The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee Complains to US Treasury Department

original article

Road with wall down the middle - Anata, East Jerusalem One side for Palestinians. One side for Israelis

The American-Arab Anti- Discrimination Committee (ADC) has filed multiple administrative complaints with the US Department of the Treasury, including the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). the organization requested investigations into organizations claiming tax-exempt status under section 501(C)3 of the US Tax Code yet allegedly raising funds for the development of illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank. The ADC alleges that many organizations are supporting illegal and terrorist activities abroad with assets and income in a manner that violates their stated purpose.

The construction of settlements in occupied territory is illegal under international humanitarian law. The use of tax-exempt status to raise funds for these types of activities is also illegal under US law. Further, it is a central part of stated US policy toward the Arab- Israeli conflict that settlement expansion and construction must stop. In filing its complaints, ADC seeks to ensure that US tax laws are not being exploited, and violated, by certain organizations which are allegedly using their tax-exempt status contradictory to stated US policies on this issue. 

Recent criticism by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton against the Israeli government's ongoing expansion of the settlements indicate an ongoing US policy to halt these obstacles to peace. Israeli settlements in the West Bank, including the system of segregation roads, walls and checkpoints which surround them, continue to debilitate life for Palestinians in the occupied territory. More information on the challenges associated with Israeli settlement construction and detailed information on the settlement enterprise can be read in the recently-released ADC-Research Institute’s issue paper on this subject. 

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Lonely Planet / National Geographic Movie

I had an interesting weekend helping Lonely Planet TV and National Geographic with an episode of their upcoming 13-part series of travel programs. They are producing each show with Lonely Planet Authors. For the Israel/Palestine episode, Amelia Thomas was the host.

I met the video crew a little south of Be'er Sheva in the Negev Desert, and brought them to a friend of mine, Khalil, in the unrecognized Bedouin village of Alsera. We spent two days there, with Amelia doing a variety of activities including making pita bread with the lady of the house, and helping feed the goats. It was a little awkward at times since the concept of the show is to be spontaneous, but the nature of making a movie requires a certain amount of pre-planning. I even managed to have a couple of cameo appearances on-camera in coversation with Amelia and Khalil.


It was quite exciting to be helping these famous organizations and as an added bonus ToursInEnglish.com will be featured in the new edition of Lonely Planet due to be published later this year.

The highlight of the trip was a visit to the traditional Bedouin animal market on Saturday morning, where I have been conducting occasional tours. Visitors rarely visit the market which is for Bedouin by Bedouin, with not a woman in sight. The production team contained three women so we had to make sure that they were appropriately dressed in order not to offend the conservative Bedouin men.

All in all it was an interesting time and I look forward to the final video.

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Olive Products Festival - Jenin

The Palestinian Agricultural Development Association is hosting an Olive Oil Festival on the 18th-19th March. The venue is the Al-Shaheed Na'eem Khader Center at the Agricultural Relief headquarters in Al-Zahabdeh in Jenin. The Governor of Jenin, Mr, Musa Qaddoura is co-sponsoring the event which is funded by the European Union

The opening of the event will be at 3pm on 18th March and ToursInEnglish.com will be extending the regular Wednesday Nablus Tour in order to take participants to the festival and exhibition.

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American Friends Service Committee ADSC Video

This short short video by the American Friends Service Committee brings home to all of us the impact of Israel's colonization of the West Bank.

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Gaza CLOSED ZONE video

Yoni Goodman, director of animation for the Academy Award-nominated film, "Waltz with Bashir",  Now brings you 'Closed Zone'.

Despite declarations that it has "disengaged" from the Gaza Strip, Israel maintains control of the Strip’s overland border crossings, territorial waters, and air space. This includes substantial, albeit indirect, control of the Rafah Crossing.

During the past 18 months, Israel tightened its closure of Gaza, almost completely restricting the passage of goods and people both to and from the Strip. These policies punish innocent civilians with the goal of exerting pressure on the Hamas government, violating the rights of 1.5 million people who seek only to live ordinary lives – to be reunited with family, to pursue higher education, to receive quality medical treatment, and to earn a living. The effects of the closure were particularly harsh during the military operation of Dec. 2008 - Jan. 2009. For three weeks, Gaza residents had nowhere to flee to escape the bombing.

Gisha - Legal Center for Freedom of Movement calls on the State of Israel to fully open Gaza's crossings and to allow the real victims of the closure - 1.5 million human beings - the freedom of movement necessary to realize their dreams and aspirations.

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