#BDS: Boycotting Israel gains momentum

The boycott by activists from the Boycott Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) Movement is gaining momentum in spreading protest against the selling of Israeli goods made in Palestinian occupied lands.

"They have shops selling goods from the illegal settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories. There is no reason why we should have shops here selling goods which are basically produced in an illegal settlement," a protester outside a London branch of the Israeli cosmetics firm Ahava told Press TV.

Stolen Beauty is CODEPINK's contribution to the BDS Movement against Ahava Dead Sea Laboratories.

"There is nothing beautiful about occupation and beauty products made in settlements on the West Bank, on occupied Palestinian land, that are subsidized in illegal settlements," the Campaign Manager of Stolen Beauty Nancy Kircorian said.

This boycott is just one in a long line of others gaining momentum worldwide. 

#BDS: MMA superstars to take on Israeli fighters

Critics call it barbaric, but fans of Mixed Martial Arts say it is a serious sport that demands highest level of athleticism. World's best to enter octagon cage in Tel Aviv's Nokia arena in November. Get ready for some blood, sweat and tears

Eighteen of the best Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighters in the world are scheduled to arrive in Israel on November 9 to take exchange blows in Tel Aviv's Nokia arena. The fighters, who have been elevated to god-like status around the world, will take on some local fighters as well.

The full contact combat sport is immensely popular around the world, with billions of dollars in annual revenue. The MMA's fan base in Israel has been growing steadily since local television stations began airing the bouts regularly.

Ticket prices for fight night at Nokia arena range from NIS 99 ($26) to NIS 1,000 ($265) near the octagon "cage."

Former heavyweight champion Ricco Rodriguez, "The African Assassin" Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou Nkamhoua and Jeff Monson are among the MMA stars who are due to appear in Tel Aviv.

#BDS: 'Love Revealed' debuts in Jerusalem

Christian American composer Esther Upham presents her oratorio 'Ahava Mitgala' as theme of hope for Israel, Jewish people

While anti-Semitism and sentiment against Israel is growing and international performers boycott the nation, one artist is bringing a message of comfort for the Jewish state.

Esther Upham, a Christian American composer, will debut her oratorio, “Ahava Mitgala” (Love Revealed), in Jerusalem during the High Holidays. This classical has a theme of hope for Israel and the Jewish people.

Upham, a pianist and composer, drew her inspiration from scripture and from living in Israel for two years as she composed this 15-song piece.

The piece, in Hebrew, will debut on Tuesday at the YMCA on King David Street. Upham, who will play the piano, will be accompanied by the Israel Chamber Orchestra conducted by Elli Jaffe together with the Jerusalem A-Cappella Singers directed by Judi Axelrod.

“The theme of Ahava Mitgala is an expression of God’s love and the continued covenant promises that he has made to Israel, both the land and the people,” Upham says.

Her inspiration for writing the oratorio came from the biblical text but also from living in Israel.

#BDS: الزراعة تقرر استئناف تصدير الزيتون الى اسرائيل

ذكرت مصادر مطلعة ان وزارة الزراعة وافقت اليوم على ثلاثة طلبات لتصدير ثمار الزيتون الى اسرائيل، مشيرة الى ان هذه الخطوة وجدت معارضة من جمعية مصدري منتجات الزيتون.  

 وعزت الوزارة قرارها الى "حرصها على مصلحة المزارعين  والمستثمرين الأردنيي".  

وتعقد جمعية مصدري منتجات الزيتون مؤتمرا صحفيا يوم غد الاربعاء  بالتعاون مع نقابة أصحاب المعاصر وبعض الجهات الأخرى  لشرح مخاطر فتح باب تصدير ثمار الزيتون  إلى إسرائيل

#BDS: Israel, South Africa, Academic Boycotts

The Faculty Senate at the University of Johannesburg will vote this week on whether to end an academic relationship between the South African university and one in Israel, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.

The vote has set off an intense debate among South African academics and intellectuals, with Archbishop Desmund Tutu last week urging the faculty at Johannesburg to cut their ties to Ben-Gurion. "Israeli universities are an intimate part of the Israeli regime, by active choice. While Palestinians are not able to access universities and schools, Israeli universities produce the research, technology, arguments and leaders for maintaining the occupation," Tutu wrote in Times Live.

For Israeli academics and many others who oppose academic boycotts, a vote to sever ties to Ben-Gurion could mark a major defeat. Not only would there be a concrete example of institutional support for an academic boycott, but there would be added symbolism to the move coming from South Africa. Boycott backers have repeatedly compared Israel's treatment of Palestinians to the apartheid regime in South Africa's treatment of its black majority -- a comparison that has been fiercely opposed by Israel's supporters (and by some critics of Israel as well).