Action Alert: Support Targeted Boycott of Israeli Settlement Goods
- Details
- Published on Friday, 22 June 2012 09:49
PNN
Call for action from the QUB Palestine Solidarity
Human Rights should always be the central focus in any attempts at conflict resolution and reconciliation among deeply divided societies throughout areas of conflict in the world today.
Positive engagement is always the best if not slightly idealistic way to approach such.
Unfortunately some states around the world today continue to prove to the international community that they are not prepared to take a genuine commitment to resolving conflict.
Israel is one of these such states in respect of the fact as a government the activities, policies and actions of Israel continue to break international law and seriously violate human rights.
Demonization of those who try to stand against such policies and actions is common practice, allowing a continuation of circular rhetoric that is antithetical to forming any progressive cooperation.
In a conflict that is so conflated with various complexities and intricate dimensions it is often easy to get lost in the back and forth arguments that occur.
The debate around the Boycott Divestment and Sanctions movement is just as polarised and seemingly complex as the conflict itself with various anti-Palestinian advocacy groups such as the Northern Ireland Friends of Israel embarking on a path that deliberately misleads the public using innovative language that appears quite sincere at first glance.
Suffice to say the charming words that paint the Boycott of Israeli Settlements built on occupied Palestinian Territory as being hypocritical, against dialogue and damaging to attempts at building bridges is unfortunately quite effective despite its reprehensibility.
Coining well thought out consensus based boycotts as "negative and sterile" is completely inaccurate as well as purposefully protracted.
Following simple logic we should all be able to comfortably say that because Israel continues to support, legitimise and build more illegal settlements with no sign of listening to the Palestinians or the international community when they rightly condemn the settlements as an obstacle to peace, thus demonstrates that a boycott methodology can be followed to bring about successful results.
An active campaign that exists to attack the Irish Foreign Minister Eamon Gilmore, simply because he indicated Ireland may seek an EU wide boycott of Israeli Settlement Goods, is having some success which is highly concerning.
Fortunately our society President has set up a petition on Avaaz.org to show support for Minister Gilmore and display that with the correct understanding of the reality and facts a boycott of Israeli settlements can be a beneficial and highly successful move that builds true progress using a clear inclusive message that says we believe human rights abuses and breaches in international law are wrong!
Members of the Northern Ireland assembly along with several TD's from the Irish republic have already signed in support of a settlement boycott!
Here is what you can do:
Sign our petition: http://www.avaaz.org/en/petition/Support_targetted_boycott_of_Israeli_Settlement_Goods/
Tweet the petition and share it on your facebook!
Send emails to your contacts with the various information contained here and ask all others to sign and get involved also!
We need awareness of this issue to get raised urgently & cannot stress enough how important it is for you to share!
Do not hesitate to get in touch if you wish anymore information!
Regards,
QUB Palestine Solidarity
http://palestinesolidarity.society.qub.ac.uk/
http://blogs.qub.ac.uk/palestinesolidarity/
