No Business as Usual with Israel: PACBI Salutes Faithless

PACBI | 15 August 2010

No Business as Usual with Israel: PACBI Salutes Faithless

Occupied Ramallah, 15 August 2010

The Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI) salutes the British dance group Faithless for declining to play in Israel this summer. The cancellation of the group’s Israeli gig is the latest in a string of cancellations of performances in Israel by artists and musicians of conscience, artists who say no to normalizing relations with Israel, no to business as usual with a state that practices the most pernicious forms of occupation, colonialism and apartheid.

We applaud Faithless frontman Maxi Jazz for the unequivocally clear message explaining the band’s decision:

“While human beings are being wilfully denied not just their rights but their NEEDS for their children and grandparents and themselves, I feel deeply that I should not be sending even tacit signals that this is either 'normal' or 'ok'. It's neither and I cannot support it. It grieves me that it has come to this and I pray everyday for human beings to begin caring for each other, firm in the wisdom that we are all we have.” [1]

This statement brings to focus the fact that performing in a state that practices occupation, colonization and apartheid, as Israel does, cannot be regarded as a purely artistic act, if any such act exists. Regardless of intentions, such an act is a conscious form of complicity that is manipulated by Israel in its efforts to whitewash its persistent violations of international law and Palestinian rights. This is because artistic performances in Israel promote a “business as usual” attitude that normalizes and sanitizes a state that has committed war crimes over several decades -- in Gaza, Jerusalem, the Naqab (Negev), and recently in the high seas against international humanitarian relief workers aboard the Freedom Flotilla.

An artist who performs in Israel today -- just like any artist who violated the boycott and performed in Sun City, South Africa, during apartheid -- can only be seen by Palestinians and people of conscience around the world as motivated by profit and personal gain far more than by moral principles. We know that Israeli concert promoters offer large sums of money to lure international performers as part of Israel’s “Brand Israel”[2] campaign, designed explicitly to hide Israel’s criminal violations of human rights under a guise of artistic and scientific glamour and a deceptive image of cultural excellence and “liberalism.”

Artists who courageously take principled positions on the side of justice deserve the highest commendation. We also take this opportunity to reiterate our appreciation to the 150 Irish artists and writers for their endorsement of the pledge to boycott Israel:

In response to the call from Palestinian civil society for a cultural boycott of Israel, we pledge not to avail of any invitation to perform or exhibit in Israel, nor to accept any funding from any institution linked to the government of Israel, until such time as Israel complies with international law and universal principles of human rights."[3]

We urge all artists of conscience to follow the example of Faithless dance group as well as the brave Irish artists and writers. In particular, we urge them to heed the Unified Palestinian Call for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions against Israel [4], and to respect the PACBI Guidelines for the International Cultural boycott of Israel [5].

Once again, hats off to Faithless: you are faithful indeed!

www.PACBI.org

pacbi@pacbi.org

A million dollar festival will not rescue Israel’s image as an apartheid state

PACBI | 15 August 2010

Occupied Ramallah, 15 August 2010

Once again, the Brand-Israel machine is in high gear, this time organizing a million-dollar international youth extravaganza in Eilat in September 2010 called “Funjoya.” This unabashed propaganda exercise is sponsored by the Israel Ministry of Tourism and the Israeli Student Union, among other official and semi-official bodies. The Ministry of Tourism explains one of the aims of the festival: “branding Israel as an attractive tourism destination for students, an improvement in Israel’s image among this target group and facilitating multi-cultural encounters for students from Israel and European countries.” [1]

There is no question that Israel is working hard to whitewash its crimes and to justify its occupation, colonization and system of apartheid. Since 2005, the official “Brand-Israel” campaign [2] has tried to present Israel in a new light, as a vibrant state promoting culture and the arts. However, Israel’s own actions make a mockery of this branding exercise, proving that no amount of re-branding will cover up the escalating agenda of apartheid, ethnic cleansing, and violence against the Palestinian people, the last of which were the deadly assault on the Gaza Strip in the winter of 2008-2009, and the lethal attack on humanitarian aid workers aboard the Freedom Flotilla in Gaza in May 2010, which resulted in the murder of nine Turkish citizens. This viciousness is customary to Israel. The report of the UN Fact-Finding Mission led by Judge Richard Goldstone, released in September 2009, found strong evidence of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during the assault on the Palestinian people in Gaza, and called for holding Israel accountable before international law.

