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Report: Israeli academics join settlement boycott 8/31/2010 - TEL AVIV (Ma'an) -- The Israeli actors' boycott of a new Ariel cultural center has received a boost with over 150 academics and several dozen authors and artists signing letters in their support, the Israeli daily Haaretz reported Tuesday. In a letter released Monday, over 150 faculty members from universities across Israel vowed.... Related: BBC: Israeli academics boycott West Bank settlements
Communist Party of Israel supports actors boycott 8/31/2010 - BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- Hundreds gathered Monday at the Habima National Theater in Tel Aviv to demonstrate support for its actors who are boycotting performances in the occupied West Bank settlement of Ariel. A Communist Party of Israel member, Knesset member Dov Henin, said at the rally that "the Israeli theater is not and will....
Video: SHOULD PEOPLE BOYCOTT ISRAEL?Omar Barghouti explains the aims of the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement Uruknet August 30, 2010 - ... So the boycott movement is five, six years old. It's too early to discuss how much impact it's having on the Israeli economy. It is having, but not a huge impact. At this stage, the point is not about making Israel's economy lose a lot. We cannot do this so rapidly. It's about presenting Israel...
"Solidarity tastes different inside prison" Uruknet August 30, 2010 - The following is an edited excerpt from a 7 August 2010 letter written by Ameer Makhoul from Israeli prison. A human rights defender, the director of the Arab nongovernmental organization network Ittijah, a leading voice of the Palestinian boycott, divestment and sanctions movement and a Palestinian citizen of Israel, Makhoul was arrested during a raid...
The Power and weakness of boycott Palestine Note 31 Aug 2010 - Recently, Norway announced that a major Israeli company and a subsidiary were to be excluded from its national wealth fund's investment list. The reasons were past activity in building settlements in the West Bank and working...
Fatah Welcomes Israeli Artists' Decision To Boycott Settlement Theater PNN - Ramallah– PNN - The Fatah movement welcomed on Tuesday a group of Israeli artists’ decision to boycott a theater in the Settlement of Aril in northern West Bank. Around 60 Israeli theater...
Israeli academics boycott West Bank settlements 8/31/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - BBC News - More than 150 Israeli academics say they will no longer lecture or work in Jewish settlements in the West Bank. In a letter, they said they supported the recent decision by a group of actors and others not to take part in cultural activity there. The academics said that acceptance of the settlements.... Related: Source: BBC
Israeli Lecturers Back Theater Boycott WAFA - TEL AVIV, August 31, 2010 (WAFA)- Academicians join actors and authors, call for moratorium on cultural performances in West Bank settlements; 'Israel's conduct in [occupied territories] constitutes
Now Israeli academics sign on to occupation-boycott, citing disaster for Jewish state Mondoweiss - Another shoe drops on boycott. Here are Israeli academics, many of them obviously Zionist, saying that they will not go into the territories. Their petition helps to dispel the big clouds surrounding academic boycott here in the U.S. Yes these Israelis are leaders; because as Omar...
53 Israeli Artists boycott new Cultural Center in Ariel settlement IMEMC - 31 Aug 2010 - Monday August 30, 2010 - 14:18, Dozens of prominent artists in the Israeli theatre community – including actors, playwrights and directors -- have signed a pledge that they will not perform in a newly-constructed cultural center in the Israeli settlement of Ariel. The pledge could cause the artists to be booted from the government-funded guild for theatre professionals, but they argue that this act of conscience is more important than their salaries.
Boycott groups: TED event normalizing occupation Palestine Note 30 Aug 2010 - Washington - TED , a nonprofit initiative focused on exploring advances in Technology, Entertainment, and Design, has exported its forum format the world over. And a TED event called TEDxHolyLand has now raised the ire of Palestinian...
Israeli actors to boycott new West Bank theatre 8/30/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - 29 August 2010, The Guardian - 60 actors, writers and directors argue that performing in occupied territories would legitimize illegal settlements - Dozens of Israeli actors, playwrights and directors have signed a letter refusing to take part in productions by leading theatre companies at a new cultural centre in a West Bank settlement, prompting renewed debate over.... Related: Source: The Guardian
4 actors reverse pledge to boycott performances in settlement Ha'aretz - Nearly 60 theater personnel signed a petition on Saturday vowing not to participate in performances staged at new cultural center in Ariel.
Netanyahu: Israel Won't Fund Boycott Efforts from Within WAFA - TEL AVIV, August 29, 2010 (WAFA)- IsraeliPrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu On Sunday criticized a recent declaration by a list of prominent Israeli actors and playwrights that they would not
Israel afraid of increasing boycott of its products in Europe PIC 30 Aug 2010 - Israeli businessmen expressed fears that the European campaign to boycott Israeli products could widen after a sharp decline in exports.
Writers Oz, Yehoshua, Grossman back artists’ boycott of Ariel settlement Mondoweiss - Where are the liberal American Zionists on this one? What will J Street do? Important news : Ynet learned on Monday that prominent Israeli authors A. B. Yehoshua, Amos Oz, David Grossman and Sami Michael are supporting a long line of actors, playwrights and artists who announced...
TEDx: Equating the Colonizer and Colonized Palestine Chronicle: 30 Aug 2010 - By Palestinians Students' Campaign for the Academic Boycott of Israel (PSCABI) And University Teachers' Association in Palestine - Gaza It has come to our knowledge that TED, a non-profit organization carrying the slogan 'Ideas Worth Spreading' has started a program called the 'TEDxHolyLand.' This is supposed to be an experience which seeks to “bring together the people of Palestine and Israel who do not ordinarily meet to share a half day together hearing and discussing TED talks on a wide range of topics of common interest.” The Palestinian Students' Campaign for the Academic boycott of Israel and University Teachers' Association in Palestine consider this an act of normalization that violates the boycott guidelines issued by the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI). TED seems to be unaware of the fact that the reason why “the people of Palestine and Israel” cannot get together is because...more
Israeli report: Settler industry hurt by boycott Uruknet August 27, 2010 - An article in Hebrew-language Yediot Wednesday reported the Palestinian Authority-led boycott of settlement-produced goods is having an economic effect on settlement industry, according to a translation by Israeli news blog Coteret. Officials and business owners from the Ariel settlement attested to the effects of both the Palestinian-led boycott of settlement goods as well as the...
Netanyahu: Israel won't fund boycott efforts from within Ha'aretz - Prime Minister slams boycott staged by theater personnel, who refuse to take part in performances in the West Bank settlement of Ariel.
Prime Minister criticizes theater figures' West Bank boycott Ha'aretz - Fifty-three Israeli theater professionals, including performers, playwrights and directors, signed petition stating they would not appear in performances in Ariel.
Netanyahu: Israel Won't Fund Boycott Efforts from Within WAFA - TEL AVIV, August 29, 2010 (WAFA)- IsraeliPrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu On Sunday criticized a recent declaration by a list of prominent Israeli actors and playwrights that they would not
Norwegian Pension Divests from Israeli Companies Alternative Information Center - The Norwegian Government Pension Fund Global (GPFG) announced divestment from two Israeli companies, Africa Israel Investments and Danya Cebus, due to their involvement in the construction of illegal settlements in the West Bank.
An artist's pledge to boycott Electronic Intifada: 27 Aug 2010 - I am proud to be among the many Irish and Ireland-based artists from across creative disciplines who have chosen to publicly support the growing campaign of boycott against apartheid Israel. Compared to the imprisoned Palestinian people themselves and to those taking part in flotillas and other perilous anti-apartheid activities in Palestine our contribution and risk may be justly considered small.more
Global boycott movement claims victories, arrests Uruknet August 24, 2010 - This week, the Norwegian government announced that it has divested from two major Israeli companies involved in settlement construction and land theft in the occupied West Bank. Both companies, Africa Israel Investments and its subsidiary, Danya Cebus, are owned by Israeli billionaire Lev Leviev, and have been at the center of a widespread boycott, divestment...
Israeli report: Settler industry hurt by boycott Palestine Note 26 Aug 2010 - Washington - An article in Hebrew-language Yediot Wednesday reported the Palestinian Authority-led boycott of settlement-produced goods is having an economic effect on settlement industry, according to a translation by Israeli news blog Coteret . Officials and business...
Israeli theater actors refuse to perform at new West Bank cultural center Ha'aretz - Leading settler responds to refusal by Yousef Sweid and Rami Heuberger by saying that 'Israel is much stronger than such boycotts.'
Im Tirtzu may lose funding over boycott threat to Ben-Gurion University Ha'aretz - U.S. based pro-Israel organization Christians United for Israel: We do not support any calls for divestment from Israel in any way.
Church boycott calls ring louder Electronic Intifada: 25 Aug 2010 - The world's churches have long been one of the battlegrounds of the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement. With the strengthening of the BDS movement, a number of churches across the globe have seen the boycott of Israeli and Israeli settlement goods hotting up, and recent weeks have witnessed some notable victories.more
Israeli Academic Freedom at Risk Uruknet August 21, 2010 - Born in Haifa, the son of German-Jewish immigrants who fled during the Nazi period, noted historian Ilan Pappe left Israel in summer 2007, telling London Guardian writer Chris Arnot he began "feeling for a while like public enemy No. 1" for his anti-Zionist views and supporting a boycott against Israeli universities, saying: "I supported (it)...
West Bank Boycott Campaign Impacting Settlement Economy WAFA - TEL AVIV, August 20, 2010 (WAFA)- Grassroots Palestinian boycott campaigns across the occupied West Bank to take Jewish settlement products off the shelves of local stores have made an impact on the
West Bank boycott campaign impacting settlement economy Uruknet August 19, 2010 - Grassroots Palestinian boycott campaigns across the occupied West Bank to take Israeli settlement products off the shelves of local stores have made an impact on the Israeli settlement economy, to the unease of the Israeli government, noted the Israeli daily Haaretz this week ("Palestinians 'adamant about continuing boycott on settlement goods'," 8 August 2010). From...
Queer Palestinians call for BDS Palestine Note 20 Aug 2010 - Washington – As the global campaign for boycotts, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) against Israel continues to gain momentum, one group of Palestinian activists are joining the call and fighting to bring an oft-dismissed face to the...
West Bank Boycott Campaign Impacting Settlement Economy WAFA - TEL AVIV, August 20, 2010 (WAFA)- Grassroots Palestinian boycott campaigns across the occupied West Bank to take Jewish settlement products off the shelves of local stores have made an impact on the
West Bank boycott campaign impacting settlement economy Electronic Intifada: 19 Aug 2010 - Grassroots Palestinian boycott campaigns across the occupied West Bank to take Israeli settlement products off the shelves of local stores have made an impact on the Israeli settlement economy, to the unease of the Israeli government, noted the Israeli daily Haaretz this week.more
Legal victory for BDS campaigners Uruknet August 18, 2010 - Charges against four Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaigners have been dropped in London because of the clearly illegal activities of an Israeli cosmetics firm against which the four had been demonstrating. The case threw up some unusual and possibly ground-breaking legal arguments. Under international law, Israel's settlements on the occupied West Bank are illegal....
FAQ on boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) Palestine Note 18 Aug 2010 - What is BDS? What are the goals of BDS? Who is calling for BDS? What are some examples of how BDS was used during Apartheid in South Africa? What is the call for academic and cultural...
PA Indict 4 Merchants For Violating W.B Boycott Law PNN - Jerusalem - PNN - The Palestinian Finance Ministry decided Tuesday to indict four merchants who violated the boycotted on products made in West Bank settlements. Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad co-initiated the...
Don’t deny our rights: An open letter to Mahmoud Abbas Ma’an News Agency 8/18/2010 We are Palestinians of diverse perspectives and affiliations -- scholars, intellectuals, artists, activists, trade unionists, human rights advocates and civil society leaders, inside historic Palestine and in exile -- who are united in our commitment to the fulfillment of the fundamental rights of all Palestinians, particularly our inalienable right to self-determination. This universally sanctioned right encompasses, at a minimum, freedom from occupation and colonization in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including Jerusalem; full equality for Palestinian citizens of Israel; and the right of return for Palestinian refugees and their descendants. During a 9 June meeting with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, you reportedly said: "I would never deny [the] Jewish right to the land of Israel," a statement that you have yet to retract. We regard this announcement, which adopts a central tenet of Zionism, as a grave betrayal of the collective rights of the Palestinian people. It is tantamount to a surrender of the right of Palestinian citizens of Israel to live in equality in their own homeland, in which they have steadfastly remained despite the apartheid regime imposed on them for decades. It also concedes the right of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes. No Palestinian institution or leader has ever accepted an exclusive Jewish claim to Palestine, which is irreconcilable with the internationally recognized rights of the Palestinian people. Our rights inhere in us as a people; they are not yours to do with as you please. We, as Palestinians urgently need a legally and democratically elected leadership that is responsible, capable and committed to the fulfillment of our national rights and aspirations to live in freedom, dignity and just peace in our ancestral homeland.... more.. e-mail
Students, boycott Israel's propagandist youth festival! Electronic Intifada: 18 Aug 2010 - Once again, the Brand-Israel machine is in high gear, this time organizing a million-dollar international youth extravaganza in Eilat in September 2010 called "Funjoya." This unabashed propaganda exercise is sponsored by the Israel Ministry of Tourism and the Israeli Student Union, among other official and semi-official bodies.more
PA charges 4 for settlement boycott violation Palestine Note 17 Aug 2010 - Washington – The Palestinian Authority Finance Minister has indicted four Palestinians accused of violating a boycott of goods produced in West Bank settlements, Ynet reported Tuesday. A store owner in East Jerusalem. Merchants in the West...
Open Letter to John Lyndon: Don't Play Along with Apartheid Israel Alternative Information Center - Dear John, Although you were born in Ireland, you may not be aware that on 12th August the Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign (IPSC) launched its "boycott pledge" campaign, whereby over 140 (now over 160 and counting)...
4 Palestinians to be tried for violating settlement boycott YNet News - The Palestinian Finance Ministry decided Tuesday to indict four merchants who violated the boycotted on products made in West Bank settlements. The four Palestinians .......
Formalizing Israel’s Land Grab Chris Hedges, Truthdig 8/16/2010 Time is running out for Israel. And the Israeli government knows it. The Jewish Diaspora, especially the young, has a waning emotional and ideological investment in Israel. The demographic boom means that Palestinians in Israel and the occupied territories will soon outnumber Jews. And Israel’s increasing status as a pariah nation means that informal and eventually formal state sanctions against the country are probably inevitable. Desperate Israeli politicians, watching opposition to their apartheid state mount, have proposed a perverted form of what they term “the one-state solution.” It is the latest tool to thwart a Palestinian state and allow Israel to retain its huge settlement complexes and land seizures in East Jerusalem and the West Bank. The idea of a single state was backed by Moshe Arens, a former defense minister and foreign minister from the Likud Party, in a column he wrote last month in the newspaper Haaretz asking “Is There Another Option?” Arens has been joined by several other Israeli politicians including Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin. The Israeli vision, however, does not include a state with equal rights for Jewish and Palestinians citizens. The call for a single state appears to include pushing Gaza into the unwilling arms of Egypt and incorporating the West Bank and East Jerusalem into Israel. Palestinians within Israeli-controlled territory, however, will remain burdened with crippling travel, work and security restrictions already in place. Palestinians in the occupied territories, for example, cannot reclaim lost property or acquire Israeli citizenship, yet watch as Jews born outside of Israel and with no prior tie to the country become Israeli citizens and receive government-subsidized housing. Palestinians in the West Bank live in a series of roughly eight squalid, ringed ghettos and are governed by military courts. Jews living in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, like all full Israeli citizens, are subject to Israeli civilian law and constitutional protection. Palestinians cannot serve in the armed forces or the security services, while Jewish settlers are issued automatic weapons and protected by the Israel Defense Force. more.. e-mail
Harvard University divests from Israel IMEMC - 16 Aug 2010 - Monday August 16, 2010 - 23:27, In the latest declared victory for the Boycott-Divestment-Sanctions movement worldwide, Harvard University, one of the most prestigious and oldest universities in the United States, has sold off all of its shares in Israeli companies.
Harvard Divests From Israel Uruknet August 15, 2010 - Harvard Management Company, which manages the university’s endowment, has divested the fund from all investments it had in Israel companies, during the second quarter of this year. The divested stocks include TEVA, a generic drug manufacturer, that has greatly benefited from Israel’s strangulation of several Palestinian pharmaceutical companies, Checkpoint Securities, which provided many of the...
Harvard Sells Off Its Investments in Israel The Media Line 15 Aug 2010 - Industry analysts deny the prestigious university's move has any connection to the Boycott, Divestment & Sanctions (BDS) movement. Harvard University sold all its shares in Israeli companies during the second quarter of 2010, the investment group...
British city pays tribute to flotilla victims 8/15/2010 - BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- Campaigners in Bristol promoted the boycott of Israeli goods on Saturday in memory of the nine passengers killed in Israel's raid of a Gaza-bound aid ship. The protest was staged outside the main supermarket in the south-west England city, Waitrose. The store advertises a "Responsible Sourcing" policy, but failed....
150 Irish Artists Boycott Israel Alternative Information Center - 150 Irish artists launched the historic “Irish artists’ pledge to boycott Israel” on Thursday 12 August. The Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign (IPSC) organized the pledge and announced the boycott at a lunchtime concert in Meeting House...
'Arabs, get out' Gideon Levy, Haaretz, Israeli Occupation Archive 8/15/2010 The fact that [Israeli Arabs] have yet to choose to boycott the state and its institutions and to stop participating in the game of democracy, which is corrupt to begin with, as far as they are concerned – a game from which they are almost completely excluded – is nothing short of amazing. Alright, let’s say they succeed. Let’s say that the racist nationalist members of Knesset achieve their aspirations to kick the Arab member out of the Knesset. Let’s assume that the aspirations of the sweet-lipped extremist Otniel Schneller, the “democrat” Ofir Akunis, and the nationalist Avigdor Lieberman come to pass and the Knesset is free of Arabs. What would happen next? Behind this incitement campaign, like every other, there is no motivation other than arousing the darkest and most basest instincts: ‘Arabs, get out’ – not to mention ‘Death to the Arabs.’ So the Arabs are out, what then? Even in the second round of the verbal lynching of Knesset member Hanin Zuabi this past weekend, including all the lies ( she “fought with Israeli soldiers,” joined the “terrorists,” “objected to removing evacuating wounded soldiers”) put forward by politicians and television show hosts, calls arose to eject her from the Knesset, naturally. It’s already completely kosher – the calls to eject Hanin, and you, Ahmed Tibi, Mohammed Barakeh, Jamal Zahalka, and their friends are no longer only right-wing fantasy. The legitimization of the calls, in the wake of the crushing silence of most other politicians, demonstrates how deeply the aspiration behind it has put down roots. They may be ignoramuses when it comes to democratic ideals – but those calling for the ejection of Arab MKs must at least say what will happen once Israeli Arabs are deprived of representation in the Knesset. Will Arab citizens vote for Yisrael Beitenu? Doubtful. Will they vote for Akunis in the primaries? Unlikely. -- See also: Source: Ha'aretz more.. e-mail
Irish artists announce cultural boycott of Israel 8/14/2010 - BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- Over 150 Irish artists, musicians and playwrights announced a cultural boycott of Israel on Thursday until "Israel complies with international law."The campaign was launched by the Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign and signatory artists saying "we pledge not to avail of any invitation to perform or exhibit in Israel, nor to....
Salfit chamber of commerce says boycott is 'National duty' 8/14/2010 - SALFIT (Ma'an) -- The Salfit Chamber of Commerce called for the clearing of the Palestinian market of settlement produce "as a national duty," a statement read Saturday. The statement was distributed to traders and industrial workshops, which read that "morality and national duty calls on us all to boycott settlement goods and clear our....
Irish artists boycott Israel Palestine Note 14 Aug 2010 - Washington - More than 150 Irish intellectuals and artists announced an Israel boycott Saturday, Haaretz reported . Boycott Israel graffiti is straypainted on a wall. [Hembo Pagi - Flickr] The boycotters said they will not perform or...
Haaretz: 150 Irish Artists Announce Israel Cultural Boycott WAFA - TEL AVIV, August 14, 2010 (WAFA)- More than 150 Irish artists and intellectuals have declared Saturday a boycott of Israel, saying they would not perform or exhibit in Israel until Israel ceases its
Excerpt: Midnight on the Mavi Marmara Mike Marqusee, Ma’an News Agency 8/14/2010 Mike Marqusee is an American Jew living in London, UK where he writes. He was a passenger on the Mavi Marmara, a Turkish-flagged cargo ship taking part in a flotilla mission to the Gaza Strip, and loaded with tons of aid and medical supplies for the people of Gaza. At 3am on 31 May 2010, Israeli commandos boarded the ship in international waters. Crew members resisted the take-over and in the struggle 9 were shot dead. Below is an excerpt from Marqusee’s recently published book Midnight on the Mavi Marmara, which compiles accounts, analysis and reflections on the event from passengers on board. International solidarity under attack From small beginnings and with few resources, the international movement in solidarity with the Palestinians has grown into a force that Israel perceives as a major threat. The assault on the Gaza aid flotilla was a lethal escalation in what has become an increasingly bitter campaign against that movement, whose constituents now range from dockworkers in South Africa refusing to offload Israeli goods to students at Berkeley demanding divestment. The brutality of the flotilla attack was a measure of the extent to which the Israeli polity has grown to fear and loathe this global grassroots movement. In a way, the violence was a perverse tribute to a band of voluntary campaigners who are massively outstripped by Israel in money, institutional resources and access to the media, but who nonetheless have put more pressure on Israel than the world’s most powerful governments.... more.. e-mail
Palestinians 'adamant about continuing boycott on settlement goods' Ha'aretz - PA economy minister says after meeting with Ben-Eliezer that Israel's request to end the campaign proves that it is working.
Besieging Israel's siegeIn just a few years the Palestinian campaign to boycott Israeli goods has become truly global Uruknet August 12, 2010 - Despite Israel's siege of Gaza, and the escalating displacement in the Negev and East Jerusalem, Palestinians have some reason to celebrate. In Washington a food co-op has passed a resolution calling for a boycott of Israeli products, confirming that the boycott movement – five years old last month – has finally crossed the Atlantic. Support...
Another insult to Christianity: meet the Methodist Friends of Israel Uruknet August 11, 2010 - A few weeks ago the Methodist Church's annual conference did a very courageous and praiseworthy thing. It voted to boycott products from Israeli settlements in occupied Palestine, regarded as illegal under international law, and to encourage Methodists across Britain to do the same. "The decision is a response to a call from a group of...
FAQ on Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions Uruknet August 11, 2010 - What is BDS? BDS stands for Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions. On July 9, 2005, one year after the historic Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) which found Israel's Wall built on occupied Palestinian territory to be illegal, an overwhelming majority of Palestinian civil society called upon international civil society organizations and people...
Palestine's students call on PLO envoy to boycott South African Zionists Uruknet August 11, 2010 - We address you from occupied Palestine urging you to cancel your participation in an event hosted by the South African Union of Jewish Students (SAUJS) entitled "Towards Peace in the Middle East -- The Status of Current Democracy" at the University of the Witwatersrand on Thursday, 12 August 2010. SAUJS is a Zionist body known...
Besieging Israel's siege | Omar Barghouti The Guardian 12 Aug 2010 - In just a few years the Palestinian campaign to boycott Israeli goods has become truly global Despite Israel's siege of Gaza, and the escalating displacement in the Negev and East Jerusalem, Palestinians have some reason to...
PA minister: Boycotts working Palestine Note 12 Aug 2010 - Washington – Palestinian Authority Economy Minister Hassan Abu Libda said Thursday, following a meeting with his Israeli counterpart, that Israeli requests to end the Palestinian boycott of settlement goods proves it is working, Haaretz reported . Israeli...
Cultural Sensitivity in the Negev Alternative Information Center - In the pages of Israel’s law book, and more precisely in the Criminal Code S176, I discovered the sanction imposed for having multiple wives. Yes, this is a criminal violation! The sanction determined in law is...
BDS court victory in London: ‘Ahava four' found not guilty of trespass in Israeli store 8/11/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - 11 August 2010 - ISM London - Four campaigners against Israeli apartheid were acquitted yesterday (August 10th) of all charges related to two direct action protests against the Israeli cosmetics retailer Ahava in Covent Garden, London. The campaigners locked themselves onto concrete-filled oil drums inside the shop, closing it down for two days in September and December....
Palestinians 'adamant about continuing boycott on settlement goods' Ha'aretz 13 Aug 2010 - PA economy minister says after meeting with Ben-Eliezer that Israel's request to end the campaign proves that it is working.
PALESTINE: Ongoing action alert: Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions Christian Peacemaker Teams - Palestine - CPT-Palestine invites you to join people from all over the world in boycotting Israeli goods and cultural events, divesting from all companies that profit from the occupation of Palestine, and pushing for international sanctions on Israel.
Meet the Methodist Friends of Israel Palestine Chronicle: 12 Aug 2010 - By Stuart Littlewood – London A few weeks ago the Methodist Church's annual conference did a very courageous and praiseworthy thing. It voted to boycott products from Israeli settlements in Occupied Palestine, regarded as illegal under international law, and to encourage Methodists across Britain to do the same. "The decision is a response to a call from a group of Palestinian Christians, a growing number of Jewish organisations, both inside Israel and worldwide, and the World Council of Churches," said the press release. Christine Elliott, Secretary for External Relationships, remarked: “This decision has not been taken lightly, but after months of research, careful consideration and finally, today’s debate at the Conference. The goal of the boycott is to put an end to the existing injustice. It reflects the challenge that settlements present to a lasting peace in the region." Predictably the Board of Deputies of British Jews, which calls itself...more
Giving some love to the cultural boycott Mondoweiss - On Monday evening, Jethro Tull performed in Jerusalem with Shlomo Gronich as guest keyboardist. Gronich played riffs from Israel's national anthem , the Hatikvah. Front man, Ian Anderson's decision to play in the apartheid state was taken in spite of urgent calls for him heed the boycott...
BDS movement: 'Put your money where your mouth is' Palestine Note 10 Aug 2010 - By William McKeithen Washington – The Boycott Divestment Sanctions (BDS) movement has been winning converts in Europe for years, but now after several recent victories in American have caught headlines, more are starting to question whether...
New Reut Institute ‘case study’ tacit admission that BDS is working Mondoweiss - When the well-connected Israeli policy group, the Reut Institute , released a February 2010 report on what it labeled the "delegitimization challenge" from the global Palestine solidarity movement, Ali Abunimah of the Electronic Intifada pointed out that the report "never considers for a moment that the mounting...
Egyptian Minister calls on Muslim Tourists to Flood Jerusalem The Media Line 7 Aug 2010 - Arab pilgrims seen as more effective than the failed boycott policy. Egyptian Minister of Religious Endowments Mahmoud Hamdi Zaqzouq called on Muslims worldwide to visit Jerusalem and assert its Islamic identity.In an interview with the Arab...
Words without Borders "dialogue" violates Palestinian boycott call Electronic Intifada: 10 Aug 2010 - An initiative recently launched by the prestigious online literature magazine Words without Borders entitled "Cross-Cultural-Dialogues in the Middle East," rings alarm bells in light of the Palestinian civil society call for boycott divestment and sanctions on Israel. Haidar Eid comments.more
Case studies: Child workers in Gaza Uruknet August 7, 2010 - With Gaza's economy devastated by years of sanctions and decades of conflict, many families send their children to work in the city's rubbish dumps, streets and workshops. Although Israel eased its blockade in mid-June - allowing in consumer goods - little has changed for Gaza's poorest families, who cannot afford the food and clothing in...
Why the left should support the boycott of Israel -- a reply to the US Socialist Workers Party Uruknet August 7, 2010 - When Israeli commandos attacked the Gaza Freedom Flotilla in international waters on May 31, 2010, murdered nine humanitarian aid workers and seized the cargo of badly needed supplies for Gaza, they touched off an international storm of outrage that continues to this day. The widespread anger has galvanised the international movement in solidarity with the...
UK group urges boycott of Israeli dates 8/7/2010 - LONDON (Ma'an) -- The UK-based Palestinian Solidarity Campaign urged a boycott of Israeli dates ahead of the holy month of Ramadan, which begins this week. Traditionally, Muslims fast between dawn and dusk throughout the month. Breaking the fast with dates produced on illegal Israeli settlements would be "an affront to us all," a PCS....
American VIP Humiliated at Airport, Ynet reported WAFA - TEL AVIV, August 6, 2010 (WAFA)- Prof. Donna Shalala, Clinton's secretary of health, arrives in Israel in order to fight academic boycott against Israel, claims she was held at Ben-Gurion Airport
Al-Quds University flouts own academic boycott Electronic Intifada: 6 Aug 2010 - Al-Quds University is maintaining a joint Israeli-Palestinian master's degree program with Haifa, Hebrew and Tel Aviv universities, despite a decision taken by its own University Council in February 2009 to distance itself from Israeli academic institutions. Jillian Kestler-D'Amours reports for The Electronic Intifada.more
Ramadan report: Politics on the plate Palestine Note 5 Aug 2010 - Washington – With the Muslim holy month of Ramadan close approaching, the food industry has been shaken. With everything from boycotts to surpluses to food shortages, Muslims around the world have a lot on their plate...
The cultural boycott and the outraged artist Mondoweiss - When you arrive in Israel as an internationally-renowned artist to give a concert or accept a cultural award, it is only natural that you not be spat at and knee-capped by Jews. I say this apropos of the odd comments made over the last couple of...
Israel Takes Another Step Away from Democracy Uruknet August 2, 2010 - According to the BNC(Boycott National Committee) Statement published on the 9th of July "after five years of BDS, the movement has proven, indisputably, to be the most effective and morally consistent form of solidarity with the people of Palestine in our struggle to end Israel’s occupation, apartheid, and persistent denial of the UN-sanctioned right of...
British Muslims urged to boycott Israeli dates during Ramadan The Guardian 4 Aug 2010 - New protest at occupation of Palestinian territories, as Israeli ambassador counters with 'two-date solution' pun British Muslims are being urged to boycott Israeli dates when breaking their fast during Ramadan in protest at the continued occupation...
Why I support the Olympia Co-op boycott Mondoweiss - Dear friends, The Olympia Food Co-op boycott of Israeli products (except for fair trade olive oil) has generated much controversy and emotion. I do pray for healing and understanding among those who support and those who oppose such a boycott in the community of Olympia, Washington...
