NOVANEWS
Dear All,
These are trying if interesting times. What will come out of them, hard to know. Tell me please, if you know or think you know, why Pres. Obama so opposes the Palestinians going to the UN and declaring themselves a state?
Of course a declaration will not produce a state. But neither will Netanyahu if he is not pressured very hard into ending the occupation.
The first of 6 items below is from the EAPPI recommending activities whose aim is ‘to encourage concerned communities and individuals’ to engage in activism.
Item 2, forwarded by Abraham Weizfeld, is amusing. It furnishes a list of 18 pro-Israel companies that one gentleman wants to induce friends to support—Well, what do you and I do with pro-Israel companies? That’s right! Boycott.
In item 3 Merav Michaeli comes down hard on Netanyahu for not wanting peace.
In item 4, Neve Gordon says that if Netanyahu does not go for the 2-states, he’ll end up with one bi-national state. I hope not. One state, yes, but not binational. That is a prescription for failure. One secular state for whomever wants to live here, with equal rights for all citizens is quite a different animal from a bi-national state.
Item 5 is from a friend, Smadar Carmon, who relates an experience that she had at the Israeli Embassy in Canada.
Item 6 is a link to a video (about 7 minutes) showing Israeli soldier brutality. Incredible! If parents knew what their sons (and some daughters, too) were doing during their stint in the military they might encourage their children not to join.
All the best,
Dorothy
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1. From EAPPI Communications Officer <eappi-co@alqudsnet.com>
Dear Friends,
From Sunday onwards, Palestinians and Israelis will be praying for peace in front of several Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, the separation wall and in houses of worship in Jerusalem and across Palestine.
They will be part of a worldwide effort to affirm the human dignity and rights of all peoples through the World Week for Peace in Palestine Israel, an initiative of the Palestine Israel Ecumenical Forum (PIEF) of the World Council of Churches (WCC), taking place from 29 May to 4 June 2011.
The aim of the week for peace is to encourage concerned communities and individuals to make a common witness by participating in worship, educational events, and acts of advocacy in support of a just peace for Palestinians and Israelis.
“With the Palestinian-Israeli peace process at a standstill, people of faith are increasingly searching for ways to express their support for a just and lasting peace for all in Palestine and Israel,” says the Rev. John Calhoun, the convenor of the World Week for Peace in Palestine Israel. “The WCC has set aside this period of seven days to encourage churches and individuals to worship and pray, to educate and be educated, and to take action in support of a peaceful and just end to the occupation of Palestine, in accordance with United Nations resolutions.”
The common focus of this year’s events is Jerusalem. Policies and actions taken by the Israeli government in occupied East Jerusalem continue to threaten the future of Jerusalem as a viable home for two peoples – Palestinians and Israelis – and three faiths – Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
Furthermore, the restrictions on access by Palestinians to places of worship in Jerusalem, the demolition of Palestinian homes in East Jerusalem in order to expand illegal settlement building, and the denial of Palestinians’ right to family reunification in the city, as well as the withdrawal of the residency permits to many Palestinians, as is the case with Bishop Suheil Dawani of the Anglican Church in Jerusalem, constitute grave violations of basic human rights.
The activities planned for the week demonstrate the initiative’s commitment to peaceful action in support of a resolution to this long running conflict. Local church groups and peace activists will advocate with government officials and community leaders through educational seminars, open forums and public demonstrations focusing on the urgent need to bring to an end the ongoing injustices taking place in the region.
The WCC invites member churches, religious and community organizations, and all people of faith to join with peacemakers in the region and around the world by participating in the events of the week.
For more information on the World Week for Peace in Palestine Israel, and to view a list of events being planned by country, please visit the initiative’s website atwww.worldweekforpeace.org, or send an email to the convener, Rev. John Calhoun, at calhoun.wwppi (at) gmail.com
WCC media contacts: Michel Nseir, Michel.Nseir (at) wcc-coe.org (+41-22-7916052) or Ranjan Solomon, ranjan.solomon (at) wcc-coe.org,
Website of the Palestine Israel Ecumenical Forum:
pief.oikoumene.org.
