9 feb 2014
Independent MP Jamal Al-Khudari has called on the world community to activate an international boycott of the Israeli occupation. He said in a statement on Sunday that the Israeli blockade on the Gaza Strip is a flagrant violation of the international law.
The MP said that Israel was closing all Gaza crossings with the exception of one, which is only partially open. He said that Israel was blocking the free movement of goods and people in violation of international norms.
The seven years old siege on Gaza is tantamount to mass punishment of its inhabitants, Khudari said, adding that the siege was having negative impacts on civilians.
The MP lashed out at Israel for barring the visit of Danish parliament speaker Mogens Lykketoft to Ramallah and Gaza that was scheduled for this week.
He championed official and public boycott of Israel until it completely lifts the siege on Gaza, lauding in this respect the international institutions that boycotted Israel for its settlement activity and aggression against the Palestinian people.
He charged that Israel was violating the international laws with its settlement activity, the separation wall in the West Bank, Judaization in occupied Jerusalem, and the blockade on the Gaza Strip.
Khudari appealed to friends of Palestine and the free people of the world to support the Palestinian people and rights until the establishment of the Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital.
The MP said that Israel was closing all Gaza crossings with the exception of one, which is only partially open. He said that Israel was blocking the free movement of goods and people in violation of international norms.
The seven years old siege on Gaza is tantamount to mass punishment of its inhabitants, Khudari said, adding that the siege was having negative impacts on civilians.
The MP lashed out at Israel for barring the visit of Danish parliament speaker Mogens Lykketoft to Ramallah and Gaza that was scheduled for this week.
He championed official and public boycott of Israel until it completely lifts the siege on Gaza, lauding in this respect the international institutions that boycotted Israel for its settlement activity and aggression against the Palestinian people.
He charged that Israel was violating the international laws with its settlement activity, the separation wall in the West Bank, Judaization in occupied Jerusalem, and the blockade on the Gaza Strip.
Khudari appealed to friends of Palestine and the free people of the world to support the Palestinian people and rights until the establishment of the Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital.
By Heike Schotten
Heike Schotten is Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Massachusetts Boston, where she teaches political theory, feminist theory, and queer theory (her work is available here). She has been active in the Palestine solidarity movement since 2006.
Trains typically run on tracks consisting of two rails, but when they are powered by electricity, they run on a third rail that supplies the train with electric power. Third rail systems are often used for mass transportation because they are so efficient. The third rail is nevertheless hazardous. If you touch it, you might die from electrocution.
Israel is often called the third rail of US politics. This means both that support for Israel powers US politics and also that anyone who dares to question it will pay the price.
It also means that Israel's sacrosanct status is a particularly efficient means of keeping status quo US politics running, even as it effectively wards off interference with its invisible machinations.
Israel's third rail status in US politics is the reason why the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement in the United States has lagged behind that of many European countries. It is not simply the clout of the Israel lobby or the shared US-Israeli imperial foreign policy agenda that protect Israel from scrutiny.
It is also the reflexive cries of "anti-Semitism!"; the ostracism and demonization of critics of Israel in families, workplaces, and communities; the threats, intimidation, demotion, and firing of public critics of Israel. Each of these functions effectively as the equivalent of a subway sign declaring: "Third Rail: Do Not Touch."
The latest and most significant BDS victories in the US, however, make enormous strides toward dismantling Israel's third rail status in US politics, in particular because of where they have occurred: campus Hillel houses (a national Jewish student organization) and the so-called ivory tower of academia.
In academia, of course, the victory is by now well-known: the American Studies Association (ASA) resolved -- by a significant majority of those voting -- to boycott of Israeli universities. Meanwhile, in a less-remarked upon but no less remarkable development, Swarthmore College declared its Hillel House an "Open Hillel," meaning that it will not exclude from membership Jewish students who are critical of Israel or endorse BDS (as Hillel International mandates).
The ASA was not the first academic association to endorse academic boycott -- that honor goes to the Asian American Studies Association. Nevertheless, the spate of academic resolutions regarding Israel (a more moderate one [PDF] was considered at this year's American Public Health Association meeting) is truly remarkable.
Moreover, the sheer volume of discourse produced about the ASA vote -- now impossible to summarize, much less representatively index -- means that this event has exceeded the goals of its organizers and is reverberating far beyond the hallowed halls of academia. To wit: stories and editorials condemning the ASA vote have appeared in the national papers of record, including the New York Times and Washington Post.
The usual suspects have penned the usual screeds deploring the "anti-Semitism" of BDS (including the indefatigable Alan Dershowitz and reliably frumpy neocon Charles Krauthammer), while dyed-in-the-wool Zionists are busy proposing legislation to punish universities and organizations engaged in boycott. Meanwhile, the rest of the country has been learning about professional academic associations, what they do, and why they might be interested in taking a position on a political issue.
Heike Schotten is Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Massachusetts Boston, where she teaches political theory, feminist theory, and queer theory (her work is available here). She has been active in the Palestine solidarity movement since 2006.
Trains typically run on tracks consisting of two rails, but when they are powered by electricity, they run on a third rail that supplies the train with electric power. Third rail systems are often used for mass transportation because they are so efficient. The third rail is nevertheless hazardous. If you touch it, you might die from electrocution.
Israel is often called the third rail of US politics. This means both that support for Israel powers US politics and also that anyone who dares to question it will pay the price.
It also means that Israel's sacrosanct status is a particularly efficient means of keeping status quo US politics running, even as it effectively wards off interference with its invisible machinations.
Israel's third rail status in US politics is the reason why the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement in the United States has lagged behind that of many European countries. It is not simply the clout of the Israel lobby or the shared US-Israeli imperial foreign policy agenda that protect Israel from scrutiny.
It is also the reflexive cries of "anti-Semitism!"; the ostracism and demonization of critics of Israel in families, workplaces, and communities; the threats, intimidation, demotion, and firing of public critics of Israel. Each of these functions effectively as the equivalent of a subway sign declaring: "Third Rail: Do Not Touch."
The latest and most significant BDS victories in the US, however, make enormous strides toward dismantling Israel's third rail status in US politics, in particular because of where they have occurred: campus Hillel houses (a national Jewish student organization) and the so-called ivory tower of academia.
In academia, of course, the victory is by now well-known: the American Studies Association (ASA) resolved -- by a significant majority of those voting -- to boycott of Israeli universities. Meanwhile, in a less-remarked upon but no less remarkable development, Swarthmore College declared its Hillel House an "Open Hillel," meaning that it will not exclude from membership Jewish students who are critical of Israel or endorse BDS (as Hillel International mandates).
The ASA was not the first academic association to endorse academic boycott -- that honor goes to the Asian American Studies Association. Nevertheless, the spate of academic resolutions regarding Israel (a more moderate one [PDF] was considered at this year's American Public Health Association meeting) is truly remarkable.
