12 july 2015
A group of Israli caricaturists frustrated with ineffectiveness of hasbara are posting sarcastic caricatures to expose BDS supporters' hypocrisy.
Israeli diplomacy has been diligently working in recent months to thwart the efforts of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Movement (BDS), and now the country is receiving assistance from an unlikely group: Illustrators.
A new Facebook page recently created by Israeli illustrators seeks to fight the boycott efforts via sarcastic cartoons that paint Israel in a positive light, and unmask its hypocritical detractors. After Britain's National Union of Students decided last month to join the BDS movement calling for a boycott of Israel, Asaf Finkelstein, a public relations person specializing in branding, decided that he could no longer bury his head in the sand.
Israeli diplomacy has been diligently working in recent months to thwart the efforts of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Movement (BDS), and now the country is receiving assistance from an unlikely group: Illustrators.
A new Facebook page recently created by Israeli illustrators seeks to fight the boycott efforts via sarcastic cartoons that paint Israel in a positive light, and unmask its hypocritical detractors. After Britain's National Union of Students decided last month to join the BDS movement calling for a boycott of Israel, Asaf Finkelstein, a public relations person specializing in branding, decided that he could no longer bury his head in the sand.
After consulting with his friend,
illustrator Uri Fink, they decided to utilize Israel's secret weapon in
order to win the hasbara fight: The art of illustration. Along with
illustrator Shay Charka and public relations person Yossi Klar, they
created a Facebook page called TICP - The Israeli Cartoon Project that brings together the caricatures of illustrators who want to help Israel in its fight against the boycott.
"We felt that there was a huge failure in hasbara and concluded that there is one thing that has not been tried yet - to explain Israel through caricatures. We decided the time for talking is over, it's time for action," said Finkelstein.
Soon word spread, and Israel's best illustrators mobilized for the country's sake. These include: Yaakov Kirschen, Ronnie Gordon, Yaron Lovaton, Yossi Shahar, Shay Charka and Guy Morad, Yedioth Ahronoth's cartoonist.
"We felt that there was a huge failure in hasbara and concluded that there is one thing that has not been tried yet - to explain Israel through caricatures. We decided the time for talking is over, it's time for action," said Finkelstein.
Soon word spread, and Israel's best illustrators mobilized for the country's sake. These include: Yaakov Kirschen, Ronnie Gordon, Yaron Lovaton, Yossi Shahar, Shay Charka and Guy Morad, Yedioth Ahronoth's cartoonist.
To join the illustrators' army, the cartoonist must be a talented illustrator, pro-Israel, funny, and know how to put aside Israeli political disputes.
"The most important rule - no internal politics, no left and no right, no religious and no secular," said Finkelstein. "We want to reach BDS' audience and plant seeds of doubt, balance the picture and explain that the truth is not so absolute."
Almost every day sarcastic caricatures appear on the Facebook page demonstrating the hypocrisy of Israel's detractors and their anti-Semitic motives, in order to help shatter the web of lies they are spreading.
"The most important rule - no internal politics, no left and no right, no religious and no secular," said Finkelstein. "We want to reach BDS' audience and plant seeds of doubt, balance the picture and explain that the truth is not so absolute."
Almost every day sarcastic caricatures appear on the Facebook page demonstrating the hypocrisy of Israel's detractors and their anti-Semitic motives, in order to help shatter the web of lies they are spreading.
The veteran caricaturist Yaacov Kirschen explains the strategy: "Today people do not have time to read. Those who receive a caricature will look at it for a few seconds and will immediately get the message. If you use humor, the reader also laughs, and when someone laughs, he accepts the truth, then he is on my side.
We are at war, and we have to fight. This is a caricature war." Illustrator Vladik Sandler considers his participation in the project a true mission. "I listen to the international media and and am in shock at the falsifications about us," he said. "Caricatures are a way to fight against it creatively. Caricatures attract people, and if it's done in a smart and elegant way, you can create a new atmosphere that leads to dialogue."
Yossi Klar, who runs the Facebook page, also believes in the power of illustration to bring about a change of consciousness: "One caricature can change the opinion of someone who does not know anything about the conflict. We strive to make them understand our right to live in our country without them trying to kill us."
We are at war, and we have to fight. This is a caricature war." Illustrator Vladik Sandler considers his participation in the project a true mission. "I listen to the international media and and am in shock at the falsifications about us," he said. "Caricatures are a way to fight against it creatively. Caricatures attract people, and if it's done in a smart and elegant way, you can create a new atmosphere that leads to dialogue."
Yossi Klar, who runs the Facebook page, also believes in the power of illustration to bring about a change of consciousness: "One caricature can change the opinion of someone who does not know anything about the conflict. We strive to make them understand our right to live in our country without them trying to kill us."
10 july 2015
The Israeli Teachers' Union has lent its support, albeit reluctantly, to a document prepared for the World Teachers' Association convention, which includes an article stating that the settlements are hindering peace and the two-state solution. A source in the Israeli union said that if it did not support this document then the Israeli education and academic system would face an international boycott.
The document calls on the Israeli and Palestinian teachers' unions to demand that their governments engage in negotiations in order to reach a peace agreement. Other objectives include the reduction of the reasons for conflict and violence, recognition of Israel's right to exist, the establishment of a Palestinian state, an end to rocket attacks on Israel, and the formation of a committee to monitor textbooks in schools run by Israel and the Palestinian Authority.
The document points out that countries engaged in economic relations with the illegal settlements are violating international law. There is also a need to look into the international status of Jerusalem, it insists, as well as the fact that the Apartheid Separation Wall is built on Palestinian land.
The convention is scheduled to be held in Canada on 21 July. Teachers' unions in Britain and South Africa announced in advance that they intended to draft a document that stipulates the boycott of Israel unless the Israeli teachers' union supports the document condemning settlements and calling for a two-state solution.
The Head of the Israeli Teachers' Union, Ran Erez, informed the prime minister's office and the Israeli Foreign Ministry about the document proposed by Britain and South Africa. Erez sought advice on how to address the issue but media reports claim that he has had no official response.
The document calls on the Israeli and Palestinian teachers' unions to demand that their governments engage in negotiations in order to reach a peace agreement. Other objectives include the reduction of the reasons for conflict and violence, recognition of Israel's right to exist, the establishment of a Palestinian state, an end to rocket attacks on Israel, and the formation of a committee to monitor textbooks in schools run by Israel and the Palestinian Authority.
The document points out that countries engaged in economic relations with the illegal settlements are violating international law. There is also a need to look into the international status of Jerusalem, it insists, as well as the fact that the Apartheid Separation Wall is built on Palestinian land.
The convention is scheduled to be held in Canada on 21 July. Teachers' unions in Britain and South Africa announced in advance that they intended to draft a document that stipulates the boycott of Israel unless the Israeli teachers' union supports the document condemning settlements and calling for a two-state solution.
