12 dec 2018
by Ali Abunimah for Ma’an News Agency
Ali Abunimah, Al-Shabaka Policy Adviser, is the author of One Country: A Bold Proposal to End the Israeli Palestinian Impasse (2006), and co-founder and director of the widely acclaimed publication The Electronic Intifada. His most recent book is The Battle for Justice in Palestine.
While Al Jazeera’s undercover investigation into Israeli influence in the United States, “The Lobby – USA,” was completed in October 2017, it never aired. Though the network’s director-general attributed the problem to outstanding legal issues, many, including journalists involved in the making of the documentary, suggested Qatari censorship of the film – likely resulting from US pressure and Qatar’s desire to curry favor with Washington. (Another Al Jazeera film on Israeli influence in the UK – “The Lobby” – aired in January 2017.)
Now, the US version is no longer under wraps: Last month, the Electronic Intifada, in tandem with France’s Orient XXI and Lebanon’s Al-Akhbar, which provided subtitles in French and Arabic, respectively, released the leaked film. (Click to access.)
The four-part documentary shows, through “Tony,” an undercover journalist, how Israel’s Ministry of Strategic Affairs works with US organizations such as the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and the Israel on Campus Coalition to advance Israel’s agenda, including its fight against the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement (BDS).
The film for the first time named an individual – Israeli-American millionaire Adam Milstein – as the founder and funder of Canary Mission, the website that smears university students and educators who support BDS and Palestinian rights. “The Lobby – USA” also revealed that the Israel on Campus Coalition works with Canary Mission, using large-scale surveillance systems that monitor social media to find material of interest, such as pro-Palestine events, to then engage in targeted harassment of individuals and groups.
“The documentary confirmed a lot of what we suspected was going on,” said Ali Abunimah, the Electronic Intifada’s co-founder and an Al-Shabaka policy adviser. “It offers very compelling evidence of the way the Israeli government is coordinating an effort to smear, sabotage, and repress people in the US who are exercising their constitutional rights – and doing so in collusion with individuals and organizations who are acting as unregistered agents of a foreign power.”
Al-Shabaka Palestinian Policy Network recently sat down with Abunimah to discuss the implications of the film and its lessons for the Palestine solidarity movement.
Targeted smearing is a main strategy of the organizations working with the Israeli government. What do we learn about this tactic in the film?
One of the more disturbing incidents involved a professor at Purdue University, Bill Mullen, who was subject to fake sexual harassment allegations from anonymous websites. While it hasn’t been possible to link the websites that accuse Mullen to a specific organization or individual, we were able to determine that they were created by the same person or persons. The tactic was identical to what those working for Israel lobby organizations described in the film, that is, smearing people via anonymous websites as a means of psychological warfare to deter them from their pro-Palestinian work. And the type of smear is strategic: Mullen is a white male professor of a certain age who would be the kind of person against whom these kinds of allegations could stick. They also targeted a young Muslim woman at Purdue, spreading lies of her drinking, partying, and sleeping with men. The willingness of these organizations to stop at nothing to silence supporters of Palestinian rights is made very clear.
How has the mainstream media responded to the leaking of “The Lobby – USA”?
The mainstream media hasn’t touched it. I find the silence to be remarkable. Regardless of the content of the film, it ought to be a story. Imagine if it was about Russian influence and pressure, and then it leaked. It would be front page news across US media. Israel lobby groups have remained largely silent, and that’s their best strategy, as they can’t spin it; their best tactic is to stay quiet and hope it goes away. But the good news is that a lot of people are watching it, and over the coming weeks and months and perhaps years millions more will see it.
“Tony” infiltrated a number of Jewish groups, so viewers don’t get as much of a sense of the role of Christian Zionism and Christian support for Israel in the US.
