New Jersey Governor apologises for calling Occupied Territories, er, Occupied

See this from Politico:

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie apologized to Sheldon Adelson in a meeting Saturday for stepping on a fault line in Middle East politics during a speech he gave earlier in the day, according to a source familiar with the conversation.

Invoking a 2012 trip he and his family took to Israel, Christie recalled in the speech: “I took a helicopter ride from the occupied territories across and just felt personally how extraordinary that was to understand, the military risk that Israel faces every day.”

So, he's made himself look utterly ridiculous suggesting that the occupied Palestinians are the threat to the State of Israel and not the other way around but still he did a wrong thing.  And what was that thing? Well, it was "occupied territories":

the term is rejected by some conservative Zionists like Adelson who see it as validating Palestinian challenges over Israel’s presence. Other supporters of Israel oppose the use of the term as well.

Not long after his speech, Christie met with Adelson privately in the casino mogul’s office in the Venetian hotel and casino, which hosted the RJC meeting.

The source told POLITICO that Christie “clarified in the strongest terms possible that his remarks today were not meant to be a statement of policy.”

And there's more:

Instead, the source said, Christie made clear “that he misspoke when he referred to the ‘occupied territories.’ And he conveyed that he is an unwavering friend and committed supporter of Israel, and was sorry for any confusion that came across as a result of the misstatement.”

Adelson accepted Christie’s explanation, the source said.

The mini-controversy and quick apology highlight both the importance of Adelson as the reigning mega-donor in GOP politics, as well as the tricky terrain that Middle East politics can pose for American politicians courting Jewish donors and voters.

Before the meeting, Adelson ally Morton Klein, president of the hawkish Zionist Organization of America, had confronted Christie about his use of the term, telling POLITICO he explained to the New Jersey governor that “at minimum you should call it disputed territories.”

At a minimum?  And at a maximum?  What about that?  Maybe this Christie guy should cut off his own balls, put them in a jar and hand them over to this Adelson chap until whichever elections he wants to win with this Adelson's help are out of the way.

McDonald's versus the Occupation, KFC versus Hitler

I see two big fast food chains are taking a stand against racist war criminals hot on the heels of each other.  First McDonalds refused to open a branch in the West Bank settlement of Ariel and now KFC is taking a stand against a modification of their trade mark from Colonel Sanders to Hitler for a fried chicken outlet in Bangkok.

Here's Daily Beast's Open Zion on the McDonald's story:

Israeli financial daily Calcalist reported on Wednesday that global behemoth McDonald’s won’t be opening a franchise in a shopping mall currently under construction in Ariel, Israel’s largest West Bank settlement—that, in fact, owner and general manager Omri Padan “refuses” to do so.

Rainer Jensen/DPA/Landov

McDonald’s Israel has clarified, however, that it’s always been company policy not to operate beyond the Green Line, and as the Israeli franchise has been a growing concern for twenty years, it requires a special kind of effort to see the refusal as anything new, or as a response to any sort of pressure. Sure it’s a boycott, but it’s a boycott that’s already a generation old.

Ok, McDonalds steering clear of the West Bank is nothing new but this Huffington Post report, picked up from this tweet is new and in its own way similar to the McDonalds story:

 Andrew Spooner @andrewspoooner

           Very bizarre Hitler Fried Chicken shop in Thailand. I kid you not. Complete with pic of Hitler in bow tie 

10:02 PM - 28 May 2013

TwitPic @TwitPic

Who'd have thought that fast food chains would be so principled?

When Israeli Hasbara serves the Palestinian cause

The Guardian's Comment is Free saw fit to publish some ludicrous hasbara in the form of an article by Dani Dayan.  Read the article and you might not need telling that Dani Dayan is some kind of ambassador at large specifically to promote the occupation.  Here's The Guardian's description of him:

Dani Dayan is chief foreign envoy of the Yesha Council of Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria

Ok, so The Guardian describes him slightly differently from the way I do.  But rather than torture myself and yourselves by going through the article, here's one comment out of the now closed 565 comments that sums it up:

daysofhope

08 June 2013 6:46pm

Recommended

22

This article serves the Palestinian cause.

There can be very few readers today who are unaware of the facts regarding Israel's conquest, occupation and colonisation of remaining Palestinian territory. For the author to present a wholly fictive account of this process can only remind his public of the truth. The bizarre, parallel universe flavour of his narrative includes the long discredited claim- abandoned by Israeli officials themselves- that Israel was attacked in 1967, and that their military faced overwhelming odds in defeating the Arab armies. Who today even bothers with a myth of this type? Israel struck first in a co-ordinated pre-emptive manner, using superior force, technology and tactics. The war was over in six days.

As for Carter's statement that he could not foresee a dismantling of the settlement in question, nothing in his remarks indicates a sense of rejoicing. The tone is one closer to despair. He understands the colonisation process to be one of the most intractable obstacles to a just solution to the conflict.

In this article we are treated to the spectacle of a man talking into a mirror and imagining his reflection as the world. That's a measure of where Zionists stand today. Their propaganda becomes ever more revealing of the futility of "constructive engagement" with them. Whether they're even able to understand what it's like not to be them, not to live as they do, is an open question.

But as long as Western media outlets are willing to extend a welcome to the sort of grotesque apologetics offered by Major Dayan, the Palestinian cause will benefit.

While FIFA disregards calls to move its football tournament out of Israel, this article is a very timely own goal.

There's a rumour that The Guardian is now succumbing more than ever to Zionist pressure to tow a softer line on criticism of Israel or, put another way, to tow the Zionist line.  The article by Dani Dayan together with his benign self-description avoiding any hint of the occupation, of racist rule or of illegality, suggests that the rumour is true.

Just Vision - Ethnic Cleansing of Palestinians as seen by a local boy

This is the documentary film, My Neighbourhood, made by Just Vision from The Guardian website:

You do not have the right to remain silent

I didn't know about this Terrorism Act 2000 until just now.  Someone sent me this link to an article on Corporate Watch about the application of Schedule 7 of the Act.

Corporate Watch is subtitled, Tracking Corporate Complicity in the Occupation of Palestine.

