Palestinian Civil Society Calls for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions against Israel

From the www.monabaker.com archive (legacy material)

Badil Centre | 9 July 2005

One year after the historic Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) which found Israel’s Wall built on occupied Palestinian territory to be illegal, Israel continues its construction of the colonial Wall with total disregard to the Court’s decision. Thirty eight years into Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian West Bank (including East Jerusalem), Gaza Strip and the Syrian Golan Heights, Israel continues to expand Jewish colonies. It has unilaterally annexed occupied East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights and is now de facto annexing large parts of the West Bank by means of the Wall. Israel is also preparing – in the shadow of its planned redeployment from the Gaza Strip – to build and expand colonies in the West Bank. Fifty seven years after the state of Israel was built mainly on land ethnically cleansed of its Palestinian owners, a majority of Palestinians are refugees, most of whom are stateless. Moreover, Israel’s entrenched system of racial discrimination against its own Arab-Palestinian citizens remains intact.
In light of Israel’s persistent violations of international law, and Given that, since 1948, hundreds of UN resolutions have condemned Israel’s colonial and discriminatory policies as illegal and called for immediate, adequate and effective remedies, and
Given that all forms of international intervention and peace-making have until now failed to convince or force Israel to comply with humanitarian law, to respect fundamental human rights and to end its occupation and oppression of the people of Palestine, and
In view of the fact that people of conscience in the international community have historically shouldered the moral responsibility to fight injustice, as exemplified in the struggle to abolish apartheid in South Africa through diverse forms of boycott, divestment and sanctions;
Inspired by the struggle of South Africans against apartheid and in the spirit of international solidarity, moral consistency and resistance to injustice and oppression,
We, representatives of Palestinian civil society, call upon international civil society organizations and people of conscience all over the world to impose broad boycotts and implement divestment initiatives against Israel similar to those applied to South Africa in the apartheid era. We appeal to you to pressure your respective states to impose embargoes and sanctions against Israel. We also invite conscientious Israelis to support this Call, for the sake of justice and genuine peace.
These non-violent punitive measures should be maintained until Israel meets its obligation to recognize the Palestinian people’s inalienable right to self-determination and fully complies with the precepts of international law by:
1. Ending its occupation and colonization of all Arab lands and dismantling the Wall;
2. Recognizing the fundamental rights of the Arab-Palestinian citizens of Israel to full equality; and
3. Respecting, protecting and promoting the rights of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes and properties as stipulated in UN resolution 194.
Endorsed by:
The Palestinian political parties, unions, associations, coalitions and organizations below represent the three integral parts of the people of Palestine: Palestinian refugees, Palestinians under occupation and Palestinian citizens of Israel.
UNIONS, ASSOCIATIONS, CAMPAIGNS
1. Council of National and Islamic Forces in Palestine (coordinating body for the major political parties in the Occupied Palestinian Territory)
2. Palestinian Independent Commission for Citizen’s Rights (PICCR)
3. Union of Arab Community Based Associations (ITTIJAH), Haifa
4. Forum of Palestinian NGOs in Lebanon
5. Palestinian General Federation of Trade Unions (PGFTU)
6. General Union of Palestinian Women (GUPW)
7. General Union of Palestinian Teachers (GUPT)
8. Federation of Unions of Palestinian Universities’ Professors and Employees
9. Consortium of Professional Associations
10. Union of Palestinian Medical Relief Committees (UPMRC)
11. Health Work Committees – West Bank
12. Union of Agricultural Work Committees (UAWC)
13. Union of Palestinian Agricultural Relief Committees (PARC)
