Israel Ignores International Law

Systematically and Continuously . . .

The United Nations most recent report on the issues, dated March 9, 2015, states that:

". . . Israel continued to play a leading role in the establishment and the expansion of Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, in violation of international law, in particular article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention. The settlements continue to be a central source of  multiple human rights violations of Palestinians. In this context, Israel still largely fails to comply with its international obligation to protect the Palestinian population from violent acts committed by Israeli settlers, and to effectively prevent, and ensure accountability for, settler violence. Israeli policies and practices regarding access to Palestinian land have a negative impact on the rights of Palestinians, in particular their rights to an adequate standard of living and to work.

 "Israel must stop obstructing and restricting the access of Palestinians to agricultural land in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Disproportionate restrictions, mostly related to settlements, are putting Palestinian livelihoods at a great risk. Effective measures should be taken to ensure that Palestinians are able to have access to and cultivate their land on a continuous basis, beyond ad hoc mechanisms such as “prior coordination”.  In addition, security of land tenure must be ensured, including by means of measures allowing Palestinians to register without discrimination the land they have been using for long periods of time.

"Israel, as the occupying Power, is obliged to take all reasonable measures to prevent violent attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinians. Israel must ensure that all acts of violence committed by Israeli settlers against Palestinians and their property are investigated independently, impartially, thoroughly, promptly, effectively and in a non-discriminatory manner. Investigations should be open to public scrutiny and allow for the participation of victims. Alleged perpetrators should be prosecuted and victims should be granted an effective remedy.

"Israel must cease all settlement activity in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, as well as in the occupied Syrian Golan, and implement relevant United Nations resolutions, including Security Council resolution 497 (1981), and withdraw from the territories occupied in 1967.  Israel must also immediately cease the exploitation of natural resources from these territories." 


The full report is worth reading if you are not entirely familiar with the situation in the occupied West Bank and the occupied Syrian Golan. It is 17 pages long and contains sources and documentation:
http://www.securitycouncilreport.org/atf/cf/%7B65BFCF9B-6D27-4E9C-8CD3-CF6E4FF96FF9%7D/a_hrc_28_44.pdf

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The issues brought up in this report represent only some of the reasons why we boycott Israel.   We have 13 additional posts that cover quite a few more:  http://boycott4peace.blogspot.com/search/label/why%20we%20boycott

You may also want to explore some of the background on the conflict and how it began:
http://boycott4peace.blogspot.com/search/label/historical%20roots

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Be the Change!

Learn more about the boycotts here:
http://boycott4peace.blogspot.com/2014/12/boycott-list.html

Find letters and petitions to sign here:
http://boycott4peace.blogspot.com/search/label/Quick%20action

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Photo Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

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Boycott for Peace!

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Why We Boycott

While we have quite a few posts that document some of the very many reasons we boycott Israel; however, this gets right to the point:

 

To share on facebook please visit The International Palestine Network - Gaza's Page

original post here: https://www.facebook.com/GazaIPN/photos/a.811872472187958.1073741828.803745216334017/847798998595305/?type=1 

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To learn about some of the other reasons we boycott Israel, please check out our post on this thread:

http://boycott4peace.blogspot.com/search/label/why%20we%20boycott

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Israel's Predatory Economics

 
 

" . . . the trade policy that has existed between Israel and the Palestinian economy since 1967 is best described as an involuntary, one-sided, impure, customsunion."  

" . . .   all decisions were made by the Israeli authorities."

 "The Israeli occupation authorities operated as the long arm of the Israeli bourgeoisie, making it impossible for any Palestinian capitalist to obtain the thousand-and-one approvals required for establishing any large business without producing a document stating that he would not be competing with an Israeli company. In this manner, the authorities prevented the establishment of dairies, cement factories, food factories, and textile plants."

 " . . . for several years, restrictions in the form of trade barriers prevent Palestinian agriculture from competing in the Israeli market."

"The Palestinian territories also represent an important trading partner for Israel, being the second-largest export market for Israeli products (after the United States)."

