[SF Bay Area] Activists de-shelve Israeli products at Trader Joe's

re-posted form BigCampaign.org

US activists de-shelve Israeli products from national grocer, 06/25/09

Press release, Don't Buy Into Apartheid, QUIT (Queers Undermining Israeli Terrorism), South Bay Mobilization and BDS BayArea

On Saturday, 20 June, activists gathered at Trader Joe's in Oakland and San Francisco, US to demand that the company stop carrying Israeli goods.

Protesters removed Israeli products from the shelves in order to show customers which products they should not buy. They also met with the store managers and asked them to notify their headquarters that they no longer wanted to carry Israeli herbs, couscous and cheese. Similar actions were held in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Seattle, Washington; and Sacramento, California. The activists were inspired by campaigns to de-shelve Israeli products in Wales and France.

"Trader Joe's is a company with an excellent reputation for bringing a diverse array of high-quality foods from around the world to US consumers. As Trader Joe's consumers, we are part of a growing movement of people globally who are calling on businesses to be consistent in following ethical business practices," said Yasmin Qureshi, an organizer of the Don't Buy Into Apartheid national network.

The group chose 20 June for its kickoff action because it is World Refugee Day, a day recognized worldwide to spotlight refugees displaced by war and persecution. Of the 11 million refugees in the world today, over seven million are Palestinian refugees displaced as a direct result of the founding of the State of Israel, many displaced for more than 60 years. It is for this reason that Don't Buy Into Apartheid calls on to Trader Joe's to discontinue the sales of Israeli Couscous, Dorot frozen herbs, as well as Pastures of Eden Feta cheese.

"Consumer boycotts played an important role in bringing about the end of apartheid in South Africa," said Sunaina Maira, Associate Professor of Asian American Studies at University of California-Davis. "Corporations with ethical business practices can stop funding injustice and occupation by refusing to sell products made in states that enact racial discrimination and violations of human rights law, such as Israel. The State of Israel was created in 1948 through policies of ethnic cleansing and apartheid, and still continues to violate countless United Nations resolutions. Consumer boycotts are an effective, nonviolent strategy to pressure states to comply with international law."

The manager at one Trader Joe's told the activists, "If you convince our customers to stop buying these products, we will stop carrying them." The group handed out coupons for customers to give to the cashiers asking the store to stop carrying Israeli products.

In 2005, a broad coalition of Palestinian groups issued a call for the international community to place boycott, divestment and sanctions on Israel based on its illegal occupation of Palestinian lands and discriminatory laws.

Don't Buy Into Apartheid's letter to Trader Joe's was signed by more than 35 organizations and 135 individuals. The campaign has gained more than 600 members in one month. Trader Joe's will join them in supporting social justice and racial equality by removing Israeli products from its shelves until Israel agrees to cooperate fully with international law.

[Quebec] Econ Minister's Office Occupied: Demand to End Ties with Israel

suggested by Dan, re-posted from Anarchist People of Color listserv

Quebec Economic Minister's Office occupied to demand Quebec end economic ties with Israel

Montreal, January 15th, 2009 -- On the twentieth day of Israel's attack on Gaza, a group of Montrealers occupied the office of Quebec's Economic Development Minister Raymond Bachand, calling on the Charest government to immediately end ties with Israel, and specifically withdraw from the Quebec-Israel accord.

"The accord, signed this fall, establishes unconditional economic ties between the two countries," said Marc-André Faucher, spokesperson for ASSÉ, representing over 40,000 Quebec students. "The accord does not include measures to force Israel to respect international law, but provides economic backing and diplomatic cover for current war crimes in Gaza."

Montrealers, including dozens of supporters outside of the offices, sent a clear message to the Charest government by shutting down the minister's office, disrupting its functioning for the day. Demonstrators locked themselves together in the office, chanting "Israël: terroriste! Bachand: complice!" and demanding the Charest government denounce Israel's war crimes that continue unabated in Gaza.

The protesters, who were eventually removed by police without arrests, demanded that Quebec end all economic ties with Israel as part of the international campaign for boycott, divestment and sanctions against Israeli apartheid.

"We demand that the Charest government tear up the Quebec-Israel bilateral accord and condemn Israel's attack on Gaza," outlined Stefan Christoff, from Tadamon! "Given that Bachand has failed to address our demands, Quebec government institutions should expect future disruptions."

Recent accounts of Israel's carnage document over a thousand dead, including 300 children, and more than 5000 wounded in Gaza.

Major protests have ignited worldwide against the ongoing massacre in Gaza, while growing numbers of direct actions against Israeli apartheid have occurred in recent days, including many on the part of the Jewish community who condemn Israel's attack on Gaza.

* Photos of today's action
http://photos.cmaq.net/v/IsraelQuebecAccord/

* For more information:

- l'Association pour une Solidarité Syndicale Étudiante (ASSÉ)
http://www.asse-solidarite.qc.ca/

- Tadamon!
http://www.tadamon.ca
info@tadamon.ca

[NYC] U.S.S. Intrepid Banner Drop: Jewish Solidarity with Palestine

suggested by Hanan, re-posted from
http://jvoices.com/2009/01/16/jato-nyc-gaza-solidarity-banner-dro/

Banner Drop at U.S.S. Intrepid Marks Spread of U.S. Jewish Solidarity With Palestinians

Friday, January 16, 2009

NYC Jews Call for an Immediate End to Israel's War on Gaza

A banner drop over New York City's West Side Highway, carried out by members of Jews Against the Occupation/NYC, declared “Jews Say: End Israel's War on Gaza NOW!” This action by Jewish New Yorkers continued the wave of increasingly public Jewish solidarity with the Palestinians targeted by the Israeli government's ongoing attack on the Gaza Strip, which has killed over 1,000 people, nearly 1/3 of them children.

The banner, which was seen by thousands of commuters during morning rush hour on Friday, January 16th, 2009, expanded the public presence of the many New York Jews who strongly disagree with the self-appointed community spokespeople who have repeatedly expressed support for the bombing and invasion of Gaza. “We are standing up for justice,” said Niuta Teitelboim, one of the JATO/NYC activists, “which is a Jewish tradition that many Jewish organizations seem to have abandoned. Too many have vocally endorsed a war which has involved a continuous string of Israeli war crimes: the mass killings of children and families at UN schools designated as places of refuge; the targeting with bombs and artillery fire of hospitals and ambulances; and most recently the destruction of food and medical aid supplies in a UN facility.”

JATO/NYC placed the banner at the U.S.S. Intrepid to highlight the role of U.S. aid to Israel in the current war and massacres. “Palestinian doctors, ambulance drivers, and children are being killed by bombs paid for with U.S. taxpayers’ money, dropped from planes paid for with U.S. taxpayers’ money, sent by an Israeli administration that could not maintain one of the world's largest militaries without a constant flow of cash from the U.S. treasury,” elaborated R. Rosenthal, another JATO/NYC member involved in the action. “That means all of us are involved in this bloody war. Even if foreclosures and unemployment weren’t decimating our neighborhoods, surely there are better uses for $3 billion a year than helping the Israeli government commit war crimes.”

Over the past week, Jews across North America and Europe have shown their opposition to Israel's latest war, as well as its ongoing military occupation of the West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem and denial of Palestinian refugees right to return home. Jewish groups have held sit-ins at Israeli consulates in Toronto, Los Angeles, and San Francisco; taken it upon themselves to declare the cancellation of a London rally in support of the war; participated actively in the many demonstrations calling for an immediate end to the bombing and invasion of Gaza; and joined the worldwide campaign for boycott, divestment and sanctions on Israel until Palestinian rights under international law are respected. “Today’s action is one small contribution to the growing movement in solidarity with the 1.5 million Palestinians being bombed, shelled, and shot by the Israeli army," JATO-NYC member Sholom Schwartzbard explained. "We know from our own history what being sealed behind barbed wire and checkpoints is like, and we know that ‘Never Again’ means not anyone, not anywhere - or it means nothing at all."

[L.A.] Jews Shut Down Israeli Consulate for 3 Hours

re-posted from APOC listserv

January 14, 2009

JEWS SHUT DOWN ISRAELI CONSULATE FOR 3 HOURS:

10 JEWS CHAIN TOGETHER TO BLOCK DRIVEWAY AND ENTRANCE

Early this morning, Jewish activists in a historic first in Los Angeles, chained themselves to the entrance of the Israeli Consulate and blocked the driveway to the parking structure, blocking all traffic in and out of the building. "We sent a clear message to the world that LA Jews are part of the global majority in opposition to the Israeli siege of Gaza," said Lenny Potash a 72-year old protester who was cuffed to eight other activists, blocking the driveway to the consulate. The activists were joined by 50 other supporters and who chanted "LA Jews say, End the Siege of Gaza" and "Not in Our Name! We will Not be Silent!" Protesters also held up signs reading "Israeli Consulate: Closed for War Crimes."

"We succeeded today in letting Jews and other Americans of conscience know that it is safe to speak out against the policies of the Israeli government and that the Israeli lobby does not speak for everyone," said Robin Ellis, a Registered Nurse who also risked arrest to block the consulate entrance. "We are committed to escalating non-violent activities in the future to end the siege and win justice for Palestinians," Ellis said.

The group of activists were an ad-hoc, multi-generational group of LA Jewish residents, including members of the recently founded International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network. They shared a commitment to ending the Israeli siege on Gaza and an end to Israeli apartheid. The demonstration will kick off a wave of demonstrations across the United States uniting Palestinians, Jewish people, and other Americans outraged by the siege.

"We are shocked and outraged at Israeli's latest act of violent aggression against the Palestinian people. Killing over 950 people, including 250 women and children, bombing schools and mosques and then calling it self-defense—that is the worst kind of hypocrisy. It also amounts to war crimes," said Hannah Howard, a local member of the International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network. "We shut down the Israeli consulate today because as Jewish people we cannot allow business as usual while violence is being done in our name."

Action participants also spoke out against the US government's unconditional support for Israel's siege and its ongoing war against the Palestinian people. "While US-funded F16's rain down bombs on the people of Gaza, our elected officials locally and nationally offer unqualified support." said Marsha Steinberg, a retired union representative. "Our government must stop sending billions of dollars in military and economic aid to the Israeli war machine," Goldberg said. In the coming week, concerned Americans from all backgrounds will call on the new Presidential administration to make a 180 degree change in policy.

"While the end of the siege on Gaza is our most immediate priority, this is only the latest chapter in Palestinians' 60 plus year experience of occupation and ethnic cleansing. Peace and justice in the region will only come when Palestinians have freedom and control their own destiny," said Lisa Adler, a community organizer in Los Angeles and another member of the International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network. "Even before the siege began, Israel's inhumane months-long blockade of Gaza created a major humanitarian crisis. We must end the siege. And we are building a nonviolent international movement of boycott, divestment and sanctions that brings an end to Israel's policies of occupation and apartheid and advances the Palestinian struggle for justice," said Adler.

For more information on the International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network, visit www.ijsn.net

-- ## --

Profiles of several Demonstrators

Marsha Steinberg is a retired union representative and long time activist for social justice.

Gabriel Strachota is a 22-year old Jewish native of Massachusetts. His mother grew up in apartheid South Africa and he has many aunts, uncles, and cousins living in Israel.

Robin Ellis is a 34-year old Registered Nurse, working in Los Angeles' public health system.. Robin's grandparents and great grandparents fled Nazi Germany and settled in New York where Robin was born.Registered Nurse

Lisa Adler is a 29-year old New York native from a Latin American Jewish family. She spent several weeks in occupied Palestine in 2002 working in solidarity with Palestinians resisting the occupation non-violently.

Eric Romann is a 31-year old community organizer originally from New Jersey. Eric's grandparents moved to Palestine to escape Nazism in the 1930's and lost many family members in the Nazi Holocaust. His father spent the first 15 years of his life in Israel and Eric has many family members living there.

Samantha Tess Sunshine is a queer white Jew who lives in Los Angeles. She is a trained sex educator who has worked in the field of sexual health for almost a decade, and is currently a lead facilitator for the Leadership Development in Interethnic Relations Program at the Asian Pacific American Legal Center.

Fact Sheet on Gaza and Israeli Apartheid

THE PEOPLE OF GAZA: Nearly 1.5 million Palestinians live in Gaza, many of them concentrated in one-half of the territory. In this area, the population density is nearly 20,000 people per square mile, one of the highest in the world. More than three quarters of Gaza's residents are refugees who were driven from their homes during past wars with Israel (in 1948 and 1967), and their descendants. Israel has permanently barred their return. Over half of these refugees still reside in Gaza's eight refugee camps. (BBC, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5122404.stm)

THE OCCUPATION OF GAZA: The Gazans have lived under Israeli occupation since the Six-Day War in 1967. Israel is still widely considered to be an occupying power, even though it removed its troops and settlers from the strip in 2005. Israel still controls access to the area, imports and exports, and the movement of people in and out. Israel has control over Gaza's air space and sea coast, and its forces enter the area at will. As the occupying power, Israel has the responsibility under the Fourth Geneva Convention to see to the welfare of the civilian population of the Gaza Strip. ("What You Don't Know About Gaza", Rashidi Khalidi, New York Times, January 7, 2009).

THE BLOCKADE of GAZA: Israel's blockade of the strip, with the support of the United States and the European Union, has grown increasingly stringent since Hamas won the Palestinian Legislative Council elections in January 2006. Fuel, electricity, imports, exports and the movement of people in and out of the Strip have been slowly choked off, leading to life-threatening problems of sanitation, health, water supply and transportation. This amounts to the collective punishment — with the tacit support of the United States — of a civilian population for exercising its democratic rights. (Khalidi, New York Times).

THE CEASE-FIRE: Lifting the blockade, along with a cessation of rocket fire, was one of the key terms of the June cease-fire between Israel and Hamas. This accord led to a reduction in rockets fired from Gaza from hundreds in May and June to a total of less than 20 in the subsequent four months (according to Israeli government figures). The cease-fire broke down when Israeli forces launched major air and ground attacks in early November; six Hamas operatives were reported killed. (Khalidi, New York Times).

WAR CRIMES: Israel's current assault on the Gaza Strip cannot be justified by self-defense. Rather, it involves serious violations of international law, including war crimes. Senior Israeli political and military leaders may bear personal liability for their offenses, and they could be prosecuted by an international tribunal, or by nations practicing universal jurisdiction over grave international crimes. ("Israel is committing war crimes." George Bisharat, Wall Street Journal, January 10, 2009.)

ISRAELI APARTHEID: Former South African President Hendrick Verwoerd observed as far back as 1961 that "Israel, like South Africa, is an apartheid state." In Palestine, the Zionist goal of controlling as much land as possible without Palestinians led to the large-scale expulsions of 1947-48 and 1967. Today, 92 percent of Israel's land is defined as the "inalienable property of the Jewish people." Jews anywhere in the world have a "right to return" and claim citizenship, while Palestinians who were expelled from their homes are denied the "right to return" guaranteed by international law. Former President Jimmy Carter defines apartheid as the "forced separation of two peoples in the same territory with one of the groups dominating or controlling the other." This accurately describes the situation in the occupied West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem, where Israeli settlers and soldiers totally dominate the indigenous Palestinian population. The policies Israel has implemented to carry out its 40-year-old occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip and expropriate Palestinian land closely mirror the "inhuman acts" that make up the UN Convention on the "Crime of Apartheid." (US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation, "Why Apartheid Applies to Israel", http://www.endtheoccupation.org/downloads/AAFWhyApartheid.pdf)

[Chicago] Mass Protest Against Invasion of Gaza

re-posted from Facebook Events

Just like the Friday rally on January 2, 2009, we are gathering to protest the crimes committed by Israeli occupational forces in Gaza. Endorsed and sponsored by organizations such as American Muslims for Palestine and other Palestinian solidarity movements, this rally is expected to be the biggest yet. With over 10,000 people expected, join us to speak out against Israeli aggression and the siege of Gaza.

The time is set for 3:30 PM this Friday, January 9, 2009. We will begin at the Daley Plaza at 50 W Washington St. and then we will march to the Israeli Consulate and demand the proper action: that Israeli occupation ends; that Israeli aggression halts; that Gazans (and all Palestinians) be treated like human beings; that the borders surrounding Gaza be opened; and that the crimes of the Israeli government end now. Due to high expectations in turnout numbers, we may be able march through the streets of downtown Chicago.

This protest is nothing short of history-making. Not only are we speaking out, we are attracting national coverage which tilts heads towards our goal of ending the Israeli occupation and siege of Gaza.

Please join us in this active movement for peace, justice, and freedom in the Middle East.

Remember:
MASS PROTEST AGAINST ISRAEL'S ATTACKS ON GAZA

Rally this Friday at the Daley Plaza at 50 W Washington St.
and then March to the Israeli Consulate

Gather at the Daley Plaza at 3:30 pm then march to the Israeli Consulate on Wacker and Michigan

Buses arrangements will be announced soon!

Last Friday over 5,000 people showed up! This week, our Goal is 10,000 ppl.
This is the least you can do to show your support for the people of Gaza

Stop the Killing of the Palestinian People!
Stop the War and Siege on Gaza!
End All U.S. Aid to Israel!
End the Israeli Occupation of Palestine!

TELL EVERYONE YOU KNOW! EMAIL, TEXT, CALL, FACEBOOK, ETC.

Host: American Muslims for Palestine
Date: Friday, January 9, 2009
Time: 3:30-6:00pm
Location: Daley PLaza at 50 W. Washington St. Chicago, IL
Email: info@ampalestine.org

[NYC/Annapolis] Rabbi Protest Against Zionism

suggested by Nia, please follow the YouTube link below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WzJbRMLZHPY

[Gaza] Free Gaza: A 'Cool Idea' That Should Be Put Into Practice

re-posted from CommonDreams.org

by Ewa Jasiewicz, Ramzi Kysia and Lubna Masarwa, on 12/08/08

Free Gaza: A 'Cool Idea' That Should Be Put Into Practice: An Open Letter to Israeli Government Spokesman

In a conversation with the press last night, Mark Regev, the official spokesperson for Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, made the following statement:

"Free Gaza is a cool idea, but free them from what?" said Regev. "If they want to free Gaza they should take out women who fear for their lives, Christians and gays. We want to free Gaza from this terrible Taliban regime. This terrible Taliban regime is oppressing women, Christians and gays."

This is our response:

Dear Mr. Regev,

Thank you for your recognition of our efforts to break Israel's inhumane and illegal siege of Gaza. We also think that "Free Gaza" is a very cool idea.

With respect, Israel's siege is directly preventing all the people of Gaza from accessing clean water, electricity, adequate food supplies, and freedom of movement to seek essential medical care, educational development, as well as from being able to freely visit with family and friends.

Israel's siege is indiscriminate, and unjustly affects everyone in Gaza -- including, but not limited to, the women, Christians, and gays that you speak of. These denials all stem from your government's policy of collective punishment, in direct violation of international law and basic human dignity -- both Israel's and that of the Palestinian people.

All of the people of Gaza have reason to fear for their lives due to the Israeli army's reckless use of force, bombing civilian areas, bulldozing homes, shelling civilian areas using flachette shells, and terrorising young and old with the frequent use of sonic booms which have resulted in the permanent deafening of children. The perpetual threat of a ground invasion and escalation of aerial bombardment is both an immediate and continuing threat, as well as an ongoing form of psychological torture. The humiliation of those trying to exit Gaza for medical treatment, the visitation of loved ones and for the right to pursue education also creates the fear of never being able to develop, to learn, to survive, to live, and to love.

We will be leaving Cyprus this evening on our fourth voyage to Gaza, in order to symbolically break Israel's siege, in particular drawing attention to the generation of Palestinians denied the right of self and national realisation and advancement through education -- a right not a privilege, for the youth of every country in the world. We also aim to draw attention to the humanitarian catastrophe the siege has caused, and inspire deeper and more sustained political action across the world to end the illegal and inhumane Israeli occupation.

Mr. Regev, we urge you and other members of your government to join us in this vital mission, see first hand the brutal affects of Israeli policies on the families of Gaza, and work with us to end Israel's siege of Gaza and the ongoing Occupation of Palestine. We appeal to your humanity and once again echo a point of evident agreement between us: Yes, Free Gaza is a cool idea -- now let's put it into practice.

Sincerely Yours,

Ewa Jasiewicz
Ramzi Kysia
Lubna Masarwa
Free Gaza Movement, Cyprus
http://www.FreeGaza.org