Canadian postal workers protest against “common values” stamp with the Zionist entity AND YOU CAN TOO!

Canadian Postal workers are protesting against the “common values stamp” that celebrates the relationship of Canada with the Zionist entity, in a letter addressed to the chairman of the board of Canada Post, Moya Green. It expressed its disapproval of the issuing of a postal stamp to commemorate the, “strong relation between Canada and Israel on the bases of common values between the two parties,” reminding everybody of the crimes that have been committed and those still being committed by the Jewish state against Palestinian Arabs. (This article by Elias Ahkleh should be read – http://sabbah.biz/mt/archives/2010/04/26/canadianisraeli-stamp-of-shame/ editor's note).

The chairman of the union, Danes Liming wrote, in a letter addressed to Green and dated April 9th 2010: “The decision concerning a stamp that Canada shall issue that shall celebrate ‘the strong bilateral relations between Canada and Israel that goes back to six decades of common values and political, economical, cultural and social interests.’ We are worried because the board shall issue this stamp with ‘Israel’ on the bases of our common values, while there are in “Israel” more than 20 racist laws against the Palestinian minority citizens regarding matters of education, work, confiscation of land and accessing public resources”. He added that the Jewish state is still refusing to put into effect the rule of the International Court of Justice concerning the dismantling of the apartheid separation wall surrounding the Occupied Palestinian West Bank, and still proceeding with building Jewish colonies in East Jerusalem and the West Bank.

He explained that: “Israel is still refusing to effectuate Resolution 242 calling for its withdrawal from the territories it occupied in 1967.” Pointing out that there are reports about the increasing number of infant deaths and miscarriages resulting from the strangling siege over Gaza, he stressed as well that the Jewish state is “carrying out works that result in deaths of infants and pregnant women, which cannot be considered as acceptable values.” He ended: “With such occurrences, The Union of Postal Laborers of Canada is worried because Canada Post is celebrating ‘The strong common values and political, economical, cultural and social interests’ with a state whose government has continuously failed to do works that are characterized with civility and human feelings towards Palestinians.”
http://palestinethinktank.com/

SINN FEIN CALLS FOR IRELAND TO BREAK DIPLOMATIC TIES WITH ISRAEL

Sinn Féin gets it right again. TD Aengus Ó Snodaigh has come out swinging after Israel refused entry of Irish Foreign Minister Micheál Martin into Gaza recently. He is calling for a suspension of all diplomatic ties with Israel:

“Israel, a rogue, racist and belligerent state, has no right whatsoever to deny any Irish Minister a visit to Palestine to see for himself or herself the humanitarian crisis that has been created by their criminal war actions.

“No Irish Minister – with a scintilla of backbone – can allow matters to rest here. I am calling on Minister Micheal Martin to take a stand. It is high time that a hard line is taken on the issue of Israel – to stand out among European and world leaders – and to stand up for the people of Palestine.

“He must demand access and make every effort to get to Gaza and Palestine despite what the Israeli authorities say. If the Israeli authorities refuse access again diplomatic relationships should immediately be broken off and the Israeli Ambassador sent home.

And Aengus should know as he's been to Gaza and witnessed the effects of the siege several times.

It is part of Martin's job to assess the Humanitarian crisis in Gaza, he wanted to judge the situation for himself. However, Israel refused to allow him to enter Gaza, citing "security reasons" Inferring the Minister's safety would be at risk. This is the new Israeli pogrom of circumventing Diplomats from witnessing the open air concentration camp that is Gaza. AS we all know, there have been hundreds of Diplomats entering Gaza this past year in order to do the exact thing Martin was attempting. For instance, John Kerry and several other American representatives were allowed through,many other European Diplomats have also visited Gaza. Additionally Sinn Fein's Gerry Adams was ultimately allowed through after Israel tried to stop him, but failed. Not one single Diplomat has had any "security" issues, complaints or concerns whilst inside Gaza. Other than to be horrified at the destruction and suffering. Which, is the real reason Israel stops them from entering. From An Phoblacht Republican News:

THE Irish Government should again look at suspending diplomatic relations with Israel after this week’s revelation that the Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs was refused permission to visit Gaza in occupied Palestine. Sinn Féin’s Aengus Ó Snodaigh said it is high time that a hard line is taken on the issue. He declared Israel a “rogue, racist and belligerent state”.

Deputy Ó Snodaigh said:
“It was with regret but little surprise when I heard Mícheál Martin say that he was refused permission by Israel to visit Gaza. It was yet another slap in the face for the Irish Government from Israel that must not be allowed to go unchallenged. The minister should consider suspending diplomatic relations with Israel.
“Israel – a rogue, racist and belligerent state – has no right whatsoever to deny any Irish minister a visit to Palestine to see first-hand the humanitarian crisis that has been created by their criminal war actions.”
TAKE A STAND

The Sinn Féin TD said that no Irish minister “with a scintilla of backbone” can allow matters to rest here.

