BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0
PRODID:-//Massachusetts Peace Action - ECPv6.16.2//NONSGML v1.0//EN
CALSCALE:GREGORIAN
METHOD:PUBLISH
X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://masspeaceaction.org
X-WR-CALDESC:Events for Massachusetts Peace Action
REFRESH-INTERVAL;VALUE=DURATION:PT1H
X-Robots-Tag:noindex
X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H
BEGIN:VTIMEZONE
TZID:America/New_York
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0500
TZOFFSETTO:-0400
TZNAME:EDT
DTSTART:20240310T070000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0400
TZOFFSETTO:-0500
TZNAME:EST
DTSTART:20241103T060000
END:STANDARD
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0500
TZOFFSETTO:-0400
TZNAME:EDT
DTSTART:20250309T070000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0400
TZOFFSETTO:-0500
TZNAME:EST
DTSTART:20251102T060000
END:STANDARD
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0500
TZOFFSETTO:-0400
TZNAME:EDT
DTSTART:20260308T070000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0400
TZOFFSETTO:-0500
TZNAME:EST
DTSTART:20261101T060000
END:STANDARD
END:VTIMEZONE
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250126T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250126T163000
DTSTAMP:20260520T201207
CREATED:20250124T175559Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260215T185009Z
UID:10003199-1737903600-1737909000@masspeaceaction.org
SUMMARY:GAZA IN CONTEXT: The Colonial History that Shaped the Modern Middle East
DESCRIPTION:  \nA 4-part online series Sundays\, Jan 5\, 12\, 26\, and Feb 2\, 2025\, all at 3pm. \nThe Israeli war on Gaza – widely considered genocide – did not begin on October 7\, 2023. This series will look at the background of Zionism and colonialism that laid the foundation for ongoing wars and today’s violence in the Middle East. Palestinian dispossession\, we will see\, began more than a century ago. \n\nJanuary 5 – CONQUEST AND COLONIALISM IN THE MIDDLE EAST DURING THE 20TH CENTURY: The roots of the contemporary Middle East go back to the First World War and its aftermath; the birth of Zionism as a political movement.\n\nVideo: https://youtube.com/live/Y_75LgjQiAg \nSlides: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1jTrcqiR3IZlebo5bUQHziKVeavw10VRO/ \n\nJanuary 12 – MANDATES AND REPRESSION IN PALESTINE AND BEYOND: The failure of the British colonial attempt to shape Palestine in conformance with the Balfour Declaration; Palestinian resistance and the first proposals for partition; Zionist terror; British\, French colonialism in Iraq\, Syria and Lebanon.\n\nVideo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=duY-ABJP_8A \nSlides:  https://drive.google.com/file/d/1nhUBtaPKkUQZdInsLL7GTMbgIgnGmoK0/ \n\nJanuary 26 – THE US AND ISRAEL IN THE MIDDLE EAST: Although the US government supported the Zionist project from the time of the First World War\, and it was quick to recognize the independence of Israel in 1948\, US policies toward the Middle East centered on Oil and later Cold War interests. The US was not much involved the Middle East until the 1930s and then oil-rich Saudi Arabia\, not Israel\, was its close all — as it remains to this day. Republicans – who as a party are now firmly pro-Israel —  were skeptical in the 1950s and 1960s of unconditional support for Israel. It was only in the 1970s that Israel came to be viewed as an important strategic ally\, especially in the context of the Cold War. Since then\, the Israel Lobby also became an important player in US politics.\n\nVideo:  https://youtube.com/live/Chuz0APhZic \nSlides:  https://drive.google.com/file/d/1zSHbg52kYJI1Z27hx8mq-5rYGn_h4dbg/ \n\nFebruary 2 – LOOKING IN THE MIRROR: How the U.S. has shaped the contemporary Middle East from before the Cold War to the present. Indigenous nationalism and its opponents. Addressing the domestic colonial and imperial background to US support for Israel and its destabilizing interference in the region.\n\nVideo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_pdo_Q8Rpw \nSlides: https://drive.google.com/file/d/13ZTXZlBuyRkkIfTFQ4aR-UConOBdpT-1/ \nSpeaker: Jeff Klein is a veteran anti-war activist\, retired machinist and local trade-union president\, who for 8 years until 2023 taught a course on “The US in the Middle East” at the UMass Boston Lifelong Learning Institute.  He is a board member of Massachusetts Peace Action and a member of its Gaza Israel Mideast peace campaign’s steering committee. Since 2004 Jeff has traveled almost every year to Palestine/Israel and elsewhere in the Middle East\, and has many close friends among veteran activists in Palestine\, Lebanon and Jordan.  He has also worked in Nicaragua and for the exiled African National Congress in Zambia.  Check out his weekly presentations on “Genocide in Gaza” and read his articles on the Middle East. \n \nRegister to attend any or all of the four sessions. Course materials: Readings and Resources on Israel/Palestine Course Outline – the US in the Middle East – This outline was prepared for an 8-session version of the course given at UMass Boston in fall 2023.  The material will be condensed for this 4-session online version.
