26 apr 2019
April 24, 2019, Paris – This afternoon, before AXA’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) at the Palais des Congrès in Paris, over 50 activists from the Coalition to Stop AXA Assistance to Israeli Apartheid gathered outside, and called on AXA to divest from Israeli apartheid.
AXA invests, through its subsidiary AXA IM, in five top Israeli banks which serve as the backbone of Israel’s illegal settlements through the financial services they provide. AXA’s subsidiary, Alliance Bernstein, also holds shares in the Israeli banks and in the Israeli weapons producer Elbit Systems.
Though French police tried to ban the protest and deny rights of assembly and free speech, activists managed to stay in front of the Palais des Congrès for over 20 minutes holding a 10-metre-long banner reading “Stop AXA Assistance to Israeli apartheid.”
Speeches were made by Jean-Guy Greilsamer de Union Juive Français pour la Paix, Olivier Schulz and Imen Habib from BDS France, Alys Samson from the BDS National Committee, and Verveine Angeli from Solidaires.
Activists also wore blue hats, the colour of AXA, and said that if they were AXA shareholders, they would call to end these investments.
Before having to leave due to police repression, dozens of informational leaflets documenting AXA’s unethical investments were handed out to shareholders.
Imen Habib from BDS France said:
Even though, thanks to grassroots mobilisation, one of AXA’s subsidiaries, AXA IM, recently divested from Elbit Systems, the campaign against AXA’s unethical investments will continue until AXA no longer finances the Israeli banks that fund Israel’s settlements and fully divests from Elbit Systems, which tests weapons on the Palestinian people.
Alys Samson, Europe Coordinator for the Palestinian BDS National Committee (BNC) said:
Supporting the Paris protest, today many supporters of freedom, justice and equality for Palestinians worldwide joined in a tweetstorm calling on AXA to end its investments in Israeli banks and Elbit Systems. Using AXA’s #ProudToBeAXA hashtag, they affirmed that the French insurer cannot be proud of its activities until AXA ends its role in the oppression of the Palestinian people.
Visit bdsmovement.net for related info.
AXA invests, through its subsidiary AXA IM, in five top Israeli banks which serve as the backbone of Israel’s illegal settlements through the financial services they provide. AXA’s subsidiary, Alliance Bernstein, also holds shares in the Israeli banks and in the Israeli weapons producer Elbit Systems.
Though French police tried to ban the protest and deny rights of assembly and free speech, activists managed to stay in front of the Palais des Congrès for over 20 minutes holding a 10-metre-long banner reading “Stop AXA Assistance to Israeli apartheid.”
Speeches were made by Jean-Guy Greilsamer de Union Juive Français pour la Paix, Olivier Schulz and Imen Habib from BDS France, Alys Samson from the BDS National Committee, and Verveine Angeli from Solidaires.
Activists also wore blue hats, the colour of AXA, and said that if they were AXA shareholders, they would call to end these investments.
Before having to leave due to police repression, dozens of informational leaflets documenting AXA’s unethical investments were handed out to shareholders.
Imen Habib from BDS France said:
Even though, thanks to grassroots mobilisation, one of AXA’s subsidiaries, AXA IM, recently divested from Elbit Systems, the campaign against AXA’s unethical investments will continue until AXA no longer finances the Israeli banks that fund Israel’s settlements and fully divests from Elbit Systems, which tests weapons on the Palestinian people.
Alys Samson, Europe Coordinator for the Palestinian BDS National Committee (BNC) said:
Supporting the Paris protest, today many supporters of freedom, justice and equality for Palestinians worldwide joined in a tweetstorm calling on AXA to end its investments in Israeli banks and Elbit Systems. Using AXA’s #ProudToBeAXA hashtag, they affirmed that the French insurer cannot be proud of its activities until AXA ends its role in the oppression of the Palestinian people.
Visit bdsmovement.net for related info.
22 apr 2019
The Palestinian Center For Human Rights (PCHR): In a new and unprecedented move, an Israeli Court on April 16, 2019 has decided to uphold the revocation of the work permit of Human Rights Watch (HRW) Israel and Palestine Director, Omar Shakir, ordering him to leave the country within 14 days based on allegations that he supported a boycott of Israel.
The ruling was based on a lawsuit filed by Human Rights Watch in May 2018 to challenge the decision of the Israeli government to revoke the work permit of Omar Shakir, who assumed his role as Director of HRW in Israel and Palestine in October 2016, as well as the law upon which the ruling is based, the anti-boycott law, a 2017 amendment to Israel’s Law of the Entry which bars entry or the grant of residence or work permit to foreign nationals who allegedly support the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement.
