boycott

May 18, 2012December 11, 2020

Was JLo Pressured by Israel’s Hasbara Apparatus?

17 May 2012 UPDATE: JLo has not yet confirmed she will be entertaining apartheid Israel. Her management has been asked, we are waiting for a response. In June 2010, Reuters reported that Lopez made a choice to boycott playing in Turkish-held Cyprus:

“Jennifer Lopez would never knowingly support any state, country, institution or regime that was associated with any form of human rights abuse,” a statement on Lopez’s website said.

On 25 April, it was reported by Danielle Berrin for the Jewish Journal that a group of 30 leading music executives, entertainment lawyers, and talent agents met at the Ziffren Brittenham law offices with the infamous CCFP (Artists Against Apartheid has called for a boycott of the CCFP) and David Seigel ( the Counsel General of Israel in Los Angeles). Atar Dekel, the cultural attache for the Israeli Consulate was also a the lunchtime presentation.

Music moguls at the meeting represented artists such as Lady Gaga, Celine Dion, Aerosmith, Justin Timberlake and Jennifer Lopez.

Just 2 weeks after the article was published, the Israeli press and Israeli twitter accounts announced with great fanfare that Jennifer Lopez will perform for Israel in late 2012. Her planned performance most likely comes as a response to the intense pressure of the CCFP, as well as the Counsel General of Israel in Los Angeles.

The above tweet was created by the State of Israel Official Twitter Channel, which seems to be dedicated to using many artists’ good names to promote their agenda of hostility to Palestinians.

There is no doubt that the BDS movement can be effective enough to lead to democracy, justice and equal rights in Israel, so it scares those who are loyal to an Israel that excludes people who are not deemed good enough to be “privileged.” BDS also contributes to mass awareness of the present situation of apartheid in Israel. BDS is spreading because absolutely anyone can participate in it, and it is not necessary to travel to a protest or risk suffering from tear gas grenades. (Though many BDS movement volunteers certainly possess the passion to risk their lives to see freedom, justice & democracy for Palestinians and many do just that).

This seeming abuse of Jennifer Lopez in order to appease the CCFP and the Counsel General of Israel in Los Angeles is disturbing.

First, a concern exists over whether Lopez herself was informed of the boycott by whichever powerful music mogul who pulled the strings to get her on the Zionist State’s artist playlist.

Second, is Lopez expected to concur with the motives of the CCFP? Is she in any jeopardy if she does not comply with the Counsel General of Israel in Los Angeles’ expectations? It is hard to imagine that a 42 year old, self assured woman with a definite passion for woman struggling for their rights in Juárez, Mexico, (Lopez produced and starred in Bordertown), would close her eyes to the struggle that Palestinian woman must endure due to Israel’s siege on Gaza and forceful occupation of the West Bank.

Next, is Lopez aware of how her good name has already been used by the CCFP to promote the false notion that Israel is a safe haven for refugees among many other lies and deceptions on the CCFP website?

It takes true courage and a very powerful sense of meaning and self to stand up to the intense pressure that many artists face to perform for apartheid Israel. Playing on the wrong side of history most certainly creates an ugly stain on any artists’ resume.

Lopez has not confirmed her concert yet, and she may very well follow in the steps of Bruce Springsteen. Last November 2011, Springsteen’s name was plastered all over the Israeli press. He has yet to book a gig for Israel. He most likely understands that apartheid builds walls music cannot cross. It appears that the Boss won’t be bossed around by the music moguls. (See Springsteen, the Boycott, and Israel)

SOURCE

Related Links

While Israel uses African Americans for sexy hasbara, Interior Minister say ‘most African refugees are criminals’
On the hasbara from Israel’s ambassador to the US: “He is afraid of BDS. And calls it a more “sinister” tactic than what? Than violence? Yes; he would prefer violence. We don’t know how to fight Gandhi, the Israelis say.”
With implacable logic, Ilan Pappe explains why BDS of Israel is essential and will work to end its crimes against humanity.

