6 mar 2014
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By Alex Shams
Remi Kanazi is a Palestinian-American poet and activist and a member of the organizing committee of the US Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel. In February, he released a video entitled "This Divestment Bill Hurts my Feelings," focusing on BDS campaigns at universities targeting companies that engage in business with the Israeli occupation. Ma'an recently interviewed Kanazi to discuss the video and the state of pro-Palestinian student activism in the United States more broadly. Could you tell us a little bit about the video and where the idea |
emerged from? What inspired the title of the work, and what is the video reacting to?
"This Divestment Bill Hurts My Feelings" is a video collaboration with Palestinian director, animator, and co-founder of Palestinian hip-hop group DAM, Suhel Nafar.
The video, based on a poem I wrote, attempts to deconstruct and debunk the spurious arguments against divestment on college campuses. Integrating animation, typography, and motion graphics, we attempted to present a visually stimulating experience, while concretely laying out the case for divestment.
Zionist students on campus inspired the title. In an effort to derail divestment resolutions, students would often profess that divestment "hurt their feelings."
My hope is that the video educates, pushes people to act, sways people on the fence, and ultimately serves as a resource for those promoting divestment on campus.
How do you see this video fitting into the currently ongoing Israeli Apartheid Week (IAW)? Is there a widespread push for divestment initiatives on US campuses this year?
Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) endorsed the 2005 Palestinian civil society call for Boycott, Divestment, & Sanctions (BDS). This video tackles the D in BDS. So I think the video fits within the overall themes and goals presented by SJP and allied groups.
A number of divestment resolutions have already come up on campuses in 2014, specifically UCLA and UCR, while a number of other divestment initiatives are in different stages on campuses throughout the US.
"This Divestment Bill Hurts My Feelings" is a video collaboration with Palestinian director, animator, and co-founder of Palestinian hip-hop group DAM, Suhel Nafar.
The video, based on a poem I wrote, attempts to deconstruct and debunk the spurious arguments against divestment on college campuses. Integrating animation, typography, and motion graphics, we attempted to present a visually stimulating experience, while concretely laying out the case for divestment.
Zionist students on campus inspired the title. In an effort to derail divestment resolutions, students would often profess that divestment "hurt their feelings."
My hope is that the video educates, pushes people to act, sways people on the fence, and ultimately serves as a resource for those promoting divestment on campus.
How do you see this video fitting into the currently ongoing Israeli Apartheid Week (IAW)? Is there a widespread push for divestment initiatives on US campuses this year?
Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) endorsed the 2005 Palestinian civil society call for Boycott, Divestment, & Sanctions (BDS). This video tackles the D in BDS. So I think the video fits within the overall themes and goals presented by SJP and allied groups.
A number of divestment resolutions have already come up on campuses in 2014, specifically UCLA and UCR, while a number of other divestment initiatives are in different stages on campuses throughout the US.
Screenshot from "This Divestment Bill Hurts My Feelings."
Is this video reacting to a specific divestment bill, or does it intend to serve as a resource more broadly for various existing campaigns?
The video is not in reaction to a specific bill. The talking points tackled in the piece are a collection of phrases I've heard on campuses to obstruct divestment resolutions. My intention was for the educational reach to extend beyond one divestment hearing or even one semester.
Nonetheless, a student at UCLA against divestment managed to integrate "campus climate," "divisive," "biased," and "security" in the 120 seconds allotted to each speaker. That's impressive, propagandistically speaking.
Where did you come up with the myths that this video deconstructs?
Most of them are Israeli state and institutional talking points. For example, "Israel is democratic." My response: "Israel is democratic like coal is clean/Miller Lite is the same great taste, less filling/and McDonald's salads are healthy."
It is a bogus assertion; by definition Israel is not democratic, it is a racist state that privileges one citizen over another by law. A Palestinian living in Nablus can't unite with his spouse in Haifa simply because he's not Jewish, as highlighted by the Love in the Time of Apartheid campaign.
There are more than 50 laws discriminating against Palestinian citizens of Israel, that is without deconstructing military occupation, siege, blockade, land and resource appropriation, separate roads, torture, mass arrests, the segregation wall, perpetual ethnic cleansing, the use of white phosphorus on a civilian population, and denying dispossessed refugees their right to return.
How has the reaction been so far to the video?
The reaction has been extremely positive thus far. I can't take too much credit; Suhel Nafar really went above and beyond on the creativity front with this video.
Most encouragingly, I've received a number of emails from SJP chapters, relaying that it has been shown at group meetings, while others have said that they will be using it as a resource going forward. But I'm most heartened by an email I received from an 8th grade teacher whose student was inspired by the piece and in reaction did a paper on Israel’s policies of apartheid, occupation, and discrimination.
There has been the expected negative reaction among Zionists. They insidiously conflate criticism of Israel with anti-Semitism, and view BDS as a threat, as does the Israeli government, think tanks, and the media. Discomforting this crowd, just as discomforting and displeasing segregationists in the Jim Crow South, is positive.
