9 nov 2016
A bill preventing supporters of the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement from entering Israel was authorized on Monday, for its first reading in the Israeli parliament, according to Israeli media.
Ma’an News Agency reports that, according to the Jerusalem Post, the interior committee of the Israeli parliament (Knesset) approved the bill, which was originally initiated by Knesset Member Yinon Magal, from the ultranationalist “Home Party”, paving the way for the bill to enter its first reading.
The bill would allow individuals supporting a boycott against Israel to be banned from entering the country.
The BDS movement was founded in July of 2005, by a swath of Palestinian civil society, as a peaceful movement to restore Palestinian rights in accordance with international law, through strategies of boycotting Israeli products and cultural institutions, divesting from companies complicit in violations against Palestinians, and implementing state sanctions against the Israeli government.
The move came after several months of Israeli efforts to crack down on the BDS movement. Israeli Minister of the Interior Aryeh Deri, and Minister of Public Security Gilad Erdan announced, in August, that they were forming a joint task force to “expel and ban the entry of BDS activists” into Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory.
“We must not allow BDS activists to enter the state of Israel. This is a necessary step, given the malicious intentions of these activists to delegitimize and spread lies and distortions about the reality in our region,” Erdan was quoted as saying in a statement released at the time, adding that the boycott movement against Israel “must have a price.”
“Fighting against Israeli boycotts starts by fighting those who undermine the state of Israel,” Deri also said, at the time.
“We have a responsibility to do everything possible to crush any boycott and to state clearly that we will not allow the State of Israel to be harmed. Forming the task force is an important step in that direction.”
Without citing any names, the statement estimated that “hundreds” of pro-Palestinian activists and dozens of organizations were currently in Israel “to gather information and use it to boycott Israel, and harm its citizens,” and that the task force would also try to prevent the entrance of activists in the future.
The statement also alleged that BDS activists traveled to the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem to “incite” Palestinians.
The announcement led to outcry from groups like the International Solidarity Movement (ISM), which believed they were the targets of the newly-formed task force.
“Isolation of Palestinians by denying access and/or deporting human rights activists aims to make Palestinian communities already vulnerable and suffering from abuse…even more vulnerable,” ISM said in a statement in response to the plans of forming the task force.
“We condemn Israeli suppression of Palestinian nonviolent resistance. This recent attempt to further isolate Palestinians indicates the occupation authorities’ unwillingness to do the only thing that will actually bring an end to Israel’s isolation — to adhere to international law, end the occupation and grant Palestinians their rights.”
ISM argued that its foreign activists play a crucial role in trying to prevent Israeli army violence against Palestinians.
“As a civilian population living under military occupation Palestinians in the occupied territories are promised protection under International law,” the group said in its statement.
“(Foreign) civilians have been attempting to fill in the gap created by the failure of governments and official international bodies to provide protection and fulfill their obligations.
“We find that our presence sometimes results in reducing the level of lethal force used by the Israeli military against unarmed Palestinians.”
The boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel has gained momentum over the past year, with activists targeting companies that act in compliance with Israel’s illegal occupation of East Jerusalem and the West Bank.
In late July, the Black Lives Matter movement — which denounces police violence against African-Americans in the United States — came out in support of BDS, stating that it was committed to “global struggle, solidarity, and support of the Boycott, Divest and Sanction (BDS) movement to fight for freedom, justice and equality for Palestinian people and to end international support of the occupation.”
The Israeli government, meanwhile, has grown increasingly concerned about the growth of the BDS movement, as the movement’s support base has expanded to include companies, universities and religious institutions around the world divesting from organizations complicit in Israel’s violation of Palestinian rights.
In January, the Israeli Knesset held a conference to discuss ways to combat BDS, and dedicated 100 million shekels ($26 million) of the government’s 2016 budget to the issue.
In May, Israel issued a travel ban on BDS cofounder Omar Barghouti, a permanent resident in Israel, as Mahmoud Nawajaa, the general coordinator of the Palestinian BDS National Committee, stated at the time that the decision reflected “the lengths [Israel] will go to in order to stop the spread of the non-violent BDS movement for Palestinian freedom, justice and equality.”
