JUSTICE REQUIRES ACTION TO STOP SUBJUGATION OF PALESTINIANS

May 1, 2012, Tampa Bay Times http://www.tampabay.com (USA)

By Desmond Tutu, special to the Times

A quarter-century ago I barnstormed around the United States encouraging Americans, particularly students, to press for divestment from South Africa. Today, regrettably, the time has come for similar action to force an end to Israel's long-standing occupation of Palestinian territory and refusal to extend equal rights to Palestinian citizens who suffer from some 35 discriminatory laws.

I have reached this conclusion slowly and painfully. I am aware that many of our Jewish brothers and sisters who were so instrumental in the fight against South African apartheid are not yet ready to reckon with the apartheid nature of Israel and its current government. And I am enormously concerned that raising this issue will cause heartache to some in the Jewish community with whom I have worked closely and successfully for decades. But I cannot ignore the Palestinian suffering I have witnessed, nor the voices of those courageous Jews troubled by Israel's discriminatory course.

Within the past few days, some 1,200 American rabbis signed a letter — timed to coincide with resolutions considered by the United Methodist Church and the Presbyterian Church (USA) — urging Christians not "to selectively divest from certain companies whose products are used by Israel." They argue that a "one-sided approach" on divestment resolutions, even the selective divestment from companies profiting from the occupation proposed by the Methodists and Presbyterians, "damages the relationship between Jews and Christians that has been nurtured for decades."

While they are no doubt well-meaning, I believe that the rabbis and other opponents of divestment are sadly misguided. My voice will always be raised in support of Christian-Jewish ties and against the anti-Semitism that all sensible people fear and detest. But this cannot be an excuse for doing nothing and for standing aside as successive Israeli governments colonize the West Bank and advance racist laws.

I recall well the words of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. in his Letter from a Birmingham Jail in which he confesses to his "Christian and Jewish brothers" that he has been "gravely disappointed with the white moderate … who is more devoted to 'order' than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice; who constantly says: 'I agree with you in the goal you seek, but I cannot agree with your methods of direct action;' who paternalistically believes he can set the timetable for another man's freedom. ..."

King's words describe almost precisely the shortcomings of the 1,200 rabbis who are not joining the brave Palestinians, Jews and internationals in isolated West Bank communities to protest nonviolently against Israel's theft of Palestinian land to build illegal, Jewish-only settlements and the separation wall. We cannot afford to stick our heads in the sand as relentless settlement activity forecloses on the possibility of the two-state solution.

If we do not achieve two states in the near future, then the day will certainly arrive when Palestinians move away from seeking a separate state of their own and insist on the right to vote for the government that controls their lives, the Israeli government, in a single, democratic state. Israel finds this option unacceptable and yet is seemingly doing everything in its power to see that it happens.

Many black South Africans have traveled to the occupied West Bank and have been appalled by Israeli roads built for Jewish settlers that West Bank Palestinians are denied access to, and by Jewish-only colonies built on Palestinian land in violation of international law.

Black South Africans and others around the world have seen the 2010 Human Rights Watch report which "describes the two-tier system of laws, rules, and services that Israel operates for the two populations in areas in the West Bank under its exclusive control, which provide preferential services, development, and benefits for Jewish settlers while imposing harsh conditions on Palestinians." This, in my book, is apartheid. It is untenable. And we are in desperate need of more rabbis joining the brave rabbis of Jewish Voice for Peace in speaking forthrightly about the corrupting decadeslong Israeli domination over Palestinians.

These are among the hardest words I have ever written. But they are vitally important. Not only is Israel harming Palestinians, but it is harming itself. The 1,200 rabbis may not like what I have to say, but it is long past time for them to remove the blinders from their eyes and grapple with the reality that Israel becoming an apartheid state or like South Africa in its denial of equal rights is not a future danger, as three former Israeli prime ministers — Ehud Barak, Ehud Olmert and David Ben Gurion — have warned, but a present-day reality. This harsh reality endured by millions of Palestinians requires people and organizations of conscience to divest from those companies — in this instance, from Caterpillar, Motorola Solutions and Hewlett Packard — profiting from the occupation and subjugation of Palestinians.

Such action made an enormous difference in apartheid South Africa. It can make an enormous difference in creating a future of justice and equality for Palestinians and Jews in the Holy Land.

Desmond Tutu, winner of the 1984 Nobel Peace Prize, is archbishop-emeritus of Cape Town, South Africa.

WELCOME TO PALESTINE INITIATIVE 2012

16 April 2012, Welcome to Palestine http://welcometopalestine.info (Palestine)

"We, the undersigned, endorse the call from the Welcome to Palestine 2012 Initiative for supporters of Palestinian human and national rights around the world to openly visit Palestine during Easter 2012.

"There is no way into Palestine other than through Israeli control points. Israel has turned Palestine into a giant prison, but prisoners have a right to receive visitors.

"Welcome to Palestine 2012 will again challenge Israel's policy of isolating the West Bank while the settler paramilitaries and army commit brutal crimes against a virtually defenceless Palestinian civilian population.

"We call on governments to support the right of Palestinians to receive visitors and the right of their own citizens to visit Palestine openly.

"The participants in Welcome to Palestine 2012 ask to be allowed to pass through Tel Aviv airport without hindrance and to proceed to the West Bank to take part in a project there for children to benefit from the right to education."