The Head of the Israeli Teachers' Union, Ran Erez, informed the prime minister's office and the Israeli Foreign Ministry about the document proposed by Britain and South Africa. Erez sought advice on how to address the issue but media reports claim that he has had no official response.
9 july 2015
A boycott of Israel by the European Union would cost billions according to a government-commissioned report, further details of which appeared in the Israeli media this week, reports Middle East Monitor.
The study was initiated in 2013 by then-Finance Minister Yair Lapid, and examines possible scenarios based on different types of punitive measures.
In the least severe scenario envisaged, the EU would lead a voluntary boycott of Israeli settlements in the West Bank, leading to a loss to Israeli exports of around 1 billion shekels per annum.
Other scenarios envisaged include the EU blocking settlement products and a partial boycott from non-EU states, costing a NIS 4.37 billion drop in exports.
Israel’s worst case scenario would mean a complete embargo on Israeli products in Europe, with damage amounting to NIS 84.4 billion in lost exports, and a NIS 40 billion drop in GDP.
“Today, the issue of a boycott is being advanced by non-governmental organizations and promoted by people who enjoy high public profiles”, the report states.
Noting the experience of Apartheid South Africa, the report comments: “The tipping point in Israel’s international relationships could push Israel’s economy from its current growth path to another path in which the Israeli economy returns to be a relatively closed one and the quality of life is lower.”
The release of the report comes just after US President Barak Obama signed a fast-track bill for a controversial free-trade agreement between the US and Europe, which contains significant anti-BDS legislation obligating EU countries to refrain from boycotts on Israeli settlement goods.
The study was initiated in 2013 by then-Finance Minister Yair Lapid, and examines possible scenarios based on different types of punitive measures.
In the least severe scenario envisaged, the EU would lead a voluntary boycott of Israeli settlements in the West Bank, leading to a loss to Israeli exports of around 1 billion shekels per annum.
Other scenarios envisaged include the EU blocking settlement products and a partial boycott from non-EU states, costing a NIS 4.37 billion drop in exports.
Israel’s worst case scenario would mean a complete embargo on Israeli products in Europe, with damage amounting to NIS 84.4 billion in lost exports, and a NIS 40 billion drop in GDP.
“Today, the issue of a boycott is being advanced by non-governmental organizations and promoted by people who enjoy high public profiles”, the report states.
Noting the experience of Apartheid South Africa, the report comments: “The tipping point in Israel’s international relationships could push Israel’s economy from its current growth path to another path in which the Israeli economy returns to be a relatively closed one and the quality of life is lower.”
The release of the report comes just after US President Barak Obama signed a fast-track bill for a controversial free-trade agreement between the US and Europe, which contains significant anti-BDS legislation obligating EU countries to refrain from boycotts on Israeli settlement goods.
8 july 2015
The first Irish dance competition to take place in Israel has been canceled by organizers following an online campaign bashing the event as a breach of the cultural boycott of Israel.
The cultural boycott, although not officially upheld by the Irish government, has been undertaken by hundreds of individuals throughout Ireland who refuse to engage in any kind of cultural relations with Israel.
The Carey Academy of Irish Dance had organized the first Israeli Feis to take place this this August in Tel Aviv but came under fire from Irish supporters of Palestine, the Irish Palestinian Activists Collective, who began the campaign #DontDanceForIsrael to promote a boycott of the event.
The Irish Palestinian Activists Collective also started an online petition calling on those involved in the feis to cancel the competitions and to support “the appeal of the Palestinian people to Boycott, Divest and Sanction, BDS, the Apartheid state of Israel.”
The petition, established by Amanda Crawford in Dublin on behalf of the Irish Palestinian Activists Collective, had collected over 2,700 signatures.
A statement from the Carey Academy announcing the cancellation said: “Not long ago the feis [FaceBook] page started to be attacked by a radical political group called Irish Palestine Solidarity Campaign (IPSC) led by Raymond Deane, Kevin Squires and Amanda Crawford. Threatening messages were sent not only to our teachers, but also parents and students.”
“Age, nationality, or religious beliefs do not matter to us,” it continued. “Unfortunately, there was a protest outside of our dance studio. We do not want to risk safety of anyone connected to the Carey Academy. The feis was not meant to be anything more than what it really is – a celebration of dancing, friendship and joy.
“We are sorry for any inconvenience caused to people who may have already booked tickets, but I am sure you understand the safety of our dancers is our number one priority.”
The Academy had previously stated that “running a feis in Israel does not mean we support or are involved with the Israeli government or any extremist groups in any way shape or form.”
1st Israeli Feis Unfortunately we have to announce the cancellation of what would have been the 1st Israeli Feis. Not long ago the feis page started to be attacked by a radical political group called Irish Palestine Solidarity Campaign (IPSC) led by Raymond Deane, Kevin Squires and Amanda Crawford. Threatening messages were sent not only to our teachers, but also parents and students. Age, nationality, or religious beliefs do not matter to us. Unfortunately, there was a protest outside of our dance studio. We do not want to risk safety of anyone connected to the Carey Academy. The feis was not meant to be anything more than what it really is - a celebration of dancing, friendship and joy. We are sorry for any inconvenience caused to people who may have already booked tickets but I am sure you understand the safety of our dancers is our number one priority. #irishdancing #feis #1stisraelifeis #israel
Irishman Eddie Whyte was one of those involved in the Boycott, Divest, Sanction (BDS) campaign against the Feis organizers. He believes that by claiming they were not involved in the political situation in Israel, The Carey Academy “were being either extremely naïve or deliberately misleading. Irish and Norwegian people in general have tremendous feelings of solidarity towards the Palestinians.”
He claims that while posts from the BDS campaign were deleted from the Feis Facebook page, the Israeli embassy were not subject to the same censorship.
“Articles were posted aggressively ridiculing opposition to the festival. The censorship clearly did not apply to posts from the Israeli government and its embassy,” he said
“And let’s remember that the Israeli embassy in Dublin is no ordinary diplomatic mission – it is notorious for its online extremist views.
The IPSC also claims that The Carey Academy was promoting the Israeli State: “As part of the Feis, the Carey Academy were offering participants ‘a bus tour to some incredible places in Israel.'”
“The very first option is a tour of ‘Jerusalem (Old City)’ and the second is ‘A Tour of Three Religions in Jerusalem.’
"Of course the Old City of Jerusalem is in illegally annexed Israeli-occupied Palestinian East Jerusalem,” the IPSC says, “and no ‘three religions’ tour would be possible without visiting the Old City.
“Thus, we see The Carey Academy, whether wittingly or unwittingly it does not matter, reinforcing the Israeli state narrative of East Jerusalem being part of Israel,” the IPSC concludes.
The Carey Academy is also being met with further criticism from the Irish Friends of Palestine for the original statement they posted to their Facebook page announcing the cancellation, which has since been deleted.
The original statement read: “What started as a cyber-bullying campaign full of extremely emotive language and badly photoshopped pictures turned into direct threats to whoever was involved or they thought was involved in the feis.
