11 sept 2016
via bdsmovement.net
Cadiz, provincial capital in the autonomous community of Andalusia in the Spanish state, has become the latest municipality to pass a motion supporting the Palestinian-led Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement for Palestinian rights and declaring itself an Israeli “Apartheid Free Zone”.
With a population of 120,000, Cadiz joins more than 50 cities and towns across the Spanish state which have voted to declare themselves spaces free from Israeli apartheid. Other famous Apartheid Free municipalities include Gran Canaria, Santiago de Compostela, Xixón-Gijón, Sevilla, Córdoba and Santa Eulària in Ibiza.
Inspired in part by a similar campaign during the struggle against apartheid in South Africa in the 1980s, the Israeli Apartheid Free Zone campaign, led by the Solidarity Network Against the Occupation of Palestine (RESCOP), seeks to create ‘islands of political consciousness’ and to break local ties with Israel’s regime of occupation, settler-colonialism and apartheid, as well as with international corporations and institutions that are complicit in the maintenance of Israel’s violations of international law.
The campaign, which is supported by social movements, businesses, schools, media and public institutions from across the Spanish state, has created a map indicating spaces free from Israeli apartheid.
By declaring themselves Israeli Apartheid Free Zones, local authorities agree to boycott corporations complicit in violations of international law and the rights of Palestinians as well as break ties with the Israeli regime and its complicit institutions. They will also support local awareness raising efforts and commit to conscientious procurement policies based on the human rights of the Palestinian people.
Riya Hassan, European coordinator for the Palestinians BDS National Committee (BNC), said:
“The Israeli Apartheid Free Zones campaign across the Spanish state is inspiring similar efforts in other countries. The fact that these declarations have been voted by democratically elected municipalities reflect the growing support for the BDS movement for Palestinian rights, not just at the grassroots level but also within governments. This will eventually steer public opinion in favor of comprehensive sanctions on Israel until it end its systematic oppression of Palestinians.“
“Local councils in the Spanish state are leading the way with a powerful model of solidarity with the Palestinian people and our struggle for self-determination. We salute all councilors and activists involved in proposing and defending the motions and those involved in the implementation of the Israeli apartheid-free zones.”
“At a time of a growing democratic deficit across the European continent, it is empowering to witness how citizens are integrating solidarity with Palestinians with domestic agendas that promote social, economic and environmental justice.”
Attacks on a movement for freedom, justice and equality
Growing public support for the BDS movement for Palestinian human rights has prompted Israel and its allies to launch an unprecedented, well-funded and anti-democratic attack against everyone seeking to hold Israel accountable to international law and UN resolutions, especially through BDS advocacy.
The Israeli-sponsored attacks on the BDS movement aim to put pressure on governments, legislators and officials to curtail BDS civic actions and adopt repressive measures that infringe upon their respective citizens’ civil and political liberties at large.
In the Spanish state, attempts to silence the BDS movement, particularly on an institutional level, have been led by ACOM, a pro-Israeli Madrid-based lobby group.
ACOM has launched a number of legal appeals against local councils that have declared themselves Israeli Apartheid Free Zones.
However, ACOM’s strategy of intimidation has not been successful. Targeted cities have defended the democratic outcome of the votes, and informed courts, such as the First Administrative Court of Gijon, refused to accept ACOM’s complaints.
Similar legal charges were lodged against three local councils in the UK by the so-called Jewish Human Rights Watch, a London based Israel lobby group. Also there, the UK High Court rejected the complaints and ruled in favour of the three local councils which had passed resolutions in support of targeted boycotts of Israel’s occupation.
RESCOP commented in a statement: :
“It is intolerable that a foreign entity defending a system of apartheid, such as ACOM, should interfere in the democratic sovereignty of our municipalities, dictating what we can vote for and what not, and preventing our institutions from being committed to human rights.”
This latest decision by the city of Cadiz to join the inspiring wave of other Spanish cities and towns in declaring themselves zones free from Israeli apartheid is a sign that citizens and elected representatives are not intimidated by ACOM’s legal threats.
“By supporting the BDS movement for Palestinian rights and choosing not to engage with institutions and corporations directly involved in Israel’s egregious crimes against the Palestinian people, people of conscience and municipalities across the Spanish state are taking a concrete step to hold Israel accountable for its crimes against the Palestinian people,” Riya Hassan concluded.