SIGNED: Sam Bahour, Tony Benn, Noam Chomsky, Jonathan Cook, Hedy Epstein, Ambassador Manuel Hassassian, Ronnie Kasrils, Nurit Peled. John Pilger, Nawal Al Sadaawi, Vauro Senesi, Desmond Tutu

Rabbi Lerner: EMBRACING ISRAEL/PALESTINE

17 November 2011, Tikkun תיקון http://www.tikkun.org (USA)

Rabbi Lerner has just come out with a new book, Embracing Israel/Palestine, which has been enthusiastically praised by Archibishop Desmond Tutu, former Chair of the Israeli Knesset Avrum Burg, former President Jimmy Carter, West Bank Palestinian peace activist Sami Awad, scholar of religion Robert Bellah, and many others (see below). He shows how to understand the history of the conflict in a way that is fair to both sides and avoids demonizing either side. He also argues that no political deal at a negotiating table has a chance of working without a fundamental transformation of consciousness-- and that we in the West can help shape the transformation needed to provide the security, justice, and mutual compassion necessary for a lasting peace.

Would you like to host Rabbi Lerner in your community center, university, church, synagogue, mosque, bookstore, political organization or anywhere else where you could get a large attendance to hear him? He can also talk about the Occupy movement, strategies to transform American society, the Environmental and Social Responsibility Amendment to the US Constitution (a requirement to eliminate all private monies or corporate monies in elections as well as to require corporate environmental and social responsibility), or the Global Marshall Plan. All these can work together with his talk on Israel/Palestine if you wish. Can you raise funds to cover his travel expenses and speaking stipend? If yes, please email me (ashley@tikkun.org).

You can order the book at www.tikkun.org/embracing or send a $20 check made out to Tikkun to 2342 Shattuck Ave, #1200, Berkeley, CA 94704. This book is published by North Atlantic Books and distributed by Random House. Please also encourage your local bookstore to carry Embracing Israel/Palestine; tell them it's a perfect gift for Christmas/Chanukah or other festive occasions. Bookstores and groceries can call 1-800-733-3000 or email customerservice@randomhouse.com to arrange for delivery of the books. It is also available on Kindle and through Amazon.com.
Thanks in advance for your help in spreading the word! Even better if you'd create a study group with people in your community-- and we have an online study guide. (Click here to visit the book's website.) It's a book that is guaranteed to challenge simplistic thinking on both sides. It has a serious analysis of the Post Traumatic Stress Disorder that must be dealt with in both Palestine and Israel and a nuanced and generous account of the suffering of both Palestinians and Israelis--and a strategy to overcome all this. Please read it!

Ashley Bates
Assistant Editor, Tikkun

Endorsements

Rabbi Michael Lerner is one of America's most significant progressive intellectuals and political leaders, and Embracing Israel/Palestine is not only a great conceptual breakthrough in dealing with the Middle East but also demonstrates a methodology for how best to think about global and domestic U.S. politics. For many decades Muslims, around the world have been cheered by Rabbi Lerner's challenge to the media’s demeaning of our religion and dismissal of the rights of Palestinians, just as they have been challenged by his insistence that they recognize the importance of truly and deeply accepting Israel's right to exist in peace and security. —Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.), the first elected Muslim to the U.S. Congress and chair of the seventy-member Progressive Caucus of the U.S. House of Representatives

Embracing Israel/Palestine is a must-read for those who care about peace in the Middle East. It is provocative, radical, persuasive, and, if given the attention it deserves, could make a major contribution to reconciliation. Please read this book! —Archbishop Desmond Tutu

Rabbi Michael Lerner provides us with a brilliant and hopeful vision of how to transform the Middle East from a cauldron of violence to a vanguard of peace. I hope every American will read this book and apply its lessons to change how we deal with the Middle East. For several decades Lerner has been a remarkably courageous rabbi, defying the orthodoxies of some in his own community to insist that Biblical teachings require recognizing the equal value to God of both Israelis and Palestinians. Challenging the extremists on all sides, Lerner insists on the practical and ethical necessity to embrace both Israel and Palestine with compassion and love. Lerner presents us with a path to peace that will require our replacing the strategy of domination and war with what Lerner appropriately describes as the far more effective path to homeland security: the strategy of generosity and genuine caring for the well-being of everyone involved. This is practical and effective advice for the world. I hope every American will read this book and apply its lessons in change how we deal with the Middle East. —Jimmy Carter, 39th president of the United States of America

Embracing Israel/Palestine is a terrific book by a pioneer of global transformation. Out of love for both Israelis and Palestinians as equal creations of God, Rabbi Lerner offers us the deepest way out of the bloody conflict. Not just a political agreement, not a simple "real estate" and power sharing transaction, Embracing Israel/Palestine draws from a deep psychological and political understanding of the dynamics of the Middle East. Lerner's book is coming out of a loving heart and a powerful analytic mind. He offers us a strategy of trust that could heal and repair the mentalities of fear that limit the current perspectives that dominate our politics. —Avrum Burg, former chair of the Jewish Agency and World Zionist Organization, speaker of the Knesset, and interim president of Israel

Rabbi Michael Lerner is one of the great prophetic figures of our time. He inherited this mantle from his teacher and my hero, Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel. This book should be the indispensable work on the delicate and difficult effort to keep track of the precious humanity of Jews and Palestinians in the epic struggles for security and justice. —Cornel West, author of Race Matter and professor of African American studies and religion at Princeton University