The court found that Shakir has “continuously” been calling for boycotts of Israel, citing his student activism as well as his subsequent work for HRW particularly through his social media posts.
The court found as “boycott-promoting activities” HRW’s research on the activities of businesses such as Airbnb, Booking.com, and Fifa, and its recommendations that they crease operating in settlements in the West Bank as their continuation will make them complicit in violating Palestinians’ human rights and constitutes a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law. Moreover, the court held that the anti-boycott law applies equally to boycotts directed at Israel and those directed at the settlements.
This ruling sets a dangerous precedent and is a reflection of the shrinking space for human rights defenders, who work on monitoring and documenting violations of international humanitarian and human rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT).
In recent years, particularly in the aftermath of 2014 Operation Protective Edge in Gaza, Israel has increasingly targeted civil society organizations and human rights defenders, particularly those who have submitted evidence to the ICC, including PCHR, by launching attacks in the form of false accusations, defamation, and smear campaigns intended to undermine their legitimacy, silence their independent voices, and limit their donor funding.
The rights and responsibilities that protect the work of human rights defenders are well-entrenched in international law.
Among other primary human rights instruments, the Universal Declaration on Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights have proclaimed the inalienable freedoms of opinion and expression, and movement.
Those foundational instruments do not only champions all people rights, but also the activities of human rights defenders. Furthermore, the Declaration on Human Rights Defenders, adopted by the General Assembly in 1999, provides a range of rights and protection for human rights defenders and imposes duties and responsibilities on states to protect them even if they are openly critical of government entities, policies, or actions in the name of promoting and protecting human rights (Article 12).
The Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) condemns the measures taken against Omar Shakir, whose case represents the latest assault by Israel on human rights defenders. PCHR calls upon the international community to pressure Israel to abide by its obligations under international law by taking measures to repeal the 2017 amendment to Israel’s Law of the Entry and to cease hampering the work of human rights defenders and organizations.
Public Document
**************************************
Follow PCHR on Facebook and Twitter
For more information, please call PCHR office in Gaza, Gaza Strip, on +972 8 2824776 – 2825893
Gaza- Jamal ‘Abdel Nasser “al-Thalathini” Street – Al-Roya Building- Floor 12 , El Remal, PO Box 1328 Gaza, Gaza Strip. E-mail: [email protected], Webpage http://www.pchrgaza.org
The ruling was based on a lawsuit filed by Human Rights Watch in May 2018 to challenge the decision of the Israeli government to revoke the work permit of Omar Shakir, who assumed his role as Director of HRW in Israel and Palestine in October 2016, as well as the law upon which the ruling is based, the anti-boycott law, a 2017 amendment to Israel’s Law of the Entry which bars entry or the grant of residence or work permit to foreign nationals who allegedly support the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement.
The court found that Shakir has “continuously” been calling for boycotts of Israel, citing his student activism as well as his subsequent work for HRW particularly through his social media posts.
The court found as “boycott-promoting activities” HRW’s research on the activities of businesses such as Airbnb, Booking.com, and Fifa, and its recommendations that they crease operating in settlements in the West Bank as their continuation will make them complicit in violating Palestinians’ human rights and constitutes a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law. Moreover, the court held that the anti-boycott law applies equally to boycotts directed at Israel and those directed at the settlements.
This ruling sets a dangerous precedent and is a reflection of the shrinking space for human rights defenders, who work on monitoring and documenting violations of international humanitarian and human rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT).
In recent years, particularly in the aftermath of 2014 Operation Protective Edge in Gaza, Israel has increasingly targeted civil society organizations and human rights defenders, particularly those who have submitted evidence to the ICC, including PCHR, by launching attacks in the form of false accusations, defamation, and smear campaigns intended to undermine their legitimacy, silence their independent voices, and limit their donor funding.
The rights and responsibilities that protect the work of human rights defenders are well-entrenched in international law.
Among other primary human rights instruments, the Universal Declaration on Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights have proclaimed the inalienable freedoms of opinion and expression, and movement.
Those foundational instruments do not only champions all people rights, but also the activities of human rights defenders. Furthermore, the Declaration on Human Rights Defenders, adopted by the General Assembly in 1999, provides a range of rights and protection for human rights defenders and imposes duties and responsibilities on states to protect them even if they are openly critical of government entities, policies, or actions in the name of promoting and protecting human rights (Article 12).
The Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) condemns the measures taken against Omar Shakir, whose case represents the latest assault by Israel on human rights defenders. PCHR calls upon the international community to pressure Israel to abide by its obligations under international law by taking measures to repeal the 2017 amendment to Israel’s Law of the Entry and to cease hampering the work of human rights defenders and organizations.
Public Document
**************************************
Follow PCHR on Facebook and Twitter
For more information, please call PCHR office in Gaza, Gaza Strip, on +972 8 2824776 – 2825893
Gaza- Jamal ‘Abdel Nasser “al-Thalathini” Street – Al-Roya Building- Floor 12 , El Remal, PO Box 1328 Gaza, Gaza Strip. E-mail: [email protected], Webpage http://www.pchrgaza.org
21 apr 2019
The Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) Movement has launched a global campaign to boycott the sportswear manufacturer “Puma” because of its sponsorship of the Israel football association, which includes teams in Israel’s illegal settlements on occupied Palestinian land.
“When companies like Puma sponsor and profit from illegal Israeli settlements, they give a nod to Israel’s far-right regime that its criminal land grabs and attacks on Palestinian sports can continue unabated,” BDS said.
On its official website, BDS called for joining the #BoycottPuma International Day of Action on June 15.
BDS mentioned some Palestinian soccer players , like Mohamed Khalil and Mahmoud Sarsak, who were forced to retire after losing their limbs due to direct injuries to their legs caused by Israeli military gunfire.
The campaign also pointed to the playgrounds bombed by the Israeli occupation army in Gaza and the restrictions on practicing sports, especially near the separation wall, as well as to the construction of Israeli sports clubs on lands usurped from Palestinians.
“When companies like Puma sponsor and profit from illegal Israeli settlements, they give a nod to Israel’s far-right regime that its criminal land grabs and attacks on Palestinian sports can continue unabated,” BDS said.
On its official website, BDS called for joining the #BoycottPuma International Day of Action on June 15.
BDS mentioned some Palestinian soccer players , like Mohamed Khalil and Mahmoud Sarsak, who were forced to retire after losing their limbs due to direct injuries to their legs caused by Israeli military gunfire.
The campaign also pointed to the playgrounds bombed by the Israeli occupation army in Gaza and the restrictions on practicing sports, especially near the separation wall, as well as to the construction of Israeli sports clubs on lands usurped from Palestinians.
17 apr 2019
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: [email protected]
SumOfUs and the Coalition to Stop Assistance to Israeli Apartheid welcome AXA’s decision to withdraw part of its investment in Elbit Systems, and call on AXA to end its complicity in full by withdrawing all of its investments in companies complicit in Israel’s occupation.
AXA is quietly addressing its problematic investments following a year of civil society campaigning, demanding the French multinational stop its investments in the arms manufacturer Elbit Systems and five Israeli banks.
The five banks are Bank Hapoalim, Bank Leumi, Bank Mizrahi-Tefahot, First International Bank of Israel, Israel Discount Bank, and they’re involved in the state of Israel’s war crimes.
SumOfUs, an international NGO that acts as a check on the power of big business, launched an international petition in April 2018 that gathered more than 140,000 signatures. It supported the coalition to Stop Assistance to Israeli Apartheid’s demands, in partnership with many organizations that are part of the BDS movement in France, that started the campaign in 2016.
The end of 2018 seems to have marked a new turning point for the unscrupulous investments of banking and financial companies in the arms manufacturer Elbit Systems – sordidly famous for providing cluster munitions banned by international law, and white phosphorus shells, both used against Palestinian civilian populations – a use also condemned by international law.
In December 2018, following a campaign by a coalition of British NGOs against its investments, HSBC decided to divest from Elbit Systems due to its involvement in the production and commercialization of cluster munitions. It is now AXA’s turn to take the path of divestment and we welcome this first step.
AXA Investment Managers (a wholly-owned subsidiary of AXA) sold all its shares in the arms manufacturer on December 31, 2018 and confirmed last week that they “do not invest in cluster munition producers.”
However, AXA remains linked to Elbit Systems through its subsidiary Alliance Bernstein (AB). Last month, we learned that AXA no longer controlled AB – reducing its stake in the company from 65.6% to 31.7%.
While this sale seems to affect the decision-making power of AXA within AB, it does not absolve the multinational of its complicity in the investments maintained by AB in the arms manufacturer and in the five Israeli banks – all of which participate in financing the illegal activities of military occupation and colonization carried out by the state of Israel.
