BDS success

[yankeedoodle]

Finland Introduces Bill to Stop Imports from Israeli Settlements
https://imemc.org/article/finland-introduces-bill-to-stop-imports-from-israeli-settlements/

A pivotal bill was recently introduced in the Finnish parliament that would prohibit all merchandise imported from the illegal Israeli colonies in the occupied West Bank, the Jerusalem Press reported.

Veronika Honkasalo, the Finnish Member of Parliament (MP) proposed a draft law, which would ban all imports coming from the Israeli settlements which were built on expropriated Palestinian land, a breach of International Law.

Honkasalo stated, "Clearly, laws that ban such imports help businesses and consumers to act responsibly. Palestinians are suffering from the longest occupation in modern history and policies and human rights abuses that systematically violate international law. We must stop supporting Israel's illegal settlements."

The European Coordination of Committees and Associations for Palestine (ECCP) issued a press release https://www.eccpalestine.org/finland-to-debate-a-bill-banning-trade-with-illegal-settlements/  hailing the proposed legislation and reminded other European officials of their commitment under International Law, the Palestinian News & Information Agency (WAFA) reported.

The ECCP added that Amnesty International and the International Court of Justice have both urged states to abide by their legal obligation not to support the annexation of occupied territories or war crimes, which the Israeli occupation has been committing in Palestine for many decades.

[yankeedoodle]

Irish literary prodigy Sally Rooney, who supports the 'BDS' boycott of Israel, is blasted for 'refusing to publish book in Hebrew'
https://www.rt.com/news/537223-irish-writer-book-israel/?utm_source=browser&utm_medium=aplication_chrome&utm_campaign=chrome

Bestselling Irish author Sally Rooney has stirred anger by turning down a book deal with a publisher whose clients include the Israeli Ministry of Defense. Accusers say her support for the boycott of Israel was ill-advised.

Rooney is considered one of the premiere millennial authors. She is also a supporter of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, which is meant to put economic and moral pressure on Israel to change its policies toward Palestinians. A model for the BDS is the movement targeting apartheid South Africa, which arguably was essential for dismantling the exclusively white government of the country.

Her first two books, 'Conversations with Friends' and 'Normal People', became bestsellers and won critical acclaim. The latter had a successful adaptation for the silver screen by the BBC, with a TV series based on the former currently in the works by the British public broadcaster.

Her third novel, 'Beautiful World, Where Are You', which was released in September, got embroiled in a scandal this week, after it was revealed on Tuesday that the 30-year-old rejected a request by a leading Israeli publisher to translate and publish it.

Modan Publishing House said it was snubbed by the author because she supported the cultural boycott of Israel, according to Haaretz. The same house translated and published Rooney's two other books.

The news has been making waves in traditional and social media, with many critical reports focusing on the fact that Modan was hoping to publish 'Beautiful World' in Hebrew.

"Rooney has chosen a path that is anathema to the artistic essence of literature, which can serve as a portal for understanding different cultures, visiting new worlds and connecting to our own humanity," Forward columnist Gitit Levy-Paz wrote in a scolding rebuke.

"The very essence of literature, its power to bring a sense of coherence and order to the world, is negated by Rooney's choice to exclude a group of readers because of their national identity," she added.

Levy-Paz stopped short of calling Rooney antisemitic over the decision, but said it was "dangerous" because of "the rise of antisemitism in recent years, especially in Europe."

Similar and harsher criticisms of Rooney were flung on social media.

Some took a particular issue with the fact that she writes in English, "the most imperialist, blood-stained language the world has seen," according to one sarcastic remark.

It remains unclear whether Rooney actually was against publishing her new book in Hebrew or simply didn't want Modan to do it. The publisher is one of the largest in Israel and counts among its clients the Israeli Ministry of Defense, which a supporter of the Palestinian cause like Rooney might find objectionable.

The Irish author's stance on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is not a secret. For example, she was among thousands of people who signed an open letter by Palestinian artists calling on fellow creators "to exercise their agency within their institutions and localities to support the Palestinian struggle for decolonization to the best of their ability." The letter was published in May in the wake of the latest surge of violence between Israel and Palestinian militants.

In 2019, she was among hundreds of artists who publicly supported Pakistani-British writer Kamila Shamsie, after her Nelly Sachs Prize was taken away from her over her support of the BDS cause.

The Israeli government considers the movement a threat to national security and has leveraged its influence in many other countries to undermine it. Some states in the US, for example, have put in place legislation penalizing individuals and businesses participating in BDS activities.

Irish author targeted by Israel supporters 'would be honored' to print new book in Hebrew... if it's boycott-compliant
https://www.rt.com/news/537362-irish-writer-hebrew-bds/?utm_source=browser&utm_medium=aplication_chrome&utm_campaign=chrome

Bestselling BDS-supporting writer Sally Rooney, who was widely accused of ostracizing Hebrew-speakers with her refusal to let an Israeli publisher print her latest book, said she would love to see a Hebrew translation.

"If I can find a way to sell these rights that is compliant with the BDS movement's institutional boycott guidelines, I will be very pleased and proud to do so," she said in a statement, referring to the pro-Palestinian Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement.

https://twitter.com/maricohen95/status/1447907515795128325?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1447907515795128325%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.rt.com%2Fnews%2F537362-irish-writer-hebrew-bds%2F

Rooney was responding to the wave of outrage that targeted her earlier due to her decision to reject a request by Israeli publisher Modan to translate into Hebrew and release her third novel. The book, 'Beautiful World, Where Are You', was released last month and is expected to be an international hit, just like the previous works by the Irish writer.

Many critics claimed that Rooney was against the translation of her book into Hebrew rather than against doing business with an Israeli company. Forward columnist Gitit Levy-Paz said her "choice to exclude a group of readers because of their national identity" was against "the very essence of literature," and called the decision "dangerous" because of "the rise of antisemitism in recent years, especially in Europe."

BDS, Rooney said, is "a nonviolent grassroots campaign calling for an economic and cultural boycott of complicit Israeli companies and institutions modelled on the economic and cultural boycott that helped to end apartheid in South Africa."

The Israeli government considers BDS a national threat and claims that people supporting it are denying Israel's right to exist.

In April, Human Rights Watch declared that Israel had crossed a line and now meets the definition of an apartheid state due to its policies towards Palestinians. Prominent Israeli rights group B'Tselem announced the same conclusion in January.

Rooney is a long-time supporter of the Palestinian cause. In May, she was one of thousands backing an open letter by Palestinian artists calling for an international boycott of Israel.

"I understand that not everyone will agree with my decision, but I simply do not feel it would be right for me under the present circumstances to accept a new contract with an Israeli company that does not publicly distance itself from apartheid and support the UN-stipulated rights of the Palestinian people," she said, explaining why she snubbed Modan.

https://twitter.com/ronanburtenshaw/status/1447893646271975426?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1447893646271975426%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.rt.com%2Fnews%2F537362-irish-writer-hebrew-bds%2F

The Israeli publishing house translated and printed Rooney's two previous novels. It also has a long-standing contract with the Israeli Defense Ministry to publish books and pamphlets for them.

Pro-Palestinian sentiment has many supporters in Ireland, where people see a parallel between their struggle against Israel and the historical resistance of Irish people against Britain. The very term 'boycott' stems from the Irish fight for independence, derived from the surname of 19th century English land agent Charles Boycott. He was targeted by a campaign of ostracism and threats after trying to evict Irish tenants.

Sally Rooney's boycott of Israel publishers gets backing of 70 writers
https://www.jta.org/2021/11/22/global/sally-rooneys-boycott-of-israel-publishers-gets-backing-of-70-writers

(JTA) — Seventy notable writers and publishers including Rachel Kushner, Francisco Goldman and Eileen Myles have signed a letter supporting Irish novelist Sally Rooney in her refusal to have her third novel translated into Hebrew by an Israeli publisher.

The letter calls Rooney's boycott of Israeli publishers "an exemplary response to the mounting injustices inflicted on Palestinians."

Rooney published her newest novel, "Beautiful World, Where Are You," in September, but wouldn't accept an offer to sell the Hebrew translation rights to Modan, the Israeli publisher responsible for putting out her first two novels in Israel. She said she was refusing to do further business with Modan out of support for the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions movement, a Palestinian initiative against Israeli rule.

In response, Israel's largest booksellers decided to remove Rooney's earlier novels from their shelves. The two books, which were popular in Israel, will no longer be available in the 200 retail locations of bookstores chains Steimatzky and Tzomet Sefarim nor on the chains' websites.

On Nov. 22, a pro-Palestinian group called Artists for Palestine UK announced it had organized a letter of support for Rooney with a list of signatories from the United States and Great Britain.

"Like her, we will continue to respond to the Palestinian call for effective solidarity, just as millions supported the campaign against apartheid in South Africa," the letter said. "We will continue to support the nonviolent Palestinian struggle for freedom, justice and equality."

In defending Rooney, the letter said that Modan markets texts published by Israel's Ministry of Defense and cited a Human Rights Watch report from April that Israel is guilty of instituting a regime of "apartheid."

[yankeedoodle]

Malaysia refuses to grant Israel squash players entry
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20211124-malaysia-refuses-to-grant-israel-squash-players-entry/

Malaysia has refused to grant Israeli players entry to next month's squash championships.

The Men's World Team Squash Championship is due to be held in Malaysia on 7 December. Kuala Lumpur cited security concerns for its refusal to allow Israeli players entry.

According to Israeli media reports, Squash Racquets Association of Malaysia resident Gerard Monteiro said that Malaysia "would not be able to guarantee [Israeli players'] safety and well-being" during the games.

Israel and Malaysia do not have diplomatic relations.

The Israeli Squash Association said it plans to take the matter to the Court of Arbitration for Sport if it is not resolved. Last month, Malaysia's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Saifuddin Abdullah, refuted Israeli claims that his country will join "the train of normalisation with the Zionist entity."

[abduLMaria]

I'm tempted to damage Sodastream displays when I see them at Walmart.

But that would only hurt myself & Walmart.

[yankeedoodle]

Belgium has decided to Label Squatter-Settler goods from Occupied Palestine as Not from Israel — Will it start a Wave?
https://www.juancole.com/2021/11/squatter-occupied-palestine.html

( Middle East Monitor ) – Labelling Israeli settlement products "strengthens extremists, does not help promote peace in the region, and shows Belgium as not contributing to regional stability," according to Israel's Deputy Foreign Minister Idan Roll. He lashed out at Belgium's announcement that it would start applying more restrictive measures on goods produced by Israeli companies based on occupied Palestinian territory. Following the 2019 EU Court of Justice ruling that settlement products must be labelled as such, the EU Commission has so far left the decision to implement this legal requirement up to individual countries.

Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh had urged the EU to move beyond its usual condemnations and prevent settlement products from reaching markets across the bloc. This is simply unacceptable for Israel. "It is inconsistent with the Israeli government policy focused on improving the lives of Palestinians and strengthening the Palestinian Authority, and with improving Israel's relations with European countries," said the Israeli Foreign Ministry.

Since the US has indirectly tasked Israel with helping the PA to regain some degree of control, following the damage that it brought on itself by cancelling the Palestinian elections and killing activist Nizar Banat earlier this year, the Israeli government is now attempting to create an image of itself being shackled as it tries to "improve the lives of Palestinians".

The claim by the ministry is, of course, ludicrous. If settlements violate international law and are deemed a war crime by the International Criminal Court (ICC), any products derived from settlements are tainted. The use of cheap Palestinian labour by Israeli companies in illegal settlements is one way in which the state profits from settlement produce; the Palestinian labourers are simply struggling to survive. It is worth noting that the UN's Special Rapporteur Michael Lynk agreed with the ICC's designation of settlements as a war crime.

Belgium's decision is a tiny step in comparison with what the EU should be advocating for and implementing: sanctions against Israel for its colonial violence. Yet that step was enough for Israel to strike an aggressively defensive posture, even though the EU is far from making such policies mandatory upon its member state, as it should be if the Court of Justice has any credibility.

If Israel is intent on continuing its de facto annexation of Palestinian land, why should Belgium — or anyone else — not draw attention to Israel's violations of international law? Far from singling out Israel, Belgium's decision merely points out the politics of colonial violence so that its citizens can make informed decisions as consumers. The repercussions that Israel might face as a consequence of Belgium's clarification about colonial expansion are related directly to Israel's actions. If Belgium sets a precedent for other EU countries to follow, which is unlikely at a regional level given the EU's ties to Israel, the settler-colonial state is not in a position to criticise other countries for trying to adhere to international law.

The EU has regularly expressed "concern" over Israel's settlement expansion, yet it has continued to work closely with the apartheid state and strengthen its diplomatic ties. Belgium's decision, however, has proved to other EU member states that they do not require the bloc to mandate action that is in line with international law. So far, non-binding rulings regarding Israel have largely lain dormant, if not dead in the water. The labelling move by Belgium is thus to be welcomed. If it does set a precedent and is followed by other EU countries, there may well be a significant challenge to Israel's colonial violence as well as ongoing EU complacency.

The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor or Informed Comment.


Via ( Middle East Monitor  https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20211125-can-belgium-set-a-precedent-by-labelling-israels-settlement-products/

[yankeedoodle]

University of Toronto Student Union Bans "Pro-Israel" Kosher Caterers
https://www.stopantisemitism.org/antisemitic-incidents-96/university-of-toronto-kosher-food

The University of Toronto's Scarborough Campus Student Union (SCSU) passed a motion Wednesday where they pledged to only order from kosher caterers who "do not normalize Israeli apartheid," according to the 86-page meeting agenda.

The vague litmus test to filter out supposed pro-Israel caterers is unclear, though some Jewish students and student groups now understandably fear they will not be able to keep kashrut rituals.

"Even for something as simple as ordering jelly donuts for Hanukkah, Jewish students at SCSU will now be forced to prove that kosher caterers do not support their Jewish homeland, which is basically impossible," Gabriela Rosenblum, a Hasbara Fellow at the UofT (University of Toronto) Scarborough campus, said.

Hillel UofT said it was "deeply disappointed" by the union's position, further calling on the union executive "to take immediate steps to reverse this shameful resolution."

"In addition to potentially limiting the availability of food to Jewish students, notice that only Kosher food is mentioned," said Jewish on Campus, an organization dedicated to combatting antisemitism on university campuses. "It is only Jews who are subjected to the anti-Israel litmus test- in this case just in order to eat."

University campuses have become something of a battleground on the Israel-Palestine political issue, as the BDS movement is most popular in North American college campuses. Just last year, Ivy-league school Columbia University passed their first-ever BDS referendum, bringing the total of schools that have approved a BDS resolution to 44. In comparison, the 700,000-strong Canadian Union of Public Employees voted overwhelmingly against a BDS resolution (68% to 32%) this past Thursday – just one day after the student union's decision.

"Whether the SCSU likes it or not, Israel is an essential part of Jewish identity," Daniel Koren, executive director of Hasbara Canada, said in a statement. "They do not have the right to tell Jewish students how to practice Judaism on campus."