I'm not trying to win over right-wing racists or "liberal" Zionists who promote ethnocracy in coded language, while fervently advocating against the right of return. It is more effective to build and work with those challenging Stop and Frisk, prisons, racist drug laws, police brutality, drones, US militarism, the expulsion of undocumented people, and the persistent attacks on indigenous communities, whose land and resources continue to stripped away on this continent.
I believe in building with those who are firmly anti-oppression and swaying those who may not yet know enough about the situation.
Does the video contribute to a more positive campus climate?
"Positive campus climate" itself is a problematic phrase. Who is campus climate positive for right now? Not for those who can't afford quickly rising tuition and student fees. Not for undocumented students whose rights aren't recognized. Not for black students at UCLA who see complete under-representation and marginalization. Not for Palestinians studying in the US whose universities profit off of their families' suffering.
Furthermore, if you support policies of segregation and discrimination, and challenging those systems of oppression makes you "uncomfortable," that's on you. Your "comfort" shouldn't trump human life. Every student has the right to feel safe on campus, but they don’t have the right to profit off of oppression, whether it’s the prison industrial complex or Israeli occupation.
How has Israeli Apartheid Week been so far this year?
I'm currently touring, making stops at Boston University, the University of North Carolina, and American University.
It has been energizing and inspiring. I'm constantly impressed by the work being done on campuses, from divestment bills to mock walls and checkpoints to collaborative events to statements in support for other causes.
Fundamentally, SJP is a justice organization; its emphasis is on challenging structures of oppression and cutting direct lines of complicity. I commend their efforts and look forward to seeing the expansion of divestment initiatives at universities across the US.
Is this video reacting to a specific divestment bill, or does it intend to serve as a resource more broadly for various existing campaigns?
The video is not in reaction to a specific bill. The talking points tackled in the piece are a collection of phrases I've heard on campuses to obstruct divestment resolutions. My intention was for the educational reach to extend beyond one divestment hearing or even one semester.
Nonetheless, a student at UCLA against divestment managed to integrate "campus climate," "divisive," "biased," and "security" in the 120 seconds allotted to each speaker. That's impressive, propagandistically speaking.
Where did you come up with the myths that this video deconstructs?
Most of them are Israeli state and institutional talking points. For example, "Israel is democratic." My response: "Israel is democratic like coal is clean/Miller Lite is the same great taste, less filling/and McDonald's salads are healthy."
It is a bogus assertion; by definition Israel is not democratic, it is a racist state that privileges one citizen over another by law. A Palestinian living in Nablus can't unite with his spouse in Haifa simply because he's not Jewish, as highlighted by the Love in the Time of Apartheid campaign.
There are more than 50 laws discriminating against Palestinian citizens of Israel, that is without deconstructing military occupation, siege, blockade, land and resource appropriation, separate roads, torture, mass arrests, the segregation wall, perpetual ethnic cleansing, the use of white phosphorus on a civilian population, and denying dispossessed refugees their right to return.
How has the reaction been so far to the video?
The reaction has been extremely positive thus far. I can't take too much credit; Suhel Nafar really went above and beyond on the creativity front with this video.
Most encouragingly, I've received a number of emails from SJP chapters, relaying that it has been shown at group meetings, while others have said that they will be using it as a resource going forward. But I'm most heartened by an email I received from an 8th grade teacher whose student was inspired by the piece and in reaction did a paper on Israel’s policies of apartheid, occupation, and discrimination.
There has been the expected negative reaction among Zionists. They insidiously conflate criticism of Israel with anti-Semitism, and view BDS as a threat, as does the Israeli government, think tanks, and the media. Discomforting this crowd, just as discomforting and displeasing segregationists in the Jim Crow South, is positive.
I'm not trying to win over right-wing racists or "liberal" Zionists who promote ethnocracy in coded language, while fervently advocating against the right of return. It is more effective to build and work with those challenging Stop and Frisk, prisons, racist drug laws, police brutality, drones, US militarism, the expulsion of undocumented people, and the persistent attacks on indigenous communities, whose land and resources continue to stripped away on this continent.
I believe in building with those who are firmly anti-oppression and swaying those who may not yet know enough about the situation.
Does the video contribute to a more positive campus climate?
"Positive campus climate" itself is a problematic phrase. Who is campus climate positive for right now? Not for those who can't afford quickly rising tuition and student fees. Not for undocumented students whose rights aren't recognized. Not for black students at UCLA who see complete under-representation and marginalization. Not for Palestinians studying in the US whose universities profit off of their families' suffering.
Furthermore, if you support policies of segregation and discrimination, and challenging those systems of oppression makes you "uncomfortable," that's on you. Your "comfort" shouldn't trump human life. Every student has the right to feel safe on campus, but they don’t have the right to profit off of oppression, whether it’s the prison industrial complex or Israeli occupation.