It would be a wrong to conclude from this film that a few Jewish groups have disproportionate power; this can drift into an unhelpful narrative or one that gives credence to conspiracy theories. However, that’s how the groups are trying to spin it; they have claimed falsely, for instance, that Al Jazeera made a film about the “Jewish lobby,” though the film never uses such language. What organizations like the Israel Project and the Israel on Campus Coalition do is fuel, feed, and try to take advantage of a narrative that is attractive to white Christian nationalists who are a strong part of President Trump’s base – and Christian Zionism is a cornerstone of this ideology. The power of the organizations exposed in the film is contingent on the power of the much bigger Christian Zionist movement in this country. The largest base of support of Israel in the US, after all, isn’t Jews, it’s Christians.
Israel and its right-wing supporters have been riding this white nationalist, anti-Semitic wave because their interest is in building up Christian Zionism and securing support for Israel at any price, even the safety of Jews. The massacre perpetrated by a white supremacist at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh demonstrated the danger of this. Right-wing, pro-Israel organizations and the Israeli government itself went to bat to defend Trump, asserting that it’s wrong to claim that he or his followers are inciting such violence. Liberal Jewish groups rightly expressed horror at the kind of rhetoric that comes from the right and that feeds a white supremacist narrative.
How is this Machiavellian deal between Israel and its supporters and white nationalism affecting US support for Israel?
Polling data, such as YouGov’s recent poll for The Economist, is showing how US support for Israel is consolidating among white men and older people and eroding among other demographic groups, such as people of color, women, and youth. As such, the base of support for Israel is overlapping with the base of support for Trump and the right-wing agenda. When people see how strong Trump and his ilk support Israel, they recoil. Netanyahu’s strategy of making Israel a partisan issue in the US is yielding short-term gains for Israel but is eroding support in the long term.
Given your work in this sphere, and given the release of the two films, what lessons are there for the Palestine solidarity movement?
One lesson is that we need to step up and create an even more energetic and disciplined movement. People need to be aware that there is this huge organized effort to trip them up, to sabotage them, to smear them. I don’t say that to cast blame, but just to say that we’re dealing with a serious adversary and it’s important to be aware of that, and to be forward-thinking and anticipating moves.
The recent firing by CNN of political commentator Marc Lamont Hill because of his forthright support for Palestinian rights demonstrates this. His firing came after an intense smear campaign by Israel lobby groups. Hill is also facing calls to be fired from his teaching position at Temple University, though so far the university has defended his free speech rights. This episode underscores the real risks individuals in the US, especially within institutions, still face when broaching the taboo subject of Israel and crimes against the Palestinian people.
Yet at the same time you can make inroads into territory that I had thought was impenetrable. One example of this is the No Way to Treat a Child campaign, which focuses on Israeli military detention of Palestinian children. It’s a program of advocacy, lobbying, and organizing that has culminated in a bill introduced by Rep. Betty McCollum (D-MN) to ban US aid for Israeli military detention of children. Some 30 members of Congress have signed on to it. The bill just didn’t happen; it was the result of a very well-thought-out and sustained campaign. It didn’t take millions of people to do it, just a group of determined people. None of the co-sponsors of that bill lost their seats in the recent midterm elections.
What about the film makes you optimistic for the future of the solidarity movement?
The Israel lobby organizations, though they project themselves as powerful and very cloak and dagger, come off as desperate. They admit – when they think no one else is listening – that their job is difficult, that bipartisan support for Israel is crumbling. You have Jonathan Schanzer of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies saying that the anti-Semitism smear against pro-Palestinian activists “isn’t what it used to be,” and Eric Gallagher of the Israel Project noting that the foundation on which AIPAC stands is crumbling. They see the writing on the wall. Smearing individuals is a desperate tactic, and shows that these organizations don’t have answers.
Moreover, such a strategy is only potentially powerful as long as Palestine solidarity is seen as a marginal issue. Bully tactics only work as long as individuals can be singled out and targeted. As Palestine solidarity becomes commonplace, Israel lobby attacks will lose their potency. The lesson is to speak out more and to support each other more. The more we normalize criticism of Israel, the weaker their tactics become.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are the authors’ and do not necessarily reflect Ma’an News Agency’s editorial policy.
