Bilal Baydoun, a senior at the University of Michigan, writes: Students Allied for Freedom and Equality (SAFE) at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor recently staged a walkout on Israeli Bedouin diplomat and Ministry of Foreign Affairs apologist Ishmael Khaldi। He came to our campus at the invitation of Israel lobby group CAMERA (Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America) to whitewash the marginalization of minorities in Israel. I've included a video of our walkout. Via Mondoweiss
Dec 5, 2011
#BDS Students stage dramatic walkout on Avigdor Lieberman mouthpiece in Michigan
Dec 2, 2011
#BDS: Declaration of Swiss Artists Responding to the Palestinian Appeal for Solidarity
"When Israel, through the Culturescapes festival, conducts a wide public relations campaign in Switzerland, when the program Swiss Season invites Swiss artists to present their works in prestigious venues in Israel, the undersigned artists and cultural actors hereby express their rejection of the politics of the Israeli state, policies which, for over 60 years, violate the rights of the Palestinian people.
The flattering image that Israel seeks to present, an image of a country in which creativity blooms in freedom, clashes with the reality that the Palestinian people endures. The refugees are still refused their right to return, Palestinians citizens of Israel are subject to legal and cultural segregation, the Gaza Strip is still under siege, the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and East Jerusalem remain under military occupation. In contempt of the law and public protestations, Israel continues the colonization and the construction of the separation wall in the West Bank and Jerusalem. We recognize in these politics the traits of an apartheid regime, as defined by international law."
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The flattering image that Israel seeks to present, an image of a country in which creativity blooms in freedom, clashes with the reality that the Palestinian people endures. The refugees are still refused their right to return, Palestinians citizens of Israel are subject to legal and cultural segregation, the Gaza Strip is still under siege, the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and East Jerusalem remain under military occupation. In contempt of the law and public protestations, Israel continues the colonization and the construction of the separation wall in the West Bank and Jerusalem. We recognize in these politics the traits of an apartheid regime, as defined by international law."
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#BDS: Arch Enemy: Stand with Revolution not Apartheid
"It is with great disappointment that the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI) has learned of your scheduled performance in Israel set for January 24, 2012 [1]. Given that Israel is involved in grave violations of international law and human rights 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."
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#BDS: Time for outrage against academic support for Israel
"The EU is not only refusing to take action against Israel, it is busily conniving in Israel's crimes.
Persistent campaigning by the Palestine solidarity movement has turned Veolia into something of a toxic brand. From Manchester to Melbourne, local authorities have been quizzed about their dealings with the French corporate giant because of its role in constructing a light rail system for illegal Israeli settlements in Jerusalem.
The controversy has affected Veolia's bottom line, resulting in the loss of contracts worth €10 billion (£8.6 billion) over the past six years. So it recently turned to the Brussels bureaucracy for moral - or, perhaps more accurately, immoral - support.
On 31 October, Antonio Tajani, vice-president of the European Commission, opened the "Go4 Europe" business conference in Tel Aviv. On promotional material that Tajani and his aides almost certainly read, Veolia was listed as one of the event's four "platinum sponsors". As Tajani used the occasion to laud Israel's "business-friendly environment" (his words), he gave his tacit blessing to companies such as Veolia that have seized the opportunities presented by an apartheid state."
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Persistent campaigning by the Palestine solidarity movement has turned Veolia into something of a toxic brand. From Manchester to Melbourne, local authorities have been quizzed about their dealings with the French corporate giant because of its role in constructing a light rail system for illegal Israeli settlements in Jerusalem.
The controversy has affected Veolia's bottom line, resulting in the loss of contracts worth €10 billion (£8.6 billion) over the past six years. So it recently turned to the Brussels bureaucracy for moral - or, perhaps more accurately, immoral - support.
On 31 October, Antonio Tajani, vice-president of the European Commission, opened the "Go4 Europe" business conference in Tel Aviv. On promotional material that Tajani and his aides almost certainly read, Veolia was listed as one of the event's four "platinum sponsors". As Tajani used the occasion to laud Israel's "business-friendly environment" (his words), he gave his tacit blessing to companies such as Veolia that have seized the opportunities presented by an apartheid state."
