The Philly BDS Coalition dances into action in a local grocery store chain to push them to deshelve Sabra and Tribe brands of Hummus; both brands support Israeli war crimes. This marks the launch of their campaign: www.phillybds.org
Friday, October 29, 2010
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Take Action: Help Stop Delivery of CAT Bulldozers to Israel
For more than five years, we've been working to hold Israel, Caterpillar, and the United States accountable for Israel's misuse of Caterpillar bulldozers to commit human rights abuses of Palestinians. These bulldozers are provided to Israel as U.S. taxpayer-funded military aid. Earlier this week, we learned from Israeli media that Caterpillar has decided to delay the delivery of tens of D9 bulldozers--the same kind that the Israeli military used to kill U.S. peace activist Rachel Corrie as she nonviolently tried to prevent the demolition of a Palestinian home in the occupied Gaza Strip in March 2003. Together with the Rachel Corrie Foundation for Peace and Justice, the Center for Constitutional Rights, the Israel/Palestine Mission Network of the Presbyterian Church, (U.S.A.), and Jewish Voice for Peace, we are pressing the Obama Administration to make sure that the delivery of these bulldozers does not go through. Help up reach our goal of collecting 10,000 signatures by next week.
How Much Money is Needed to Stop the BDS Movement?
From Alex Kane:
"$6 million dollars: enough to combat a largely grassroots, bottom-up and growing boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement targeting Israel? That’s what the Jewish Federations of North America and the Jewish Council for Public Affairs are hoping..."
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Bay Area article lets JVP rebut ADL's accusations
From BayCitizen.org:
"...Jewish Voice for Peace rebutted Foxman's claims, saying it advocates for human rights for both Israelis and Palestinians. JVP further said that some of its members in fact consider themselves Zionist. Cecilie Surasky, deputy director of JVP, said that the ADL — and particularly its local chapters — do a lot of good work around discrimination and bullying but "are undermined by Foxman and company's cynical attitudes when it comes to protecting Israel's right to infinitely expand into Palestinian territory."
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Illume Magazine highlights "The Palestine Buy-cott"
Boycotts have been instrumental in effecting political change, such as its successful use as a tool to end South African apartheid. But many find it virtually impossible to avoid all the companies on the list. For those who can't give up that morning Starbucks, or that Coca-Cola with dinner there is another tool in the economic arsenal. In addition to boycotting Israel, you can buy Palestine.
Despite the Palestinian economy being stifled by Israeli policies, Palestinians continue to farm, and produce a wide variety of products which can be purchased on a number of websites.
Caterpillar Delays Bulldozer Shipments to Israel During Rachel Corrie Trial
(Oct. 26) -- Caterpillar, the Illinois-headquartered construction and farming equipment company, has said it will delay shipments of D9 bulldozers to Israel during the Rachel Corrie trial. Corrie, a pro-Palestinian activist from Washington state, was killed by an Israeli Defense Forces soldier who ran over her while driving a D9 to demolish a Palestinian home in Gaza in 2003. Her family is suing Israel, and Corrie has become an iconic figure in pro-Palestinian circles. (One of the boats in the aid flotilla bound for Gaza that Israeli troops stormed this summer, killing nine, was named for Corrie.)
STORY CONTINUES...
Open Letter from PACBI to Guns N' Roses: "An Opportunity to Untie your Hands"
Occupied Ramallah, 19 October 2010 Dear Guns N’ Roses,
The Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI) was dismayed to read reports that you are considering performing in Israel later this year. PACBI, supported by an overwhelming majority of Palestinian civil society and, in particular, by almost the entire community of Palestinian cultural workers, views such a performance in Israel as a form of complicity in whitewashing Israel's occupation, apartheid and war crimes. More importantly, your upcoming performance would violate the appeal of the Palestinian Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement which urges people of conscience throughout the world to isolate Israel until it ends its colonial and apartheid oppression of the Palestinian people, as was done to the apartheid regime in South Africa.
Monday, October 25, 2010
Caterpillar to delay supply of D9 bulldozers to IDF
Jerusalem Post, 25 October 2010 -- Caterpillar, the company which supplies the IDF with bulldozers, has announced that it is delaying the supply of D9 bulldozers during the time that the trial of Rachel Corrie proceeds, Channel 2 reported on Monday.
The company does not usually manufacture a military version of the D9 but it has many features that make desirable for military applications and the IDF has used them extensively for operations.
Rachel Corrie was a US activist who was killed in Gaza seven years ago by a bulldozer driver who struck and killed her. Her family charged that the IDF and its officers had acted recklessly, using an armored Caterpillar D9R bulldozer without regard to the presence in the area of unarmed and nonviolent civilians.