“Funny enough, though IPSC and their idol organization BDS claim they are a peaceful campaign, they felt very comfortable not only sending aggressive messages to people, saying that they want to destroy Israel or that everyone who takes part in the feis would be shot in the head, but also encouraging each other on their personal pages to pressure the organizers and dancers and give them hell.”
“It did really scare us when IPSC/BDS campaigners organized a not-so-peaceful protest outside of our dance studio – fortunately, there were no children on the premises as who knows what these people were up to – we do not want to risk safety of the dancers from any country whatsoever and contrary to whatever conspiracy theories IPSC/BDS have developed.”
A statement from the IPSC, however, claims that it was not the intention of the campaign (which they did not organize but promoted) to cancel the Feis and further asserts that the original post announcing the cancellation “makes scurrilous and defamatory remarks against human rights activists and organizations.”
“Leaving aside the near impossibility, were one even so inclined, of finding contact details for teachers, parents and students which are presumably only in the hands of organizers,” they state, “this is a completely defamatory statement. Neither the IPSC nor anyone officially associated with it sent a single threatening message to anyone.”
“It is of course important to state that IPSC neither advocates nor stands behind any violent act or violent threat made in the name of the BDS movement.”
The statement continues to explain that Israelis were welcome to take part in the Feis but as part of the cultural boycott, Ireland should not be involved in any way. “Instead we sought to encourage Irish people who had planned on attending the competition … to boycott the event in solidarity with Palestinians living under Israeli occupation and Apartheid,” they said.
“Separately, we pleaded with An Coimisiun Le Rinci Gaelacha (CLRG; The Irish Dancing Commission), as an organization which receives money from the Irish taxpayer via Conradh Na Gaeilge, to withdraw its endorsement, promotion and support for the event taking place under its auspices.”
Although Palestine is not currently recognized by the Irish government, the Irish Senate last October passed a motion calling on the government to recognize Palestine, with 31 of the house’s 60 Senators signing the motion.
In December, a similar motion was proposed in the Irish parliament (Dáil) by Sinn Féin and passed. At the time, Minister for Foreign Affairs Charlie Flanagan stated that he would “advance matters further” as “achieving and recognizing a Palestinian State has always been the objective of the Irish Government.”
Government Ministers and Senators from all four of Ireland’s biggest political parties have supported the move, taking part in a campaign earlier this year to push for immediate recognition of the State which saw billboards and bus advertisements putting pressure on the government to take more action.
The first Israeli feis was set to take place on August 15, hosting an Irish dance championship for solo and group dancers. The championship was organized under the Israeli branch of Carey Academy run by Pavel Kolesov and Marina Frumkin that opened earlier this year following a successful opening of a branch in Russia in 2012.
The original Carey Academy was established in Birmingham, England by John Carey, the first “English” Irish dancer to join the original "Riverdance" show at just 17 years of age and a previous understudy to Michael Flatley in "Lord of the Dance."
The cultural boycott, although not officially upheld by the Irish government, has been undertaken by hundreds of individuals throughout Ireland who refuse to engage in any kind of cultural relations with Israel.
The Carey Academy of Irish Dance had organized the first Israeli Feis to take place this this August in Tel Aviv but came under fire from Irish supporters of Palestine, the Irish Palestinian Activists Collective, who began the campaign #DontDanceForIsrael to promote a boycott of the event.
The Irish Palestinian Activists Collective also started an online petition calling on those involved in the feis to cancel the competitions and to support “the appeal of the Palestinian people to Boycott, Divest and Sanction, BDS, the Apartheid state of Israel.”
The petition, established by Amanda Crawford in Dublin on behalf of the Irish Palestinian Activists Collective, had collected over 2,700 signatures.
A statement from the Carey Academy announcing the cancellation said: “Not long ago the feis [FaceBook] page started to be attacked by a radical political group called Irish Palestine Solidarity Campaign (IPSC) led by Raymond Deane, Kevin Squires and Amanda Crawford. Threatening messages were sent not only to our teachers, but also parents and students.”
“Age, nationality, or religious beliefs do not matter to us,” it continued. “Unfortunately, there was a protest outside of our dance studio. We do not want to risk safety of anyone connected to the Carey Academy. The feis was not meant to be anything more than what it really is – a celebration of dancing, friendship and joy.
“We are sorry for any inconvenience caused to people who may have already booked tickets, but I am sure you understand the safety of our dancers is our number one priority.”
The Academy had previously stated that “running a feis in Israel does not mean we support or are involved with the Israeli government or any extremist groups in any way shape or form.”
1st Israeli Feis Unfortunately we have to announce the cancellation of what would have been the 1st Israeli Feis. Not long ago the feis page started to be attacked by a radical political group called Irish Palestine Solidarity Campaign (IPSC) led by Raymond Deane, Kevin Squires and Amanda Crawford. Threatening messages were sent not only to our teachers, but also parents and students. Age, nationality, or religious beliefs do not matter to us. Unfortunately, there was a protest outside of our dance studio. We do not want to risk safety of anyone connected to the Carey Academy. The feis was not meant to be anything more than what it really is - a celebration of dancing, friendship and joy. We are sorry for any inconvenience caused to people who may have already booked tickets but I am sure you understand the safety of our dancers is our number one priority. #irishdancing #feis #1stisraelifeis #israel
Irishman Eddie Whyte was one of those involved in the Boycott, Divest, Sanction (BDS) campaign against the Feis organizers. He believes that by claiming they were not involved in the political situation in Israel, The Carey Academy “were being either extremely naïve or deliberately misleading. Irish and Norwegian people in general have tremendous feelings of solidarity towards the Palestinians.”
He claims that while posts from the BDS campaign were deleted from the Feis Facebook page, the Israeli embassy were not subject to the same censorship.
“Articles were posted aggressively ridiculing opposition to the festival. The censorship clearly did not apply to posts from the Israeli government and its embassy,” he said
“And let’s remember that the Israeli embassy in Dublin is no ordinary diplomatic mission – it is notorious for its online extremist views.
The IPSC also claims that The Carey Academy was promoting the Israeli State: “As part of the Feis, the Carey Academy were offering participants ‘a bus tour to some incredible places in Israel.'”
“The very first option is a tour of ‘Jerusalem (Old City)’ and the second is ‘A Tour of Three Religions in Jerusalem.’
"Of course the Old City of Jerusalem is in illegally annexed Israeli-occupied Palestinian East Jerusalem,” the IPSC says, “and no ‘three religions’ tour would be possible without visiting the Old City.
“Thus, we see The Carey Academy, whether wittingly or unwittingly it does not matter, reinforcing the Israeli state narrative of East Jerusalem being part of Israel,” the IPSC concludes.
The Carey Academy is also being met with further criticism from the Irish Friends of Palestine for the original statement they posted to their Facebook page announcing the cancellation, which has since been deleted.
The original statement read: “What started as a cyber-bullying campaign full of extremely emotive language and badly photoshopped pictures turned into direct threats to whoever was involved or they thought was involved in the feis.
