B i s m i l l a a h i r R a h m a a n i r R a h e e m Assalaamu`Alaykum wa Rahmatullaahi wa Barakaatahu
This is a follow-up to my recent posting: "Why I'm boycotting Israeli produce" by Joanna Blythman Friday 23 January 2009 http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2009/jan/23/israel-food-boycott-palestinians-gaza Please read Jeff Handmaker's article below "Global Boycott Movement Marks Its Successes " Let us keep up the momentum in boycotting all the Israeli goods, companies buying goods from Israel, companies trading with Israel, companies in partnership with Israel and the companies supporting the Israel financially, inshaa`Allaah. Fee Amaanillaah, Your sister, K a r i m a DDN -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- http://countercurrents.org/handmaker210209.htm Global Boycott Movement Marks Its Successes By Jeff Handmaker 21 February, 2009 The Electronic Intifada Responding to the many calls for boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) against Israel, solidarity movements around the world have marked many successes. It is important for human rights advocates to build on this momentum and seize the opportunity to do what is within their power to try and hold Israel accountable for its abuses of human rights and other international laws. Since the initial BDS call by Palestinian intellectuals and academics in October 2003, which was followed by separate calls for sports, arts, economic and other calls for BDS, there has been a seismic shift in the global solidarity movement for human rights in Israel-Palestine. Lawyers, doctors, academics, students, trade unionists, school teachers and many other activists have marked successes around the world. Their efforts are an inspiring reflection of the South African anti-apartheid movement, where BDS was also used very effectively. In first few weeks of 2009 alone, European, North American and South African solidarity movements have made remarkable progress: - A growing number of politicians in Europe and North America have put forward uncomfortable, probing questions to their governments and clearly want to do more. One example is the "Break the Silence" campaign within the Dutch Labor Party. - Numerous letters and opinion pieces have been published by prominent figures in major national newspapers, including statement by prominent lawyers and professors published by The Sunday Times on 11 January 2009. - The global "Derail Veolia" campaign has grown in leaps and bounds. An important success was the decision by the Stockholm municipality to cancel an agreement with Veolia Transport, on the basis of its involvement in the Jerusalem light-rail project, to the tune of several billion euros. - There have been calls for international investigations of war crimes from the UN Special Rapporteur for the Occupied Palestinian Territories, the UN Human Rights Council, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, the head of UNRWA (the UN agency for Palestine refugees) and the UN Secretary General as well as scores of high-profile international lawyers around the world. - The European Parliament managed to halt negotiations on strengthening the trading relationship between the EU and Israel in the framework of the Association Agreement and there are new, emboldened efforts to try and get the Association Agreement suspended altogether. - Countless demonstrations have taken place in villages, towns and cities around the world, from Cape Town to Swansea and from Stockholm to Montreal and they are attracting decent publicity. Where there has been no television crew present, activists have made effective use of online resources such as YouTube. - In South Africa there was a major success when dockworkers affiliated with SATAWU and the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) refused to unload a ship containing Israeli goods. The story made national headlines for several days. - Academic boycott is taking hold in academic institutions around the world -- students in particular have been leading the way on this, but academics also. Israel's 22-day-long bombardment of Gaza, the greatest use of military force in the Occupied Palestinian Territories since 1967 and what several commentators have already referred to as the Palestinian Sharpeville, has greatly fueled BDS efforts. Especially before the blockade and recent carnage in Gaza, some activists raised concerns that by pursuing BDS, they may be curtailing dialogue, isolating progressive elements within Israel or even harming Palestinians. However, these concerns have greatly diminished as activists have realized how effective a mechanism BDS really is. In any event, the existence of a dialogue towards a just and sustainable peace between Palestinians and Israel is clearly non-existent, and there is little incentive on the part of Israel to engage in this any time soon. Progressive elements within Israel are still very marginal, but growing and many of these courageous, progressive Israelis have themselves called for BDS against Israel. As for harm against Palestinians, the fact that Palestinians themselves have called for BDS should be as clear a sign as any that the cost of not