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ACTION ALERT
For Immediate Release
9 July 2005
Palestinian Civil Society Calls for Boycott,
Divestment and Sanctions against Israel Until it Complies
with International Law and Universal Principles of Human
Rights
One year after the historic Advisory Opinion
of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) which found
Israel’s Wall built on occupied Palestinian territory
to be illegal, Israel continues its construction of the
colonial Wall with total disregard to the Court’s
decision. Thirty eight years into Israel’s occupation
of the Palestinian West Bank (including East Jerusalem),
Gaza Strip and the Syrian Golan Heights, Israel continues
to expand Jewish colonies. It has unilaterally annexed occupied
East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights and is now de facto
annexing large parts of the West Bank by means of the Wall.
Israel is also preparing - in the shadow of its planned
redeployment from the Gaza Strip - to build and expand colonies
in the West Bank. Fifty seven years after the state of Israel
was built mainly on land ethnically cleansed of its Palestinian
owners, a majority of Palestinians are refugees, most of
whom are stateless. Moreover, Israel's entrenched system
of racial discrimination against its own Arab-Palestinian
citizens remains intact.
In light of Israel’s persistent
violations of international law, and Given that, since 1948,
hundreds of UN resolutions have condemned Israel’s
colonial and discriminatory policies as illegal and called
for immediate, adequate and effective remedies, and
Given that all forms of international
intervention and peace-making have until now failed to convince
or force Israel to comply with humanitarian law, to respect
fundamental human rights and to end its occupation and oppression
of the people of Palestine, and
In view of the fact that people of conscience
in the international community have historically shouldered
the moral responsibility to fight injustice, as exemplified
in the struggle to abolish apartheid in South Africa through
diverse forms of boycott, divestment and sanctions;
Inspired by the struggle of South Africans
against apartheid and in the spirit of international solidarity,
moral consistency and resistance to injustice and oppression,
We, representatives of Palestinian civil
society, call upon international civil society organizations
and people of conscience all over the world to impose broad
boycotts and implement divestment initiatives against Israel
similar to those applied to South Africa in the apartheid
era. We appeal to you to pressure your respective states
to impose embargoes and sanctions against Israel. We also
invite conscientious Israelis to support this Call, for
the sake of justice and genuine peace.
These non-violent punitive measures should
be maintained until Israel meets its obligation to recognize
the Palestinian people’s inalienable right to self-determination
and fully complies with the precepts of international law
by:
1. Ending its occupation and colonization
of all Arab lands and dismantling the Wall;
2. Recognizing the fundamental rights
of the Arab-Palestinian citizens of Israel to full equality;
and
3. Respecting, protecting and promoting
the rights of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes
and properties as stipulated in UN resolution 194.
Endorsed by:
The Palestinian political parties, unions,
associations, coalitions and organizations below represent
the three integral parts of the people of Palestine: Palestinian
refugees, Palestinians under occupation and Palestinian
citizens of Israel.
UNIONS, ASSOCIATIONS, CAMPAIGNS
- Council of National and Islamic Forces in Palestine
(coordinating body for the major political parties in
the Occupied Palestinian Territory)
- Palestinian Independent Commission for Citizen's Rights
(PICCR)
- Union of Arab Community Based Associations (ITTIJAH),
Haifa
- Forum of Palestinian NGOs in Lebanon
- Palestinian General Federation of Trade Unions (PGFTU)
- General Union of Palestinian Women (GUPW)
- General Union of Palestinian Teachers (GUPT)
- Federation of Unions of Palestinian Universities' Professors
and Employees
- Consortium of Professional Associations
- Union of Palestinian Medical Relief Committees (UPMRC)
- Health Work Committees - West Bank
- Union of Agricultural Work Committees (UAWC)
- Union of Palestinian Agricultural Relief Committees
(PARC)
- Union of Health Work Committees - Gaza (UHWC)