For a list of public administrations declared ELAI and/or adhered to BDS in the Spanish State, see original article.
Cadiz, provincial capital in the autonomous community of Andalusia in the Spanish state, has become the latest municipality to pass a motion supporting the Palestinian-led Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement for Palestinian rights and declaring itself an Israeli “Apartheid Free Zone”.
With a population of 120,000, Cadiz joins more than 50 cities and towns across the Spanish state which have voted to declare themselves spaces free from Israeli apartheid. Other famous Apartheid Free municipalities include Gran Canaria, Santiago de Compostela, Xixón-Gijón, Sevilla, Córdoba and Santa Eulària in Ibiza.
Inspired in part by a similar campaign during the struggle against apartheid in South Africa in the 1980s, the Israeli Apartheid Free Zone campaign, led by the Solidarity Network Against the Occupation of Palestine (RESCOP), seeks to create ‘islands of political consciousness’ and to break local ties with Israel’s regime of occupation, settler-colonialism and apartheid, as well as with international corporations and institutions that are complicit in the maintenance of Israel’s violations of international law.
The campaign, which is supported by social movements, businesses, schools, media and public institutions from across the Spanish state, has created a map indicating spaces free from Israeli apartheid.
By declaring themselves Israeli Apartheid Free Zones, local authorities agree to boycott corporations complicit in violations of international law and the rights of Palestinians as well as break ties with the Israeli regime and its complicit institutions. They will also support local awareness raising efforts and commit to conscientious procurement policies based on the human rights of the Palestinian people.
Riya Hassan, European coordinator for the Palestinians BDS National Committee (BNC), said:
“The Israeli Apartheid Free Zones campaign across the Spanish state is inspiring similar efforts in other countries. The fact that these declarations have been voted by democratically elected municipalities reflect the growing support for the BDS movement for Palestinian rights, not just at the grassroots level but also within governments. This will eventually steer public opinion in favor of comprehensive sanctions on Israel until it end its systematic oppression of Palestinians.“
“Local councils in the Spanish state are leading the way with a powerful model of solidarity with the Palestinian people and our struggle for self-determination. We salute all councilors and activists involved in proposing and defending the motions and those involved in the implementation of the Israeli apartheid-free zones.”
“At a time of a growing democratic deficit across the European continent, it is empowering to witness how citizens are integrating solidarity with Palestinians with domestic agendas that promote social, economic and environmental justice.”
Attacks on a movement for freedom, justice and equality
Growing public support for the BDS movement for Palestinian human rights has prompted Israel and its allies to launch an unprecedented, well-funded and anti-democratic attack against everyone seeking to hold Israel accountable to international law and UN resolutions, especially through BDS advocacy.
The Israeli-sponsored attacks on the BDS movement aim to put pressure on governments, legislators and officials to curtail BDS civic actions and adopt repressive measures that infringe upon their respective citizens’ civil and political liberties at large.
In the Spanish state, attempts to silence the BDS movement, particularly on an institutional level, have been led by ACOM, a pro-Israeli Madrid-based lobby group.
ACOM has launched a number of legal appeals against local councils that have declared themselves Israeli Apartheid Free Zones.
However, ACOM’s strategy of intimidation has not been successful. Targeted cities have defended the democratic outcome of the votes, and informed courts, such as the First Administrative Court of Gijon, refused to accept ACOM’s complaints.
Similar legal charges were lodged against three local councils in the UK by the so-called Jewish Human Rights Watch, a London based Israel lobby group. Also there, the UK High Court rejected the complaints and ruled in favour of the three local councils which had passed resolutions in support of targeted boycotts of Israel’s occupation.
RESCOP commented in a statement: :
“It is intolerable that a foreign entity defending a system of apartheid, such as ACOM, should interfere in the democratic sovereignty of our municipalities, dictating what we can vote for and what not, and preventing our institutions from being committed to human rights.”
This latest decision by the city of Cadiz to join the inspiring wave of other Spanish cities and towns in declaring themselves zones free from Israeli apartheid is a sign that citizens and elected representatives are not intimidated by ACOM’s legal threats.
