7 oct 2017
In response to international BDS anti-Israel movement, Public Security Min. Gilad Erdan launches special initiative at a cost of NIS 7 million to publicize agricultural Jordan Valley produce around the world, and to showcase cooperation between Israelis and Palestinians.
Minister of Public Security and Strategic Affairs Gilad Erdan launched a joint project with the Jordan Valley Regional Council on Monday, publicizing the agricultural produce of the Jordan Valley farmers at major conferences and fairs around the world, in an attempt to fight back against the efforts of the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement.
The project will be implemented over the next two years and will cost the state an estimated NIS 7 million.
In addition, the ministry will fund the arrival of influential delegations to the region so that they can get an impression of the farmers' agricultural produce and of the cooperation between Israelis and Palestinians in the produce's development.
During his visit to the Jordan Valley together with the Yesha Council—an umbrella organization of municipal councils of Jewish settlements in the West Bank—Erdan said that his ministry is trying to help farmers affected by initiatives that mark and confiscate economic products from the Jordan Valley.
Ardan added: "The struggle I am waging against the boycott organizations is preventing severe damage to the state." He stressed that agriculture is "one of the most at risk and important areas to focus on."
David Elhayani, head of the Jordan Valley Regional Council and chairman of the Settlement Forum for Combating the Boycott, said the project would help the farmers of the region.
"Our produce is confiscated in some European and American countries and the damage to farmers is great.
"We are happy to see the change the government's attitude (towards us—ed)," he said. "We finally see them being actively in favor of farmers and victims of boycott organizations".
"In the West Bank, there are 14 industrial zones that employ close to 20,000 residents of the Palestinian Authority," noted outgoing chairman of the Yesha Council, Avi Roeh. "There are those who do not care about them, they are acting to boycott (our produce) because they are interested in the State of Israel ceasing to exist."
Minister of Public Security and Strategic Affairs Gilad Erdan launched a joint project with the Jordan Valley Regional Council on Monday, publicizing the agricultural produce of the Jordan Valley farmers at major conferences and fairs around the world, in an attempt to fight back against the efforts of the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement.
The project will be implemented over the next two years and will cost the state an estimated NIS 7 million.
In addition, the ministry will fund the arrival of influential delegations to the region so that they can get an impression of the farmers' agricultural produce and of the cooperation between Israelis and Palestinians in the produce's development.
During his visit to the Jordan Valley together with the Yesha Council—an umbrella organization of municipal councils of Jewish settlements in the West Bank—Erdan said that his ministry is trying to help farmers affected by initiatives that mark and confiscate economic products from the Jordan Valley.
Ardan added: "The struggle I am waging against the boycott organizations is preventing severe damage to the state." He stressed that agriculture is "one of the most at risk and important areas to focus on."
David Elhayani, head of the Jordan Valley Regional Council and chairman of the Settlement Forum for Combating the Boycott, said the project would help the farmers of the region.
"Our produce is confiscated in some European and American countries and the damage to farmers is great.
"We are happy to see the change the government's attitude (towards us—ed)," he said. "We finally see them being actively in favor of farmers and victims of boycott organizations".
"In the West Bank, there are 14 industrial zones that employ close to 20,000 residents of the Palestinian Authority," noted outgoing chairman of the Yesha Council, Avi Roeh. "There are those who do not care about them, they are acting to boycott (our produce) because they are interested in the State of Israel ceasing to exist."
4 oct 2017
The United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) in Jordan has dropped its contracts with the world’s largest security firm, occupation profiteer G4S, following an ongoing BDS campaign over the firm’s role in Israel’s violations of human rights, Jordan BDS has reported.
Jordan BDS said it welcomes UN Women’s decision and salutes the agency for taking a principled step in line with its core values of promoting human rights and human dignity. Accordingly, UN Women has become the fifth UN agency in Jordan to drop its contracts with occupation profiteer G4S alongside WFP, UNOPS, UNICEF and UNHCR.