“Funny enough, though IPSC and their idol organization BDS claim they are a peaceful campaign, they felt very comfortable not only sending aggressive messages to people, saying that they want to destroy Israel or that everyone who takes part in the feis would be shot in the head, but also encouraging each other on their personal pages to pressure the organizers and dancers and give them hell.”
“It did really scare us when IPSC/BDS campaigners organized a not-so-peaceful protest outside of our dance studio – fortunately, there were no children on the premises as who knows what these people were up to – we do not want to risk safety of the dancers from any country whatsoever and contrary to whatever conspiracy theories IPSC/BDS have developed.”
A statement from the IPSC, however, claims that it was not the intention of the campaign (which they did not organize but promoted) to cancel the Feis and further asserts that the original post announcing the cancellation “makes scurrilous and defamatory remarks against human rights activists and organizations.”
“Leaving aside the near impossibility, were one even so inclined, of finding contact details for teachers, parents and students which are presumably only in the hands of organizers,” they state, “this is a completely defamatory statement. Neither the IPSC nor anyone officially associated with it sent a single threatening message to anyone.”
“It is of course important to state that IPSC neither advocates nor stands behind any violent act or violent threat made in the name of the BDS movement.”
The statement continues to explain that Israelis were welcome to take part in the Feis but as part of the cultural boycott, Ireland should not be involved in any way. “Instead we sought to encourage Irish people who had planned on attending the competition … to boycott the event in solidarity with Palestinians living under Israeli occupation and Apartheid,” they said.
“Separately, we pleaded with An Coimisiun Le Rinci Gaelacha (CLRG; The Irish Dancing Commission), as an organization which receives money from the Irish taxpayer via Conradh Na Gaeilge, to withdraw its endorsement, promotion and support for the event taking place under its auspices.”
Although Palestine is not currently recognized by the Irish government, the Irish Senate last October passed a motion calling on the government to recognize Palestine, with 31 of the house’s 60 Senators signing the motion.
In December, a similar motion was proposed in the Irish parliament (Dáil) by Sinn Féin and passed. At the time, Minister for Foreign Affairs Charlie Flanagan stated that he would “advance matters further” as “achieving and recognizing a Palestinian State has always been the objective of the Irish Government.”
Government Ministers and Senators from all four of Ireland’s biggest political parties have supported the move, taking part in a campaign earlier this year to push for immediate recognition of the State which saw billboards and bus advertisements putting pressure on the government to take more action.
The first Israeli feis was set to take place on August 15, hosting an Irish dance championship for solo and group dancers. The championship was organized under the Israeli branch of Carey Academy run by Pavel Kolesov and Marina Frumkin that opened earlier this year following a successful opening of a branch in Russia in 2012.
The original Carey Academy was established in Birmingham, England by John Carey, the first “English” Irish dancer to join the original "Riverdance" show at just 17 years of age and a previous understudy to Michael Flatley in "Lord of the Dance."
6 july 2015
In letter to Jewish media mogul Haim Saban, Democratic presidential hopeful slams comparisons made between Israel and the apartheid regime in South Africa, saying now is time 'repudiate forceful efforts to malign and undermine Israel'.
Leading Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Rodham Clinton is "alarmed" by the boycott movement against Israel, she told Jewish media mogul Haim Saban in a letter.
In a letter dated July 2, Clinton seeks Saban's advice on "how we can work together - across party lines and with a diverse array of voices - to reverse this trend with information and advocacy, and fight back against further attempts to isolate and delegitimize Israel."
Clinton expressed concerns over comparisons between Israel and the apartheid regime in South Africa, and added that as anti-Semitism is on the rise worldwide, now is the time "to repudiate forceful efforts to malign and undermine Israel and the Jewish people."
She wrote that the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Movement (BDS) "seeks to punish Israel and dictate how the Israelis and Palestinians should resolve the core issues of their conflict," clarifying that "this is not the path to peace."
The former US secretary of state, who led the failed 2010 peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians, reiterated her support of the two-state solution, saying "that outcome can only be achieved through direct negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians - it cannot be imposed from the outside or by unilateral actions." Politico reported on Friday that Clinton has been trying to convince Jewish donors in private conversations that she will be a better friend to Israel than President Barack Obama.
"Diplomacy is all about personal relationships, and I've got my own relationships," Clinton was quoted as saying, referring to her relationships with two of Obama's bigger critics in Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Israeli ambassador to the US Michael Oren.
Leading Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Rodham Clinton is "alarmed" by the boycott movement against Israel, she told Jewish media mogul Haim Saban in a letter.
In a letter dated July 2, Clinton seeks Saban's advice on "how we can work together - across party lines and with a diverse array of voices - to reverse this trend with information and advocacy, and fight back against further attempts to isolate and delegitimize Israel."
Clinton expressed concerns over comparisons between Israel and the apartheid regime in South Africa, and added that as anti-Semitism is on the rise worldwide, now is the time "to repudiate forceful efforts to malign and undermine Israel and the Jewish people."
She wrote that the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Movement (BDS) "seeks to punish Israel and dictate how the Israelis and Palestinians should resolve the core issues of their conflict," clarifying that "this is not the path to peace."
The former US secretary of state, who led the failed 2010 peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians, reiterated her support of the two-state solution, saying "that outcome can only be achieved through direct negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians - it cannot be imposed from the outside or by unilateral actions." Politico reported on Friday that Clinton has been trying to convince Jewish donors in private conversations that she will be a better friend to Israel than President Barack Obama.
"Diplomacy is all about personal relationships, and I've got my own relationships," Clinton was quoted as saying, referring to her relationships with two of Obama's bigger critics in Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Israeli ambassador to the US Michael Oren.
Today, to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the assault on Gaza using drones supplied by Elbit Systems, activists across the UK and Australia staged protests at Elbit Systems headquarters and factories. They have been updating their campaign on Facebook and Twitter using the hashtag #Stop Arming Israel.
A coordinated campaign took place today across the UK and in Melbourne in Australia to bring attention to the British government’s involvement in funding the Israeli Occupation Forces and implicit support during the assault on Gaza last summer. In the UK, activists “shut down” factories in Staffordshire and Kent, and in Australia activists protested in Melbourne. The factories they have targeted are Elbit Systems, accused of making engines for drones exported to Israel, and Instro Precision, supposedly a manufacturer of unmanned drones used in Israel.
The Independent reported on Thursday that British weaponry might have been used by Israel during the assault on Gaza last summer. The British government arranged arms exports worth around four million pounds to Israel in the three months between the end of the assault in August, called “Operation Protective Edge, ” and the end of December. In the six months leading up to the conflict, Britain exported arms to Israel for almost 7 billion pounds, according to the Independent.
David Wearing, a researcher at the University of London college SOAS, told RT:
“The continuation of arms sales represents a form of political as well as material support from the UK to Israel despite the construction of the ‘apartheid wall’ in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, the expansion of illegal Israeli settlements there and the ongoing blockade of Gaza.”
