Goals of the Iceland-Palestine Association

• To support the Palestinian people’s struggle against occupation, for their right of self-determination, and for the right of Palestinian refugees to return to their homeland.
• To introduce the culture and public life of the Palestinian people.
• To work against apartheit and any type of discrimination based on origin, background or religion.
• To work towards the Icelandic government actively support the right of the Palestinian people to establish a viable, independent and sovreign state.
• To push for Iceland to contribute to a just and peaceful solution to the conflict between Israel and Palestine on the basis of international law and the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights, and with respect to all United Nations resolutions regarding the conflict.

The Association was founded in 1987 and has worked towards these goals through publishing, organising meetings, volunteering in Palestine, concerts, demonstrations, film screenings, sales of products from Palestine, and collecting funds for various Palestinian humanitarian and aid associations.

The Association has also brought speakers to give lectures on Palestinian issues and sought to influence the government in Palestinian issues. There have been some steps in the right direction, such as when in 2011 Parliament recognised the independece of Palestine, then the first Western state to do so.

Donations to Palestinian humanitarian and aid associations

The Iceland-Palestine Association’s emergency collection began soon after the second Palestinian uprising against the occupation began, or in November 2000. By early 2005, around five million ISK had been collected. These were mainly voluntary donations by individuals into IPA’S bank account or into a marked collection container.

The majority of the money collected was initially used to support the Medical Relief Committees (UPMRC), a Palestinian grassroots movement led by the doctor Mustafa Barghouti, who is well known to Icelanders. Two hospitals, mental health projects for children and later the establishment of a library for the blind were also generously funded.

In addition, volunteers have received travel grants to stay and provide assistance in the occupied territories for 1–4 weeks each. Volunteers with their presence have tried to save lives and prevent mutilations and the houses of innocent citizens being razed to the ground.

The emergency collection is entirely voluntary. The cost of it is almost zero and it is guaranteed that every krona will find its way into the right hands.

Contact

To contact the Iceland-Palestine association, please write to: palestina@palestina.is.