#BDS: Rally in London on the second anniversary of Israel's war on Gaza

"Remembering Israel’s war on Gaza

END THE SIEGE ON GAZA
 • Rally for Gaza on Tuesday 18 January 2011, 7pm, Conway Hall, Holborn, London.

Between 27 December 2008 and 18 January 2009, over 1400 Palestinians were killed by Israel in a brutal and illegal attack on the Gaza Strip, destroying lives and infrastructure. Two years on, Gaza’s infrastructure has still not been repaired due to Israel’s blockade. Families are still living in tents. UN schools are unable to rebuild as Israel blocks concrete and building supplies. Join us, and bring family and friends, to send a clear message – END THE SIEGE ON GAZA! FREE PALESTINE!

Organised by: Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, Stop the War Coalition, British Muslim Initiative, Friends of Al Aqsa, Palestinian Forum in Britain, Viva Palestina."

#BDS: ACTION ALERT: Petition in defence of Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu

"We the undersigned give our support to Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu as a most appropriate patron of the South African Holocaust Foundation.

Tutu's life has been lived in the spirit of "never again" - the ultimate lesson of the Holocaust  

Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu has publicly criticised Israeli policy towards Palestinians living in Gaza and the West Bank. He has also criticised Palestinian attacks on Israeli civilians. These criticisms are well-known.

Recently, his criticisms of Israeli policy have elicited bitter personal attacks. Amidst calls for him to be removed as Patron of the Cape Town and Johannesburg Holocaust Centres of the South African Holocaust Foundation, Tutu has been attacked and labelled an"anti-Semite" and a "bigot"."



Please sign the petitionhttp://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/defend-tutu/.

#BDS: Canadian retailer ‘The Bay’ drops AHAVA Cosmetics

"As the day comes to a close on the East Coast, the Ahava-Bay plot thickens. Check this out:

Here is a joint statement that has been issued by UJA Federation of Greater Toronto and Moshe Ronen, National Chair, Canada Israel Committee and Bonnie Brooks, CEO, The Bay:

Last week, after a regularly-scheduled review of the products it offers, the Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC) discontinued sales of AHAVA beauty products, primarily because of sales results which had been declining for several years.

Although this decision was made by HBC solely for commercial reasons, it occurred at the same time as an aggressive campaign by several groups advocating a boycott of AHAVA products. At no point did political considerations enter into the exercise of HBC's business judgment. HBC has made it clear that it has not “bowed to political pressure” in the past, has not done so now and will not do so in the future. HBC neither subscribes to nor endorses politically-motivated boycotts of merchandise from countries with which Canada has open and established trading relationships, including Israel."

Read more

#BDS: Who profits from the occupation?

"As we learn more about the BDS movement, a critical question emerges: what companies are involved with which activities that ultimately sustain the occupation? In Tel Aviv we meet Dalit Baum, an Israeli member of the Coalition of Women for Peace and specifically, the group Who Profits? She explains that the organization was developed to understand the economics of the settlement project. A short haired woman with intense black eyes and an ironic sense of humor, she states that the project aimed to investigate corporations directly involved in the occupation, to figure out the specifics, the financial interests, and who is making money from whom. After meticulous research, four years later they have a website, whoprofits.org, that has a partial data base listing approximately 1000 companies.

The criteria for inclusion on this list involves work in building settlements, marketing settlement goods, using industrial space within settlements, providing crucial services to settlements such as transportation, and providing equipment to the military such as for building walls and checkpoints. She notes that Israel has exploited the Palestinian labor pool and the Palestinian market, it is a captive market where Israeli policies have shut down much of the competition. For example, Palestinians are only allowed to grow agricultural products that are not as profitable as Israeli products and do not compete in European markets when compared to Israeli goods."

Read more

#BDS: BDS Movement Victory: John Lewis Stops Stocking Ahava Products in Britain

"WASHINGTON - January 14 - Ahava’s goods, processed on stolen Palestinian land, are becoming too hot to handle. Leading British retail business John Lewis is now refusing to stock this toxic brand. Canadian retailer The Bay has also confirmed that it had also discontinued sales of Ahava products.[1]

John Lewis’ decision signifies yet another victory for the growing Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement. Consumers are refusing to buy goods from companies profiting from Israel’s illegal occupation.

John Lewis’ Managing Director, Andy Street, wrote to the Palestine Solidarity Campaign in a letter dated 7 January: ‘As a socially responsible retailer, John Lewis takes very seriously the treatment of workers and their working conditions. We expect all our suppliers not only to obey the law, but also to respect the rights, interests and well-being of their employees, their communities and the environment.’ He ended by stating: ‘In relation to your specific enquiry about Ahava Dead Sea products, I can confirm that John Lewis has ceased stocking these particular products’."