Rabbi Michael Lerner is one of the very few Jewish leaders in the Diaspora who has consistently challenged slavish Jewish pandering to right-wing Israeli chauvinism and messianism, opposed the Occupation of the West Bank and the crimes of many Israeli settlers, supported Palestinian rights and justice for the Palestinian people, called for an end to religious coercion and separation of state and synagogue in Israel, yet has simultaneously retained a strong commitment to the safety and well-being of Israel and the Jewish people. He has been a fierce critic of those who move from legitimate criticism of Israeli policies to illegitimate anti-Semitism or attempts to destroy Israel. His voice needs to be heard by Israelis, Palestinians, and all those who seek peace for the Middle East. —Uri Avnery, former member of the Knesset and current chair of the Israeli peace movement Gush Shalom

I've read dozens of books on the subject, but none has the potential this book has to inform wisely and fairly, mobilize good will effectively, and motivate action intelligently toward needed change. Rabbi Lerner’s generous Jewish vision warms my Christian heart, and his deep integration of spirituality, theology, political philosophy, and human kindness serves as a model I hope many will join me in following. —Brian McLaren, Christian Evangelical Pastor and author of A New Kind of Christianity

Embracing Israel/Palestine is a masterpiece among the myriads of studies dedicated to the numerous human catastrophes of our times. No matter how many books you've read on this subject, Rabbi Lerner will give you a new and powerfully insightful perspective that could empower you to play a significant and hopefully effective role in healing this conflict—and in doing so beginning to heal the world. —Zygmunt Bauman, author of Modernity and the Holocaust and Postmodernity and Its Discontents

Michael Lerner takes a courageous, enlightening position in Embracing Israel/Palestine, not only in speaking as an American Jewish rabbi who cares about both countries, but in his conviction that only real attention to the suffering and historical traumas of both sides can bring about peace. The intellectual clarity and psychological sophistication of his presentation is matched by his passionate plea for the transformation of religion from a tool for political partisanship to a basis for genuine renewal of commitment to justice and recognition of all peoples. His argument breaks the conventional splitting between the pragmatic and the idealistic, making a convincing case that only respect for the needs of all peoples will bring about the will and the possibility of resolution. —Jessica Benjamin, psychoanalyst and author of The Bonds of Love

Rabbi Lerner has been passionately advocating a new era of peace and reconciliation in the Holy Land utilizing the interfaith resources. We are confident that this spirit of mutual respect and cooperation can work in the Holy Land as well. There are enough resources in our scriptures, traditions, and history to make such solidarity legitimate. I hope that Muslims, Jews, and Christians will use Embracing Israel/Palestine as a jumping off point for discussing how our three faiths can work together to bring peace and justice to the Middle East. —Sayyid M. Syeed, National Director at the Islamic Society of North America’s Office for Interfaith & Community Alliances

This book would change the world if there were enough people who would open their eyes and read it. Lerner uses Israel/Palestine as a prism to look at the world as a whole—rife with conflicts of many kinds, a number of which involve the United States. He comes to the wildly "utopian" conclusion that the solution to these conflicts can only come by following the Biblical injunctions to love the stranger. Far from being utopian or unrealistic, Lerner shows that this will be the only practical way to keep the alliance of nationalism and capitalism that rules the world today from destroying the fabric of natural and social life. I hope this book will be used widely in courses in political science and sociology in our universities, not only in courses about the Middle East. —Rober Bellah, Professor Emeritus, University of California, Berkeley, author of Religion in Human Evolution, and co-author of Habits of the Heart

There are good books and there are needed books. This book is both. It is good because Michael Lerner gives an insightful account of the history and politics of struggles between Israelis and Palestinians. It is needed because he grasps the religious underpinnings of this conflict and his spiritually progressive perspectives offer hope for peace. What Rabbi Lerner has to say will be especially helpful for my fellow Evangelicals who must balance their justifiable love for Israel with a cry for justice for the Palestinian people. —Tony Campolo, Evangelical pastor and professor of sociology at Eastern University

web: www.spiritualprogressives.org

South African student bodies declare, ‘We recognise apartheid when we see it’

6 August 2011, Mondoweiss http://mondoweiss.net (USA)

An Israeli mission to South African campuses is expected to arrive on August 11. Palestinian students have written to South African colleagues asking them to challenge and boycott the Israeli delegation. Three South African student bodies-- the South African Union of Students, the South African Student Congress, and the Young Communist League of South Africa issued the following statement at a joint press conference yesterday at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg. The groups included South Africa's oldest and most representative student bodies.

JOINT STUDENT STATEMENT

There is no doubt, Israel is an Apartheid state; There is only one word, boycott!

We, students and youth of a post Apartheid South Africa, who bear the scars of a racist history and who continue to fight for complete liberation, have a duty and responsibility to stand in solidarity with those facing oppression worldwide. Israeli apartheid is one such form of oppression.

Israeli media boast that a mission of 150 Israeli propagandists will be sent to universities in 5 countries to fix Israel's "serious image problems". The Israeli mission will begin on South African campuses on the 11th of August, with a delegation that includes at least two aides from the Israeli parliament. A delegation member was clear about the intention of their trip: "We have to create some doubt in their [South African students’] minds."

Don’t patronize us! We lived apartheid, we suffered apartheid, we know what apartheid is, we recognise apartheid when we see it. And when we see Israel, we see a regime that practices apartheid. Israel’s image needs no changing; its policies do! We urge Israeli students to instead join the growing and inspiring internal resistance to their regime, particularly the boycott from within movement, rather than waste time and money on these propaganda trips to deceive us Black students, South Africans have no need for these Muldergate-like trips.