Israel / Palestine Links

Israel can’t handle the truth about its crimes, bans history.
Lieberman’s macabre fascist opportunism is in the tradition of Herzl’s political zionism “the anti-semites shall be our best friends”
Despite its insidious, massively funded hasbara shillery, or perhaps partly because of it, Israel is on the nose.
How Israel’s apartheidists are (1) appropriating middle eastern cuisine (2) attempting to rebrand Nakba Day with their vile cultural appropriation, all during the Palestinian mass hunger strike.

From Kim Marie: ‘Seriously disgusting Zionist hasbara – Happy Hummus Day, which has been designated May 15, is being promoted on the web and FB. After seeing this on Sol’s FB page and his comment pointing out what “distasteful timing” it was, I started to do quick search – within in 3-5 mins it became clear that this part of a Zionist Hasbara campaign to rebrand Israel. If you look at the bottom left hand side of the Hummus Day website you will find the words “Innovation Israel Hackathon” – click on them and it takes you to a website by this name which states: “Innovation Israel Hackathon – Making Israel Go Viral! The Innovation Israel Hackathon is an initiative aiming to gather Israel’s brightest talent to make Israel go viral”. Everytime I think Zionist can’t get any more disgusting, I am always proven wrong – not only do they steal Arab culture/cuisine and trying to claim for themselves, they do so on a day that marks the destruction of Palestinian society by Zionism. Seriously how is this any different to Holocaust denial? ‘

MK Haneen Zoabi, who calls for equal rights, is vilified by disgusting rightwing racist, sexist “journalist”

April 26, 2012August 24, 2022

BDS Maroc : Rocking the Casbah with Anti-Normalisation

In the wake of BDS Maroc’s successful campaign against the orientalist Mediterranean Delight Belly Dance Festival in Marrakech, more anti-normalisation initiatives are in train. BDS Maroc is calling for cancellation of an Israeli company [HP Indigo] printing industry exhibition and associated sales activities, while Moroccan Palestinian solidarity organisations are demanding the Moroccan government criminalise normalisation with Israel.

Google translation of the BDS Maroc press release follows:

Moroccan activists critical of the high pace of normalization with the Jewish state under the Islamic government ‘Quds Al-Arabi’:
by BDS Maroc on Monday, 23 April 2012 at 08:07 ·

Rabat ‘Quds Al-Arabi’: embracing Hotel in Casablanca, Morocco’s special exhibition to produce an Israeli company in the industry of printing machines, to be held on the sidelines of the exhibition for the meetings with the actors, trade and economic specialists in the marketing of these products, and introduce them to Bmostagdadtha and urged them to market their goods advanced.

The law enforcement Moroccan activist Sion Osadon that the exhibition due to open next Monday ‘a big scandal, but a stab in the back of our Palestinian brothers who are in dire need of at this exact time to support and do what is necessary for a boycott of the Zionist entity’.

In a time of escalating protests of Morocco on the activities of normalization with the Jewish state, it is noted that there are points of deliberately raising the pace of normalization fields of multi-which explains Baharj government led by the ruling Justice and Development with reference Islamic and adopt a hard-line positions and participate Kiedjoh in the bodies of anti-normalization with the Jewish state.

Received Abdelilah Benkirane the prime minister and leader of the party last Wednesday, both of Khaled Sufiani coordinator of the work of national support Iraq, Palestine, Mohammad Alandlosa Ben Jelloun Secretary General of the Moroccan Association to support the Palestinian struggle and handed them a memorandum calling for the criminalization of normalization with the Jewish state legally and to issue instructions to all government institutions and sub- government of not doing any activity Ttabiei.

Although the company incubator of the exhibition Israel, has said that it deals with the ‘Belgian company and the other Spanish’, it recorded a web page allocated by the Moroccan company incubator of the show Israel that within the officials of the four representatives of the Israeli company HP Indigo, Vice President and General Manager of ‘Alon Barchana’, Israeli incumbent control of the Headquarters Central to the company in ‘Rehovot’, near Tel Aviv.

The newspaper ‘News Today’ Moroccan official source at the Ministry of Industry and Commerce and modern technologies it is not responsible for such events and not have the power to license or deny that the ‘ministry did not organize this meeting was not called for by any one, and since it is organized by the contractor Morocco, the the ministry does not intervene in the partnerships and relationships Moroccan businesses and imports of products’.

