Jan 7, 2011
#BDS: Peer’s non-appearance a win for BDS campaign in New Zealand
The failure of Israeli tennis player Shahar Peer to appear at the ASB tennis classic in Auckland this week is a significant victory for the BDS (Boycott Divestment and Sanctions) campaign against apartheid Israel.
Despite being the subject of protest in 2009 and 2010 Peer was adamant she would to return to Auckland. She told media last year she was keen to come back. We expected her to enter the tournament at the last minute to avoid early publicity and controversy.
However it seems she was unwilling to face further protests in New Zealand which could have led to greater pressure for her expulsion from other tournaments. Following protests in Auckland in 2009 Peer was banned from a Dubai tournament a short time later. Further high-profile protests here would have increased this pressure.
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#BDS: Open Letter to Jon Bon Jovi: This one should go out to the Palestinians!*
"It is with great disappointment that the undersigned organizations learned of your scheduled performance in Israel set for 2011 as part of your “Circle Tour” [1]. Given that Israel is involved in grave violations of international law and human rights, particularly as indicated in the UN Goldstone Report, we urge you to cancel this gig until the time comes when Israel is in compliance with its obligations under international law and fully respects Palestinian rights.
We were particularly surprised by news of your planned performance given your deep involvement in affordable housing and homelessness issues [2]. As part of its ongoing dispossession of the Palestinian people, Israel continues to demolish Palestinian homes and entire villages, including the Bedouin village of Al-Araqib, which was destroyed seven times this year [3]. Indeed, the entire modern history of the Palestinian people is based on dispossession and homelessness as more than 750,000 people were made refugees to enable the creation of the state of Israel, then kept in permanent refugee status despite the requirements in international law that they be allowed to return to their homes. In your commitment to effect change you have understood that your position as a respected and prominent musician can weigh on politics and contribute to advancing freedom, justice and human rights. It is in this spirit that we address you."
Don’t be Complicit in Entertaining Apartheid
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#BDS: Saturday, March 19, 2011: Day of Action to Resist the War Machine!
March 19 is the 8th anniversary of the invasion and occupation of Iraq. Iraq today remains occupied by 50,000 U.S. soldiers and tens of thousands of foreign mercenaries.
The war in Afghanistan is raging. The U.S. is invading and bombing Pakistan. The U.S. is financing endless atrocities against the people of Palestine, relentlessly threatening Iran and bringing Korea to the brink of a new war.
While the United States will spend $1 trillion for war, occupation and weapons in 2011, 30 million people in the United States remain unemployed or severely underemployed, and cuts in education, housing and healthcare are imposing a huge toll on the people.
Actions of civil resistance are spreading.
On Dec. 16, 2010, a veterans-led civil resistance at the White House played an important role in bringing the anti-war movement from protest to resistance. Enduring hours of heavy snow, 131 veterans and other anti-war activists lined the White House fence and were arrested. Some of those arrested will be going to trial, which will be scheduled soon in Washington, D.C.
Saturday, March 19, 2011, the anniversary of the invasion of Iraq, will be an international day of action against the war machine.
Protest and resistance actions will take place in cities and towns across the United States. Scores of organizations are coming together. Demonstrations are scheduled for San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington, D.C., and more.
The first organizing meeting for the SF March 19 march and rally will be on Sunday, Jan. 16 at 2pm at the Local 2 union hall, 209 Golden Gate Ave.
In Los Angeles, the March 19 rally and march will gather at 12 noon at Hollywood and Vine.
#BDS: Rally for Gaza on Tuesday 18 January 2011, 7pm, Conway Hall, Holborn, London.
"On the second anniversary of the end of Operation Cast Lead activists will gather for a rally to discuss campaigning activities to break the siege on Gaza.
Initial speakers include: Sir Gerald Kaufman MP; Dr. Ghada Karmi; Jody McIntyre; Rev Garth Hewitt, Amos Trust; Sarah Colborne, PSC, and will be chaired by Hugh Lanning, Deputy General Secretary of PCS and Chair of PSC. More speakers will be announced over the next few days – check the PSC website for details!"
Jan 6, 2011
#BDS: احذروا التطبيع: موزاييك... يا «سلام»!
