29 mar 2014
A group of civil organizations operating in Morocco on Friday launched events to commemorate the Palestinian Land Day, which falls on March 30. The events started on Friday with a reception for the Palestinian activist Zaid Shuaibi, a member of the national committee for boycott, divestment and sanctions (against Israel), and an open meeting with activists in the central headquarters of the Moroccan Association for Human Rights in Rabat.
These associations intend to stage a vigil on Sunday in the Moroccan capital Rabat, and on Monday they will organize a seminar with participation of the Palestinian activist Zaid Shuaibi and activist Sion Asidon, in Marrakech.
They also called upon all human rights, women and political organizations and all the freedom fighters to take part in these events, in support of the Palestinian people's struggle for their legitimate rights against the Israeli occupation and settlement activities.
The organizations participating in these actions include the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Initiative (BDS - Maroc), the Moroccan - Palestinian Solidarity Association, Moroccan Association for Human Rights, the Moroccan Observatory against Normalization, National Working Group for Palestine, the Moroccan Association for supporting the Palestinian struggle, and the National Union for higher education.
For its part, the al-Adl wal Ihsan group in Morocco called on all conscientious forces in the world, concerned with the Palestinian issue, to continue supporting the case and reveal the truth of the Israeli racism.
It urged in a statement on Friday published on its official website the activists and supporters of Jerusalem and Palestine to teach the nation's youth about the Arab - Israeli conflict, to present to the young generations the Palestinian cities, villages and holy sites, and to continue organizing solidarity activities including marches and meetings.
These associations intend to stage a vigil on Sunday in the Moroccan capital Rabat, and on Monday they will organize a seminar with participation of the Palestinian activist Zaid Shuaibi and activist Sion Asidon, in Marrakech.
They also called upon all human rights, women and political organizations and all the freedom fighters to take part in these events, in support of the Palestinian people's struggle for their legitimate rights against the Israeli occupation and settlement activities.
The organizations participating in these actions include the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Initiative (BDS - Maroc), the Moroccan - Palestinian Solidarity Association, Moroccan Association for Human Rights, the Moroccan Observatory against Normalization, National Working Group for Palestine, the Moroccan Association for supporting the Palestinian struggle, and the National Union for higher education.
For its part, the al-Adl wal Ihsan group in Morocco called on all conscientious forces in the world, concerned with the Palestinian issue, to continue supporting the case and reveal the truth of the Israeli racism.
It urged in a statement on Friday published on its official website the activists and supporters of Jerusalem and Palestine to teach the nation's youth about the Arab - Israeli conflict, to present to the young generations the Palestinian cities, villages and holy sites, and to continue organizing solidarity activities including marches and meetings.
28 mar 2014
In a letter sent to EU Foreign Policy Chief, Catherine Ashton, 29 members of the European Parliament have called upon the European External Action Service (EEAS) to take action to discourage European businesses from trading with illegal Israeli settlements.
"There are several examples of the many ways in which European businesses contribute to the existence and expansion of the settlements,” said the letter. "Through their activities, they make direct and on-going contributions to Israeli violations of international law and to human rights abuses associated with the settlements."
WAFA reports that the letter shared insight on the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, which were endorsed by the EU, which "make it clear that governments have an obligation to ensure that businesses domiciled in their territory do not contribute to human rights abuses in their overseas operations."
"In cases where businesses are operating in conflict areas, the Guiding Principles urge governments to provide “adequate assistance to business enterprises to assess and address the heightened risks of abuses."
The 29 members concluded their letter calling upon the European firms to recall their economic relations with the Israeli settlements. "We urge the EEAS to publish guidance discouraging European firms from maintaining economic relations with the settlements."
To be noted, private European businesses play a major role in funding, facilitating and supporting Israeli violations of international law and illegal Israeli settlements by providing products and services that facilitate the existence of illegal settlements, importing and selling goods produced by companies operating in illegal Israeli settlements and through investing in settlement companies and projects.
"The EU should use its presence in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories to educate European businesses about the problems and risks associated with such relations and to encourage Member States to take similar action."
"There are several examples of the many ways in which European businesses contribute to the existence and expansion of the settlements,” said the letter. "Through their activities, they make direct and on-going contributions to Israeli violations of international law and to human rights abuses associated with the settlements."
WAFA reports that the letter shared insight on the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, which were endorsed by the EU, which "make it clear that governments have an obligation to ensure that businesses domiciled in their territory do not contribute to human rights abuses in their overseas operations."
"In cases where businesses are operating in conflict areas, the Guiding Principles urge governments to provide “adequate assistance to business enterprises to assess and address the heightened risks of abuses."
The 29 members concluded their letter calling upon the European firms to recall their economic relations with the Israeli settlements. "We urge the EEAS to publish guidance discouraging European firms from maintaining economic relations with the settlements."
To be noted, private European businesses play a major role in funding, facilitating and supporting Israeli violations of international law and illegal Israeli settlements by providing products and services that facilitate the existence of illegal settlements, importing and selling goods produced by companies operating in illegal Israeli settlements and through investing in settlement companies and projects.
