Documents
Help build the Campaign, endorse the Palestinian civil society
civil society BDS
call: www.bds-palestine.net
The following new BDS initiatives, have been compiled between
the months of May and October, and have come from all over the
world, frome many diffirent sectors of society.
BOYCOTT!
Israeli Arab MPs Urge World to Boycott Govt. over
Far-Right Party Israel, October 2006 - Israeli Arab MPs on
Wednesday called on the world to boycott Prime Minister Ehud
Olmert’s government over its plans to include an ultra-nationalist
party in the cabinet. The call came after Olmert struck a deal with
Avigdor Lieberman, head of the Yisrael Beitenu party, to include
him in the government -- a move that still has to be approved by
the cabinet and parliament. ‘Lieberman’s entry is a blatant message
that the government is legitimising racism and fascism and turning
it into the mainstream of Israeli society,’ said Ahmed Tibi,
chairman of the Raam-Taal party. The international community should
pressure the Israeli government and boycott it,’ Tibi told AFP.
Yisrael Beitenu is a dangerous extremist party with Zio-fascist
tendencies that has openly advocated the “transfer” of
Palestinians, including the transfer of Palestinians within Israel
to a Bantustan-like future Palestinian entity. Lieberman advocated
for harsher measures against the Palestinians in Gaza, and the
Israeli onslaught on Lebanon.
In an interview with an Israeli newspaper in September, Yisrael
Beitenu leader Lieberman said: “The vision I would like to see here
is the entrenching of the Jewish and the Zionist state. I very much
favor democracy, but when there is a contradiction between
democratic and Jewish values, the Jewish and Zionist values are
more important.” (Scotsman, October 23, 2006)
Boycott Campaign Moves Forward in Landmark Conference in
Toronto Canada, October, 2006 - Over 600 people attended
the landmark conference, Boycotting Israeli Apartheid: The Struggle
Continues, held from 6-8 October in Toronto. The conference was
organized by the Coalition Against
Israeli Apartheid (CAIA), a broad movement formed in response to
the Palestinian civil-society BDS call. The conference developed a
detailed program to move the BDS campaign forward in different
sectors. Contact CAIA at [email protected] or through
www.caiaweb.org
UN International Conference of Civil Society in Support
of the Palestinian People Adopts a Plan of Action, Geneva, 7-8
September 2006 - Conference participants called on the
United Nations and its Member States to act to provide immediate
international protection to the Palestinian people living under
occupation. Also highlighted was the need to bring justice in the
International Criminal Court, or in another international or
national legal forum, those guilty of war crimes against the
Palestinian people. Noted of particular importance was to encourage
imposing sanctions, in the form of ending the murderous arms trade
with Israel, and to end sanctions that have been imposed
against the elected Palestinian Authority and the collective
punishment of the Palestinian people.
British Trade Unions: “Tear down the Apartheid
Wall”.Britain, September, 2006 - Britain’s largest trade
union body, the TUC, has passed a motion calling on Israel to tear
down its ‘apartheid wall’. The Trade Union Council, which
represents 66 affiliated unions and nearly seven million workers,
passed the motion at its annual conference in Brighton, UK, calling
for the withdrawal of Israeli troops from all occupied territories,
for the British government and EU to restore funding to the
Palestinian Authority and for the Israeli government to restore
withheld tax revenues due to the PA. The TUC motion upholds the
right of return for Palestinian refugees, and condemns the recent
Israeli attack on the Gaza City power station, the use of sonic
booms over Gaza, and the seizure of members of the democratically
elected Palestinian government.
National boycott action targets Irish stores selling
Israeli goods - Report, IPSC, September 2006 Shops across
Ireland were picketed on Saturday as the Ireland-Palestine
Solidarity Campaign (IPSC) commemorated the anniversary of the
Sabra and Shatila massacres with a National Boycott Israel Day.
IPSC members targeted retail outlets in Dublin, Belfast, Cork,
Limerick, Galway and Sligo, to send a message to Irish retailers
that continuing to trade with Israel while it obliterates Palestine
is grossly unethical and gives both financial support and
legitimacy to Israel’s unchecked violations of Palestinian human
rights.
Cricket Canceled!. Scotland, August, 2006 - An
Israeli cricket tour of Scotland is being denounced by the Scottish
Palestine Solidarity Campaign and the first game has been
canceled.
Dublin Festival.Ireland, August, 2006 - The
Festival of World Cultures held in Dublin in late August every year
had accepted sponsorship from the Israeli embassy, for the
transport of an Israeli group (Toy Vivo Duo) to the festival. After
pressure from the Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign, however,
the sponsorship was rejected a nd alternative arrangements were
being made.
Ken Loach Joins the Cultural Boycott of Israel. Britain,
August, 2006- Acclaimed British director and winner of
this year’s Palme d’Or at Cannes Film Festival, Ken Loach, an
artist known for his politically and socially engaged films,
endorsed the cultural boycott of Israel.
Greece pulls out of Israeli film festival. Greece, August,
2006 - The governing body for film has decided to pull out
of Israel’s autumn Haifa film festival in protest over the Lebanon
crisis.
Edinburgh Film Festival. Scotland, August 2, 2006
Edinburgh Film Festival has returned a donation to the Israeli
Embassy on account of Israel’s war crimes in Lebanon.