Ali Abunimah, Al-Shabaka Policy Adviser, is the author of One Country: A Bold Proposal to End the Israeli Palestinian Impasse (2006), and co-founder and director of the widely acclaimed publication The Electronic Intifada. His most recent book is The Battle for Justice in Palestine.
While Al Jazeera’s undercover investigation into Israeli influence in the United States, “The Lobby – USA,” was completed in October 2017, it never aired. Though the network’s director-general attributed the problem to outstanding legal issues, many, including journalists involved in the making of the documentary, suggested Qatari censorship of the film – likely resulting from US pressure and Qatar’s desire to curry favor with Washington. (Another Al Jazeera film on Israeli influence in the UK – “The Lobby” – aired in January 2017.)
Now, the US version is no longer under wraps: Last month, the Electronic Intifada, in tandem with France’s Orient XXI and Lebanon’s Al-Akhbar, which provided subtitles in French and Arabic, respectively, released the leaked film. (Click to access.)
The four-part documentary shows, through “Tony,” an undercover journalist, how Israel’s Ministry of Strategic Affairs works with US organizations such as the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and the Israel on Campus Coalition to advance Israel’s agenda, including its fight against the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement (BDS).
The film for the first time named an individual – Israeli-American millionaire Adam Milstein – as the founder and funder of Canary Mission, the website that smears university students and educators who support BDS and Palestinian rights. “The Lobby – USA” also revealed that the Israel on Campus Coalition works with Canary Mission, using large-scale surveillance systems that monitor social media to find material of interest, such as pro-Palestine events, to then engage in targeted harassment of individuals and groups.
“The documentary confirmed a lot of what we suspected was going on,” said Ali Abunimah, the Electronic Intifada’s co-founder and an Al-Shabaka policy adviser. “It offers very compelling evidence of the way the Israeli government is coordinating an effort to smear, sabotage, and repress people in the US who are exercising their constitutional rights – and doing so in collusion with individuals and organizations who are acting as unregistered agents of a foreign power.”
Al-Shabaka Palestinian Policy Network recently sat down with Abunimah to discuss the implications of the film and its lessons for the Palestine solidarity movement.
Targeted smearing is a main strategy of the organizations working with the Israeli government. What do we learn about this tactic in the film?
One of the more disturbing incidents involved a professor at Purdue University, Bill Mullen, who was subject to fake sexual harassment allegations from anonymous websites. While it hasn’t been possible to link the websites that accuse Mullen to a specific organization or individual, we were able to determine that they were created by the same person or persons. The tactic was identical to what those working for Israel lobby organizations described in the film, that is, smearing people via anonymous websites as a means of psychological warfare to deter them from their pro-Palestinian work. And the type of smear is strategic: Mullen is a white male professor of a certain age who would be the kind of person against whom these kinds of allegations could stick. They also targeted a young Muslim woman at Purdue, spreading lies of her drinking, partying, and sleeping with men. The willingness of these organizations to stop at nothing to silence supporters of Palestinian rights is made very clear.
How has the mainstream media responded to the leaking of “The Lobby – USA”?
The mainstream media hasn’t touched it. I find the silence to be remarkable. Regardless of the content of the film, it ought to be a story. Imagine if it was about Russian influence and pressure, and then it leaked. It would be front page news across US media. Israel lobby groups have remained largely silent, and that’s their best strategy, as they can’t spin it; their best tactic is to stay quiet and hope it goes away. But the good news is that a lot of people are watching it, and over the coming weeks and months and perhaps years millions more will see it.
“Tony” infiltrated a number of Jewish groups, so viewers don’t get as much of a sense of the role of Christian Zionism and Christian support for Israel in the US.