responding to the call causes far more harm. Inspired by the South African anti-apartheid movement, activists should continue to grasp the opportunities that BDS offers and build up the momentum that has been generated. As Israeli apartheid week, taking place worldwide from 1-8 March (see http://apartheidweek.org), solidarity activists should continue to work within the narrow, but highly significant space that exists for them to try and hold the Israeli government, and their own governments, accountable for abuses of human rights and humanitarian law against Palestinians. Jeff Handmaker is an author, a human rights lawyer, and a researcher and university lecturer in human rights at the Institute of Social Studies in The Hague. A version of this article was originally published by Indymedia US. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Join the boycott, hit them where it hurts! How can you be part of the campaign? * You can help the campaign in many ways. The best way to start is with yourself, your family, friends, relatives and neighbours. * The second step you can take is to look at the list of Israeli goods (http://boycottisraelnow.com/list.htm) in your local stores and start writing to the Proprietor/Manager to stop importing goods from Israel explaining the reasons for boycott. Do that politely and get other people to do the same, thereby you can put maximum pressure on the store owner/manager not to sell Israeli goods/products. * Thirdly you can form a local boycott committee and do things together. To do that you have to find some like minded people and form a committee. You can talk to your local mosque's Imam/committee and church to highlight the issue and bring more and more awareness. * You can contact us ([email protected]) for more advice on setting up local boycott committee and also how you can contribute to the national and international boycott campaign. The aim of the boycott campaign is to deny Israel the financial means to continue to kill Palestinians and occupy the lands. Israel is committing crimes against the Palestinian Muslims and humanity, an occupier of Palestinian land. Palestine is the land of first Qibla, the land of Isra and Masjid Al-Aqsa. Israel has ignored all UN Resolutions and Geneva Convention on Human Rights in relation to the Muslim people of Palestine. Israel has expelled the inhabitants, spilled the blood, violated the honour, destroyed the houses, burnt the fields and corrupted the lands. Israel has blatantly disregarded for International law and human rights. The government around the world has failed to unite in boycotting Israel mainly due to pressure from the US government but Muslims and non-Muslims people from around the world can unite and bring an end to the sufferings of the Palestinian people by boycotting Israeli goods and the companies that are supporting the occupation by directly and indirectly funding Israel. If the racist apartheid regime in South Africa could be brought down to its knees to accept the reality which resulted in the end of APARTHEID and the brutal suppression of the black people then why it could not be successful in Palestine. We are urging all the Muslims and the non-Muslims alike to boycott all the Israeli goods, companies buying goods from Israel, companies trading with Israel, companies are in partnership with Israel and the companies supporting the Israel financially. The boycott will send a message to the occupier and oppressor that their actions will not go un-noticed and a message to the Palestinians that they are not alone in their struggle to free the land of Palestine from the clutches of Zionism. Together we can bring change. We are requesting all the Muslims and people of all faith and opinions to join the boycott to bring about a speedy end to this brutal occupation and peace in the Middle East. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Watch this video "Caught On Tape": http://informationclearinghouse.info/article22068.htm Israeli Occupation Forces Shoot Gaza Farmer 2 Minute Video / 18th February 2009 Israeli forces shot a twenty year-old Palestinian farmer as he worked his land in the village of Al-Faraheen, east of Khan Younis in the Gaza Strip. International Human Rights Activists were accompanying the group of farmers at the time as they worked approximately 500m from the Green Line. Mohammad al - Breem, 20, was shot in the right leg as the farmers, together with the international Human Rights Activists, attempted to leave the area having worked on their land for 2 hours in full view of the Israeli forces situated along the Green Line. As the farmers were loading up the parsley and spinach from the agricultural lands shots were fired from Israeli forces on the border. Mohammad was shot in the right leg and evacuated, while still under fire, to hospital. International Human Rights Activists have repeatedly witnessed Palestinian farmers being shot at by Israeli forces as they attempt to work on agricultural land situated within 700m of the Green Line. On Tuesday 27th January 2009, in Al Faraheen, Israeli forces shot at several farmers, killing a 27 year old farmer. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