Moreover, the sheer volume of discourse produced about the ASA vote -- now impossible to summarize, much less representatively index -- means that this event has exceeded the goals of its organizers and is reverberating far beyond the hallowed halls of academia. To wit: stories and editorials condemning the ASA vote have appeared in the national papers of record, including the New York Times and Washington Post.
The usual suspects have penned the usual screeds deploring the "anti-Semitism" of BDS (including the indefatigable Alan Dershowitz and reliably frumpy neocon Charles Krauthammer), while dyed-in-the-wool Zionists are busy proposing legislation to punish universities and organizations engaged in boycott. Meanwhile, the rest of the country has been learning about professional academic associations, what they do, and why they might be interested in taking a position on a political issue.
An internet meme of Netanyahu's speech at the UN depicting the progress of Iran's nuclear program with the American Studies Association's logo
And the defenses of the ASA vote have been amazing -- moving, erudite, and profound in their taking seriously the meaning of both "public" and "intellectual" (see, e.g., Robin Kelly as well as this sampling of speeches from the ASA vote itself).
Meanwhile, on campuses, as universities from Brandeis to Penn State (Harrisburg) have severed their ties with the ASA, faculty and students have been pushing back: faculty at Trinity as well as a collection of Indiana faculty (among others) have courageously called out their presidents' condemnation of the boycott; at Northwestern University, the students filed a petition in protest of their president's public condemnation.
Then, of course, there was the cascade of further academic boycott decisions in the wake of the ASA vote: the governing council of the Native American and Indigenous Studies Association declared its support of the boycott, as did the University of Hawai'i's Ethnic Studies Department -- the first academic department at any US college or university to do so. Next up: the Modern Languages Association. Stay tuned.
Why has the ASA vote been such a high profile victory? Although Norman Finkelstein recently dismissed the ASA victory as a mindless distraction by out-of-touch activists, the ASA vote has been rightly cast as a tipping point by PACBI and a turning point by David Lloyd, one of the founders of USACBI.
Steven Salaita speculates that the higher profile of the ASA and some of the vote's lead organizers led to increased media scrutiny, and also gave the opposition more time and motivation to galvanize. My own guess is that the ASA's identity as the American Studies Association (rather than the Asian American Studies Association or the Native American and Indigenous Studies Association) also had something to do with it.
To those unfamiliar with American Studies beyond its name, one might expect a field consisting of paeans to the Founding Fathers, the Constitution, and U.S. exceptionalism of various sorts. Yet American Studies is actually a highly critical field influenced by feminism, Marxism, postcolonialism, and anti-racisms among other approaches and is deeply critical of American exceptionalism. Its support of academic boycott, then, can be marshaled by Zionists and other conservatives as part of a larger U.S. "culture war" and a betrayal of “American values.”
Of course, the fact that public criticism of Israel by an "American" Studies Association could be understood as a betrayal of "American values" makes clear that unwavering support for Israel is intrinsic to American values, that questioning American values is perceived by critics as tantamount to their destruction, and, therefore, that there is significant overlap between American values and Zionist values.
As J. Kēhaulani Kauanui makes clear, to take on Israel's status as a Zionist settler colonial project requires challenging the very foundation of the United States itself.
As such, critique of Israel cannot be tolerated for fear that the underpinnings of the US settler project might be subject to critical scrutiny.
And the defenses of the ASA vote have been amazing -- moving, erudite, and profound in their taking seriously the meaning of both "public" and "intellectual" (see, e.g., Robin Kelly as well as this sampling of speeches from the ASA vote itself).
Meanwhile, on campuses, as universities from Brandeis to Penn State (Harrisburg) have severed their ties with the ASA, faculty and students have been pushing back: faculty at Trinity as well as a collection of Indiana faculty (among others) have courageously called out their presidents' condemnation of the boycott; at Northwestern University, the students filed a petition in protest of their president's public condemnation.
Then, of course, there was the cascade of further academic boycott decisions in the wake of the ASA vote: the governing council of the Native American and Indigenous Studies Association declared its support of the boycott, as did the University of Hawai'i's Ethnic Studies Department -- the first academic department at any US college or university to do so. Next up: the Modern Languages Association. Stay tuned.
Why has the ASA vote been such a high profile victory? Although Norman Finkelstein recently dismissed the ASA victory as a mindless distraction by out-of-touch activists, the ASA vote has been rightly cast as a tipping point by PACBI and a turning point by David Lloyd, one of the founders of USACBI.
Steven Salaita speculates that the higher profile of the ASA and some of the vote's lead organizers led to increased media scrutiny, and also gave the opposition more time and motivation to galvanize. My own guess is that the ASA's identity as the American Studies Association (rather than the Asian American Studies Association or the Native American and Indigenous Studies Association) also had something to do with it.
To those unfamiliar with American Studies beyond its name, one might expect a field consisting of paeans to the Founding Fathers, the Constitution, and U.S. exceptionalism of various sorts. Yet American Studies is actually a highly critical field influenced by feminism, Marxism, postcolonialism, and anti-racisms among other approaches and is deeply critical of American exceptionalism. Its support of academic boycott, then, can be marshaled by Zionists and other conservatives as part of a larger U.S. "culture war" and a betrayal of “American values.”
Of course, the fact that public criticism of Israel by an "American" Studies Association could be understood as a betrayal of "American values" makes clear that unwavering support for Israel is intrinsic to American values, that questioning American values is perceived by critics as tantamount to their destruction, and, therefore, that there is significant overlap between American values and Zionist values.
As J. Kēhaulani Kauanui makes clear, to take on Israel's status as a Zionist settler colonial project requires challenging the very foundation of the United States itself.
As such, critique of Israel cannot be tolerated for fear that the underpinnings of the US settler project might be subject to critical scrutiny.
A similar shattering of taboos occurred when Swarthmore College students declared its Hillel House an "Open Hillel," meaning it will hence forward welcome members of all political positions regarding Israel. This is only the latest development in the Open Hillel Movement of students across the US seeking to challenge the orthodoxy of Hillel International and the Jewish establishment more generally (see the excellent campaign timeline here).
That Hillel is a Jewish establishment player and Zionist proxy -- not simply a campus group promoting Jewish student life -- was made even more explicit when it recently partnered with AIPAC, clarifying the groups' joint intention to "empower, train, and prepare American Jewish students to be effective pro-Israel activists on and beyond the campus."
Each of these victories represents a profound step forward for BDS in the US. They are significant in themselves, but they are especially important because of the unlikely places in which they occurred: Hillel, an institution of the Jewish establishment in the US, and academia, a place that, as Stanley Fish's multiple blog posts make clear, Americans would prefer to remain "neutral" or free from political positions of any sort.
