Israeli Ministers Threaten Violence against BDS Activists
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- Written by Friends of Sabeel - North America Friends of Sabeel - North America
- Published: 07 April 2016 07 April 2016
- Hits: 6682 6682
A call for International Protection of Palestinians from Israeli-Sanctioned Murder
Lawlessness and violence against Palestinian civilians reached new levels during the March 28 anti-BDS rally in Jerusalem. The Israeli minister of transportation, intelligence and atomic energy, Yisrael Katz, said that Israel must carry out a “targeted civil thwarting of the BDS leadership,” naming Omar Barghouti and other Palestinian Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions activists. (“Targeted thwarting” is an Israeli military term for “assassination.”) Israeli Interior Minister Aryeh Deri escalated the fear-mongering by claiming that Barghouti and other BDS activists are paid by terrorist organizations hostile to Israel.
Friends of Sabeel North America condemns this dangerous and violent rhetoric by Israeli leaders. As a Palestinian Christian organization, FOSNA affirms the sanctity of every human life and asserts that murder and intent to assassinate targeted civilians runs contrary to our religious principles and international law. We reject statements by extremist religious leaders who distort the teachings of their own scriptures, religious law, and prophets by justifying murder with hate speech. A central principle of our Judeo-Christian-Islamic scriptures and traditions is the responsibility “to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and let the oppressed go free, and break every yoke.”
Please contact Secretary of State John Kerry in support of Senator Patrick Leahy’s request to investigate “gross violations of human rights” in Israel. Write to your local newspaper in support of sanctions against Israel in light of these threats. Speak to your congregations about the violence Palestinians experience under occupation. In a climate of rising extremism among Israeli settlers and the military, Western powers need to intervene to protect increasingly vulnerable Palestinians in Jerusalem, the West Bank, and Gaza Strip.
KBOO: Socially Responsible Investments Committee Recommends Portland Put Caterpillar on Do-Not-Buy List
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- Written by KBOO's More Talk Radio KBOO's More Talk Radio
- Published: 29 March 2016 29 March 2016
- Hits: 6279 6279
Hosts Celeste Carey and Cecil Prescod speak with Ned Rosch about the
recommendation of Portland’s Socially Responsible Investments Committee
for the City of Portland to put Caterpillar on City’s Do-Not-Buy List
Portland’s Socially Responsible Investments Committee (SRIC) voted – 4
in favor, 2 opposed – at its March 17th meeting to recommend that City
funds should not be invested in Caterpillar, citing concern that
Caterpillar Corporation violates a number of the City’s socially
responsible investment criteria.
Caterpillar, which provides militarized bulldozers that are used to
demolish Palestinian homes, has long been a target of human rights
activists. Maxine Fookson, from Occupation-Free Portland, which pushed
for Caterpillar to be placed on the Do-Not-Buy List, said, “This is an
important victory for human rights. The SRIC today took a stand on the
right side of history making it clear that companies, like Caterpillar,
that are knowingly engaged in human rights violations in the Israeli
occupation of Palestinian land should not be supported by Portland
investments.”
The SRIC’s recommendation was based on review of an MSCI analysis which
rates companies for their investment potential and includes a screen
that looks at environmental, social and governance (ESG) concerns. In
addition, the SRIC heard powerful testimony at their February meeting
from supporters of Occupation-Free Portland, a campaign committed to
getting Caterpillar, G4S, Hewlett-Packard and Motorola Solutions placed
on Portland’s Do-Not-Buy List for their complicity in – and profiting
from – the many human rights violations that are part of the Israeli
occupation of Palestinian lands.
Later this year, the SRIC will recommend to the City Council a list of
corporations that should be on Portland’s Do-Not-Buy List. Members of
the City Council will consider the SRIC recommendations and make the
final decision in this matter.
Critics Aghast at 'Disgusting Speech' Clinton Just Gave to AIPAC
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- Written by Lauren McCauley, staff writer Lauren McCauley, staff writer
- Published: 24 March 2016 24 March 2016
- Hits: 6422 6422
Democratic presidential candidate speech praises "everything that is bad about Israeli policy and U.S. imperialism
Palestinian and human rights advocates were aghast over remarks made by Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton at the annual American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) convention on Monday, saying that her speech represented "everything that is bad" with U.S. imperialism and policy in the Middle East.