We call upon students from around the world not to take part in this festival. We invite you to join the international movement for boycott, divestment, and sanctions against Israel (BDS) until Israel respects international law [3]. As students, you should be aware that Palestinian students do not enjoy the rights taken for granted by many of you: Palestinian students’ freedom of movement is severely restricted by the Apartheid Wall, checkpoints and road blocks and hundreds are detained in Israeli jails for resisting the occupation. [4]

We urge you to heed the words of the Gaza-based Palestinian Students’ Campaign for the Academic Boycott of Israel in their open letter to students a few days ago: “From under a most brutal siege humanity has witnessed during this modern age, we urge all students around the globe to boycott this festival We ask: will it speak about the cultural confiscation, the occupation of Palestinian history, the system of racial discrimination, home demolition, settlement expansion, settler colonialism and land expropriation? Will it tell of how apartheid Israel slices the West Bank into Bantustans separated by more than 600 checkpoints and a monstrous Apartheid Separation Wall preventing Palestinians from access to local hospitals, schools and universities, not to mention their families and relatives?” [5]

Don’t come to Eilat and honour the apartheid state! Support the Palestinian people in our struggle for self determination by boycotting “Funjoya” and exposing this vulgar Israeli hasbara effort!

PACBI

www.PACBI.org

pacbi@pacbi.org

Notes

[1] http://www.thinkeilat.com/Tourism_Euk/Tourist+Information/Press+Releases/FunJoya+Student+Festival.htm; http://eu.mfa.gov.il/mfm/web/main/Print.asp?DocumentID=172430

[2] http://www.forward.com/articles/2070/. Jonathan Cook provides a comprehensive discussion of the brand-Israel effort in http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article11093.shtml

[3] See the Unified Palestinian Call for BDS at http://www.bdsmovement.net/?q=node/52

[4] For further information on the violation of students’ rights check: http://right2edu.birzeit.edu/

[5] http://www.pacbi.org/etemplate.php?id=1336

UK Embraces the Boycott

In this part of the world, where Israel seems to be regularly singled out as the world’s bête noire, recent developments in Britain have given even veteran pro- Zionism watchers a sense of alarm. Even the most optimistic observers of what is loosely referred to as the “boycott, divestment and sanctions” (BDS) movement, are worried about this summer’s activities.

In late June, the Methodist Church of Britain, the fourth largest Christian denomination in the UK with 70 million members worldwide, voted to boycott Israeli-produced goods and services from the West Bank because of Israel’s “illegal occupation of Palestinian lands.”

The one-sided characterization of the Israel- Palestine conflict is based on the platform published by the World Council of Churches, which formally espoused a boycott by all its affiliates in 2009 and took its bearings from the Kairos Palestine Document that emerged from the Sabeel Ecumenical Liberation Theology Center in Jerusalem. The Kairos declaration brands the occupation as “a sin against God and humanity” and calls on companies, countries, religious institutions, NGOs and individuals “to engage in divestment and in an economic and commercial boycott of everything produced by the occupation.”

Israel at center of boycott row once again at Melbourne Film Festival

The Melbourne International Film Festival is a marquee event on the cultural calendar of Australia, in what some would call the world's most livable and multicultural city. Once again, it was struck by controversy with independent film makers threatening legal action if their own movie was not revoked from the set-list. The row was sparked by funding for a return economy-class airfare for an Israeli director.