These victories demonstrate that the default views of mainstream American and Jewish life are, in fact, neither neutral nor objective, but distinctly partisan and pro-Israel. In touching the third rail of American politics -- precisely in those places presumed to be beyond or outside politics themselves -- the BDS movement is not only achieving major victories but also doing valuable work in unmasking the ideological workings of American liberalism and Jewish establishment politics.
Support of Israel is increasingly becoming a partisan position in the U.S. The conflation of Jewishness and Zionism is increasingly a partisan position within Judaism. These are signs of a sea change, and the necessary foundation of a real overhaul of U.S. political discourse on Israel.
Far from being a "cult," as Finkelstein would have it, BDS is increasingly mainstream and reaching the "broad public" he insists it must. The media is increasingly promoting the voices and positions of BDS activists (see, e.g., recent editorials in the Financial Times and, by Omar Barghouti, in the New York Times).
The stepping up of embarrassing hasbara efforts in public spaces such as subway stations suggests Israel knows all too well it might lose the battle of public relations in this country. It shows that the third rail might be less and less hazardous to the touch and increasingly an electrifying force for change in U.S. politics.
The views expressed in this article are the author's and do not necessarily reflect Ma'an News Agency's editorial policy.
That Hillel is a Jewish establishment player and Zionist proxy -- not simply a campus group promoting Jewish student life -- was made even more explicit when it recently partnered with AIPAC, clarifying the groups' joint intention to "empower, train, and prepare American Jewish students to be effective pro-Israel activists on and beyond the campus."
Each of these victories represents a profound step forward for BDS in the US. They are significant in themselves, but they are especially important because of the unlikely places in which they occurred: Hillel, an institution of the Jewish establishment in the US, and academia, a place that, as Stanley Fish's multiple blog posts make clear, Americans would prefer to remain "neutral" or free from political positions of any sort.
These victories demonstrate that the default views of mainstream American and Jewish life are, in fact, neither neutral nor objective, but distinctly partisan and pro-Israel. In touching the third rail of American politics -- precisely in those places presumed to be beyond or outside politics themselves -- the BDS movement is not only achieving major victories but also doing valuable work in unmasking the ideological workings of American liberalism and Jewish establishment politics.
Support of Israel is increasingly becoming a partisan position in the U.S. The conflation of Jewishness and Zionism is increasingly a partisan position within Judaism. These are signs of a sea change, and the necessary foundation of a real overhaul of U.S. political discourse on Israel.
Far from being a "cult," as Finkelstein would have it, BDS is increasingly mainstream and reaching the "broad public" he insists it must. The media is increasingly promoting the voices and positions of BDS activists (see, e.g., recent editorials in the Financial Times and, by Omar Barghouti, in the New York Times).
The stepping up of embarrassing hasbara efforts in public spaces such as subway stations suggests Israel knows all too well it might lose the battle of public relations in this country. It shows that the third rail might be less and less hazardous to the touch and increasingly an electrifying force for change in U.S. politics.
The views expressed in this article are the author's and do not necessarily reflect Ma'an News Agency's editorial policy.
8 feb 2014
Most Israelis fear a boycott if peace talks with the Palestinians fail but agree with criticism of US Secretary of State John Kerry over such a threat, a poll published Friday showed. Israel's hardline foreign minister, Avigdor Lieberman, however, rejected concerns over an economic boycott and took to Kerry's defence.
"We don't want to turn our friends into enemies. We don't agree with Kerry over everything, but he is a true friend of Israel," Lieberman said at an economic forum, quoted by army radio.
Kerry, trying to hammer out a framework agreement to advance peace talks, has come under fire from Israeli ministers after warning last week that the Jewish state faced growing delegitimization if negotiations collapsed, also referring to "talk of boycotts".
According to a poll in the Jerusalem Post, 67 percent of Israelis said they agreed with the criticism of Kerry, with some saying it should not have taken place publicly.
The same poll, conducted by Geocartography Institute among 500 people with a margin of error of 4.2 percent, also found that over two thirds of Israelis "agreed with the concerns about a potential boycott".
Only 17 percent said they had no such worries.
"We don't want to turn our friends into enemies. We don't agree with Kerry over everything, but he is a true friend of Israel," Lieberman said at an economic forum, quoted by army radio.
Kerry, trying to hammer out a framework agreement to advance peace talks, has come under fire from Israeli ministers after warning last week that the Jewish state faced growing delegitimization if negotiations collapsed, also referring to "talk of boycotts".
According to a poll in the Jerusalem Post, 67 percent of Israelis said they agreed with the criticism of Kerry, with some saying it should not have taken place publicly.
The same poll, conducted by Geocartography Institute among 500 people with a margin of error of 4.2 percent, also found that over two thirds of Israelis "agreed with the concerns about a potential boycott".
Only 17 percent said they had no such worries.
7 feb 2014
A report has been released showing that Israel stands to lose a substantial amount of its income, if the ongoing peace talks fail.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry has acknowledged its inability to face the growing boycott campaign even though it has managed to put pressure on a few European governments Israeli Newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reports.
“It would be useless to launch an anti-boycott campaign to promote settlement products,” said an Israeli ministry official. Even in unfriendly countries, the boycott has not been made law yet; however it is likely that some politicians will push this “due to the sweeping wave of hostility” towards Israel.
The Israeli Finance Minister has stated that Israel currently stands to lose 23,5 billion shekels in annual revenue if the talks fail. Of these, 20 billion are in export loses and 3.5 is loses from the loss of the European partnership.
Currently, the New York Assembly is hoping to pass a bill which would cut the funding to academic institutions which are boycotting Israel, as a response to ASA (American Studies Association), which are doing just that.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry has acknowledged its inability to face the growing boycott campaign even though it has managed to put pressure on a few European governments Israeli Newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reports.
“It would be useless to launch an anti-boycott campaign to promote settlement products,” said an Israeli ministry official. Even in unfriendly countries, the boycott has not been made law yet; however it is likely that some politicians will push this “due to the sweeping wave of hostility” towards Israel.
The Israeli Finance Minister has stated that Israel currently stands to lose 23,5 billion shekels in annual revenue if the talks fail. Of these, 20 billion are in export loses and 3.5 is loses from the loss of the European partnership.
Currently, the New York Assembly is hoping to pass a bill which would cut the funding to academic institutions which are boycotting Israel, as a response to ASA (American Studies Association), which are doing just that.
6 feb 2014
|
|
A top American Jewish leader has voiced concern about a growing international campaign to boycott Israel over its settlement activities.