 "Maintaining economic relations with the territories is very important to Israel."

 "Our mission is not to make peace.  Our mission is to make money . . ."

"Palestinian independence, a total and immediate loss of the West Bank and Gaza markets, would probably cause heavy losses to many Israeli businessmen in the fields of construction, hotels, imports, and manufacturing."

All quotes from:  'The Sewing Factory in Gaza, the Administration in Tel-Aviv, and the Owners in New York: Israeli Industrialists' Strategy in the Global Supply Chain,' by Efraim Davidi.  The entire article is worth reading:  http://mrzine.monthlyreview.org/2006/davidi180506.html

For more on how Israel profits from Palestine please see the post and comments here:

http://boycott4peace.blogspot.com/2014/09/does-israel-use-gaza-to-test-and-market.html 

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Image from Wikimedia Commons. 

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Boycott for Peace!

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Gaza Today

100K Homeless in Gaza face severe Flooding & Cold

(Note:  As of 5.26.15, the only thing that has changed is the weather. The living conditions of many people are still quite devastating. Please see the comments below this blog post for links to current articles.)

Screen shot, please see video below.

The video below illustrates how many people in Gaza are living today.  These conditions were caused by Israel's indiscriminate bombing of Gaza neighborhoods this past summer. The US is partially responsible,  because of military support to Israel.  The US also has contributed by using its veto power at the UN to prevent Israel from facing consequences for breaches of International Law.  This everyday ongoing situation that affects many families is just part of the reason we

Boycott for Peace!

The UN Declared a State of Emergency in November 2014.  Nothing yet has been done.

 Read more here:  http://www.juancole.com/2014/11/flooding-declares-emergency.html


Please remember that in this Israeli bombing campaign that caused the 100K homeless:
"The UN says at least 2,104 Palestinian died, including 1,462 civilians, of whom 495 were children and 253 women."   While on the other hand, 72 Israeli's and one Thai were killed by Palestinians:
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-28439404


Please also remember, the people have no way to escape:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blockade_of_the_Gaza_Strip 

Israel claims many excuses for its actions against the Palestinians, however, 

profit lies at the heart of the matter. "Israel Uses Gaza to Test and Market Weapons:" http://boycott4peace.blogspot.com/2014/09/does-israel-use-gaza-to-test-and-market.html 

Practice Economic Justice and Ethical spending!  Check out our Boycott List.  

Video:  Gaza Today, Sometimes Water Gets to the Tent:

Post by Hassan Rabee.

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Merry Christmas from Bethlehem

“It is unconscionable that Bethlehem should be allowed to die slowly from strangulation”
- Archbishop Desmond Tutu
- See more at: http://mondoweiss.net/2011/12/merry-christmas-from-the-little-ghetto-of-bethlehem#sthash.LPTIdjdD.dpuf

The little town of Bethlehem now lies behind one of Israel's apartheid walls:

This is one of Israel's many illegal apartheid walls. They are used to control Palestinian movement, separate Palestinian communities from each other and from the farm land that supports the communities, and to separate Palestinian and Israeli people from each other. The walls that have been built within the West Bank, as shown on this map, clearly demonstrate the on-going land grabs that Israel has been involved with in the illegally occupied territory. Through the use of these walls, which funnel the movement of Palestinian people towards Israeli controlled check points, Israel effectively "controls all Palestinian borders, all imports and exports, and all movement between towns and cities." Please see:  http://boycott4peace.blogspot.com/2014/10/it-is-up-to-us-to-be-change.html, for a view of the wall around Gaza, compete with automated guard tower.

Israel makes a point of identifying itself as a Jewish State, and as such, it discriminates equally against Christian and Muslim Palestinian people, as we see in the quote below:

"Residents of Beit Jala (a neighborhood in Bethlehem) held their last weekly mass Friday (1.24.14) in an area threatened by Israel's separation wall as locals awaited a decision from Israel's Supreme Court on an appeal to halt the land seizure.