Source:  https://m.jpost.com/diaspora/antisemitism/university-of-toronto-student-union-bans-pro-israel-kosher-caterers-687177/amp

[yankeedoodle]

Malaysia refuses to grant Israel squash players entry
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20211124-malaysia-refuses-to-grant-israel-squash-players-entry/

Malaysia has refused to grant Israeli players entry to next month's squash championships.

The Men's World Team Squash Championship is due to be held in Malaysia on 7 December. Kuala Lumpur cited security concerns for its refusal to allow Israeli players entry.

According to Israeli media reports, Squash Racquets Association of Malaysia resident Gerard Monteiro said that Malaysia "would not be able to guarantee [Israeli players'] safety and well-being" during the games.

Israel and Malaysia do not have diplomatic relations.

The Israeli Squash Association said it plans to take the matter to the Court of Arbitration for Sport if it is not resolved. Last month, Malaysia's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Saifuddin Abdullah, refuted Israeli claims that his country will join "the train of normalisation with the Zionist entity."

Malaysia: squash championship cancelled over Israeli visa issue
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20211130-malaysia-squash-championship-cancelled-over-israeli-visa-issue/

The Men's World Team Squash Championship which was scheduled to take place from 7-to 11 December in Kuala Lumpur has been cancelled after Malaysia refused to grant entry visas to players from Israel.

The World Squash Federation (WSF) announced yesterday that it "believes in an open and inclusive" event, and it was forced to cancel "due to the lack of confirmation over the issuing of visas and travel authorisations."

WSF president Zena Wooldridge added that officials have sought to "influence the highest authorities of Malaysia" to ensure the ability of all participating teams, including Israel, to enter Malaysia and compete. "It is important to the WSF that no nation which wishes to compete misses out on the event."

The tournament was moved to Malaysia from New Zealand earlier this year due to coronavirus-related travel restrictions. Malaysia and Israel do not have diplomatic relations and Israelis are barred from visiting the country.

In a statement issued to mark International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, Malaysian Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah reiterated the country's "unwavering support and profound solidarity" with the Palestinian people and urged an end to the "repeated violence and aggression perpetrated by Israel against Palestinians" and the "systematic oppression and crimes of apartheid."

Earlier this year, Israel was found by B'Tselem and Human Rights Watch to be imposing an apartheid system on Palestinians. Apartheid is a crime against humanity

[yankeedoodle]

Kosher food becomes a BDS flashpoint on a Toronto college campus
https://www.jta.org/2021/12/05/global/kosher-food-becomes-a-bds-flashpoint-on-a-toronto-college-campus


(JTA) — After an outcry and a rebuke from the University of Toronto president, the student union at a satellite campus modified a proposed ban on kosher foods in any way affiliated with Israel, but a campus Jewish campus group said the change made matters worse.

The board of directors of the University of Toronto Scarborough Campus Student Union convened for an emergency meeting Dec. 1 to address the outcry after a Nov. 24 resolution affirming the union's boycott, divestment and sanctions policy regarding Israel placed restrictions on kosher food distribution.

The emergency meeting removed from the earlier pro-BDS resolution a passage that said: "Efforts should be made to source kosher food from organizations that do not normalize Israeli apartheid, however recognizing the limited availability of this necessity then exemptions can be made if no alternatives are available."

The revision came after condemnations by Jewish students on campus, the university leadership and Canadian Jewish organizations. B'nai B'rith Canada said the original resolution would have "effectively shut down Jewish life" on the campus because the union "controls clubs funding, room booking and many other aspects of student life at the Scarborough Campus."

Meric Gertler, the university president, said that the original resolution was inconsistent with the university's "core values of freedom of speech and inclusion."

"A requirement that providers of food as a religious accommodation be required to apply for an exemption, or even be asked about their views about issues elsewhere in the world is unacceptable," Gertler said.

A Jewish student campus group, UTSC Jewish Student Life said the revision made matters worse because the pro-BDS resolution retains a passage that says the union will "refrain from engaging with organizations, services, or participating in events that further normalize Israeli apartheid."

Jewish Student Life said this requirement could conceivably apply to kosher food providers that have anything to do with Israel — and there was no longer an exemption for kosher food, however restrictive that exemption was.

"With the new motion there is still a ban on affiliation or even interaction with organizations that 'normalize Israeli apartheid,'- and this still includes food providers who identify as Zionists as do the vast majority of Canadian Jews," Jewish Student Life said on its Facebook page. "Now, however, there is no opportunity for an exemption."

The Jewish Telegraphic Agency reported erroneously earlier this week that a separate resolution upholding the rights of Jewish students had replaced the pro-BDS resolution. That was not the case; the resolution on Jewish student rights passed simultaneously with the pro-BDS resolution on Nov. 24.

Jewish students on campus had advanced the pro-Jewish rights resolution knowing that the pro-BDS resolution was sure to pass and sought to mitigate its effects, said Renan Levine, a political science professor at the university who advises the JSL.

The pro-Jewish rights resolution passed, albeit with some passages stripped out. Levine said the removal of the passages weakened the resolution, because it preserved rights for individual Jewish students, but did not extend them to Jewish organizations like Hillel.

The effect, he said, could prevent Jewish student organizations from receiving "financial and promotional support" and "access to student activity spaces controlled by" the student union.

Levine said that the passage of the Jewish rights resolution would still have positive effects because of elements that addressed an increase in hostility after the Israel-Gaza conflict in May.

"In light of multiple controversies about hateful messages about Jews and Israel posted in May when there was an escalation in violence in the Middle East, we find important language preserved in the motion that prohibits hostile, hateful and abusive behavior on social media by both student leaders and in forums controlled by the students, and protects Jewish students from being blamed for actions taken by the Israeli government," Levine said in an email.

Two years ago, an official of the university's Graduate Student Union said the union would not back a Hillel initiative to bring kosher food to campus because Hillel is "pro-Israel." The union later apologized.

[abduLMaria]

Saw this article today

https://news.yahoo.com/thought-free-man-engineer-fighting-080021230.html

Palestinian-American (whatever that means, the US gives $$$ to the Terror State that is murdering his family members in Gaza) takes Texas to Court - and WINS - or it's in process or something.


'I thought I was a free man': the engineer fighting Texas's ban on boycotting Israel

https://news.yahoo.com/thought-free-man-engineer-fighting-080021230.html

Erum Salam

For more than two decades, Texan civil engineer Rasmy Hassouna was a contractor for the city of Houston. Hassouna has consulted the city on soil volatility in the nearby Gulf of Mexico – a much needed service to evaluate the structural stability of houses and other buildings.

He was gearing up to renew his government contract when a particular legal clause caught his eye: a provision that effectively banned him or his company, A&R Engineering and Testing, Inc, from ever protesting the nation of Israel or its products so long as his company was a partner with the city of Houston.

For Hassouna – a 59-year-old proud Palestinian American – it was a huge shock.


"I came here and thought I was a free man. It's not anybody's business what I do or what I say, as long as I'm not harming anybody," he told the Guardian. "Were you lying all this time? If I don't want to buy anything at WalMart, who are you to tell me not to shop at WalMart? Why do I have to pledge allegiance to a foreign country?"

But Hassouna's reaction did not stop at anger. He took action, launching a case that is challenging the Texas law and – by example – similar provisions that have spread all over the US that seek to stop government contractors from boycotting Israel and can be found in more than 25 US states. Along with the Arkansas Times newspaper, A&R Engineering and Testing Inc is now one of only two companies fighting this kind of law in the nation.

Hassouna's case – which was filed on his behalf by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) – will be heard in federal court on Tuesday and is based on the idea that such laws violate free speech. If ruled unconstitutional, the 2019 ban on boycotting Israel will be illegal in the state of Texas.

But Hassouna's decision to sue is not without a price. It could cost him a substantial amount of his yearly revenue, his lawyer said.

"They weren't counting on Rasmy Hassouna from Gaza, whose family has suffered so greatly. He believes that Americans have the right to boycott whatever entity, foreign or domestic, that they want to. That's what he's doing – putting his money where his mouth is," said Gadeir Abbas, a senior litigation attorney for CAIR who is representing Hassouna.

Hassouna first set foot on American soil in 1988. Like many immigrants, Hassouna's first experience of the US was New York's JFK airport. However, his final destination was the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, the university at which he planned to study civil engineering. "Regardless how long it was going to take or how hard I had to work, I was going to keep aiming toward my goal," he said.

As a Palestinian under Israeli occupation, Hassouna had no claim to citizenship, so he had to get permission from Israeli officials in order to leave his home in Gaza, an area described by humanitarian organizations and politicians as an open-air prison.

"For almost two months every day, I left the house and I took a cab to the center of Gaza city. I gave [Israeli officials] my government application, my ID. I went to the gate and waited from 7 in the morning until 5 in the evening. You're looking at the month of June and July in the sun, just standing there."

After two months Hassouna finally secured clearance to travel to the United States for his university studies. Since Palestine is not recognized as a country, he was not issued a passport, but rather an Israeli travel document that stumped customs agents at every step of the journey.

When the time came for Hassouna to leave for the US, his neighborhood in Gaza was placed under a curfew. This meant that he had to escape under the cover of night if he was to make his flight. He recalled walking five miles behind his father, luggage in tow, to his cousin's house, an area just outside the designated curfew zone. That was the last time he saw his father, who died before they could meet again.

Hassouna's college experience was not unlike that of most American students. He recalled living with three roommates and surviving off the modest stipend from his teaching assistant position.

After graduating, Hassouna moved to Houston, Texas, in August 1992. Though he had a comprehensive background in his field, Hassouna's early career was uncertain and tumultuous. He worked odd jobs at a Stop N Go gas station and convenience store before becoming a technician.

"Back then, I would work 11-7 at the convenience store and 8-5 at the company. One of my students [from South Dakota] was my supervisor, making three or four times what I was making. She used to come and ask me for advice."

Finally, he was hired for an engineering position at another company with a starting pay of $24,000 – what he described as half of what most engineers were making at the time.

Hassouna has come a long way since then. Along the way, he got married and had two now-teenage sons. His mother died a few years after his father, but due to travel and visa restrictions for Gaza, Hassouna was unable to see her or attend the funeral. In 2005, Hassouna became an American citizen. His place of birth listed on his certificate of citizenship read 'Israel,' a statement with which he took issue.

"I went to the lady who was giving the certificates away and told her I didn't want Israel on my certificate. She told me to go to the immigration center and that they would take care of it. I explained to them that my place of birth was not Israel, it was the Gaza Strip in Palestine. They told me 'Palestine was not in the system.'"

Hassouna handed the certificate back to the immigration official and asked them to return his green card to him, explaining he would rather not be a citizen than be designated as Israeli by birth. After much deliberation, the immigration office conceded and mailed him a new certificate with his place of birth listed as 'Gaza Strip'.

In 1999, he and his friend Alfred started their own company, A&R (Alfred and Rasmy) Engineering. Together, they secured contract work for the city of Houston. Some 25 years later, Alfred has sold his share in the company to Hassouna, who is now the sole owner.

Now, Hassouna's loyalty to his homeland is being tested. After reading the most recent city contract, he wrote a letter to the city asking them to remove the Israel boycott ban clause from the contract, arguing that it was his constitutional right to boycott Israel if he so desired. City officials said it was out of their hands.

Now it is in the hands of a judge. If things don't go Hassouna's way, he said he is more than prepared to suffer the financial consequences.

"I want to stay working with the city and any other government entity. The thing is, I want to do it with my freedom intact and my dignity intact," he said.

[yankeedoodle]

CUNY Law Student Gov't Passes Antisemitic BDS Resolution Targeting Groups Like Hillel
https://www.stopantisemitism.org/antisemitic-incidents-98/cuny-law-student-govt-passes-pro-bds-resolution-targeting-groups-like-hillel

The City University of New York (CUNY) School of Law's Student Government Association passed a resolution endorsing the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement on December 2nd targeting groups like Hillel.

The resolution accuses CUNY and CUNY Law of being "directly complicit in the ongoing apartheid, genocide, and war crimes perpetrated by the state of Israel against the Palestinian people through its investments in and contracts with companies profiting off of Israeli war crimes" as well as their collaboration with Israeli academic institutions. "Israeli academic institutions are complicit in the occupation and colonization of Palestine and the state's violence against Palestinians by developing military hardware, weapons, drones, and surveillance technologies; offering military training courses and posts for high-ranking military officers; declaring, via their leaders and other surrogates, their support for Israeli military offensives; discriminating against Palestinian students; and repressing voices in support of Palestinians and their struggle for self-determination," the resolution added.

Additionally, the resolution alleged that CUNY and CUNY Law faculty have ties to the Israeli Defense Forces and linked to a professor's faculty page. It also alleged that "a number of student organizations across CUNY receive money from the State of Israel, or from organizations lobbying on behalf of the State of Israel, and whose mission includes support for the State of Israel, and whose practices include surveillance, intimidation, harassment of Palestine solidarity activists on campuses. These organizations include Hillel, CAMERA, StandWithUs, Bulldogs for Israel, Israel Independence Day Committee, United 4 Israel, Israel Student Association, Students Supporting Israel at City College of New York."

The resolution concluded with a call for the university to divest from companies that conduct business with Israel, end all Israeli exchange programs and "to cut all ties with organizations that repress Palestinian organizing and end its complicity in the ongoing censorship, harassment, and intimidation of Palestine solidarity activists, including through ending contracts, academic collaborations, and refusing to be complicit in the targeted harassment and silencing of Palestine solidarity activists."

CUNY Law Jewish Law Student Association (JLSA), who co-sponsored the resolution, celebrated its passage on Twitter. "This resolution demands that @CUNYLaw live up to its claim of being the #2 law school for racial justice by ending its complicity in Israeli war crimes. @CUNYLaw students want an end to the violent occupation of Palestinian lands and call on all @CUNY campuses to join us!"

Other Jewish groups denounced the resolution.

StandWithUs CEO and Co-Founder Roz Rothstein similarly said in a statement to the Journal, "We're proud to support Israel and students who face the ignorance and hatred represented by this shameful resolution. Attacking Jewish organizations and trying to shut down study abroad programs makes clear that this has nothing to do with human rights or justice. This campaign is about isolating the Jewish community on campus, undermining academic freedom, and preventing students from traveling to Israel to broaden their education and make up their own minds. The CUNY Law and the larger CUNY system should strongly condemn this hateful agenda, which undermines the basic purpose of the university as a whole."

AMCHA Initiative Director Tammi Rossman-Benjamin also said in a statement to the Journal, "This shameful student government resolution targets multiple Jewish campus organizations, including Hillel, as well as a specific Jewish academic, placing her in harm of being doxxed or worse, and it calls for actions that directly subvert the educational opportunities and academic freedom of CUNY students and faculty. Last week when the NYU Review of Law and Social Change endorsed an academic boycott, NYU immediately condemned the move. CUNY must do the same with its Law School student government." The Journal reported on the aforementioned NYU incident on November 24.

