On Singing Songs and Boycotting ‘

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

On singing songs and boycotting ‘Ahava’ Last Saturday night, I attended the Peoples’ Voice Cafe in New York for the first time. It’s a kind of left-wing nightclub and hangout that’s been around for a long time. Interestingly, I see that it closed for Yom Kippur, and I know that it used to be housed in the old Workmen’s Circle & Jewish Daily Forward building, which was sold a year or two ago. One of the performers was a satirical singer named Dave Lippman, a talented and funny guy. But unfortunately for my comfort level, one of his songs savagely went after Ahava, the Israeli cosmetics company. I understand from someone I know who also was there, that Lippman is Jewish (at least nominally) but feels absolutely no sympathy or compassion for Israel, not even according it a right to exist. And his lyrics, which included the words “apartheid” and “ethnic cleansing,” illustrate his contempt. Still, Meretz USA includes Ahava on its “don’t buy” list of West Bank settlement products. An Ahava factory for refining Dead Sea minerals is located at Mitzpe Shalem — a West Bank settlement. Once a Nahal military outpost, it became a kibbutz in 1976 and is now a privatized cooperative community with about 200 residents. It is located in a desolate part of the West Bank that is very sparsely populated. I see no evidence that any Palestinians were displaced from there. Perhaps the minerals are “stolen” from a West Bank shore of the Dead Sea, but this has nothing to do with “ethnic cleansing.” Wikipedia says the following about its illegal status: Mitzpe Shalem is considered illegal under international law, though Israeli disputes this. The international community considers Israeli settlements to violate the Fourth Geneva Convention‘s prohibition on the transfer of an occupying power’s civilian population into occupied territory. Israeli government counters this by contending that the Fourth Geneva Convention does not apply to the Palestinian territories because they were not under the legitimate sovereignty of any state.[1] This view has been rejected as without basis in international law by the International Court of Justice and the International Committee of the Red Cross.[2 I don’t blame the people of Mitzpe Shalem personally for settling there. They went as supporters of Labor in the 1970s, and have lived there for nearly two generations. But I certainly understand why Meretz USA is boycotting. I just wish that Dave Lippman, and those who enthusiastically sang along with his overly harsh lyrics, had a more nuanced understanding of the nature of Israel and all that’s driven its tragic conflict with the Palestinians and other Arabs..

Copy Link

Recommended publications

November 2014 Al-Malih Shaqed Kh
Salem Zabubah Ram-Onn Rummanah The West Bank Ta'nak Ga-Taybah Um al-Fahm Jalameh / Mqeibleh G Silat 'Arabunah Settlements and the Separation Barrier al-Harithiya al-Jalameh 'Anin a-Sa'aidah Bet She'an 'Arrana G 66 Deir Ghazala Faqqu'a Kh. Suruj 6 kh. Abu 'Anqar G Um a-Rihan al-Yamun ! Dahiyat Sabah Hinnanit al-Kheir Kh. 'Abdallah Dhaher Shahak I.Z Kfar Dan Mashru' Beit Qad Barghasha al-Yunis G November 2014 al-Malih Shaqed Kh. a-Sheikh al-'Araqah Barta'ah Sa'eed Tura / Dhaher al-Jamilat Um Qabub Turah al-Malih Beit Qad a-Sharqiyah Rehan al-Gharbiyah al-Hashimiyah Turah Arab al-Hamdun Kh. al-Muntar a-Sharqiyah Jenin a-Sharqiyah Nazlat a-Tarem Jalbun Kh. al-Muntar Kh. Mas'ud a-Sheikh Jenin R.C. A'ba al-Gharbiyah Um Dar Zeid Kafr Qud 'Wadi a-Dabi Deir Abu Da'if al-Khuljan Birqin Lebanon Dhaher G G Zabdah לבנון al-'Abed Zabdah/ QeiqisU Ya'bad G Akkabah Barta'ah/ Arab a-Suweitat The Rihan Kufeirit רמת Golan n 60 הגולן Heights Hadera Qafﬁn Kh. Sab'ein Um a-Tut n Imreihah Ya'bad/ a-Shuhada a a G e Mevo Dotan (Ganzour) n Maoz Zvi ! Jalqamus a Baka al-Gharbiyah r Hermesh Bir al-Basha al-Mutilla r e Mevo Dotan al-Mughayir e t GNazlat 'Isa Tannin i a-Nazlah G d Baqah al-Haﬁra e The a-Sharqiya Baka al-Gharbiyah/ a-Sharqiyah M n a-Nazlah Araba Nazlat ‘Isa Nazlat Qabatiya הגדה Westהמערבית e al-Wusta Kh.
[Show full text]
English Version
:ÎÊ·ÇAÎj?fb< “Preliminary Study” e content of this publication is the sole responsibility of ARIJ and can under no circumstances be regarded as reecting the position of RLS Trading your Neighbours Water 1 Table Of Contents 1. Introduction ................................................................................................................................... 3 2. Existing Research ...................................................................................................................... 4 3. Main Findings ................................................................................................................................ 6 3.1. Water Allocation ................................................................................................................ 6 3.2. Agriculture .........................................................................................................................12 3.3. Product Export .................................................................................................................18 3.4. Virtual Water ....................................................................................................................19 4. Conclusion ..................................................................................................................................21 5. Recommendations .....................................................................................................................22 List Of Tables Table 1: The water allocation to the settlements
[Show full text]
Made in Israel: Agricultural Exports from Occupied Territories
Agricultural Made in Exports from Israel Occupied Territories April 2014 Agricultural Made in Exports from Israel Occupied Territories April 2014 The Coalition of Women for Peace was established by bringing together ten feminist peace organizations and non-affiliated activist women in Israel. Founded soon after the outbreak of the Second Intifada in 2000, CWP today is a leading voice against the occupation, committed to feminist principles of organization and Jewish-Palestinian partnership, in a relentless struggle for a just society. CWP continuously voices a critical position against militarism and advocates for radical social and political change. Its work includes direct action and public campaigning in Israel and internationally, a pioneering investigative project exposing the occupation industry, outreach to Israeli audiences and political empowerment of women across communities and capacity-building and support for grassroots activists and initiatives for peace and justice. www.coalitionofwomen.org | [email protected] Who Profits from the Occupation is a research center dedicated to exposing the commercial involvement of Israeli and international companies in the continued Israeli control over Palestinian and Syrian land. Currently, we focus on three main areas of corporate involvement in the occupation: the settlement industry, economic exploitation and control over population. Who Profits operates an online database which includes information concerning companies that are commercially complicit in the occupation. Moreover, the center publishes in-depth reports and flash reports about industries, projects and specific companies. Who Profits also serves as an information center for queries regarding corporate involvement in the occupation – from individuals and civil society organizations working to end the Israeli occupation and to promote international law, corporate social responsibility, social justice and labor rights.
[Show full text]
Seizing the Mandate: Boycotting Products from Illegal Settlements
SEIZING THE MANDATE: BOYCOTTING PRODUCTS FROM ILLEGAL SETTLEMENTS Interstar This report was prepared by researchers with United Methodists for Kairos Response (UMKR).* About UMKR: UMKR is a global grassroots network of laity and clergy within the United Methodist Church working to align the denomination’s actions with its statements calling for an end to Israel’s occupation of Palestinian land. Responding to an urgent call from Palestinian Christians in the Kairos Palestine Document, UMKR advocates principled investment decisions and consumer choices that will help end the occupation. Through research, education and advocacy, UMKR seeks to implement the Church’s call to use non-violent means of securing a just peace for all the peoples of Israel and Palestine. UMKR works closely with interfaith and ecumenical partners in its work. Many of our volunteers have visited the Israeli settlements in the West Bank and seen the companies that operate there. They have met with Israelis and Palestinians who have documented the presence of companies in the settlements. They have seen first-hand the effects of Israel’s occupation on Christians and Muslims in the Holy Land and are resolved to end it. About United Methodist Policy: The General Conference is the policy making body for the United Methodist denomination. In 2012, the General Conference called on all nations to prohibit the import of products from Israeli settlements. (See page 1.) The church has long opposed Israel’s occupation of land beyond its internationally recognized borders, and
[Show full text]
Submission by Al-Haq to the Human Rights Committee on the Occasion of Israel’S Fourth Periodic Review
Submission by Al-Haq to the Human Rights Committee on the occasion of Israel’s fourth periodic review Al-Haq has special consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council Alternative Report to the UN Human Rights Committee regarding Israel's violation and failed implementation of Articles 1, 2, 6, 7, 9, 12, and 14 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights Submitted 10 September 2014 Table of Contents I. Introduction…………………..…………………………………………………..........3 II. Article 1: The Right to Self-determination……………………………………….....4 A. Sovereignty over Land and Natural Resources………….………………………..4 1. Water……………….……………………………………………………5 2. Stone Quarries………………………………………………………...…8 3. Dead Sea Mud and Minerals…………………………………………….9 B. Cultural Rights in East Jerusalem……….…………………………………….10 III. Article 2: Non-Discrimination………..…………….………………………….......11 A. House Demolitions and Building Permits…………………………….………11 IV. Article 6: Right to Life………………..…………………………………………... 14 A. Excessive Use of Force……………………………………………………… 14 B. Access to Medical Care ………………………………………………………17 V. Articles 7, 9, 10 and 14: Arbitrary Detention, Torture, Ill-treatment, and…....…19 Settler Impunity……………………………….........................…………………….19 A. Arbitrary Detention, Torture, and Ill-treatment……..….......……...………....19 B. Settler Impunity……….…………...………………………………………….24 VI. Article 12: Freedom of Movement………………..…………….…………………26 A. The Annexation Wall, Checkpoints, Closures, and Permits…….…….……...26 B. Restricted Access to Religious Sites…….…………………..………………..27 C. Travel Bans…………...………………………………………………………28 VII. Conclusion and Recommendations………………………………………………30 2 I. Introduction 1. Al-Haq is an independent Palestinian non-governmental human rights organisation based in Ramallah, West Bank. Established in 1979 to protect and promote human rights and the rule of law in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT), the organisation has special consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council.
[Show full text]
General Assembly
UNITED NATIONS Distr. GENERAL GENERAL A/32/284 ASSEMBLY 27 October 1977 •~-- ORIGINAL: ENGLISH TIlirty-second session Agenda item 57 REPORT OF THE SPECIAL COMMITTEE TO INVESTIGATE ISRAELI PRACTICES AFFECTING THE HUMAN RIGHTS OF THE POPULATION OF THE OCCUPIED TERRITORIES Note by the Secretary-General The Secretary-General has the honour to transmit to the members of the General Assembly the attached report, which was submitted to him by the Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices Affecting the Human Rights of the Population of the Occupied Territories in accordance with resolutions 31/106 C and D of 16 December 1976. 77-20850 / ... A/32/284 English Page 2 CONTENTS Paragraphs LETTER OF TRANSBITTAL 3 I. INTRODUCTION 1 - 11 5 II. ORGANIZATION OF WORK 12 - 20 8 Ill. lWlDATE. •••••• 21 - 25 11 IV. ANALYSIS OF EVIDENCE 26 - 241 13 A. Policy of annexation and settlement 32 - 86 14 Information relative to the existence of a policy of annexation and settlement in the occupied territories 32 - 54 14 2. Information relative to the adoption of measures in implementation of the policy of annexation and settlement "••. 55 - 86 B. Information descriptive of the situation of civilians in the occupied territories 87 - 226 19 C. Information on treatment of civilians in detention 227 - 241 28 1. Information on treatment of civilian detainees during and immediately after arrest and during interrogation •••••••.•••.•••• 228 - 232 28 2. Information on treatment of detainees during trial . ...... .......... 233 - 234 31 3. Information on treatment of civilians during imprisonment 235 - 241 32 V. QUNEITRA 242 - 244 35 VI. CONCLUSIOnS 245 - 258 37 VII.
[Show full text]
Messianism Meets Reality
Shaul Arieli Messianism Meets Reality The Israeli Settlement Project in Judea and Samaria: Vision or Illusion, 1967-2016 Shaul Arieli Messianism Meets Reality The Israeli Settlement Project in Judea and Samaria: Vision or Illusion, 1967-2016 Research assistant and preparation for printing: Sagi Ganot Maps: Shelley Rivkind, Shaul Rabinovitch, Sagi Ganot English translation: Shaul Vardi November 2017 Dedicated to the late Prof. Elisha Efrat, Laureate of the Israel Prize in Geography Table of Contents Introduction ................................................................................................. 10 Background .................................................................................................. 12 The Allon Plan .............................................................................................. 14 The Sharon Plan ........................................................................................... 19 The Drobles Plan ........................................................................................... 26 The Super Zones Plan .................................................................................... 34 Overview of Israeli Settlement in the West Bank as of 2016 ............................... 46 Population ........................................................................................................ 46 Built-Up Area ..................................................................................................... 59 The Road System ..............................................................................................
[Show full text]
Home >> LATEST NEWS >> January 29, 2009 Direct Action Against Israel –
home >> LATEST NEWS >> January 29, 2009 http://www.corporatewatch.org.uk/?lid=3192 Direct Action Against Israel – Part 1 On the second big Gaza solidarity march in London on 10th January, angry protesters smashed the front of a Starbucks store on Kensington High St, near the Israeli embassy, while other activists occupied the Ahava beauty shop in central London. Other actions in protest at the Israeli massacre in Gaza this month have included occupying the offices of the British Israel Communications and Research Centre (BICOM) in central London, 'decommissioning' the ITT/EDO arms factory in Brighton and university occupations across the country calling for divestment. So, who are these companies and why are they being targeted by protesters and campaigners? Corporate Watch takes a detailed look. 1. ARMS COMPANIES Israel was the world's 6th largest arms importer between 2003 and 2007, accounting for 3.80% of world deliveries, according to the SIPRI Arms Transfers Database. During that period, the US accounted for 94% of the exports of arms to Israel. France, Germany and the UK accounted for a big proportion of the rest. In 2007 alone, EU member states authorised the export of €200m worth of items on the EU Military List to Israel. In 2007, the UK government blocked almost one-third of British military exports to Israel, citing "possible threats to regional stability" and fears that "the equipment might facilitate human rights violations." Despite Israel's continuous war crimes against the Palestinian people, however, the UK has no arms embargo on Israel and licences for the export of military 'goods' continue to be granted in accordance with the criteria set down in the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria (see, for example, this Parliamentary review).
[Show full text]
Pillage of the Dead Sea
PILLAGE OF THE DEAD SEA: ISRAEL’S UNLAWFUL EXPLOITATION OF NATURAL RESOURCES IN THE OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY PILLAGE OF THE DEAD SEA: ISRAEL’S UNLAWFUL EXPLOITATION OF NATURAL RESOURCES IN THE OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY Al-Haq - © All Rights Reserved 2012 Al-Haq P.O.Box: 1413 Ramallah. Palestine Tel: +972 (2) 2954646/7/9 Fax: +972 (2) 2954903 Email: [email protected] www.alhaq.org AL-HAQ Acknowledgements The authors would like to thank Dr. Alessandra Annoni, Valentina Azarov, Grazia Careccia, Lina Fattom and Authors: Claudia Nicoletti and Anne-Marie Hearne Mercedes Melon for their insightful and constructive Cover photo: Glimpse of the shores of the Dead Sea in the occupied Dead Sea area – July 2012, Al-Haq© comments during the drafting process. Special gratitude ISBN: 978-9950-327-34-4 Design Hamza Dado goes to Al-Haq’s staff for their assistance in preparing Publisher: Al-Haq - © All Rights Reserved the report, in particular Roy Abbott, Elisabeth Koek and Thomas Palmer. Any errors are those of the authors alone. Any quotation of up to 500 words may be used without permission provided that full attribu- tion is given. Longer quotations or entire chapters or sections of this study may not be repro- duced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, or stored on any retrieval system of any nature, without the express written permission of Al-Haq. AL-HAQ 2012 TABLE OF CONTENTS I. Executive Summary ..........................................................................................................................................
[Show full text]
Report Profundo
French financial institutions financing companies profiting from the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories A research paper prepared for Fair Finance France French and UK financial institutions financing companies profiting from the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories A research paper prepared for Fair Finance France Barbara Kuepper Hassel Kroes 17 March 2017 Naritaweg 10 1043 BX Amsterdam The Netherlands Tel: +31-20-8208320 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.profundo.nl Contents Introduction ................................................................................................................ 1 Chapter 1 Methodology ..................................................................................... 2 1.1 Objective .................................................................................................... 2 1.2 Identification of companies profiting from the occupation .................... 2 1.3 Links to financial institutions ................................................................... 5 1.3.1 Selection of financial institutions .................................................................. 5 1.3.2 Definition of financing activities ................................................................... 6 1.3.3 Identification and quantification of financial flows ........................................ 8 1.3.4 Estimates .................................................................................................... 8 1.3.5 Presentation of the data .............................................................................
[Show full text]
Business and Human Rights in Palestine
AL-HAQ BUSINESS AND HUMAN RIGHTS IN PALESTINE The Roadmap to Pillage The Roadmap to Pillage Jenin Jenin ABOUT AL-HAQ Tulkarem Tulkarem TubasTubas Al-Haq is an independent Palestinian non-governmental human rights organization annexing eneRgy: pligHt of palestinian Bedouin WateR foR one people only institutionalised impunity of palestbasedInIan nat Uralin g asRamallah, resoUrces In Westdepicts Bank. impact Al-Haq of illegal iwassRaeli establisheddIscrImInatory ainccess 1979 and ‘water to- protectIsrael’s f aIlandUre to c ombat settler VIolence Nablus Nablus promotethe medIterranean human sea rights andoccupation the rule and of p Rlawactices in thein Occupiedaparthe PalestinianId’ In the opt TerritoryIn the (OPT), occUpIed p alestInIan terrItory QalqiliyaQalqiliya palestinian teRRitoRy and has special consultative status with the UN Economic and Social Council. Al-Haq Rosh Haayin is the West Bank affiliate of the International Commission of Jurists - Geneva, is a Rosh Haayin Salfit Salfit member of the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Network (EMHRN), the World Al-OjaAl-Oja Organization Against Torture (OMCT), the International Federation for Human Rights Rantis Rantis (FIDH), Habitat International Coalition (HIC), and the Palestinian NGO Network Ramallah (PNGO). Na’amaNa’ama JerichoJericho Al-Haq documents violations of individual and collective Palestinian rights in SaalitSaalit Adumim Adumim the OPT, regardless of the identity of the perpetrator. Al-Haq conducts research; MishorMishor Adumim Adumim Jerusalem prepares reports, studies and interventions on the breaches of international human isRael’s RetaliatoRy seizuRe of tax: enviRonmental injustice exploRing tHe illegality sHifting paRadigms a war crImerights to pUnIsh p alestandInIan humanitarian Icc membershIp law ini nthe o.p. tOPT; and undertakesof ‘land sWap’ advocacy agReements before Israel ’local,s enforcement of the bUffer Zone Bethlehem regional and international bodies.
[Show full text]
Occupation-Free Shopping Take These Products Off Your Shopping List THEY ARE MADE in ILLEGAL ISRAELI SETTLEMENTS
Occupation-Free Shopping Take these products off your shopping list THEY ARE MADE IN ILLEGAL ISRAELI SETTLEMENTS At its July 2012 meeting the General Assembly of Presbyterian Church (USA) called for the boycott of all Israeli products made in the occupied Palestinian Territories and called upon all nations to prohibit the import of products made by enterprises in Israeli settlements on Palestinian land. You can heed that call by not buying the products below and telling others about the boycott of products made in illegal settlements. AHAVA COSMETICS: cosmetics products using Dead Sea minerals: moisturizers, creams, bath salts, etc. The company factory and visitors' center are in an illegal Israeli settlement, Mitzpe Shalem, in the occupied West Bank. These products are sold at Macy’s, Nordstrom’s, Bed Bath & Beyond, Marshall’s, TJ Maxx, Target, Lonely Planet, Zappo’s, Amazon.com, BeautyBridge.com, DermStore.com, SkinOne.com, VitaCost.com, Soap.com, Makeup Alley, Birchbox.com, and Ulta Health and Beauty, among other places. See Code Pink website for more information http://www.codepink4peace.org/section.php?id=415 SODASTREAM: home carbonated beverage machines and syrups The main plant of the company is in the industrial zone of Mishor Edomim (also spelled Adumim, Adomim, or Edummim), an illegal settlement in the West Bank. Products are sold at Amazon Bloomingdale’s, Bed Bath & Beyond, Best Buy, Bon Ton, Crate & Barrel, Costco, HyVee, JC Penney, Kitchen Collection, Kohl’s, Le Gourmet Chef, Macy’s Meijer, Sears, Shopko, Staples, Sur la Table, Target, Williams-Sonoma, and SkyMall, among other places. INTERSTAR, TIP TOP, AND EDUSHAPE TOYS: modular plastic toys, building pieces These products are made in the Barkan Industrial Zone, part of an illegal settlement in the West Bank.
[Show full text]