G4S has a track record in human and refugee rights violations in many countries across the world, which led dozens of universities, unions, pension funds and more to drop their contracts with the company as well as divest their shares from it following calls by the BDS movement worldwide.
The #UNDropG4S campaign began in 2015, in which Jordan BDS took an active part through organizing actions and lobbying with different UN agencies, the latest of which was a demonstration outside UN Women office in Amman in commemorating Nakba in partnership with multiple Jordanian civil society organizations.
Jordan BDS demanded the local and regional offices of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP and UNDP MENA) – the last UN office in Jordan to hold contracts with G4S – to follow the lead of the five UN agencies before it that showed a firm commitment to human rights. Its demand is based on UN documents, which it said UNDP is breaching, including the UN Supplier Code of Conduct, the UN Special Rapporteur for OPT report, and the UN Global Compact.
Jordan BDS also said that it is truly shocking that UNDP persists with its breach until now and continues to dismiss the values and principles that the agency itself proclaims to defend.
Jordan BDS confirmed that its campaign against G4S will continue, in parallel with the regional campaigns in Lebanon, Kuwait and Morocco as well as globally, until G4S stops profiting from the occupation and fully withdraws from its remaining contracts in Israel including its agreement with the Israeli Police Academy (Policity) in Occupied Jerusalem.
Jordan BDS said it welcomes UN Women’s decision and salutes the agency for taking a principled step in line with its core values of promoting human rights and human dignity. Accordingly, UN Women has become the fifth UN agency in Jordan to drop its contracts with occupation profiteer G4S alongside WFP, UNOPS, UNICEF and UNHCR.
G4S has a track record in human and refugee rights violations in many countries across the world, which led dozens of universities, unions, pension funds and more to drop their contracts with the company as well as divest their shares from it following calls by the BDS movement worldwide.
The #UNDropG4S campaign began in 2015, in which Jordan BDS took an active part through organizing actions and lobbying with different UN agencies, the latest of which was a demonstration outside UN Women office in Amman in commemorating Nakba in partnership with multiple Jordanian civil society organizations.
Jordan BDS demanded the local and regional offices of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP and UNDP MENA) – the last UN office in Jordan to hold contracts with G4S – to follow the lead of the five UN agencies before it that showed a firm commitment to human rights. Its demand is based on UN documents, which it said UNDP is breaching, including the UN Supplier Code of Conduct, the UN Special Rapporteur for OPT report, and the UN Global Compact.
Jordan BDS also said that it is truly shocking that UNDP persists with its breach until now and continues to dismiss the values and principles that the agency itself proclaims to defend.
Jordan BDS confirmed that its campaign against G4S will continue, in parallel with the regional campaigns in Lebanon, Kuwait and Morocco as well as globally, until G4S stops profiting from the occupation and fully withdraws from its remaining contracts in Israel including its agreement with the Israeli Police Academy (Policity) in Occupied Jerusalem.
BDS stands for “Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions”. The BDS Movement was the outcome of several events that shaped the Palestinian national struggle and international solidarity with the Palestinian people following the Second Uprising (Intifada) in 2000.
Building on a decades-long tradition of civil disobedience and popular resistance, and invigorated by growing international solidarity with the Palestinian struggle as exhibited in the World Conference Against Racism in Durban, South Africa, in 2001, Palestinians moved into action.
In 2004, the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI) called for the boycott of Israeli government and academic institutions for their direct contributions to the military occupation and subjugation of the Palestinian people. This was followed in 2005 by a sweeping call for boycott made by 170 Palestinian civil society organisations.
What is the academic boycott?
PACBI has served as a medium through which the Palestinian point of view is articulated and presented to international audiences through the use of media, academic and cultural platforms. Because of its continued efforts and mobilisation since 2004, many universities, teachers’ unions, student groups and artists around the world have endorsed BDS and spoken out in support of the movement.
Why is BDS important?
In the absence of any international mechanism to end the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land, and the lack of international law being enforced, as expressed in dozens of un-implemented United Nations resolutions, BDS has grown to become a major platform to facilitate solidarity with the Palestinian people, apply pressure on and demand accountability from Israel and those who are funding, or in any way enabling, Israel’s occupation of Palestine.