“I am calling on Minister Mícheál Martin to take a stand. It is high time that a hard line is taken on the issue of Israel – to stand out among European and world leaders and to stand up for the people of Palestine.

“He must demand access and make every effort to get to Gaza and Palestine despite what the Israeli authorities say. If the Israeli authorities refuse access again, diplomatic relations should immediately be broken off and the Israeli ambassador sent home.

“He has to make Israel understand that there are consequences for their actions. He must push for immediate action at European level. A start could be made by demanding an end to the special trade relationship that exists between the European Union and Israel.

“Meekly walking away from a major diplomatic insult without a response is tantamount to conniving and colluding in the abuse of the Palestinian people. It cannot and must not be allowed to happen.”

Meanwhile an aid convoy left Ireland from Dublin Port on Saturday 5 December to link up with the Viva Palestina convoy to Gaza leaving London the following day. The third Viva Palestina aid convoy, organised by MP George Galloway, will travel 4,000 miles to bring ambulances and vital humanitarian aid to the besieged Gaza Strip. The convoy aims to arrive on 27 December, the one-year anniversary of the beginning of the brutal Israeli onslaught against the Gaza Strip that lasted for 22 days and left more than 1,400 Palestinians dead.

The Irish Palestine Solidarity Campaign said that in Tyrone, Galway, Dublin, Derry and Cork, “volunteers have been working flat-out, fund-raising and raising awareness of the plight of the people in Gaza”.

“Together, they will bring two ambulances, a minibus and a truck filled with over 10 tons of humanitarian aid,” the group said.

As a section of the convoy left Belfast to meet up with the other Irish volunteers, Sinn Féin MLA for west Belfast Jennifer McCann, who has recently returned from Jericho in the West Bank where she participated in a conference on the rights of Palestinian prisoners, congratulated the volunteers.

“The sheer size of this convoy and the fact that supplies have come from far and wide show the depth of feeling in relation to support for those in Gaza who are still reeling from the impact of the Israeli assault of December 2008 and January of this year,” McCann said.

“I wish those taking this vital aid to Gaza all the best and would appeal to Israeli officials who are still controlling access in and out of Gaza to allow this convoy to pass unhindered.

“Furthermore, there must be strident efforts to rebuild the peace process in the Middle East and part and parcel of that needs to include a huge international effort to begin the work of reconstruction in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.”Altogether, more than 100 vehicles left London on Sunday 6 December, and will travel through France, Italy, Greece, Turkey, Syria, Jordan, Egypt, and reach the Rafah border between Egypt and Gaza for 27 December.

SOLIDARITY FROM SCOTLAND
Cairde na hÉireann, the Irish republican solidarity group in Scotland, also wished the Viva Palestina aid convoy, to which they have given major assistance to over the past year, bon voyage, as two volunteers from Glasgow travelled to Belfast to link up with the Irish section of the convoy on Saturday.

A Cairde na hÉireann spokesperson said:
“Over the past months, a lot of our time has focused on fund-raising in order to buy a lorry and fill it with aid to take to the people in Gaza. Our driver, Paul Diplacito, has previously taken an ambulance on the first Viva Palestina convoy with sponsorship from Cairde na hÉireann.

“This time around we have filled the lorry with items such as wheelchairs, walking aids, medical essentials, educational supplies and shoeboxes of gifts for the children in Gaza from children in Scotland.

“We are very proud of the efforts of everybody who has supported this campaign and those who are driving to deliver this aid. While we are happy to see them set out before Christmas we must remember the dreadful conditions in Palestine that make these efforts so essential. We wish them, along with all the volunteers, a safe trip and will, of course, follow them every step of the way.” source

http://irish4palestine.blogspot.com

Hang Up On Motorola – Drop the Droid

Motorola’s “Droid Stealth” commercial came close to showing the effect of their products in Israel/Palestine. The US Campaign to End the Occupation’s version tells the whole truth!

This program was produced by the US Campaign to End the Occupation for December 4, 2009.

GIVE TO PALESTINE; BOYCOT ISRAEL!

USACBI: Top Ten Brands to Boycott this Christmas
Posted by RORCoalition

USACBI -- While there are many Israeli and multinational companies that benefit from apartheid, we put together this list to highlight ten specific companies to target.

Many of these produce goods in such a way that directly harms Palestinians — exploiting labor, developing technology for military operations, or supplying equipment for illegal settlements. Many are also the targets of boycotts for other reasons, like harming the environment and labor violations.

