toothless in national jurisdictions, it was adopted without vote, i.e. by consensus.

This Pact is the culmination of an inclusive, years-long process to adapt international cooperation to the realities of today and the challenges of tomorrow.  As the Secretary-General has said, “we cannot create a future fit for our grandchildren with a system built by our grandparents.”

While innovative and ground-breaking, the PACT is not as ambitious as hoped by many like-minded governments and civil society networks who had advanced a range of even stronger proposals for better global governance to ensure peace, environmental protection, human rights, democracy and sustainability for current and future generations. See, for example, the Peoples Pact for the Future.

Join civil society leaders from World Federalist Movement-Institute for Global Policy (WFM) and Mobilizing an Earth Governance Alliance (MEGA) online today for an update on the Summit of the Future, the adoption of the PACT and where-to-from here. 

The Flotilla ships currently being prevented from leaving port by the Turkish Port Authorities

on September 12 Freedom Flotilla has announced that the demonstration to release the Flotilla ships currently being prevented from leaving port by the Turkish Port Authorities, continues in Istanbul. and they are calling for help;

We need your help in getting international media to cover this historic protest and help put pressure on the government to release the ships, ensuring we can sail towards Gaza.

HOW TO HELP:

1. Call, email and/or demonstrate at Turkish embassies and consulates and demand that the Freedom Flotilla ships be released and allowed to deliver aid to Gaza immediately.

2. Tag mainstream accounts in this post or when you share our photos to your stories.

3. Message the social media page of the Ministry of Transport and Foreign Affairs @tcdisisleri & @uabakanligi on IG and on X

4. Share our videos using the hashtags #WeWillSail and #LetThemSail tagging @tcdisisleri and @uabakanligi

#WeWillSail #LetThemSail #TheFreedomFlotilla #FFC #Istanbul #Turkiye #Turkey #mavimarmara

Aysenur Ezgi Eygi Killed While Peacefully Protecting Palestinians

Nonviolence International has long supported third-party nonviolent action around the world and in Palestine/Israel through training, research, fiscal sponsorship, and advocacy.  NVI strongly encourages well-meaning visitors, delegations, and organized solidarity accompaniment and co-resistance to go to Palestine/Israel. This page highlights some of the many activities by courageous international people and groups in Palestine/Israel who seek to protect civilians and human rights.

On September 3, 2024, Aysenur Ezgi Eygi traveled to the occupied West Bank to join the unarmed civilian protection (UCP) group, the International Solidarity Movement (ISM)/Faz3a. According to her family, she felt a deep responsibility to stand with Palestinian civilians facing ongoing repression and violence, particularly from settlers. On September 6, 2024, while attending a peaceful protest in Beita, Eygi was tragically shot in the head by an Israeli soldier. Source.

A photo of Aysenur Eygi during her graduation.

Aysenur Ezgi Eygi was born on July 27, 1998, in Turkey and raised in Seattle, Washington. She graduated from Seattle Central College in 2022 with an Associate’s degree in Art and completed her Bachelor’s of Arts degree in Psychology with a minor in Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures at the University of Washington in June 2024. She was actively involved in pro-Palestinian activism and was considering pursuing graduate studies in Near Eastern archaeology.

Nonviolence International, an organization dedicated to promoting nonviolent resistance and human rights, strongly condemns the killing of Eygi. We express deep outrage at the violent suppression of peaceful protests towards both Palestinians and internationals. This tragic incident underscores the dangers faced by activists advocating for basic human and civil rights in the occupied territories. Nonviolence International reaffirms its commitment to supporting peaceful activism and standing in solidarity with those resisting oppression.

Please call on the United Nations, Turkey, and the United States of America to launch independent investigations and to take measures to protect everyone.

To support our partners involved in UCP in Palestine, please visit the following:

https://www.nonviolenceinternational.net/ucpnp_partner

https://www.nonviolenceinternational.net/ffc_freedom_flotilla_coalition

https://www.nonviolenceinternational.net/cjnv_partner

ISM Palestine

Faz3a

Uganda nonviolent protests against pipeline meet with more repression

On August 26, 2024, communities in Hoima Town and Kampala held peaceful protests against the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP). The demonstrators, including project-affected people and activists, voiced concerns over the environmental and human rights violations caused by EACOP, which is spearheaded by TotalEnergies and the Chinese National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC). Despite their peaceful intentions, the protests were met with police violence and arrests. In Hoima, police prevented most demonstrators from delivering a letter of demands, while in Kampala, 21 activists were violently arrested.

 NVI Director, Michael Beer met with Ugandan officials in Washington DC and also protested along side climate activists.

The protestors are calling for an immediate halt to the EACOP project, reparations for the damage caused, an end to the violence against activists, and a shift toward decentralized, renewable energy solutions that benefit Ugandans. This situation highlights the ongoing repression of environmental and human rights defenders in Uganda. The international community is urged to stand against these injustices and support the affected communities in their fight for justice and sustainable development.

