14 may 2016
Hundreds of Palestinians on Friday rallied outside the British embassy in the Lebanese capital Beirut to demand Britain to assume responsibility for the Nakba (catastrophe) it had caused to the Palestinians.
Representatives of Palestinian factions, popular committees and social groups as well as school students participated in the sit-in outside the embassy, where they carried banners holding Britain responsible for the Nakba and the massacres that had been committed against the Palestinians by Zionist gangs.
Secretary-general of the popular committee Abu Iyad Shaalan said that the UNRWA crisis management group would give British ambassador to Lebanon Hugo Shorter a letter urging his country to work hard on serving the interests of the Palestinian refugees.
Shaalan held Britain responsible for the displacement and humiliation of the Palestinian people, demanding it to provide every support for the UNRWA to help it fulfill its obligations.
He also called on Britain to pressure the UNRWA to stop its service cuts and improve the medical and educational services it provides for the Palestinian refugees.
Representatives of Palestinian factions, popular committees and social groups as well as school students participated in the sit-in outside the embassy, where they carried banners holding Britain responsible for the Nakba and the massacres that had been committed against the Palestinians by Zionist gangs.
Secretary-general of the popular committee Abu Iyad Shaalan said that the UNRWA crisis management group would give British ambassador to Lebanon Hugo Shorter a letter urging his country to work hard on serving the interests of the Palestinian refugees.
Shaalan held Britain responsible for the displacement and humiliation of the Palestinian people, demanding it to provide every support for the UNRWA to help it fulfill its obligations.
He also called on Britain to pressure the UNRWA to stop its service cuts and improve the medical and educational services it provides for the Palestinian refugees.
10 may 2016
A demonstrator waves the Palestinian flag outside British PM David Cameron's residence in London on Sept. 9, 2015
By: Ramzy Baroud
Ramzy Baroud is an internationally-syndicated columnist, author and the founder of PalestineChronicle.com. His latest book is My Father Was a Freedom Fighter: Gaza's Untold Story.
There is a witch hunt in the British Labor Party. Britain's opposition party leader, Jeremy Corbyn, is being hounded for not rooting out alleged anti-Semitism in his party. Those leading the charge are pro-Israel Zionists and their supporters within the party, members who are mostly allied with the former Prime Minister, the largely discredited pro-war Tony Blair. The Blairites are quite unhappy that Corbyn, who won the party's leadership election last September with a landslide victory is a non-elitist politician, with a deep-rooted grassroots activist past, and, yes, a strong stance for Palestinian rights.
Corbyn has been subjected to all sorts of attacks and ridicule from his own party, many members of which have been busy plotting to push him out, but remained hesitant because of his popular appeal. The Labor party had, in fact, lost much of its credibility since the days of Blair’s ‘New Labor’ and following the US lead in waging an immoral and illegal war on Iraq. Blair’s supporters changed the priorities of the party, which was ‘labor’ by name only. Corbyn’s advent galvanized young people around fresh ideals, and renewed the shaky faith of the party’s traditional supporters.
But since he became a leader, the man’s agenda of anti-corruption and greater equality in Britain has been slowed down, or even entirely halted, by some most bizarre controversies. He was attacked over such things as his supposed poor sense of fashion, his alleged lack of patriotism, and more. The attacks have been so ridiculous, yet omnipresent, that they became the subject of popular memes and much satire.
And when it all failed, he was hit with another manufactured controversy, that of alleged anti-Semitism within his own party. The recent attacks have been the most organized, yet. They involve Israel supporters, British politicians, the media and other sources.
The media has tried to paint him as an embattled leader who is not able to control the uncontainable Jewish hate oozing from his party members.
British Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis, known for his strong support of Israel, joined the fray, charging that the lid has been lifted on bigotry within Labor and that investigation into anti-Semitism must be more than a 'sticker plaster.'