It would be a wrong to conclude from this film that a few Jewish groups have disproportionate power; this can drift into an unhelpful narrative or one that gives credence to conspiracy theories. However, that’s how the groups are trying to spin it; they have claimed falsely, for instance, that Al Jazeera made a film about the “Jewish lobby,” though the film never uses such language. What organizations like the Israel Project and the Israel on Campus Coalition do is fuel, feed, and try to take advantage of a narrative that is attractive to white Christian nationalists who are a strong part of President Trump’s base – and Christian Zionism is a cornerstone of this ideology. The power of the organizations exposed in the film is contingent on the power of the much bigger Christian Zionist movement in this country. The largest base of support of Israel in the US, after all, isn’t Jews, it’s Christians.
Israel and its right-wing supporters have been riding this white nationalist, anti-Semitic wave because their interest is in building up Christian Zionism and securing support for Israel at any price, even the safety of Jews. The massacre perpetrated by a white supremacist at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh demonstrated the danger of this. Right-wing, pro-Israel organizations and the Israeli government itself went to bat to defend Trump, asserting that it’s wrong to claim that he or his followers are inciting such violence. Liberal Jewish groups rightly expressed horror at the kind of rhetoric that comes from the right and that feeds a white supremacist narrative.
How is this Machiavellian deal between Israel and its supporters and white nationalism affecting US support for Israel?
Polling data, such as YouGov’s recent poll for The Economist, is showing how US support for Israel is consolidating among white men and older people and eroding among other demographic groups, such as people of color, women, and youth. As such, the base of support for Israel is overlapping with the base of support for Trump and the right-wing agenda. When people see how strong Trump and his ilk support Israel, they recoil. Netanyahu’s strategy of making Israel a partisan issue in the US is yielding short-term gains for Israel but is eroding support in the long term.
Given your work in this sphere, and given the release of the two films, what lessons are there for the Palestine solidarity movement?
One lesson is that we need to step up and create an even more energetic and disciplined movement. People need to be aware that there is this huge organized effort to trip them up, to sabotage them, to smear them. I don’t say that to cast blame, but just to say that we’re dealing with a serious adversary and it’s important to be aware of that, and to be forward-thinking and anticipating moves.
The recent firing by CNN of political commentator Marc Lamont Hill because of his forthright support for Palestinian rights demonstrates this. His firing came after an intense smear campaign by Israel lobby groups. Hill is also facing calls to be fired from his teaching position at Temple University, though so far the university has defended his free speech rights. This episode underscores the real risks individuals in the US, especially within institutions, still face when broaching the taboo subject of Israel and crimes against the Palestinian people.
Yet at the same time you can make inroads into territory that I had thought was impenetrable. One example of this is the No Way to Treat a Child campaign, which focuses on Israeli military detention of Palestinian children. It’s a program of advocacy, lobbying, and organizing that has culminated in a bill introduced by Rep. Betty McCollum (D-MN) to ban US aid for Israeli military detention of children. Some 30 members of Congress have signed on to it. The bill just didn’t happen; it was the result of a very well-thought-out and sustained campaign. It didn’t take millions of people to do it, just a group of determined people. None of the co-sponsors of that bill lost their seats in the recent midterm elections.
What about the film makes you optimistic for the future of the solidarity movement?
The Israel lobby organizations, though they project themselves as powerful and very cloak and dagger, come off as desperate. They admit – when they think no one else is listening – that their job is difficult, that bipartisan support for Israel is crumbling. You have Jonathan Schanzer of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies saying that the anti-Semitism smear against pro-Palestinian activists “isn’t what it used to be,” and Eric Gallagher of the Israel Project noting that the foundation on which AIPAC stands is crumbling. They see the writing on the wall. Smearing individuals is a desperate tactic, and shows that these organizations don’t have answers.
Moreover, such a strategy is only potentially powerful as long as Palestine solidarity is seen as a marginal issue. Bully tactics only work as long as individuals can be singled out and targeted. As Palestine solidarity becomes commonplace, Israel lobby attacks will lose their potency. The lesson is to speak out more and to support each other more. The more we normalize criticism of Israel, the weaker their tactics become.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are the authors’ and do not necessarily reflect Ma’an News Agency’s editorial policy.