Now, have a look at this Schedule 7 as it has been applied in the cases of two people involved in research into corporate profiteering in occupied Palestine and the occupied Syrian Golan:

In February 2013, Tom and Therezia returned from a research trip in Palestine separately, with a 10-day gap separating their arrival back in the UK. They were both stopped at Luton airport under Schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act 2000. As the Network for Police Monitoring (Netpol) has previously reported, this law is frequently used by the police to gather intelligence about activists. Schedule 7 is unique in that it is a law that provides the police with the power to stop, search and detain people without suspicion. It is also an arrestable offence not to answer questions, punishable on conviction with a three-month custodial sentence or a fine. Moreover, you have no right to advice from your solicitor, although you are often granted a phone call to your solicitor on request. The guidance to the law clearly states that Schedule 7 “should only be used to counter terrorism and may not be used for any other purpose.” (For the full wording of the Association of Chief Police Officers’ (ACPO) Practice Advice on Schedule 7, see here).

Did you see that?  You do not have the right to remain silent.  The whole article is worth reading to show how this law has been applied in the cases of these two activists for reasons wholly unconnected to terrorism.

By the way, I looked up this law on Wikipedia and it doesn't mention this Schedule 7.  Any wikipediasts out there?

Capitalist assimilation? Israel licenses former minister, Murdoch, Rothschild and Cheney to steal from Syria

Well here's some direct evidence of the fact that you don't have to be Jewish to benefit from the zionist project. See this report from the Israeli business magazine, GLOBES:

A month before US President Barack Obama is due to visit Israel, the Israeli government has awarded the first license to drill for oil on the Golan Heights. The license covers half the area of the Golan from the latitude of Katzrin in the north to Tzemach in the south.

In the past, the US government reacted angrily when Israel approved construction in eastern Jerusalem ahead of a visit by Vice President Joe Biden.

Sources inform ''Globes'' that, a few days ago, the Ministry of Energy and Water Resources' Petroleum Council recommended awarding the license to Genie Energy Ltd. (NYSE: GNE), headed by former minister Effie Eitam. Shareholders include chairman Howard Jonas, Lord Jacob Rothschild, and Rupert Murdoch. Former US Vice President Dick Cheney is an advisor.

Awarding a drilling license on the Golan could cause an international fracas, given the Golan's status as occupied Syrian territory under international law. There was no known political intervention in the licensing process, the proximity of the event to Obama's upcoming visit is coincidental.

There's a clear contrast between the settlement construction announcement referred to in the piece and this drilling license.  Settlement construction for Jews only is part and parcel of the zionist project and carries a cost.  This drilling business is all benefit and look who benefits, Murdoch, Rothschild, Cheney and a former Israeli minister, Effie Eitam.

And let's just see if Obama raises any objection to this exploitation of occupied territory by a multinational corporation acting in partnership with the State of Israel.

And another and.  And I wonder if Israel's recent bombing of Syria had anything to do with this or was that another coincidence?  Perhaps it was, I just don't want to ignore it.

Demolishing mosques "while they're small"

Every so often an aspect of the settlement enterprise in the West Bank or Jerusalem sums up the whole of the zionist enterprise throughout occupied Palestine.  The recent demolition of a mosque serving a Palestinian West Bank village is very informative of the triad of impairments which sets the State of Israel apart from other states, viz, colonial settlement, ethnic cleansing and racist laws.

Here's Ha'aretz:

Supreme Court President Asher Grunis should be pleased. A mosque under construction in the West Bank, whose demolition he supported, was pulled down last Tuesday - another performance by the Civil Administration bulldozer, underreported in the media. As in an increasing number of cases, the demolition was a result of pressure applied by Regavim - a nongovernmental organization whose goal is preserving lands of the (Jewish) nation.

On November 15, the High Court of Justice considered Regavim's demand to demolish the concrete building under construction, covering an area of 97 square meters in the small village of Al Mufaqara - which Israel is trying to wipe off the map, like its other Palestinian neighbors in the south Hebron Hills. In addition to Regavim's demand, the High Court justices also considered a request by Mahmoud Hamamda, a village resident, to freeze the demolition order and grant the building a construction permit. For about 400 Muslims in the area, there is no place of worship within a reasonable distance, said the petition submitted by Hamamda via the Society of St. Yves - Catholic Center for Human Rights. A few weeks ago, though not yet completed, the building began operating as a mosque.

And now we learn from the website Hakol Hayehudi ("The Jewish Voice," whose tagline is "News for Happy Jews" ) that Justice Grunis expressed his viewpoint in the courtroom in a paraphrase of a well-known, vulgar expression: "You have to demolish them while they're small." The website for happy Jews, which interpreted Grunis' comments as relating to the mosque, rejoiced. The State Prosecutor's Office promised that demolition was imminent, and Regavim and Hamamda's petitions became superfluous.

Apparently the "justice" later claimed that his ruling applied to "both sides".

In its response to Haaretz, a spokesman for the court system clarified Grunis' comments: "These words do not reflect everything said by the president in the courtroom on this matter. His words were presented in a partial way that creates a distortion. We would therefore like to quote the words in full, as detailed below. The president did indeed say the words concerning the procedural question, but he later added that it refers to both sides. In other words, when it comes to petitions submitted in connection with illegal construction in the territories - whether by Jewish or by Palestinian groups - the demolition should be carried out before construction is completed."

There is no reason to doubt this statement and the fact that Grunis was referring not only to Palestinians. It's not his fault that nobody submitted a petition urging the authorities to demolish a synagogue under construction in the nearby illegal outpost of Avigail - a scion of the settlement of Ma'on, which is also illegal but nevertheless has authorization.