URL:https://masspeaceaction.org/event/gaza-in-context-the-colonial-history-that-shaped-the-modern-middle-east-2-2/
LOCATION:Online Event
CATEGORIES:Palestine/Israel
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://masspeaceaction.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/gaza-in-context-part-3.revised.png
ORGANIZER;CN="Massachusetts Peace Action Education Fund":MAILTO:info@masspeaceaction.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250125T140000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250125T173000
DTSTAMP:20260520T201207
CREATED:20241206T211421Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250120T141931Z
UID:10003207-1737813600-1737826200@masspeaceaction.org
SUMMARY:Reducing the Nation's Spending for Nuclear Weapons
DESCRIPTION:Saturday Jan 25\, 2025 Virtual Conference 2:00 – 5:30 pm (EST) \n \nThe threat of nuclear war is increasing\, rather than abating. \n\nBiden’s recent actions in the Russia/Ukraine conflict has sharply increased the danger.\nThe tragic Israel/Gaza conflict continues to expand.\nCold Warriors in high places are beating the drums of war toward Russia and China.\nEnormous public expenditures are being made on upgrading all three legs of the nuclear weapons triad\n\nResponding to these costs and dangers\, we will meet virtually  on Saturday afternoon January 25\, 2025 to call for Reducing Congressional Spending for Nuclear Weapons and discuss how to organize to meet the challenge.   Register to attend. \nProgram:  \n2:00 Welcome: Bob Redwine (MIT) – Continuing influence of the Military-Industrial Complex \n2:05 Opening Panel – International Flashpoints Chair- Joseph Gerson (Campaign for Peace\, Disarmament and Common Security); \n–       US and Russia – Hon. George Beebe (Quincy Institute); \n–       US and China – Prof. Lyle Goldstein (Watson Institute/ Brown University); \n  –      Nuclear Tensions over Israel. Gaza\, and Iran –  Sharon Gaya Dolev (Israel) and Emad Kiyaei (Iran) (Middle East Treaty Organization) \n2:50 pm Panel 2- Costs & Dangers of the US Nuclear Weapons Buildup – Chair\, Nancy Goldner (Cut Sentinel Campaign). \n– Exorbitant Sentinel costs –Richard Krushnic  (Mass Peace Action); \n– Dangers of the New ICBMs – David Borris (Chicago Area Peace Action); \n– What do we expect from Trump’s Nuclear Stances –Daryl Kimball (Arms Control Assn.). \n3:30 Break \n3:40 Panel 3 – Economic Campaigns – Chair\, Susan Mirsky (Nuclear Disarmament Working Group); \n–       Moral Budget – Shailly Gupta Barnes (Poor People’s Campaign (PPC) and Kairos Center (NY); \n–       Warheads to Windmills – Anduin Devos (Nuclear Ban.US); \n–       Divestment – Susi Snyder (ICANW); \n–       Fund People over Pentagon – Prof. Jonathan King (MA Peace Action Education Fund). \n4:20 Panel 4: No New Nukes- Campaigns Focused on Limiting Weapons: Chair\, Gary Goldstein (Campaign for Peace\, Disarmament and Common Security and Tufts University); \n–       Back from the Brink- Harry Katz (Back from the Brink); \n–       Restricting Sole Authority and First Use – Prof. Elaine Scarry (Campaign for Peace\, Disarmament and Common Security); \n–       Physicists Campaign for Nuclear Threat Reduction – Prof. Stewart Prager (Physicists Coalition for Nuclear Threat Reduction); \n–       Promoting the Treaty on Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) – Melissa Parke ( ICANW). \n 5:00 Congressional Initiatives: Chair Cole Harrison \n–       Senate action: Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) \n–       Cancelling the Sentinel -Rep. John Garamendi (D-CA) \n–       Citizen’s Call to Action – Jodie Evans (CodePINK). \nProgram Committee: David Borris (Chicago Area Peace Action); Ann Fritsch (Rotary International); Nancy Goldner (Sentinel Project); Prof. Gary Goldstein (Mass Peace Action Education Fund); Cole Harrison (Mass Peace Action Education Fund); Susan Mirsky (MAPA Nuclear Disarmament Working Group); Jonathan King-Chair (Nuclear Disarmament Coordinating Committee and MIT); Prof. Bob Redwine (Nuclear Weapons Education Project and MIT). \nNuclear costs calculator – https://www.psr-la.org/nuclear-costs \n 
URL:https://masspeaceaction.org/event/reducing-congressional-spending-for-nuclear-weapons/
LOCATION:Online Event
CATEGORIES:Nuclear Disarmament
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://masspeaceaction.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/01-25-NW-Dangers-in-Trump-Presidency.r5.png
ORGANIZER;CN="Massachusetts Peace Action Education Fund":MAILTO:info@masspeaceaction.org
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR