Youth Against Normalization: 06/07/11

Jun 7, 2011

#BDS: Mise au point de la campagne BDS-France sur l'action BDS au Carrefour d'Evry en 2009

"Dont la publication sur le site Capjpo-Europalestine entraîne la comparution d'Olivia Zémor devant la 17ème chambre correctionnelle du Palais de Justice de Paris, le vendredi 17 juin prochain
Suite au message envoyé le 5 juin par Olivia Zémor, y compris sur les listes internationales, nous tenons à préciser des éléments importants :

- Cette action a été faite dans le cadre de la Campagne BDS France (www.bdsfrance.org) et c'est au nom de cette Campagne dont nos différentes associations sont membres que nous témoignerons le 17 juin.

- Il n'y a pas eu de principaux organisateurs de cette action, contrairement à ce qu'affirme ce mail. Les différentes organisations qui y ont participé sont partie prenante de la Campagne BDS France, et ont mené cette action collectivement."

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#BDS: Tutu congratulates Sydney's Marrickville Council's #Israel boycott #Australia

"Archbishop Desmond Tutu, veteran leader against South African apartheid, sends letter of support and solidarity to Marrickville Mayor and Councillors.

The Coalition for Justice and Peace in Palestine warmly congratulates the Mayor of Marrickville, Fiona Byrne, who has received a letter from Archbishop Desmond Tutu as a result of her and other Councillors’ support for the Boycotts, Divestment and Sanctions call from Palestinian civil society. The letter will be presented to Mayor Byrne at Marrickville Council Chambers on Tuesday, June 7, 2011.

The letter makes reference to Marrickville Council’s Sister City relationship with Bethlehem, the importance of sporting boycotts in the campaign against apartheid in South Africa and the pressure placed on Marrickville Council."

#BDS: “Not in our name”: #AUB faculty, staff and students object to honoring James Wolfensohn

"A group of faculty members are sending the below petition objecting to honoring James Wolfensohn at AUB’s upcoming commencement.

If you are an AUB faculty, staff, or student and would like to sign the letter, please send an email message from your AUB email account with the subject line “sign petition” to wolfpetition@gmail.com. In the body, simply indicate your home faculty (e.g. FHS, FEA, etc) and position (e.g. professor, staff member, student).

Dear Colleagues,

As you may know, the American University of Beirut plans to bestow an honorary doctorate on former World Bank president James Wolfensohn during the University’s 142^nd commencement scheduled on June 25, 2011. Mr. Wolfensohn has also been scheduled to deliver the keynote address at the commencement ceremony. We believe that honoring Mr. Wolfensohn – a former president of the World Bank[1], standing member of the international advisory council of the Israel Democracy Institute[2], and investor in a company (Better Place) that among other activities intends to build infrastructure to serve Israeli settlers in the West Bank[3]– symbolically undermines AUB’s legacy in the struggle for social justice and its historical connection to Beirut, to Palestine and beyond.

In defense of this legacy, we invite you to join us in objecting to Mr. Wolfensohn’s invitation to this year’s commencement and honorary doctorate bestowal by signing below. We also invite you to join us in calling for a more transparent and inclusive process for bestowal of honorary doctorates that respects the values that have most endeared AUB to its local context. The signed letter will be presented to the AUB community and to the general public.

Footnotes

[1] Numerous books and scholarly articles have documented the devastating effects of World Bank policies in the global South. E.g. Danaher (ed.), 50 Years is Enough, South End Press 1994. For specific coverage of the Wolfensohn era, see W. Bello, Dilemmas of Domination: the Unmaking of the American Empire, Henry Holt & Company, 2005 and see http://focusweb.org/the-limits-of-reform-the-wolfensohn-era-at-the-world-bank.html?Itemid=124

[2] See www.idi.org.il. For the mission of IDI, which includes supporting Israel as a “democratic and Jewish” state, see http://www.idi.org.il/sites/english/AboutIDI/Pages/HistoryandMission.aspx.

