#BDS: احتجاج في "الأونروا" على تعاقد الوكالة مع شركة إسرائيلية

شهدت وكالة الأمم المتحدة لإغاثة وتشغيل اللاجئين الفلسطينيين "الأونروا" بالاردن مؤخراً، موجة احتجاج عاملين لديها مرشحة للتصعيد، بسبب ما وصفوه بـ"تعاقد الوكالة مع شركة إسرائيلية لشراء أجهزة رقابة وتطوير الأنظمة والبرامج ذات العلاقة بنظام النقل لديها".

وقال عاملون في الوكالة بالاردن لـصحيفة "الغد" إنهم "رفضوا" في نهاية الأسبوع الماضي استخدام وسائل النقل التابعة للوكالة، من باصات وحافلات نقل صغيرة، بسبب ما اكتشفوه من "قيام الأونروا بشراء أنظمة الرقابة والتقنيات والأجهزة الرقابية الحديثة من شركة إسرائيلية".

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#BDS: UN chief attacks 'alienating' BDS

The head of the UN's relief agency in Gaza has criticised the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement and called for the release of Gilad Shalit.

UNRWA head John Ging was interviewed in front of a packed audience on Monday during the week-long Limmud conference, held at Warwick University.

Though he reserved particular criticism for Israel's "counterproductive" blockade of Gaza, Mr Ging struck
a conciliatory tone, acknowledging the low opinion of UNRWA in Israel and in the diaspora.

On BDS, he said: "In my personal and professional opinion, what we need are interventions that draw out the positive, that don't alienate.

"We have a very emotive, volatile situation in the Middle East and people are despairing of the situation. Coming with more pressure, in my view, is not going to be effective."

Mr Ging called Gilad Shalit's capture a "tragedy" and noted that he was being "held captive without respect for the Geneva Convention".

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#BDS: UNRWA Head: Don’t Boycott Israel

John Ging is no stranger to conflict. As director of the Gaza-based United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) since 2006, the former officer in the Irish army has drawn frequent criticism from Israel and its advocates, and has also been the target of assassination attempts by Islamic militants.
So he wasn’t particularly fazed this week, when Columbia University’s J Street-affiliated student group, under pressure from Barnard-Columbia Hillel, abruptly withdrew sponsorship of his Sunday night appearance on the campus. Hillel, of which the group is a member organization, insisted the event include a moderator, but a mutually agreeable one could not be found in time.
Ging, in New York as part of a national campus tour sponsored by the Washington, D.C.-based J Street Education Fund, spoke anyway, sponsored by six non-Jewish student organizations; an estimated 150 people attended.
On a break from his tour, which included an invitation-only event at New York University’s Hillel, and speeches in Chicago and Washington, Ging spoke with The Jewish Week about his efforts to “reach out” and “correct misunderstandings” about UNRWA.

Do you support Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state, and how do you feel about the boycott/divestment/sanctions movement?

The last time I was in the States I attended a celebration for Israel’s independence day with the Israelis at the UN. They know I’m pro-Israel. I celebrate Israel’s independence … It’s a concern that those representing themselves as pro-Palestinian are now linking that to anti-Israel sentiment and policies like divestment and boycott. I oppose that … The people of Israel need efforts to rebuild confidence that peace can be brought about. Talking about sanctions and boycotts is not going to bring about anything positive …