Israel Takes Another Step Away from Democracy Uruknet August 2, 2010 - According to the BNC(Boycott National Committee) Statement published on the 9th of July "after five years of BDS, the movement has proven, indisputably, to be the most effective and morally consistent form of solidarity with the people of Palestine in our struggle to end Israel’s occupation, apartheid, and persistent denial of the UN-sanctioned right of...
Settlers Ramp Up "Price Tag" PolicyIsraeli Rabbi Preaches "Slaughter" of Gentile Babies Uruknet August 2, 2010 - A rabbi from one of the most violent settlements in the West Bank was questioned on suspicion of incitement last week as Israeli police stepped up their investigation into a book in which he sanctions the killing of non-Jews, including children and babies. Rabbi Yitzhak Shapira is one of the leading ideologues of the most...
Israel Takes Another Step Away from Democracy Palestine Monitor - According to the BNC(Boycott National Committee) Statement published on the 9th of July “after five years of BDS, the movement has proven, indisputably, to be the most effective and morally consistent form of solidarity with the people of Palestine in our struggle to end Israel's occupation,...
Muslim Brotherhood to boycott Jordan elections Palestine Note 2 Aug 2010 - Washington – The Islamic Action Front, the Muslim Brotherhood’s Jordanian branch, has voted to boycott general elections set for November, citing suspected election fraud, the Jerusalem Post reported Monday. “The decision was adopted by a large...
Israel Takes Another Step Away from Democracy Palestine Monitor - According to the BNC(Boycott National Committee) Statement published on the 9th of July “after five years of BDS, the movement has proven, indisputably, to be the most effective and morally consistent form of solidarity with the people of Palestine in our struggle to end Israel's occupation,...
Jewish groups angered by churches’ boycott call Barney Zwartz, The Age 8/2/2010 AUSTRALIA’S leading church group has called on Australian churches and the public to boycott Israeli goods made in occupied Palestinian territories. The National Council of Churches in Australia - which includes the Catholic, Anglican, Uniting and Orthodox churches among its members - passed the resolution last month. Proposed by the Uniting Church and seconded by the Anglicans, the motion asks the council’s welfare agency, Act for Peace, to help member churches with the boycott and urges Christians involved in interfaith dialogue to include justice for Palestinians in their conversations. Jewish groups were horrified at the resolution. Executive Council of Australian Jewry president Robert Goot told the council in a letter the move was a ’’most unpleasant surprise’’. ’’We feel that we have been badly let down by people we have long thought of as our friends,’’ the letter said. Mr Goot would not comment further yesterday as the two councils are meeting next week on the issue. Sydney Jewish interfaith spokeswoman Josie Lacey said she was incredibly disappointed and it would ’’cause a ripple’’ in relationships with the churches. ’’I think this will give coverage to those who hate us,’’ she said. The resolution talks of the churches’ repentance for past silence and indifference to Palestinian suffering through the occupation, and promises to ’’advocate and act for an end to the occupation’’ more.. e-mail
Israel Takes Another Step Away from Democracy Palestine Monitor: 2 Aug 2010 - According to the BNC(Boycott National Committee) Statement published on the 9th of July “after five years of BDS, the movement has proven, indisputably, to be the most effective and morally consistent form of solidarity with the people of Palestine in our struggle to end Israel's occupation, apartheid, and persistent denial of the UN-sanctioned right of return for the Palestinian refugees.” With academic and trade Unions (including UNISON), cultural figures including Dustin Hoffman and Elvis Costello and large supermarket chains including Marks and Spencers on board, the BDS campaign is gaining momentum. Furthermore it is beginning to have an economic impact: settlements have been reporting cuts in production as a result of the boycotts. Israel is showing signs of distress. The non-violent boycott campaign has now joined the ranks of all other forms of Palestinian resistance, being awarded the label of ‘ economic terrorism' by Israeli officials. As is the standard...more
‘Boycott Israel’ protest held Friday in Bil’in village; two injured IMEMC - 1 Aug 2010 - Sunday August 01, 2010 - 12:46, Around 200 Palestinians, Israelis, and internationals – including a group of hip-hop musicians from the US and Britain – joined a protest on Friday afternoon in the Palestinian village of Bil’in calling on the international community to boycott Israel in order to end Israeli apartheid practices.
Don't Deny Our Rights: Open Letter to Mahmoud Abbas Palestine Chronicle: 30 Jul 2010 - By Various Undersigned (29 July 2010) The following open letter to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, whose elected mandate expired in July 2009 and who has remained in power under controversial emergency laws, was issued on 22 July 2010: We are Palestinians of diverse perspectives and affiliations -- scholars, intellectuals, artists, activists, trade unionists, human rights advocates and civil society leaders, inside historic Palestine and in exile -- who are united in our commitment to the fulfillment of the fundamental rights of all Palestinians, particularly our inalienable right to self-determination. This universally sanctioned right encompasses, at a minimum, freedom from occupation and colonization in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including Jerusalem; full equality for Palestinian citizens of Israel; and the right of return for Palestinian refugees and their descendants. During a 9 June meeting with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, you reportedly said: "I would never deny [...more
Desmond Tutu endorses US grocery chain boycott decision 7/30/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - US-based Olympiya Foods Coop grocery store voted to join the international boycott, divestment, and sanctions campaign, in what its board said was a move "to compel Israel to follow international law and respect Palestinian human rights." The move was endorsed on Tuesday by South Africa's Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who said the coop was....
Desmond Tutu backs U.S food co-op boycott of Israeli products 7/30/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - Ha'aretz - South African Nobel laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu issues statement of support for boycott announced by food co-op in Rachel Corrie's hometown of Olympia, Washington South African Nobel laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu said on Wednesday that he supports the Olympia Food Co-op's boycott of Israeli products. Desmond Tutu (centre) with Abdallah Abu Rahmah of Bil'in....
Don't Deny Our Rights: Open Letter to Mahmoud Abbas Palestine Chronicle: 30 Jul 2010 - By Various Undersigned (29 July 2010) The following open letter to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, whose elected mandate expired in July 2009 and who has remained in power under controversial emergency laws, was issued on 22 July 2010: We are Palestinians of diverse perspectives and affiliations -- scholars, intellectuals, artists, activists, trade unionists, human rights advocates and civil society leaders, inside historic Palestine and in exile -- who are united in our commitment to the fulfillment of the fundamental rights of all Palestinians, particularly our inalienable right to self-determination. This universally sanctioned right encompasses, at a minimum, freedom from occupation and colonization in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including Jerusalem; full equality for Palestinian citizens of Israel; and the right of return for Palestinian refugees and their descendants. During a 9 June meeting with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, you reportedly said: "I would never deny [...more
Co-op boycott: ‘When our own government encourages conflict it is time for common people to step in’ Mondoweiss - Phan Nguyen, a member of the Olympia Food Co-op, defends of the co-op's Israeli boycott in the Tacoma, WA News Tribune : When we talk about the Israel/Palestine conflict, we cannot talk about it in the third person. It is our conflict, as it is our taxpayer...
Civil society lauds US boycott milestone 7/28/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - A group of Palestinian civil societies described on Tuesday a US grocery store's decision to remove all Israeli produce from its shelves as "moral and courageous."On 15 July, the Olympia Food Co-op board of directors decided to boycott Israeli goods at their two locations in Olympia, Wash. , apparently making it the first....
National Council of Churches in Australia considers boycott 7/28/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - During its 7th triennial forum in mid-July, the National Council of Churches in Australia asked its members to consider boycotting goods made in illegal Israeli settlements. In a statement from the NCCA, forum organizers said the council overwhelmingly voted to continue support for the Kairos Moment of Truth document, calling for an end.... Related: Kairos Moment of Truth
Nobel-winner Desmond Tutu backs boycotts of Israel Palestine Note 28 Jul 2010 - Washington – Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and champion of the campaign against South African apartheid Archbishop Desmond Tutu issued a statement Wednesday in support of the recent decision American grocers to boycott Israeli products, Haaretz reported ....
Archbishop Desmond Tutu Endorses of Olympia Food Co-op's Boycott of Israeli Goods WAFA - OLYMPIA, WA – July 28, 2010 (WAFA)- The Olympia Food Co-op's decision to honor the international call for boycott of Israeli goods has inspired an inundation of phone calls, e-mails, and
Jeremy Ben-Ami’s main argument against BDS is it doesn’t affirm Israel’s right to exist as Jewish homeland Mondoweiss - Here's something important I've missed: a debate of Boycott/Divestment/Sanctions in the July issue of Tikkun magazine, with Jeremy Ben-Ami of J Street and editor Michael Lerner, against, and on the pro side, Maya Wind of the Israeli refusenik group Shministim, Rabbi Lynn Gottlieb and Rebecca Vilkomerson...
Israel lauds new EU nuclear sanctions on Iran Ha'aretz - Move sends Tehran clear message that behavior is unacceptable, foreign ministry says, calling on more nations to impose extra measures., Internal memo to Palestinian officials urges PA president to resist U.S. pressure, warning that dropping preconditions for face-to-face negotiations with would be political suicide.
Israel applauds Europe on Iran sanctions Jeruslalem Post 26 Jul 2010 - EU takes aim at Iran’s energy, trade, banking and shipping sectors.
Israel lauds new EU nuclear sanctions on Iran Ha'aretz 26 Jul 2010 - Move sends Tehran clear message that behavior is unacceptable, foreign ministry says, calling on more nations to impose extra measures., Internal memo to Palestinian officials urges PA president to resist U.S. pressure, warning that dropping preconditions for face-to-face negotiations with would be political suicide.
Victories as N. American boycott movement gains momentum Electronic Intifada: 26 Jul 2010 - A food co-operative in Olympia, Washington, voted to become the first grocer in the US to ban Israeli-made items from its shelves. Meanwhile, activists in New York delivered more than 15,000 signatures from petitions and postcards to the TIAA-CREF shareholders' meeting on 20 July.more
Israel to boycott UN team sent to probe its brutal attack on Flotilla PIC 25 Jul 2010 - Israel said it would not deal with the team of experts dispatched by the UN international council for human rights to investigate its deadly attack on the Freedom Flotilla aid convoy.
Jacob Weisberg sees the power of BDS, and is scared Mondoweiss - “Don’t boycott Israel,” says the headline in Newsweek . Jacob Weisberg, editor-in-chief at Slate and author of the piece calls a boycott a “repellent idea” with consequences that are “intrinsically vile.” But pointing out the “sheeplike, liberal opinion” of celebrities like Meg Ryan is unlikely to break...
Israeli BDS bill would turn opponents of the regime into enemies of the state Mondoweiss - For many years now, Israel has boasted about being “the only democracy in the Middle East.” It has never been a democracy: it has systematically discriminated against its non-Jewish citizens (for example, it was only this week that Arab villages gained access to public transit), and...
The atomic mirror house: Iran, Brazil, Turkey and other emerging powers vs. the nuclear power MyCatBirdSeat.com: 24 Jul 2010 - By Tomás Rosa Bueno ( Campaign Against Sanctions and Military Intervention in Iran) I n international politics, if an action seems reckless or callous and the ones taking it are not certified loonies, usually it’s because it was made to look that way, on purpose. To send a message. Take Israel’s attack in international waters on a civilian flotilla that resulted in the death of nine Turkish passengers. There were many ways that flotilla could have been prevented from reaching a Gaza port that did not imply resorting to violence; and then again, if they didn’t care about killing a couple of passengers to send a first-level warning to all would-be humanitarian Gaza friends, they could have waited until the flotilla had actually breached the blockade and reached the territorial waters where they arguably have a right to patrol and control, making whatever harm that befell the blockade-breachers their own “fault”...more
Israel warns of N. Korea missile proliferation in Mideast YNet News - Israel has told the UN Security Council's North Korea sanctions panel that ballistic missile proliferation by Pyongyang is destabilizing the Middle East and urged .......
Author Iain Banks joins boycott Tales to Tell: 22 Jul 2010 - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, , FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, ISM London are delighted to learn that the Gorillaz and the Klaxons have both cancelled upcoming shows in Israel, a move that Israeli broadsheet Haaretz links to Israel’s recent massacre aboard the Freedom Flotilla headed for Gaza. Read the rest of this post », ISM London , are delighted to learn that the Gorillaz and the Klaxons have both cancelled upcoming shows in Israel, a move that Israeli broadsheet Haaretz links to Israel’s recent massacre aboard the Freedom Flotilla headed for Gaza., Read the rest of this post »more
Facing ban, Israeli dairy company leaves settlement 7/22/2010 - BDS victory: Ramallah - Ma'an - A leading Israeli dairy company has moved its factories from the occupied Golan Heights into Israel and will be allowed to market its produce in the West Bank, the National Dignity Fund announced Thursday. President Mahmoud Abbas, whose government led by Salam Fayyad started the fund, in April banned the sale....
Message to Israelis who oppose BDS – go to Bil’in and see for yourself Mondoweiss - The first time I stepped into a settlement was during my military service. I did a job that let me go home every night, but every now and then we were required to do something they called AVTASH, or SetSec: settlement security. I was a guard...
Rachel Corrie's hometown divests from Israel Uruknet July 20, 2010 - The Olympia, Washington Food Co-op board of directors met last week to make the final decision to endorse the boycott. "A couple of board members were concerned about what will be the financial effect on the organization, but it’s minimal," board member Rob Richards told Haaretz. "For me personally there is a moral imperative that...
Settler goods boycott sets deadline Palestine Note 21 Jul 2010 - Washington - The Palestinian Authority Ministry of Economy announced a July 31 deadline for the shops to clear their shelves of settlement-made goods, Ma'an News Agency reported Wednesday. Goods produced on Israeli settlements, like these candy...
A Friendly Conversation with the Shabak Yonatan Shapira, Pulse 7/21/2010 Activist Yonatan Shapira (you may know him from actions such as The Pilots’ Letter, Tutu Disruption, and The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising) was summoned to a “friendly talk” with the Shabak [translation via Promised Land]: Yesterday Rona from the Shabak called me and asked me to come talk to meet her in the police station on Dizengof st. (Tel Aviv). She refused to tell me what was it about, but made it clear I wasn’t going to be arrested, and that this is just an acquaintance or “a friendly talk”… At five o’clock I got to the Dizengof police station and was sent to the second floor of the rear building, where a guy who presented himself as Rona’s security guard waited for me. I was taken to a room and subjected to a pretty intimate search to make sure I didn’t install any recording device on my testicles. After I was found clean I was let into Rona’s room. She was a nice looking girl, apparently from a Yemeni origin, in her early thirties. Rona told me that she knew I was active in the BDS (movement) and (calling for) an economic boycott of Israel, and she wanted to know what else I did as part of these activities. I told her that everything (that I do) is well known and published on the internet and the media, and that I have nothing to add, and that I wasn’t going to talk to her. Rona emphasized that there is a Knesset bill that might soon make my activities illegal. She went on and tried to get me into a political debate, asking if I know that the BDS is in fact a Palestinian organization. Rona raised the issue of the graffiti in Warsaw and asked it was my own idea or another part of the BDS. She asked if I understood that I crossed a line and hurt many people’s feeling.... more.. e-mail
Rachel Corrie's hometown divests from Israel Palestine Note 20 Jul 2010 - Washington – A food co-op in the hometown of Rachel Corrie, the American activist killed by an Israeli bulldozer in 2003 and namesake of a Gaza aid ship earlier this year, has launched a divestment campaign...
Report: No missile system to Iran Jeruslalem Post 20 Jul 2010 - Israel pleased Russia heeds sanctions, won’t give Iran S-300.
Food co-op in Rachel Corrie’s hometown boycotts Israeli goods 7/20/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - Ha'aretz - Americans are far more supportive of Israel than Europeans, and most initiatives to boycott Israeli goods or to divest funds from companies working with Israel are unsuccessful in the United States. But such projects have recently become more widespread, especially among students - although most divestment decisions by student bodies are not implemented on the....
Olympia Food Co-op Removes Israeli Goods From Shelves; First US Store to Institute Boycott Palestine Monitor - The Olympia Food Co-op Board of Directors has decided to boycott Israeli goods at their two locations in Olympia, Washington. At a July 15th meeting packed with Co-op members, the Board reached this consensus. The Co-op becomes the first US grocery store to publicly join the...
Olympia Food Co-op Removes Israeli Goods From Shelves; First US Store to Institute Boycott Palestine Monitor: 20 Jul 2010 - The Olympia Food Co-op Board of Directors has decided to boycott Israeli goods at their two locations in Olympia, Washington. At a July 15th meeting packed with Co-op members, the Board reached this consensus. The Co-op becomes the first US grocery store to publicly join the international grassroots movement for boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) on Israel for its human rights abuses. Co-op board member Rob Richards explained, “ My hope is that by being the first in the US to adopt the boycott we act as a catalyst for other co-ops to join in. Each additional organisational entity that joins may have a very small effect on the big picture, but drop by drop fills the tub.” Noah Sochet, a Co-op member and OlympiaBDS organiser adds, “ As a US citizen and as a Jew, I'm proud to say that my Co-op no longer underwrites the suffering in Palestine.”...more
In an effort to combat BDS, the JCRC doubles down on the occupation Mondoweiss - The leaders of the American Jewish community continue to struggle with how to respond to the the growing BDS movement. The Jewish Community Relations Committee of Greater Washington has adopted a particularly strange approach - they want their members to actively support the occupation. This call...
Olympia Food Co-op Removes Israeli Goods from Shelves WAFA - OLYMPIA, WA, July 19, 2010 (WAFA)- The Olympia Food Co-op Board of Directors has decided to boycott Israeli goods at their two locations in Olympia, Washington. At a July 15th meeting packed
US voters can demand Palestine's freedom Electronic Intifada: 19 Jul 2010 - It is only a matter of time before voters of conscience make it clear that elected policy-makers who collaborate in America's unconditional partnership with Israel will be exposed as shameful; and make it clear to policy-makers that such shameful behavior is unsustainable because collaborators in injustice will be ejected from office by the people. Cynthia McKinney comments on the growing grassroots boycott, divestment and sanctions movement for The Electronic Intifada.more
Olympia Food Co-op removes Israeli products from shelves Mondoweiss - From an Olympia BDS press release : The Olympia Food Co-op Board of Directors has decided to boycott Israeli goods at their two locations in Olympia, Washington. At a July 15th meeting packed with Co-op members, the Board reached this consensus. The Co-op becomes the first US...
Israeli Shabak interrogates Israeli activist over BDS & Bil’in protests Mondoweiss - A month ago Phil posted on an event here in New York discussing Jewish perspectives on BDS . One the speakers that night was Yonatan Shapira, who spoke in favor of boycott. Shapira recently returned to Israel and sent this update. Translation by Dena Shunra. I moved...
Bishop Donald Corder: A Theory of Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) of Israel Intifada-Palestine: 18 Jul 2010 - By: Bishop Donald Corder Financial warfare at its finest can be seen through the historical development of the US Hegemony – domination of a capital intense ruling class – and the parasitic infestation of the Zionist into our world’s revenue streams; thereby enabling them impetus for global sway as a shadow government. Great Britain’s fall at Bretton Woods, was a major milestone in ending the economic warfare with the United States after World War II. The Bretton Woods system was history’s first example of a fully negotiated monetary order intended to govern currency relations among sovereign states. In practice it was a system of rules, institutions, and procedures to regulate the international monetary system and was directly dependent on the preferences and policies of its most powerful member, the United States. Britain’s repayment of post war debt institutionalized U.S. governmental finance capital and provided the US ruling classes greater power......more
Israel Beiteinu vow to quash budget vote Jeruslalem Post 17 Jul 2010 - Cuts in budgets prompted ministers to boycott cabinet vote.
Israel Beiteinu vows to quash budget vote Jeruslalem Post 17 Jul 2010 - Cuts in ministries’ budgets prompted ministers to boycott cabinet vote
Knesset approves new bill preventing Israeli boycotts PNN - The Knesset yesterday approved almost unanimously a new bill aimed to prevent the incitement or initiation of boycotts of Israeli produce within Israel. The bill, which passed its first reading on wednesday,...
Exporting the intifada: ISM activists Ryan Olander & Bridget Chappell vs. Europe 7/15/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - BDS - International Solidarity Movement activists Bridget Chappell and Ryan Olander are raging through Europe! Speaking in cities across Europe about their experiences and observations from their time working with the ISM on the ground in occupied Palestine, their mission is to spread the message of worldwide, popular resistance to the Israeli occupation and incite others....
Toy Israeli Houses for Italian kids, Destroyed Homes for Palestinian Children Palestine Monitor - That was the heading on the leaflet distributed at the Iper Coop in Rome, Italy on July 9, 2010, marking the fifth anniversary of the launch campaign for boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) against Israel. While the systematic demolition of Palestinian homes by Israel continues, the...
Congress finally stands up to Israel – over Jewish conversion?! Mondoweiss - They said it couldn't be done. Members of Congress are circulating an "unprecedented" letter criticizing Israel for legislation under consideration in the Knesset. Which legislation? The bill criminalizing boycotts ? The effort to revoke MK Haneen Zoubi's parliamentary privileges ? Nope. The Jerusalem Post reports: A US senator...
Toy Israeli Houses for Italian kids, Destroyed Homes for Palestinian Children Palestine Monitor: 14 Jul 2010 - That was the heading on the leaflet distributed at the Iper Coop in Rome, Italy on July 9, 2010, marking the fifth anniversary of the launch campaign for boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) against Israel. While the systematic demolition of Palestinian homes by Israel continues, the Italian hypermarket instead sells colourful and cheerful plastic toy houses, in addition to children's chairs, tables and slides, produced by the Israeli company Keter and marketed in Italy by Giochi Preziosi and Grand Soleil. / The Keter Group, a leading worldwide producer of plastics, has some of its factories located in Israeli settlements built illegally in the occupied Palestinian territories, in particular, the infamous industrial zone of Barkan outside the Ariel settlement. Barkan, the second largest settlement industrial area, is home to some of the most environmentally unfriendly industries producing plastics, aluminum, fiberglass, electroplating and weapons production. It is estimated that Barkan discharges 810,000 cubic...
Knesset considers anti-boycott bill Palestine Note 14 Jul 2010 - Washington - A bill aimed at holding financially liable Israelis who support boycotts against the country has received approval for a preliminary hearing in the Knesset, Ynet news reported Wednesday. Campaigns to boycott Israeli goods and...
PA announces compensation for settlement employees Palestine Note 14 Jul 2010 - Washington - As part of the Palestinian Authority's push to divest from illegal Israeli settlements, settlement-made goods have been outlawed and Palestinian employment on settlements has been heavily discouraged. To complement the compensation fund, the Ministry...
Israelis inciting anti-Israel boycotts could soon be forced to pay dearly Ha'aretz - Knesset approves in initial reading bill that would allow targets of boycotts to sue boycotters for large sums.
Toy Israeli Houses for Italian kids, Destroyed Homes for Palestinian Children Palestine Monitor - That was the heading on the leaflet distributed at the Iper Coop in Rome, Italy on July 9, 2010, marking the fifth anniversary of the launch campaign for boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) against Israel. While the systematic demolition of Palestinian homes by Israel continues, the...
Israeli education minister wages witch-hunt against boycott supporters Electronic Intifada: 14 Jul 2010 - Hundreds of Israeli college professors have signed a petition accusing the education minister of endangering academic freedoms after he threatened to "punish" any lecturer or institution that supports a boycott of Israel. Jonathan Cook reports.
Toy Israeli Houses for Italian kids, Destroyed Homes for Palestinian Children Palestine Monitor: 14 Jul 2010 - That was the heading on the leaflet distributed at the Iper Coop in Rome, Italy on July 9, 2010, marking the fifth anniversary of the launch campaign for boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) against Israel. While the systematic demolition of Palestinian homes by Israel continues, the Italian hypermarket instead sells colourful and cheerful plastic toy houses, in addition to children's chairs, tables and slides, produced by the Israeli company Keter and marketed in Italy by Giochi Preziosi and Grand Soleil. / The Keter Group, a leading worldwide producer of plastics, has some of its factories located in Israeli settlements built illegally in the occupied Palestinian territories, in particular, the infamous industrial zone of Barkan outside the Ariel settlement. Barkan, the second largest settlement industrial area, is home to some of the most environmentally unfriendly industries producing plastics, aluminum, fiberglass, electroplating and weapons production. It is estimated that Barkan discharges 810,000 cubic...
Anti-BDS bill makes its way through the Knesset Mondoweiss - Haaretz reports on a bill which would make it illegal for an Israeli to "launch or incite" a boycott against Israel: Under the new law, any group could sue damages of up to NIS 30,000 from anyone who launched a boycott against them, or incited a...
Threatening World Order: US and Israel Quietly Announce Plans to Reconstitute Their Nuclear Stockpiles Anthony DiMaggio, Truthout 7/10/2010 The world looks like it’s about to become a more dangerous place. A recent report from Israel’s newspaper Haaretz finds that the United States is moving forward with plans to strengthen Israel’s nuclear weapons stockpile. The report, exposed within the last few days, originated from Israel’s Army Radio, which sent along a secret document chronicling the nuclear cooperation between US and Israeli leaders.(1) Israel has not signed the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), meaning that it is not technically violating international rules under the NPT regarding the development and reconstitution of nuclear weapons, despite longstanding efforts of the international community to establish a “nuclear weapons free zone” in the Middle East. Part of the fear of those advocating nuclear abolition in the Middle East is that the United States will agree to send nuclear materials – extracted from its own civilian nuclear power plants – to Israel, much as it did for India, another country that refuses to sign the NPT. The Obama and Netanyahu governments are seeking to obscure their contempt for nuclear abolition by calling for “nonproliferation” in the Middle East, while Israel simultaneously boycotts New-York-based discussions (at the 2010 NPT conference) of the need for a “nuclear free” Middle East.(2) “Nonproliferation,” within this context, can be understood to apply only to other countries such as Iran, which has long been a target for US and Israeli military planners. The Obama and Netanyahu governments recently announced that they will oppose efforts at singling Israel out in any “nuclear weapons free” Middle East discussion. The problem with this announcement is that Israel is the only country in the Middle East to currently have nuclear weapons. In light of this fact, any attempts to shield Israel from being “singled out” will inevitably prevent progress in moving toward nuclear disarmament in the region. more.. e-mail
BDS committee marks 5 years 7/12/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - The Palestinian Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions National Committee marked its fifth year of action Friday, thanking participants around the globe for supporting the initiative. Reiterating its position to support and encourage BDS against Israel "until it complies with international law and Palestinian rights," themovement saw "spectacular growth of what is now a truly global movement for accountability." Related: Global BDS Movement
Hundreds of Israeli professors protest at 'McCarthyite' right-wing education minister Uruknet July 11, 2010 - Hundreds of Israeli college professors have signed a petition accusing the education minister of endangering academic freedoms after he threatened to "punish" any lecturer or institution that supports a boycott of Israel. The backlash against Gideon Saar, a member of the prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party, comes after a series of moves suggesting he...
Israeli academics hit back over bid to pass law that would criminalise them Uruknet July 11, 2010 - An academic backlash has erupted in Israel over proposed new laws, backed by the government of Binyamin Netanyahu, to criminalise a handful of Israeli professors who openly support a campaign against the continuing occupation of the West Bank. The Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign against Israel has gained rapid international support since Israeli troops...
New Yorkers Celebrate 5 Successful Years of Palestinian-Led Boycott Movement against Israel WAFA - NEW YORK July 12, 2010 (WAFA)- In a joyful celebration of the Palestinian peaceful and creative grassroots resistance, 40 New York human rights activists conducted a musical walking tour of
Israeli academics hit back over bid to pass law that would criminalise them Rachel Shabi in Jerusalem and Peter Beaumont, The Observer, The Guardian 7/11/2010 Backlash over threat to outlaw supporters of boycott movement aimed at ending the continued occupation of the West Bank Palestinian protest against the expansion of the Israeli settlements A Palestinian woman shouts at an Israeli soldier as clashes erupted with Palestinian protesters on Friday during a demonstration against the expansion of the Israeli settlements at Nabi Salih village near the West Bank City of Ramallah. Photograph: Alaa Badarneh/EPA An academic backlash has erupted in Israel over proposed new laws, backed by the government of Binyamin Netanyahu, to criminalise a handful of Israeli professors who openly support a campaign against the continuing occupation of the West Bank. The Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign against Israel has gained rapid international support since Israeli troops stormed a Gaza-bound flotilla of aid ships in May, killing nine activists. Israeli attention has focused on the small number of activists, particularly in the country’s universities, who have openly supported an academic boycott of Israeli institutions. A protest petition has been signed by 500 academics, including two former education ministers, following recent comments by Israel’s education minister, Gideon Saar, that the government intends to take action against the boycott’s supporters. A proposed bill introduced into the Israeli parliament – the Knesset – would outlaw boycotts and penalise their supporters. Individuals who initiated, encouraged or provided support or information for any boycott or divestment action would be made to pay damages to the companies affected. Foreign nationals involved in boycott activity would be banned from entering Israel for 10 years, and any "foreign state entity" engaged in such activity would be liable to pay damages. more.. e-mail
Witch-hunt Begins in Israeli Schools and Colleges Palestine Chronicle: 12 Jul 2010 - By Jonathan Cook - Nazareth Hundreds of Israeli college professors have signed a petition accusing the education minister of endangering academic freedoms after he threatened to “punish” any lecturer or institution that supports a boycott of Israel. The backlash against Gideon Saar, a member of the prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party, comes after a series of moves suggesting he is trying to stamp a more stridently right-wing agenda on the Israeli education system. The education minister has outraged the 540 professors who signed the petition by his open backing of a nationalist youth movement, Im Tirtzu, which demands that teachers be required to prove their commitment to right-wing Zionism. Two of Mr Saar’s predecessors, Yossi Sarid and Yuli Tamir, are among those who signed the petition, which calls on the minister to “come to your senses … before it’s too late to save higher education in Israel”. Mr Saar’s...more
Israeli academics hit back over bid to pass law that would criminalise them Uruknet July 11, 2010 - An academic backlash has erupted in Israel over proposed new laws, backed by the government of Binyamin Netanyahu, to criminalise a handful of Israeli professors who openly support a campaign against the continuing occupation of the West Bank. The Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign against Israel has gained rapid international support since Israeli troops...
Toy Israeli Houses for Italian Kids, Destroyed Homes for Palestinian Children Uruknet July 10, 2010 - That was the heading on the leaflet distributed at the Iper Coop in Rome, Italy on July 9, 2010, marking the fifth anniversary of the launch campaign for boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) against Israel. While the systematic demolition of Palestinian homes by Israel continues, the Italian hypermarket instead sells colorful and cheerful plastic toy...
