#BDS: ‘Undip Sabra’ campaign hits DePaul’s bulletin boards and cafeteria cash registers

By Sami Kishawi

Two months ago, the Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) at DePaul University called on the campus administration to remove Sabra hummus and affiliated products from school cafeterias. The organization’s reasoning was that Sabra was owned by Strauss Group, a company directly benefiting and supporting two notorious brigades in the Israeli army.
The school’s administration immediately recognized the problematic nature of the product and decided to withdraw it from all campus dining halls and eateries. Almost immediately, however, pro-Zionist groups, both on and off campus, pressured the administration into reinstating Sabra products. The administration calmly promised a thorough investigation and review of the product in the beginning of DePaul’s second quarter. (Read SJP’s statement here.)
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#BDS: ACTION ALERT: Remove Sabra Hummus from DePaul University

The DePaul chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine calls on DePaul University to permanently remove Sabra hummus from its cafeteria shelves, because Sabra's parent company, the Strauss Group, financially supports the Israeli military's Golani and Givati brigades, which have been charged with countless violations of international law.


Click here to sign the petition.

#BDS: Vanessa Paradis annule son concert en Israël

"La chanteuse française Vanessa Paradis, qui devait se produire le 10 février prochain à Tel-Aviv, a décidé d’annuler son concert, entendant ainsi les nombreuses voix qui lui demandaient de ne pas cautionner par sa présence l’apartheid israélien.

Samedi soir, à l’initiative de CAPJPO-EuroPalestine, une trentaine de militants BDS s’étaient notamment retrouvés devant le théâtre de Conflans-Sainte-Honorine (Yvelines), où la chanteuse se produisait, pour l’informer, elle et son public, des crimes commis par l’Etat d’Israël à l’encontre du peuple palestinien.

Nous lui avons offert une petite sérénade, une chorégraphie, et avons distribué à tous les spectateurs, sous forme de tract, la lettre ouverte à Vanessa Paradis signée par 19 artistes et intellectuels israéliens du mouvement Boycott From Within (Boycott de l’Intérieur).

Quelques heures plus tard, les producteurs du spectacle de Vanessa Paradis, Charles Bensmaine et David Stern, annonçaient l’annulation de l’étape Tel Aviv, officiellement pour « impératifs professionnels » de l’artiste.

MERCI VANESSA !

On peut lui écrire pour la remercier à :

Vanessa Paradis

Universal Music France

20 rue des Fossés Saint Jacques

75005 Paris

CAPJPO-EuroPalestine"

#BDS: Boycott the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra on its US Tour!

"The Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel appeals to BDS activists in the United States to boycott the US tour of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra (IPO) in February and March 2011, due to its complicity in whitewashing Israel's persistent violations of international law and human rights. The IPO is scheduled to perform in Palm Beach, New York, Seattle, San Francisco, and Los Angeles [1]. We urge activists to continue the principled tradition of activists in New York and Los Angeles in 2007, when they protested the IPO’s appearance in their cities. [2]
The IPO is one of the flagship institutions of the Israeli state, tracing its history to the 1930’s under the British Mandate. The IPO Foundation describes the orchestra as “Israel’s musical ambassador,” [3] while the American Friends of the IPO says this about it:
Often said to have more heart than other orchestras, the IPO is Israel’s finest cultural emissary and travels throughout the world, particularly to countries where there is little or no Israeli representation. In some cases, performances of the IPO are the only example of Israel’s existence. The goodwill created by these tours, which have included historic visits to Japan, Argentina, Poland, Hungary, Russia, China and India, is of enormous value to the State of Israel. As a result, the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra maintains its position at the forefront of cultural diplomacy and the international music scene [4]"
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#BDS: “Palestine Under Siege: What Every American Needs to Know.”

"You’re invited! 
“Palestine Under Siege: What Every American Needs to Know.” 
Thursday, January 20, 6:30 – 8:00 p.m. 
Christ United Methodist Church, Education Conference Center 
400 5th Avenue SW. Rochester, MN 55902 
Representatives from the Minnesota Break the Bonds Campaign will present an
hour-long program on the plight of the Palestinians under Israeli
occupation. This will be followed by a time for questions. 
The BDS (Boycott Divest Sanction) movement (of which MN Break the Bonds is a
part) has been gaining momentum in the U.S. as well as the world. This
citizens’ initiative marks a turning point: the time for justice is long
overdue for the Palestinian people, and traditional peace talks alone are
not enough. 
MN BBC has been on tour in the state giving programs like this one because
as Minnesotans become informed on the ways they are supporting the Israeli
government’s unjust policies, they will be asking themselves and others:
“Why has our state legislature taken a pro-Israel position in the investment
of our tax money?” They will expect their legislators to uphold and apply
the same ethical principles to investment in Israeli bonds as was done in
the past when Minnesota divested from bonds with Sudan, Iran, and S. Africa.
State legislators from southeast Minnesota will be invited and encouraged to
attend. 
Sponsored by the Southeast Minnesota Alliance of Peacemakers. 
For more information contact: Hank Kliewer hklie...@charter.net "