The investigation and the preceding outcry of anti-Semitism, however, targeted those who were critical of Israel, not Jews, in general, or Judaism. Former London Mayor, Ken Livingstone, who was suspended from Labor for suggesting links between the Nazi party and early Zionists, was not making any reference to Jews per se, and certainly not to Judaism. Arguably, if he was wrong, then it is a mere question of history, not race.
In its coverage of the controversy, even the BBC, delinks both concepts:
"Anti-Semitism is 'hostility and prejudice directed against Jewish people', while "Zionism refers to the movement to create a Jewish state in the Middle East."
Indeed, the first is a racist ideology, while the latter is an entirely political and historical question, especially since early Zionists were largely atheists. Israel’s Zionist-Jewish contradiction was phrased skillfully by Israeli historian Ilan Pappe when he wrote:
“The secular Jews who founded the Zionist movement wanted paradoxically both to secularize Jewish life and to use the Bible as a justification for colonizing Palestine; in other words, they did not believe in God but He, nonetheless, promised them Palestine.”
But the Rabbi, and many of those who unscrupulously joined the charge against Labor, pretend that Zionism, a late 19th century political movement, is the same as Judaism, a religion that dates back millennia.
However, there is nothing new here, and the manufactured ‘controversy’ is hardly limited to Britain or the Labor Party.
The message that Israeli hasbara (propaganda) has been steadily sending to its critics since the establishment of Israel over the ruins of the Palestinian homeland in May 1948: if you are critical of Israel, however slightly, you are a certified anti-Semite. If it happens that you are Jewish, then you are a self-hating Jew, and if you are an Arab, you must abandon the idea that you are, yourself, Semitic and Arab, by merely opposing Israel’s ethnic-cleansing of Palestinians who are all anti-Semites, anyway.
I doubt there is a self-respecting Palestinian intellectual who has not fended off accusations of being anti-Semitic for merely advocating for Palestinian rights, and demanding accountability of Israeli violations of human rights and war crimes.
Unable to defend Israeli actions based on logical arguments, international law or common sense, Israel’s supporters use other means, threats, smears and vilifications, and also by fabricating non-existing controversies. And no one is immune.
Daniel Greenfield engaged in a bizarre diatribe in the Jewish Press on March 8, in an article entitled: "Bernie Sanders is NOT a Jew." In the same familiar tone of distortion and self-pity, Greenfield theorized: “While Bernie Sanders invoked his last few drops of Jewishness and the Holocaust in support of a Muslim anti-Semite’s cry bullying, he didn’t feel the need to do so for the Jewish State when it actually stood on the verge of destruction. Instead, he had called for denying arms to Israel before the Yom Kippur War.”
How about the United Nations, which has failed to enforce a single resolution of the dozens of resolutions passed to demand justice for the Palestinians and accountability from Israel?
It is an “anti-Semitic circus” according to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The novel designation followed the recent UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC's) decision to compile a list of international and Israeli companies that do business in illegal Jewish settlements in the Occupied Territories.
Despite the fact that the UN is yet to reverse the worsening plight of the Palestinians or advance their cause beyond symbolic gestures, one rarely hears the accusation that the UN is anti-Palestinian, or anti-Arab.
On the other hand, for merely censuring Israeli action by words only, the UN, according to Jennifer Rubin writing in the Washington Post on February 16, “tolerates and, by its silence, condones, anti-Semitism.”
The US government has blindly and unconditionally given credence to that notion, marching to the drumbeat of the Israeli government on every occasion and boycotting international institutions whenever Israel raises the frequently false flag of anti-Semitism.
The matter is not only pertinent to Israel and Palestine. Anyone who dares go against Israel’s interest in the region and around the world is a candidate for the manipulation of Israeli terminology.
Following the Iran nuclear deal between Iran and western powers, conservative commentator Debbie Schlussel coined new terminology: ‘Jews in the Name Only’ or JINOs. Those alleged JINOs are the 98 prominent ‘Hollywood Jews’ who backed the Iran deal in an open letter.