1. AHAVA

This brand’s cosmetics are produced using salt, minerals, and mud from the Dead Sea — natural resources that are excavated from the occupied West Bank. The products themselves are manufactured in the illegal Israeli settlement Mitzpe Shalem. AHAVA is the target of CODEPINK’s “Stolen Beauty” campaign.

2. Delta Galil Industries

Israel’s largest textiles manufacturer provides clothing and underwear for such popular brands as Gap, J-Crew, J.C. Penny, Calvin Klein, Playtex, Victoria’s Secret (see #10) and many others. Its founder and chairman Dov Lautman is a close associate of former Israeli President Ehud Barak. It has also been condemned by Sweatshop Watch for its exploitation of labor in other countries such as Egypt, Jordan, and Turkey.

3. Motorola

While many of us know this brand for its stylish cellphones, did you know that it also develops and manufactures bomb fuses and missile guidance systems? Motorola components are also used in unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs or “drones”) and in communications and surveillance systems used in settlements, checkpoints, and along the 490 mile apartheid wall. The US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation has launched the “Hang Up on Motorola” campaign.

4. L’Oreal / The Body Shop

This cosmetics and perfume company is known for its investments and manufacturing activities in Israel, including production in Migdal Haemek, the “Silicon Valley” of Israel built on the land of Palestinian village Al-Mujaydil, which was ethnically cleansed in 1948. In 1998, a representative of L’Oreal was given the Jubilee Award by Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu for strengthening the Israeli economy.

5. Dorot Garlic and Herbs

These frozen herbs that are sold at Trader Joe’s are shipped halfway around the world when they could easily be purchased locally. Trader Joe’s also sells Israeli Cous Cous and Pastures of Eden feta cheese that are made in Israel. QUIT, South Bay Mobilization, and other groups have targeted Trader Joe’s with a “Don’t Buy into Apartheid” campaign.

6. Estee Lauder

This company’s chairman Ronald Lauder is also the chairman of the Jewish National Fund, a quasi-governmental organization that was established in 1901 to acquire Palestinian land and is connected to the continued building of illegal settlements. Estee Lauder’s popular brands include Clinique, MAC, Origins, Bumble & Bumble, Aveda, fragrance lines for top designers, and many others. They have been the target of QUIT’s “Estee Slaughter Killer Products” campaign.

7. Intel

This technology company that manufactures computer processors and other hardware components employs thousands of Israelis and has exports from Israel totaling over $1 billion per year. They are one of Israel’s oldest foreign supporters, having established their first development center outside of the US in 1974 in Haifa. Al-Awda (the Palestinian Right to Return Coalition) has urged action against Intel for building a facility on the land of former village Iraq Al Manshiya, which was cleansed in 1949.

8. Sabra

This brand of hummus, baba ghanoush and other foods is co-owned by Israel’s second-largest food company The Strauss Group and Pepsico. On the “Corporate Responsibility” section of its website, The Strauss Group boasts of its relationship to the Israeli Army, offering food products and political support.

9. Sara Lee

Sara Lee holds a 30% stake in Delta Galil (see #2) and is the world’s largest clothing manufacturer, which owns or is affiliated with such brands as Hanes, Playtex, Champion, Leggs, Sara Lee Bakery, Ball Park hotdogs, Wonderbra, and many others. Similar to L’Oreal (see #4), a representative of Sara Lee received the Jubilee Award from Netanyahu for its commitment to business with Israel.

10. Victoria’s Secret

Most of Victoria’s Secret’s bras are produced by Delta Galil (see #2), and much of the cotton is also grown in Israel on confiscated Palestinian land. Victoria’s Secret has also been the target of labor rights’ groups for sourcing products from companies with labor violations, and by environmental groups for their unsustainable use of paper in producing their catalogues. That’s not sexy!

Remember, it’s also important to let these companies — and the stores that sell them — know that we will not support them as long as they support Israeli apartheid!

To view our complete list of Israeli products in Bay Area stores click here. To report more Product Sightings, email products[at]baceia.org.

"University of Sussex students vote to boycott Israeli goods"

Students at the University of Sussex voted to boycott Israeli goods on November 5. The decision follows the Palestinian call for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions against Israel, which calls upon the Israeli state to respect international law and end the occupation of Palestine.

In a campus-wide referendum, 56% of students voted in favour of the boycott.

The referendum was held by the University of Sussex Students’ Union (USSU), which represents the institution’s 11,000 students.
http://stoprapingpalestine.blogspot.com/

Goods from Israel will no longer be stocked in USSU shops on the university campus, and USSU will be lobbying the University administration to observe the boycott.