More recently, on July 12, the Knesset passed a controversial NGO “transparency bill” into law, compelling organizations to reveal their sources of funding if more than half came from public foreign entities — a law which human rights groups and opposition Knesset members condemned for seeking to “silence criticism” of Israel and delegitimize left-wing groups.
Opposition leader in the Knesset Isaac Herzog of the Zionist Camp party then slammed the law for “symbolizing the budding fascism that is rising and flourishing in Israeli society” and making a “mockery” of the “right to organize, which is a sacred founding principle of a democratic society.”
Ma’an News Agency reports that, according to the Jerusalem Post, the interior committee of the Israeli parliament (Knesset) approved the bill, which was originally initiated by Knesset Member Yinon Magal, from the ultranationalist “Home Party”, paving the way for the bill to enter its first reading.
The bill would allow individuals supporting a boycott against Israel to be banned from entering the country.
The BDS movement was founded in July of 2005, by a swath of Palestinian civil society, as a peaceful movement to restore Palestinian rights in accordance with international law, through strategies of boycotting Israeli products and cultural institutions, divesting from companies complicit in violations against Palestinians, and implementing state sanctions against the Israeli government.
The move came after several months of Israeli efforts to crack down on the BDS movement. Israeli Minister of the Interior Aryeh Deri, and Minister of Public Security Gilad Erdan announced, in August, that they were forming a joint task force to “expel and ban the entry of BDS activists” into Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory.
“We must not allow BDS activists to enter the state of Israel. This is a necessary step, given the malicious intentions of these activists to delegitimize and spread lies and distortions about the reality in our region,” Erdan was quoted as saying in a statement released at the time, adding that the boycott movement against Israel “must have a price.”
“Fighting against Israeli boycotts starts by fighting those who undermine the state of Israel,” Deri also said, at the time.
“We have a responsibility to do everything possible to crush any boycott and to state clearly that we will not allow the State of Israel to be harmed. Forming the task force is an important step in that direction.”
Without citing any names, the statement estimated that “hundreds” of pro-Palestinian activists and dozens of organizations were currently in Israel “to gather information and use it to boycott Israel, and harm its citizens,” and that the task force would also try to prevent the entrance of activists in the future.
The statement also alleged that BDS activists traveled to the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem to “incite” Palestinians.
The announcement led to outcry from groups like the International Solidarity Movement (ISM), which believed they were the targets of the newly-formed task force.
“Isolation of Palestinians by denying access and/or deporting human rights activists aims to make Palestinian communities already vulnerable and suffering from abuse…even more vulnerable,” ISM said in a statement in response to the plans of forming the task force.
“We condemn Israeli suppression of Palestinian nonviolent resistance. This recent attempt to further isolate Palestinians indicates the occupation authorities’ unwillingness to do the only thing that will actually bring an end to Israel’s isolation — to adhere to international law, end the occupation and grant Palestinians their rights.”
ISM argued that its foreign activists play a crucial role in trying to prevent Israeli army violence against Palestinians.
“As a civilian population living under military occupation Palestinians in the occupied territories are promised protection under International law,” the group said in its statement.
“(Foreign) civilians have been attempting to fill in the gap created by the failure of governments and official international bodies to provide protection and fulfill their obligations.
“We find that our presence sometimes results in reducing the level of lethal force used by the Israeli military against unarmed Palestinians.”
The boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel has gained momentum over the past year, with activists targeting companies that act in compliance with Israel’s illegal occupation of East Jerusalem and the West Bank.
In late July, the Black Lives Matter movement — which denounces police violence against African-Americans in the United States — came out in support of BDS, stating that it was committed to “global struggle, solidarity, and support of the Boycott, Divest and Sanction (BDS) movement to fight for freedom, justice and equality for Palestinian people and to end international support of the occupation.”
The Israeli government, meanwhile, has grown increasingly concerned about the growth of the BDS movement, as the movement’s support base has expanded to include companies, universities and religious institutions around the world divesting from organizations complicit in Israel’s violation of Palestinian rights.
In January, the Israeli Knesset held a conference to discuss ways to combat BDS, and dedicated 100 million shekels ($26 million) of the government’s 2016 budget to the issue.