"CUNY's campuses are known for pervasive hostility toward Jewish students and now its law students are going even further and attempting to take away Jewish students' rights and marginalize Jewish and pro-Israel students and faculty on campus," Rossman-Benjamin added. "The Chancellor must take this opportunity to make it abundantly clear that targeting, harming and discriminating against Jewish students and faculty will not be tolerated, and the student government should now be at risk of having its charter revoked for this egregious abuse of power in their targeting of an entire campus community group for harm."

Students and Faculty for Equality (SAFE) at CUNY, a bipartisan group of CUNY faculty and students that protests against the exclusion of Zionist Jews on campus, said in a statement to the Journal, "It's important to understand that this resolution, which is dripping with hate and discriminates based on nationality, ethnicity, and religion, does not represent the views of the vast majority of CUNY students. This, and the entire CUNY BDS and anti-Zionist movement, is organized not by students, but by bigoted faculty members and PSC-CUNY delegates and officers. It is no coincidence that this resolution takes the next hateful step forward from the PSC-CUNY resolution of June 10." The PSC, which stands for the Professional Staff Congress and is the professors' union, passed a resolution on June 10 that accused Israel of displacing Palestinians and subjecting them to apartheid.

"CUNY must act immediately to denounce this bigoted, discriminatory resolution and take decisive action to ensure that the illegal and hateful measures called for therein are never realized," the group added. "In February 2021, CUNY and the PSC-CUNY were already found responsible by the EEOC [Equal Employment Opportunity Commission] and for discriminating against Zionist and Observant Jews; they have done nothing in response to these findings of liability. The PSC's discrimination and harassment of Zionist and Observant Jews has only escalated and CUNY's failure to act and to comply with the law has led to horrific harassment of Zionist and Observant Jews on its campuses; this is yet the latest example."

The university, law school and student government did not respond to the Journal's requests for comment.

[yankeedoodle]

Israel lobby threatens legal action against UoL for City University's vote to support Palestine
City's Friends of Palestine society hailed the vote as "a victory for the Palestinian cause and for the BDS movement,"
http://vpalestine.org/2021/12/13/israel-lobby-threatens-legal-action-against-uol-for-city-universitys-vote-to-support-palestine/

The University of London was threatened with legal action after one of its student unions voted overwhelmingly to support a boycott of Israeli companies, the Jewish Chronicle reported.

Israel lobby group, UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI) intervened, claiming that it would be "illegal" for the union to do so, using the argument that the student union is a registered charity.

UKLFI claimed that the vote was not in line with the charitable status of the student union, or compliant to the aims and objectives of the organisation, including "the advancement of education of students" and "promoting the interests and welfare of students at city".

The letter asserted that, in UKLFI's view, there was a "fundamental distinction" between improving the lives of BAME students and supporting a cause of "Palestinians against Israel."

UKLFI stated in its letter: "Students are entitled to support a political campaign as individuals, provided they do so in a lawful way.

"They are not entitled to have CSU conduct the campaign because it is a charity, and its resources, facilities and time of its staff and officers may only be used to promote its charitable objects.

It continued: "There is a fundamental distinction between a campaign to improve the environment for BAME students at City University and a campaign to promote the cause of Palestinians against Israel. The former is in principle within CSU's charitable objects, the latter is not."

Last week, London's City University's student union hosted a meeting, holding a vote as to whether or not to include Israel in its "Decolonise City" campaign.

A whopping 93 per cent of the attendants voted in favour of divestment from Israeli companies.

City's Friends of Palestine society hailed the vote as "a victory for the Palestinian cause and for the BDS movement," and said that it will be working with the University and its union "to initiate investigations into its involvement with companies complicit in Israel's illegal actions within international law", and cautioned that if the Board of Trustees did not approve the motion, then it would undermine democracy.

The group stated: "Failing to support this motion, which has been democratically voted for by students, would mean that the Trustees would be failing City students and democracy."

[yankeedoodle]

Footballers 'boycott match' due to Israeli former Chelsea manager
https://www.rt.com/sport/543616-algeria-fifa-legends-israel-grant/

FIFA boss Gianni Infantino declared he was "uniting the world" at an exhibition match in Doha but a trio of Algerian footballers reportedly pulled out of the occasion because of the presence of Israeli coach Avram Grant.

Doha hosted a FIFA Arab Legends versus FIFA World Legends match on Friday as part of the build-up to the FIFA Arab Cup final.

However, the involvement of former Chelsea manager Grant – who led the Blues to the Champions League final in 2008 after taking over from Jose Mourinho – apparently proved too much for Algerian icons Rabah Madjer, Rafik Saifi and Rafik Halliche, according to The Times of Israel.

Each had initially been listed as among the participants but were not named on the teamsheets for the actual match which appeared on the FIFA website.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, FIFA made no mention of the withdrawals in their official report.

https://twitter.com/james_corbett/status/1471606210533146629?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1471606210533146629%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.rt.com%2Fsport%2F543616-algeria-fifa-legends-israel-grant%2F

The FIFA World Legends team featured the likes of Marcel Desailly, Cafu, Andrea Pirlo and Lothar Matthias, while their Arab rivals boasted former Saudi striker Sami Al-Jaber. 

The Arab legends won on penalties after mounting a fightback at Al Thumama Stadium in the Qatari capital.

"Tonight we unite the Arab world with the entire world," FIFA President Gianni Infantino had crowed to the crowd.

"We are all one team!"

https://twitter.com/youridjorkaeff/status/1471938796858056706?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1471938796858056706%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.rt.com%2Fsport%2F543616-algeria-fifa-legends-israel-grant%2F

Grant, 66, has enjoyed a long career in coaching, including as Israeli national team manager.

He is a friend of Chelsea's billionaire Russian owner Roman Abramovich and was appointed Blues boss in September 2007 after initially serving as director of football at the London club.

His spell was to be short-lived as he left the position after Chelsea's penalty shootout defeat to Manchester United in the Champions League final in Moscow in May of 2008.

He later worked at Portsmouth and West Ham, as well as at Partizan Belgrade and with the Ghana national team.

The Algerian trio who reportedly refused to compete against Grant would not be the first to do so from their homeland.

Algeria has no diplomatic ties with Israel and is a fervent supporter of the Palestinian cause.

Algerian judoka Fethi Nourine withdrew from the the Olympics in Tokyo earlier this year to avoid a potential showdown with an Israeli opponent.

Nourine was later slapped with a 10-year ban by the International Judo Federation.

[yankeedoodle]

THE ELECTRONIC INTIFADA

What were the top BDS victories of 2021?
Read this lengthy article here, if you want to connect to the many links:  https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/nora-barrows-friedman/what-were-top-bds-victories-2021

Despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, 2021 was a year of accelerated boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) campaigning, successful grassroots actions and significant legal victories for Palestinian rights.

Pension funds dumped Israeli firms, cultural figures refused to cross the picket line and a major ice cream maker pulled its products from illegal Israeli settlements.

Sustained direct actions in Oakland, California successfully exacted a price on Israel after it carried out a lethal 11-day attack on Gaza during May.

In early June, as part of an international wave of protests under the banner of #BlockTheBoat, activists and longshore workers prevented an Israeli cargo ship from docking at the city's port for more than two weeks after its scheduled arrival date.

The vessel ostensibly attempted to avoid the picket line, and left the Bay Area port with its cargo intact.

And in the UK, protesters with Palestine Action forced Israeli arms factories to shut down operations at several of their 10 locations in Britain.

Activists have carried out sit-ins and sabotage against the Israeli-owned Elbit Systems premises, shutting factories down, smashing windows, damaging equipment, graffiting and splashing walls with red paint to symbolize Palestinian blood.

Palestine Action – formed during 2020 – carried out more than 70 actions against Elbit in its first year, including 20 high-profile occupations of sites and factories.

In December, Palestine Action won an important legal victory, as campaigners who defaced an Israeli drone engines factory were acquitted of criminal damage charges.

"We're going to continue to take direct action in order to shut down and undermine Israel's arms trade," Palestine Action co-founder Huda Ammori told The Electronic Intifada.

After years of organizing in the US and by Palestinian boycott campaigners, Ben & Jerry's – the ice cream maker owned by Unilever – announced in July it would no longer sell its products in illegal Israeli settlement colonies, saying such sales were "inconsistent with its values."

Israeli leaders and lobby groups melted down over the news, using smears against the ice cream company and its board members.

Yair Lapid, Israel's foreign minister, vowed to lean on the more than two dozen US states that have passed anti-BDS measures to "enforce these laws against Ben & Jerry's," while Prime Minister Naftali Bennett promised to "act aggressively" against the ice cream maker.

But amid the threats, the company has so far defended its decision.

The Palestinian BDS National Committee has urged Ben & Jerry's to "end all operations in apartheid Israel."

In late December, a notorious anti-Palestinian blacklisting site named the company's board chair as its "top anti-Semite of the year," prompting civil rights group Palestine Legal to remark how such accusations ring hollow.

https://twitter.com/pal_legal/status/1475947065909800964?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1475947065909800964%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Felectronicintifada.net%2Fblogs%2Fnora-barrows-friedman%2Fwhat-were-top-bds-victories-2021

"The decision by Ben & Jerry's to stop profiting off of Jewish-only settlements built on stolen land is the bare minimum the brand could do to live up to its advertised commitment to social justice," the group stated.
Here are some more of the top BDS victories for Palestinian rights as covered by The Electronic Intifada in 2021.

Israeli firms dumped
Pension funds around the world dumped Israeli firms from their investment portfolios over Israel's human rights abuses and international law violations.

A major UK local government pension fund divested from Israeli arms maker Elbit Systems. Though the pension fund initially tried to deny that the move related to the company's role in violence against Palestinians, campaigners had flooded the office with demands to drop Elbit from its portfolio.

The chair of the council's pensions committee nonetheless conceded that Elbit had been excluded by its new investment manager, Storebrand, "due to human rights and international law reasons."

Storebrand is a Norwegian firm which excludes Elbit due to human rights concerns.

New Zealand's $33 billion national pension fund announced this year that it had excluded five Israeli banks from its portfolio because of their role in financing Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.

An assessment by the NZ Super Fund concluded that holding shares in Israel's biggest banks would violate its responsible investment policy.

Pension funds in Norway and Scotland also divested from Israeli settlement profiteers, including construction companies, telecommunication corporations and banks.

Norway's largest pension fund KLP ​​dumped 16 settlement profiteers because it said there is "an unacceptable risk" that they will contribute to human rights violations.

A lawmaker in Finland introduced a bill in December that would ban the import of goods from Israeli settlements built on occupied Palestinian and Syrian land.

In September, the European Union was forced to register a European Citizens' Initiative that seeks to block trade with settlements in occupied territories.

The measure could potentially close off the lucrative access to EU markets enjoyed by businesses operating in Israeli settlements built on Palestinian land in violation of international law.

Victories over anti-BDS laws, harassment of activists
Following similar federal court decisions in Arizona, Kansas and Texas, an anti-BDS measure in Arkansas was declared unconstitutional in February.

A US federal appeals court ruled that the 2017 state law requiring state contractors to declare they will not boycott Israel was a violation of free speech.

"This is the first federal appeals court to decide on the constitutionality of anti-boycott laws, and with this decision not a single anti-BDS law has been upheld on the merits," Palestine Legal stated.

"Every law that has survived a legal challenge has done so through legal tricks to avoid a constitutional analysis," the group added.

In January, a Spanish court dismissed a criminal complaint alleging hate crimes against eight BDS supporters – a major win for the right to boycott Israel in that country.

The court ruled that the activists were exercising their right to free expression in pursuit of legitimate political goals.

The judges cited a landmark decision in June 2020 by the European Court of Human Rights affirming that urging a boycott of Israel over its policies is not discrmination, but protected political speech.

The activists hailed their victory as a sign of how "the global Zionist strategy and [attempts by] its far-right allies to delegitimize the BDS movement are failing."

In the US, even as the Biden administration reanimated Trump and Obama-era policy pledges to fight BDS – with the Israel lobby demanding the new president escalate attacks on college activists – students won a precedent-setting legal victory.

A California judge ruled in March against demands by an anti-Palestinian litigant to be able to harass human rights activists over their support of BDS and Palestinian rights.

It marked the first time that a US court "has acknowledged the McCarthyite environment faced by those speaking out for Palestinian rights," according to civil rights group Palestine Legal, which represented eight defendants along with other attorneys.

The decision "rejects the notion that students lose their constitutional rights when advocating for the rights of Palestinians at a public university," Palestine Legal stated.

Canadians want end to Israeli arms sales
In Canada, the leader of the nominally progressive New Democratic Party, Jagmeet Singh, called on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to end arms sales to Israel.

Singh's move came after rank and file members of the party approved a motion to stop weapons deals with Israel.

The motion specified that the weapons trade between Canada and Israel must be suspended "until Palestinian rights are upheld."

The vote "sends a message that progressive and human rights-minded people in Canada do not support the status quo and see sanctions on Israel as not only appropriate but necessary," Amy Kishek, a lead organizer behind the resolution, told The Electronic Intifada in April.

Wide support for Palestinian rights, BDS
Despite enormous pressure by Israel lobby-backed leaders and supporters of the UK Labour Party, delegates at the party's September conference passed a resolution calling for sanctions and an arms embargo on Israel.

The resolution backs the International Criminal Court investigation into war crimes in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip.

It endorses other "effective measures" as "called for by Palestinian civil society" – an affirmation of the BDS movement that aims to end Israel's violations of Palestinian rights and international law.

It also explicitly affirms "the right of Palestinian people, as enshrined in international law, to return to their homes."

Earlier in the year, a poll of Labour Party members revealed that more than 60 percent support the BDS campaign.

In the same survey, almost half of those polled agreed with the statement that "Israel is an apartheid state, systematically discriminating against Palestinians."

In the US, a March poll indicated that the majority of Democrats want the US to put more pressure on Israel.

Culture and sports
Though many performers, cultural figures, writers and athletes had to cancel or postpone their tours, gigs and appearances due to the pandemic, a cadre of musicians ramped up campaigns to urge artists to not book shows in Israel.

Rage Against the Machine, Patti Smith, Noname, Vic Mensa, Thurston Moore and Run the Jewels were among the initial signatories of the Musicians for Palestine initiative, which has continued to attract supporters.

An Algerian athlete refused to compete against an Israeli in the Tokyo Olympic Games in July and braved administrative punishment by the International Olympic Committee.

Fethi Nourine forfeited a 26 July elimination match against Sudanese counterpart Mohamed Abdalrasool, as the winner of that round would have gone on to compete against Israel's Tohar Butbul.

"Any competition held under the Israeli flag is a recognition of not only the state of Israel, but also of the legitimacy of their occupation of Palestinian land," Nourine wrote on Facebook in late July.

His withdrawal eliminated the possibility of facing off against the Israeli.

Nourine explained that he refused to normalize with a representative of a "colonizer and an occupier."