Malcolm Hoenlein has called on Western governments to combat the phenomenon which he referred to as one of the greatest challenges facing Israel. In recent months, a growing number of European businesses and pension funds have dropped investments or limited trade with Israeli firms involved in settlement activities on occupied Palestinian land. There's also a parallel movement to boycott Israel's academic institutions and figures over the issue. Israel's settlement activities have been constantly growing despite the fact that they're considered illegal according to every reading of international law, including the Geneva Conventions which explicitly forbid construction on occupied lands. |
4 feb 2014
The Hamas Movement welcomed the growing European economic boycott of Israeli firms and institutions and described it as a right step to pressure the Israeli occupation regime to stop its settlement and Judaization activities in the occupied Palestinian lands. In a press release on Tuesday, Hamas expressed hope that such European position could expand and become a general policy against all Israel's violations.
The Movement called on the Arab and Islamic countries to form a united position banning any dealing with the Israeli occupation and its institutions.
It also urged the world's companies and educational and cultural institutions to declare their boycott of Israel in order to pressure it to end its violations against the Palestinians and their property.
Major European companies, banks and enterprises withdrew last year and recently their investments from Israel because of its settlement activities.
The Movement called on the Arab and Islamic countries to form a united position banning any dealing with the Israeli occupation and its institutions.
It also urged the world's companies and educational and cultural institutions to declare their boycott of Israel in order to pressure it to end its violations against the Palestinians and their property.
Major European companies, banks and enterprises withdrew last year and recently their investments from Israel because of its settlement activities.
Israel's President Shimon Peres Tuesday praised John Kerry's peace efforts, after Israeli hawks attacked the top US diplomat for warning of a growing boycott threat.
"We thank (Kerry) for his efforts. We encourage him and hope to soon achieve positive results," Peres said in remarks broadcast on military radio after two days of verbal attacks against the US secretary of state by Israeli cabinet ministers.
The outburst occurred after Kerry warned on Saturday Israel was facing a growing campaign of delegitimization which would worsen if peace talks collapsed, referring also to "talk of boycotts."
Cabinet ministers were quick to lash out, describing Kerry's comments as "offensive, unfair and intolerable," and implied Washington was not doing enough to counter "anti-Semitic boycott attempts."
The US State Department hit back, flagging Kerry's "staunch opposition" to boycotts, and urging his critics to get their facts straight.
On Monday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sought to calm the situation by acknowledging Kerry's opposition to boycotts and warning his right-wing Likud faction against "personal attacks."
But late on Monday, US President Barack Obama's National Security Adviser Susan Rice also weighed in on the dispute in several postings on Twitter.
"Personal attacks in Israel directed at Sec Kerry totally unfounded and unacceptable," she wrote.
"US Govt has been clear and consistent that we reject efforts to boycott or delegitimize Israel."
Last month, Kerry was subjected to a personal attack by Israel's Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon, who accused him of having a messianic "obsession" with Middle East peace, before being forced to apologize.
The spat underlined the estrangement between the longtime allies which has already seen angry public rows over Iran policy and Israel's defiant drive to expand its settlements in the midst of nine-months of peace talks, which are due to end in April.
"We thank (Kerry) for his efforts. We encourage him and hope to soon achieve positive results," Peres said in remarks broadcast on military radio after two days of verbal attacks against the US secretary of state by Israeli cabinet ministers.
The outburst occurred after Kerry warned on Saturday Israel was facing a growing campaign of delegitimization which would worsen if peace talks collapsed, referring also to "talk of boycotts."
Cabinet ministers were quick to lash out, describing Kerry's comments as "offensive, unfair and intolerable," and implied Washington was not doing enough to counter "anti-Semitic boycott attempts."
The US State Department hit back, flagging Kerry's "staunch opposition" to boycotts, and urging his critics to get their facts straight.
On Monday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sought to calm the situation by acknowledging Kerry's opposition to boycotts and warning his right-wing Likud faction against "personal attacks."
But late on Monday, US President Barack Obama's National Security Adviser Susan Rice also weighed in on the dispute in several postings on Twitter.
"Personal attacks in Israel directed at Sec Kerry totally unfounded and unacceptable," she wrote.
"US Govt has been clear and consistent that we reject efforts to boycott or delegitimize Israel."
Last month, Kerry was subjected to a personal attack by Israel's Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon, who accused him of having a messianic "obsession" with Middle East peace, before being forced to apologize.
The spat underlined the estrangement between the longtime allies which has already seen angry public rows over Iran policy and Israel's defiant drive to expand its settlements in the midst of nine-months of peace talks, which are due to end in April.
3 feb 2014
Israel and Washington were at loggerheads on Sunday after senior Israeli figures attacked US Secretary of State John Kerry for warning of a growing boycott threat if peace talks fail.
The latest spat erupted a day after Kerry warned of the potential economic impact on Israel if the US-brokered negotiations with the Palestinians collapsed, in which he made reference to "talk of boycotts."
His remarks sparked several outspoken reactions from senior cabinet ministers in Israel, which prompted an unusually pointed response from the US State Department urging Kerry's critics to get their facts straight.
"For Israel there’s an increasing de-legitimisation campaign that has been building up. People are very sensitive to it. There are talk of boycotts and other kinds of things," the US diplomat warned at a security conference in Munich on Saturday.
His remarks quickly came under attack by a series of hardline Israeli ministers, one describing them as "offensive" and another accusing the US diplomat of working "to amplify" the boycott threat.
And even Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the cabinet that "attempts to impose a boycott on the State of Israel are immoral and unjust."
"Moreover, they will not achieve their goal."
But US State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki hit back at Kerry's critics.
Kerry, she said, had demonstrated steadfast support of Israel for over 30 years, "including staunch opposition to boycotts" and his remarks in Munich had merely "described some well-known and previously stated facts about what is at stake for both sides if this process fails, including the consequences for the Palestinians."
"His only reference to a boycott was a description of actions undertaken by others that he has always opposed," she said.
"Secretary Kerry has always expected opposition and difficult moments in the process, but he also expects all parties to accurately portray his record and statements."
Earlier, Intelligence Minister Yuval Steinitz lashed out at Kerry in remarks carried by Israel's army radio.
"What Kerry said is offensive, unfair and intolerable," he said.
"You can't expect Israel to negotiate with a gun at its head while it discusses issues critical to its diplomatic and security interests."
And Economy Minister Naftali Bennett of the far-right Jewish Home party, which is part of the ruling coalition but against territorial concessions to Palestinians, accused Kerry of taking sides against Israel.
"There is no nation that would give its country up over economic threats, and neither will we," he said in a statement issued late on Saturday.
"We expect our friends in the world to stand by our side in the face of the anti-Semitic boycott attempts, not amplify them."
BDS aims for South Africa success
A growing number of governments and businesses have recently said they will not trade with Israeli firms with ties to illegal Jewish settlements, highlighting the creeping success of a Palestinian-led boycott campaign.
The BDS movement -- boycott, divestment and sanctions -- works to convince governments, businesses and celebrities to cut ties with Israeli companies active in the occupied Palestinian territories, in a bid to repeat the success of the boycott which ended apartheid in South Africa.