How has Israeli Apartheid Week been so far this year?
I'm currently touring, making stops at Boston University, the University of North Carolina, and American University.
It has been energizing and inspiring. I'm constantly impressed by the work being done on campuses, from divestment bills to mock walls and checkpoints to collaborative events to statements in support for other causes.
Fundamentally, SJP is a justice organization; its emphasis is on challenging structures of oppression and cutting direct lines of complicity. I commend their efforts and look forward to seeing the expansion of divestment initiatives at universities across the US.
4 mar 2014
Palestinian Legislator, Dr. Mustafa Barghouthi welcomed the decision of the YMCA and YWCA in Norway to join the international BDS [Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) and boycott Israel for its ongoing illegitimate occupation and oppression.
Dr. Barghouthi said the YMCA and YWCA in Norway, with more than 30.000 members, has decided to boycott Israel, a move that is a slap to Israel and its apartheid policies against the Palestinian people.
“The decision was made to protest Israel’s illegitimate settlement activities and its ongoing violation of International Law and International Humanitarian Law”, he said.
He also welcomed the decision of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Mailed Maguire, who also announced joining the BDS campaign.
Dr. Barghouthi said Maguire’s decision was motivated by the fact that the Israeli policies against the Palestinians and their lands are not different from the overthrown apartheid system in South Africa, and that she called on the International Community to have the courage to oppose Israel’s apartheid system.
He saluted Maguire, and Stephen Hawking, world-renowned British physicist and author, for deciding to boycott Israel, and called on international groups, and figures, to do the same and declare a clear stance against the ongoing illegitimate Israeli polices of apartheid and crimes against the Palestinian people.
“The decision is a victory to the Palestinian nonviolent resistance, a victory to BDS movement”, Dr. Barghouthi added, “International groups, institutions, and individuals must take similar actions, and boycott Israel”.
Dr. Barghouthi said the YMCA and YWCA in Norway, with more than 30.000 members, has decided to boycott Israel, a move that is a slap to Israel and its apartheid policies against the Palestinian people.
“The decision was made to protest Israel’s illegitimate settlement activities and its ongoing violation of International Law and International Humanitarian Law”, he said.
He also welcomed the decision of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Mailed Maguire, who also announced joining the BDS campaign.
Dr. Barghouthi said Maguire’s decision was motivated by the fact that the Israeli policies against the Palestinians and their lands are not different from the overthrown apartheid system in South Africa, and that she called on the International Community to have the courage to oppose Israel’s apartheid system.
He saluted Maguire, and Stephen Hawking, world-renowned British physicist and author, for deciding to boycott Israel, and called on international groups, and figures, to do the same and declare a clear stance against the ongoing illegitimate Israeli polices of apartheid and crimes against the Palestinian people.
“The decision is a victory to the Palestinian nonviolent resistance, a victory to BDS movement”, Dr. Barghouthi added, “International groups, institutions, and individuals must take similar actions, and boycott Israel”.
3 mar 2014
Norway’s Young Men and Women’s Christian Association (YMCA) has called for support of the Palestinian-led movement for boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) against Israel until the latter ends the occupation and fulfills international law.
The following statement was issued on it’s website (translation by the AIC):
Just Peace in Palestine and Israel
The Norwegian YMCA -YWCA encourages broad economic boycott of goods and services from Israel and Israeli settlements to pressure the Israeli government to follow UN resolutions and end the illegal occupation of Palestine. We do this because we hope this non- violent instrument can contribute to a solution of just peace in Israel and Palestine.
The Norwegian YMCA -YWCA believes that both Israelis and Palestinians have a right to self-determination within internationally recognized borders. We assume that Israel's rights must be maintained, but the occupation of Palestine is unacceptable. We believe that the way to a just peace in Israel and Palestine goes through pressure on Israel as the occupier. Because a long series of UN resolutions and negotiations over decades has not yielded results, we believe it is now appropriate to initiate an economic boycott of Israel to put increased pressure on the Israeli authorities to follow UN resolutions to end the occupation.
What the boycott call of the Norwegian YMCA -YWCA can do?
The Norwegian YWCA - YMCA membership organisation actively supports this boycott campaign based on our mission statement that says we should "…be challenged to commitment and action in church and society, locally and globally ".
Furthermore, Goal 4 in the Norwegian YMCA -YWCA recently adopted long-term strategy states that "we will engage young people in a global movement that creates justice and peace and that we should create action options that enable young people to promote justice and peace”.
