Wikimania 2011 is set to take place in a country that walls people out of cities based on their ethnicity - #BDS

Wikimania is a conference held every year and attended by users of Wikipedia and other projects of theWikimedia Foundation, which prides itself on its mission of providing free knowledge and free access to knowledge for all. Holding Wikimania in Haifa, Israel is counter to the spirit, ethos, and goals of the Wikimedia Foundation. Here’s why:

UBC Faculty of Law and Hebrew University Faculty Exchange - #BDS

UBC is pleased to announce a faculty exchange program between the UBC Faculty of Law and Faculty of Law at Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Starting this September, and for the next two academic years, both Faculties will host a visiting professor from the other school, who will undertake a six to seven week short-term course or seminar in a topic of their choosing.

"UBC Law is always looking for opportunities where we can enhance the teaching and learning experience through interdisciplinary study and international engagement," says UBC Law Dean, Mary Anne Bobinski. "This partnership with Hebrew University is an important step towards achieving that goal and were certain that the experience will be valuable for both our faculty and students."

Like UBC, Hebrew University is also considered to be one of the top universities in the world according to the annual QS World University Rankings.

Barak Medina, Dean at the Faculty of Law, Hebrew University says, "We are very excited to launch this exchange program with UBC. The program will provide opportunities for cooperation of researchers from both institutions, and may also enable us to establish in the near future a student-exchange program. We are grateful to the Canadian Friends of the Hebrew University and the donors, who made this exchange program possible."

The program starts in September at UBC with Dr. Tomer Broude, Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Law and Department of International Relations, Hebrew University. Dr. Broude will be teaching an intensive course this semester entitled Topics in International Law & Transactions Dispute Settlement in the WTO: Law, Policy and Procedure.

Jewish Defense League planning to disrupt pro-Palestinian rally in London - #BDS

LONDON: The organizers of the Al-Quds (Jerusalem) Day Rally in London, on 4 September, 2010, have called on pro-Palestinian and anti-fascist groups to come out to show solidarity against counter-demonstrations organized by Zionist and Fascist groups.

Police have warned the organizers that the English Defense League (EDL), March for England and the Jewish Defense League (JDL) groups are planning to try to disrupt the event, which is organized by Muslim groups but supported by others including the Stop the War Coalition and Jews Against Zionism.

Since last year’s Al-Quds Day event, which was marked by confrontations with counter-demonstrators including the EDL and Zionist groups, supporters of the Palestinians have noted increasing cooperation between Zionists and far-right groups trying to disrupt pro-Palestinian demonstrations and activities.

Al-Quds Day is an annual day of solidarity with the Palestinians and other oppressed peoples marked by Muslims around the world at the end of the holy month of Ramadan. (Al-Quds is the Arabic name for Jerusalem.) Rallies marking the day have been held in London annually since 1980. Supporters of the event in London this year include the Muslim Council of Britain, the Stop the War Coalition, Jews Against Zionism, the Islamic Forum of Europe and the Federation of Student Islamic Societies (FOSIS).

Californians asked to restrict public retirement investments in Israel - #BDS

Businesses related to the construction or maintenance of Israeli settlements, including those in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, or that provide military supplies and services to Israel would no longer be investment opportunities for the nation’s two largest public employee pension funds under an initiative that has been given the okay to gather signatures.

If it makes it to the ballot, is approved by voters and survives the usual gauntlet of lawsuits, it would also require the Public Employees’ Retirement System and State Teachers’ Retirement System to urge these companies to stop those business activities, and, subject to fund fiduciary responsibilities, to divest from companies still engaged in these activities.

It also would prohibit retirement funds from making new investments in these companies.

The proponent for this measure, Chris Yatooma of Sacramento, must collect signatures of 433,971 registered voters – the number equal to 5 percent of the total votes cast for governor in the 2006 gubernatorial election – in order to qualify it for the ballot. He and his supporters have until Jan. 31, 2011 to do that.

“We hope California will be the first state to apply a comprehensive divestment strategy that other states will follow,” Mr. Yatooma says on his website for the initiative. “This divestment approach looks to mirror the divestment strategy embodied by the worldwide anti-apartheid movement that toppled white rule in South Africa.”

Peres welcomes goodwill delegation of NBA players - #BDS

Former and current NBA players arrive in Israel on trip planned by AIPAC to acquaint American sports figures with Israel's unique challenges.

President Shimon Peres welcomed a delegation of former and current NBA players to Israel on Wednesday morning.

The trip was planned by the American pro-Israel lobby AIPAC, with the purpose of strengthening American-Israeli relations by introducing leading figures in American sports to Israel and its unique challenges.

The delegation included players Jerome Williams, David Wood, Allan Houston and Dwight Howard Sr. as well as Memphis Grizzlies general manager Chris Wallace.

Accompanying the group was Sacramento Kings player and Israeli national team member Omri Casspi.

In his opening remarks at the meeting with Peres, former NBA player Allan Houston stated the delegation's support of Israel and declared that he would stand by Israel on this historic day, as direct negotiations were relaunched in Washington.