A "major focus” of the Israeli trip will be the University of Johannesburg (UJ). On 1st April 2011 UJ's Senate, with the full backing of UJ's Student Representative Council, terminated its institutional relationship with Israel's Ben-Gurion University. Indeed, UJ set an academic boycott of Israel precedent that all other South African and international universities can follow.

Following UJ’s decision, and in response to a letter sent to us by Palestinian students, we urge all SRCs, student groups and other youth structures to strategize and implement a boycott of Israel and its campaigns. We declare that all SA campuses must be Apartheid-Israel free zones.

As with the struggle against apartheid in South Africa, international solidarity is key in overcoming Israeli Apartheid. In Nelson Mandela’s words: 'It behoves all South Africans, erstwhile beneficiaries of generous international support, to stand up and be counted among those contributing actively to the cause of freedom and justice….we know too well that our freedom is incomplete without the freedom of the Palestinians.'

FOR THE RECORD

A. On Education

1. The Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories has had disastrous effects on access to education for Palestinians. Palestinian students face poverty, harassment and humiliation as a result of Israeli policy and actions.

2. Israel mounted direct attacks on Palestinian education, including the complete closures of two Palestinian universities in 2003 and the targeting and bombing of more than 60 primary and secondary schools during the Israeli attacks on Gaza in 2009.

3. Israel’s assault on the education of Palestinians is illegal under international law. The right to education is a fundamental human right enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international instruments.

4. The Israeli blockade of Gaza has had a detrimental impact on students. Gaza’s electricity supply is controlled by Israel and shut-down for several hours most days, making it difficult for students to study. Moreover, the blockade means insufficient quantities of educational equipment, such as paper, desks and books, reach students.

B. On Israeli Apartheid

5. Several of our senior leaders have compared Israel to Apartheid South Africa, including Comrades Kgalema Mothlantle, Blade Nzimande, Zwelinzima Vavi, Rob Davies, Jeremy Cronin, Ahmed Kathrada, Winnie Mandela, Ronnie Kasrils, Denis Goldberg, the late Kader Asmal and Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

6. Both the former and current United Nations Special Rapporteurs for Human Rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territories have requested that Israel be investigated for the crime of apartheid.

7. In an official report commissioned by the South African government in 2009, the Human Sciences Research Council confirmed that Israel, by its policies and practices, is guilty of the crime of apartheid.

8. In November 2010, South Africa’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation called upon the Israeli government “to cease their activities that are reminiscent of apartheid forced removals…”

C. On Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS)

8. Palestinian civil society, including student groups, have called for a policy of Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) of Israel until it abides by international law.

9. This call has the endorsement of the largest and most representative coalition of civil and political society in Palestine. The call also has the support of a growing number of progressive Israeli groups.

10. In 2010, the United Nations Special Rapporteur for Human Rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Professor Richard Falk, said: “It is politically and morally appropriate, as well as legally correct, to accord maximum support to the BDS campaign.”

11. COSATU, South Africa’s largest trade union federation was one of the first unions to endorse the BDS call. Subsequently, numerous other international trade unions have also adopted a pro-BDS position.

12. Several international groups have began to advance the BDS call in the cultural, consumer, sports, economic and academic spheres. Earlier this year the largest student union in Europe, the ULU, passed a motion in support of BDS."

ISSUED AT WITS UNIVERSITY ON THURSDAY THE 4th OF AUGUST 2011 BY
South African Union of Students, South African Student Congress and the Young Communist League of South Africa

* SASCO is South Africa's oldest and largest student organization.

** The SA Union of Students (SAUS) comprises all South African university Student Representative Councils and is the most representative student union in the country.

*** The Young Communist League of South Africa (YCL) has local branches at all South African universities

BDS SOUTH AFRICA

TIAA-CREF SHOULD HEAR US, DIVEST FROM ISRAELI APARTHEID

17 July 2011, Charlotte Observer (USA)

From Archbishop Desmond Tutu, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984 and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009:

As shareholders with the retirement giant TIAA-CREF head to Charlotte this week for their national meeting, there is one issue they will find conspicuously absent from the agenda: divestment from the Israeli Occupation. Despite pleas from shareholders, including medical professionals, students and academics from universities across the United States, the pension fund refused to allow a vote on a resolution that would have compelled TIAA-CREF to consider divestment from companies such as Caterpillar or Elbit. These are companies that profit substantially from the illegal Israeli occupation of Palestinian land.

In an effort, presumably, to avoid the topic altogether, TIAA-CREF even went so far as to move its annual meeting to Charlotte from its usual location in New York City. But even in Charlotte, they will not be able to escape from "occupation." Throughout the United States and the world, people will continue to speak truth to power about the apartheid perpetrated in the Holy Land.

I, for one, never tire of speaking out against these injustices, because they remind me only too well of what we in South Africa experienced under the racist system of apartheid. I have witnessed firsthand the racially segregated roads and housing in the Occupied Palestinian territories. I have seen the humiliation of Palestinian men, women and children at the checkpoints and roadblocks. I have met Palestinians who were evicted and replaced by Jewish Israeli settlers; Palestinians whose homes were destroyed even as new, Jewish-only homes were illegally built on confiscated Palestinian land.

This oppression, these indignities and the resulting anger are only too familiar. It is no wonder that so many South African leaders in the anti-apartheid struggle, including Nelson Mandela and numerous Jewish leaders, have found ourselves compelled to speak out on this issue.