This sale does nothing to diminish the direct investments held by AXA IM in four of the five Israeli banks. AXA continues to deny the legal and moral problem of its investments in the arms manufacturer Elbit Systems and Israeli banks, the insurer.
Leyla Larbi, SumOfUs campaigner, said:
While we welcome the AXA Group’s first decision, it is insufficient to end AXA’s complicity, both direct and indirect, in serious violations of international law and human rights. We are currently working on a report shedding light on the extent of AXA’s investments, which still remains involved in financing these companies on the level of tens of millions of dollars via its subsidiary AXA IM and investments through its subsidiary AB.
We expect the multinational AXA to follow this divestment logic to its conclusion in order to fully comply with international law and to finally respect the principles of investing that it promotes so much.
The campaign against AXA’s problematic investments is not letting up:
Imen Habib, coordinator of BDS France, said:
On this International Day of Solidarity with Palestinian Political Prisoners, the Coalition to Stop AXA Assistance to Israeli Apartheid is organizing actions around the world to call on AXA to divest from companies that violate international law and actively participate in maintaining a violent and illegal regime of oppression against the Palestinian people. We will also be at the AXA AGM on April 24 to ensure that all AXA investors are informed of AXA’s irresponsibility.
Alys Samson Estapé, Europe coordinator for the Palestinian BDS National Committee (BNC), said:
AXA IM’s divestment from Elbit Systems is in line with the global trend whereby more and more institutions, banks and companies are distancing themselves from Israeli apartheid. But for Palestinians living under Israel’s regime of apartheid, colonialism and occupation, AXA’s step is not enough.
Grassroots mobilisation will not end until Axa and other companies totally end their complicity with Israel’s racist regime.
Link to the petition “AXA must stop profiting from the colonization of Palestine“
Sources:
-Fintel financial database reporting the exit of AXA IM from Elbit Systems’ capital.
-Press release from the AXA Group announcing the decrease of its shares in AXA Equitable Holding, the majority subsidiary of the AB Group.
SumOfUs.org is a global movement of consumers, investors, and workers all around the world, standing together to hold corporations accountable for their actions and forge a new, sustainable and just path for our global economy.
Contact: [email protected]
SumOfUs and the Coalition to Stop Assistance to Israeli Apartheid welcome AXA’s decision to withdraw part of its investment in Elbit Systems, and call on AXA to end its complicity in full by withdrawing all of its investments in companies complicit in Israel’s occupation.
AXA is quietly addressing its problematic investments following a year of civil society campaigning, demanding the French multinational stop its investments in the arms manufacturer Elbit Systems and five Israeli banks.
The five banks are Bank Hapoalim, Bank Leumi, Bank Mizrahi-Tefahot, First International Bank of Israel, Israel Discount Bank, and they’re involved in the state of Israel’s war crimes.
SumOfUs, an international NGO that acts as a check on the power of big business, launched an international petition in April 2018 that gathered more than 140,000 signatures. It supported the coalition to Stop Assistance to Israeli Apartheid’s demands, in partnership with many organizations that are part of the BDS movement in France, that started the campaign in 2016.
The end of 2018 seems to have marked a new turning point for the unscrupulous investments of banking and financial companies in the arms manufacturer Elbit Systems – sordidly famous for providing cluster munitions banned by international law, and white phosphorus shells, both used against Palestinian civilian populations – a use also condemned by international law.
In December 2018, following a campaign by a coalition of British NGOs against its investments, HSBC decided to divest from Elbit Systems due to its involvement in the production and commercialization of cluster munitions. It is now AXA’s turn to take the path of divestment and we welcome this first step.
AXA Investment Managers (a wholly-owned subsidiary of AXA) sold all its shares in the arms manufacturer on December 31, 2018 and confirmed last week that they “do not invest in cluster munition producers.”
However, AXA remains linked to Elbit Systems through its subsidiary Alliance Bernstein (AB). Last month, we learned that AXA no longer controlled AB – reducing its stake in the company from 65.6% to 31.7%.
While this sale seems to affect the decision-making power of AXA within AB, it does not absolve the multinational of its complicity in the investments maintained by AB in the arms manufacturer and in the five Israeli banks – all of which participate in financing the illegal activities of military occupation and colonization carried out by the state of Israel.
This sale does nothing to diminish the direct investments held by AXA IM in four of the five Israeli banks. AXA continues to deny the legal and moral problem of its investments in the arms manufacturer Elbit Systems and Israeli banks, the insurer.