Is BDS a Palestinian or a global movement?
The call for BDS is made by Palestinian society. This is important, for no one has the right to represent the Palestinian struggle but Palestinians themselves.
However, the BDS movement itself – although centred on Palestinian priorities – is an inclusive global platform. Grounded in humanistic values, BDS aims to court world public opinion and appeals to international and humanitarian law to bring peace and justice in Palestine and Israel.
What are some of the historic precedents to BDS?
The boycott movement was at the heart of the South African struggle that ultimately defeated apartheid in the country. Roots of that movement in South Africa go back to the 1950s and 60s, and even before. However, it was accelerated during the 1980s, which, ultimately, led to the collapse of the apartheid regime in 1991.
There are many other precedents in history. Notable amongst them is the Boston Tea Party, protesting unfair taxation by the British Parliament; the Montgomery Bus Boycott in 1955 (which ushered in the rise of the Civil Rights Movement led by Martin Luther King Jr.) and the Salt March led by Mohandas Gandhi in 1930 (which initiated the civil disobedience campaign that was a major factor leading to India’s independence in 1947).
All of these are stark examples of popular movements using economic pressure to end the subjugation of one group by another. BDS is no different.
What are BDS’ main demands?
The BDS movement has three main demands. They are:
Ending Israel’s illegal occupation and colonisation of all Arab lands and dismantling the Apartheid Wall.
Recognising the fundamental rights, including that of full equality, of Arab-Palestinian citizens of Israel.
Respecting and promoting the rights of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes and properties as stipulated in UN Resolution 194.
From where does BDS derive its support?
The BDS movement is the collective expression of the will and aspirations of the Palestinian people who serve as the backbone of the popular, de-centralised movement.
Additionally, BDS is supported by conscientious people throughout the world, whether in their capacity as individuals, or as representatives of religious institutions, academic institutions, labour and professional unions, student groups and other organisations.
What is the main Israeli argument against BDS?
By equating any criticism of Israel and its right-wing government with anti-Semitism, Israeli supporters readily accuse BDS of being an anti-Semitic movement.
For example, the pro-Israel Anti-Defamation League (ADL) bases such an accusation on the premise that “many individuals involved in BDS campaigns are driven by opposition to Israel’s very existence as a Jewish state”.
Why does Israel and its supporters mischaracterise the movement and its goals?
The above is one of many such claims aimed at mispresenting the BDS Movement. These claims are also meant to confuse and distract from the discussion at hand. Instead of engaging with internationally-supported Palestinian demands for justice and freedom, the anti-BDS campaigners disengage from the conversation altogether by levying the accusation of anti-Semitism against their detractors.
But is BDS anti-Semitic?
Not in the least. In fact, quite the opposite. BDS opposes the supremacy of any racial group or the dominance of any religion over others. As such, BDS challenges the Israeli legal system that privileges Jewish citizens and discriminates against Palestinian Muslims and Christians.
Does BDS undermine the ‘peace process’?
The “peace process”, which operated largely outside the framework of international law, has proven to be a splendid failure. Talks that began in Madrid in 1991, followed by the Oslo Peace Accords in 1993, the Paris Protocol in 1994, Hebron Protocol in 1997, Wye River 1998, Camp David 2002, and other agreements and understandings only led to the cementing of Israeli occupation, tripling the number of illegal Jewish settlers and vastly expanding the illegal Israeli settlement network in the Occupied Territories.
Since then, several wars have been waged against Palestinians, especially in Gaza, killing thousands and maiming thousands more. With no serious pressure on Israel, thanks to US backing of Israel at the UN, not a single Israeli has ever been held accountable for what was repeatedly recognised by UN investigators as war crimes against Palestinians.
In the early months of his first term in office, former US President Barack Obama attempted to breathe life in the defunct “peace process”, only to be met with Israeli refusal to freeze the construction of illegal settlements. Eventually, talks ended and they are yet to resume.