The makers of Son of Babylon, a film set in Iraq, wanted to withdraw their movie because the organizers of the festival received funding from the Israeli government. But the demand went unheard, and the film screened on July 26 and July 28 as scheduled.
"The festival was informed in enough time to stop the screening … therefore if you have knowingly disregarded our wishes and screened the film, we will of course be left with little alternative than to take appropriate action against the festival,'' producer Isabelle Stead wrote to festival executive director Richard Moore last week in an email exchange leaked to crikey.com.au.

''You should not underestimate our resolve to ensure that our film is not associated with the state of Israel as long as it continues its illegal crimes against humanity,'' she wrote.

This is not the first time a film has been revoked because of an Israeli influence. Ken Loach decided to withdraw his film Looking for Eric from last year's festival on the same grounds. The veteran English filmmaker warned at the time that, ''if it did not reconsider the sponsorship, I would not allow the festival to screen my film''. Loach cited ''illegal occupation of Palestinian land, destruction of homes and livelihoods'' and ''the massacres in Gaza'' as reasons for the boycott.

The festival's executive director, Richard Moore, refused to give in to Loach's demands and return the money to the Israeli government, saying that it would be ''like submitting to blackmail''. This refusal led to Moore being shunned by the Edinburgh Film Festival, which had bowed to Loach's will. However, his stance led to the Melbourne festival being honored with the Liberty Victoria's free speech award - the Voltaire award - given "in recognition of its refusal to buckle in the face of intense pressure from a left-wing extremist filmmaker last year."

However, this year's flare-up was a little different.

Harvard University fund sells all Israel holdings

In another blow to Israeli shares, the Harvard Management Company notified the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Friday that it had sold all its holdings in Israeli companies during the second quarter of 2010. No reason for the sale was mentioned. The Harvard Management Company manages Harvard University's endowment.

Harvard Management Company stated in its 13-F Form that it sold 483,590 shares in Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (Nasdaq: TEVA; TASE: TEVA) for $30.5 million; 52,360 shares in NICE Systems Ltd. (Nasdaq: NICE; TASE:NICE) for $1.67 million; 102,940 shares in Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. (Nasdaq: CHKP) for $3.6 million; 32,400 shares in Cellcom Israel Ltd.(NYSE:CEL; TASE:CEL) for $1.1 million, and 80,000 Partner Communications Ltd. (Nasdaq: PTNR; TASE: PTNR) shares for $1.8 million.

Harvard Management Company's 13-F Form shows some interesting investments. Its two largest holdings, each worth $295 million, are in iShares ETFs, one on Chinese equities, and the other on emerging markets. Harvard also owns $181 million in a Brazilian ETF.

Tory leader calls himself 'Zionist'; U.K. Jews campaign against boycott

U.K. Conservative party leader David Cameron: Support of Israel is in DNA of party members; U.K. Jews object to call to boycott Israel's academe.

The leader of Britain's Conservative party, David Cameron, called himself a "Zionist" Tuesday as he slammed a British initiative for an academic boycott against Israel.

Cameron, responding to questions at the annual luncheon of Conservative Friends of Israel, said the academic boycott was completely uncalled for, and that attacks against Israel often slid into anti-Semitism.

"If by Zionist you mean that the Jews have the right to a homeland in Israel and the right to a country then I am a Zionist," the Tory leader said, adding that support for Israel is "in the DNA" of members of his party.

He also justified construction of the separation fence, but expressed concern that it might torpedo a two-state solution.

British Jews launch campaign against academic boycott

A coalition of British Jewish organizations will launch a campaign Thursday to combat the University and College Union's initiative for an academic boycott of Israel.

Advertisements signed by hundreds of anti-boycott academics were scheduled to appear in Wednesday's newspapers, followed Thursday by a press conference by Jewish politicians, university lecturers and community leaders.

Jeremy Newmark, director of the Jewish Leadership Council, told Haaretz that the campaign's goal was to get British University and College Union director Sally Hunt to make good on her pledge to bring the boycott proposal to a referendum of the union's rank and file.