A boycott is such a legitimate, non- violent action alternative that can help to promote justice and peace. It is, of course, entirely optional whether a member and volunteer wants to support this action or not, but we hope it will create enthusiasm and vigour amongst as many as possible. The conflict between Israel and Palestine is very complicated and there are no easy answers as to what is right to do in this situation. Boycott is a controversial tool, but we have come to the conclusion that to encourage a broad economic boycott is still the best non-violent means we have today. The boycott campaign has been developed in close cooperation with our Palestinian partners and is a direct response to their request to support the real non-violent action alternatives for the Palestinian youngsters - and for our own globally active young people .
We hope our campaign will contribute to a solution of just peace for both parties. God created all people in his image, equal in dignity, and human dignity is violated daily in the Palestinian territories. Jesus said blessed are the peacemakers - and then we try to contribute to it, with the non-violent means available.
Why broad economic boycott is necessary
As long as Israel does not ensure the origin labeling of goods from the occupied territory, it will be necessary to boycott all goods from Israel, writes Øystein Magelssen and Sunniva Gylver in an article from 27 February 2014.
The Norwegian YMCA -YWCA recognises both Israel and Palestine as legitimate states. We know that dialogue and meetings between the parties are required to build peace and reconciliation. We know that this has been tried for 30 years without success in stopping the occupation of Palestine. We know that boycott is a controversial measure, and that it may have short-term negative consequences for Palestinians and Israelis.
We know the difficult context and history of the area, and have discussed the matter and listened to different voices over several years. We also know that the Palestinian YMCA and YWCA - our partners in working for peace for 40 years – and both Israeli and Palestinian peace movements, now ask us to participate with this non- violent means in the struggle for justice. Our strategy is therefore clear: We will build a civil society based on constructively clear consumer pressure that Israel must change its policy so that the occupation ends.
What can I, as a member of the Norwegian YMCA -YWCA do?
Think about how you spend your money. If you buy things that are made in Israel, you indirectly support the occupation because part of the money goes to the government in the form of taxes and fees. By avoiding Israeli products, revenues would decrease. It will enable Israel to think more deeply about the occupation policy. If you want to do more, you can also write a letter to the companies that profit from trade with Israel, and make shops aware of inadequate labeling of goods.
For more information about the campaign and activity tips see here.
When will I be able to buy Israeli products again ?
We hope Israel will quickly end the occupation and a just peace for the area will be concluded. When the occupation ends and the Palestinians get their basic rights met, we should again support Israel economically through trade.
The following statement was issued on it’s website (translation by the AIC):
Just Peace in Palestine and Israel
The Norwegian YMCA -YWCA encourages broad economic boycott of goods and services from Israel and Israeli settlements to pressure the Israeli government to follow UN resolutions and end the illegal occupation of Palestine. We do this because we hope this non- violent instrument can contribute to a solution of just peace in Israel and Palestine.
The Norwegian YMCA -YWCA believes that both Israelis and Palestinians have a right to self-determination within internationally recognized borders. We assume that Israel's rights must be maintained, but the occupation of Palestine is unacceptable. We believe that the way to a just peace in Israel and Palestine goes through pressure on Israel as the occupier. Because a long series of UN resolutions and negotiations over decades has not yielded results, we believe it is now appropriate to initiate an economic boycott of Israel to put increased pressure on the Israeli authorities to follow UN resolutions to end the occupation.
What the boycott call of the Norwegian YMCA -YWCA can do?
The Norwegian YWCA - YMCA membership organisation actively supports this boycott campaign based on our mission statement that says we should "…be challenged to commitment and action in church and society, locally and globally ".
Furthermore, Goal 4 in the Norwegian YMCA -YWCA recently adopted long-term strategy states that "we will engage young people in a global movement that creates justice and peace and that we should create action options that enable young people to promote justice and peace”.
A boycott is such a legitimate, non- violent action alternative that can help to promote justice and peace. It is, of course, entirely optional whether a member and volunteer wants to support this action or not, but we hope it will create enthusiasm and vigour amongst as many as possible. The conflict between Israel and Palestine is very complicated and there are no easy answers as to what is right to do in this situation. Boycott is a controversial tool, but we have come to the conclusion that to encourage a broad economic boycott is still the best non-violent means we have today. The boycott campaign has been developed in close cooperation with our Palestinian partners and is a direct response to their request to support the real non-violent action alternatives for the Palestinian youngsters - and for our own globally active young people .
We hope our campaign will contribute to a solution of just peace for both parties. God created all people in his image, equal in dignity, and human dignity is violated daily in the Palestinian territories. Jesus said blessed are the peacemakers - and then we try to contribute to it, with the non-violent means available.
Why broad economic boycott is necessary
As long as Israel does not ensure the origin labeling of goods from the occupied territory, it will be necessary to boycott all goods from Israel, writes Øystein Magelssen and Sunniva Gylver in an article from 27 February 2014.
The Norwegian YMCA -YWCA recognises both Israel and Palestine as legitimate states. We know that dialogue and meetings between the parties are required to build peace and reconciliation. We know that this has been tried for 30 years without success in stopping the occupation of Palestine. We know that boycott is a controversial measure, and that it may have short-term negative consequences for Palestinians and Israelis.