Paul Adrian Raymond
EAPPI Communications Officer
Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel (www.eappi.org)
Office: +972 2 6289402 (ext. 109)
Orange: +972 54 7379766
Jawwal: +970 59 7027468
For updates from EAPPI, please join our Facebook group
Find EAPPI fact sheets on our website.
World Council of Churches
P.O. Box 741
91000 Jerusalem
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2. Companies to Boycott
Forwarded by the JPLO List
From: WILLIAM FRIEND [mailto:zevei@optonline.net]
One of my old frat bros who is ardently (yes that is the correct word. He lives the dream, but apparently not enough to actually move there and live in THAT dream) Zionist sent this out. Of course, his intention is to let everyone on his list know whom to patronize.
Naturally I didn’t send him an email thanking him so that I now know whom to boycott. I don’t really deal with most of these companies.
I prefer Dunkin’ Donuts to Starbucks (to harsh and smokey to my taste); I don’t drive a tractor, and I sure as hell don’t watch Faux News. I do however prefer Coke to Pepsi, but there it is the Mexican Coca-Cola which is sold in the old fashioned bottles at Costco and tastes the way Coke USED to taste when I was a kid, and we would mostly get it at a fountain at a corner candy store.
Mexican coke is made with real cane sugar not that crappy high fructose corn syrup.
Z
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Pro-Israel Companies:
Here is a list of 18 companies that we should go out of our way to support, and the reasons why.
Israel ‘s country prefix is ‘729’ on barcodes. You will typically only see it on imported foods, and not on the products listed below, as many of the companies below are American companies that financially support Israel.
1. The Chairman and CEO of STARBUCKS , Howard Schultz, is an active Zionist. In 1998 he was honored by the Jerusalem Fund of Aish HaTorah with ‘The Israel 50th Anniversary Friend of Zion Tribute Award’ for his services to the Zionist state, ‘in playing a key role in promoting close alliance between the United States and Israel’. At a time when other businesses were desperately pulling out of Israel, Starbucks decided to help Israel’s floundering economy, and invest in Israel. It has been revealed that Starbucks still continues to support Israel by sponsoring fund raisers for Israel.
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2. THE LIMITED STORES: Express, Lerner New York, VICTORIAS SECRET and BATH & BODY WORKS: The Limited, Inc. was founded by Leslie H. Wexner in 1963 in Columbus, Ohio. Includes: THE LIMITED STORES, Express, Lerner New York, VICTORIAS SECRET and BATH & BODY WORKS, and employs over 115,000 people. It’s founder, president and CEO Les Wexner, is a Zionist. He is on the board of directors of Emet, the Pro-Israel Media ‘War Room,’ whose function is to ensure that all media in the US stays biased in favor of Israel. In 1984, Les Wexner, who is one of the world’s 200 wealthiest people, created the Wexner Foundation. It’s mission statement is ‘strengthening Jewish Leadership in North America and Israel.’ One of the programs the Foundation runs is the Wexner Israel Fellowship Program. The Wexner Foundation sponsors ‘Birthright Israel,’ a program that pays for young American Jews to take free indoctrination trips to Israel. It is also a long-standing supporter of Hillel, the bastion of Zionism on campus.
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3. THE HOME DEPOT : Its founder and co-chairman of the Board is an active Zionist. He created the board of directors of Emet, the Pro-Israel Media ‘War Room’ whose function is to ensure that all media in the US stays biased in favor of Israel .
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4. DISNEY : Walt Disneys Millennium exhibition at the Epcot Centre in Florida depicts Jerusalem as the capital of Israel . Of the 8 million dollars it cost to set up the exhibition, Israel contributed 1.8 million and worked with Disney to develop its content.
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5. AOL/TIME WARNER : AOL ALLOCATES 30% OF ITS INVESTMENT PORTFOLIO IN ISRAEL . (Can you believe it?!)
The buy up of Israeli company Mirabilis, creators of ICQ (internet chat program), for $287m in 1998 forms part of AOLs investment in Israel .
In 1998, Mr. Ted Leonsis, CEO of AOL studios (a business unit of AOL) received the Jubilee Award by the Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu. This is the highest tribute ever awarded by the ‘State of Israel in recognition of those individuals and organizations that through their investments and trade relationships have done the most to strengthen the Israeli economy.