Boycott Israel campaign wants Israel to abide by international law Neve Gordon, Redress 7/11/2010 There is a considerable amount of misunderstanding about the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement. As John Berger explained a while back, BDS is not a principle but a strategy; it is not against Israel but against Israeli policy; when the policy changes BDS will end. BDS is also not about a particular solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but rather the demand that Israel abide by international law and UN resolutions. It is accordingly something that you can support if you are for a two state solution or a one state solution. You can even support it as a Zionist. It arises from the realization, following years of experience, that the occupation will not end unless Israelis understand that it has a price. In a sense, the fact that a boycott is required is a sign of weakness following the polarization and marginalization of the left in Israel. On the one hand, we have more or less used all the other weapons we have in the arsenal of non-violent resistance and the situation on the ground is only getting worse. On the other hand, we are witnessing the development of a proto-fascist mindset in Israel. I am, for example, extremely anxious about the extent that the space for public debate in Israel is shrinking. One of the ways of silencing any dissent is through the demand for loyalty, so that a slogan you hear a lot now is “no citizenship without loyalty”. This slogan reflects the inversion of the republican idea that the state should be loyal to the citizen and is accountable for inequities and injustices. It is a manifestation of the complete reversal of the republican relationship between state and loyalty and the adoption, instead, of a logic similar to the one that informed Mussolini’s Italy. It is – as Gramsci once said – part of the morbid symptoms of our times. more.. e-mail
Toy Israeli Houses for Italian Kids, Destroyed Homes for Palestinian Children Rome Palestinian Solidarity Network, Dissident Voice 7/10/2010 "Toy Israeli Houses for Italian Kids, Destroyed Homes for Palestinian Children" That was the heading on the leaflet distributed at the Iper Coop in Rome, Italy on July 9, 2010, marking the fifth anniversary of the launch campaign for boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) against Israel. While the systematic demolition of Palestinian homes by Israel continues, the Italian hypermarket instead sells colorful and cheerful plastic toy houses, in addition to children’s chairs, tables and slides, produced by the Israeli company Keter and marketed in Italy by Giochi Preziosi and Grand Soleil. The Keter Group, a leading worldwide producer of plastics, has some of its factories located in Israeli settlements built illegally in the occupied Palestinian territories, in particular, the infamous industrial zone of Barkan outside the Ariel settlement. Barkan, the second largest settlement industrial area, is home to some of the most environmentally unfriendly industries there are: plastics, aluminum, fiberglass, electroplating and weapons production. It is estimated that Barkan discharges 810,000 cubic meters of industrial waste water per year, which ends up in rivers and lands near the Palestinian village of Salfit. The Israeli government provides strong incentives for industries that choose to locate their production facilities in the illegal settlements, such as tax breaks, grants and reductions of up to 69% in the rent of state owned lands. In addition, factories have access to a low-cost workforce, exploiting the Palestinians, including many minors, under constant threat of being fired and with no labor or health safeguards. more.. e-mail
BDS to Israel: Abide by International Law Palestine Chronicle: 11 Jul 2010 - By Neve Gordon – Israel There is a considerable amount of misunderstanding about the BDS (Boycott Divestment and Sanctions). As John Berger explained a while back, BDS is not a principle but a strategy; it is not against Israel but against Israeli policy; when the policy changes BDS will end. BDS is also not about a particular solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but rather the demand that Israel abide by international law and UN resolutions. It is accordingly something that you can support if you are for a two state solution or a one state solution. You can even support it as a Zionist. It arises from the realization, following years of experience, that the Occupation will not end unless Israelis understand that it has a price. In a sense, the fact that a boycott is required is a sign of weakness following the polaristaion and marginalisation of the left...more
Toy Israeli houses for Italian kids, destroyed homes for Palestinian children Mondoweiss - Toy house from Israeli firm Keter Plastics That was the heading on the leaflet distributed at the Iper Coop in Rome, Italy on July 9, 2010, marking the fifth anniversary of the launch campaign for boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) against Israel. While the systematic demolition...
Israeli academics hit back over bid to pass law that would criminalise them The Guardian 10 Jul 2010 - Backlash over threat to outlaw supporters of boycott movement aimed at ending the continued occupation of the West Bank An academic backlash has erupted in Israel over proposed new laws, backed by the government of Binyamin...
Indian port union boycotts Israeli ships, cargo 7/9/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an/Agencies - The trade unions at India's Cochin Port have reached an understanding amongst themselves to boycott Israeli ships and cargo in protest of the siege of Gaza, Indian media reported this week. The boycott began on 17 June on receipt of information that cargo unloaded at Colombo Port from an Israeli ship was....
Boycott, divestment and sanctions in Australia, five years on Uruknet July 9, 2010 - It is five years since Palestinian civil society first made the call for a global boycott, divestment and sanctions movement against the apartheid state of Israel. At the time, introducing such action in Australia seemed impossible when the public barely knew anything about the Palestinian struggle for justice and freedom. Education had to be a...
Boycott, divestment and sanctions in Australia, five years on Electronic Intifada: 9 Jul 2010 - In Australia, with a supine government and a media unwilling to investigate Israel's criminal acts, getting the Palestine message out to the public has been a real challenge. However, Australian unions look like they might be changing that. Sonja Karkar comments on the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement in Australia on the anniversary of the historic Palestinian call for such tactics.
Do we Have A Strategy for the Boycott War with Israel! PNN - Fadi Abu Sada – PNN – we have waited for so long for the boycott campaigns of Israeli settlement products as well as the boycott of Palestinian workers to those settlements. Since...
Education Minister defends decision to penalize Israel professors who back boycott Ha'aretz - After petitioned over matter by hundreds of academics, Sa'ar says: Supporters of boycott are harming academic freedom.
The deceptive rhetoric of "Invest for Peace" Uruknet July 6, 2010 - The boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement is gaining significant momentum cross the United States and Europe, including at US campuses. In response, opposition to the movement is devising new ways to divert attention from efforts to hold Israel accountable for its violations of international law and flagrant abuses of Palestinian human rights. At Stanford...
UK Methodist Church criticized for Palestinian support Palestine Note 7 Jul 2010 - Washington - Following the Methodist Church of Great Britain's decision to boycott Israeli settler goods and sign the Palestine Kairos Document , British Jewish group have come out swinging against the church, Ma'an News Agency reported Wednesday....
Israel barring Palestinians' products from East Jerusalem Palestine Note 7 Jul 2010 - Washington - The Palestinian Authority's campaign to boycott settlement-produced goods has been a success so far in the West Bank. Settler operations have smarted from the lack of turn over, and some Israeli companies with branches...
Report: Meg Ryan, Dustin Hoffman join Israel boycott Palestine Note 7 Jul 2010 - New York - Hollywood stars Meg Ryan and Dustin Hoffman have cancelled plans to attend this summer's Jerusalem Film Festival in an act of protest against Israel's deadly attack on the Gaza-bound aid flotilla in May,...
Church stance on settlements angers UK Israel supporters 7/6/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - The fourth-largest Christian denomination in the United Kingdom is under fire for supporting Palestinian Christians. In late June, the Methodist Church of Great Britain became the first major UK denomination to boycott goods from Israeli settlements following last year's release of the Palestine Kairos document, which declared Israel's occupation "a sin against God....
Dockworkers at Indian port boycott Israeli ships Palestine Note 6 Jul 2010 - New York - Dockworkers at the major Indian port of Cochin are refusing to unload Israeli cargo in protest of Israel's siege of the Gaza Strip. A view of the Shipyard at Cochin [Suniltg - Wikimedia...
Iranians on Israel Radio want sanctions against regime Jeruslalem Post 6 Jul 2010 - Tzahi Hanegbi revealed Iranian listeners to "Voice of Israel" support increased sanctions.
Muslim leaders encourage vacationing in Turkey to offset Israeli boycott Palestine Note 5 Jul 2010 - Washington - The Jerusalem Post is reporting that Muslims are being encouraged to vacation in Turkey this summer to offset the estimated $400 million loss caused by Israelis boycotting the country. Photo source: Flickr [ Flydime ] According...
Bi’lin and Ni’lin continue protests against the Israeli Apartheid System Stop The Wall - The protestors in both marches carried large pictures of the martyrs Yasser Arafat and Ahmad Yassin as a message of Palestinian national unity calling for solidarity across factions to face the Israeli Apartheid system. Banners calling for the boycott of Israel were also carried. [
Hamas and Hezbollah 'beginning to embrace non-violent tactics' Ha'aretz - Wall Street Journal reports that Hamas and Hezbollah see civil disobedience, protest marches, lawsuits and boycotts as productive tactics in their fight against Israel.
From Israel to Arizona, boycott racism! Uruknet July 2, 2010 - The US Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (USACBI) endorses and supports the call for Boycott of Arizona on account of its manifestly racist laws, HB1070 and SB 2281. SB1070 calls for police officers to require documentation from people to establish resident status. The law essentially requires police to engage in racial...
Hamas and Hezbollah 'beginning to embrace non-violent tactics' Ha'aretz 4 Jul 2010 - Wall Street Journal reports that Hamas and Hezbollah see civil disobedience, protest marches, lawsuits and boycotts as productive tactics in their fight against Israel.
Methodists vote for settlements boycott | Karen Burke The Guardian 2 Jul 2010 - The Methodist conference has voted for a boycott on good produced in illegal Israeli settlements The Methodist Church voted on Wednesday to boycott products from Israeli settlements recognised as illegal under international law at its annual...
Methodist Church To Boycott Israeli Settlements Goods PNN - Bethlehem - PNN- The Methodist Church has today voted to boycott all products from Israeli settlements in the Palestinian territories, and to encourage Methodists across Britain to do the same. The decision...
From Israel to Arizona, boycott racism! Electronic Intifada: 2 Jul 2010 - The US Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (USACBI) endorses and supports the call for Boycott of Arizona on account of its manifestly racist laws, HB1070 and SB 2281.
To end the occupation, cripple Israeli banks Uruknet June 30, 2010 - The international banking sanctions campaign in New York against apartheid South Africa during the 1980s is regarded as the most effective strategy in bringing about a nonviolent end to the country's apartheid system. The campaign culminated in President FW de Klerk's announcement in February 1990, releasing Nelson Mandela and other political prisoners, and the beginning...
Palestinian boycott of Israeli settlement goods starts to bite Uruknet June 29, 2010 - Israeli factories based in settlements on the West Bank have been forced to cut back production as a growing Palestinian boycott movement begins to take effect. The boycott, endorsed by the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, was given further momentum this week when a campaign to clear supermarket shelves of produce originating in settlements was rolled...
The Hit List: Which musicians are boycotting Israel? Palestine Note 1 Jul 2010 - By Jared Malsin New York - Israel has faced a wave of cancellations by major musical acts in recent months, with several groups and musicians choosing to heed calls a boycott in the wake of Israel's...
Obama signs Iran sanctions into law Jeruslalem Post 1 Jul 2010 - Israeli businessmen urge American companies to boycott Teheran.
UK BDS vote includes call to review ‘whether Zionism is compatible with Methodist beliefs’ Mondoweiss - The Methodist Church of Britain voted yesterday to boycott Israeli-produced goods and services from the West Bank. From their press release : The Methodist Church has today voted to boycott all products from Israeli settlements in the Palestinian territories, and to encourage Methodists across Britain to do...
Palestinian boycott of Israeli settlement goods starts to bite Uruknet June 29, 2010 - Israeli factories based in settlements on the West Bank have been forced to cut back production as a growing Palestinian boycott movement begins to take effect. The boycott, endorsed by the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, was given further momentum this week when a campaign to clear supermarket shelves of produce originating in settlements was rolled...
Israel's anti-boycott belligerence | Miri Weingarten The Guardian 30 Jun 2010 - A bill seeking to outlaw boycotts of Israeli institutions and products – including in settlements – is diplomatically explosive A new "anti-boycott bill", the third in a series of proposed laws that aim to curtail the...
Gagged! Canada boycotts criticism of Israel Palestine Note 30 Jun 2010 - In Canada, under Prime Minister Stephen Harper's Conservative government, free speech and free inquiry regarding controversial policies and actions of the state of Israel have been increasingly threatened. Two unfolding political dramas deserve special attention. First,...
Palestinian boycott of Israeli settlement goods starts to bite The Guardian 29 Jun 2010 - Campaign to clear supermarket shelves of West Bank settlement wares forces Israeli factories to cut production Israeli factories based in settlements on the West Bank have been forced to cut back production as a growing Palestinian...
PA boycott squeezes settlements Palestine Note 29 Jun 2010 - Washington - The Palestinian Authority's boycott of settlement-produced goods is having tangible effects on the wallets of Israelis and Israeli settlers, the Guardian reported Tuesday. Palestinian PM Salam Fayyad, a political independent seated with Israeli opposition...
A new boycott campaign laucned in West Bank 28 Jun 2010 - Nablus, June 28, (Pal Telegraph) A new campaign to boycott the products of Israeli settlements started in the governorates of the West Bank, targeted this time the shops to encourage them to join the campaign. The Governor of Nablus Jibrin Bakri, assured that official and popular Palestinian efforts will continue to boycott the products of settlements in the local Markets...
A Call for Livable Futures Rela Mazali, Huffington Post, Israeli Occupation Archive 6/25/2010 What to do when the country I live in totally loses its compass? Totally loses its shame? What to do when the regime that collects my taxes uses them to deploy its high-tech military, armed to the teeth, against activists sailing to oppose a criminal siege? When this country’s politicians authorize soldiers to shoot-to-kill into a deck-bound crowd? And then tell me they are protecting me? What to do when the governments of the world are too deeply implicated to hold this regime, this country accountable? I have watched government after government in Israel present itself as a respectable, normal member of the club of developed countries; open, democratic, cultured and liberal. Israel recently launched a major “re-branding” campaign, emphasizing diversity, richness, creativeness, to divert attention away from its warring belligerence. Israel’s leaders are deeply committed to keeping up their positive self-image. I have noted the special privileges granted time and again on the pretext of this image. The US awards Israel billions every year for “defense” in the form of planes, missiles, guns and ammunition. Just this May, the organization of so-called developed countries (OECD) granted Israel full membership, after years of Israeli lobbying. Israel bases its equal footing in such clubs on its claim to democracy. It is time for us all to hold it to that claim. Accountable. Not only privilege-able. Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) to end the occupation, reject, and actively remove, Israel’s mask of “business as usual.” Each of us, each of you, can draw the line through BDS and act as a caring, responsible citizen of the world. To end Israel’s 43-year-old occupation. To end the unacceptable, criminal siege of Gaza. To end racist laws and policies inside Israel, openly targeting the Palestinian citizens of Israel. To end more than sixty years of ongoing dispossession of the Palestinian people. -- See also: Source more.. e-mail
Swedish ports boycott ships going to and from Israel Uruknet June 24, 2010 - The Swedish dockworkers union announced on Wednesday that it will boycott shipments destined for or coming from Israel for one week, in protest against the Israeli attack on the Freedom Flotilla last month. The AFP quoted union spokesman Rolf Axelson as saying that the union has decided to boycott Israeli ships because of the Zionist...
A call to continue with the boycott campaign PIC 25 Jun 2010 - The NGO network in the Gaza Strip said that it was important to keep the pressure on the Israeli occupation by continuing and widening to the economic, cultural and academic boycotts.
Swedish dockworkers block Israeli goods in boycott action IMEMC - 24 Jun 2010 - After similar boycott actions in Oakland, California, Norway and South Africa, dockworkers in Sweden have decided to block the import of Israeli goods during the next week.
Netanyahu: PA has no intention to enter direct talks 6/23/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an/Agencies - Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu accused the Palestinian Authority of obstructing dialogue on Wednesday, as he spoke before the Knesset, Israeli media reported."The Palestinian side promoted the Goldstone report, organized boycotts, and tried to prevent our entrance into the OECD. The Palestinian Authority has no intentions of engaging in direct talks with....
Netanyahu: Pollard was an Israeli spy, Oren must clarify remarks Ha'aretz - In radio interview, Michael Oren apparently contradicts Netanyahu's admission that Israel stole U.S. secrets as part of officially sanctioned operation.
"What solidarity means": a letter from Gilboa Prison Uruknet June 21, 2010 - Ameer Makhoul is a human rights defender, the director of the Arab nongovernmental organization network Ittijah, a leading voice of the Palestinian boycott, divestment and sanctions movement and a Palestinian citizen of Israel. He has been in Israeli detention since he was arrested from his family home in Haifa in the early morning hours of...
Netanyahu: Pollard was an Israeli spy, Oren must clarify remarks Ha'aretz 22 Jun 2010 - In radio interview, Michael Oren apparently contradicts Netanyahu's admission that Israel stole U.S. secrets as part of officially sanctioned operation.
‘Haaretz’ runs piece saying only boycott will move Israel Mondoweiss - Gosh this piece should be in the New York Times: Ayala Shani and Ofer Neiman, in Haaretz in Hebrew, (translation at JSF), say that only boycott will persuade Israel to change its behavior: Is Israel being singled out? As was true about white South Africa, the...
Israel threatens to deport J’lem protesters 6/21/2010 - Jerusalem - Ma'an - Israel is set to take action against Palestinian residents of East Jerusalem, sources told Ma'an, as media reports claim municipal officials will soon begin mass demolitions of Al-Bustan homes. Israeli security circles reportedly recommended sanctions on Jerusalemite families whose children partake in protests against Israel, according to Hebrew-language media sources in Israel. Reports....
Brazil drops role in Iran nuclear dispute Ha'aretz - Brazil's foreign minister says support of Iran to be scaled back after UN Security Council decided on new Iran sanctions; Iran bars 2 UN inspectors in escalating nuclear row., Prime Minister tells Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee that easing civilian blockade allows Israel to focus on real security concerns.
Israeli minister pledges to punish pro-boycott academics Palestine Note 21 Jun 2010 - Washington – Israeli Education Minister Gideon Sa’ar said in a statement issued last week he plans to punish any academics or heads of institutions that have supported boycotts against Israel, Haaretz reported Monday. The Knesset in...
Israeli report: Facing boycotts, companies leaving settlements Palestine Note 21 Jun 2010 - Washington – Facing Palestinian and international pressure, a growing number of Israeli companies are abandoning settlements and moving back within the Green Line, Israeli daily Maariv reported Monday. According to a translation by Israeli blogger Didi...
WATCH: Oakland dockworkers refuse to unload Israeli ship Palestine Note 20 Jun 2010 - New York - Dockworkers in Oakland, CA refused to cross a picket line on Sunday morning to unload a ship from Israel, boycott campaigners said. According to organizers, some 500 people, including labor and community activists,...
Brazil drops role in Iran nuclear dispute Ha'aretz 21 Jun 2010 - Brazil's foreign minister says support of Iran to be scaled back after UN Security Council decided on new Iran sanctions; Iran bars 2 UN inspectors in escalating nuclear row., Prime Minister tells Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee that easing civilian blockade allows Israel to focus on real security concerns.
Oakland dockworkers refuse to unload Israeli ship Palestine Note 20 Jun 2010 - New York - Dockworkers in Oakland, CA refused to cross a picket line on Sunday morning to unload a ship from Israel, boycott campaigners said. According to organizers, some 500 people, including labor and community activists,...
The patriot Gideon Levy, Ha’aretz 6/20/2010 What does the Israeli patriot want? What state exactly does he dream of before falling asleep at night? What society does he hope for while immersed in his morning routine? What does the Israeli patriot want? What state exactly does he dream of before falling asleep at night? What society does he hope for while immersed in his morning routine? Incitement, slander and boycott campaigns have recently been launched here against Turkey, Sweden, the High Court of Justice, B’Tselem, the New Israel Fund, the media, Richard Goldstone, Noam Chomsky, Elvis Costello, the Pixies, Ahmed Tibi, Hanin Zuabi, Tali Fahima, Barack Obama, Anat Kamm and the rest of the world, and also a bit against yours truly. A hypocritical, fallacious and depressing worldview emerges from these campaigns. No, he is not a villain, the Israeli patriot – he is merely brainwashed and blind. He would like to live in a democracy – of course he wants democracy; after all, he was taught in school that it is a good thing, and he boasts to the world that Israel is “the only democracy in the Middle East.” But it’s a democracy without most of its mechanisms. He is satisfied with elections and majority rule: The majority will make the decisions, and to hell with the minority. The Israeli patriot wants to open a newspaper and turn on the television and see what’s going on in the world – but only a world in which everything is good. Well, if not the entire world, then at least Israel, as long as it’s all good. He wants to take in lots of World Cup soccer, entertainment programs, loads of gossip, and most importantly – only good news. He wants only commentators who “smash” the Arabs and “bash” the left-wingers and other Israel haters, and who call for strikes on Gaza, Hezbollah, Iran and Istanbul again and again. He is a man of peace, the patriot, but he also wants a war once every two to three years and he wants the media to say so, too..... more.. e-mail
Turkish officials defend sanctions vote Jeruslalem Post 19 Jun 2010 - Ankara ambassador says Israel is nearing "global isolation."
Turkish officials defend vote against sanctions Jeruslalem Post 19 Jun 2010 - Ankara ambassador that Israel is nearing "global isolation."
Illinois Methodists vote to 'divest from occupation' Palestine Note 17 Jun 2010 - New York - At its annual conference this week, the Northern Illinois Conference of the United Methodist Church voted to divest from companies that are said to profit from Israel's occupation of Palestinian territory. A statement...
Iran: Sanctions reflect double standard Jeruslalem Post 18 Jun 2010 - Teheran calls for investigation of Israeli nukes.
The ‘Associated Press’ really ought to say Rachel Corrie’s name, it’s on boats and books and movies Mondoweiss - Pretty good piece on Israel's isolation by Aron Heller of AP , includes a lot about boycott, but includes this: A small French cinema chain postponed a showing of an Israeli comedy and replaced it with a documentary about an American student crushed to death by an...
South African trade unions call for boycott of Israeli apartheid Uruknet June 16, 2010 - Israel and its apologists bristle when Israel is called an apartheid state. Most loudly shouting, "Israeli apartheid," however, are those who know the best — the workers of South Africa, who suffered the most under South African apartheid. South African trade unions have denounced the siege of Gaza and the apartheid wall on the West...
US Jews gather for anti-Zionist assembly 6/16/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Over 200 American Jewish participants and political partners will meet to focus on efforts for divestment from Israel and boycott campaigns a the first national anti-Zionist Jewish Assembly on Saturday in Detroit, a statement read. "We are anti-Zionist because Zionism established and maintains a Jewish-only homeland in the land of Palestine.... Related: The 2010 U.S. Assembly of Jews Confronting Israeli Apartheid and Racism
Ahmadinejad: Iran will punish West for new nuclear sanctions Ha'aretz - Iranian president criticizes U.S., saying its citizens and press are not allowed to speak out against Israel and its 'crimes.'
Ahmadinejad: Iran will punish West for new nuclear sanctions Ha'aretz 16 Jun 2010 - Iranian president criticizes U.S., saying its citizens and press are not allowed to speak out against Israel and its 'crimes.'
End the Gaza Siege Palestine Chronicle: 16 Jun 2010 - By Stephen Lendman Millions worldwide demand it. So does the Arab League, according to an Al Jazeera June 13 report quoting Amr Moussa, Arab League secretary-general, saying: "This blockade....must be lifted and must be broken and the Arab League decision is very clear in this regard." On June 13, Moussa commented after visiting Gaza for talks with Hamas Prime Minister, Ismail Haniyeh, Haaretz reporting he's the highest Arab official to do so since Hamas' 2006 election, after which an Israeli/West embargo followed, then the June 2007 siege. Moussa entered through Rafah after Egypt reopened it following the Freedom Flotilla massacre, saying it will continue indefinitely. According to Haaretz: "Palestinian and Arab League officials said (his) visit (aimed to give) momentum to reconciliation talks between Hamas and Fatah." Hamas Health Minister Basim Naeem said it indicated that "the boycott between Gaza and the Arab nation was broken, (and that the trip...more
Oslo borough votes to boycott Israel Palestine Note 14 Jun 2010 - Washington - The old Grorud borough district of Oslo, Norway's capital, voted last week to boycott Israel, Norwegian news service NRK reported Friday. Israeli produce in Norway market [Magne - Flickr] The motion passed by eight...
Who are the friends of Israel? Rick Salutin, The Globe and Mail 6/4/2010 It no longer gets a pass, based on the past Israel’s claim this week that its soldiers killed nine civilians in self-defence on an aid-to-Gaza flotilla it had boarded is at best tone deaf. It strains credibility. You attack unarmed ships at sea and when people resist, shoot them and then blame them. It’s beyond Orwellian. The analogies occur to anyone: Home invaders kill residents who try to stop an assault, etc. At least there, no one would assert self-defence. I know elaborate arguments have been unfurled to justify the claim but that’s not my point. Whether the claim is right or wrong isn’t even the point. It just won’t fly with most people. To them, it’s implausible on its face. That’s where tone deafness comes in. Whence this tone deafness? It seems to me that Israel’s leaders have grown mindlessly, habitually dependent on asserting their own victimization. This was often effective, based largely on sympathies rooted in revulsion at the Holocaust and the history of Western anti-Semitism. But this has gradually changed, due partly to the arrival of generations who, as it were, knew not Hitler and aren’t inclined to feel even indirectly guilty for him. The shift became evident during the 2008 Gaza invasion and perhaps even more this week. Yet Israel’s leaders still automatically assume the victim position. It’s like the boy who cried victim. Asserting big historical attitude swings is risky, so let me exemplify this by way of Margaret Atwood. Last month, she went to Israel to receive a large arts award from a private foundation. Beforehand, she was besieged by pro-Palestinian groups urging her to boycott the event. She refused, on the grounds that cultural boycotts are counterproductive and contrary to free speech. On her return, she wrote a piece about the experience for the Israeli daily Haaretz.... more.. e-mail
EU urges Israel to lift its blockade of Gaza Ha'aretz - Foreign Affairs council calls on Hamas to free Shalit and cease its rocket fire on Israel; council also agrees to push for to extra Iran sanctions.
Palestinian boycott coordinator: "The movement has a huge impact" Uruknet June 14, 2010 - Hind Awwad, national coordinator of the Palestinian Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions National Committee (BNC), recently toured Europe to support the growing worldwide campaign. The movement aims to end the occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip and the discrimination against Palestinian citizens in Israel, and calls for respect for the rights of Palestine refugees....
EU urges Israel to lift its blockade of Gaza Ha'aretz 14 Jun 2010 - Foreign Affairs council calls on Hamas to free Shalit and cease its rocket fire on Israel; council also agrees to push for to extra Iran sanctions.
Battling the boycotts JPost Editorial Staff, Jerusalem Post 6/12/2010 Zionists respond to BDS: Proposed Israeli law would "exact a price" from boycotters. Violators would be legally liable to pay compensatory damages to victims of specific embargoes. The casual observer cannot avoid the impression that Israel has become the world’s whipping boy. Not a day goes by without more news about economic/academic/artistic/athletic boycotts, diverse “divestment” schemes, investment pullbacks, event cancellations, theatrical snubs, supermarket blacklists. It looks orchestrated, although it isn’t. Despite appearances, Israel is nowhere near the status of apartheid South Africa, which was hit with multi-government, UN-imposed sanctions. But even non-governmental boycotts can hurt and gain inexorable momentum. Already anti-Israel bans indisputably stimulate a potent negative dynamic. What to do about them? While we cannot wish anything away, we can combat some homegrown boycott-collaboration, as well as counterparts within our sphere of influence. Twenty-five MKs from seven different Knesset factions, among then 10 committee chairpersons and seven whips (including former House Speaker and current Kadima whip Dalia Itzik, who sets out her own position in an article on this page) have tabled a bill that would exact a price from assorted boycott-promoters. Defaming Israel and banishing it beyond the pale might come with a price tag, if the bill is adopted. No longer would it be a frivolous luxury, for example, for an array of Israeli professors, authors, filmmakers and artistes to whip up anti-Israel sentiment abroad and directly incite to boycotts. At present, in fact, such activity is lucrative.... more.. e-mail
Palestinian boycott coordinator: "The movement has a huge impact" Electronic Intifada: 14 Jun 2010 - Hind Awwad, national coordinator of the Palestinian Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions National Committee (BNC), recently toured Europe to support the growing worldwide campaign. The movement aims to end the occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip and the discrimination against Palestinian citizens in Israel, and calls for respect for the rights of Palestine refugees. The Electronic Intifada contributor Adri Nieuwhof interviewed Hind Awwad in Bern, Switzerland.
Israel yet to divest from Iran Jeruslalem Post 13 Jun 2010 - Steinitz now implementing ‘08 law against firms engaged in Teheran.
Despite law, Israel yet to divest from Iran Jeruslalem Post 13 Jun 2010 - Steinitz only now implementing ‘08 law against companies doing major business with Teheran
Norwegian Port Union Boycotts Israeli Ships IMEMC - 12 Jun 2010 - Responding to calls by the Palestinian Workers Union and other calls by different workers unions and organizations around the world, the Norwegian Ports Union decided to join its Swedish counterpart in boycotting all Israeli ships starting on June 15.
Report: Obama seeks to soften U.S. Congress sanctions on Iran Ha'aretz - The Obama administration is worried that proposed congressional bills targeting Iran's energy sector would harm ties with Europe, Russia and China, the Los Angeles Times reported., Prince Mohammed bin Nawaf refutes Times of London report saying Saudi Arabia practiced standing down its anti-aircraft systems to allow an Israeli bomb run.
EXTENDING THE BOYCOTT AGAINST ISRAEL Uruknet June 11, 2010 - We all know that Israeli made products have the numbers 7 2 9 on the BarCode. We know those are the products to boycott... BUT..., what about American and European products that are sold in Israel... shouldn't those companies be boycotted as well? I think YES!...
Battling the boycotts Jeruslalem Post 12 Jun 2010 - Israel seems to have become the world’s whipping boy.
Report: Obama seeks to soften U.S. Congress sanctions on Iran Ha'aretz 12 Jun 2010 - The Obama administration is worried that proposed congressional bills targeting Iran's energy sector would harm ties with Europe, Russia and China, the Los Angeles Times reported., Prince Mohammed bin Nawaf refutes Times of London report saying Saudi Arabia practiced standing down its anti-aircraft systems to allow an Israeli bomb run.
Israel plans to send bill to Palestinians over boycotts Uruknet June 11, 2010 - What do The Pixies, Elvis Costello, and Salam Fayyad, Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority, have in common? A cursory glance might suggest not much yet all have deeply irked Israel. When Mr Fayyad first embarked on a door-to-door campaign to persuade Palestinians to shun all products made by Jewish settlers, the Israeli public simply...
