Canada Palestine Association

Open Letter to Government of Canada, Cities of Vancouver and Montreal re CanaDanse Festival in Israel

New Article in Palestine Chronicle on updates for Ballet BC campaign.

The Canadian BDS Coalition sent the following letter on December 18, 2018 to:

Pablo Rodriquez, Federal Minister of Heritage
Ambassador Deborah Lyons, Canadian Ambassador to Israel
Kennedy Stewart, Mayor of Vancouver
Valérie Plante, Mayor of Montreal

—————————

Open Letter from Canadian BDS Coalition to Government of Canada, Cities of Vancouver and Montreal

We have become aware that you are listed as one of the official sponsors of the CanaDanse Festival, being held in Israel in January 2019. Promotional material on the venue’s website denotes the Government of Canada as a sponsor of the whole Festival while the cities of Vancouver and Montreal are sponsoring one segment respectively. You should be aware that there is an ongoing campaign regarding Ballet BC’s involvement in the Festival, along with the 2 other dance companies, Shay Kuebler-Radical System Art from Vancouver and Le Carré des Lombes/Danièle Desnoyers from Montreal.

Over 5000 people have already signed a petition to Ballet BC asking them to cancel their first-ever performance in Israel, and to not help Israel whitewash its crimes against the Palestinian people. There has been coverage on the U.S. website Mondoweiss about this issue and also coverage in Canadian local media.

In fact, support is increasing amongst the Canadian public for sanctions against the state of Israel until it complies with international law, despite the efforts of the political establishment to suppress such information. A recent EKOS survey found that seventy-eight percent of Canadians said they believe the Palestinians’ call for a boycott is “reasonable”, and two-thirds (66%) of respondents viewed government sanctions specifically on Israel as “reasonable.”

It is shocking that various levels of government, federal and municipal, including the Cities of Vancouver and Montreal, felt compelled to not only lend their names to this Festival, but we assume funding as well.

Although Ballet BC and the other two dance companies will be welcomed by Israeli authorities to perform there, you should be aware that Palestinian cultural figures, artists and writers are routinely denied entry to their own homeland. One recent case is that of Susan Abulhawa, prominent Palestinian author who was detained and deported by Israel on November 1, 2018 on her way to a literary festival. Cultural exchanges that are predicated on silencing certain voices do not serve the values Ballet BC (and presumably your government) claim to uphold: “Ballet BC serves as a cultural ambassador, inspires diverse communities through dance and promotes inclusion in and through all that we do.” There is no inclusion for most indigenous Palestinians, who cannot even visit their homeland, let alone return to live there.

The Canadian Ambassador to Israel, Deborah Lyons, has already used the CanaDanse Festival to state: “Canada and Israel are truly best of friends”; we are sure more euphemisms will follow during and after the performances to help cover up the horrors of what the Israeli state is doing to the Palestinian people. This is the essence of art-washing and this is why an increasing number of global artists are saying that they will not perform in Israel until it complies with international law and respects the rights of the Palestinian people.

Your shameful position does not represent us or our constituent groups and we are appalled that you speak in our names and use taxpayers’ money to promote the suppression and dispossession of an entire people. We call on you to immediately withdraw your government sponsorship and cancel your participation in this Festival, which will only be used by the Israeli government to obscure the injustices happening right now to the Palestinian people.

Otherwise, history will not look kindly on your actions.

The Canadian BDS Coalition
—————————————————————————–

LETTER FROM CAIA-VICTORIA TO BALLET BC

November, 2018
Dear Mr. Clark:

We are writing to request that you reconsider your decision to send
Ballet BC to Tel Aviv.

What does ballet have to do with the military occupation of Palestine
and the cruel oppression of its people?

Decades ago citizens from around the world boycotted apartheid South
Africa. The cultural boycott played a major role in raising awareness
about the plight of black South Africans.

Today Israel is an apartheid state which flouts international law with
impunity. It tries to divert attention from its crimes against
Palestinians by promoting arts and culture. Palestinian artists,
however, are restricted from leaving their homes to perform.

Such diversions cannot work. Many artists and entertainers have joined
the boycott. Personally, as much as I love Ballet BC, I will not be
able to attend another performance if the Tel Aviv concert goes ahead.

In the name of ending the occupation and the violence toward
Palestinians we ask you to cancel your performance in Tel Aviv.

Help shed light on the suffering and injustice; join the boycott.

It is the honourable thing to do.

Sincerely

Frances Baskerville
CAIA Coalition Against Israeli Apartheid

Update: Open Letter to Ballet BC Board of Directors

Open Letter to Ballet BC Board of Directors
November 4, 2018

Attn: Linda … Read more

Open Letter to Ballet BC Board of Directors
November 4, 2018

Attn: Linda Brown
President and Chair, Board of Directors, Ballet BC
Attn: Cheryl Stevens
Vice-President, Board of Directors, Ballet BC

Dear Ms. Brown, Ms. Stevens and Board of Directors:

We would like to draw your attention to an ongoing campaign regarding Ballet BC’s involvement in the CanaDanse Festival in Israel in January 2019, along with 2 other dance companies.
Over 4300 people have already signed a petition to Ballet BC asking them to cancel their performance, and to not help Israel whitewash its crimes against the Palestinian people. There was recent coverage on the U.S. website Mondoweiss about this issue and also coverage in Canadian local media 2 weeks ago.