We know the difficult context and history of the area, and have discussed the matter and listened to different voices over several years. We also know that the Palestinian YMCA and YWCA - our partners in working for peace for 40 years – and both Israeli and Palestinian peace movements, now ask us to participate with this non- violent means in the struggle for justice. Our strategy is therefore clear: We will build a civil society based on constructively clear consumer pressure that Israel must change its policy so that the occupation ends.
What can I, as a member of the Norwegian YMCA -YWCA do?
Think about how you spend your money. If you buy things that are made in Israel, you indirectly support the occupation because part of the money goes to the government in the form of taxes and fees. By avoiding Israeli products, revenues would decrease. It will enable Israel to think more deeply about the occupation policy. If you want to do more, you can also write a letter to the companies that profit from trade with Israel, and make shops aware of inadequate labeling of goods.
For more information about the campaign and activity tips see here.
When will I be able to buy Israeli products again ?
We hope Israel will quickly end the occupation and a just peace for the area will be concluded. When the occupation ends and the Palestinians get their basic rights met, we should again support Israel economically through trade.
2 mar 2014
Twenty Belgian human rights organizations announced a campaign to boycott goods of Israeli settlements in Belgium, and demanded the European Union to take concrete action to put an end to the occupation in Palestine. The organizations said in a statement on Sunday that the Israeli occupation has not ceased grabbing Palestinian lands, which resulted in displacing the Palestinian residents, destroying their homes, and stealing their agricultural land and their water resources.
They added that the current situation "will have serious consequences and is harmful to the Palestinian economy."
"Allowing the import of settlement products by Belgium and the EU countries represents a support of the occupation policy. This contrasts with the legal obligations, under the international law that prohibits such cooperation."
A group of Belgian organizations, in solidarity with the Palestinian people, had earlier launched a campaign to impose "military embargo on the Hebrew state."
For its part, the Belgian students union called for boycotting the Israeli universities and intensifying cooperation with the Palestinian academic institutions.
They added that the current situation "will have serious consequences and is harmful to the Palestinian economy."
"Allowing the import of settlement products by Belgium and the EU countries represents a support of the occupation policy. This contrasts with the legal obligations, under the international law that prohibits such cooperation."
A group of Belgian organizations, in solidarity with the Palestinian people, had earlier launched a campaign to impose "military embargo on the Hebrew state."
For its part, the Belgian students union called for boycotting the Israeli universities and intensifying cooperation with the Palestinian academic institutions.
1 mar 2014
A new activist campaign seeks to implement a boycott of Israeli products in Jordan's grocery stores, a Jordanian daily newspaper reported Friday.
According to report published in al-Ghad, the new Jordanian campaign to boycott Israeli products is called "Tatheer," meaning purification.
The campaign was started by Muhammad al-Ramini, who bought a bag of seeds from a peddler only to discover that it was a product of Israel, the report said.
Al-Ramani returned the seeds, and posted about his experience on his Facebook page. He and other Facebook users then organized the "Tatheer" campaign to "purify Jordan of Israeli products," especially fruits and vegetables.
Activists produced stickers inscribed with the slogan "Don't pay for the bullet that kills our people," and distributed them to grocery stores across Amman and other Jordanian cities, the report said.
Stage two of the campaign will target wholesalers to convince them to stop importing Israeli products, al-Ramini told al-Ghad.
The move follows a series of successes for the international Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement against Israel, particularly in the academic world.
BDS also made headlines when actress Scarlett Johansson left her role as ambassador for Oxfam, an international NGO that is publicly opposed to Israeli settlements, to become an ambassador for SodaStream, a company whose product is produced in an Israeli settlement.
According to report published in al-Ghad, the new Jordanian campaign to boycott Israeli products is called "Tatheer," meaning purification.
The campaign was started by Muhammad al-Ramini, who bought a bag of seeds from a peddler only to discover that it was a product of Israel, the report said.
Al-Ramani returned the seeds, and posted about his experience on his Facebook page. He and other Facebook users then organized the "Tatheer" campaign to "purify Jordan of Israeli products," especially fruits and vegetables.
Activists produced stickers inscribed with the slogan "Don't pay for the bullet that kills our people," and distributed them to grocery stores across Amman and other Jordanian cities, the report said.
Stage two of the campaign will target wholesalers to convince them to stop importing Israeli products, al-Ramini told al-Ghad.
The move follows a series of successes for the international Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement against Israel, particularly in the academic world.
BDS also made headlines when actress Scarlett Johansson left her role as ambassador for Oxfam, an international NGO that is publicly opposed to Israeli settlements, to become an ambassador for SodaStream, a company whose product is produced in an Israeli settlement.