Last week, US actress Scarlett Johansson was forced to choose between being an ambassador for Oxfam and taking on a new role as the public face of Israel's SodaStream, which has a factory in the occupied West Bank, after the international aid group said the two roles were "incompatible."
She resigned her position at Oxfam.
On the same day, Norway's sovereign wealth fund blacklisted two Israeli companies involved in construction in annexed East Jerusalem.
Since January 1, the European Union has blocked all grants and funding to Israeli entities operating beyond the pre-1967 war lines, sparking growing alarm in Israel.
Kerry coaxed Israel and the Palestinians back to the negotiating table in late July 2013 for nine months of direct talks which will end in April.
Israel has announced plans for thousands of illegal settler homes since talks began.
The latest spat erupted a day after Kerry warned of the potential economic impact on Israel if the US-brokered negotiations with the Palestinians collapsed, in which he made reference to "talk of boycotts."
His remarks sparked several outspoken reactions from senior cabinet ministers in Israel, which prompted an unusually pointed response from the US State Department urging Kerry's critics to get their facts straight.
"For Israel there’s an increasing de-legitimisation campaign that has been building up. People are very sensitive to it. There are talk of boycotts and other kinds of things," the US diplomat warned at a security conference in Munich on Saturday.
His remarks quickly came under attack by a series of hardline Israeli ministers, one describing them as "offensive" and another accusing the US diplomat of working "to amplify" the boycott threat.
And even Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the cabinet that "attempts to impose a boycott on the State of Israel are immoral and unjust."
"Moreover, they will not achieve their goal."
But US State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki hit back at Kerry's critics.
Kerry, she said, had demonstrated steadfast support of Israel for over 30 years, "including staunch opposition to boycotts" and his remarks in Munich had merely "described some well-known and previously stated facts about what is at stake for both sides if this process fails, including the consequences for the Palestinians."
"His only reference to a boycott was a description of actions undertaken by others that he has always opposed," she said.
"Secretary Kerry has always expected opposition and difficult moments in the process, but he also expects all parties to accurately portray his record and statements."
Earlier, Intelligence Minister Yuval Steinitz lashed out at Kerry in remarks carried by Israel's army radio.
"What Kerry said is offensive, unfair and intolerable," he said.
"You can't expect Israel to negotiate with a gun at its head while it discusses issues critical to its diplomatic and security interests."
And Economy Minister Naftali Bennett of the far-right Jewish Home party, which is part of the ruling coalition but against territorial concessions to Palestinians, accused Kerry of taking sides against Israel.
"There is no nation that would give its country up over economic threats, and neither will we," he said in a statement issued late on Saturday.
"We expect our friends in the world to stand by our side in the face of the anti-Semitic boycott attempts, not amplify them."
BDS aims for South Africa success
A growing number of governments and businesses have recently said they will not trade with Israeli firms with ties to illegal Jewish settlements, highlighting the creeping success of a Palestinian-led boycott campaign.
The BDS movement -- boycott, divestment and sanctions -- works to convince governments, businesses and celebrities to cut ties with Israeli companies active in the occupied Palestinian territories, in a bid to repeat the success of the boycott which ended apartheid in South Africa.
Last week, US actress Scarlett Johansson was forced to choose between being an ambassador for Oxfam and taking on a new role as the public face of Israel's SodaStream, which has a factory in the occupied West Bank, after the international aid group said the two roles were "incompatible."
She resigned her position at Oxfam.
On the same day, Norway's sovereign wealth fund blacklisted two Israeli companies involved in construction in annexed East Jerusalem.
Since January 1, the European Union has blocked all grants and funding to Israeli entities operating beyond the pre-1967 war lines, sparking growing alarm in Israel.
Kerry coaxed Israel and the Palestinians back to the negotiating table in late July 2013 for nine months of direct talks which will end in April.
Israel has announced plans for thousands of illegal settler homes since talks began.
2 feb 2014
Israeli Finance Minister Yair Lapid has decided to suspend the transfer of public funds to West Bank settlements pending a probe into their alleged misuse, his office said.
The move announced late Saturday was not expected to affect controversial plans for settlement expansion, a major obstacle to US-backed peace talks relaunched last year.
Lapid's move came after it emerged that some funds earmarked for compensating West Bank communities were transferred to the settlement leadership for political activity, a ministry statement late Saturday said.
West Bank settlements receive compensation following the 10-month construction freeze of 2009-2010, which came as part of US-led peace efforts.
The funds were intended for security and the maintenance of schools and kindergartens.
But after it emerged the funds were "allegedly being illegally channeled to the Yesha Council, which was using the money for political activities -- including against the government -- the minister ordered to immediately cut the future fundings under this clause," the statement read.
The minister has ordered an investigation into the matter, it added.
A spokeswoman for Lapid told AFP that during the week-long probe no government monies would be transferred to settlements.
According to the Israeli anti-settlement think-tank Molad, the government has already transferred 148 million shekels ($42 million) to West Bank settlements as compensation to make up for property taxes not collected on structures not built.
Lapid's decision comes as Israel grapples with an international campaign to boycott settlements, which are considered illegal under international law.
US actress Scarlett Johansson on Thursday stepped down as ambassador for British NGO Oxfam after it had criticized her for promoting the Israeli firm SodaStream, which has a factory in a settlement east of Jerusalem.
The move announced late Saturday was not expected to affect controversial plans for settlement expansion, a major obstacle to US-backed peace talks relaunched last year.
Lapid's move came after it emerged that some funds earmarked for compensating West Bank communities were transferred to the settlement leadership for political activity, a ministry statement late Saturday said.
West Bank settlements receive compensation following the 10-month construction freeze of 2009-2010, which came as part of US-led peace efforts.
The funds were intended for security and the maintenance of schools and kindergartens.
But after it emerged the funds were "allegedly being illegally channeled to the Yesha Council, which was using the money for political activities -- including against the government -- the minister ordered to immediately cut the future fundings under this clause," the statement read.
The minister has ordered an investigation into the matter, it added.
A spokeswoman for Lapid told AFP that during the week-long probe no government monies would be transferred to settlements.
According to the Israeli anti-settlement think-tank Molad, the government has already transferred 148 million shekels ($42 million) to West Bank settlements as compensation to make up for property taxes not collected on structures not built.
Lapid's decision comes as Israel grapples with an international campaign to boycott settlements, which are considered illegal under international law.
US actress Scarlett Johansson on Thursday stepped down as ambassador for British NGO Oxfam after it had criticized her for promoting the Israeli firm SodaStream, which has a factory in a settlement east of Jerusalem.
The Tel Aviv regime cannot stop a growing international anti-Israel boycott campaign over the Israeli settlement activities on the occupied Palestinian territories, an official admits.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry official, whose name was not mentioned in the report, acknowledged on Sunday that Europe will continue to ban Israel as long as it presses ahead with its settlement activities on Palestinian land.