“By supporting the BDS movement for Palestinian rights and choosing not to engage with institutions and corporations directly involved in Israel’s egregious crimes against the Palestinian people, people of conscience and municipalities across the Spanish state are taking a concrete step to hold Israel accountable for its crimes against the Palestinian people,” Riya Hassan concluded.
For a list of public administrations declared ELAI and/or adhered to BDS in the Spanish State, see original article.
9 sept 2016
During a special session with US congressmen, Yossi Dagan discusses BDS, anti-Semitism and the damage caused to Palestinians. 'A lot of people want to believe the tragic history of anti-Semitism ended after World War II, but unfortunately, it is rearing its ugly head today in the form of BDS.'
In a special conference held at the US Congress, in front of more than a hundred participants, Yossi Dagan, head of the Samaria Regional Council, explained why BDS is anti-Semitic and its only purpose is to harm the State of Israel.
In the panel held on Thursday, which was attended by members of Congress, a Palestinian youth from Nablus explained that BDS actions primarily damage Palestinians by harming joint economic ventures with settlements.
Congressman Doug Lamborn compared BDS activities with those of the Nazis prior to the Holocaust. "The Nazis and the BDS movement started operating an economic boycott," said Lamborn. "A lot of people want to believe the tragic history of anti-Semitism ended after World War II, but unfortunately, it is rearing its ugly head today in the form of BDS."
Conference speakers also included Congressmen Pete Sessions, Erik Paulsen and Louie Gohmert, who addressed BDS activists and said, "We will not let you move forward with this any further than you already have. We will pursue your investment and cripple your pockets until you stop this anti-Israel activity."
At the end of the conference, Dagan noted that, "Although the United States is a friendly country to Israel, support in the war against BDS and support for Samaria are not obvious." Dagan went on to further express the hope that "the State of Israel and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will join advocacy efforts that puts Samaria in the heart of Israel's interests."
In a special conference held at the US Congress, in front of more than a hundred participants, Yossi Dagan, head of the Samaria Regional Council, explained why BDS is anti-Semitic and its only purpose is to harm the State of Israel.
In the panel held on Thursday, which was attended by members of Congress, a Palestinian youth from Nablus explained that BDS actions primarily damage Palestinians by harming joint economic ventures with settlements.
Congressman Doug Lamborn compared BDS activities with those of the Nazis prior to the Holocaust. "The Nazis and the BDS movement started operating an economic boycott," said Lamborn. "A lot of people want to believe the tragic history of anti-Semitism ended after World War II, but unfortunately, it is rearing its ugly head today in the form of BDS."
Conference speakers also included Congressmen Pete Sessions, Erik Paulsen and Louie Gohmert, who addressed BDS activists and said, "We will not let you move forward with this any further than you already have. We will pursue your investment and cripple your pockets until you stop this anti-Israel activity."
At the end of the conference, Dagan noted that, "Although the United States is a friendly country to Israel, support in the war against BDS and support for Samaria are not obvious." Dagan went on to further express the hope that "the State of Israel and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will join advocacy efforts that puts Samaria in the heart of Israel's interests."
3 sept 2016
via bdsmovement.net
The Green Party of Canada has adopted a policy of boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) against Israel into its official platform after a hard-fought resolution successfully passed at the party’s annual convention, over the weekend.
Despite pressure from pro-Israel lobby groups, supporters of the BDS resolution within the party say they hope it will break down the stigma in Canada around using BDS to fight for Palestinian human rights.
“We are, I think, raising serious questions in the minds of the public and we’re breaking down that taboo,” said Dimitri Lascaris, the Green Party’s justice spokesman and the sponsor of the resolution.
Launched in 2005, over 170 Palestinian organisations have called on supporters to use boycott, divestment and sanctions to pressure Israel to conform to international law, end discriminatory practices against its Palestinian citizens, and stop the occupation.
The resolution states that the Green Party will support using BDS to target sectors of the Israeli economy and society that profit from the occupation, until such time that Israel stops building settlements in the occupied territories and enters into negotiations with the Palestinians for a solution to the conflict.
It also says the Greens will oppose efforts to prohibit or punish support for BDS.