Leyla Larbi, SumOfUs campaigner, said:
While we welcome the AXA Group’s first decision, it is insufficient to end AXA’s complicity, both direct and indirect, in serious violations of international law and human rights. We are currently working on a report shedding light on the extent of AXA’s investments, which still remains involved in financing these companies on the level of tens of millions of dollars via its subsidiary AXA IM and investments through its subsidiary AB.
We expect the multinational AXA to follow this divestment logic to its conclusion in order to fully comply with international law and to finally respect the principles of investing that it promotes so much.
The campaign against AXA’s problematic investments is not letting up:
Imen Habib, coordinator of BDS France, said:
On this International Day of Solidarity with Palestinian Political Prisoners, the Coalition to Stop AXA Assistance to Israeli Apartheid is organizing actions around the world to call on AXA to divest from companies that violate international law and actively participate in maintaining a violent and illegal regime of oppression against the Palestinian people. We will also be at the AXA AGM on April 24 to ensure that all AXA investors are informed of AXA’s irresponsibility.
Alys Samson Estapé, Europe coordinator for the Palestinian BDS National Committee (BNC), said:
AXA IM’s divestment from Elbit Systems is in line with the global trend whereby more and more institutions, banks and companies are distancing themselves from Israeli apartheid. But for Palestinians living under Israel’s regime of apartheid, colonialism and occupation, AXA’s step is not enough.
Grassroots mobilisation will not end until Axa and other companies totally end their complicity with Israel’s racist regime.
Link to the petition “AXA must stop profiting from the colonization of Palestine“
Sources:
-Fintel financial database reporting the exit of AXA IM from Elbit Systems’ capital.
-Press release from the AXA Group announcing the decrease of its shares in AXA Equitable Holding, the majority subsidiary of the AB Group.
SumOfUs.org is a global movement of consumers, investors, and workers all around the world, standing together to hold corporations accountable for their actions and forge a new, sustainable and just path for our global economy.
15 apr 2019
USCPR Statement on Airbnb’s Reversal of Commitment to Remove Listings in Illegal Israeli Settlements
In November 2018, online booking giant Airbnb announced that it would remove listings in illegal, Jewish-only settlements in the occupied West Bank, bowing to years of pressure from the StolenHomes Coalition, including SumOfUs, CODEPINK, American Muslims for Palestine, the US Palestinian Community Network, the US Campaign for Palestinian Rights, Friends of Sabeel North America, Up Lift, and Jewish Voice for Peace.
Airbnb’s recent reversal of its earlier commitment to remove these listings is shameful.
Their announcement that they will no longer profit from war crimes by donating the proceeds from settlement listings to humanitarian causes is a blatant attempt to whitewash reality: Airbnb’s continued complicity in Israel’s denial of Palestinian rights. Airbnb’s contribution in pushing Palestinians off of their land and out of their homes is in keeping with its global pattern of contributing to racial gentrification.
By completely disregarding its own proclaimed commitments to help end racial discrimination, Airbnb continues to put itself on the wrong side of history.
Until freedom, historical justice, and equality are achieved, people of conscience worldwide will continue to pursue boycott, divestment, and sanctions campaigns that hold Israel and all institutions profiting from its oppression of the Palestinian people accountable.
The lessons from campaigns to end apartheid in South Africa and Jim Crow in the South make clear the importance of doing so in order to build a world where justice is indivisible and all people are equal and free.
For media inquiries, please contact:
Ramah Kudaimi
US Campaign for Palestinian Rights
[email protected]
Airbnb’s recent reversal of its earlier commitment to remove these listings is shameful.
Their announcement that they will no longer profit from war crimes by donating the proceeds from settlement listings to humanitarian causes is a blatant attempt to whitewash reality: Airbnb’s continued complicity in Israel’s denial of Palestinian rights. Airbnb’s contribution in pushing Palestinians off of their land and out of their homes is in keeping with its global pattern of contributing to racial gentrification.
By completely disregarding its own proclaimed commitments to help end racial discrimination, Airbnb continues to put itself on the wrong side of history.
Until freedom, historical justice, and equality are achieved, people of conscience worldwide will continue to pursue boycott, divestment, and sanctions campaigns that hold Israel and all institutions profiting from its oppression of the Palestinian people accountable.
The lessons from campaigns to end apartheid in South Africa and Jim Crow in the South make clear the importance of doing so in order to build a world where justice is indivisible and all people are equal and free.
For media inquiries, please contact:
Ramah Kudaimi
US Campaign for Palestinian Rights
[email protected]