Read more

#BDS: Vanessa Paradis cancels Israel concert in response to calls from BDS groups

"French pop star Vanessa Paradis has cancelled her upcoming concert in Israel only a month before she was supposed to arrive in the country with her partner, Hollywood actor Johnny Depp, leaving fans and pundits speculating as to the reasons for the cancellation.

Paradis' agent David Stern announced the change of plans in the French media, claiming that the cancellation was due to professional reasons, but insiders who organized the concert claim that the singer acceded to calls to cancel the show made by Palestinian solidarity groups.

According to the same sources, it was apparently the planned visit of Paradis' partner  Johnny Depp that drew the attention of the groups that advocate boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) against Israel because of its treatment of the Palestinians."

Read more

#BDS: لقاء مع الأستاذ الصحفي آلان غريش

دعوكم شباب ضدّ التطبيع الى لقاء مع الأستاذ الصحفي آلان غريش 

في حوار معه حول أهمّ القضايا الحالية وخصوصا ما يتعلّق بالقضيّة الفلسطينيّة

وذلك يوم الثلاثاء 18/1/2011 عند الساعة السابعة مساء في مقهى ة مربوطة - الحمرا - سنتر البافيليون - الطابق الأوّل.

Long live the people's revolution in Tunisia!

#BDS: Angry Arab bashes Gaza Dr who supports peace with the Zionist entity

Angry Arab bashes Gaza Dr. who supports peace with Israel:

"He is on a speaking tour to promote his silly book (I shall not hate) in the US and Canada. Various Zionist liberal organizations are promoting him and peddling his book. He spoke in Berkeley last night. Rabbi Michael Lerner (who devotes his silly magazine, Tikkun, to the "anguish" of Israeli terrorist occupiers) introduced him. His message is love and peace with Israel. Like all Arab puppets of Zionist organizations, he is not very bright and has such poor command of English (is he not supposed to have gone to Harvard? Well, maybe that explains). After he spoke, I responded."

#BDS: نحو مجلس وزاريّ إسرائيليّ يونانيّ مشترك

بعدما شقّت إسرائيل طريق علاقاتها مع اليونان، خلال زيارة رئيس الوزراء الإسرائيلي بنيامين نتنياهو في شهر آب الماضي لأثينا، انتقلت تل أبيب إلى مرحلة تمتين هذه العلاقات وتعزيزها بهدف إيصالها إلى مرحلة الحلف البديل من العلاقات مع تركيا التي تأزمت خلال السنة الماضية. في هذا الإطار، وصل وزير الخارجية الاسرائيلي أفيغدور ليبرمان الى العاصمة اليونانية في زيارة رسمية تستمر خمسة أيام، بحسب بيان صادر عن مكتب وزير الخارجية.

وبالتزامن، أعلن مكتب رئيس الوزراء اليوناني، جورج باباندريو، أن بلاده وإسرائيل ستؤلّفان «مجلساً وزارياً مشتركاً للتعاون» لتوطيد العلاقات بينهما. ولفت بيان صادر عن المكتب الى أن الاتفاق على تأليف هذه الهيئة، التي ترمي الى دفع «التعاون في قطاعات محددة»، جرى في اتصال هاتفي مع نظيره الإسرائيلي بنيامين نتنياهو أول من أمس.

وعن اجتماعات هذه الهيئة، أوضح وزير الخارجية اليوناني ديميتريس دروتساس، في ختام لقاء مع ليبرمان، أن الاجتماع الأول لهذه الهيئة سيعقد بحلول شهر آذار المقبل في اسرائيل، مضيفاً «نريد أن نبدأ التعاون الاقتصادي في أسرع وقت»، معدداً قطاعات الطاقة والسياحة ومكافحة ظاهرة الاحتباس بعد تسجيل زيادة عدد السياح الإسرائيليين إلى اليونان الصيف الماضي.

إقرأ/ي المزيد

#BDS: مناهضو التطبيع يقفون بالمرصاد لفيلم خالد النبوي التطبيعي

خالد النبوي والإسرائيلية ليراز شارهي في مهرجان كان

«لعبة عادلة» لن يعرض في مصر. مناهضو التطبيع وقفوا بالمرصاد للعمل الذي يُطلّ فيه الممثل المصري إلى جانب الإسرائيلية ليراز شارهي

محمد عبد الرحمن

أصبح شبه مؤكّد أن الفيلم الأميركي «لعبة عادلة» لن يعرض في الصالات المصرية. الشريط الشهير الذي يشارك فيه النجم خالد النبوي، سبق أن أثار جدلاً كبيراً عند مشاركته في المهرجانات العالمية بسبب ظهور الممثل المصري إلى جانب الإسرائيلية ليراز شارهي. وكان من المتوقع أن يبدأ عرض العمل أمس الأربعاء في مصر، لكن الرقابة ارتأت عكس ذلك فيما يُعرض Fair Game حالياً في الصالات اللبنانية.