During the address, Clinton vowed to take the U.S.-Israel relationship to "the next level"—a level which seemingly includes more war and imperialism, few, if any, rights for Palestinians, and definitely no economic boycotts of Israel.
"Has even one single Clinton supporter denounced the disgusting speech she gave today?"
—Glenn GreenwaldStriking a hawkish
tone, Clinton warned the powerful lobby group against rival candidates
who want to "outsource Middle East security to dictators" and "cede the
mantle of leadership for global peace and security," and instead vowed
even more "security and intelligence cooperation."
"As president, I will make a firm commitment to ensure Israel maintains its qualitative military edge," she said. "The United States should provide Israel with the most sophisticated defense technology so it can deter and stop any threats. That includes bolstering Israeli missile defenses with new systems like the Arrow Three and David’s Sling. And we should work together to develop better tunnel detection, technology to prevent armed smuggling, kidnapping and terrorist attacks."
As observers noted, as she ran down the list of "evolving threats," the former U.S. secretary of state resorted to common neoconservative talking points, declaring:
As we gather here, three evolving threats — Iran’s continued aggression, a rising tide of extremism across a wide arc of instability, and the growing effort to de-legitimize Israel on the world stage — are converging to make the U.S.-Israel alliance more indispensable than ever.
We have to combat all these trends with even more intense security and diplomatic cooperation. The United States and Israel must be closer than ever, stronger than ever and more determined than ever to prevail against our common adversaries and to advance our shared values.
Touting her "deep, personal commitment" to the "Jewish state," Clinton then said that "one of the first things I’ll do in office is invite Israeli Prime Minister [Benjamin Netanyahu] to visit the White House."
The speech proved that, on matters of Israel, Clinton is "running to the right" of GOP front-runner Donald Trump, as noted by Mondoweiss' Philip Weiss, who wrote that the remarks were "filled with red meat for Israel supporters" and "contained scant reference to the peace process."
Later, Clinton doubled down on her previous pledge to dismantle the growing international Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement, linking the campaign against Palestinian apartheid to anti-Semitism, saying "we must repudiate all efforts to malign, isolate and undermine Israel and the Jewish people."
"I’ve been sounding the alarm for a while now," Clinton continued. "As I wrote last year in a letter to the heads of major American Jewish organizations, we have to be united in fighting back against BDS."
Read more at Common Dreams
VIDEO: Israeli soldier executes unarmed, wounded Palestinian attacker
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- Written by IMEU IMEU
- Published: 24 March 2016 24 March 2016
- Hits: 6491 6491
An IDF soldier was filmed shooting a Palestinian in the head at close range in the Tel Rumeida neighborhood of occupied Hebron Thursday, after he and another Palestinian reportedly stabbed a different soldier, lightly wounding him.
Most Israeli media outlets initially went with the usual headline, “Soldier stabbed, assailants killed.” A few hours later, however, video of the incident was released showing that the Palestinian man was already shot and lying on the ground wounded, presenting absolutely no threat to anyone at the time he was shot in the head, murdered.
See also: http://972mag.com/video-israeli-soldier-executes-wounded-palestinian-in-hebron/118093
Third large-scale demolition in Khirbet Tana in 2016
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- Written by OCHA Flash Update OCHA Flash Update
- Published: 24 March 2016 24 March 2016
- Hits: 6943 6943
OCHA Flash Update
Third large-scale demolition in Khirbet Tana in 2016
24 March 2016
On 23 March, the Israeli authorities destroyed 53 structures in the Palestinian community of Khirbet Tana, located in Area C of the occupied West Bank, on grounds of lack of Israeli-issued building permits. This is one of the largest incidents since OCHA began systematically tracking demolitions in 2009.
The targeted structures included 22 homes, resulting in the displacement of 87 people, among them 35 children and 22 women. The other structures destroyed were animal shelters (19), latrine units (6), traditional ovens (5) and a water reservoir. Eighteen (18) of the demolished structures were donor-funded humanitarian assistance, the majority provided following previous demolitions this year. During the operation, five residential caves were also damaged and four vehicles belonging to the residents were confiscated.
Read more: Third large-scale demolition in Khirbet Tana in 2016