US group says it plans to send plane to Gaza - #BDS

A pro-Palestinian group based in the US will send a plane loaded with aid to the Gaza Strip in defiance of Israel's air and sea blockade, an official said Sunday.

"We intend to send an aircraft to Gaza in much the same way boats were used -- without going through Israeli or Egyptian airspace," said Paul Larudee, an organizer with the California-based Free Palestine Movement sponsoring the flight.

Authorities in Gaza are supportive of the initiative and are working to locate a landing site, Larudee said. Gaza's now-defunct Yasser Arafat International Airport is not being considered, he told Ma'an.

'Esti Ginzburg should be a Bond girl' - #BDS

Hollywood director Joel Schumacher sees a bright future for his new film's Israeli star. 'She's amazing and I admire her,' he says

If it were up to American director Joel Schumacher, who has worked with Hollywood's leading actresses – from Julia Roberts and Demi Moore to Nicole Kidman – Israeli soldier Esti Ginzburg would have a bright future in the movie capital.

After directing Ginzburg in his new film "Twelve," Schumacher believes the young model is going places. "With Esti's looks and with a lot of determination, she could definitely have a Hollywood career," Schumacher told Yedioth Ahronoth in a special interview.

Did she share any experiences from her military service?

"Yes, she even sent me a picture of herself holding a rifle. So I told her, 'This is exactly what the world needs, a blonde girl who can shoot.' Chase Crawford and I were a bit worried about her and afraid that she would be in the front. I wouldn't stop harassing her about it and calling her to Israel. I only clamed down after realizing that she isn't a combat soldier."

إسرائيل تصهين التعليم العربي - #BDS

قرر رئيس السكرتارية التربوية بوزارة المعارف الإسرائيلية تسفي تسميرت تخويل طواقم تربوية إعادة صياغة كتاب المدنيات للمدارس الثانوية لعرب 48 وفق التوجهات والرؤية الصهيونية واليهودية.

ويحمل الكتاب الذي سيتم اعتماده في منهاج التدريس الحالي اسم "أن نكون مواطنين في إسرائيل"، ويركز بالأساس على نظام الحكم الديمقراطي وتشريع القوانين.

وينسجم التوجه الجديد مع محاولات المؤسسة الإسرائيلية فرض القيم اليهودية على العرب بالداخل الفلسطيني وتحديدا على طلاب المدارس وأبناء الشبيبة، وذلك في مسعى منها لإبعادهم عن قضاياهم الوطنية وسلخهم عن شعبهم الفلسطيني.

ورغم هذه المحاولات يُلاحظ تنامي الروح الوطنية والقومية لأبناء الشبيبة العرب من خلال مشاركتهم الواسعة في مختلف الفعاليات والمناسبات الوطنية والتضامنية مع الشعب الفلسطيني.

List of US and UK artists supporting Israelis who refuse to perform in settlements - #BDS

When some 60 leading Israeli actors and playwrights signed a letter stating they would refuse to play in the new theatre in Ariel, one of Israel's largest settlements, the attacks from Prime Minister Netanyahu, Israel's Minister of Culture and Sport and many others were swift and intense. Over 150 leading Israeli academics and writers-including Amos Oz and David Grossman- came to their defense. It was the first time such mainstream figures had drawn a line around normalizing settlements which are illegal according to international law, and which constitute one of the main impediments to a lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians.

Inspired by their courage, and responding to a call for international support, Jewish Voice for Peace has developed a statement that has been signed by over 150 theater and film professionals representing some of the most respected and renowned artists in theater, film and television – including Four Pulitzer Prize winners, several recipients of Guggenheim Fellowships, a MacArthur Fellowship, a National Medal of Honor,and scores of recipients of the highest U.S. acting honors, including Tony Awards, Emmy Awards, Grammy Awards, Obie Awards, Drama Desk Awards, and the Oscar.     

Anti-Israel boycott by Muslim shops goes Scotland-wide - #BDS

A nationwide boycott of Israeli goods is being launched across Scotland this weekend as activists target Muslim-owned shops in an attempt to stop them selling produce from the Jewish state.