The suffering of Palestinians is now at its worst since the Israeli occupation in 1967. Gaza is under a decade-long, suffocating siege; occupied East Jerusalem is completely cut off from the rest of Palestinian towns and the West Bank is divided into various zones – Area A, B and C – all under various forms of control by the Israeli army.
What are the Israeli and pro-Israeli efforts to challenge BDS?
The Israeli government has sponsored several conferences aimed at developing a strategy to discredit BDS and to slow down its growth. It has also worked with its supporters across North America and Europe to lobby governments to condemn and to outlaw BDS activities and the boycott of Israel in general.
These efforts culminated on 23 March 2017 with Senate bill S720 which, if passed in its current form, will make the boycott of Israel an illegal act punishable by imprisonment and a heavy fine.
Meanwhile, Israel has already enacted laws that ban foreign BDS supporters from entering the country. This also applies to Jewish BDS supporters.
What has the BDS Movement achieved, so far?
Top Israeli government officials perceive BDS as their greatest threat. It is the first time in many years that this form of non-violent civil rights action has registered so profoundly on the agenda of Israel’s political elite.
The massive campaign underway to fight and discredit BDS is a testament to the power and resolve of the civil-society centred movement. Palestinians are determined to, someday, achieve their own “South Africa moment”, when apartheid was vanquished under the dual pressure of resistance at home and the global boycott campaign.
Moreover, BDS is successfully pushing the conversation on Palestine away from the margins to the centre. It seems that, the more Israel attempts to thwart boycott efforts, the more opportunities BDS supporters have to engage the media and general public. The accessibility of social media has proven fundamental to that strategy.
Why are so many joining BDS?
BDS is growing because it is both a moral and legal obligation to support oppressed people and pressure those who violate international law to end their unwarranted practices.
Writing from his cell in Birmingham Jail, Martin Luther King Jr. wrote:
Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.
Guided by such moralistic principles, BDS offers a platform for anyone who wants to demonstrate solidarity with the Palestinian people in their 70-year-long struggle for freedom, justice and human rights.
- Dr. Ramzy Baroud has been writing about the Middle East for over 20 years. He is an internationally-syndicated columnist, a media consultant, an author of several books and the founder of PalestineChronicle.com. His article was published in MEMO.
Building on a decades-long tradition of civil disobedience and popular resistance, and invigorated by growing international solidarity with the Palestinian struggle as exhibited in the World Conference Against Racism in Durban, South Africa, in 2001, Palestinians moved into action.
In 2004, the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI) called for the boycott of Israeli government and academic institutions for their direct contributions to the military occupation and subjugation of the Palestinian people. This was followed in 2005 by a sweeping call for boycott made by 170 Palestinian civil society organisations.
What is the academic boycott?
PACBI has served as a medium through which the Palestinian point of view is articulated and presented to international audiences through the use of media, academic and cultural platforms. Because of its continued efforts and mobilisation since 2004, many universities, teachers’ unions, student groups and artists around the world have endorsed BDS and spoken out in support of the movement.
Why is BDS important?
In the absence of any international mechanism to end the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land, and the lack of international law being enforced, as expressed in dozens of un-implemented United Nations resolutions, BDS has grown to become a major platform to facilitate solidarity with the Palestinian people, apply pressure on and demand accountability from Israel and those who are funding, or in any way enabling, Israel’s occupation of Palestine.
Is BDS a Palestinian or a global movement?
The call for BDS is made by Palestinian society. This is important, for no one has the right to represent the Palestinian struggle but Palestinians themselves.
However, the BDS movement itself – although centred on Palestinian priorities – is an inclusive global platform. Grounded in humanistic values, BDS aims to court world public opinion and appeals to international and humanitarian law to bring peace and justice in Palestine and Israel.
What are some of the historic precedents to BDS?
The boycott movement was at the heart of the South African struggle that ultimately defeated apartheid in the country. Roots of that movement in South Africa go back to the 1950s and 60s, and even before. However, it was accelerated during the 1980s, which, ultimately, led to the collapse of the apartheid regime in 1991.
