BDS Hub – Page 22 – Canada Palestine Association

Canadian BDS Coalition Statement on Student Activism

The Canadian BDS Coalition congratulates the Kings BDS Network at the University… Read more

The Canadian BDS Coalition congratulates the Kings BDS Network at the University of Western Ontario and the Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights (SPHR) at the University of British Columbia

At King’s University College at University of Western Ontario, 76% of the students who cast a vote in a recent referendum supported their student council in lobbying the King’s administration to boycott and divest from companies complicit in human rights violations against Palestinians.

Implementation will be based by King’s University College Student Council (KUSC) on a resolution that brought results from this referendum along with another referendum on fossil fuel divestment to their March 19, 2017 Annual General Meeting.

The approved resolution mandates the student council to lobby King’s administration to boycott and divest from any and all companies and products complicit with Israeli occupation based on principles of human rights, labour, environment, and anti-corruption. It also calls on KUCSC to research and write an annual Advocacy Paper on ethical investments and divestments that will include a five-year plan for ethical investing.

On March 30, 2017, the SPHR at University of British Columbia had a ground-breaking victory when a British Columbia Supreme Court judge brought down his ruling and dismissed a case to stop a boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) referendum.

This occurred when pro-Israel advocates took this issue to the British Columbia Supreme Court, after being unsuccessful in getting the student union (known as the AMS Student Society) to refer the issue to a student court to decide on the “legality” of the referendum question. The ambiguity of the question was not an issue in 2015, but simply another excuse to stall and keep the referendum from going forward, and was linked to a goal to decouple the referendum from a student election vote, which would have resulted in quorum. The BC Supreme Court decision is a significant victory and stops a dangerous precedent from being set.

This action of taking a student union referendum to a provincial Supreme Court, speaks to the war that the Israeli government and its lobbyists around the world have called against those supporting the Palestinian-led global movement of boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) for freedom, justice and equality.

These student successes come on the heels of the Government of Israel multi-day detainment and interrogating the co-founder of the BDS movement, Omar Barghouti as part of the Government’s “tarnishing” propaganda effort to silence Barghouti and repress the BDS movement.

Without question, the ratcheted-up aggressive use of Israeli legislation and tactics is combined with passing legislation in other countries and whatever legal options can be manipulated to delay, deny and silence all discussion of global BDS campaigns.

The Canadian BDS Coalition recognizes the courage and steadfastness of the students at King’s University College and the University of British Columbia in upholding the simple principle of BDS—the principle, that Palestinians are entitled to the same rights as the rest of humanity.

The Canadian BDS Coalition is comprised of groups in Canada that support the Palestinian BDS National Committee (BNC) call for boycott, divestment and sanctions targeting Israel’s system of settler-colonialism, occupation, and apartheid towards the Palestinian people. Members of the Coalition share a common commitment to pursuing peace in Palestine/Israel through the realization of freedom, justice, and equality for Palestinians, without which a lasting peace is impossible to achieve.

However, Coalition members are not alone. An EKOS poll conducted in February 2017 found that 66 per cent of Canadians are receptive to Canada imposing sanctions on Israel and 78% consider the Palestinian call to boycott to be a “reasonable” response to Israel over Israel’s violations of international human rights law.

The continued success of boycott, divestment and sanctions affirms the stand of Canadians against the apartheid actions and policies of the Government of Israel and the military abetted settler-colonialist occupation of Palestine, and the expectation that the Canadian government will reflect this sentiment.

Canadian BDS Coalition
April 5, 2017

Air Canada is Complicit in Israeli War Crimes!

UPDATE ON CAMPAIGN
Air Canada Must be Held Accountable!

New article on Palestine… Read more

UPDATE ON CAMPAIGN
Air Canada Must be Held Accountable!

New article on Palestine Chronicle

Did you know that Air Canada is outsourcing maintenance work for its B787 jets to Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI)? And that IAI is the largest state owned defence and aerospace company in Israel? In fact, IAI is the subject of boycotts across Europe and is well-known for its drone technology and production. (See Corporate Watch report.)
Two years ago, BDS Vancouver-Coast Salish started a global campaign targeting Air Canada, which is now being relaunched. As international efforts become more focused on Israel’s military defense industry, it is high time that corporations like Air Canada are held accountable for their complicity in Israeli war crimes.

Although any outsourcing of its maintenance work was originally considered illegal and even challenged in Canadian courts, the Trudeau government has recently made moves to change the law and allow Air Canada more “labour flexibility”. Please make your union, church, and community or political groups aware of this boycott and encourage them to show solidarity with the Palestinian people as well as workers here in Canada.
It is truly shameful that Air Canada is “outsourcing” its maintenance work to this Israeli defense company that is directly responsible for the deaths of Palestinian civilians. We call on all supporters of Palestinian rights and social justice to check all other possible options before finalizing your travel plans. Send the message to Air Canada that Israeli government abuses of international law will not be rewarded with your travel dollars!