The boycott, which started in the south side of Glasgow last weekend, was deemed so successful that campaigners decided to expand it. Campaigners from the Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign (SPSC) are now targeting shops run by Muslims in the rest of Glasgow and in Fife, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Dundee.

In Glasgow, the protesters asked shop owners to take Israeli goods off their shelves and warned they would “name and shame” any store that did not do so. The SPSC says every shop it approached on the south side of the city backed the boycott.

However, prominent figures in the Jewish community warn that the “divisive” tactics of campaigners risked driving a wedge between communities instead of fostering dialogue.

NBA Stars Meet IAF Pilots in Negev Base at Hatzerim - #BDS

American basketball stars, past and present, got a close look at the equipment for a different high-stakes, fast-paced game when they visited the Israel Air Force base at Hatzerim in the Negev, near Be'er Sheva last Thursday.

The players from the U.S. National Basketball Association (NBA) were given a special tour by proud pilots at the southern Israeli Air Force base. During the visit, IAF pilots showed them some of the battle gear and other equipment they use in their day-to-day work.

Designer Alber Elbaz crafting exclusive fall collection for H&M - #BDS

The collection, developed with Lanvin's men's clothing designer Lucas Ossendrijver, will come out before the Christmas holiday and will be unveiled on November 2 on H&M's website.

Alber Elbaz, an Israeli who is the artistic director at the influential Lanvin fashion house, has agreed to design a collection for the H&M clothing chain. H&M announced the new line in a press release on Thursday that put an end to rumors on the subject.

The collection, developed with Lanvin's men's clothing designer Lucas Ossendrijver, will come out before the Christmas holiday and will be unveiled on November 2 on H&M's website.

To be called "Lanvin for H&M," it will be launched at 200 flagship H&M stores worldwide - including Israel - on November 23, and three days earlier in the United States. H&M's collaboration with Lanvin is expected to be a boon for the store chain, inasmuch as many consumers have high regard for Lanvin's clothing but are put off by the price.

Anti-Israel economic boycotts are gaining speed - #BDS

The sums involved are not large, but their international significance is huge. Boycotts by governments gives a boost to boycotts by non-government bodies around the world.

The entire week was marked by boycotts. It began with a few dozen theater people boycotting the new culture center in Ariel, and continued with a group of authors and artists publishing a statement of support on behalf of those theater people. Then a group of 150 lecturers from various universities announced they would not teach at Ariel College or take part in any cultural events in the territories. Naturally, all that spurred a flurry of responses, including threats of counter-sanctions.

That was all at the local level. There's another boycott, an international one, that's gaining momentum - an economic boycott. Last week the Chilean parliament decided to adopt the boycott of Israeli products made in the settlements, at the behest of the Palestinian Authority, which imposed a boycott on such products several months ago.

U.S. actors back Israeli boycott of West Bank theater - #BDS

More than 150 American actors, writers, directors and other artists sign letter of support for the Israeli actors who said they would not perform in Ariel.

More than 150 American actors, writers, directors and other artists signed a letter of support for the Israeli actors who declared they would not perform in the West Bank.

The American signatories include Cynthia Nixon, who plays Miranda on "Sex and the City"; Mandy Patinkin, who played Inigo Montoya in "The Princess Bride"; and character actor and writer Wallace Shawn, who played the principal in "Clueless."

Ten days ago, the Israeli actors caused a storm when they released a petition stating they would not perform in the West Bank. Their move was prompted by reports that the theater companies were planning performances at the new cultural center in Ariel.

Norway marks International Quds Day - #BDS

Hundreds of Christians and Muslims marched towards Norway's parliamentary buildings to commemorate International Quds Day in the country's capital.

The annual rally which takes place on the last Friday of Ramadan, saw demonstrators shouting slogans demanding an end to the ongoing Israeli occupation of Palestinian land and a boycott of Israel. 

Several leading Palestinian figures as well as representatives from Muslim communities in Norway also gave speeches at the rally. 

The rally was held a day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and acting Palestinian Authority Chief Mahmoud Abbas held the first round of talks in Washington on Thursday. 

The thorniest issues between the negotiating sides are Israel's refusal to halt its illegal settlement activity in the West Bank and East al-Quds (Jerusalem). 