Israel about to criminalize BDS Uruknet June 10, 2010 - What is Israel’s reaction to the growing nonviolent movement of boycott, divestment, and sanctions? Well criminalize it, of course! We just learned new bill has been introduced in the Israeli Knesset by 25 Knesset members, that would criminalize all BDS activities or even BDS advocacy inside or outside Israel. The proposed bill would target those...
Israeli Push for Sanctions Losing Legitimacy IPS JERUSALEM, Jun 10 (IPS) - Israel has given guarded approval to the new round of sanctions imposed by the UN Security Council in the international community's bid to haul back Iran's nuclear programme.
Obama Goes with Neocon Flow on Iran Robert Parry, Consortium News 6/10/2010 Whether wittingly or witlessly, President Barack Obama is pursuing a neocon-charted path on Iran that parallels the one that George W. Bush took to war with Iraq – ratcheting up sanctions against the “enemy,” refusing to tolerate more peaceful options, and swaggering along with the propagandistic tough-guy-ism of the major U.S. news media. The Obama administration is celebrating its victory in getting the UN Security Council on Wednesday to approve a fourth round of economic sanctions against Iran. Obama also is expected to sign on to even more draconian penalties that should soon sail through Congress. Obama may be thinking that his UN diplomatic achievement will buy him some credibility – and some time – with American neocons and Israel’s Likud government, which favor a showdown with Iran over its nuclear program. However, the end result of the new sanctions may well be a greater likelihood that the debate within the Iranian government will tilt toward a decision to proceed with ever-higher-level enrichment of uranium and possibly construction of a nuclear bomb as the only means of self-defense. That may be the opposite of what Obama seeks, but it is what the neocons and Likud would cite as justification for another Middle East war. Just as the neocons and Israel wanted “regime change” in Iraq, they have long hungered for “regime change” in Iran, too. A favorite neocon joke at the time of the Iraq War was to speculate on which direction to go next, to Syria or Iran, with the punch-line, “Real men to go Tehran!” more.. e-mail
New Knesset Bill To Demand Sending P.A Money To Settlements IMEMC - 9 Jun 2010 - 25 fundamentalist members of Israeli Knesset submitted a proposed bill the Knesset demanding transferring to Jewish settlements money allocated to the Palestinian Authority to punish the Palestinians for their boycott campaign.
Netanyahu: Iran nuclear sanctions a 'positive' step Ha'aretz - U.S., Israel hail UN sanctions as Iran vows to continue nuclear enrichment; prime minister hopes world will move on to broader economic and diplomatic measures.
Erdogan wins raucous reception from Arab leaders Jeruslalem Post 10 Jun 2010 - Turkish PM’s attacks on Israel, vote against Iran sanctions, make him darling of Muslim world.
Netanyahu: Iran nuclear sanctions a 'positive' step Ha'aretz 10 Jun 2010 - U.S., Israel hail UN sanctions as Iran vows to continue nuclear enrichment; prime minister hopes world will move on to broader economic and diplomatic measures.
Arab nations applaud Turkey's Erdogan for tough stand on Israel Daily Star 10 Jun 2010 ISTANBUL: Arab nations burst into applause Thursday as Turkey's prime minister walked to the podium at a summit, reflecting Turkey's meteoric rise on the world stage amid disputes over Israel's blockade of Gaza and UN sanctions...
Netanyahu: UN sanctions on Iran a 'positive step' Ha'aretz - Israel, United States hail UN sanctions as a defiant Iran vows to keep enriching uranium.
Israel: Iran sanctions a good start Jeruslalem Post 9 Jun 2010 - UNSC votes 12-2 to impose ‘tough, precise’ measures against Teheran.
Netanyahu: UN sanctions on Iran a 'positive step' Ha'aretz 9 Jun 2010 - Israel, United States hail UN sanctions as a defiant Iran vows to keep enriching uranium.
Artists’ Boycott Strikes a Dissonant Note Inside Israel New York Times 9 Jun 2010 - The cancellation of concerts has mobilized the Israeli pop world and its supporters against the threat of a widening cultural boycott.
Rachel Corrie's Alma Mater Calls for College Divestment Palestine Monitor - The student body of the Evergreen State College—the alma mater of slain U.S. peace activist Rachel Corrie—passed two resolutions supporting the international BDS campaign last week. The first resolution “calls for The Evergreen State College Foundation to divest from companies that profit from Israel's illegal occupation...
Rachel Corrie's Alma Mater Calls for College Divestment Palestine Monitor: 9 Jun 2010 - The student body of the Evergreen State College—the alma mater of slain U.S. peace activist Rachel Corrie—passed two resolutions supporting the international BDS campaign last week. The first resolution “calls for The Evergreen State College Foundation to divest from companies that profit from Israel's illegal occupation of Palestine, as part of instituting a socially responsible investment policy,” according to a TESC Divest press release. The second resolution demands that all Caterpillar, Inc. equipment be banned from campus use. Around 80 percent and 70 percent of participating students voted in favour of the resolutions, respectively. TESC Divest organiser Nathan Schuur reported that out of Evergreen's 4321 students, 1531 voted on the resolutions as part of the annual student government elections, a record turnout for the college. The Olympia-Rafah Solidarity Mural in Olympia, Washington Photo Courtesy of the Olympia-Rafah Solidarity Mural Project / “Rachel Corrie's story is very important to many of us...
Palestinian trade unionists call on dockworkers to block Israeli trade Uruknet June 7, 2010 - The Palestinian trade union movement, as a key constituent member of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions National Committee (BNC), calls on dockworkers' unions worldwide to block Israeli maritime trade in response to Israel's massacre of humanitarian relief workers and activists aboard the Freedom Flotilla, until Israel complies with international law and ends its illegal blockade...
Divestment Movement Gains Momentum In US And Britain Uruknet June 7, 2010 - The largest labor union in Britain, Unite, has passed a resolution to divest from Israel, while another U.S. College, slain activist Rachel Corrie's school Evergreen College, has also voted for divestment. The British union passed the motion unanimously two days after an Israeli attack on an aid ship killed 8 Turkish and 1 American aid...
UN set to approve new Iran sanctions Jeruslalem Post 8 Jun 2010 - Israel: Iranian FM’s Irish visit shows Islamic regime is not isolated.
Palestinian-Israeli MP who joined flotilla faces witch-hunt Jonathan Cook, Ma’an News Agency 6/8/2010 Orna Kohn, a lawyer with Adalah...said Yishai’s move was “uncharted legal territory” that could leave Zoubi stateless, in violation of international law. Nazareth - An Israeli parliamentary committee recommended stripping a Palestinian member of the Knesset of her privileges in a Monday move that appeared to prepare the ground for putting her on trial for participating in the Gaza-bound aid flotilla attacked by Israeli commandos last week. Haneen Zoubi, who quickly became a national hate figure in Israel since challenging the government’s account of the confrontation, said on Tuesday that she was facing "a witch-hunt." Israel’s interior minister Eli Yishai submitted a formal request for the revocation of her citizenship and proposed a bill - labeled the Zoubi Law - currently being considered, that would allow a serving MP to be expelled for “inciting” against the state. Zoubi was provided with a bodyguard after receiving a spate of death threats. A popular Facebook page in Hebrew has called for her execution and an online petition for her expulsion from the parliament attracted tens of thousands of supporters. Last week, in unprecedented scenes as she tried to address parliament, Zoubi was heckled into silence by Jewish legislators shouting out "terrorist" and "traitor." Guards only narrowly prevented a far-right parliamentarian from attacking her. Tuesday’s hearing of the parliament’s house committee was originally intended to consider revoking the immunity of six Palestinian MKs, including Zoubi, who traveled to Libya in April. All Palestinian MKs boycotted the meeting. more.. e-mail
Palestinian trade unionists call on dockworkers to block Israeli trade Electronic Intifada: 7 Jun 2010 - The Palestinian trade union movement, as a key constituent member of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions National Committee (BNC), calls on dockworkers' unions worldwide to block Israeli maritime trade in response to Israel's massacre of humanitarian relief workers and activists aboard the Freedom Flotilla, until Israel complies with international law and ends its illegal blockade of Gaza.
Divestment Movement Gains Momentum In US And Britain IMEMC - 7 Jun 2010 - The largest labor union in Britain, Unite, has passed a resolution to divest from Israel, while another U.S. College, slain activist Rachel Corrie's school Evergreen College, has also voted for divestment.
Divestment Movement Gains Momentum In US And Britain Uruknet June 7, 2010 - The largest labor union in Britain, Unite, has passed a resolution to divest from Israel, while another U.S. College, slain activist Rachel Corrie's school Evergreen College, has also voted for divestment. The British union passed the motion unanimously two days after an Israeli attack on an aid ship killed 8 Turkish and 1 American aid...
Israel must clarify Palestine's status | Hussein Ibish The Guardian 7 Jun 2010 - The Palestinian boycott of settlement goods demands Israel addresses the territory's ambiguous legal and political status While world attention has been heavily focused on efforts to break the siege of Gaza , Palestinians in the West Bank...
Palestinian minister: Boycott only against settlement products YNet News - The Palestinian finance minister stressed Sunday that the boycott on Israeli products pertains only to goods produced in settlements, and that the Palestinian Authority .......
Supporting Boycotts, Divestment and Sanctions Against Israel Alice Walker, Huffington Post 6/7/2010 "You will have no protection." - Medgar Evers to Civil Rights Activists in Mississippi, shortly before he was assassinated on June 12, 1963. My heart is breaking; but I do not mind. For one thing, as soon as I wrote those words I was able to weep, which I had not been able to do since learning of the attack by armed Israeli commandos on defenseless peace activists carrying aid to Gaza who tried to fend them off using chairs and sticks. I am thankful to know what it means to be good; I know that the people of the Freedom Flotilla are/were, in some cases, some of the best people on earth. They have not stood silently by and watched the destruction of others, brutally, sustained, without offering themselves, weaponless except for their bodies, to the situation. I am thankful to have a long history of knowing people like this from my earliest years, beginning in my student days of marches and demonstrations: for peace, for non-separation among peoples, for justice for Women, for People of Color, for Cubans, for Animals, for Indians, and for Her, the planet. I am weeping for the truth of Medgar’s statement; so brave and so true. I weep for him gunned down in his carport, not far from where I would eventually live in Mississippi, with a box of t-shirts in his arms that said: ’Jim Crow Must Go.’ Though trained in the United States Military under racist treatment one cringes to imagine, he remained a peaceful soldier in the army of liberation to the end. I weep and will always weep, even through the widest smiles, for the beautiful young wife, Myrlie Evers, he left behind, herself still strong and focused on the truth of struggle; and for their children, who lost their father to a fate they could not possibly, at the time, understand. I don’t think any of us could imagine during that particular phase of the struggle for justice, that we risked losing not just our lives, which we were prepared to give, but also our children, who we were not. Nothing protected Medgar, nor will anything protect any of us; nothing but our love for ourselves and for others whom we recognize unfailingly as also ourselves. Nothing can protect us but our lives. How we have lived them; what battles, with love and compassion our only shield, we have engaged.... more.. e-mail
A Global Civil Society Campaign to De-Legitimise Israel? Uruknet June 5, 2010 - If, as expected, the U.N. Security Council remains politically impotent and refuses to penalise Israel for the killings of nine pro-Palestinian civilians on a ship carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza, what is the next course of action? A global civil society campaign to de-legitimise Israel? Formal or informal sanctions by individual states? Worldwide arrest warrants?...
New Yorkers Visit Max Brenner, Ricky's, Aroma Espresso Bar with Boycott Message WAFA - NEW YORK, June 6, 2010 (WAFA)- As the MV Rachel Corrie, the second half of the Gaza Freedom Flotilla, was towed into the Israeli port of Ashdod after another attempt to break Israel's siege on Gaza,
US should include Hamas in peace efforts Daoud Kuttab, Ma’an News Agency 6/5/2010 The Israeli attack on the Gaza-bound Freedom Flotilla has put the United States in a difficult position. But it has also given Washington an opening for a game-changing action. When ships on a humanitarian mission to the besieged Gaza Strip were violently confronted in international waters, the Obama administration was faced with a choice between one strategic ally, Israel, and a larger international community centered on a key NATO ally, Turkey. The United States also has to be careful to protect fragile Palestinian-Israeli proximity talks that took US envoy George Mitchell over a year to get started. Both Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Mahmoud Abbas were due to visit Washington within a week of the confrontation, which left nine peace activists dead, including an American. The United States also has to deal with a broader moral issue. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and other top US officials have repeatedly said that the status quo in the region, especially in Gaza, cannot continue, and the attempt to break a siege not sanctioned by the international community seems consistent with this aim. But complicating this dynamic is the United States’ decision not to deal with those in power in Gaza, a self-imposed restriction that doesn’t make sense in light of President Obama’s much-discussed pledge to break with the isolation of his predecessor and engage America’s foes. With the publication of the new US security strategy that omitted the phrase "Islamic terror" and distanced Washington from the doctrine of preemptive attacks, this boycott of Hamas appears even more counterproductive. The Unites States cannot continue to be all but silent on an attack in international waters on civilians representing most Western countries, including the United States. It cannot hide behind the facade of waiting for an inquiry when basic facts such as the location of the attack, the perpetrators of the killings and the absence of violent intent or goods on board the ships are so obvious..... more.. e-mail
Flotilla Fallout: Are Teams Right to Refuse to Play Israel? David Zirin, Dissident Voice 6/4/2010 “[We are] saddened by the mixture of politics and sports.” So said a spokesperson for the Israeli Football Association in response to Monday’s news that the Turkish U-19 (under 19) soccer team canceled its match in Israel. Turkey’s team made the move following the Israeli Navy’s attack on the Gaza Freedom Flotilla that left at least 10 dead and scores injured. Then on Tuesday, the Swedish Football Association announced that it would formally request European soccer’s governing body to cancel Sweden’s U-21 game in Israel later this week. The SFA said that they felt morally compelled to make the move following the flotilla attack and “the harsh responses to those events in Sweden and around the world.” SFA President Lars-Ake Lagrell said, “Like all human beings, we deplore violence and are shocked at what we saw…It’s not pleasant to play in Israel at this juncture.” On Wednesday it appeared that the game would, in fact, go forward as planned, with Lagrell saying, “Since the United Nations has not decided on any sanctions against Israel we are obliged to go ahead with the match under [European football association] rules.” This certainly won’t be the last time we hear about countries, teams, or players holding up the flotilla killings as reason to ostracize Israel in the realm of international sport. The question, to pick up the ball from the Israeli Football Association, is whether it should “sadden” us to see politics and sports so brazenly intertwined? Should Israeli sport actually be safe space from how its government conducts itself? In my mind, the answer is a simple one: hell, no. Israel committed an act of state terror on an aid ship in international waters whose passengers included an 85-year-old holocaust survivor, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, and hundreds of activists committed to delivering the most basic kinds of food and medicine to the Gaza Strip. It’s actually dangerous, in such a situation, to just “shut up and play” as if there is nothing to see behind the royal blue curtain. more.. e-mail
Backlash over Gaza flotilla raid endangers UN sanctions on Iran Ha'aretz - U.S. President tells CNN's Larry King that while Israel has 'legitimate security concerns," the Gaza siege prevents Palestinians from pursuing opportunities.
Singing against Siege, Bellowing for Boycott WAFA - NEW YORK, June 4, 2010 (WAFA)- Heeding the Palestinian civil society call for intensifying boycott and sanctions, as Israel massacres humanitarian workers and international solidarity activists, New
Backlash over Gaza flotilla raid endangers UN sanctions on Iran Ha'aretz 4 Jun 2010 - U.S. President tells CNN's Larry King that while Israel has 'legitimate security concerns," the Gaza siege prevents Palestinians from pursuing opportunities.
Global boycotts of Israel intensify after bloody Flotilla attack Electronic Intifada: 4 Jun 2010 - Israel's bloody attack on the Gaza Freedom Flotilla on 31 May killing at least nine and injuring dozens of activists carrying humanitarian aid to the blockaded Gaza Strip, has already intensified global actions for boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) against Israel until it respects international law and human rights. Adri Nieuwhof reports for The Electronic Intifada.
Norwegians boycott Israeli products PIC 3 Jun 2010 - Around half the Norwegian people wanted to boycott the Israeli products or have already started to boycott them, results of an opinion poll made in Norway over the past couple of days showed.
What Qualifies a State for 'Rogue' Status? Palestine Chronicle: 3 Jun 2010 - By Joseph Levine As I write this, not all the facts are in. For the most part we've only heard Israel's version of the events surrounding the killing of peace activists aboard the Freedom Flotilla bound for Gaza. There are reasons to think this version is misleading, to say the least. But in a way this doesn’t matter. Even if the particular events on the boat unfolded exactly as Israeli authorities claim, Israel has revealed itself, yet again, to be among the world’s top “rogue states”. And to Israel’s charge that they are treated by the world community according to a different standard, I say “absolutely”. What qualifies a state for “rogue” status? The basic idea is that rogue states are those that violate agreed norms of international behavior seriously enough to threaten international peace. That said, let’s look at the “double standard” charge. Consider the officially designated “rogue states”: North Korea, Iran, and (pre-invasion) Iraq. In 1990 Iraq occupied the territory of another sovereign nation, and in response the US led an international coalition to forcibly remove them from Kuwait. Israel has occupied Palestinian territory since 1967, and, from 1982 to 2000, Lebanese territory, yet there was not so much as a hint of international action to remove them. Not even mild sanctions. Iraq supposedly defied UN resolutions, and so was invaded in 2003. Israel defies the UN repeatedly, and instead is given billions in aid from us and favored economic status by the EU. Iran, a signatory to...
Letters: Small step towards a boycott of Israel The Guardian 2 Jun 2010 - Following the murderous attack on the Gaza-bound convoy, is it not time to revisit the idea of a full cultural and educational boycott of Israel ( Report , 2 June)? The sports boycott of apartheid South Africa hit...
Gaza Aid Attack Complicates New Sanctions on Iran IPS WASHINGTON, Jun 1 (IPS) - Israel's lethal confrontation with pro-Palestinian activists in the Mediterranean is complicating U.S. strategy toward Iran and undermining the likelihood of a solid sanctions victory at the United Nations.
Will Israel's raid on Gaza flotilla hurt bid for Iran nuclear sanctions? Ha'aretz 2 Jun 2010 - Israel's botched commando raid of a Turkish-flagged ship bringing aid to Gaza has shifted the focus within the international community.
Will Israel's raid on Gaza flotilla hurt bid for Iran nuclear sanctions? Ha'aretz - Israel's botched commando raid of a Turkish-flagged ship bringing aid to Gaza has shifted the focus within the international community.
Sad Saga of Sanctioning State Murder Palestine Chronicle: 2 Jun 2010 - By Jamaal Long The tragic events that unfolded on the Mavi Marmara marks another chapter in the harrowing tale of Israel and Palestine’s on-going conflict. The attack left at least 10 civilians dead and several injured. The news reporters and bloggers have been scrambling to justify the Israeli commandoes actions. The standard script the media have come up with is that the commandoes acted in self-defense because the people on the ship attacked them. The dialogue should be about self-defense, but whose right to self-defense? The reports stated that the members of the flotilla were contacted and that they refused to let Israeli officials inspect their cargo. First off, the members of the flotilla were right to deny the request. The flotillas did not belong to the Israeli government and neither did the international waters that they sailed on. All the Israeli officials can do is simply request to board...more
Thousands rally for Freedom Flotilla in Stockholm Electronic Intifada: 1 Jun 2010 - The central Sergels Torg square in Stockholm is not the place you would normally expect to hear the words "stop the blockade," or "boycott Israel," or even "In our souls and with our blood we support you Palestine," in Arabic no less. Sami Halabi and Assaad Thebian report from the Swedish capital on protests against Israel's attacks on the Freedom Flotilla aid convoy.
Israel reveals its true faceThe murder of these peace activists will count. Sanctions must surely be the price Uruknet May 31, 2010 - This will count. A flotilla of relief boats attacked in international waters. Armed commandos boarding a vessel carrying supplies for a besieged civilian population. More than 10 peace activists reported killed. This has to be made to count. The dead have joined Rachel Corrie, Tom Hurndall, James Miller and Brian Avery in giving up their...
Israel reveals its true face | Ahdaf Soueif The Guardian 31 May 2010 - The murder of these peace activists will count. Sanctions must surely be the price This will count. A flotilla of relief boats attacked in international waters . Armed commandos boarding a vessel carrying supplies for a besieged...
German bank divests from Israeli company building wall 5/30/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Germany's largest bank, Deutsche Bank, has sold all its shares in an Israeli security company implicated in theconstruction of the wall surrounding the West Bank, snaking into occupied lands, on Sunday. The bank has fully divested fromElbit Systems, less than a week after being invited to the company's investment conference, Israeli media reported....
Gaza aid flotilla could hit Turkey tourism Ha'aretz - Israeli trade unions might renew their explicit boycott of Turkey as a destination for their members, in view of Ankara's role in organizing the aid flotilla to the Gaza Strip.
N.Y. activists: Siege on Gaza isn't sweet, boycott Max Brenner Ha'aretz - Six activists drape banner from Israeli-owned cafe at Union Square; say Israel bans chocolate importation into Gaza.
Video - EXCLUSIVE: PSC Interview with Dr Mustafa Barghouthi Uruknet May 29, 2010 - 2010 Nobel Peace Prize nominee, Mustafa Barghouthi, tells Palestine Solidarity Campaign that an international campaign of boycott, sanctions and divestment on Israel is vital if Palestine is ever to be free of occupation. Dr Barghouthi, who heads the Palestinian National Initiative, also describes how the movement of non-violent resistance in the West Bank is challenging...
Pro-Palestinian Group Claims Credit for German Bank Divesting from Israeli Company The Media Line 29 May 2010 - Two pro-Palestinian groups advocating boycotts of Israeli companies are claiming credit for pressuring Germany's Deutsche Bank into divesting from Elbit, an Israeli defense company that manufactures surveillance systems used in conjunction with Israel's security barrier. In...
Deutsche Bank Divests from Israel Firm Linked to Apartheid Wall WAFA - TEL AVIV, May 30, 2010 (WAFA)- Deutsche Bank, Germany's largest bank, had sold its holdings in Israeli arms firm, Haaretz reported Israeli Army Radio saying, today, citing pressure by pro-Palestinian
Gaza aid flotilla could hit Turkey tourism Ha'aretz 30 May 2010 - Israeli trade unions might renew their explicit boycott of Turkey as a destination for their members, in view of Ankara's role in organizing the aid flotilla to the Gaza Strip.
N.Y. activists: Siege on Gaza isn't sweet, boycott Max Brenner Ha'aretz 30 May 2010 - Six activists drape banner from Israeli-owned cafe at Union Square; say Israel bans chocolate importation into Gaza.
Deutsche Bank divests from Israeli company Palestine Note 29 May 2010 - Washington - Germany's biggest bank, Deutsche Bank, has divested the bank's 2% stake in Elbit Systems, an Israeli arms company that supplies the Israeli army, Stopthewall.org reported . "Deutsche Bank is out of Elbit," said chairman. [ Photo:...
N.Y. activists: Siege on Gaza isn't Sweet, Boycott Max Brenner WAFA - TEL AVIV, May 29, 2010 (WAGFA)- Six activists on Friday hoisted a banner from the Max Brenner chocolate store in Manhattan's Union Square, calling on New Yorkers to boycott the Israeli–owned business
BDS Is Vital For Palestine's Freedom Palestine Monitor - 2010 Nobel Peace Prize nominee, Mustafa Barghouthi, tells PSC that an international campaign of boycott, sanctions and divestment on Israel is vital if Palestine is ever to be free of occupation. Dr Barghouthi, who heads the Palestinian National Initiative, also describes how the movement of non-violent...
Watching Israel Delegitimize the U.S. Jeff Gates, Dissident Voice 5/27/2010 The U.S.-Israeli relationship has long been America’s Achilles heel. Our first president warned against “entangled alliances” particularly when, as here, there’s a “passionate attachment.” Our “special relationship” with this rogue state has placed the U.S. outside the same system of international law that we now seek to impose on others, including Iran. Our handling of the current crisis on the Korean peninsula could restore our tattered reputation. What’s the first issue that needs to be addressed? Here’s where you the reader may well ask: “Do you mean the issue concerning the collapse of Building 7 of the World Trade Center?” No, but nor is that question irrelevant to this latest crisis. Here’s the second issue that must be addressed: to which nations has Israel transferred nuclear weapons or nuclear weapons technology? Is North Korea on the list? That issue became relevant with the release of The Unspoken Alliance: Israel’s Secret Relationship with Apartheid South Africa. Archival research by author, Sasha Polakowsky-Suransky, uncovered “top secret” minutes of a military agreement signed in April 1975 between Shimon Peres, now president of Israel, and South Africa’s defense minister, P.W. Botha. Though Israel denies the conclusions reached by reporters for The Guardian (U.K.), the agreement suggests an offer of nuclear weapons while its Apartheid regime was under international sanctions. more.. e-mail
BDS Is Vital For Palestine's Freedom Palestine Monitor: 29 May 2010 - 2010 Nobel Peace Prize nominee, Mustafa Barghouthi, tells PSC that an international campaign of boycott, sanctions and divestment on Israel is vital if Palestine is ever to be free of occupation. Dr Barghouthi, who heads the Palestinian National Initiative, also describes how the movement of non-violent resistance in the West Bank is challenging Israel's occupation. PSC Exclusive Interview: Find more: http://palestinecampaign.org
USS Liberty: American Servicemen Expendable; Don't Embarrass Israel Palestine Chronicle: 29 May 2010 - By Tammy Obeidallah Within the United States, there has been a growing awareness of Palestinian suffering. This has been manifested in the many demonstrations held during Israel's assault on Gaza from December 2008-January 2009. The boycott of Israeli goods is gaining speed, as well as the campaign to recognize the Israeli government’s treatment of Palestinians as apartheid. Yet there is one tragic and shameful event in particular which serves to discourage Palestinian rights activists. If so-called “patriotic” Americans viciously suppress the concerns of veterans and their families by covering up the murder of their own sailors, what hope is there to recognize the voices of oft-maligned Arabs half a world away? June 8 will mark the 43rd anniversary of the heaviest attack on an American ship that inflicted the highest number of casualties since World War II. The USS Liberty was an intelligence vessel, patrolling international waters in the Eastern...more
Deutsche Bank: "We are out of Elbit" Stop The Wall - Germany’s biggest bank Deutsche Bank has divested the bank’s 2% stake in Elbit Systems, an Israeli arms company that supplies the Israeli military and provides components for the Apartheid Wall in Occupied Palestinian Territory that was found to be in violation of international law by the International Court of Justice. [
The Arms Circus Gordon Duff, Information Clearing House 5/27/2010 Israel Keeping The World In Turmoil The art of keeping the US at risk for fun and profit This week, newspapers around the world received reports and signed documents from South Africa. The reports said that, in 1975, Israel agreed to sell South Africa nuclear weapons. South Africa then released an arms agreement signed by current Israeli President Shimon Peres. This is the document “heard round the world.” Meetings being held in New York to set up a conference for 2012 to guarantee that the Middle East is nuclear free. Israel has been informed that it will not be able to hide behind denials and that the nuclear arsenal put on the sale block by Israel in 1975 and nobody knows how many times since, has to go. When Israel was finally caught, it changed at least one part of a game, but the game will go on. South Africa’s willingness to come forward has shocked the world only because of the selfless honesty of the act, something unseen, something clean and decent. Imagine, the fall of Israel at the hands of an innocent. What does it mean? Neither South Africa nor Israel are admitting that the nukes were delivered. General beliefs are that they were, a real shock to Nelson Mandela when he took office, from prisoner of apartheid to commander of a nuclear power. What is proven by this is that Israel was, even 35 years ago, a nuclear state, in direct violation of numerous international treaties. It also proves that Israel offered nukes to South Africa, a rogue nation under sanctions that covered not only any weapons but trade as well. This made Israel a criminal state and Mr. Peres a war criminal. More than that, it makes any aid America gives Israel illegal. If Israel is nuclear, which is now official, and in violation of international treaties, just as with Iraq and Iran, then America has to demand inspections and disarmament. more.. e-mail
Oppenheimer in Ma'ariv: Palestinians Justified in Boycotting Settlements WAFA - TEL AVIV, May 26, 2010 (WAFA)- Israeli Peace Now Secretary General Yariv Oppenheimer, wrote in an article in Ma’ariv that Palestinians are justified in boycotting settlements. The article
When musicians boycott countries there are no clear winners The Guardian 26 May 2010 - Elvis Costello is the latest pop star to pull performances in Israel. But can a boycott do more harm than good? Last week, Elvis Costello became the latest, though probably not the last, musician to pull...
Boycott gives Israel a taste of its own medicine | Rachel Shabi The Guardian 26 May 2010 - The Palestinian boycott of Jewish settlement goods outrages Israel but is nothing compared with Israel's undeclared embargo Things are heating up with the Palestinian boycott of Jewish settlement products. The Palestinian Authority has recently passed a...
PA, PLO slam Israeli stance on boycott 5/25/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - President Mahmoud Abbas continued to insist on the necessity of boycotting Israeli settlement products, in the face of ballooning Israeli criticism, highlighting again on Monday the parameters of the movement. The statement followed the publication of accusations by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, alleging the boycott was one of several Palestinian "steps that....
Israeli minister calls for sanctions over settler boycott Palestine Note 25 May 2010 - Washington - Israeli Vice Prime Minister Silvan Shalom threatened the Palestinian Authority with sanctions unless it rescinds its ban on settler goods, Ynet News reported Tuesday. Agricultural goods from settlements like cantaloupe have already been seized...
Netanyahu to PA: Israel boycott is only hurting yourselves Ha'aretz - PM: Israel aspires to economic peace. The Palestinians must now decide if they are aiming for peace or not.
Palestinians: Israeli threats meaningles YNet News - Sources in Ramallah unimpressed by Minister Shalom threats to impose sanctions....
The PA's disingenuous boycott campaign Electronic Intifada: 25 May 2010 - The Palestinian Authority (PA) has lately made a show of calling on Palestinians to boycott goods manufactured in Israeli settlements in the West Bank. Despite the rhetoric of defiance, the effort actually appears designed to undermine and abort the broader Palestinian and global civil society campaign of boycott, divestment and sanctions, and to reassure Israel of the PA's ongoing collaboration. Ali Abunimah comments.