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#BDS: OUMOU SANGARÉ ANNULE SON CONCERT EN #ISRAËL
"Merci à la grande chanteuse malienne Oumou Sangaré d’avoir décidé d’annuler son concert à L’opéra de Tel Aviv, programmé pour le 9 décembre prochain !
Outre ses superbes talents de chanteuse qui ont fait d’elle une star mondiale à l’âge de 21 ans, Oumou Sangaré est une personne engagée. Elle défend notamment la cause des femmes et il aurait été dommage qu’elle aille soutenir, par sa présence un Etat qui pratique l’apartheid et le nettoyage ethnique de tout un peuple."
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Outre ses superbes talents de chanteuse qui ont fait d’elle une star mondiale à l’âge de 21 ans, Oumou Sangaré est une personne engagée. Elle défend notamment la cause des femmes et il aurait été dommage qu’elle aille soutenir, par sa présence un Etat qui pratique l’apartheid et le nettoyage ethnique de tout un peuple."
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#BDs Call: Red Hot Chili Peppers to perform in #Israel
"A decade after they canceled their plans to perform for fans in Tel Aviv, the Red Hot Chili Peppers will be performing in Israel.
In 2001, in the wake of the release of the band’s successful album “Californication,” 20,000 tickets were sold for a concert featuring the Red Hot Chili Peppers in Tel Aviv’s Hayarkon Park. After a wave of attacks, however, the band canceled their visit to Israel."
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In 2001, in the wake of the release of the band’s successful album “Californication,” 20,000 tickets were sold for a concert featuring the Red Hot Chili Peppers in Tel Aviv’s Hayarkon Park. After a wave of attacks, however, the band canceled their visit to Israel."
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#BDS: NUS calls to end Ahava and King's College project
"Ahava's shop in Covent Garden closed following protests
The National Union of Students executive has unanimously voted to condemn King’s College London and demand that it ceases participation in a research project with Israeli cosmetics company Ahava.
King’s College Palestine Campaign organised a petition with 1,000 signatures, included Noam Chomsky and pro-Palestinian campaigner Omar Barghouti.
Support was pledged by the Universities and Colleges Union representative at King’s College.
This week the NUS National Executive Council passed a motion demanding “the immediate end of the university’s involvement in the project, and the rejection of the financial grant King’s has received for its participation.”
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The National Union of Students executive has unanimously voted to condemn King’s College London and demand that it ceases participation in a research project with Israeli cosmetics company Ahava.
King’s College Palestine Campaign organised a petition with 1,000 signatures, included Noam Chomsky and pro-Palestinian campaigner Omar Barghouti.
Support was pledged by the Universities and Colleges Union representative at King’s College.
This week the NUS National Executive Council passed a motion demanding “the immediate end of the university’s involvement in the project, and the rejection of the financial grant King’s has received for its participation.”
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#BDS: European Bank Pulls Out Of Israel After Pressure From Boycott Campaign
"The French bank, BNP Paribas, has decided to cease operations inside Israel, after the bank was targeted by the international Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign, which aims to use economic pressure to get Israel to adhere to its obligations and abide by international law.
Although the bank stated that its withdrawal from Israel was not due to the pressure campaign, but instead due to heavy losses sustained during the Greek financial crisis, Israeli officials and bankers have stated that they believe the bank gave in to pressure from European human rights groups to pull out of Israel.
BNB Paribas will close its offices and lay off sixty employees in Israel, and will end its financing of projects in the Jewish state.
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Although the bank stated that its withdrawal from Israel was not due to the pressure campaign, but instead due to heavy losses sustained during the Greek financial crisis, Israeli officials and bankers have stated that they believe the bank gave in to pressure from European human rights groups to pull out of Israel.
BNB Paribas will close its offices and lay off sixty employees in Israel, and will end its financing of projects in the Jewish state.