By completely shutting the door on any form of criticism of Israel, Zionism, and the censure of its military behavior in the region coupled with the daily violence meted out against occupied Palestinians, Israel has expanded the definition of anti-Semitism to include whole countries, governments, international institutions and millions of independently thinking individuals the world over.
However, not even such deliberate distortion should prevent us from making the differentiation loud and clear: anti-Jewish racism should be condemned as loudly and decisively as Islamophobia and any other form of racial discrimination and bigotry.
However, criticizing violent political movements and the behavior of any state that violates international law and human rights is a moral duty. Israel will not be the exception.
The views expressed in this article are the author's and do not necessarily reflect Ma'an News Agency's editorial policy.
By: Ramzy Baroud
Ramzy Baroud is an internationally-syndicated columnist, author and the founder of PalestineChronicle.com. His latest book is My Father Was a Freedom Fighter: Gaza's Untold Story.
There is a witch hunt in the British Labor Party. Britain's opposition party leader, Jeremy Corbyn, is being hounded for not rooting out alleged anti-Semitism in his party. Those leading the charge are pro-Israel Zionists and their supporters within the party, members who are mostly allied with the former Prime Minister, the largely discredited pro-war Tony Blair. The Blairites are quite unhappy that Corbyn, who won the party's leadership election last September with a landslide victory is a non-elitist politician, with a deep-rooted grassroots activist past, and, yes, a strong stance for Palestinian rights.
Corbyn has been subjected to all sorts of attacks and ridicule from his own party, many members of which have been busy plotting to push him out, but remained hesitant because of his popular appeal. The Labor party had, in fact, lost much of its credibility since the days of Blair’s ‘New Labor’ and following the US lead in waging an immoral and illegal war on Iraq. Blair’s supporters changed the priorities of the party, which was ‘labor’ by name only. Corbyn’s advent galvanized young people around fresh ideals, and renewed the shaky faith of the party’s traditional supporters.
But since he became a leader, the man’s agenda of anti-corruption and greater equality in Britain has been slowed down, or even entirely halted, by some most bizarre controversies. He was attacked over such things as his supposed poor sense of fashion, his alleged lack of patriotism, and more. The attacks have been so ridiculous, yet omnipresent, that they became the subject of popular memes and much satire.
And when it all failed, he was hit with another manufactured controversy, that of alleged anti-Semitism within his own party. The recent attacks have been the most organized, yet. They involve Israel supporters, British politicians, the media and other sources.
The media has tried to paint him as an embattled leader who is not able to control the uncontainable Jewish hate oozing from his party members.
British Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis, known for his strong support of Israel, joined the fray, charging that the lid has been lifted on bigotry within Labor and that investigation into anti-Semitism must be more than a 'sticker plaster.'
The investigation and the preceding outcry of anti-Semitism, however, targeted those who were critical of Israel, not Jews, in general, or Judaism. Former London Mayor, Ken Livingstone, who was suspended from Labor for suggesting links between the Nazi party and early Zionists, was not making any reference to Jews per se, and certainly not to Judaism. Arguably, if he was wrong, then it is a mere question of history, not race.
In its coverage of the controversy, even the BBC, delinks both concepts:
"Anti-Semitism is 'hostility and prejudice directed against Jewish people', while "Zionism refers to the movement to create a Jewish state in the Middle East."
Indeed, the first is a racist ideology, while the latter is an entirely political and historical question, especially since early Zionists were largely atheists. Israel’s Zionist-Jewish contradiction was phrased skillfully by Israeli historian Ilan Pappe when he wrote:
“The secular Jews who founded the Zionist movement wanted paradoxically both to secularize Jewish life and to use the Bible as a justification for colonizing Palestine; in other words, they did not believe in God but He, nonetheless, promised them Palestine.”
But the Rabbi, and many of those who unscrupulously joined the charge against Labor, pretend that Zionism, a late 19th century political movement, is the same as Judaism, a religion that dates back millennia.