USSU President, Tom Wills, told The Muslim News, “Israel has broken more UN resolutions than any other state. No other Western-backed democracy has committed such egregious violations of international law, but the international community has failed to hold Israel to account.

“Sussex was one of the first universities to boycott South Africa during apartheid, and we hope that this will help kickstart an international movement on a similar scale to put pressure on Israel to end its oppression of the Palestinian people.

“We call on students at other universities to table boycott motions in their own unions.”

Earlier this year, the Israeli attack on Gaza triggered resurgence in student activism when hundreds of students in 30 universities occupied theatre rooms across the country in January and February (see The Muslim News issue 238).

The student boycott comes after the Trades Union Congress (TUC) backed a boycott of Israeli settlement goods in September.


On the Web at:

http://www.muslimnews.co.uk/paper/index.php?article=4378

A turning point for the US solidarity movement

At the eighth annual US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation national organizers' conference held in Chicago, delegates from the approximately 300 member groups that make up the US Campaign voted in favor of an academic and cultural boycott of Israel. The vote came on the heels of a presentation by Omar Barghouti and myself on behalf of the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel and the US Campaign for an Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel.

The proposal that "the US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation should endorse the principle of cultural and academic boycotts" passed by a landslide with one abstention and not a single objection. The quasi-unanimous vote, and the deep collective breath of relief that followed, will go down in history as the moment US-based Palestine solidarity activists overcame tactical differences that had long hindered us, to finally come together to confront Israeli apartheid.

The history of the Palestinian struggle for self-determination, independence and human rights is sadly one of missed opportunities. Historically, Palestinian aspirations have not been achieved due to a corrupt and feckless leadership and petty internal divisions.

But we have also learned that change will not come from above. It will and must come from the grassroots, the people, those who have nothing to lose but their prison walls, the daily humiliation of life as a refugee, a second- or third-class citizen, or a non-citizen. Representing the broadest coalition of Palestinian society, from various parts of historic Palestine as well as the global Diaspora, these Palestinians are the ones who jointly issued the call for boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS), modeled off of the same call that helped bring apartheid in South Africa to an end, giving direction to a global movement in support of this boycott call.

Mirroring the limits of the Palestinian leadership, the history of solidarity activism is blemished by opportunities missed because of fragmentation and discord, where there should have been a shared vision for the good of the Palestinian people. However, as the participants of this weekend's conference voted in favor of heeding the Palestinian call to join the global BDS movement, they finally set this country on the path to justice. Citizens, organizations and even government officials the world over, from Bangladesh to South Africa to Norway, have already responded to this Palestinian-led movement.

After resistance to comprehensive BDS measures at previous meetings these organizers with the US Campaign have now responded with an overwhelming "yes," indicating that the tide has shifted in the US. This time around, these activists are not returning to their communities to tell them that the moment to heed the Palestinian boycott call is not yet right. The complicity of silence, of unwarranted self-censorship, has finally ended, and the US can join the global chorus clamoring: "no more!"

Indeed, it is past time for those in the US concerned with justice for Palestine to learn from history and acknowledge and challenge Israeli apartheid. Apartheid in South Africa was abolished through a successful global BDS campaign, and a successful BDS campaign can put an end to Israeli apartheid. Anyone who fears that ending apartheid in Israel would "destroy" that country probably believes, or logically should believe, that South Africa was "destroyed" in 1994.

This struggle will neither be quick nor easy. While the South African call for BDS was issued from a small basement apartment in London by a handful of Black South African students in 1959, apartheid wasn't officially abolished until 1994. As the title of Nelson Mandela's autobiography declared: a long walk to freedom. But history is on our side, as more and more activists are now responding to the Palestinian call.

The precedent is there, we are not reinventing the wheel, we are borrowing a model that led South Africa to freedom. Advisors from the South African BDS movement are working with the activists for Palestinian rights, because they see the similarities in the two struggles. Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Bill Fletcher Jr., to name but two prominent members of the South African BDS campaign, are also working with the US Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (USACBI).

USACBI's wheels are in motion and there's no stopping us. We are on board the freedom train and we have endorsed the Palestinian call for BDS in all its forms. Last weekend, we bridged the gap in the US solidarity movement and I'm hopeful that the call will be propelled forward by the immense grassroots support the US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation has garnered over the years in this country.

Our coming together at the conference is galvanizing, as we can now respond in unison to the Palestinian call to end not just the occupation, but Israeli apartheid. It is not one moment too soon. We have nothing to lose but apartheid!

Nada Elia is an organizer with the US Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (http://www.usacbi.org), and a member of the INCITE! Women of Color Against Violence taskforce on militarism and occupation (www.incite-national.org). She and Omar Barghouti of the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel led two discussion sessions on the academic and cultural boycott at the 2009 organizers' conference of the US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation.