Today's campus movements to divest from Israeli occupation--

"Campuses work to further the BDS Movement"

ARAB AMERICAN NEWS, page 14

Dearborn, Michigan

November 28, 2010

At: http://www.arabamericannews.com/news/index.php?mod=article&cat=Community&article=3630

Click on images to enlarge.

Campuses work to further the BDS movement
By Nick Meyer
Sunday, 11.28.2010, 01:14am

The apartheid situation in South Africa ended in the 1990s in large part because of boycotts on college campuses, and many scholars have argued that the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions Movement (BDS) is the most effective way for ending the current blockade and occupation of Palestine by Israeli military forces.

The BDS movement against companies with Israeli ties has been active at American campuses in recent weeks in response to desperate pleas from human rights organizations, the United Nations, and world political leaders to end the occupation.

Sabra hummus removed after divestment push

On November 19, Chicago's DePaul University announced that their dining services organization would discontinue the sale of hummus made by Sabra, an Israeli brand that students have said is known for its vocal and material support of the Israeli army, which has been accused of numerous war crimes in Gaza by the U.N. The products were removed from store shelves for the rest of the semester with a ban likely in the near future according to the Huffington Post.

DePaul's Students for Justice in Palestine organization provided research that the Strauss Group, which co-owns Sabra hummus, had direct monetary ties with Israeli forces that continue to enforce the illegal occupations of Palestinian land.

The boycott is being used as a blueprint for how to effect change at the college level from the ground up.

Sabra hummus is also the target of a boycott launched by The Princeton Committee on Palestine at Princeton University in New Jersey as the group has created a referendum asking the school's dining services to sell an alternative brand of hummus.

EMU in Virginia, University of Southern California pushing for divestment

At Eastern Mennonite University (EMU) in Virginia, a group of students is pushing for divestment from companies supporting Israel's military as well.

The liberal arts Christian college's Students for Morally Responsible Investment (SMRI) group has met recently with the administration and other Mennonite institutions in an attempt to continue the BDS movement and to promote the peaceful ideals of the Mennonite church.

Divestment resolutions have been passed at various schools across the country including one by the University of Michigan-Dearborn's student government.

The University of Southern California's Students for Justice in Palestine organization is also planning to make its own push for divestment from companies supporting the Israeli military.

Columbia University checkpoints raise awareness

Echoing a demonstration held this year at UM-Dearborn by the Arab Student Union, New York-based Columbia University students dressed as Israeli soldiers stopped other students on their way to class at mock checkpoints resembling those set up in the West Bank in Palestine. The event was held on Thursday, Nov. 18.

Some students were ordered to the ground and blindfolded in demonstrations of life for Palestinians at military checkpoints in the West Bank.

Other students on campus came together for a counter-demonstration, saying that the checkpoints didn't accurately represent the situation in the occupied West Bank.

The Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine said its demonstration was meant to protest human rights violations at checkpoints that many human rights activists have witnessed from their time working in the West Bank.

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Princeton University boycott campaign against Israeli Hummus--

"Princeton students: Boycott Sabra hummus.

"Palestinian group wants Israeli product removed from campus stores because it serves 'occupation' "

by Yitzhak Benhorin

Published in YNet, 11.27.2010

See full article at: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3990406,00.html

"Hummus feeding the 'occupation'?

"Next week students at New Jersey's Princeton University will be called upon to prevent Sabra-brand hummus from being sold at restaurants and stores on campus.

"A number of Palestinian students, joined by a Chilean Jew, decided to campaign against the tasty snack on the grounds that it serves "the occupation".

"The boycott attempt is fueled by the Palestinian students' discovery that the Israeli Strauss company, which owns Sabra together with Pepsi, supports and cares for soldiers from the Golani Brigade.

"The Princeton Committee on Palestine decided to hold a vote deciding whether to sell Sabra's competitors on campus after pointing out the irony that hummus, traditionally an Arab dish, was being marketed by a company affiliated with a state allegedly violating Palestinians' rights...."

