Second picket held on Oct. 14, 2017, Vancouver.
Photos from the action, … Read more
Second picket held on Oct. 14, 2017, Vancouver.
Photos from the action, more on Facebook event page.
Vancouver launches the Boycott HP campaign with an informational picket on August 26, 2017 outside Best Buy.
Hewlett Packard companies play a key role in Israel’s oppression of Palestinians. They provide technology, equipment and services to the Israeli military and government, including the ID card system that underpin Israel’s apartheid policies and its movement restrictions for Palestinians.
The international Boycott HP campaign has already seen 17 U.S. churches (representing 7 denominations) divest from the company and has also attracted support from student governments.
More info at BDS Movement and American Friends Service Committee
Here is a video on our Facebook page for the Aug. 26 picket.
And on Twitter:
Video highlights of great picket to Boycott HP, Vancouver, Aug. 26. Boycott HP – Technology of Israeli Apartheid! pic.twitter.com/V4LnmVbF21
Background Info: Hewlett Packard (HP) companies are known for their computers, printers, and ink cartridges but many people are unaware of HP’s role providing technology for Israel’s military occupation of Palestine and violations of Palestinian human rights. HP has been described as the “Polaroid of our times”, a reference to huge mobilisations against the use of Polaroid technology used for the South African apartheid regime’s passbook system.
• HP provides IT infrastructure and support to Israel’s Prison Service.
• HP companies have contracts to provide information technology infrastructure to the illegal settlements of Modi’in Ilit and Ariel and also have a “development center” in another illegal settlement, Beitar Ilit.
• HP provides the biometric ID cards for Israel that form the basis of rampant and de facto discrimination in housing, employment, marriage, healthcare, education, and policing.
Support human rights and go HP free! Make your back-to-school shopping Apartheid free!
Check out the FB event page for details and photos.
Following is the position of the Canada Palestine Association-Vancouver,… Read more
Following is the position of the Canada Palestine Association-Vancouver, sent to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency regarding their reversal on the issue of labelling Israeli settlement wines.
Thank you for clarifying the Canadian government position on the Palestinian occupied territories. And thank you for clarifying that according to the Canada-Israel Free Trade Agreement, Israeli territory includes the Palestinian occupied territories.
Thank you for stating categorically that Canada is engaged in selling illegal goods produced on stolen lands in contravention of the Fourth Geneva Convention and all internationally recognized laws.
We understand from your most recent statement that the provisions of the Canada-Israel Free Trade Agreement (CIFTA) supersede those in the “Canadian Policy on Key Issues in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict” and specifically those relating to the “Occupied Territories and Settlements” which clearly state: “The Fourth Geneva Convention applies in the occupied territories and establishes Israel’s obligations as an occupying power, … As referred to in UN Security Council Resolutions 446 and 465, Israeli settlements in the occupied territories are a violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention.”
You quote the CIFTA (Article 1.4.1b) as a reason for the reversal of your original ruling, which states in defining territory: “with respect to Israel the territory where its customs laws are applied”. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and accordingly the Canadian Government, in accepting and enforcing that definition of Israeli territory, have explicitly recognized Israel sovereignty over these occupied territories.
Your statement exposes the true Canadian government position regarding the occupied territories. It also shows how Canada is empowering Israel to continue with its violations of the Fourth Geneva Convention and its flaunting of UN General Assembly and Security Council resolutions.
Israeli Violations of the Fourth Geneva Convention
The Israeli government is in violation of many articles of the Fourth Geneva Convention including article 49: “The Occupying Power shall not deport or transfer parts of its own civilian population into the territory it occupies.” Israel has already planted almost 13% of its population in colonies in the Palestinian occupied territories. Israel is also in violation of article 33 which says: “Pillage is prohibited. Reprisals against protected persons and their property are prohibited.” The massive transfer of its citizens to the occupied territories has resulted in enormous pillaging of Palestinian lands and its natural resources, including water.
Israeli Violations of the UN Resolutions
The Israeli government has also contravened numerous UN General Assembly and Security Council resolutions, including 242 which says in its preamble “Emphasizing the inadmissibility of the acquisition of territory by war”, and then called for the “Withdrawal of Israel armed forces from territories occupied in the recent conflict”. Resolution 338, another Security Council resolution passed in 1973, “Calls upon the parties concerned to start immediately after the cease-fire the implementation of Security Council resolution 242 (1967) in all of its parts”. FIFTY years and the world is still waiting.
