11 apr 2013
Protests in Gaza and 40 European cities urge end to trade with Israeli agriculture firms
Palestinian farming organisations and campaigners in more than 40 European cities held demonstrations Tuesday calling for governments and supermarkets to end trade with Israeli agricultural export companies over their role in the destruction of Palestinian agriculture.
Farmers and fishermen in Gaza have been holding demonstrations throughout the week and 300 people today marched towards the buffer zone near the border with Israel, where regular attacks and incursions by the Israeli military force farmers to abandon their land or take huge risks to tend to their crops. There was also a rally on Wednesday at the Gaza seaport.
“The daily aggression suffered by Palestinian farmers every day must be highlighted to the world, so people can understand the reality of the attacks and the suffering that has continued throughout the recent ‘ceasefire’,” explained Mustapha Arafat, a farmer from Zeitoun, Gaza City.
“The boycotts of Israeli agriculture companies are so important as the Israeli occupation has destroyed our farming production and denied us the possibility of exporting our own products. International pressure on Israel is the only way our own economy will be allowed to develop and for us to live normal lives,” he added
In the West Bank, activists planted Olive trees on the land of Madama village where illegal settlers have cut down hundreds of olive trees. A conference on boycotting Israeli agriculture firms will be held in Salfit on Monday.
All of the main Palestinian farming organisations issued a statement urging international civil society to take action against Israeli agriculture companies. An accompanying briefing document details how the sale of Israeli fresh produce exports in European supermarkets directly contributes to violations of international law and human rights.
In Europe, many of the 40 protests that took place targeted Mehadrin, a large Israeli export company that supplies citrus fruits, dates and other fresh produce to supermarkets across Europe. The company operates in illegal Israeli settlements, is involved in the theft of Palestinian land and water and employs Palestinian workers forced to work in illegal settlements in unsafe conditions for as little as €11 per day.
“Israeli agriculture companies such as Mehadrin and Hadaklaim profit from the siege on Gaza and grow crops for export to European supermarkets in illegal settlements on land from which Palestinian farmers have been forcibly removed,” said Dr. Taha Rifae, director of the grassroots department at the Union of Agricultural Work Committees.
“Agriculture is a vital part of our economy and national heritage but it is being systematically destroyed and these companies are the primary beneficiaries. By trading with companies such as Mehadrin, European supermarkets are financing the dispossession of Palestinian farmers,” Rifae added.
A large demonstration was held outside Mehadrin’s Swiss distribution centre and the company was protested as it participated in a major fresh produce show in Berlin.
In France, activists occupied the customs office in southern French city Montpellier to protest the nearby port of Sète being used to import produce from Israeli companies such as Mehadrin that operate in illegal Israeli settlements. More than 50 campaigners occupied the offices for more than an hour.
Protests were also held at supermarkets and other locations in more than 14 other French cities and in Italy, Belgium, Luxembourg, Sweden, Germany, Switzerland and the Netherlands.
In the UK, campaigners picketed more than 35 stores of major supermarket Sainsbury’s as part of a new campaign aimed at pressuring it to cut its ties with Mehadrin and EDOM, another Israeli company operating in settlements. The UK’s fifth biggest supermarket The Co-Operative Group last year announced it would no longer source products from any supplier that operates in illegal settlements and cut ties to four Israeli companies following pressure from its members.
“Governments and supermarkets should take action to end trade with companies which is in effect financing Israeli violations of international law. European governments talk tough on settlements but allow supermarkets to support their expansion,” said Rifae.
A British businessman yesterday announced he would resign as chair and sells his shares in Israeli settlement exporter EDOM following concerns raised by campaigners.
Farmers and fishermen in Gaza have been holding demonstrations throughout the week and 300 people today marched towards the buffer zone near the border with Israel, where regular attacks and incursions by the Israeli military force farmers to abandon their land or take huge risks to tend to their crops. There was also a rally on Wednesday at the Gaza seaport.
“The daily aggression suffered by Palestinian farmers every day must be highlighted to the world, so people can understand the reality of the attacks and the suffering that has continued throughout the recent ‘ceasefire’,” explained Mustapha Arafat, a farmer from Zeitoun, Gaza City.
“The boycotts of Israeli agriculture companies are so important as the Israeli occupation has destroyed our farming production and denied us the possibility of exporting our own products. International pressure on Israel is the only way our own economy will be allowed to develop and for us to live normal lives,” he added
In the West Bank, activists planted Olive trees on the land of Madama village where illegal settlers have cut down hundreds of olive trees. A conference on boycotting Israeli agriculture firms will be held in Salfit on Monday.
All of the main Palestinian farming organisations issued a statement urging international civil society to take action against Israeli agriculture companies. An accompanying briefing document details how the sale of Israeli fresh produce exports in European supermarkets directly contributes to violations of international law and human rights.
In Europe, many of the 40 protests that took place targeted Mehadrin, a large Israeli export company that supplies citrus fruits, dates and other fresh produce to supermarkets across Europe. The company operates in illegal Israeli settlements, is involved in the theft of Palestinian land and water and employs Palestinian workers forced to work in illegal settlements in unsafe conditions for as little as €11 per day.
“Israeli agriculture companies such as Mehadrin and Hadaklaim profit from the siege on Gaza and grow crops for export to European supermarkets in illegal settlements on land from which Palestinian farmers have been forcibly removed,” said Dr. Taha Rifae, director of the grassroots department at the Union of Agricultural Work Committees.
“Agriculture is a vital part of our economy and national heritage but it is being systematically destroyed and these companies are the primary beneficiaries. By trading with companies such as Mehadrin, European supermarkets are financing the dispossession of Palestinian farmers,” Rifae added.
A large demonstration was held outside Mehadrin’s Swiss distribution centre and the company was protested as it participated in a major fresh produce show in Berlin.
In France, activists occupied the customs office in southern French city Montpellier to protest the nearby port of Sète being used to import produce from Israeli companies such as Mehadrin that operate in illegal Israeli settlements. More than 50 campaigners occupied the offices for more than an hour.
Protests were also held at supermarkets and other locations in more than 14 other French cities and in Italy, Belgium, Luxembourg, Sweden, Germany, Switzerland and the Netherlands.
In the UK, campaigners picketed more than 35 stores of major supermarket Sainsbury’s as part of a new campaign aimed at pressuring it to cut its ties with Mehadrin and EDOM, another Israeli company operating in settlements. The UK’s fifth biggest supermarket The Co-Operative Group last year announced it would no longer source products from any supplier that operates in illegal settlements and cut ties to four Israeli companies following pressure from its members.
“Governments and supermarkets should take action to end trade with companies which is in effect financing Israeli violations of international law. European governments talk tough on settlements but allow supermarkets to support their expansion,” said Rifae.
A British businessman yesterday announced he would resign as chair and sells his shares in Israeli settlement exporter EDOM following concerns raised by campaigners.
10 apr 2013
Palestinian Academics, Teachers and Writers Welcome TUI Boycott Israel Call
Palestinian unions representing lecturers, university employees, teachers and writers have praised the Teachers Union of Ireland (TUI) for its endorsement of an academic boycott of Israel, Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign said in a press release Monday.
In a letter saluting the TUI, the Palestinians said the clarity of the union's statement was "unprecedented". They also highlighted the importance of such solidarity actions, invoking Irish support for those struggling against South African apartheid many years ago. (The full text of the letter is below.)
At its annual conference last Thursday, the TUI voted unanimously to support the request for an academic boycott that has been made by a broad coalition of Palestinian civil society. The union calls on its members to "cease all cultural and academic collaboration with Israel, including the exchange of scientists, students and academic personalities, as well as all cooperation in research programmes".
The motion refers to Israel as an "apartheid state". It calls on the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) to build on its previous work and to "step up its campaign for boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) against the apartheid state of Israel until it lifts its illegal siege of Gaza and its illegal occupation of the West Bank, and agrees to abide by International law and all UN resolutions against it".
The TUI will embark on awareness-raising with its members, many of whom are third-level academics in the Institutes of Technology, about the importance of boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) against Israel.
Jim Roche, TUI member and proposer of the motion, welcomed the Palestinian statement. "This letter demonstrates how crucial international solidarity and action is in supporting the Palestinian people in their struggle for justice," he said. "This is part of a broader BDS campaign whose aim is to pressurise the Israeli state to abide by international law. The TUI motion is historic and very welcome and we hope that other academic unions in Ireland and in the EU follow suit."