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Jewish Witnesses for Peace Strongly Supports the Boycott against Apartheid Israel--

"Synagogue Vigil Group Celebrates Seven-Year Anniversary"

Published in AnnArbor.com,

November 21, 2010

At:

http://www.annarbor.com/community/community_wall/synagogue_vigil_group_celebrates_seven-year_anniversary/index.php

When you pass by Beth Israel Congregation on Washtenaw Avenue on any Saturday morning between 9:30 and 10:45 – no matter if there's knee-deep snow, minus six-degree temperatures, or thunderstorms - you’re sure to see at least a half dozen people holding nicely-printed signs saying how atrociously Israel is treating the Palestinians. These are the "Vigilers" of the Jewish Witnesses for Peace and Friends (JWPF), an organization led by Henry Herskovitz, which has just celebrated its seven-year anniversary this past September.

The group, many of whom had been to Palestine with the Michigan Peace Team or the International Solidarity Movement (which was co-founded by JWPF member Thom Saffold) witnessed the imprisoning conditions under which Palestinians are compelled to live. Other painful observations included the Israeli Defense Forces’ shooting randomly into crowds of civilians at weddings, funerals, and peaceful protests; into houses, too often killing anyone unlucky enough to be standing directly inside, or at children throwing stones at well-armed soldiers or at bulldozers knocking down homes of innocents.

The group's aim was to introduce the public and synagogue members to what was going on in Israel/Palestine, in the absence of unbiased media coverage and because of Henry’s not being permitted to speak to the Congregation inside about his recent trip to Palestine. The Ann Arbor Police Department has – at the instigation of Beth Israel congregants – examined this group from head to toe, and has concluded that its presence on the public sidewalk is completely street-legal.

But it appears from the Zionist community’s statements, letters, and actions that a great many still support Israel's claimed "right" as a Jewish state foisted upon an unwilling population in Palestine. Many congregants would like the Vigilers to go away so that they can pray in peace. But the Synagogue, and all Jewish worship places in this intellectual town, still have an Israeli flag inside and the congregation at Beth Israel still offers the traditional prayer for the state of Israel and its soldiers.

"Why do you keep on vigiling?" several JWPF people were asked. Replied Gloria Harb, of Palestinian heritage, "It’s the only way I can express my outrage. I feel our signs express the ideas our mass media refuse to debate. We say what needs to be said." Marcia Federbush, historically Jewish, said, "We have to remind people once a week of how barbarically the Israelis are treating the Palestinians. This is a good place for people to mention Palestinians in their prayers." And Henry Herskovitz, who in Ann Arbor is considered the arch anti-Zionist spokesperson, answered, "What better place to protest Israel’s atrocities than in front of the House of Israel? (Beth Israel in Hebrew means ‘House of Israel’)."

Well-known activists, like the beleaguered but always cheerful Rev. Edward Pinkney from Benton Harbor, Daniel McGowan, President of Deir Yassin Remembered, and Hedy Epstein, co-founder of the Gaza freedom boats, have come to town to join the JWPF vigils.

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From the 73 comments below the article:

The leadership of these Palestine vigils also comments --

"...In addition to raising awareness of Israel's crimes, our vigils also strongly support boycotting Israel until the following are achieved:

"1. The full civil and political equality of the Arab-Palestinian citizens of Israel within Israel;
"2. The prompt implementation of the rights of Palestinian refugees of 1947-8 and 1967 to return to their homes and properties in Israel and Palestine as stipulated in UN resolution 194; and,
"3. The prompt end of Israeli occupation and colonization of all lands seized by Israel in 1967.

"These demands are part of the 2005 Call by more than 170 Palestinian political parties, unions, NGOs and networks, representing the entire spectrum of Palestinian civil society -- under occupation, in Israel, and in the diaspora.

"Readers should continue to boycott Israeli goods now stocked at the local People's Food Co-op.

Additionally, there are distinct rumors that a well-known anti-Zionist plans to run again for the Board of Directors in 2011. Stay tuned."

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Irish Trade Union Votes Unanimously for Boycott against Israel

"Another BDS Victory: Irish Trade Union TEEU Votes to Boycott Israel"

ALTERNATIVE INFORMATION CENTER

November 26, 2010

At: http://www.alternativenews.org/english/index.php/topics/economy-of-the-occupation/3039-another-bds-victory-irish-trade-union-teeu-votes-to-boycott-israel

At its biennial conference last weekend, the Technical Engineering and Electrical Union (TEEU) unanimously voted to “support for a boycott campaign of Israeli goods and services and a policy of disinvestment from Israeli companies” as a result of the Israeli state’s continuing breaches of international law and human rights abuses against the people of Palestine."

The Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign (IPSC) welcomed the passing of the motion[1].

TEEU General President, Frank Keoghan, welcomed the motion saying: “It is an expression of the solidarity and empathy that members of the TEEU, and indeed all Irish people, feel for the suffering people of Palestine, that this motion received the unanimous support of our Conference.”

The motion was submitted by the TEEU’s Executive Management Committee, and speaking from the floor one delegate outlined the rationale for the motion, saying: “The global trade union movement has consistently demonstrated its commitment to Palestinian rights by adopting labour-led sanctions as a form of effective solidarity with Palestinians. The TEEU should be proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with our Palestinian trade union brothers and sisters, those brave Israelis – Jewish and Arab - who promote BDS, and those trade unions from Britain, to Belguim, to Canada to South Africa and beyond that have taken the principled decision to support BDS.”

IPSC National Chairperson Freda Hughes praised the passing of the resolution saying: “The IPSC congratulates the TEEU on passing this historic motion, and we proudly welcome the TEEU into the ranks of the Palestinian-led worldwide Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) coalition that will finally bring to an end Israeli apartheid, occupation and the oppression of the Palestinian people”.

[1]: The full text of the motion reads as follows:

Conference pledges its support for a boycott campaign of Israeli goods and services and a policy of disinvestment from Israeli companies as a means of encouraging the Israeli government to comply with International Law and to cease violating the human rights of the Palestinian people and will pursue active engagement with Palestinian and Israeli human rights groups and civic society organisations as appropriate.

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"Minnesotans Call for Divestment from Israel"

"Minnesotans Call for Divestment from Israel"

by Minnesota Break the Bonds Campaign, Nov 20, 2010

At: http://imeu.net/news/article0020058.shtml

The video is produced by the Minnesota Break the Bonds Campaign (MNBBC), a statewide organization calling for Minnesota to divest from Israel Bonds until Israel complies with international human-rights law. We are Palestinians, Jews, Christians, Muslims, students, professionals, parents, community members and allies working together to bring fair and honest Palestine-centric education to Minnesota, to support justice and human rights, and to examine our relationship as Minnesotans to Israel's occupation of Palestine.

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Boycott-Israel candidates are 100% victorious at Olympia Food Co-op.Boycott victory at DePaul University, too--

"Record Turnout For Olympia Food Co-op Board Election"

Nov. 17, 2010

At:

http://www.olympiabds.org/2010/record-turnout-for-olympia-food-co-op-board-election.html

Olympia, WA — In a record turnout, members of the Olympia Food Co-op have chosen four new representatives and one incumbent for the organization’s Board of Directors. The large turnout was attributed by many in the community as a response to the July 15 decision by the Olympia Food Co-op to boycott Israeli goods in support of Palestinian human rights. The ballot included 14 candidates and the five elected are: Rochelle Gause, Erin Genia, John Regan, Eric Mapes, and TJ Johnson.

“An organization that places social justice and sustainable practices at the forefront of the policy decisions is an organization I am proud to serve,” says newly elected Erin Genia, a low-income mother of three, a recipient of Master of Public Administration, and a member of the Sisseton-Wapheton Dakota Oyate.

Over the next two years, the newly elected board members will bring a wide variety of expertise to their positions. John Regan has worked with a 43-year-old food co-op in Barquisimeto, Venezuela; Rochelle Gause has worked with food justice, local farming, and low-income communities, most recently with GRuB; TJ Johnson is part of Sustainable South Sound, and served as a city-council member who stood out for his support of the anti-war movement; Eric Mapes is a law student with experience from working with the Immigrant Family Advocacy Project and the Street Youth Legal Advocates of Washington.

All five elected candidates have publicly expressed support for the current boycott of Israeli products.

“I see the boycott as an integral part of the Co-op’s mission to encourage economic and social justice and view the election results as a strong confirmation of the Co-op membership’s supportive stance of the growing Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions [BDS] movement” says Rochelle Gause, one of the elected candidates with a long history of working for Palestinian human rights, and also a member of the local advocacy group Olympia BDS.