"The EU should use its presence in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories to educate European businesses about the problems and risks associated with such relations and to encourage Member States to take similar action."
27 mar 2014
JNS.org - The United Kingdom-based King’s College London Students Union (KCLSU) passed a resolution to endorse the Boycott, Sanctions and Divestment movement against Israel.
The resolution, which passed 348-252, calls on King’s College to “divest from Israel and from companies directly or indirectly supporting the Israeli occupation and apartheid policies.”
“This is the latest petty assault on Israel and its supporters on campus. We will fight no end to overturn and ultimately defeat this divisive and one-sided motion,” said Jonathan Hunter, U.K. Campus Director for the pro-Israel education group Stand with us.
A Stand WithUs spokesperson told JNS.org that the KCLSU trustees are likely to veto the resolution.
Following the resolution, King’s College distanced itself from the student-led resolution, saying the student union is “constitutionally separate from, and independent of, King’s College London.”
The move at King’s College is just the latest in a spate of recent Israel divestment resolutions being hotly debated on college campuses. Earlier on Wednesday, the University of Michigan’s student government voted down a divestment resolution 25-9, with two abstentions, after the resolution was initially tabled a week earlier. Meanwhile, Chicago’s Loyola University passed an Israel divestment measure on Tuesday night in a 12-10 vote with nine abstentions.
The resolution, which passed 348-252, calls on King’s College to “divest from Israel and from companies directly or indirectly supporting the Israeli occupation and apartheid policies.”
“This is the latest petty assault on Israel and its supporters on campus. We will fight no end to overturn and ultimately defeat this divisive and one-sided motion,” said Jonathan Hunter, U.K. Campus Director for the pro-Israel education group Stand with us.
A Stand WithUs spokesperson told JNS.org that the KCLSU trustees are likely to veto the resolution.
Following the resolution, King’s College distanced itself from the student-led resolution, saying the student union is “constitutionally separate from, and independent of, King’s College London.”
The move at King’s College is just the latest in a spate of recent Israel divestment resolutions being hotly debated on college campuses. Earlier on Wednesday, the University of Michigan’s student government voted down a divestment resolution 25-9, with two abstentions, after the resolution was initially tabled a week earlier. Meanwhile, Chicago’s Loyola University passed an Israel divestment measure on Tuesday night in a 12-10 vote with nine abstentions.
26 mar 2014
The Rolling Stones announced plans Tuesday for an Israeli concert in June, prompting pro-Palestinian activists promoting a boycott of the country to say that would be equivalent to performing in apartheid South Africa.
To jubilation from the Israeli media, a spokeswoman for the British rock icons said the band will perform in Tel Aviv's Hayarkon Park on June 4 as part of its forthcoming European tour.
But a spokeswoman for the Palestinian Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions committee noted that the Stones had been vocal opponents of racial segregation in South Africa, saying Israel also practices apartheid.
"Palestinian organisations urge the Rolling Stones to refrain from playing in apartheid Israel and not to condone Israel’s violations of international law and human rights against the Palestinian people,"Rafeef Ziadah wrote.
"The Rolling Stones were at the forefront of enforcing a cultural boycott of apartheid South Africa, but performing in Israel at this time is morally equivalent to performing in South Africa during the apartheid era."
After months of rumours of an impending first-ever visit by the band, which celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2012, Israeli media were jubilant.
"It's official! The Rolling Stones are coming to Tel Aviv," proclaimed Haaretz daily's website.
It said Israeli promoter Shuki Weiss, once quoted as saying he would retire after bringing the Stones to Israel, had guaranteed the band $6.7 million for the one-night stand.
"Israelis finally get some satisfaction as Rolling Stones confirm concert date," was the Jerusalem Post's headline.
"This is a historic and very meaningful visit," it quoted Weiss as saying.
"In these days when we hear calls for boycotts from around the world, it's not taken for granted that a band of this magnitude will come to Israel."
The Post said Weiss had been trying to tempt the band since 1988.
"The longest negotiation I ever conducted is coming to an end," it quoted him as saying.
A growing number of governments and international businesses have said they will not trade with Israeli firms with ties to Jewish settlements, highlighting the creeping success of a Palestinian-led boycott campaign.
The movement works to convince them and celebrities to cut ties with Israeli companies active in the occupied Palestinian territories, in a bid to repeat the success of the boycott that ended apartheid in South Africa.
Last week, the Stones postponed their tour of Australia and New Zealand after the suicide of Mick Jagger's girlfriend L'Wren Scott.
But the grieving front man’s songwriting partner of 50 years, Keith Richards, vowed that they will soon be back on stage.
To jubilation from the Israeli media, a spokeswoman for the British rock icons said the band will perform in Tel Aviv's Hayarkon Park on June 4 as part of its forthcoming European tour.
But a spokeswoman for the Palestinian Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions committee noted that the Stones had been vocal opponents of racial segregation in South Africa, saying Israel also practices apartheid.
"Palestinian organisations urge the Rolling Stones to refrain from playing in apartheid Israel and not to condone Israel’s violations of international law and human rights against the Palestinian people,"Rafeef Ziadah wrote.
