#BDS Victory: #Moddi cancels Tel Aviv gig after appeal from Gaza

Norwegian musician Moddi has canceled a scheduled Tel Aviv show following a call from Palestinians in Gaza, echoed by solidarity activists.

In his powerful statement, Moddi explains that “Although music can be a unique arena for public debate, the debate over these territories has been misused for a long time. Discussion and dialogue creates an impression of constant progress.”

Meanwhile the “discourse of peace creates a thick veil, concealing the increasingly tighter besiegement of Gaza, the ongoing fragmentation of the West Bank and the continuing discrimination of Arab-Israeli citizens.”

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#BDS: #Norway’s pension fund divests from #Israel’s largest real estate firm

"Norway’s finance ministry has excluded Shikun & Binui from the Government Pension Fund Global (GPFG), the largest pension fund in Europe, over its construction of illegal Israeli colonies in East Jerusalem. Analysts have described the company as Israel’s largest real estate business. 

The Norwegian government has previously divested from Israeli military company Elbit, as well as Africa Israel Investments and Danya Cebus, two other construction companies involved in building illegal settlements. The two divestment announcements followed large international campaigns. The human rights organization Adalah-NY has recentlyunveiled evidence that Africa Israel continues to construct illegal settlements despite its reassurances to the Norwegian government and others to the contrary."

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#BDS: Norwegian Prime Minister's Participation In May Day Event Featuring Anti-Israel Slogans #Norway

"Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg, who leads Norway's governing Labour Party, spoke at the LO event in Bergen to celebrate International Workers' Day. Among the 11 official slogans for this year's parade were "Israel = Apartheid" and "Boycott Israel!"


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#BDS: #US raised academic boycott vote with Norwegian government, #Wikileaks show

"Cables released this week by Wikileaks show that the US government raised with the Government of Norway concern over a motion to boycott Israeli academic institutions at University of Science and Technology in Trondheim (NTNU) in Norway.

A 10 November 2009 cable with the subject “NORWEGIAN UNIVERSITY TO VOTE ONBOYCOTT OF ISRAELI ACADEMICS” designated “unclassified/for official use only” explains that a US diplomat called a Norwegian counterpart to seek the Norwegian government’s views on the upcoming boycott vote. The Norwegian diplomat confirmed that the boycott measure is contrary to Norwegian state policy.

The memo also shows that the deputy chief of mission had also contacted his Israeli counterpart Aviad Ivri “to ascertain the Israeli Mission’s responses and actions to date on the threatened boycott.”

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#BDS: النرويج: ضحايا المجرزة طالبوا بمقاطعة إسرائيل وتأييد الدولة الفلسطينية

قال الموقع النرويجي "بوليتاليسك" إن شبيبة حزب السلطة في جزيرة أوتويا ناقشوا الأربعاء الماضي، قبل يومين من وقوع المجزرة، إقامة الدولة الفلسطينية ودعوا إلى مقاطعة إسرائيل.

 

وجاء أن الشبيبة قد التقوا وزير الخارجية النرويجي يوهانس ستور، وطالبوا بالاعتراف بالدولة الفلسطينية، في حين رد الأخير بالقول إن الفلسطينيين يستحقون دولة لهم، وقال "يجب أن ينتهي الاحتلال، ويجب أن يهدم الجدار الآن".

 

وعلم أن عددا من الشبيبة في المكان رفعوا شعارات تطالب بمقاطعة إسرائيل.

 

إقرأ/ي المزيد

#BDS: Five Norwegian PR Firms Reject Lucrative Offers to Improve #Israel’s Global Image

"Five of Norway’s largest PR firms have said ‘no’ to offers to improve Israel’s global public relations campaign, reported the Norwegian newspaper Dagens Naæringsliv.

Israel is attempting to widen its global public relations campaign by hiring foreign PR firm to improve its reputation abroad. With the increasing threat being posed by the international Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, and the publicity surrounding Israelis human rights violations in the occupied Palestinian Territory, Israel has contacted public relations specialists in Britain, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, the Czech Republic and Norway for help."

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#BDS: #Norway Youth Camp had a boycott #Israel rally before attack

"Forty-eight hours before Friday massacre, teens participating in ruling party youth camp met with Norwegian foreign minister. Some called for boycott of Israel

The teenagers who took part in Norway's ruling party youth camp in the island of Utoya met with Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere and demanded he recognize Palestine on Wednesday, two days before the deadly terror attack which left many of them dead.

Gahr Stoere told the youths that the Palestinians deserve a country of their own and that the occupation must end, Norwegian website Politisk reported. Several of the youths waved signs reading: "Boycott Israel."

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#BDS: Activists in towns and cities across Norway take action on Palestine Land Day

#BDS: Another BDS Success: Norwegian union votes to support Israel boycott

"OSLO, Norway (Ma'an) --The congress of the Electrician and IT workers union in Norway unanimously voted in favor of a resolution calling for boycott of Israeli goods, a ban on Norwegian arms trade with the Israeli military, and end to all research cooperation. 

Norway's Network One news said in a report that union members also urged the country to push for international sanctions against Israel through the UN."

#BDS: Five Norwegian PR Firms Reject Lucrative Offers to Improve Israel’s Global Image

"Israel is attempting to widen its global public relations campaign by hiring foreign PR firm to improve its reputation abroad. With the increasing threat being posed by the international Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, and the publicity surrounding Israelis human rights violations in the occupied Palestinian Territory, Israel has contacted public relations specialists in Britain, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, the Czech Republic and Norway for help.

The project, for which each firm would be paid around 3.5 million USD annually, is to help Israel promote its vision in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, as well as prevent the international boycott, amongst other things.

“Israel is an highly controversial project,” Sigurd Grytten, the PR firm Burson-Marsteller’s Managing Director, told the paper.

Statements by heads of the public relations agencies Geelmuyden.Keise, Gambit H&K, Apeland Informasjon, and First House range from “difficult”, to “no comment”. Only one agency, Kreab, has said it might consider the assignment.

In response, Aviad Ivri, Counselor at the Israeli embassy in Oslo, said, “It’s no secret that Israel has a reputation problem.”

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#BDS: Norwegian Pension Divests from Israeli Companies

"The Norwegian Government Pension Fund Global (GPFG) announced divestment from two Israeli companies, Africa Israel Investments and Danya Cebus, due to their involvement in the construction of illegal settlements in the West Bank.

This comes only a year after the GPFG divested from Elbit Systems Ltd., the Israeli defense firm involved in the construction of the Separation Wall.

Danya Cebus has carried out construction projects, as a hired contractor, in Har Homa, an Israeli settlement in East Jerusalem, and in the settlements Ma’aleh Adumim, Modi’in Ilit, and Adam, according to Israeli news daily Haaretz. At the end of 2009 the Norwegian fund owned shares worth 7.2 million Norwegian crowns (‏€1.16 million) in Africa Israel Investments."

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#BDS: Norway Divests from Leviev Companies Due to Israeli Settlement Construction

"New York, NY – In a major victory for the international movement for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) against Israel, the Norwegian government announced today that it has divested from Lev Leviev’s company Africa Israel Investments and its construction subsidiary Danya Cebus due to their construction of Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. The move followed a campaign of more than a year by affected Palestinian villages of Bil’in and Jayyous and by Norwegian, Palestinian, Israeli, and international activist groups, including Adalah-NY, calling on the Norwegian government to divest from Africa Israel."


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#BDS: Norway examines the ethics of its Israel investments

"Of 41 Israeli firms the Norwegian pension fund holds, focus is on Elbit for its military products.

Norway is reexamining its investments in several Israeli companies, in particular Elbit Systems. Two representatives of the Council on Ethics of the Norwegian finance ministry visited Israel at the beginning of June, in the wake of growing criticism of Israel in Norway in the months following last winter's Israeli offensive in Gaza. The representatives met with, among others, groups of Palestinians and Israelis who claim that Norway invests in businesses directly involved in the Israeli occupation, which, they say, contradicts its commitment to abide by international law and to a just solution for the area."

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#BDS: دعوة بالنرويج لمقاطعة إسرائيل

وجهت عشرات الشخصيات النرويجية البارزة دعوة لمقاطعة ثقافية وأكاديمية لإسرائيل، معتبرين أن تلك المؤسسات الثقافية تلعب دورا أساسيا في الاحتلال، وقد أدانت إسرائيل هذه الدعوة واعتبرت أنها بمنزلة دعوة لمقاطعة عملية السلام.

 

فقد وقعت مائة شخصية نرويجية على رأسهم مدرب الفريق الوطني لكرة القدم على وثيقة تطالب بمقاطعة ثقافية وأكاديمية لإسرائيل، واعتبروا أن المؤسسات الثقافية الإسرائيلية تلعب دورا أساسيا في الاحتلال وشبهوه بنظام الفصل العنصري الذي كان قائما في جنوب أفريقيا.

 

وفور صدور دعوة المقاطعة تلك أصدرت إسرائيل على لسان داني أيالون نائب وزير الخارجية إدانته للمقاطعة، ونقلت صحيفة جيروزالم بوست عنه قوله إن دعوة المقاطعة هي بمنزلة دعوة لمقاطعة عملية السلام من خلال دعم الموقف الفلسطيني تلقائيا ودفعهم بعيدا عن طاولة المفاوضات.

 

ودعا أيالون الحكومة النرويجية إلى إدانة المطالبة بالمقاطعة، مما حدا برئيس الحكومة النرويجي السابق كجيل ماين بونديفيك إلى طمأنة إسرائيل بأن تلك المقاطعة لا تمثل سياسة الحكومة الحالية.

#BDS: Norvège : le sélectionneur de l’équipe nationale de football appelle au boycott d’Israël

A l’initiative du sélectionneur de l’équipe nationale de football Egil Drillo Olsen, une centaine de personnalités norvégiennes issues du milieu de la culture ont signé une pétition appelant au boycott d’Israel et accusant le système éducatif israélien de pratiquer un "apartheid", et de jouer un rôle majeur dans l’"occupation".

Dans les colonnes du quotidien Aftenposten, Olsen a estimé être en phase avec "90% de la population mondiale". Selon la pétition, le boycott est "nécessaire non seulement pour aider les Palestiniens mais aussi les opposants israéliens".

Les dirigeants israéliens n’ont pas manqué d’accuser la Norvège d’antisémitisme, en soulignant que le ministre des Affaires étrangères Jonas Gahr Stoere a publié un livre l’an dernier, accusant d’assassinat l’armée et qu’un diplomate norvégien a récemment comparé l’opération Plomb durci aux exactions commises par les nazis.

Peu de temps après les massacres de Gaza, le fonds de pension public norvégien a retiré ses actions dans l’entreprise Elbit Systems, ayant participé à la construction de la barrière de sécurité.

Et le conseil d’administration de l’université de Trondheim, NTNU, a ouvertement débattu de la possibilité de mettre en place un boycott contre Israël.

#BDS: الخارجية الإسرائيلية تدين دعوات نرويجية لمقاطعتها

أدان نائب وزير الخارجية الإسرائيلي داني أيالون الأربعاء 24-11-2010 مطالبة 100 شخصية نرويجية بارزة بمقاطعة إسرائيل، معتبراَ أن ذلك بمثابة مقاطعة لعملية السلام. 

ونقلت صحيفة "جيروزالم بوست" عن أيالون قوله "الذين يدعون إلى مقاطعة إسرائيل هم في الواقع يقاطعون عملية السلام" من خلال دعم الموقف الفلسطيني تلقائياً "ودفعهم بعيداً عن طاولة المفاوضات" ودعا الحكومة النرويجية إلى إدانة المطالبة بالمقاطعة.

وكانت مائة شخصية نرويجية على رأسهم مدرب الفريق الوطني لكرة القدم قد وقعت على وثيقة تطالب بمقاطعة ثقافية وأكاديمية لإسرائيل، واعتبروا أن المؤسسات الثقافية الإسرائيلية "تلعب دوراً أساسياً في الاحتلال" وشبهوه بنظام الفصل العنصري الذي كان قائماً في جنوب أفريقيا.

#BDS: One hundred famous Norwegians call for cultural and academic boycott of Israel

OSLO (EJP)---One hundred famous Norwegians, led by the country’s national football coach, have signed a petition demanding a cultural and academic boycott of Israel, accusing its educational institutions of “playing a key role in the occupation” and equating it with apartheid.

A Norwegian ex-premier denounced their boycott call.

Egil Drillo Olsen, coach for the national Norwegian football team, recently wrote in Aftenposten, the country’s second largest paper, that the call to boycott Israel was "in line with what 90 percent of the world’s population believes. There cannot be many other opinions."

The petition is the last item in a string of similar and high-profile initiatives to have taken place in Norway over the past two years. It was signed by coach Olsen and 99 other public figures from the arts and culture, who stated that a boycott is "necessary" not only to help Palestinians, but also to "support Israelis opposing the occupation."

