FINAL REMINDER--Protest Ehud Olmert at University of Chicago 2mrw, Oct. 15

[Hatem Abudayyeh]

Protest Ehud Olmert at University of Chicago WHEN: Thursday, October 15th, at 3:30 PM WHERE: University of Chicago's Mandel Hall                 1131 E. 57th Street, Chicago (Hyde Park) The protest is sponsored by Al-Awda, ADC, American Muslims for Palestine (AMP), ANSWER Chicago, Arab Student Union at Moraine Valley, Chicagoans Against Apartheid in Palestine, International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network (IJAN), International Solidarity Movement (ISM), Jewish Voice for Peace-Chicago, Palestine Solidarity Group (PSG), Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) at U of C, DePaul, & UIC, and the United States Palestine Community Network (USPCN).  Bring your Palestinian flags! Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert will be speaking at the University of Chicago next Thursday, October 15th. He has been invited by the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy, which is using grant money supplied by King Abdullah II of Jordan to pay for the program. A coalition of Palestinian, Muslim, and solidarity groups are outraged that the University of Chicago would invite Olmert, who was prime minister during Operation Cast Lead, in which Israel Defense Forces killed more than 1,400 Palestinians and wounded more than 5,300. Olmert is also responsible for implementing the siege on Gaza, now well into its third year. The siege has plunged more than 80 percent of the population into abject poverty. More than 400,000 people have no access to clean drinking water, according to the United Nations. Israel is violating international law and the Fourth Geneva Convention in denying basic human and civil rights to the occupied people of Palestine.  In light of the Goldstone Report, which found Israel guilty of war crimes and possible crimes against humanity during Operation Cast Lead in December 2008 and January 2009, we denounce the Harris School for its completely unacceptable and reprehensible invitation to Olmert. ACTION STEPS Protest Ehud Olmert's presence at the University of Chicago at 3:30 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 15th, at Mandel Hall 1131 E. 57th Street.  Bus information from the Mosque Foundation in Bridgeview, ICCI on northside of Chicago, and Islamic Foundation in Villa Park at http://www.ampalestine.org/national/ Call Colleen Peterson, director of external relations of the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy, and demand she cancels the event because Olmert has been implicated in war crimes in Operation Cast Lead. Call her at 773.702.5641. E-mail her at cjpeterson@uchicago..edu . E-mail His Royal Highness King Abdullah II of Jordan and ask him to pressure the university to cancel the program, which is being paid for with his donation, at www.kingabdullah.jo/main.php?main_page=0&lang_hmka1=1 and click on ‘feedback.’ Contact HRH Prince Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein, Jordanian ambassador to the United States at HKJEmb...@jordanembassyus.org and ask him to ask King Abdullah to pressure the university to cancel this program. Call him at 202.966.2664.