Artists to refuse to perform in Ariel culture hall

Prominent actors, directors, playwrights send letter to boards of Israeli theaters in protest of plans to put on shows in news culture auditorium beyond Green Line. Yesha Council vows harsh response to 'vile, anti-Zionist' letter

A long line of actors and artists from all fields of the theater industry sent a letter to the boards of Israel's repertory theaters announcing they will refuse to perform in the new culture auditorium in Ariel, which is located outside the Green Line. It should be noted that tickets have already been sold to productions that include all of Israel's theaters.

The letter, addressed to the boards of the Cameri, Habima, Beit Lessin, Khan and the Haifa and Beersheba theatres, read: "We wish to express our disgust with the theater's board's plans to perform in the new auditorium in Ariel. The actors among us hereby declare that we will refuse to perform in Ariel, as well as in any other settlement. We urge the boards to hold their activity within the sovereign borders of the State of Israel within the Green Line."

Europe's economic boycott of Israel expanding

Recent months see sharp rise in number of European companies withdrawing investment from Israeli firms for political reasons. 'The damage is huge,' says glass factory owner from Ariel

The decision by Norway's oil fund to withdraw its investment from Africa-Israel and Danya Cebus citing their involvement in settlement construction is the latest step in an ever expanding list of European private and governmental companies boycotting Israeli firms for political reasons.

Most of the cases pertain to claims of products being manufactured outside the Green Line and therefore in "occupied territory." Some of the cases serve as political protest against Israel's policy towards the Palestinians.

Yet, one point is uncontested: Recent months have seen a climb in the scope of the boycott of Israeli products imposed for political reasons.

An artist's pledge to boycott

I am proud to be among the many Irish and Ireland-based artists from across creative disciplines who have chosen to publicly support the growing campaign of boycott against apartheid Israel. Compared to the imprisoned Palestinian people themselves and to those taking part in flotillas and other perilous anti-apartheid activities in Palestine our contribution and risk may be justly considered small. At most we might lose the chance of lucrative invitations to read, perform or display our works in parts of the US where apartheid Israel's supporters hold the power of censorship. Departments of foreign affairs and ministries of culture may also not include us among those artists they can rely upon to project a lying image of a harmonious, bon vivant and, above all, harmlessly apolitical intelligentsia. We are sure to be slandered and ridiculed by the hired bullies of the global media empires.

These are tiny punishments indeed compared to the instant annihilation that Israel with its snipers and bombers and jet planes and tanks has visited on a daily basis upon Palestinian men, women and children for the last 62 years. The threat we come under for speaking out at a safe distance is nothing beside the threat apartheid Israel holds constant over every urban civilian in the Middle East with its 200-bomb-strong nuclear arsenal. Besides, to be ostracized and blacklisted by these last remaining friends of apartheid Israel, the gangster governments of west and east and their spies and ideological enablers, is to be reminded of the phrase of that great political artist William Blake, who tells us to "Listen to the fool's reproach -- it is a kingly title."

Israeli education ministry approves new 'whites-only' settlement school

Several months ago, a religious school in the illegal Israeli settlement of Immanuel was criticized for segregating white Jewish students from non-white Jewish students in classes.

Originally, the school was fined for this policy of racial segregation, because the school was state funded. Now, the Israeli education ministry has agreed with the white parents' request to allow the school to continue with its racial discrimination under private funding.

There is no law preventing racial discrimination by private organizations, even schools, in Israel.

The Israeli court has interpreted these laws to also apply to illegal West bank settlements, like Immanuel, which are located in areas that are supposed to be under Palestinian control. The Palestinian Authority does not allow racial discrimination, but due to the Israeli military occupation of the Palestinian Territories, it has no authority over the area in question.

74 white girls who have been studying in a building next to the school will now be allowed to study in whites-only classrooms that are privately funded, as their parents claim they do not want their girls to study in racially-mixed classrooms.

Posters imploring people to Boycott Israeli Apartheid appear on beaches in Corsica

اسلاميون في المغرب ينتقدون 'التطبيع' مع اسرائيل عبر خدمة 'الرومينغ'

لندن ـ 'القدس العربي': قالت تقارير إعلامية ان شركة 'اتصالات المغرب' أدرجت ثلاث شركات إسرائيلية في إطار ما يسمى بخدمات التجوال الدولي للهاتف النقال (الرومينغ) بحيث أضحت إسرائيل ضمن الدول المشمولة بهذا الامتياز، وهو ما دفع بالمعارضة الإسلامية للمطالبة بإلغاء تلك العقود مهددة بطرح الموضوع أمام البرلمان.

قال موقع 'الجزيرة نت' ان الشركة المغربية بررت عقودها مع الشركات الإسرائيلية في قطاع الاتصالات - وهي شركة 'بارتنر كومينيكاسيو' الفرع الإسرائيلي لشركة أورانج الدولية، وشركة سيلكوم، وشركة بيليفون- بوجود جالية يهودية مغربية كبيرة في إسرائيل. ونفت 'اتصالات المغرب' أي تهم بالتطبيع، وقالت إن الخطوة ترمي إلى تسهيل وسائل الاتصال لمشتركيها في خدمة الهاتف النقال.

وأثارت الخطوة حفيظة المعارضة الإسلامية ممثلة في حزب العدالة والتنمية (مشارك بالبرلمان) الذي وصف الخطوة بأنها 'تطبيع مجاني لا يفيد إلا الكيان الصهيوني'، مهددة بطرح الموضوع أمام البرلمان المغربي. ونقلت 'الجزيرة' عن نائب الأمين العام لـحزب العدالة والتنمية (إسلامي) لحسن الداودي قوله إن 'المغرب يقاطع الكيان الصهيوني، والشعب المغربي ضد أي تطبيع'.

من جهته، قال منسق مجموعة العمل الوطنية لمساندة فلسطين والعراق خالد السفياني 'من المفروض على الدولة المغربية أن توقف هذه المهزلة'.

في المقابل قال عضو اللجنة التنفيذية لـحزب الاستقلال (الحاكم) عبد القادر الكيحل إن الهدف من إبرام عقود التجوال الدولي (الرومينغ) مع تلك الشركات هو تخفيض التكلفة على المتصل. وأضاف الكيحل 'الاتصال عبر الهاتف مع إسرائيل سيتحقق سواء عبر الأقمار الصناعية أو عبر خدمة الرومينغ'.

وعن سؤال عن احتمال تأثير الأطراف الأوروبية المساهمة في رأسمال اتصالات المغرب في الدفع نحو التعامل مع إسرائيل، نفى الكيحل أن تكون جهات أجنبية هي التي اتخذت القرار. وأكد أن الطرف المغربي هو الذي يتخذ القرار التدبيري لاتصالات المغرب. يشار إلى أن مجموعة فيفاندي الفرنسية تمتلك 53' من أسهم شركة اتصالات المغرب وتمتلك الحكومة المغربية 30'، في حين أن 17' من الأسهم مطروحة للتداول أمام العموم في بورصة الدار البيضاء.