"The Rolling Stones were at the forefront of enforcing a cultural boycott of apartheid South Africa, but performing in Israel at this time is morally equivalent to performing in South Africa during the apartheid era."
After months of rumours of an impending first-ever visit by the band, which celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2012, Israeli media were jubilant.
"It's official! The Rolling Stones are coming to Tel Aviv," proclaimed Haaretz daily's website.
It said Israeli promoter Shuki Weiss, once quoted as saying he would retire after bringing the Stones to Israel, had guaranteed the band $6.7 million for the one-night stand.
"Israelis finally get some satisfaction as Rolling Stones confirm concert date," was the Jerusalem Post's headline.
"This is a historic and very meaningful visit," it quoted Weiss as saying.
"In these days when we hear calls for boycotts from around the world, it's not taken for granted that a band of this magnitude will come to Israel."
The Post said Weiss had been trying to tempt the band since 1988.
"The longest negotiation I ever conducted is coming to an end," it quoted him as saying.
A growing number of governments and international businesses have said they will not trade with Israeli firms with ties to Jewish settlements, highlighting the creeping success of a Palestinian-led boycott campaign.
The movement works to convince them and celebrities to cut ties with Israeli companies active in the occupied Palestinian territories, in a bid to repeat the success of the boycott that ended apartheid in South Africa.
Last week, the Stones postponed their tour of Australia and New Zealand after the suicide of Mick Jagger's girlfriend L'Wren Scott.
But the grieving front man’s songwriting partner of 50 years, Keith Richards, vowed that they will soon be back on stage.
23 mar 2014
The Israeli settlement of Har Homa in East Jerusalem
Britain's leading architectural association has called for its Israeli counterpart to be excluded from the International Union of Architects in protest at Israel's occupation of Palestine, in a further indication of the growing momentum of the boycott movement.
The Royal Institute of British Architects (Riba) has demanded the suspension of the Israeli Association of United Architects (IAUA) from the international body, saying it is complicit in the construction of illegal settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, and other violations of international law.
The former Riba president Angela Brady told a meeting of its council on Wednesday that failure to back the motion "would send a clear message to the world that we as an institution turn a blind eye or by inaction support what's going on – land grabs, forced removals, killing the state and human rights, and reinforcement of apartheid".
But other council members pointed to human rights violations in other parts of the world, such as North Korea, which is a member of Riba. "Don't you think architects are designing prison camps and torture chambers there?" asked one council member, Francesca Weal.
The motion – backed by 23 votes to 16, with 10 abstentions – was welcomed by the Palestinian BDS (boycott, divestment and sanctions) movement. It claims there is mounting international support for a boycott of Israel and points to an increasing number of companies disinvesting over fears of damaging their reputations.
"Architects and planners are central to Israel's colonisation of Palestinian land and the forced displacement of Palestinian people," said Rafeef Zaidah, of the Palestinian BDS national committee. "Given the complicity of the [IAUA] in Israel's construction of illegal Israeli settlements, it is only right that it is excluded from international forums."
Prof Baruch Baruch of the IAUA said the decision was "astonishing". He added: "I don't think architects can be blamed for government policies. I don't think boycotts will help to solve any of the problems in the Middle East."
His organisation, which includes Israeli-Arab architects, was not complicit in settlement construction. "A lot of members are against settlements and building in the West Bank. They won't be helped by a boycott."
Calls to boycott Israeli institutions have bitterly divided academic bodies in the UK, US and elsewhere. European governments are under pressure from trade unions, NGOs, churches and other organisations to take a tougher stand on Israeli settlement produce.
Scarlett Johanssen's celebrity endorsement of SodaStream, which has a factory in a West Bank settlement, caused an international furore earlier this year. US secretary of state John Kerry warned last month that the boycott movement could gain traction if his efforts to broker a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians failed.
In response, the Israeli prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, said: "Attempts to impose a boycott on the state of Israel are immoral and unjust. Moreover, they will not achieve their goal."
Source: theGuardian
Britain's leading architectural association has called for its Israeli counterpart to be excluded from the International Union of Architects in protest at Israel's occupation of Palestine, in a further indication of the growing momentum of the boycott movement.
The Royal Institute of British Architects (Riba) has demanded the suspension of the Israeli Association of United Architects (IAUA) from the international body, saying it is complicit in the construction of illegal settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, and other violations of international law.
The former Riba president Angela Brady told a meeting of its council on Wednesday that failure to back the motion "would send a clear message to the world that we as an institution turn a blind eye or by inaction support what's going on – land grabs, forced removals, killing the state and human rights, and reinforcement of apartheid".
But other council members pointed to human rights violations in other parts of the world, such as North Korea, which is a member of Riba. "Don't you think architects are designing prison camps and torture chambers there?" asked one council member, Francesca Weal.
The motion – backed by 23 votes to 16, with 10 abstentions – was welcomed by the Palestinian BDS (boycott, divestment and sanctions) movement. It claims there is mounting international support for a boycott of Israel and points to an increasing number of companies disinvesting over fears of damaging their reputations.
