We, Palestinians, Jews, citizens of Israel, join the Palestinian call for a BDS campaign against Israel, inspired by the struggle of South Africans against apartheid. We also call on others to do the same.
We are devoted to the promotion of just peace and true democracy in this region. We are particularly opposed to Western governments' decision to boycott the Palestinians in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, most especially in besieged Gaza. This is particularly outrageous given the same Western governments' prolonged support of Israel's apartheid and other daily violations of international law.
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General
On july 9 2005, the Palestinian Boycott National Committee (BNC) issued its unified call for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions from Israel, demanding full rights for Palestinians.
It is particularly troubling that the Cape Town Opera House decided to perform in Tel Aviv, with no other play than Porgy and Bess.
As the opera did not heed Desmond Tutu's call to cancel the show, a group of Israeli BDS supporters decided to emancipate the songs on opening night.
Watch it on youtube!
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Statement
“It behooves all South Africans, themselves 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” (Nelson Mandela, Pretoria, 4th December, 1997)
Dear singers, musicians and other members of the Cape Town Opera,
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General
By Emily Schaeffer
The call for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) against Israel is gaining momentum. At the same time, it is widely misinterpreted, unfortunately by skeptics, opponents and proponents alike.The basic premise behind BDS movements initiated by civil society is that they are a grassroots, international, non-violent means of expressing stern disapproval of a country’s choice to oppress or discriminate against a group of people in contravention of international law and principles of equality, humanity and justice – with the hopes of bringing about positive change. The idea is to refuse to normalize interactions with such a country until it aligns its behavior with these laws and standards. Ideally, it is a short-term action because the change sought is achieved. Such was the case in South Africa, and so too do BDS supporters aspire regarding Israel.
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Statement
October 27, 2010 Dear Chester Bennington, Brad Delson, Joe Hahn, Mike Shinoda, Rob Bourdon and David Farrell of Linkin Park,
We are a group of over 150 Israeli citizens, who support the Palestinian United Call for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) against Israel until it complies with international law and universal principles of human rights1. On November 15 your band Linkin Park is scheduled to perform in Tel-Aviv, Israel, thus undermining the most unified Palestinian form of non-violent struggle, which has already gained substantial recognition across the globe. We therefore urge you to cancel your Israel show, which is inevitably a show of support for Israel's apartheid.
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Campaigns
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September 14, 2010
To the board and member theatres of the European Theatre Convention (ETC),
We, Jews, Palestinians, citizens of Israel, write to you today asking you to cancel the Israeli theatre The Cameri's membership of the ETC, due to The Cameri's implicit and now also explicit role in sustaining the occupation of Palestine and the oppression of the Palestinian people.
As you may already know, on Wednesday, August 25, an Israeli newspaper revealed1 that the major theatres in the country, including The Cameri, are to perform in the newly established cultural centre of Ariel. Ariel is one of the largest settlements in the occupied West Bank, located approximately 16 kilometres east of the internationally recognized “green line”, on expropriated agricultural Palestinian land. As any other settlement for Jews-Only, Ariel's existence is in itself a violation of international law, breaching article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention which prohibits an occupier from transferring it's own civilian population into occupied territories. Ariel regularly contaminates Palestinian water and agricultural lands2. Moreover, the West Bank separation wall and the roads for Israelis only that surround it form severe restrictions on Palestinian freedom of movement and further expropriate Palestinian lands and resources. In 2004 the international court of Justice in Hague ruled the Israeli-built West Bank separation wall to be entirely illegal as well.
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Statement
It has come to our attention that you are scheduled to perform in the city of Tel Aviv. As a group of Israeli citizens who object the long and brutal oppression that our state inflicts on the Palestinian people that are held under its sway, we urge you to cancel this show. Indeed, we hope that you will join the many artists around the world who have already endorsed the 2005 Palestinian civil society call for Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS), and announced that they will refrain from including Israel in their concert tours.
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Campaigns
July 9th, 2010
Dear Jeff Beck,
We are a group of Israeli citizens who respect and promote human rights for all. We call on you to make a conscientious and politically important decision to cancel your performance in Israel, scheduled for October 5th, 2010. We would like you to consider the following:
Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza are living for the last 43+ years under a cruel Israeli occupation. Their living and basic necessities for water, energy, housing, health and movement are being crushed by a system that either dispossess them or sees them as targets for obliteration by the Israeli army's prevalent violence. West Bank Palestinians' entitlement for equality is systematically denied by martial law, hundreds of checkpoints and blockades and the colonization and annexation of Palestinian lands and resources by the Israeli settlement enterprise, house demolitions and evictions and the separation wall.
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Campaigns
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30 September 2010
Dear Scorpions,
We are a group of activists from Israel, writing to you to express our support for the open letter written to you by PACBI.
As people who have for many years been striving to achieve justice and peace for both Palestinians and Israelis we have reached a conclusion that our efforts from within cannot result in the desired change without significant international pressure. The governments of the world have proven unwilling to exert the necessary pressure on Israel for it to abide by international law and end the ongoing occupation and oppression of the Palestinians. It is therefore up to conscientious individuals to send a clear message to Israel, its government and the Israeli public, that controlling millions of people abusing their most basic human rights is no longer acceptable.
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Statement
Sep. 18, 2010
Dear Joanna Newsom,
We are members of Boycott! – a group of Israeli citizens, Jews and Palestinians, who support the Palestinian call to boycott Israel as means of bringing to an end the murderous, systematic oppression of an entire population, which occurs daily in our name.
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Campaigns
30 August 2010
Dear Pete Seeger,
We are members of an Israeli group called “Boycott! supporting the Palestinian call for boycott divestment and sanctions (BDS) from within”. We are appealing to you because of commitment you have demonstrated during many years to social justice. We have recently heard that you plan to participate this November in the event “With Earth and Each Other: A Virtual Rally for a Better Middle East”, in benefit of the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies.
You might not have heard initially about the BDS call and movement, a broad coalition of Palestinian organizations that have amongst other things, called on artists not to entertain apartheid Israel. Their call has been joined by Desmond Tutu and Bill Fletcher, Jr. amongst many others. These calls are the direct result of the systematic and ongoing oppression of Palestinians by Israel and Israel's decade’s long refusal to stop violating Palestinians human rights.