Sarcasm? Er yes:

Oops, but wait. Surfing the Internet led me to an article by Yossi Algazi in Haaretz from 11 years ago, where he tells about the beginning of the Avigail outpost, created under military camouflage of some kind and with ongoing military protection. The article indicates that there was, in fact, a petition, by attorney Shlomo Lecker on behalf of two Palestinians who own the land. And this is what Algazi wrote:

"In his petition to the High Court, attorney Lecker claims that the construction of the outpost at the Avigail site is taking place before the closed eyes of the political leadership, and particularly Defense Minister Benjamin Ben-Eliezer [Labor], who is not doing anything to prevent the invasion of Palestinian land by settlers, and is thereby encouraging them. 'In recent months, the Defense Ministry has adopted a new and unacceptable method,' accuses Lecker. 'The ministry allocates money to construct buildings and outposts, and instructs the Israel Defense Forces to protect those who are doing the work, and the settlers who are preparing the ground and setting up means for protecting and guarding it. The work on the ground is being done without valid permits ... in order not to leave official fingerprints on the settlement activities that Israel promised in the international arena not to carry out, and which include, among other things, the invasion of private land and construction without a permit.' In response, the spokesman for the Civil Administration claimed this week that the water tower at the Avigail site 'was built on state land within the jurisdiction of the settlement of Ma'on, while the container was installed for the benefit of the guards at the site."

Cutting, as they say, to the chase:

 we have no reason to doubt that Grunis was referring to all "illegal" construction work.

A judge who creates symmetry between those who rule by force and their subjects who are denied their rights, knowingly and deliberately sides with the powerful.

What we have is a judge who supports colonial settlement, ethnic cleansing and racist laws.

Bibi's one state solution

Here's an article by Saree Makdisi on the implications of Bibi's decision to further colonise the West Bank, separating north from south and the whole thing from Jerusalem.  It appears in the International Herald Tribune which is the "global edition of the New York Times".  This is just a snippet:

Once the fiction of a separate Palestinian state is revealed to have no more substance than the Wizard of Oz — which the E1 plan will all but guarantee — those Palestinians who have not already done so will commit themselves to the only viable alternative: a one-state solution, in which the idea of an exclusively Jewish state and an exclusively Palestinian one will yield to what was really all along the preferable alternative, a single democratic and secular state in all of historical Palestine that both peoples will have to share as equal citizens.

A campaign for rights and equality in a single state is a project toward which the Palestinians will now be able to turn with the formidable international support they have already developed at both the diplomatic and the grassroots levels, including a global boycott and sanctions movement whose bite Israel has already felt.

For Palestinians, in any case, one state is infinitely preferable to two, for the simple reason that no version of the two-state solution that has ever been proposed has meaningfully sought to address the rights of more than the minority of Palestinians who actually live in the territory on which that state is supposed to exist.

Things have been changing quickly lately. Israel was left isolated at the UN over the Palestinian UN bid and it had to settle for unfavourable terms over its recent lost war in Gaza. I'm guessing things haven't changed so much for Saree Makdisi's article to appear in the New York edition of the New York Times but I could be wrong.

Defeated at the UN Israel creates more racist facts on the ground

Lost a war on Gaza, lost a vote at the UN, what's the last of the colonial settler states to do? Build more Jewish only houses and apartments in the West Bank and Jerusalem, that's what.  Here's Chris McGreal at The Guardian:

The Israeli prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, has ordered the construction of thousands of new homes in Jewish settlements in the occupied territories in what will be widely interpreted as retaliation for theUnited Nations vote to recognise a Palestinian state on Thursday.

Israeli officials said the construction would expand existing West Bank settlements and build more homes for Jews in occupied east Jerusalem, where the government is attempting to diminish the proportion of Arab residents. Netanyahu also ordered the speeding up of planning to link Jerusalem with a Jewish settlement, Ma'aleh Adumim, in a move that would cut deep into a future Palestinian state based on 1967 borders. The US and Europe have long asked the Israeli government not to build there.

The US and Europe have long asked the Israeli government not to build there? Well they could always stop funding Israel (US), associating with Israel (EU), providing Israel with diplomatic cover (US/EU). It looks like the tide is turning against Israel but will the EU and US turn against Israel? It will happen one day but not just yet.

European Footballers against Israel hosting UEFA Under-21

When even children under 1 year old aren't safe from Israel can it really be appropriate for Israel of all states to be hosting the UEFA under-21s?

We, as European football players, express our solidarity with the people of Gaza who are living under siege and denied basic human dignity and freedom. The latest Israeli bombardment of Gaza, resulting in the death of over a hundred civilians, was yet another stain on the world's conscience.

We are informed that on 10 November 2012 the Israeli army bombed a sports stadium in Gaza, resulting in the death of four young people playing football, Mohamed Harara and Ahmed Harara, 16 and 17 years old; Matar Rahman and Ahmed Al Dirdissawi, 18 years old.

We are also informed that since February 2012 two footballers with the club Al Amari, Omar Rowis, 23, and Mohammed Nemer, 22, have been detained in Israel without charge or trial.

It is unacceptable that children are killed while they play football. Israel hosting the UEFA Under-21 European Championship, in these circumstances, will be seen as a reward for actions that are contrary to sporting values.

Despite the recent ceasefire, Palestinians are still forced to endure a desperate existence under occupation, they must be protected by the international community. All people have the right to a life of dignity, freedom and security. We hope that a just settlement will finally emerge.

Signed by:

Gael Angoula, Bastia Sporting Club (France)
Karim Ait-Fana, Montpellier HSC (France)
André Ayew, Olympique de Marseille (France)
Jordan Ayew, Olympique de Marseille (France)
Demba Ba, Newcastle United (UK)
Abdoulaye Baldé, AC Lumezzane (Italia)
Chahir Belghazouani, AC Ajaccio (France)
Leon Best, Blackburn Rovers Football Club (UK)
Ryad Boudebouz, Football Club Sochaux Montbéliard (France)
Yacine Brahimi, Granada Football Club (Spain)
Jonathan Bru, Melbourne Victory (Australia)
Yohan Cabaye, Newcastle United (UK)
Aatif Chahechouche, Sivasspor Kulübü (Turkey)
Pascal Chimbonda, Doncaster Rovers Football Club (UK)
Papiss Cissé, Newcastle United (UK)
Omar Daf, Football Club Sochaux Montbéliard (France)
Issiar Dia, Lekhwiya (Qatar)
Abou Diaby, Arsenal Football Club (UK)
Alou Diarra, Olympique de Marseille (France)
Soulaymane Diawara, Olympique de Marseille (France)
Samba Diakité, Queens Park Rangers (UK)
Pape Diop, West Ham United (UK)
Abdoulaye Doucouré, Stade Rennais Football Club (France)
Didier Drogba, Shanghaï Shenhua (China)
Ibrahim Duplus, Football Club Sochaux Montbéliard (France)
Soudani El-Arabi Hilal, Vitoria Sport Club Guimares (Portugal)
Jires Kembo Ekoko, Al Ain Football Club (United Arab Emirates)
Nathan Ellington, Ipswich Town Football Club (UK)
Rod Fanni, Olympique de Marseille (France)
Doudou Jacques Faty, Sivassport Kulübü (Turkey)
Ricardo Faty, AC Ajaccio (France)
Chris Gadi, Olympique de Marseille (France)
Remi Gomis, FC Valenciennes (France)
Florent Hanin, SC Braga (Portugal)
Eden Hazard, Chelsea Football Club (UK)
Charles Kaboré, Olympique de Marseille (France)
Diomansy Kamara, Eskisehispor Kulübü (Turkey)
Frédéric Kanouté, Beijin Guoan (China)
Anthony Le Tallec, AJ Auxerre (France)
Djamal Mahamat, Sporting Braga (Portugal)
Steve Mandanda, Olympique de Marseille (France)
Kader Manganne, Al Hilal Riyad Football Club (Saudi Arabia)
Sylvain Marveaux, Newcastle United (UK)
Nicolas Maurice-Belay, FC Girondins de Bordeaux (France)
Cheikh M’bengué, Toulouse Football Club (France)
Jérémy Menez, Paris Saint-Germain Football Club (France)
Arnold Mvuemba, Olympique Lyonnais (France)
Laurent Nardol, Chartres Football Club (France)
Mahamadou N’diaye, Vitoria Sport Club Guimares (Portugal)
Mamadou Niang, Al-Sadd SC (Qatar)
Mbaye Niang, SM Caen (France)
Fabrice Numeric, FK Slovan Duslo Sala (Slovakia)
Billel Omrani, Olympique de Marseille (France)
Lamine Sané, FC Girondins de Bordeaux (France)
Mamady Sidibé, Stoke City Football Club (UK)
Momo Sissoko, Paris Saint-Germain Football Club (France)
Cheikh Tioté, Newcastle United (UK)
AdamaTraoré, Melbourne Victory (Australia)
Armand Traoré, Queen Park Rangers FC (UK)
Djimi Traore, Olympique de Marseille (France)
Moussa Sow, Fenerbahçe Spor Kulübü (Turkey)
Hassan Yebda, Granada Football Club (Spain)

Source: Frédéric Oumar Kanouté

Occupation Diaries by Raja Shehadeh

This is a straight lift from the OR Books website:

Occupation Diaries

RAJA SHEHADEH

"Few Palestinians have opened their minds and their hearts with such frankness." —The New York Times

"At once gentle and angry, resolute and realistic." —The Nation

"Towards any proper understanding of history there are many small paths. I strongly suggest you walk with him." —John Berger on Palestinian Walks

ABOUT THE BOOK

It is often the smallest details of daily life that tell us the most. And so it is under occupation in Palestine. What most of us take for granted has to be carefully thought about and planned for: When will the post be allowed to get through? Will there be enough water for the bath tonight? How shall I get rid of the rubbish collecting outside? How much time should I allow for the journey to visit my cousin, going through checkpoints? And big questions too: Is working with left-wing Israelis collaborating or not? What effect will the Arab Spring have on the future of Palestine? What can anyone do to bring about change? Are any of life's pleasures untouched by politics?

The routine murder of Houda Hawajah

The routine murder of Houda Hawajah by bored Israeli soldiers was captured live by the Israeli TV cameras. In a rather unusual move, the TV station ignored the rules of self-censorship that reign in the Israeli media, and aired the footage.

---

UPDATE
As it was pointed out to me, this is an old video. Not that there is anything wrong in principle is remembering old events, but that was not my intention. I was just careless.

Advertising Standards Authority orders Israel Land and Acquisition Network to tell the truth, shock!

Here's an adjudication by the Advertising Standards Authority taking ILAN Real Estate to task for flogging West Bank land as "Israel".

The adjudication is quite a useful document. Look:

Ad

An ad in The Jewish Chronicle for a property development, in June 2011, was headlined "Vineyard View EFRAT New Neighbourhood in Dekel UNIQUE DEVLEOPMENT OF 26 NEW HOUSES". The ad featured aerial photos of the development and bullet pointed text listed the features of the development, including "Independent Group Purchase ... Israeli finance subject to status".

Text in the bottom half of the ad, underneath the heading "Why use I.L.A.N?" stated "With our network of experienced agents across Israel, covering major locations such as Bet Shemesh / Ramat Bet Shemesh, Efrat, Hashmonaim, Herzliya, Jerusalem, Netanya, Modiin, Ra’anana, Rechovot, Tel Aviv, Yad Binyamin, Zichron Yaakov & more ... We strive to adhere to the highest standards you would like to receive from an experienced real estate consultant to help you cope with the hurdles of the Israeli property market and business environment ... We put you in contact with English speaking professionals, to help you make your home in Israel experience a little bit less stressful incl Mortgages, Insurance, Legal, Interior Design, Architects & a Building Surveyor ... With our negotiating skills, creativity & ‘holding your hand’ we will navigate you through the process of buying in Israel. If you have a property in Israel that you would like to sell, we provide a unique blend of local, national & international marketing ... Visit the I.L.A.N. stand at the Israel Property Expo on Sunday 26th June". The ad included the logo for Israel Business Brokers (IBB).

So that's the ad which appeared, as the blurb says, in the Jewish Chronicle. So what was the issue?

Issue

The complainant challenged whether the ad misleadingly implied that the development in Efrat in Dekel was in Israel, whereas he understood it was a settlement in the occupied West Bank.

And here are the response and the assessment:

Response

ILAN Real Estate (ILAN) did not respond to the ASA’s enquiries.

Assessment

Upheld

The ASA was concerned by ILAN’s lack of response and apparent disregard for the Code, which was a breach of CAP Code (Edition12) rule 1.7 (Unreasonable delay). We reminded them of their responsibility to respond promptly to our enquiries and told them to do so in future.