The athlete and his coach Amar Benikhlef were stripped of their Olympic accreditation and sent home.

And finally, best-selling Irish author Sally Rooney respected the boycott call in October by refusing to allow an Israeli company to buy the Hebrew translation and publication rights for her latest novel, Beautiful World, Where Are You.

The Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI) hailed Rooney for joining "countless international authors in supporting the institutional cultural boycott of Israel's complicit publishing sector."

Rooney stated that she would be happy to sell the manuscript rights for Hebrew-language translation should it be possible to find a company that does not violate the principles of the BDS call.

"I simply do not feel it would be right for me under the present circumstances to accept a new contract with an Israeli company that does not publicly distance itself from apartheid," Rooney said.

[yankeedoodle]

Australia artists boycott Sydney Festival over Israel funding
The Israeli embassy in Australia gave $20,000 to the Sydney Festival organisers to allow Israeli choreographer Ohad Naharin to perform
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20220104-australia-artists-boycott-sydney-festival-over-israel-funding/

Almost 30 Australian artists and organisations are boycotting the 2022 Sydney Festival due to the Israeli Embassy providing $20,000 to put on a performance by Israeli choreographer Ohad Naharin.

Melbourne funk/soul band Karate Boogaloo are the latest act to withdraw from the event as part of an ongoing cultural boycott.

In a statement shared yesterday on Instagram, the band wrote: "Boycotts and divestments have a strong track record of holding governments and corporations accountable for their actions."

"Karate Boogaloo is standing in solidarity with Palestinian people, and boycotting the Sydney Festival as a result of it accepting money from the human rights abusing regime that is the Israeli Government."

In addition, Blake Prize-winner Khaled Sabsabi, musician Malyangapa and Barkaa, Bindi Bosses, the Arab Theatre Studio and the Bankstown poetry slam and comedian Nazeem Hussain have withdrawn from this year's festival which is due to be held from 6-30 January.

Last week, the Palestinian Justice Movement Sydney said in a statement that the deal was signed in May – the same month that Israel launched the 11-day offensive on Gaza, killing 256 Palestinians.

"The Israeli government uses culture to hide its apartheid practices and present itself as a free, fair and enlightened democracy. By partnering with Israel, Sydney Festival will be complicit in Israel's strategy to art-wash its crimes, and contribute to the normalisation of an apartheid state", the advocacy group said in a statement.

However, in response, Chair of the festival's board David Kirk said the money would not be returned nor the performance stopped, however, similar donations may not be accepted in future.

"All funding agreements for the current Festival – including for Decadance [the Israeli-sponsored performance] will be honoured, and the performances will proceed. At the same time, the Board has also determined it will review its practices in relation to funding from foreign governments or related parties," the statement read.

[yankeedoodle]

Victory in Oldham: Elbit forced to sell Ferranti after sustained direct action campaign
https://www.palestineaction.org/victory-in-oldham/

PRESS RELEASE
10/01/21
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

- Palestine Action's sustained campaign of direct action against Elbit Ferranti in Oldham proves ultimately successful as Elbit sell the subsidiary and pack their bags.

- The Power and Control Business of Ferranti Technologies has been sold to TT Electronics, as Elbit undertake huge business restructuring after over a year of targetted action taken at the Oldham site.

- Occupations of the site have caused weeks of forced factory closure, and have cost millions in damages to the company. At the end of November 2021, Elbit began packing up their

- Oldham operation – now the majority of the Ferranti business has been sold off.

- Palestine Action: "Direct action works – the brave individuals who occupied the factory over the past year can proudly say that drone technologies are no longer in production in Oldham".

After 18 months of sustained direct action taken at the Elbit Ferranti site in Oldham, Greater Manchester, with 36 people arrested, Elbit have now sold Ferranti technologies, with its continued operation in Oldham appearing unfeasible. Activists have occupied, blockaded, smashed, disrupted, and protested regularly at the site, ultimately succeeding in ending the factory's production of specialist military technologies for Israel's fleet of combat drones.

In November 2021, anonymous sources revealed to Palestine Action that mass redundancy notices had been issued to staff working at the factory, and that premises were being cleared in preparation for Elbit leaving the site. Today, it was publicised that Ferranti has indeed been sold to TT Electronics, a British electronics firm. This major restructuring – selling a subsidiary which Elbit has consistently promoted as a success and which has helped Elbit to land multi-million pound contracts with the British government – suggests that Elbit is under significant pressure to tighten its UK operations. This is most likely due to the impossibility of continuing at the often-occupied site, the massive financial impact of occupations, and an attempt to avoid more bad publicity.

Early in 2021, Elbit attempted to make the Oldham factory a viable production site by improving security. Elbit increased spending massively for round-the-clock security, and also benefitted from a rapid police response for protestor removal. Neither of these measures succeeded in keeping out activists, with the site continuing to be targetted regularly.

The first action taken in Oldham by Palestine Action, in late August 2020, involved spraying premises in blood-red paint, symbolising the Palestinian bloodshed made possible with Elbit Ferranti technologies. Following this, actions accelerated. Windows were smashed in an occupation in November 2020, while an action taken in collaboration with XR North in February 2021 caused over £20,000 in damages. In April 2021, activists not only occupied the site but gained entry to the factoy, smashing the roof, windows, air vents, and undermining future operations by covering equipment and computers in red paint – over £100,000 of damages were caused, and the site remained shut for well over a week. On July 5th, three activists gained entry to the site, allegedly causing £500,000 of damage and closing the factory for a number of weeks. More recently, in August of this year, activists blockaded the factory – blocking roads with vehcles and locking onto gates – and occupied the factory itself again. There have been a number of other actions taken at the Oldham site, with the factory forced to closed for a significant number of weeks in total due to damage caused.

The site has also been subject to regular protests called by Oldham Peace and Justice and Manchester Palestine Action, with large crowds gathering outside the factory on a weekly basis since the massive and brutal bombardments of Gaza by Israel in May. Sustained pressure, through both protests and an extended campaign of effective direct action, has generated immense challenges for Elbit, who have now sold the subsidiary and left the site.

A Palestine Action spokesperson has stated:

"The sale of Ferranti and the closure of the Oldham factory is a huge victory for the movement. So far, our actions have undermined and disrupted operations – but this news vindicates our long-term strategy. Direct action works – the brave individuals who occupied the factory over the past year can proudly say that drone technologies are no longer in production in Oldham. But its not enough that just one of these death-factories shuts down. We want to see Elbit itself shut down for good, and all of their businesses forced out of Britain – we will keep escalating our actions until that happens."

This site had been targetted due to the crimes committed against Palestinian civilians using Elbit Ferranti products. The Oldham factory was used for the manufacture of specialist military products and technology, including the SkEyepersistent surveillance system aboard Elbit's Hermes 450 and 900 drones. Ferranti also manufacture the SpectroXR ultra long-range imaging system for Hermes drones. Hermes drones have been used extensively by Israel in bombardments of Gaza, notably during Operation Protective Edge in 2014 in which over 2,200 Palestinians were killed, including 526 children. The site was also used for the production of IronVision helmets for use in battle tanks such as the Carmel – specficially designed for operations in densely built urban areas, such as Gaza.




Previous TiU reports about Elbit Systems
http://theinfounderground.com/smf/index.php?topic=27582.msg95159#msg95159

http://theinfounderground.com/smf/index.php?topic=28036.msg94456#msg94456

http://theinfounderground.com/smf/index.php?topic=28349.msg94448#msg94448

http://theinfounderground.com/smf/index.php?topic=26927.msg92550#msg92550

http://theinfounderground.com/smf/index.php?topic=26579.msg92040#msg92040

http://theinfounderground.com/smf/index.php?topic=25501.msg90614#msg90614

http://theinfounderground.com/smf/index.php?topic=18495.msg73801#msg73801

[yankeedoodle]

Arab authors boycott Emirates festival hosting Israeli
https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/tamara-nassar/arab-authors-boycott-emirates-festival-hosting-israeli

Several Arab writers withdrew from a literature festival in the United Arab Emirates to protest the participation of an Israeli author.

David Grossman's planned virtual presence next month at the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature in Dubai prompted writers from several states in the region to withdraw.

Among them are Omani author Bushra Khalfan and the entire Kuwaiti delegation that was participating in the festival, including writers Muna al-Shamari and Ali Ashour al-Jaffar.

https://twitter.com/gulf_can/status/1481564399701688325?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1481564399701688325%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Felectronicintifada.net%2Fblogs%2Ftamara-nassar%2Farab-authors-boycott-emirates-festival-hosting-israeli

The Gulf Coalition Against Normalization called on Sultan al-Musa, Osama Muhammad al-Muslim and Ahmad al-Ali from Saudi Arabia to back out of the event as well, among others.

https://twitter.com/gulf_can/status/1480796637249380354?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1480796637249380354%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Felectronicintifada.net%2Fblogs%2Ftamara-nassar%2Farab-authors-boycott-emirates-festival-hosting-israeli

Their decision was applauded by the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI) and the Gulf Coalition Against Normalization.

Grossman's participation is a "clear and explicit violation" of the cultural boycott of Israel, the groups charged, calling on Arab authors to withdraw.

"The participation of an Israeli Zionist novelist and the celebration of him as a 'peace activist' in a festival held in an Arab land" is a ploy to "pull Arab writers into the swamp of cultural and literary normalization with the Israeli enemy," the groups added.

The groups noted Grossman's opposition to the Palestinian right of return and said he was a "supporter of apartheid."

Grossman started his service in the intelligence branch of the Israeli military in 1971 and saw no problem with it at the time.

"I worked in intelligence and most of it I liked," he told The Guardian in 2010. "I felt I was doing something important, that I wasn't doing anything against my principles."

Initially, the author supported Israel's 2006 invasion of Lebanon, and only towards the end called for a ceasefire. His son was killed in the fighting.

Despite opposing settlements and occasionally attending protests in the West Bank, Grossman was always a supporter of the Israeli army and has expressed pride in being a reservist.

More recently, Grossman has hinted that he actually agrees with the growing global consensus that Israel commits the crime of apartheid against Palestinians.

The Palestinian-led boycott campaign of Israel is modeled on the economic, cultural, academic and sporting boycott that helped end aparthied in South Africa.

https://twitter.com/BDS_Arabic/status/1480903539857801217?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1480903539857801217%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Felectronicintifada.net%2Fblogs%2Ftamara-nassar%2Farab-authors-boycott-emirates-festival-hosting-israeli

The withdrawal of so many participants is an indication that the United Arab Emirates will have a hard time turning its close alliance with Israel brokered by the Trump administration into a "warm peace."

The Emirates Literature Foundation, which organizes the event, was founded by royal decree in 2013.

The festival's main sponsor is Emirates, the airline owned by the Dubai government.

The Emirati ministry of culture, the Dubai government and the Dubai police are all partnering in the event. The US consulate in Dubai is among the sponsors.

It is also supported by Oxford University Press.

"We deplore that festival organizers insisted on including an Israeli author among dozens of Arab writers and creators," PACBI and the Gulf Coalition Against Normalization added.

The groups said this is just the latest "desperate" attempt to force normalization onto Arab masses, who are "aware of this danger and reject it completely."

[yankeedoodle]

Sydney Festival upended by BDS campaign
According to BDS Australia, 100 individuals and organizations have withdrawn from the annual festival, disrupting more than 40% of the scheduled events.
https://mondoweiss.net/2022/01/sydney-festival-upended-by-bds-campaign/?utm_source=mailpoet&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=daily-email-mailpoet

Artists and companies continue to drop out of the Sydney Festival over its sponsorship deal with the Israeli government. The annual festival is a major arts event in the city attracting approximately 500,000 visitors a year. According to BDS Australia, 100 individuals and organizations have withdrawn, disrupting more than 40% of the scheduled events.

"The actions of so many artists, companies and arts workers in supporting the Palestinian call for boycott, divestment and sanctions in light of Israel's apartheid policies and ongoing human rights abuses against Palestinians, clearly shows the solidarity and intersectional nature of this struggle," said BDS Australia patron and Sydney University professor Jake Lynch in a statement.

The boycott efforts were sparked by a $20,000 deal to stage a production of Israeli choreographer Ohad Naharin's Decadance. Israel's government says that it was asked to contribute the money by a member of the festival's management team.

According to the Palestinian Justice Movement Sydney, the sponsorship deal was negotiated last May while Israel was launching an air assault against Gaza that ultimately killed 256 Palestinians.

https://twitter.com/PalestineRising/status/1473512555557515269?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1473512555557515269%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fmondoweiss.net%2F2022%2F01%2Fsydney-festival-upended-by-bds-campaign%2F

"They told us about it ... and we were happy and honored to support it," Deputy Ambassador of Israel to Australia Ron Gerstenfeld told ABC radio last week. "We didn't think about it twice ... and there were no strings attached. We didn't ask any promises from [the festival] or the dance company to do something, we didn't intervene in anything, so it's a bit of hypocrisy to say we are doing some sort of art-wash in order to hide some kind of Israeli activities in any other sphere."

Gerstenfeld also referred to the boycotters as "agents of chaos."

The Guardian has reported on a December correspondence between festival board chairperson David Kirk and organizations pressuring the festival to sever its relationship with Israel. Kirk told the groups that the $20,000 would not just be used to put on a performance, but to hold a a Q&A event at the Sydney Opera House hosted by the Israeli embassy.

The Meanjin Quarterly, an Australian literary journal, published an open letter from group of writers and artists condemning the festivals partnership with Israel. "While Palestinians are intimately familiar with the rhetorical shields and strategies deployed by so-called progressives to ignore, deflect, block and even censor Palestine and its supporters, Sydney Festival's insistence on crossing the picket line despite hearing directly from Palestinian artists and activists—including artists whose works were programmed in the Festival—is particularly disgraceful," it reads.

Another open letter, signed by over 70 Jewish individuals and organizations, accuses the festival of "artwashing"–using art as a tool to justify Israeli apartheid. "We Jews are eager, honored, and humbled to stand alongside our Palestinian siblings and echo their calls. We refuse to be complicit in Israel's actions. We stand in solidarity with Palestine and Palestinians," it declares.

Organizers of the festival have addressed the boycott call, but they haven't backed down on the issue. "We see it as the core role of the Sydney Festival to present art and to provide an inclusive platform for all artists," said its board in a statement. "We aim to profile a diverse representation of work by artists and companies locally, nationally and internationally. We respect the right of any artist to withdraw from the Festival and hope that they will feel able to participate in future festivals."

Journalist and boycott leader Jennine Khalik reacted to the statement on Twitter. "This is not about some dance," she tweeted. "We couldn't care less, it's about the money. Get the money elsewhere. Don't accept Israeli apartheid regime money. Don't make apartheid your 'star'."

https://twitter.com/jennineak/status/1478223654051790853?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1478223654051790853%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fmondoweiss.net%2F2022%2F01%2Fsydney-festival-upended-by-bds-campaign%2F

One of the groups who endorsed the boycott was the production team of Chewing Gum Dreams, a play written by Michaela Coel. Coel is the creator, star, and co-director of the critically-acclaimed HBO series I May Destroy You.