This election reaffirms the Co-op’s importance to the Olympia community as a healthy and socially just alternative to mainstream grocery stores.

Olympia BDS remains dedicated to continuing the process of education and discussion on the issue of justice for Palestinians.

Olympia BDS (www.olympiabds.org)

contact@olympiabds.org

Press Contact: Andrew Meyer (360) 628-3087

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"DePaul divests from Israeli hummus product"

By Sami Kishawi

Nov. 19, 2010

At: http://smpalestine.com/2010/11/19/depaul-divests-from-israeli-hummus-product/

Today marks another win for the global boycott, divestment, sanctions (BDS) movement against corporations that profit from severe human rights violations. Chicago’s very own DePaul University just announced that their dining services will be discontinuing the sale of hummus manufactured by Sabra, an Israeli brand known for its vocal and material support of Israeli Defense Forces. The administration has temporarily suspended the sale of Sabra products and will likely move towards permanently banning the brand from campus.

A little over two weeks ago, members of DePaul’s Students for Justice in Palestine expressed concern over the sale of Sabra products after discovering that Chartwells, which provides dining services to the university, had introduced the Israeli-brand hummus to food and dining facilities throughout campus. Acting on their concern, the students compiled research and revealed that the Strauss Group, co-owner of Sabra, has direct monetary ties with elite Israeli military forces currently and historically involved in the illegal occupation of Palestinian land.

One week after bringing the issue to the attention of campus administrators, the university informed campaign organizers that Sabra products are set to be removed from shelves for the remainder of the school quarter and will most likely not be sold on campus in the future. (Read the email sent to administrators at the end of the post.)

The ultimate success of this modest divestment campaign isn’t that it resulted in the removal of a product from campus cafeteria shelves but, rather, that it has undoubtedly set the framework for future campaigns in college campuses throughout the United States.

With exactly 156 colleges and universities using Chartwells for their campus dining needs, the BDS movement against IDF-sponsoring companies like Strauss Group and Sabra can potentially reach national heights. By discontinuing the sale of Sabra products, DePaul University has made its stance clear: Any product or company involved with flagrant human rights violations against Palestinians or any other people does not mirror the principles on which the university is founded and is therefore not welcome on campus.

The administration’s quick response indicates the importance of preserving and respecting Palestinian rights by divesting from companies that do the exact opposite.

DePaul’s divestment from Strauss Group-owned Sabra products comes less than a month after a similar attempt at divestment hit the streets of Philadelphia. Over two dozen activists gathered at a supermarket near the University of Pennsylvania to protest the sale of Sabra hummus. A video of the action was released to the public via YouTube where it quickly grew in popularity and eventually prompted Strauss Group to remove all references supporting the Israeli military from its English-translated website. However, the Hebrew version of the website still maintains the corporation’s public support of IDF activity.

Major BDS campaigns generally take years of concentrated grassroots efforts before any significant progress is made but that did not deter the small group of DePaul students from voicing their concern and offering alternative solutions that fell in line with the university’s code of ethics. The efforts put into this divestment campaign, both at DePaul and in Philadelphia, serve as a model for future college BDS movements. Any institution of higher learning that promotes morality, justice, and respect must make sure to abide by its principles. If it doesn’t, it is up to the students to make sure things change for the better.


--Sami Kishawi


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Email sent to DePaul administrators:

Hello Stephanie and Joe,

My name is Shirien and I’m part of Students for Justice in Palestine at DePaul. I’m writing you because it has recently come to our attention that Chartwells has started selling Sabra hummus products at DePaul. Many SJP members, as well as several other students, are deeply disturbed about this development. SGA President Ross R., as well as DePaul alumni Ben M. (both CC’d) recommended that we get in contact with you both in order to assist us with this matter.

The reason why we are concerned is because the company which manufactures Sabra hummus, the Strauss Group, has been a voice of support for the ongoing Israeli occupation through its ties with Israel’s military. This is apparent in their vocal support and material sustenance of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), namely the Golani Brigade. The Golani Brigade, Israel’s elite force, is known for its history of severe human rights violations. Many instances of these violations are well documented, from the assassination of Israeli PM Yitzhak Rabin to the torture and humiliation of Palestinian detainees. Because of this, a boycott campaign against Sabra is happening at many universities in cities across the nation.