Lascaris said that successfully passing the resolution constitutes “an extraordinary moment in the battle for Palestinian human rights” in Canada, especially given recent attempts to demonise the BDS movement.
Canada’s parliament passed a non-binding resolution condemning BDS earlier this year.
That motion, supported by the Liberal Party of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, described BDS as “anti-Israel” and “a form of discrimination” and called for the government to condemn any individuals or groups that promote it within Canada.
“I think people are going to stand up and take notice,” Lascaris told Middle East Eye.
“They’re going to ask this question: ‘Why is this party, in the face of all of these attacks and despite the opposition of its own leader, adopting this resolution?’ …This is adding to the impetus for citizens in the West to inquire about what is really happening.”
Party leader opposed
Green Party leader Elizabeth May, who holds the party’s only seat in parliament, said she was “pretty devastated” that the BDS resolution was passed.
May had come out against the BDS resolution and another Green Party motion debated during the convention that sought to strip the Canadian branch of the Jewish National Fund (JNF) of its charitable status.
But while May was personally opposed to the initiatives, she said she understood the motivations other party members had in bringing them forward. “I’m allowed to say I agree with our party’s policies 99 percent. I don’t have to agree 100 percent,” she said.
Pro-Israel lobby groups in Canada came out forcefully against the Green Party for even considering the resolutions ahead of the convention.
Shimon Koffler Fogel, CEO of the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, condemned the BDS resolution after it passed, saying the movement “seeks to censor and blacklist Israelis” and “is fundamentally discriminatory and utterly at odds with Canadian values”.
“We are appalled that the Green Party has endorsed BDS against the only liberal democracy in the Middle East and a country that is a world leader in environmental technology and solutions,” added JNF Canada CEO Josh Cooper in a joint statement.
But, in a letter published last week, in Canada’s right-wing National Post newspaper, May criticised Cooper for painting the Greens as “anti-Israel” for debating these ideas.
“Our convention next weekend will be the first time in decades that any Canadian political party has permitted a discussion on Israel’s foreign policy. This is not a sign that we are anti-Israel. Rather, it is proof that we have faith in respectful democratic discourse and free speech,” May wrote.
“What has been sorely lacking in Canadian political discourse is an acceptance of the plight of the Palestinian people. Why is it taboo for Canadians to discuss foreign policy in the Middle East unless they omit certain aspects of Israeli policy? We can criticise any other country’s decisions respectfully and diplomatically, why not Israel’s?”
Jewish National Fund resolution amended
The second resolution, proposed by Green Party member Corey Levine, sought to strip the Canadian branch of the JNF of its charitable status “for contravening public policy against discrimination and for its failure to comply with international human rights law”.
Founded in 1901 before the State of Israel was created, the JNF’s mandate was to secure land in British-mandate Palestine for exclusive Jewish use. The group has a main body in Israel, known as Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael (JNF-KKL), and branches in various countries abroad, including Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States.
“The JNF was the principal Zionist tool for the colonisation of Palestine,” Israeli historian Ilan Pappe wrote in The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine. “It served as the agency the Zionist movement used to buy Palestinian land upon which it then settled Jewish immigrants.”
At the party convention, the resolution was only passed after the explicit reference to the JNF was removed. The updated version called on the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) to strip the status of any charitable organisation found to be in violation of Canadian or international law.
“I’m obviously feeling a bit disappointed,” Levine told Middle East Eye about the amendment, “but I recognise that it has been a victory overall because this issue was raised and discussed and debated in a public forum.”
Levine also said that May, the party leader, promised publicly to write to the CRA about the JNF’s status specifically, and she intends “to hold her to account to that”.
“I ultimately consider it an absolute victory,” Levine said.
The JNF-KKL currently enjoys quasi-governmental status in Israel. It controls approximately 13 percent of the land under the umbrella of the Israel Land Administration, which it continues to only lease to Jews. As of 2014, its land holdings were worth approximately $2 billion.
By leasing land only to Jews, the JNF-KKL’s policies ensure that Palestinian citizens of Israel, who make up about 20 percent of the population, are denied access to 13 percent of the land.