"The Chewing Gum Dreams company will be withdrawing the show from the Festival in solidarity with the Palestinian people," said the team in a statement shared on Instagram. "To the Palestinian community we say: We see you. We hear you. We are with you."

The pro-Israel organization StandWithUs has circulated its own petition, thanking the Sydney Festival for refusing to budge on the sponsorship deal. "We commend the Sydney Festival organizers for standing firm and sending a clear message that boycotts of any kind are not welcome!," it reads. "Thank you for standing against hate!"

Creative Community for Peace, a front group for StandWithUs, also produced an open letter condemning the boycott. It's been signed by over 100 people, including KISS' Gene Simmons and the Israeli-American megadonor Haim Saban. The letter includes a quote from Australian musician Nick Cave on the BDS movement: "The cultural boycott of Israel is cowardly and shameful. Israel is a real, vibrant, functioning democracy – yes, with Arab members of parliament – and so engaging with Israelis, who vote, may be more helpful than scaring off artists or shutting down means of engagement."

The Sydney Festival began on January 6 and will run through the end of the month.

[yankeedoodle]

Activists protest against the anti-BDS resolution adopted by German parliament.

Germany: federal court rules anti-BDS policy to be 'unconstitutional'
The court ruled that the resolution "violates the fundamental right to freedom of expression."
http://vpalestine.org/2022/01/26/germany-federal-court-rules-anti-bds-policy-to-be-unconstitutional/

A German federal court has described as "unconstitutional" the city of Munich's refusal to allow a public venue to be used for a debate on its 2017 anti-Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions resolution, The Electronic Intifada has reported. The court ruled that the resolution "violates the fundamental right to freedom of expression."

Munich City Council passed a local resolution in December 2017 outlawing BDS events promoting the rights of the people of occupied Palestine from being held in the city's public facilities. The council called the peaceful BDS movement "anti-Semitic".

Subsequently, Munich resident Klaus Ried sought to use a room in a city museum in September 2018 to host a discussion about how the municipality's anti-BDS resolution would affect freedom of speech.

He filed a legal challenge after the museum denied him the space. A lower court initially ruled against him, claiming that Munich had the right to impose such restrictions. He appealed in 2020 and won.

Nevertheless, the city council took the case to the federal court, but failed again. The Federal Administrative Court in Leipzig issued its ruling on 20 January siding with Ried, affirming that German law "guarantees everyone the right to freely express and disseminate their opinion."

Munich City Council, said the court, was not allowed to violate that right by denying permission for an event because it disagreed with the expressed views of the BDS campaign and its objectives. The court also pointed out that the council's anti BDS-resolution is not a law.

The landmark decision sends a warning to councils and other bodies across Germany that have passed similar resolutions and have been banning BDS-related events in public venues. This includes the German parliament, which in 2019 voted to define BDS as "anti-Semitic".

Parliamentarians argued that the movement's "Don't buy" stickers, which identify products of Israeli origin so that consumers can choose whether or not to buy them, "arouse associations [with] the Nazi slogan 'Don't buy from Jews'... reminiscent of the most horrific phase in German history".

The Palestinian Authority slammed this as "dangerous", while Palestinian NGOs argued that such moves delegitimise peaceful resistance to the Israeli occupation, of which BDS is part. The campaign started as a Palestinian grassroots initiative to put pressure on the state of Israel to abide by international law in its treatment of the Palestinian people.

[yankeedoodle]

Saw this article today

https://news.yahoo.com/thought-free-man-engineer-fighting-080021230.html

Palestinian-American (whatever that means, the US gives $$$ to the Terror State that is murdering his family members in Gaza) takes Texas to Court - and WINS - or it's in process or something.


'I thought I was a free man': the engineer fighting Texas's ban on boycotting Israel

https://news.yahoo.com/thought-free-man-engineer-fighting-080021230.html

Erum Salam

For more than two decades, Texan civil engineer Rasmy Hassouna was a contractor for the city of Houston. Hassouna has consulted the city on soil volatility in the nearby Gulf of Mexico – a much needed service to evaluate the structural stability of houses and other buildings.

He was gearing up to renew his government contract when a particular legal clause caught his eye: a provision that effectively banned him or his company, A&R Engineering and Testing, Inc, from ever protesting the nation of Israel or its products so long as his company was a partner with the city of Houston.

For Hassouna – a 59-year-old proud Palestinian American – it was a huge shock.


"I came here and thought I was a free man. It's not anybody's business what I do or what I say, as long as I'm not harming anybody," he told the Guardian. "Were you lying all this time? If I don't want to buy anything at WalMart, who are you to tell me not to shop at WalMart? Why do I have to pledge allegiance to a foreign country?"

But Hassouna's reaction did not stop at anger. He took action, launching a case that is challenging the Texas law and – by example – similar provisions that have spread all over the US that seek to stop government contractors from boycotting Israel and can be found in more than 25 US states. Along with the Arkansas Times newspaper, A&R Engineering and Testing Inc is now one of only two companies fighting this kind of law in the nation.

Hassouna's case – which was filed on his behalf by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) – will be heard in federal court on Tuesday and is based on the idea that such laws violate free speech. If ruled unconstitutional, the 2019 ban on boycotting Israel will be illegal in the state of Texas.

But Hassouna's decision to sue is not without a price. It could cost him a substantial amount of his yearly revenue, his lawyer said.

"They weren't counting on Rasmy Hassouna from Gaza, whose family has suffered so greatly. He believes that Americans have the right to boycott whatever entity, foreign or domestic, that they want to. That's what he's doing – putting his money where his mouth is," said Gadeir Abbas, a senior litigation attorney for CAIR who is representing Hassouna.

Hassouna first set foot on American soil in 1988. Like many immigrants, Hassouna's first experience of the US was New York's JFK airport. However, his final destination was the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, the university at which he planned to study civil engineering. "Regardless how long it was going to take or how hard I had to work, I was going to keep aiming toward my goal," he said.

As a Palestinian under Israeli occupation, Hassouna had no claim to citizenship, so he had to get permission from Israeli officials in order to leave his home in Gaza, an area described by humanitarian organizations and politicians as an open-air prison.

"For almost two months every day, I left the house and I took a cab to the center of Gaza city. I gave [Israeli officials] my government application, my ID. I went to the gate and waited from 7 in the morning until 5 in the evening. You're looking at the month of June and July in the sun, just standing there."

After two months Hassouna finally secured clearance to travel to the United States for his university studies. Since Palestine is not recognized as a country, he was not issued a passport, but rather an Israeli travel document that stumped customs agents at every step of the journey.

When the time came for Hassouna to leave for the US, his neighborhood in Gaza was placed under a curfew. This meant that he had to escape under the cover of night if he was to make his flight. He recalled walking five miles behind his father, luggage in tow, to his cousin's house, an area just outside the designated curfew zone. That was the last time he saw his father, who died before they could meet again.

Hassouna's college experience was not unlike that of most American students. He recalled living with three roommates and surviving off the modest stipend from his teaching assistant position.

After graduating, Hassouna moved to Houston, Texas, in August 1992. Though he had a comprehensive background in his field, Hassouna's early career was uncertain and tumultuous. He worked odd jobs at a Stop N Go gas station and convenience store before becoming a technician.

"Back then, I would work 11-7 at the convenience store and 8-5 at the company. One of my students [from South Dakota] was my supervisor, making three or four times what I was making. She used to come and ask me for advice."

Finally, he was hired for an engineering position at another company with a starting pay of $24,000 – what he described as half of what most engineers were making at the time.

Hassouna has come a long way since then. Along the way, he got married and had two now-teenage sons. His mother died a few years after his father, but due to travel and visa restrictions for Gaza, Hassouna was unable to see her or attend the funeral. In 2005, Hassouna became an American citizen. His place of birth listed on his certificate of citizenship read 'Israel,' a statement with which he took issue.

"I went to the lady who was giving the certificates away and told her I didn't want Israel on my certificate. She told me to go to the immigration center and that they would take care of it. I explained to them that my place of birth was not Israel, it was the Gaza Strip in Palestine. They told me 'Palestine was not in the system.'"

Hassouna handed the certificate back to the immigration official and asked them to return his green card to him, explaining he would rather not be a citizen than be designated as Israeli by birth. After much deliberation, the immigration office conceded and mailed him a new certificate with his place of birth listed as 'Gaza Strip'.

In 1999, he and his friend Alfred started their own company, A&R (Alfred and Rasmy) Engineering. Together, they secured contract work for the city of Houston. Some 25 years later, Alfred has sold his share in the company to Hassouna, who is now the sole owner.

Now, Hassouna's loyalty to his homeland is being tested. After reading the most recent city contract, he wrote a letter to the city asking them to remove the Israel boycott ban clause from the contract, arguing that it was his constitutional right to boycott Israel if he so desired. City officials said it was out of their hands.

Now it is in the hands of a judge. If things don't go Hassouna's way, he said he is more than prepared to suffer the financial consequences.

"I want to stay working with the city and any other government entity. The thing is, I want to do it with my freedom intact and my dignity intact," he said. 

US federal court blocks Texas from enforcing anti-BDS law on contractor
https://english.wafa.ps/Pages/Details/127847

TEXAS, Sunday, January 30, 2022 (WAFA) –  A United States federal court has blocked the state of Texas from enforcing its anti-boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) law against a Palestinian-American contractor who refused to sign a pledge not to boycott Israel.

Rasmy Hassouna, an engineer and executive vice president of the Palestinian-owned A&R Engineering and Testing Inc, filed the lawsuit in November challenging a Texas law that bars the state from doing business with companies participating in the BDS movement against Israel.

The firm said in its complaint filed in a Houston federal court that the law violates its First Amendment right to participate in economic boycotts as a form of protest.

"Texas's ban on contracting with any boycotter of Israel constitutes viewpoint discrimination that chills constitutionally protected political advocacy in support of Palestine," A&R Engineering attorneys wrote in the initial complaint, as quoted by Axios.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (Cair), who Hassouna worked with to file the suit, hailed the court ruling as "a major victory of the First Amendment against Texas's repeated attempts to suppress speech in support of Palestine".

"These regressive attempts to create a Palestine-exception to the First Amendment betray the central role boycotts have played in our history," said Gadeir Abbas, Cair's senior litigation lawyer.

This news comes after another federal judge said in a May ruling that Georgia's anti-BDS law violated the First Amendment.

[yankeedoodle]

Saw this article today

https://news.yahoo.com/thought-free-man-engineer-fighting-080021230.html

Palestinian-American (whatever that means, the US gives $$$ to the Terror State that is murdering his family members in Gaza) takes Texas to Court - and WINS - or it's in process or something.


'I thought I was a free man': the engineer fighting Texas's ban on boycotting Israel

https://news.yahoo.com/thought-free-man-engineer-fighting-080021230.html

Erum Salam

For more than two decades, Texan civil engineer Rasmy Hassouna was a contractor for the city of Houston. Hassouna has consulted the city on soil volatility in the nearby Gulf of Mexico – a much needed service to evaluate the structural stability of houses and other buildings.

He was gearing up to renew his government contract when a particular legal clause caught his eye: a provision that effectively banned him or his company, A&R Engineering and Testing, Inc, from ever protesting the nation of Israel or its products so long as his company was a partner with the city of Houston.

For Hassouna – a 59-year-old proud Palestinian American – it was a huge shock.


"I came here and thought I was a free man. It's not anybody's business what I do or what I say, as long as I'm not harming anybody," he told the Guardian. "Were you lying all this time? If I don't want to buy anything at WalMart, who are you to tell me not to shop at WalMart? Why do I have to pledge allegiance to a foreign country?"

But Hassouna's reaction did not stop at anger. He took action, launching a case that is challenging the Texas law and – by example – similar provisions that have spread all over the US that seek to stop government contractors from boycotting Israel and can be found in more than 25 US states. Along with the Arkansas Times newspaper, A&R Engineering and Testing Inc is now one of only two companies fighting this kind of law in the nation.

Hassouna's case – which was filed on his behalf by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) – will be heard in federal court on Tuesday and is based on the idea that such laws violate free speech. If ruled unconstitutional, the 2019 ban on boycotting Israel will be illegal in the state of Texas.

But Hassouna's decision to sue is not without a price. It could cost him a substantial amount of his yearly revenue, his lawyer said.

"They weren't counting on Rasmy Hassouna from Gaza, whose family has suffered so greatly. He believes that Americans have the right to boycott whatever entity, foreign or domestic, that they want to. That's what he's doing – putting his money where his mouth is," said Gadeir Abbas, a senior litigation attorney for CAIR who is representing Hassouna.

Hassouna first set foot on American soil in 1988. Like many immigrants, Hassouna's first experience of the US was New York's JFK airport. However, his final destination was the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, the university at which he planned to study civil engineering. "Regardless how long it was going to take or how hard I had to work, I was going to keep aiming toward my goal," he said.

As a Palestinian under Israeli occupation, Hassouna had no claim to citizenship, so he had to get permission from Israeli officials in order to leave his home in Gaza, an area described by humanitarian organizations and politicians as an open-air prison.

"For almost two months every day, I left the house and I took a cab to the center of Gaza city. I gave [Israeli officials] my government application, my ID. I went to the gate and waited from 7 in the morning until 5 in the evening. You're looking at the month of June and July in the sun, just standing there."

After two months Hassouna finally secured clearance to travel to the United States for his university studies. Since Palestine is not recognized as a country, he was not issued a passport, but rather an Israeli travel document that stumped customs agents at every step of the journey.

When the time came for Hassouna to leave for the US, his neighborhood in Gaza was placed under a curfew. This meant that he had to escape under the cover of night if he was to make his flight. He recalled walking five miles behind his father, luggage in tow, to his cousin's house, an area just outside the designated curfew zone. That was the last time he saw his father, who died before they could meet again.

Hassouna's college experience was not unlike that of most American students. He recalled living with three roommates and surviving off the modest stipend from his teaching assistant position.

After graduating, Hassouna moved to Houston, Texas, in August 1992. Though he had a comprehensive background in his field, Hassouna's early career was uncertain and tumultuous. He worked odd jobs at a Stop N Go gas station and convenience store before becoming a technician.

"Back then, I would work 11-7 at the convenience store and 8-5 at the company. One of my students [from South Dakota] was my supervisor, making three or four times what I was making. She used to come and ask me for advice."

Finally, he was hired for an engineering position at another company with a starting pay of $24,000 – what he described as half of what most engineers were making at the time.

Hassouna has come a long way since then. Along the way, he got married and had two now-teenage sons. His mother died a few years after his father, but due to travel and visa restrictions for Gaza, Hassouna was unable to see her or attend the funeral. In 2005, Hassouna became an American citizen. His place of birth listed on his certificate of citizenship read 'Israel,' a statement with which he took issue.

