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TAKE ACTION: Sign Birzeit Petition to Stop Asphalt Plant
USPCN stands in solidarity with the voices of activists in Birzeit and surrounding villages gravely impacted by the construction and operations of an asphalt plant in the Israeli-occupied Palestinian West Bank. Hot Blend Asphalt Company has acquired approval for construction in Birzeit proper, an area not officially designated for such industry.
 According to extensive research and a report published by experts, the plant is a hazard to the health of immediate and surrounding residents. Hot Blend is also a threat to the area’s sanctity and heritage, the environment and agriculture, and the learning of students at Birzeit University and local schools.
USPCN is committed to uplifting the voices of communities, organizations, and individuals in Occupied Palestine who are impacted by this plant, especially those who are marginalized by the politics of local and regional government officials that seem to favor big business over the demands of the communities impacted, the farmer and the village class, local businesses, and places of learning.
USPCN has a vested interest in collaborating with communities in the United States who have a stake in the well-being of Birzeit, the surrounding areas, and the diasporic communities who decry the presence of this plant.
As a first step, we ask that this petition from the people of Birzeit and their allies be signed and circulated widely, as we demand transparency in decision making and insist that the voices of the community be centered and heard. Here's the petition in Arabic.
And here's the Facebook page for the Popular Campaign to Move the Industrial Zone from Birzeit and Stop the Asphalt Factory.
Also stay in contact with USPCN on Facebook and Twitter for regular updates. Thank you.
George Khoury, Birzeit Society and USPCN National Coordinating Committee
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Report from July 1st #NoToAnnexation Day of Rage
Chicago
Over 300 cars and 700 Palestinians, Arabs, and supporters gathered on July 1st, 2020, in the heart of our community in the southwest suburbs of Chicago to say #NoToAnnexation, no to colonization, no to occupation, and no to the continuation of the theft of Palestinian land at the hands of Israel.
The Chicago Coalition for Justice in Palestine organized the event, which began with a rally co-MCed by USPCN's Rania Salem. Representatives of our community and its institutions, as well as friends and allies of Palestine from Chicago Coalition Against Racist and Political Repression, Organized Communities Against Deportation, and others spoke powerfully about Black and immigrant solidarity with our people and our cause.
See this great video from Sensitive Visuals
The rally was followed by a car caravan through our community neighborhoods. After about an hour of the two-mile-long caravan, USPCN members, Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP)-Chicago students, and other Arab youth shut down the busy intersection of 87th Street and Harlem Avenue in the middle of rush hour and managed to occupy it for almost ten minutes - sending a clear message that we will not sit silently and watch our land get stolen or our people displaced, terrorized, and murdered by the Israeli occupation forces.
At the 27-minute mark, this video highlights the shut down
This was a historic day for the southwest suburban Arab community, which has never before seen an action like this in its neighborhood. We will continue to demand justice for Palestine and will continue to hit the streets until Palestine is free - from the river to the sea!
San Francisco
Bay Area Palestinians, Arabs, friends, supporters, and allies extended more than 29 blocks with over 500 cars to say #NoToAnnexation.
 USPCN joined the Palestine Action Network from San Francisco's Civic Center through the streets of the city, as marchers, bikers, store owners waving Palestinian flags and hand-made posters, and families from the Arab community called for justice for Palestine. The caravan continued through an essentially shut-down San Francisco, and ended at the Israeli Consulate, where a huge rally commenced.
This powerful show of determination and support for the Palestinian struggle centered youth in the leadership, and expressed authentic, strong messages of the unity of Palestinians, indigenous people of the Americas, and Black people fighting the racist U.S. police state.
New York
(Summarized from a web post by Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network): Thousands of people joined a massive rally and  march for Palestine in Brooklyn, New York, as part of the “Day of Rage” against Israeli annexation, colonization and Zionism. The rally was organized by the NY4Palestine Coalition, of which USPCN partner Al-Awda NY is a leading member.
After the rally, a lengthy march wound for hours through Brooklyn, with chants for Black lives and Palestinian liberation reverberating through the streets, before finally coming to an end in front of Barclays’ Center with dabkeh and chants. The militant mood of the day never faded.
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