- Union of Palestinian Farmers
- Occupied Palestine and Syrian Golan Heights Advocacy
Initiative (OPGAI)
- General Union of Disabled Palestinians
- Palestinian Federation of Women's Action Committees
(PFWAC)
- Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott
of Israel (PACBI)
- Palestinian Grassroots Anti-Apartheid Wall Campaign
- Union of Teachers of Private Schools
- Union of Women's Work Committees, Tulkarem (UWWC)
- Dentists' Association - Jerusalem Center
- Palestinian Engineers Association
- Lawyers' Association
- Network for the Eradication of Illiteracy and Adult
Education, Ramallah
- Coordinating Committee of Rehabilitation Centers - West
Bank
- Coalition of Lebanese Civil Society Organizations (150
organizations)
- Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights (SPHR), Network
of Student-based Canadian University Associations
REFUGEE RIGHTS ASSOCIATIONS/ORGANIZATIONS
- Al-Ard Committees for the Defense of the Right of Return,
Syria
- Al-Awda Charitable Society, Beit Jala
- Al Awda - Palestine Right-to-Return Coalition, U.S.A
- Al-Awda Toronto
- Aidun Group - Lebanon
- Aidun Group - Syria
- Alrowwad Cultural and Theatre Training Center, Aida
refugee camp
- Association for the Defense of the Rights of the Internally
Displaced (ADRID), Nazareth
- BADIL Resource Center for Palestinian Residency and
Refugee Rights, Bethlehem
- Committee for Definite Return, Syria
- Committee for the Defense of Palestinian Refugee Rights,
Nablus
- Consortium of the Displaced Inhabitants of Destroyed
Palestinian Villages and Towns
- Filastinuna - Commission for the Defense of the Right
of Return, Syria
- Handala Center, 'Azza (Beit Jibreen) refugee camp, Bethlehem
- High Committee for the Defense of the Right of Return,
Jordan (including personal endorsement of 71 members of
parliament, political parties and unions in Jordan)
- High National Committee for the Defense of the Right
of Return, Ramallah
- International Right of Return Congress (RORC)
- Jermana Youth Forum for the Defense of the Right of
Return, Syria
- Laji Center, Aida camp, Bethlehem
- Local Committee for Rehabilitation, Qalandia refugee
camp, Jerusalem
- Local Committee for Rehabilitation of the Disabled,
Deheishe refugee camp, Bethlehem
- Palestinian National Committee for the Defense of the
Right of Return, Syria
- Palestinian Return Association, Syria
- Palestinian Return Forum, Syria
- Palestine Right-of-Return Coalition (Palestine, Arab
host countries, Europe, North America)
- Palestine Right-of-Return Confederation-Europe (Austria,
Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Norway,
Poland, Sweden)
- Palestinian Youth Forum for the Right of Return, Syria
- PLO Popular Committees - West Bank refugee camps
- PLO Popular Committees - Gaza Strip refugee camps
- Popular Committee - al-'Azza (Beit Jibreen) refugee
camp, Bethlehem
- Popular Committee - Deheishe refugee camp, Bethlehem
- Shaml - Palestinian Diaspora and Refugee Center, Ramallah
- Union of Women's Activity Centers - West Bank Refugee
Camps
- Union of Youth Activity Centers - Palestine Refugee
Camps
- Women's Activity Center - Deheishe refugee camp, Bethlehem
- Yafa Cultural Center, Balata refugee camp, Nablus
ORGANIZATIONS
- Abna' al-Balad Society, Nablus
- Addameer Center for Human Rights, Gaza
- Addameer Prisoners' Support and Human Rights Association,
Ramallah
- Alanqa' Cultural Association, Hebron
- Al-Awda Palestinian Folklore Society, Hebron
- Al-Doha Children's Cultural Center, Bethlehem
- Al-Huda Islamic Center, Bethlehem
- Al-Jeel al-Jadid Society, Haifa
- Al-Karameh Cultural Society, Um al-Fahm
- Al-Maghazi Cultural Center, Gaza
- Al-Marsad Al-Arabi, occupied Syrian Golan Heights
- Al-Mezan Center for Human Rights, Gaza
- Al-Nahda Cultural Forum, Hebron
- Al-Taghrid Society for Culture and Arts, Gaza
- Alternative Tourism Group, Beit Sahour (ATG)
- Al-Wafa' Charitable Society, Gaza
- Applied Research Institute Jerusalem (ARIJ)
- Arab Association for Human Rights, Nazareth (HRA)
- Arab Center for Agricultural Development (ACAD)
- Arab Center for Agricultural Development-Gaza
- Arab Education Institute (AEI) - Pax Christie Bethlehem
- Arab Orthodox Charitable Society - Beit Sahour
- Arab Orthodox Charity - Beit Jala
- Arab Orthodox Club - Beit Jala
- Arab Orthodox Club - Beit Sahour
- Arab Students' Collective, University of Toronto
- Arab Thought Forum, Jerusalem (AFT)
- Association for Cultural Exchange Hebron - France