We considered that the references in the ad to ILAN’s experienced agents across Israel, the help they offered in negotiating the Israeli property market and making house buying in Israel less stressful, and the list of major locations in Israel ILAN covered, as well as to the Israel Property Expo, Israeli finance and buying a property in Israel, strongly implied that the development in Efrat in Dekel was in Israel. We noted that we had not seen evidence that that was the case, and understood that Efrat and Dekel were located in the occupied West Bank. We considered that the fact that the development in Efrat in Dekel was in the West Bank, in territory not internationally recognised as part of Israel, was likely to be highly material to consumers and that the omission of the information rendered the ad misleading.

The ad breached CAP Code (Edition12) rules 1.7 (Unreasonable delay) and 3.1 and 3.3 (Misleading advertising).

So what about any action being taken?

Action

The ad must not appear again in its current form. We told ILAN to avoid in future similar ads misleading as to the location of property developments. We asked CAP to inform its members of the problem with ILAN Real Estate.

No action regarding the Jewish Chronicle then. Well in fairness how can the JC be expected to vet every real estate dealer in land in Palestine? I'm sure they wouldn't want any of their readers inadvertently settling in occupied territory.

Artists against Israel's attack on Jenin theatre

This isn't news now but I only just received the following press release from "Friends of Jenin Freedom Theatre:

HUNDREDS OF THEATER ARTISTS AND SUPPORTERS PROTEST ISRAELI MILITARY ATTACKS ON THE JENIN FREEDOM THEATRE


New York, N.Y., August 17, 2011—More than 260 artists and supporters of the arts—including dozens of prominent playwrights, actors, directors, filmmakers, producers and theater professors from the U.S., New Zealand, Israel, England and other countries—have signed a public letter to Israeli authorities decrying the Israeli military’s attacks on The Freedom Theatre in Jenin, a northern city in the West Bank, Palestine.

The statement was hand-delivered today to the Israeli Mission in New York and the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C. The U.S. artists include Edward Albee and Tony Kushner, Pulitzer prize-winning playwrights; actors Susan Sarandon, Olympia Dukakis, Alec Baldwin, Mandy Patinkin, Kathleen Chalfant and Mercedes Ruehl; prominent theater educators such as James Bundy of the Yale Drama School and Catherine Coray and Mark Wing-Davey of the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University.

A total of 267 artists and supporters of the arts community signed the protest, which called the Theatre “a beacon for artistic expression, offering youth in Jenin a safe space in which to express themselves, and to explore their creativity and emotions.”

The statement urged the Israeli military authorities to release those arrested or make their charges public and to pay compensation for  the buildings that were damaged.

 (A full statement and a list of all the signers can be found at the end of this release.)

The open letter follows an Israeli army attack on the Jenin-based theater that occurred on July 27 at 3:30 a.m. during which soldiers hurled rocks at the building, knocking out many of the windows.  The theater’s facilities manager was arrested, along with the president of the theater’s Jenin Board, whose home was also damaged.
On August 5, Israeli forces blindfolded and arrested a 20-year old acting student, part of The Freedom Theatre’s young acting troupe, at a checkpoint near Jenin.

“We have been very concerned about the health and safety of our colleagues since their arrests,” said Constancia Dinky Romilly, President of the NY-based support group, Friends of the Jenin Freedom Theatre.
“Our supporters,” Romilly continued, “have been calling the authorities in Jenin and in Washington but no one has given us any information about their condition or the charges facing them, if there are any.  This is a truly shocking attack on a cultural institution in Palestine and one more horrific example of what goes on in a country under occupation.


For further information, call Jen Marlowe at 202-375-3492.

A full statement and list of signatories follows.


We the undersigned, members and supporters of the arts community, deplore the recent attacks in Jenin on The Freedom Theatre, its people and property. The Freedom Theatre is a beacon for artistic expression, offering youth in Jenin a safe space in which to express themselves, and to explore their creativity and emotions. The Theatre has the following admirable goals:

-To raise the quality of performing arts and cinema in the area.

-To offer a space in which children and youth can act, create and express themselves freely, imagining new realities and challenging existing political, social and cultural barriers.

-To empower the young generation to use the arts to promote positive change in their community.

-To break the cultural isolation that separates Jenin from the wider Palestinian and global communities.

To our dismay, the Israeli military attacked The Freedom Theatre in the Jenin Refugee Camp at 3:30 a.m. on July 27, 2011, hurling rocks at its building and damaging windows.  During this raid, they arrested Adnan Naghnaghiye, the Theatre's facilities manager, and then went to the home of Bilal Saadi, the President of the Theatre's Board in Jenin, and arrested him after damaging his home.  Charges against them have not been made public.

On August 6, 2011, while at a checkpoint crossing with members of the Theatre's acting troupe, soldiers of the Israeli military arrested, handcuffed and blindfolded Rami Awni Hwayel, a 20-year old third-year acting student.

Calls to the military authorities to get information about all three have yielded no information.

We call on the Israeli government either to make public any charges against the three Freedom Theatre personnel or release them immediately.  In addition, we insist that the Israeli military pay damages for the destruction to the Theatre and to Mr. Saadi's home.

We call on all supporters of the arts everywhere, including our fellow artists and supporters of the arts in Israel, to support The Freedom Theatre as an inspiring source of cultural understanding and artistic hope and to demand that attacks against it cease.

