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Israel passes law barring entry for supporters of boycott of Jewish state

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Written by AFP in Jerusalem AFP in Jerusalem
Published: 07 March 2017 07 March 2017
 

“The knesset [parliament] passed on its second and third readings the entry into Israel bill,” it said in a statement on Monday night.

“A visa will not be granted nor a residence permit of any kind to any person who is not an Israeli citizen or permanent resident if he, or the organisation or body in which he is active, has knowingly issued a public call to boycott the state of Israel or pledged to take part in such a boycott,” the statement said.

Israel has been faced with a boycott movement over its nearly 50-year occupation of the West Bank but it has lately intensified the diplomatic and legal fight against it. 

The Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement campaigns for a global boycott of Israel until, among other demands, the country withdraws from all occupied Palestinian territories. Israel sees the movement as a strategic threat and accuses it of antisemitism – a claim BDS denies.

Read more: Israel passes law barring entry for supporters of boycott of Jewish state

ACTION NEEDED: Defeat Trump Muslim Ban 2.0

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Written by NIAC Action NIAC Action
Published: 06 March 2017 06 March 2017

Donald Trump just reinstated his Muslim ban, signing a new Executive Order that will once again bar nationals of Iran and five other countries from obtaining visas and visiting the U.S.

Trump’s actions are inhumane, unjust and un-American. We will stop him.

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Nationals of the six countries will be unable to obtain visas for 90 days, but beyond that Iranian visa-seekers will likely be banned from the U.S. indefinitely due to the lack of diplomatic relations and Iran’s designation as a “state sponsor of terror”, according to the Secretary of Homeland Security.

We cannot let that happen.

The administration made some small, completely insufficient adjustments to the ban to try minimize public controversy and avoid being blocked once again in court. They are exempting green card holders and persons who currently hold visas.

The adjustments may reduce some of the chaos at airports. But make no mistake: Iranian visa seekers will be barred from entering the U.S. indefinitely. The Administration has also not provided enough answers regarding non-U.S. dual nationals - the order says they are exempt but their FAQ suggests there may be complications in a dual national obtaining a visa. We are seeking full clarity that non-U.S. Iranian dual nationals will indeed be able to apply for a U.S. visa.

The bottom line is this: NIAC Action, and all of our allies in this battle, are fighting Trump’s new ban on two paths - the legal path and the Congressional path.

Read more: ACTION NEEDED: Defeat Trump Muslim Ban 2.0

Dr. Abuelaish Seeks Israel’s Accountability and Responsibility for Deaths of Daughters and Niece

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Written by Washington Report on Middle East Affairs Washington Report on Middle East Affairs
Published: 06 March 2017 06 March 2017

The fight to hold Israel accountable for tragedies inflicted upon Palestinian families will be taken a step further on March 15, 2017, as the Abuelaish Trial for Accountability and Responsibility vs. Israel finally begins in Beer el-Sabe District Court.

Gaza obstetrician Dr. Izzeldin Abuelaish’s civil lawsuit seeking an apology and compensation has been pending in Israeli courts since December 2010. On Jan. 16, 2009, during Operation Cast Lead, Israeli shells hit his family home, killing his three daughters and niece.

Israelis heard Dr. Abuelaish’s anguished cries for help as they were broadcast live on Shlomi Eldar’s TV program. Eldar helped get an ambulance to Abuelaish’s home in time to save a fourth daughter who was grievously wounded. The tragedy was rebroadcast around the world and shamed Israel into halting that year’s attacks on Gaza.

After his daughters Bessan (21), Mayar (15) and Aya (13) and niece Noor (17) were killed, Dr. Abuelaish began to seek an apology from the Israeli government for the grief and sorrow inflicted on his family. The Israeli government refused to take responsibility for the girls’ deaths, stating that they were killed in “an operation of war,” and that therefore it would not acknowledge any blame.

Read more: Dr. Abuelaish Seeks Israel’s Accountability and Responsibility for Deaths of Daughters and Niece

RALLY IN PORTLAND OPPOSING TRUMP-NETANYAHU AGENDAS

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Written by Peter Miller Peter Miller
Published: 17 February 2017 17 February 2017

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

February 17, 2017

 

 

RALLY IN PORTLAND OPPOSING TRUMP-NETANYAHU AGENDAS

On Wednesday people of good faith stood at Pioneer Courthouse Square joining a National Day of Action to Say NO to U.S. Policy on Israel and NO to the Trump Racist Agenda

 

Standing in a steady rain, over 60 people held a vigil Wednesday evening at Pioneer Courthouse Square to protest Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Trump’s agendas of shared racism, Islamophobia, denial of human rights and ongoing occupation. While Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Trump met in Washington, the protesters here at the Portland rally chanted, “No Walls No Ban No Building on Stolen Land”, “Hey Hey Ho Ho David Friedman’s got to go”, and “From Palestine to Mexico All the walls have got to go.”

 

One of the protest organizers, Ned Rosch, of Jewish Voice for Peace-PDX, read from a statement published yesterday by Jewish Voice for Peace, “Netanyahu and Trump share a vision of the world which paints aspirations for freedom and dignity as security threats and falsely and intentionally pits Islam against the West and democracy. In response to their joint agenda, we will continue to grow the resistance to their anti-refugee, anti-immigrant, and anti-Muslim policies here in the U.S. and in Israel and put forward a vision of true dignity, equality, and justice for all.“

Read more: RALLY IN PORTLAND OPPOSING TRUMP-NETANYAHU AGENDAS

A sad sign of the times: Hispanic caucus members ejected from meeting about immigration raids

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Written by Peter Miller Peter Miller
Published: 17 February 2017 17 February 2017

Removal of caucus members from meeting with Immigration and Customs Enforcement led to shock: ‘Never before in 20-plus years has this happened’

Two members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus said they were removed from a meeting with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) on Thursday, just two days after the agency’s acting director abruptly cancelled a meeting with the CHC.

On Thursday, Democratic Representatives Luis Gutiérrez of Illinois and Norma Torres of California said Republicans asked them to leave a meeting with the agency’s acting director, Thomas Homan, about the rash of raids on immigrant communities.

“In 20-plus years, I have never heard of the Republicans controlling what meetings Democrats can have with officials of the executive branch and never had a staffer ask me to leave a meeting to which I am entitled to attend,” Gutiérrez said in a statement after the meeting.

Read more on The Guardian

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