“This discriminatory policy contributes to the institutionalisation of racially segregated towns and villages throughout the state,” wrote Adalah, the legal centre for Palestinian citizens of Israel, in a 2006 submission to the United Nations.
The JNF has also been involved in forestation projects that Palestinians say aim to cover up Israeli human rights abuses.
In the 1970s, for example, JNF Canada donated funds to build a park over three Palestinian villages in the Latrun area near Jerusalem (Imwas, Yalu and Beit Nuba) whose residents were forcibly displaced by the Israeli army in 1967. Plaques erected near the entrance to the park – known as Ayalon Canada Park – display the names of JNF-Canada donors from cities and towns across Canada.
The JNF-KKL is also presently involved in the destruction of the Bedouin village of al-Araqib. Located in Israel’s southern Negev desert, al-Araqib has been demolished over 100 times since July 2010 to make way for a JNF-KKL forest.
“The JNF is using environmentalism and the fact that they are reforesting lands to cover up human rights violations and dispossession of people from their land. And given that the Green Party does have the environment as a central platform, I thought it appropriate for the Green Party to take this on,” Levine said.
Setting an example
Meanwhile, Lascaris said that by adopting BDS into its official policy, the Green Party might influence other Canadian political parties to pass similar measures, especially the left-leaning New Democrats (NDP).
Under the influence of leader Thomas Mulcair, the NDP has adopted a more pro-Israel stance than it traditionally espoused.
“I think that the leadership of the NDP does not reflect the views of the grassroots, and the grassroots is now going to be asking some very tough questions of the leadership,” Lascaris said.
“That hopefully will lead to their adoption of a resolution of a similar nature and the snowball effect, we will build on it from there.”
The Green Party of Canada has adopted a policy of boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) against Israel into its official platform after a hard-fought resolution successfully passed at the party’s annual convention, over the weekend.
Despite pressure from pro-Israel lobby groups, supporters of the BDS resolution within the party say they hope it will break down the stigma in Canada around using BDS to fight for Palestinian human rights.
“We are, I think, raising serious questions in the minds of the public and we’re breaking down that taboo,” said Dimitri Lascaris, the Green Party’s justice spokesman and the sponsor of the resolution.
Launched in 2005, over 170 Palestinian organisations have called on supporters to use boycott, divestment and sanctions to pressure Israel to conform to international law, end discriminatory practices against its Palestinian citizens, and stop the occupation.
The resolution states that the Green Party will support using BDS to target sectors of the Israeli economy and society that profit from the occupation, until such time that Israel stops building settlements in the occupied territories and enters into negotiations with the Palestinians for a solution to the conflict.
It also says the Greens will oppose efforts to prohibit or punish support for BDS.
Lascaris said that successfully passing the resolution constitutes “an extraordinary moment in the battle for Palestinian human rights” in Canada, especially given recent attempts to demonise the BDS movement.
Canada’s parliament passed a non-binding resolution condemning BDS earlier this year.
That motion, supported by the Liberal Party of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, described BDS as “anti-Israel” and “a form of discrimination” and called for the government to condemn any individuals or groups that promote it within Canada.
“I think people are going to stand up and take notice,” Lascaris told Middle East Eye.
“They’re going to ask this question: ‘Why is this party, in the face of all of these attacks and despite the opposition of its own leader, adopting this resolution?’ …This is adding to the impetus for citizens in the West to inquire about what is really happening.”
Party leader opposed
Green Party leader Elizabeth May, who holds the party’s only seat in parliament, said she was “pretty devastated” that the BDS resolution was passed.
May had come out against the BDS resolution and another Green Party motion debated during the convention that sought to strip the Canadian branch of the Jewish National Fund (JNF) of its charitable status.
But while May was personally opposed to the initiatives, she said she understood the motivations other party members had in bringing them forward. “I’m allowed to say I agree with our party’s policies 99 percent. I don’t have to agree 100 percent,” she said.
Pro-Israel lobby groups in Canada came out forcefully against the Green Party for even considering the resolutions ahead of the convention.
Shimon Koffler Fogel, CEO of the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, condemned the BDS resolution after it passed, saying the movement “seeks to censor and blacklist Israelis” and “is fundamentally discriminatory and utterly at odds with Canadian values”.
