Posted by BNC Palestine on Sat, 02/27/2010 – 00:36
The BDS National Committee (BNC) strongly endorses the National Day Against Agrexco/Carmel on March 6th 2010, launched by the large French Anti-Agrexco Coalition and salutes the Coalition for its principled position and deeply appreciated solidarity.[1]
Carmel Agrexco (in short, Agrexco) is Israel”s largest exporter of agricultural produce, with the European Union being one of its major markets. In addition to selling 70% of the agricultural goods produced in Israeli colonial settlements built in the occupied Palestinian territory, 50% of Agrexco”s shares are owned by the Israeli Ministry of Agriculture. Furthermore, Agrexco sells products of Jordan valley colonies, where 7000 settlers have grabbed 95% of the land and 98% of the water resources, thus almost completely destroying the Palestinian agriculture in the area. This makes Agrexco one of Israel”s major tools of colonization and apartheid, and a company that should be banned from all European markets for its complicity in violation of international law, Palestinian rights, and the EU-Israel Association Agreement. The European Court of Justice has ruled that these products do not qualify for preferential customs treatment under the EU-Israel Association Agreement. [2]
The State of Israel, a major shareholder of Agrexco, continues to disregard international law, including the International Court of Justice”s ruling in 2004 condemning its colonial Wall and settlements as contrary to the law. In addition, Israel has flatly rejected the recommendations and conclusions of the UN Fact Finding Mission, as expressed in the Goldstone report, which described Israel’s war of aggression on Gaza as constituting war crimes and possibly crimes against humanity. Israel has continued its suffocating blockade of the entire Gaza Strip in what has been described by human rights experts and analysts as an act of “slow genocide.”
Welcoming Agrexco produce in shops runs counter to ethical and human rights values as well as international law. Would one have accepted during the 70″s, the darkest years of South African apartheid, creating an outlet for “Outspan” oranges, the symbol of apartheid, under any circumstances? Israeli colonization, oppression, and apartheid call for similar political pressure to be brought to bear by international civil society.
The BNC welcomes the call of the French Anti-Agrexco Coalition which is a call for respect of human rights and international law and based on the Palestinian civil society call BDS call. The BNC encourages you to join the National Day Against Agrexco on March 6th of 2010 and refuse the establishment of any Israeli company complicit in human rights violations in Sete or elsewhere. [3]
Join our action against the setting up of Agrexco in the harbour of Sete or organize an action in your area!
[1] The French Anti-Agrexco Coalition organized a conference in Montpellier to promote includes more than 90 NGOs and 5 national political parties (NPA, Communist, Green, Alternative, Left). http://www.coalitioncontreagrexco.com/spip.php?article11
[2] http://curia.europa.eu/jcms/jcms/P_61083/
[3] For details, see: http://www.bdsfrance.org/
