Nir Barkat: Israeli mayor of West Jerusalem visiting Denver

Colorado Governor Bill Ritter and University of Denver Chancellor Bob Coomb have invited the current mayor of Jerusalem, Nir Barkat to speak at the University of Denver.

According to the Colorado Palestine Community Network:

“Nir Barkat’s policies in Jerusalem are discriminatory against the indigenous population of Jerusalem.
Colorado elected officials are doing a disservice to their constituents when they drag the state into Israel’s public relations efforts, which are irrelevant to Colorado voters.

Hosting Barkat totally disregards the human and national rights of the Palestinians in Jerusalem. They fly in the face of international law, the consensus of the international community, including the US, the European Union and the Vatican.
Barkat’s policies are an obstacle on the road to peace. Secretary Clinton described Barkat’s policies against Palestinians in Jerusalem as “unhelpful” and the European Union described them as “illegal under international law” and said they “fuel bitterness and extremism.” The future of the holy city will need to be determined in negotiations between the Palestinian and Israeli leaderships according to the various UN resolutions and international law.”

Come early to hear stories from students who have recently returned from Jerusalem, and believe that Nir Barkat’s tour must involve a discussion of equal rights for all people living in the city of Jerusalem. Learn about their experience, and the experience of countless others who are daily discriminated against in the city.

The awareness event is sponsored by the International Awareness Initiative and the Association of Students for Human Rights, both DU student groups, as well as the Colorado Palestine Community Network, and Aware!.

The event is free and open to the public.

Tuesday, November 3, 2009 from 5:30-6:30 p.m.
Gates Concert Hall, Newman Center for the Performing Arts
University of Denver Campus
2344 E. Iliff Avenue