He considered that any official source product coming directly from Israel will not be able to enter the Moroccan market, ‘but if they have other ways to import the product factory in another country for example, there is no authority for us to prevent it from entering the Moroccan market.’

The ‘news of the day’ that the Israeli company’s products bear the stamp of ‘Made in Israel’, and that the first breakthrough achieved by the Israeli company was the Arab markets through the sale of one of the printers of the National Office of Airports of Morocco during the reign of former general manager.

The newspaper added that ‘serious in the policy of this company, it draws its marketing to the public procurements to provide ministries and public administrations Btabatha advanced, and turn in to the different methods to get those deals, knowing that the public administrations of Morocco does not need high-tech which is characterized by the HP Indigo ‘.

The date of the establishment of the Israeli company to the year 1977, by ‘Penny Wanda’, the slope of the Israeli parents for Jia to Poland during World War II, specializing in imaging and printing since his childhood, he joined through the studio of his father. He then continued his postgraduate studies in London before heading to Israel, and establishes the company ‘Indigo’ that after the success achieved over the years, attracted the attention of company ‘HP’ world famous in 2000, and invested $ 100 million to become the HP Indigo. The ‘Alon Barchana’, the mastermind of the company in the past two decades, and the man who took over planning for its partnership with HP and seeks to achieve a wider spread her world, armed with university Bashhadath obtained from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem.

The move comes in the context of initiatives normalization of sync, where he attended the Israelis in the parliamentary conference Mediterranean held in the Moroccan capital of the end of March last and the station broadcast the Moroccan second anniversary of the massacre of Deir Yassin, a documentary entitled Tinghir Gerazlem about the Jews in Palestine Mahtaatlh and the establishment of four officials Moroccans visit to Israel this week the past, and the Declaration of human rights Moroccan Sion Osadon that a delegation from the Moroccan farmers Moroccans will pay a visit to occupied Palestine to participate in the exhibition peasants of Israel, in the month of May next also organizes dancer Israel in the middle of May next in the city of Marrakech Festival of Dance-east.

The activities of Hewlett Packard in support of Israel’s criminal Occupation and Israeli defence industry have been well-researched by WhoProfits.

The Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories is maintained and preserved by daily practices of surveillance and control. In recent years, these practices have increasingly relied on technological mechanisms provided by international and local corporations. Hewlett-Packard (HP) is one of the companies that unable this technological supervision and oppression.

Through its subsidiary EDS Israel, HP is the prime contractor of the Basel System, an automated biometric access control system installed and maintained by HP in checkpoints throughout the occupied Palestinian territories (oPt).

Another control mechanism with which HP is involved, is Israel’s ID card system, which reflects and reinforces the state’s political and economic asymmetries as well as its tiered citizenship structure. HP was charged by the Ministry of Interior with the manufacturing of biometric ID cards for the citizens and residents of Israel (Jewish and Palestinians). In addition, HP also provides services and technologies to the Israeli army.

Furthermore, two of HP’s technological service providers in Israel are Matrix and its subsidiary, Tact Testware, which are located in the illegal West Bank settlement of Modi’in Illit. HP further participates in the “Smart City” project, implemented in the illegal West Bank settlement of Ariel, providing a storage system for the settlement’s municipality.

BDS Maroc also is urging exclusion from an Agriculture Exhibition at Meknes for products of companies with Zionist origins from stolen Palestinian land, and also the participation of a Moroccan delegation in the gallery of Agriculture Tel spring (on land 1948 ) between 15 and 17 May 2012.

A Google translation of this press release follows:

Marrakech, organized by the dancer from the Zionist entity brazenly defending the positions of Zionism,

– Expresses its satisfaction with the retreat of those responsible and salutes all those who contributed from near or far in the pressure on these bodies expose in its attempts to deepen relations with the Zionist racist regime at all levels, this time under the banner of art.