We invite you to contact the Ugandan government directly to express your concern and demand the immediate halt of EACOP. Together, we can make a difference.

WATCH HERE

Freedom Flotilla is in Malta Ready to Sail for Gaza to Break the Siege

On Sunday, August 18, 1700 Jerusalem, 1600 Malta, 1000 ET.

 NVI meets with Freedom Flotilla sailors and activists.

 Freedom Flotilla activists have set sail from Malta to Gaza in a courageous effort to break the ongoing siege. Hosted by Sami Awad, with insights from Freedom Flotilla Steering Committee member Ann Wright, the discussion explores the mission's significance and the risks involved. The activists share their motivations and the challenges of this critical humanitarian mission. Their journey highlights the power of nonviolent action in confronting immense obstacles.

Watch full webinar here

Below you can view the webinar of Freedom Flotilla Activists in June in Istanbul

https://youtube.com/shorts/yD8V3kn-UKE?si=oORpFY-OOpSQvxpe

 As we witness the daily horrific attacks against the Palestinian population in the Gaza Strip, we also see the global movement calling for a ceasefire and an end to Israeli genocide grow with protests taking place across every major city in the world today. Taking this activism a step further, many are also engaged in direct action to break the siege of Gaza that has lasted for over 17 years and intensified in the last 8 months. People that are ready to put their lives on the line to save others. These people represent us, the global nonviolence movement, coming together from different parts of the world and from different ethnic and religious backgrounds.These are the ones who said, in the face of the impossible, we want to do something.

This was hosted by Sami Awad. Our impressive speakers updated us and answered our questions!

Freedom Flotilla-Ann Wright

Rabbis for a Ceasefire- Ilana Sumka

Host- Co-Director of Nonviolence International, Sami Awad

Watch the Recording Here!

The excruciating need for UCP in Palestine has just become very personal.  Our friend and colleague Amira Musallam is a member of the assessment team that is just completing their context analysis and recommendations on how to deploy a large scale UCP action in Palestine.

Amira and her family AT THIS MOMENT have been thrown off their land in the West Bank!  On Wednesday, armed settlers backed by the police (a.k.a. Israeli Defense Force) tried to evict them from their land in Beit Jaia.  Amira and her family refused to leave. A few activists joined them in nonviolent resistance.   When the Israeli soldiers arrived, the family presented their land deed, but the soldiers ignored it and sided with the settlers. The soldiers claimed they had a court order for eviction but could not produce it. The soldiers then used violent force to remove her family and the activists providing unarmed civilian protection (UCP).

Since then, Amira, her family and more volunteers providing UCP have arrived each day.  On Friday the Israeli Army used stun grenades to clear them and started arresting members of Amira’s family.   Dan Boneh, a 74-year-old veteran of the Israeli army who was providing UCP on Friday, reported:

They removed the protestors by force to the joy and laughter of the settlers who remained inside, and locked the gate.  Now we are outside the so-called closed military zone but they still decided to throw shock grenades at us, for no apparent reason…I fought in Israel’s war as a soldier in the IDF.  I am ashamed to see how the IDF and the Israeli police have become so politicized clearly supporting the settlers agenda to displace the Palestinians.

Amira’s family holds a deep connection to their land and its necessity for their livelihood. In 2012, they built a home and restaurant on their property. However, in 2019, the Israeli army arbitrarily demolished both. In 2023, settlers challenged the family’s ownership, and the family overcame them by obtaining their land deed through the Israeli court. The family has remained steadfast since and continues to farm their fields. AND NOW THIS!

Amira, her family and the unarmed civilian protectors will not leave.  They need your support. And this is just one of thousands of examples of how the war is escalating in the West Bank as well as Gaza.

What can you do?

Contact your Representatives, Senators, Members of Parliament, or any relevant governmental authority.   Share Amira’s story, and demand that they:

• Call their State Department or Foreign Ministry about Amira's situation and demand that their Embassy in Israel intervene immediately.  
• Sponsor or support legislation designed to:
  • Stop Israeli expansion on the West Bank
  • Ensure an immediate ceasefire in Gaza
  • Stop any further arms shipments to Israel (if you are from the US, UK, Germany or Italy.)

Share this email with your friends, networks and social media.

BREAKING: They can arrest us but we will keep singing.

Hymns in four-part harmony echoed through the halls of the Hart Senate building this afternoon as Mennonites and allies engaged in a nonviolent action.

Mennonite Action’s 11-day, 141-mile “All God's Children March for a Ceasefire” concluded Tuesday in an act of nonviolent civil disobedience on Capitol Hill. More than 60 Mennonites and allies peacefully occupied the building, praying and singing for a ceasefire in Gaza.

Capitol police initiated arrests when we refused to leave—but even as zip ties were placed on wrists, those arrested continued to sing.