During the conflict last year, Green Party MP Caroline Lucas said:
“We need an urgent arms embargo on Israel now”
A coordinated campaign took place today across the UK and in Melbourne in Australia to bring attention to the British government’s involvement in funding the Israeli Occupation Forces and implicit support during the assault on Gaza last summer. In the UK, activists “shut down” factories in Staffordshire and Kent, and in Australia activists protested in Melbourne. The factories they have targeted are Elbit Systems, accused of making engines for drones exported to Israel, and Instro Precision, supposedly a manufacturer of unmanned drones used in Israel.
The Independent reported on Thursday that British weaponry might have been used by Israel during the assault on Gaza last summer. The British government arranged arms exports worth around four million pounds to Israel in the three months between the end of the assault in August, called “Operation Protective Edge, ” and the end of December. In the six months leading up to the conflict, Britain exported arms to Israel for almost 7 billion pounds, according to the Independent.
David Wearing, a researcher at the University of London college SOAS, told RT:
“The continuation of arms sales represents a form of political as well as material support from the UK to Israel despite the construction of the ‘apartheid wall’ in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, the expansion of illegal Israeli settlements there and the ongoing blockade of Gaza.”
During the conflict last year, Green Party MP Caroline Lucas said:
“We need an urgent arms embargo on Israel now”
2 july 2015
Nothing that Israel does to stop the global Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign seems to be working, not even in Washington, where support for Israel is often taken for granted. President Barack Obama's decision to sign into law a Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) renewal bill this week was, at first glance, a victory for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and its die-hard backers in Congress; but a victory it was not.
The purpose of the TPA bill was to give the president greater negotiating powers to "fast track" trade deals, and access new trading partners in the international marketplace. The bill was, however, a victim of the long-drawn-out system of congressional debate, which allowed other bits of legislation to be added before its final adoption. The pro-Israel lobby had secured an amendment to the trade law which obliged the US government to discourage EU countries from endorsing the fast growing BDS movement in Europe.
As usual, the devil was in the detail. One curious aspect of the amendment referred not only to commercial activity with the State of Israel but also "to Israeli-controlled territories". This latter phrase was especially problematic because it was an obvious reference to the Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. It implied that the US government supports the clearly illegal settlements.
As soon as the alarm bells about this started to ring, the State Department went into overdrive, issuing a clarification a day after Obama had signed the bill. While affirming US opposition to boycotts of Israel, spokesman John Kirby said a provision of the bill conflated "Israel" and "Israeli-controlled territories". He then emphasised that, just like every other administration since 1967, the Obama administration opposes Israeli settlement activity beyond the 1949 Armistice (the "Green") Line.
Lobbying to get US support for Israel in the face of BDS is one thing, but using US legislation to try to legitimise Israeli settlements is quite another. The State Department was right, therefore, to set the record straight and draw a line under the matter. On this occasion the pro-Israel lobby had, in the words of Israel's Haaretz newspaper, bitten off more than it could chew.
What happened in Washington this week must serve as a lesson to the pro-Israel lobby, wherever it may operate; unreasonable and over-zealous advocacy on behalf of Israel can backfire and become counter-productive.
For example, a few weeks ago the lobby in Britain pressured the University of Southampton to cancel an international academic conference on Palestine on the pretext that some of the proposed speakers hold anti-Semitic views. Although the cancellation did seem like a victory at the time, the fact that the university was drawn into an acrimonious stand-off with some of its academic staff, which eventually ended up in the High Court, only served to highlight the intellectual bankruptcy of Israel's supporters. By resorting to such methods to stifle debate and silence critics they only made the Palestinian case more appealing and popular.
Back in America, meanwhile, the announcement by the United Church of Christ (UCC) that it is going to divest from companies operating in the occupied West Bank coincided with this week's amendment of the TPA bill and the subsequent State Department disavowal of the conflation of Israel with the territories it "controls", the lobby's euphemism for "occupies and colonises".
The TPA bill development was not the first chink in the wall of Israeli immunity in Washington. Last month, the US Supreme Court ruled in favour of the government against the family of one Menachem Zivotofsky, who had taken legal action to get the boy's birthplace listed on official documents as "Jerusalem, Israel". In effect, the court ruling was a resounding rejection of Israel's claim to the occupied city. This week's intervention by the State Department constitutes another blow to Israel's anti-BDS campaign by Washington with its refusal to defend illegal settlements or criminalise the boycott against them.
To some observers, these developments may be tentative baby steps, but in the grand scheme of the global struggle against Israeli apartheid they are important because the Americans, significantly, are finally smelling the coffee.
Decades of appeasement have resulted in irreparable damage to their country's image, interests and influence in the Middle East. The age of full spectrum hegemony in this region is over. There was a time when an American bark was enough to bring recalcitrant regional states into line. That is no longer the case. Instead, America has, for example, been led down a path of never-ending negotiations by Iran over its nuclear programme. In a way, the Americans are being given a taste of their own medicine, which has been administered to the Palestinians since the Madrid Peace Conference in 1991.
The moral is simple; if you uphold the law and practice what you preach you will, at the very least, earn respect and influence. This is why Washington has more or less declared its tacit support for the BDS campaign against Israel's illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem. Far from outlawing BDS, as the lobbyists proclaim, Washington has given the campaign a very welcome boost.
The purpose of the TPA bill was to give the president greater negotiating powers to "fast track" trade deals, and access new trading partners in the international marketplace. The bill was, however, a victim of the long-drawn-out system of congressional debate, which allowed other bits of legislation to be added before its final adoption. The pro-Israel lobby had secured an amendment to the trade law which obliged the US government to discourage EU countries from endorsing the fast growing BDS movement in Europe.
As usual, the devil was in the detail. One curious aspect of the amendment referred not only to commercial activity with the State of Israel but also "to Israeli-controlled territories". This latter phrase was especially problematic because it was an obvious reference to the Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. It implied that the US government supports the clearly illegal settlements.
As soon as the alarm bells about this started to ring, the State Department went into overdrive, issuing a clarification a day after Obama had signed the bill. While affirming US opposition to boycotts of Israel, spokesman John Kirby said a provision of the bill conflated "Israel" and "Israeli-controlled territories". He then emphasised that, just like every other administration since 1967, the Obama administration opposes Israeli settlement activity beyond the 1949 Armistice (the "Green") Line.
Lobbying to get US support for Israel in the face of BDS is one thing, but using US legislation to try to legitimise Israeli settlements is quite another. The State Department was right, therefore, to set the record straight and draw a line under the matter. On this occasion the pro-Israel lobby had, in the words of Israel's Haaretz newspaper, bitten off more than it could chew.
What happened in Washington this week must serve as a lesson to the pro-Israel lobby, wherever it may operate; unreasonable and over-zealous advocacy on behalf of Israel can backfire and become counter-productive.