Locarno Film Festival Drops Israeli Government Sponsorship.
Italy, July, 2006 - The Locarno International Film
Festival 2006 renounced financial support from the Israeli
Ministry
of Foreign Affairs. The logo of the Israeli Ministry was removed
from the website of the Festival, as well as from the downloadable
press release and brochure for the Festival.
Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) calls for BDS.
Canada, June, 2006 - The Ontario wing of Canada’s largest
union has voted to join the boycott campaign against Israel until
it “fully complies with the precepts of international law including
the right of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes and
properties as stipulated in UN resolution 194.” said Sid Ryan, the
Canadian Union of Public Employees Ontario president. 896 members
voted unanimously at its convention in Ottawa to support the
international campaign of boycott, divestment and sanctions against
Israel. Please contact the leadership of CUPE Ontario to support
this decision: [email protected], [email protected],
[email protected], knastov@yahoo.
co, [email protected],
DIVESTMENT
Anglican Parish Divests from Central Board of Finance
over Caterpillar Shares. United Kingdom, October 2006 - An
Anglican parish withdraw £140,000 from the Church of England’s
Central Board of Finance investment account. The unanimous decision
by Virginia Water PCC, in the Diocese of Guildford, was taken
because the CBF has refused to implement a decision by the General
Synod of the Church of England in February to heed the call from
the sister church of Jerusalem and the Middle East and disinvest
from companies such as Caterpillar which are profiting from
Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestine.
Somerville Residents and Rabbis Earn Call for Divestment &
Right of Return. United States, September 2006 - Residents
of Somerville, MA and two Orthodox Rabbis of the Neturei Karta
affirmed in a press conference the Right of Return of all
Palestinian refugees and divestment from Israel. Guest Speakers
Rabbi David Weiss, and Rabbi Webbermen, scholars of Judaism spoke
in favor of Palestinian human rights along with Somerville
residents; Rabbi Weiss noted that Judaism rejects Zionism- the
project of colonial conquest of indigenous Palestinians to form a
Jewish state.
For more on Somerville Divestment Project see:
www.divestmentproject.org
Irish Academics Call on EU to Stop Funding Israeli Academic
Institutions. Ireland, September 2006 - In a letter
published in the Irish Times, (16 September) 61 Irish academics
from a wide variety of disciplines call for a moratorium on EU
support of Israeli academic institutions until Israel abides by UN
resolutions and ends the occupation of Palestinian territories.
“We feel it is time to heed the Palestinian call to take practical
action to pressure Israel to comply with international law and
basic human rights norms. Many national and European cultural
and
research institutions, including those funded by the EU regard
Israel as a European state for the purposes of awarding grants and
contracts. We call for a moratorium on any further such support
to
Israeli academic institutions, at both national and European
levels. We urge our fellow academics to support this moratorium by
refraining, where possible, from further joint collaborations with
Israeli academic institutions. Such a moratorium should continue
until Israel abides by UN resolutions andends the occupation of
Palestinian erritories.”
(http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article5736.shtml)
University of Michigan Student Government Demands
Divestment from Israel. United States, September, 2006 -
University of Michigan Dearborn Student Government (www.umdsg.com
)unanimously adopted General Assembly Resolution 2006-001 at its
September 26th General Assembly meeting. The Resolution calls
on the university to “cease all investment in companies that
financially benefit from the actions of the Israeli military in
illegally occupied territories.”
Belgian Hi-tech Firm Boycotts Israel over ‘war crimes’ .
Belgium, September 2006 - Belgian hi-tech company
specializing in development consulting notifies manager of Israeli
company seeking cooperation that ‘your country has conducted war
crimes and is an apartheid regime’.
The company, U2U, refused to cooperate with the Israeli businessman
because of what they called “Israel’s war crimes and apartheid
regime.” U2U manager Wim Yotrasprot wrote in a statement to Avner
obtained by Ynet that “I appreciate your interest in my company,
but after the devastating and inhumane war crimes Israel
perpetrated in Lebanon, and because of the apartheid regime it
rules on Palestine, U2U does not wish to tie itself with Israeli
products.”
SANCTIONED!
Venezuelan Government Protests Israel by Removing Diplomat.
Venezuela, August, 2006 - The Venezuelan president announced that
he was withdrawing his country’s diplomat to Israel to protest
attacks in Lebanon and actions against the Palestinians. “We have
ordered the withdrawal of our ambassador in Israel,” Chavez said in
a speech. Contact Venezuelan embassy officials at:
[email protected], [email protected],
[email protected]
Costa Rica Decides to Move Embassy. Costa Rica, August,
2006 - Costa Rica is moving its embassy from Jerusalem to
Tel Aviv. To support the decision of Costa Rica, write to:
[email protected].
El Salvador Announces Embassy Move . San Salvador, August
2006- Officials in El Salvador announced they will
transfer their embassy from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv. Please support
this decision by emailing the El Salvador Embassy at:
[email protected], [email protected]
52 Organizations call for Sanctions Against Israel in South
Africa (partial text). South Africa, August 2006 - We
demand that the ANC government immediately order all South
African companies to disinvest from Israel and to cut ties with it.
We are marching in our thousands in Cape Town today with one aim:
to demand that the ANC government institute immediate comprehensive
sanctions against the Apartheid State of Israel. For more
information email: [email protected]