Although Ballet BC will be welcomed by Israeli authorities to perform there, you should be aware that Palestinian cultural figures, artists and writers are routinely denied entry to their own homeland. The most recent case is that of Susan Abulhawa, prominent Palestinian author who was just detained and deported by Israel this past week on her way to a literary festival. Cultural exchanges that are predicated on silencing certain voices do not serve the values you claimed to uphold in your statement to local media when questioned about our petition: “Ballet BC serves as a cultural ambassador, inspires diverse communities through dance and promotes inclusion in and through all that we do.” There is no inclusion for most indigenous Palestinians, who cannot even visit their homeland, let alone return to live there.

We hope you will take the time to look at these materials and fully consider what the upcoming performance of Ballet BC in Israel will mean to the Palestinian people and to all people concerned about justice, especially those here in B.C.

We look forward to your response,
Hanna Kawas
Chairperson, Canada Palestine Association, Vancouver

Thousands call on Ballet BC to Not Perform in Israel

Press Release – Thousands call on Ballet BC to Not Perform in Israel… Read more

Press Release – Thousands call on Ballet BC to Not Perform in Israel
#NotOurAmbassadors

Update Oct. 31, 2018 – New article in Mondoweiss about the campaign, with the names of the other 2 dance companies involved finally released

Oct. 21, 2018
Earlier this month, BDS Vancouver activists launched a campaign after learning that Ballet BC was planning to perform in Israel in January, 2019. The petition that was started has now garnered over 4200 signatures, with a clear call to Ballet BC to not be complicit in helping Israel cover up its war crimes. Under the heading, “Tell Ballet BC, Don’t Dance on the Ruins of Palestinian Childhood”, the petition focused on examples of what performing in Israel would artwash, from the still pending demolition of Khan al Ahmar to the reduction of Gaza to an unliveable nightmare.
Ballet BC refused to answer, or even acknowledge, emails from the petition organizers and supporters, but they did send a statement to the media after the story was picked up by a Canadian media outlet. They said in part: “We have been invited to perform as a part of “CanaDance 2019,” a festival supported by the Canadian Embassy in Tel Aviv at the Suzanne Dellal Centre along with two other Canadian dance companies. We are honoured to be a part of this festival and to serve as ambassadors for British Columbia and Canada.”
However, a notice posted recently on the Suzanne Dellal Centre website shows only Ballet BC as performing. So, either the two other Canadian dance companies Ballet BC referred to have decided not to participate, or prefer to remain nameless for whatever reason. The website also does not yet show any sponsorship from the Canadian Embassy in Tel Aviv, but given statements by Ambassador Deborah Lyons who has been acting as a public relations advocate for Israel with her ridiculous #WowIsrael campaign, embassy sponsorship would not be a surprise.
The grassroots response to the petition, and some of the moving comments made by supporters, have been truly remarkable. This issue of Ballet BC performing in Tel Aviv, for a minimum ticket price of around $100 Canadian, while Palestinian kids in Gaza have only four hours of electricity per day and others are routinely arrested, beaten and live in fear of losing their homes and futures, seemed to hit a chord with British Columbians.

As petition commenters also noted, ballet is a beautiful art form, emphasizing freedom of movement but this is all the more reason that it cannot and should not be used to whitewash Israeli war crimes. And an open letter stated: “You may feel that art transcends politics and I wish that was the case. But if your performances in Israel will be used (as so many others before you have been) as ammunition for a government desperate to improve its international image, then you have entered into the world of politics whether you are aware of it or not.”
Campaign organizers are calling on Ballet BC one more time to take a stand and not perform in Israel, which would be a permanent stain on their record.

Canada Palestine Association

BC Attorney General Stonewalls on Israeli Wines in BC Liquor Stores

BC Attorney General David Eby finally responded to two of the initiating… Read more

BC Attorney General David Eby finally responded to two of the initiating groups on an Open Letter, regarding BC government liquor stores carrying Israeli wines in violation of international humanitarian laws. Mr. Eby refused to meet with representatives of the 30 groups who sponsored and endorsed the letter, and insisted again to focus solely on the “customers’ right to make choices”. Here is the public answer to Eby from CPA Vancouver and BDS Vancouver-Coast Salish.
___________________________________________

Public Response to David Eby regarding Israeli wines in BC Liquor Stores
Oct. 17, 2018

Dear Mr. Eby:

Thank you for your brief replies to our concerns.

Once again, you have completely ignored the issues raised on this subject, this time brought forward by 30 organizations. We mentioned in our open letter that selling Israeli wines in BC liquor Stores is “in direct contravention of the Fourth Geneva Convention”. The UN Security Council, UN General Assembly and the Canadian government recognize the applicability of the Fourth Geneva Convention in the occupied Palestinian territories. Israel is in violations of many articles of this convention, including the theft of Palestinian land, building colonies in the occupied territories and transferring several hundreds of thousands of its citizens to live in them, in contravention of articles 49 and 53. Israel also expropriates and exploits the natural resources in the occupied territory to meet the needs of the occupying power, in violation of article 55. The wine that is carried in the BC Liquor Stores is the product of these Israeli settler colonialists who stole Palestinian land and its agricultural and natural resources.