At the conclusion of the meeting, the players signed a basketball and gave it to the 87-year-old president, who in turn immediately passed the ball to one of his advisers, as if he were a seasoned player.

Anti-BDS document leaked - #BDS

The following is a position paper, leaked by Laith Marouf, which is related (although perhaps not authored only by) Dr Mitchell Bard and Professor Gil Troy. It discusses various ways to attack the BDS movement, which seeks to gain basic human rights for those people living under the various forms of Israeli military occupation. I found the paper here on a blog called “The Speed of Dreams”.

Iran to publish list of Israeli-linked companies to boycott - #BDS

"Israelis run a global economic cartel that is constantly establishing new companies under new brands."

Iran plans to publish a list of multi-national companies with Israeli links that will have sanctions applied against them, an Iranian official said, according to a Tuesday report by semi-official news agency Press TV.

Iran's Vice President for Parliamentary Affairs Mohammed-Reza Mir-Tajeddini said that the Israelis run a global economic cartel that is constantly establishing new companies under new brands that the list will expose and mark for embargo.

The soon to be published list came about as the result of a bill passed by Iranian lawmakers in June calling for a an all encompassing boycott of Israeli companies and institutions.

The bill also called for Iran's Foreign Ministry to use its influence to promote the boycott of Israeli goods abroad at international meetings, including he Organization of the Islamic Conference and the Non-Aligned Movement.

Iran's Central Bank governor called for a cut in imports to boost domestic production as the country grapples with tougher international sanctions over its nuclear program, the state-run daily newspaper Iran reported last week.

Success as Pollokshields, Glasgow joins boycott of Israeli dates - #BDS

Despite the almost overwhelmingly positive response from the Muslim community, Friends of Al Aqsa identified one shopowner in Pollokshields who was ignoring the calls to boycott. Pollokshields is one of the areas of Glasgow with a strong and proud Muslim community, established over many decades and with several large shops this store owner was setting a negative example that Friends of Al Aqsa felt could not go unchallenged. Several weeks ago Friends of Al Aqsa asked SPSC Glasgow to join a protest/picket outside the shop-owners' flagship grocery store in Pollokshields, Strawberry & Spice Gardens, a request we readily accepted.

This protest was called-off at the last minute due to promises made by the shop-owner to remove the dates and when this promise was not fulfilled a second protest/picket was called for Saturday 21st August and in the spirit of cooperation and solidarity with this Friends of Al Aqsa initiative the decision was made to cancel our SPSC stall in Sauchiehall Street to divert SPSC activists to Pollokshileds whilst maintaining our weekly stall at Waitrose.

Code Pink aims to stage barbed-wire Gaza outside White House - #BDS

Led by CODEPINK, activists will come together to put on a short performance, with the White House as their backdrop, to parody the farce masquerading as peace talks. The performers will include “President Abbas,” “Prime Minister Netanyahu,” and “Secretary Clinton”. There will be people from Gaza, behind barbed wire, complaining that they are not included, and settlers and IDF soldiers busily building more settlements while the talks are going on. The activists will employ large props, witty dialogue, and the White House background to put on an engaging and funny performance that delivers an important message: these talks are little more than a farce meant for producing photo opportunities for the U.S. while allowing a continuation of Israeli settlement expansion, land annexation and the siege of Gaza.

“While we are making fun of a process that will go nowhere, we will also be making a serious point that real negotiations can only happen if the people of Gaza are represented through their elected government, Hamas, and if there is a halt to Israel’s expansionist policies,” says CODEPINK cofounder Medea Benjamin, who will play Hillary Clinton in the play. The actors/actresses will also be available for serious interviews on their views of the peace process.

What:

When: Wednesday, September 1st, 12 PM

Where: In front of the White House

Who: The CODEPINK Theater Troupe

LCD Soundsystem defies calls to boycott Israel - #BDS

An American musician has performed in Israel despite a campaign mounted by pro-Palestinian activists encouraging him to boycott the gig.

American dance act LCD Soundsystem, the stage name of producer James Murphy, played to both Israeli and Arab fans at a concert in Tel Aviv on Tuesday.

By appearing at the Heineken Music Festival Mr Murphy defied the efforts of anti-Israel protesters, who had bombarded the LCD Soundystem Facebook page with messages accusing him of endorsing “a fascist mass murdering regime”.

One person wrote on the page: “Many Israelis believe it is right to murder Palestinian babies. They don’t even consider it a murder.”

The activists had also set up a Facebook group entitled “Please don't play for Apartheid Israel.” One member of the group commented: “Do you want to play for slow genocide?” while another wrote: “Do you want to play for war criminals?”

Last month a group of Irish artists launched a cultural boycott of Israel, while in May Elvis Costello cancelled a performance in Israel for “political reasons”.

However others, including Johnny Rotten, Missy Elliot and Rihanna have all ignored calls to pull out of concerts.