The settlements and their unrecognized counterparts known as outposts have been characterized by the United Nations Security Council, the International Court of Justice, the European Union, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch as built in violation of international law. 

Iran to publish Israeli-linked firms list - #BDS

Iran will publish a list of Israeli-linked companies by next week to apply sanctions against them, Iran's Vice-President for Parliamentary Affairs Mohammad-Reza Mir-Tajeddini says.

Iran's Foreign Ministry presented a list of multi-national companies with Israeli connections to the Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Commission last week, Mir-Tajeddini told Mehr news agency on Monday. 

The Iranian official further pointed out that the list will be published in the media upon an agreement made by the Iranian Parliament and the country's government. 

He went on to say that Israel has an influential economic cartel across the world and it is constantly establishing new companies under new brands and Iran will expose them after the anti-Israel sanction is applied. 

Israeli goods banned on Quds Day in US - #BDS

American demonstrators marking International Quds Day have announced that they would boycott Israeli products as an indication of their support of the Palestinian nation.

Americans staged rallies in the US capital Washington on Friday along with other Muslims across the world to mark International Quds Day, IRIB reported. 

At the end of the rallies, a statement was issued in which those participating said they would no longer use goods from Israel and the major US companies which support Israel to show their unity with the Palestinians. 

The ralliers supported the Palestinians' right to defend themselves and choose a government. 

In the statement, they also called for a referendum to be held, in which all Palestinians -- Muslims, Christians and Jews -- could determine their future. 

They said that all Palestinians from all religions should enjoy equal rights. 

The International Quds Day was designated by the late Founder of the Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Rouhollah Khomeini. 

The day is observed on the last Friday of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, during which Muslims across the world hold rallies in support of their brothers in faith, the Palestinians. 

Boycott Movement Targets Israel: a Just boycott - #BDS

When does a citizen-led boycott of a state become morally justified?

That question is raised by an expanding academic, cultural and economic boycott of Israel. The movement joins churches, unions, professional societies and other groups based in the United States, Canada, Europe and South Africa. It has elicited dramatic reactions from Israel’s supporters. U.S. labor leaders have condemned British unions, representing millions of workers, for supporting the Israel boycott. American academics have been frantically gathering signatures against the boycott, and have mounted a prominent advertising campaign in American newspapers - unwittingly elevating the controversy further in the public eye.

Israel’s defenders have protested that Israel is not the worst human-rights offender in the world, and singling it out is hypocrisy, or even anti-Semitism. Rhetorically, this shifts focus from Israel’s human rights record to the imagined motives of its critics.

But “the worst first” has never been the rule for whom to boycott. Had it been, the Pol Pot regime, not apartheid South Africa, would have been targeted in the past. It was not — Cambodia’s ties to the West were insufficient to make any embargo effective. Boycotting North Korea today would be similarly futile. Should every other quest for justice be put on hold as a result?

In contrast, the boycott of South Africa had grip. The opprobrium suffered by white South Africans unquestionably helped persuade them to yield to the just demands of the black majority. Israel, too, assiduously guards its public image. A dense web of economic and cultural relations also ties it to the West. That — and its irrefutably documented human-rights violations — render it ripe for boycott.

International Day of Al-Quds - #BDS

Churches standing up to 'pro-Israel' politicians - #BDS

The Australian Jewish News (AJN) was outraged. Its editorial in late July condemned the National Council of Churches in Australia (NCCA) for a resolution calling on Australians to boycott Israeli goods made in the occupied Palestinian territories.

The AJN wrote that the move contributed to a global campaign to 'delegitimise' Israel and lent 'credence to the perception of an apartheid state.'

Executive Council of Australian Jewry president Robert Goot, in a letter to the National Council of Churches’ general secretary, alluded to the Churches' alleged complicity in the Holocaust. The motion 'revived painful memories for Jews in Australia of earlier times in Europe when churches allowed themselves to be swept up in the tide of popular prejudices against the Jewish people.' Any moves to end West Bank settlements, illegal under international law, were framed as unbalanced and biased against Israel and Jews.

Relations between the Jewish and Christian establishment remain strained despite meetings with representatives to calm the atmosphere.