"I went to the lady who was giving the certificates away and told her I didn't want Israel on my certificate. She told me to go to the immigration center and that they would take care of it. I explained to them that my place of birth was not Israel, it was the Gaza Strip in Palestine. They told me 'Palestine was not in the system.'"

Hassouna handed the certificate back to the immigration official and asked them to return his green card to him, explaining he would rather not be a citizen than be designated as Israeli by birth. After much deliberation, the immigration office conceded and mailed him a new certificate with his place of birth listed as 'Gaza Strip'.

In 1999, he and his friend Alfred started their own company, A&R (Alfred and Rasmy) Engineering. Together, they secured contract work for the city of Houston. Some 25 years later, Alfred has sold his share in the company to Hassouna, who is now the sole owner.

Now, Hassouna's loyalty to his homeland is being tested. After reading the most recent city contract, he wrote a letter to the city asking them to remove the Israel boycott ban clause from the contract, arguing that it was his constitutional right to boycott Israel if he so desired. City officials said it was out of their hands.

Now it is in the hands of a judge. If things don't go Hassouna's way, he said he is more than prepared to suffer the financial consequences.

"I want to stay working with the city and any other government entity. The thing is, I want to do it with my freedom intact and my dignity intact," he said. 

US federal court blocks Texas from enforcing anti-BDS law on contractor
https://english.wafa.ps/Pages/Details/127847

TEXAS, Sunday, January 30, 2022 (WAFA) –  A United States federal court has blocked the state of Texas from enforcing its anti-boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) law against a Palestinian-American contractor who refused to sign a pledge not to boycott Israel.

Rasmy Hassouna, an engineer and executive vice president of the Palestinian-owned A&R Engineering and Testing Inc, filed the lawsuit in November challenging a Texas law that bars the state from doing business with companies participating in the BDS movement against Israel.

The firm said in its complaint filed in a Houston federal court that the law violates its First Amendment right to participate in economic boycotts as a form of protest.

"Texas's ban on contracting with any boycotter of Israel constitutes viewpoint discrimination that chills constitutionally protected political advocacy in support of Palestine," A&R Engineering attorneys wrote in the initial complaint, as quoted by Axios.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (Cair), who Hassouna worked with to file the suit, hailed the court ruling as "a major victory of the First Amendment against Texas's repeated attempts to suppress speech in support of Palestine".

"These regressive attempts to create a Palestine-exception to the First Amendment betray the central role boycotts have played in our history," said Gadeir Abbas, Cair's senior litigation lawyer.

This news comes after another federal judge said in a May ruling that Georgia's anti-BDS law violated the First Amendment.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CjLGS5XW18

[yankeedoodle]

African Union suspends decision to grant observer status to "Israel"
The AU Summit unanimously votes on suspending "Israel's" observer status, and forms a committee made of seven heads of state, including Algeria.
https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/african-union-suspends-decision-to-grant-observer-status-to

Al Mayadeen's correspondent reported that the African Union has suspended the decision to grant "Israel" observer status.

The decision, which was adopted unanimously by the Summit of the African Union's Head of State and Government, suspended the AU's Former Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat's 22 July decision to grant "Israel" observer status in the AU, and to establish a committee comprised of seven African heads of state to present recommendations to the summit, under whose jurisdiction the case will remain.

Read more: Israeli apartheid: Amnesty finally releases awaited report


According to our correspondent, the committee will comprise Macky Sall, the AU's new chairperson, Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, the President of the Democratic Republic of Congo Felix Tshisekedi, Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari, and Cameroon's President Paul Biya.

Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh had asked the African Union on Saturday to revoke "Israel's" observer status as heads of state from the 55-member group convened for a two-day meeting.

He firmly proclaimed that "'Israel' should never be rewarded for its violation and for the apartheid regime it does impose on the Palestinian people."

Algerian Foreign Minister Ramtane Lamamra had also arrived Tuesday in Addis Ababa to participate in the 40th regular session of the Executive Council of the African Union, which brought together the foreign ministers of the AU member states.

The African Union granted "Israel" observer status in July after a unilateral decision from the former AU chairperson, and the Israeli ambassador in Addis Ababa presented his letter of accreditation as an observer to the African Union.

[yankeedoodle]

Downtown Chicago, where Morningstar's headquarters is located, became the site of pro-Palestinian protests, featuring calls to boycott Israel, during last May's fighting between Israeli forces and Hamas in Gaza.

Is finance giant Morningstar boycotting Israel? A new BDS battlefront emerges in investing world
https://www.jta.org/2022/02/08/israel/is-finance-giant-morningstar-boycotting-israel-a-new-bds-battlefront-emerges-in-investing-world

After brushing aside allegations of anti-Israel bias for nearly a year, a multibillion-dollar investment research firm has done an about-face, hiring an outside law firm to investigate the company's practices.

The change of tack at Chicago-based Morningstar came in early December, about two weeks before the Illinois Investment Policy Board was set to place the company on its blacklist, which would have barred state-run pension systems from investing in Morningstar.

According to complaints first raised by Jlens, which advocates for Israel in the investing world, Morningstar's subsidiary Sustainalytics steers investors away from Israel by improperly inflating the country's risk and controversy ratings — which, for Jlens and its allies, amounts to an antisemitic boycott of Israel.

"By its purchase of Sustainalytics in 2020, Morningstar has joined the anti-Israel and antisemitic boycott, divest, sanction movement, and is profiting from and promoting products and services that discriminate against and promote divestiture from Israel," Jlens CEO Julie Hammerman told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency by email.

The dispute between Morningstar and pro-Israel activists is the latest front in the battle against the Israel boycott. Investors who want to put their money into socially responsible companies look to companies like Morningstar to screen for environmental, social and governance behavior, or ESG.

Because Israel is the frequent target of United Nations condemnation and has been criticized by several human rights groups, most recently Amnesty International, Israel supporters worry that companies such as Morningstar, unwittingly or under pressure from the boycott Israel movement, will add Israeli companies and companies to business in Israel to lists of bad corporate actors, causing capital to flee the country.

The only job of the seven-member Illinois Investment Policy Board is to ensure that state-run pension systems comply with an Illinois law against investing in certain companies doing business in Iran and Sudan, and prohibiting investments in companies that boycott Israel.

"We would be wholly justified in adding Morningstar to the state's list of prohibited investments today," said Andrew Lappin, chair of the board's Committee on Israel Boycott Restrictions, at its last quarterly meeting on Dec. 22, according to his written comments, obtained through an Illinois public records request. "Morningstar is, however, asking us to kick the can down the road once again."

Lappin called Morningstar's announcement of a third-party investigation by the law firm White & Case "a striking departure from its public statements over the past year." He said he agreed to delay the decision on Morningstar until the board's meeting in March when the investigation's findings are expected to be available.

Lappin is one of three members of the investment policy board who have ties to pro-Israel organizations. All were appointed by Illinois governors. A fourth member was also a gubernatorial appointee, and the three remaining seats are filled by representatives of Illinois' public pension systems.

Morningstar would be the first U.S.-based company to be placed on the list of companies that boycott Israel, joining 40 other firms from around the world.

The most recent company to make the list is the British conglomerate Unilever, the parent company of Vermont ice cream brand Ben & Jerry's, which announced last year that it would no longer allow its ice cream to be sold in the West Bank. Ben & Jerry's said it was "inconsistent with our values" for the ice cream to be sold in Palestinian territory that was occupied by Israel.

The announcement from Ben & Jerry's was one of the most prominent rebukes of Israeli policy by a major company. And even though it was targeted at sales beyond Israel's Green Line and not Israel proper, the movement to boycott, divest from and sanction Israel, known as BDS, embraced the move as a victory. It also drew widespread consequences for the company as Illinois and other states quickly triggered their newly written anti-BDS laws to punish Unilever.

Increasingly, investors seeking to "do well by doing good" are weighing their investments according to environment, social and governance, or ESG, factors.

"With the tremendous growth in ESG investment, this is the BDS tsunami we have to be focused on," Jay Tcath, executive vice president at the Jewish United Fund/Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago, told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. "Ben and Jerry's leaves a bad taste in one's mouth. But the Israeli economy and the Israeli palate really isn't threatened by Ben and Jerry's."

Tcath is part of a new task force of Jewish organizations paying close attention to Wall Street's tilt toward what's also called socially responsible investing. Convened by the Jewish Federations of North America, the task force includes Hammerman of Jlens, representatives from Jewish communal organizations in states with anti-BDS laws, and staff from the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, a right-leaning think tank.

The task force is examining to what extent companies engaged in the ESG movement are targeting Israeli companies and companies doing business in Israel.

"Jewish Federations along with other Jewish organizations have been concerned about some ESG companies appearing to unfairly single out Israel when scoring investment risks," Elana Broitman, JFNA's senior vice president of public affairs, told JTA by email. "This could well violate various anti-BDS state laws."

In Illinois, Tcath has been advising Lappin and other committee members. Emails obtained through an Illinois public records request show that Tcath and Lappin collaborated to devise a list of demands Lappin presented to Morningstar at the December meeting.

A senior official of the Chicago Jewish federation, Tcath said he has devoted considerable time to his work on Morningstar amid his regular federation responsibilities. "But this issue merits almost any expenditure of time, and not just by me," he said.

Another member of the task force is Richard Goldberg, who works for the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies as a senior advisor. He authored Illinois' anti-BDS bill while serving as chief of staff to then Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner, a Republican who lost his seat in 2018 to Democrat J. B. Pritzker.

During his first year in office, Rauner appointed four members to the board. They included Mitchell Goldberg, the brother of Richard Goldberg; Lappin, a longtime acquaintance of Richard Goldberg who serves on the board of several Israel advocacy groups, and Alicia Oberman, then executive director of the Jack Miller Family Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to defending Israel.

In 2018, the Rauner appointees set their sights on Airbnb after the company said it would stop listing vacation stays that are located in the West Bank. Later, however, Lappin began worrying that the push against Airbnb would fail, according to an email he sent to Tcath that turned up in an Illinois public records request.

Lappin wrote on Dec. 12, 2018, that two things combined to make him fret: Airbnb presented a "robust" defense to the board, and Illinois residents voted Rauner out of office. A new governor could choose to replace the board members with his own people.

In its defense, Airbnb said it opposes the Israel boycott and that it had been coming under continued attacks from BDS activists. The company noted that it did a lot of business in Israel and sees very little revenue from the few West Bank listings that appear.

Lappin wrote that he and his fellow Rauner appointees, Goldberg and Oberman, could see through this defense.

But he worried that new board members appointed by the incoming governor would not be "as fiercely committed to the principle and the nuance, within the context of the committee's mission, of protecting Israeli sovereignty, and as regards to Judea & Samaria, appreciative of the dire strategic ramifications that would result from failing to do," according to the email, which refers to the West Bank using its official Israeli name.

Lappin never had a chance to find out. After Pritzker took office he proceeded to strip various commissions and boards of Rauner appointees, but he didn't touch the Illinois Investment Policy Board. Later on, when Mitchell Goldberg resigned from the board to become a judge, Pritzker, a Democrat, appointed a Republican, Sidney Mathias. A former member of the Illinois House of Representatives, Mathias also once served on the board of Jewish United Fund/Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago.

In the end, the Illinois board never had to make a decision about blacklisting Airbnb because the company backtracked in April 2019 and pledged in a letter to the board that it would not engage in a boycott of Israel.

The campaign targeting Morningstar traces back to April 2020, when the Chicago company announced it was acquiring full ownership of Amsterdam-based Sustainalytics. The Dutch company is one of the main global firms offering ratings of companies based on their social responsibility, and Morningstar wanted a bigger presence in the fast-growing ESG market. A Bloomberg Finance analysis from last year projected that financial assets classified as ESG investments will reach $53 trillion by 2025.

The announcement of the planned deal alarmed the pro-Israel group JLens, which shared its longstanding concerns about Sustainalytics' alleged bias against Israel with Morningstar. The company ignored Jlens and closed the deal. A few months later, Jlens secured a meeting with Morningstar staff and began a dialogue that ended in January 2021 with Jlens placing Morningstar on its "Do Not Invest" list and publicly accusing the company of supporting BDS.

According to Jlens, Morningstar was guilty of doing so in numerous ways.

Jlens said the company pressures other companies targeted by BDS to cave and divest from Israel, and  elevates the controversy ratings of certain companies, which causes investors interested in socially responsible finance to avoid doing business tied to Israel. It said the company disproportionately focused on Israel in its investments screens for human rights abuses.

Also in January 2021, Jlens reached out to the executive chairman of Morningstar's board of directors and raised the issue at the company's annual shareholder meeting. The organization introduced a shareholder proposal that would require the company to produce a report on the risks of its "economic activism."

Morningstar's board shot down the shareholder proposal. In March 2021, however, the company announced it had carried out an internal review of the claims against it, and the review "found no systematic bias and concluded that the claims are false."

It was soon after that Morningstar landed in the crosshairs of the Illinois Investment Policy Board.

Tcath, whose office at the Jewish federation is a short walk away from Morningstar's headquarters in downtown Chicago, also got increasingly involved. He had been thinking about the jeopardy to Israel from the rise of ESG investing for years, and wrote an article about it in 2017, titled "The Next BDS Battlefield."

One of the challenges in tracking what is happening in the ESG market is the limited access to data. The ratings produced by companies like Morningstar are proprietary, and clients who purchase reports from the companies often sign nondisclosure agreements.

"We only know the little bit that we know because we've come across documents in a haphazard, happenstance way," Tcath told JTA.

One such document that Jlens chanced upon turned out to be important. Produced by Sustainalytics in 2020 for the Austrian asset management firm Erste, the report examined about 100 companies through the prisms of the environment, human rights, business ethics and labor rights.

Tcath and Jlens presented the report as a damning piece of evidence when they met with Morningstar's executive chairman Joe Mansueto in October. Tcath argued that Israeli companies were overrepresented in the report, noting that while Israel was one of 71 countries in a region encompassing Africa and the Middle East, it accounted for 50% of the companies on Sustainalytics' radar.

"There was no even attempted defense of that finding in my discussion with Morningstar officials," Tcath said.

He added that he didn't think the company had been intentionally hostile to Israel, but that it had been led astray because it relied on information provided by the UN and its agencies, which have repeatedly — and unfairly, according to Tcath and other Israel advocates — condemned Israel's treatment of Palestinians.

Morningstar declined to comment while the investigation by the law firm it hired was ongoing, but a spokesperson said that the company "takes seriously all questions and concerns around our research."

The December meeting of the Illinois Investment Policy Board, at which the board tabled the vote on Morningstar, drew a crowd. The normally sleepy quarterly gathering saw a lineup of speakers requesting to participate during the public comment period.

The main topic of attention was Ben & Jerry's, which was about to become blacklisted by the board. Representatives from a coalition of pro-Palestinian groups criticized Israel's human rights record with some arguing that the Illinois law against boycotters of Israel is being used to take away the ice cream maker's right to free speech.