However, there is nothing new here, and the manufactured ‘controversy’ is hardly limited to Britain or the Labor Party.
The message that Israeli hasbara (propaganda) has been steadily sending to its critics since the establishment of Israel over the ruins of the Palestinian homeland in May 1948: if you are critical of Israel, however slightly, you are a certified anti-Semite. If it happens that you are Jewish, then you are a self-hating Jew, and if you are an Arab, you must abandon the idea that you are, yourself, Semitic and Arab, by merely opposing Israel’s ethnic-cleansing of Palestinians who are all anti-Semites, anyway.
I doubt there is a self-respecting Palestinian intellectual who has not fended off accusations of being anti-Semitic for merely advocating for Palestinian rights, and demanding accountability of Israeli violations of human rights and war crimes.
Unable to defend Israeli actions based on logical arguments, international law or common sense, Israel’s supporters use other means, threats, smears and vilifications, and also by fabricating non-existing controversies. And no one is immune.
Daniel Greenfield engaged in a bizarre diatribe in the Jewish Press on March 8, in an article entitled: "Bernie Sanders is NOT a Jew." In the same familiar tone of distortion and self-pity, Greenfield theorized: “While Bernie Sanders invoked his last few drops of Jewishness and the Holocaust in support of a Muslim anti-Semite’s cry bullying, he didn’t feel the need to do so for the Jewish State when it actually stood on the verge of destruction. Instead, he had called for denying arms to Israel before the Yom Kippur War.”
How about the United Nations, which has failed to enforce a single resolution of the dozens of resolutions passed to demand justice for the Palestinians and accountability from Israel?
It is an “anti-Semitic circus” according to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The novel designation followed the recent UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC's) decision to compile a list of international and Israeli companies that do business in illegal Jewish settlements in the Occupied Territories.
Despite the fact that the UN is yet to reverse the worsening plight of the Palestinians or advance their cause beyond symbolic gestures, one rarely hears the accusation that the UN is anti-Palestinian, or anti-Arab.
On the other hand, for merely censuring Israeli action by words only, the UN, according to Jennifer Rubin writing in the Washington Post on February 16, “tolerates and, by its silence, condones, anti-Semitism.”
The US government has blindly and unconditionally given credence to that notion, marching to the drumbeat of the Israeli government on every occasion and boycotting international institutions whenever Israel raises the frequently false flag of anti-Semitism.
The matter is not only pertinent to Israel and Palestine. Anyone who dares go against Israel’s interest in the region and around the world is a candidate for the manipulation of Israeli terminology.
Following the Iran nuclear deal between Iran and western powers, conservative commentator Debbie Schlussel coined new terminology: ‘Jews in the Name Only’ or JINOs. Those alleged JINOs are the 98 prominent ‘Hollywood Jews’ who backed the Iran deal in an open letter.
By completely shutting the door on any form of criticism of Israel, Zionism, and the censure of its military behavior in the region coupled with the daily violence meted out against occupied Palestinians, Israel has expanded the definition of anti-Semitism to include whole countries, governments, international institutions and millions of independently thinking individuals the world over.
However, not even such deliberate distortion should prevent us from making the differentiation loud and clear: anti-Jewish racism should be condemned as loudly and decisively as Islamophobia and any other form of racial discrimination and bigotry.
However, criticizing violent political movements and the behavior of any state that violates international law and human rights is a moral duty. Israel will not be the exception.
The views expressed in this article are the author's and do not necessarily reflect Ma'an News Agency's editorial policy.
4 mar 2016
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New Irish Parliament Member Gino Kenny, from the Anti-Austerity Alliance, celebrated his election victory, this past Saturday, by waving a Palestinian flag.