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#BDS: مقابلة مع إسرائيليين على «الجديد» تثير لغطاً وأسئلة
أن تشاهد مقابلة تلفزيونية مع الإسرائيلي كمال شوفانية من قيادة وحدة الإطفاء، وأخرى مع حاييم لادزير من سكان المنطقة التي أصيبت أمس الأول بصوارخ الكاتيوشا الموجهة من لبنان، عبر قناة «الجديد»، ضمن تقرير إخباري «خاص» من شمال فلسطين المحتلة، فذلك ليس أمرا اعتياديا، بل إنه أثار لغطا والتباسا لدى بعض متابعي القناة، ممن يعتبرون أنها قناة ملتزمة بعدم التطبيع الإعلامي مع اسرائيل، وطليعية في الوقوف الى جانب خيار المقاومة في مواجهة الاحتلال والعدوان كما حصل في حرب تموز.
انطلاقا من هذه الصورة المرسومة للقناة، فوجئ البعض بما شاهدوه وسمعوه في النشرة الإخبارية أمس الأول، ما أوحى بأن هناك تغييرا في سياسة «الجديد» الإعلامية وتراجعا عن ثوابتها المعروفة.
وسعيا الى تبيان خلفيات ما ظهر على شاشة القناة، حاورت «السفير» مديرة قسم الأخبار في «الجديد» مريم البسام، التي حاولت الجمع في أجوبتها بين المقتضيات المهنية والموقف المبدئي ضد اسرائيل ورفض التطبيع الإعلامي معها. وفي ما يلي نص الحوار:
÷ هل بدأت «الجديد» عهدا جديدا تجري من خلاله مقابلات مع الإسرائيلي؟
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انطلاقا من هذه الصورة المرسومة للقناة، فوجئ البعض بما شاهدوه وسمعوه في النشرة الإخبارية أمس الأول، ما أوحى بأن هناك تغييرا في سياسة «الجديد» الإعلامية وتراجعا عن ثوابتها المعروفة.
وسعيا الى تبيان خلفيات ما ظهر على شاشة القناة، حاورت «السفير» مديرة قسم الأخبار في «الجديد» مريم البسام، التي حاولت الجمع في أجوبتها بين المقتضيات المهنية والموقف المبدئي ضد اسرائيل ورفض التطبيع الإعلامي معها. وفي ما يلي نص الحوار:
÷ هل بدأت «الجديد» عهدا جديدا تجري من خلاله مقابلات مع الإسرائيلي؟
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Dec 1, 2011
Video: French #BDS activists de-shelve huge amounts of #Israeli produce at #Carrefour
Nov 30, 2011
#BDS: The Cultural Boycott Israel vs. South Africa
"Since the great majority of Palestinian civil society issued its call for boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) against Israel in July 2005 to compel it to fulfil its obligations under international law, there has never been a period with as many BDS achievements as that following the Israeli massacre in Gaza in the winter of 2008-2009 and the bloodbath on the Gaza-bound Freedom Flotilla in May 2010. People of conscience around the world seem to have crossed a threshold in challenging Israel’s impunity through effective pressure, not appeasement or “constructive engagement.” This has been most pronounced in the cultural field, where support for the 2004 call by the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI)2 has witnessed spectacular growth."
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#BDS: مخاوف إسرائيلية من إقرار البرلمان التونسي الجديد قانون "مقاطعة إسرائيل
ذكرت صحيفة "إسرائيل اليوم" أن المستوى السياسي في إسرائيل يراقب بقلق التطورات في العالم العربي, وهم يحذرون منذ أسابيع من احتمالات تحول الربيع العربي إلى واقع كئيب بالنسبة لإسرائيل.
وأشارت الصحيفة إلى أن أول ثمار الربيع العربي تأتي من تونس حيث يعتزم البرلمان التونسي الجديد إقرار قانون "معارضة الصهيونية ومقاطعة إسرائيل", وهو بند يحظى بدعم من الحزبين الأكبر في البلاد "النهضة الإسلامي", و"التجمع الديمقراطي" بعد إبعاد زين العابدين بن علي .
وأعربت وزارة الخارجية الإسرائيلية عن مخاوفها من تفشي عدوى عداء إسرائيل في دول أخرى في الشرق الأوسط, الأمر الذي سيضع الاستقرار بالمنطقة في خطر.