#BDS: حملة مضايقات وتهديدات صهيونية للشيوعي درللو مدرب منتخب النرويج بعد توقيعه على بيان مقاطعة الكيان الصهيوني

أصدقاء "اسرائيل" حاقدون على دريلو مدرب المنتخب النرويجي بعد توقيعه على عريضة مقاطعة " اسرائيل"

أوسلو - الصفصاف : يتعرض مدرب المنتخب الوطني النرويجي في كرة القدم أغيل دريللو أولسن الى حملة مضايقات وحقد منظمة تقف خلفها مؤسسات وأشخاص متصهينين وصهاينة من النرويجيين وغير النرويجيين.. يقوم هؤلاء الأشخاص بارسال رسائل عادية والكتنرونية بالبريد الالكتروني ، جارحة وحاقدة وحتى أن في بعضها تهديدات واضحة للمدرب النرويجي. قال دريللو انه لا يعيرها اهتمامه ولن يلتفت اليها.

يقول دريللو صانع امجاد النرويج الكروية على الصعيدين القاري والعالمي ، والشيوعي النرويجي المعروف ، أن هذه الرسائل صادرة عن متطرفين من داخل وخارج النرويج.

ومعروف ان دريللو كان اثناء العدوان الصهيوني الأخيرعلى غزة وجه انتقادات عنيفة وقاسية للكيان "الاسرائيلي".

ومما قاله : " ان اسرائيل تنتهك حقوق الانسان ، وتخرق المواثيق والاتفاقيات الدولية ولا تهتم بالأمم المتحدة". وكنا في موقع الصفصاف نشرنا تلك التصريحات في حينه.

ويرى مراقبون متضامنون مع القضية الفلسطينية في النرويج أنه من المستحسن أن يقوم أصدقاء فلسطين بارسال رسائل تضامنية مع دريللو للتأكيد على أن هناك كثيرون يحترمون موقفه ويقدرونه ويرفضون التحرشات والتهديدات الصهيونية الصادرة عن متطرفين يهود وصهاينة في الكيان الصهيوني وفي دول اوروبا والغرب

#BDS: 8 countries absent from OECD tourism conference

BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) Norway, Canada, Ireland, the UK, Sweden, Iceland, Turkey and South Africa will not be present at the OECD tourism conference to be held in Jerusalem this month despite objections from the Palestinian Authority, Palestinian civil society groups said Thursday.

The controversy comes amid attempts by Israel to use the conference to further its territorial claims on Jerusalem and in response to concerns raised by Palestinian and international civil society, as well as Palestinian officials, that the conference would serve to whitewash Israel's violations of international law.

Some of the eight countries have explained their withdrawals were political in nature.

Norway and Turkey condemned comments made by Israeli politicians in the run-up to the conference. The Swedish delegation to the OECD referred campaigners to EU policy on the status of Jerusalem and hinted their stance was an attempt to assert the policy.

In a blow to the credibility of the conference at which officials were to discuss tourism policy, a majority of invited countries did not send tourism ministers but sent low-ranking officials instead.

The Greek delegation to the OECD told campaigners during telephone calls that no officials from Athens would make the trip and that Greece would merely be represented by a staff member from the Greek tourist information center in Tel Aviv. The Czech Republic is the only EU country to send political representation.

#BDS: Norway artist angry as works withdrawn from Syria show

DAMASCUS — Two paintings by Norway's Haakon Gullvaag that show an Israeli flag have been withdrawn from an exhibition at the French Cultural Centre in the Syrian capital, the artist said on Monday.

His "Terra Sancta" exhibition contains works about the Israeli offensive against the Islamist-ruled Gaza Strip in December 2008 and January 2009.

Two of the works in which the Israeli flag features were removed from the show on Saturday, an angry Gullvaag told AFP by phone from Oslo, adding the French embassy in Damascus "explained to us that it was their decision.

"This was done without contacting the artist, the curator or the Norwegian embassy. I have never experienced something similar in my entire life."

The artist said the French embassy said it had concerns about a hotel near the cultural centre which normally has many Iranian guests.

"They were afraid that the Iranians would misunderstand the motifs as being Israel-friendly. Then the cultural centre claimed that some students have complained about showing the Israeli flag at all," Gullvaag said.