Friends of the Jenin Freedom Theatre
P.O. Box 592
Tarrytown, NY 10592
friends@thefreedomtheatre.org
917- 991 -5653
Endorsers
Affliliations for Identification Only
Kathleen Chalfant, actor, New York
Henry Chalfant, filmmaker/photographer, New York
James Bundy, Dean/Artistic Director,Yale School of Drama/Yale Repertory Theatre, Connecticut
Miriam Margolyes, actor, London, UK
Lucy Sexton, Producer, New York
John Tydeman, O.B.E., Drama Director, Former Head BBC Radio, UK
Clare Coss, Playwright, New York
Karen Malpede, playwright/director, New York
George Bartenieff, actor/producer/director, New York
Joanne Beretta, singer, New York
Austin Pendleton, actor,director, playwright, teacher of acting, New York
Michael Cumpsty, actor/teacher, New York
Michele Zackheim, writer, New York
Ben Rivers, psychotherapist, applied theater specialist, California
Andrew Courtney, citizen, artist, photographer, New York
Ben Aylsworth, senior producer CBC TV, Ontario, Canada
Richard Congress, author, music producer, adjunct professor, New York
Adam Z. Grumbach, teacher, arts supporter, New York
Corey Johnson, actor, student, California
Lisa Fender, TV producer, CBC, Toronto, Canada
Carol Horwitz, arts supporter, New York
Haifa Staiti, arts supporter, Vancouver, Canada
Heidi Rosbe, amateur film maker, One Brave Thing, New York
Catherine Coray, arts professor, NYU TSOA Dept of Drama, director & curator, New York
Heather Davis, student, art writer, Montreal, Canada
Ann Cook, arts supporter, New York
Jenny Heinz, arts supporter, psychotherapist, New York
Jeremy Lawrence, actor, playwright, New York
Betty Shamieh, writer, New York
Bettina Aptheker, writer, professor, New York
Barbara Harvey, lawyer, arts supporter, Michigan
Detroit Chapter, Jewish Voice for Peace, Michigan
Barbara Howard, New York Theatre Workshop, arts supporter, New York
Vic Ulmer, educator, California
Barby Ulmer, educator, California
Waris Hussein, film,TV, theatre  director
Grace Said, arts supporter, Maryland
Ahmad Shirazi, filmmaker, film appraiser, New York
Ann Shirazi, freelance illustrator, film appraiser, New York
John Erickson, arts supporter, Northern California Friends of Sabeel, California
Barbara Erickson, arts supporter, Northern California Friends of Sabeel, California
Jeff Jones, arts supporter, New York
Jane Stillwater, writer, actor, California
Helen Engelhardt, independent audio documentary producer, poet, writer, storyteller, New York
Kathleen Russo, producer, New York
Joan Countryman, arts supporter, Rhode Island
Christine Jones, artistic director Theatre for One, New York
Jeanie Shaterian, arts supporter, California
Joan Vieira, teacher, Texas
Brad Chamberlain, arts supporter, Washington
Nora Lapin, arts supporter, New York
Nitin Sawhney, Ph.D., assistant professor media studies, New School for Public Engagement, NY
Tony Litwinko, writer, editor, friend of the arts, California
Salam Al-Rawi, arts supporter, New York
Kelly L. Grotke, PhD, academic & friend of the arts, University of Helsinki, Faculty of Law, Finland
Catherine Hanna, director, teaching artist -theater arts specialist, New York
Bruce Robbins, arts supporter, professor, Columbia University, New York
Mohammad Sabaaneh, cartoonist, Palestine
Graham MacPhee, PhD, academic, arts supporter, Pennsylvania
Annick Le Floc’hmoan, arts supporter, France
Sunaina Maira, professor, writer, arts supporter, California
Ruth Tracy, arts supporter, Ohio
Allen Bergson, arts supporter, New York
Deirdre Bergson, arts supporter, writer, New York
Elly Bulkin, arts supporter, New Jersey
Kathy Engel, poet, teacher, activist, New York
Sybille Pearson, playwright, teacher, New York
William Ota, retired high school math teacher, arts supporter, California
Katherine Wilson, Middle East Studies Organization, Graduate Center/City University of New York
Vivian Zelaya, arts supporter, California
Mercedes Ruehl, actor, New York
Patricia Ann Abraham, arts supporter, South Carolina
Marjorie Wright, filmmaker, producer, New York
Mark Russell, director of the under the radar festival, The Public Theater, New York
Nejwa Ali, arts supporter, New York
Hazel Kahan, artist, writer, radio host, New York
Robert Bethem, arts supporter, California
Sloan Shelton, arts supporter,
Zamir Havkin, arts supporter, Israel
WESPAC, New York
Oskar Eustice, Artistic Director, the Public Theater, New York
Tony Kushner, playwright, New York
David Henry Hwang, playwright, New York
Mandy Patinkin, actor, singer, New York
Maria Goyanes, Associate Producer the Public Theater, New York
Richard Sentner, Jr., arts supporter, Massachusetts
Simone Zelitch, novelist, Pennsylvania
Suzanne Gardinier, writer, New York
Shaina Low, arts supporter, New York
Silvia Tennenbaum, writer,
Evelyn Crawford, arts supporter, Georgia
Sheila Slater, arts supporter, New York
Scott Kennedy, arts supporter, California
Terri Ginsberg, Ph.D., college professor - cinema studies Board member, International Council for Middle East Studies, New York
Maria Tucci, actor, New York
Naila Alatrash, theatre director, actress, Syria
Jane Adas, retired professor of music, New Jersey
Jennifer Little, actor, director, educator, New Jersey
Jonathan House, MD, arts supporter, New York
Michael Ratner, attorney, Center for Constitutional Rights, New York
Terry Weber, teacher, arts supporter, New York
Matthew Lombard, attorney, California
Jan Bauman, retired photographer and arts supporter, California
Leopold Lambert, architect, writer, New York
Clemency Burton-Hill, actor, writer, broadcaster, New York/UK
Sarah Schulman, playwright, New York
Orel Protopopescu, author, poet, New York
Mark Wing-Davey, Chair, Graduate Acting, Tisch School of the Arts, New York University
Martha Mangan, arts supporter, New York
Mangalika de Silva, arts supporter, New York
Michael Levin, musician, Illinois
Anne Bogart, Artistic Director SITI Company, Professor Columbia University, New York
Janet M. Fishman, actress, playwright, professor University of the Arts, Pennsylvania
Lisa Schlesinger, playwright, Illinois & Iowa
Caitlin Stilin-Rooney, arts supporter, Pennsylvania
Bob Zellner, writer, New York
N.M.B. Piette, arts supporter, The Netherlands
Khalid Franklin, arts supporter, New York
Willemijn Lamp, cultural entrepreneur, journalist, The Netherlands
Karin Pally, arts supporter, California
Pamela Cullerton, arts supporter, Illinois
Steven Fake, background/extra worker in film industry, arts supporter, Louisiana
Caridad Svitch, playwright, New York
Nikhil Aziz, Executive Director, Grassroots International, Massachusetts
Diane Lefer, author, playwright, California
Karen Platt, arts supporter, California
Chiori Miyagawa, playwright, educator, Bard College, New York
Judy Richardson, documentary filmmaker, Massachusetts
Jason Grote, playwight & television writer, New York
Elizabeth Hess, performer, playwright, professor, New York
Jane Hirschmann, arts supporter, New York
Richard Levy, artist, civil rights lawyer, New York
Margaret R. Zellner, Ph.D., L.P., psychoanalyst, behavioral neuroscientist, arts supporter, NY
Brian Pickett, theatre teacher, New York