It is clear to all peace-loving people the world over that Canada and the Western countries, led by the US, are empowering Israeli occupation and war crimes. These countries respect UN resolutions only when it serves their (and their client) states’ interests.
It is also clear now, with this new Canadian ruling, that Canada pays lip service only in its declared support to the Fourth Geneva Convention, while empowering and encouraging Israel to violate it.
This explains the voting record of the Canadian government (under different administrations) at the UN general Assembly for at least the past four years. In regards to resolutions on the occupied Palestinian and Arab territories (check our analysis of the Canadian vote for the year 2013), Canada has voted against the following resolutions, amongst 17 in total:
1. The right of the Palestinian people to self-determination
2. Persons displaced as a result of the June 1967 and subsequent hostilities
3. The applicability of the Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, of 12 August 1949, to the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and the other occupied Arab territories.
4. Permanent sovereignty of the Palestinian people in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and of the Arab population in the occupied Syrian Golan over their natural resources
It is abundantly clear that the Canadian government is an active accomplice in Israeli violations of international humanitarian law. Now more than ever, with this explicit acceptance of Israeli sovereignty on Occupied Palestinian and Arab land, the Canadian government is in violation of all international norms and decency.
We will make the Canadian position known to the ICRC and to all contracting parties to the Fourth Geneva convention. And above all, we will make it known to Canadian and international public opinion.
John Beeching: A Legacy of Principled Activism and Sumoud
UPDATE: Help us honour John’s legacy with a medical aid project to help the Palestinian people in Gaza. In coordination with John’s family, NECEF Sabeel have set up a fund raising campaign in John’s memory for Al Ahli Arab hospital in Gaza City; we are also working to have a commemorative plaque placed in the hospital to reflect his lifetime of commitment to the Palestinians.
Please consider making a tax-deductible donation either online or by sending a cheque to NECEF Sabeel Canada.
The online donation is through CanadaHelps and the form includes a place to chose which fund your donation should go to. Please put #3 In Memory of John Beeching.
This is the mailing address for cheques and again, please note in the memo “In memory of John Beeching”.
NECEF Sabeel Canada
7565 Newman Blvd.
PO Box 3067, Station LaPierre
Montreal, QC , H8N 3H2
John, we will continue the struggle!
Presente!
Hanna Kawas
Chair, Canada Palestine Association-Vancouver
————————————————————————————————————–
With heavy hearts, Canada Palestine Association-Vancouver learnt yesterday of the passing of one of its longest-serving members John Beeching. John, a WWII veteran, was an ardent supporter of Palestinian human and national rights and helped construct the foundation for much of the solidarity work that has developed in recent years. He worked with CPA for 35 years, joining with us to further the struggle of the Palestinians after the 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon and continued with his support right up until his passing at 95 years of age. He was chair of Medical Aid for Palestine in Vancouver during the 1980s and helped host many leading Palestinian and pro-Palestinian figures who came to the city during that period, including Dr. Chris Giannou, Dr. Fathi Arafat and Dr. Ismail Zayid (to mention just a few). He embodied the best kind of solidarity that puts the priorities of oppressed people first and foremost, and always was a true internationalist who embraced the struggle against fascism in Spain to the struggle against Apartheid in South Africa to peoples’ struggles in Cuba, Venezuela and beyond. We will miss him greatly.
We send our condolences to his wife and life-long partner, Betty, and his children, grandchildren and all of the family.
John, we will continue your legacy until Palestine is Free!!
Family Obituary:
John Beeching passed peacefully at the age of 95 on May 6th. A loving husband, father and grandfather he will be missed by his wife, Betty, and entire family. John will always live on in in our hearts and memories with his love, sense of humour and his passion for social justice.
Born in Saskatchewan, he had many fond memories of growing up with his 4 brothers in Qu’Appelle and Regina. After joining the Canadian Air Force to fight against fascism during WWII, John returned to Saskatchewan where he met and married his wife Betty. John and Betty spent the rest of their lives dedicated to creating a better world. Their fight for peace and social justice will never be forgotten. John leaves behind a legacy of solidarity born of love.
