BDS Campaign Update (June – December 2010)

Glasgow shops join boycott of all Israeli produce
30 August 2010 – Following a campaign by Friends of Al Aqsa and the Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Asian shops in a key area of Glasgow declare themselves free of Israeli produce. A number of shopkeepers were unaware that they were even stocking Israeli goods and thanked campaigners for helping them to correctly identify Israeli goods.

Israeli actors call for a boycott of cultural center in the Israeli colony of Ariel

31 August 2010 – A group of 200 Israeli artists have vowed not to play in the new cultural center in the illegal Israeli colony of Ariel or any of the Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. The boycotting artists were supported by over 150 Israeli academics and a protest of over 300 activists outside a Tel Aviv theater company that had agreed to perform in Ariel. Palestinian groups welcome the boycott but insist on a morally consistent boycott on all Israeli state-funded cultural institutions in line with the 2005 Palestinian BDS call.
 
Pro-Israeli media sources and think tanks report an acceleration of the BDS movement
5 September 2010 – Israeli newspaper Haaretz reports on the growing economic and political effects of the global BDS movement. Reports by Israeli think tank, the REUT institute and pro-Israeli lobbies such as AIPAC and J-Street call for the formation of an anti-boycott strategy to counter the growing effectiveness of the BDS campaign.
 
Palestine conference in India endorses the Palestinian BDS Campaign
22nd-23rd September 2010 – With the support of the Palestinian National Committee for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions, Indian intellectuals and activists organized the “Just Peace for Palestine” conference in New Delhi, India. The conference concluded with a resolution which called upon “the Indian government to end its military ties with Israel and return to its earlier commitment to the cause of the Palestinian people.” The conference also affirmed that “the world must declare that Israel is an apartheid state. It must call for global boycott and sanctions on Israel as long as it continues its illegal occupation of Palestine and its apartheid policies.” The resolution appealed to “people in India to join the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign as a show of solidarity with the Palestinian people and their just struggle.” A plan of action was announced, in which several steps to show solidarity with Palestinians were outlined, particularly the launching of BDS campaigns and other measures by people’s action groups in the Asian region. More information on the conference can be found on the PACBI website: http://www.pacbi.org/etemplate.php?id=1376
 
University of Johannesburg cancels long-term academic links with Ben-Gurion University
30 September 2010 - The Senate of the University of Johannesburg votes "not to continue a long-standing relationship with Ben Gurion University (BGU) in Israel in its present form" and to set conditions "for the relationship to continue." The UJ Senate set an ultimatum of six months for BGU to end its complicity with the Israeli occupation army and to end policies of racial discrimination against Palestinians. The decision came after a campaign endorsed by over 250 South African academics including the heads of the four South African universities and prominent leaders such as Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Breyten Breytenbach, John Dugard, Antjie Krog, Barney Pityana, and Kader Asmal.
 
Irish government scraps 'Israeli bullets’ deal
11 October 2010 – The Irish government refused to grant Israel Military Industries the contract to supply 10 million bullets to the Irish Defence Forces. The contract for the 5.56 x 45mm rounds, to be bought over a five-year period, has instead gone to Belgian and Brazilian arms manufacturers. The announcement came after a seven month campaign by the Irish PSC against the granting of the contract to any Israeli company. The campaign involved a lobby of the government, a letter writing campaign and protested outside the Defence Minister Tony Killeen’s constituency office.
 
Norwegian campaign for Academic and Cultural Boycott launched with over 100 Signatures
13 October 2010 - A Norwegian petition calling for an institutional cultural and academic boycott of Israel (in line with the PACBI guidelines) has gathered 100 impressive signatories -- academics, writers, musicians, other cultural workers, and sports celebrities, including Egil "Drillo" Olsen, the coach of the Norwegian national soccer team, who is a huge celebrity in Norway.
 
Five countries boycott tourism conference in Jerusalem
15 October 2010 - An OECD ‘High Level Roundtable’ on tourism due to take place in West Jerusalem was thrown into chaos by the decision of five countries not to attend and the disclosure by several others that only low-level delegations will take part. Following attempts by Israel to use the conference to further its territorial claims on Jerusalem and concerns raised by Palestinian civil society and its international supporters that the conference serves to whitewash Israeli violations of international law, the UK, Sweden, Ireland, Turkey and South Africa announced that they would be not be taking part. Although the UK denied that its refusal to attend was politically motivated, Sweden and Turkey openly stated that their withdrawals are political in nature. In a further blow to the credibility of the ‘high level’ conference at which ‘senior government officials’ were expected to discuss tourism policy, a number of countries will not send tourism ministers and instead low-ranking officials will represent member country governments. 
 