Presbyterian Mission Network Joins BDS Movement
CHICAGO, October 25—In response to a call to action from the Christians of the Holy Land, The Israel/Palestine Mission Network (IPMN) of the Presbyterian Church (USA) [PC(USA)] voted at its annual meeting to join the international boycott of goods produced in illegal Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT).
The first targeted products for the boycott are Ahava Cosmetics, King Solomon Dates, and Jordan River Dates, imported into the United States from illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank.
Interfaith leaders ask district attorney to terminate 'Irvine 11' investigation
Remember last February when 11 students were arrested at UC Irvine for shouting at Israeli Ambassador Michael Oren during a speech, criticizing his country's military attack on Gaza? As they now face criminal charges and university disciplinary action, MPAC reports that...
A group of Christian, Jewish and Muslim leaders from the Abrahamic Faiths Peacemaking Initiative sent a letter this week to the Orange County District Attorney's office calling for the DA office to drop a criminal investigation of the student protest at UC Irvine in February which resulted in the arrest of 11 students. Signed by more than 20 interfaith leaders, including Salam Al-Marayati, President of the Muslim Public Affairs Council, the letter expressed outrage that DA office investigators are impersonating law enforcement agents in order to build a case against the students. The letter goes on to ask the DA office to leave the matter to university officials.
The Organization That Cries Wolf
by Josh Ruebner, National Advocacy Director, US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation
My late grandfather was a survivor of a Nazi concentration camp. Many other members of my extended family were not so fortunate and perished in the Holocaust. Organizations such as the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), established in 1913, were designed to fight against this scourge of anti-Semitism in particular, and racism in general. However, sadly, the ADL has long since strayed from its original core mission "to stop the defamation of the Jewish people and to secure justice and fair treatment to all."
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Students protest IDF soldier's campus visit
On October 20 2010, two IDF soldiers came to the University of Michigan campus as part of a national PR campaign by Stand With Us aimed at justifying Israel's recent atrocities in the Middle East. Students, staff, and community members collectively engaged in a silent walk-out in memory and in solidarity with all of the silenced Palestinian children that were killed by the IDF during Israel's most recent offensive on the Gaza Strip who are unable to take a stand and give their account today.
Israel imprisons another protest leader from Bil’in
Thursday, October 21 2010 -- Judge Lieutenant Colonel Benisho of the Military Court of Appeals accepted the Military prosecution’s appeal in Adeeb Abu Rahmah’s case today, which demanded to harshen the already heavy-handed one-year sentence imposed on him by the prior instance back in July. The court sentenced Abu Rahmah 18 months of imprisonment with bail of 6,000 NIS and suspended sentence of 1 year. An appeal filed by the defense both on the severity of the punishment and on the conviction itself was denied.
Vatican body asks UN to 'end Israeli occupation'
In final statement of two-week conference, bishops' synod says Biblical concept of 'promised land' cannot be used to justify settlements.
READ FULL STORY...
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Tell Georgia State University to end its relationship with the Israeli police force
US Campaign member group Movement to End Israeli Apartheid-Georgia (MEIAG) needs your help to demand Georgia State University shut down its Georgia International Law Enforcement Exchange (GILEE) program.
The GILEE program facilitates training exchanges between Georgia police departments and others around the world, their strongest relationship with the Israeli police force. High ranking police officials (and other public employees) from across Georgia partake in annual delegations to Israel to learn "counter-terrorism" techniques from the International Institute for Counter Terrorism in Herzliya, Israel. Likewise, Israeli police travel to Georgia to learn drug enforcement tactics.
See below for MEIAG's call to action, and to learn how you can tell Georgia State University to end its implicit relationship with Israel.
Friends,A growing community and student-based coalition led by the Movement to End Israeli Apartheid-Georgia and the Progressive Student Alliance at Georgia State University (GSU) demand that GSU President Becker shut down the Georgia International Law Enforcement Exchange. We ask that you join this critical national effort to put pressure on President Becker, the leader of a public institution, to SHUT GILEE DOWN and meet with students and members of the community to discuss how he will go about doing so.
On Tuesday, October 19th from 9 am to 5 pm please call 404-413-1300, email mbecker@gsu.edu and fax 404-413-1301 with the following message:
My name is _____________ and I am calling from _______________. Dr. Becker I strongly urge you to shut down the Georgia International Law Enforcement Exchange. With its growing international reputation, GSU cannot afford to be associated with a country that consistently violates international law such as the May 2010 killing of nine unarmed civilians in international waters carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza. I urge you to move toward Shutting GILEE Down and to meet with your students and concerned community members to discuss this matter. Thank you.