إقرأ/ي المزيد

#BDS: يديعوت أحرونوت: كيف تنتقل أموال العرب إلى داخل إسرائيل؟!

إعداد: دينا أبو المعارف

قالت صحيفة "يديعوت أحرونوت" الإسرائيلية، إن تقريرا كشف أن منظمات يسارية إسرائيلية موالية للفلسطينيين تتلقى أموالا من دول عربية وأوروبية لمساندة القضية الفلسطينية، مضيفة أن التقرير أيد قرار الحكومة الإسرائيلية الصادر الأسبوع الماضي، بتخصيص لجنة تحقيق في أنشطة وتمويل المنظمات اليسارية داخل إسرائيل.

وقالت الصحيفة، إن تقرير منظمة "أم ترتسو" التي تعمل على تقوية القيم الصهيونية في إسرائيل، ادعى أن دولا عربية وأوروبية تمول منظمات المجتمع المدني الفلسطينية التي تتبرع بدورها إلى الحركات اليسارية الإسرائيلية، لكي تعمل على التأثير في الخطاب العام والقانوني في إسرائيل ووسائل الإعلام العالمية.

وأضافت الصحيفة، أن التقرير ألقى الضوء بالأخص على مركز تطوير المؤسسات الأهلية الفلسطينية وجمعية الرعاية الاجتماعية الخيرية، اللذين يعتقد أنهما يعملان معا لتمويل الأنشطة المؤيدة للفلسطينيين داخل إسرائيل، حيث قدّر التقرير الميزانية السنوية لهما بعشرات الملايين من الدولارات.

إقرأ/ي المزيد

#BDS: In Defense of Uruknet!

"Tonight's post is about defending one of our colleages, comrades, friends, and allies. Tonight is about defending Uruknet whose blog is dedicated to providing information from the Middle East. For those of you who don't know who Uruknet, please have a look at http://www.uruknet.info/.  This blog is one of those that I personally consider one of the invaluable ones out there (a comprehensive list of those I read regularly will follow at a later date).

What has happened today will likely not come as a surprize to many of you. As it turns out Facebook deleted/deactivated/froze Uruknet's account/profile.  This falls into a greater trend of limiting/censuring/disabling peace/Palestine solidarity activists and this has to stop!

So here is what I thought we should do.  Uruknet managed to set up a 'group' on Facebook.  The url is http://www.facebook.com/pages/Uruknet/142018729188512. If you have a Facebook account and feel so inclined, please go there and 'like' this page.  If you have a blog, please do the same and also link (if possible, I still have to look into this) to this group.

We need numbers for this to work! Please help out with this...and in any other instance activists are censured for their very important work!"

~Sofia Smith

#BDS: ACTION ALERT: Thank You for Dropping Ahava Products!

"In January, 2011, we learned that The Bay, a major Canadian department store, discontinued sales of Ahava products. Canadian human rights activists, including our allies at Tadamon!, have had a campaign to ask The Bay to stop selling Ahava. Please join us in thanking The Bay for dropping Ahava. Your message of thanks is crucial as right-wing pro-occupation groups berate and pressure The Bay to reinstate sales of Ahava. Click to send your letter below now! "


Click here

#BDS: POLEMIQUE AUTOUR DU SODA ISRAELIEN SUR FRANCE 3 ET SON JEU SLAM

"Le conflit israélo-palestinien prend une tournure inattendue, en France, à travers la polémique créée par une machine à soda. Cet objet, commercialisé sous la marque Sodastream, est distribué en lot aux candidats du jeu Slam, diffusé les après-midi sur France 3. Sodastream est une marque israélienne, distribuée en France par la société OPM France, basée à Nantes, contestée par l'Association France-Palestine solidarité ( APFS ) au motif que les produits Sodastream seraient fabriqués dans une usine de Cisjordanie, autrement dit dans un territoire palestinien occupé par Israël.

APFS s'est donc indignée que France 3 puisse offrir une machine à soda fabriquée dans de telles conditions. De manière générale, les militants de l'APFS organisent des actions appelant au boycott de la marque Sodastream, inscrivant son action dans le mouvement de l'association BDS France (Boycott désinvestissement sanctions) à l'encontre d'Israël."

Continuer à lire