For example, a few weeks ago the lobby in Britain pressured the University of Southampton to cancel an international academic conference on Palestine on the pretext that some of the proposed speakers hold anti-Semitic views. Although the cancellation did seem like a victory at the time, the fact that the university was drawn into an acrimonious stand-off with some of its academic staff, which eventually ended up in the High Court, only served to highlight the intellectual bankruptcy of Israel's supporters. By resorting to such methods to stifle debate and silence critics they only made the Palestinian case more appealing and popular.
Back in America, meanwhile, the announcement by the United Church of Christ (UCC) that it is going to divest from companies operating in the occupied West Bank coincided with this week's amendment of the TPA bill and the subsequent State Department disavowal of the conflation of Israel with the territories it "controls", the lobby's euphemism for "occupies and colonises".
The TPA bill development was not the first chink in the wall of Israeli immunity in Washington. Last month, the US Supreme Court ruled in favour of the government against the family of one Menachem Zivotofsky, who had taken legal action to get the boy's birthplace listed on official documents as "Jerusalem, Israel". In effect, the court ruling was a resounding rejection of Israel's claim to the occupied city. This week's intervention by the State Department constitutes another blow to Israel's anti-BDS campaign by Washington with its refusal to defend illegal settlements or criminalise the boycott against them.
To some observers, these developments may be tentative baby steps, but in the grand scheme of the global struggle against Israeli apartheid they are important because the Americans, significantly, are finally smelling the coffee.
Decades of appeasement have resulted in irreparable damage to their country's image, interests and influence in the Middle East. The age of full spectrum hegemony in this region is over. There was a time when an American bark was enough to bring recalcitrant regional states into line. That is no longer the case. Instead, America has, for example, been led down a path of never-ending negotiations by Iran over its nuclear programme. In a way, the Americans are being given a taste of their own medicine, which has been administered to the Palestinians since the Madrid Peace Conference in 1991.
The moral is simple; if you uphold the law and practice what you preach you will, at the very least, earn respect and influence. This is why Washington has more or less declared its tacit support for the BDS campaign against Israel's illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem. Far from outlawing BDS, as the lobbyists proclaim, Washington has given the campaign a very welcome boost.
1 july 2015
At the height of Israel's bombardment of Gaza, nine activists occupied the roof of the Elbit factory that supplied engines to Israeli drones forcing it to shut down for two days, at a cost to the company in excess of £100,000
The Israeli war machine and the $23 billion a year that keeps it going dwarfs all other military spending in the world today, with the exception of America's. It appears, though, that the Zionist state's military and those who supply it are being outgunned by something far more forceful than bombs and bullets: nonviolent activism. Several recent victories have been achieved by peaceful means which only serve to highlight the lack of effectiveness of state firepower when it is used to oppress and control those who desire basic freedoms and liberty.
Leading by example this week is Palestinian prisoner Khader Adnan, who only agreed to end his 55-day long hunger strike after the Israel authorities gave an undertaking not to arrest him again under so-called "administrative detention". His courageous one-man protest turned him into an international symbol of Palestinian resistance. Now he will be released from prison on 12 July after a significant climb-down following global pressure on Israel. Peace vigils were held around the world as many feared that Adnan would make the ultimate sacrifice in his determination to take a stand against the oppression of Palestinians who are rounded-up routinely and imprisoned without charge or trial by Israel.
Jawad Boulos, legal counsel for the Ramallah-based Prisoners' Club, confirmed the Israeli pledge not to detain Adnan again under "administrative detention". His client had been held for 11 months under this colonial legal mechanism, which is used by Israel to imprison Palestinians without charge or trial and can be renewed indefinitely. It was Adnan's ninth consecutive detention order.
Israel's security service, Shin Bet, was warned that Adnan's death would shatter the relative calm in Gaza. The UN's top Middle East envoy, Nikolay Mladenov, expressed his concern about the fate of Adnan as his health deteriorated.
While Palestinians celebrate that victory, a bigger battle looms for Israel and the arms dealers in Britain who continue to support it. Next Monday morning, 6 July, hundreds of peace activists from around Britain are expected to descend on a secretive weapons factory in the Midlands as part of a campaign called 'block the factory'. The factory is owned by Israeli arms company Elbit Systems; it helps to manufacture drones which are used against the Palestinians in Gaza.
The 6 July protest marks the first anniversary of the start of the Israeli offensive against the Gaza Strip last summer; campaigners and peace activists are heading to Staffordshire to demand that Britain stops arming Israel.
Appealing for others to join in the nonviolent action, the organisers declared that they will be transforming the space around the arms factory, converting it from a site of destruction into a fun, creative and child-friendly environment. "Let's create a space that meets our needs and not the needs of Israeli and multinational corporations that export death for profit."
Making a direct call to those who've never taken part in a protest before, they added: "Whether you have never been on a protest before or are a seasoned activist, whether you are disabled, an older person, a younger person, whether you have five children or none, we need you to come and make this the biggest, most beautiful action yet at an arms factory in the UK!"
The 2014 Israeli war against the people of Gaza, in which more than 2,200 Palestinians were killed, including over 500 children, saw Elbit Systems' drones in use. In response, peace activists occupied the Elbit factory near the Staffordshire village of Shenstone, stopping production over two days at a cost to the company in excess of £100,000. At the height of Israel's bombardment of Gaza, nine activists occupied the roof of the Elbit factory that supplied engines to Israeli drones forcing it to shut down for two days. The activists pleaded not guilty to charges of "preventing lawful activity" on the grounds that the factory was aiding and abetting war crimes and is therefore illegal.
Lawyers speculated that the trial collapsed because Elbit Systems was unwilling to testify in court about its activities and possibly because the British government was unwilling to comply with the court's order to disclose information it holds about licences for arms exports to Israel. The British government and Elbit Systems now stand accused of running scared from a trial that would have put their collusion in Israeli war crimes into the public domain.
"The information would have shed light on the links between UK arms companies and Israel's assault on Gaza," Mike Schwarz, a partner with law firm Bindmans, said at the time that the trial collapsed. "With no court date, there's no public scrutiny. Indeed, that seems to be what the affected business desperately wants and the government is more than content to let happen."
It was an embarrassing legal defeat for Israel and its allies within the British government who can now also no longer argue that they have God on their side after the leader of the world's 1.2 billion Roman Catholics, Pope Francis, criticised the double standards of those dealing in the arms trade. He went as far as to say that those profiting from weapons deals could no longer call themselves Christians.
Issuing a damning condemnation of the arms industry in front of thousands of young people at a rally in Turin, the Pope said: "If you trust only men you have lost, it makes me think of... people, managers, businessmen who call themselves Christian and they manufacture weapons. That leads to a bit of distrust, doesn't it?" His comments prompted loud applause.
The Pope also criticised those who invest in weapons industries, adding "duplicity is the currency of today... they say one thing and do another." Pope Francis said the motivation appeared to be "money", before criticising those who advocate peace while manufacturing or selling arms.
