Association for Solidarity with the Palestinian People – Intifada
Dear supporters of the Palestinian resistance against the Israeli occupation,
We are of citizens and residents of Israel, members of BOYCOTT! Supporting the Palestinian BDS call from within, who are struggling to end the Israeli occupation and oppression of the Palestinians. We are writing to you in order to support your courageous appeal to Greek musician, Demis Roussos (who is scheduled to hold a concert in Tel Aviv on the 6th of May 20101) to refrain from performing in Israel until it abides by international law, ends the occupation of the Palestinian territory, and stops treating its own Palestinian citizens with institutionalized discrimination.2
As you mention, just two years ago, Demis Roussos, signed a letter of protest to the celebration of the 60 years of Israel along with 54 other prominent people of art and culture, including the Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish, Roger Waters of Pink Floyd, the British director Ken Loach, the South African writer Andre Brink, the Israeli academic and poet Aharon Shabtai, the Israeli historian Ilan Pappe, and the Anglo-Pakistani writer Tariq Ali. This letter, which was published in the International Herald Tribune on the 8th of May 2008 states:
There is no reason to celebrate! Israel at 60 is a state that is still denying Palestinian refugees their UN-sanctioned rights, simply because they are «non-Jews.» It is still illegally occupying Palestinian and other Arab lands, in violation of numerous UN resolutions. It is still persistently and grossly breaching international law and infringing fundamental human rights with impunity afforded to it through munificent US and European economic, diplomatic and political support.
But, as you indicate to Roussos, boycotting Israel has become even more critical after the slaughter of over 1400 Palestinians during the war on Gaza. “When these crimes occur”, you say, “we cannot remain indifferent. The civil society but even more the people of culture and art, have a responsibility to help to end the injustice against the Palestinian people”.
Indeed, raising awareness to the injustices practiced against the Palestinian people has affected a great number of artists such as Roger Waters, Santana, John Williams, Sting, Bono, Snoop Dog, Joan Manuel Serrat, and most recently, Gil Scott Heron,3 who will not cooperate with Israeli apartheid.
We wish to express here our full support of your views and actions and we hope that Demis Roussos will reconsider his decision and will cancel his planned performance in Israel.
In solidarity,
1. Ronnie Barkan
2. Matan Cohen
3. Naama Farjoun
4. Prof. Rachel Giora
5. Neta Golan
6. Iris Hefets
7. Yael Lerer
8. Yossef Lubovsky
9. Dr. Anat Matar
10. Rela Mazali
11. Dr. Dorothy Naor
12. Ofer Neiman
13. Dr. David Nir
14. Jonathan Pollak
15. Atty. Emily Schaeffer
16. Herzl Schubert
17. Ayala Shani
18. Tal Shapira
19. Kerstin Sodergren
20. Jonatan Stanczak
21. Elian Weizman
Members and supporters of
BOYCOTT! Supporting the Palestinian BDS call from within
1 http://sites.google.com/site/demisheb/
2 http://www.intifada.gr/cgi-bin/pages/page3.pl?arlang=English&arcode=100407074055
3 http://jewssansfrontieres.blogspot.com/2010/04/gil-scott-heron-announces-cancellation.html