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6. COCA COLA : From 1966 onward Coca-Cola has been a staunch supporter of Israel . In 1997 the Government of Israel Economic Mission honored Coca-Cola at the Israel Trade Award Dinner for its continued support of Israel for the last 30 years and for refusing to abide by the Arab League boycott of Israel. In contrast Pepsi abided by the Arab League boycott of Israel which ended in May 1991, after 1992 Pepsi is also trading in Israel . In 2001 the Coca-Cola World Headquarters hosted and was the main sponsor of the American-Israel Chamber of Commerce Awards Gala. It has been revealed that Coca-Cola Israel sponsors training programs for its workers on subjects including the Israeli-Arab conflict. The course content is created by a company funded by the Jewish Agency and the Israeli government. In July 2002, it has been announced that Coca-Cola is to build a new plant at Kiryat Gat.
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7. ESTEE LAUDER : Estee Lauder’s chairman, Ronald Lauder, also one time chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, is the current president of the Jewish National Fund (JNF) – Ronald Lauder is an ardent Zionist.
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3. Haaretz Monday, May 23, 2011
Latest update 01:45 23.05.11
The Israeli reality that Obama doesn’t understand
It’s impossible to understand why a country and a people continue to refuse to do the right thing, something that could have been done a long while back.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/opinion/the-israeli-reality-that-obama-doesn-t-understand-1.363442
By Merav Michaeli
“President Obama doesn’t understand the reality,” according to “associates” of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who spoke after the meeting between the two leaders. And when that is the headline of the daily Yisrael Hayom, it is clearly Netanyahu’s headline: “President Obama doesn’t understand the reality.”
You can’t blame him: It really is impossible to understand this reality. It’s impossible to understand why a country and a people continue to refuse to do the right thing, something that could have been done a long while back, and prefer to continue to bang their heads against the wall until blood flows, with absolutely no logic, literally amok, like someone who has gone insane. It’s hard to understand a reality in which a prime minister sits and, contrary to all logic and every code of conduct, arrogantly lectures his host, the president of the United States. It’s hard to understand a reality in which a day before their scheduled meeting, a prime minister responds to the speech of the U.S. president, who is about to host him, with an announcement that is as good as spitting in his face.
So President Obama, here is the reality: The reality is that in the prime minister’s own reality show, he is “the leader of a persecuted people” and he likes being “the leader of a persecuted people.” That is why no reality in the world has ever convinced our leaders to stop being a persecuted nation. Even Abe Foxman, the chairman of the Anti-Defamation League, who can’t be accused of being a leftist, says that Obama’s speech is not against Israel and is not bad for Israel and that it includes many things that are good for Israel, but that doesn’t make any impression on Bibi Netanyahu and his friends.
But it’s not only you, Mr. President. Nine years ago, the 22 Arab League countries submitted a proposal for ending the conflict with the Palestinians and for full normalization with them. The leaders of the people that insist on being persecuted chose not to confuse themselves with the fact that 22 Arab countries were recognizing Israel and accepting its right to exist in peace alongside them. That is why our leaders simply ignored it. To the point where barely 15 percent of the Israeli public is even aware of the existence of the Arab initiative. That is why on Thursday, when we, members of the Israeli peace initiative delegation, presented the Egyptian foreign minister with the initiative that for the first time responds to the Arab peace initiative, he rightly said: For nine years the initiative has been on the table. Now you remembered?
The reality, Mr. President, is that change – thanks to which you were elected, and in which you believe – is the thing that Israel in general and Netanyahu in particular fear most. The reality is that the State of Israel has become accustomed to the present situation and does not recognize itself without it. Israel has existed longer with the occupation than without it; it has existed for most of its years with no border and is deathly afraid of change.
The reality is that Netanyahu never wanted or thought to initiate change. When he was elected two years ago, he understood that in order not to initiate change, he would have to play at negotiations that lead nowhere. But alas, there was nobody in the White House who would play this nice little game with him, and his true colors were exposed: He wants settlements, he wants occupation, he wants the situation as it is and sees no problem with it. And now, Netanyahu prefers confrontation. Confrontation with you, confrontation with the Palestinians, confrontation with anyone he sees as coming out against the persecuted people. The reality is simply that confrontation we already know, Mr. President, but peace we do not know at all.