[3] Wolfensohn and Co. LLC is listed as a partner of Better Place (http://www.betterplace.com/the-company-partners), a company whose Israel subsidiary (http://www.betterplace.com/global-progress-israel) is building infrastructure to support electric vehicles. Also see Ali Abunimah, “Quartet ex-envoy’s investment helps Israel greenwash settlements,” The Electronic Intifada, 6 May 2010 available at http://electronicintifada.net/content/quartet-ex-envoys-investment-helps-israel-greenwash-settlements/8805 See also http://www.gojerusalem.com/discover/article_1226/Jerusalem-green-lights-electric-car-infrastructure"

#BDS: Document from Israeli Civil Administration proves #Ahava sources mud from Occupied Shores of Dead Sea

"Last year, Ahava's CEO Yaakov Ellis circulated a letter to retailers denouncing our boycott campaign and claiming that all the mud and minerals they use in their products are sourced from south of the Green Line (i.e. within Israel's 1948 borders). We thought this was a lie, and now we have evidence to prove it! The Israeli Civil Administration granted Ahava Dead Sea Laboratories an excavation permit for the shores of the Occupied West Bank in 2004, and stated at the end of May that the excavation site was still active. We are working to update our web site to reflect this documentary evidence that Ahava is indeed exploiting occupied natural resources (called PILLAGE in the Geneva Conventions). Ahava: stolen land, stolen mud, stolen beauty."

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#BDS: #AUB honors a Zionist and a promoter of shock capitalism #Lebanon

"A comrade from AUB sent me this: "I'm at AUB now, and we're trying to expose AUB's
honoring of Sir James Wolfensohn, World Bank head, ex-quartet representative, main investor in BMI Israel,
and international advisory board member of "The Israel Democracy Institute". and this year's truman prize honoree for the Hebrew University."

"About 40 people joined a “flash mob” action in the Myer Centre, Queen Street Mall, on June 3 to protest Seacret, as an Israeli company operating in Australia.

Seacret is a cosmetics firm that uses minerals from the Dead Sea, which is part of the Palestinian territory stolen by Israel over decades of invasion and oppression.

Participants in the flash mob occupied tables in the food court at Myers and chanted a song, beginning with the refrain, “We will boycott Israel! We will boycott Israel!”

They then trooped through the centre, chanting, “Free, free Palestine!”

#BDS: نداء BDS المغرب #Morocco

إن المواطنات و المواطنين والجمعيات والنقابات والشخصيات المغربية الموقعة

* وعيا منها بالمأزق الذي وصل إليه المجتمع الدولي، بخصوص قضية فلسطين، من خلال منحه الحصانة المطلقة لكيان إسرائيل العنصري، عند خرقه المتكرر للحق والقانون.

* رغبة منها في المساهمة في خلق مستقبل عادل و آمن للمنطقة بأسرها وللعالم، هذا المستقبل الذي تكتب صفحاته اليوم في فلسطين،

* استلهاما من الانتصار التاريخي للمجتمع المدني العالمي ضد نظام الفصل العنصري بجنوب إفريقيا (Apartheid)، انتصار ساهمت في صقله حملات المقاطعة، وسحب الاستثمارات و فرض العقوبات،

* تضامنا مع الشعب الفلسطيني و استجابة لنداء المجتمع المدني الفلسطيني للانخراط في حملة [B-D-S] الدولية، أي حملة المقاطعة وسحب الاستثمارات وفرض العقوبات،

* تماشيا مع القانون الإنساني الدولي.

إقرأ/ي المزيد

#BDS: AN OPEN LETTER TO PAUL SIMON

"Dear Paul Simon,

We know you’re no stranger to controversy.    When you recorded parts of 'Graceland’ in apartheid South Africa with black South African musicians, you were publicly criticised by the liberation movement, the ANC, and anti-apartheid organisations, for breaking the cultural boycott.

At the time, you told the UN Special Committee Against Apartheid that you yourself had 'refused to perform in South Africa’.    And since anti- apartheid icons Miriam Makeba and Hugh Masekela played in the live 'Graceland’ tour (even though there were anti-apartheid demonstrators at some of the venues), you clearly convinced key members of the anti- apartheid movement that you were not colluding with, or intending in any way to promote, the apartheid regime.

We’re struggling to see any carry-over from this situation to your forthcoming concert in Ramat Gan, Israel, on July 21.    You’ve played in Israel before, so perhaps this event doesn’t seem that important to you – just a one-night add-on to your US and European tour (and maybe that’s why the Ramat Gan date doesn’t figure in the tour list on your website)."

