BDS Hub – Page 28 – Canada Palestine Association

Picket BC Liquor Store

BOYCOTT ISRAELI WINES
June 7th 2008 Picket, BC Liquor Store, 1520 Commercial Dr., Vancouver

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!

Organized by Canada Palestine Association – Vancouver
Endorsed by:

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) www.canpalnet.ca; Canada Palestine Support Network-Ottawa www.canpalnet-ottawa.org; Canadian Arab Federation, Toronto www.caf.ca; Coalition Against Israeli Apartheid, Toronto www.caiaweb.org; Free Gaza Movement, www.freegaza.org; International Solidarity Movement ISM, Vancouver www.ism-vancouver.org; Jews for a Just Peace www.jewsforajustpeace.com; No One Is Illegal, Vancouver www.noii-van.resist.ca; NorCal ISM, California www.norcalism.org; Not In Our Name, Toronto www.nion.ca; 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 www.pacbi.org; United Black Students at Ryerson, Ryerson University, Toronto; University Teachers’ Association – Gaza, Palestine; Women in Black, Los Angeles www.wib-la.net

Letter to the Editor of the Georgia Straight Regarding Israeli Wines

The following letter was sent to the Georgia Straight on Feb. 15, 2008.

It might interest your readers to know that the “new-generation Israeli wines” that Jurgen Gothe was promoting (Feb. 14/08) are literally fruit from the vines of Israeli occupation. We recently sent a letter to the BC Liquor Distribution Branch on this very subject which they have responded to claiming this matter is not under their “jurisdiction” and they offer products on a commercial demand basis. Here are some excerpts of our originial letter.

“The Golan Heights Winery (of which the Galil Winery is a joint venture) produces wines from grapes grown on occupied Arab land and some 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 laws http://www.dfait- maeci.gc.ca/middle_east/can_policy-en.asp#06 . To add insult to injury, you are displaying these products from occupied Arab territory under an Israeli banner, against all international norms and practices. There is a reason your suppliers insisted on having the Israeli banner used, an issue that has already caused problems for European liquor boards, particularly Sweden, and you may not be aware you are being used to advance an illegal occupation and annexation of the Golan Heights. The Israeli peace bloc Gush Shalom includes all the Golan Heights wines on their national boycott list of settlement products, under the heading “A Penny to the settlements is a Penny against Peace” http://gush-shalom.org.toibillboard.info/boycott_eng.htm.

Regrettably, your actions are rewarding Israeli occupation, ethnic cleansing and war crimes that are committed daily by the Israeli Government against the Palestinian and other Arab peoples. It is also offensive to people all over the world who are interested in peace with justice in the Middle East. Please consider our request to immediately stop carrying these Israeli wines, and do not repeat your historic mistake when you carried wines from the South African Apartheid regime.”

Unfortunately, the BCLDB and now your Jurgen Gothe (hopefully unknowingly) are aiding and abetting an illegal occupation and hindering the chances for any future genuine peace in the region.

Yours truly,
Hanna Kawas,
Chairperson Canada Palestine Association

__________________________________________________________________

The Georgia Straight edited and published only the following condensed version of our letter:

http://www.straight.com/article-133001/bitter-fruit-goes-into-israeli-wines

February 21, 2008

Bitter fruit goes into Israeli wines

It might interest your readers to know that the “new-generation Israeli wines” that Jurgen Gothe was promoting [“Israeli wines take a big, bold leap forward”, Feb. 14-21] are, literally, fruit from the vines of Israeli occupation. We recently sent a letter to the B.C. Liquor Distribution Branch on this very subject, which they have responded to, claiming this matter is not under their “jurisdiction” and that they offer products on a commercial- demand basis. Unfortunately, the BCLDB and, now, your Jurgen Gothe (hopefully unknowingly) are aiding and abetting an illegal occupation and hindering the chances for any future genuine peace in the region.

Hanna Kawas / Chairperson, Canada Palestine Association / New Westminster

Don’t Drink with Apartheid – Boycott Israeli Wines

“‘The land of Israel has been producing wines for 5,000 years’, said Norman Gladstone, Principal of International Cellars Inc. ‘In the last thirty years, the wine industry in Israel has adopted modern technology leading to higher quality wines which have burst onto the international scene. We are pleased and honoured to bring Israel’s top wineries to British Columbia.'”

With these words, the news release issued by the Canada-Israel Committee on Dec 20, 2007 announced the introduction of these wines to the Canadian province of B.C. This is an amazing rewrite of history since Israel did not exist 5000 years ago. Nothing new for the Zionist movement that distorts the modern history of Palestine and its people – a movement that raised the slogan 100 years ago “A land without a people for a people without a land”. I wonder how Mr. Gladstone can explain these 5,000 years of history in wine-making in this “land without a people”?

Following is a letter I sent to the British Columbia Liquor Distribution Branch regarding this matter and I encourage everyone to send letters of protest to the BCLDB at communications@bcliquorstores.com .

Hanna Kawas

A Penny to the settlements is a Penny against Peace

Dec. 21, 2007
British Columbia Liquor Distribution Branch

Dear Sir/Madam:

It recently came to our attention that you are going to carry wines from several Israeli wineries, from the Galil Mountain Winery, the Golan Heights Winery and Dalton Winery.

see: http://www.jewishindependent.ca/archives/Dec07/archives07Dec21-01.html

The Golan Heights Winery (of which the Galil Winery is a joint venture) produces wines from grapes grown on occupied Arab land and some 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 laws http://www.dfait- maeci.gc.ca/middle_east/can_policy-en.asp#06 . To add insult to injury, you are displaying these products from occupied Arab territory under an Israeli banner, against all international norms and practices. There is a reason your suppliers insisted on having the Israeli banner used, an issue that has already caused problems for European liquor boards, particularly Sweden, and you may not be aware you are being used to advance an illegal occupation and annexation of the Golan Heights. The Israeli peace bloc Gush Shalom includes all the Golan Heights wines on their national boycott list of settlement products, under the heading “A Penny to the settlements is a Penny against Peace” http://gush-shalom.org.toibillboard.info/boycott_eng.htm .

Please consider our request to immediately stop carrying these Israeli wines, and do not repeat your historic mistake when you carried wines from the South African Apartheid regime.

Awaiting your reply
Hanna Kawas,
Chairperson, Canada Palestine Association www.cpavancouver.org
Co-host, Voice of Palestine, Vancouver www.voiceofpalestine.ca

Cc : Boycott Israeli Apartheid Campaign,
Vancouver Campaign Against Israeli Aparthied (CAIA),
Victoria Campaign Against Israeli Aparthied (CAIA),
Toronto http://www.caiaweb.org/
Canadian Arab Federation www.caf.ca
Canadian Jewish Outlook http://www.vcn.bc.ca/outlool/
Gush Shalom (Israeli Peace Bloc) http://gush-shalom.org/
Stop War www.stopwar.ca
Jews for a Just Peace, Vancouver http://www.jewsforajustpeace.com/
Canada Palestine Support Network http://www.canpalnet.ca/