"Architects and planners are central to Israel's colonisation of Palestinian land and the forced displacement of Palestinian people," said Rafeef Zaidah, of the Palestinian BDS national committee. "Given the complicity of the [IAUA] in Israel's construction of illegal Israeli settlements, it is only right that it is excluded from international forums."
Prof Baruch Baruch of the IAUA said the decision was "astonishing". He added: "I don't think architects can be blamed for government policies. I don't think boycotts will help to solve any of the problems in the Middle East."
His organisation, which includes Israeli-Arab architects, was not complicit in settlement construction. "A lot of members are against settlements and building in the West Bank. They won't be helped by a boycott."
Calls to boycott Israeli institutions have bitterly divided academic bodies in the UK, US and elsewhere. European governments are under pressure from trade unions, NGOs, churches and other organisations to take a tougher stand on Israeli settlement produce.
Scarlett Johanssen's celebrity endorsement of SodaStream, which has a factory in a West Bank settlement, caused an international furore earlier this year. US secretary of state John Kerry warned last month that the boycott movement could gain traction if his efforts to broker a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians failed.
In response, the Israeli prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, said: "Attempts to impose a boycott on the state of Israel are immoral and unjust. Moreover, they will not achieve their goal."
Source: theGuardian
20 mar 2014
The Council of the Royal Institute of British Architects has voted to call on
the International Union Of Architects to exclude the Israeli
Association of United Architects over its refusal to oppose Israel’s
construction of illegal settlements on occupied Palestinian territory.
Abe Hayeem, RIBA member and chair of Architects and Planners for Justice in Palestine, said:
“This motion sends a clear message that there is a price to pay for Israel’s decades long impunity in pursuing these apartheid policies, and that the humane principles of our profession cannot be ignored. One small step by the RIBA Council in supporting this motion – one landmark leap for ethics, justice and integrity for our profession.”
Responding to the news, Rafeef Ziadah, a spokesperson from the Palestinian BDS National Committee, the coalition of Palestinian trade unions, campaigns, NGOs and political parties that works to lead and support the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement, said:
“Architects and planners are central to Israel’s colonisation of Palestinian land and the forced displacement of Palestinian people. Given the complicity of the Israeli Association of United Architects in Israel’s construction of illegal Israeli settlements, it is only right that it is excluded from international forums.
“Following on from major pension funds divesting from Israel and mainstream artists joining the boycott, the RIBA vote shows how the boycott of Israel has entered the mainstream. Congratulations to Architects and Planners for Justice in Palestine and RIBA for their principled stance.”
After a tough and passionate Council debate on 19 March 2014, the pillar of the UK’s architects’ professional association, the RIBA , passed the motion supporting action that should be taken by the International Union Of Architects’ to suspend the Israeli Association of United Architects (IAUA) from the world body of architects, the UIA. The Motion was passed by 23 votes to 16 with 10 abstentions. The vote follows a similar motion earlier in the week by the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland (RIAS).
“Since the Israeli Association of United Architects (IAUA) has paid no regard to the UIA resolution 13 of 2005 and 2009, the RIBA calls on the UIA, as the international guardian of professional and ethical standards in our profession, to suspend the membership of the Israeli Association of United Architects, until it acts to resist these illegal projects, and observes international law, and the UIA Accords and Resolution 13,” the RIBA motion reads.
The campaign initiated and worked for over seven years by Architects and Planners for Justice in Palestine (APJP) was brought to fruition by great teamwork and by the courageous action of the RIBA’s past President Angela Brady and active Council members George Oldham and Owen O’Carroll who tabled the motion signed by many RIBA members and registered architects including leading lights in the profession that included Charles Jencks, Ted Cullinan , Will Alsop, Peter Ahrends and Neave Brown.
The building of illegal settlements against Article 49 of the 4th Geneva Convention which prohibits the transfer of a civilian population into territory occupied by force is considered a serious breach and thus as war crimes in which Israeli architects are closely involved. This settlement expansion has resulted in the forced removal or thousands of Palestinians and expropriation of their homes and land, and the erasure of their culture and history that has been going on since 1967 with impunity despite repeated world wide condemnation.
APJP’s persistent prompting of the UIA to take action on these breaches of human rights and the ethical codes of practice in the UIA Accords resulted in ‘Resolution 13’ being confirmed in 2009 to condemn such illegal projects. This met with complete detachment and refusal to act on or condemn by the Israeli Association of United Architects IAUA who insisted they were only concerned with design and not the political actions of its members. Yet the whole real-estate enterprise is closely tied in with Israel’s political and military agenda to grab and hold as much land as possible, denying a fully sovereign Palestinian state.
2013 was record year in new settlement construction, and the 2014 rate is already higher, seeing the construction of 2534 housing projects, with over 550,000 Jewish Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank. Meanwhile Palestinian live in tightly controlled enclaves enclosed by the illegal Separation Wall and segregated roads, denied permission to build and instead having their houses taken over or demolished -all reminiscent of Apartheid South Africa.