In accordance with family wishes, there will be no formal service. In lieu of flowers donations can be made to the “Near East Cultural and Educational Fund” for Gaza Medical Relief.
The challenges faced by the students of Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights SPHR and the YestoBDS campaign at the University of British Columbia (UBC) in recent months serve as a template for what to expect from pro-Israel groups on campuses.
The ultimate end result was that the BDS referendum did not pass this year at UBC, although the students won an earlier landmark and (perhaps more significant) victory from the BC Supreme Court that dismissed a challenge to suppress the vote altogether.
Zionist groups have all now joined in the same chorus that the final vote count shows that BDS is “nefarious”, “divisive” and “promotes hate”.
I would suggest a different analysis, that the referendum results simply show us how much more ruthless, underhanded and aggressive the pro-Israel lobby have become around BDS, particularly at universities.
Israeli apologists constantly repeat the mantra that BDS creates a toxic and divisive environment on campus, but really, who is driving that toxicity?
After following the debates on both print and social media at UBC during the referendum, and personally witnessing the horrific verbal abuse (that could easily have escalated into physical abuse) and disruption from the “Jewish Defense League” at a BDS panel on April 3, I have come to the conclusion that part of the strategy by pro-Israel groups is to manufacture this “toxic” environment so that student unions will be hesitant to deal with the issue.
As SPHR-UBC noted in their statement following the vote, the court case and the delays in being able to campaign (especially for a volunteer student group in the final week of term) severely hindered their efficacy. They summed it up this way:
“We started this campaign knowing the odds were against us: we only had a week to campaign, the delay was caused by a legal battle that had drained our efforts already, we had limited resources compared to our opposition, and we knew it would be hard.
“Regardless, we managed to start important conversations and the outcome of the vote shows that in better circumstances we could actually make it, and we commit to keep this conversation going on campus. It’s a shame that so few students had the opportunity to be aware of the referendum due to the constraints of limited campaign time.”
There were also reports that the AMS Student Union did not send out an email to all students notifying them of the online BDS referendum, even though it was an official AMS referendum that had met all the necessary criteria and email notices had been sent 2 years prior during the first BDS vote.
Further, the AMS Code of Procedure specifically states on page 128 that for online voting:
“1. The Elections Committee shall ensure that all Active Members have an opportunity to vote and shall establish staffed information booths and take other measures to publicize the election or referendum so as to ensure that as many Active Members as possible do vote.”
Clearly this did not happen as shown by the very low voter turnout; we have to ask why? Given the hectic nature of the last week of classes, and the imbalance in resources, this AMS lack of publicity may have been critical.
From the “Hillel student that went to court” to the Bnai Brith smear campaign to the JDL thuggery – the pro-Israel lobby groups were all on the same trajectory. Make the subject so contentious, so onerous, so costly that many students will not want to take it on.
And make sure that even if you can’t convince people of the rightness of your position, the issue will be considered too “hot to handle”. As Gilad Erdan, the Israeli Minister of Strategic Affairs, said over a year ago – “Soon every BDS activist will know that he will pay a price for this.”
And given developments in the past few months, we take him at this word. If you’re of Palestinian descent, the new travel ban means you might not be able to return to see your family if you are publicly active around BDS. Or the JDL will physically assault you, as happened in Washington DC to Kamal Nayfeh, who required 19 stitches for an eye injury. Or you will be falsely linked with alleged “terrorist” groups, and your photo spread across Zionist websites for simply wearing a symbolic Palestinian scarf, as happened at UBC.
We are deeply moved that in the face of such blatant and aggressive tactics, the students at UBC were not intimidated and carried on with their YestoBDS campaign. More than that, they pledged to continue the struggle by saying:
“We will keep standing up for human rights, even in the face of hateful misinformation and intimidation. We will keep giving space to the voices of Palestinians, in the name of freedom, justice and equality.”
And this is the real victory for BDS – that despite facing the full force of what can only be called the “BDS busting” machine, these students stood their ground and insisted to speak up for Palestinian rights, and scored a precedent-setting legal decision in the BC Supreme Court at the same time.
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.
