http://boycottisrael.info
July 11, 2011

Statement
We Will Not Be Silent In Regard To Israeli Anti-Boycott Law

 

We, Israeli citizens, members of Boycott![2], hereby reiterate our support and promotion of the Palestinian Call for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions against Israel, until it complies with international law and universal principles of human rights[3]. We declare this in spite of the new legislation by the Israeli Knesset, which aims to penalize our and our partners' activities, curbing freedom of speech and political organizing and most importantly – banning Israeli citizens from acting according to their conscience when it conflicts with the deplorable policies of the state.

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 22nd 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

Eran Efrati

Hamutal Erato

Naama Farjoun

Tamar Freed

Amir Gafner

Amaya Galili

Elyakim Genazzani

Angela Godfree-Goldstein

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

 

On behalf of

Boycott! Supporting the Palestinian BDS Call from Within

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