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Israeli activist and author Uri Gordon discusses basic anarchist principles, Israeli resistance to the oppression of Palestinians and his book Anarchy Alive!

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This landmark move is a direct result of a two-year intensive campaign by the
campus group, Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP). The group pressured
Hampshire College’s Board of Trustees to divest from six specific companies due
to human rights concerns in occupied Palestine. Over 800 students, professors,
and alumni have signed SJP’s “institutional statement” calling for the
divestment.

The proposal put forth by SJP was approved on Saturday, 7 Feb 2009 by the Board.
By divesting from these companies, SJP believes that Hampshire has distanced
itself from complicity in the illegal occupation and war crimes of Israel.

Meeting minutes from a committee of Hampshire’s Board of Trustees confirm that
“President Hexter acknowledged that it was the good work of SJP that brought
this issue to the attention of the committee.” This groundbreaking decision
follows in Hampshire’s history of being the first college in the country to
divest from apartheid South Africa thirty-two years ago, a decision based on
similar human rights concerns.  This divestment was also a direct result of
student pressure.

The divestment has so far been endorsed by Noam Chomsky, Howard Zinn, Rashid
Khalidi, Vice President of the EU Parliament Luisa Morganitini, Cynthia
McKinney, former member of the African National Congress Ronnie Kasrils,
Mustafa Barghouti, Israeli historian Ilan Pappe, John Berger, Nobel Peace
Laureate Mairead Maguire, and Roger Waters of Pink Floyd, among others.

The six corporations, all of which provide the Israeli military with equipment
and services in the Occupied West Bank and Gaza are: Caterpillar, United
Technologies, General Electric, ITT Corporation, Motorola, and Terex (see
attached info sheet for more information on these corporations.) Furthermore,
our policy prevents the reinvestment in any company involved in the illegal
occupation.

SJP is responding to a call from Palestinian civil society for Boycott,
Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) as a way of bringing non-violent pressure to
bear on the state of Israel to end its violations of international law. SJP is
following in the footsteps of many noted groups and institutions such as the
National Association of Teachers in Further and Higher Education in the UK, the
Israeli group Gush Shalom, the Congress of South African Trade Unions, the
Canadian Union of Public Employees, and the American Friends Service Committee.

As well as voicing our opposition to the illegal occupation and the consistent
human rights violations of the Palestinian people, we as members of an
institute of higher education see it as our moral responsibility to express our
solidarity with Palestinian students whose access to education is severely
inhibited by the Israeli occupation.

SJP has proven that student groups can organize, rally and pressure their
schools to divest from the illegal occupation. The group hopes that this
decision will pave the way for other institutions of higher learning in the
U.S. to take similar stands.

Please email hampshiresjp@mail.com to schedule a phone interview.

UPDATE 2/14/09

A pro-Palestinian student group at Hampshire College irked the college administration by
disseminating a message on-line Thursday congratulating the school for becoming the first
US college to divest from companies benefitting the “Israeli occupation of Palestine.”
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?blobcol=urlimage&blobheader=image%2Fjpeg&blobheadername1=Cache-Control&blobheadervalue1=max-age%3D420&blobkey=id&blobtable=JPImage&blobwhere=1219218603033&cachecontrol=5%3A0%3A0+*%2F*%2F*&ssbinary=true

Israeli group Anarchists Against the Wall organizes protests against the security barrier, such as this protest at the Palestinian village of
Ni’lin. — Matan Cohen, a member of the college’s Students for Justice in Palestine
organization and the former co-founder of the far-Left Israeli group Anarchists Against
the Wall, insisted the divestment from a State Street corporation fund, which holds stock
in the six companies in question, marked a dramatic first step toward an “international
movement” of divestment from Israel.

An SJP statement insisted the group had “pressured Hampshire College’s Board of Trustees
to divest from six specific companies due to human rights concerns in occupied Palestine.
Over 800 students, professors and alumni have signed SJP’s ‘institutional statement’
calling for the divestment.”

The statement had spread widely across pro-Palestinian blogs within hours of its
publication on Thursday.

Such a move by the small Massachusetts college would have dramatic symbolic power, as
Hampshire was the first US college to divest from the apartheid regime of South Africa in
the late 1970s.

But the college’s director of communications, Elaine Thomas, insisted the message spread
on-line was incorrect.

In a “statement of clarification” sent by Thomas to The Jerusalem Post on Thursday
evening, the college’s president, chairman of the board of trustees, and dean of faculty
insisted the decision to divest from State Street had been made because the fund had been
found by an outside consultant to hold stocks in “well over 100 companies engaged in
business practices that violate the college’s policy on socially responsible investments.
These violations include: unfair labor practices, environmental abuse, military weapons
manufacturing, and unsafe workplace settings.”

