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]