"Ben & Jerry's, as a privately owned company run by two Jewish men, is well within their right to stop selling their ice cream in illegal, violent Israeli settlements stealing land from Palestinians in the West Bank," said Liz Bajjalieh, from the advocacy groups Peace Action and Just Foreign Policy.

(Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield are the Jewish founders of the ice cream company but they sold it to Unilever in 2000 and have not run it since.)

"This law is just another example of Palestinian exceptionalism, where Palestinians are told that when they demand justice, they're going too far," Bajjalieh added.

A unanimous board ruled that the Unilever subsidiary had violated Illinois law and was therefore ineligible for investments by state-run pension systems. More than 30 states have passed anti-BDS laws and nearly 10 have taken action against Unilever following the announcement by Ben & Jerry's. 

Up next, at the board's March 22 meeting, is the matter of Morningstar.




UPDATE NOVEMBER 2, 2022:

Morningstar Financial Services Firm Announces New Steps to Fight Anti-Israel Bias
https://combatantisemitism.org/latest-news/morningstar-financial-services-firm-announces-new-steps-to-fight-anti-israel-bias/

The Chicago-based Morningstar financial services firm announced new commitments this week to ensure its products are free of anti-Israel bias.

In June, after the conclusion in June of an independent investigation conducted by White & Case (W&C) LLP, Morningstar acknowledged that its Sustainalytics Human Rights Radar exhibited bias about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and discontinued the product. Morningstar also reiterated its opposition to the anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement.

In July, the Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM), Jewish Federations of North America, American Jewish Committee, Anti-Defamation League, Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations, Christians United for Israel, Hadassah, Jewish Funders Network, JLens, and The Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law published a joint letter calling for further action by Morningstar.

On Monday, at the Jewish Federations of North America's General Assembly in Chicago, Morningstar announced it would take the following steps:

bar the use of biased and unreliable sources from its reporting, such as the UN Human Rights Council and WhoProfits;

use geographic names (e.g., West Bank, East Jerusalem) in relevant regions, rather than terms such as "Occupied Palestinian Territory" or "occupied territory."

provide guidance to analysts ensuring that businesses operating in Israeli-Palestinian conflict areas or contributing to Israel's defense against terrorism are not treated as de facto violators of human rights;

remove references to the BDS campaign;

provide ongoing anti-bias and antisemitism training to relevant staff;

bring in independent experts to ensure ESG ratings do not single out and discriminate against Israel or hold it to a different standard than other countries;

review and update existing data and analysis to align with the commitments described above.

CAM Advisory Board Member Elan S. Carr stated, "We are thankful that Morningstar has engaged in this ongoing process with Jewish community leaders and appreciate the company's commitments to change its sources and methods. We are eager to see these changes yield bottom-line results in Morningstar's ratings, watchlists, and engagements relating to companies doing business in Israel."

[yankeedoodle]

Israel pulls the plug on its anti-BDS app — 'a failure from the start'
https://mondoweiss.net/2022/03/israel-pulls-the-plug-on-its-anti-bds-app-a-failure-from-the-start/?utm_source=mailpoet&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=daily-email-mailpoet

Act.IL, the pro-Israel app at least partially funded by the country's government, has been deactivated. It has existed since 2017.

"Keeping up with the evolving trends of social media, Act-IL is decommissioning the App, and will continue working with all of our other social medial platforms and community channels," reads an email to the app's users. "We are not going anywhere! I invite you to remain active, follow us on Instagram, Facebook and all our other channels where we will continue to share daily calls to action and impactful educational content."

"I want to personally thank all of you who have been engaging with our app over the years. It was a wonderful tool in its day, and we are excited to explore new innovative community platforms with you in an ever-changing digital world!," it continues.



The social network service enabled its users to earn prizes by defending Israel online and attacking the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement. For instance, a number of recent "missions" involve denouncing Amnesty International's report on Israeli apartheid.

https://twitter.com/AntiBDSApp/status/1488568955782549513?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1488568955782549513%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fmondoweiss.net%2F2022%2F03%2Fisrael-pulls-the-plug-on-its-anti-bds-app-a-failure-from-the-start%2F

The app was mainly developed and operated by pro-Israel civil society groups, but it also received funding from the Israeli government. A 2019 report from Electronic Intifada found that the campaign was operating with a budget of over a $1 million.

The campaign was first unveiled in 2017 by Gilad Erdan, Israel's former strategic affairs minister and the current Permanent Representative of Israel to the United Nations. At a Manhattan party Erdan declared that the country was launching an "Iron Dome of Truth" to combat online criticism of the country.

"The State of Israel is under constant attack by delegitimizers working to demonize Israel online and undermine our legitimacy as the nation-state of the Jewish people," said Erdan. "For this reason I am initiating an international effort to unite Israel's supporters around the globe and provide them with a platform that strengthens their activities, with tools that will help all of us fight hatred together, and with resources to spread the truth."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWD5xiiafBc

Michael Bueckert, vice president of Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East, has followed the app since its creation and started a Twitter account tracking its missions.

"I'm surprised that the app lasted this long. Its content was always embarrassingly amateurish, and its missions rarely seemed to have made an impact. In my view, the de-activation of the app just confirms that this project was a failure from the start," Bueckert told Mondoweiss. "It was destined to fail because the problem facing Israel today is not the result of misinformation or lies, but of a growing awareness of the reality of Israeli apartheid itself – and this is something that an app is incapable of solving."

[yankeedoodle]

Middle East Studies Association Members Vote to Ratify BDS Resolution in Referendum
80% of MESA's Participating Members Voted in Favor of Resolution In Solidarity With Palestinians Seeking Education Rights
https://mesana.org/news/2022/03/23/middle-east-scholars-vote-to-endorse-bds

Washington, DC – In a 768-167 vote, members of the Middle East Studies Association have voted in favor of a resolution endorsing the Palestinian call for boycotts, divestment, and sanctions of Israel as a way to hold the government accountable for ongoing human rights violations. All full 2022 MESA members were asked to cast their votes electronically on the proposed resolution during a 50-day voting period that lasted from January 31 through March 22. Now that the resolution has been ratified, MESA's Board of Directors will work in consultation with its Committee on Academic Freedom to enforce it in a manner consistent with MESA's bylaws as well as relevant U.S. federal, state, and local laws.

"Our members have cast a clear vote to answer the call for solidarity from Palestinian scholars and students experiencing violations of their right to education and other human rights," said MESA President Eve Troutt Powell. "MESA's Board will work to honor the will of its members and ensure that the call for an academic boycott is upheld without undermining our commitment to the free exchange of ideas and scholarship."

The resolution states that the boycott will not target individual students or scholars, and reiterates the right of individual MESA members to choose whether or not they wish to participate in an academic boycott. It calls for an academic boycott of Israeli institutions for their complicity in Israel's violations of human rights and international law through their provision of direct assistance to the military and intelligence establishments.

Right to education violations cited in the resolution include: "restricting freedom of movement for Palestinians; isolating, undermining, or otherwise attacking Palestinian educational institutions; harassing Palestinian professors, teachers, and students; harassing Israeli professors and students criticizing Israeli policies; destroying, confiscating, or otherwise rendering Palestinian archival material inaccessible; and maintaining inequality in educational resources between Palestinians and Israelis."

During the 50-day period MESA members were casting their votes, the Israeli government also published new procedures that would allow it to restrict the employment of foreign lecturers and researchers, the acceptance of foreign students, and fields of study at Palestinian institutions of higher education in the West Bank. MESA is still evaluating how the new procedures will impact its membership.

"Since 2005, the BDS vote has been discussed among MESA members, who have organized various forums for conversations and debates regarding participation in an academic boycott of Israeli institutions and other ways of standing in solidarity with Palestinian scholars at risk under Israel's longstanding military occupation," added Troutt Powell. "We affirm our commitment to academic freedom for Palestinians, and for all scholars in all countries throughout the region."

Resolution Regarding BDS (2022)

Passed by the membership at the 2021 MESA Members Meeting on December 2, 2021, and passed in a referendum vote on March 22, 2022.

Whereas, Palestinian civil society issued a call in 2005 for boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) against Israel; and

Whereas, Members of the Middle East Studies Association (MESA) have organized various forums for discussion and debate of that call through MESA's commitment to academic freedom; and

Whereas, International intergovernmental organizations and non-governmental organizations, including Palestinian and Israeli monitoring groups, have documented and verified successive Israeli governments' systematic violations of the human rights of Palestinians living under Israeli direct or indirect control; and

Whereas, Systematic violations include restricting freedom of movement for Palestinians; isolating, undermining, or otherwise attacking Palestinian educational institutions; harassing Palestinian professors, teachers, and students; harassing Israeli professors and students criticizing Israeli policies; destroying, confiscating, or otherwise rendering Palestinian archival material inaccessible; and maintaining inequality in educational resources between Palestinians and Israelis; and

Whereas, Israeli universities are imbricated in these systematic violations through their provision of direct assistance to the Israeli military and intelligence establishments; and

Whereas, The United States government has systematically shielded successive Israeli governments from being held accountable for such violations and facilitated them through unprecedented diplomatic, military, and economic support; and

Whereas, Recalling that the BDS campaign against Israel is one that targets institutions and not individuals; and

Whereas, Recalling that MESA recognizes the right of scholars to academic freedom as well as the right of scholars to choose whether or not to participate in an academic boycott; be it

Resolved, That the majority of the MESA membership:

      1)  Endorses the 2005 call of Palestinian civil society for BDS against Israel; and

      2)  Directs the MESA Board of Directors to work in consultation with the Committee on Academic Freedom to give effect to the spirit and intent of this resolution, in a manner consistent with MESA's bylaws as well as relevant US federal, state, and local laws.
https://mesana.org/about/resolutions

[yankeedoodle]

The Harvard Crimson, the student newspaper of Harvard University, and the oldest college newspaper in America, has published an editorial supporting BDS.

Editorials
In Support of Boycott, Divest, Sanction and a Free Palestine
By The Crimson Editorial Board
https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2022/4/29/editorial-bds/

When oppression strikes anywhere in the world, resistance movements reverberate globally. The desire for rightful justice spreads, like wildfire, moving us to act, to speak, to write, and right our past wrongs.

Over the past year, the Harvard College Palestine Solidarity Committee has strived to do just that. Amid escalating tensions between Israel and Palestine, PSC has hosted informational programming, organized weekly demonstrations of support through "Keffiyeh Thursdays," and even installed a colorful, multi-panel "Wall of Resistance" in favor of Palestinian freedom and sovereignty.

In at least one regard, PSC's spirited activism has proven successful: It has forced our campus — and our editorial board — to once again wrestle with what both Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have called Israel's "crimes against humanity" in the region.

We first and foremost wish to extend our sincere support to those who have been and continue to be subject to violence in occupied Palestine, as well as to any and all civilians affected by the region's bellicosity. We are not sure how these words will reach you, or whether they'll do so at all. But our stance isn't rooted in proximity or convenience, but rather in foundational principles we must uphold — even if (or perhaps especially when) it proves difficult.

This editorial board is broadly and proudly supportive of PSC's mission and activism, including its recent art display. The admittedly controversial panels dare the viewer to contend with well-established, if rarely stated, facts. They direct our eyes towards the property and land confiscations, citizenship denials, movement restrictions, and unlawful killings that victimize Palestinians day in and day out. Art is a potent form of resistance, and we are humbled by our peers' passion and skill.

In the wake of accusations suggesting otherwise, we feel the need to assert that support for Palestinian liberation is not antisemitic. We unambiguously oppose and condemn antisemitism in every and all forms, including those times when it shows up on the fringes of otherwise worthwhile movements. Jewish people — like every people, including Palestinians — deserve nothing but life, peace, and security.

Nothing about PSC's Wall of Resistance denies that. While members of our campus might well find its messages provocative, or disagree with their philosophical outlook, nothing about them is, in our view, worthy of that delegitimizing label. We have a certain community-wide tendency to dismiss opposing views as inherently offensive and unworthy, straw-manning legitimate arguments and obfuscating difficult but necessary discussions. Yet civil discourse and debate, even when trying, are fundamental steps towards a better reality.

Israel remains America's favorite first amendment blindspot. Companies that choose to boycott the Jewish state, or otherwise support the pro-Palestine Boycott, Divest, and Sanction movement face legal repercussions in at least 26 states. Even for journalists, openly condemning the state's policies poses an objective professional risk. Only last year, the Associated Press prompted outcry after firing a news editor over college-age tweets critical of Israel. The controversial decision followed a long-established pattern: Dare question Israel's policies or endorse Palestinian freedom and you will be shunned from the newsroom, past accomplishments or legitimate arguments be damned. For college students like ourselves, speaking bluntly about events in the region can prompt online harassment or even land you on a blacklist.

What this immense opposition to student activists and journalists makes clear is the overwhelming power imbalance that defines and constricts the ongoing debate. This stark power differential extends far beyond the arena of free speech, shifting from rhetorical to lethal on the ground in Palestine, where Israeli soldiers have killed nearly 50 Palestinians, including eight children, this year alone.

As an editorial board, we are acutely aware of the privilege we hold in having an institutional, effectively anonymous byline. Even on this campus, many of our brave peers advocating for Palestinian liberation can be found on watchlists tacitly and shamefully linking them to terrorism.

These twin factors — the extraordinary abuses and our privileged ability to speak to them and face comparatively less unjustified retribution — compel us to take a stand. Palestinians, in our board's view, deserve dignity and freedom. We support the Boycott, Divest, and Sanction movement as a means to achieving that goal.

In the past, our board was skeptical of the movement (if not, generally speaking, of its goals), arguing that BDS as a whole did not "get at the nuances and particularities of the Israel-Palestine conflict." We regret and reject that view. It is our categorical imperative to side with and empower the vulnerable and oppressed. We can't nuance away Palestinian's violent reality, nor can we let our desire for a perfect, imaginary tool undermine a living, breathing movement of such great promise.

Two decades ago, we wrote that divestment was a "blunt tool" that affected all citizens of the target nation equally and should be used sparingly. Yet the tactics embodied by BDS have a historical track record; they helped win the liberation of Black South Africans from Apartheid, and have the potential to do the same for Palestinians today. Israel's current policy pushes Palestinians towards indefinite statelessness, combining ethnonationalist legislation and a continued assault on the sovereignty of the West Bank through illegal settlements that difficults the prospect of a two-state solution; it merits an assertive and unflinching international response. The arguments made against BDS could have been and indeed were once made against South Africa, and we are no longer inclined to police the demands of a people yearning to breathe free.

We do not take this decision lightly. BDS remains a blunt approach, one with the potential to backfire or prompt collateral damage in the form of economic hurt. But the weight of this moment — of Israel's human rights and international law violations and of Palestine's cry for freedom — demands this step. As a board, we are proud to finally to finally lend our support to both Palestinian liberation and BDS — and we call on everyone to do the same.