In May, Israel issued a travel ban on BDS cofounder Omar Barghouti, a permanent resident in Israel, as Mahmoud Nawajaa, the general coordinator of the Palestinian BDS National Committee, stated at the time that the decision reflected “the lengths [Israel] will go to in order to stop the spread of the non-violent BDS movement for Palestinian freedom, justice and equality.”
More recently, on July 12, the Knesset passed a controversial NGO “transparency bill” into law, compelling organizations to reveal their sources of funding if more than half came from public foreign entities — a law which human rights groups and opposition Knesset members condemned for seeking to “silence criticism” of Israel and delegitimize left-wing groups.
Opposition leader in the Knesset Isaac Herzog of the Zionist Camp party then slammed the law for “symbolizing the budding fascism that is rising and flourishing in Israeli society” and making a “mockery” of the “right to organize, which is a sacred founding principle of a democratic society.”
2 nov 2016
Some 13,000 Jewish youth are expected to come to the occupied Palestinian territories this coming year to participate in Masa Judaization program, Israeli daily Maariv announced on Monday.
The Masa program provides Jewish youth the opportunity to participate in over 250 immersive Israeli programs ranging in length from six months to a year, which include internships, study abroad programs, and volunteer opportunities aimed to keep a tight rein on boycott movements across the world.
These experiences also aim to give participants practical academic or work experience while strengthening their connection to the Israeli occupation.
The Masa program is set to be officially launched on October 31st during a ceremony in Occupied Jerusalem with the participation of the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Natan Sharansky, head of the Jewish Agency.
“The youth arrive to Israel to participate in a wide range of Masa programs, from government, to economy and culture, hi-tech, teaching English, medicine and more,” Liran Avisar-Ben Horin, CEO of Masa claimed.
She noted that in addition, Masa provides participants with tools to engage in hasbara (public diplomacy) for Israel, turning those who take part into informal ambassadors for Israel to the world.
According to a recent survey conducted by Midgam Institute and released by Masa, some 87% of Masa participants said they intend to actively work towards strengthening Israel’s image in the world, while 81% of participants said their vision of Israel “changed for the positive” because of participating in the project.
More than half, 58% of respondents, said they would “certainly” act against the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement.
Since its founding in 2004 by the Prime Minister’s Office and the Jewish Agency, over 120,000 young Jews from around the world have participated in Masa Judaization programs.
The Masa program provides Jewish youth the opportunity to participate in over 250 immersive Israeli programs ranging in length from six months to a year, which include internships, study abroad programs, and volunteer opportunities aimed to keep a tight rein on boycott movements across the world.
These experiences also aim to give participants practical academic or work experience while strengthening their connection to the Israeli occupation.
The Masa program is set to be officially launched on October 31st during a ceremony in Occupied Jerusalem with the participation of the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Natan Sharansky, head of the Jewish Agency.
“The youth arrive to Israel to participate in a wide range of Masa programs, from government, to economy and culture, hi-tech, teaching English, medicine and more,” Liran Avisar-Ben Horin, CEO of Masa claimed.
She noted that in addition, Masa provides participants with tools to engage in hasbara (public diplomacy) for Israel, turning those who take part into informal ambassadors for Israel to the world.
According to a recent survey conducted by Midgam Institute and released by Masa, some 87% of Masa participants said they intend to actively work towards strengthening Israel’s image in the world, while 81% of participants said their vision of Israel “changed for the positive” because of participating in the project.
More than half, 58% of respondents, said they would “certainly” act against the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement.
Since its founding in 2004 by the Prime Minister’s Office and the Jewish Agency, over 120,000 young Jews from around the world have participated in Masa Judaization programs.
9 oct 2016
Prince Zeid Ra'ad Zeid Al-Hussein
UN high commissioner on human rights calls on UN deputy secretary-general to ‘set an example’ and to demand the boycott of Israeli and international businesses with ties in east Jerusalem, the Golan Heights and in the West Bank.
The UN High dommissioner on human rights—Jordanian Prince Zeid Ra'ad Zeid Al-Hussein—called on the UN deputy secretary-general to prepare to publish “the Black List” of Israeli businesses and international corporations which have ties with the West Bank, east Jerusalem and the Golan Heights to facilitate the launching of boycotts.