The Church of Scotland, a mainstream Protestant Christian church, famously restated its support for Palestinian human rights in 2013, including the right of Palestinian refugees to return home or be compensated. It has called for an end to the Israeli occupation of the West Bank, an end to the siege of Gaza and safe access to the sacred sites for the main religions in the region. In addition it has also called on the British government and the European Union to put pressure on Israel to stop further expansion of its settlements and remove the existing illegal settlements in the Occupied West Bank.
However, the Church of England, of which Queen Elizabeth is the Supreme Governor, is ambiguous about its own position, which is causing division within the movement. While St Paul's Cathedral in London has adopted a policy of refusing to host events sponsored by arms companies, Church House, the administrative headquarters of the Church of England, hosted a conference this week sponsored by arms companies, and thus profited from their vile trade.
The event, in the shadow of Westminster Abbey, was called the Land Warfare Conference and was sponsored by Lockheed Martin, one of the world's biggest arms companies. Lockheed's clients are among some of the most oppressive regimes ever to have turned weapons on their own citizens, including Egypt. Lockheed also supplies the Israeli government with F-16 aircraft and Hellfire missiles, which have been used on Palestinian civilians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Church House is due to host another event on 14-15 July, which has prompted the Campaign Against the Arms Trade (CAAT) to issue a strong statement on its website: "UK-made arms have been used in conflicts and to support repression all over the world. The arms companies know they need public support to continue with this deadly trade – and one way they seek to normalise their work is to be associated with prestigious or 'respectable' locations.
"We have already persuaded numerous venues not to host arms dealers, including the National Gallery, the Natural History Museum and two Cathedrals - and by doing so we are denying the arms industry the legitimacy it seeks. As well as legitimising those who profit from death and destruction, profiting from the arms trade is also in conflict with the Church's own position which says, 'Our policy is not to invest in companies that supply or manufacture armaments'."
But perhaps the most damaging show of people power comes from the growth of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement (BDS) after it emerged last week that Israel lost half of its foreign direct investment in 2014. A report published by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) revealed that $6.4 billion was invested last year compared to $11.6 billion in 2013, a decrease of around 46 per cent.
Dr Ronny Manos, one of the report's authors and a researcher in the department of management and economics at the Open University of Israel, told local media that international boycotts against the country for alleged violations of international law were one of the major causes of the decline. The fallout from Israel's Operation Protective Edge in Gaza in the summer of 2014 was also cited.
Israel might have one of the most powerful armies in the world but for all that it spends on weapons, fighter jets, tanks and guns it cannot stop international boycotts led by unarmed, ordinary people. Israeli firepower has been, and will continue to be, shot down by peace activists.
The Israeli war machine and the $23 billion a year that keeps it going dwarfs all other military spending in the world today, with the exception of America's. It appears, though, that the Zionist state's military and those who supply it are being outgunned by something far more forceful than bombs and bullets: nonviolent activism. Several recent victories have been achieved by peaceful means which only serve to highlight the lack of effectiveness of state firepower when it is used to oppress and control those who desire basic freedoms and liberty.
Leading by example this week is Palestinian prisoner Khader Adnan, who only agreed to end his 55-day long hunger strike after the Israel authorities gave an undertaking not to arrest him again under so-called "administrative detention". His courageous one-man protest turned him into an international symbol of Palestinian resistance. Now he will be released from prison on 12 July after a significant climb-down following global pressure on Israel. Peace vigils were held around the world as many feared that Adnan would make the ultimate sacrifice in his determination to take a stand against the oppression of Palestinians who are rounded-up routinely and imprisoned without charge or trial by Israel.
Jawad Boulos, legal counsel for the Ramallah-based Prisoners' Club, confirmed the Israeli pledge not to detain Adnan again under "administrative detention". His client had been held for 11 months under this colonial legal mechanism, which is used by Israel to imprison Palestinians without charge or trial and can be renewed indefinitely. It was Adnan's ninth consecutive detention order.
Israel's security service, Shin Bet, was warned that Adnan's death would shatter the relative calm in Gaza. The UN's top Middle East envoy, Nikolay Mladenov, expressed his concern about the fate of Adnan as his health deteriorated.
While Palestinians celebrate that victory, a bigger battle looms for Israel and the arms dealers in Britain who continue to support it. Next Monday morning, 6 July, hundreds of peace activists from around Britain are expected to descend on a secretive weapons factory in the Midlands as part of a campaign called 'block the factory'. The factory is owned by Israeli arms company Elbit Systems; it helps to manufacture drones which are used against the Palestinians in Gaza.
The 6 July protest marks the first anniversary of the start of the Israeli offensive against the Gaza Strip last summer; campaigners and peace activists are heading to Staffordshire to demand that Britain stops arming Israel.
Appealing for others to join in the nonviolent action, the organisers declared that they will be transforming the space around the arms factory, converting it from a site of destruction into a fun, creative and child-friendly environment. "Let's create a space that meets our needs and not the needs of Israeli and multinational corporations that export death for profit."
Making a direct call to those who've never taken part in a protest before, they added: "Whether you have never been on a protest before or are a seasoned activist, whether you are disabled, an older person, a younger person, whether you have five children or none, we need you to come and make this the biggest, most beautiful action yet at an arms factory in the UK!"
The 2014 Israeli war against the people of Gaza, in which more than 2,200 Palestinians were killed, including over 500 children, saw Elbit Systems' drones in use. In response, peace activists occupied the Elbit factory near the Staffordshire village of Shenstone, stopping production over two days at a cost to the company in excess of £100,000. At the height of Israel's bombardment of Gaza, nine activists occupied the roof of the Elbit factory that supplied engines to Israeli drones forcing it to shut down for two days. The activists pleaded not guilty to charges of "preventing lawful activity" on the grounds that the factory was aiding and abetting war crimes and is therefore illegal.
Lawyers speculated that the trial collapsed because Elbit Systems was unwilling to testify in court about its activities and possibly because the British government was unwilling to comply with the court's order to disclose information it holds about licences for arms exports to Israel. The British government and Elbit Systems now stand accused of running scared from a trial that would have put their collusion in Israeli war crimes into the public domain.
"The information would have shed light on the links between UK arms companies and Israel's assault on Gaza," Mike Schwarz, a partner with law firm Bindmans, said at the time that the trial collapsed. "With no court date, there's no public scrutiny. Indeed, that seems to be what the affected business desperately wants and the government is more than content to let happen."
It was an embarrassing legal defeat for Israel and its allies within the British government who can now also no longer argue that they have God on their side after the leader of the world's 1.2 billion Roman Catholics, Pope Francis, criticised the double standards of those dealing in the arms trade. He went as far as to say that those profiting from weapons deals could no longer call themselves Christians.
Issuing a damning condemnation of the arms industry in front of thousands of young people at a rally in Turin, the Pope said: "If you trust only men you have lost, it makes me think of... people, managers, businessmen who call themselves Christian and they manufacture weapons. That leads to a bit of distrust, doesn't it?" His comments prompted loud applause.