14. Union of Health Work Committees – Gaza (UHWC)
15. Union of Palestinian Farmers
16. Occupied Palestine and Syrian Golan Heights Advocacy Initiative (OPGAI)
17. General Union of Disabled Palestinians
18. Palestinian Federation of Women’s Action Committees (PFWAC)
19. Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI)
20. Palestinian Grassroots Anti-Apartheid Wall Campaign
21. Union of Teachers of Private Schools
22. Union of Women’s Work Committees, Tulkarem (UWWC)
23. Dentists’ Association – Jerusalem Center
24. Palestinian Engineers Association
25. Lawyers’ Association
26. Network for the Eradication of Illiteracy and Adult Education, Ramallah
27. Coordinating Committee of Rehabilitation Centers – West Bank
28. Coalition of Lebanese Civil Society Organizations (150 organizations)
29. Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights (SPHR), Network of Student-based Canadian University Associations
REFUGEE RIGHTS ASSOCIATIONS/ORGANIZATIONS
30. Al-Ard Committees for the Defense of the Right of Return, Syria
31. .Al-Awda Charitable Society, Beit Jala
32. Al Awda – Palestine Right-to-Return Coalition, U.S.A
33. Al-Awda Toronto
34. Aidun Group – Lebanon
35. Aidun Group – Syria
36. Alrowwad Cultural and Theatre Training Center, Aida refugee camp
37 Association for the Defense of the Rights of the Internally Displaced (ADRID), Nazareth
38. BADIL Resource Center for Palestinian Residency and Refugee Rights, Bethlehem
39. Committee for Definite Return, Syria
40. Committee for the Defense of Palestinian Refugee Rights, Nablus
41. Consortium of the Displaced Inhabitants of Destroyed Palestinian Villages and Towns
42. Filastinuna – Commission for the Defense of the Right of Return, Syria
43. Handala Center, ‘Azza (Beit Jibreen) refugee camp, Bethlehem
44. High Committee for the Defense of the Right of Return, Jordan (including personal endorsement of 71 members of parliament, political parties and unions in Jordan)
45. High National Committee for the Defense of the Right of Return, Ramallah
46. International Right of Return Congress (RORC)
47. Jermana Youth Forum for the Defense of the Right of Return, Syria
48. Laji Center, Aida camp, Bethlehem
49. Local Committee for Rehabilitation, Qalandia refugee camp, Jerusalem
50. Local Committee for Rehabilitation of the Disabled, Deheishe refugee camp, Bethlehem
51. Palestinian National Committee for the Defense of the Right of Return, Syria
52. Palestinian Return Association, Syria
53. Palestinian Return Forum, Syria
54. Palestine Right-of-Return Coalition (Palestine, Arab host countries, Europe, North America)
55. Palestine Right-of-Return Confederation-Europe (Austria, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Sweden)
56. Palestinian Youth Forum for the Right of Return, Syria
57. PLO Popular Committees – West Bank refugee camps
58. PLO Popular Committees – Gaza Strip refugee camps
59. Popular Committee – al-‘Azza (Beit Jibreen) refugee camp, Bethlehem
60. Popular Committee – Deheishe refugee camp, Bethlehem
61. Shaml – Palestinian Diaspora and Refugee Center, Ramallah
62. Union of Women’s Activity Centers – West Bank Refugee Camps
63. Union of Youth Activity Centers – Palestine Refugee Camps
64. Women’s Activity Center – Deheishe refugee camp, Bethlehem
65. Yafa Cultural Center, Balata refugee camp, Nablus
ORGANIZATIONS
66. Abna’ al-Balad Society, Nablus
67. Addameer Center for Human Rights, Gaza
68. Addameer Prisoners’ Support and Human Rights Association, Ramallah
69. Alanqa’ Cultural Association, Hebron
70. Al-Awda Palestinian Folklore Society, Hebron
71. Al-Doha Children’s Cultural Center, Bethlehem
72. Al-Huda Islamic Center, Bethlehem
73. Al-Jeel al-Jadid Society, Haifa
74. Al-Karameh Cultural Society, Um al-Fahm
75. Al-Maghazi Cultural Center, Gaza
76. Al-Marsad Al-Arabi, occupied Syrian Golan Heights
77. Al-Mezan Center for Human Rights, Gaza
78. Al-Nahda Cultural Forum, Hebron
79. Al-Taghrid Society for Culture and Arts, Gaza
80. Alternative Tourism Group, Beit Sahour (ATG)
81. Al-Wafa’ Charitable Society, Gaza
82. Applied Research Institute Jerusalem (ARIJ)
83. Arab Association for Human Rights, Nazareth (HRA)
84. Arab Center for Agricultural Development (ACAD)
85. Arab Center for Agricultural Development-Gaza
86. Arab Education Institute (AEI) – Pax Christie Bethlehem
87. Arab Orthodox Charitable Society – Beit Sahour
88. Arab Orthodox Charity – Beit Jala