There are many other precedents in history. Notable amongst them is the Boston Tea Party, protesting unfair taxation by the British Parliament; the Montgomery Bus Boycott in 1955 (which ushered in the rise of the Civil Rights Movement led by Martin Luther King Jr.) and the Salt March led by Mohandas Gandhi in 1930 (which initiated the civil disobedience campaign that was a major factor leading to India’s independence in 1947).
All of these are stark examples of popular movements using economic pressure to end the subjugation of one group by another. BDS is no different.
What are BDS’ main demands?
The BDS movement has three main demands. They are:
Ending Israel’s illegal occupation and colonisation of all Arab lands and dismantling the Apartheid Wall.
Recognising the fundamental rights, including that of full equality, of Arab-Palestinian citizens of Israel.
Respecting and promoting the rights of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes and properties as stipulated in UN Resolution 194.
From where does BDS derive its support?
The BDS movement is the collective expression of the will and aspirations of the Palestinian people who serve as the backbone of the popular, de-centralised movement.
Additionally, BDS is supported by conscientious people throughout the world, whether in their capacity as individuals, or as representatives of religious institutions, academic institutions, labour and professional unions, student groups and other organisations.
What is the main Israeli argument against BDS?
By equating any criticism of Israel and its right-wing government with anti-Semitism, Israeli supporters readily accuse BDS of being an anti-Semitic movement.
For example, the pro-Israel Anti-Defamation League (ADL) bases such an accusation on the premise that “many individuals involved in BDS campaigns are driven by opposition to Israel’s very existence as a Jewish state”.
Why does Israel and its supporters mischaracterise the movement and its goals?
The above is one of many such claims aimed at mispresenting the BDS Movement. These claims are also meant to confuse and distract from the discussion at hand. Instead of engaging with internationally-supported Palestinian demands for justice and freedom, the anti-BDS campaigners disengage from the conversation altogether by levying the accusation of anti-Semitism against their detractors.
But is BDS anti-Semitic?
Not in the least. In fact, quite the opposite. BDS opposes the supremacy of any racial group or the dominance of any religion over others. As such, BDS challenges the Israeli legal system that privileges Jewish citizens and discriminates against Palestinian Muslims and Christians.
Does BDS undermine the ‘peace process’?
The “peace process”, which operated largely outside the framework of international law, has proven to be a splendid failure. Talks that began in Madrid in 1991, followed by the Oslo Peace Accords in 1993, the Paris Protocol in 1994, Hebron Protocol in 1997, Wye River 1998, Camp David 2002, and other agreements and understandings only led to the cementing of Israeli occupation, tripling the number of illegal Jewish settlers and vastly expanding the illegal Israeli settlement network in the Occupied Territories.
Since then, several wars have been waged against Palestinians, especially in Gaza, killing thousands and maiming thousands more. With no serious pressure on Israel, thanks to US backing of Israel at the UN, not a single Israeli has ever been held accountable for what was repeatedly recognised by UN investigators as war crimes against Palestinians.
In the early months of his first term in office, former US President Barack Obama attempted to breathe life in the defunct “peace process”, only to be met with Israeli refusal to freeze the construction of illegal settlements. Eventually, talks ended and they are yet to resume.
The suffering of Palestinians is now at its worst since the Israeli occupation in 1967. Gaza is under a decade-long, suffocating siege; occupied East Jerusalem is completely cut off from the rest of Palestinian towns and the West Bank is divided into various zones – Area A, B and C – all under various forms of control by the Israeli army.
What are the Israeli and pro-Israeli efforts to challenge BDS?
The Israeli government has sponsored several conferences aimed at developing a strategy to discredit BDS and to slow down its growth. It has also worked with its supporters across North America and Europe to lobby governments to condemn and to outlaw BDS activities and the boycott of Israel in general.
These efforts culminated on 23 March 2017 with Senate bill S720 which, if passed in its current form, will make the boycott of Israel an illegal act punishable by imprisonment and a heavy fine.
