CHICAGO (IslamOnline) - Muslim, Arab and human rights activists are planning to protest against Israeli practices in the Occupied Territories during Prime Minister Ehud Barak’s planned visit to Chicago next Monday to attend the General Assembly of the United Jewish Communities (UJC).
The Coalition for Justice in Palestine (CFJP) is organizing a rally in front of the building where both U.S. President Bill Clinton and Chicago Mayor Richard Daley are expected to attend.
The CFJP has formed a subcommittee in order to mobilize thousand of supporters and contact activists all over the country. The organization says it will supply bus transportation for participants, expected to number in the thousands.
The event will take place in the parking lot in front of the building.
Chicago supporters of Palestinian rights will also be monitoring Mayor Daley’s comments and press releases during Barak’s visit, in hopes that he maintains a fair position towards developments in the ongoing Middle East crisis.
“We want to reiterate our demands to end the Israeli occupation to the Palestinian territories, stop the killings of innocent civilians, and make sure that Daley knows that we are here, and that he is representing us as well,” said Hatem Abudayyah of the Chicago-based Arab American Action Network and one of the organizers of the CFJP event.
Palestinian Chairman Yasser Arafat is expected to meet with Clinton on Thursday. Clinton will later meet with Barak on Sunday in Washington D.C.
The UJC is a coalition formed by a merger among three major Jewish organizations: the United Jewish Appeal, the Council of Jewish Federations, and the United Israel Appeal. Since the merger, the UJC has been acting as an umbrella coalition for Jewish federations in North America.
Reports indicate that the UJC is listed as the seventh largest charitable organization in the U.S., raising close to $2 billion in 1999 from events and member donations.
Most of the money is collected for Jewish causes inside and outside Israel.