Though the situation deteriorates daily, I am not without hope. Before apartheid ended, most South Africans did not believe they would live to see a day of liberation. They did not believe that their children, or even their children's children, would see it. But we have seen it, and I know that if apartheid can end in South Africa, so too can this occupation.

We could not have won our freedom in South Africa without the solidarity of people around the world who adopted non-violent methods to pressure governments and corporations to end their support for the apartheid regime. Faith-based groups, unions, students and consumers organized on a grassroots level and catalyzed a global wave of divestment, ultimately contributing to the collapse of apartheid.

More than two decades later, another wave of divestment has emerged, this time with the goal of ending Israel's 44-year-old occupation and its unequal treatment of the Palestinians.

The TIAA-CREF campaign is important because it is one of the most broad-based divestment efforts in the U.S.: thousands of professors, doctors, students, and many other people of conscience are coming forward demanding that the suffering of the Palestinians not be ignored in the company's bottom line. The campaign originated with a call from the American group Jewish Voice for Peace, whose members understand that ending the occupation means a better future for both Israelis and Palestinians; a future in which both the violence of the occupier and the violent resistance of the occupied come to an end, where one people no longer rule over another, and where the cycles of suffering, humiliation and retaliation are broken.

In South Africa we understood that true peace could be built only on the basis of justice and an unwavering commitment to universal rights for all humans, regardless of ethnicity, religion, gender, national origin or any other identity attribute. I encourage TIAA-CREF, whose slogan is "for the greater good," to heed the call for divestment, to refuse to profit from oppression of a people, and thus to stand on the side of what is right: a safe, secure and peaceful future for Palestinians and Israelis.

La campagne BDS appelle à l’embargo militaire contre Israël

12 juillet 2011, Association France Palestine Solidarité (AFPS) http://www.france-palestine.org

BNC

Alors que la pression monte pour mettre fin à l’impunité d’Israël, la société civile palestinienne appelle à un embargo militaire complet sur Israël

• La société civile palestinienne appelle à un embargo militaire complet sur Israël. • Les activistes de mouvements de jeunesse délivrent un appel et la preuve de la collusion militaire avec Israël à l’ONU.

• Les organisations qui représentent des millions de personnes à travers le monde entier ainsi que Prix Nobel Desmond Tutu ont exprimé leur soutien à l’appel à l’embargo palestinien.

Le Comité National palestinien Boycott Désinvestissement et Sanctions (BNC), la plus grande coalition palestinienne englobant tous les partis politiques palestiniens, des syndicats, des ONG et des organisations de masse, a appelé à un embargo immédiat et global militaire sur Israël.

"Un embargo militaire complet sur Israël est attendu depuis longtemps. Ce serait une étape cruciale vers la fin de l’utilisation illégale et criminelle par Israël de la force contre le peuple palestinien et d’autres peuples et Etats de la région, et elle constitue un moyen efficace et non-violent pour faire pression sur Israël afin qu’il respecte ses obligations en vertu du droit international », dit l’appel à l’embargo du BNC.

Des militants palestiniens avec le mouvement de jeunesse d’Hirak Shababi se sont rassemblés ce matin devant le bureau des Nations Unies à Ramallah pour lancer symboliquement l’appel et mettre en évidence la collusion militaire internationale avec Israël.

Cet appel intervient alors que la pression croît pour tenir Israël responsable devant le droit international, notamment avec la deuxième Flottille de la Liberté et l’action « Fly-in » « Bienvenue en Palestine » menée à l’aéroport de Tel-Aviv le 8 juillet.

Parmi les partisans de l’appel à un embargo militaire figurent les Prix Nobel de la Paix l’archevêque Desmond Tutu, Mairead Maguire, et Adolfo Pérez Esquivel. Les gagnants du Prix Nobel Alternatif Walden Bello et Chico Whitaker et l’écrivain best-seller et journaliste canadienne Naomi Klein, ont également appuyé les demandes de l’appel.

« Je souscris à cet appel à un embargo sur les armes parce que nous désirons la paix et la justice pour les Palestiniens et les Israéliens à travers des moyens non violents", a déclaré l’archevêque Tutu. Naomi Klein explique : « Cet embargo militaire bien mérité est une étape cruciale vers la fin de l’impunité d’Israël."

Des organisations de la société civile représentant des millions de personnes de partout dans le monde, y compris les confédérations syndicales telles que la COSATU en Afrique du Sud et la CUT brésilienne, les réseaux et campagnes contre le commerce des armes, pour la justice et la solidarité, ont annoncé leur soutien à l’appel à l’embargo militaire contre la Israël et les actions qui seront entreprises pour mettre en œuvre la campagne.

L’appel a été publié à l’occasion du septième anniversaire de la décision de Cour internationale de justice confirmant l’illégalité du mur israélien de l’apartheid en Cisjordanie et le sixième anniversaire de l’appel de la société civile palestinienne pour le Boycott, le Désinvestissement et les Sanctions (BDS) contre Israël jusqu’à ce qu’il respecte le droit international.

La BNC a publié une analyse juridique détaillée et politique des relations internationales militaires avec Israël et leur impact.

Une copie complète de l’appel à l’action du BNC et l’analyse de fond détaillée sur le commerce des armes avec Israël est disponible sur www.bdsmovement.net.