Mr. Roche continued: "Such a ringing endorsement from Palestine should motivate all involved to do their utmost to ensure the TUI decision is just the beginning. As Palestinian education is under constant attack by Israel, people who care about human rights must act in its defence. This boycott is not an attack on academic freedom – it's an attempt to protect it."
Hereby is the FULL TEXT OF PALESTINIAN LETTER
Palestinian Academics, Teachers and Writers Salute the Teachers Union of Ireland
We, representatives of academics, teachers and writers in the occupied Palestinian territory, salute the Teachers Union of Ireland (TUI) for its principled support for the cause of justice in Palestine by voting unanimously, at its Annual Congress on 4th April 2013, to endorse the Palestinian call for the academic boycott of Israel. Becoming the first academic union in Europe to formally adopt the academic boycott cause, the TUI has revived the noble legacy of Irish support for the boycott against South African apartheid and bolstered international support for the Palestinian call, endorsed by an overwhelming majority in Palestinian civil society, to apply effective pressure on Israel and hold it accountable for its system of occupation, colonization and apartheid that violates international law and fundamental human rights.
Given the deep complicity of Israel's academic institutions in planning, implementing, justifying and whitewashing Israel's multi-tiered system of oppression against the Palestinian people, all these institutions should be boycotted and held to account, as the TUI has affirmed.
We are particularly heartened by the fact that the motion passed at your Congress is unequivocal; it calls on "all members to cease all cultural and academic collaboration with Israel, including the [institutional] exchange of scientists, students and academic personalities, as well as all cooperation in research programmes." Such a clear and principled stand is unprecedented in the several years of academic boycott activism by unions and federations of academics across the world, and we are particularly grateful for such clarity and principled solidarity.
The sincere solidarity with Palestinian educators and indeed with the Palestinian people at large shown by Irish academic trade unionists is particularly welcome and timely in light of Israel's recent escalation of its colonial and racist policies against the Palestinian people in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Furthermore, for the last six decades, Israel has treated its own Palestinian citizens with institutionalized racism that meets the UN definition of the crime of apartheid, while denying millions of Palestinian refugees, ethnically cleansed in 1948, their UN-sanctioned rights, including the right to return to their homes. At this time of exceptional Israeli brutality, impunity and war crimes against the indigenous Palestinian people, especially in Gaza, the TUI has risen to its moral responsibility by taking exceptional measures to hold Israel to account.
The TUI has proven beyond doubt, just as many leading Irish artists have in 2010, that effective solidarity with the oppressed, including by isolating the oppressor, is the most morally and politically sound contribution to the struggle to end oppression and to promote human rights as well as a just future for all.
Signed,
- Palestinian Federation of Unions of University Professors and Employees (PFUUPE)
- General Union of Palestinian Teachers (represents primary & secondary education teachers)
- University Teachers' Association (Gaza)
- General Union of Palestinian Writers
In a letter saluting the TUI, the Palestinians said the clarity of the union's statement was "unprecedented". They also highlighted the importance of such solidarity actions, invoking Irish support for those struggling against South African apartheid many years ago. (The full text of the letter is below.)
At its annual conference last Thursday, the TUI voted unanimously to support the request for an academic boycott that has been made by a broad coalition of Palestinian civil society. The union calls on its members to "cease all cultural and academic collaboration with Israel, including the exchange of scientists, students and academic personalities, as well as all cooperation in research programmes".
The motion refers to Israel as an "apartheid state". It calls on the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) to build on its previous work and to "step up its campaign for boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) against the apartheid state of Israel until it lifts its illegal siege of Gaza and its illegal occupation of the West Bank, and agrees to abide by International law and all UN resolutions against it".
The TUI will embark on awareness-raising with its members, many of whom are third-level academics in the Institutes of Technology, about the importance of boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) against Israel.
Jim Roche, TUI member and proposer of the motion, welcomed the Palestinian statement. "This letter demonstrates how crucial international solidarity and action is in supporting the Palestinian people in their struggle for justice," he said. "This is part of a broader BDS campaign whose aim is to pressurise the Israeli state to abide by international law. The TUI motion is historic and very welcome and we hope that other academic unions in Ireland and in the EU follow suit."
Mr. Roche continued: "Such a ringing endorsement from Palestine should motivate all involved to do their utmost to ensure the TUI decision is just the beginning. As Palestinian education is under constant attack by Israel, people who care about human rights must act in its defence. This boycott is not an attack on academic freedom – it's an attempt to protect it."
Hereby is the FULL TEXT OF PALESTINIAN LETTER
Palestinian Academics, Teachers and Writers Salute the Teachers Union of Ireland
We, representatives of academics, teachers and writers in the occupied Palestinian territory, salute the Teachers Union of Ireland (TUI) for its principled support for the cause of justice in Palestine by voting unanimously, at its Annual Congress on 4th April 2013, to endorse the Palestinian call for the academic boycott of Israel. Becoming the first academic union in Europe to formally adopt the academic boycott cause, the TUI has revived the noble legacy of Irish support for the boycott against South African apartheid and bolstered international support for the Palestinian call, endorsed by an overwhelming majority in Palestinian civil society, to apply effective pressure on Israel and hold it accountable for its system of occupation, colonization and apartheid that violates international law and fundamental human rights.
Given the deep complicity of Israel's academic institutions in planning, implementing, justifying and whitewashing Israel's multi-tiered system of oppression against the Palestinian people, all these institutions should be boycotted and held to account, as the TUI has affirmed.
We are particularly heartened by the fact that the motion passed at your Congress is unequivocal; it calls on "all members to cease all cultural and academic collaboration with Israel, including the [institutional] exchange of scientists, students and academic personalities, as well as all cooperation in research programmes." Such a clear and principled stand is unprecedented in the several years of academic boycott activism by unions and federations of academics across the world, and we are particularly grateful for such clarity and principled solidarity.
The sincere solidarity with Palestinian educators and indeed with the Palestinian people at large shown by Irish academic trade unionists is particularly welcome and timely in light of Israel's recent escalation of its colonial and racist policies against the Palestinian people in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Furthermore, for the last six decades, Israel has treated its own Palestinian citizens with institutionalized racism that meets the UN definition of the crime of apartheid, while denying millions of Palestinian refugees, ethnically cleansed in 1948, their UN-sanctioned rights, including the right to return to their homes. At this time of exceptional Israeli brutality, impunity and war crimes against the indigenous Palestinian people, especially in Gaza, the TUI has risen to its moral responsibility by taking exceptional measures to hold Israel to account.
The TUI has proven beyond doubt, just as many leading Irish artists have in 2010, that effective solidarity with the oppressed, including by isolating the oppressor, is the most morally and politically sound contribution to the struggle to end oppression and to promote human rights as well as a just future for all.
Signed,
- Palestinian Federation of Unions of University Professors and Employees (PFUUPE)
- General Union of Palestinian Teachers (represents primary & secondary education teachers)
- University Teachers' Association (Gaza)
- General Union of Palestinian Writers
29 mar 2013
Boycott, Support the Palestnian BDS Call From Within Israel
Yonatan Shapira
On Saturday, 30th March, 7:30 PM, AICafe invite you to join for a meeting and discussion about Boycott! Supporting the Palestinian BDS Call From Within Israel with Yonatan Shapira.
Boycott! Is a group of citizens of Israel, both Palestinians and Jews, who "join the Palestinian call for a BDS campaign against Israel, inspired by the struggle of South Africans against apartheid. We also call on others to do the same." The group is "devoted to the promotion of just peace and true democracy in this region."
Who are the citizens of Israel supporting the Palestinian call for BDS and what is their work and impact within Israeli society? What unique contributions are made by Israeli citizens to the global BDS campaign and what is the strategic importance of such support to the struggle for a just peace? These questions and more will be addressed in an evening you don't want to miss.
Yonatan Shapira is one of Israel's most recognised anti-colonial activists. In 2003, he and 26 other Israeli Air Force pilots issued a letter refusing to bomb the Gaza Strip and take part in extrajudicial assassinations against Palestinians. He participated in two Freedom Flotillas to the Gaza Strip and sprayed "Free Gaza and Free Palestine and "Liberate all ghettos" on the wall of the Warsaw Ghetto.
Don't miss this opportunity to meet a front-line Israeli anti-colonial activist!
The AIC is a joint Palestinian-Israeli activist organization engaged in dissemination of information, political advocacy and grassroots activism. The AICafè is a political and cultural café open on Tuesday and Saturday night from 7pm until 10pm. It is located in the Alternative Information Center in Beit Sahour, close to Suq Sha'ab (follow the sign to Jadal Center ). We have a small library with novels, political books and magazines. We also have a number of films in DVD copies and AIC publications which critically analyze both the Palestinian and Israeli societies as well as the conflict itsel
On Saturday, 30th March, 7:30 PM, AICafe invite you to join for a meeting and discussion about Boycott! Supporting the Palestinian BDS Call From Within Israel with Yonatan Shapira.