10 dec 2018
[Photo: City Hall in Ghent, Belgium]
12/08/18 Palestinian BDS National Committee (BNC) / Belgium, Spain, Ireland, Norway
Last month, the City Council in Ghent, Belgium voted to ban companies involved in human rights violations from doing business with the the city.
Palestinian solidarity activists with the group Ghent Action Platform Palestine (GAPP) were the driving force behind this vote.
Similar votes have also been passed in response to Israel’s violations of Palestinian rights in dozens of cities, including Barcelona, Valencia, Dublin and Trondheim.
Ana Sanchez, International Campaigns Officer with the Palestinian BDS National Committee (BNC) said:
This vote reflects a growing commitment to hold Israel accountable for its grave violations of Palestinian human rights. A growing number of city councils across the world are increasingly unwilling to be complicit in human rights violations committed by Israel or any other country.
The BDS movement for Palestinian rights congratulates the people of Ghent for scoring a victory for human rights and fair trade, and for Palestinian human rights in particular.
Over the past year, Ghent Action Platform Palestine (GAPP) has also successfully gathered signatures from more than 10% of Ghent’s residents in support of making the city an Apartheid Free Zone.
If Ghent becomes an Apartheid Free Zone, the city will not only end business with companies complicit in violations of human rights, but will also specifically denounce Israel’s system of apartheid and adopt a coherent policy of non-cooperation to help end its oppression of the Palestinian people.
Given the City Council’s vote, Ghent’s residents are now a step closer to this goal.
The Palestinian BDS National Committee (BNC) is the largest coalition in Palestinian civil society. It leads and supports the global Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement for Palestinian rights.
12/08/18 Palestinian BDS National Committee (BNC) / Belgium, Spain, Ireland, Norway
Last month, the City Council in Ghent, Belgium voted to ban companies involved in human rights violations from doing business with the the city.
Palestinian solidarity activists with the group Ghent Action Platform Palestine (GAPP) were the driving force behind this vote.
Similar votes have also been passed in response to Israel’s violations of Palestinian rights in dozens of cities, including Barcelona, Valencia, Dublin and Trondheim.
Ana Sanchez, International Campaigns Officer with the Palestinian BDS National Committee (BNC) said:
This vote reflects a growing commitment to hold Israel accountable for its grave violations of Palestinian human rights. A growing number of city councils across the world are increasingly unwilling to be complicit in human rights violations committed by Israel or any other country.
The BDS movement for Palestinian rights congratulates the people of Ghent for scoring a victory for human rights and fair trade, and for Palestinian human rights in particular.
Over the past year, Ghent Action Platform Palestine (GAPP) has also successfully gathered signatures from more than 10% of Ghent’s residents in support of making the city an Apartheid Free Zone.
If Ghent becomes an Apartheid Free Zone, the city will not only end business with companies complicit in violations of human rights, but will also specifically denounce Israel’s system of apartheid and adopt a coherent policy of non-cooperation to help end its oppression of the Palestinian people.
Given the City Council’s vote, Ghent’s residents are now a step closer to this goal.
The Palestinian BDS National Committee (BNC) is the largest coalition in Palestinian civil society. It leads and supports the global Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement for Palestinian rights.
8 dec 2018
[Photo: From right to left, Israeli dissident Ronnie Barkan, Palestinian activist Majed Abusalama, BDS activist Christoph Glanz celebrate victory]
BDS Initiative Oldenburg, Germany
In May 2016, the German city of Oldenburg prevented a public lecture titled “BDS: A Palestinian Human Rights Campaign” from taking place by withdrawing its permission for event organizers to use the scheduled event space.
On September 27, 2018, the Adminisrative Court-Oldenburg ruled that the city’s cancellation of the contract with the group BDS Initiative-Oldenburg had been unlawful.
Now, almost two months later, the full 20-page decision lays out the court’s reasoning.