Many of us students are concerned about DePaul affiliating with a company with such strong military and political ties. We feel that continuing the sale of Sabra products at DePaul is in violation of our Vincentian values, which require us to stand against injustice. This goes for any other companies affiliated with human suffering.

We would like to meet with you both so that we can discuss this matter more in-depth. CC’d to this email are key board members from SJP, as well as Erez, who is on the Fair Business Practices Committee. We want to voice our concerns and perhaps present alternative hummus brands that are more socially conscious. We hope that you can hear us out and help steer us in the right direction of how to go about addressing this.

Would it be possible to set up a meeting some time next week? I included everyone in one email thread so we can all be in the loop. Please let us know what you think. Thank you for your time and consideration!

Sincerely,

Shirien

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Palestine rights demonstration at Columbia:Mock Checkpoints expose Israeli Brutality

"Israel, Palestine groups clash on College Walk:

"The Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine set up mock checkpoints—to resemble those manned by the Israeli army in the West Bank—drawing crowds and counter-protests for several hours."

by Leah Greenbaum and Anna Etra

COLUMBIA SPECTATOR

November 19, 2010

Students dressed as Israeli soldiers stopped other students, ordered them to the ground, and blindfolded them in a demonstration that drew multiple campus groups to a standoff on College Walk Thursday afternoon.

The Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine set up mock checkpoints—to resemble those manned by the Israeli army in the West Bank—drawing crowds and counter-protests for several hours.

Organizers from CSJP said the demonstration was meant to protest human rights violations at these checkpoints, while representatives from pro-Israel groups argued that the event was offensive and the checkpoints are a needed form of protection.

Four groups under the Columbia/Barnard Hillel, the umbrella organization for Jewish student life, set up camp opposite CSJP on the sundial and distributed fliers telling passersby that checkpoints were a necessary evil and a product of a complicated relationship.

“Our gut reaction was to show up with suicide belts and say, ‘See this is why we have checkpoints’,” said Jonah Liben, GS/JTS ’11 and Hillel’s Israel coordinator. “We did not want to stoop to that level of evocative anger.”

Dina Zbeidy, GSAS and a member of CSJP, who marched around Low Plaza with army garb and a cardboard gun, said she spent most of her life on the other side of an AK-47.

“I had to go to a checkpoint every day for two years, so I know how they act usually,” she said, explaining that she lived on the Arab side of West Jerusalem and always dreaded the hour-and-a-half security check, where she would be shoved and yelled at.

Lior Hemi, GS, who donned an Israeli flag in protest of the checkpoint, questioned the methods behind the protest.

“I think it’s fair to do demonstrations, I think it’s important, but a lot of the time it’s one-sided,” he said. “How is it going to enhance my cause to show the other side’s satanic side? Is that really going to make me look better? I don’t think so.”

Yasmina Raiani, CC ’12 and one of the organizers of the CSJP event, said the focus of the event was on violations of human rights, not political debates.

“The point is to be talking to people who don’t know that much. I talk to people, especially Zionists, who are distorting the truth or approaching me aggressively,” she said.

After the second round of mock security checks, a loud argument broke out in the middle of College Walk between the supporters and critics of Israel.

Ravi Bhalla, CC ’13, said he was happy to see such a spirited debate, even though he said both sides seemed to focus on minutiae.

“I think they’re both a little too animated,” he said of the students who threw around expletives and references to lethal explosives. “That said, it is incredibly interesting. I’m really happy to see this kind of stuff going on. … There’s obviously stuff both clubs could probably do to make the situation better.”

Eric Schorr, GS/JTS ’12 and vice president of LionPAC, a pro-Israel group, said on behalf of his organization that he was incredibly offended by the mock checkpoints.

“They [CSJP] held a radical demonstration distorting the reality of what happens at checkpoints in the West Bank,” he said, adding that not everyone who passes through a checkpoint is treated so roughly.

Still, Alaa Milbes, GSAS and a member of CSJP, said their goal was clear—to “portray what Palestinian students go through on a daily basis....”

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