Boycott! Is a group of citizens of Israel, both Palestinians and Jews, who "join the Palestinian call for a BDS campaign against Israel, inspired by the struggle of South Africans against apartheid. We also call on others to do the same." The group is "devoted to the promotion of just peace and true democracy in this region."
Who are the citizens of Israel supporting the Palestinian call for BDS and what is their work and impact within Israeli society? What unique contributions are made by Israeli citizens to the global BDS campaign and what is the strategic importance of such support to the struggle for a just peace? These questions and more will be addressed in an evening you don't want to miss.
Yonatan Shapira is one of Israel's most recognised anti-colonial activists. In 2003, he and 26 other Israeli Air Force pilots issued a letter refusing to bomb the Gaza Strip and take part in extrajudicial assassinations against Palestinians. He participated in two Freedom Flotillas to the Gaza Strip and sprayed "Free Gaza and Free Palestine and "Liberate all ghettos" on the wall of the Warsaw Ghetto.
Don't miss this opportunity to meet a front-line Israeli anti-colonial activist!
The AIC is a joint Palestinian-Israeli activist organization engaged in dissemination of information, political advocacy and grassroots activism. The AICafè is a political and cultural café open on Tuesday and Saturday night from 7pm until 10pm. It is located in the Alternative Information Center in Beit Sahour, close to Suq Sha'ab (follow the sign to Jadal Center ). We have a small library with novels, political books and magazines. We also have a number of films in DVD copies and AIC publications which critically analyze both the Palestinian and Israeli societies as well as the conflict itsel
28 mar 2013
EU Contributes €148M to Palestinian Authority
The European union contributed €148 million to the Palestinian Authority in the second part of its 2013 assistance package for Palestine, Wednesday said a press release by the European commission. It says that this contribution, which is funded by the European neighborhood and partnership instrument, will ensure that critical support to the PA in the area of health, education and social services to the Palestinian people is not interrupted.
€108 million will be allocated to the PEGASE mechanism (an instrument to channel EU and international assistance as a contribution to the building of the Palestinian State), which supports the Palestinian National Development Plan by helping the PA to finance its budget deficit and implement its reform agenda; meet its obligations towards civil employees, pensioners and most vulnerable citizens, and maintain the functioning of the administration and the provision of essential public services to the population.
It further allocates a second tranche of €40 million to UNRWA's 2013 regular budget (General Fund) in order to support the education, health, relief and social services programs which UNRWA is responsible for providing for Palestine refugees in West Bank, Gaza, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon.
High Representative and Vice-President Catherine Ashton said: "The Ad Hoc Liaison Committee in Brussels on 19 March confirmed that addressing the fiscal crisis of the Palestinian Authority requires concerted action by the PA, Israel and the donor community."
"With this contribution the European Union delivers on its promise to sustain the PA's viability and its ability to ensure essential services for the Palestinian people without interruption, we will continue to support the Palestinian people, including through UNRWA, and urge other donors to do the same," she added.
EU commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighborhood Policy, Štefan Füle, commented: 'Despite commendable efforts of budget consolidation, the fiscal problem of the Palestinian Authority is progressively worsening and has been extremely difficult since the end of last year. The EU is aware of these constraints and taking steps to alleviate the problem."
He added, "These new funds are vital for ensuring that there is no interruption in the provision of basic services, such as health, education, social protection, as well as in the relief to the Palestinian people in Palestine and to the Palestinian refugees abroad."
€108 million will be allocated to the PEGASE mechanism (an instrument to channel EU and international assistance as a contribution to the building of the Palestinian State), which supports the Palestinian National Development Plan by helping the PA to finance its budget deficit and implement its reform agenda; meet its obligations towards civil employees, pensioners and most vulnerable citizens, and maintain the functioning of the administration and the provision of essential public services to the population.
It further allocates a second tranche of €40 million to UNRWA's 2013 regular budget (General Fund) in order to support the education, health, relief and social services programs which UNRWA is responsible for providing for Palestine refugees in West Bank, Gaza, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon.
High Representative and Vice-President Catherine Ashton said: "The Ad Hoc Liaison Committee in Brussels on 19 March confirmed that addressing the fiscal crisis of the Palestinian Authority requires concerted action by the PA, Israel and the donor community."
"With this contribution the European Union delivers on its promise to sustain the PA's viability and its ability to ensure essential services for the Palestinian people without interruption, we will continue to support the Palestinian people, including through UNRWA, and urge other donors to do the same," she added.
EU commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighborhood Policy, Štefan Füle, commented: 'Despite commendable efforts of budget consolidation, the fiscal problem of the Palestinian Authority is progressively worsening and has been extremely difficult since the end of last year. The EU is aware of these constraints and taking steps to alleviate the problem."
He added, "These new funds are vital for ensuring that there is no interruption in the provision of basic services, such as health, education, social protection, as well as in the relief to the Palestinian people in Palestine and to the Palestinian refugees abroad."
23 mar 2013
Former Pink Floyd frontman reveals he is behind letter to Stevie Wonder which led to cancellation of singer's participation in event for IDF soldiers. 'Israeli government runs an apartheid regime,' he adds
Roger Waters is calling for a boycott against Israel – again: The former Pink Floyd frontman has revealed that he is the person who sent a letter to Stevie Wonder, urging him to cancel his participation in an event for IDF soldiers in Los Angeles in December 2012. Eventually, Wonder did call off his gig.
"I wrote a letter to him saying that this would be like playing a police ball in Johannesburg the day after the Sharpeville massacre in 1960. It wouldn’t be a great thing to do, particularly as he was meant to be a UN ambassador for peace." Waters was also upset that Wonder's cancellation was not reported anywhere in the mainstream media in the United States.
The remarks were made in an interview Rogers gave to the Electronic Intifada website, a non-profit, independent portal which covers the Israeli-Palestinian conflict from a Palestinian perspective. Waters added that he had asked other fellow musicians to boycott Israel, but was not prepared to say who they were. "It was entirely private between me and them," he said. He stated, however, that he intended to talk to Steven Van Zandt, the guitarist in Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band, who assembled many well-known musicians to record Sun City, a protest song against apartheid in South Africa during the 1980s.
Waters, who performed in the village of Neve Shalom in Israel in 2006, says now that "I think that the kind of boycott that was implemented against the apartheid regime in South Africa back in the day is probably the most effective way to go because the situation is that the Israeli government runs an apartheid regime in Israel, the occupied territories and everywhere else it decides. "Let us not forget that they laid waste to most of Lebanon around the time I started getting involved in this issue. They destroyed airports, hospitals, any public buildings they could," he added.
Roger Waters is calling for a boycott against Israel – again: The former Pink Floyd frontman has revealed that he is the person who sent a letter to Stevie Wonder, urging him to cancel his participation in an event for IDF soldiers in Los Angeles in December 2012. Eventually, Wonder did call off his gig.
"I wrote a letter to him saying that this would be like playing a police ball in Johannesburg the day after the Sharpeville massacre in 1960. It wouldn’t be a great thing to do, particularly as he was meant to be a UN ambassador for peace." Waters was also upset that Wonder's cancellation was not reported anywhere in the mainstream media in the United States.
The remarks were made in an interview Rogers gave to the Electronic Intifada website, a non-profit, independent portal which covers the Israeli-Palestinian conflict from a Palestinian perspective. Waters added that he had asked other fellow musicians to boycott Israel, but was not prepared to say who they were. "It was entirely private between me and them," he said. He stated, however, that he intended to talk to Steven Van Zandt, the guitarist in Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band, who assembled many well-known musicians to record Sun City, a protest song against apartheid in South Africa during the 1980s.
Waters, who performed in the village of Neve Shalom in Israel in 2006, says now that "I think that the kind of boycott that was implemented against the apartheid regime in South Africa back in the day is probably the most effective way to go because the situation is that the Israeli government runs an apartheid regime in Israel, the occupied territories and everywhere else it decides. "Let us not forget that they laid waste to most of Lebanon around the time I started getting involved in this issue. They destroyed airports, hospitals, any public buildings they could," he added.
7 mar 2013
Dutch follow British lead, but emphasize it is not illegal to import goods from territories. Other European countries expected to follow suit in coming weeks.