BDS Initiative Oldenburg considers this decision of the Administrative Court of Oldenburg to be an important step toward a more informed and democratic public discussion in Germany when Israel and the Palestinian people are concerned.
For all those who have been supporting Israel’s policies of apartheid, military violence and colonization of Palestinian land by slandering and suppressing all debate about Israel’s flagrant violations of international humanitarian law and human rights in German cities, countries and at the federal level, Oldenburg’s court clarifies the following:
The public debate we had planned about Palestinian civil society’s global campaign of Boycotts, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) against the state of Israel until it ends all oppression of the Palestinian people falls under the fundamental rights to freedom of expression and assembly which are protected by the German constitution and are essential for democracy. It was, therefore, not permissible to prevent this debate because of its content, i.e. BDS.
For this reason, the Court concludes that the City of Oldenburg severely violated our rights to freedom of assembly and expression when it decided to withdraw the previously granted permission for the use its event-center, simply because third parties, including the local group of the Germany-Israel Society, smeared our event, claiming that BDS was motivated by racial hatred and would trigger violence (see page 11-14 of the decsion).
Finally, the Court explains that our rights were violated because the City committed administrative mistakes. With regard to future requests of BDS-Oldenburg for halls in the City’s event center, the Court emphasizes that the City is to issue its decision based on due respect and consideration of: i) the fundamental rights to freedom assembly and expression; ii) the principle of equal treatment, and, iii) the applicant‘s right to a hearing.
Alys Samson Estapé, Europe campaigns coordinator of the Palestinian BDS National Committee (BNC), stated:
The BNC, the broadest coalition of Palestinian civil society, welcomes this decision. We welcome in particular the Court’s conclusion that public information and promotion of our BDS movement falls under the fundamental rights to freedom of expression and assembly and must, therefore, be respected and protected by German authorities. With this conclusion, the Administrative Court-Oldenburg has come to share the legal opinion of the European Union, the governments of Ireland, Sweden and the Netherlands, as well as renowned European legal scholars and international human rights organizations, such as Amnesty International, FIDH, Human Rights Watch and Pax Christi International.
In Palestine, we hope that this Court decision, together with the courageous fight of many German citizens for their right to support and broaden our BDS movement, will soon put an end also in Germany to the inhumane denial of the existance and rights of the Palestinian people for the benefit of Israel’s apartheid regime. We expect German media to inform and elected political representatives and political parties to adopt positions on Israel/Palestine based on the multitude of reports and UN resolutions that document Israel’s violations of international law and human rights. We also expect German cities and communties to follow the example of other European cities and take active measures for the realization of our rights to freedom from Israel’s occupation, full equality, and return of the refugees.
BDS Initiative Oldenburg, Germany
In May 2016, the German city of Oldenburg prevented a public lecture titled “BDS: A Palestinian Human Rights Campaign” from taking place by withdrawing its permission for event organizers to use the scheduled event space.
On September 27, 2018, the Adminisrative Court-Oldenburg ruled that the city’s cancellation of the contract with the group BDS Initiative-Oldenburg had been unlawful.
Now, almost two months later, the full 20-page decision lays out the court’s reasoning.
BDS Initiative Oldenburg considers this decision of the Administrative Court of Oldenburg to be an important step toward a more informed and democratic public discussion in Germany when Israel and the Palestinian people are concerned.
For all those who have been supporting Israel’s policies of apartheid, military violence and colonization of Palestinian land by slandering and suppressing all debate about Israel’s flagrant violations of international humanitarian law and human rights in German cities, countries and at the federal level, Oldenburg’s court clarifies the following:
The public debate we had planned about Palestinian civil society’s global campaign of Boycotts, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) against the state of Israel until it ends all oppression of the Palestinian people falls under the fundamental rights to freedom of expression and assembly which are protected by the German constitution and are essential for democracy. It was, therefore, not permissible to prevent this debate because of its content, i.e. BDS.