26 feb 2014
The pension fund of Luxembourg's government workers has decided to add the five major Israeli banks and top firms to banned investment targets list. i24News reported that "The fund, FDC, is the latest in a line of European banks, pension funds and business firms to boycott Israeli business over its involvement in settlement activity in the West Bank."
The Israeli concerns have been on the rise over the European economic boycotts against the backdrop of the continued colonial settlement in the occupied West Bank.
Israeli occuption PM Benyamin Netanyahu discussed with officials efforts to combat the academic and commercial boycotts facing the state.
Netanyahu said the EU countries should enact laws prohibiting any future boycott of Israel.
Luxembourg pension fund boycots major Israeli banks
Luxembourg's general pension fund has decided to boycott five major Israeli banks and a number of major Israeli investment companies over their involvement in supporting construction in illegal settlements in the West Bank, according to the Hebrew-language news site Walla.
In a report published Tuesday, Walla news highlighted that names of the Israeli banks and companies appeared on a list banned by the Fond De Compensation last updated on Nov. 15, 2013. The list, titled on the FDC website as "Exclusion List," included 60 international banks and companies which FDC decided to boycott over human rights violations.
The Israeli banks and companies on the list are the Africa Israel Investment group identified by FDC as Real Estate, Management and Development group, Bank Hapoalim, Bank Leumi, Elbit Systems, aerospace and defense group, Finmeccaneca, also aerospace and defense group, First International Bank of Israel, Israel Discount Bank, Jerusalem Economy LTD, the Real Estate, Management and Development Group and Mizrahi Tefahot Bank LTD.
It was explained on the list that the Israeli banks and organizations appeared because they support and finance construction of "illegal Israeli settlements in Occupied Territories of the State of Palestine" and some provide security systems for the "illegal separation barrier on Occupied Territories of the State of Palestine."
The Walla report highlighted that the direct impact of this boycott could be zero, but it is still worrying because it is a chain in an ongoing divestment process.
The Israeli concerns have been on the rise over the European economic boycotts against the backdrop of the continued colonial settlement in the occupied West Bank.
Israeli occuption PM Benyamin Netanyahu discussed with officials efforts to combat the academic and commercial boycotts facing the state.
Netanyahu said the EU countries should enact laws prohibiting any future boycott of Israel.
Luxembourg pension fund boycots major Israeli banks
Luxembourg's general pension fund has decided to boycott five major Israeli banks and a number of major Israeli investment companies over their involvement in supporting construction in illegal settlements in the West Bank, according to the Hebrew-language news site Walla.
In a report published Tuesday, Walla news highlighted that names of the Israeli banks and companies appeared on a list banned by the Fond De Compensation last updated on Nov. 15, 2013. The list, titled on the FDC website as "Exclusion List," included 60 international banks and companies which FDC decided to boycott over human rights violations.
The Israeli banks and companies on the list are the Africa Israel Investment group identified by FDC as Real Estate, Management and Development group, Bank Hapoalim, Bank Leumi, Elbit Systems, aerospace and defense group, Finmeccaneca, also aerospace and defense group, First International Bank of Israel, Israel Discount Bank, Jerusalem Economy LTD, the Real Estate, Management and Development Group and Mizrahi Tefahot Bank LTD.
It was explained on the list that the Israeli banks and organizations appeared because they support and finance construction of "illegal Israeli settlements in Occupied Territories of the State of Palestine" and some provide security systems for the "illegal separation barrier on Occupied Territories of the State of Palestine."
The Walla report highlighted that the direct impact of this boycott could be zero, but it is still worrying because it is a chain in an ongoing divestment process.
24 feb 2014
By Crispian Balmer
Though voices are getting louder inside and outside Israel about the threat of economic boycotts for its continued occupation of Palestinian territories, there seems little prospect of it facing measures with real bite.
With a number of European firms already withdrawing some funds, Israeli Finance Minister Yair Lapid has warned that every household in Israel will feel the pinch if ongoing peace talks with the Palestinians collapse.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has also warned that Israel risks a financial hit if it is blamed for the failure, but investors and diplomats say they are unconvinced.
It is true that some foreign firms have started to shun Israeli business concerns operating in East Jerusalem and the West Bank - land seized in the 1967 war - and the European Union is increasingly angered by relentless Jewish settlement expansion.
But the bulk of Israeli business is clustered on the Mediterranean coast, a world away from the roadblocks and watchtowers of the West Bank, and not even the Palestinian leadership is demanding a total economic boycott.
"The boycott is being used like a bogeyman, a scary story you tell a child at night," said Jonathan Medved, CEO of Our Crowd, a crowd funding platform looking to provide venture capital to Israeli companies.
"The truth is that Israel is a world leader in water technology, next-generation agriculture, cyber security, healthcare innovation and start-ups. What sane person is going to walk away from that?" he said, speaking by telephone during a visit to South Africa to seek out potential partners.
EUROPE STIRS
Embargoes, sanctions and boycotts, along with internal resistance, helped bring about the isolation and eventually the end of apartheid in South Africa in the 1980s.