Sign the petition to Air Canada here. Check out the background info on this website’s homepage.

Boycott Israeli Wine, Stand up for Palestine!

Boycott Israeli Wines campaign targets another BC Gov’t. Liquor… Read more

Boycott Israeli Wines campaign targets another BC Gov’t. Liquor Store

Video of Dec. 17 In-Store Flash Action
The Boycott Israeli Wines campaign in Vancouver, Canada held another flash action and picket on Dec. 17, despite the unusually cold temperatures in the city. The activists initially went into the government liquor store, and showed real “holiday spirit” with their chants and singing. The manager of the store was made aware that the 3 brands of Israeli wines that are stocked there are all from stolen Arab and Palestinian land, thus rendering the BC Government complicit in human rights violations. One brand in particular, the Teperberg Vision Malbec, even openly brags on its website that the vineyard that contributes grapes for this wine is in the illegal Israeli settlement of Mevo Horon. This settler enclave is in the Latrun area of the occupied Palestinian West Bank and is also close to the infamous “Canada Park” built by the Jewish National Fund with Canadian tax-deductible monies.
The picket then moved outside of the store, where leaflets were handed out to many passersby. Palestinian flags flew high as more chants and singing happened on the busy street corner in one of Vancouver’s densest shopping areas.
Activists succeeded in getting their message out, both inside and outside the store, and their chant of Boycott Israeli Wine, Free Free Palestine was heard loud and clear!
Background information on this campaign can be found in this Palestine Chronicle article.

Letter hand-delivered to BC Liquor Board head office
Check out the video of the picket.
Friday Sep. 23, 2016 at 3:00 PM – 4:30 PM
Head Office, BC Liquor Distribution Branch, 2625 Rupert St, Vancouver, Canada
Join us for this important picket to send the message to the BC Government to stop carrying Israeli wines (most sourced from illegal Israeli settlements) and end their complicity in war crimes. Over the summer, several “surprise” pickets were already held at various BC liquor stores, including one at the beginning of August that included an instore flash action, the video of which has over 78,000 views on FB. Check out the Boycott Israeli Wines FB page for coverage of the last 2 actions and the sustained attacks by the Zionist lobby to try and shut us down.
Come out and help us defend and promote the BDS movement as well as our right to engage in all actions to support Palestine and the Palestinian people.
Facebook page.
Campaign history and background information here.

Commemorate Nakba 68 – Boycott Israeli Wines

Please sign our new petition to the BC Government, calling on them to stop… Read more

Please sign our new petition to the BC Government, calling on them to stop carrying Israeli Wines.

On August 6, there was a lively picket in Vancouver protesting the many BC Government liquor stores that carry Israeli wines and showing solidarity with Palestinian political prisoners. The video which has already been viewed over 79,000 times on Facebook shows highlights of the flash action inside the store. You can also check out our FB page for photos and videos of the leafletting that continued on outside the store.

Thanks to everyone who participated, especially the folks from Solidarity Notes and our piper.

This is a short video of the successful picket held to Boycott Israeli Wines on June 25th in Vancouver.

Please email us if you wish to be involved with this campaign and be on the call-out list for future actions.

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On the 60th anniversary of the Palestinian Nakba, 8 years ago, the statement below was issued by Canada Palestine Association and other endorsing groups calling for a boycott of Israeli wines in BC liquor stores. This year, on the 68th anniversary, with BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) making great strides globally, BC liquor stores are regrettably still stuck in the past. In fact, not only are they still carrying wines from the occupied Golan Heights, but they have added several others sourced from the occupied West Bank, specifically the illegal Gush Etzion settlement bloc around Jerusalem. One in particular is called Efrat Judean Hills Kosher and is produced by the Teperberg 1870 Winery. This brand declares openly on its website that “Teperberg’s vineyards are spread around several growing regions in the Judean Hills, Upper Galilee, Gush Etzion….” More information on this winery and other Israeli wineries can be found in the exhaustive study done by “Who Profits” entitled Forbidden Fruit: Israeli Wine Industry and Occupation.
We are relaunching the Boycott Israeli Wines, Don’t Drink with Apartheid campaign; and we encourage everyone to let your local liquor store know that supporting occupation and Israeli war crimes is unethical. You can also email the head office at communications@bcldb.com. As we said 8 years ago, enough of dispossession, exile and the destruction of a whole nation. Please also send this message to our politicians as well to show them that we are not waiting for them to condemn us, rather we condemn their cowardly motion on Feb. 22, 2016 attacking BDS (and justice for Palestine) in the House of Commons.