The Dutch government has for the first time called for retail chains in the Netherlands to state the origin of products from West Bank settlements, East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights. This makes the Netherlands, one of Israel’s greatest friends in Europe, the second country in the European Union, after Britain, to recommend such labeling.
The Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs issued a directive Wednesday to all retail chains in the country, stating that it wished to clarify procedures regarding the labeling of products from the settlements and to assist consumers. “The decision was made after consulting the European Commission,” the document said.
The letter states that the government is recommending the label change but that no steps will be taken against retails who do not comply, and that it is not illegal to import products from the settlements.
The document calls for the labeling of the following products: fresh fruit and vegetables, wine, honey, olive oil, fish, meat, chicken, eggs and cosmetics produced in the Golan Heights, the West Bank and East Jerusalem. These products should no longer state on their packaging that they are made in Israel. Rather, they should be labeled as originating in “Israeli settlement in the Golan Heights, East Jerusalem, the West Bank or in Palestinian territories,” the directive states. Retailers, not importers, will be responsible for the labeling.
The Netherlands’ foreign minister, Frans Timmermans, said in a speech to parliament Wednesday that the settlements are illegal and an obstacle to peace. He said that the labeling of products by retail chains in Holland will allow consumers to know whether they want to purchase these products. “We do not want to contribute to the economy of the illegal settlements,” Timmermans said.
The Dutch government’s decision came following a letter sent on February 22 by the EU foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton to the 27 foreign ministers of the EU member states. In the letter, which was quoted by the Hebrew daily Maariv, she urged the foreign ministers to ensure full compliance with existing EU legislation on labeling products from Israeli settlements and noted that compliance was incumbent on EU members and the appropriate agencies in those countries.
A source in Israel’s Foreign Ministry said that after Ashton sent the letter, Israel’s ambassadors in EU countries were instructed to unofficially approach the foreign ministries of the countries in which they are serving and ask them not to implement the directives at this time. The ambassadors also asked those countries to urge Ashton to rescind her directive.
Israel’s ambassador to the Netherlands, Haim Divon, approached senior officials in the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs in The Hague to express displeasure over Ashton’s letter. Divon said that although the directive speaks only of labeling products from the settlements, it will lead to a boycott against such products and perhaps against Israeli products in general.
Divon said that many Dutch companies will not understand the government’s recommendation and will interpret it as a binding ban on products from the settlements. Divon told the senior officials that “obsessive preoccupation with the settlements had exceeded all proportion” and that “the European Union is taking out its frustration with the situation in the Middle East on us.”
The Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs told Divon that the labeling of the products was a logical step in light of EU policy on the matter. They said they do not support a total ban on products from the settlements or on Israeli products in general, and they would work to ensure that this did not happen.
A government recommendation to label products from the settlements has been issued so far only in Britain. The Danish government studied the matter but has yet to take action. The fact that Holland was the second country to issue the directives is surprising, because of the close and friendly relations between Holland and Israel.
The Netherlands, considered one of Israel’s key supporters in the EU, has promoted adding Hezbollah to the EU’s list of terror groups and supports Israel in votes in various international forums. It has also helped Israel balance anti-Israel decisions in the EU.
Thus, it is believed that the Dutch move will push many other EU countries to take similar steps. The concern is that as early as the coming weeks a wave of such moves will be seen, leading to a dramatic increase in the monitoring of products from the settlements in the EU.
The Dutch government has for the first time called for retail chains in the Netherlands to state the origin of products from West Bank settlements, East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights. This makes the Netherlands, one of Israel’s greatest friends in Europe, the second country in the European Union, after Britain, to recommend such labeling.
The Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs issued a directive Wednesday to all retail chains in the country, stating that it wished to clarify procedures regarding the labeling of products from the settlements and to assist consumers. “The decision was made after consulting the European Commission,” the document said.
The letter states that the government is recommending the label change but that no steps will be taken against retails who do not comply, and that it is not illegal to import products from the settlements.
The document calls for the labeling of the following products: fresh fruit and vegetables, wine, honey, olive oil, fish, meat, chicken, eggs and cosmetics produced in the Golan Heights, the West Bank and East Jerusalem. These products should no longer state on their packaging that they are made in Israel. Rather, they should be labeled as originating in “Israeli settlement in the Golan Heights, East Jerusalem, the West Bank or in Palestinian territories,” the directive states. Retailers, not importers, will be responsible for the labeling.
The Netherlands’ foreign minister, Frans Timmermans, said in a speech to parliament Wednesday that the settlements are illegal and an obstacle to peace. He said that the labeling of products by retail chains in Holland will allow consumers to know whether they want to purchase these products. “We do not want to contribute to the economy of the illegal settlements,” Timmermans said.
The Dutch government’s decision came following a letter sent on February 22 by the EU foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton to the 27 foreign ministers of the EU member states. In the letter, which was quoted by the Hebrew daily Maariv, she urged the foreign ministers to ensure full compliance with existing EU legislation on labeling products from Israeli settlements and noted that compliance was incumbent on EU members and the appropriate agencies in those countries.
A source in Israel’s Foreign Ministry said that after Ashton sent the letter, Israel’s ambassadors in EU countries were instructed to unofficially approach the foreign ministries of the countries in which they are serving and ask them not to implement the directives at this time. The ambassadors also asked those countries to urge Ashton to rescind her directive.
Israel’s ambassador to the Netherlands, Haim Divon, approached senior officials in the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs in The Hague to express displeasure over Ashton’s letter. Divon said that although the directive speaks only of labeling products from the settlements, it will lead to a boycott against such products and perhaps against Israeli products in general.
Divon said that many Dutch companies will not understand the government’s recommendation and will interpret it as a binding ban on products from the settlements. Divon told the senior officials that “obsessive preoccupation with the settlements had exceeded all proportion” and that “the European Union is taking out its frustration with the situation in the Middle East on us.”
The Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs told Divon that the labeling of the products was a logical step in light of EU policy on the matter. They said they do not support a total ban on products from the settlements or on Israeli products in general, and they would work to ensure that this did not happen.
A government recommendation to label products from the settlements has been issued so far only in Britain. The Danish government studied the matter but has yet to take action. The fact that Holland was the second country to issue the directives is surprising, because of the close and friendly relations between Holland and Israel.
The Netherlands, considered one of Israel’s key supporters in the EU, has promoted adding Hezbollah to the EU’s list of terror groups and supports Israel in votes in various international forums. It has also helped Israel balance anti-Israel decisions in the EU.
Thus, it is believed that the Dutch move will push many other EU countries to take similar steps. The concern is that as early as the coming weeks a wave of such moves will be seen, leading to a dramatic increase in the monitoring of products from the settlements in the EU.
6 mar 2013
Anti-normalization committee warns of holding Arab meetings with Israel
The Jordanian higher committee for defending the homeland and confronting normalization with Israel warned of intentions to hold Egyptian-Jordanian security meetings with the Israeli regime and said that such coordination poses a threat to the Arab nation. In a press release issued on Tuesday following its regular meeting, the committee also called on the Amman council to stop giving facilitation services to people exporting vegetables and fruits via the port of occupied Haifa.
It demanded the Jordanian government to find better economic alternatives in light of the events in Syria.
It stressed that supporting Israel's economy would be used to kill the Palestinians and threaten Jordan's existence and security, noting that Wadi Araba treaty would not protect Jordan from the Israeli greediness.
The anti-normalization committee also warned the Kurdistan regional government of the risks of engaging in security and economic ties with the Zionist occupation, pointing out to the gravity of the Zionist project and the threats it poses to the Arab and Muslim nations.
The committee, however, hailed the European union's lastest position calling for banning all transactions and investments that support Israel's settlements and their expansion in the occupied Palestinian lands.
It demanded the Jordanian government to find better economic alternatives in light of the events in Syria.
It stressed that supporting Israel's economy would be used to kill the Palestinians and threaten Jordan's existence and security, noting that Wadi Araba treaty would not protect Jordan from the Israeli greediness.
The anti-normalization committee also warned the Kurdistan regional government of the risks of engaging in security and economic ties with the Zionist occupation, pointing out to the gravity of the Zionist project and the threats it poses to the Arab and Muslim nations.
The committee, however, hailed the European union's lastest position calling for banning all transactions and investments that support Israel's settlements and their expansion in the occupied Palestinian lands.
5 mar 2013
Will Alicia Keys resist BDS pressure and play Tel Aviv? Israeli fans hope so
Alicia Keys performs at half time during the NBA All-Star basketball game in Houston, Texas, February 17, 2013
The New York diva is the latest artist at the heart of the campaign calling on international artists not to perform in Israel.