Ties which can qualify a business for the Black List include those with any branches in the territories. These include, for example, banks which could be boycotted by the UN under the criteria set out by Al-Hussein even if its main operation centers are not situated in the West Bank or the Golan Heights.
“It is reasonable to assume that the UN has ties with businesses which are expected to be included on the list, and therefore the UN must stop these illegitimate links,” Al-Hussein wrote to the UN deputy secretary-general, the Swedish Jan Eliasson.
He urged the issue to be highlighted as soon as possible and be brought to the attention of the UN Procurement Division which manages regular contacts with Israeli companies and only recently reported that the volume of procurement from Israel has doubled twice in the last two years.
It was also pointed out that according to previous declarations by the secretary-general and UN reports, the world body is obligated to act in accordance with the resolutions taken by the Human Rights Commision.
Last March the UN High Commission in Geneva adopted a resolution calling for the compilation of a list of businesses operating in the territories, in east Jerusalem and the Golan Heights to bring about an international boycott on them.
In the letter to the Eliasson, Al-Hussein added a description of how the council is currently engaged in institutionalizing an orderly working method for formulating annual lists, in cooperation with other countries, and "bodies and stakeholders."
Officials from the Israeli Foreign Ministry have said that that the implementation of the resolution could result in an economic disaster for the State of Israel since Israeli businesses operating outside Israel will be threatened with consumer boycotts. Furthermore, international corporations operating in Israel will be forced to choose between having their products labelled by the UN or activity in large parts of Israel.
Israel’s UN Ambassador Danny Danon responded to the letter by stating his intent to fight boycotts of Israeli businesses and international corporations with business ties with East Jerusalem, the Golan Heights and the West Bank.
“Countries need to decided if they are ready to finance activities intended to label and boycott Jewish businesses. This is crossing a dangerous line and a slippery slope into times of discrimination in history in which such ‘Black Lists’ were published,” he said.
UN high commissioner on human rights calls on UN deputy secretary-general to ‘set an example’ and to demand the boycott of Israeli and international businesses with ties in east Jerusalem, the Golan Heights and in the West Bank.
The UN High dommissioner on human rights—Jordanian Prince Zeid Ra'ad Zeid Al-Hussein—called on the UN deputy secretary-general to prepare to publish “the Black List” of Israeli businesses and international corporations which have ties with the West Bank, east Jerusalem and the Golan Heights to facilitate the launching of boycotts.
Ties which can qualify a business for the Black List include those with any branches in the territories. These include, for example, banks which could be boycotted by the UN under the criteria set out by Al-Hussein even if its main operation centers are not situated in the West Bank or the Golan Heights.
“It is reasonable to assume that the UN has ties with businesses which are expected to be included on the list, and therefore the UN must stop these illegitimate links,” Al-Hussein wrote to the UN deputy secretary-general, the Swedish Jan Eliasson.
He urged the issue to be highlighted as soon as possible and be brought to the attention of the UN Procurement Division which manages regular contacts with Israeli companies and only recently reported that the volume of procurement from Israel has doubled twice in the last two years.
It was also pointed out that according to previous declarations by the secretary-general and UN reports, the world body is obligated to act in accordance with the resolutions taken by the Human Rights Commision.
Last March the UN High Commission in Geneva adopted a resolution calling for the compilation of a list of businesses operating in the territories, in east Jerusalem and the Golan Heights to bring about an international boycott on them.
In the letter to the Eliasson, Al-Hussein added a description of how the council is currently engaged in institutionalizing an orderly working method for formulating annual lists, in cooperation with other countries, and "bodies and stakeholders."
Officials from the Israeli Foreign Ministry have said that that the implementation of the resolution could result in an economic disaster for the State of Israel since Israeli businesses operating outside Israel will be threatened with consumer boycotts. Furthermore, international corporations operating in Israel will be forced to choose between having their products labelled by the UN or activity in large parts of Israel.
Israel’s UN Ambassador Danny Danon responded to the letter by stating his intent to fight boycotts of Israeli businesses and international corporations with business ties with East Jerusalem, the Golan Heights and the West Bank.
“Countries need to decided if they are ready to finance activities intended to label and boycott Jewish businesses. This is crossing a dangerous line and a slippery slope into times of discrimination in history in which such ‘Black Lists’ were published,” he said.