Background of GILEE & Our Divestment Campaign to Eliminate GILEE
The Georgia International Law Enforcement Exchange is a program coordinated by Dr. Robert Friedmann and is housed in the Criminal Justice Department at Georgia State University. The purpose of the program is to facilitate training exchanges between Georgia police departments and others around the world. While GILEE has relationships with various other police agencies, their relationship with the Israeli police is the most intimate and troubling. Since 1992, high ranking police officials (and other public employees) from across Georgia partake in annual delegations to Israel to learn "counter-terrorism" techniques. Likewise, Israeli police travel to Georgia to learn drug enforcement tactics. Such a program not only implicitly supports well-documented violations of human rights in 48 Palestine and Atlanta at the hands of the police, but also gestures to the goal of implementing them here in Georgia. We need not forget that the Atlanta Police Department (APD) has a long and troubling history of violating residents’ rights, racial profiling, and similar though not identical cases of extra-judicial murder and physical abuse, with Kathryn Johnston, Tremaine Miller and Pierre George only a few of the victims in recent years.
Alongside seventeen campaign endorsers and over 1,000 individual supporters, MEIA-G and the Progressive Student Alliance will continue to isolate GILEE from the GSU community and the broader Atlanta community until GSU President Becker accepts that GSU cannot afford to be associated with a program that propagates repressive police tactics nor with a program that is directly tied to Israel and its polices and practices of apartheid, genocide, and occupation.
History of MEIA-G
Movement to End Israeli Apartheid-Georgia was established after an unprecedented mobilization in response to the Israeli massacres in Gaza of December 2008. Hundreds of people rallied in the streets of Atlanta in solidarity with the Palestinian people vowing to organize together to bring justice to their plight. In February, we had a launch event, endorsed the 2005 Palestinian call for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions of Israel and discussed ways to move forward centering our work on this call out. As Israel entrenches its system of Apartheid against the Palestinian people, we must work hard to expose and sever Atlanta's links to Israel. We use grassroots organizing strategies to mirror the South African anti-Apartheid movement in working to end this injustice and support the Palestinians in their struggle for liberation.
Onward,
Movement to End Israeli Apartheid-Georgia
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
International Action Center protests JNF conference
On Sunday, 10 October, 2010, the International Action Center, of Atlanta, GA, held a demonstration, in and around the hotel where a national conference of the Jewish National Fund (JNF) was being held. The JNF was instrumental in the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in 1948, and continues to play a central role in maintaining Israel's regime of apartheid. (More here.)
Josh Ruebner Receives Community Service Award
On Sunday, October 10, National Advocacy Director Josh Ruebner received the Community Service Award at the 22nd Annual Candidates' Night Dinner, organized by the Arab American Republicans--Washington, DC Area, the Arab American Democratic Caucus of Virginia, and New Dominion PAC.
Josh received the award from and was introduced by his wife Mona Hamoui who serves on the Steering Committee of the event. Watch a video of Mona and Josh below:
Bil'in's Abdallah Abu Rahmah sentenced to a year in prison
Bil'in protest organizer Abdallah Abu Rahmah was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment today, for his involvement in his village's unarmed struggle against the wall.
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Ads on Chicago transit promote ending US military aid to Israel
On Tuesday, the Committee for a Just Peace in Israel and Palestine started a month-long ad campaign for ending military aid to Israel, which is appearing throughout Chicago's "El" transit system. Emboldened by the Chicago Transit Authority's controversial decision to allow placement of the ads on El trains, the Committee is planning for similar campaigns in other U.S. cities soon.
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
US Campaign staff appearing on "Arab Voices" show tonight, 7pm Central
National Advocacy Director of the US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation, Josh Ruebner, will be the guest tonight on KPFT Houston's weekly talk show, Arab Voices, which is broadcast online, and also archived for later listening.Scheduled topics include: "the refusal by Israel to stop building and expanding colonies on Palestinian land and its effect on the newly revived "direct negotiations" between Palestinians and Israelis; the ongoing U.S. financial and military aid to Israel; the efforts made in the United States at changing the current U.S. policy towards the Israeli-Palestinian problem; and much more."
Monday, October 4, 2010
Simone Bitton’s film "RACHEL" screening in NY
RACHEL, the controversial documentary from award-winning filmmaker Simone Bitton and distributed by Women Make Movies, will screen at Anthology Film Archives from October 8-14. Simone Bitton will be in attendance on October 8 for a Q&A after each screening.
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