For this reason, the Court concludes that the City of Oldenburg severely violated our rights to freedom of assembly and expression when it decided to withdraw the previously granted permission for the use its event-center, simply because third parties, including the local group of the Germany-Israel Society, smeared our event, claiming that BDS was motivated by racial hatred and would trigger violence (see page 11-14 of the decsion).
Finally, the Court explains that our rights were violated because the City committed administrative mistakes. With regard to future requests of BDS-Oldenburg for halls in the City’s event center, the Court emphasizes that the City is to issue its decision based on due respect and consideration of: i) the fundamental rights to freedom assembly and expression; ii) the principle of equal treatment, and, iii) the applicant‘s right to a hearing.
Alys Samson Estapé, Europe campaigns coordinator of the Palestinian BDS National Committee (BNC), stated:
The BNC, the broadest coalition of Palestinian civil society, welcomes this decision. We welcome in particular the Court’s conclusion that public information and promotion of our BDS movement falls under the fundamental rights to freedom of expression and assembly and must, therefore, be respected and protected by German authorities. With this conclusion, the Administrative Court-Oldenburg has come to share the legal opinion of the European Union, the governments of Ireland, Sweden and the Netherlands, as well as renowned European legal scholars and international human rights organizations, such as Amnesty International, FIDH, Human Rights Watch and Pax Christi International.
In Palestine, we hope that this Court decision, together with the courageous fight of many German citizens for their right to support and broaden our BDS movement, will soon put an end also in Germany to the inhumane denial of the existance and rights of the Palestinian people for the benefit of Israel’s apartheid regime. We expect German media to inform and elected political representatives and political parties to adopt positions on Israel/Palestine based on the multitude of reports and UN resolutions that document Israel’s violations of international law and human rights. We also expect German cities and communties to follow the example of other European cities and take active measures for the realization of our rights to freedom from Israel’s occupation, full equality, and return of the refugees.
The Student Government Assembly at New York University (NYU) passed a resolution Thursday supporting a boycott of companies that deal with the Israeli government.
More than 60 student groups and 30 faculty members supported the resolution.
The resolution calls on the university to divest from companies that “play an active role in funding and perpetuating Israel’s illegal occupation and its violation of human rights, making NYU complicit in these crimes,” listing Caterpillar Inc., Lockheed Martin, and General Electric as companies that sell bulldozers, helicopters, and engine generators to the Israeli army.
Following a debate that lasted into the night, 35 students voted for the resolution, 14 voted against, and 14 abstained. video
More than 60 student groups and 30 faculty members supported the resolution.
The resolution calls on the university to divest from companies that “play an active role in funding and perpetuating Israel’s illegal occupation and its violation of human rights, making NYU complicit in these crimes,” listing Caterpillar Inc., Lockheed Martin, and General Electric as companies that sell bulldozers, helicopters, and engine generators to the Israeli army.
Following a debate that lasted into the night, 35 students voted for the resolution, 14 voted against, and 14 abstained. video
7 dec 2018
The Irish Senate voted, on Wednesday, to pass a bill to boycott the trade and importing of goods originating from illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories.
The bill was submitted to the Senate by independent Senator Francis Black who hopes that, with support, the vital bill will become law.
Palestinian ambassador Ahmed Abdelrazek, along with lawyers who worked on drafting the bill and the legislation’s sponsoring organisations Trócaire, Christian Aid and Ictu (Irish Congress of Trade Unions) all applauded the passing of the bill.
Trocaire’s CEO, Caoimhe de Barra stated, “This legislation is a vote for human rights and peace, this is a critical moment for the world to take a stand against illegal occupation”.
The bill now needs the endorsement of the lower house of the parliament, known as the Dáil Éireann, before the Irish president signs and makes it into law.
The draft bill has been met with severe criticism from Israel’s foreign minister spokeman, Emmanuel Nashon, who states that Ireland has chosen to support the “most extreme anti-Israel piece of boycott legislation in Europe”. He argues that the bill was “hateful” and that it won’t help Palestinians.