“We cannot truly fight against the will to boycott us,” said the official, adding, “There is no way to explain the fundamental issue that troubles even our most prominent companies in the world. It is impossible to face the subject of boycotts while not facing the subject of settlements. That is the truth.”
There is a “boycott fashion in Europe against Israel” and “as long as Israel continues to build, this phenomenon will persist and it will be difficult to prevent it without handling this political issue,” the Israeli official said.
The comments came after two of Europe’s biggest financial institutions boycotted transactions with Israeli companies involved in settlement construction on occupied Palestinian land.
The European Union has also blocked all grants and funding to any Israeli entity based in the illegal settlements.
The American Studies Association has also announced a decision to boycott Israeli institutions and academics over the discriminatory treatment of Palestinians.
Israelis are frustrated in the face of the boycott campaign. Cabinet ministers will hold a meeting next week in an attempt to find a strategy to counter the boycotts.
The presence and continued expansion of Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories has created a major obstacle for the efforts made to establish peace in the Middle East.
More than half a million Israelis live in over 120 illegal settlements built since Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and East al-Quds in 1967.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry official, whose name was not mentioned in the report, acknowledged on Sunday that Europe will continue to ban Israel as long as it presses ahead with its settlement activities on Palestinian land.
“We cannot truly fight against the will to boycott us,” said the official, adding, “There is no way to explain the fundamental issue that troubles even our most prominent companies in the world. It is impossible to face the subject of boycotts while not facing the subject of settlements. That is the truth.”
There is a “boycott fashion in Europe against Israel” and “as long as Israel continues to build, this phenomenon will persist and it will be difficult to prevent it without handling this political issue,” the Israeli official said.
The comments came after two of Europe’s biggest financial institutions boycotted transactions with Israeli companies involved in settlement construction on occupied Palestinian land.
The European Union has also blocked all grants and funding to any Israeli entity based in the illegal settlements.
The American Studies Association has also announced a decision to boycott Israeli institutions and academics over the discriminatory treatment of Palestinians.
Israelis are frustrated in the face of the boycott campaign. Cabinet ministers will hold a meeting next week in an attempt to find a strategy to counter the boycotts.
The presence and continued expansion of Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories has created a major obstacle for the efforts made to establish peace in the Middle East.
More than half a million Israelis live in over 120 illegal settlements built since Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and East al-Quds in 1967.
'Scarlett, you are undeniably cute, but if you think Soda Stream is building bridges towards peace you are also undeniably not paying attention,' writes musician.
Pink Floyd's Roger Waters vented at Neil Young and Scarlett Johansson for supporting Israel on his Facebook page on Saturday.
Noting he had written each one privately, the pro-BDS rock star lamented that he was "confused" about Young, who was "always one of my heroes," coming to Israel to give a concert, and that Johansson, who "was a young woman of strength and integrity" had made an "about face" in choosing to be a spokesperson for Israeli company SodaStream.
Most of his post is directed at Johansson, asking her if she was aware "that the Israeli government has razed to the ground a Bedouin village in the Negev desert in Southern Israel 63 times, the last time being on the 26th of December 2013." He notes that while Bedouin are Israeli citizens, they do not enjoy full rights "because in 'Democratic' Israel there are fifty laws that discriminate against non-Jewish citizens."
He then takes her to task for defending her association with SodaStream by claiming that the Palestinian workers in the factory enjoy equal pay, benefits and rights. "Really? Equal Rights? Do they?" posts Waters.
The rock star ends with the statement: "Scarlett, you are undeniably cute, but if you think Soda Stream is building bridges towards peace you are also undeniably not paying attention."
Neither Young nor Johansson have responded publicly to the post.
In August, Roger Waters published an open letter calling on fellow musicians to unite against Israel. “I write to you now, my brothers and sisters in the family of Rock and Roll, to ask you to join with me, and thousands of other artists around the world, to declare a cultural boycott on Israel,” Waters wrote.
He officially announced he was joining the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement in 2011.
Pink Floyd's Roger Waters vented at Neil Young and Scarlett Johansson for supporting Israel on his Facebook page on Saturday.
Noting he had written each one privately, the pro-BDS rock star lamented that he was "confused" about Young, who was "always one of my heroes," coming to Israel to give a concert, and that Johansson, who "was a young woman of strength and integrity" had made an "about face" in choosing to be a spokesperson for Israeli company SodaStream.
Most of his post is directed at Johansson, asking her if she was aware "that the Israeli government has razed to the ground a Bedouin village in the Negev desert in Southern Israel 63 times, the last time being on the 26th of December 2013." He notes that while Bedouin are Israeli citizens, they do not enjoy full rights "because in 'Democratic' Israel there are fifty laws that discriminate against non-Jewish citizens."
He then takes her to task for defending her association with SodaStream by claiming that the Palestinian workers in the factory enjoy equal pay, benefits and rights. "Really? Equal Rights? Do they?" posts Waters.
The rock star ends with the statement: "Scarlett, you are undeniably cute, but if you think Soda Stream is building bridges towards peace you are also undeniably not paying attention."
Neither Young nor Johansson have responded publicly to the post.
In August, Roger Waters published an open letter calling on fellow musicians to unite against Israel. “I write to you now, my brothers and sisters in the family of Rock and Roll, to ask you to join with me, and thousands of other artists around the world, to declare a cultural boycott on Israel,” Waters wrote.
He officially announced he was joining the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement in 2011.
Boycotts of Israel entrench Palestinians in their rejectionist stance and push peace away, PM says at weekly Cabinet meeting.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected the warnings by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry regarding the danger of the boycott movement gaining strength against Israel. "The attempts to boycott Israel are unethical and unjustified," Netanyahu said at the beginning of the weekly cabinet meeting on Sunday.
"Moreover, they won't achieve their goal."
"There are talk of boycotts and other kinds of things," said Kerry at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday. "Are we all going to be better with all of that?"
Netanyahu remarked that the boycott efforts "cause the Palestinians to dig into their rejectionist stance and push peace away." According to Netanyahu, "No pressure will make me yield on the vital interests of Israel, security being at the forefront."
Yuval Steinitz, the Minister of Intelligence and Strategic Affairs, struck even harder at the American secretary of state. "Kerry's speech about the boycott against Israel is harmful and insufferable … it's impossible to force us to negotiation with a gun to the temple," he said at the meeting Sunday.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected the warnings by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry regarding the danger of the boycott movement gaining strength against Israel. "The attempts to boycott Israel are unethical and unjustified," Netanyahu said at the beginning of the weekly cabinet meeting on Sunday.
"Moreover, they won't achieve their goal."
"There are talk of boycotts and other kinds of things," said Kerry at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday. "Are we all going to be better with all of that?"
