April 10th, 2011
“Another trillion spent by the government
Here the bomb go, sent by the president
Power to the people, 'cause the people want peace”
We are members of the Israeli group BOYCOTT! Supporting the Palestinian BDS Call from Within.[1] In 2005 Palestinian civil society initiated a call for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) from Israeli institutions, companies and academia.[2] Six years later, the call has become an international movement, adopted by civil society world-wide, and invigorating student movements around the globe.
As drones hum over Gaza in the past 72 hours, after taking the lives of 19 Gazans and injuring over a 100 children, women and men, it becomes more and more urgent to protest what many fear will be a repetition of the 2009 “Operation Cast Lead”, which culminated in over 1400 deaths and thousands of injuries.
As an American citizen, we believe that you understand the responsibility to protest the policies of war which your government exports around the world. The U.S. government has just bestowed a guarantee of $3.09 billion dollars a year to Israel in military aid.[3] BDS is a very specific request from the people who are the cannon fodder of this financial relationship; Palestinian civil society asks that you not continue “business as usual” with Israel and we join their call: Please don’t preform in Israel.
A performance by you will give an air of commercial approval to the policies of occupation and apartheid, whether you wish it to, or not; [4] While not performing in Israel- today- is the best way to support the safety, self determination and equal rights of all in the region. Moby, we ask you- Make love, fuck war- just disengage your music from the ongoing project of U.S. occupation and war-profiteering in the Middle East.
Sincerely, on behalf of BOYCOTT!,
Steve Amsel
Oshra Bar
Joseph Dana
Neta Golan
Iris Hefets
Shir Hever
Yael Kahn
Liad Kantorowics
Assaf Kintzer
Gal Lugassi
Edo Medicks
Ofer Neiman
David Nir
Jonathan Pollak
Renen Raz
Emily Schaeffer
Ayala Shani
Tal Shapira
Herzl Schubert
Jonatan Stanczak
Amir Terkel
[1] http://www.boycottisrael.info/
[2] http://www.bdsmovement.net/call
[3] http://ifamericansknew.org/stats/usaid.html
[4] http://www.myspace.com/devendrabanhart/blog/535831806