89. Arab Orthodox Club – Beit Jala
90. Arab Orthodox Club – Beit Sahour
91. Arab Students’ Collective, University of Toronto
92. Arab Thought Forum, Jerusalem (AFT)
93. Association for Cultural Exchange Hebron – France
94. Association Najdeh, Lebanon
95. Authority for Environmental Quality, Jenin
96. Bader Society for Development and Reconstruction, Gaza
97. Canadian Palestine Foundation of Quebec, Montreal
98. Center for the Defense of Freedoms, Ramallah
99. Center for Science and Culture, Gaza
100. Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Ramallah- Al-Bireh District
101. Child Development and Entertainment Center, Tulkarem
102. Committee for Popular Participation, Tulkarem
103. Defense for Children International-Palestine Section, Ramallah (DCI/PS)
104. El-Funoun Palestinian Popular Dance Troupe
105. Ensan Center for Democracy and Human Rights, Bethlehem
106. Environmental Education Center, Bethlehem
107. FARAH – Palestinian Center for Children, Syria
108. Ghassan Kanafani Society for Development, Gaza
109. Ghassan Kanafani Forum, Syria
110. Gaza Community Mental Health Program, Gaza (GCMHP)
111. Golan for Development, occupied Syrian Golan Heights
112. Halhoul Cultural Forum, Hebron
113. Himayeh Society for Human Rights, Um al-Fahm
114. Holy Land Trust – Bethlehem
115. Home of Saint Nicholas for the Aged – Beit Jala
116. Human Rights Protection Center, Lebanon
117. In’ash al-Usrah Society, Ramallah
118. International Center of Bethlehem (Dar An-Nadweh)
119. Islah Charitable Society-Bethlehem
120. Jafra Youth Center, Syria
121. Jander Center, al-Azza (Beit Jibreen) refugee camp, Bethlehem
122. Jerusalem Center for Women, Jerusalem (JCW)
123. Jerusalem Legal Aid and Human Rights Center (JLAC )
124. Khalil Al Sakakini Cultural Center, Ramallah
125. Land Research Center, Jerusalem (LRC)
126. Liberated Prisoners’ Society, Palestine
127. Local Committee for Social Development, Nablus
128. Local Committee for the Rehabilitation of the Disabled, Nablus
129. MA’AN TV Network, Bethlehem
130. Medical Aid for Palestine, Canada
131. MIFTAH-Palestinian Initiative for the Promotion of Global Dialogue and Democracy, Ramallah
132. Muwatin-The Palestinian Institute for the Study of Democracy
133. National Forum of Martyr’s Families, Palestine
134. Near East Council of Churches Committee for Refugee Work – Gaza Area
135. Network of Christian Organizations – Bethlehem (NCOB)
136. Palestinian Council for Justice and Peace, Jerusalem
137. Palestinian Counseling Center, Jerusalem (PCC)
138. Palestinian Democratic Youth Union, Lebanon
139. Palestinian Farmers’ Society, Gaza
140. Palestinian Hydrology Group for Water and Environment Resources Development-Gaza
141. Palestinian Prisoners’ Society-West Bank
142. Palestinian Society for Consumer Protection, Gaza
143. Palestinian University Students’ Forum for Peace and Democracy, Hebron
144. Palestinian Women’s Struggle Committees
145. Palestinian Working Women Society for Development (PWWSD)
146. Popular Art Centre, Al-Bireh
147. Prisoner’s Friends Association – Ansar Al-Sajeen, Majd al-Krum
148. Public Aid Association, Gaza
149. Ramallah Center for Human Rights Studies
150. Saint Afram Association – Bethlehem
151. Saint Vincent De Paule – Beit Jala
152. Senior Citizen Society – Beit Jala
153. Social Development Center, Nablus
154. Society for Self-Development, Hebron
155. Society for Social Work, Tulkarem
156. Society for Voluntary Work and Culture, Um al-Fahm
157. Society of Friends of Prisoners and Detainees, Um al-Fahm
158. Sumoud-Political Prisoners Solidarity Group, Toronto
159. Tamer Institute for Community Education, Ramallah
160. TCC – Teacher’s Creativity Center, Ramallah
161. Wi’am Center, Bethlehem
162. Women’s Affairs Technical Committee, Ramallah and Gaza (WATC)
163. Women’s Studies Center, Jerusalem (WSC)
164. Women’s Center for Legal Aid and Counseling, Jerusalem (WCLAC)
165. Yafa for Education and Culture, Nablus
166. Yazour Charitable Society, Nablus
167. YMCA-East Jerusalem
168. Youth Cooperation Forum, Hebron
169. YWCA-Palestine
170. Zakat Committee-al-Khader, Bethlehen
171. Zakat Committee-Deheishe camp, Bethlehem
For additional endorsement, please contact:
OPGAI c/o: info@badil.org – Anti Apartheid Wall Campaign: mobilize@stopthewall.org –
ITTIJAH: ittijah@ittijah.org – PACBI: info@boycottisrael.ps
Coalition of Lebanese Civil Society Organizations: Hdekmak@hotmail.com