“We are appalled that the Green Party has endorsed BDS against the only liberal democracy in the Middle East and a country that is a world leader in environmental technology and solutions,” added JNF Canada CEO Josh Cooper in a joint statement.
But, in a letter published last week, in Canada’s right-wing National Post newspaper, May criticised Cooper for painting the Greens as “anti-Israel” for debating these ideas.
“Our convention next weekend will be the first time in decades that any Canadian political party has permitted a discussion on Israel’s foreign policy. This is not a sign that we are anti-Israel. Rather, it is proof that we have faith in respectful democratic discourse and free speech,” May wrote.
“What has been sorely lacking in Canadian political discourse is an acceptance of the plight of the Palestinian people. Why is it taboo for Canadians to discuss foreign policy in the Middle East unless they omit certain aspects of Israeli policy? We can criticise any other country’s decisions respectfully and diplomatically, why not Israel’s?”
Jewish National Fund resolution amended
The second resolution, proposed by Green Party member Corey Levine, sought to strip the Canadian branch of the JNF of its charitable status “for contravening public policy against discrimination and for its failure to comply with international human rights law”.
Founded in 1901 before the State of Israel was created, the JNF’s mandate was to secure land in British-mandate Palestine for exclusive Jewish use. The group has a main body in Israel, known as Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael (JNF-KKL), and branches in various countries abroad, including Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States.
“The JNF was the principal Zionist tool for the colonisation of Palestine,” Israeli historian Ilan Pappe wrote in The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine. “It served as the agency the Zionist movement used to buy Palestinian land upon which it then settled Jewish immigrants.”
At the party convention, the resolution was only passed after the explicit reference to the JNF was removed. The updated version called on the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) to strip the status of any charitable organisation found to be in violation of Canadian or international law.
“I’m obviously feeling a bit disappointed,” Levine told Middle East Eye about the amendment, “but I recognise that it has been a victory overall because this issue was raised and discussed and debated in a public forum.”
Levine also said that May, the party leader, promised publicly to write to the CRA about the JNF’s status specifically, and she intends “to hold her to account to that”.
“I ultimately consider it an absolute victory,” Levine said.
The JNF-KKL currently enjoys quasi-governmental status in Israel. It controls approximately 13 percent of the land under the umbrella of the Israel Land Administration, which it continues to only lease to Jews. As of 2014, its land holdings were worth approximately $2 billion.
By leasing land only to Jews, the JNF-KKL’s policies ensure that Palestinian citizens of Israel, who make up about 20 percent of the population, are denied access to 13 percent of the land.
“This discriminatory policy contributes to the institutionalisation of racially segregated towns and villages throughout the state,” wrote Adalah, the legal centre for Palestinian citizens of Israel, in a 2006 submission to the United Nations.
The JNF has also been involved in forestation projects that Palestinians say aim to cover up Israeli human rights abuses.
In the 1970s, for example, JNF Canada donated funds to build a park over three Palestinian villages in the Latrun area near Jerusalem (Imwas, Yalu and Beit Nuba) whose residents were forcibly displaced by the Israeli army in 1967. Plaques erected near the entrance to the park – known as Ayalon Canada Park – display the names of JNF-Canada donors from cities and towns across Canada.
The JNF-KKL is also presently involved in the destruction of the Bedouin village of al-Araqib. Located in Israel’s southern Negev desert, al-Araqib has been demolished over 100 times since July 2010 to make way for a JNF-KKL forest.
“The JNF is using environmentalism and the fact that they are reforesting lands to cover up human rights violations and dispossession of people from their land. And given that the Green Party does have the environment as a central platform, I thought it appropriate for the Green Party to take this on,” Levine said.
Setting an example
Meanwhile, Lascaris said that by adopting BDS into its official policy, the Green Party might influence other Canadian political parties to pass similar measures, especially the left-leaning New Democrats (NDP).
Under the influence of leader Thomas Mulcair, the NDP has adopted a more pro-Israel stance than it traditionally espoused.
“I think that the leadership of the NDP does not reflect the views of the grassroots, and the grassroots is now going to be asking some very tough questions of the leadership,” Lascaris said.
“That hopefully will lead to their adoption of a resolution of a similar nature and the snowball effect, we will build on it from there.”