Pro-Palestinian, or anti-Israeli, activists hope to use the same tactics to force Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to sign a deal to create an independent Palestine based on the 1967 borders. They believe recent action by a handful of European firms to distance themselves from Israel might be the start of something big.
In December, Dutch firm Vitens said it would not work with Israeli utility company Mekorot because of its West Bank footprint. The following month a large Dutch pension fund, PGGM, ended its investment in five Israeli banks because of their business dealings with settlements considered illegal under international law. Denmark's Danske Bank blacklisted Bank Hapoalim for the same reason.
These moves sent a jolt through the Israeli government.
"If the negotiations with the Palestinians break down and a European boycott begins, even partially, Israel's economy will go backwards, every person will be directly affected in their pockets," Lapid said in a speech earlier this month.
Unlike some of his cabinet colleagues, the finance minister supports the need to pull back from much of the occupied territories in an effort to secure an elusive peace accord.
Looking to convince the skeptics, Lapid said failure to strike a deal could lead to a 20 percent drop in exports to the European Union and a halt in EU direct investment, warning that this would cost the Israeli economy 11 billion shekels ($3.1 billion) a year.
Supporting his case, Lapid points to an EU decision last summer to bar financial assistance to any Israeli organizations operating in the West Bank, and warns this could be expanded.
But EU diplomats say business with firms operating in the settlements, such as skincare company Ahava, represent less than 1 percent of all Israeli-EU trade, which last year totaled $36.7 billion, up from $20.9 billion a decade earlier.
The European Union matters because it is Israel's largest trading partner and it is the only place where murmurings of sanctions have so far been raised outside the Arab world, where only Egypt and Jordan have formal ties with Israel.
However, Europe is not united on how to deal with Israel and has not yet even agreed to introduce EU-wide labeling to make clear if goods come from settlements, much less anything more radical along the lines suggested by Lapid.
"There is no EU boycott," the president of the European parliament, Martin Schultz, said this month during a visit to Jerusalem during which he questioned whether the 28-nation bloc would want to penalize Israel if the U.S.-backed talks failed.
EU governments say it is up to each firm to decide its own investment strategy.
While a handful of states, including Britain, Germany and the Netherlands, discourage links with the settlements, there are no consequences for ignoring that steer, beyond the "potential reputational implications" a British Foreign Office agency warns of on its website.
Schultz said he was "not convinced about economic pressure", and also cast doubt on the need for clear labeling of settlement goods that would allow consumers to chose.
"Does it carry such a large weight that it could really change something?" he asked reporters.
DIVESTMENT
The international Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement seeks something much more emphatic, eager to turn all Israeli brands into toxic property as a way of forcing the government to roll back settlements and sign a full peace deal.
Omar Barghouti, the BDS co-founder, told Reuters he sensed a changing international atmosphere and was particularly buoyed by news of divestments from Israeli banks.
"We're talking about a completely different league here. Forget boycotting settlements, (that is) peanuts. Targeting the banks, that's where the money is, that's the pillar of the Israeli economy," said Barghouti.
However, divestment moves by the likes of Danske Bank appear to be the exception rather than the norm.
Germany's biggest lender Deutsche Bank AG denied reports last week that it was set to boycott Israeli banks, while the giant Dutch pension fund ABP announced this month that after a review, it saw no need to cut ties with Israeli banks.
All the while, foreign firms continue to pour into Israel. According to the latest Bank of Israel data, direct investment was $10.51 billion in the first nine months of 2013, up from $9.5 billion for the whole of 2012. Exports to Europe rose 6.3 percent last year.
Global brands such as Google, Cisco, Microsoft, Twitter, Apple, AOL and Facebook have all invested in Israel, so, like it or not, users of computers, smartphones and apps could well be supporting Israeli engineering.
"All the talk about boycotts has not so far caused any damage to our economy," Uriel Lynn, president of the Israeli Chambers of Commerce, told Reuters.
"Israel has gone through much harsher boycotts in the past. For example, we did not have commercial relations with China for years, and for a time we could only buy crude oil from Mexico and Egypt. So we can definitely withstand boycotts."
Source: REUTERS
Though voices are getting louder inside and outside Israel about the threat of economic boycotts for its continued occupation of Palestinian territories, there seems little prospect of it facing measures with real bite.
With a number of European firms already withdrawing some funds, Israeli Finance Minister Yair Lapid has warned that every household in Israel will feel the pinch if ongoing peace talks with the Palestinians collapse.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has also warned that Israel risks a financial hit if it is blamed for the failure, but investors and diplomats say they are unconvinced.
It is true that some foreign firms have started to shun Israeli business concerns operating in East Jerusalem and the West Bank - land seized in the 1967 war - and the European Union is increasingly angered by relentless Jewish settlement expansion.