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4. Al Jazeera
23 May 2011
Netanyahu and the one-state solution
Israel’s unwillingness to compromise on key issues might annul a two-state solution, making only power-sharing viable.
http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/opinion/2011/05/2011522124514911313.html
Neve Gordon
Netanyahu’s uncompromising stance is not grounded in unfolding events, and if his rejectionist policy continues, it will reinforce the idea of a bi-national one-state solution [GALLO/GETTY]
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will address US legislators on Tuesday. He will, no doubt, tell members of Congress that he supports a two-state solution, but his support will be predicated on four negative principles: no to Israel’s full withdrawal to the 1967 borders; no to the division of Jerusalem; no to the right of return for Palestinian refugees; and no to a Palestinian military presence in the new state.
The problem with Netanyahu’s approach is not so much that it is informed by a rejectionist worldview. The problem is not even Netanyahu’s distorted conception of Palestine’s future sovereignty, which Meron Benvenisti aptly described as “scattered, lacking any cohesive physical infrastructure, with no direct connection to the outside world, and limited to the height of its residential buildings and the depth of its graves. The airspace and the water resources will remain under Israeli control…”
Rather, the real problem is that Netanyahu’s outlook is totally detached from current political developments, particularly the changing power relations both in the Middle East and around the world. Indeed, his approach is totally anachronistic.
Netanyahu’s not-so-implicit threat that Israel will continue its colonial project if the Palestinians do not accept some kind of “Bantustan solution” no longer carries any weight. The two peoples have already passed this juncture.
The Palestinians have clearly declared that they will not bow down to such intimidations, and it is now clear that the conflict has reached an entirely new intersection.
At this new intersection, there are two signs. The first points towards the west and reads “viable and just two-state solution”, while the second one points eastward and reads “power sharing”.
The first sign is informed by years of political negotiations (from the Madrid conference in 1991, through Oslo, Camp David, Taba, and Annapolis) alongside the publication of different initiatives (from the Geneva Initiative and the Saudi Plan to the Nussaiba and Ayalon Plan), all of which have clarified what it would take to reach a peace settlement based on the two-state solution. It entails three central components:
1. Israel’s full withdrawal to the 1967 border, with possible one-for-one land swaps so that ultimately the total amount of land that was occupied will be returned.
2. Jerusalem’s division according to the 1967 borders, with certain land swaps to guarantee that each side has control over its own religious sites and large neighbourhoods. Both these clauses entail the dismantlement of Israeli settlements and the return of the Jewish settlers to Israel.
3. The acknowledgement of the right of return of all Palestinians, but with the following stipulation: while all Palestinians will be able to return to the fledgling Palestinian state, only a limited number agreed upon by the two sides will be allowed to return to Israel; those who cannot exercise this right or, alternatively, choose not to, will receive full compensation.
Israel’s continued unwillingness to fully support these three components is rapidly leading to the annulment of the two-state option and, as a result, is leaving open only one possible future direction: power sharing.
The notion of power sharing would entail the preservation of the existing borders, from the Jordan valley to the Mediterranean Sea, and an agreed upon form of a power sharing government led by Israeli Jews and Palestinians, and based on the liberal democracy model of the separation of powers. It also entails a parity of esteem – namely, the idea that each side respects the other side’s identity and ethos, including language, culture and religion. This, to put it simply, is the bi-national one-state solution.
Many Palestinians have come to realise that even though they are currently under occupation, Israel’s rejectionist stance will unwittingly lead to the bi-national solution. And while Netanyahu is still miles behind the current juncture, it is high time for a Jewish Israeli and Jewish American Awakening, one that will force their respective leaders to support a viable democratic future for the Jews and Palestinians living between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea. One that will bring an end to the violent conflict.
Neve Gordon is the author of Israel’s Occupation and can be reached through his website.
The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent Al Jazeera’s editorial policy.
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5. May 23, 2011
Hi Dorothy, I thought you might find this interesting and maybe even post it to your list.