The Federal Government currently imposes sanctions against 20 countries, 11 of them in the Middle East (the list does not include Israel nor Saudi Arabia), so we ask where is your “customers’ right to make choices” there?
And as noted in the open letter, these wines are mislabelled as “made in Israel” in an attempt to hide product origin, something that is currently being challenged in the Canadian courts. So how can a consumer make choices when they are not even aware of what they are buying?

As you can see, this is not a matter of a “customers’ right to make choices”. The only choices being made in these circumstances are the wrong choices. As Attorney General, would you advise any police department to not curtail the selling of stolen products in BC stores, because it infringes on a “customers’ right to make choices”?!

We feel your government is simply hiding behind the liberal façade of “customer choice” in order to avoid any meaningful discussion about your role in enabling the dispossession of the Palestinian people. Violating the many articles of the Fourth Geneva Convention amounts to war crimes. Supporting these violations is complicity in them.
As the anti Apartheid leader Archbishop Desmond Tutu put it: “If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.”

And finally, your unwillingness to meet with us demonstrates an arrogance and disinterest in issues of serious concern to your constituents and British Columbians, a very disappointing approach for someone who claims to be interested in rectifying social and historical injustices.

Hanna Kawas, Chairperson, Canada Palestine Association
Aiyanas Ormond, Coordinator, BDS Vancouver-Coast Salish

c.c. All Signatory Groups on the Open Letter

CBC Ombudsman Responds to our Complaint – Was it Worth the Wait??

So, after a five and a half month wait, the CBC Ombudsman Office finally produced… Read more

So, after a five and a half month wait, the CBC Ombudsman Office finally produced their review of our complaint about biased coverage and specifically their change of specific wording in their March 30th coverage of the Land Day Massacre.
Not surprisingly, they exonerated themselves and concluded they are not “beholden” to any interest group and the coverage did not violate CBC policy. The review, entitled “Watch your language – finding the right words to cover conflict in the Middle East”, said: “Language usage around this conflict is always fraught – any language changes made were consistent with CBC New’s own guidelines.”

The most damning part of our criticism had been that they changed specific terminology in Derek Stoffel’s reporting after receiving a complaint from the so-called “Honest Reporting Canada” HRC, a well-known pro-Israel lobby group.
However, CBC News Executive Director Jonathan Whitten stated:
“To the extent that Derek changed wording as the fast moving events of the day unfolded, it was to bring that wording into line with our own language guide.”
The Ombudsman report did go on to note that the language was changed following receipt of the HRC complaint:
“He (Whitten) added that the two examples of CBC language usage being questioned by HonestReporting were two of hundreds from the organization which accuse CBC of bias. He said CBC News staff look at each of them, as they do other criticisms or accusations of other sides in the conflict. They adjust the work when they have made errors or violated CBC journalistic policy.”
So to sum up: yes, they changed the language due to the HRC complaint, but only because they had made a mistake and the original version was not in line with their policies. However, in a later section, the Ombudsman review states, regarding the use of the term Israeli Arabs rather than Palestinians:
“The CBC Middle East language guide does not list a preferred usage. CBC news managers might want to provide some guidance. I am told that it has been CBC practice to use the term “Israeli Arab” and that is the reason it was changed – to be consistent with that practice.”

And then after a lengthy analysis about the difficulties of balancing reporting, the review concluded with this:
“I can tell you that Mr. Whitten is correct when he says the two examples you cite, quoting HonestReporting’s assertion that they have influenced the reporting, is two of many that come to this office. They also come from other interest groups. There is no merit to your contention that CBC News is beholden to any side in this conflict.
CBC News and current affairs have presented many stories and interviews which reflect the views and analysis of both the Israeli and Palestinian perspectives. The stories did not violate CBC policy.”

And yes, HRC did brag on their website about how CBC had “implemented their suggestions”. However, they have subsequently modified that line, perhaps realizing how crass it sounded, by trying to claim our original complaint was promoting “an outrageous Jewish conspiracy theory” by claiming “Jews control the media”. This ridiculous leap of logic was even reported by CJ News in an article on Sept. 28, 2018.
We were not aware that HRC represented all Jews, or were mandated to speak in the name of all Jews. We are also fully aware that our complaint dealt solely with the influence of the Zionist pro-Israeli lobby and even more specifically with the actions of HRC itself.
Regretfully, this is an increasing trend in Canada in recent months; the intentional conflation by pro-Israel groups of Judaism with Zionism and all Jews with the actions of Israel is dangerous and will in itself contribute to anti-Semitism.

What is the lesson here? That the Canadian media in general, with a few notable exceptions, is complicit in implementing the corporate and imperial agenda – we should expect no significant changes or improvements in how that media portrays the struggles of indigenous and marginalized peoples, including the Palestinians.