But the bulk of Israeli business is clustered on the Mediterranean coast, a world away from the roadblocks and watchtowers of the West Bank, and not even the Palestinian leadership is demanding a total economic boycott.
"The boycott is being used like a bogeyman, a scary story you tell a child at night," said Jonathan Medved, CEO of Our Crowd, a crowd funding platform looking to provide venture capital to Israeli companies.
"The truth is that Israel is a world leader in water technology, next-generation agriculture, cyber security, healthcare innovation and start-ups. What sane person is going to walk away from that?" he said, speaking by telephone during a visit to South Africa to seek out potential partners.
EUROPE STIRS
Embargoes, sanctions and boycotts, along with internal resistance, helped bring about the isolation and eventually the end of apartheid in South Africa in the 1980s.
Pro-Palestinian, or anti-Israeli, activists hope to use the same tactics to force Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to sign a deal to create an independent Palestine based on the 1967 borders. They believe recent action by a handful of European firms to distance themselves from Israel might be the start of something big.
In December, Dutch firm Vitens said it would not work with Israeli utility company Mekorot because of its West Bank footprint. The following month a large Dutch pension fund, PGGM, ended its investment in five Israeli banks because of their business dealings with settlements considered illegal under international law. Denmark's Danske Bank blacklisted Bank Hapoalim for the same reason.
These moves sent a jolt through the Israeli government.
"If the negotiations with the Palestinians break down and a European boycott begins, even partially, Israel's economy will go backwards, every person will be directly affected in their pockets," Lapid said in a speech earlier this month.
Unlike some of his cabinet colleagues, the finance minister supports the need to pull back from much of the occupied territories in an effort to secure an elusive peace accord.
Looking to convince the skeptics, Lapid said failure to strike a deal could lead to a 20 percent drop in exports to the European Union and a halt in EU direct investment, warning that this would cost the Israeli economy 11 billion shekels ($3.1 billion) a year.
Supporting his case, Lapid points to an EU decision last summer to bar financial assistance to any Israeli organizations operating in the West Bank, and warns this could be expanded.
But EU diplomats say business with firms operating in the settlements, such as skincare company Ahava, represent less than 1 percent of all Israeli-EU trade, which last year totaled $36.7 billion, up from $20.9 billion a decade earlier.
The European Union matters because it is Israel's largest trading partner and it is the only place where murmurings of sanctions have so far been raised outside the Arab world, where only Egypt and Jordan have formal ties with Israel.
However, Europe is not united on how to deal with Israel and has not yet even agreed to introduce EU-wide labeling to make clear if goods come from settlements, much less anything more radical along the lines suggested by Lapid.
"There is no EU boycott," the president of the European parliament, Martin Schultz, said this month during a visit to Jerusalem during which he questioned whether the 28-nation bloc would want to penalize Israel if the U.S.-backed talks failed.
EU governments say it is up to each firm to decide its own investment strategy.
While a handful of states, including Britain, Germany and the Netherlands, discourage links with the settlements, there are no consequences for ignoring that steer, beyond the "potential reputational implications" a British Foreign Office agency warns of on its website.
Schultz said he was "not convinced about economic pressure", and also cast doubt on the need for clear labeling of settlement goods that would allow consumers to chose.
"Does it carry such a large weight that it could really change something?" he asked reporters.
DIVESTMENT
The international Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement seeks something much more emphatic, eager to turn all Israeli brands into toxic property as a way of forcing the government to roll back settlements and sign a full peace deal.
Omar Barghouti, the BDS co-founder, told Reuters he sensed a changing international atmosphere and was particularly buoyed by news of divestments from Israeli banks.
"We're talking about a completely different league here. Forget boycotting settlements, (that is) peanuts. Targeting the banks, that's where the money is, that's the pillar of the Israeli economy," said Barghouti.
However, divestment moves by the likes of Danske Bank appear to be the exception rather than the norm.
Germany's biggest lender Deutsche Bank AG denied reports last week that it was set to boycott Israeli banks, while the giant Dutch pension fund ABP announced this month that after a review, it saw no need to cut ties with Israeli banks.
All the while, foreign firms continue to pour into Israel. According to the latest Bank of Israel data, direct investment was $10.51 billion in the first nine months of 2013, up from $9.5 billion for the whole of 2012. Exports to Europe rose 6.3 percent last year.
Global brands such as Google, Cisco, Microsoft, Twitter, Apple, AOL and Facebook have all invested in Israel, so, like it or not, users of computers, smartphones and apps could well be supporting Israeli engineering.
"All the talk about boycotts has not so far caused any damage to our economy," Uriel Lynn, president of the Israeli Chambers of Commerce, told Reuters.
"Israel has gone through much harsher boycotts in the past. For example, we did not have commercial relations with China for years, and for a time we could only buy crude oil from Mexico and Egypt. So we can definitely withstand boycotts."
Source: REUTERS