"Around 60 Palestinians, internationals and representatives of the Catholic, Orthodox and Lutheran churches gathered on an olive tree-covered hilltop in the Cremisan Valley to pray for a halt to Israel's separation wall, which is set to annex the entire lush green area north of Beit Jala."

 From:  http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=667741

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Read about how Bethlehem became a ghetto here:
http://threecupsofnescafe.blogspot.com/2011/12/merry-christmas-world-from-bethlehem.html


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"The Holy Land is Coveted.  It is profoundly walled.  Few outsiders realize to what extent."

Paul Salopek, Blessed. Cursed. Claimed.  On Foot Through the Holy Lands. National Geographic, December 2014.


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In the spirit of the season, please also visit our post, Jesus of Palestine.

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Merry Christmas from the little ghetto of Bethlehem - See more at: http://mondoweiss.net/2011/12/merry-christmas-from-the-little-ghetto-of-bethlehem#sthash.LPTIdjdD.dpuf~~~  

Take Action!

Write the President: Why does the US support and arm ethnic cleansing?

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A special thank you to Sophia Ponders of, The Truth- Muslims, Christians and Jews Together for Palestine, for help with this post.

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Boycott for Peace! 

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“It is unconscionable that Bethlehem should be allowed to die slowly from strangulation”
- Archbishop Desmond Tutu
- See more at: http://mondoweiss.net/2011/12/merry-christmas-from-the-little-ghetto-of-bethlehem#sthash.LPTIdjdD.dpuf

“It is unconscionable that Bethlehem should be allowed to die slowly from strangulation”
- Archbishop Desmond Tutu
- See more at: http://mondoweiss.net/2011/12/merry-christmas-from-the-little-ghetto-of-bethlehem#sthash.LPTIdjdD.dpuf

“It is unconscionable that Bethlehem should be allowed to die slowly from strangulation”
- Archbishop Desmond Tutu
- See more at: http://mondoweiss.net/2011/12/merry-christmas-from-the-little-ghetto-of-bethlehem#sthash.LPTIdjdD.dpuf

“It is unconscionable that Bethlehem should be allowed to die slowly from strangulation”
- Archbishop Desmond Tutu
- See more at: http://mondoweiss.net/2011/12/merry-christmas-from-the-little-ghetto-of-bethlehem#sthash.LPTIdjdD.dpuf

Palestinian Children Under Attack

International Political Prisoner Day

Palestinian Child Prisoners

Documentation of the physical abuse, torture and false confessions have caught the attention of many organizations. The dichotomy between the illusion Israel presents to the world as a democratic and law-abiding nation has been shattered with the investigative reports of on how Israel treats Palestinian by dehumanizing them to a point they are not seen as humans but as tools to suppress Palestinian resistance. Putting children in prison for 20 years on the grounds of throwing stones at Israeli military and settlers.

As a signatory to the Article of 76 of the Fourth Geneva Convention Israel is obliged to follow rules of engaging prisoners. It is not allowed to detain prisoners outside the territory of occupation. Prisoners are not to be tortured or coerced to indulge any information. Prisoners are to be provided with a lawyer and given an opportunity to provide evidence of their innocence to a jury.

The Defense of Children International Statics on the Abuse of Child Prisoners listed these types of interrogation methods used by Israeli officials from January 2008 to January 2012. For a more detailed report see: http://www.palestinecampaign.org/campaign/child-prisoners/

Hand ties	95%	Blindfolds	90%
Physical violence	75%	Detention inside Israel	63%
Solitary confinement	60%	Confession during interrogation	58%
Threats	57%	Verbal abuse/humiliation	54%
Strip searched	33%	Transferred on floor of vehicle	32%
Signed/shown documents in Hebrew	29%	Arrested between midnight and 0500	12%

The Israeli culture of impunity reinforces the systematic and institutionalized system of abuse towards Palestinian children prisoners as documented in the testimonies of thirty-three children located in this document. http://www.palestinecampaign.org/campaign/child-prisoners/

