Code Pink to "Honor" Palestinian criminals

Its shocking, even by Code Pinks' standards.  Code Pink has published their "AnnoyAIPAC" list of activities scheduled for this weekend.  In addition to their usual inane theatrics, their egregious decision to "honor" those convicted of acts of terror against the  Israeli people is breathtakingly evil.  With this action, they move from the realm of the naive, ill-informed and  tragically misguided to the lonely landscape of the downright evil.

Expose AIPAC is off to a great start! Yesterday we "occupied" AIPAC headquarters with settlements and an apartheid wall very much like the ones in Israel that AIPAC supports. It was a great action, check out the video here! We are delighted to be planning a vibrant opposition to the powerful Israel lobby at a time when Israel continues to colonize more and more Palestinian land, and pushes for an attack on Iran. We'll be in the streets telling AIPAC that their pro-apartheid, war-mongering agenda doesn't fly with us!

Stay updated: check out our pictures throughout the weekend, and watch for Expose AIPAC in the news! We'll be posting updates on the Occupy AIPAC website, and help us spread the word via social media by following @OccupyAIPAC, @Codepink, and using the hashtag #ExposeAIPAC.

Here are the weekend highlights:

Expose AIPAC Grassroots Advocacy Training, hosted by Interfaith Peace Builders
When: Saturday, March 2nd, 8:30 am
Where: Mount Vernon Place United Methodist Church (900 Massachusetts Ave)
Speakers include Rebecca Vilkommerson, Jonathan Kuttab, Josh Reubner, Phyllis Bennis, Philip Farah, Jamal Abdi, Robert Naiman and more!
Registration for the Grassroots Advocacy Training is a sliding scale of $40 – $125 ($30 for students), payable when you register.

New Perspectives on Peace with Justice: An Evening with Interfaith Peace-Builders
When: Saturday, March 2nd, 6:30 pm- 9:00 pm
Where: The Goethe Institut, 812 7th St NW, Washington, DC 20001
Requested Donation: $30 – $100; Food and Beverage provided
Featured Speakers: Reverend Carolyn Boyd - Adjunct Pastor at Plymouth Congregational United Church of Christ, former national Co-Chair of Black Voices for Peace; Hanan Idilbi - Board Member of Interfaith Peace-Builders, and member of the US Palestine Community Network.
Musical Guests: Feras and Ehab - Playing modern oud compositions rooted in the deep cultural traditions of Palestine; Luci Murphy - a D.C.-based vocalist and community activist in the peace and social justice movement, singing songs of freedom.

Expose AIPAC Mobilization and Street Protests, hosted by CODEPINK
When: Sunday, March 3rd at 11:00 am-all day!
Where: Outside the AIPAC Conference (corner of Massachusetts and 9th) for dubka, a flashmob, and greeting AIPAC goers as they leave the convention center at the end of the day!

11am: Our actions will begin. We'll have awesome visuals (including "settlements" you can wear so we can show AIPAC just how obstructive settlements are) but feel free to bring your own signs! We'll be rallying, protesting, singing and dabke dancing.

2pm: Press conference and rally.

3pm: Choreographed action. Our plan is to honor the Palestinian political prisoners who are currently on hunger strike by dramatically posing outside the AIPAC conference. We ask that you bring black clothes to wear or change into, and we will be providing black blindfolds, chains (to loosely bind your wrists), and placards with the names of hunger strikers (and the amount of days they've been refusing food). At 3:00pm we will assemble everyone along the sidewalk, solemnly kneeling, facing the AIPAC conference during their break time between sessions when thousands of AIPACers will be milling around outside. They won't be able to miss it. We definitely need photographers and videographers for this!

5 pm: Take a dinner break and then come back to protest as AIPAC's conference day is ending at 7:00 pm.

Protesting the AIPAC Gala!
When: Monday, March 4, 7:00-8:30 pm
Where: In front of the Washington Convention Center
Join CODEPINK as we talk to the hundreds of Congresspeople going into the gala to show their support for AIPAC.

To Alli, Ann, Barbara, Deb, Dooler, Liza, Medea, Michael, Noor, Tighe, The Existencialists, Sasha, Sergei, and the rest of the CODEPINK Expose AIPAC team.  

How does honoring those convicted for acts of terror against Israelis  promote peace? Samer Issawi was convicted of attempted murder, possession of weapons and explosives, and other charges relating to membership of a prohibited terrorist organization. He was sentenced to 26 years in prison. He fired an AK-47 at Israeli civilian buses. Why do you believe is this a man to be “honored”?

Ayman Sharawneh was Hamas operative from Dura, arrested in 2002 for his involvement in a bombing in Beer Sheva in which 18 civilians were injured, the attempted kidnapping of a soldier and firing at soldiers. Sharawneh was sentenced to 38 years in prison.  Immediately following his release, Sharawneh returned to his military activities under the auspices of Hamas and was therefore arrested once again on 30 January 2012. Why do you believe is this, too is a man to be “honored”?