- Association Najdeh, Lebanon
- Authority for Environmental Quality, Jenin
- Bader Society for Development and Reconstruction, Gaza
- Canadian Palestine Foundation of Quebec, Montreal
- Center for the Defense of Freedoms, Ramallah
- Center for Science and Culture, Gaza
- Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Ramallah- Al-Bireh
District
- Child Development and Entertainment Center, Tulkarem
- Committee for Popular Participation, Tulkarem
- Defense for Children International-Palestine Section,
Ramallah (DCI/PS)
- El-Funoun Palestinian Popular Dance Troupe
- Ensan Center for Democracy and Human Rights, Bethlehem
- Environmental Education Center, Bethlehem
- FARAH - Palestinian Center for Children, Syria
- Ghassan Kanafani Society for Development, Gaza
- Ghassan Kanafani Forum, Syria
- Gaza Community Mental Health Program, Gaza (GCMHP)
- Golan for Development, occupied Syrian Golan Heights
- Halhoul Cultural Forum, Hebron
- Himayeh Society for Human Rights, Um al-Fahm
- Holy Land Trust - Bethlehem
- Home of Saint Nicholas for the Aged - Beit Jala
- Human Rights Protection Center, Lebanon
- In'ash al-Usrah Society, Ramallah
- International Center of Bethlehem (Dar An-Nadweh)
- Islah Charitable Society-Bethlehem
- Jafra Youth Center, Syria
- Jander Center, al-Azza (Beit Jibreen) refugee camp,
Bethlehem
- Jerusalem Center for Women, Jerusalem (JCW)
- Jerusalem Legal Aid and Human Rights Center (JLAC )
- Khalil Al Sakakini Cultural Center, Ramallah
- Land Research Center, Jerusalem (LRC)
- Liberated Prisoners' Society, Palestine
- Local Committee for Social Development, Nablus
- Local Committee for the Rehabilitation of the Disabled,
Nablus
- MA'AN TV Network, Bethlehem
- Medical Aid for Palestine, Canada
- MIFTAH-Palestinian Initiative for the Promotion of Global
Dialogue and Democracy, Ramallah
- Muwatin-The Palestinian Institute for the Study of Democracy
- National Forum of Martyr's Families, Palestine
- Near East Council of Churches Committee for Refugee
Work - Gaza Area
- Network of Christian Organizations - Bethlehem (NCOB)
- Palestinian Council for Justice and Peace, Jerusalem
- Palestinian Counseling Center, Jerusalem (PCC)
- Palestinian Democratic Youth Union, Lebanon
- Palestinian Farmers' Society, Gaza
- Palestinian Hydrology Group for Water and Environment
Resources Development-Gaza
- Palestinian Prisoners' Society-West Bank
- Palestinian Society for Consumer Protection, Gaza
- Palestinian University Students' Forum for Peace and
Democracy, Hebron
- Palestinian Women's Struggle Committees
- Palestinian Working Women Society for Development (PWWSD)
- Popular Art Centre, Al-Bireh
- Prisoner's Friends Association - Ansar Al-Sajeen, Majd
al-Krum
- Public Aid Association, Gaza
- Ramallah Center for Human Rights Studies
- Saint Afram Association - Bethlehem
- Saint Vincent De Paule - Beit Jala
- Senior Citizen Society - Beit Jala
- Social Development Center, Nablus
- Society for Self-Development, Hebron
- Society for Social Work, Tulkarem
- Society for Voluntary Work and Culture, Um al-Fahm
- Society of Friends of Prisoners and Detainees, Um al-Fahm
- Sumoud-Political Prisoners Solidarity Group, Toronto
- Tamer Institute for Community Education, Ramallah
- TCC - Teacher's Creativity Center, Ramallah
- Wi'am Center, Bethlehem
- Women's Affairs Technical Committee, Ramallah and Gaza
(WATC)
- Women's Studies Center, Jerusalem (WSC)
- Women's Center for Legal Aid and Counseling, Jerusalem
(WCLAC)
- Yafa for Education and Culture, Nablus
- Yazour Charitable Society, Nablus
- YMCA-East Jerusalem
- Youth Cooperation Forum, Hebron
- YWCA-Palestine
- Zakat Committee-al-Khader, Bethlehen
- Zakat Committee-Deheishe camp, Bethlehem
For additional endorsement, please contact:
OPGAI c/o: info@badil.org
– Anti Apartheid Wall Campaign: mobilize@stopthewall.org
- ITTIJAH: ittijah@ittijah.org
– PACBI: info@boycottisrael.ps
- Coalition of Lebanese Civil Society Organizations: Hdekmak@hotmail.com
Al-Awda, The Palestine Right to Return
Coalition
PO Box 131352
Carlsbad, CA 92013, USA
Tel: 760-685-3243
Fax: 360-933-3568
E-mail: info@al-awda.org
WWW: http://al-awda.org
Note: Al-Awda, The Palestine
Right to Return Coalition (PRRC) is a not for profit tax-exempt
educational and charitable 501(c)(3) organization as defined
by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) of the United States
of America. Under IRS guidelines, your donations to PRRC
are tax-deductible. |
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