If all goes well, devotees of Alicia Keys will be able celebrate July 4th this year by hearing their idol paying homage to New York singing her hit “Empire State of Mind” in Tel Aviv’s Nokia Stadium.
But, as with any major concert plans in Israel these days, that’s still a big “if.”
The concert announcement was greeted by local music fans with great excitement. It’s always big news when a major artist decides to grace our shores, and it’s an even bigger thrill when that artist is actually at their peak, and not in the waning days of their career - we tend to get many senior-citizen stars of the '70s and '80s.
It’s not that we don’t appreciate seeing legendary singers well past retirement age - who’s going to complain about Leonard Cohen and Paul McCartney? But still, underneath the celebration, there’s that tiny resentful feeling of “what took them so long?”
This is why hearing that Keys, a genuinely ‘hot’ singer-songwriter, with twelve Grammy Awards under her belt - all of them awarded this millennium - has gotten pulses racing. Tickets are on sale and already being snapped up quickly.
But ticket-holders can’t just sit back and count the days till the concert begins. In what has now become a predictable hazing ritual for any musician who decides to play in Israel, from Madonna to the Red Hot Chili Peppers, a battle has been launched by the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement (BDS) to pressure Keys to cancel on the ground that her performance can be seen as an endorsement of any and all Israeli government policies, and cancellation of her concert will be a bold step for human rights.
And so, just days after Keys confirmed that she was coming, the BDS campaign began to kick into gear, and websites, Facebook pages, and petitions urging Keys to cancel her plans to play Tel Aviv started popping up.
Some of the sites have clever names. Using this twist on her hit song “Fallin'”, one Facebook group is called “Alicia Keys: Don’t Be Fallin For Apartheid, Cancel Israel.” There’s a petition on Change.Org for people to sign asking her to cancel based on a claim that Keys “is scheduled to play to a segregated audience.” It’s unclear exactly how they contend the audience will be segregated, whether they believe Arabs won’t be admitted into Nokia. The only real evidence of any type segregation I’m aware of is socio-economic. With all of the cheaper seats sold, the least expensive tickets available to see the renowned “Girl on Fire” will cost close to $100.
One UK site, which is devoted to pressuring all artists scheduled to play in Israel to cancel, is drawing hope from what it claimed to be evidence that Keys “favorited” a tweet calling her to pull out of her Tel Aviv gig.
Keys, of course, isn’t alone. There is pressure on other major artists already booked to come to Israel this summer concert season: Depeche Mode and Cliff Richard. But since Depeche Mode has already played in Israel before and is therefore viewed as something of a ‘lost cause,’ and Richard, at age 72, is - to put it delicately - not at the peak of his career, the spotlight is shining brightly on Keys. BDS is already claiming credit for the scuttling of plans for an Israeli offshoot of the Lollapalooza festival concert in August, but it is unclear whether or not politics played a primary role in the collapse of the plans.
Part of the reason BDS may be holding out hope is because Keys is part of the African-American community and pressure was successful this past December when Stevie Wonder pulled out of his commitment to perform in a gala concert for Friends of the IDF.
That incident was the first big victory for BDS on the entertainment scene following a drought - their last big victories were in 2010, when Elvis Costello and the Pixies cancelled their shows, after heavy pressure was applied, and Israel was in the headlines daily in the wake of the Mavi Marmara flotilla incident.
With these campaigns having become a routine, Israeli fans have become pro-active and band together early to apply counter-pressure to try to guarantee their music idols don’t cancel. On Facebook, the countermovement has swung into action with a group called "Alicia Keys Plays for Peace in Israel" and another, offering support to all of the artists called “We support musicians who play for people, not governments." In Israeli and pro-Israel circles,there are calls for Israelis to post on Keys’ Facebook page and show their support and gratitude for visiting Israel, to balance the posts by those urging her to stay away.
These days, with the political pressure a given, there’s really no excuse for an artist to cancel a Tel Aviv gig. Every artist, musician, and cultural figure obviously has the right to decide where they want to travel and perform. The decision regarding whether or not to come to Israel is, let’s face it, neither easy nor simple these days - and I wouldn’t automatically fault an artist who reads the headlines, searches their conscience, weighs the possible backlash, and decides against coming. But such a decision needs to be weighed, seriously considered and made firmly before an appearance is announced, not after.
Going the route of announcing a show only to cave to the pressure and cancel it is a lose-lose proposition. The artists gets in trouble with those who become angry that they agreed to play Israel in the first place, and bitterly disappoint their Israeli fans by pulling out. True confession: I will never feel the same way about Elvis Costello, whom I once adored, again. When I listen to his music now it’s like being reminded of an old boyfriend who stood me up on a big date.
Only time and news events will tell, but so far, it looks like Alicia Keys is going to hang in there and stick with her plan. It was a good sign that a statement by Keys was released on February 22 by concert promoter Shuki Weiss: “I’m excited to go to new places on this tour, among them Tel Aviv. I plan on bringing with me a show full of emotion and inspiration.”
Keys only really needs to show up with the inspiration. As she probably can tell already by checking out her Facebook and Twitter feeds, there’s no shortage of emotion around here.
The New York diva is the latest artist at the heart of the campaign calling on international artists not to perform in Israel.
If all goes well, devotees of Alicia Keys will be able celebrate July 4th this year by hearing their idol paying homage to New York singing her hit “Empire State of Mind” in Tel Aviv’s Nokia Stadium.
But, as with any major concert plans in Israel these days, that’s still a big “if.”
The concert announcement was greeted by local music fans with great excitement. It’s always big news when a major artist decides to grace our shores, and it’s an even bigger thrill when that artist is actually at their peak, and not in the waning days of their career - we tend to get many senior-citizen stars of the '70s and '80s.
It’s not that we don’t appreciate seeing legendary singers well past retirement age - who’s going to complain about Leonard Cohen and Paul McCartney? But still, underneath the celebration, there’s that tiny resentful feeling of “what took them so long?”
This is why hearing that Keys, a genuinely ‘hot’ singer-songwriter, with twelve Grammy Awards under her belt - all of them awarded this millennium - has gotten pulses racing. Tickets are on sale and already being snapped up quickly.
But ticket-holders can’t just sit back and count the days till the concert begins. In what has now become a predictable hazing ritual for any musician who decides to play in Israel, from Madonna to the Red Hot Chili Peppers, a battle has been launched by the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement (BDS) to pressure Keys to cancel on the ground that her performance can be seen as an endorsement of any and all Israeli government policies, and cancellation of her concert will be a bold step for human rights.
And so, just days after Keys confirmed that she was coming, the BDS campaign began to kick into gear, and websites, Facebook pages, and petitions urging Keys to cancel her plans to play Tel Aviv started popping up.
Some of the sites have clever names. Using this twist on her hit song “Fallin'”, one Facebook group is called “Alicia Keys: Don’t Be Fallin For Apartheid, Cancel Israel.” There’s a petition on Change.Org for people to sign asking her to cancel based on a claim that Keys “is scheduled to play to a segregated audience.” It’s unclear exactly how they contend the audience will be segregated, whether they believe Arabs won’t be admitted into Nokia. The only real evidence of any type segregation I’m aware of is socio-economic. With all of the cheaper seats sold, the least expensive tickets available to see the renowned “Girl on Fire” will cost close to $100.
One UK site, which is devoted to pressuring all artists scheduled to play in Israel to cancel, is drawing hope from what it claimed to be evidence that Keys “favorited” a tweet calling her to pull out of her Tel Aviv gig.
Keys, of course, isn’t alone. There is pressure on other major artists already booked to come to Israel this summer concert season: Depeche Mode and Cliff Richard. But since Depeche Mode has already played in Israel before and is therefore viewed as something of a ‘lost cause,’ and Richard, at age 72, is - to put it delicately - not at the peak of his career, the spotlight is shining brightly on Keys. BDS is already claiming credit for the scuttling of plans for an Israeli offshoot of the Lollapalooza festival concert in August, but it is unclear whether or not politics played a primary role in the collapse of the plans.
Part of the reason BDS may be holding out hope is because Keys is part of the African-American community and pressure was successful this past December when Stevie Wonder pulled out of his commitment to perform in a gala concert for Friends of the IDF.
That incident was the first big victory for BDS on the entertainment scene following a drought - their last big victories were in 2010, when Elvis Costello and the Pixies cancelled their shows, after heavy pressure was applied, and Israel was in the headlines daily in the wake of the Mavi Marmara flotilla incident.
