Jul 12, 2011

#BDS: New #Tunisia: Tunisians protest against #Israel ties

"Around 600 people rallied in Tunis Sunday threatening to out leaders believed to support normalization of diplomatic ties with Israel.

"Death to all Tunisians attempting to normalize relations with Israel," said Ahmed Kahlaoui, who chairs a committee opposing the restoration of diplomatic ties between the two countries."

"Cher Moby,

Nous avons pris récemment connaissance de votre concert du 12 juillet en Israël. Nous vous écrivons pour vous demander d’annuler votre concert à Tel Aviv.

Comme vous le savez certainement, depuis 2005 la société civile palestinienne a appelé les artistes internationaux à refuser de jouer en Israël, dans le cadre de la campagne Boycott, Désinvestissement et Sanctions (BDS) contre Israël. La campagne BDS est une réponse non-violente à la politique israélienne de colonialisme et d’apartheid. La campagne s’inspire des boycotts qui ont aidé à abolir l’Apartheid en Afrique du Sud. En plus de leur soutien à des mouvements de solidarité dans le monde, de nombreux artistes ont annulé leurs concerts en Israël, parmi eux Elvis Costello, Roger Waters des Pink Floyd, Carlos Santana, August Burns Red, feu Gil Scott Heron, Gorillaz Sound System, The Pixies, Vanessa Paradis et Devandra Banhart."

#BDS: A view from South Africa on the need to unfriend Israeli universities

"A presentation to the Association of American Geographers Annual Meetings, Seattle, Washington, April 12, 2011. Posted at Links International Journal of Socialist Renewal with Patrick Bond’s permission.

This panel is not only devoted to considering arguments about implementing the call for boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) against Israel, but also about broader problems of progressive political positioning and backlash in the academy.

Although I do not deal with the April 2 case of Richard Goldstone’s unprincipled U-turn on the findings of the United Nations commission into Israel’s 2008-09 Gaza invasion, the incident suggests the extent to which South African commentary on the oppression of Palestinians has become acutely politicised. For if Goldstone’s return to his Zionist past – recalling, too, his past as a minor apartheid-era judge (hence as a human rights ally, his zig-zag unreliability, reliability and now unreliability) – serves any purpose aside from empowering Israeli militarists, it will be to compel us to use South Africa as a base from which critical inquiry into the condition of Palestine must now be intensified."

Jul 11, 2011

#BDS: الكنيست الإسرائيلي يناقش مشروع قانون يعاقب مقاطعي منتجات المستوطنات

تعقد رئاسة الكنيست الإسرائيلي، اليوم الاثنين، جلسة لتحديد موقفها من مشروع القانون الذي ينص على فرض عقوبات على أي منظمة أو جمعية تدعو إلى مقاطعة منتجات المستوطنات الإسرائيلية في الضفة الغربية المحتلة. وذكرت الإذاعة الإسرائيلية أن المستشار القانوني للكنيست سيشارك في الجلسة ليعبر عن رأيه القضائي حول ما إذا كان مشروع القانون يتنافى والمبادئ الدستورية الخاصة بحرية التعبير.

وكان النائب زئيف الكين قد رجح أن يتم التصويت على مشروع القانون بعد غد الأربعاء. وأشارت القناة العاشرة الإسرائيلية إلى أن بعض الدول الأوروبية تمتنع عن شراء بعض المنتجات الإسرائيلية التي تحمل إشارات تدل على أن مكان تصنيعها هو أحد المستوطنات، وعلى رأس هذه الدول فرنسا التي يتواجد بها مجموعات كبيرة مؤيدة للقضية الفلسطينية تعمل على دفع المواطنين إلى مقاطعة المنتجات الإسرائيلية ورفضها.

إقرأ/ي المزيد

#BDS: Anti-Zionism growing among Jews

"A large group of Jewish activists opposed to the Zionist ideology are challenging Israel's occupation, racist and colonial policies against Palestinians and calling for the return of Palestinian refugees.

The International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network (IJAN) of organisations and activists in western countries firmly support the Palestinian Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign against Israel as a moral tool in response to Israel's occupation of Palestinian lands.

The state of Israel, the manifestation of Zionism, declares IJAN, is "a colonial project that dishonours the memories of the European Jews who perished in the genocide in Europe".

#BDS: #Bollywood stars arrive in Israel in bid to boost #India-Israel ties

"Members of Indian film community arrive in Israel as part of 'Project Interchange' to explore joint ventures, scout location sites, attend Jerusalem International Film Festival tour country.