William Tracy, editor, Washington
Shane Ann Younts, voice and speech teacher, NYU, dialect coach Broadway, New York
Iman Aoun, artistic director, Ashtar Theatre, Palestine
Cornelia McGiver, arts supporter, New York
Nhu Miller, arts supporter, California
Tom Miller, arts supporter, California
Roberto Gutiérrez Varea, theater director, Associate Professor, Performing Arts and Social Justice, University of San Francisco, California
Stephanie Gilman, educator, New York
Brenda Wehle, actor, New York
Edith Cacciatore, arts supporter,
Stephan Wolf-Schönburg, actor, acting teacher at The Freedom Theatre, Germany
J. Ed Araiza, actor, director, playwright, New York
Diana Wilson, musician/arts supporter/peaceseeker, California
David McReynolds, arts supporter, New York
Noelle Ghoussaini, playwright, director, arts educator, New York
Joyce Kozloff, artist, New York
Kathy Roberts, arts supporter, Massachusetts
Elspeth Murray, Company Manager, Puppet State Theatre Company, Scotland
Doris Soroko, writer, New York
Eldad Benary, sound engineer, supporter of the arts and of human rights, New York
Rich Siegel, musician/songwriter, RS Musical Services, New Jersey
Josh Perlstein, actor, director, university professor, Massachusetts
Esti Marpet, arts supporter, New York
Tom Freudenheim, arts supporter, New York
Louis Williams, arts supporter, Israel
Sarah Patterson, arts supporter, New York
Donald Patterson, arts supporter, New York
Susan Lourenco, arts supporter, Israel
Dyala Husseini, arts supporter,
Monica Raymond, writer, Massachusetts
Mary Dwan, painter, poet and clinical psychologist, British Virgin Islands
Theodora Skipitares, theater director, New York
Nancy Fleischer, arts supporter, California
Jeremy Kamps, writer, educator, New York
Gideon Spiro, journalist, peace and human rights activist, Israel
Rafael Magnes, photographer, New York
Ify Nwokoye, yoga teacher, Connecticut
Miriam Adams, Retired science/reference librarian/ researcher/Painter /cello player /arts supporter, New Mexico
Frank A. Walter, arts supporter
Sharon Mazer, Associate Professor, Head, Theatre & Film Studies, University of Canterbury, New Zealand
Camila Perez Bustillo, Lead Attorney, International Tribunal of Conscience, Pueblos en Movimiento, Mexico
Dorinda Moreno, poet, performer, U.S. Liaison and Rep, FuerzaMundial, TICPM, and Hitec Aztec Communications, California
Jose Galvan Galvan, director, actor, Mexico
Ron Jenkins, professor of theater, Wesleyan University, Connecticut
Betty G. Robinson, arts supporter, Maryland
Carolyn Harris, arts supporter, California
Gordon Fellman, professor of sociology, Brandeis University, Massachusetts
Thomas Haley, photo-journalist, Sipa Press, France
Meredith Whitford, writer, arts supporter, Australia
Carol F. Yost, writer, visual artist, student of acting and other arts, New York
Staughton Lynd, historian, lawyer, Ohio
Elizabeth Baker, art educator, Maryland
Roni Ben Efrat, writer, teacher, editor, Israel
Naomi Wallace, playwright, Kentucky
Kate Taverna, filmmaker, New York
Aline Alterman, librarian, philosopher, poet, France
Jackie Miller, theatre artist, New York
Libbie Frank, arts supporter and activist, Pennsylvania
Dorothy Burlage, PhD, child psychologist, Massachusetts
Susan Miller, arts supporter, Israeli citizen, Pennsylvania
Hanna Braun, arts supporter, UK
Karen Leonard, arts supporter, California
Ray Wofsy, arts supporter, New York
Rob Orchard, Performing Arts Department, Emerson College, Massachusetts
Susan Richards, artist, Pennsylvania
Judith Ackerman, actress, teacher, New York
Lillian Rosengarten, poet, writer, teacher, psychoanalyst, New York
Pam Benvenue, arts supporter, Georgia
Judith B. Solomon, ceramist, New York
Phyllis Bloom, arts supporter, New York
Sturgis Warner, theatre director, New York
Sherry Alpern, arts supporter, New York
Joel Simpson, photographer, New Jersey
Gloria Montero, novelist, playwright, Spain
David Fulton, arts supporter, Spain
John Roger Hammond, arts supporter,
Susan Sarandon, actor, New York
Andrew N. Rubin, professor, Georgetown University, Washington, D.C.
Alec Baldwin, actor, New York
Douglas Humble, residency manager, arts supporter, Texas
Jennifer Natalya Fink, writer, professor, Georgetown University, Washington DC
Sut Jhally , Executive Director, Media Education Foundation, Professor of Communication, UMASS-Amherst, Massachusetts
Kendra Hodgson, Media Education Foundation, Massachusetts
Susan Windle, poet, Pennsylvania
Dr. Wendy Galson, filmmaker and school psychologist, Pennsylvania
Leila Buck, actress, writer, teaching artist, New York
Joyce Ravitz, retired educator, arts supporter, New York
Robert Croonquist, arts supporter, New York
Fritzie Brown, Executive Director, CEC ArtsLink, New York
Hector Leonardi, artist, New York
Daniel McCarey, arts supporter, Massachusetts
The Theater of the Oppressed Laboratory (TOPLAB), New York
Kathryn Levy, poet, arts educator, New York
Charlie Cooper, arts supporter, Maryland
Joan Cooper, arts supporter, Maryland
Adam Mathias Bittlingmayer, software engineer, arts supporter, California
Sarah Dillner, Executive Assistant, Schooner Capital, Massachusetts
Vin Ryan, Chairman, Schooner Capital, Massachusetts
Jean Stein, arts supporter, New York
Edward Albee, playwright, New York
Etienne Balibar, Emeritus Professor of Philosophy, Université Paris-Nanterre
Distinguished Professor of Humanities, University of California, Irvine, France
George Beres, arts supporter, writer, Oregon
John McGillion, arts supporter,
Colleen Fitzpatrick, arts supporter, California
Hania Toubasi, arts supporter,
Amal Eqeiq, arts supporter, Washington
Skip Schiel, photographer, writer, and filmmaker, Massachusetts
James E. Vann, architect, arts supporter, California
Mahmood Karimi-Hakak, theatre director, Professor of Theatre and Film, Siena College, New York
Anne Remley, writer and arts supporter,
J Christine Yau, marketing, arts supporter, California
Leslie Angeline, arts supporter, California
Sacramento Regional Coalition for Palestinian Rights
Carol Ann Clouston, Prof. of Voice & Speech, American University in Cairo, Egypt
Stathis Gourgouris, Director of Institute for Comparative Literature and Society, Columbia University, New York
Nancy Farrell, teacher, arts supporter, Washington
Katie Robbins, National Organizer, Healthcare-NOW!, arts supporter, Pennsylvania
Anita Rapone, arts supporter,
Carole Monferdini, arts supporter, New York
Malkah B. Feldman, Grassroots International, arts supporter, Massachusetts
Victoria Mills, documentary director, New York
Sarika Arya, Yale University Fellow/ Director/ Arts Supporter, New York, UK
Jen Marlowe, filmmaker, playwright, author, Washington
Olympia Dukakis, actor, Jewish Voice for Peace, California
Elizabeth Cross, actor, arts supporter, Florida
Mariam C. Said, editor, arts supporter, New York
Erin B. Mee, Assistant Professor, New York University
Linda S. Chapman, Assistant Artistic Director, New York Theatre Workshop, New York
Kathleen Cleaver, law professor, writer, Georgia
Rebecca Vilkomerson, Executive Director, Jewish Voice for Peace, New York