All the best, Smadar.
My visit to the Israeli consulate, or, how to induce paranoia . . .
By Smadar Carmon (with help from my good friend Ellen Shifrin)
I needed a notary’s signature, and the cheapest way to do it was to go to my consulate here — yes, the Israeli consulate. When I called for information, the message said that notary services are available on Tuesdays. The following Tuesday morning I was there bright and early, only to find out from the guard, who gave me a dirty look for not knowing, that this was a holiday, Israeli Independence Day. The Tuesday after that I arrived to discover that I should have come earlier to join the line downstairs in the corridor which was quite long already, far exceeding the 40 people they would let in. However I did get to speak to a voice over the intercom; the voice said that the services I seek are available daily.
So today I got up very early after staying nervously awake most of the night. At 8:45 I joined the queue. Of course there were no chairs whatsoever. After standing for a while I learned that there was actually a list that I should have put my name on. Just after 9:30 a security person in a suit arrived and asked each of us what the purpose of our visit was. One lady had neither an Israeli passport nor did she speak Hebrew. These infractions immediately made her suspect; the suit asked her extra questions including where her parents were from. Everyone listened very attentively, and we heaved a collective sigh of relief upon hearing her parents were from “a right place”. Then the suit said he would return to give us a number, and that all our bags and electronics must be left behind. If we didn’t have a car to leave them in we had to use the services of a nearby variety store. This cost me two dollars (great idea for an entrepreneur).
I haven’t been in the Israeli consulate for over two years. Last time I visited, it was possible to just go upstairs. I guess since that visit, during which there was a slight breach of security, many things have changed!
Once we had our numbers there was still a long wait because the suit took only a few people at a time. Finally, I entered the elevator, rising to the most guarded of places in Toronto, the Israeli consulate. One by one we stepped up to the suit, showed him our papers, took off our coats, emptied our pockets, and submitted to the metal detector. While I waited for my turn, an RCMP officer came in; it seemed like he recognised me and my heart sank.
My turn came; the suit looked at my passport and asked me to state my name. The minute I said my name, everything changed. I swear that the guard even turned a little pale. He quickly told me that he had to check something, and disappeared behind the door into the consulate. I felt my ego inflating out of control! I was a threat to the Israeli security, one of the most notorious in the world!
When he returned, he asked for my name yet again. He proceeded to go through all my things, sending them and me through the metal detector. Then he told me that he knows who I am and he cannot let me in. However, he politely said, the staff will try and help me in whatever way they can. He also asked me if any of the women who were with me the last time were there as well. In response to my question about why he bothered to put me through the security check if he wasn’t going to let me in, he politely said that he wanted to make sure I was not armed (darn, I forgot my Uzi at home again . . .).
During the Gaza massacre, I was with a group of women who took over the consulate for a few hours while singing peace songs. For the Israeli security guards this was a big slap in the face: a country that prides itself on being one of the security leaders of the world was fooled by a group of women. Initially they tried to forcibly throw us out, but luckily for us the RCMP reminded them that we are in Canada, a country where laws are respected. The poor security guards had to suffer through a couple of hours before the police came and arrested us. They never pressed charges.
To finish the story, the suit finally returned with my document. He (again politely) told me that I should come back at 12:30 if I wanted their services.
Needless to say, I have no intention of going back. Although I still have citizenship with one of the world’s most oppressive countries, at least I no longer live there. For Palestinians who have been living there for centuries and don’t have the possibility of leaving, this kind of experience and much worse happens on a daily basis. During the Gaza massacre, I used my privileged status as a Jewish-Israeli white woman to join the women’s protest against Israel by taking over the consulate; Palestinians don’t have this privilege.
It is very interesting that the consulate staff is in such a heightened state of paranoia that they feel threatened by someone like me. This paranoia affects not only the feared people (me), but also others who waited with me; they too were treated as subhuman. At least I had had my chance to confront the occupation and massacre, even if it was only for a couple of hours.
20th of May, 2011
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6. From Rupa
I watched a great film yesterday made by an Italian film maker called PRIVATE.
Do watch it if you get a chance if not already seen.
IDF brutality for all to see……
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_0ke-HUgj4