A group of Indian Bollywood stars are set to arrive in Israel on Sunday to explore joint ventures and scout location sites as part of the American Jewish Committee’s (AJC) “Project Interchange” in conjunction with the Australia/Israel Jewish Affairs Council."

#BDS: إيمان البحر درويش: زيارة فلسطين ليست تطبيعاً ويجب رفع الحصار

رام الله- معا - أكد الفنان المصري الكبير إيمان البحر درويش، اليوم الجمعة، أنه هو والغالبية العظمى من الفنانين المصريين، ينسجمون في آرائهم مع الشعب المصري الرافض للتطبيع مع إسرائيل، مؤكداً أن تواجده في مدينة رام الله وزيارة فلسطين، ليستطبيعاً.

وقال إيمان البحر، خلال مؤتمر صحفي، عقد في فندق موفينبيك رام الله: الغالبية العظمى منا ترفض التطبيع، ولكن الحكومة المصرية هي التي كانت تقيم علاقات تطبيع".

إقرأ/ي المزيد

#BDS: BRICUP sends open letter to Renee Fleming: cancel your Jerusalem concert

"Dear Renee Fleming:

We understand you’re singing a concert of 'duets and arias’ in Jerusalem on July 28 with the Israel Philharmonic and their director, Zubin Mehta – a concert that will be simultaneously broadcast to 480 cinemas across the USA under the title 'Live from Jerusalem’.

We’re writing to ask you urgently to reconsider your decision to do this. Even at this late stage, you have it within your power to act in sympathy with people who won’t be able to attend your concert, because they are Palestinian. Two-thirds of the population was ethnically cleansed in 1947/8, and has never been allowed to return; millions more endure illegal occupation and siege by the Israeli army. When maestro Mehta raises his baton, none of these people will be in the audience – the Israeli authorities won’t allow them into Jerusalem, let alone your concert at the Sultan’s Pool. 'Live from Jerusalem’ indeed – more like a wake – except the Palestinians are not yet defeated. 'This land promises wheat and stars’, said the poet Mahmoud Darwish. 'We are its salt and its water. We are its wound, but a wound that fights.’

Omar Barghouti's book on #BDS

I just ordered Omar Barghouti's book: Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions: The Global Struggle for Palestinian Rights.
You can do the same here.

#BDS: Irish Congress of Trade Unions Maintains Commitment to BDS

"At its Biennial Delegate Conference this week in Killarney the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, representing the entirety of the Irish trade union movement across the Island, demonstrated its continued commitment to Palestinian solidarity and the Boycott Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign.

As well as the two agenda motions on Palestine conference also considered an emergency motion condemning the sabotage of the Irish ship MV Saoirse as it prepared to breach the illegal Israeli blockade. All motions were passed without any opposition whatsoever, clearly indicating the strong support for the Palestinian people and for BDS in the Irish trade union movement. Prior to the motions being held Trade Union Friends of Palestine distributed free to all delegates copies of their latest publication, a pamphlet on the Histadrut, as well as copies of the trade union produced Boycott Israeli Goods poster."

@PalYouthVoice:

#BDS: Press release from University of Johannesburg Senate member denies hasbara

"Misleading reports in the Israeli media have suggested that South Africa's University of Johannesburg (UJ) has reinstated its partnership agreement with Israel's Ben-Gurion University (BGU). As a representative on the University of Johannesburg's Senate, its highest decision-making body, and a member of its Senate Academic Freedom Committee responsible for international partnerships, I confirm that UJ's decision to terminate its institutional relationship with BGU remains.

On 23 March this year, in a widely publicized decision, UJ's Senate resolved to terminate its institutional agreement with BGU. The termination of the agreement was the result of BGU's failure to comply with conditions set by the university - including BGU's refusal to end its links with the Israeli military. This decision, based on the "principle of solidarity with the oppressed", was the result of a twelve month democratic, transparent, and consultative process. The campaign for UJ to sever its Israeli links included the support of Nobel Laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu and over 400 prominent South African academics."

#BDS: University of Johannesburg Upholds Academic Boycott of Israel

Turns out the news from yesterday about University of Johannesburg lifting academic boycott off Ben Gurion University was nothing but hasbara!

"The UJ Petition Committee views with contempt attempts by the pro-Israeli lobby to mislead the public by implying that the University of Johannesburg has reinstated its old Memorandum of Understanding with Israel’s Ben-Gurion University (BGU). In fact, the decision to terminate UJ’s institutional agreement with BGU was reaffirmed in a recent follow-up meeting of Senate on 22 June 2011."

Read more

Youth Against Normalization

Pages