Meanwhile, Israel has already enacted laws that ban foreign BDS supporters from entering the country. This also applies to Jewish BDS supporters.
What has the BDS Movement achieved, so far?
Top Israeli government officials perceive BDS as their greatest threat. It is the first time in many years that this form of non-violent civil rights action has registered so profoundly on the agenda of Israel’s political elite.
The massive campaign underway to fight and discredit BDS is a testament to the power and resolve of the civil-society centred movement. Palestinians are determined to, someday, achieve their own “South Africa moment”, when apartheid was vanquished under the dual pressure of resistance at home and the global boycott campaign.
Moreover, BDS is successfully pushing the conversation on Palestine away from the margins to the centre. It seems that, the more Israel attempts to thwart boycott efforts, the more opportunities BDS supporters have to engage the media and general public. The accessibility of social media has proven fundamental to that strategy.
Why are so many joining BDS?
BDS is growing because it is both a moral and legal obligation to support oppressed people and pressure those who violate international law to end their unwarranted practices.
Writing from his cell in Birmingham Jail, Martin Luther King Jr. wrote:
Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.
Guided by such moralistic principles, BDS offers a platform for anyone who wants to demonstrate solidarity with the Palestinian people in their 70-year-long struggle for freedom, justice and human rights.
- Dr. Ramzy Baroud has been writing about the Middle East for over 20 years. He is an internationally-syndicated columnist, a media consultant, an author of several books and the founder of PalestineChronicle.com. His article was published in MEMO.
On Wednesday, 4th October, 2017, the Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign presented the Irish Government with over 23,000 signatures to a petition demanding an end to bilateral arms trade between Israel and Ireland.
PNN reports that human rights campaigners were joined by TDs and Senators from the Oireachtas [Irish parliament], and Dublin City Councillors, outside the parliament gates where a ‘die in’ was staged. The activists then marched to the Office of the Taoiseach [Irish Prime Minister] and IPSC Chairperson Fatin Al Tamimi and Vie-Chair John Dorman delivered the two boxes of petitions.
Speaking prior to delivering IPSC Chairperson, Ms. Fatin Al Tamimi, a Palestinian-Irish citizen, said: “The Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign (IPSC) has collected over 23,000 signatures to a petition calling for an end to the bilateral arms trade between Ireland and Israel – a trade worth some €22m over the past decade or so.
“This Wednesday 4th October we will hand the petition in to the Irish government to make them aware that this profiteering from the oppression and murder of Palestinians and colonisation of their land is unacceptable to the people of Ireland.”
Ms. Tamimi concluded: “Our aim is highlight the Irish state’s shameful complicity in the oppression of Palestinians that arises from this trade in death. Ultimately we wish for Irish an arms embargo on this colonial apartheid state that kills, oppresses, tortures, and steals land and liberty from my people on a daily basis.
“Concrete actions are needed at the governmental level to ensure that Israel’s system of apartheid, occupation and colonisation ends once and for all so that we Palestinians can enjoy freedom, justice, equality and a true peace.”
PNN reports that human rights campaigners were joined by TDs and Senators from the Oireachtas [Irish parliament], and Dublin City Councillors, outside the parliament gates where a ‘die in’ was staged. The activists then marched to the Office of the Taoiseach [Irish Prime Minister] and IPSC Chairperson Fatin Al Tamimi and Vie-Chair John Dorman delivered the two boxes of petitions.
Speaking prior to delivering IPSC Chairperson, Ms. Fatin Al Tamimi, a Palestinian-Irish citizen, said: “The Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign (IPSC) has collected over 23,000 signatures to a petition calling for an end to the bilateral arms trade between Ireland and Israel – a trade worth some €22m over the past decade or so.
“This Wednesday 4th October we will hand the petition in to the Irish government to make them aware that this profiteering from the oppression and murder of Palestinians and colonisation of their land is unacceptable to the people of Ireland.”