#BDS: American tax-exempt organizations provide direct funding to Israeli army

Siting Hybrid States blog:


"Elsewhere on this blog I have highlighted how tax-exempt donations to US organizations are used to fund overt racism and racist violence, genocidal rabbis, Jewish terrorists, andillegal Jewish-only colonies on Palestinian land.  So it really shouldn’t come as a surprise that US charity money also goes directly to the Israeli army, and yet I still find it remarkable that US government subsidies in the form of tax breaks can be used to fund foreign militaries.

Meet the Friends of the Israel Defense Forces, which helps support “young men and women soldiers of Israel who defend the Jewish homeland.”  This support includes nationalistic “support programs”, physical construction projects on Israeli military bases, gives discretionary pocket money directly to Israeli army commanders for use on their soldiers, pays for soldiers to take leave and go on vacation, and on and on.  And in 2008, the most recent year for which CharityNavigator has data, this group raised over $48 million and gave over $31 million dollars to Israel’s occupation army."

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#BDS: Vanessa, n'y va pas!

#BDS: “Irish Artists’ Pledge to Boycott Israel” reaches 200 signatories

Irish singer-songwriter Dylan Walshe became the landmark 200th signatory to the “Irish Artists’ Pledge to Boycott Israel”, which commits endorsers to not “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”.

The pledge - an initiative of the Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign (IPSC) - was launched last August and since then has garnered the support of many high profile Irish creative and performing artists such as Stephen Rea, Sinéad Cusack, Christy Moore, Donal Lunny, Andy Irvine, Damien Dempsey, Neilí Conroy, Conor Kostick, Liam Ó Maonlaí, Sharon Shannon, Robert Ballagh and Nuala Ní Dhomhnaill. The full list of signatories can be viewed online athttp://www.ipsc.ie/pledge

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#BDS: A SECOND OPEN LETTER TO THOMAS QUASTHOFF

"Dear Thomas Quasthoff,
We noticed that on January 11, Die Welt and most other German
newspapers reported you will be performing 'for the first time’ in
Israel in February. We interpret this, sadly, as your reply to us
and the many other people who have written asking you not to sing
in Israel. And we have to say we’re slightly surprised.
Because to perform with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra is to
declare an identification with the State of Israel. We’re not saying
this because we’re a bunch of leftie English professors. We’re
saying it because the Israel Philharmonic itself says so.
Here’s its website describing the period 1947-1956, the decade, it
says, 'in which some of the world’s most renowned artists came to
identify through the orchestra with the State of Israel’. You’ll be in
illustrious company – Koussevitzky, Fricsay, Giulini – but do you
want your appearance to be spun this way? It will be, whether you
like it or not."
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#BDS: Legendary NY theater helps whitewash Israeli Apartheid

"Earlier this week, La MaMa, one of the most revered counter-cultural theatrical institutions in the world, presented a work, "Show Your Face," part of the Under the Radar festival, in which the performers, after depicting a demonstration in which the demonstrators were mowed down by securitiy forces, ranted at the audience for turning a blind eye to torture, repression, and war crimes, terminating with the accusatory refrain, directed at the spectators, "And you do nothing!" Perhaps they should have been directing their outrage at the theater's co-director, Mia Yoo.
On January 31, La MaMa will collaborate with the Israeli government by hosting a gala to raise money for an 'Israeli Dance Week' at the East Viillage theater this spring whose net effect will be to help whitewash Israel's ongoing Apartheid policies, destruction of Palestinian homes and olive orchards, theft of Palestinian land, failure to take any responsibility for what a UN investigation deemed war crimes and possible crimes against humanity in its invasion of the Gaza strip in which it killed 1400 people, the majority civlians, lethal attack on the Turkish flotilla attempting to break Israel's illegal Gaza blockade of vital goods, denying Palestinians married to Israelis the right to even enter the country, new restrictions on Israeli peace groups, and, most recently, killing a Palestinian woman who was simply watching a demonstration against Israel's illegal Apartheid wall with American-manufactured tear gas."
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#BDS: Lead singer of 'Disturbed' is obviously truly disturbed!

