[Imc-newsroom] Proposal to fund a stringer in Palestine . . .

[Andrew C. Kennis]

Hi all, 

Hoping that this reaches at least one of the folks who are going to be
in the Steering Committee meeting tommorrow, because I'd like this
matter to be dealt with on Sunday, if at all possible. 

As most, if not all of you know, I recently returned from a two week
trip to Israel Palestine where I collected about 15 hours worth of
audio. Some of you have read a short summary of that footage, which I
will include again below. I also managed to do a global feature story
during my trip, when I had better internet access while in Israel (that
feature can be viewed at:
http://www.indymedia.org/archive/features/2002/05/2002-05.html#3708 ).
In about a week or so, I plan to do another global feature, this time
about the Gaza Strip (a big stop during my trip), which will include a
link to a page I will make that will have all of the major interviews
(in MP3 format) I did during the trip along with short descriptions.

Finally, as most of you probably also know, I participated in a
speaking event along with Rob from the ISM, that was organized by
Sandra. It was agreed upon between Sandra and I that we would split the
donations that were garnered during the event. I was a bit surprised
when she told me after the event that she was going to give the money
directly to the steering committee, but was not concerned enough to
even say anything to her because I knew that the steering committee
voted in favor of supporting my trip in anyway it could. As such, I
hope and expect that the money that Sandra gave to the committee
(which, as far as she told me, was $250) will be given to me in full,
especially since I still have not covered all the expenses (which
totaled about $1200) of my trip and probably never will (despite all
the hard time and work I put into it, including risking my life in many
instances to collect audio footage).

Please be rest assured also, that my work from the trip is far from
being completed. Not only do I plan to upload all the interviews with
descriptions and have it be a featured link in the global feature I
expect to have done within the next week, I also will be submitting a
story on Gaza to the Public I. That story will be one of several others
I will eventually submit to the Public I on Israel / Palestine, also of
course stemming from and relating to my trip (an update on Jenin and
the status of the Israeli peace movement are two more I have in mind).
Finally, there is also the hope that with the help and assistance of
UC-IMC folks involved with radio production, and some other people from
the Chicago-IMC (and perhaps even more people from other IMC's, as we
are considering recruiting more folks to be involved), that we will be
able to put together a major 1 to 2 hour length radio documentary.
That, I can't do alone though, so it really depends upon the extent of
the participation and outside help I receive. At the least, I will do
everything I can to make it happen though.

If there are any questions and/or problems with what I am requesting,
please feel free to send me an e-mail. Unfortunately, I won't be able
to call in to the meeting tommorrow like I did one time when I was in
Chicago before I took off on my trip (because I am in a secluded small
indigenous community in Mexico, about six hours out of Mexico City),
but e-mail does work for me.  

Thanks again for all of your support, 
--AK 

p.s. The short summary of the audio footage that I believe at least
some of you have already received,  is as follows: 

"I can't tell you how happy I am with how this trip has come off. I
have been able to go to Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Bethlehem, the Gaza Strip,
Ramallah and finally made it on Tuesday night to Jenin. Jenin and the
Gaza Strip were definitely amongst the most interesting parts of the
trip, as yesterday I scored an interview with the head of Hamas in the
Jenin refugee camp (which meant literally risking my life, of course,
as this guy is wanted dead or alive by the Israeli occupying military
which was spotted in the camp "looking" for him only days before I
interviewed him last night). Jenin also featured interviews with the
families of the victims of both civlians and the resistance fighters
who passed during last month's invasions. A range of folks were caught
on tape here, ranging from teary eyed interviewees, to an indignant
yelling elderly woman who lost her house (interviewed in front of the
rubble of her house, in fact), to a veteran Palestinian activist who
has been to jail six times and has lost at least four family members to
the occupying forces. Today, when I returned to Jerusalem, I caught up
with Jeff Halper, the director of the Israeli Commitee Against Housing
Demolitions. Also, there were interviews with Palestinian HR workers,
Palestinian medical workers, Palestinian families in the Gaza Strip
(including a woman whose nephew went into a military base in the
territories, killed two soldiers and was shot and subsequently tortured
to death), live footage of ammunition firing and F16's flying overhead
. . ."

p.s.s. If the MD player and also all the MD's I used (and some extras
given to me by the Israel IMC) has not already arrived, it should be
there by this Wednesday or perhaps even by Tuesday. If it hasn't
already arrived, it is then still in Chicago with my sister who will be
sending it shortly. I did bring it with me to the speaking event last
week, but Brian and I decided since I forgot the mic, that it'd be
better to just send all the equipment in one package. 

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