"لا ضير في إعادة التأكيد أنّ المشروع الاستعماري الاستيطاني للكيان الصهيوني في المشرق العربي لا يكتمل بالهيمنة العسكرية والسياسية والاقتصادية. إن الهدف الأعلى لهذا المشروع هو تحوله من كيان غير شرعي وغير مقبول إلى كيان «طبيعي» ومقبول شعبياً. ولعل الخطورة تتضاعف إذا قُدِّم هذا الخطاب عبر العمل الإبداعي الذي يحفر عادةً في الوجدان العام للناس، ويشكّل خلفياتهم وأساساتهم الثقافية. هذا بالضبط ما يفعله مشروع «موزاييك» الذي أسّسه الأردني جميل سرّاج والإسرائيلية لي زيف ويتألّف من موسيقيين من الأردن
، وفلسطين، و«إسرائيل»، ولبنان. بعد تسجيلين، قدّمت الفرقة ورشة عام 2009 بعنوان «الموسيقى كأداة للتصالح والتواصل غير العنيف» لمشاركين من العراق، ولبنان، و«إسرائيل»، والأردن، وفلسطين، والجزائر، ومصر، والمغرب و... دبي!"
إقرأ/ي المزيد
#BDS: انخفاض صادرات إسرائيل إلى الأردن
"أظهرت أرقام وزارة الزراعة الأردنية أن استيراد الخضروات والفواكه من إسرائيل انخفض بشكل كبير خلال العام 2010، فيما حذر وزير الداخلية سعد هايل سرور من انه ستتم ملاحقة «مثيري الشغب» في معان أمس الأول غداة مقتل ثلاثة عمال على أيدي مجهولين.
وبحسب الأرقام، التي نشرتها صحيفة «الغد»، فقد «انخفضت المستوردات الأردنية من الخضار والفواكه الآتية من إسرائيل خلال العام الماضي بنسبة كبيرة، حيث استوردت 793 طنا من الخضار والفواكه، مقارنة بـ2768 طنا العام قبل الماضي». وتشير هذه الأرقام إلى انخفاض كبير في حجم الصادرات الإسرائيلية إلى الأردن، عما كانت عليه خلال الأعوام الماضية، حيث بلغ حجم واردات الأردن من الخضار والفواكه من إسرائيل 4300 طن في العام 2008، و11 ألف طن في العام 2007.
وبلغ حجم الصادرات الأردنية إلى إسرائيل من الخضار والفواكه خلال العام الماضي 5224 طنا، بلغت حصة الخضار منها 1701 طن، فيما بلغت حصة الفواكه 3523 طنا. ومن أبرز الصادرات الأردنية إلى إسرائيل الزيتون، حيث بلغ حجم صادراته 3462 طنا، فيما بلغ حجم صادرات التمر 61 طنا فقط خلال العام الماضي.
وكانت وزارة الزراعة الأردنية ألزمت العام الماضي التجار الأردنيين المتعاملين مع إسرائيل وضع علامة «منتج إسرائيلي» على المحاصيل الزراعية الإسرائيلية. وتدعو النقابات المهنية الأردنية الـ14 إلى مقاطعة المنتجات الإسرائيلية وخصوصا الفواكه والخضار. "
إقرأ/ي المزيد
#BDS: Bill being Drafted to Bar International Peace Activists from Entering Israel
Knesset Member Yariv Levin, of the right-wing Likud party, together with the pro-settlement group The Legal Forum for the Land of Israel, are currently working on an “anti-subversive” bill aimed at anarchists and supporters of the Palestinian call for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS).
If approved the law would allow Israel’s Interior Ministry to bar international activists from entering Israel. The law would apply restrictions to anyone who acts against Israel, denies the Holocaust, works to boycott Israel and/or attempts to place Israeli leaders on international trial for what they did in the line of duty, reported Arutz Sheva.
“The suggested legislation would apply to anyone who incites against the country, carries out verbal or physical attacks, organizes hostile activities or tries to interfere with foreign diplomatic and trade relations,” the news daily reported.
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#BDS: "Spin-off is great news for Motorola Israel"
"The spin-off is great news for Motorola Israel," Motorola Solutions Israel CEO Shimon Dick told "Globes", "because Motorola Solutions is expected to increase its investment in the technologies in which Israel has accumulated decades of world-class experience and expertise. This spin-off is therefore a lever for the growth of activity in Israel."
Work at Motorola Inc. began today as two separate companies: Motorola Solutions Inc. (NYSE: MOT) and Motorola Mobility Holdings Inc. (NYSE: MMI), which will continue to develop, manufacture, and market mobile devices. The spin-off of the mobile division came after over two years of preparations aimed at refocusing the two companies on their core businesses.
Dick said, "We were too dispersed. This spin-off restores our focus. At the global level, Israel has a respected place, and the development center here is one of Motorola's largest in the world. We do a lot of innovative work here that I cannot comment on."
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#BDS: Disney invests in Haifa entertainment complex
"The city of Haifa is already on the tourist map of Israel, but now it's likely to get an even bigger chunk of the market with its new Disney-style theme park.
The Walt Disney Company investment arm Shamrock Holdings and the Israeli New Lineo cinema chain have announced plans to build a $168 million amusement park and a multiplex movie center in the port city.
