URGENT CALLOUT – Funds needed to continue building Fasayil primary school

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As many of you will know, the Brighton Tubas Friendship and Solidarity Group are involved in a joint solidarity project to build a much needeschool for the Palestinian village of Fasayil in the Jordan Valley Construction begun in the summer of 2007 in defiance of Israel’s complete ban on house building in the area and the school is a physical manifestation of the Palestinian people’s peaceful resistance to the occupation. On the 17th of October, Israel’s ‘Military Civil Administration’ issued an injunction against the continued building of the school and unless the village apply for a permit by the 29th of December the school can be demolished. However, house permits are never issued in Fasayil as the land is designated as ‘agricultural’ by the Israeli authorities. As the villagers were painfully aware of the likelihood of the school project being demolished already from the beginning, the shell of the building was built cheaply out of traditional materials such as mud and straw bricks so that the cost of rebuilding would not be too great. Unfortunately, the area was hit by heavy rain and strong winds in early December and this proved too much for the cheap structure and some of the walls were damaged as a result. However, the overall frame of the building is still intact. As the school has received quite a lot of attention since the injunction was issued, the villagers now feel more confident of the project’s international support and have expressed a wish to rebuild the walls out of concrete. The approximate cost of this sturdier building iis around $5000 for materials and between $1000 and $4000 for labour cost, with these estimates: Concrete walls: $2000 Roof for the second building: $1000 Concrete floor: $1000 Doorframes and windows: $1000 So far, the Brighton Tubas Group have contributed $2000 to cover the cost of the walls but we need help to raise the $7000 (or £3500) for the rest of the work plus the labour costs. “We will build the school again and again”, the people of Fasayil have stated. “They cannot destroy our determination to give proper education to our children”. We are calling on everyone who want to help the villagers fight for their basic rights and support their stance against the Israeli occupation to fundraise for the school or donate individually to the school fund. Please send any enquiries re the project to scobham@googlemail.com How to donate: You can put money directly into our bank account: Account name: Brighton Tubas Friendship and Solidarity Group Bank: Cooperative Bank, Po Box 250, Delf House, Southway, Skelmersdale WN8 6UT Sort code: 089299 Account No: 65263895 Please email scobham@googlemail.com to let us know if you do this. Cheques should be sent to: Brighton Tubas Friendship and Solidarity Group C/o Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Brighton Peace and Environment Centre 39-41 Surrey Street, Brighton BN1 3 PB. It is also possible to set up a regular standing order in support of the school. To set up a standing order please fill out the attached form at http://tubas.brightonpalestine.org/files/standing%20orders.pdf noting clearly that the funds are for the Fasayil School project In Solidarity Brighton-Tubas Friendship and Solidarity Group