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وأشارت الصحيفة إلى أن أول ثمار الربيع العربي تأتي من تونس حيث يعتزم البرلمان التونسي الجديد إقرار قانون "معارضة الصهيونية ومقاطعة إسرائيل", وهو بند يحظى بدعم من الحزبين الأكبر في البلاد "النهضة الإسلامي", و"التجمع الديمقراطي" بعد إبعاد زين العابدين بن علي .
وأعربت وزارة الخارجية الإسرائيلية عن مخاوفها من تفشي عدوى عداء إسرائيل في دول أخرى في الشرق الأوسط, الأمر الذي سيضع الاستقرار بالمنطقة في خطر.
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#BDS: الاتحاد الإماراتي للسباحة ينفي التطبيع... والإسرائيلي يؤكّده
هللت الدولة العبرية واتحاد السباحة لديها للدعوة التي تلقتها من الاتحاد الإماراتي للسباحة، للمشاركة في لقاء دولي للفئات العمرية للسباحة في شباط المقبل، إلا أن هذه الدعوة لاقت شجباً وإدانة واسعة من منظمات «مقاطعة إسرائيل» والمجتمع المدني الفلسطيني، ومنها «اللجنة الدولية لمقاطعة إسرائيل وسحب الاستثمارات منها وفرض العقوبات عليها»، والتي تختصر بـ BDS وتنضوي تحت لوائها منظمات فلسطينية ونقابات عمالية واتحادات شبابية وكشفية رياضية. وأرسلت هذه اللجنة رسالة مفتوحة إلى الاتحاد الإماراتي للسباحة بشخص رئيسه أحمد الفلاسي، حيث عدّت الدعوة الإماراتية شكلاً من أشكال التطبيع مع الدولة الصهيونية. وجاء في سياق الرسالة: «تستنكر BDS بشدة ما أوردته وسائل الإعلام حول قرار الاتحاد الإماراتي للسباحة توجيه دعوة إلى الاتحاد الإسرائيلي للسباحة للمشاركة في مباراة دولية ستقام في دبي، إن صح الخبر، فإن هذه الدعوة تمثّل تطبيعاً خطيراً مع دولة الاحتلال والتمييز العنصري، يأتي في وقت نحن في أمس الحاجة فيه إلى الدعم والتضامن العربي والعالمي في ظل استشراس الاحتلال الإسرائيلي للأراضي الفلسطينية والعربية...». وأضافت الرسالة: «نذكّر الاتحاد الإماراتي كذلك بأن عدم وجود علاقات دبلوماسية بين الإمارات وإسرائيل يعفي الأولى من واجب دعوة أي فريق أو وفد إسرائيلي، إلى أنشطة تقام في الإمارات».
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Punks Against Apartheid officially launches website, #BDS network
“Stumbling onto the scene” with a demand for legendary punk rocker and social justice activist Jello Biafra and his band, the Guantanamo School of Medicine, to cancel a performance in Tel Aviv last June — which Biafra eventually did — activists with theboycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) group Punks Against Apartheid (PAA) have announced their official launch as a website and activism network.
PAA was the major driving force behind the appeal to Biafra to cancel his gig, and was formed quickly and with large support by artists, musicians and solidarity activists worldwide who signed onto an online statement that was sent directly to Biafra. Immediately following the show’s cancellation, PAA didn’t stop there — they were motivated to engage with and expand the growing BDS movement, and continued to call on Biafra to look deeper into his political analysis to understand the situation for Palestinians under Israel’s apartheid system. Read more here.
#BDS Boycott #Israel campaign grows among UK unions, despite Zionist backlash
Over the last few years, UK trade unions have expressed solidarity with Palestine more and more explicitly. Union after union has overturned a previous orthodoxy of balance between “two sides” when it comes to policy on Israel and the Palestinians. So many unions have now passed motions in support of the Palestinian boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement that even the often conservative Trades Union Congress (TUC) has been compelled to change policy. Read more here.
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