The entertainment complex is said to open in 2013. It will include a 30,000 square meter amusement park and a 50,000 square meter compound with shops, 25 movie houses, and four theater auditoriums.
"The project, which is still in its development stages, reflects our goal of providing quality entertainment for the people of Israel," Avi Edery, Deputy CEO of New Lineo Cinema, told a news conference."
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#BDS: Macy Gray, Performing in Israel is Already Political – Stand for Human Rights and Cancel!
"Dear Macy Gray,
We are a group of Israeli citizens who support the Palestinian Call [1] for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) on Israel, as a means of bringing to an end Israel’s decades-long systematic oppression of the Palestinian people.
We are writing to you today to share with you our deep concern about your upcoming shows in Israel and urge you to cancel them. We know that you performed in Israel before, but some artists who come here are not fully aware of their performance’s implications when they choose to do so. In recent months, artists such as Carlos Santana, Gil Scott Heron, Elvis Costello, Gorillaz Sound System, the Klaxons, the Pixies, Devendra Banhart, Faithless, Leftfield, and Tindersticks cancelled their scheduled shows in Tel-Aviv after familiarizing themselves with the current socio-political reality in Palestine/Israel. Film stars Meg Ryan and Dustin Hoffman, and film director Mike Leigh cancelled their scheduled appearances in Israel as well.
In 1948 Israel expelled and confiscated the land and property of about 800,000 Palestinians. They and their descendants are still denied return and compensation as sanctioned by the UN General Assembly Resolution 194. The remaining Palestinians have been put for years under martial law, and until now, constituting 20% of Israel’s citizens, they are subjected to a systematic discrimination in violation of international law, and specifically, the crime of apartheid.
For decades, Israel has been keeping a population of four million Palestinians under martial law, and in the case of Gaza – a life-costing military siege. Palestinians living under Israeli military control have to endure house demolitions, the annexation of their agricultural fields and orchards, unlawful military invasions to their homes, and systematic denial of access to adequate medical services, high education and work; their villages are surrounded by checkpoints and a 26 ft. high wall, quashing their right to move freely, sometime even within their own villages. In the context of your show, this also means that a Palestinian girl, a fan of your music living under Israeli occupation, is not allowed by law – and denied by walls, fences and checkpoints – to come see you perform in Tel-Aviv."
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Jan 5, 2011
#BDS: Protesters interrupt Barak speech, calling him 'child killer'
"NAZARETH, (PIC)-- Palestinian youth interrupted a Tel Aviv University speech by Ehud Barak, calling the Israeli war minister a Gaza child killer.
Barak was giving a speech covering Iran and the Mideast political situation before senior military and academic officials from Israel and abroad when he was repeatedly interrupted by demonstrators against Israeli policies targeting Palestinians.
The demonstrators raised images of Palestinians who were killed and injured in the late 2008 early 2009 Gaza war, and shouted at Barak: "You are a killer of children in Gaza and a liar. You are only trying to instill fear in the people."
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#BDS: Italian singer brings Gaza twinning accord
"GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- Deputy Gaza Mayor Nezar Hejazi welcomed renowned Italian opera singer Joseph Fallisi to the Strip on Wednesday.
Fallisi arrived in Gaza with the Asia 1 aid convoy.
A delegation from Gaza's Culture Ministry and the head of the Palestinian union of artists Zakareyah Zein Din joined the deputy mayor to greet Fallisi.
The singer brought papers to sign a twinning agreement between Villa Castelli in southern Italy and Gaza City."
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Fallisi arrived in Gaza with the Asia 1 aid convoy.
A delegation from Gaza's Culture Ministry and the head of the Palestinian union of artists Zakareyah Zein Din joined the deputy mayor to greet Fallisi.
The singer brought papers to sign a twinning agreement between Villa Castelli in southern Italy and Gaza City."
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#BDS: Andrea Bocelli to sing at Masada
"Famed Italian tenor to take part in one time performance in June. All proceeds dedicated to support of Galilee, Negev residents
Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli has accepted an invitation from the Israeli Opera to come to Israel in June for a unique concert which will be held at the foothills of the famous Masada landmark. The concert will mark the closing of the Opera Festival which will include performances of "Aida" at the Masada and Jerusalem at the Sultan's Pool."
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#BDS: Tel Aviv to get Waldorf Astoria too
"Luxury chain's second hotel in Israel to be built on shoreline, near Hilton Hotel
The Waldorf Astoria chain is expected to open a second hotel inIsrael, on the plot adjacent to the Tel Aviv Hilton Hotel.
The chain's first hotel will be opened by the Canadian Reichman family in 2011 in Jerusalem, opposite businessman Alfred Akirov's Mamilla Hotel, at a total investment of $100 million. It is expected to be Israel's most luxurious hotel."
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