With these campaigns having become a routine, Israeli fans have become pro-active and band together early to apply counter-pressure to try to guarantee their music idols don’t cancel. On Facebook, the countermovement has swung into action with a group called "Alicia Keys Plays for Peace in Israel" and another, offering support to all of the artists called “We support musicians who play for people, not governments." In Israeli and pro-Israel circles,there are calls for Israelis to post on Keys’ Facebook page and show their support and gratitude for visiting Israel, to balance the posts by those urging her to stay away.
These days, with the political pressure a given, there’s really no excuse for an artist to cancel a Tel Aviv gig. Every artist, musician, and cultural figure obviously has the right to decide where they want to travel and perform. The decision regarding whether or not to come to Israel is, let’s face it, neither easy nor simple these days - and I wouldn’t automatically fault an artist who reads the headlines, searches their conscience, weighs the possible backlash, and decides against coming. But such a decision needs to be weighed, seriously considered and made firmly before an appearance is announced, not after.
Going the route of announcing a show only to cave to the pressure and cancel it is a lose-lose proposition. The artists gets in trouble with those who become angry that they agreed to play Israel in the first place, and bitterly disappoint their Israeli fans by pulling out. True confession: I will never feel the same way about Elvis Costello, whom I once adored, again. When I listen to his music now it’s like being reminded of an old boyfriend who stood me up on a big date.
Only time and news events will tell, but so far, it looks like Alicia Keys is going to hang in there and stick with her plan. It was a good sign that a statement by Keys was released on February 22 by concert promoter Shuki Weiss: “I’m excited to go to new places on this tour, among them Tel Aviv. I plan on bringing with me a show full of emotion and inspiration.”
Keys only really needs to show up with the inspiration. As she probably can tell already by checking out her Facebook and Twitter feeds, there’s no shortage of emotion around here.
28 feb 2013
Calls to obligate European sanctions on occupation
The Council for European Palestinian Relations (CEPR) called on the EU to impose obligatory economic sanctions on the occupation, in response to the recommendations of a number of EU deputies. CEPR appreciated the recommendations of EU Heads of Mission in Jerusalem and Ramallah to prevent any commercial transactions with the settlements, stressing the need to obligate these recommendations.
CEPR Regional Director, Rami Abdo, said in a written statement, that "Although the EU institutions have drafted a document to label imports of settlement products as originating from areas considered illegal under international law, the EU foreign ministers did not adopt it until the moment."
He added that the report and the recommendations of EU Heads of Mission to stop financial transactions with the occupation were discussed with EU Member States' representatives in Brussels on 19 February, however the recommendations were not adopted yet, especially in regard to stopping financial transactions that support settlement activities.
Abdo stressed the need to put the recommendations into practice, otherwise it will be another setback in achieving a just peace that restores rights to their owners.
EU mission has reported six recommendations on economic issues, suggesting member states "prevent, discourage and raise awareness about problematic implications of financial transactions, including foreign direct investments, from within the EU in support of settlement activities, infrastructure and services."
Relations between Israel and the EU have been unusually tense in recent months, with Europe voicing anger over a swathe of Israeli plans for more than 5,000 new settler homes in east Jerusalem.
CEPR Regional Director, Rami Abdo, said in a written statement, that "Although the EU institutions have drafted a document to label imports of settlement products as originating from areas considered illegal under international law, the EU foreign ministers did not adopt it until the moment."
He added that the report and the recommendations of EU Heads of Mission to stop financial transactions with the occupation were discussed with EU Member States' representatives in Brussels on 19 February, however the recommendations were not adopted yet, especially in regard to stopping financial transactions that support settlement activities.
Abdo stressed the need to put the recommendations into practice, otherwise it will be another setback in achieving a just peace that restores rights to their owners.
EU mission has reported six recommendations on economic issues, suggesting member states "prevent, discourage and raise awareness about problematic implications of financial transactions, including foreign direct investments, from within the EU in support of settlement activities, infrastructure and services."
Relations between Israel and the EU have been unusually tense in recent months, with Europe voicing anger over a swathe of Israeli plans for more than 5,000 new settler homes in east Jerusalem.
15 feb 2013
Pro-Palestine Student Group at Brooklyn College Defends Removing Four Jewish Students
by NY Daily News
The pro-Palestinian student group that hosted a controversial forum at Brooklyn College defended tossing four Jewish students, despite audio showing no disruption.
The Students for Justice in Palestine charged the Jewish students were "speaking loudly" and "shuffling papers" and "moving noisily around in their seats for several minutes," in a press release issued Thursday.
The four students have denied the charges.
CUNY officials are investigating why the students were ejected from the event last Thursday, which showcased the founder of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement.
BDS calls for "nonviolent punitive measures" against Israel to push the Jewish state to change its policy towards Palestinians. The organization also opposes a two-state solution, demanding Palestinian refugees be allowed to return to Jerusalem.
Campus police booted students Ari Ziegler, his brother, Michael, and friends Melanie Goldberg and Yvonne Juris at the behest of the pro—Palestine student group.
"I want an explanation for why we were removed," Ziegler said. "We were sitting there with info sheets, and weren't disrupting at all."
College officials are also investigating why members of the media- including a Daily News reporter wearing a yarmulke-were blocked from attending the forum.
The student group hosting the event said it initially decided to block media at the request of one of the speakers, Judith Butler, whose speech was to be published online the same day.
But two reporters were allowed inside because they had registered, the group claims. The Daily News also reserved a seat online before the event but was still blocked from entering.
Meanwhile, a CUNY trustee blasted the handling of the event and called for broad changes into how department chairs are appointed.
"I will not stand by as the cancer of faux 'academic freedom' is used to malign people indiscriminately and damage the reputation of the university," Jeff Wiesenfeld told reporters Thursday.
He suggested that department chairs be selected by college presidents. Currently, they are chosen by professors in each department The event was co-sponsored by the college's political science department.
The change is a long shot, as it would require a new state law and has been vehemently opposed by the union representing city professors.
The pro-Palestinian student group that hosted a controversial forum at Brooklyn College defended tossing four Jewish students, despite audio showing no disruption.
The Students for Justice in Palestine charged the Jewish students were "speaking loudly" and "shuffling papers" and "moving noisily around in their seats for several minutes," in a press release issued Thursday.
The four students have denied the charges.
CUNY officials are investigating why the students were ejected from the event last Thursday, which showcased the founder of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement.
BDS calls for "nonviolent punitive measures" against Israel to push the Jewish state to change its policy towards Palestinians. The organization also opposes a two-state solution, demanding Palestinian refugees be allowed to return to Jerusalem.
Campus police booted students Ari Ziegler, his brother, Michael, and friends Melanie Goldberg and Yvonne Juris at the behest of the pro—Palestine student group.
"I want an explanation for why we were removed," Ziegler said. "We were sitting there with info sheets, and weren't disrupting at all."
College officials are also investigating why members of the media- including a Daily News reporter wearing a yarmulke-were blocked from attending the forum.
The student group hosting the event said it initially decided to block media at the request of one of the speakers, Judith Butler, whose speech was to be published online the same day.
But two reporters were allowed inside because they had registered, the group claims. The Daily News also reserved a seat online before the event but was still blocked from entering.
Meanwhile, a CUNY trustee blasted the handling of the event and called for broad changes into how department chairs are appointed.
"I will not stand by as the cancer of faux 'academic freedom' is used to malign people indiscriminately and damage the reputation of the university," Jeff Wiesenfeld told reporters Thursday.
He suggested that department chairs be selected by college presidents. Currently, they are chosen by professors in each department The event was co-sponsored by the college's political science department.
The change is a long shot, as it would require a new state law and has been vehemently opposed by the union representing city professors.
10 feb 2013
Protests In Gaza And 40 European Cities Demand End To International Trade With Israeli Agribusiness
More than 300 farmers and activists in Gaza march towards the buffer zone near the border with Israel to demand boycott of Israeli agriculture firms.
- 16 Palestinian agricultural and civil society organisations issue appeal for international civil society to take action against Israeli agriculture companies
- Sale of Israeli fresh produce exports in European supermarkets directly contributes to violations of international law and human rights, new briefing paper shows
Palestinian farming organisations and campaigners in more than 40 European cities today held demonstrations calling for governments and supermarkets to end trade with Israeli agricultural export companies over their role in the destruction of Palestinian agriculture.
Farmers and fishermen in Gaza have been holding demonstrations throughout the week and more than 300 people today marched towards the buffer zone near the border with Israel, where regular attacks and incursions by the Israeli military force farmers to abandon their land or take huge risks to tend to their crops.