The statement acknowledged that the Board of Trustees’ initial review of the college’s
State Street holdings had been based on a complaint by Students for Justice in Palestine
about six companies doing business in Israel.

But the college’s top leadership insisted the “decision expressly did not pertain to a
political movement or single out businesses active in a specific region or country. No
other report or interpretation of the actions of February 7, 2009 by the Hampshire College
board of trustees is accurate.”

The six companies that earned the SJP’s disapproval were Caterpillar, United Technologies,
General Electric, ITT Corporation, Motorola and Terex. They sell products in Israel used
both by the military and by civil and commercial sectors of society.

Asked if the SJP would encourage the college to divest from companies providing similar
“dual-use” products in Gaza that assist Hamas” fighting efforts, Cohen replied, “the
bottom line is that we as an institution have money invested in the Israeli occupation. We
do not have money in Hamas. So it’s a non-issue.”

Stop the U.S.-backed genocidal Israeli war on Gaza!

•    Nearly a thousand women, men and children killed by U.S.-made Israeli bombs
•    Thousands more wounded
•    1.5 million under siege for the past 18 months, without food, water, medicine, fuel
•    Collective punishment for resisting occupation; emergency aid blocked
•    Massive violations of international law
•    Apartheid wall
•    Racist oppression
•    Homes and land stolen
•    Forced into refugee camps
•    60 years of occupation, from the river to the sea

The whole world is horrified by the murderous Israeli assault against the suffering people of Gaza. From Seoul to Caracas, from Johannesburg to Amman to London, millions of people have poured into the streets to demand an end to this genocidal campaign, which is funded by the United States and carried out with U.S.-supplied weaponry.

There have also been protests in U.S. cities. While most of those marching are Arab-Americans, many African Americans, Latinos, Asian-Americans and whites have joined in. Many Jewish people, outraged at Israel’s war crimes and anguished that they are carried out in their name, are speaking out.

It’s good that Jewish people of conscience are disassociating themselves from the Gaza aggression. But it’s not enough. This atrocity is only the latest, and it’s no aberration. It reflects the program of the Israeli settler state—which is based on the theft of Palestine, the ouster and suppression of the Palestinian people, and the racist ideology of Zionism—and of its primary sponsor, the Pentagon and U.S. business establishment.

It’s not enough to oppose the bombing. It’s not enough to demand an end to the 41-year occupation of Gaza and the West Bank. We stand in complete and unconditional support for the self-determination of the Palestinian people. This includes the right to return to Palestine, from the river to the sea, and the right to democratically determine the form and the future of the Palestinian state.

Nothing less will undo the historic crime of al Nakba—the 1948 catastrophe of the establishment of the state of Israel based on the ouster of the Palestinian people from their homeland,  oppression and inequality.

That crime betrayed the whole history of the Jewish people. From helping topple the czar in Russia and build the unions in New York, to resisting pogroms and fighting to the last breath in the Warsaw Ghetto, opposition to persecution, oppression and racism was central to the Jewish heritage.

We call on Jewish people around the world, including those inside Israel, to join us in reclaiming that heritage. Reject racism and genocide. Reject the Zionist state, the very concept of which is racist to the core. Take the hand of our Palestinian sisters and brothers. Defend their righteous struggle to restore their stolen land and build a democratic Palestine.

This is not an impossible quest. Remember how mighty the settler state in South Africa seemed, only a little over two decades ago? The racist regime there was buttressed by U.S.—and Israeli—support. But it was battered by the unstoppable political and military struggle against apartheid, which gained worldwide support. Apartheid fell, replaced by a new state based on legal equality.

A future of equality for all is possible in Palestine too. Until this future is won, the Palestinian struggle will go on. We stand with that struggle.

Initial list of signers:

Toni Arenstein, NY
Dave Axelrod, NJ
Tibby Brooks, NY
Ellen Catalinotto, NY
Sara Catalinotto, NY
Hillel Cohen, Doctor of Public Health, NY
Naomi Cohen, NY
Heather Cottin, Long Island Troops Out Now Coalition, NY
Barbara Dorritie, Teacher, MA
Ellie Dorritie, ret., APWU*, WNY
Rachel Duell, prof., NJ
K. E. Durkin, NY
Sharon Eolis, nurse-practitioner, ret., NY
Shelley Ettinger, NY
Leslie Feinberg, Co-founder, Rainbow Flags for Mumia, NY
Irving Fierstein, artist, NY
Laurie Fierstein, NY
Michele Finkelman, AFSCME L. 215*, NY
Sherry Finkelman, UFT L. 2*, NY
Julie Fry, V-P., Assn. of Legal Aid Attorneys*, NY
Gavrielle Gemma, NJ
Michael Gimbel, del., NYC Central Labor Council*
Carl Glenn, NJ
Jerome Goldberg, attorney. MI
Marsha Goldberg, NY
Fred Goldstein. NY
Lila Goldstein, Students for Justice for Palestine*, MA
Judy Greenspan, CA
Sue Harris, Ph.D., NY
Joyce Kanowitz, NY
Stevan Kirschbaum, chair, Grievance Comm., USW L. 8751*, MA
Tova Klein, CA
Michael Kramer, I.D.F. veteran, Veterans for Peace, Chap. 021*, NJ
Donna Lazarus, UFT*, NJ
Milt Neidenberg, ret., Teamsters L. 840*, NJ
Frank Neisser, CWA L. 1701, ret.*, MA
Cornelia Rakow, NY
Arthur Rosen, NY
Anita Rosenblithe, AFT*, NY
Malcolm Sacks, Montreal
William Sacks, attorney, NY
Karina Mellos-Schechter. NY
Dave Schechter, NY
Susan Schnur, Transit Union L. 268*, OH
J.R. Singer, Ph.D., NY
David Sole, Pres., UAW L. 2334*, MA
Al Strasburger, NJ
Paul Teitelbaum, International Action Center, AZ
Jill White, EdD, IL
Eddie Yood, NY

*For purposes of identification only. ]]> http://hartfordimc.org/2009/02/03/jews-in-solidarity-with-palestine/feed/ 0 http://hartfordimc.org/2009/01/23/gaza-panel-tonight-in-hartford/ http://hartfordimc.org/2009/01/23/gaza-panel-tonight-in-hartford/#comments Fri, 23 Jan 2009 19:38:35 +0000 kevin http://hartfordimc.org/?p=1995 Local activists will host a panel entitled “Gaza: How Will Palestine Win its Freedom?” tonight at La Paloma Sabanera cafe, 405 Capitol Avenue in Hartford.   The free event is from 7-9pm.   Panelists will include Emad Hassan of Students for Progress, Quinebaug Valley Community College (Danielson Branch) and Daniel Piper – CT United for Peace, Delegate to the National Assembly, and CT Socialist Action.  Attendees are encouraged to participate in the open discussion to follow.

The official press release for the event states:

In 2006 the Palestinians of Gaza carried out what was possibly the most democratic election ever held by a community under occupation in human history. In January 2008 they broke through the wall barring them from Egypt in order to obtain basic supplies that had been denied them by a relentless blockade – after which they returned home. It is for these “crimes” that the Palestinians of Gaza are being punished by Israel and its allies: For choosing their own leaders, seeking freedom, and staying put.

The war on Gaza is a crucial piece in the war lead by the U.S. on the entire region. The heroic examples set by the people of Gaza lend inspiration to Iraqis, Afghanis and many others around the world to fight occupation, imperialism, and dictatorial rule.

What will it take for Palestinians to win their freedom? What strategies must the international solidarity movement take to support their struggle? Join us for a panel with two local activists. A discussion will follow.

For more information email Dancetothepiper@gmail.com or call (617) 823-4068.

The measure is non-binding, but demonstrates the US government’s disconnect with the international community.  The United Nations and countries from around the globe have called for immediate ceasefire.  Outcry has spread around world against the disproportionate response of the Israeli army.  Democracy Now! reported yesterday, as did the BBC, that Israeli has been targeting civilian sites, including a UN aid agency which was burned severely by white phosphorus.  The UN site had become a sanctuary for Palestinians fleeing their homes.   Israel has since apologized for that attack.

We Refuse to be Enemies is calling for all concerned to gather at the Federal Building on Main Street in Hartford after which they will march to Larson’s office.  Here are the details:

TODAY – January 16, 2009
We Refuse to Be Enemies – March and Rally
Federal Building
450 Main Street, Hartford CT
3:00pm-4:00pm

From the We Refuse to be Enemies press release:

Larson was the house co-sponsor of the “AIPAC Resolution” passed Jan. 9 that blames Hamas and justifies the Israeli govt for the Massacre in Gaza.

When our entire Congressional Delegation co-signs the Massacre, we must refuse to be silent, we must refuse to allow this heinous propaganda to go unanswered.

In related news, the Media Education Foundation has released its acclaimed documentary, Peace, Propaganda and the Promised Land, online for free in response to the conflict.  It can be watched online or downloaded. The film details the Israeli occupation in defiance of UN resolutions and other violations documented by Amnesty International, some of which have been labeled “war crimes.”   Watch or download the video by visiting pppl.org.

recorded on January 13th, 2009 by Chuck U. Rosina of the a-infos radio project

Noam Chomsky Speech at M.I.T.

Noam Chomsky Q & A