We Will Not Be Silent: Statement in Regard to Israeli Anti-Boycott Law

 

The anti-BDS law is not the first attempt at silencing the BDS campaign. Throughout the years, Israel has detained Palestinian leaders, activists, speakers and organizers under administrative detention and without charges, or at times under various draconian charges such as 'incitement' and the organizing of 'illegal demonstrations'. On September 22^nd 2009, Mohammad Othman, 34, was detained at the Allenby Crossing upon his return to the occupied West Bank following a meeting with Norwegian finance minister Halvorsen. Earlier that month, minister Halvorsen had announced Norway’s divestment from the Israeli company Elbit due to “ethical concerns”[4]. Othman was arrested and held without charges or trial, under an unlawful administrative detention order and had spent much of the 113 days in detention under solitary confinement. Imprisonment of political activists is an almost routine practice against Palestinian human rights defenders.

 

Like such repressive practices, the newly approved Israeli law, which specifies fines and the payment of 'compensation' by Israeli citizens or residents, who initiate or encourage a boycott of Israel – is also bound to fail. We hereby support and promote the recent Palestinian call for an immediate and comprehensive military embargo on Israel[5] due to its consistent resort to violence and deadly attacks on Palestinians and Arab civilians; we stand with Jewish Voice for Peace in their campaign to bring TIAA-CREF to divest from the Israeli occupation[6]; and, we support and encourage all other BDS-related divestment campaigns, such as the campaign to Derail Israel’s Unlawful A1 Train Project[7].

 

Lastly, we urge artists scheduled to perform in Israel to send a clear message that the Israeli occupation, the institutionalized discrimination of Israel's own Palestinian citizens and Israel's denial of the right of return and compensation of the Palestinian refugees - are neither okay nor normal, as Maxi Jazz from Faithless once put it[8]. Roxette, Ziggy Marley, Dream Theater, George Benson, Nino Katamadze, Paul Simon and John Cale – we may risk persecution for saying this – heed the Palestinian call for BDS and cancel your shows in Israel!

 

Signed,

 

Noa Abend Yonah Adelman Uri Agnon Daniel Atai Oshra Bar Yoav Bar Ronnie Barkan Elisha Baskin Roi Basha Ofra Ben Artzi Lilach Ben- David Eitan Bronstein Smadar Carmon Alona Cohen Alex Cohn Silan Dallal Yossi David Uri Davis Eran Efrati Hamutal Erato Naama Farjoun Tamar Freed Amir Gafner Amaya Galili Elyakim Genazzani Angela Godfree-Goldstein Neta Golan Rebekah Gomez

Ohal Grietzer Rosamine Hayeem Shir Hever Connie Hackbarth Nir Harel Lihi Joffe Yonatan Kahn Yael Kahn Liad Kantorowicz Amani Khalefa Assaf Kintzer Yana Knopova (Ziferblat) Abir Kopty Micha Kurtz Noam Lekach Roi Livne Gal Lugassi Emelia Marcovich Anat Matar Haggai Matar Eilat Maoz Edo Medicks Dorothy Naor Irene Nasser Ofer Neiman David Nir Noa Olchovsky Jonathan Pollak

Leiser Peles Yaar Peretz Alison Ramer Renen Raz Maya Rotem Leehee Rothschild Aia Safadi Lizi Sagie Emily Schaeffer Ayala Shani Tal Shapira Yonatan Shapira Yuval Shtrool Stavit Sinai Kobi Snitz Sonya Soloviov Jonatan Stanczak Tirtza Tauber Eran Torbiner Tamara Traubmann Sahar Vardi Itamar Weitzman Maya Wind Sergio Yahni Oren Yermiah Michal Zak Amal Ziada Adi Zlotogora