Iran to publish list of Israeli-linked companies to boycott - #BDS

"Israelis run a global economic cartel that is constantly establishing new companies under new brands."

Iran plans to publish a list of multi-national companies with Israeli links that will have sanctions applied against them, an Iranian official said, according to a Tuesday report by semi-official news agency Press TV.

Iran's Vice President for Parliamentary Affairs Mohammed-Reza Mir-Tajeddini said that the Israelis run a global economic cartel that is constantly establishing new companies under new brands that the list will expose and mark for embargo.

The soon to be published list came about as the result of a bill passed by Iranian lawmakers in June calling for a an all encompassing boycott of Israeli companies and institutions.

The bill also called for Iran's Foreign Ministry to use its influence to promote the boycott of Israeli goods abroad at international meetings, including he Organization of the Islamic Conference and the Non-Aligned Movement.

Iran's Central Bank governor called for a cut in imports to boost domestic production as the country grapples with tougher international sanctions over its nuclear program, the state-run daily newspaper Iran reported last week.

Success as Pollokshields, Glasgow joins boycott of Israeli dates - #BDS

Despite the almost overwhelmingly positive response from the Muslim community, Friends of Al Aqsa identified one shopowner in Pollokshields who was ignoring the calls to boycott. Pollokshields is one of the areas of Glasgow with a strong and proud Muslim community, established over many decades and with several large shops this store owner was setting a negative example that Friends of Al Aqsa felt could not go unchallenged. Several weeks ago Friends of Al Aqsa asked SPSC Glasgow to join a protest/picket outside the shop-owners' flagship grocery store in Pollokshields, Strawberry & Spice Gardens, a request we readily accepted.

This protest was called-off at the last minute due to promises made by the shop-owner to remove the dates and when this promise was not fulfilled a second protest/picket was called for Saturday 21st August and in the spirit of cooperation and solidarity with this Friends of Al Aqsa initiative the decision was made to cancel our SPSC stall in Sauchiehall Street to divert SPSC activists to Pollokshileds whilst maintaining our weekly stall at Waitrose.

Code Pink aims to stage barbed-wire Gaza outside White House - #BDS

Led by CODEPINK, activists will come together to put on a short performance, with the White House as their backdrop, to parody the farce masquerading as peace talks. The performers will include “President Abbas,” “Prime Minister Netanyahu,” and “Secretary Clinton”. There will be people from Gaza, behind barbed wire, complaining that they are not included, and settlers and IDF soldiers busily building more settlements while the talks are going on. The activists will employ large props, witty dialogue, and the White House background to put on an engaging and funny performance that delivers an important message: these talks are little more than a farce meant for producing photo opportunities for the U.S. while allowing a continuation of Israeli settlement expansion, land annexation and the siege of Gaza.

“While we are making fun of a process that will go nowhere, we will also be making a serious point that real negotiations can only happen if the people of Gaza are represented through their elected government, Hamas, and if there is a halt to Israel’s expansionist policies,” says CODEPINK cofounder Medea Benjamin, who will play Hillary Clinton in the play. The actors/actresses will also be available for serious interviews on their views of the peace process.

What:

When: Wednesday, September 1st, 12 PM

Where: In front of the White House

Who: The CODEPINK Theater Troupe

LCD Soundsystem defies calls to boycott Israel - #BDS

An American musician has performed in Israel despite a campaign mounted by pro-Palestinian activists encouraging him to boycott the gig.

American dance act LCD Soundsystem, the stage name of producer James Murphy, played to both Israeli and Arab fans at a concert in Tel Aviv on Tuesday.

By appearing at the Heineken Music Festival Mr Murphy defied the efforts of anti-Israel protesters, who had bombarded the LCD Soundystem Facebook page with messages accusing him of endorsing “a fascist mass murdering regime”.

One person wrote on the page: “Many Israelis believe it is right to murder Palestinian babies. They don’t even consider it a murder.”

The activists had also set up a Facebook group entitled “Please don't play for Apartheid Israel.” One member of the group commented: “Do you want to play for slow genocide?” while another wrote: “Do you want to play for war criminals?”

Last month a group of Irish artists launched a cultural boycott of Israel, while in May Elvis Costello cancelled a performance in Israel for “political reasons”.

However others, including Johnny Rotten, Missy Elliot and Rihanna have all ignored calls to pull out of concerts.

Palestinians present: Resistance through culture - #BDS

Not just Boney M: Summer of 2010 sees West Bank turning into major cultural center with countless dance, film and music festivals, performances. Message is support of Palestinian people in their quest for independence, event organizers say

After their daily Ramadan fast-breaking meal, some 3,000 people gathered at Nablus' Sama Park to enjoy Syrian and Egyptian drama series on a big screen and a Spanish flamenco performance last week.

Nablus is not alone. In recent months the West Bank has turned into one giant performance and culture center. One of the major attractions was the Palestine International Festival of Dance and Music. Tens of thousands of Palestinians flocked to watch exciting performances by various groups and artists.

Ramallah Mayor Janet Mikhail invited residents to join in the street dancing as part of the Ramallah Festival of Contemporary Dance. The city also hosted the Jerusalem Festival and the International Film Festival.

Israeli institutions facing new boycotts—by Israelis - #BDS

JERUSALEM (JTA) -- By now it would seem that Israelis are accustomed to calls for boycotts of Israeli products and institutions.

Many, however, may have been caught off guard this summer when those calls came from inside Israel.

In two separate incidents over the past few weeks, Israelis issued a call for boycott or announced a boycott of an Israeli institution for political reasons. One protest came from the right, directed at an Israeli university with allegedly “anti-Zionist” professors on staff; one came from the left, directed at an Israeli theater in the West Bank.

The boycotts from within may mark a new front in Israel’s political battles.

For the time being, mainstream Israeli figures are condemning both boycotts.

"Culture is a bridge in society, and political disputes should be left outside cultural life and art," Israel’s minister of culture and sport, Limor Livnat, said in response to the theater boycott.

The latest boycott call came after several Israeli theater companies announced plans to stage productions at a new theater in Ariel, a Jewish city of 20,000 in the West Bank. The $10 million cultural center in Ariel, which was built partly with government funding, is scheduled to open Nov. 8. It will be the first major theater in a Jewish settlement, most of which are smaller bedroom communities.

H&M Protests in Sweden on August 18th and 28th - #BDS

On August 18th and 28th there were protests in Stockholm and Gothenburg, Sweden, against H&M’s continued establishment in Israel. Activists handed out flyers to customers and informed about H&M’s investment in an apartheid state – Kfar Saba is the fourth H&M store opened in Israel this year – and how it contradicts the global BDS movement aiming to defeat apartheid. H&M turns a blind eye to the blatant discrimination of Palestinians in Israel and to the ethnic cleansing and occupation being perpetrated not far from the new H&M stores.  Furthermore, H&M stores in Sweden were labeled with alternative price tags. The new sticker price tags are similar in size and style to the original labels, and carry the message of the BDS against H&M campaign.