“The daily aggression suffered by Palestinian farmers every day must be highlighted to the world, so people can understand the reality of the attacks and the suffering that has continued throughout the recent ‘ceasefire’,” explained Mustapha Arafat, a farmer from Zeitoun, Gaza City.
“The boycotts of Israeli agriculture companies are so important as the Israeli occupation has destroyed our farming production and denied us the possibility of exporting our own products. International pressure on Israel is the only way our own economy will be allowed to develop and for us to live normal lives,” he added
All of the main Palestinian farming organisations this morning issued a statement urging international civil society to take action against Israeli agriculture companies.
An accompanying briefing document details how the sale of Israeli fresh produce exports in European supermarkets directly contributes to violations of international law and human rights.
In Europe, many of the 40 protests that took place targeted Mehadrin, a large Israeli export company that supplies citrus fruits, dates and other fresh produce to supermarkets across Europe.
The company operates in illegal Israeli settlements, is involved in the theft of Palestinian land and water and employs Palestinian workers forced to work in illegal settlements in unsafe conditions for as little as €11 per day.
“Israeli agriculture companies such as Mehadrin and Hadaklaim profit from the siege on Gaza and grow crops for export to European supermarkets in illegal settlements on land from which Palestinian farmers have been forcibly removed,” said Dr. Taha Rifae, director of the grassroots department at the Union of Agricultural Work Committees.
Actions have also been taking place in the West Bank, culminating on a conference on building the boycott of Israeli agriculture on Monday in Salfit.
“Agriculture is a vital part of our economy and national heritage but it is being systematically destroyed and these companies are the primary beneficiaries. By trading with companies such as Mehadrin, European supermarkets are financing the dispossession of Palestinian farmers,” Rifae added.
A large demonstration was held outside Mehadrin’s Swiss distribution centre this afternoon and the company was protested as it participated in a major fresh produce show in Berlin.
In France, activists occupied the customs office in southern French city Montpellier to protest the nearby port of Sète being used to import produce from Israeli companies such as Mehadrin that operate in illegal Israeli settlements. More than 50 campaigners occupied the offices for more than an hour.
Protests were also held at supermarkets in more than 14 other French cities and in Italy, Belgium, Luxembourg, Sweden, Germany, Switzerland and the Netherlands.
In the UK, campaigners picketed more than 35 stores of major supermarket Sainsbury’s as part of a new campaign aimed at pressuring it to cut its ties with Mehadrin and EDOM, another Israeli company operating in settlements.
The UK’s fifth biggest supermarket The Co-Operative Group last year announced it would no longer source products from any supplier that operates in illegal settlements and cut ties to four Israeli companies following pressure from its members.
A British businessman yesterday announced he would resign as chair and sells his shares in Israeli settlement exporter EDOM following concerns raised by campaigners.
“Governments and supermarkets should take action to end trade with companies which is in effect financing Israeli violations of international law. European governments talk tough on settlements but allow supermarkets to support their expansion,” said Rifae.
- 16 Palestinian agricultural and civil society organisations issue appeal for international civil society to take action against Israeli agriculture companies
- Sale of Israeli fresh produce exports in European supermarkets directly contributes to violations of international law and human rights, new briefing paper shows
Palestinian farming organisations and campaigners in more than 40 European cities today held demonstrations calling for governments and supermarkets to end trade with Israeli agricultural export companies over their role in the destruction of Palestinian agriculture.
Farmers and fishermen in Gaza have been holding demonstrations throughout the week and more than 300 people today marched towards the buffer zone near the border with Israel, where regular attacks and incursions by the Israeli military force farmers to abandon their land or take huge risks to tend to their crops.
“The daily aggression suffered by Palestinian farmers every day must be highlighted to the world, so people can understand the reality of the attacks and the suffering that has continued throughout the recent ‘ceasefire’,” explained Mustapha Arafat, a farmer from Zeitoun, Gaza City.
“The boycotts of Israeli agriculture companies are so important as the Israeli occupation has destroyed our farming production and denied us the possibility of exporting our own products. International pressure on Israel is the only way our own economy will be allowed to develop and for us to live normal lives,” he added
All of the main Palestinian farming organisations this morning issued a statement urging international civil society to take action against Israeli agriculture companies.
An accompanying briefing document details how the sale of Israeli fresh produce exports in European supermarkets directly contributes to violations of international law and human rights.
In Europe, many of the 40 protests that took place targeted Mehadrin, a large Israeli export company that supplies citrus fruits, dates and other fresh produce to supermarkets across Europe.
The company operates in illegal Israeli settlements, is involved in the theft of Palestinian land and water and employs Palestinian workers forced to work in illegal settlements in unsafe conditions for as little as €11 per day.
“Israeli agriculture companies such as Mehadrin and Hadaklaim profit from the siege on Gaza and grow crops for export to European supermarkets in illegal settlements on land from which Palestinian farmers have been forcibly removed,” said Dr. Taha Rifae, director of the grassroots department at the Union of Agricultural Work Committees.
Actions have also been taking place in the West Bank, culminating on a conference on building the boycott of Israeli agriculture on Monday in Salfit.
“Agriculture is a vital part of our economy and national heritage but it is being systematically destroyed and these companies are the primary beneficiaries. By trading with companies such as Mehadrin, European supermarkets are financing the dispossession of Palestinian farmers,” Rifae added.
A large demonstration was held outside Mehadrin’s Swiss distribution centre this afternoon and the company was protested as it participated in a major fresh produce show in Berlin.
In France, activists occupied the customs office in southern French city Montpellier to protest the nearby port of Sète being used to import produce from Israeli companies such as Mehadrin that operate in illegal Israeli settlements. More than 50 campaigners occupied the offices for more than an hour.
Protests were also held at supermarkets in more than 14 other French cities and in Italy, Belgium, Luxembourg, Sweden, Germany, Switzerland and the Netherlands.
In the UK, campaigners picketed more than 35 stores of major supermarket Sainsbury’s as part of a new campaign aimed at pressuring it to cut its ties with Mehadrin and EDOM, another Israeli company operating in settlements.
The UK’s fifth biggest supermarket The Co-Operative Group last year announced it would no longer source products from any supplier that operates in illegal settlements and cut ties to four Israeli companies following pressure from its members.
A British businessman yesterday announced he would resign as chair and sells his shares in Israeli settlement exporter EDOM following concerns raised by campaigners.
“Governments and supermarkets should take action to end trade with companies which is in effect financing Israeli violations of international law. European governments talk tough on settlements but allow supermarkets to support their expansion,” said Rifae.
9 feb 2013
British businessman promises to resign as chairman of Israeli settlement exporter
Edom cherry tomatoes from Israeli settlement
Jimmy Russo, the Company Chairman of EDOM, has told Corporate Watch that he plans to resign from his chairmanship and “actively seek to sell” his 20% shareholding in the Israeli company on Thursday, Feb. 7th.
His announcement was in reply to questions about new evidence found by Corporate Watch that EDOM UK, which is an Israeli company (despite the misleading name), is packaging cherry tomatoes in the Israeli settlement of Beit Ha’arava in the occupied Jordan Valley.
According to the website WhoProfits.org, which tracks companies involved with Israeli settlements or contracted with the Israeli military, EDOM UK exports from a packing house in the settlement of Thomer.
20% of company shares are held by the British Glinwell company, another 20% are held by the British Valley Grown Salads (the company that is preparing to divest its holdings), 30% by Chosen Agricultural Products from the Arava (owned by farmers from the Arava region) and 30% by Magnolia U.K. Holdings (of Yaron Yarchi and Yinon Horesh).
Back in 2010 Corporate Watch urged Russo to divest his shares. The group wrote: “To continue to maintain shares in EDOM is to ignore the suffering of those who have lived their entire lives under Israeli apartheid and occupation. The only way to remain ethical in this context is to divest.”
In its 2010 report, Corporate Watch found that not only does Edom directly profit from the occupation by operating in the Jordan Valley, they also found immediate evidence of worker exploitation tied to their business when they talked to Palestinians in the area. According to two men working in the fields opposite Tomer, pickers working in the fields supplying Edom’s packing house get paid 60 Shekels a day -less than half the current Israeli minimum wage (which Palestinians are legally entitled to) and work on a day to day basis without contracts. The men also confirmed that children as young as 13 work with them in the fields where they pick tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers and aubergines: all produce advertised by Valley Grown Salads through their UK web-site.