Netanyahu: Boycott only harming PA 5/24/2010 - Jerusalem - Ma'an/Agencies - The Palestinians are opposing economic peace with Israel and are "taking steps that in the end hurt themselves," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Likud party members on Monday."Israel is aiming for peace and economic prosperity," Netanyahu said, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz wrote."The Palestinians must decide if they are aiming....
Israel backs U.S.-led sanctions as Iran hands UN letter on nuclear deal Ha'aretz - Iranian officials meet with IAEA to discuss agreement brokered by Brazil and Turkey to send low-grade uranium abroad., Two Israelis lightly wounded on Friday; Palestinians blame settlers for killing stone-throwing teen near Ramallah on Thursday.
Netanyahu slams settlement boycott Palestine Note 24 May 2010 - New York - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lashed out on Monday at the Palestinian Authority's (PA) campaign to stop Palestinians from buying goods made in Israel's West Bank settlements. "Israel aspires to economic peace," Netanyahu...
PM slams PA 'boycott effort' Jeruslalem Post 24 May 2010 - At Likud meeting, Netanyahu attacks bid to deny Israel OECD entry.
Israel backs U.S.-led sanctions as Iran hands UN letter on nuclear deal Ha'aretz 24 May 2010 - Iranian officials meet with IAEA to discuss agreement brokered by Brazil and Turkey to send low-grade uranium abroad., Two Israelis lightly wounded on Friday; Palestinians blame settlers for killing stone-throwing teen near Ramallah on Thursday.
Art, theory and action: Udi Aloni interviewed Electronic Intifada: 24 May 2010 - On 10 May, Udi Aloni spoke at a public debate on the Palestinians and Israel in Bern, Switzerland about his support for the Palestinian civil society call for boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS). The Electronic Intifada contributor Adri Nieuwhof spoke with Aloni about his work and views.
Two Italian Supermarkets Suspend Sales of Settlement Products Palestine Monitor - COOP AND NORDICONAD SUPERMARKET CHAINS SUSPEND SALES OF PRODUCTS FROM SETTLEMENTS IN THE OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES: An important success for the Boycott Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israeli apartheid May 22, 2010 - Following lobbying efforts by the Italian Coalition Against Carmel-Agrexco, two major Italian...
Israel Likely To Enforce Further Sanctions On The Detainees IMEMC - 23 May 2010 - The Israeli Ministerial Legislative Committee is expected to sign a new legislation that imposes further sanctions on Hamas detainees and other political prisoners imprisoned by Israel.
Palestinian MKs slam Knesset approval of ’Shalit Law’ 5/24/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an/Agencies - The Knesset's Ministerial Committee passed a bill on Sunday that would sanction the worsening of conditions of Hamas affiliates in Israeli jails, in a bid to pressure the movement into releasing captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit. Palestinian Members of Knesset were quick to denounce the move, with MK Talab As-Sana of the United Arab List-Ta'al, saying the law would not expedite Shalit's release, but lead to an intifada, the Israeli daily newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported. "The decision regarding the Palestinian prisoners is irresponsible. It delays Shalit's release and encourages a third intifada - a prisoners' intifada," he said. "The Israeli government must decide whether it abides by international law or whether it is a gang that bases its conduct on vengeance ... Hurting the Palestinian prisoners will lead to riots in jails that will reach Palestinian ... Related: Knesset to vote on worsening prison condition bill
Abbas backs Palestinian boycott campaign of Israeli goods made in settlements Ha'aretz - Palestinian president dismisses Israeli accusations that the campaign amounts to incitement of hatred against Israel.
Coop and Nordiconad Supermarket Chains in Italy Suspend Sales of Products from the Occupied Palestinian Territories Alternative Information Center - An important success for the Boycott Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israeli apartheid Following lobbying efforts by the Italian Coalition against Carmel-Agrexco, two major Italian supermarket chains, COOP and Nordiconad, announced the suspension of sales...
Abbas backs Palestinian boycott campaign of Israeli goods made in settlements Ha'aretz 23 May 2010 - Palestinian president dismisses Israeli accusations that the campaign amounts to incitement of hatred against Israel.
PM: Radical Islam with nukes – danger to mankind YNet News - Amid international efforts to impose fresh sanctions against Iran, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on Russia to cooperate with Israel in order to curb the .......
Two Italian Supermarkets Suspend Sales of Settlement Products Palestine Monitor - COOP AND NORDICONAD SUPERMARKET CHAINS SUSPEND SALES OF PRODUCTS FROM SETTLEMENTS IN THE OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES: An important success for the Boycott Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israeli apartheid May 22, 2010 - Following lobbying efforts by the Italian Coalition Against Carmel-Agrexco, two major Italian...
Coop and Nordiconad Supermarket Chains in Italy Suspend Sales of Products from the Occupied Palestinian Territories Alternative Information Center 1 - An important success for the Boycott Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israeli apartheid Following lobbying efforts by the Italian Coalition against Carmel-Agrexco, two major Italian supermarket chains, COOP and Nordiconad, announced the suspension of sales of products from Agrexco,...
Boycott racial profiling in Arizona now Mondoweiss - A number of students from Wayne State University in Michigan went out to Israel and Palestine to study the issue. This article doesn't say how many , but one got turned back, guess who? One of the students, U.S.-born Abeer Afana, 20, said she was interrogated by...
PACBI: UNICEF should quit Jerusalem conference Uruknet May 21, 2010 - The Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI) is shocked and greatly concerned that UNICEF as well as one Palestinian and several international academics intend to participate in a conference organized by the Minerva Centre for Human Rights at the Hebrew University, jointly with the Van Leer Institute. We regard this...
Italy supermarkets ban Israel produce firm Palestine Note 22 May 2010 - New York - Boycott campaigners claimed victory on Saturday in announcing that two Italian supermarket chains decided to halt sales of products from Agrexco, a supplier of fruit and vegetables from Israel and settlements in the...
Abbas backs settlement boycott Palestine Note 22 May 2010 - New York - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas threw his support behind a campaign urging Palestinians to stop buying products made in Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, Reuters reported Saturday. Abbas welcomed in his home...
Unprovoked violence in Al Ma’asara 5/22/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - On Friday 21st May, the village of Al Ma'asara, south of Bethlehem, held its weekly demonstration against the theft of village lands by the nearby Israeli colony/settlement of Efrat. Chanting "We want to go to our lands" in Arabic and English and bearing a banner proclaiming "Boycott Settlement Products" the villagers, numbering in excess....
Democracy according to Reichman Gideon Levy, Haaretz, Israeli Occupation Archive 5/20/2010 In the end, we will only be left with Prof. Uriel Reichman. After we sent Prof. Noam Chomsky away, and there was no sharp rebuke by Israeli academics (who in their silence support a boycott of Bir Zeit University), we will be left with a narrow and frightening intellectual world. It will be the kind of intellectual world shaped by the Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya – an institution of army officers and the rich, headed by its president, Reichman. A law professor, certainly enlightened in his own eyes, a former candidate to become education minister, Reichman says he doesn’t support the human rights group B’Tselem. That’s his right, of course; our right is to state that at the head of an important Israeli college stands a man who doesn’t understand a thing about democracy. After all, what does B’Tselem do? It gathers reliable testimonies on the sins of the Israel Defense Forces, very few of which, if any, have been proved wrong. Reichman doesn’t support this? In the world according to Reichman, we are left only with statements by the IDF Spokesman’s Office. We will believe that no white phosphorus was used in Gaza, that the “neighbor procedure” is something that tenants’ committees do, and that if they call a family and give them five minutes to leave before their home is bombed, that’s an action by the most ethical army in the world. Students at the Interdisciplinary Center say they heard their president declare that B’Tselem is “a fifth column” and that it’s “shameful” this group received a place at the school’s Democracy Day. Reichman denies this, and we respect his word. In any case, the spokeswoman for the college said: “B’Tselem’s modus operandi is not acceptable to Reichman.” What, then, is acceptable to Reichman? A society without self-criticism. This then, is Israel’s intellectual elite; these are our intellectuals – without B’Tselem. A college president and law professor who preaches changing the electoral system and favors an Israeli constitution – one who doesn’t explain to his students the importance of human rights groups – is no more enlightened than the yeshiva heads who don’t teach the core subjects..... -- See also: Source more.. e-mail
Hallelujah, the World is Against Us! Uri Avnery, Ma’an News Agency 5/22/2010 A local TV station told us this week about a group of Israelis who adhere to conspiracy theories. They believe that George W. Bush planned the destruction of the Twin Towers in order to further his wicked aims. They believe that the big pharmaceutical corporations spread the swine flue virus in order to sell their worthless vaccines. They believe that Barack Obama is a secret agent of the military-industrial complex. They believe that fluoride is put into drinking water to sterilize men, in order to reduce mankind by exactly two billion. And so on. I wonder that they have not yet uncovered the most nefarious conspiracy of all: the one perpetrated by the gang of anti-Semites who have taken control of the government of Israel and are using it to destroy the Jewish State. Proof? Nothing easier. One has only to read the papers. The Foreign Minister, for example. Who but a diabolic anti-Semite could have appointed Avigdor Lieberman, of all people, to this post? The job of a foreign minister is to make friends and convince world opinion that we are right. Lieberman is working hard and skillfully to get Israel hated by one and all. Or the Minister of the Interior. He works from morning to night to shock human rights defenders and supply ammunition to the worst enemies of Israel. Recently, he prevented two babies from entering Israel because their father is gay. He prevents women from joining their husbands in Israel. He deports children of foreign workers, who are building the state. Or the Chief of Staff. He persuaded the government to boycott the UN commission for the investigation of the “Cast Lead” operation, thus abandoning the field to the accusers of the military..... more.. e-mail
[uruknet.info] Palestinian Economic Boycott Hits Israeli Settlers Uruknet May 20, 2010 - Israeli settlers are beginning to feel the bite of an economic boycott campaign launched by the Palestinian Authority (PA) against goods produced in the illegal Israeli settlements dotting the occupied West Bank. "This is economic terrorism," complained the Yesha Council (YC), an umbrella organisation of municipal councils of Jewish settlements in the West Bank. Several international...
Music stars' boycott rocks Israel The National 21 May 2010 - British singer Elvis Costello says intimidation' and humiliation' of Palestinians spurred his decision as groups push for cultural boycott.
PACBI: UNICEF should quit Jerusalem conference Electronic Intifada: 21 May 2010 - The Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI) is shocked and greatly concerned that UNICEF as well as one Palestinian and several international academics intend to participate in a conference organized by the Minerva Centre for Human Rights at the Hebrew University, jointly with the Van Leer Institute.
Boycott volunteers say army searching for them 5/20/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Volunteers with the Palestinian Authority's House to House settlement goods boycott campaign said Israeli forces entered the Husan village, west of Bethlehem, searching for them. Volunteer Ahmad Jaz'ul told Ma'an that four Israeli military jeeps "raided the village at 1pm in the afternoon, searching for the campaign's volunteers, stopping passer-bys and asking where....
Heat rises in boycott of Israeli settlers' goods The National 20 May 2010 - Thousands take to West Bank street to distribute lists of products made by illegal settlers the Palestinian Authority wants to ban.
Boycott volunteers: Israel army is hunting us Palestine Note 20 May 2010 - Washington - Volunteers with a door-to-door campaign promoting the Palestinian Authority's settlement goods boycott say the Israeli army is searching for them, Ma'an News Agency reported Thursday. While the West Bank government is only boycotting settler...
Palestinians Up Boycott of Settler Goods The Media Line 19 May 2010 - The Palestinian Authority has ratcheted up its campaign to boycott all Israeli goods that are produced in Jewish-Israeli communities inside land acquired in the 1967 war. The Palestinian Authority Chairman has now issued an official edict...
Rock Icon Elvis Costello Joins Anti-Israel Boycott, Cancels Israeli Concerts The Media Line 19 May 2010 - After telling Israeli music journalists that dialogue and sharing culture were the best ways to overcome conflict, British rock star Elvis Costello announced he was backing out of two planned concerts in Israel because of the...
Israel’s Exclusion and Restriction of Goods to Gaza Stephen Lendman, Dissident Voice 5/19/2010 After Hamas was overwhelmingly elected in January 2006, Israel, Washington and the West ended all outside aid, imposed an economic embargo and sanctions, and politically isolated the new government. Stepped up repression followed, including regular IDF incursions, bombings, killings, targeted assassinations, arrests, property destruction, and Israeli-instigated internal conflict that left Fatah usurping authority in the West Bank, leaving Gaza alone under Hamas. In June 2007, conditions worsened after Israel imposed its siege, medieval-like, according to some, for its harshness. Now, nearing its third anniversary, it’s still in place, slowly suffocating and strangling 1.5 million people, trapped by closed borders, regular incursions and attacks, and shortages of everything needed to function and survive. A humanitarian crisis resulted and continues. The West and most regional states are culpable, complicit or indifferent to a real time catastrophe. Israel’s Policy of Exclusion and Restrictions The Gisha Legal Center for Freedom of Movement is a 2005-founded Israeli NGO, “whose goal is to protect the freedom of movement of Palestinians, especially Gaza residents” — rights international and Israeli law guarantee. Yet under 43 years of military occupation, Palestinian rights have been systematically compromised, abused, and violated, worst of all in Gaza under siege. In January 2010, Gisha examined the situation in a report titled, “Restrictions on the transfer of goods to Gaza: Obstruction and Obfuscation,” saying that: “Beginning in September 2007, Israel openly stated that it would restrict the movement of goods into and out of Gaza (not for security), but (to) apply ‘pressure’ or ’sanctions’ on the Hamas regime.” more.. e-mail
Who Succeeded in Frightening the Israeli Settlers? Alternative Information Center 1 - The war of the Palestinians against settlements is currently focusing on the pocket, and in essence on the legitimacy of settlements. Roi Katz on the new direction of the struggle. The response of the settler community to Palestinian threats to boycott goods of the territories highlights...
Israel’s Exclusion and Restriction of Goods to Gaza Uruknet May 19, 2010 - ...In January 2010, Gisha examined the situation in a report titled, "Restrictions on the transfer of goods to Gaza: Obstruction and Obfuscation," saying that: "Beginning in September 2007, Israel openly stated that it would restrict the movement of goods into and out of Gaza (not for security), but (to) apply 'pressure’ or ’sanctions’ on the...
Israel's exclusion and restriction of goods to Gaza Palestine Note 19 May 2010 - After Hamas was overwhelmingly elected in January 2006, Israel, Washington and the West ended all outside aid, imposed an economic embargo and sanctions, and politically isolated the new government. Stepped up repression followed, including regular IDF...
Join the Global Intifada 5/19/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - ISM, 20 May - Join the Global Intifada in Palestine this summer - Global Intifada 2010: Popular Struggle. Steadfastness. Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions. Popular resistance to Israel's apartheid is growing globally! In Palestine, non-violent resistance to land confiscation and settlement expansion is gathering momentum. Weekly non-violent demonstrations in the West Bank and Gaza have tripled since January, and....
Two weeks after arrest on spying charges, Makhoul allowed access to lawyers Ha'aretz - Defense attorneys permitted to see detained Israeli-Arab activist after threatening to boycott hearings.
Boycotting the boycotters Gideon Levy, Ha’aretz 5/16/2010 Most people here are appalled at the notion that anybody beyond Israel’s borders would think to boycott their country, products or universities. Boycotts, after all, are viewed in Israel as illegitimate. Anyone who calls for such a step is perceived as an anti-Semite and Israel-hater who is undermining the state’s very right to exist. In Israel itself, those who call for a boycott are branded as traitors and heretics. The notion that a boycott, limited as it may be, is likely to convince Israel to change its ways - and for its own benefit - is not tolerated here. Even an obvious, logical step - like the Palestinian Authority’s boycott of products made in the settlements - is viewed by hypocritical Israeli eyes as provocative. Moreover, while the international boycott against apartheid South Africa is credited with leading to the regime’s downfall, here it is considered irrelevant and unworthy of comparison. It would be possible to identify with these intolerant reactions were it not for the fact that Israel itself is one of the world’s prolific boycotters. Not only does it boycott, it preaches to others, at times even forces others, to follow in tow. Israel has imposed a cultural, academic, political, economic and military boycott on the territories. At the same time, almost no one here utters a dissenting word questioning the legitimacy of these boycotts. Yet the thought of boycotting the boycotter? Now that’s inconceivable. The most brutal, naked boycott is, of course, the siege on Gaza and the boycott of Hamas. At Israel’s behest, nearly all Western countries signed onto the boycott with inexplicable alacrity. This is not just a siege that has left Gaza in a state of shortage for three years. Nor is it just a complete (and foolish ) boycott of Hamas, save for the discussions over abducted soldier Gilad Shalit. It’s a series of cultural, academic, humanitarian and economic boycotts. Israel threatens nearly every diplomat who seeks to enter Gaza to see firsthand the unbearable sights. more.. e-mail
Elvis Backs The Boycott Palestine Monitor - Veteran rock musician Elvis Costello has pulled out of two scheduled concerts inside Israel. The British five-time Grammy award winning singer and guitarist cited the "intimidation and humiliation of Palestinian civilians" in an open letter explaining his decision. Costello's public snub represents another major coup for...
Israel's Exclusion and Restriction of Goods to Gaza Palestine Chronicle: 19 May 2010 - By Stephen Lendman After Hamas was overwhelmingly elected in January 2006, Israel, Washington and the West ended all outside aid, imposed an economic embargo and sanctions, and politically isolated the new government. Stepped up repression followed, including regular IDF incursions, bombings, killings, targeted assassinations, arrests, property destruction, and Israeli-instigated internal conflict that left Fatah usurping authority in the West Bank, leaving Gaza alone under Hamas. In June 2007, conditions worsened after Israel imposed its siege, medieval-like, according to some, for its harshness. Now, nearing its third anniversary, it's still in place, slowly suffocating and strangling 1.5 million people, trapped by closed borders, regular incursions and attacks, and shortages of everything needed to function and survive. A humanitarian crisis resulted and continues. The West and most regional states are culpable, complicit or indifferent to a real time catastrophe. Israel's Policy of Exclusion and Restrictions The Gisha Legal Center for Freedom of...more
British musician Elvis Costello cancels Israel tour as ‘matter of conscience’ IMEMC - 18 May 2010 - After a campaign to boycott Israel targeted singer Elvis Costello with calls, letters and faxes, he decided that he could not, in good conscience, continue with a planned tour in Israel. He decided to join the boycott of Israel even though he acknowledged that this would cost him any future invitations to Israel.
Settlements Boycott Campaign Starts In The West Bank, Settlers Outraged IMEMC - 18 May 2010 - Israeli settlers groups called on the Israeli government to stop proximity talks with the Palestinians due to the settlements products boycott campaign that started today in the West Bank.
Elvis Costello's Israel concert cancellation lauded Uruknet May 18, 2010 - The Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI) warmly welcomes Elvis Costello's cancellation of his scheduled performances in Israel. Costello's decision is a great victory for the ethical responsibilities of international cultural figures, a key factor in the cultural boycott of Israel. It comes after similar cancellations by Gil Scott-Heron, Carlos...
No Elvis in Jerusalem. Costello joins the boycott Palestine Note 18 May 2010 - The campaign for the academic and cultural boycott of Israel has gotten itself another big fish. Singer and songwriter Elvis Costello, scheduled to play two concerts in Israel this summer, announced he would be canceling his...
Elvis Costello cancels Israel concerts Palestine Note 17 May 2010 - New York - Following pressure from boycott campaigners, rock musician Elvis Costello announced on Saturday that he is canceling a pair of scheduled concerts in Israel. In a statement on his website, Costello said the decision...
Elvis Costello Boycotts Israel PNN - Bethlehem - PNN- World singer, Elvis Costello, have canceled his concert in Israel due to its occupation to the Palestinians and they way its army treats them. Costello was going to perform...
Settlements Boycott Campaign Starts In The West Bank, Settlers Outraged PNN - Ghassan Bannoura – PNN - Israeli settlers groups called on the Israeli government to stop proximity talks with the Palestinians due to the settlements products boycott campaign that started today in the...
Elvis Costello cancels concerts in Israel in protest at treatment of Palestinians The Guardian 18 May 2010 - Singer says he acted on 'conscience', as he joins a list of performers who have boycotted Israel for political reasons Elvis Costello has cancelled two concerts he was scheduled to play in Israel in protest at...
Elvis Costello joins Israel boycott, canceling June shows Ha'aretz - 'Humiliation and intimidation' of Palestinians behind decision to scrap Caesarea concerts, British singer says.
Settlers: Palestinian boycott is an 'act of hate' Ha'aretz - Yesha Council calls on government to close Israeli ports to Palestinian goods until embargo on goods produced in settlements ends.
Industrialists: Palestinians only hurting themselves YNet News - Major factory owners in Israel began to gird for battle against a Palestinian boycott of their products Tuesday, following the distribution of thousands of pamphlets to .......
Margaret Atwood Cashes In Jennifer Matsui, Dissident Voice 5/17/2010 Novelist Margaret Atwood’s decision to travel to Tel Aviv to share a literary prize worth a million dollars has ignited a controversy in which the septuagenarian author and vice-president of the literary human rights organization PEN International has come under fire by Palestinian rights activists. Ms Atwood’s acceptance of the Dan David Prize, whose previous laureates include Al Gore and Tony Blair, is viewed by Ms Atwood’s critics as a betrayal to the ideals she supposedly represents, and an unwitting endorsement of Israel’s race exclusive policies. The Canadian author’s insistence that refusing the blood-spattered trophy would be tantamount to “censorship” rings as false as her commitments to justice as an anti-apartheid activist, and as a writer who has made tyranny and oppression recurring themes in her novels, elevating her from fiction writer to public intellectual. I say “false” because “justice for some” is hardly an ethical stance with any merit, and certainly not one that will maintain her status as an “oppositional intellectual”. Sadly, this “intellectual” has made no effort to research the subject of Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestinian land and its unyielding, systematic oppression of the Palestinian people (as many Jewish and Israeli scholars and activists themselves have bravely condemned). Otherwise, she would use the occasion of the invitation to condemn an increasingly murderous regime and call upon its people to support sanctions, boycotts and divestments until their government accepted the rule of International law and reversed its policy of displacement and expulsion of Arab people from their ancestral lands. Instead the once outspoken author has chosen to put monetary interests ahead of the principled moral stances she has taken in the past, in order to lay claim to a tainted prize given each year to fame-hungry “artists” looking to boost sagging sales of their product while making all the appropriate noises to the press about free speech. Ms Atwood’s blandly centrist posturing is symptomatic of a malady particular to the cosseted and fossilized members of a wealthy nation’s cultural elite, for whom “free speech” is a largely unexamined term.... more.. e-mail
Elvis Backs The Boycott Palestine Monitor - Veteran rock musician Elvis Costello has pulled out of two scheduled concerts inside Israel. The British five-time Grammy award winning singer and guitarist cited the "intimidation and humiliation of Palestinian civilians" in an open letter explaining his decision. Costello's public snub represents another major coup for...
Elvis Costello's Israel concert cancellation lauded Electronic Intifada: 18 May 2010 - The Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI) warmly welcomes Elvis Costello's cancellation of his scheduled performances in Israel. Costello's decision is a great victory for the ethical responsibilities of international cultural figures, a key factor in the cultural boycott of Israel.
Elvis Backs The Boycott Palestine Monitor: 18 May 2010 - Veteran rock musician Elvis Costello has pulled out of two scheduled concerts inside Israel. The British five-time Grammy award winning singer and guitarist cited the "intimidation and humiliation of Palestinian civilians" in an open letter explaining his decision. Costello's public snub represents another major coup for the global BDS (Boycott, Divestment & Sanctions) campaign and PACBI-the department dedicated to an academic and cultural boycott of apartheid Israel. Costello follows in the footsteps of such high profile performers as Santana and Gil Scott Heron, who also pulled out of tour dates in Israel recently. It is believed the combined pressure from various branches of the international BDS movement played a major part in Costello's decision, who as recently as two weeks ago was re-iterating his desire to go ahead with the concerts in Ceasarea, Haifa. In a letter on the musician's official website he expressed concern that performing in Israel would...
Israel fears Iran nuclear deal will delay UN sanctions Ha'aretz - Iran vows to continue high-grade nuclear fuel enrichment despite swap deal; White House: Iran must prove its nuclear program is peaceful.
Boycott campaign results clsoure of 17 settlement factories in WB 17 May 2010 - West Bank, May 17, (Pal Telegraph) The boycott campaign that calls for boycotting the products of the settlements’ factories, adopted by the Palestinians in the West Bank, caused the closure of at least seventeen factories since its start several months ago. For the Israelis, as reported by The Washington Post, Avi Alekiam, which represents owners of three hundred factories in...
Elivs Costello cancels Israel concerts Palestine Note 17 May 2010 - New York - Following pressure from boycott campaigners, rock musician Elvis Costello announced on Saturday that he is canceling a pair of scheduled concerts in Israel. In a statement on his website, Costello said the decision...
Boycott Could Compel Government to End the Occupation, Levy Says WAFA - TEL AVIV, May 17, 2010 (WAFA)- “Yes, an Israeli who lives in Israel will have a hard time preaching to others about the virtues of a boycott…,but it is his right to believe that a boycott could
Israel fears Iran nuclear deal will delay UN sanctions Ha'aretz 17 May 2010 - Iran vows to continue high-grade nuclear fuel enrichment despite swap deal; White House: Iran must prove its nuclear program is peaceful.
Kattan: Truman administration threatened sanctions against ‘brutal’ Israeli stance on refugees Mondoweiss - I am reading From Coexistence to Conquest , by Victor Kattan, an English journalist-scholar (or "hackademic," as Ilan Pappe once put it), an amazing work of archival archaeology, uncovering the trail of broken promises that is the history of international law and consensus on the Arab-Israeli conflict...
Report: Anti-settlement initiative gains ground 5/16/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - At least 17 businesses in the illegal Israeli settlement of Ma'aleh Adumim have closed down since the start of a Palestinian Authority boycott several months ago, The Washington Post reported Sunday. The East Jerusalem-area settlement's Mishor Adumim industrial zone is facing "an insufferable situation," Avi Elkayam, who represents its 300 factory owners.... Related: Palestinians turn to boycott in West Bank
Response to Akiva Tor Palestine Note 16 May 2010 - In Principled Opposition , I discussed some of the implications of the divestment vote at UC Berkeley. Akiva Tor, Israel's Consul General for the Pacific Northwest region of the United States, took the time to write a...
Israel’s red line: Shin Bet arrests boycott leader Jonathan Cook, Ma’an News Agency 5/14/2010 The recent arrest of two respected public figures from Israel’s Palestinian Arab minority in night-time raids on their homes by the Shin Bet secret police - brought to light this week when a gag order was partially lifted - sent shock waves through the community. The arrests were not the first of their kind. The Shin Bet has been hounding and imprisoning politicians and intellectuals from the country’s Palestinian minority, a fifth of the population, since the birth of the Jewish state more than six decades ago. Currently, two MKs from Arab political parties, as well as the leader of the popular Islamic Movement, are facing trials. But the detention of Amir Makhoul and Omar Sayid by Israeli intelligence forces has been seen differently - as the gathering storm clouds in a political climate already fiercely hostile to its Palestinian citizens. Mohammed Zeidan, the head of the Human Rights Association in Nazareth, said: “We are used to our political leaders being persecuted but now the Shin Bet is turning its sights on the leaders of Palestinian civil society in Israel, and that’s a dangerous development.” Makhoul and Sayid were not accused of the usual public order offenses, nor were they simply violated chauvinistic legislation that criminalizes Palestinian citizens’ visits to neighboring Arab states. Both are facing the much more serious charge of espionage, on behalf of Lebanon’s Hizbullah. Makhoul, who appears to be the chief object of the Shin Bet’s interest, is the head of Ittijah, an umbrella organization coordinating the activities of Palestinian human rights groups in Israel. More specifically, he has become the leading voice inside Israel backing the growing international campaign for boycott, sanctions and divestment against Israel. more.. e-mail
‘Haaretz’ covered Berkeley BDS struggle while ‘NYT’ turned a deaf ear Mondoweiss - One might think that the so-called paper of record, The New York Times, would find the landmark UC Berkeley student campaign to divest from weapons manufacturers that profit from Israel's occupation and war crimes worthy of coverage. However, the Times has yet to print one word...
Shin Bet arrests boycott leader Palestine Note 14 May 2010 - Nazareth - The recent arrest of two respected public figures from Israel’s Palestinian Arab minority in night-time raids on their homes by the Shin Bet secret police - brought to light this week when a gag...
Buy Palestinian products Akiva Eldar, Ha'aretz, Jerusalem Fund for Education and Community Development 5/10/2010 Suppose some Palestinian group managed to set up a new settlement on land abandoned by refugees of the 1967 war in the Jordan Valley. What would your average Israeli patriot have to say about an Israeli contractor who agreed to build it, or about Jewish workers clambering on Palestinian scaffolds? What an outcry we’d hear from the Israeli right about such traitors! Never fear, our forces would never allow the uncircumcised to fix even a peg in the occupied territory under absolute Israeli control (some 60 percent of the West Bank ). The imagined scenario of Jews building homes for Palestinians was created only for the sake of discussion - specifically of the protests in Israel against the ban recently imposed by the Palestinian Authority against Arabs working in the settlements. It takes no small amount of audacity to threaten the Palestinians with harm to their economy if they refuse to continue building Israeli settlements on their own land. Only we are allowed to threaten boycotts every Monday and Thursday against countries that dare to criticize us. After all, we, as is well known, have the monopoly on patriotism. Remember the treatment the Etzel and Lehi underground militias meted out to Jewish girls who went to bed with British soldiers? "Buy Israeli goods" is an important ethos - with emphasis on the word "Israeli." Many Israelis, including this writer, and peace-seekers all over the world boycott products made in the settlements. But if Palestinian factory workers dare leave their jobs in the Barkan industrial zone in the West Bank, the president of the Manufacturers Association, Shraga Brosh, says he’ll make sure that the government closes off the Haifa Port to Palestinian goods. The entire world, with our American friends at the forefront, insists that the beefing up of settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem cannot be reconciled with the "two states for two peoples" solution. How can the Palestinian leadership be expected to stand by idly while 25,000 Palestinian workers put a stamp of approval on the occupation through their own labor and the sweat of their own brows?.... -- See also: Source more.. e-mail
Shin Bet Arrests Leader of Boycott Movement Palestine Chronicle: 14 May 2010 - By Jonathan Cook - Nazareth The recent arrest of two respected public figures from Israel's Palestinian Arab minority in night-time raids on their homes by the Shin Bet secret police -- brought to light this week when a gag order was partially lifted -- has sent shock waves through the community. The arrests are not the first of their kind. The Shin Bet has been hounding and imprisoning politicians and intellectuals from the country’s Palestinian minority, a fifth of the population, since the birth of the Jewish state more than six decades ago. Currently, two MPs from Arab political parties, as well as the leader of the popular Islamic Movement, are facing trials. But the detention of Amir Makhoul and Omar Sayid is seen differently -- as the gathering storm clouds in a political climate already fiercely hostile to its Palestinian citizens. Mohammed Zeidan, the head of the Human Rights...more
Jordanian Fatwa stipulates boycotting Israel PIC 13 May 2010 - Prominent Islamic scholars in Jordan issued a Fatwa (religious edict) prohibiting any dealing with Israel and describing its boycott as a religious duty.