"Jewish state has a passionate supporter in metal band lead vocalist David Draiman – he has family here, visits as often as possible and is even considering buying property here. 'Thing I love most about Israel is that it's the only place where it's OK to be Jewish,' he says

For a few years now, one of metal's greatest singers has been making frequent visits to Israel quietly and without a fuss. The man is so in love with Israel that he would consider making aliyah if his band members would only allow it.

His face may not be as well known as that of Metallica's James Hetfield, but David Draiman, lead singer of US metal band Disturbed, heads one of the leading bands in the field. Disturbed's monumental success has risen even higher over the last few months with the release of their latest album Asylum."

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#BDS: «مقاومة التطبيع» تبلغ ثلاثة تجار بضرورة مقاطعة البضائع الاسرائيلية

أبلغت لجنة مقاومة التطبيع النقابية ثلاثة تجار يستوردون المنتجات الزراعية من إسرائيل أنهم هم فقط الذين لم يستجيبوا لدعوتها بمقاطعة البضائع الإسرائيلية وعدم استيرادها.

وقال رئيس اللجنة المهندس بادي الرفايعة إن اللجنة اتصلت بالتجار الثلاثة واكدت لهم أنها بصدد نشر قائمة بأسماء الذين يمارسون أنشطة تطبيعية 

مع الكيان الصهيوني ، وأنها ستضطر في حال لم يتجاوبوا مع دعوتها أسوة بالعديد من التجار إلى نشر أسمائهم في هذه القائمة.

وأشار إلى أن تجاراً كانوا يستوردون بضائع وسلعا زراعية إسرائيلية قرروا التوقف عن هذا النشاط التطبيعي بعد أن تبيّن لهم أنه يصب في صالح الكيان الصهيوني الذي يعلن ليل نهار أهدافه العدوانية تجاه الأردن ، ويقوم كل يوم بعدوان على أبناء الشعب العربي الفلسطيني.

وقال إن التجار الذين توقفوا عن استيراد هذه البضائع نشروا إعلانات بذلك ، وبينوا أنهم توقفوا لأن التطبيع التجاري يخدم أهداف الكيان الصهيوني.

إقرأ/ي المزيد

#BDS: فانيسا بارادي تلغي حفلتها الموسيقية في اسرائيل

ا ف ب - القدس (ا ف ب) - ألغت المغنية والممثلة الفرنسية فانيسا بارادي حفلة موسيقية كان من المقرر ان تحييها للمرة الاولى في اسرائيل في شباط/فبراير، حسبما أعلن منظم الحفلة ديفيد ستيرن في بيان السبت.

وجاء في البيان "يأسف شارل بينزمين، مدير شركة +اوغوري برودوكسيون+ وديفيد ستيرن، رئيس شركة +ستيرن اند لايتس+ للاعلان عن إلغاء حفلة الآنسة فانيسا بارادي في تل أبيب، التي كانت مقررة في 10 شباط/فبراير 2011، وذلك لدواع مهنية قاهرة".

وقد اكد ديفيد ستيرن لوكالة فرانس برس ان "الغاء الحفلة يعود الى أسباب مهنية بحتة".

في مواجهة النزاع الاسرائيلي الفلسطيني، الغى عدة مغنين في الاشهر الاخيرة حفلاتهم في اسرائيل، وبعضهم عزا ذلك الى اسباب سياسية مثل الفيس كوستيلو، وفرقة بيكسيز، وكارلوس سانتانا، وجيل سكوت هيرون وغيرهم. كذلك فإن المخرج السينمائي البريطاني مايك لي رفض مؤخرا المشاركة في مهرجان مكرس لأفلامه في اسرائيل.

إقرأ/ي المزيد

#BDS: Canada's double standards

"Canada's tax system currently subsidizes Israeli settlements that Ottawa deems illegal, however, the Conservative government says there's nothing that can be done about it.

In June of last year, Guelph activist Dan Maitland emailed Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon concerning Canada Park, a Jewish National Fund of Canada initiative built on land Israel occupied after the June 1967 War. Three Palestinian villages (Beit Nuba, Imwas and Yalu) were demolished to make way for the park.

A few weeks ago Maitland received a reply from Keith Ashfield, Minister of National Revenue, who refused to discuss the particulars of the case but provided "general information about registered charities and the occupied territories." Ashfield wrote that "the fact that charitable activities take place in the occupied territories is not a barrier to acquiring or maintaining charitable status."

This means Canadian organizations can openly fundraise for settlements Ottawa (officially) deems illegal under international law and get the government to pay up to a third of the cost through tax credits for donations. To justify the government's position, Ashfield cited a September 2002 Federal Court of Appeal case (Canadian Magen David Adom for Israel v. Minister of National Revenue), which reversed the Canadian Revenue Agency's previous position."

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#BDS: US TOUR: Palestinian Queers Talk Politics