Campaigns

NOVANEWS I missed some tricks in my previous two posts. First I posted a document that has been in the public domain on the Global Forum for Combatting Antisemitism for over a month now as a "leaked" document, then I posted about an article in the Jerusalem Post alluding to the document with a quote from the article leading on the line, "the fight against BDS should be a relatively easy one." They claim to believe that the argument around boycotting, divesting from and sanctioning the State of Israel is easy because they claim they can conflate anti-zionism or arguments around Israel's "right" to exist with antisemitism. Ok, no one on any side of any debate over the rights and wrongs of the State of Israel doubts the Israel advocates' propensity and prowess for sheer dishonesty but a trick...

NOVANEWS Published on 10 March 2010 in Israel. 0 Comments Tags: Al-Jazeera, Judaism, Zionism.  Print This Post The Israeli killing of American peace activist Rachel Corrie remains unresolved. Her parents speak to Al-Jazeera English. They are the perfect example of moderation and strength: ShareThis

NOVANEWS AMY GOODMAN: In the midst of Joe Biden’s first visit to Israel as vice president, the Israeli government has embarrassed the Obama administration by announcing plans to add 1,600 more homes to a Jewish settlement in East Jerusalem. Biden said Israel’s move “undermines the trust we need right now and runs counter to the constructive discussions that I’ve had here in Israel.” His comments were released Tuesday after a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, where he reiterated the “unbreakable” ties between Israel and the United States. Biden is scheduled to meet with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah today.  This comes as an unusual trial gets underway in Haifa. An American family is suing the state of Israel for the unlawful death of their d...

  NOVANEWS I have been sent this lengthy document titled Delegitimization of Israel: "Boycotts, Divestment and Sanctions". I'm posting the whole thing here but, be warned, I said it's lengthy and it has been suggested that it could be a double bluff intended more for the eyes of BDS advocates than BDS opponents. One of my correspondents also thought it read like a "protocols" type forgery. This isn't to say that it is a forgery or that it isn't to be taken seriously. It was emailed to me and at the time of writing I could only find one source for it on the internet though it could now be picked up via the Just Peace UK list. The document purports to have been written by Dr Mitchell Bard and Professor Gil Troy, both of whom, if you follow the links, have form for Israel advocacy. The link t...

NOVANEWS Open letter in defence of the right to boycott Israel Tuesday, 09 March 2010 We, the undersigned, condemn the attempt by Scottish prosecutors to criminalise the growing international campaign to boycott Israel until Israel comes into line with international law. In July 2005, working in close co-operation with partners in South Africa, hundreds of civil society organisations across Palestine produced a call for an international campaign of Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions “against Israel similar to those applied to South Africa in the apartheid era”. The boycott did not emerge out of nowhere: according to the recent UN Goldstone report, “The prolonged situation of [Israeli] impunity has created a justice crisis in the Occupied Palestinian Territory that warrants action.” In the h...

NOVANEWS by Philip Weiss From JTA’s report on the movie "Ajami" not winning the Oscar last night: Just hours before the Oscars ceremony, [co-director Scandar] Copti [a Christian Palestinian] said he was not representing Israel. “I am not the Israeli national team and I do not represent Israel,” Copti said in an interview on Israel’s Channel 2. “It is an extremely technical thing, that’s how it works in the Oscars. It says ‘Israel’ because the funding comes from Israel. There’s a Palestinian director, an Israeli director, Palestinian actors and Israeli actors. The film technically represents Israel, but I don’t represent Israel.” Culture and Sports Minister Limor Livnat criticized Copti’s remarks. "The film ‘Ajami’ was produced and received an Oscar nomination thanks to funds from the Sta...

NOVANEWS "Copti told Israel's Channel 2 TV on Sunday morning that he cannot represent a country that he feels doesn't represent him. "I am not Israel's national team and do not represent her," Copti is reported to have said." (thanks Sarah) Posted by As'ad at 9:22 AM ww.angryarab.blogspot.com

NOVANEWS A spit unto the nations: "Shocked by growing reports about Ultra-Orthodox Jews spitting at Christians in Jerusalem's Old City, a group of Anglo residents is now mobilizing against this ugly practice. Although such incidents reportedly have decreased since a council of Haredi rabbis issued an official condemnation in January in response to the public outcry, Christian and Jewish activists agree the problem is unlikely to disappear anytime soon." (thanks Layali) Posted by As'ad at 9:51 AM www.angryarab.blogspot.com

NOVANEWS by: Jeff Gates  How Israel lobby Controls US ‘42% of the largest political donors to the 2000 election cycle were Jewish, including four of the top five. That compares to less than 2% of Americans who are Jewish’ By Jeff Gates In the early 1960s, Senator William J. Fulbright fought to force the American Zionist Council to register as agents of a foreign government. The Council eluded registration by reorganizing as the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. AIPAC has since become what Fulbright most feared: a foreign agent dominating American foreign policy while disguised as a domestic lobby. Israelis and pro-Israelis object when they hear that charge. How, they ask, can we so few wield such influence over so many? Answer: it’s all in the math. And in the single-is...

NOVANEWS My article in Al-Akhbar: "International Woman's Day? Why?" PS There is a story to this article. A group of young feminists in Beirut, belonging to the group nasawiya, visited Al-Akhbar newspaper and offered (or asked) to take over the entire Al-Akkhbar issue for International Woman's Day. Al-Akhbar only partly obliged and gave them a few pages (and cover page) to edit. I met members of the group back in Beirut in January and they interviewed me. They asked me to contribute to the section, and I of course obliged. Posted by As'ad at 3:59 PM See: www.angryarab.blogspot.com