Not to have acted would have made the RIBA silent and condoning this grave misconduct of their professional associates. By sending a clear message to the IAUA, and UIA, the RIBA and the RIAS strike a blow for the integrity and ethical practice of our profession, and supports the Palestinian civil society call for sanctions against the impunity of Israel.
Abe Hayeem, RIBA member and chair of Architects and Planners for Justice in Palestine, said:
“This motion sends a clear message that there is a price to pay for Israel’s decades long impunity in pursuing these apartheid policies, and that the humane principles of our profession cannot be ignored. One small step by the RIBA Council in supporting this motion – one landmark leap for ethics, justice and integrity for our profession.”
Responding to the news, Rafeef Ziadah, a spokesperson from the Palestinian BDS National Committee, the coalition of Palestinian trade unions, campaigns, NGOs and political parties that works to lead and support the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement, said:
“Architects and planners are central to Israel’s colonisation of Palestinian land and the forced displacement of Palestinian people. Given the complicity of the Israeli Association of United Architects in Israel’s construction of illegal Israeli settlements, it is only right that it is excluded from international forums.
“Following on from major pension funds divesting from Israel and mainstream artists joining the boycott, the RIBA vote shows how the boycott of Israel has entered the mainstream. Congratulations to Architects and Planners for Justice in Palestine and RIBA for their principled stance.”
After a tough and passionate Council debate on 19 March 2014, the pillar of the UK’s architects’ professional association, the RIBA , passed the motion supporting action that should be taken by the International Union Of Architects’ to suspend the Israeli Association of United Architects (IAUA) from the world body of architects, the UIA. The Motion was passed by 23 votes to 16 with 10 abstentions. The vote follows a similar motion earlier in the week by the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland (RIAS).
“Since the Israeli Association of United Architects (IAUA) has paid no regard to the UIA resolution 13 of 2005 and 2009, the RIBA calls on the UIA, as the international guardian of professional and ethical standards in our profession, to suspend the membership of the Israeli Association of United Architects, until it acts to resist these illegal projects, and observes international law, and the UIA Accords and Resolution 13,” the RIBA motion reads.
The campaign initiated and worked for over seven years by Architects and Planners for Justice in Palestine (APJP) was brought to fruition by great teamwork and by the courageous action of the RIBA’s past President Angela Brady and active Council members George Oldham and Owen O’Carroll who tabled the motion signed by many RIBA members and registered architects including leading lights in the profession that included Charles Jencks, Ted Cullinan , Will Alsop, Peter Ahrends and Neave Brown.
The building of illegal settlements against Article 49 of the 4th Geneva Convention which prohibits the transfer of a civilian population into territory occupied by force is considered a serious breach and thus as war crimes in which Israeli architects are closely involved. This settlement expansion has resulted in the forced removal or thousands of Palestinians and expropriation of their homes and land, and the erasure of their culture and history that has been going on since 1967 with impunity despite repeated world wide condemnation.
APJP’s persistent prompting of the UIA to take action on these breaches of human rights and the ethical codes of practice in the UIA Accords resulted in ‘Resolution 13’ being confirmed in 2009 to condemn such illegal projects. This met with complete detachment and refusal to act on or condemn by the Israeli Association of United Architects IAUA who insisted they were only concerned with design and not the political actions of its members. Yet the whole real-estate enterprise is closely tied in with Israel’s political and military agenda to grab and hold as much land as possible, denying a fully sovereign Palestinian state.
2013 was record year in new settlement construction, and the 2014 rate is already higher, seeing the construction of 2534 housing projects, with over 550,000 Jewish Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank. Meanwhile Palestinian live in tightly controlled enclaves enclosed by the illegal Separation Wall and segregated roads, denied permission to build and instead having their houses taken over or demolished -all reminiscent of Apartheid South Africa.
Not to have acted would have made the RIBA silent and condoning this grave misconduct of their professional associates. By sending a clear message to the IAUA, and UIA, the RIBA and the RIAS strike a blow for the integrity and ethical practice of our profession, and supports the Palestinian civil society call for sanctions against the impunity of Israel.
18 mar 2014
Catherine Ashton, Foreign Policy Chief of the European Union, stated Monday she opposes boycotting Israel, yet, affirmed the EU opposes Israel construction and expansion of Jewish settlements in the occupied territories.
Her statements came during a press release, following a meeting with the 28 European Foreign Ministers, in Brussels.
Ashton said the stances of the EU regarding Israel’s settlements have not changed, and denounced Israel’s settlement construction and expansion activities.
“The EU does not want the isolation of Israel and its companies”, she said, “We are trying to find a peaceful solution to the conflict”.
She added that the European Union supports all efforts of U.S. Secretary John Kerry in trying to reach a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians.
Ashton further stated the European Union intends to provide Israel and the Palestinian Authority what she described as “an unprecedented package” that includes support measures for both Israel and the Palestinians should they sign a peace agreement.
Her statements came during a press release, following a meeting with the 28 European Foreign Ministers, in Brussels.