Le document d’information publié par le BNC affirme que la coopération militaire avec Israël est une des principales formes de complicité internationale avec les violations israéliennes du droit international. En 2010, environ 80% de la production militaire d’Israël a été exportée, et les exportations par les entreprises s’élèvent à 7,2 milliards de dollars d’armes israéliennes. De 2000 à 2009, les Etats-Unis ont donné à Israël 24.1 milliards de dollars d’aide militaire. En utilisant ces fonds publics, les Etats-Unis ont livré des armes et des équipements connexes d’une valeur de 18.9 milliards de dollars pendant la même période. De 2003 à 2008, l’Union européenne et ses États membres ont approuvé des licences pour une valeur de plus 1 milliard d’euros de ventes d’armes à Israël relayé par l’association belgo-palestinienne http://www.association-belgo-palest...

Llamamiento desde Gaza en apoyo de la Flotilla de la Libertad II

15 junio 2011, Rebelión http://www.rebelion.org (México)

Fuente: Uruknet.info http://www.uruknet.info
Traducido del ingles para rebellion por Sinfo Fernández

En este día, nosotros, los palestinos de la asediada Franja de Gaza, cinco años después del comienzo del bloqueo, decimos ¡Basta ya de inacción, basta de discusiones, basta de esperas! El asedio contra la Franja de Gaza tiene que acabar ya en todas y cada una de sus manifestaciones.

Poco después de las democráticas elecciones de 2006, que fueron supervisadas por gentes y entidades de la comunidad internacional, las naciones que anteriormente proporcionaban ayuda y las organizaciones culturales presentes en Gaza nos retiraron su apoyo. A mediados de 2007, Israel y Egipto, que controlan nuestras fronteras, nos bloquearon a cal y canto, encerrando dentro a los palestinos e impidiendo que las exportaciones e importaciones atravesaran nuestras fronteras.

Desde el 27 de diciembre de 2008 al 18 de enero de 2009, Israel emprendió una brutal masacre contra Gaza, matando a más de 1.500 palestinos, la inmensa mayoría civiles inocentes, con más de 430 niños entre ellos, destruyendo además miles de hogares, negocios, industrias y edificios, incluidas universidades, escuelas, hospitales, instalaciones sanitarias, y devastando tramos inmensos del sistema de canalizaciones hídricas y de saneamiento.

Dos años y medio después de aquellos ataques, apenas se ha podido reconstruir alguna vivienda y unos pocos edificios; nuestro sistema de saneamiento y tratamiento de aguas fecales se halla en situación alarmante; las aguas residuales se siguen vertiendo al mar –por falta de instalaciones de tratamiento- contaminando nuestras aguas y los peces a lo largo de la costa donde nuestros pescadores se ven obligados a pescar, al tener prohibido superar las veinte millas náuticas que los acuerdos de Oslo concedieron a los palestinos-. El agua para beber y los cultivos están asimismo contaminados.

Los soldados israelíes siguen disparando, mutilando y asesinando a nuestros campesinos a lo largo de la frontera, se les impide ir a trabajar, a cultivar y recoger las cosechas de sus tierras, negándonos así productos ricos en vitaminas. Las deficiencias alimenticias y la desnutrición siguen aumentando, afectando al crecimiento de nuestros niños y a su capacidad para el estudio. Nuestra economía está destruida porque las fábricas no pueden funcionar sin electricidad. Nuestros estudiantes apenas tienen perspectiva alguna de poder salir a estudiar al extranjero, aunque tengan asegurados los billetes de desplazamiento y las becas, debido al control israelí del cruce de Erez y a que el cruce de Rafah bajo control egipcio está casi siempre cerrado. Nuestros enfermos sufren por falta de los necesarios medicamentos y suministros y equipamientos médicos.

Desde 2005, alrededor de 170 organizaciones palestinas suscribieron un llamamiento por el Boicot, la Desinversión y las Sanciones contra Israel a fin de presionarle para que cumpla el derecho internacional. Desde 2005, los palestinos nos reunimos semanalmente en los pueblos de la ocupada Cisjordania y de la ocupada Jerusalén Oriental para protestar contra las políticas de la ocupación israelí.

Los esfuerzos creativos puestos en marcha, como los buques de Free Gaza que rompieron el asedio en cinco ocasiones, la Marcha por la Libertad de Gaza, la Flotillla por la Libertad de Gaza y los muchos convoyes terrestres no deben interrumpir sus esfuerzos para romper el asedio, poniendo de relieve la inhumanidad que supone mantener a un millón y medio de gazatíes en una inmensa prisión al aire libre.

El 2 de diciembre pasado, 22 organizaciones internacionales entre las que figuraban Amnistía Internacional, Oxfam, Save the Children, Christian Aid y Medical Aid for Palestinians elaboraron el informe “Dashed Hopes, Continuation of the Gaza Blockage” [Esperanzas frustradas, prosigue el bloqueo contra Gaza], llamando a la acción internacional para obligar a Israel a que levante incondicionalmente el bloqueo, exponiendo que los palestinos de Gaza bajo el asedio israelí siguen viviendo en las mismas condiciones devastadoras de siempre. Human Rights Watch publicó un amplio informe titulado “Separated and Unequal” [Aislados y discriminados] que denunciaba las políticas israelíes como Apartheid, haciéndose eco de sentimientos parecidos de los activistas anti-apartheid sudafricanos.

El reciente anuncio que hizo Egipto de que abriría el cruce de Rafah no se ha cumplido completamente. Incluso aunque se abriera, significaría muy poco en relación con las importaciones y exportaciones de productos desde y hacia Gaza, y no mejorará la grave situación de pescadores, campesinos, ni las tasas de pobreza ni desempleo en Gaza.