Zionists and racist EDL unite to counter Ahava Protest

In celebration of the recent court victory in which four campaigners were acquitted for blockading the Covent Garden Ahava shop in 2009, approximately 60 protestors gathered outside its doors in Monmouth Street, central London, to celebrate and continue promoting boycott, divestment and sanctions against the Israeli occupation. While demonstrators were met by the usual Zionist counter-demonstrators, on this occasion they arrived flanked by the openly racist English Defence League.

Ahava, the cosmetics retailer and spa outlet, manufactures its products on the illegal Israeli settlement of Mitzpe Shalem. It has openly flouted tax requirements by exploiting the EU-Israel trade agreement and violates UK DEFRA guidelines in respect of proper labelling. The campaign against Ahava supports the Palestinian call for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions as a global nonviolent means to challenge the Israeli Occupation of Palestine and the ongoing siege upon Gaza.

At the outset the small group of around ten EDL members remained close to the Zionist contingent of Ahava supporters, handing out leaflets. Over the course of the demonstration they began to take an increasingly prominent role, culminating with the unravelling of a flag of St. George and chanting “E-E-EDL.” This was accompanied by racist remarks towards a number of Ahava protestors who were of Asian/Middle Eastern descent. What was more surprising, and unsettling, was the apparent unwillingness of the Zionist contingent to distance themselves from the EDL.

Support ISM work in Palestine

** please circulate widely **

The ongoing suppression of the Palestinian grassroots resistance has

included targeting international solidarity activists. Numerous

volunteers with the International Solidarity Movement have been

arrested or deported in past months.

A tactic of challenging the occupation and the Israeli authorities is

via legal measures.

As Israel’s crackdown on popular resistance escalates, International

Solidarity Movement activists are working on the ground to fight the

authorities’ attempts to arrest, imprison and deport us – all

strategies employed by Israel in their attempts at disconnecting us

from our role in the struggle against apartheid. Legal challenges are

an important battle field in non-violent resistance because often the

occupation is forced to change their policies when these are held up

to scrutiny.

The past six months have seen a surge in Israel’s crackdown on

Palestinian and international activists involved in the popular

resistance, marked by a wave of arrests targeting grassroots

organizers from the popular committees of Bil’in, Ni’lin, Al Masara

and Nablus and international activists involved in these regions’

struggles. Several ISM activists have been illegally abducted by

Israeli forces and continue to fight lengthy legal battles against the

Israeli state for these cases, in addition to the frequent arrests of

activists at the growing number of West Bank demonstrations that the

military has struggled in vain to crush.

American ISM activist Ryan Olander was arrested on December 18 in

Sheikh Jarrah, East Jerusalem. He was then illegally re-arrested by

“Oz” immigration unit the following day, just moments after his

release. He spent 29 days in Ramle Givon detention center resisting

deportation before he was released. On June 3 the Israeli District

Court ruled in Olander’s favor, the precedent-setting ruling

articulating that the police and “Oz” immigration unit practices were

illegal. This victory paves the way for a legal grounding for future

activists (see: http://palsolidarity.org/2010/02/11278/).

Czech activist and ISM media co-ordinator Eva Novakova was kidnapped

by Oz forces in a night raid operation on her Ramallah apartment on

January 11. Australian activist and ISM international co-ordinator

Bridget Chappell and Spanish activist Araidna Jove Marti were abducted

by Israeli military forces in a similar night raid on the ISM media

office in Ramallah on February 7 (see: http://palsolidarity.org/2010/02/11224/).

All three activists pursued the issue in the Israeli Supreme Court,

bringing Israel’s repreated violation of the Oslo accords in to focus.

In the case of Chappell and Marti, the State Prosecutor was forced to

admit the their arrests had been outside the legal framework, with the

judge declaring their detention illegal.

These legal battles, taking the Israeli power structures on at their

own game, constitutes a form of “resistance” that has the potential to

set decisive precedents and alter Israeli policy, while at the same

time exposing the level of corroboration between various Israeli

departments in the occupation’s implementation.