Ms. Tamimi concluded: “Our aim is highlight the Irish state’s shameful complicity in the oppression of Palestinians that arises from this trade in death. Ultimately we wish for Irish an arms embargo on this colonial apartheid state that kills, oppresses, tortures, and steals land and liberty from my people on a daily basis.
“Concrete actions are needed at the governmental level to ensure that Israel’s system of apartheid, occupation and colonisation ends once and for all so that we Palestinians can enjoy freedom, justice, equality and a true peace.”
2 oct 2017
Israeli Economy Minister Eli Cohen decided to offer special privileges to Israeli companies working in settlements in defiance to international boycott resolutions.
Israeli newspaper Israel Hayom reported that the decision stipulates offering aid in form of tax privileges in the exportation field for the factories affected by the boycott in order to guarantee continuing to work in settlements.
The UN Human Rights Council decided to publish a blacklist including the names of factories and companies working in settlements in order to support the boycott and pressure these firms to stop working in the settlements as well as to urge international companies to stop dealing with Israel.
Israeli newspaper Israel Hayom reported that the decision stipulates offering aid in form of tax privileges in the exportation field for the factories affected by the boycott in order to guarantee continuing to work in settlements.
The UN Human Rights Council decided to publish a blacklist including the names of factories and companies working in settlements in order to support the boycott and pressure these firms to stop working in the settlements as well as to urge international companies to stop dealing with Israel.
28 sept 2017
The UN's Human Rights Commissioner began sending letters to 150 companies from around the world, warning them that they are about to be added to a database of companies doing business in Israeli settlements in West Bank and occupied Jerusalem, Haaretz revealed.
The letter-sending process began two weeks ago, a senior Israeli official and Western diplomats involved in the matter told Haaretz.
The Israeli official, who requested to remain anonymous due to the sensitivity of the issue, noted that the letters, sent by the Commissioner, the Jordanian Prince Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, said these firms were doing business in the occupied Palestinian territories and could thus find themselves on the UN blacklist for companies acting in violation of "internal law and UN decisions."
The letters, copies of which also reached the Israeli government, request that these firms send the commission clarifications about their business activities in settlements, according to Haaretz.
The UN Human Rights Council voted to approve the database of companies last year, despite objections from the United States and Israel.
The Washington Post reported in August that among the American companies that received the letters from the Commissioner were Caterpillar, Priceline.com, TripAdvisor and Airbnb.
Israel's Channel 2 News reported two weeks ago that the list includes some of the biggest companies in Israel, such as Teva, Bank Hapoalim, Bank Leumi, Bezeq, Elbit, Coca-Cola Israel, Africa-Israel, IDB, Egged, Mekorot and Netafim.
Palestinian and Arab officials have urged the UN to publish the blacklist, saying that it is important to publish the names of companies, institutions and personalities that help the "colonialist settlement."
The letter-sending process began two weeks ago, a senior Israeli official and Western diplomats involved in the matter told Haaretz.
The Israeli official, who requested to remain anonymous due to the sensitivity of the issue, noted that the letters, sent by the Commissioner, the Jordanian Prince Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, said these firms were doing business in the occupied Palestinian territories and could thus find themselves on the UN blacklist for companies acting in violation of "internal law and UN decisions."
The letters, copies of which also reached the Israeli government, request that these firms send the commission clarifications about their business activities in settlements, according to Haaretz.
The UN Human Rights Council voted to approve the database of companies last year, despite objections from the United States and Israel.
The Washington Post reported in August that among the American companies that received the letters from the Commissioner were Caterpillar, Priceline.com, TripAdvisor and Airbnb.
Israel's Channel 2 News reported two weeks ago that the list includes some of the biggest companies in Israel, such as Teva, Bank Hapoalim, Bank Leumi, Bezeq, Elbit, Coca-Cola Israel, Africa-Israel, IDB, Egged, Mekorot and Netafim.
Palestinian and Arab officials have urged the UN to publish the blacklist, saying that it is important to publish the names of companies, institutions and personalities that help the "colonialist settlement."