Ashton said the stances of the EU regarding Israel’s settlements have not changed, and denounced Israel’s settlement construction and expansion activities.
“The EU does not want the isolation of Israel and its companies”, she said, “We are trying to find a peaceful solution to the conflict”.
She added that the European Union supports all efforts of U.S. Secretary John Kerry in trying to reach a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians.
Ashton further stated the European Union intends to provide Israel and the Palestinian Authority what she described as “an unprecedented package” that includes support measures for both Israel and the Palestinians should they sign a peace agreement.
17 mar 2014
The Boycott Israel movement is developing a smart-phone application that will allow followers to avoid Israeli products. The campaign for Palestinian rights continues to gather momentum, despite Israeli accusations of anti-Semitism.
The BDS (Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions) movement is working on the Beta version of an app for its supporters. Drawing on a comprehensive database of warehousing product names and descriptions, the app will allow users to scan products to find out immediately whether they fall within the boycott’s guidelines.
The founder of PennBDS, Abbas Naqvi, told the Business Insider that the app will allow “the average Joe” to “dynamically and quickly identify products that fall within the BDS boycott guidelines.”
The application is currently in the final stages of development and the BDS says it will be ready to download in the near future.
BDS is a self-proclaimed movement that aims to “target products and companies (Israeli and international) that profit from the violation of Palestinian rights, as well as Israeli sporting, cultural and academic institutions.”
Last month BDS hit the headlines when it demanded Oxfam drop Hollywood actress Scarlett Johansson as an ambassador for her endorsement of the Israeli-based company SodaStream. The boycott movement argues that Scarlett Johansson’s role in Oxfam undermines the organization’s supposed condemnation of economic corporation with Israeli settlements.
“A refusal to part ways with Johansson will tarnish the charity’s credibility among Palestinians and many people of conscience around the world,” said the BDS in a statement.
Recently the organization has gained popularity and recognition internationally, prompting the condemnation of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Last month the Israeli leader branded the campaign as anti-Semitism in a modern guise.
“I think that it is important that the boycotters be exposed for what they are, they are classical anti-Semites in modern garb,” Netanyahu said.
Israeli-Palestinian peace talks have been on the rocks recently after a speech by Netanyahu calling on Prime Minister Mahmud Abbas to “abandon fantasy” and recognize Israel as a Jewish state. The statement prompted a knee-jerk reaction from the Palestinian Authority who decried it as tantamount to “an official announcement of a unilateral end to negotiations.”
US President Barack Obama warned Israel that the US may not be able to protect it if the two-state solution fails.
If Netanyahu “does not believe that a peace deal with the Palestinians is the right thing to do for Israel, then he needs to articulate an alternative approach,” Obama told Bloomberg in an interview on March 3.
Source: INTIFADA VOICE OF PALESTINE
The BDS (Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions) movement is working on the Beta version of an app for its supporters. Drawing on a comprehensive database of warehousing product names and descriptions, the app will allow users to scan products to find out immediately whether they fall within the boycott’s guidelines.
The founder of PennBDS, Abbas Naqvi, told the Business Insider that the app will allow “the average Joe” to “dynamically and quickly identify products that fall within the BDS boycott guidelines.”
The application is currently in the final stages of development and the BDS says it will be ready to download in the near future.
BDS is a self-proclaimed movement that aims to “target products and companies (Israeli and international) that profit from the violation of Palestinian rights, as well as Israeli sporting, cultural and academic institutions.”
Last month BDS hit the headlines when it demanded Oxfam drop Hollywood actress Scarlett Johansson as an ambassador for her endorsement of the Israeli-based company SodaStream. The boycott movement argues that Scarlett Johansson’s role in Oxfam undermines the organization’s supposed condemnation of economic corporation with Israeli settlements.
“A refusal to part ways with Johansson will tarnish the charity’s credibility among Palestinians and many people of conscience around the world,” said the BDS in a statement.
Recently the organization has gained popularity and recognition internationally, prompting the condemnation of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Last month the Israeli leader branded the campaign as anti-Semitism in a modern guise.
“I think that it is important that the boycotters be exposed for what they are, they are classical anti-Semites in modern garb,” Netanyahu said.
Israeli-Palestinian peace talks have been on the rocks recently after a speech by Netanyahu calling on Prime Minister Mahmud Abbas to “abandon fantasy” and recognize Israel as a Jewish state. The statement prompted a knee-jerk reaction from the Palestinian Authority who decried it as tantamount to “an official announcement of a unilateral end to negotiations.”
US President Barack Obama warned Israel that the US may not be able to protect it if the two-state solution fails.
If Netanyahu “does not believe that a peace deal with the Palestinians is the right thing to do for Israel, then he needs to articulate an alternative approach,” Obama told Bloomberg in an interview on March 3.
Source: INTIFADA VOICE OF PALESTINE
16 mar 2014
The Palestinian BDS National Committee (BNC) called Wednesday to boycott and work towards divestment from U.S. footwear manufacturer New Balance and hotel chain Crowne Plaza until they end their involvement in the 'Jerusalem Marathon', as well as in any other Israeli events that similarly serve to whitewash Israel’s violations of international law and ethnic cleansing in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem.