Kenny, aged 42, is a local Irish activist that has been a People Before Profit Alliance councilor on South Dublin County Council since 2009. He also has been an active campaigner against the property tax and the water charges, and, if elected, says that solving Dublin Mid-West’s lack of social housing will be his number one priority. Gino was elected to South Dublin County Council in 2009 and subsequently re-elected in May of 2014. In the 2011 General Election Gino |
received 2500 first preference votes and hopes to turn that into a Dáil seat next time around. This time, he received 4629 votes, according to the PNN.
Another candidate who also won, Independent John Halligan, launched his candidacy in January in the presence of Palestinian Authority Ambassador Ahmad Abdelrazek.
“Delighted that Palestinian Ambassador Ahmad Abdelrazek will be attending my #GE16 launch on Friday in the Granville at 7:30pm,” he proudly placed on his Facebook page in January.
Both Kenny and Halligan supported position statements circulated by two Irish-Palestinian solidarity groups.
Sadaka, the Ireland Palestine Alliance, circulated a “pledge” among all 551 candidates, asking them to sign off on the following position points:
Another candidate who also won, Independent John Halligan, launched his candidacy in January in the presence of Palestinian Authority Ambassador Ahmad Abdelrazek.
“Delighted that Palestinian Ambassador Ahmad Abdelrazek will be attending my #GE16 launch on Friday in the Granville at 7:30pm,” he proudly placed on his Facebook page in January.
Both Kenny and Halligan supported position statements circulated by two Irish-Palestinian solidarity groups.
Sadaka, the Ireland Palestine Alliance, circulated a “pledge” among all 551 candidates, asking them to sign off on the following position points:
- Ireland should formally recognize a Palestinian state;
- Vigorously work to end the blockade of Gaza;
- Seek a EU ban on trade and investment with Israeli colonies/settlements;
- Suspend military export licenses to Israel and public procurements from Israeli arms companies.
- Another organization, the Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign, asked the Irish candidates to commit themselves to working to end bilateral Israel-Irish arms trade, and to suspend the EU-Israel
- Association Agreement.
26 feb 2016
Cameron describes East Jerusalem as "shocking"
Secretary of State John Kerry, on Wednesday, urged Israeli and Palestinian officials to resume a “genuine” peace process, stressing that continued settlement construction is not helpful.
According to World Bulletin/Al Ray, the top diplomat warned of a “downward spiral” in violence in the absence of an active process.
In order to dampen the uptick in violence, Kerry said it was imperative to have a process that people “can grab onto and understand with respect to the creation of a state.”
“If that can happen, then I think it's possible to have progress, but you know, it's not in our hands,” he told a congressional committee, acknowledging difficulties in gaining momentum on all sides of the conflict. "I don't think that the situation is helped by additional settlement construction and building," he added.
In related news, British Prime Minister David Cameron severely criticized the Netanyahu government's policy and said that construction in east Jerusalem settlements is "genuinely shocking."
The British prime minister was speaking during a parliamentary question period in response to a query from opposition Labor MP Imran Hussain, who asked: "Does the prime minister agree with me that illegal settlements and constructions are a major roadblock that hinder peaceful negotiations?"
Cameron replied: “I am well-known as being a strong friend of Israel, but I have to say the first time I visited Jerusalem and had a proper tour around that wonderful city and saw what has happened with the effective encirclement of occupied East Jerusalem it is genuinely shocking."
He stressed that British government is a supporter of Israel, but it does not support the illegal settlements. He explained that they do not support what is happening in east Jerusalem and that it is very important to maintain Jerusalem in the way it was in the past.
Haaterz reported that senior Israeli officials noted that his criticism may have been meant to balance his government's recent decision against boycotts of Israel. The UK has been reported to give over £6billion to Israel, annually, in aid, and a similar amount in arms -- over twice the official figure attributed to the US.
Secretary of State John Kerry, on Wednesday, urged Israeli and Palestinian officials to resume a “genuine” peace process, stressing that continued settlement construction is not helpful.
According to World Bulletin/Al Ray, the top diplomat warned of a “downward spiral” in violence in the absence of an active process.
