‘NYT’ piece from Dead Sea ‘kibbutz’ ignores int’l boycott of its products

In “As it Shrinks, the Dead Sea Nourishes Promises of an Economic Bloom,” [New York Times, yesterday, p. A8], Isabel Kershner presents a rosy picture of what she calls the Israeli “kibbutz” of Kalia, situated on the shores of Dead Sea. Kalia is, in actuality, an illegal Jewish-only settlement implanted in the Occupied Palestinian West Bank by Israel. (All settlements in the Occupied Palestinian West Bank are illegal under international law.).

But Kalia is not just any settlement: Kershner fails to mention that it is a co-owner of Ahava Dead Sea Laboratories (Kalia holds 7.5% of the company’s shares), a cosmetics firm whose main factory is also located on stolen Palestinian territory. Ahava is the target of a growing international boycott campaign because of its illegal practices, including the sourcing of raw materials from from Palestinian land. Indeed, sources inside Israel allege that Ahava excavates mud used in its products from the shores of the very settlement of Kalia described in Kershner’s article. This excavation and export of minerals in occupied territory is against international law (the Geneva Conventions explicitly forbid the “exploitation of occupied resources by the occupying power”).

Dianna Krall jazzes up Ra’anana, leaving politics aside.

It takes a singular talent for a singer to perform outdoors in Ra’anana on a sweaty, muggy evening and make the audience feel as if they were in an air conditioned club, listening to cool jazz amid the tinkle of ice cubes in a glass.

It also takes a singular talent for the wife of Elvis Costello, the singer who dissed the country a few months back by refusing to perform here on ‘political grounds,’ to come and play in such a way that people no longer wished a pox on the Costello house, simply because she lives in that house.

Color me provincial, but I would have been bowled over had she stepped on stage in that black, sleeveless dress of hers and mangled some innocuous Hebrew phrase, or said, “Hello Israel,” or something at all to acknowledge that she was playing here, in Israel, and not in Belgrade, or Bucharest, or Beirut, where she was the night before.

Meg Ryan snubs J'lem Festival after ‘Mavi Marmara.’

Hollywood actors such as Meg Ryan backed out of attending this year’s annualJerusalem Film Festival, which is set to kick off this coming Thursday, following the international outcry over Israel’s attack on a Turkish-led flotilla that attempted to break the Gaza blockade on May 31, The Jerusalem Post learned Monday.

According to Cinematheque associate director Yigal Molad Hayo, while neither gave the political climate as a direct reason for canceling their participation in the festival, “it became quite clear that this was the reason,” he said.

LEBANON: Supermarket chain won't sell Melitta coffee filters with Hebrew writing on package

“We saw that they are from Israel so we sent them back," one of the retail assistants said to a customer. "Don’t worry. We will be getting Melitta’s from America instead."

No, they’re not from Israel. Though the sight of the Jewish state’s official language is enough to make some foes of Israel recoil, Melitta’s European Article Number, a bar code listed on all products from the continent, shows that the filters were made in Germany.

The U.S. government alleges that T.S.C., in cahoots with PWC, inflated the prices of fresh fruits and vegetables in their contracts with the Pentagon. After PWC paid T.S.C.’s inflated invoice, T.S.C. paid a kickback to PWC in the form of a 10% rebate.

PWC and T.S.C. have provided U.S. troops in the Middle East with food supplies since 2003.

Johnny Rotten defends Israel tour with his own brand of anti-Arab racism

The not so anti-establishment John Lydon, ex-frontman for the Sex Pistols, is proving himself to as rubbish at politics as he is at music. Unlike other prominent artists, Lydon is going ahead with a tour of apartheid Israel. In defence of his move he displayed his anti-Arab racism and ignorance in his interview with the UK's Independent newspaper:

"I really resent the presumption that I'm going there to play to right-wing Nazi jews," he tells me. "If Elvis-fucking-Costello wants to pull out of a gig in Israel because he's suddenly got this compassion for Palestinians, then good on him. But I have absolutely one rule, right? Until I see an Arab country, a Muslim country, with a democracy, I won't understand how anyone can have a problem with how they're treated."

Ayelet Zurer on life in Hollywood

Successful Israeli actress talks about being 41 in an industry obsessed with youth, her 'wild life' during her 20s and working with Tom Hanks

While there are numerous other Israeli beauties representing the country overseas, none of them even approaches Ayelet Zurer's league. After 15 years of playing the beautiful girl and breaking our hearts in various local productions, the actress decided it was finally time to tackle Hollywood and moved to Los Angeles with her family.

Dylan sheet music site boycotts Israeli web users

Operator of website that distributes tabs, lyrics to Bob Dylan songs decides to impose private cultural boycott on Jewish state by blocking Israeli users from site

Israeli web users accustomed to surfing the site dylanchords for tabs and lyrics to Bob Dylan songs have recently been blocked from the IP address as the site operator has imposed his own cultural boycott on Israel after the flotilla raid at the beginning of last week

فنان تونسي يغني ويهتف بحياة نتنياهو

انتشر أخيراً شريط يظهر مغنياً تونسياً يهتف لرئيس الوزراء الإسرائيلي في حفلة خاصة، ما أثار موجة من الانتقادات وردود الفعل العنيفة

«يحيا بيبي (بنيامين) نتنياهو» كانت هذه العبارة كافية لمطالبة أكثر من عشرين ألف تونسي بسحب الجنسية عن الفنان محسن الشريف. في يوم واحد، أنشأ تونسيون أكثر من مجموعة على موقع «فايسبوك» احتجاجاً على هذه العبارة التي أطلقها الفنان التونسي في إحدى حفلاته الخاصة. وظهر شريف في شريط انتشر على الإنترنت، وهو يغنّي، ويهتف بحياة رئيس الوزراء الإسرائيلي، ورئيس الجمهورية التونسي زين العابدين بن علي، من دون أن يُحدَّد زمان الحفلة ومكانها. وإن كانت بعض التقارير الصحافية التي لم تتأكد قد قالت إنّ الحفلة أقيمت في مدينة إيلات الإسرائيلية.