Coming from the oldest continuously published campus daily in the United States, at the country's most selective college, the Crimson's support is certain to fuel concerns from pro-Israel advocates that college campuses are inhospitable to students who support Israel.
https://www.jta.org/2022/04/29/united-states/harvard-crimson-endorses-bds-movement-while-rejecting-antisemitism-in-potent-symbol-of-campus-sentiment-about-israel

[yankeedoodle]

Court overturns French ban on Palestine solidarity groups
https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/ali-abunimah/court-overturns-french-ban-palestine-solidarity-groups

Emmanuel Macron's war against campaigners for Palestinian rights suffered another big setback on Friday.

The Council of State, which acts as France's supreme court ruling on government actions, suspended the president's order banning two Palestine solidarity groups.

The court upheld the right to call for a boycott of Israeli goods and found the government's accusations of "anti-Semitism" against the two groups to be unfounded.

In February, on Macron's instructions, interior minister Gérald Darmanin ordered the dissolution of Collectif Palestine Vaincra (Palestine Will Win Collective) and Comité Palestine Action (Palestine Action Committee).

The government accused the two groups of inciting hatred and violence in relation to Israel.

https://twitter.com/DissolutionCPV/status/1520022689750163456?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1520022689750163456%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Felectronicintifada.net%2Fblogs%2Fali-abunimah%2Fcourt-overturns-french-ban-palestine-solidarity-groups

In a summary of its rulings , the Council of State said it suspended the government orders after finding no evidence "that the positions taken by these groups, although clear-cut and even virulent, constitute a call for discrimination, hatred or violence or a provocation to commit acts of terrorism."
With respect to the Palestine Action Committee, the court ruled that the government's order was "a serious and manifestly illegal violation of the freedom of association and freedom of expression."

In a finding relevant to the Palestinian-led BDS – boycott, divestment and sanctions – campaign, the Council of State stated that "the call for a boycott of certain Israeli products by Collectif Palestine Vaincra cannot by itself justify a dissolution order in the absence of other provocations inciting hatred and violence."

That is in tune with the unanimous June 2020 decision by the European Court of Human Rights that France's criminal prosecutions of activists who have called for such boycotts violate fundamental guarantees of freedom of expression.

The Macron administration has been trying to sidestep that European ruling in order to continue its pro-Israel repression.

No evidence of anti-Semitism

In a blow to efforts to equate criticism of Israel and its Zionist state ideology with anti-Jewish bigotry, the Council of State found that the government failed to provide evidence of "anti-Semitic acts" by the two groups.

The full ruling on Palestine Action Committee states flatly that "it is not established, contrary to the interior minister's claims, that the group disseminated anti-Semitic publications on its website."

The government must now pay around $3,000 to each of the groups. The ruling immediately suspends the order dissolving the two groups pending a final ruling expected at a later stage.

Decisions by the Council of State cannot be appealed.

Collectif Palestine Vaincra hailed the Council of State ruling for "reaffirming the legitimacy of supporting the Palestinian people" and said it was "celebrating that it could freely pursue its struggle."

The group thanked activists who had protested the government measure, and several solidarity organizations, including Association France-Palestine Solidarité and the Jewish-French Union for Peace (UJFP), that filed briefs in its support at the Council of State.

UJFP welcomed the ruling as a "victory against the criminalization of the solidarity movement."

https://twitter.com/contactujfp/status/1520358899861360640?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1520358899861360640%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Felectronicintifada.net%2Fblogs%2Fali-abunimah%2Fcourt-overturns-french-ban-palestine-solidarity-groups

Almost 11,000 people had signed a petition against the dissolution orders.

Palestine Action Committee said it "would like to dedicate this victory to the Palestinian people and their struggle."

https://twitter.com/ComiteAction/status/1520398094013284352?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1520398094013284352%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Felectronicintifada.net%2Fblogs%2Fali-abunimah%2Fcourt-overturns-french-ban-palestine-solidarity-groups

This is the second major rebuke in the space of a week against Macron's violations of the fundamental rights of French citizens.

On Tuesday, the Council of State, overturned a government decree ordering the closure of a mosque in Bordeaux.

Macron's interior ministry issued the order earlier this year on the pretext that the mosque was spreading hatred against France and Israel and inciting terrorism.

"Milestone" concept in Germany

https://twitter.com/elsclegal/status/1518589224764780546?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1518589224764780546%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Felectronicintifada.net%2Fblogs%2Fali-abunimah%2Fcourt-overturns-french-ban-palestine-solidarity-groups

And in Germany last week, a court sided with the local Palestine solidarity committee against city authorities in Stuttgart.

The European Legal Support Center (ELSC), a group that defends free speech about Palestine, hailed the decision as a "milestone judgment" that "reaffirms the right to boycott."

Following a smear campaign in Israeli media, Stuttgart authorities began denying the solidarity group access to city premises and refused to advertise its events on the city's website.

The municipality cited the 2019 resolution passed by the Bundestag , Germany's lower house of parliament, smearing the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement as "anti-Semitic."

The German court affirmed that the Bundestag resolution is nonbinding, and that the Palestine solidarity group's activities are constitutionally protected free speech.

ELSC noted that this recent decision is "consistent with a growing trend in German case law, which upholds the right of activists to use public facilities for BDS-related events."

[yankeedoodle]

BDS victory: General Mills says it will divest from Israel
After a two-year campaign targeting the company, General Mills says it will stop making Pillsbury products on stolen Palestinian land
https://mondoweiss.net/2022/06/bds-victory-general-mills-says-it-will-divest-from-israel/?utm_source=mailpoet&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=daily-email-hgs-mailpoet

On May 31 General Mills announced that it divested its 60% stake in its Israeli subsidiary. For the last two years the company has been targeted by the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) over the fact that some of its Pillsbury products are manufactured in an illegal Israeli settlement.

General Mills's statement doesn't reference the BDS campaign and claims that the move simply reflects the company's "strategic choices about where to prioritize our resources to drive superior returns." Bodan Holdings, an Israel-based company who previously owned the other 40% of the business, will take over the entire operation. As AFSC points out on Twitter, it remains unclear whether Pillsbury products can still be made in the factory under General Mills's license agreement.

"General Mills' divestment shows that public pressure works even on the largest of corporations," said AFSC's Noam Perry in a statement. "With this move, General Mills is joining many other American and European companies that have divested from Israel's illegal occupation, including Microsoft and Unilever just in the last couple of years. We call on all companies to divest from Israel's illegal and brutal occupation of Palestine, and from the apartheid system it is part of. We congratulate General Mills on this decision and hope this is the first step in cutting all its ties to Israeli apartheid and toward respecting universal human rights."

Since 2002, General Mills has run a Pillsbury products in the Atarot Industrial Zone, a settlement that Israel illegally annexed during the 1967 war. A 2019 report on the settlement, put out by Al-Haq, documents how the factory impacts Palestinians still living in the area. "When they pour the flour [into the mixers which are outdoors], the flour comes into our house. Sometimes the bags of flour overflow into the house," explained one resident. In 2020 the United Nations identified General Mills as one of the 112 companies that are violating international law by operating in the occupied territories.

https://twitter.com/gaychelquacker/status/1308103278610145280?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1308103278610145280%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fmondoweiss.net%2F2022%2F06%2Fbds-victory-general-mills-says-it-will-divest-from-israel%2F

AFSC's No Dough For the Occupation was backed by human rights organizations like American Muslims for Palestine and Jewish Voice for Peace, as well as the Ainsworth United Church of Christ in Portland, Oregon. It was also endorsed by five members of the Pillsbury family, who published a Star Tribune op-ed in April 2021 calling for a boycott. "We take pride in seeing our family name associated with products sold around the world," it reads. "But in these times we no longer can in good conscience buy products bearing our name."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rpSWZvlcN3E

"As long as General Mills continues to profit from the dispossession and suffering of the Palestinian people, we will not buy any Pillsbury products," it continues. "We call on General Mills to stop doing business on occupied land. And we call on all people of good conscience and all socially responsible organizations across the globe to join in boycotting Pillsbury products until General Mills stops this illegal and immoral practice."

AFSC celebrated the announcement on social media. "General Mills' divestment shows that public pressure works even on the largest of corporations," wrote the group. "We call on all companies to divest from Israel's illegal and brutal occupation of Palestine, and from the apartheid system it is part of. We congratulate General Mills on this decision and hope this is the first step in cutting all its ties to Israeli apartheid and toward respecting universal human rights."

[yankeedoodle]

JEWISH REPORT EXPELLED FROM PRESS COUNCIL OF SOUTH AFRICA AFTER REPORTING ON "RACIST UNDERTONES" OF BDS CARTOON
https://antisemitism.org/jewish-report-expelled-from-press-council-of-south-africa-after-reporting-on-racist-undertones-of-bds-cartoon/

The South Africa-based newspaper, Jewish Report, has been expelled from the Press Council of South Africa.

The move comes after a November 2020 article in the Jewish Report, which reported the opinion of two experts on antisemitism who argued that there was antisemitic imagery used in a cartoon advocating for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) against Israel.

The cartoon, which was posted to the Facebook page of the South African Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (SA BDS) Coalition, showed a grotesque, overweight banker in a pin-striped suit, with the logo of Israeli-owned dairy company Clover Industries on one shoulder, shovelling money into his mouth while a much smaller worker is left with much less. The words in the image read, "Don't buy clover products!!" and "Don't feed Clover's greedy bosses!"

The caption on the post says: "Greedy bosses connected to apartheid Israel. Blood curdling milk [and cheese, yoghurt, etc.]. Every reason to boycott Clover! Change your brand. Viva GIWUSA [General Industrial Workers Union of South Africa] and the struggle for a living wage! Clover was recently permitted by the Competition Commission and the department of trade and industry to be owned by Central Bottling Company (CBC), in turn owned by Milco, an Israeli concern operating in the Occupied Territories. The unions and Palestine solidarity organisations jointly submitted objections to the Competition Tribunal. Our objections were ignored."

Milton Shain, an Emeritus Professor of History at the University of Cape Town, said that, although the cartoon is not an obvious representation of a Jewish capitalist, "it has enough resonance with age-old antisemitic images and tropes."

David Saks, from the South African Jewish Board of Deputies, agreed, saying that the image "helps confirm suspicions that stereotypes of greedy, exploitative Jews are being used to fuel the anti-Israel positions held by the various trade unions."

Following the publication of the Jewish Report article, and a complaint by a member of the Palestine Solidarity Alliance on behalf of the SA BDS Coalition and the General Industrial Workers Union of SA (Giwusa), the Press Council of South Africa, which offers its members a code of ethics to guide South African journalists, expelled the Jewish Report. This is the first time in twenty years that the Council has expelled a member.

In response, the Chairperson of the Jewish Report, Howard Sackstein, issued a statement saying: "Through its failure to recognise the racist undertones of the cartoon, the Press Council became party to the perpetuation of racism, hatred and bigotry in South Africa. By calling on the South Africa Jewish Report to apologise to racists, the Press Council discredited itself and failed the people of South Africa."




Here's the cartoon they don't like:

[yankeedoodle]

Big Thief cancel Israel concerts following backlash
The indie rock band Big Thief has canceled its Israel concerts after backlash from the BDS movement.
https://mondoweiss.net/2022/06/big-thief-cancel-israel-concerts-following-backlash/?utm_source=mailpoet&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=daily-email-hgs-mailpoet

The indie rock band Big Thief has canceled two concerts in Israel that were scheduled to take place in July. Palestinians had urged the band to embrace the BDS movement and cancel the shows.

The move comes less than a week after the band put out a statement defending their decision to play in Tel Aviv, where bassist Max Oleartchik grew up and currently lives. "We are well aware of the cultural aspect of the BDS movement and the desperate reality of the Palestinian people," it read. "In terms of where we fit into the boycott, we don't claim to know where the moral high ground lies and we want to remain open to other people's perspectives and to love beyond disagreement. We understand the inherently political nature of playing there as well as the implications. Our intention is not to diminish the values of those who support the boycott or to turn a blind eye to those suffering. We are striving to be in the spirit of learning."

A new statement posted to social media explains the band's change of heart.

"Since announcing these shows in Israel we have been in constant dialogue with friends, family, BDS supporters, allies, Palestinians, and Israeli citizens who are committed to the fight for justice for Palestinians," it reads. "It has been the only thing on our minds and in our hearts."

"Our intent in wanting to play the shows in Tel Aviv, where Max was born, raised, and currently lives stemmed from a simple belief that music can heal," it continues. "We now recognize that the shows we had booked do not honor that sentiment."

Big Thief's decision was celebrated by human rights organizations on social media. "We salute Big Thief's courage and their willingness to listen to the oppressed," said the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI) in a statement. Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) tweeted, "BDS Victory!..CJPME would like to thank Big Thief for acknowledging the cultural boycott and showing respect to the Palestinian people."

The Barby, the Israeli concert venue Big Thief was scheduled to perform at, attacked the band in a social media post, calling them "a bunch of miserable spineless musicians who are afraid of their own shadow," They also referred to BDS as "Nazi fear boycotts" and wished Big Thief "all the evil in the world."

Big Thief played Tel Aviv in 2017 and was scheduled to return in 2020 before the COVID pandemic.

[yankeedoodle]

BDS Victory: Sydney Festival Halts Foreign Government Funding after Mass Boycott
https://www.palestinechronicle.com/bds-victory-sydney-festival-halts-foreign-government-funding-after-mass-boycott/

The board for one of Australia's biggest cultural festivals announced on Tuesday the immediate suspension of investments from foreign governments, a year after the event was rocked by controversy over funding from the Israeli embassy.

The Sydney Festival board announced the decision after "an independent review into the role of international government investment" commissioned by the festival board, according to its statement.

https://twitter.com/sydney_festival/status/1574610288640462865?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1574610288640462865%7Ctwgr%5E9e30a98739acd109bd69b71e0ac1af063a18ca46%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.palestinechronicle.com%2Fbds-victory-sydney-festival-halts-foreign-government-funding-after-mass-boycott%2F

"Sydney Festival has today announced a range of important measures to improve the decision-making process around partnerships and sponsorships ahead of the Sydney Festival 2023 Program Launch," the statement read.

"This includes an immediate suspension of investment from international governments and their cultural agencies."

The boycott of the 2022 edition of the Sydney Festival began last December and took place after it was revealed that the three-week event had received tens of thousands of dollars of funding from the Israeli embassy in Australia.

The funding was meant to help pay for a dance production choreographed by an Israeli.

Israel had been listed as a "star partner" on the festival's website due to the sponsorship.

https://twitter.com/jennineak/status/1574622318126837760?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1574622318126837760%7Ctwgr%5E9e30a98739acd109bd69b71e0ac1af063a18ca46%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.palestinechronicle.com%2Fbds-victory-sydney-festival-halts-foreign-government-funding-after-mass-boycott%2F

Pro-Palestine activists slammed festival management for its decision to approve the funding and called for a boycott of the event.

More than 20 acts pulled out of the festival over the funding.

The 2023 edition of the festival is set to take place in January.