Pedimos a los ciudadanos del mundo que se opongan a este medieval y letal bloqueo. El fracaso de las Naciones Unidas y sus numerosas organizaciones a la hora de condenar los crímenes de Israel demuestra su complicidad con este Estado. Sólo la sociedad civil es capaz de movilizarse para exigir que se aplique el derecho internacional y se acabe con la impunidad de Israel. La intervención de la sociedad civil fue eficaz a finales de la década de 1980 contra el régimen del apartheid sudafricano. Nelson Mandela y el arzobispo Desmond Tutu no sólo han descrito como apartheid el opresivo y violento control israelí de los palestinos, también se han unido a este llamamiento para que la sociedad civil mundial se movilice de nuevo.

Hacemos un llamamiento a las organizaciones de la sociedad civil por todo el mundo para que intensifiquen la campaña de sanciones contra Israel para obligarle a poner fin a su agresión. Llamamos a las naciones y ciudadanos del mundo que van a participar en la Flotilla de la Libertad II para que continúen con sus planes de navegar hacia Gaza donde los palestinos los recibiremos con los brazos abiertos. Las iniciativas de la sociedad civil como las Flotillas de la Libertad representan una posición de justicia y solidaridad con los asediados palestinos frente a la inacción de sus gobiernos. Pedimos al movimiento de la Flotilla que crezca y continúe navegando hacia nosotros hasta que se levante totalmente el asedio contra Gaza y se les garantice a sus habitantes los derechos humanos básicos y la libertad de movimiento de que disfrutan los ciudadanos de todo el mundo.

Relación de firmantes del llamamiento:
• Asociación de Profesores de Universidad
• Red de Organizaciones No Gubernamentales Palestinas.
• Universidad de Al-Aqsa
• Media Luna Roja Palestina de Gaza
• Sindicato de Organizaciones de Jóvenes
• Forum Cultural Árabe
• Sindicato de Trabajadores de la Sanidad
• Sindicato de Trabajadores de los Servicios Públicos
• Sindicado de Trabajadores del Sector Petroquímico y del Gas
• Sindicato de Trabajadores Agrícolas
• Comités Sindicales de Mujeres Trabajadoras
• Sindicato de Sinergias, Unidad de Mujeres.
• Comités Sindicales de Mujeres Palestinas
• Sociedad de Estudios sobre la Mujer
• Sociedad de Mujeres Trabajadoras
• Campaña de Estudiantes Palestinos por el Boicot Académico a Israel
• Grupo Estatal de Demócratas
• Jóvenes Palestinos contra el Apartheid
• Asociación Al-Quds por la Cultura y la Información
• Federación de Navegantes Palestinos
• Asociación Marítima Palestina de Pesca
• Comité de Mujeres Palestinas
• Unión Progresista de Estudiantes
• Sociedad Médica de Socorro
• Sociedad General de Rehabilitación
• Centro Cultural Afq Yadida para Mujeres y Niños
• Centro Cultural Deir Al-Balah para Mujeres y Niños
• Centro Cultural Maghazi para la Infancia
• Centro Al-Sahel para Mujeres y Jóvenes
• Escuelas Infantiles Gassan Kanfani
• Centro Rachel Corrie, Rafah
• Hermanas de la Ciudad de Olimpia de Rafah
• Centro Al-Awda de Rafah
• Hospital Al-Awda de Rafah
• Asociación Ajyal del Campo de Yabalia
• Sindicato de Palestinos de Gaza
• Centro Al Karmel
• Iniciativa Local de Nuseirat
• Unión de Comités Sanitarios de Beit Hanun
• Sociedad de la Media Luna Roja de Gaza
• Centro Cultural de Beit Lahiya
• Banco Al-Quds para la Cultura e Información Social
• Sindicato de Mujeres Trabajadoras Palestinas
• Alianza para los Niños de Oriente Medio-Gaza
• Iniciativa Local de Beit Hanun

DESMOND TUTU, ISRAEL E EU

25 maio 2011/Carta Maior http://cartamaior.com.br (Brasil)

Para mim, é tão imoral empresas lucrarem com a ocupação israelense da Cisjordânia, Gaza e Jerusalém Leste quanto era no caso das empresas que lucravam com o apartheid sul-africano. Como o mundo e eu aprendemos há 25 anos, a pressão externa é muitas vezes necessária para provocar mudanças políticas e deter um governo opressor. A geração de hoje está preparada para desempenhar um papel histórico, ajudando a trazer a paz, a justiça e a igualdade para o Oriente Médio. O artigo é de Jordan Ash.

Jordan Ash - Common Dreams (EUA)

(Jordan Ash é representante do movimento Jewish Voice for Peace, em Minnesota,EUA)

Quando eu era criança, minha mãe incutiu-me um forte sentido de certo e errado. A moral que ela transmitiu estava firmemente enraizada na história do povo judeu. Minha mãe falou-me dos pogroms na Rússia, das duras condições de trabalho que os judeus tiveram que suportar e da discriminação que enfrentaram nos Estados Unidos. Ela também me falou de Samuel Gompers, que fundou a Federação Americana do Trabalho, e de Michael Schwerner e Andrew Goodman que deram suas vidas, ao lado de James Chaney, no movimento em defesa dos direitos civis.

As lições que aprendi foram claras. Devemos lutar pela Justiça. A discriminação e o preconceito são coisas erradas. Todas as pessoas são iguais e merecem ser tratadas com dignidade e respeito.