– Reflect the initiative of my DS Morocco in particular, has expressed its condemnation to display some brokers and unscrupulous merchants – the exhibition of international of Agriculture to be held in Meknes during this week – for the products produced by companies Zionist origins of Palestinian land stolen, and also the participation of a Moroccan delegation in the gallery of Agriculture Tel spring (land 1948 ) between 15 and 17 May 2012,

– Condemning the initiative my DS Morocco multiplicity of events that welcome the Moroccan authorities Bmanla the land of Palestine, another example is to accept the post player coming from the Zionist entity league tennis Fes …

– Calls on all national forces and created the Moroccan civil society to respond to the call of Palestinian civil society organizations to boycott 2005 “Israel”, divestment and sanctions (known as the call BDS)

To form a bulwark against the Zionist apartheid regime.

April 24, 2012

In the streets of Marrakech, a youth protest on bicycles and foot to launch anti-normalisation with and boycott of Israel was held last Sunday, presaging the spread of the BDS campaign to other centres in Morocco to coincide with Nakba (the zionist genocide of Palestinians in 1948) remembrance on May 15.

Google translation:

Launching campaigns against the normalization of youth from the streets of Marrakech

Was launched last Sunday in Marrakech youth campaign to educate public opinion, the local issue of normalization with the Zionist entity and which carried also calls for a boycott of products that support for “Israel.”

According to the campaign, Samir al-Rawi A young activists in the fight against normalization with Israel Palmdnah red, was in the form of tours bicycle and on foot with raised Palestinian flags and distributing awareness leaflets in Marrakech.

And began following tours in front of the Royal Theatre at 11 am and roamed the street Mohammed VI the Great that ended in the morning a tour inside the lighthouse, to be followed round the evening off at five o’clock pm from Square Alharta in the direction of Djemaa el Fna famous, where over there carrying a Palestinian flag large and chanting slogans against the normalization of the next episodes of the popular Djemaa el Fna.

He says Samir al-Rawi that the bodies involved, a coalition Moroccans Palestinian Intifada and the renewal student and bds maroc, played a crucial role in the abolition of Oriental Dance Festival in Marrakech, who will know the post dancers Israeli soldiers, prompting them to resume their activities of anti-normalization of the city center in a more creative and communicative with the citizens.

Activist Marrakech shows in connection with the “Hespress” that a group of Tenseekiet “coalition of the Moroccans, the Palestinian uprising” will organize the campaign in several towns within the Moroccan territory Karabat, Tangier, Oujda, and the following Altenseekiet is preparing to commemorate the first anniversary will be held on May 15, which coincides with the anniversary of Nakba, the celebration will be allocated where this subject is the organization of festivals and anniversary marches in support of the Palestinian people, pro-Aqsa Mosque and Jerusalem.

Tunisian BDS is also actively promoting anti-normalisation, holding a mass protest at the end of March.

April 21, 2012December 11, 2020

Campagne BDS France : Renaud Garcia-Fons, Don’t Play for Apartheid

French composer and double-bass player Renaud Garcia-Fons is scheduled at the White City festival in Tel Aviv, apartheid Israel on May 6th. This is the English translation of an open letter written to him by the French BDS Campaign, Campagne BDS France. Don’t Play Apartheid Israel (DPAI) has made a facebook calling on all the artists scheduled to perform at the festival to cancel: Don’t Play Tel Aviv White City – It’s Today’s Sun City.

Paris, 17 April 2012

Dear Renaud Garcia-Fons,

On 6 May next, you plan to give a concert in Tel Aviv at the “White City music festival”.

We are surprised to learn that you, who are attached to the respect for human dignity, would perform in a country which has been mocking international law for more than sixty years. We recall your participation in an “Orchestra for Peace” at the “Human Solidarity Concert” in Paris in 2002.

Miguel Angel Estrella, who was at your side during that concert, is today a member of the support committee of the Russell Tribunal for Palestine. The conclusions* of that tribunal at its recent session in Cape Town, South Africa, are unambiguous: Israel is responsible for grave violations of international law and is guilty of the crime of apartheid.

Renaud Garcia-Fons, are you aware that, while hundreds of music-lovers would be able to enjoy your talent in Tel Aviv, thousands of others would be deprived of it, being relegated behind a separation wall?