Netanyahu remarked that the boycott efforts "cause the Palestinians to dig into their rejectionist stance and push peace away." According to Netanyahu, "No pressure will make me yield on the vital interests of Israel, security being at the forefront."
Yuval Steinitz, the Minister of Intelligence and Strategic Affairs, struck even harder at the American secretary of state. "Kerry's speech about the boycott against Israel is harmful and insufferable … it's impossible to force us to negotiation with a gun to the temple," he said at the meeting Sunday.
1 feb 2014
Construction site in the West Bank settlement of Modiin Illit.
Danske Bank states that Bank Hapoalim is acting against the rules of international humanitarian law. The bank has already pulled investments from two Israeli firms.
Israeli daily Haaretz reports that Denmark's largest bank has decided to pull its investments in Bank Hapoalim because of its involvement in the funding of settlement construction.
Approximately a week ago, the Netherlands' largest pension fund management company, PGGM, decided to withdraw all of its investments from Israel’s five largest banks because they have branches in the West Bank and/or are involved in financing construction in the settlements.
Denmark's largest bank blacklists Israel's Hapoalim over settlement construction
Danske Bank states Bank Hapoalim is acting against the rules of international humanitarian law; bank already pulled investments from two Israeli firms.
Denmark's largest bank decided to blacklist Bank Hapoalim because of its involvement in the funding of settlement construction.
Danske Bank added Bank Hapoalim to its list of companies in which the company cannot invest due to its corporate accountability rules.
In an announcement posted on its website, the bank stated that Bank Hapoalim was acting against the rules of international humanitarian law.
Israeli website Walla reported on the Danish bank's decision earlier on Saturday.
The Danish bank had already decided to pull its investments from Africa Israel Investments Ltd. and Danya Cebus due to their involvement in settlements construction.
Approximately a week ago, the Netherlands' largest pension fund management company, PGGM, decided to withdraw all its investments from Israel’s five largest banks because they have branches in the West Bank and/or are involved in financing construction in the settlements.
Earlier this week, The Norwegian Ministry of Finance announced it has decided to exclude Israeli firms Africa Israel Investments and Danya Cebus from its Government Pension Fund Global.
According to the announcement, the Ministry of Finance received a recommendation on November 1 from the Council of Ethics to exclude the two companies from the fund "due to contribution to serious violations of individual rights in war or conflict through the construction of settlements in East Jerusalem."
Danske Bank states that Bank Hapoalim is acting against the rules of international humanitarian law. The bank has already pulled investments from two Israeli firms.
Israeli daily Haaretz reports that Denmark's largest bank has decided to pull its investments in Bank Hapoalim because of its involvement in the funding of settlement construction.
Approximately a week ago, the Netherlands' largest pension fund management company, PGGM, decided to withdraw all of its investments from Israel’s five largest banks because they have branches in the West Bank and/or are involved in financing construction in the settlements.
Denmark's largest bank blacklists Israel's Hapoalim over settlement construction
Danske Bank states Bank Hapoalim is acting against the rules of international humanitarian law; bank already pulled investments from two Israeli firms.
Denmark's largest bank decided to blacklist Bank Hapoalim because of its involvement in the funding of settlement construction.
Danske Bank added Bank Hapoalim to its list of companies in which the company cannot invest due to its corporate accountability rules.
In an announcement posted on its website, the bank stated that Bank Hapoalim was acting against the rules of international humanitarian law.
Israeli website Walla reported on the Danish bank's decision earlier on Saturday.
The Danish bank had already decided to pull its investments from Africa Israel Investments Ltd. and Danya Cebus due to their involvement in settlements construction.
Approximately a week ago, the Netherlands' largest pension fund management company, PGGM, decided to withdraw all its investments from Israel’s five largest banks because they have branches in the West Bank and/or are involved in financing construction in the settlements.
Earlier this week, The Norwegian Ministry of Finance announced it has decided to exclude Israeli firms Africa Israel Investments and Danya Cebus from its Government Pension Fund Global.
According to the announcement, the Ministry of Finance received a recommendation on November 1 from the Council of Ethics to exclude the two companies from the fund "due to contribution to serious violations of individual rights in war or conflict through the construction of settlements in East Jerusalem."
Hamas Movement appreciated Norway blocking $820 billion pension fund from investing in two Israeli occupation companies because of their construction activities in east Jerusalem. Politburo member Izzat al-Rishq on Saturday said that “Norway’s decision is a step in the right direction, as it comes in the backdrop of the worldwide opposition to Israel’s settlement expansion and land grab,”
The Norwegian Foreign Ministry this week blacklisted Africa Israel Investments and its subsidiary, Danya Cebus, on a recommendation from the fund's ethics council, according to Associated Press.
“The companies were excluded from the fund — one of the world's biggest institutional investors — once before, in 2010. That time it was for construction in the West Bank,” AP added.
More than 500,000 Israeli colonial settlers live in the occupied West Bank and east Jerusalem which (Israel) captured in the 1967 war.
The fund's ethics council says the settlements represent "serious violations of the rights of individuals in situations of war or conflict."
The Norwegian Foreign Ministry this week blacklisted Africa Israel Investments and its subsidiary, Danya Cebus, on a recommendation from the fund's ethics council, according to Associated Press.
“The companies were excluded from the fund — one of the world's biggest institutional investors — once before, in 2010. That time it was for construction in the West Bank,” AP added.
More than 500,000 Israeli colonial settlers live in the occupied West Bank and east Jerusalem which (Israel) captured in the 1967 war.
The fund's ethics council says the settlements represent "serious violations of the rights of individuals in situations of war or conflict."
30 jan 2014
Norway's huge sovereign wealth fund, the world's largest, blacklisted two Israeli companies involved in construction of settlements in annexed East Jerusalem, the country's finance ministry said on Thursday.
The ban on investing in the firms revived a three-year prohibition on them that the Government Pension Fund of Norway had dropped in August last year.
The companies are Africa Israel Investments, an Israeli real estate developer, and its construction subsidiary Danya Cerbus.
The ministry cited the company's alleged "contribution to serious violations of individual rights in war or conflict through the construction of colonies in Occupied East Jerusalem," a territory where Israel's claims are not recognized by the international community.
The ban on investing in the firms revived a three-year prohibition on them that the Government Pension Fund of Norway had dropped in August last year.
The companies are Africa Israel Investments, an Israeli real estate developer, and its construction subsidiary Danya Cerbus.
The ministry cited the company's alleged "contribution to serious violations of individual rights in war or conflict through the construction of colonies in Occupied East Jerusalem," a territory where Israel's claims are not recognized by the international community.
US actress Scarlett Johansson has quit as global ambassador for Oxfam after the aid group deemed the role "incompatible" with her promotion of an Israeli firm that has a factory in the occupied West Bank.