Irish activists urge divestment at CRH annual meeting Uruknet May 12, 2010 - Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign (IPSC) activists are pressuring the Ireland-based international building materials group CRH to divest from its Israeli subsidiary Mashav. Last week, IPSC members attended the annual CRH general shareholders meeting as activist shareholders. Their aim was to discuss the involvement of CRH subsidiary Mashav in illegal construction activities in the occupied West Bank....
'Boycott Israel' fatwa issued in Jordan Palestine Note 12 May 2010 - Washington - More than 50 Shariah scholars in Jordan issued an advisory opinion ( fatwa ) in support of an economic boycott of Israel, Al-Jazeera reported Wednesday. English-language graffiti supports boycott of Israel in order to end the...
Iran, China and Israel’s Weapons of Mass Disruption Peter Lee, CounterPunch 5/7/2010 China in the Catbird Seat There were two major nuclear non-proliferation conferences in April, one in Washington (President Barack Obama’s Nuclear Security Summit) and one in Tehran (International Conference on Disarmament and Non-Proliferation). A third, aka the Big One - the Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference held in New York City under the auspices of the United Nations - is now taking place in New York. China has attended all these confabs in its apparently successful efforts to stake out an advantageous and independent position on nuclear weapons policy and the Iran crisis - and counter Russian attempts to create a new, anti-China security condominium in alliance with the United States. After months of anxiety and uncertainty, China finds itself in the catbird seat - and in a position to profit if Obama’s Iran diplomacy succeeds or, as appears very possible, it fails. The US apparently approached the 2010 NPT Review Conference with the hope that it would have Moscow in its corner and a deal with Iran, or at least sanctions on Iran, in place to present the suspicious non-aligned nations with a fait accompli of US leadership. However, in an eerie recapitulation of its difficulties at the climate change conference in Copenhagen, the Obama administration came to the NPT conference with only the Russian element of its intricate, multi-layer geopolitical strategy in place - and is forced to rely on atmospherics, indignant rhetoric, and recycled data and agreements instead. more.. e-mail
Irish activists urge divestment at CRH annual meeting Electronic Intifada: 12 May 2010 - Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign (IPSC) activists are pressuring the Ireland-based international building materials group CRH to divest from its Israeli subsidiary Mashav. Last week, IPSC members attended the annual CRH general shareholders meeting as activist shareholders. Adri Nieuwhof and John Dorman report.
Palestinian Civil Society Slams OECD Over Israel's Accession Palestine Monitor: 11 May 2010 - Occupied Palestine – Palestinian civil society represented by the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions National Committee (BNC), a wide coalition of the largest Palestinian mass organizations and trade unions, issued a strong condemnation of OECD's decision yesterday to welcome Israel as a member of the organization at its ministerial meeting to take place on May 27-28. A BNC spokesperson commented,“ By accepting Israel, OECD member countries show a blatant complicity with Israeli war crimes, destroying the very foundations of international law. Rewarding Israel entrenches its impunity and dashes any realistic hope for achieving a just peace in the region.” The OECD's decision is the culmination of a process that began in 2007 whereby Israel had to pass a number of technical tests and implement reforms to be eligible for accession. According to the “Road Map for the accession of Israel to the OECD Convention”, it was required to demonstrate commitment to...
Omar Barghouti in Rome Mondoweiss - Last night I went to hear Omar Barghouti at an event titled “Palestine today. Nonviolent resistance to the Israeli occupation: academic and cultural boycott,” organised by the Roman network for solidarity with the Palestinian people. There were about 80 people there, and the event included the...
Jordan Union To Fight For Boycott IMEMC - 11 May 2010 - The Professional Associations Complex in Jordan is holding a campaign to ensure that the Jordanian markets do not carry any Israeli products. The campaign, For A Jordan Without Israeli Products, was launched as the Palestinians prepare to mark the 62nd anniversary of the Nakba.
Arab Countries To Boycott Mediterranean Summit PNN - Ghassan Bannoura – PNN- A number of Arab countries leaders said that they will not attend the Mediterranean Summit in Spain in June if the Israeli Forging Minister Lieberman joins the Israeli...
Jordanians launch Israeli boycott campaign PIC 11 May 2010 - The Jordanian trade unions announced on Monday the launch of an extensive campaign to boycott all Israeli goods and products to coincide with the 62nd anniversary of the Nakba (catastrophe).
Palestinian Civil Society Slams OECD Over Israel's Accession Palestine Monitor - Occupied Palestine – Palestinian civil society represented by the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions National Committee (BNC), a wide coalition of the largest Palestinian mass organizations and trade unions, issued a strong condemnation of OECD's decision yesterday to welcome Israel as a member of the organization at...
Bds Action Against Israeli Pharmaceutical Company At Cosmofarma Expo in Italy Palestine Monitor: 11 May 2010 - On Saturday, May 8 a protest organized by the "Rome Palestinian Solidarity Network"(comprised of numerous associations and committees who stand with the Palestinian struggle for freedom) was held at the entrance to Rome's exhibition center during COSMOFARMA, a pharmaceuticals expo attended by thousands of health professionals. The Rome Palestinian Solidarity Network, which endorses the international campaign for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) on the Israeli economy, aimed at raising awareness of the BDS campaign, calling on physicians, pharmacists and health workers not to purchase or prescribe products from the Israeli pharmaceutical company TEVA, the leading global manufacturer of generic drugs, or from L'Oréal, which through its substantial investments in Israel is helping to strengthen the Israeli war economy. It is this economy, as denounced by the activists present at the Expo with Palestinian flags, banners and flyers, which continues to enrich itself through the occupation policies of the West Bank,...
Palestinian Civil Society Slams OECD Over Israel's Accession Palestine Monitor: 11 May 2010 - Occupied Palestine – Palestinian civil society represented by the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions National Committee (BNC), a wide coalition of the largest Palestinian mass organizations and trade unions, issued a strong condemnation of OECD's decision yesterday to welcome Israel as a member of the organization at its ministerial meeting to take place on May 27-28. A BNC spokesperson commented,“ By accepting Israel, OECD member countries show a blatant complicity with Israeli war crimes, destroying the very foundations of international law. Rewarding Israel entrenches its impunity and dashes any realistic hope for achieving a just peace in the region.” The OECD's decision is the culmination of a process that began in 2007 whereby Israel had to pass a number of technical tests and implement reforms to be eligible for accession. According to the “Road Map for the accession of Israel to the OECD Convention”, it was required to demonstrate commitment to...
Boycott group: OECD decision shows ’complicity with war crimes’ 5/10/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - A Palestinian boycott movement condemned the OECD's decision to offer Israel membership to the body on Monday, a statement read. The Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions National Committee (BNC), a coalition of Palestinian organizations and trade unions, renounced the move, with a spokesperson commenting that by accepting Israel, "OECD member countries show a blatant....
Palestinian civil society slams OECD over Israel's accession Uruknet May 10, 2010 - Palestinian civil society represented by the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions National Committee (BNC), a wide coalition of the largest Palestinian mass organizations and trade unions, issued a strong condemnation of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development's (OECD) decision today to welcome Israel as a member of the organization at its ministerial meeting to take place...
Palestinian civil society slams OECD over Israel's accession Electronic Intifada: 10 May 2010 - Palestinian civil society represented by the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions National Committee, a wide coalition of the largest Palestinian mass organizations and trade unions, issued a strong condemnation of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development's decision today to welcome Israel as a member of the organization at its ministerial meeting to take place on 27-78 May.
Huge Israeli Companies Liable to Awaken Political Boycott throughout World Alternative Information Center - Since its establishment, Israel has been under attack regarding the legitimacy of its very existence. This attack has tremendous economic implications. In the past they were due primarily to Arab countries that created the infamous Arab...
Huge Israeli Companies Liable to Awaken Political Boycott throughout World Alternative Information Center - Since its establishment, Israel has been under attack regarding the legitimacy of its very existence. This attack has tremendous economic implications. In the past they were due primarily to Arab countries that created the infamous Arab boycott, which cost Israel, according to various estimates and during...
Syria's Assad says still interested in Turkish-brokered talks with Israel Ha'aretz - In Turkey, Syrian president says Israel objects to Turkish mediation in peace talks as it doesn't want peace., Brazil and Turkey have been trying to revive a fuel deal with Iran in an attempt to stave off further sanctions against Tehran.
Nuclear watchdog shows signs it may scrutinise Israel The National 8 May 2010 - Putting Israel on the agenda of IAEA meeting alongside Iran could take some of the heat off Tehran just as the West is lobbying hard for tough new UN sanctions against it.
Organizations, Artists Thank Gil Scott-Heron for Heeding Call to Boycott Israel WAFA - NEW YORK, May 8, 2010 (WAFA) – More than 50 organizations and artists from eight countries have written to legendary political singer and poet Gil Scott-Heron to thank him for his decision to drop
Syria's Assad says still interested in Turkish-brokered talks with Israel Ha'aretz 8 May 2010 - In Turkey, Syrian president says Israel objects to Turkish mediation in peace talks as it doesn't want peace., Brazil and Turkey have been trying to revive a fuel deal with Iran in an attempt to stave off further sanctions against Tehran.
Israel To Impose Further Sanctions On Detainees IMEMC - 7 May 2010 - Israeli paper, Maariv, reported that Israeli Internal Security Minister, Yitzhak Aharonovitch, retracted his opposition to imposing further sanctions and restrictions on the detainees in an attempt to push Hamas movement to change its stances on prisoner-swap.
Arabs In 1948 Areas Prepare For Boycott IMEMC - 6 May 2010 - Several popular movements, civil society institutions and women organizations in the 1948 areas are preparing to officially declare the launch of a boycott campaign targeting all settlement products as a means of economic pressure on Israel.
UCSD Israel divestment measure tabled Palestine Note 6 May 2010 - Washington - Student Senators at the University of California, San Diego indefinitely tabled a measure to divest funds from two US companies profiting from Israel's occupation of Palestinian land, activists said. Israel's treatment of Palestinians has...
Shalev: Iran sanctions will be ‘diluted’ Jeruslalem Post 6 May 2010 - Israeli envoy fumes at "dirty hand" in supply of arms to Hizbullah.
‘NYT’ ignores gigantic elephant named Gaza in the room Mondoweiss - Post-Gaza massacre, it’s easy to see the changing discourse about Israel/Palestine across the country among Americans and American Jews. The diverse coalition that supported the divestment resolution at U.C. Berkeley, including prominent Jewish voices like Judith Butler, Naomi Klein and Noam Chomsky, is but one indication...
Settler Leaders Demand Withholding P.A Money For Boycotting Settlement Products IMEMC - 5 May 2010 - Leaders of the settler movement in the occupied West Bank demanded the Israeli government to withhold all funds meant for the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank for boycotting settlement products and for forbidding the Palestinian workers from working in Jewish settlements.
Settlements Products Boycott Campaign Starts In Israel PNN - Mayssa Abu Ghazalih – Jerusalem - PNN Exclusive- Eamaar for Economic Development Association started on Wednesday a Settlements Products boycott campaign inside Israel. The campaign, titled “I am Boycotting”, will focus on...
Arab Israelis boycott W. Bank goods Jeruslalem Post 6 May 2010 - "We are part of the Palestinian people," Kafr Kana leader says.
Arab Israelis launch boycott of settlement goods Jeruslalem Post 6 May 2010 - "We are part of the Palestinian people," Kafr Kana leader says.
On Iran, the U.S. is Painting Itself into a Political and Moral Corner Rodrigue Tremblay, Dissident Voice 5/5/2010 This confrontation [between the forces of the Apocalypse and Israel] is willed by God, who wants to use this conflict to erase his people’s enemies before a New Age begins. – U.S. President George W. Bush (in a 2003 conversation with French President Jacques Chirac) Preventive war was an invention of [Adolf] Hitler. Frankly, I would not even listen to anyone seriously that came and talked about such a thing. – Dwight D. Eisenhower We don’t desire any nuclear proliferation in our region, and our policy is well known regardless of which country has such programs. For us it doesn’t matter whether it is Israel or Iran. I will call on the international community, which is so sensitive toward Iran, to pay attention to Israel, too. – Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey’s Prime Minister Nothing in this Treaty shall be interpreted as affecting the inalienable right of all the Parties to the Treaty to develop research, production and use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes without discrimination. – The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) By now, most everybody knows that the (2003-) Bush-Cheney Iraq War was based on fiction and on deception. There was no such thing as “weapons of mass destruction” in Iraq, the rationale for an illegal attack against that country. And Bush II and his accomplices knew that. But incredibly, just as the Bush-Cheney administration did in order to launch a war against Iraq in 2003 by (falsely) alleging that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction, the Obama-Biden administration, in 2010, is arguing for unilateral sanctions against Iran and even beating the drums of war against Iran, alleging that its program to enrich uranium and operate nuclear power plants is posing an existential threat to Israel, to Europe and to the United States. more.. e-mail
MIT student introduces internet boycott platform Palestine Note 4 May 2010 - An MIT grad student has introduced a new internet platform he hopes will help activists deepen and expand their campaigns to boycott products made in Israeli settlements. The website, Boycott Toolkit , is a resource where users...
Israeli outrage at PA boycott of Israeli products IMEMC - 3 May 2010 - Israel has threatened to prevent any goods into its ports, and to withhold transferring tax money to the Palestinian Authority if the latter continues to call for the boycott of Israeli settlement products.
Kafkaesque Rules On Gaza Goods Transfers Uruknet May 2, 2010 - In September 2007 the Security Cabinet of Israel declared that Gaza was a hostile territory. Israel restricted the transfer of goods into Gaza not for security reasons, but rather as part of a policy to apply "pressure" or "sanctions" on Hamas. Three years later Israeli policy has degenerated into a confusion of Kafkaesque bureaucracy."Additional sanctions will...
In Response to Sanctions Threats; MP Al Bargouthi Calls for Boycotting All Israeli Goods PNN - Ramallah - PNN- Palestinian MP, Dr. Mustafa Al Barghouthi, called in a press statement issued on Monday to boycott all Israeli made products. Dr. Al Barghouthi was responding to Israeli reports of...
Kafkaesque Rules On Gaza Goods Transfers Palestine Monitor - In September 2007 the Security Cabinet of Israel declared that Gaza was a hostile territory. Israel restricted the transfer of goods into Gaza not for security reasons, but rather as part of a policy to apply “pressure” or “sanctions” on Hamas. Three years later Israeli policy...
Open letter to Berkeley Mustafa Barghouthi, Ma’an News Agency 5/1/2010 Dear Berkeley students and the ASUC Senate: I commend the effort of the wide coalition at Berkeley to pass the Bill in Support of UC Divestment from War Crimes. American students can play a powerful role in Palestinian liberation by supporting divestment from companies that enable the Israeli military occupation of Palestinian territory. I urge you to seize this moment as an opportunity to help secure Palestinian freedom and a just peace, but most particularly as an opportunity to help Palestinian students you may never meet. These students struggle to achieve their educational aspirations under an occupation that blocks opportunities and destroys dreams. Embrace your freedom and your incredible opportunities at one of America’s finest schools by doing your utmost to protect the many Palestinian students working by candlelight in Gaza to reach where you are today. The war crimes they were subjected to by the Israeli military in 2008-2009 were appalling. Their perseverance will be aided by your vote tonight against war crimes. Palestinian voices are too rarely heard in the United States. We have too few opportunities to present our narrative of loss and dispossession. Hear us tonight along with our Jewish friends and colleagues who are speaking up and saying that there is nothing anti-Semitic in backing Palestinian freedom and an end to complicity with a military occupation that strips us of our rights and dignity and many Israelis of their humanity. Both peoples need a just peace and this bill helps speed that day. Look at the student coalition before you tonight. From my time at Stanford, I firmly believe that such coalitions are one of the most beautiful aspects of American life. It is not uniquely American, but it is to be treasured. And for all those students who are not part of the coalition, but fearful of it, I say we mean you no harm.... more.. e-mail
At Berkeley, moral victory despite divestment vote loss Electronic Intifada: 3 May 2010 - On 28 April, University of California, Berkeley's Student Senate narrowly missed an historic opportunity to divest its funds from United Technologies and General Electric which manufacture F-16 jets and Apache helicopters -- weapons sold to the Israeli military and used against civilians in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Dina Omar reports for The Electronic Intifada.
Mustafa Barghouthi: Is There Room For Gandhi in Palestine? Palestine Monitor: 3 May 2010 - Ask Palestinians why there is no Gandhi in their movement, and often the answer comes: but there are several, and Mustafa Barghouti should be recognized more widely as one of them. A medical doctor, born in Jerusalem in 1954, trained both in the old Soviet Union and in the US, he is the advocate of a strong, non-violent push to a two-state deal with Israel. He got his break in the show biz of American opinion last Fall on the Daily Show. His B. D. S. campaign this Spring in the world press and on American campuses stands for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions to bring the pressure of international attention and law on the Israeli government. Mustafa Barghouti has set his own course in the famous Barghouti family and in Palestinian politics. With Edward Said and others in 2002, Mustafa Barghouti helped found the Palestinian National Initiative. He was the...
Kafkaesque Rules On Gaza Goods Transfers Palestine Monitor: 2 May 2010 - In September 2007 the Security Cabinet of Israel declared that Gaza was a hostile territory. Israel restricted the transfer of goods into Gaza not for security reasons, but rather as part of a policy to apply “pressure” or “sanctions” on Hamas. Three years later Israeli policy has degenerated into a confusion of Kafkaesque bureaucracy. “ Additional sanctions will be placed on the Hamas regime in order to restrict the passage of various goods to the Gaza Strip and reduce the supply of fuel and electricity. Restrictions will also be placed on the movement of people. The sanctions will be enacted following a legal examination, while taking into account both the humanitarian aspects relevant to the Gaza Strip and the intention to avoid a humanitarian crisis.” With this nota from the Security Cabinet, Israel openly declared its intention to block goods beyond what is deemed “ essential for the survival of...
Berkeley Israel divestment bid fails Palestine Note 1 May 2010 - The UC Berkeley Student Senate this week failed to override a veto of a plan to divest from two US firms that sell weapons Israel uses in its occupation of Palestinian territory. The proposal, which originally...
Nobel Laureates: ’We are all peace makers, and we believe that no amount of dialogue without economic pressure can motivate Israel to change’ 4/30/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - Mondowiess, 28 April 2010 - Support for divestment continues to grow. Here is the latest amazing statement urging the University of California to divest: "To the ASUC Senate, We the undersigned Nobel Women Peace Laureates support your courage and call on you to reaffirm the ASUC Bill in Support of UC Divestment from War Crimes. We stand united in our belief that divesting from companies that provide significant support for the Israeli military provides moral and strategic stewardship of tuition and taxpayer-funded public education money. We are all peace makers, and we believe that no amount of dialogue without economic pressure can motivate Israel to change its policy of using overwhelming force against Palestinian civilians. Last year's nearly 400 women and children casualties in Gaza, and thousands more injured and killed, were all victims of a well armed military machine allowed to operate unchecked. . . ."
Israel's Choice: Make Peace Or Disappear Palestine Monitor - The student senate at Berkeley University in California recently passed a resolution calling for divestment from Israel. Prof. Judith Butler, the feminist theoretician, expounded to the enthusiastic audience on her new "Jewish" vision, which calls for renouncing the State of Israel. In this way, the intellectual...
Boycott campaign links with Irish university Uruknet April 30, 2010 - An international videoconference has taken place linking Gaza with Ireland to discuss Palestinian rights and the boycott of Israel. The conference was organised by the Palestinian Campaign for an Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI) in partnership with the Palestinian Students' Campaign for the Academic Boycott of Israel (PSCABI) and the National University of Galway,...
Gil Scott-Heron boycotts Tel Aviv, sends powerful message to Israelis Palestine Note 30 Apr 2010 - This is a translation of my article regarding the cancellation of spoken words artist Gil-Scott Heron 's gig in Tel Aviv. His show was scheduled for late May, but it was later removed from Scot-Heron's site...
Israel's Choice: Make Peace or Disappear SAN FRANSISCO, April 30, 2010 (WAFA)- The student senate at Berkeley University in California recently passed a resolution calling for divestment from Israel, Tzvia Greenfield wrote Friday in
Nobel Laureates: ’We are all peace makers, and we believe that no amount of dialogue without economic pressure can motivate Israel to change’ 4/30/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - Mondowiess, 28 April 2010 - Support for divestment continues to grow. Here is the latest amazing statement urging the University of California to divest: "To the ASUC Senate, We the undersigned Nobel Women Peace Laureates support your courage and call on you to reaffirm the ASUC Bill in Support of UC Divestment from War Crimes. We stand united in our belief that divesting from companies that provide significant support for the Israeli military provides moral and strategic stewardship of tuition and taxpayer-funded public education money. We are all peace makers, and we believe that no amount of dialogue without economic pressure can motivate Israel to change its policy of using overwhelming force against Palestinian civilians. Last year's nearly 400 women and children casualties in Gaza, and thousands more injured and killed, were all victims of a well armed military machine allowed to operate unchecked. . . ."
Israel's Choice: Make Peace Or Disappear Palestine Monitor - The student senate at Berkeley University in California recently passed a resolution calling for divestment from Israel. Prof. Judith Butler, the feminist theoretician, expounded to the enthusiastic audience on her new "Jewish" vision, which calls for renouncing the State of Israel. In this way, the intellectual...
Israel's Choice: Make Peace Or Disappear Palestine Monitor: 30 Apr 2010 - The student senate at Berkeley University in California recently passed a resolution calling for divestment from Israel. Prof. Judith Butler, the feminist theoretician, expounded to the enthusiastic audience on her new "Jewish" vision, which calls for renouncing the State of Israel. In this way, the intellectual elites once again expressed their strong belief in the theological principle whose basis is opposition to Western culture. For these intellectuals, the Palestinians' struggle against Israel symbolizes the heroic uprising of the rejected and oppressed against the conquerors who have deprived them of their humanity and delegitimized their local narratives. And in this mythological and theological arena, there is no chance whatsoever of holding a sane debate based on facts and common sense. Treating Israel as the worst representative of Western colonialism is particularly ironic given the Jewish people's minuscule size and Europe's virulent anti-Jewish history. Neither Russia's control of the Chechens, Irish grievances...
An Open Letter To UC Berkeley Students Palestine Monitor: 30 Apr 2010 - Dear Berkeley students and the ASUC Senate: I commend the effort of the wide coalition at Berkeley to pass the Bill in Support of UC Divestment from War Crimes. American students can play a powerful role in Palestinian liberation by supporting divestment from companies that enable the Israeli military occupation of Palestinian territory. I urge you to seize this moment as an opportunity to help secure Palestinian freedom and a just peace, but most particularly as an opportunity to help Palestinian students you may never meet. These students struggle to achieve their educational aspirations under an occupation that blocks opportunities and destroys dreams. Embrace your freedom and your incredible opportunities at one of America's finest schools by doing your utmost to protect the many Palestinian students working by candlelight in Gaza to reach where you are today. The war crimes they were subjected to by the Israeli military in 2008-2009...
12 prisoners in Israel denied access to education 4/29/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - As punishment for leading strike action in Israel's Haradim detention facility, Israeli prison officials revoked permission to continue university studies for 13 Palestinians, sources said Thursday. Tawfiq Abu Na'im, detained in the same facility, told lawyers with the Detainees Society that the men were some of the 25 who had been granted permission to take distance learning courses various different universities. Several of the men were only weeks away from completing their degrees, while others were close to the end of the semester. Revoking their study permissions will mean the academic year was lost for most of them, Abu Na'im said, noting that the studying prisoners were also among the leadership in a continuing strike where prisoners have refused family visits for the month of April, demanding equal treatment for all prisoners. The boycott on family visits was punctuated with three different days of hunger strikes, and Abu Na'im said the men were being threatened to ensure no further strike action occurred.
UC Berkeley set to vote on historic divestment bill Uruknet April 28, 2010 - On Wednesday 28 April, the UC Berkeley Student Senate will make a final attempt to pass a bill calling for divestment of university funds from companies that profit from Israel's war crimes and occupation of Palestine. The senate had previously approved the bill in a 16-4 vote on 18 March. The student president subsequently vetoed. A...
Israel’s tyranny of the majority is dangerous Gideon Levy, Haaretz, Israeli Occupation Archive 4/29/2010 The only democracy in the Middle East is perhaps unique, but it’s doubtful if it’s the real thing. Results of a poll published in Haaretz yesterday reflect what has been known for a long time: a combination of ignorance, a basic lack of understanding and a fascist mood. An ill and dangerous wind is blowing toward a government that is threatened with collapse. According to the poll, which was conducted by the Tami Steinmetz Center for Peace Research at Tel Aviv University, there is a clear, solid anti-democratic majority. It’s a majority that wants to punish people who expose wrongdoing by the military, and it’s not willing to allow human rights groups to operate freely. It’s a majority in favor of punishing those who call for a boycott on Israel, and it wants heavy sanctions against journalists who reveal information about immoral acts committed by the Israel Defense Forces. Punishing and punishing, and delighting in the silencing of the critics – that’s what the people want. That’s their opinion. Of all the real and manufactured dangers lurking against Israel, this is the greatest, most real and most immediate. Take accountant Haim Yoavi-Rabinovich in the Anat Kamm case. He called for the arrest and trial of Haaretz’s publisher, Amos Schocken, for blackmail and treason, no less. “Kamm is not a spy, she’s a traitor,” Rabinovich wrote, calling for Kamm to be punished accordingly, too. It can be assumed that in the view of people like him, an execution in a public square would not be an excessive punishment. Rabinovich is not alone. His ideas are all over the Internet and have attracted plenty of support. But he’s not the problem. The likes of him exist in every proper, civilized society. The problem is that in the Israel of 2010 almost no system remains to halt this dark and ignorant Rabinovichism and defend freedom of expression, which 98 percent of the respondents in the survey, believe it or not, said is important to them. -- See also: Source more.. e-mail
University students commit to sweeping boycotts 4/28/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - In anticipation of Nakba commemoration day next month, Palestinian student and youth groups across the West Bank and Gaza signed a memorandum enacting a massive boycott of Israeli products and programs. The document calls for a halt to any activities that could normalize relations between Palestine and Israel."Economic, political, cultural and institutional normalization legitimize Israel's oppression of the Palestinian people by giving the appearance of normalcy to the relationship between oppressor and oppressed. This relationship is hardly one between equals as Israel continues to violate our inalienable rights, steal our land, and prevent refugees from our right of return in contravention of international law and numerous UN resolutions," a statement from the student groups said. The memorandum went on to describe a series of measures the students intended to apply. . .
Linking Gaza with Ireland via video conference 28 Apr 2010 - Gaza, April 28, (Pal Telegraph) The Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI) in partnership with the Palestinian Students Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PSCABI) Organized a conference via video with the National University of Ireland “Joloy”. it was hosted in Al-Quds Bank for Culture and information in Gaza, dr. Haidar Eid...
PA urges Palestinians to stop using Israeli cell phone firms Ha'aretz 28 Apr 2010 - PA Minister says request not political boycott, but attempt to regulate cellular market.
UC Berkeley set to vote on historic divestment bill Electronic Intifada: 28 Apr 2010 - On Wednesday 28 April, the UC Berkeley Student Senate will make a final attempt to pass a bill calling for divestment of university funds from companies that profit from Israel's war crimes and occupation of Palestine.
Israel has been ‘Arizona’ all along Mondoweiss - I am encouraged by the wave of justified indignation, and spontaneous boycott movement, against the new Arizona law. Indeed, requiring citizens and legal resident to carry proof of their status at all times, and encouraging police to profile passersby who "look suspicious", runs counter to the...
Israel denies Syria attack plan amid de facto build freeze Daily Star 27 Apr 2010 Israeli Premier Benjamin Netanyahu denied Monday that Israel was planning a war against Syria, speaking before members of his own Likud Party. "There is no truth to hints that Israel is allegedly planning a move against Syria. I believe this is an attempt by Iran and Hizbullah to distract the international community from the sanctions being prepared against
BNC Calls On Trade Unions To Urgently Intervene With Their Government To Stop Israel From Joining The OECD Palestine Monitor: 26 Apr 2010 - Occupied Palestine, 22 April 2010 – In a few days Trade Unions will commemorate the achievements of the labor movement. The origins of the International Worker's Day date back to the 1886 Chicago protests where police killed several workers marching to demand their rights. Every week, Palestinian human rights defenders march in their villages protesting Israel's encroachment of their land. The Israeli army also greets them with live ammunition, indiscriminately killing many. Despite these crimes, Israel continues to be rewarded by the international community, this time with the prospects of membership in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The Palestinian Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions National Committee (BNC) calls on Trade Unions to use the significance of May Day to intervene with their governments to block Israel's membership to the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) until it complies with international law and OECD standards. It is expected...
Health conditions central concern for striking prisoners 4/23/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - Prisoners punctuating a boycott of family visits with hunger strikes have grown concerned over the health of fellow detainees, one prisoner told officials on Thursday. Tawfiq Abu Na'im, currently held in an Israeli detention facility, told case workers at the Detainees Studies Center, that prisoners with failing health are neglected when they participate in hunger strikes, of which there have been three already in April."We are afraid the number of detainees who perish inside this prison will increase," Abu Na'im said, referring to the death of Ahmad Abu Hammad in an Israeli isolation cell on 15 April. Abu Na'im said the current protest treatment only serves to highlight the regularly poor medical care received in the prisons, like the use of doctors who have only recently finished their medical school training.
Israel boycott again on agenda in UK Jeruslalem Post 23 Apr 2010 - University College Union will be asked to sever ties with Histadrut.