For decades the Palestinian people have been victims of Israel’s apartheid policy, which scandalously curtails their most elementary rights: their access to water, to education, to medical care, their freedom of movement.

A people under colonolisation in the West Bank, a people under a blockade in Gaza, a people under discrimination in Israel, added to the refugees whose right to return was recognized by the United Nations but never implemented by Israel. The international community closes its eyes while the Israeli government behaves with total impunity: its killing of hundreds of civilians in 2009 during the “Cast Lead” attack on Gaza; its constant military incursions in the West Bank and its military check-points there; the numerous inequalities between Jewish and Palestinian citizens of Israel regarding medical care, work, and public services; the thousands of uprooted Palestinians living as refugees all over the world; the peaceful activists participating in the Freedom Flotilla in 2010, killed in cold blood.

Faced with such injustice, Palestinian civil society decided in 2005 to launch the BDS campaign: boycott-divestment-sanctions against Israel as long as it does not respect international law. This movement, inspired by the struggle of the South Africans against apartheid, has now taken on international dimensions and the boycott of the State of Israel is growing everywhere.

Today, numerous artists have chosen not to perform in Israel as long as that state does not change its policies. In the film world, Ken Loach, Jean-Luc Godard, Meg Ryan, Dustin Hoffman and Mike Leigh, along with musicians such as Roger Waters, Brian Eno, Annie Lennox, Carlos Santana, Elvis Costllo, Gil Scott-Heron, Gorillaz, The Pixies, Massive Attack, Gilles Vigneault, Vanessa Paradis, have all cancelled their appearances which were scheduled in different Israeli cities.

By going to perform in Israel you would be participating in the normalisation of a colonial situation. Please don’t help to close the eyes of French citizens by acting as if nothing unacceptable is happening over there. We can readily imagine that you were unaware of the situation on the ground, but from now on you can no longer say “I didn’t know!”.

If you would like to have more details about the policies of the Israeli government, we would be glad to provide them.

Dear Renaud Garcia-Fons, we appeal to you to join the artists who are boycotting Israel as long as that state refuses to respect international law, and to cancel your concert at the festival in Tel Aviv.

With best wishes,

BDS French Campaign

CICP

21 ter rue Voltaire

75011 Paris

http://www.bdsfrance.org/

SOURCE

* http://www.russelltribunalonpalestine.com/en/sessions/south-africa/south-africa-session-full-findings-french

February 25, 2012December 11, 2020

Omar Barghouti on BDS at the Palestine Center

“Any self-respecting liberal should be able to support the principles of freedom, justice and equality anywhere in the world.”

“Israel does not represent all Jews in the world and they are not a monolithic group.”

“Apartheid is a universal crime.”

“Whether exiled Palestinians want to return to Palestine, it is their inalienable right to do so.”

“Cultural boycott has grown rapidly with many artists refusing to tour in Israel.”

“Peace to the oppressed is meaningless without JUSTICE.”

“Churches and Mosques have been co-opted by the Israelis and used as cattle barns, bars, etc.”

“Self determination = ending all three forms of Israeli oppression”.

“11.22 million Palestinians in the world. 69% of the population are refugees”.

“Equality or nothing!” -Edward Said .”

“93% of the land in Israel is for Jews only”.

“At the very least, do no harm. Remove your support for Apartheid.” “Refuse to support evil.”

(I asked via @USACBI “would you please ask Omar whether he thinks the increased mobilisation by Israel against BDS is measure of effectiveness? and whether he sees any other signals from Israel as to the effectiveness of BDS?”)

“Israeli anti-boycott law shows Israel sees boycott as threatening & drops last vestiges of true democracy.”

“Israel cannot bomb ideas and morals into submission, which is why Palestinians should maintain the moral high ground”.

My comment: not taking a firm stand against all bigotry, prejudice and racism is cognitively dissonant with any movement grounded in human rights and discredits such a movement. It is the argument which is necessary to attack, rather than make speculation about behaviour. Personal attacks are always poor fallacious substitutes for argument.

Related Links

Omar Barghouti at the University of Maryland: “BDS is not a central command, it’s not a political party — it’s a global rights movement,” Barghouti said. “At the core of this is our deep belief that moral right can and should prevail over military might.”