Israel's anti-boycott law Q & A

I've just been sent a Q & A on Israel's Anti-Boycott Law.  It is produced by The Association for Civil Rights in Israel:

On 11 July 2011, the Knesset plenum passed the Anti-Boycott Law, which enables the filing of civil lawsuits against those who call for a boycott of the State of Israel or any of its territories (e.g. Israeli settlements). Following the final approval of this law, ACRI has prepared a Q&A document, to explain the legal implications of this law.
 
To read the final version of the law (translated to English), click here. 
 
 
Is it prohibited to call for a boycott of Israel? Is it a criminal offense?
 
Calling for a boycott, under the terms detailed in the law, is not a criminal offense but might be deemed as a civil wrong, which is subject for financial compensation. Meaning: there is no legal prohibition on calling for a boycott, but those who do so might be exposed to lawsuits and economic sanctions.
 
To whom does the law apply? 
 
According to section 2(A) of the law, it applies to someone “who knowingly publishes a public call for a boycott against the State of Israel, where according to the content and circumstances of the publication there is reasonable probability that the call will lead to a boycott, and he who published the call was aware of this possibility.” According to this definition, the law applies to any person who publicly participates in a call for boycott, for example in signing a petition or by making a statement in the media, even if this person did not initiate the boycott.
 
Does the law apply only to Israelis?
 
It appears that the law applies to anyone who is in Israel when calling for boycott.
 
To which boycotts does the law apply?
 
The law applies to economic, cultural, or academic boycott of the settlements, the State of Israel, or any of its institutions. Therefore, for example, a boycott of academic institutions in Israel or in Israeli settlements, or a consumer boycott of settlement products – are included within this law.
 
What could be the implications of calling for boycott?
 
Anyone who publishes a call for boycott as defined in the law could be subject to a civil lawsuit (for compensation) filed by those who were harmed by this boycott, for damages, economic or otherwise, caused to them. Furthermore, according to section 2(b) of the law, if a company violates or cancels a contract because of a call for boycott, those who called for the boycott can be sued for any subsequent damages.
 
Further sanctions, that could apply to companies and organizations, are limiting their ability to participate in state tenders and limiting their eligibility to receive various kinds of support from the State (such as being considered a public institution, including for budgetary support or income tax benefits, receiving funding from the Council to Regulate Sports Gambling, guarantors under the Guarantors on Behalf of the State Law, and benefits under the Encouragement of Capital Investment Law or under to the Encouragement of Research and Development in Industry Law).
 
Does the plaintiff have to prove damages?
 
Section 2(c) of the law states that should the court find that a civil wrong as defined in this law was deliberately carried out, the court may order the defendant to pay compensations without proof of damage. This means that the court may order those who called for boycott to pay punitive damages even of there is no proof that their action caused the damage. In calculating the sum of these damages the court must take into consideration, among other things, the circumstances under which the wrong was carried out, its severity, and its extent.
 
Could those who call for boycott be arrested?
 
No. As stated above, the law defines a call for boycott as a civil wrong, which could lead to a civil lawsuit for damages or to the limitation of various economic benefits from the State. A call for boycott is not a criminal offense.
 
Has the law already taken effect?
 
The law is in effect since 13 July 2011, when it was published in Israel’s Book of Laws (link to PDF file in Hebrew). The only exception to this is section 4 of the law, which stipulates the sanctions of preventing various economic benefits from companies and organizations, and will take effect 90 days after this date.
 
But what about the petitions against this law, which are being filed to the High Court?
 
On an individual level, even if high court petitions are filed, the law is in effect as long as there is no High Court ruling that disqualifies it. Therefore, any person or organization that calls for boycott as defined in this law is exposed to a lawsuit and for other sanctions determined by this law.
 
In the public arena, it is very important to fight this law, including through a petition to the High Court, since this law is has a dangerous chilling effect on freedom of expression and freedom of protest in Israel, meaning that it could deter citizens from voicing criticism or from protesting, for fear of being harmed by the authorities.

I'm not sure I understand that first crossed out bit, especially as the link is broken.

The good news about this law is that like those of us in the anti-zionist camp, it pretty much dates the start of the occupation somewhere around 1948 or 1917, not just 1967.