Johansson's spokesman said Wednesday that the actress had a "fundamental difference" with Oxfam, a global humanitarian charity, over their opposition to trade from Israeli settlements, which are illegal under international law.
Johansson, 29, appears in an advertisement for home drinks carbonation firm SodaStream, which is due to air during the US Super Bowl on Sunday.
The Hollywood star has worked for Oxfam since 2005 but the British-based aid agency said she had stepped down due to her role with SodaStream.
"While Oxfam respects the independence of our ambassadors, Ms Johansson's role promoting the company SodaStream is incompatible with her role as an Oxfam Global Ambassador," the charity said in a statement Thursday.
"Oxfam believes that businesses, such as SodaStream, that operate in settlements further the ongoing poverty and denial of rights of the Palestinian communities that we work to support. Oxfam is opposed to all trade from Israeli settlements, which are illegal under international law."
SodaStream operates a large factory in an industrial zone of the illegal settlement of Maale Adumim, east of Jerusalem.
Johansson had released a statement last week defending her decision to sign on with SodaStream as a global ambassador, saying the company was committed to "building a bridge to peace between Israel and Palestine."
"I remain a supporter of economic cooperation and social interaction between a democratic Israel and Palestine," the statement said, adding that the Maale Adumim factory represented two communities working together while receiving "equal pay, equal benefits and equal rights."
On Monday, the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions National Committee, a coalition of Palestinian NGOs, trade unions and popular committees, called on Oxfam to "immediately sever ties" with Johansson over her public support for SodaStream.
"SodaStream markets itself as environmentally friendly, but this hides an ugly truth: the company is a colonial enterprise with its main production facility located in the settlement of Maale Adumim in the occupied Palestinian territory," the group said in a statement on their website.
The illegal settlement of Maale Adumim is located in the controversial E1 corridor east of Jerusalem, which effectively divides the northern and southern West Bank.
Johansson's spokesman said Wednesday that the actress had a "fundamental difference" with Oxfam, a global humanitarian charity, over their opposition to trade from Israeli settlements, which are illegal under international law.
Johansson, 29, appears in an advertisement for home drinks carbonation firm SodaStream, which is due to air during the US Super Bowl on Sunday.
The Hollywood star has worked for Oxfam since 2005 but the British-based aid agency said she had stepped down due to her role with SodaStream.
"While Oxfam respects the independence of our ambassadors, Ms Johansson's role promoting the company SodaStream is incompatible with her role as an Oxfam Global Ambassador," the charity said in a statement Thursday.
"Oxfam believes that businesses, such as SodaStream, that operate in settlements further the ongoing poverty and denial of rights of the Palestinian communities that we work to support. Oxfam is opposed to all trade from Israeli settlements, which are illegal under international law."
SodaStream operates a large factory in an industrial zone of the illegal settlement of Maale Adumim, east of Jerusalem.
Johansson had released a statement last week defending her decision to sign on with SodaStream as a global ambassador, saying the company was committed to "building a bridge to peace between Israel and Palestine."
"I remain a supporter of economic cooperation and social interaction between a democratic Israel and Palestine," the statement said, adding that the Maale Adumim factory represented two communities working together while receiving "equal pay, equal benefits and equal rights."
On Monday, the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions National Committee, a coalition of Palestinian NGOs, trade unions and popular committees, called on Oxfam to "immediately sever ties" with Johansson over her public support for SodaStream.
"SodaStream markets itself as environmentally friendly, but this hides an ugly truth: the company is a colonial enterprise with its main production facility located in the settlement of Maale Adumim in the occupied Palestinian territory," the group said in a statement on their website.
The illegal settlement of Maale Adumim is located in the controversial E1 corridor east of Jerusalem, which effectively divides the northern and southern West Bank.
Yair Lapid, the Israeli Minister of Finance and chairman of the Yesh Atid Party, warned on Wednesday that The failure of negotiations will inflict heavy losses on Israel economy . In a speech before the Israeli Institute for National Security Studies conference, Lapid explained that the partial European boycott will coast Israel a loss of 11 billion INS a year.
The boycott process of the Israeli economy as a whole is actively increasing in Europe. Lapid noted that the boycott will decrease the exports to Europe which will have a heavily influence on Israel budget and 9800 employees in Israel may be fired this year because of the European boycott.
"We still do not feel the influence of the boycott due to the fact that it is gradual process. The situation now is already very serious," he said.
The boycott process of the Israeli economy as a whole is actively increasing in Europe. Lapid noted that the boycott will decrease the exports to Europe which will have a heavily influence on Israel budget and 9800 employees in Israel may be fired this year because of the European boycott.
"We still do not feel the influence of the boycott due to the fact that it is gradual process. The situation now is already very serious," he said.
28 jan 2014
Former Israeli ambassador to the US, Michael Oren
Israel's Hayom newspaper reported, on Monday, that 134 out of 435 members of Congress have signed a letter criticizing the American Studies Association's decision last month to boycott Israel's academic institutions.
The effort was spearheaded by Illinois Republican Peter Roskam, Florida Democrat Ted Deutch, Georgia Republican Doug Collins, and Illinois Democrat Brad Schneider, the Middle East Monitor (MEMO) reports.
The letter, addressed to ASA President Curtis Marez, stated: "We write in strong opposition to the ASA's recent decision to boycott Israeli universities and academic institutions… While ASA has every right to express its views on policies pursued by any nation or government, we believe that the decision to blacklist Israeli academic institutions for Israeli government policies with which ASA disagrees demonstrates a blatant disregard for academic freedom… to single out Israel, while leaving relationships with universities in autocratic and repressive countries intact, suggests thinly veiled bigotry and bias against the Jewish state."
Last month, former Israeli ambassador Michael Oren published an article in which he called upon US Congress to legislate a bill against any initiative to boycott Israel.
Israel's Hayom newspaper reported, on Monday, that 134 out of 435 members of Congress have signed a letter criticizing the American Studies Association's decision last month to boycott Israel's academic institutions.
The effort was spearheaded by Illinois Republican Peter Roskam, Florida Democrat Ted Deutch, Georgia Republican Doug Collins, and Illinois Democrat Brad Schneider, the Middle East Monitor (MEMO) reports.
The letter, addressed to ASA President Curtis Marez, stated: "We write in strong opposition to the ASA's recent decision to boycott Israeli universities and academic institutions… While ASA has every right to express its views on policies pursued by any nation or government, we believe that the decision to blacklist Israeli academic institutions for Israeli government policies with which ASA disagrees demonstrates a blatant disregard for academic freedom… to single out Israel, while leaving relationships with universities in autocratic and repressive countries intact, suggests thinly veiled bigotry and bias against the Jewish state."
Last month, former Israeli ambassador Michael Oren published an article in which he called upon US Congress to legislate a bill against any initiative to boycott Israel.