20 sept 2016
University of California, Berkeley, has reinstated a course on Palestine that was cancelled under pressure from pro-Israel groups, according to a press release.
Palestine Legal said, according to WAFA, that the university reinstated the student-led course titled “Palestine: A Settler-Colonial Analysis”, following an outcry from students and faculty describing the action as a violation of academic freedom, shocking, and unjustifiable.
Palestine Legal also sent a letter to the university chancellor, Nicholas Dirks, on behalf of Paul Hadweh, the student giving the course, warning that the suspension infringed on First Amendment rights and principles of academic freedom.
Following the outcry, executive dean of the College of Letters and Science, Carla Hesse, announced in a statement that the course is reinstated.
“I hope we can now focus on the challenging intellectual and political questions that this course seeks to address,” said Hadweh, a senior student and course facilitator whose family is originally from Bethlehem, in the occupied West Bank.
“I await an apology from Chancellor Dirks, and Dean Hesse,” explained Hadweh. “The university threw me under the bus, and publicly blamed me, without ever even contacting me. It seems that because I’m Palestinian studying Palestine, I’m guilty until proven innocent. To defend the course, we had to mobilize an international outcry of scholars and students to stand up for academic freedom. This never should have happened.”
Liz Jackson, staff attorney with Palestine Legal who represents Paul Hadweh, added, “This is a victory for Paul who spent eight months going through all the recommended and mandated procedures to facilitate a course. It’s also a victory for the 26 students who enrolled and had their academic studies severely disrupted, and for students and scholars across the U.S. who are facing a coordinated attack on the right to speak and study freely about Palestine-Israel.”
Echoing the concerns of Israel advocacy groups, Chancellor Nicholas Dirks had justified the suspension with concern that Hadweh’s course “espoused a single political viewpoint and appeared to offer a forum for political organizing.”
Jackson explained, “The university’s response should have been that academic freedom protects the rights of faculty and students to tackle difficult and even controversial questions. The extra scrutiny on scholarship relating to Palestine is obvious here. The university does not censor Israeli studies classes because they have a ‘political agenda’ or ‘ignore history’, although that case can also be made.”
Palestine Legal said, according to WAFA, that the university reinstated the student-led course titled “Palestine: A Settler-Colonial Analysis”, following an outcry from students and faculty describing the action as a violation of academic freedom, shocking, and unjustifiable.
Palestine Legal also sent a letter to the university chancellor, Nicholas Dirks, on behalf of Paul Hadweh, the student giving the course, warning that the suspension infringed on First Amendment rights and principles of academic freedom.
Following the outcry, executive dean of the College of Letters and Science, Carla Hesse, announced in a statement that the course is reinstated.
“I hope we can now focus on the challenging intellectual and political questions that this course seeks to address,” said Hadweh, a senior student and course facilitator whose family is originally from Bethlehem, in the occupied West Bank.
“I await an apology from Chancellor Dirks, and Dean Hesse,” explained Hadweh. “The university threw me under the bus, and publicly blamed me, without ever even contacting me. It seems that because I’m Palestinian studying Palestine, I’m guilty until proven innocent. To defend the course, we had to mobilize an international outcry of scholars and students to stand up for academic freedom. This never should have happened.”
Liz Jackson, staff attorney with Palestine Legal who represents Paul Hadweh, added, “This is a victory for Paul who spent eight months going through all the recommended and mandated procedures to facilitate a course. It’s also a victory for the 26 students who enrolled and had their academic studies severely disrupted, and for students and scholars across the U.S. who are facing a coordinated attack on the right to speak and study freely about Palestine-Israel.”
Echoing the concerns of Israel advocacy groups, Chancellor Nicholas Dirks had justified the suspension with concern that Hadweh’s course “espoused a single political viewpoint and appeared to offer a forum for political organizing.”
Jackson explained, “The university’s response should have been that academic freedom protects the rights of faculty and students to tackle difficult and even controversial questions. The extra scrutiny on scholarship relating to Palestine is obvious here. The university does not censor Israeli studies classes because they have a ‘political agenda’ or ‘ignore history’, although that case can also be made.”