The committee states that the route of the 'Jerusalem Marathon', which is organized by the Jerusalem Municipality and will be held on 21 March, passes through occupied East Jerusalem and is part of an ongoing process to institutionalize Israel’s hold on the occupied city.
According to the BNC “the marathon is used to cover up Israel’s image around the world while acting as a smokescreen to its illegal annexation of and gradual ethnic cleansing of Palestinians from the occupied city.”
Furthermore, the organizers of the marathon make no secret that the event is to be used to rebrand Israel’s image abroad. The Jerusalem marathon website refers to East Jerusalem as “mostly the home of former Jordanian citizens,” painting Palestinians as foreigners. This attitude is consistent with Israel’s ongoing erasure of Palestinian historical presence in the city.
BNC emphasizes that New Balance and the InterContinental Hotels Group, of which Crowne Plaza is part, ignored calls last year to withdraw sponsorship for the marathon and are again lending their names to the event.
The committee warns that the growth of the BDS movement worldwide shows that corporations can no longer enable and profit from the decades-long violations of Palestinian human rights without paying the costs for their complicity.
As an example, the committee cites the case of Adidas, a sponsor of the Jerusalem marathon in previous years that was forced to end its involvement after the Arab Youth and Sports Council of Ministers committed to exclude the company from contracts in the region.
The committee states that the route of the 'Jerusalem Marathon', which is organized by the Jerusalem Municipality and will be held on 21 March, passes through occupied East Jerusalem and is part of an ongoing process to institutionalize Israel’s hold on the occupied city.
According to the BNC “the marathon is used to cover up Israel’s image around the world while acting as a smokescreen to its illegal annexation of and gradual ethnic cleansing of Palestinians from the occupied city.”
Furthermore, the organizers of the marathon make no secret that the event is to be used to rebrand Israel’s image abroad. The Jerusalem marathon website refers to East Jerusalem as “mostly the home of former Jordanian citizens,” painting Palestinians as foreigners. This attitude is consistent with Israel’s ongoing erasure of Palestinian historical presence in the city.
BNC emphasizes that New Balance and the InterContinental Hotels Group, of which Crowne Plaza is part, ignored calls last year to withdraw sponsorship for the marathon and are again lending their names to the event.
The committee warns that the growth of the BDS movement worldwide shows that corporations can no longer enable and profit from the decades-long violations of Palestinian human rights without paying the costs for their complicity.
As an example, the committee cites the case of Adidas, a sponsor of the Jerusalem marathon in previous years that was forced to end its involvement after the Arab Youth and Sports Council of Ministers committed to exclude the company from contracts in the region.
In the latest success for the growing Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel, authorities in Buenos Aires have suspended a proposed $170m water treatment plant deal with Israeli state water firm Mekorot.
The decision came after a campaign by local trade unions and human rights groups which connected Mekorot’s role in Israel’s theft of Palestinian water resources with evidence that the project did not meet Argentine standards and necessities.
Campaigners argued that Mekorot was attempting to export the discriminatory water policies it has developed against the Palestinian people to Argentina.
This victory largely contradicts Israeli claims, last expressed during Netanyahu’s speech at the AIPAC, that the global south, eager for Israeli technology, are uncontested growing markets.
Mekorot illegally appropriates Palestinian water, diverting it to illegal Israeli settlements and towns inside Israel, and imposes severe obstacles to Palestinians accessing their own water. Amnesty International has accused [PDF] Israel of depriving Palestinians of their access to water “as a means of expulsion”. A French parliamentary report accused Israel of imposing a system of “water apartheid” in the occupied Palestinian territory.
The Buenos Aires provincial government approved a drinking water plant project deal with a consortium led by Mekorot following a visit to Israel by state governor Daniel Scioli in 2011, but protests and lobbying have persuaded local authorities to suspend the project.
The large Dutch water utility Vitens suspended a cooperation agreement with Mekorot on the grounds that the relationship violated its “commitment to international law” in a high profile announcement in December.
“After investigating, we concluded that Mekorot came to Argentina with the intention to repeat what they are doing in Palestine. Water is a right for all and no company should be able to provide water in a discriminatory way,” said Adolfo, an engineer and a representative of the CTA/ ATE Hidráulica trade union in Buenos Aires that campaigned against the Mekorot plant.
“We fought in solidarity with the Palestinian struggle for justice, liberation and return and we won a battle not only against Israeli crimes against the Palestinian people but as well for the right to water here in Argentina,” said Tilda Rabi, president of the Federation of Palestinian-Argentinian Organisations.
Campaigners understand that the decision was made in December 2013 but were only able to verify the news on March 7.
Friends of the Earth Palestine and a range of BDS partners are calling for a week of action against Mekorot during the last week of March.
Campaigners are viewing the Buenos Aires decision as the latest sign that the international BDS movement is increasingly isolating Israel and having serious economic impacts on its regime of occupation, colonialism and apartheid.