Since Sunday, we have joined an interfaith coalition countering the annual conference of Christians United for Israel (CUFI) and confronting US lawmakers who embrace CUFI’s agenda. CUFI is an extreme Christian nationalist organization that espouses a hateful and violent theology.

Along with our interfaith allies, we have been holding worship services and ritual-filed protests, showing that this extremist organization does not speak for all or most people of faith.

Today we step further into the long-flowing stream of our faith-centered peace witness, showing the world our deepest held values by putting them into action.

Thank you for holding us in your prayers as our march and action have unfolded. Together, we join a chorus of voices around the world who call for peace and justice in Palestine.

In love and solidarity,

Mennonite Action

It was an amazing sight, in these difficult times, to witness tens of thousands of protesters from all religions and no religion flooding the streets of Washington D.C. to declare their opposition to Netanyahu’s visit. However, one of the greatest signs of hope was seeing hundreds of Jewish protesters in the congressional rotunda standing against the visit and their willingness to be arrested in response. These protesters boldly called for an end to the fighting in Gaza, for an end to all military aid to Israel, and for the arrest of Netanyahu as a war criminal, risking much to send their message to the country. This is not just a powerful political statement nor a risky act of civil disobedience, but it displays a brave willingness to risk angering, alienating, or even severing relationships with family, friends and others in their community who support the immoral policies of Israel. They were also protesting, as Jews, out of the ethical and moral convictions of their faith. They were showing, by word and deed, that indeed Judaism and Zionism are not the same. They showed that they reject the claims of Netanyahu and the assertion that Zionism speaks on behalf of all Jews, that the oppression of Palestinians is a Jewish imperative.

To take such a position on moral grounds and the willingness to break with one’s community is the height of morality, a true prophetic stance. I salute those in Jewish Voice for Peace, Not in Our Name, If Not Now, Rabbis for Ceasefire, and other Jewish groups as a true beacon of light, genuine allies, and a true sign of hope for a future of coexistence and camaraderie between Palestinian Arabs and Jewish Israelis (and their friends) in the Holy Land and abroad. Together we can boldly stand against anti-Jewish bigotry, against Islamophobia, against anti-Arab and anti-Palestinian bigotry, and proclaim the possibility of a better future for all based on justice and equality.

This distinction between Jewishness and Zionism can sometimes be hard to make, even for Palestinians, when Israel proclaims by word and deed that it favors Jews, Jewish rights and Jewish lives over the rights and lives of non-Jews. When racist laws are passed that clearly favor Jews in Palestine/Israel over non-Jewish Palestinians—when even an Israeli Minister of Culture says, “I am proud of what we are doing in Gaza. I want a Palestinian child 80 years from now to remember what Jews did here in Gaza.” To keep in mind that she and Netanyahu and the state of Israel, in their Jewish supremacy, do not speak for Jews or for Judaism is a difficult but absolutely necessary step. The Jewish protesters help us and the rest of the world keep that distinction in mind, countering the noxious fires of anti-Jewish bigotry and antisemitism. 

By contrast, we witnessed this week the moral bankruptcy and cowardice of members of Congress, who showed sickening servility by loudly applauding and giving 52 standing ovations to a war criminal who is actively carrying out genocide, whose policies are wreaking havoc not only on the lives of Palestinians in Gaza but also on Israelis and the prospects of peace. The applause and standing ovations in response to tepid, patently false, and morally reprehensible statements can only be justified by the fact that they are selling their souls for the money and influence of AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee), CUFI (Christians United for Israel), and the ghoulish opportunism of the military-industrial machine. This is true, particularly since many of them privately detest Netanyahu and oppose his reckless policies. In the past, some have even publicly opposed him and expressed the desire that he be replaced. Yet, they spring up and down like yoyos in the hands of a puppeteer. This was particularly noticeable when Netanyahu chided them, ordering them not to applaud at one of his sentences when applause was clearly inappropriate, as if to tell them, “I am your master, and you will applaud when I tell you to do so.”

As I listened to the speech and observed the nauseating standing ovations, I could not recall such a display of servility even in authoritarian regimes. One tweet mentioned that even Kim Jong Un of Northern Korea, whose brutal regime actively promotes a personality cult around the leader, only receives one standing ovation every four minutes in his speeches before North Korean audiences. Perhaps hypocrisy, double standards, and a lack of moral integrity is part and parcel of the job of politicians, and I should not be surprised. But the level to which many of these politicians have descended is truly appalling. I need to constantly remind myself of those in public life who still maintain some semblance of integrity, like the many Democratic congresspersons who boycotted the speech, and the solitary and truly brave Republican, Thomas Massie (R-KY) who did so. I am amazed by the tens of thousands of protesters who shut down Washington D.C., but I am especially thankful for my Jewish siblings who restore my faith in humanity and keep my hope alive.

With Peace and Justice,

Jonathan Kuttab, Co-Founder

Nonviolence International