This kind of legal work comes at a high price tag, we currently owe

around 18,000 NIS to our lawyers. The ISM is asking its supporters to

donate now to support the work of the ISM’s solidarity with the

Palestinian movement against apartheid. Activist groups may consider

throwing fund-raising events to raise money, and continue raising

awareness for the cause. You can donate online via Paypal (not through

AJ Muste), please see http://palsolidarity.org/donate for details.

--

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Boycott Apartheid Israel!

July 17 in the Myer Centre, Brisbane: activists target Israeli cosmetics company Seacret as part of the international boycott, divestment, sanctions campaign against apartheid Israel. Justice for Palestine activists dropped the banner (pictured), surrounded the cosmetics stalls and distributed information about the boycott to potential customers, causing the stall to close down for the day. The action launched an ongoing BDS campaign in Brisbane, with the next action planned for Saturday August 14. See Justice for Palestine, Brisbane for more information. Photo by Owain Lewis-Jones.

سفير فلسطيني يشارك بتجمع صهيوني

استنكرت منظمة جنوب أفريقية واتحادات طلابية فلسطينية مشاركة السفير الفلسطيني بجنوب أفريقيا في محاضرة نظمتها جمعية طلابية معروفة بدفاعها عن الصهيونية في جامعة فَتسْ بجوهانسبرغ، واعتبرتها "أمرا فاضحا".

وعبرت هيئات جنوب أفريقية عن انزعاجها من مشاركة السفير علي أحمد حليمة في التظاهرة الطلابية، واعتبرتها خرقا للمقاطعة الأكاديمية لإسرائيل.

ووفقا للناطقة باسم منظمة جنوب أفريقيا للتضامن مع فلسطين فإن "تلبية حليمة لدعوة اتحاد الطلاب اليهود بجنوب أفريقيا -وهو منظمة صهيونية عرفت بدفاعها عن إسرائيل أثناء الاعتداء على غزة وعلى قافلة الحرية- أمر فاضح".

وأضافت كيك جوزف للجزيرة نت "وجهنا رسالة للسفير قبل الحدث دعوناه فيها لعدم تلبية الدعوة لأن مجرد مشاركته، برأينا، ستستخدم سلاحا ضد الناشطين المناصرين للقضية الفلسطينية هنا".

من جهته قال السفير حليمة إن مشاركته جاءت بوصفه يمثل حكومته "التي ترى الحوار مع جميع الأطراف وسيلة وحيدة للسلام".

وأضاف بتصريح للجزيرة نت "هدفي من المشاركة هو إبراز الحق الفلسطيني وعرضه، فوظيفتي كدبلوماسي هي التعاطي مع كل الفاعلين في جنوب أفريقيا".

AJJP Endorses U.S. Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel

Responding to the call of Palestinian civil society to join the Boycott, Divestment and Sanction movement against Israel, American Jews for a Just Peace (AJJP) joins a U.S. campaign focused specifically on a boycott of Israeli academic and cultural institutions, as delineated by the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI).

PACBI states:

"In light of Israel’s persistent violations of international law, and Given that, since 1948, hundreds of UN resolutions have condemned Israel's colonial and discriminatory policies as illegal and called for immediate, adequate and effective remedies, and Given that all forms of international intervention and peace-making have until now failed to convince or force Israel to comply with humanitarian law, to respect fundamental human rights and to end its occupation and oppression of the people of Palestine, and In view of the fact that people of conscience in the international community have historically shouldered the moral responsibility to fight injustice, as exemplified in the struggle to abolish apartheid in South Africa through diverse forms of boycott, divestment and sanctions;

"Inspired by the struggle of South Africans against apartheid and in the spirit of international solidarity, moral consistency and resistance to injustice and oppression, We, representatives of Palestinian civil society, call upon international civil society organizations and people of conscience all over the world to impose broad boycotts and implement divestment initiatives against Israel similar to those applied to South Africa in the apartheid era."