Hunger strike marks 3rd week of prisoner protest 4/22/2010 - Salfit - Ma'an - The third week of family visit boycotts by Palestinians held in Israeli detention centers was punctuated by a third one-day hunger strike, the Wa'ed Center for Detainees announced on Thursday. Citing the example of Raed Abu Hammad, who died in solitary confinement last week, and whose family was denied visits for the past three years, prisoners told the society that they would continue to boycott family visits and would maintain the regimen of hunger strikes until fair and equal treatment for all detainees was secured. Prisoners told center staff that they had gotten word of the dozens of demonstrations held by Palestinians across the West Bank and Gaza, noting the displays of support gave prisoners strength to continue with their actions.
PA: Palestinian work in settlements will stop this year 4/22/2010 - Ramallah - Ma'an - By the end of the calendar year there will be no Palestinians working in Israeli settlements, Ramallah-based Minister of Labor Ahmad Majdalani announced Thursday. The move comes amid a government campaign to boycott settlement products, following the prohibition of such goods in Palestinian markets, and the implementation of a ban on the sale of phone cards and SIM chips for Israeli cellphone providers with mobile towers in settlements. In his announcement, Majdalani said the ban - which began at the start of 2010 - had already achieved "notable results" during the course of the year. Specifically, he said there were 7,000 fewer Palestinians working in the settlements because of the decline in production of settlement goods, and added that Palestinian products were quickly replacing the settlement goods in shops.
Settlement boycott initiative: Palestinian employment on settlements stops this year Palestine Note 22 Apr 2010 - By the end of this year, the PA aims to have no Palestinians working on Israeli settlements, Ma'an News Agency reports. PA labor minister Ahmad Majdalani made the announcement Thursday. Majdalani said to state-run Wafa news...
Palestinian Prime Minister Tells Conference on Non-Violence: Keep Working to Build State The Media Line 21 Apr 2010 - Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Faya'd told a conference on non-violent resistance on Wednesday that progress is being made through a boycott of goods manufactured or grown in Israeli communities located on land acquired in the 1967...
'Israel won’t strike Iran without US' Jeruslalem Post 22 Apr 2010 - Biden stresses next step is UN sanctions, not preemptive attack.
Biden: Israel won't attack Iran before sanctions allowed to work Ha'aretz 22 Apr 2010 - U.S. Vice President: Everyone agrees on sanctions; Jim Jones: Mideast peace failures strengthen Iran.
Fayyad hopes to rid West Bank markets of 'settlement goods' The National 21 Apr 2010 - Salam Fayyad vows to step up peaceful resistance against Israeli occupation by boycotting settlement goods throughout the West Bank.
US signaling Israel to hold its fire Jeruslalem Post 21 Apr 2010 - Jerusalem still backs sanctions but skeptical of their effect.
Fayyad vows to step up 'peaceful resistance' against Israeli occupation Daily Star 21 Apr 2010 BILIN, Occupied West Bank: Palestinian Premier Salam Fayyad vowed on Wednesday to step up "peaceful resistance" against Israeli occupation by boycotting settlement goods throughout the West Bank. "There has been progress in the boycott of settlement products, which comes from the idea of popular peaceful resistance, and I hope we
Gil Scott-Heron: don't play apartheid Israel! Electronic Intifada: 21 Apr 2010 - The Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel is gravely disappointed by the announcement that well-known, progressive artist Gil Scott-Heron is due to perform in Israel on 25 May. We call upon Mr. Scott-Heron, a member of United Artists Against Apartheid in the 1980s and a featured singer on the breakthrough song "Don't Play Sun City," not to play apartheid Israel.
Global Peace and Justice Groups Threaten Israel’s Legitimacy Stephen Lendman, Dissident Voice 4/18/2010 Working pro bono for Israeli government agencies, the Tel Aviv-based Reut Institute (RI) provides “real-time strategic decision-making” support in areas of national security and socio-economic policy. Saying global peace and justice groups threaten Israel’s legitimacy, its recent series of articles, policy papers, and presentations counter-attacked a combination of damage control and rethink despite legitimate criticism showing Israel delegitimizes itself, and no amount of policy paper makeover will change it. Only Israel can do that, but in its 62 year existence never tried. In a January 28 brief, RI said Israel “face(s) a dramatic assault on the very legitimacy of its existence as a Jewish and democratic state. While the ideological framework for this delegitimacy was solidified after the first Durban” World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance, “the trend (got) a boost by the perceived lack of (political) progress, coupled with Operation Cast Lead in Gaza,” followed by the damning Goldstone Report. Groups “making the fundamental delegitimacy” claim want to internationally isolate Israel and ultimately turn it into a pariah state by: – demonizing it in public protests, the media, on campuses, and through events like the annual Israel Apartheid Week and World Social Forum, asking its affiliates to excommunicate Israel; – promoting the Global BDS Movement (boycott, divestment and sanctions) in areas of the economy, academia, culture, sport, and security; at risk is it achieving equivalency between Israel and apartheid-era South Africa, yet legitimate critics, including Jimmy Carter, accuse Israel of being worse than apartheid; and.... more.. e-mail
Holocaust Surviver Hedy Epstein’s Emotional Speech in Support of the Divestment at UC Berkeley [VIDEO] Uruknet April 16, 2010 - This is an emotional speech by Holocaust surviver Hedy Epstein speaking out in support of Divestment at the Universtity of California at Berkeley, California. How often do we have 12 hour teach-ins, with Holocaust survivors and Nakba survivors speaking out about war crimes in the presence of representatives from the Israeli consulate? How often do student...
Israel Sells More Drone Technology to UK The Media Line 14 Apr 2010 - Market is a one-way affair due to de facto weapons boycott While the UK may have drastically downsized its arms sales to Israel, this hasn't prevented Israeli firms from selling advanced weapons technology to Britain. Elbit,...
Suppressing book bolsters settlers | Seth Freedman The Guardian 14 Apr 2010 - The decision by an Israeli book chain to stop selling a pamphlet criticising settlers undermines the nation's democratic credentials Targeting Israeli businesses via the threat of boycotts is usually the preserve of radical forces from abroad,...
Sarkozy: Israel strike against Iran would be disastrous Ha'aretz 13 Apr 2010 - U.S. official: China agrees to support new Iran sanctions; Russia: Sanctions shouldn't harms Iranians.
Medvedev: Israeli strike on Iran could spark global catastrophe Ha'aretz 13 Apr 2010 - Russian president Medvedev says supports Iran sanctions that would not hurt the Iranian people.
Western sabotage undermines Tehran's nuclear drive - experts Daily Star 13 Apr 2010 PARIS: As pressure mounts for new sanctions against Iran, experts say its alleged nuclear weapons program is struggling to find scientists and technicians and faces sabotage by Western and Israeli agents.Despite already being the subject of economic sanctions and facing the threat of more concerted international action, the Islamic Republic
'Your conscience, your choice': PA urges the boycott of settler goods to undermine the Occupation Palestine Note 12 Apr 2010 - With unarmed protests ending in injury and rock-throwing at illegal Israeli details ending in detention and death , the West Bank Palestinian Authority is looking for a third way to break through the Israeli Occupation, New York...
Medvedev: Israeli strike on Iran could cause a global catastrophe Ha'aretz 12 Apr 2010 - Russian president Medvedev says supports Iran sanctions that would not hurt the Iranian people.
Divesting Is The Right Thing To Do Archbishop Desmond Tutu, CounterCurrents 4/12/2010 Dear Student Leaders at the University of California – Berkeley, It was with great joy that I learned of your recent 16-4 vote in support of divesting your university’s money from companies that enable and profit from the injustice of the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land and violation of Palestinian human rights. Principled stands like this, supported by a fast growing number of US civil society organizations and people of conscience, including prominent Jewish groups, are essential for a better world in the making, and it is always an inspiration when young people lead the way and speak truth to power. I am writing to tell you that, despite what detractors may allege, you are doing the right thing. You are doing the moral thing. You are doing that which is incumbent on you as humans who believe that all people have dignity and rights, and that all those being denied their dignity and rights deserve the solidarity of their fellow human beings. I have been to the Ocupied Palestinian Territory, and I have witnessed the racially segregated roads and housing that reminded me so much of the conditions we experienced in South Africa under the racist system of Apartheid. I have witnessed the humiliation of Palestinian men, women, and children made to wait hours at Israeli military checkpoints routinely when trying to make the most basic of trips to visit relatives or attend school or college, and this humiliation is familiar to me and the many black South Africans who were corralled and regularly insulted by the security forces of the Apartheid government. In South Africa, we could not have achieved our freedom and just peace without the help of people around the world, who through the use of non-violent means, such as boycotts and divestment, encouraged their governments and other corporate actors to reverse decades-long support for the Apartheid regime. Students played a leading role in that struggle, and I write this letter with a special indebtedness to your school, Berkeley, for its pioneering role in advocating equality in South Africa and promoting corporate ethical and social responsibility to end complicity in Apartheid.... more.. e-mail
Attack on Berkeley divestment bill dishonest and misleading Electronic Intifada: 12 Apr 2010 - A coalition of nearly 20 Jewish groups, ranging from the right-wing David Project and the Jewish National Fund to the liberal J Street, is distributing a misleading statement condemning a Student Senate bill calling for divestment from the Israeli occupation at the University of California, Berkeley. They refer to the bill as "dishonest" and "misleading" and "based on contested allegations." Yet it is their letter that is both dishonest and misleading. Sydney Levy and Yaman Salahi comment.
Israeli activists to J Street: ’stop trying to gain political capital at the expense of dedicated peace activists’ Mondoweiss - 12 Apr 2010 - The following form letter has been circulating on an Israeli activist listserv criticizing J Street's leadership for their stance on the Berkeley divestment bill : Letter from Israel to Jstreet: Please Do Not Call Me "anti-Israeli" ! Dear J Street folks I am an Israeli citizen, I support...
UK Trade Union Congress calls for settlement produce boycott Jeruslalem Post 12 Apr 2010 - 'Israel confiscates land and encourages conflict' labor union charges, joining with anti-Israel group.
Ambassador meets with Norwegian Palestine Committee 4/10/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - The Palestinian ambassador to Norway met with the country's Palestine committee during its 28th conference on Saturday, a statement read. Ambassador Yasser An-Najjar address the Norwegian Palestine Committee, calling for an end to Israeli confiscation of lands and the siege on Gaza, adding that the PLO and the Palestinian people will never give up their land and rights for an independent state. An-Najjar told conveners that the international community should assist in achieving a fully sovereign and independent Palestinian state. Committee head Lina Al-Khatib said the committee stands with the Palestinian people in their struggle against Israel's occupation, and is working to ensure a full boycott of Israeli goods in Norway. She added that the committee works to spread awareness in Norway on the Palestinian cause.
A ‘constellation of Jewish groups’ (J Street to David Project) seeks to block any accountability for cruel occupation Mondoweiss - 10 Apr 2010 - The battle is joined inside the Jewish community over boycott/divestment/sanctions, specifically the Berkeley student bill calling for divestment from two companies. Below Sydney Levy and Yaman Salahi, on behalf of Jewish Voice for Peace , ask, "Why are American Jewish groups so intent on defending illegal Israeli...
Detainee marks 25 years in prison, 14 without family visits 4/9/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - The Gaza City Prisoners Society said Ibrahim Baroud marked his 25th year in Israeli prison on Friday, the last 14 years of which his mother has been prevented from visiting. An expert in detainees affairs with the society, Abdel Nasser Farawneh, said Umm Ibrahim (mother of Ibrahim)was worried that she would die without seeing her son again. Ibrahim was detained when he was 22 years old on charges of posing a threat to the state of Israel - what Farawneh described as resisting the occupation - and was sentenced to 27 years in jail. On 1 April, Palestinians in Israeli prisons declared a strike in protest of cases like that of Ibrahim Baroud. Detainees say high-profile and factionally-aligned prisoners are often subjected to unfair treatment, particularly around family visits. Prisoners began the month-long strike, which includes a boycott of all family visits, with a day-long. . . .
Israeli film causes row between Egypt and France Palestine Note 8 Apr 2010 - Egyptian artists and intellectuals are boycotting a film festival organized by Cairo's French Center for Culture after it screened an Israeli film, "Almost Normal," Meedan reports. London Film Festival, 2009 The film festival, "Recontres de l'image,"...
Ahmadinejad: Sanctions won't deter us Jeruslalem Post 8 Apr 2010 - Iranian defense minister adds "Israel is no match for Iranian military."
Berkeley's Israel boycott: The occupation's new friend Ha'aretz 8 Apr 2010 - From the standpoint of the causes of peace and justice for Palestinians, the Berkeley bill is worse than useless.
Palestinian detainees begin second hunger strike 4/7/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - Between seven and ten thousand Palestinian prisoners in Israeli custody began a hunger strike on Wednesday, marking the second week of a boycott where prisoners refuse family visits over concerns of maltreatment. The Palestinian Prisoners' Society said that detainees in 10 central Israeli jails and three detention centers continue to take part in the strike action, notably including prisoners from all political factions. Prisoners announced in March that they would refuse family visits from 1 April until 30 April, in protest over the use of visits by prison officials to manipulate detainees. The first day of the strike was marked with a 24-hour hunger strike, which officials said would be repeated on Wednesday. The Palestinian Center for Prisoners' Studies said the Israeli Prison Service met with prisoner representatives across the jails and detention centers to listen to. . .
Christian leaders call for ’permits’ boycott 4/7/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Leaders of the Christian community in Palestine called on church officials to begin a boycott of the Israeli permission system, requiring leaders to request permits for their faithful to access the holy city of Jerusalem. Speaking on the radio Mawwal show Juthurna (Our Roots) on Tuesday, Fatah official of religious affairs Mike Salman said the entire Israeli system of forcing Palestinians to request permissions to access Palestinian territory illegally annexed by Israel is "an offense to human dignity." Under international law and conventions, he added, "Jerusalem is part of the 1967 lands and we Muslims and Christians should be able to reach it without permits," and called on Christians to support their church leaders in a campaign to halt the permit system."We should have one clear and consistent position about permits, for permits offend the dignity of humanity, we must not give in to the occupation's policy," Salman said.
Israeli guards threaten striking prisoners Uruknet April 6, 2010 - Israel's Ramon Prison service threatened to deprive striking Palestinian detainees of family visits in May if the current strike protesting the mistreatment of prisoners and visiting family members continues. Palestinian prisoners across 13 Israeli detention centers began a boycott of family visits on 1 April, and punctuated the start of the boycott with a day-long hunger...
'Iran sanctions delay will damage int'l bodies' credibility' Jeruslalem Post 7 Apr 2010 - Top State Department official praises Israel for being “extremely active” in internationalizing issue of Iranian nuclear threat so that it isn’t seen as merely US-Iranian animosity.
Bowing to pressure, Saudi cleric cancels planned Jerusalem visit Ha'aretz 7 Apr 2010 - Saudi Sheik Mohammed al-Areefi announced he would visit Jerusalem, despite Arab boycott of Israel.
Israeli guards threaten striking prisoners 4/6/2010 - Salfit - Ma'an - Israel's Ramon Prison service threatened to deprive striking Palestinian detainees of family visits in May if the current strike protesting the mistreatment of prisoners and visiting family members continues. Palestinian prisoners across 13 Israeli detention centers began a boycott of family visits on 1 April, and punctuated the start of the boycott with a day-long hunger strike. Prisoners say some are denied family visits, and at times family members at the prisons are mistreated, actions prisoners want to cease. A message from detainees in Ramon, delivered by a lawyer with the Palestinian Prisoners Society, said guards at the facility had told prisoners that if the boycott was not halted, privileges at the cantina - the prison shop where Palestinians must purchase items like soap and notebooks - will be revoked and family visits will be prohibited for the month of May.
Israel prevents prisoners from their visits 6 Apr 2010 - Ramallah, April 6, (Pal Telegraph) The department of Ramon prison informed the prisoners today that they will by depriving them from visits in the up-coming May, and would deprive them of canteen too if they continue to boycott family visits this month, and the strike that was decided by the Prisoners Movement, in protest against the practice of the prison’s...
Gaza students to Margaret Atwood: reject Tel Aviv U. prize Electronic Intifada: 6 Apr 2010 - Students in the Gaza Strip urge Canadian author Margaret Atwood to support the Palestinian campaign for the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement and reject a prize at Tel Aviv University that would be an "inadvertent nod to Israel's policy of ethnic cleansing and genocide" and help cover up the university's role in Israel's crimes against the Palestinian people.
International ISM groups show solidarity with Palestine and reveal Zionist practices abroad 4/5/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - ISM groups from around the world are taking the anti-apartheid and anti-occupation campaigns, plus a bit of Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) revolution out of Palestine and into the streets of their home countries. Here is a summary of some of the action from the past week. ISM London took the opportunity to tell Jerusalem mayor Nir Barkat how the world feels about the recently announced plan to build 1600 new homes in occupied East Jerusalem and to draw connections between the Israeli state and the apartheid South African regime. At the March 22, 2010 demonstration held outside of London's Chatham House, over 100 activists made it clear that Israeli's ethnic cleansing policy and anyone who represents it, is not welcome in London!. . . .
Israel: total boycott against total occupation Uruknet April 4, 2010 - ...The point being missed by many calling for a selective boycott is that the decisions being made inside Israel, inside the occupied Palestinian territories and throughout historic Palestine, are made by the Zionist leadership (and its collaborators), whose aim is the total annexation, occupation and ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian territories, not just post-UN resolution 181,...
The limits of Israeli infiltration Galal Nassar, Al-Ahram Weekly 4/1/2010 Differences between the West and Israel form at least a narrow corridor for the Arabs to exploit. That Israel’s relations with the West have entered a completely new phase is easy to spot. Britain, author of the Balfour Declaration, has expelled an Israeli diplomat over the use of forged British passports in the assassination of Palestinian leader Mahmoud Al-Mabhouh in Dubai several weeks ago. Tensions between London and Tel Aviv have rarely been allowed to spill into the open. Yet in the course of this unprecedented diplomatic flare-up an Israeli Knesset member referred to the British as "dogs or even worse, since at least dogs are loyal". France, also angered by Israel’s use of forged French passports, has taken the matter to court. But even aside from the barely suppressed French and British fury over the Al-Mabhouh incident, European-Israeli relations have begun to worsen. Evidence to this effect can be seen in the increasingly frequent visits by European officials and politicians to Gaza in order to plead for the lifting of the Israeli blockade and in the suits being brought against alleged Israeli war criminals in European courts. Mounting European intolerance of Israeli injustices against the Palestinians has also been expressed in resolutions against the apartheid wall and in the European Court of Justice ruling that products originating from Israeli settlements are not entitled to the same preferential treatment accorded to Israeli products under the European Community-Israeli Association Agreement. Europe’s academic community has attempted to boycott Israel universities based in the occupied territories. However, perhaps the sharpest European slap was the European Parliament’s recent endorsement of the Goldstone Report, accusing Israel of war crimes in Gaza. Even US-Israeli relations, which have long been much closer and more critical to Israel’s political, military and economic strength, have begun to show signs of strain..... more.. e-mail
Iran intends to build more uranium enrichment plants Ha'aretz 4 Apr 2010 - Ahmadinejad: Sanctions strenghten our resolve; Iranian leader also warns Israel over Gaza attacks.
Despite Obama's sanctions, Ahmadinejad can keep smiling Ha'aretz 2 Apr 2010 - Without U.S. permission to attack Iran, Israel will also have to get used to the notion of a nuclear Iran.
Israeli mobile companies banned from PA cities 4/2/2010 - Hebron - Ma'an - As part of the Palestinian Authority government's plan to boycott Israeli settlement goods, the Ministry of Telecommunications issued a ban on the sale of SIM cards and phone credit for Israeli mobile companies, officials announced Thursday. Undersecretary of the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology Suleiman Az-Zuhary told Ma'an radio's On The Table broadcast that Israeli mobile phone services are provided in the West Bank via towers in settlements, on occupied Palestinian land, and should thus be subject to the boycott of settlement goods. The Israeli mobile companies, which work in most of the West Bank, northern Gaza and all of the Palestinian villages in Israel, receive at least 120 million US dollars a year in Palestinian customer payments, Az-Zuhary told radio hosts. Palestinian mobile providers Jawwal and Wataniya, Az-Zuhary said, are prohibited. . .
IDF trying to boost China ties ahead of Iran sanctions vote Ha'aretz 1 Apr 2010 - IDF to present the Chinese with Israel's view on Iran's drive toward nuclear military capability.
Another European Fund Divests from Israel The Media Line 31 Mar 2010 - Swedish pension giant bans investment in Israeli defense company. Sweden's largest pension funds have elected to remove Israeli defense electronics company Elbit Systems from its investment portfolios over its involvement in the construction and operation of...
Health workers and advocates support call for U of Arizona to divest Electronic Intifada: 31 Mar 2010 - A joint group of more than 50 Jewish, Christian, Muslim and agnostic medical and health advocates of the Tucson and surrounding region, following student initiative, are calling on the University of Arizona to divest from corporations benefiting from the global health and humanitarian crisis in Palestine caused by Israel's military occupation, supported by the United States.
Swedish Retirement Fund Boycotts Elbit Israeli Military Systems Company IMEMC - Tuesday March 30, 2010 - 11:27, The Israeli Army electronics company “Elbit systems” has been barred by the Första AP-Fonden pension fund, the biggest pensions fund in Sweden. The pensions fund decided to boycott Elbit on Ethical grounds.
Restaurant bars Israeli soldier in Haifa 3/30/2010 - Jonathan Cook - Ma'an - Haifa - A Palestinian-owned restaurant in the Israeli city of Haifa has was caught in a whirlwind of legal action and threats of violence after staff refused to serve a soldier in uniform, an incident that rapidly smudged the city's reputation as a model of good Jewish-Palestinian relations. The soldier, Raviv Roth, launched a damages claim for 16,000 US dolalrs over his treatment at Azad, a restaurant located in a bohemian neighborhood of the northern port city. Roth's lawyer alleged that the restaurant broke anti-discrimination laws and humiliated the soldier, while Azad's owner says he only wanted to ensure a relaxed and non-partisan atmosphere for all his customers. Since the incident occurred lin late February, soldiers and right-wing students staged a large demonstration outside Azad demanding a boycott of the restaurant, and Azad's staff have received dozens of calls threatening to kill them or burn the premises down.
PLO: Israel won’t force our hand 3/30/2010 - Ramallah - Ma'an - A PLO official told families of slain Palestinians that the leadership would continue to seek international suits and sanctions for Israel, and maintain its stance on negotiations. Speaking on behalf of President Mahmoud Abbas, Tayseer Khalid of the PLO Executive Committee addressed the National Coalition of Families of Martyrs at the Red Crescent Headquarters in Al-Bireh on Tuesday."Israel's policy will not force us back to negotiations" Khalid said, calling Israel rhetoric a "futile" attempt to force the Palestinian hand. Palestinians will not negotiate as long as settlements are being constructed, he reiterated. Addressing Israel, he said, "Your state is being isolated internationally, and we will intensify our efforts not only seeking more isolation, but seeking legal procedures against your leaders in international circles on charges of war crimes against the Palestinian people.
Obama hopes for new Iran sanctions 'this spring' YNet News 30 Mar 2010 - During White House press conference, French leader says Israeli construction in east Jerusalem 'contributes nothing'. Obama tells reporters he would like to see new UN sanctions imposed on Iran 'in weeks'
Netanyahu falters under direct US questions 3/25/2010 - Nasser Lahham - According to the Israeli press, US President Barack Obama has posed two questions to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which made the leader stammer, lose his balance and schedule his flight home to Tel Aviv. The first question, it seems,was "to what extent are you ready to divide Jerusalem? " , and the second,"in what timeframe do you want to accomplish the process of reconciliation with the Palestinians? "The press had no answers from the Israeli leader, who returned to the Israeli Embassy in Washington, DC for consultations with seven advisers. For Netanyahu, they are two tricky questions to answer. If he tells Obama he is unwilling to divide Jerusalem and unable to reconcile with Palestinians, he would expose Israel to a series of unprecedented international sanctions from the Quartet and the international community.
PACBI: West-Eastern Divan Orchestra violates boycott Electronic Intifada: 24 Mar 2010 - A recent article criticizing the Palestinian Campaign For the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel's (PACBI) position on the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra (WEDO) is based on false premises, misunderstanding and/or misrepresentation of the PACBI boycott criteria, and a misconception of the recent history of civil resistance in Palestine. Since the article insinuates that PACBI's position on WEDO is inconsistent with its own principles, the record needs to be set straight.
Israelis are behaving like spoiled rich brats Udi Aloni, International Solidarity Movement 3/22/2010 Haaretz, 21 March - The terrifying specter of non-violent resistance to the occupation and the apartheid regime is hovering over the State of Israel, and all the state’s dignitaries have been recruited to battle it. This non-violent resistance operates both in areas under Israel’s reign of control, in the form of a popular struggle on both sides of the green line, and across the globe, through the Israeli and international affirmative response to the Palestinian call for boycotts, divestment and sanctions on Israel, until it ends the occupation and grants full equality to people from both nations living under its rule. As an act of solidarity with the subjugated Palestinian people, a group of Jewish Israelis has decided to join those Palestinians who have chosen the non-violent struggle for civic and national justice. This act has given politically conscientious Jewish Israelis a golden opportunity to join a campaign against their own government without forsaking their own people. Indeed, this act leads the way towards a broader joint struggle with the oppressed people, through a rebuilding of our fundamental human values, enabling us to do away with the friend/foe dichotomy, which lies at the root of Israeli racism and anxiety. One should hope that this non-violent resistance, led by a popular Palestinian leadership, will evolve into a binational Palestinian-Jewish front for an equitable and egalitarian political solution. Right-wing groups and government organs have joined forces with all their might at the face of this new adversary who has risen up to challenge the decades-long racist theft of land from one ethnic group and its transfer into the hands of another. This is not surprising. -- See also: Source more.. e-mail
Berkeley student senate passes divestment bill 3/20/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - For the first time in the University of California history, the UC Berkeley student senate has approved a bill to divest from two US companies in response to the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories and its siege and bombardment of the Gaza Strip. The Senate bill directs both the UC Regents and the Student Government to divest from General Electric and United Technologies. General Electric manufactures Apache helicopter engines; United Technologies manufactures Sikorsky helicopters and F16 aircraft engines. In addition, the bill creates a task force to look into furthering a socially responsible investment policy for the UC system. Student Senator Rahul Patel supported the bill, declaring that "in the 1980s the Student Government was a central actor in demanding that the university divest from South African apartheid. "
Berkeley Slammed for ’Bigoted, Illegal’ Vote on Divestment 3/19/2010 - Arutz Sheva - (IsraelNN. com) Student politicians from the University of California at Berkeley voted Thursday to divest from Israel. The Student Senate voted 16-4 to call on the university to divest its funds from General Electric and from United Technologies, because both companies produce weapons purchased by the Israeli army. The bill calling for divestment was co-sponsored by students Emiliano Huet-Vaughn and Tom Pessah, the latter an anti-Zionist Israeli citizen. The bill noted the “complexity” of the Israel-Arab conflict, but went on to accuse Israel of violating international law with a “prolonged siege” on Gaza and “attacks on Palestinian and Lebanese civilians,” accusations based on statements from radical left NGO's critical of Israel such as Physicians for Human Rights and Human Rights Watch. The vote was met with glee from anti-Israel activists.
UC Berkeley student senate votes in favor of divestment Electronic Intifada: 19 Mar 2010 - Early yesterday morning, the University of California Berkeley Student Senate (ASUC) passed a bill to divest from companies that provide military support for the Israeli occupation of Palestine. Debate began the night before at 9:00pm and ended and six hours later when the vote was held at 3:00am.
UC Berkeley student senate passes divestment resolution 3/18/2010 - Kabobfest - For the first time in the University of California history, the UC Berkeley Student Senate has approved a bill to divest from two US companies in response to the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories and to Israel’s siege and bombardment of the Gaza Strip. The Senate bill directs both the UC Regents and the Student Government to divest from General Electric and United Technologies. General Electric manufactures Apache helicopter engines; United Technologies manufactures Sikorsky helicopters and F-16 aircraft engines. In addition, the bill creates a task force to look into furthering a socially responsible investment policy for the UC system. Student Senator Rahul Patel supported the bill, declaring that “in the 1980s the Student Government was a central actor in demanding that the university divest from South African apartheid. Related: Text of the UC Berkeley Divestment Bill (PDF)
Dearborn student government pushes ’U’ to divest funds from Israel 3/11/2010 - Michigan Daily - . . . . The student government at the University’s Dearborn campus unanimously passed a resolution last month, asking the University’s Board of Regents to form an advisory committee to investigate what they view as unethical investments of endowment funds into companies that support Israel. But according to University officials and students involved in the issue here in Ann Arbor, it doesn’t seem likely that a similar resolution will be passed in the Michigan Student Assembly any time soon. Currently, the University invests some of its $6 billion dollar endowment in companies like Boeing, Northrup-Grumman and BAE — corporations which reportedly provide Israel with support in the form of military weapons and machinery. Hussein Berry, the author of the resolution in Dearborn, said these kinds of University financial investments are unethical and take advantage of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The time is not right for a new intifada Nasser Lahham, Ma’an News Agency 3/16/2010 Bethlehem - Ma’an - It has become obvious that Israeli assaults against the Palestinian people, their holy places, and freedoms have become intolerable. It is also clear that no tranquilizers can prevent a new intifada against settlers in the West Bank and the occupied capital of Palestine, East Jerusalem. Those who fail to understand the might of logic will understand the logic of might. Nevertheless, before taking an official decision to launch a new intifada, Palestinian civil society and popular leaders should deeply consider internal and external factors in order to avoid improvisation and chaos. An important factor to be taken into account is the atmosphere at an international, Islamic, Arab, Palestinian, and Israeli level. Internationally, all countries in the world agree that the establishment of a Palestinian state on the territories occupied in 1967 has become a necessity. Thus, they support the Palestinian Authority financially, logistically, and politically in establishing a state, and under these conditions it is more a US interest than a Palestinian, Arab, and Islamic one. In this regard, it should be pointed out that the only obstacle impeding this achievement is the right-wing Israeli government led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. At an Islamic level, there are two aspect to be considered: Iranian nuclear armament, and the alternative peace plan suggested by Shimon Peres, who proposed normalization with 58 Muslim countries. The two aspects may be implemented simultaneously. At an Arab level, the coming Arab League summit should not be counted on to end Hamas-Fatah rivalry or to wage war against Israel. Yet, an Arab vision should be declared, even if it is simply boasting, and this vision should publicly call for toppling Netanyahu’s government and divestment from Israel. If the Arabs succeed in making this declaration, we will be grateful and thankful. more.. e-mail
Barenboim-Said Foundation does not promote normalization Electronic Intifada: 17 Mar 2010 - On 28 January 2010 the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI) issued a statement to the Qatari government calling for a boycott of Daniel Barenboim and the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra (WEDO) and condemning the Qatari Ministry of Culture for hosting the orchestra in Doha. The statement goes so far as to accuse Daniel Barenboim of being an ardent Zionist. Mariam Said comments for The Electronic Intifada.