Veolia and Alstrom attempt to sell shares in Jerusalem Light Railway - BNC Calls for an intensification of Campaign
15 October 2010 - Veolia and Alstom, the two French companies involved in the construction and management of a tramway linking west Jerusalem with illegal Israeli colonial settlements in Occupied Palestinian Territory, are both reported to be selling their shares in the consortium that manages the project after a long and determined BDS campaign against the companies. The campaign contributed to the exclusion of both companies from major pension funds in the Netherlands, Sweden and Denmark as well as the loss of nearly a staggering €5bn internationally, including the loss by Veolia of a €3.5bn contract to operate subways in Stockholm County, a contract it had held for ten years. While the sale of the shares does constitute a success for the BDS campaign, the continuation of the companies' complicity and profiteering from the project, and in other illegal projects in Palestine and their refusal to pay compensation to the Palestinian victims means that they should continue to be the targets of concerted BDS action.
 
Coalition of Women for Peace release report on Complicity of Israeli Bank in the Occupation
19 October 2010 - Who Profits from the Occupation, the research project of The Coalition of Women for Peace, initiated in response to the Palestinian call for Boycott Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) against Israel,  released a report on the direct involvement of Israeli banks in illegal settlements. The report entitled 'Financing the Occupation: the Direct Involvement of Israelis Banks in Illegal Settlement Activity and Control Over the Palestinian Banking Market' identifies six categories of the involvement of Israeli banks and is a useful resource for activists campaigning against financial institutions responsible for maintaining the financial framework of the occupation. A full copy of the report is available on the Who Profits website at: http://www.whoprofits.org/articlefiles/WhoProfits-IsraeliBanks2010.pdf
 
City Council of Cigales removes Eden Springs water from its buildings
21st October 2010 – The Spanish town of Cigales became the second town in the province of Valladolid to join to the international BDS movement by removing the Israeli bottled water Eden Springs Ltd. from all its municipal buildings. The move came after a strong mobilization of the towns inhabitants, including demonstrations, petitions and public awareness campaigns and comes in the wake of a similar decision by the City Council of Villanueva de Duero and the teachers and workers of the Nursing School of the University of Valladolid who requested the removal of Eden Springs from the bottled water vending machines. Eden Springs is an Israeli-owned company and is sourced from the illegally occupied Golan Heights.
 
War on Want release new report on BDS
November 2010 – British anti-poverty charity War on Want published a new report exposing companies profiting from the occupation. The report highlights the need for the global community to take action to support the Palestinian people in the struggle for their right and explains the logic and success of the growing BDS movement. A full copy of the report is available on the War on Want website: http://www.waronwant.org/attachments/Boycott,%20Divestment,%20Sanctions.pdf
 
South African Artists Against Apartheid Launched
1 November 2010 – After Cape Town Opera (CTO) announce their intention to perform “Porgy and Bess” in Tel Aviv, hundreds of South Africans including Desmond Tutu and the South African Civil Society Conference (comprising over 300 delegates from 56 mass-based civil society organisations) join a letter by Israeli BDS activists calling on the CTO to cancel its tour. Whilst the tour did go ahead, Israeli BDS activists performed a mock performance outside the theater in protest (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wElyrFOnKPk&feature=related) and as a result of the mass mobilization against CTO performing, activists announce the launch of South African Artists Against Apartheid to implement a sustained campaign of cultural boycott against Israel (http://www.southafricanartistsagainstapartheid.com/2010/11/declaration.html)
 
Africa Israel says no plans to build more settlements
3 November 2010 - Africa Israel, the flagship company of Israeli billionaire Lev Leviev, announced that it is no longer involved in Israeli settlement projects and that it has no plans for future settlement activities. Africa Israel subsequently denied that this was a political decision. However, in the last few years numerous organizations, firms, governments and celebrities have exerted pressure and severed their relationships with Leviev and his companies over their involvement in settlement construction and other human rights abuses, in response to a boycott campaign initiated by Adalah-NY.
 
BDS moves forward in Australia after landmark Conference
4 November 2010 – Over 150 Palestine solidarity activists gathered in Melbourne, Australia for a two-day conference in support of the Palestinian BDS call. In addition to the conference, the Electrical Trades Union, the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union, the Construction Forestry Mining and Energy Union, the Queensland branch of the Rail Tram and Bus Union and the Finance Sector Union have all passed resolutions supporting the international boycott, divestment and sanctions campaign against Israel.
 