For more information: http://www.pacbi.org/campaign_statement.htm

Consumer group rejects Israel boycott call

The Swedish Cooperative Union (Kooperativa förbundet - KF) has ruled out calls from a regional member group to stop selling goods from Israel in Coop stores.

"KF's and Coop's criteria in selecting suppliers pays no heed to nationality. According to KF policy a boycott of trade with individual countries is determined by Sweden's government and parliament or the EU and/or the UN," KF wrote in a statement on Sunday.

Three resolutions urging a ban on Israeli products were approved by a majority of the 425 members in attendance at Saturday's annual meeting in Gothenburg of the consumer cooperative society for western Sweden, Konsumentföreningen Väst (KF Väst). The resolutions cited Israel's role in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as grounds for a boycott.

"The board will now push the issue of a boycott to the other Swedish consumer cooperatives," said chairperson Carina Malmer in a statement.

KF Väst is one of the largest of the 47 consumer cooperative societies that make up the Swedish Cooperative Union, which has more than 3 million members.

The Swedish Cooperative Union owns the Coop chain of supermarkets. According to the union's own figures, the retail consumer cooperative societies and Coop together account for 21.4 percent of the grocery retail sector in Sweden.

Dempsey calls for Israel boycott

Singer-songwriter Damien Dempsey has called on artists around the world to stand in solidarity with the people of Palestine.

The Dubliner backed about 150 Irish creative and performing artists who have already signed a pledge to boycott Israel until it ends its blockade of Gaza.

Dempsey said he believed the recent commando attack on the aid flotilla brought home the lawlessness of Israeli forces, saying: "What's going on in Palestine is very wrong. We have a long history of oppression so I think anybody else who's being oppressed, we should have a duty. And as artists we yield a bit more power than ordinary people."

He continued: "We have a duty to speak out and do something about it. I just want to make a stand for the Palestinians and show them some solidarity and show them they're not alone."

Olympia Food Co-op: Israeli product boycott debate cordial, passionate mideast

OLYMPIA – About 300 people filled Olympia Center on Thursday night for a passionate debate on a recent controversial decision by the Olympia Food Co-op board to boycott Israeli-made products.

Nine of the 10 board members were at the meeting, and co-op members and nonmembers lined up early for the 6 p.m. start. By 5:30 p.m., more than 100 people stood in line; some had arrived as early as 3 p.m., said Dr. Muhammad Ayub, who spoke in support of the boycott. Ayub said he arrived at that time and was the fourth person in line.

Public testimony didn’t get under way until 7 p.m., and it wasn’t clear whether the meeting would extend beyond its scheduled completion time of 8:30 p.m.

Maralise Quan, executive director of the Pierce County Dispute Resolution Center, spelled out the ground rules and set the tone for the meeting. She asked for tolerance and that no speaker be disrespected. Rather than applaud, she asked that people show their support for a speaker by waving their hands in the air.

One by one, board members introduced themselves to the audience, but only board member Ron Lavigne spoke at length, saying the board understood its decision would be controversial but was there “to address the hurt and anger and to try and heal the community.”

Pro-Israel shoppers defy Ahava products boycott call

Best sales weekend Maryland store has ever seen.

WASHINGTON – A call to boycott Israeli-made Ahava products in a Maryland beauty supply store backfired last week when pro- Israel activists countered by purchasing the shop’s entire Ahava inventory.

When the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington found out that the pro-Palestinian group Sabeel DC had organized a protest and boycott call at Ulta in Silver Spring last Saturday, the organization sent out an action alert urging supporters to visit the store and buy Ahava.

“They cleaned the shelves out. It was the best Ahava sales weekend the store has ever seen. They had to order an expedited shipment” afterward, said Arielle Farber, director of Israel and International Affairs for the Community Relations Council. “The greater Washington community is not going to stand for this campaign to delegitimize Israel.”