This historic move could see Ireland as the first EU country to end trade with Israeli settlements in Palestine. The Control of Economic Activity (Occupied Territories) Bill declares it an offense “for a person to import or attempt to import settlement goods.”
It also states that those who “assist another person to import or attempt to import settlement goods” would be committing a crime punishable by up to five years in prison or a €250,000 fine.
The bill forms part of a larger international movement known as the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, a Palestinian-led international campaign founded in 2005 with the aim of ending the occupation in Palestine.
Around 600,000 Israelis live in over 230 settlements built illegally according to international law since the 1967 occupation of the Palestinian lands.
The bill was submitted to the Senate by independent Senator Francis Black who hopes that, with support, the vital bill will become law.
Palestinian ambassador Ahmed Abdelrazek, along with lawyers who worked on drafting the bill and the legislation’s sponsoring organisations Trócaire, Christian Aid and Ictu (Irish Congress of Trade Unions) all applauded the passing of the bill.
Trocaire’s CEO, Caoimhe de Barra stated, “This legislation is a vote for human rights and peace, this is a critical moment for the world to take a stand against illegal occupation”.
The bill now needs the endorsement of the lower house of the parliament, known as the Dáil Éireann, before the Irish president signs and makes it into law.
The draft bill has been met with severe criticism from Israel’s foreign minister spokeman, Emmanuel Nashon, who states that Ireland has chosen to support the “most extreme anti-Israel piece of boycott legislation in Europe”. He argues that the bill was “hateful” and that it won’t help Palestinians.
This historic move could see Ireland as the first EU country to end trade with Israeli settlements in Palestine. The Control of Economic Activity (Occupied Territories) Bill declares it an offense “for a person to import or attempt to import settlement goods.”
It also states that those who “assist another person to import or attempt to import settlement goods” would be committing a crime punishable by up to five years in prison or a €250,000 fine.
The bill forms part of a larger international movement known as the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, a Palestinian-led international campaign founded in 2005 with the aim of ending the occupation in Palestine.
Around 600,000 Israelis live in over 230 settlements built illegally according to international law since the 1967 occupation of the Palestinian lands.
2 dec 2018
Due to pressure applied by the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement, the Northampton Police Department and the Vermont State Police both abandoned the yearly training trip to Israel, Middle East Monitor reported Sunday.
First held in 2002, the “Resilience and Counter-Terrorism” program is a 7 day conference in which the Israeli military, police, and secret service all train U.S. law enforcement agencies.
A number of groups including ‘Vermont National Lawyers Guild’, ‘Vermonters for Justice in Palestine’, and ‘Jewish Voice for Peace’ (JVP) released a statement Thursday saying that Vermont State Police Director Colonel Birmingham had cancelled the trip in response to the petition against the program.
The press release also stated that Northampton Mayor Narkewicz withdrew Police Commissioner Kasper from the trip “after a meeting with concerned Pioneer Valley residents.”
The press release quoted Mark Hughes, director of the group ’Justice for All’ stating “The tactics taught are inhumane and are used in the continued killing and oppression of communities of color across the nation and the globe.”
First held in 2002, the “Resilience and Counter-Terrorism” program is a 7 day conference in which the Israeli military, police, and secret service all train U.S. law enforcement agencies.
A number of groups including ‘Vermont National Lawyers Guild’, ‘Vermonters for Justice in Palestine’, and ‘Jewish Voice for Peace’ (JVP) released a statement Thursday saying that Vermont State Police Director Colonel Birmingham had cancelled the trip in response to the petition against the program.
The press release also stated that Northampton Mayor Narkewicz withdrew Police Commissioner Kasper from the trip “after a meeting with concerned Pioneer Valley residents.”
The press release quoted Mark Hughes, director of the group ’Justice for All’ stating “The tactics taught are inhumane and are used in the continued killing and oppression of communities of color across the nation and the globe.”