Russo, who is also the director of British company Valley Grown Salads (VGS), made the following “commitments” on 7th February 2013:
“1. I will confirm that I will resign as [EDOM] company chairman with immediate effect as I do not want my company, VGS receiving this constant harassment every year and being involved in political situations which are totally out of my control.
2. I will actively seek to sell my 20% stake holding in the company as the aggravation for no reward is not worth continuing with.”
Russo confirmed to Corporate Watch that VGS will not source goods from the West Bank in the future but says that the company will continue sourcing from EDOM and other companies in Israel.
Russo also pledged to answer questions put to VGS by Corporate Watch and other media outlets.
On 4th February 2013 Corporate Watch researchers visited Beit Ha’arava and entered a packing house where cherry tomatoes were being packaged. The majority of the packing house was taken up with packaging EDOM UK tomatoes. The tomatoes were labelled “Quality Fresh Produce: Israel” despite the fact that Beit Ha’arava is a settlement in the West Bank.
Corporate Watch contacted Jimmy Russo on 7th February and asked “Does EDOM/VGS source its produce from Israeli settlements in the Jordan Valley?”, and pointed out that the company had pledged in 2010 not to deal with the settlements any more.
Russo replied:
“Regarding produce from the Jordan Valley and in accordance with EU guidelines, 2012 the company Edom is taking produce from the Jordan valley. I understand that Edom source up to 2% of its produce from that region, mainly cherry tomatoes. I can CONFIRM that VGS does not take any tomatoes from Edom or Israel.”
“I can also confirm that VGS holds 20% stake in the company [i.e. EDOM] which was formed in 2003 as a vehicle to supply product from Israel at a time when the industry was experiencing chemical problems in Spain. The company has been extremely successful with the majority of the product going into Russia.”
Corporate Watch went on to ask Russo about what steps the company takes to ensure that products are labelled accurately. Russo responded:
“Regarding the question of labelling product from the West Bank, this I understand is part of a DEFRA/EU directive and because the product is going to Russia it does not come under the jurisdiction of the DEFRA/EU.”
“Regarding any professional status of Israel goods under the EU/Israel associated [sic] agreement I am not aware of any benefit whatsoever. For future reference the Managing Director has assured me all product leaving from that zone that is subject to labelling will be done so in accordance with guidelines provided.”
Corporate Watch said that it will continue to target EDOM and its remaining investors: Magnolia UK Holdings – 30%, Chosen Agricultural Products – 30% and Glinwell – 20% (suppliers to Tesco’s).
Jimmy Russo, the Company Chairman of EDOM, has told Corporate Watch that he plans to resign from his chairmanship and “actively seek to sell” his 20% shareholding in the Israeli company on Thursday, Feb. 7th.
His announcement was in reply to questions about new evidence found by Corporate Watch that EDOM UK, which is an Israeli company (despite the misleading name), is packaging cherry tomatoes in the Israeli settlement of Beit Ha’arava in the occupied Jordan Valley.
According to the website WhoProfits.org, which tracks companies involved with Israeli settlements or contracted with the Israeli military, EDOM UK exports from a packing house in the settlement of Thomer.
20% of company shares are held by the British Glinwell company, another 20% are held by the British Valley Grown Salads (the company that is preparing to divest its holdings), 30% by Chosen Agricultural Products from the Arava (owned by farmers from the Arava region) and 30% by Magnolia U.K. Holdings (of Yaron Yarchi and Yinon Horesh).
Back in 2010 Corporate Watch urged Russo to divest his shares. The group wrote: “To continue to maintain shares in EDOM is to ignore the suffering of those who have lived their entire lives under Israeli apartheid and occupation. The only way to remain ethical in this context is to divest.”
In its 2010 report, Corporate Watch found that not only does Edom directly profit from the occupation by operating in the Jordan Valley, they also found immediate evidence of worker exploitation tied to their business when they talked to Palestinians in the area. According to two men working in the fields opposite Tomer, pickers working in the fields supplying Edom’s packing house get paid 60 Shekels a day -less than half the current Israeli minimum wage (which Palestinians are legally entitled to) and work on a day to day basis without contracts. The men also confirmed that children as young as 13 work with them in the fields where they pick tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers and aubergines: all produce advertised by Valley Grown Salads through their UK web-site.
Russo, who is also the director of British company Valley Grown Salads (VGS), made the following “commitments” on 7th February 2013:
“1. I will confirm that I will resign as [EDOM] company chairman with immediate effect as I do not want my company, VGS receiving this constant harassment every year and being involved in political situations which are totally out of my control.
2. I will actively seek to sell my 20% stake holding in the company as the aggravation for no reward is not worth continuing with.”
Russo confirmed to Corporate Watch that VGS will not source goods from the West Bank in the future but says that the company will continue sourcing from EDOM and other companies in Israel.
Russo also pledged to answer questions put to VGS by Corporate Watch and other media outlets.
On 4th February 2013 Corporate Watch researchers visited Beit Ha’arava and entered a packing house where cherry tomatoes were being packaged. The majority of the packing house was taken up with packaging EDOM UK tomatoes. The tomatoes were labelled “Quality Fresh Produce: Israel” despite the fact that Beit Ha’arava is a settlement in the West Bank.
Corporate Watch contacted Jimmy Russo on 7th February and asked “Does EDOM/VGS source its produce from Israeli settlements in the Jordan Valley?”, and pointed out that the company had pledged in 2010 not to deal with the settlements any more.
Russo replied:
“Regarding produce from the Jordan Valley and in accordance with EU guidelines, 2012 the company Edom is taking produce from the Jordan valley. I understand that Edom source up to 2% of its produce from that region, mainly cherry tomatoes. I can CONFIRM that VGS does not take any tomatoes from Edom or Israel.”
“I can also confirm that VGS holds 20% stake in the company [i.e. EDOM] which was formed in 2003 as a vehicle to supply product from Israel at a time when the industry was experiencing chemical problems in Spain. The company has been extremely successful with the majority of the product going into Russia.”
Corporate Watch went on to ask Russo about what steps the company takes to ensure that products are labelled accurately. Russo responded:
“Regarding the question of labelling product from the West Bank, this I understand is part of a DEFRA/EU directive and because the product is going to Russia it does not come under the jurisdiction of the DEFRA/EU.”
“Regarding any professional status of Israel goods under the EU/Israel associated [sic] agreement I am not aware of any benefit whatsoever. For future reference the Managing Director has assured me all product leaving from that zone that is subject to labelling will be done so in accordance with guidelines provided.”
Corporate Watch said that it will continue to target EDOM and its remaining investors: Magnolia UK Holdings – 30%, Chosen Agricultural Products – 30% and Glinwell – 20% (suppliers to Tesco’s).
7 feb 2013
Israel deserves tough boycott for Syria strike: Lebanese FM
Lebanese Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour has censured the recent Israeli airstrike on a military research center near the Syrian capital of Damascus, saying Israel ‘deserves a tough response’ for the attack.
On Sunday, Mansour said that aggression against Syria "is aggression against Lebanon." He added, "Israel deserves harsh responses and a tough boycott on the economic, political and diplomatic levels."
"Israeli jets continue to invade Lebanon's airspace every day. We must stand up against the Israeli attacks but not just with calls, statements and condemnation." Mansour stated.
On January 31, Lebanese resistance movement Hezbollah also condemned the Israeli attack and said it was “barbaric aggression.”
The Syrian army said in a statement on January 30 that two people were killed and five others injured in an Israeli airstrike on the research center in Jamraya, located 25 kilometers (15 miles) northwest of Damascus.
Syria has been experiencing unrest since March 2011. Many people, including large numbers of security forces, have been killed in the turmoil.
The Syrian government says the chaos is being orchestrated from outside the country, and there are reports that a very large number of the militants are foreign nationals.
On Sunday, Mansour said that aggression against Syria "is aggression against Lebanon." He added, "Israel deserves harsh responses and a tough boycott on the economic, political and diplomatic levels."
"Israeli jets continue to invade Lebanon's airspace every day. We must stand up against the Israeli attacks but not just with calls, statements and condemnation." Mansour stated.
On January 31, Lebanese resistance movement Hezbollah also condemned the Israeli attack and said it was “barbaric aggression.”
The Syrian army said in a statement on January 30 that two people were killed and five others injured in an Israeli airstrike on the research center in Jamraya, located 25 kilometers (15 miles) northwest of Damascus.
Syria has been experiencing unrest since March 2011. Many people, including large numbers of security forces, have been killed in the turmoil.
The Syrian government says the chaos is being orchestrated from outside the country, and there are reports that a very large number of the militants are foreign nationals.
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