Boycott or censorship? Electronic Intifada: 15 Mar 2010 - Critics of the movement for the academic and cultural boycott of Israel -- including Israeli concert producer Shuki Weiss -- have claimed that calling on artists to cancel performances in Israel is a form of censorship. Is the cultural boycott a form of censorship or McCarthyism? Sami Hermez comments for The Electronic Intifada.
Pro-Palestinian groups urge H&M boycott after Israel branch opens Ha'aretz 14 Mar 2010 - Pro-Palestinian group: H&M invests in Israel while UN Goldstone commission reports about Israel's crimes.
Israel’s Lobby Imposes Crippling Sanctions on America — Again Grant Smith, Antiwar.com 3/12/2010 The Israel lobby’s campaign against US and international corporations doing business with Iran is gearing up this week. The tip of the spear is the American Israel Public Affairs Committee sponsored expansion of the Iran Sanctions Act of 1996. If signed into law by president Obama, the legislation would institute onerous new monitoring to ensure exports never enter Iran, along with mandatory divestment from and penalties for any corporations discovered doing business in Iran. A new type of "office of special plans" at the Treasury Department that AIPAC and its think tank lobbied to create by executive order in 2004 is also on the warpath. Stuart Levey, the head of the office of "Terrorism and Financial Intelligence" is traveling to Switzerland, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Oman "pointing out that they face dramatic risks by doing business with Iran." Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon finished a long set of meetings urging the US National Security Council to impose harsh sanctions on Iran. The New York Times started the week with a list of corporations doing business in Iran and their US government procurement revenues. Most companies on this list long ago appeared on hit lists compiled by AIPAC for quiet divestment campaigns in state legislatures across the country. The New York Times ominously highlights in red any company that may be a "possible violator of the Iran Sanctions Act." National Public Radio’s Scott Simon, after reading it, was apoplectic. He fretted aloud on the air whether US companies and subsidiaries on the target list were "betraying their country’s national security interests." What should Americans make of this drive to label all companies doing business with Iran unpatriotic smugglers? First, they should consider the source of the multi-tiered Iran sanctions drive. Then, they should start getting angry. more.. e-mail
Lula Says Leaders Afraid Israel May Attack Iran If Talks Fail 3/12/2010 - Business Week - March 12 (Bloomberg) -- Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said world leaders are afraid that Israel may attack Iran if a diplomatic solution over the country’s nuclear program is not reached “quickly. ”Lula, who makes his first trip to Israel next week, said in an interview with Israeli newspaper Haaretz that countries involved in Middle East peace talks have “grown tired” of the process. Bringing new mediators such as Brazil to the table is the only way to advance, according to a transcript of the interview released by the Presidency. “The leaders I spoke to believe that we must act quickly, otherwise Israel will attack Iran,” Lula said, adding that sanctions against Iran could be counterproductive. “We can’t allow happen in Iran what happened in Iraq. Before any sanctions, we must undertake all possible efforts to try and build peace in the Middle East.
Pressure mounts on Swedish clothing chain that finds Israel vogue Mondoweiss - 12 Mar 2010 - The boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) movement is turning up the heat on Swedish clothing store H&M. A new H&M store opened in Tel Aviv March 11 to hundreds of Israeli shoppers, Haaretz reported. H&M plans to open seven stores in total in Israel, with the...
Leaked Zionist strategy Paper to counter BDS – MUST READ! Uruknet March 11, 2010 - Here is a leaked copy of the Zionist plan to attack the Boycott and Divestment Campaign Against Israel's Occupation and to strategy to shut down the debate on the Palestinian issue and to shift it discussion of anti-Semitism and not Israel's illegal Occuption and illegal settlements and human rights violations. (thanks to the various people who...
Pro-Palestinian urge boycott of Europe's H&M after Israel branch opens Ha'aretz 11 Mar 2010 - Pro-Palestinian group: H&M invests in Israel while UN Goldstone commission reports about Israel's crimes.
Pro-Palestinian urge boycott of Europe's H&M after Israel branch opens Ha'aretz 11 Mar 2010 - More than 24 European and Middle Eastern pro-Palestinian organizations on Thursday condemned the opening of H&M's flagship store in Israel and called to boycott the clothing chain's stores in Europe in response. ...
Campaign planned against Israel boycott Jeruslalem Post 10 Mar 2010 - Group working on actionable recommendations for Jewish groups and Israeli gov't.
IBA program schedules return to normal as sanctions lifted Jeruslalem Post 10 Mar 2010 - During the sanctions, news and talk-show anchors from Israel Radio and Channel One could not take telephone calls on air.
BDS is tied to… 9/11! Mondoweiss - 10 Mar 2010 - People are talking excitedly about a big new paper on the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions campaign, coming out of the "Global Forum on Anti-Semitism," a conference organized by the Israeli government . The paper is evidently authored by Israel lobbyists Mitchell Bard and Gil Troy, here it...
Montreal: 500 Artists Against Israeli Apartheid 3/9/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - Tadamon! - February 25 - A call from Montreal artists to support the international campaign for Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions against Israeli apartheid. Today, a broad spectrum of Montreal artists are standing in solidarity with the Palestinian struggle for freedom and supporting the growing international campaign for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) against the Israeli state. Last winter, the Israeli state launched a violent military assault on the Palestinian people of the Gaza Strip, leaving over 1400 Palestinians dead, including over 300 children. Despite the official end of military operations, the blockade continues to this day, with devastating consequences for Gaza's residents. Over 60 years from the beginning of the ongoing Palestinian Nakba (catastrophe) in 1948, in which hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were forced from historic Palestine through. . .
Defiant Tehran gets backing over sanctions Daily Star 9 Mar 2010 DOHA: Iran said on Tuesday it can deter attacks over its nuclear drive, as China and Turkey raised doubts about sanctions and the United States reassured Israel of its will to stop Tehran getting atomic arms.Iranian Interior Minister Mostafa Mohammad Najjar made the defiant statement after signing a security agreement in Doha with Qatar
Full-Circle of The Waiting Game: Total Boycott Against Total Occupation Uruknet March 8, 2010 - Reading Rifat Kassis's Opinion: Moment of truth (e.i. 4 March 2010) we are inspired now to put a halt to the arguments that call for a selective boycott of Israel, and to those voices which warn us Palestinians (and many internationalists, for that matter) who criticise Israel for fear of being labelled 'anti-semites' (although we are...
Biden Visits Mideast to Push Peace Talks New York Times 8 Mar 2010 - The vice president will also try to keep Israel focused on relying on sanctions against Iran’s nuclear program rather than on unilateral military action.
Why some favor cultural boycott Mondoweiss - 8 Mar 2010 - From JTA’s report on the movie "Ajami" not winning the Oscar last night: Just hours before the Oscars ceremony, [co-director Scandar] Copti [a Christian Palestinian] said he was not representing Israel. “I am not the Israeli national team and I do not represent Israel,” Copti said...
Israel Penalizing Nakba Commemoration: One More Step Down the Path of Apartheid Uruknet March 6, 2010 - The Israeli parliamentary Law Committee has recently approved a law proposal the ("Nakba bill") that, if passed by the Knesset, would impose economic sanctions on the organizers of Nakba commemorations. Every year in May, Palestinians and supporters of their right of return commemorate the Nakba of 1948, which marks the single most traumatic and far-reaching event...
Jewish Polling: American Support of Israel at Near-Record High WAFA 7 Mar 2010 - HOUSTON,TEXAS , March 7, 2010 (WAFA)- At a time when propaganda campaigns to boycott Israel , divestment and sanctions against Israel, reliable polling data suggests that nearly two-thirds of
Boycot H&M! European groups protest H&M’s plan to open seven stores in Israel 3/7/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - Boycot Divestment Sanctions: H&M Campaign - On the 11th of March the Swedish clothes and fashion store H&M is opening its first out of seven planned stores in Israel. The familiar red H&M sign will be visible in the Azriel Mall in Tel Aviv and, a few days later, in the Malcha shopping centre in Jerusalem, a city gradually cleansed of its Palestinian population to be replaced by Jewish-Israeli settlements. H&M is thus investing in Israel at the same time as the UN Goldstone commission and international organizations that H&M is cooperating with, such as UNICEF and the UN, report about Israel's crimes against international law and human rights. About a year ago several Swedish organizations gave attention to H&M's plans to establish in Israel and demanded an announcement from H&M. The management denounced the rumors but refused to give a written statement. Today the establishment has been made public.
The David Project swarms an apartheid-week event, and pathos prevails over logos Mondoweiss - 6 Mar 2010 - I was at the Apartheid Week event Thursday night at NYU, "The Indigenous Struggle: A Call for the Boycott of Israel." The talk was a BDS call against Israel by groups of Native Americans, South Africans, and Palestinians. The speakers were Nada Khader, the director of...
Bethlehem University marks Israeli Apartheid Week 3/5/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Students at Bethlehem University on Thursday initiated a campaign to ban Israeli goods from the campus in an event marking Israeli Apartheid week. The students identified Israeli products used in cafeteria food, office and cleaning supplies and are requesting that the university administration "clear the campus of of all items produced by the racist apartheid state. " Students who signed the petition received a sticker, "Let us resist Israeli apartheid: Boycotts, Divestment and Sanctions," in an effort to raise awareness of the campaign, organizers said. The action is part of a week of activities organized by students a the university and local Bethlehem NGOs. The events kicked off with a presentation from the Handala Center in the Al-Azzeh refugee camp, which launched its own campaign to rid the camp of Israeli products.
Italian Professors Denounce Complicity of Israeli Academic Institutions in the Occupation Alternative Information Center - Thursday, 04 March 2010, A group of Italian professors recently published a letter denouncing “university and cultural discrimination of Palestinians.” The document—called “Right to study and academic freedom in Palestine”—expressly quotes the AIC bulletin Academic Boycott...
Memo From Jerusalem: Hoping Sanctions Work but Readying Gas Masks New York Times 5 Mar 2010 - Amid complex questions about how effective a strike against Iran would be, Israel and the U.S. share an interest in pushing for tough sanctions.
Israel Penalizing Nakba Commemoration Alternative Information Center - 5 Mar 2010 - Thursday, 04 March 2010, The Israeli Parliamentary Law Committee has recently approved a law proposal the (“Nakba bill”) that, if passed by the Knesset, would impose economic sanctions on the organizers of Nakba commemorations. Every year in May, Palestinians and supporters of their right of return...
Rights group: Israel penalizing Nakba commemoration 3/4/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - An Israeli parliamentary law committee has approved a proposal for a bill that would impose economic sanctions on organizers of Nakba commemorations. The term, meaning catastrophe in Arabic, describes the displacement of some 750,000 Palestinians who fled or were expelled by Zionist militias during the founding years of the State of Israel. Nakba commemorations are important events in Israel, where some 335,000 Palestinian citizens continue to be denied their right to return to their original homes, lands and communities, or receive compensation for their losses, and are forced to live as internally displaced persons within their own country. " Palestinian citizens of Israel have experienced the Nakba not only in 1948 but every day since then," the human rights group Badil said in a statement on Wednesday.
Moment of truth: time to boycott Israel's entire range of injustice Uruknet March 4, 2010 - Words always matter, and names always have a life of their own. But perhaps Palestine and Israel form a context in which words become positions more dramatically than in many others. The authors of the "Moment of Truth" Kairos document, which is the Christian Palestinians' statement to the world about the occupation of Palestine and a...
Maariv: Israel wants US to apply ‘Cuban model’ to Iran Palestine Note 4 Mar 2010 - The goal: Adopting the Cuban model Eli Bardenstein, Maariv, March 4 2010 [page 6 | Hebrew original here ] Israel is concerned that the UN Security Council decision on intensifying sanctions against Iran will be postponed, and the...
Israel Penalizing Nakba Commemoration Alternative Information Center - Thursday, 04 March 2010, The Israeli Parliamentary Law Committee has recently approved a law proposal the (“Nakba bill”) that, if passed by the Knesset, would impose economic sanctions on the organizers of Nakba commemorations. Every year...
Italian Professors Call for Academic Boycott of Israel Alternative Information Center - Thursday, 04 March 2010, A group of Italian professors recently published a letter calling for the academic boycott of Israel “against university and cultural discrimination of Palestinians.” The document—called “Right to study and academic freedom in...
Moment of truth: time to boycott Israel's entire range of injustice Electronic Intifada: 4 Mar 2010 - Words always matter, and names always have a life of their own. But perhaps Palestine and Israel form a context in which words become positions more dramatically than in many others. The authors of the "Moment of Truth" Kairos document, which is the Christian Palestinians' statement to the world about the occupation of Palestine and a call for support in opposing it, have repeatedly been asked about the use of the word "boycott." What exactly does this mean? How far exactly does it go? And what exactly does it call for? Rifat Kassis comments for The Electronic Intifada.
Opposing Israel Lobby is Not Same as Supporting Palestinian Rights Palestine Chronicle: 4 Mar 2010 - By David Green Of the several Jewish-oriented pro-Palestinian websites and blogs to achieve some notoriety over the past several years, that of journalist Philip Weiss seems to have found a secure niche and a loyal following. I commend Weiss for providing a news service that covers the suffering and heroism of the Palestinians, and a forum for many serious voices and views. Nevertheless, I find profoundly disturbing the conventional and often condescending perspectives that seem to dominate this blog: The Lobby, according to Mearsheimer/Walt and Jeffrey Blankfort; the “dual loyalty” of prominent Jewish-American supporters of Israel, according to Weiss; and one-state and boycott, divestment, sanctions as strategy and tactics for the Palestinian rights movement. This analysis marginalizes leftist principles and, more important, pragmatic political action. I’m not referring to leftist doctrine, but rather a cogent leftist analysis that is dismissed by those who profess to a doctrinaire “realism.” A political...more
Biden to speak directly to Israelis from Tel Aviv 3/2/2010 - Ha'aretz - U. S. Vice President Joe Biden will address the Israeli public directly next week during a speech he is scheduled to deliver at Tel Aviv University, focusing on American commitment to Israel's security, Iran's nuclear program and the peace process. Senator John Kerry, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said Monday in Jerusalem that Biden is seeking to ensure that Israel and the United States are in alignment on the issue of preventing the Iranian nuclear threat. Kerry, who is privy to the details of efforts to impose sanctions on Iran, hinted Monday at a press conference in Jerusalem after a meeting with the prime minister that Biden's visit to Israel, and that of other senior administration officials, including the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Michael Mullen, aims at restraining Israel against the possibility of unilaterally attacking Iran.
Israeli Daily: Mission to Gain Chinese Support for Iranian Sanctions The Media Line 28 Feb 2010 - [Analysis] That two top level Israeli leaders went to China on a diplomatic mission – and that one is Strategic Affairs Minister Moshe Ya'alon is not unusual. What marks last week's official visit as being out-of-the-ordinary...
Kerry backs 'biting' sanctions on Iran Jeruslalem Post 1 Mar 2010 - US senator meets PM, says US, Israel "talking from the same page" on Iran.
Israeli rights group to Pixies: Don?t perform in Israel Ha'aretz 1 Mar 2010 - Boycott! urges academics, artists to shun Israeli institutions to protest government's West Bank policies.
Russia: We will consider 'smart' Iran sanctions Ha'aretz 1 Mar 2010 - Iran FM says Israel unlikely to strike it's nuclear sites since it was weak, but might do 'something crazy.'
Land Day to be marked with Global BDS Day of Action Electronic Intifada: 1 Mar 2010 - The BDS National Committee (BNC) is calling on you to unite in your different capacities and struggles for a Global BDS Day of Action on 30 March 2010 in solidarity with the Palestinian people and for boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) against Israel. The BNC calls on people of conscience and their organizations around the globe to mobilize in creative, concrete and visible BDS actions to make this day a historic step in the movement against Israel's apartheid, colonialism and occupation, for accountability of the oppressor and for the fulfillment of the rights and dignity of the Palestinian people.
Boycott committee rejects French PM's smearing of movement Electronic Intifada: 1 Mar 2010 - The Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions National Committee is deeply disturbed by the inaccurate and inflammatory insinuations made by French Prime Minister Francois Fillon during his speech at the annual dinner of the Representative Council of French Jewish Institutions, 3 February 2010. Fillon's remarks came in the context of expressing commitment to fighting anti-Semitism, implying that the boycott against Israeli products may somehow be anti-Semitic.
Building international solidarity during Israeli Apartheid Week Electronic Intifada: 1 Mar 2010 - Six years since its launch at the University of Toronto, Israeli Apartheid Week is taking place in more than 40 cities in five continents, and is a key event in the yearly calendar of the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement, launched by more than 170 Palestinian civil society organizations on 9 July 2005. Outside its North American and European centers, IAW is also taking place in South Africa, Palestine, Lebanon and Australia. Ilaria Giglioli comments for The Electronic Intifada.
‘Israeli Apartheid Week’ arrives, and so do attacks Mondoweiss - 1 Mar 2010 - The sixth annual “Israeli Apartheid Week” kicked off today, starting what will be two global weeks of action across the world meant to highlight Israel’s apartheid system and to build the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement. The global event has come under attack, of course, with...
End of the J street "Boycott" story Palestine Note 28 Feb 2010 - There is some good news under the sun (well, not exactly the sun on this wintry Friday). The Israeli government has made clear that the boycott of J Street is over. Actually, the Israeli government itself...
MIDEAST: How to Check Both Iran and Israel IPS TEL AVIV, Feb 27 (IPS) - The U.S. is raising the stakes in its bid to halt Iran's nuclear programme, putting the issue on a "pressure track", says top U.S. general David Petraeus. The U.S. and other world powers are drumming up support for a fourth round of UN sanctions...
China 'giving serious consideration' to Israel's request for Iran sanctions Ha'aretz 28 Feb 2010 - Israeli delegation to China aimed to present the Chinese evidence that Iran was developing nuclear arms.
'Iran not just a challenge for Israel' Jeruslalem Post 26 Feb 2010 - In Washington, Barak calls for "significant sanctions" with time limits.
Five hundred Montreal artists speak out against Israeli apartheid Electronic Intifada: 26 Feb 2010 - A broad spectrum of Montreal artists are standing in solidarity with the Palestinian struggle for freedom and supporting the growing international campaign for boycott, divestment and sanctions against the Israeli state.
So far, PM alone in calling for Iran sanctions Jeruslalem Post 25 Feb 2010 - After China, Israeli delegation scheduled to visit Africa to lobby for sanctions.
Palestinian Authority steps up boycott of goods made in Israeli settlements in West Bank Relief Web 25 Feb 2010 - Source: Christian Science Monitor
Barak to Gates: Impose tough Iran sanctions YNet News 25 Feb 2010 - Tough Israeli stance: Defense Minister Barak tells US counterpart Iran is not only Israel's problem, calls for harsh sanctions to be imposed; earlier Thursday, US says it will not be seeking crippling sanctions against Tehran
People Are Talking About BDS Mondoweiss - 25 Feb 2010 - The following post first appeared on the new website Israel: The Only Democracy in the Middle East? People are talking about Boycott Divestment and Sanctions (BDS). People should be talking about BDS. If you’re not talking about BDS in the context of Israel/Palestine, you should be...
Geographers and academics protest union's Tel Aviv conference Electronic Intifada: 25 Feb 2010 - As geographers, faculty, students and people of conscience, we are profoundly dismayed by the International Geographical Union's decision to hold its July 2010 regional conference in Tel Aviv, in violation of the widely endorsed Palestinian civil society call for Boycott, Divestments, and Sanctions against Israel.
Where’s BDS? Israeli firms to secure World Cup Mondoweiss - 25 Feb 2010 - For readers active in the BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) Movement , here is an obvious target that has been overlooked. According to today’s Jerusalem Post , "Over 30 Israeli companies are set to help South Africa secure this summer’s Soccer World Cup, via hi-tech security products ranging...
Israeli diplomats ordered to cut ties with PMO, Defense Ministry Ha'aretz 23 Feb 2010 - Foreign Ministry workers' committee adopts strict labor sanctions in salary dispute with Finance Ministry.
Israeli diplomats ordered to cut ties with PMO, Defense Ministry Ha'aretz 23 Feb 2010 - The Foreign Ministry's worker committee announced on Tuesday that it would adopt an unprecedented series of labor sanctions, due to an ongoing dispute with the government. ...
Israel, US tighten relations as part of Iran sanctions effort YNet News 23 Feb 2010 - Defense minister to meet US administration officials for talks that will focus on efforts to intensify punitive measures against Islamic Republic. Jerusalem to renew strategic dialogue with Washington, led by Deputy Foreign Minister Daniel Ayalon
Behind Brand Israel: Israel's recent propaganda efforts Electronic Intifada: 23 Feb 2010 - "The Delegitimization Challenge" report from the influential Israeli think tank the Reut Institute has put the spotlight on efforts by Israel and the Zionist lobby to counter the growing movement for justice in Palestine, and specifically, the boycott, divestment and sanctions campaign. The work done by Reut has rightly attracted attention, but it is only one (particularly prominent) example of a wider trend, as the Israeli government and global Zionist groups mobilize to fight the threat to the apartheid system. Ben White analyzes for The Electronic Intifada.
Why do I boycott Israel? Mondoweiss - 23 Feb 2010 - From World War 3 Illustrated Related posts: The Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Debate: Boycott or ‘One Big Carrot of Peace’ NY Times offers the rationale for the cultural boycott of Israel Israel supports cultural boycott
Dancing, Singing New Yorkers protest, calling for boycott of Israel Ballet 2/22/2010 - Adalah-NY - Ballet official says nothing existed in Israel before 1948, denies government funding despite ballet's own website - Brooklyn, NY, February 21, 2010 – Forty-five human rights activists called upon fellow New Yorkers to boycott the Israel Ballet at its performance Sunday at the Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts. Accompanied by the Rude Mechanical Orchestra, protesters performed ballet, sang, chanted, and handed out mock programs to bring attention to the Israel Ballet's role in the Israeli state's use of the arts to whitewash its crimes against the Palestinian people. The demonstration was the third to take place along the Ballet company's U. S. tour in as many days. Hundreds of people entering the Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts were handed mock programs that, when opened, described the connections between the Israel Ballet and Israeli apartheid.
Dancing, Singing New Yorkers Protest, Calling for Boycott of Israel Ballet WAFA 22 Feb 2010 - BROOKLYN, NY, February 21, 2010 – Forty-five human rights activists called upon fellow New Yorkers to boycott the Israel Ballet at its performance Sunday at the Brooklyn Center for the Performing
Israel to push China on Iran sanctions Ha'aretz 21 Feb 2010 - China has vast economic interests in Iran, with much of its energy market dependent on imported Iranian oil.
US State Department lifts travel warning for Syria 2/20/2010 - Yahoo! News - AP - DAMASCUS, Syria – The U. S. has lifted an advisory warning American travelers of security concerns in Syria, officials said Saturday, as Washington tries to boost ties with a country seen as key to peace in the region. However, Syria remains on a U. S. list of countries supporting terrorism, a designation made in 1979 because of suspicions that Syria collaborates with Iran in supplying munitions to radical Islamist groups for use against Israel. The country also remains under U. S. sanctions, which President Barack Obama renewed in May. First imposed by former President George W. Bush, the sanctions cite Syrian support for terrorism, its pursuit of weapons of mass destruction and other activities including efforts to undermine U. S. operations in Iraq. Earlier this week, the International Atomic Energy Agency said that uranium particles found at a Syrian desert facility bombed three years. . . .
Iran sanctions to top agenda at upcoming Israel-China talks Ha'aretz 20 Feb 2010 - China has vast economic interests in Iran, with much of its energy market dependent on imported Iranian oil.
ZOA calls for a (much) different kind of academic boycott Mondoweiss - 20 Feb 2010 - About ten days ago, 11 students at the University of California, Irvine were arrested after repeatedly interrupting Israeli ambassador to the United States Michael Oren’s speech at their campus. The students face potential disciplinary action from their school for the protest. Now, the right-wing Zionist Organization...
Scandanavian financial institutions drop Elbit due to BDS pressure Electronic Intifada: 19 Feb 2010 - Despite Israel's oppressive tactics against it, the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement has marked additional victories with many institutional investors divesting from or blacklisting Israeli military contractor Elbit Systems. Adri Nieuwhof reports for The Electronic Intifada.
U.S. Lawmakers Blast Boycott of J Street Delegation in Israel 2/18/2010 - Common Dreams - Ha'aretz - Five U. S. Congressmen on a visit here, which the left-wing American advocacy group J Street initiated, yesterday held a news conference in Tel Aviv to demand an official explanation for an apparent snub by Danny Ayalon, deputy foreign minister. Tension between the Foreign Ministry and J Street was believed to be behind the unprecedented diplomatic rift between Israel and the U. S. Congress. " It was with real surprise and disappointment that we read a headline in this morning's newspaper saying 'Foreign Ministry boycotts members of Congress,'" said Rep. William Delahunt (D-Massachusetts), who heads the delegation. J Street director Jeremy Ben-Ami said at the news conference that he was confused by Ayalon's calling the lobby anti-Israel. "Our relations with Israel's embassy in Washington are on the mend. . . I hope this is no more than his personal opinion," he said.
Sunday 'Resisdance' Protest to Tell Israel Ballet It can’t Tip-Toe Around Apartheid 2/19/2010 - WAFA - Palestine News Agency - BROOKLYN, NY, February 21, 2010 (WAFA)- Human rights activists will call upon New Yorkers to boycott the Israel Ballet at their Sunday afternoon performance at the Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts at Brooklyn College. The protest will include contemporary and folk dance, anti-apartheid ballet-themed chants, and more. Organizers of the protest affirmed the boycott call by the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel and stated that Israeli cultural and academic institutions that do not openly denounce Israeli crimes against Palestinians and dissociate themselves from Israeli policy should be subject to a popular boycott. Allison Brown of Adalah-NY comments, “Rather than distancing itself from the Israeli state’s cynical use of the arts to whitewash its apartheid and colonial policies, the Israel Ballet, which receives around $1 million annually from the Israeli government, has proudly embraced its ties with the state.
Israel urges world: Immediately impose sanctions on Iran Ha'aretz 20 Feb 2010 - Germany says Iran must pay for nuclear defiance; Khamenei denies seeking atomic bomb.
Scandanavian financial institutions drop Elbit due to BDS pressure Electronic Intifada: 19 Feb 2010 - Despite Israel's oppressive tactics against it, the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement has marked additional victories with many institutional investors divesting from or blacklisting Israeli military contractor Elbit Systems. Adri Nieuwhof reports for The Electronic Intifada.
PA minister urges Italy to boycott settlement goods 2/18/2010 - Ramallah - Ma'an - Palestinian Authority Economy Minister Dr Hassan Abu Libda on Wednesday brainstormed ways to educate the Italian pubic about Israeli settlement products and strategies to boycott them in the country. A delegation, visiting the Ramallah Ministry of the National Economy headquarters, was lead by a deputy from the Italian foreign minister's office, a statement said Wednesday. The group met with an agenda to strengthen Italian-Palestinian relations, and directly addressed the issue of a boycott of settlement goods, a statement said. The cabinet of the Ramallah-based Palestinian government voted on Monday to approve a law prohibiting the entrance of settlement goods into areas controlled by the PA. During the weekly cabinet meeting in Ramallah, ministers said they approved the legislation as settlements amount. . .
PACBI: Intellectual responsibility and the voice of the colonized Uruknet February 17, 2010 - The Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI) has recently encountered a number of projects that while intending to empower the colonized Palestinians, in essence end up undermining their will and choice of method of struggle for freedom, justice and self-determination. The publication of a new book entitled The Power of Inclusive...
ADL: U.S. Jews mustn't boycott university for heckling of Israel envoy Ha'aretz 18 Feb 2010 - B'nai B'rith director says attack on Michael Oren's speech was clear manifestation of anti-Semitism.
Livni: This is not the time to boycott Israel's allies Ha'aretz 18 Feb 2010 - Opposition leader says after meeting with U.S. congressmen that differences of opinion can be overcome.
US once threatened sanctions/tax deductions when Israel occupied land by force Mondoweiss - 18 Feb 2010 - Henry Norr urges Obama to study the Suez war , when an American President and Sec’y of State actually used the UN General Assembly as a bully pulpit, and threatened sanctions, and took on the lobby too, to force Israel out of Gaza. At the end of...
U.S. lawmakers in Israel 'puzzled' by Ayalon boycott Ha'aretz 17 Feb 2010 - Deputy Foreign Min. snubs U.S. congressional delegation touring Israel with members of J Street group.
Don’t let the Israel Ballet tip-toe around Apartheid! Adalah-NY 2/5/2010 Adalah-NY, the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel, the US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation, the US Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel, Boycott! Supporting the Palestinian BDS Call from Within, and American Jews for a Just Peace call for a boycott of and protests against the performances of the Israel Ballet during their February, 2010 US tour, due to the Israel Ballet’s complicity in whitewashing Israeli apartheid. The Israel Ballet will perform from February 8 – 27, 2010 in Panama City (FL), Ft. Myers (FL), Sarasota (FL), Bunnel (FL), West Palm Beach (FL), Gainesville (FL), Newport News (VA), Burlington (VT), Worcester (MA), Brooklyn (NY), Morgantown (WV), Buffalo (NY), Elmira (NY) and Rockville (MD). We call on individuals and groups to mobilize to boycott and protest against these performances. The Israel Ballet comes to the United States as part of the ongoing effort to “re-brand” Israel’s image in the West as an enlightened center of arts and technology, to conceal the facts about its occupation, racial discrimination and grave violations of international law and fundamental Palestinian rights. The Israeli government-sponsored campaign to promote cultural performances is a result of the steady decline of Israel’s standing in international public opinion. Consistent reports by the UN and leading human rights organizations have revealed the extent of Israel’s colonial oppression, gradual ethnic cleansing and even war crimes against the Palestinian people, as pointedly revealed in the UN’s recently published Goldstone Report on Israel’s war of aggression on Gaza. The Israel Ballet, which receives around $1 million ann | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