The Pope also criticised those who invest in weapons industries, adding "duplicity is the currency of today... they say one thing and do another." Pope Francis said the motivation appeared to be "money", before criticising those who advocate peace while manufacturing or selling arms.
The Church of Scotland, a mainstream Protestant Christian church, famously restated its support for Palestinian human rights in 2013, including the right of Palestinian refugees to return home or be compensated. It has called for an end to the Israeli occupation of the West Bank, an end to the siege of Gaza and safe access to the sacred sites for the main religions in the region. In addition it has also called on the British government and the European Union to put pressure on Israel to stop further expansion of its settlements and remove the existing illegal settlements in the Occupied West Bank.
However, the Church of England, of which Queen Elizabeth is the Supreme Governor, is ambiguous about its own position, which is causing division within the movement. While St Paul's Cathedral in London has adopted a policy of refusing to host events sponsored by arms companies, Church House, the administrative headquarters of the Church of England, hosted a conference this week sponsored by arms companies, and thus profited from their vile trade.
The event, in the shadow of Westminster Abbey, was called the Land Warfare Conference and was sponsored by Lockheed Martin, one of the world's biggest arms companies. Lockheed's clients are among some of the most oppressive regimes ever to have turned weapons on their own citizens, including Egypt. Lockheed also supplies the Israeli government with F-16 aircraft and Hellfire missiles, which have been used on Palestinian civilians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Church House is due to host another event on 14-15 July, which has prompted the Campaign Against the Arms Trade (CAAT) to issue a strong statement on its website: "UK-made arms have been used in conflicts and to support repression all over the world. The arms companies know they need public support to continue with this deadly trade – and one way they seek to normalise their work is to be associated with prestigious or 'respectable' locations.
"We have already persuaded numerous venues not to host arms dealers, including the National Gallery, the Natural History Museum and two Cathedrals - and by doing so we are denying the arms industry the legitimacy it seeks. As well as legitimising those who profit from death and destruction, profiting from the arms trade is also in conflict with the Church's own position which says, 'Our policy is not to invest in companies that supply or manufacture armaments'."
But perhaps the most damaging show of people power comes from the growth of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement (BDS) after it emerged last week that Israel lost half of its foreign direct investment in 2014. A report published by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) revealed that $6.4 billion was invested last year compared to $11.6 billion in 2013, a decrease of around 46 per cent.
Dr Ronny Manos, one of the report's authors and a researcher in the department of management and economics at the Open University of Israel, told local media that international boycotts against the country for alleged violations of international law were one of the major causes of the decline. The fallout from Israel's Operation Protective Edge in Gaza in the summer of 2014 was also cited.
Israel might have one of the most powerful armies in the world but for all that it spends on weapons, fighter jets, tanks and guns it cannot stop international boycotts led by unarmed, ordinary people. Israeli firepower has been, and will continue to be, shot down by peace activists.
US President Barack Obama on Monday signed legislation targeting anti-Israel boycotts worldwide. The Trade Promotion Authority (TPA), which was passed through the Senate last Wednesday, includes roughly 150 trade objectives to raise specific US priorities in its negotiations.
One of these objectives is to push back against efforts within the EU to sponsor the growing Boycott Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel.
A group of congressmen and the American-Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) worked on the wording of the legislation.
The new US-Israel Trade and Commercial Enhancement Act is specifically targeted "to discourage politically motivated actions to boycott, divest from, or sanction Israel by states, non-member states of the United Nations, international organisations, or affiliated agencies of international organisations that are politically motivated and are intended to penalise or otherwise limit commercial relations specifically with Israel or persons doing business in Israel or in Israeli- controlled territories."
In a statement, AIPAC commented that: "The Congress's decision and the adoption of this language in the law would curb the actions of foreign governments to boycott, divest from or sanction Israel."
Peter Roskam (Republican representative for Illinois), Juan Vargas (Democrat representative for California), and senators Ben Cardin (Democrat representative for Maryland) and Rob Portman (Republican representative for Ohio) all supported the law in Congress.
Paul Ryan (Republican representative for Wisconsin) said when introducing the provision as an amendment to TPA that: "the goal was to enshrine a principal negotiating objective that reinforces our opposition to official actions that boycott, penalise, or otherwise limit commercial relations with the State of Israel."
President Obama signed the law despite warnings from officials in his administration that it could harm commercial dealings with members of the European Union who prohibit trading with Israeli companies that operate in the occupied territories.
One of these objectives is to push back against efforts within the EU to sponsor the growing Boycott Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel.
A group of congressmen and the American-Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) worked on the wording of the legislation.
The new US-Israel Trade and Commercial Enhancement Act is specifically targeted "to discourage politically motivated actions to boycott, divest from, or sanction Israel by states, non-member states of the United Nations, international organisations, or affiliated agencies of international organisations that are politically motivated and are intended to penalise or otherwise limit commercial relations specifically with Israel or persons doing business in Israel or in Israeli- controlled territories."
In a statement, AIPAC commented that: "The Congress's decision and the adoption of this language in the law would curb the actions of foreign governments to boycott, divest from or sanction Israel."
Peter Roskam (Republican representative for Illinois), Juan Vargas (Democrat representative for California), and senators Ben Cardin (Democrat representative for Maryland) and Rob Portman (Republican representative for Ohio) all supported the law in Congress.
Paul Ryan (Republican representative for Wisconsin) said when introducing the provision as an amendment to TPA that: "the goal was to enshrine a principal negotiating objective that reinforces our opposition to official actions that boycott, penalise, or otherwise limit commercial relations with the State of Israel."
President Obama signed the law despite warnings from officials in his administration that it could harm commercial dealings with members of the European Union who prohibit trading with Israeli companies that operate in the occupied territories.
Stephane Richard
French telecommunications group Orange has reached a deal with its Israeli partner that could pave the way for their eventual split amid controversy and growing calls for companies to boycott Israel, AFP reported on Tuesday.
An Orange spokesman insisted that the company is not pulling out of Israel but simply rethinking its brand agreement with Israeli company Partner Communications.
Orange said that the two companies reached an agreement that allows either of them to terminate the existing contract.
If the contact is terminated within two years, Orange has agreed to pay Partner up to 90 million euros ($100 million).
Orange CEO Stephane Richard stoked anger last month by announcing he wanted to sever business ties with Israel.
He later apologised to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying he opposes the boycott movement and will continue to invest in Israel.
French telecommunications group Orange has reached a deal with its Israeli partner that could pave the way for their eventual split amid controversy and growing calls for companies to boycott Israel, AFP reported on Tuesday.
An Orange spokesman insisted that the company is not pulling out of Israel but simply rethinking its brand agreement with Israeli company Partner Communications.
Orange said that the two companies reached an agreement that allows either of them to terminate the existing contract.
If the contact is terminated within two years, Orange has agreed to pay Partner up to 90 million euros ($100 million).
Orange CEO Stephane Richard stoked anger last month by announcing he wanted to sever business ties with Israel.
He later apologised to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying he opposes the boycott movement and will continue to invest in Israel.