It's official: Rihanna to perform in Israel

Popular Barbadian R&B artist to conclude her European tour with concert in Jaffa's Bloomfield Stadium on May 30

Following months of negotiations, it's now official: Barbadian R&B artist Rihanna will arrive in Israel for one concert, which will take place on May 30 at the Bloomfield Stadium in Tel Aviv-Jaffa.

The details of the performance are expected to be revealed in a press conference next Wednesday, March 10, including the ticket prices and the singer's itinerary in the Holy Land.

The concert will be sponsored by the Orange cellular company, which will provide its customers with tickets for a reduced price.

No Celebration of Occupation: 1,500 Artists and Writers Sign Letter Protesting Toronto Film Festival Decision to Spotlight Tel Aviv

A protest at the Toronto International Film Festival has taken center stage after a group of artists and writers signed a letter of protest against the festival’s decision to spotlight the city of Tel Aviv. Activists say the TIFF spotlight plays into Israel’s attempt to improve its global image in the wake of the assault on the Gaza Strip and the ongoing occupation of Palestinian land. Over 1,500 people have signed the letter, called "The Toronto Declaration: No Celebration of Occupation," including Jane Fonda, Viggo Mortensen, Danny Glover and Harry Belafonte. We speak with journalist and author Naomi Klein, who helped draft the letter. [includes rush transcript]

Meg Ryan and Dustin Hoffman Cancel Participation in Israeli Film Festival

Hollywood actors Meg Ryan and Dustin Hoffman backed out of attending this year’s annual Jerusalem Film Festival, which is set to kick off this coming Thursday, following the international outcry over Israel’s attack on a Turkish-led flotilla that attempted to break the Gaza blockade on May 31, The Jerusalem Post learned Monday.

According to Cinematheque associate director Yigal Molad Hayo, while neither gave the political climate as a direct reason for canceling their participation in the festival, “it became quite clear that this was the reason,” he said.

“Meg Ryan was supposed to come here, it had all been closed with her people,” said Molad Hayo, adding “a day after the flotilla incident we got an email saying she was not going to attend, and although they claimed it was because she was too busy, it was clear to me that it probably had something to do with what had happened.”

Everyone's taking sides on Tel Aviv films

Some artists are angered by the spotlight on Israeli films, which they maintain is part of Israel's attempt to divert attention from the Palestinian conflict. They complain the program excludes Palestinian voices, comes on the heels of a devastating bombardment in Gaza and amid a global publicity campaign by the Israeli government known as "Brand Israel."

TIFF and a spokesman for Israel's consulate in Toronto have flatly denied the allegations.

The critics, backed by the likes of Fonda and Mortensen, called a news conference and demonstration yesterday to voice their displeasure with TIFF. The protest drew about 250 people to Ryerson University.

On the other side of the argument are equally prominent entertainment industry figures, including Seinfeld, Portman, Sacha Baron Cohen and Lisa Kudrow. They are arguing for freedom of speech and have an ad in today's Starexplaining their position (on page A13).

Seinfeld, Sacha Baron Cohen and Natalie Portman slam Toronto Film Festival protest

Jewish actors sign letter in L.A. Times and Toronto Star against protest of festival over homage to Tel Aviv.

WASHINGTON - A number of Hollywood stars circulated a letter Tuesday protesting a petition calling for a protest over the Toronto International Film Festival for its Tel Aviv-themed event.

The letter, which appeared simultaneously in the Los Angeles Times and the Toronto Star was signed, among others, by Jerry Seinfeld, Sacha Baron Cohen, Natalie Portman, Jason Alexander and Lisa Kudrow.

The letter, which was paid for by Jewish organizations in Los Angeles and Toronto, said, "Anyone who has actually seen recent Israeli cinema, movies that are political and personal, comic and tragic, often critical, knows they are in no way a propaganda arm for any government policy."

'It Is Not Awarded By The State Of Israel'

Ever since Amitav Ghosh's name was announced--jointly with Margaret Atwood-- for the Dan David Prize, headquartered at Tel Aviv University, Israel, there have been some protests andcampaigns, asking him to decline the prize, reminding him about his withdrawing The Glass Palace from the Commonwealth Prize competition in 2001. "I am not a person who seeks out controversy," he had told us in 2001, and he underlined the same today when we asked him why a private e-mail of his was doing the rounds of email-lists and some websites instead of a formal public statement from him: he did not wish it to become a big public issue, he said, and offered the following version of the statement:

Atwood to share $1M Israeli prize

Canadian author Margaret Atwood and lndian-Bengali novelist Amitav Ghosh have been awarded the Dan David Prize and will share the $1 million US award.

The prize is endowed by the Dan David Foundation out of Tel Aviv University and "recognizes and encourages innovative and interdisciplinary research that cuts across traditional boundaries and paradigms.

There are three $1 million prizes for past, present and future achievements awarded every year, with a rotating focus on the fields of sciences, arts, and humanities. Ten per cent of the prize is to be donated to graduate students.

The authors are winners in the "present" category.