"U.S. government should halt sanctions on Iran"
BY MOZHGAN SAVABIEASFAHANI AND AZADEH SHAHSHAHANI
January 11, 2013
Michigan Daily (University of Michigan student newspaper)
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Letter to the Editor
At: http://michigandaily.com/opinion/01letter-editor-halt-sactions-iran11
Sanctions on Iraq may have killed as many as 576,000 children, according to a
1995 report by two scientists who surveyed the country for the United Nations
Food and Agriculture Organization. They also found sharply rising malnutrition
among the young, suggesting that more children will be at risk in the coming
years.
Today, with an epidemic of birth defects appearing
in many Iraqi cities, the country is still grappling with the aftermath of
war-related and sanctions-related public health issues.
Iran is a country of 80 million people. Over 19 million Iranians are under 14
years of age and most vulnerable to the effects of sanctions.
Have we learned anything from the death of half a million Iraqi children? If
we have, then the University of Michigan should raise its voice, as it has for
other issues, to demand that the U.S. government halt all sanctions on Iran.
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Friday, January 11, 2013
Thursday, January 10, 2013
“Anti-Israel advertisement dispute continues..."
“Anti-Israel advertisement dispute continues with new AATA policy”
Published January 9, 2013
MICHIGAN DAILY (At the University of Michigan; Ann Arbor)
No resolution was reached yesterday during a conference between the Ann Arbor Transit Authority and Ann Arbor resident Blaine Coleman in an endless battle over AATA’s decision not to post Coleman’s advertisement featuring anti-Israeli sentiments on their buses.
The two-year-old case continues as both parties were asked to submit supplemental briefs before U.S. District Judge Mark Goldsmith makes his decision, possibly in the next few weeks.
In January of 2011, Coleman purchased advertisement space on the side of an Ann Arbor bus. The ad had many images of skulls accompanied by the words “Boycott Israel”. The AATA rejected the advertisement, asserting that the advertisement violated two provisions of its policy: that the advertisement be in “good taste” and that it “not contain any scorn or ridicule”.
However, in September 2012 Goldsmith ruled that AATA’s advertising policy was unconstitutional. Coleman, however, sought further relief, arguing that his first amendment right to free speech guaranteed him the right to purchase the advertisement.
After revising its policy and revisiting the advertisement earlier this month, the AATA upheld its decision not to run it. Again, noting it ridiculed an individual or group and was in violation of their advertising standards.
“We felt like the ad was demeaning and offensive of a certain group and was outside our standards as the AATA,” AATA Chairman Charles Griffith said in an interview. “We reserve the right to reject advertisements that are outside our standards and stand by our decision.”
Griffith clarified that the reasons for banning the advertisement are still “valid” within the AATA’s new policy and does not expect the AATA to change their views on this matter....
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Monday, January 7, 2013
The University of Toronto’s Graduate Student Union (GSU) votes overwhelmingly to support boycott and divestment against Israel--
"GSU endorses boycott of investment in Israel"
By Rwayda Al-kamisi
Published: 7 January 2013
THE VARSITY (University of Toronto), Vol CXXXIII, No. 12, at:
http://thevarsity.ca/2013/01/07/gsu-endorses-boycott-of-investment-in-israel/
The University of Toronto’s Graduate Student Union (GSU) voted overwhelmingly in favor of a resolution to endorse the campaign known as “Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions” (BDS) against the state of Israel at their meeting on December 10.
BDS calls for U of T to refrain from investments in companies, including Lockheed Martin and Hewlett Packard, that are described as profiting from “illegal occupation of Palestinian land” and the “collective punishment of Palestinians.”
One hundred and fifty graduate students were present at the meeting, of which 97 per cent voted in favor of the motion. Some students who opposed the motion said they felt that the GSU violated their bylaws by not advertising the motion prior to the meeting.
Erin Oldynski, external commissioner for the GSU, promised that “a motion such as this is only the beginning of a much longer campaign.” Other Canadian universities have passed similar resolutions, including York University, University of Regina, and Carleton University.
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By Rwayda Al-kamisi
Published: 7 January 2013
THE VARSITY (University of Toronto), Vol CXXXIII, No. 12, at:
http://thevarsity.ca/2013/01/07/gsu-endorses-boycott-of-investment-in-israel/
The University of Toronto’s Graduate Student Union (GSU) voted overwhelmingly in favor of a resolution to endorse the campaign known as “Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions” (BDS) against the state of Israel at their meeting on December 10.
BDS calls for U of T to refrain from investments in companies, including Lockheed Martin and Hewlett Packard, that are described as profiting from “illegal occupation of Palestinian land” and the “collective punishment of Palestinians.”
One hundred and fifty graduate students were present at the meeting, of which 97 per cent voted in favor of the motion. Some students who opposed the motion said they felt that the GSU violated their bylaws by not advertising the motion prior to the meeting.