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#BDS: Corporate Statement on the Boycott of Israeli Goods

"Over recent days there has been some highly misleading publicity in the national and international press concerning West Dunbartonshire Council’s policy on the boycott of Israeli goods. In light of this publicity, the Council has received a number of complaints.

The facts are as follows.

· The boycott on the purchase of Israeli goods followed a unanimous decision of West Dunbartonshire Council in January 2009. The boycott was in response to the Israeli state’s policy and actions in the Occupied Territories.

· The boycott was not retrospective and applied only to purchases made from January 2009 onwards.

· The boycott has not prevented West Dunbartonshire’s library service from purchasing any book which it wished to purchase."

#BDS: Scottish council reaffirms boycott policy in face of smear campaign

"West Dunbartonshire council has reaffirmed its support for BDS following false allegations made about the implementation of its boycott policy.

The statement read:

Over recent days there has been some highly misleading publicity in the national and international press concerning West Dunbartonshire Council’s policy on the boycott of Israeli goods. In light of this publicity, the Council has received a number of complaints.

The facts are as follows.

#BDS: ACTION ALERT:Napalm Death : Playing in #Israel is Supporting Apartheid

On June 17, Napalm Death are scheduled to perform in apartheid Israel. Please ask them to respect the Palestinians BDS call.

Like the facebook page and tell Napalm Death not to perform in Israel!

#BDS: La conférence d’un officier supérieur de l’armée israélienne boycottée à Bruxelles

"BRUXELLES (EJP) — Une conférence à Bruxelles d’un officier supérieur de l’armée israélienne a été annulée à la suite de pressions exercées par des ONG pro-palestiniennes auprès des organisateurs.

Le colonel Liron Libman, chef du Département du droit international au siège de l’avocat général militaire de l’armée israélienne, devait prendre la parole mercredi au Palais des Académies à l’invitation de la section belge de l’Association de droit international sur le thème “les défis dans une guerre asymétrique: une expérience israélienne »
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#BDS: ACTION ALERT: I Support #Coldplay For Supporting Human Rights In #Palestine

"On June 1st, 2011, Coldplay promoted "Freedom for Palestine" by OneWorld on their official Facebook page. We support Coldplay's support for a movement that calls for freedom and peace for the people of Palestine.

The single includes contributions by several artists, including Maxi Jazz from the band Faithless, David Randall and the Durban Gospel Choir.

"Palestine is in crisis," said the OneWorld website, "Today Palestinians face daily human rights abuse and live in crushing poverty in refugee camps and under Israeli Occupation."

The money raised by sales of the single will go to Palestine projects by the UK charity War on Want."

Read more and like the facebook page to show Coldplay that you support their move or leave them a comment on their offical facebook page

#BDS Needed: '#Israel Week' exhibition in #Milan faces possible closure in face of pro-Palestine protests

"Italian police have refused to handle security for an Israeli exhibit at a central Milan square next week due to threats of violence by Palestinian activists, Yedioth Ahronoth reported Monday.

The exhibit, set to take place at Piazza Duomo, has been planned in honor of 'Israel Week' in the city. It includes 15 towers showcasing Israeli culture, technology, agriculture, economics, and art "to present the unfamiliar Israel".

But pro-Palestinian organizations are threatening to target the exhibit. Over the past few days the groups have been urging internet users to sign a petition to cancel the exhibit."

#BDS Success: Palestinian pressure causes #Linux founder to cancel #Israel visit

"Richard Stallman bowed to pressure from his Palestinian hosts who threatened to withdraw funding for the trip.

The Palestinian boycott has spread to the Israeli high-tech world. Richard Stallman, who initiated the free software movement and launched the Linux operating system, has cancelled his lectures in Israel following Palestinian pressure, according to Gal Mor's blog "holes in the net."

Stallman was scheduled to visit Israel in July and to speak at Haifa University, Tel Aviv University and Shenkar College. The Palestinians initiated the visit, but when they understood that Stallman would also be speaking at Israeli universities they told him they would no longer fund the trip. In response, Stallman announced that he would cancel the speaking engagements in Israel, and would be satisfied with visiting the Palestinian Authority regions only."

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