Nos feriados, comemorávamos momentos onde praticamos essas lições. Na Páscoa, nos lembrávamos que éramos escravos no Egito. A Chanukah é a história de como Judas Macabeu e um pequeno grupo de homens derrotaram o exército grego para que pudéssemos praticar a nossa religião. No Purim, nós vaiávamos quando ouvíamos o nome de Haman, que queria destruir os judeus e brindávamos a Ester que arriscou a vida para salvar seu povo.

E, é claro, ela me falou do Holocausto, das formas heroicas com os quais os judeus lutaram e dos modos horríveis pelos quais morreram. Esta foi a história que deu tanta importância à fundação de Israel. Era como se, após uma sucessão de tragédias, a história do nosso povo tivesse um final feliz.
Como fui ensinado, os árabes queriam negar-nos esse final feliz e jogar todos os judeus no mar, simplesmente porque eram judeus. Eu, como tantos outros judeus, não fui ensinado que a fundação de Israel exigiu a remoção forçada de 700 mil palestinos.

Quando cheguei à faculdade, em 1985, rapidamente me envolvi em uma tentativa de envolver a escola em um boicote contra empresas que faziam negócios com a África do Sul. Fui preso em um ato de desobediência civil, juntamente com outros dez estudantes, incluindo Amy Carter, filha do ex-presidente e ganhador do Prêmio Nobel da Paz, Jimmy Carter.

Por volta dessa época, vi um panfleto que falava sobre a aliança profana entre os Estados Unidos, África do Sul e Israel. Eu quis acreditar que se tratava de uma falsa acusação promovida por anti-semitas contra Israel, mas não era. Israel forneceu armas para o regime do apartheid.

Alguns anos mais tarde, quando Nelson Mandela foi libertado da prisão e visitou os Estados Unidos, alguns judeus ameaçaram protestar por causa de declarações de Mandela, comparando a luta dos palestinos com a dos negros sul-africanos.

O fato de essa verdade sobre Israel ser algo muito doloroso, eu ignorei-a. Mesmo eu que procurava viver com os valores transmitidos por minha meu, que trabalhava com os sindicatos e organizações da comunidade, ignorei o que as pessoas estavam dizendo sobre a opressão contra os palestinos. Eu coloquei Israel fora da minha mente e, por um longo tempo, também coloquei os judeus fora de minha mente.

Então, vinte anos depois, ouvi um grupo de jovens judeus se manifestarem contra o que Israel estava fazendo nos territórios ocupados e como eles – como judeus – se sentiram obrigados a fazer tudo o que podiam para impedir isso.

Eu fui para Israel então, para ver com meus próprios olhos. Eu vi que Israel estava construindo um muro de 425 milhas, separando comunidades e famílias umas das outras, agricultores de suas terras e impedindo os palestinos de chegarem ao trabalho ou à escola. Vi que o governo israelense estava demolindo casas palestinas, enquanto continuava permitindo a construção de novos assentamentos judaicos.

Ficou claro para mim que o principal interesse de Israel não era alcançar a paz, mas tomar as melhores terras para si, enquanto forçava os palestinos a uma vida de pobreza cheia de lembranças diárias de seu “status inferior”. A minha experiência confirmou o que Jimmy Carter tinha dito: que Israel criou um sistema de apartheid.

Pouco tempo depois de ter voltado, a Universidade de St. Thomas, em St.Paul, desconvidou o arcebispo Desmond Tutu para uma atividade, após o Conselho de Relações da Comunidade Judaica ter dito que Tutu teria feito comentários ofensivos à comunidade.

O que Tutu havia dito? “Eu fiquei profundamente angustiado na minha visita à Terra Santa, que me lembrou muito do que aconteceu com nós, negros, na África do Sul. Eu vi a humilhação dos palestinos nos postos de controle e de bloqueio nas estradas, sofrendo como nós, quando os jovens policiais brancos nos impediam de nos locomover”. Às vezes a verdade dói.

O site JCRC Minnesota apresenta uma citação do líder zulu sul-africano Chefe Buthelezi dizendo que “o regime israelense não é o apartheid”. Quem é o chefe Buthelezi? Ele foi um dos únicos negros sul-africanos a se opor ao boicote e a incentivar o investimento estrangeiro na África do Sul, alegando que era uma coisa boa para o povo negro. A comunidade empresarial internacional abraçou-o e ignorou o fato de que todos os líderes negros do movimento anti-apartheid eram a favor de sanções e do boicote.

Inspirado pelo sucesso do movimento de boicote e de desinvestimento contra o apartheid sul-africano, uma ampla fama de organizações da sociedade civil palestina fez um apelo em 2005 em favor da campanha Boicote, Desinvestimento e Sanções como parte de uma campanha não violenta para acabar com a ocupação israelense.

As pessoas que se opunham ao boicote à África do Sul 25 anos atrás argumentavam que a melhor maneira de mudar o apartheid era por meio do “engajamento construtivo” das corporações com o regime do apartheid. Elas estavam erradas.

Para mim, é tão imoral empresas lucrarem com a ocupação israelense da Cisjordânia, Gaza e Jerusalém Leste quanto era no caso das empresas que lucravam com o apartheid sul-africano. Como o mundo e eu aprendemos há 25 anos, a pressão externa é muitas vezes necessária para provocar mudanças políticas e deter um governo opressor. A geração de hoje está preparada para desempenhar um papel histórico, ajudando a trazer a paz, a justiça e a igualdade para o Oriente Médio.

Tradução: Katarina Peixoto