Salaam, Shalom & Hello,

I am joining Team Amos to take part in the second Right to Movement Palestine Marathon in Bethlehem on 11th April 2014, to show our solidarity and to raise funds for our local partners working for a just peace.

Having previously never run more than 50 metres :-O  I have committed to this challenge as it has been a decade this year since our beloved father, Muhammed Akram, passed away. I train and run in his memory and his deep love for our brothers and sisters in Palestine.

Bethlehem does not have 26 miles of road without a checkpoint, which means in order for local runners to take part, the route has to double back on itself twice to avoid the checkpoints. This is why the event is subtitled the "Right to movement" marathon. This is why I am running.  

Amos Trust is a small, creative human rights charity that challenges injustice, builds involvement and creates change. Amos works with, learns from and fund-raises for local partners in South Africa, Palestine & Israel, Nicaragua and India. Amos in involved in innovative global campaigns.

The money raised by Team Amos will be split between their 3 partners in Palestine: 

Holy Land Trust works in Bethlehem and across the West Bank to strengthen & inspire local communities. Recent initiatives have included non-violent resistance projects such as rebuilding demolished homes in the villages of Al Walaja and Battir, and cultural initiatives such as the Bet Lahem Live Festival. 

The fastest growing area of the HLT’s work is a unique programme of non-violence training for children and young people. These workshops provide children with the techniques and skills they need to deal with daily life under occupation, enabling them to respond without violence, helping them to rebuild their self-worth and recognise the humanity of their oppressors. 

Wi’am Conflict Resolution Centre in Bethlehem, which provides counselling and support for families under strain due to the impact of the overcrowding, unemployment and community tensions caused by the occupation. 

Al Ahli Hospital in Gaza City. Despite shortages of medicines and supplies caused by Gaza’s border being closed for months at a time, the staff of this charity hospital work tirelessly to provide what treatment they can for local people, including maternity services, A&E and cancer care. 

From the Right to Movement website:

 

The right to movement is a basic human right as stipulated in Article 13 of the UN Human Rights Charter:

 

Everyone has the right to freedom of movement

The challenge of finding a 42k stretch

Everyone has the right to freedom of movement, but not everyone has the option. Restriction on movement is one of the major challenges for the Palestinian people living under occupation. They cannot travel freely on roads, or go from one city to another. Where they can go depends on their ID, whether they have a permit, which city they belong to, or who they are married to. They do not have a state, and their lands are controlled by a foreign army – that army controls their movement with roadblocks, checkpoints, military zones, an illegal wall and a complex set of discriminatory laws. The EU and the US talks about a two-state solution, an independent Palestine, but we cannot find the 42 KMs needed for a marathon. This is why we do it.

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