Palestinians present: Resistance through culture - #BDS

Not just Boney M: Summer of 2010 sees West Bank turning into major cultural center with countless dance, film and music festivals, performances. Message is support of Palestinian people in their quest for independence, event organizers say

After their daily Ramadan fast-breaking meal, some 3,000 people gathered at Nablus' Sama Park to enjoy Syrian and Egyptian drama series on a big screen and a Spanish flamenco performance last week.

Nablus is not alone. In recent months the West Bank has turned into one giant performance and culture center. One of the major attractions was the Palestine International Festival of Dance and Music. Tens of thousands of Palestinians flocked to watch exciting performances by various groups and artists.

Ramallah Mayor Janet Mikhail invited residents to join in the street dancing as part of the Ramallah Festival of Contemporary Dance. The city also hosted the Jerusalem Festival and the International Film Festival.

Israeli institutions facing new boycotts—by Israelis - #BDS

JERUSALEM (JTA) -- By now it would seem that Israelis are accustomed to calls for boycotts of Israeli products and institutions.

Many, however, may have been caught off guard this summer when those calls came from inside Israel.

In two separate incidents over the past few weeks, Israelis issued a call for boycott or announced a boycott of an Israeli institution for political reasons. One protest came from the right, directed at an Israeli university with allegedly “anti-Zionist” professors on staff; one came from the left, directed at an Israeli theater in the West Bank.

The boycotts from within may mark a new front in Israel’s political battles.

For the time being, mainstream Israeli figures are condemning both boycotts.

"Culture is a bridge in society, and political disputes should be left outside cultural life and art," Israel’s minister of culture and sport, Limor Livnat, said in response to the theater boycott.

The latest boycott call came after several Israeli theater companies announced plans to stage productions at a new theater in Ariel, a Jewish city of 20,000 in the West Bank. The $10 million cultural center in Ariel, which was built partly with government funding, is scheduled to open Nov. 8. It will be the first major theater in a Jewish settlement, most of which are smaller bedroom communities.

H&M Protests in Sweden on August 18th and 28th - #BDS

On August 18th and 28th there were protests in Stockholm and Gothenburg, Sweden, against H&M’s continued establishment in Israel. Activists handed out flyers to customers and informed about H&M’s investment in an apartheid state – Kfar Saba is the fourth H&M store opened in Israel this year – and how it contradicts the global BDS movement aiming to defeat apartheid. H&M turns a blind eye to the blatant discrimination of Palestinians in Israel and to the ethnic cleansing and occupation being perpetrated not far from the new H&M stores.  Furthermore, H&M stores in Sweden were labeled with alternative price tags. The new sticker price tags are similar in size and style to the original labels, and carry the message of the BDS against H&M campaign.

3M buys Israel’s Attenti for US$230-million - #BDS

NEW YORK — Diversified U.S. manufacturer 3M Co said it would pay US$230-million in cash to buy Israel’s Attenti Holdings SA, which makes technology used to remotely monitor criminals and elder care patients.

Attenti is expected to have about US$100-million in sales in 2010. 3M is buying the business from an investor group led by Francisco Partners.

The deal is expected to be slightly dilutive to earnings over the first 12 months after the deal closes, 3M said. Excluding purchase accounting and integration costs, it expects the deal to add slightly to earnings over the same period.

3M has been busy on the dealmaking front this week. It announced on Monday plans to purchase Cogent Inc for US$943-million, paying a nearly 18% premium for the maker of identification systems used to screen travelers at border crossings.

3M Chief Executive George Buckley said last week that the company could spend US$2-billion on acquisitions this year, double its previous estimate.

Blue and White: Where Uri Avnery has it Wrong - #BDS

Once again Uri Avnery is using his blog to criticize the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign against Israel. Under the title "Red and Green," Avnery comments on the long and interesting program recently broadcast on Israeli Channel 10 on the growing international isolation of Israel.

Avnery, the veteran journalist and activist, repeats his main arguments against "boycott Israel" campaign and the need to focus only on the boycott of settlers and settlement products. I have already reacted to a similar criticism by Avnery , but the well-deserved authority of Uri Avnery within the international solidarity movement requires a debate of what I consider to be his (very few indeed) mistaken views.

"Indeed there is no need for a world-wide [BDS] organization [the reportage] says, because all over the place there is a spontaneous surge of pro-Palestinian and anti-Israeli feeling. Following the "Cast Lead" operation and the flotilla affair, this process has gathered momentum," summarizes Avnery.

After this summary, Uri's blog focuses on a criticism of the campaign of boycotting Israel. His main argument is that the campaign doesn't distinguish between Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT). For Avnery, while the OPT should be totally freed from Israeli control and domination, the territories west of the "Green Line" are "naturally" Israeli, just as Manchester is Great Britain and Hanover is Germany. There should be no challenge to this reality and, as Uri said once, he will be the first to defend Israel from any such challenge. For Avnery, the colonial nature of the State of Israel is obsolete within 1948.