After a three-month investigation the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Child puts it in a more realistic perspective by calling attention to the trend that one out of every fifty Palestinian families have a least one family member imprisoned in the last ten year. It is a horrible situation to learn that child detentions have become a central issue in the lives of the Palestinian people. The link to the entire United Nations report http://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2013/06/25/pale-j25.html

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Act Now! Sign this petition to Secretary of State John Kerry to stop the detention and arrest of Palestinian children by Israel: https://www.change.org/p/take-action-now-stop-the-arrest-and-detention-of-palestinian-children recruiter=32878192&utm_source=share_petition&utm_

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Three videos of Israeli Offense Forces arresting Palestinians children:
1. https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=599613566824335&set=vb.118863654899331&type=2&theater

2. https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=397568880394404&set=vb.100004238864042&type=2&theater

3. http://972mag.com/detained-testimonies-from-palestinian-children-imprisoned-by-israel/69526/

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Othman was fourteen years-old when he was arrested by Israeli forces, here is his story. http://www.dci-palestine.org/documents/child-house-arrests-rise-jerusalem-clampdown

Additional sources

Palestinian children tortured, used as shields by Israel: U.N by Stephanie Nebehay (Reuters)http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/06/20/us-palestinian-israel-children-idUSBRE95J0FR20130620?irpc=932
Israeli Abuse of Palestinian Children Systematic says U.N. Rport by Hazel Ward (The WorldPost) http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/06/israeli-abuse-of-palestinian-children-systematic_n_2817231.html

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Photograph from Wikicommons

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Boycott for Peace! 

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Zionism and Media Influence

Zionist Influence on the American Media

" . . .  the reason for the failure of the U.S. Media to accurately portray the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian people . . . is that in America today . . .    the Zionist influence over the American media--and over American government policy making--is certainly greater than at any time in history . . . "

Every word worth reading:  http://americanfreepress.net/Supplements/Zayed%20Report.pdf

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Zionist Influence in the United States

 

 " . . .  the stifling control of the mass media by Zionists . . ."

The article is part of an on-going discussion of  the book,  Against Our Better Judgment: The hidden history of how the U.S. was used to create Israel, which will be one of Boycott for Peace's book club selections in a future month.

The article and the book are well worth reading:
http://dissidentvoice.org/2014/03/zionist-influence-in-the-united-states/

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Laughs Aside, Junkets Raise Serious Issues

 

" AIEF takes more than just members of Congress on trips to Israel; it takes journalists, too, on a regular basis. Discussing the latest Sea of Galilee events, Chris Matthews host of MSNBC’s“Hardball,” said on August 20: “I’ve been there a number of times, a trip sponsored by a pro-Israel group, Jewish group, very educational trips. They show you a lot about the geography of the land and the situation they’re facing with the Palestinians.”

From the Jewish Daily Forward: 
http://forward.com/articles/161528/laughs-aside-junkets-raise-serious-issues/?p=all#ixzz3JAE4pg5F 

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For more on how Zionism affects our government and our media please see our previous blog posts:

House Resolution 707
Peaceful Political Action 101

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There is also the issue of how Israel insists on editorial control of all news by corespondents who travel to the West Bank, Gaza, and East Jerusalem.  If they cross Israel's allowed editorial lines, they will not be allowed to work in Israel in the future nor are they allowed through the check-points which Israel controls at all points of entry to the West Bank, Gaza, and East Jerusalem.  Israel also has a history of targeting journalists living and working in Gaza, as well their homes, their families, media infrastructure, and the only electrical power plant in Gaza.  Resident journalists in the West Bank and East Jerusalem are often arrested and held without charges, they find themselves subject to evictions, home demolitions, harassment, and their check-point passes are often cancelled.  This prevents them from traveling from their homes to their work places and to other locations for the purposes of reporting and journalism.  We will be bringing you more on these issues in an up-coming blog posts.

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Boycott for Peace! 

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