Check out and like the FB page.

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Callout for original campaign – “BOYCOTT ISRAELI WINES”
On this 60th anniversary of the Palestinian Nakba, the Israeli government has announced plans to “rebrand” its 60 years of dispossession and ethnic cleansing. Here in B.C., the focus of this “rebranding” is the promotion of wines under an Israeli label in B.C. liquor stores, which are now carrying products from the Galil Mountain Winery, the Golan Heights Winery and the Dalton Winery. The Golan Heights Winery (of which the Galil Winery is a joint venture) produces wines from grapes grown on occupied Arab land, and many of their wineries are located on occupied Syrian land in the Golan Heights. All of this is in direct contravention of the Fourth Geneva Convention and stated Canadian policy. Nonetheless, successive Canadian governments have given Israel preferential trading status under the Canada Israel Free Trade Agreement, an agreement that financially enables the Israeli government’s oppressive policies and does not even attempt to distinguish products that are from illegal Israeli settlements. And BC liquor stores, when questioned as to their shameful actions, replied they “…offer products from around the world on a commercial demand basis.”
We say 60 years of “rebranding” is enough; 60 years of dispossession, exile and the destruction of a whole nation are enough. Send this message to the Israeli government, and to our local and national politicians. As the South African campaigners said many years ago outside BC liquor stores, then as now, DON’T DRINK WITH APARTHEID!
Endorsers of Original Campaign in 2008:
Al Dameer Association for Human Rights – Gaza, Palestine; Arab Cultural Forum – Gaza, Palestine; Boycott Israeli Apartheid Campaign (BIAC), Vancouver; Burnaby Teachers Association Social Justice Committee, Burnaby; Canada Palestine Association, Halifax; Canada Palestine Support Network (CanPalNet); Canada Palestine Support Network-Ottawa; Canadian Arab Federation, Toronto; Coalition Against Israeli Apartheid, Toronto; Free Gaza Movement; International Solidarity Movement ISM, Vancouver; Jews for a Just Peace; No One Is Illegal, Vancouver; NorCal ISM, California; Not In Our Name, Toronto; One Democratic State Group – Gaza, Palestine; Palestinian and Jewish Unity (PAJU), Montreal; Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI), Ramallah, Palestine; United Black Students at Ryerson, Ryerson University, Toronto; University Teachers’ Association – Gaza, Palestine; Women in Black, Los Angeles
(Check out our website’s BDS Hub for more info about this and other BDS-related activities and campaigns).

A Palestinian Christian Response to Cancelling the Town Hall BDS Meeting, Calgary‏

Open letter to the Unitarian Church of Calgary

Dear Reverend Debra Faulk,… Read more

Open letter to the Unitarian Church of Calgary

Dear Reverend Debra Faulk,
Dear Board of Trustees of the Unitarian Church of Calgary,

Your cancellation of the Town Hall meeting for Oct. 27, 2016, that had been booked by Calgary Friends of the Green Party of Canada BDS Policy, was both distressing and disappointing and ultimately, an act of complicity in my peoples’ dispossession.
I am a Palestinian Christian from Bethlehem who cannot go back to his hometown because of the Apartheid and discriminatory policies of the state of Israel. Palestinian Christians constitute one third of the Palestinian people and most of them are living outside of their historic homeland Palestine; we are not allowed by Israel to go back home, similar to our Muslim brothers and sisters.
Let me remind you that Palestinian Christians are the first believers and are the Guardians of the Holy Places, and any “Christian” act that contributes to hindering solidarity with the Palestinian people in general is an act of betrayal to all of us.
Israel since its inception in 1948 has been empowered by many Western countries and churches, and because of this support, it gets away with grave violations of humanitarian law, UN resolutions and the Fourth Geneva Conventions.
We, the Palestinian people, can no longer endure this unconditional support that you are giving to our oppressor, to the point of even muffling our narrative.
Archbishop Desmond Tutu stated “If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.” You are not only neutral, you have chosen to concretely support our oppressor.
Sorry, but we are outraged, hurt and insulted. We will remember the names of all those institutions and individuals that have been complicit in supporting our oppressor, and that is why we are cc’ing Kairos Palestine and making this public. We will also remember all those who bravely confronted such intimidation, blackmail and power and who stood for peace, justice, equality and freedom.
Finally I would like to quote the late great anti-apartheid leader Nelson R. Mandela:
“The temptation … is to speak in muffled tones about an issue such as the right of the people of Palestine … yet we would be less than human if we did so.”

Hanna Kawas
Chairperson
Canada Palestine Association