Palestine / Israel Links

Israel and the Palestinians: public opinion and public policy in Australia

February 10, 2012December 11, 2020

Thanks, Cat Power, for Cancelling Your Date with Apartheid

On Thursday 9th February 2012 Cat Power, Chan Marshall, cancelled her date with apartheid – a Tel Aviv gig scheduled for 12th February. Palestinian and Israeli anti-apartheid activists had written to her asking her to cancel, as had international activists including DPAI (Don’t Play Apartheid Israel) who set up a Facebook page, wrote to, messaged and tweeted Marshall.

Cat Power, Please Respect the Boycott of Apartheid Israel (Facebook page)

Cat Power: Listen to Palestinian Voices, Don’t Play Apartheid Israel (Open Letter)

Letter to Cat Power from Boycott from Within

During the day of Thursday 9th, Cat Power was looking for a gig in Ramallah on February 13th and soon was inundated with messages explaining that Palestinians didn’t want her to play in Ramallah, they wanted her NOT to play in apartheid Israel and to respect their call for BDS. Screenshots of her tweets below, click on images to enlarge.

Thanks are due to Cat Power who made this courageous decision to cancel, she should be very proud of her actions and proud to be part of the BDS campaign.

This is a good day for the BDS campaign, a great day for justice! We can only hope it inspires more artists to act in good conscience and not to play in apartheid Israel, artists like the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

The beat drops when the wall falls! One world, one love.

SOURCE

UPDATE 11/2/12

Cat Power’s cancellation gains international exposure via AP.

http://news.sky.com/home/showbiz-news/article/16167279

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/10/cat-power-cancels-israel-show_n_1267720.html

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle-east/rock-musician-cat-power-cancels-israel-show-citing-israeli-palestinian-conflict/2012/02/10/gIQAS8qc3Q_story.html

http://www.jta.org/news/article/2012/02/10/3091622/cat-power-cancels-tel-aviv-show

Haaretz’s contribution:

‘While the, currently relatively unpopulated, Facebook page could seem like a case of dealing with trivialities in the face of all-out war with Iran,” Israeli Madonna fans’ fears are not unsubstantiated, with a distinguished list of artists bailing out on Israeli shows in the last minute over political crises and wars.

In fact, later Thursday American singer-songwriter Cat Power announced on her Facebook page that she is cancelling her planned Tel Aviv show due to political reasons.

In a short statement, the U.S. singer said: “Due to much confusion in my soul, playing for my Israeli fans with such unrest between Israel and Palestine I can’t play, as I feel sick in my spirit.”‘

Meanwhile the whiny zionist press bleats misogyny and sexism, and includes a disgraceful tirade from Mairav Zonstein in +972 mag, which unfortunately and ironically (the campaign to persuade Cat Power to cancel was initiated by Australians including myself, I set up the facebook group on behalf of Don’t Play Apartheid Israel, messaged her and wrote on her wall, along with other DPAI members) is republished on the Australians for Palestine site. (Update 13/2/12 – Australians for Palestine were alerted and now changed the +972 mag story to this one 🙂 thanks for the solidarity!)

http://972mag.com/cat-power-cancels-show-in-israel-citing-confusion-in-my-soul/35080/

Dena Shunra’s comment below the +972 story is worth republishing:

Isn’t it tragic that free will extends to people who don’t agree with you, for whatever reason?

Cat Power – along with the many other artists and performers who have joined the BDS campaign – gets to make choices about her performance, even if you don’t like them.
And it is not hard to imagine why an artist might be appalled and disgusted to find out that what was billed as a performance in a cosmopolitan city would be barred from being viewed by people living a mere hour’s drive away – due to a diabolical system of permits.

It doesn’t take a political agenda to do the decent thing in such a situation.

Also note the reference by Henry to the 4000 year old animal husbandry manual:

There are, however, some outstanding ancillary issues on which we’re not all comfortable appealing to a 4000 year old text on animal husbandry as a final arbiter.

http://heebmagazine.com/cat-power-cancels-tel-aviv-gig-is-a-pussy/33144