In order to dampen the uptick in violence, Kerry said it was imperative to have a process that people “can grab onto and understand with respect to the creation of a state.”
“If that can happen, then I think it's possible to have progress, but you know, it's not in our hands,” he told a congressional committee, acknowledging difficulties in gaining momentum on all sides of the conflict. "I don't think that the situation is helped by additional settlement construction and building," he added.
In related news, British Prime Minister David Cameron severely criticized the Netanyahu government's policy and said that construction in east Jerusalem settlements is "genuinely shocking."
The British prime minister was speaking during a parliamentary question period in response to a query from opposition Labor MP Imran Hussain, who asked: "Does the prime minister agree with me that illegal settlements and constructions are a major roadblock that hinder peaceful negotiations?"
Cameron replied: “I am well-known as being a strong friend of Israel, but I have to say the first time I visited Jerusalem and had a proper tour around that wonderful city and saw what has happened with the effective encirclement of occupied East Jerusalem it is genuinely shocking."
He stressed that British government is a supporter of Israel, but it does not support the illegal settlements. He explained that they do not support what is happening in east Jerusalem and that it is very important to maintain Jerusalem in the way it was in the past.
Haaterz reported that senior Israeli officials noted that his criticism may have been meant to balance his government's recent decision against boycotts of Israel. The UK has been reported to give over £6billion to Israel, annually, in aid, and a similar amount in arms -- over twice the official figure attributed to the US.
17 feb 2016
PLO Executive Committee Members Dr. Hanan Ashrawi and Dr. Saeb Erekat (Secretary General), met in separate meetings with the British Minister for Middle East Affairs, Tobias Ellwood, after which Dr. Ashrawi and Dr. Erekat released the following joint statement:
"We are seriously concerned at the new British 'guidance' that would entail the banning of any kind of ethical procurement by local governments, public bodies and any organization that receives public funding, including some student unions.
In practical terms this means that such bodies are forbidden from exercising their democratic right and freedom of choice not to be complicit in the Israeli settlement project and to take a positive, moral and legal stand in the face of such a war crime.
This represents a serious regression in British policy and it would empower the Israeli occupation by sending a message of impunity. In order to accommodate the Israeli occupation, the British Government is undermining British democracy and their own people’s rights. Such a law would have prevented British citizens from taking peaceful actions against the South African Apartheid. Such a law also contradicts international responsibility and even the UK’s own practice when it comes to entities violating human rights.
Only last week, the Israeli Human Rights Organization Peace Now released a study detailing the Israeli government’s escalation of settlement activities at an unprecedented rate. They found that only in 2015 construction was initiated in at least 1,800 settlement units.
It is no longer acceptable for any government to claim support for the two-state solution while granting immunity to Israeli crimes and systematic violations of international law and UN resolutions. Those who claim to seek the two-state solution should hold Israel accountable for deliberately destroying the prospects of peace and should work on ending the Israeli occupation rather than rewarding it.
Next year signals the 100th anniversary of the Balfour Declaration, a tragedy that continues to victimize the Palestinian people, both under occupation and in exile. The United Kingdom bears the primary responsibility for such a historical injustice in Palestine. It is called upon to begin the process of rectification and redemption rather than to insist on perpetuating the injustice.
We strongly urge the British government to reconsider its positions and to rescind this regulation. This is not only a matter of law or politics, but also of moral responsibility."
"We are seriously concerned at the new British 'guidance' that would entail the banning of any kind of ethical procurement by local governments, public bodies and any organization that receives public funding, including some student unions.
In practical terms this means that such bodies are forbidden from exercising their democratic right and freedom of choice not to be complicit in the Israeli settlement project and to take a positive, moral and legal stand in the face of such a war crime.
