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U.S. Anti-Israel Activity
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Al-Awda, The Palestine Right to Return Coalition
Activity
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Posted: August 14, 2007
Al-Awda was established in April 2002, shortly after the Trans-Arab Research Institute (TARI) conference at the Boston University School of Law, by several conference attendees. It began facilitating communication between like-minded activists by establishing an online listserve, which subsequently helped lay the groundwork for Al-Awda committees and event coordination.
By September 2000, Al-Awda’s founding members, which included Yale professor Mazin Qumsiyeh and Zahi Damuni, founder of ADC’s Central Pennsylvania Chapter, had successfully organized its first large event in Washington, DC. The event, which took place just days before the second intifada broke out, included a speech by Sabri Samirah, then-chairman of the Islamic Association for Palestine (IAP), which has been described by the U.S. government as part of “Hamas propaganda apparatus.”
Al-Awda’s main strength comes from its ability to form coalitions with other anti-Israel groups, particularly its alliance with the International Action Center (IAC),  an anti-Israel organization, and IAC’s antiwar affiliate, the ANSWER Coalition. Through these coalitions, Al-Awda has been able to assert itself as a leader in a new wave of anti-Israel activism in the U.S., joining dozens of large-scale antiwar rallies and anti-Israel events around the country.
Al-Awda members also hold leadership roles in many of the organizations with which they form coalitions. For example, several Al-Awda members and organizers have held leadership positions in American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC), the largest and most active Arab civil rights group in the U.S.; included among them are Mazin Qumsiyeh, Zahi Damuni, Elias Rashmawi, and Al-Awda San Francisco organizer Jess Ghannam.
Al-Awda has also played a prominent role in the Palestine Solidarity Movement (PSM), an umbrella organization of anti-Israel groups that promotes divestment from Israel, including helping to organize several of its conferences. The International Solidarity Movement (ISM), another anti-Israel organization involved with the PSM, is among Al-Awda’s closest allies; the two groups have collaborated on the Wheels of Justice bus tour and on several anti-Israel demonstrations.
Al-Awda is also active outside the U.S., mainly in Canada and Britain. It maintains several listserves for international activities, including one in Arabic and one in Spanish. In addition, Al-Awda is a member of the Global Palestine Right of Return Coalition, which includes right-of-return organizations from the Middle East and Europe.
Al-Awda, currently based in Carlsbad, California, is a registered 501(c)3 organization, so it relies heavily on fundraising and volunteers.
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