Major Dutch pension fund divests from Israeli occupation
12 November 2010 - The major Dutch pension fund Pensioenfonds Zorg en Welzijn (PFZW), which has investments totaling €97bn has divested from almost all the Israeli companies in its portfolio. PGGM, the manager of the major Dutch pension fund PFZW, has adopted a new guideline for socially responsible investment in companies which operate in conflict zones. In addition, PFZM has also entered into discussions with Motorola, Veolia and Alstom to raise its concerns about human rights issues.
 
De Paul University suspends sales of Israeli Humous
19 November 2010 – De Paul University in Chicago has agreed to suspend the sale of Israeli hummus brand Sabra. Upon discovering that Chartwells, the provider of dining services at the university had introduced of the brand to the campus, student activists compiled information on the company's vocal and material support for the Israeli Army and had the product removed in less than two weeks. The campaign to ban Sabra has already spread to a number of the other 156 college and university campuses in the United States for whom Chartwells provides catering services.
 
Montreal hosts successful BDS Conference against Israeli Apartheid
22nd-24th November 2010 – A conference organized by BDS activists in Canada brought together over 600 hundred people concerned with social justice and the rights of Palestinians. The conference included 2 days of workshops, a hiphop concert and speaker plenaries and concluded with resolutions to strengthen Canadian BDS networks by agreeing to organize for the BDS international day of action on 30th March, expand Israeli Apartheid Week and commit to spread the cultural boycott of Israel. 
 
Tindersticks Cancel Tel Aviv Show
23 November 2010 – English indie rock band the Tindersticks cancel their show in Tel Aviv following a concerted campaign by the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI). In a press release Tindersticks cited their reason as being their wish not to “defy a rapidly growing movement with whose aims we agree”.
 
Palestinian civil society reaffirms support for persecuted French activists
23 November 2010 – In response to attempts by the French government to prosecute activists involved in the global BDS campaign, the Palestinian Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions National Committee (BNC) urged the French government to immediately cease all undemocratic, repressive measures against its own conscientious citizens who promote or engage in non-violent boycotts, divestment and sanctions (BDS) campaigns against Israel until it complies with international law. The BNC also called upon the State of France to respect its own legal obligations under international law, cease its role as the EU's largest supplier of military equipment to Israel, and undertake further measures, including sanctions, in order to bring to an end Israel's unlawful regime of occupation, colonialism and apartheid over the Palestinian people.
 
BDS Dabka flashmob in 5 cities video
29 November 2010 – In recognition of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, activists in the 5 cities of Geneva, Toronto, Utrecht, Paris and Geel organized Dabka flashmobs to raise awareness of the campaign for BDS against Israel until it complies with international law. The full video is available online at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oyprxqz3P1E
 
Argentinian workers' movements and community radios take up BDS
November 2010 - November saw a flurry of BDS activities in Argentina, where workers from the recovered factories movement, along with the global umbrella organization for community radio, committed to active support of the Palestinian BDS call. Workers in 205 factories reclaimed since the 2001 financial crisis pledged to "ensure that our work sites, our businesses and factories, [...] will be spaces free of Israeli apartheid. We resolve to ensure we do not have contracts and business between our recovered companies and Israeli companies, the State of Israel or companies that support the State of Israel." In addition to committing to raise awareness in Argentina about the Palestinian struggle, workers will be encouraged to "participate in and support global and national BDS initiatives [and] require the State of Argentina to cut relations with the State of Israel until such time as the end of apartheid and freedom of the Palestinian people is achieved." In the city of La Plata, Argentina, the World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters (AMARC) bringing together 4,000 community radios across 115 countries also broke new ground when they issued a statement supporting the BDS movement at the tenth Global Conference of Community Radio broadcasters.
 
IWW supports Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement in support of Palestinian rights
2 December 2010 – The Industrial Workers of the World (IWW or Wobblies) has officially voted to support the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement in support of Palestinian rights. The “Resolution in Support of the Workers of Palestine/Israel” was adopted in an overwhelming vote both at the IWW’s convention in Minneapolis and by the membership via referendum. This vote makes the IWW the first union in the US and the third union in Canada to officially support the Palestinian United Call for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions.
 
Human Rights Watch calls for US and EU Sanctions against Israel over Illegal Settlements
19 December 2010 – In a 166-page report into Israeli practices in the Occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, Human Rights Watch concluded that Palestinians face severe systematic discrimination due to their racial, ethnic and national origins. The report also focused on the role of settlements and called for a suspension by the EU and US of any support which would facilitate the maintenance and continued growth of the settlements, in order that they not be implicated in Israel's grave breaches of international law. The report can be found in full on the HRW website: http://www.hrw.org/node/95061