Erin Oldynski, external commissioner for the GSU, promised that “a motion such as this is only the beginning of a much longer campaign.” Other Canadian universities have passed similar resolutions, including York University, University of Regina, and Carleton University.
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Boycott "Israel" advertisement rejected again by Ann Arbor Transportation Authority:
Ann Arbor Chronicle:
AATA rejects anti-Israel ad on buses for second time
ANN ARBOR.com
January 4, 2013
At: http://www.annarbor.com/news/aata-rejects-anti-israel-ad-on-buses-for-second-time/
The Ann Arbor Transportation Authority has, for
the second time, rejected a request from Ann Arbor resident Blaine Coleman
to place an anti-Israel advertisement on its buses, the Ann Arbor Chronicle reported.
The board met
Thursday to consider the request. AATA was under a court order to reconsider
the ad, which it first rejected
more than a year ago. AATA considered the ad Thursday under a revised
advertising policy.
The rejected proposed advertisement.
AATA’s original rejection of the ad prompted a lawsuit on Coleman’s behalf from the American Civil Liberties Union, which alleged AATA violated Coleman’s First Amendment right to free speech and 14th Amendment right to due process.
In rejecting the ad in November of 2011, AATA said the ad violated AATA’s policy prohibiting any advertisement that “defames or is likely to hold up to scorn or ridicule a person or group of persons.”
The ad features the words “Boycott ‘Israel,’ Boycott Apartheid,” with the word Israel in quotation marks. It includes a cartoonish black-and-white image that depicts a skeleton-like figure holding a skull in its right hand and a bone in its left….
Sunday, December 30, 2012
University of Colorado students protesting against the Apartheid State of South Africa in April 1988.
This photo shows University of Colorado students protesting against the Apartheid State of South Africa in April 1988.
Notice the defiance against racism, the demand for action against the apartheid state.
This is a lesson for today's Palestine solidarity movement.
A few months after that Colorado protest, the university's Board of Regents voted to approve divestment against Apartheid South Africa -- in August 1988.
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Thursday, December 13, 2012
"University of Toronto graduate students endorse BDS, call on administration to divest"
December 12, 2012
At: http://electronicintifada.net/blogs/nora/university-toronto-graduate-students-endorse-bds-call-administration-divest
Following on the heels of a similar resolution passed last month by the Graduate Student Association at nearby York University in Toronto, Canada, the University of Toronto’s Graduate Student Union passed a resoution on Monday in favor of the Palestinian-led call for boycott, divestment and sanctions to be adopted by the university administration.
In a press release from Students Against Israeli Apartheid (SAIA) at the University of Toronto, and published on the website of the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI), students say that 97 percent of the graduate students present at the vote favored the resolution.
The press release reads, in full:
On 10 December 2012, the University of Toronto’s Graduate Student Union (GSU) voted overwhelmingly in favour of a resolution to endorse the global campaign for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS), at their annual general meeting. Over 150 graduate students were present at the meeting, of which approximately 97% voted in favour of the motion, with only a few students opposed.
The resolution states “Be it resolved that the Graduate Students Union endorse Palestinian civil society’s 2005 call for boycotts, divestment and sanctions by calling on the University of Toronto to refrain from investing in all companies complicit in violations of international law. This includes any company that: profits from the illegal occupation of Palestinian land, directly benefits from the construction of the Wall and Israeli settlements, is economically active in settlements, and profits from the collective punishment of Palestinians. This would include the companies BAE Systems, Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin and Hewlett Packard.”
The resolution was adopted in support of Palestinian rights and opposition to Israel’s illegal military occupation of Palestine and its violations of international law under the Geneva Conventions, as affirmed by the International Court of Justice in 2004. By divesting, the University of Toronto will fulfill its legal obligation not to invest in companies or organizations that are complicit in human rights violations, and will help force Israel to comply with international law.
In March 2011, Students Against Israeli Apartheid at the University of Toronto launched a divestment campaign addressing the university’s investments in companies that assist in, and profit from Israeli apartheid and the occupation of the Palestinian territories, with a specific focus on BAE Systems, Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin and Hewlett Packard, which provide the Israeli occupation with weapons and technology.
In passing this resolution, U of T joins York University, University of Regina, Carleton University and universities around the world, who have all passed similar resolutions at their student unions.
The passage of this resolution is a milestone in divestment activities in North America and will hopefully pave the way for a broader campaign which demands that the University of Toronto divest from any and all companies profiting from Israel’s illegal occupation.
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December 12, 2012
At: http://electronicintifada.net/blogs/nora/university-toronto-graduate-students-endorse-bds-call-administration-divest
Following on the heels of a similar resolution passed last month by the Graduate Student Association at nearby York University in Toronto, Canada, the University of Toronto’s Graduate Student Union passed a resoution on Monday in favor of the Palestinian-led call for boycott, divestment and sanctions to be adopted by the university administration.
In a press release from Students Against Israeli Apartheid (SAIA) at the University of Toronto, and published on the website of the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI), students say that 97 percent of the graduate students present at the vote favored the resolution.
The press release reads, in full:
On 10 December 2012, the University of Toronto’s Graduate Student Union (GSU) voted overwhelmingly in favour of a resolution to endorse the global campaign for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS), at their annual general meeting. Over 150 graduate students were present at the meeting, of which approximately 97% voted in favour of the motion, with only a few students opposed.
The resolution states “Be it resolved that the Graduate Students Union endorse Palestinian civil society’s 2005 call for boycotts, divestment and sanctions by calling on the University of Toronto to refrain from investing in all companies complicit in violations of international law. This includes any company that: profits from the illegal occupation of Palestinian land, directly benefits from the construction of the Wall and Israeli settlements, is economically active in settlements, and profits from the collective punishment of Palestinians. This would include the companies BAE Systems, Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin and Hewlett Packard.”
The resolution was adopted in support of Palestinian rights and opposition to Israel’s illegal military occupation of Palestine and its violations of international law under the Geneva Conventions, as affirmed by the International Court of Justice in 2004. By divesting, the University of Toronto will fulfill its legal obligation not to invest in companies or organizations that are complicit in human rights violations, and will help force Israel to comply with international law.
In March 2011, Students Against Israeli Apartheid at the University of Toronto launched a divestment campaign addressing the university’s investments in companies that assist in, and profit from Israeli apartheid and the occupation of the Palestinian territories, with a specific focus on BAE Systems, Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin and Hewlett Packard, which provide the Israeli occupation with weapons and technology.
In passing this resolution, U of T joins York University, University of Regina, Carleton University and universities around the world, who have all passed similar resolutions at their student unions.
The passage of this resolution is a milestone in divestment activities in North America and will hopefully pave the way for a broader campaign which demands that the University of Toronto divest from any and all companies profiting from Israel’s illegal occupation.
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Saturday, December 8, 2012
At the University of Texas:
"Challenging U.S. policy must begin on this campus with a call for the University to divest its interests in Israel."
From the Daily Texan
(University of Texas at Austin)
"Draw the connections: UT, the US and Israel"
by Christina Noriega and Jonathan Orta
November 29, 2012
At: http://www.dailytexanonline.com/opinion/2012/11/29/draw-the-connections-ut-the-us-and-israel
"...An Amnesty International report titled 'Operation Cast Lead: 22 Days of Death and Destruction' reports that Israeli F-16 combat aircraft 'targeted and destroyed civilian homes … often while they slept' and that Israeli Hellfire missiles killed 'children playing on the roofs of their homes or in the street and other civilians going about their daily business ... in broad daylight.' Though Israel’s countless war crimes have been well-documented, the U.S. government maintains its generous $3 billion a year in foreign aid to Israel.
"The U.S. government’s recent acts of unwavering, bipartisan support of Israel demonstrate the normalization of endorsing Israel’s actions in our political system. We cannot depend on our political system to change current U.S. foreign policy towards Israel. Change must come first from social movements.
"Challenging U.S. policy must begin on this campus with a call for the University to divest its interests in Israel. The Nov. 19 protest on the West Mall, like the one decades before, reminded University decision-makers that UT students can hold the University accountable for its actions. What unified the speakers and marchers was an understanding that UT students can effect changes. Join the movement to end U.S. support of Israel. Rather than being spectators to U.S.-endorsed occupation, we can start the path to peace here."
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(University of Texas at Austin)
"Draw the connections: UT, the US and Israel"
by Christina Noriega and Jonathan Orta
November 29, 2012
At: http://www.dailytexanonline.com/opinion/2012/11/29/draw-the-connections-ut-the-us-and-israel
"...An Amnesty International report titled 'Operation Cast Lead: 22 Days of Death and Destruction' reports that Israeli F-16 combat aircraft 'targeted and destroyed civilian homes … often while they slept' and that Israeli Hellfire missiles killed 'children playing on the roofs of their homes or in the street and other civilians going about their daily business ... in broad daylight.' Though Israel’s countless war crimes have been well-documented, the U.S. government maintains its generous $3 billion a year in foreign aid to Israel.
"The U.S. government’s recent acts of unwavering, bipartisan support of Israel demonstrate the normalization of endorsing Israel’s actions in our political system. We cannot depend on our political system to change current U.S. foreign policy towards Israel. Change must come first from social movements.
"Challenging U.S. policy must begin on this campus with a call for the University to divest its interests in Israel. The Nov. 19 protest on the West Mall, like the one decades before, reminded University decision-makers that UT students can hold the University accountable for its actions. What unified the speakers and marchers was an understanding that UT students can effect changes. Join the movement to end U.S. support of Israel. Rather than being spectators to U.S.-endorsed occupation, we can start the path to peace here."
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