This represents a serious regression in British policy and it would empower the Israeli occupation by sending a message of impunity. In order to accommodate the Israeli occupation, the British Government is undermining British democracy and their own people’s rights. Such a law would have prevented British citizens from taking peaceful actions against the South African Apartheid. Such a law also contradicts international responsibility and even the UK’s own practice when it comes to entities violating human rights.
Only last week, the Israeli Human Rights Organization Peace Now released a study detailing the Israeli government’s escalation of settlement activities at an unprecedented rate. They found that only in 2015 construction was initiated in at least 1,800 settlement units.
It is no longer acceptable for any government to claim support for the two-state solution while granting immunity to Israeli crimes and systematic violations of international law and UN resolutions. Those who claim to seek the two-state solution should hold Israel accountable for deliberately destroying the prospects of peace and should work on ending the Israeli occupation rather than rewarding it.
Next year signals the 100th anniversary of the Balfour Declaration, a tragedy that continues to victimize the Palestinian people, both under occupation and in exile. The United Kingdom bears the primary responsibility for such a historical injustice in Palestine. It is called upon to begin the process of rectification and redemption rather than to insist on perpetuating the injustice.
We strongly urge the British government to reconsider its positions and to rescind this regulation. This is not only a matter of law or politics, but also of moral responsibility."
15 feb 2016
On February 14th, 2016, the UK Government announced that it would be setting up guidelines to prevent public bodies from supporting the Palestinian rights through their procurement and investment policies.
Hugh Lanning, Chair of Palestine Solidarity Campaign, has condemned this move as ‘a gross attack on our democratic freedoms and the independence of public bodies from Government interference’.
“As if it is not enough that the UK Government has failed to act when the Israeli Government has bombed and killed thousands of Palestinian civilians and stolen their homes and land, the Government are now trying to impose their inaction on all other democratic and public bodies.
This makes it clear where this Government stands on international law and human rights. Despite the Government admitting that Israel’s occupation and denial of Palestinian rights is plain wrong and illegal – when it comes to it they will insulate Israel from the consequences of its own actions. It seems that for this UK Government, whatever crimes against international law Israel commits, having a military ally trumps the rights of their own citizens and institutions in this country to support human rights.”
Sara Apps, interim Director of Palestine Solidarity said, according to the PNN: “People around the world have been asked by the Palestinian people to support boycott, divestment and sanctions because it is a peaceful and effective way to challenge and pressure the Israeli Government to end their violations.
If the Israeli Government want to be free of the pressure of boycott, divestment and sanctions and international censure the answer is simple – end your illegal occupation and abide by international law.
It is shameful that our Government is prepared to side with an oppressive state over the rights of an oppressed people in this way. We urge people to support our campaign to change Government policy and support the rights of their citizens to act against human rights violations.
Hugh Lanning, Chair of Palestine Solidarity Campaign, has condemned this move as ‘a gross attack on our democratic freedoms and the independence of public bodies from Government interference’.
“As if it is not enough that the UK Government has failed to act when the Israeli Government has bombed and killed thousands of Palestinian civilians and stolen their homes and land, the Government are now trying to impose their inaction on all other democratic and public bodies.
This makes it clear where this Government stands on international law and human rights. Despite the Government admitting that Israel’s occupation and denial of Palestinian rights is plain wrong and illegal – when it comes to it they will insulate Israel from the consequences of its own actions. It seems that for this UK Government, whatever crimes against international law Israel commits, having a military ally trumps the rights of their own citizens and institutions in this country to support human rights.”
Sara Apps, interim Director of Palestine Solidarity said, according to the PNN: “People around the world have been asked by the Palestinian people to support boycott, divestment and sanctions because it is a peaceful and effective way to challenge and pressure the Israeli Government to end their violations.
If the Israeli Government want to be free of the pressure of boycott, divestment and sanctions and international censure the answer is simple – end your illegal occupation and abide by international law.
It is shameful that our Government is prepared to side with an oppressive state over the rights of an oppressed people in this way. We urge people to support our campaign to change Government policy and support the rights of their citizens to act against human rights violations.
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