On Thursday, students at the National University of Galway in Ireland voted to endorse BDS in a campus-wide ballot, following on from a similar referendum success for BDS activists at the University of Windsor in Canada. National and local student unions across Europe and North America have now voted to support BDS-related measures.
Israeli media reports attributed the recent withdrawal of two leading European construction firms from the bid to build seaports in Israel to boycott fears, and a third firm only agreed to go ahead with similar plans after being allowed to submit a bid under a different name.
It emerged last month that Luxembourg’s state pension fund has excluded nine Israeli banks and firms over their role in illegal Israeli settlements, following on from similar decisions in recent months by public pension funds in Norway and the Netherlands and Danske Bank, Denmark’s largest bank.
A recent solidarity conference organized by South African members of parliament and civil society groups issued the Cape Town Declaration endorsing BDS and accusing Israel of the crime of apartheid.
The Norwegian branch of the YMCA-YWCA movement recently announced its support for an economic boycott of Israel.
“Israel’s attempts to smear the BDS movement are failing; Israel is increasingly being isolated as people of conscience around the world take action to support Palestinian rights and as investors realize that there are serious economic and reputational risks associated with doing business with Israel,” said Zaid Shuaibi, a spokesperson for the Palestinian BDS National Committee, the largest Palestinian civil society coalition that leads the global BDS movement.
“Boycott is becoming an increasingly powerful and empowering way for ordinary people to support Palestinians in their struggle to end the occupation and Israel’s apartheid policies and for the right of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes,” he added.
The decision came after a campaign by local trade unions and human rights groups which connected Mekorot’s role in Israel’s theft of Palestinian water resources with evidence that the project did not meet Argentine standards and necessities.
Campaigners argued that Mekorot was attempting to export the discriminatory water policies it has developed against the Palestinian people to Argentina.
This victory largely contradicts Israeli claims, last expressed during Netanyahu’s speech at the AIPAC, that the global south, eager for Israeli technology, are uncontested growing markets.
Mekorot illegally appropriates Palestinian water, diverting it to illegal Israeli settlements and towns inside Israel, and imposes severe obstacles to Palestinians accessing their own water. Amnesty International has accused [PDF] Israel of depriving Palestinians of their access to water “as a means of expulsion”. A French parliamentary report accused Israel of imposing a system of “water apartheid” in the occupied Palestinian territory.
The Buenos Aires provincial government approved a drinking water plant project deal with a consortium led by Mekorot following a visit to Israel by state governor Daniel Scioli in 2011, but protests and lobbying have persuaded local authorities to suspend the project.
The large Dutch water utility Vitens suspended a cooperation agreement with Mekorot on the grounds that the relationship violated its “commitment to international law” in a high profile announcement in December.
“After investigating, we concluded that Mekorot came to Argentina with the intention to repeat what they are doing in Palestine. Water is a right for all and no company should be able to provide water in a discriminatory way,” said Adolfo, an engineer and a representative of the CTA/ ATE Hidráulica trade union in Buenos Aires that campaigned against the Mekorot plant.
“We fought in solidarity with the Palestinian struggle for justice, liberation and return and we won a battle not only against Israeli crimes against the Palestinian people but as well for the right to water here in Argentina,” said Tilda Rabi, president of the Federation of Palestinian-Argentinian Organisations.
Campaigners understand that the decision was made in December 2013 but were only able to verify the news on March 7.
Friends of the Earth Palestine and a range of BDS partners are calling for a week of action against Mekorot during the last week of March.
Campaigners are viewing the Buenos Aires decision as the latest sign that the international BDS movement is increasingly isolating Israel and having serious economic impacts on its regime of occupation, colonialism and apartheid.
On Thursday, students at the National University of Galway in Ireland voted to endorse BDS in a campus-wide ballot, following on from a similar referendum success for BDS activists at the University of Windsor in Canada. National and local student unions across Europe and North America have now voted to support BDS-related measures.
Israeli media reports attributed the recent withdrawal of two leading European construction firms from the bid to build seaports in Israel to boycott fears, and a third firm only agreed to go ahead with similar plans after being allowed to submit a bid under a different name.
It emerged last month that Luxembourg’s state pension fund has excluded nine Israeli banks and firms over their role in illegal Israeli settlements, following on from similar decisions in recent months by public pension funds in Norway and the Netherlands and Danske Bank, Denmark’s largest bank.
A recent solidarity conference organized by South African members of parliament and civil society groups issued the Cape Town Declaration endorsing BDS and accusing Israel of the crime of apartheid.
The Norwegian branch of the YMCA-YWCA movement recently announced its support for an economic boycott of Israel.
“Israel’s attempts to smear the BDS movement are failing; Israel is increasingly being isolated as people of conscience around the world take action to support Palestinian rights and as investors realize that there are serious economic and reputational risks associated with doing business with Israel,” said Zaid Shuaibi, a spokesperson for the Palestinian BDS National Committee, the largest Palestinian civil society coalition that leads the global BDS movement.
“Boycott is becoming an increasingly powerful and empowering way for ordinary people to support Palestinians in their struggle to end the occupation and Israel’s apartheid policies and for the right of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes,” he added.
